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Arwa
05-02-2005, 06:35 PM
Causes of Marital Problems

Shaykh Saalih Aal Taalib

27, Jumaadal Aakhirah 1425 (13, August 2004)


All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! Allaah says,

“O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife (Hawwâ (Eve)) and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allâh through Whom you demand (your mutual rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allâh is Ever an All-Watcher over you.”

(An-Nisaa 4:1)


Fear Allaah, dear brethren! Be conscious of Him and obey His commandments in private and in public. Allaah says,

“And whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make his matter easy for him.”

(At-Talaaq 65:4)

Dear brethren! Happiness is a necessity of the life of this world. Stability, progress and development cannot be achieved in the absence of happiness. If there is no happiness, man cannot appropriately worship his Lord. Humans have naturally be conditioned on finding solace in one another. That is why Allaah says while He reminds mankind of His favours upon them,

“And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.”

(Ar-Room 30:21)

Yes! Wives in whom you find repose; this is a proof that marriage is stability and peace of mind. This also implies the importance of marriage in Islaam and the attention that Islaam pays to the family. Islaam encourages marriage and it enjoins that it should be made easy. It forbids all that could impede it. Allaah says,

“Marry (other) women of your choice, two or three, or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one.”

(An-Nisaa 4:3)

Allaah also says,

“And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Sâlihûn (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allâh will enrich them out of His Bounty.”

(An-Noor 24:32)

Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim reported the Messenger of Allaah said, “O young people! Let those who have the ability to maintain among you marry.” Marriage is therefore the way of the Messengers and part of the guidance of the righteous.

Fellow Muslims! Islaam is greatly concerned about formation and uprightness of the family. This is because it is the foundation of the society whose different parts enforces and supports one another. It is for this reason that Prophet likened the Muslims to a structure whose different parts strengthen one another.

Islaam commands that suitable men should be married to. It forbids preventing women from marrying. It explains in the Qur’aan and in the Sunnah rights and responsibilities of the husband and the wife because stability of homes and uprightness of families cannot be attained if both the husband and the wife are not stable and successful in their marital life. As it is known that you cannot give out something you do not own, it is also impossible for parents who failed in their marital life have nothing to offer the society let alone produce righteous children who will be capable of contributing constructively to the society.

A successful marriage therefore means success of the society as family destruction means the destruction of the society. The Messenger of Allaah said, “Satan places his throne upon the water and he sends his hosts and the greatest of them in causing crises in the land will be the nearest to him in position. One of the hosts will tell Satan, ‘I did this and that’, but Satan will then him, ‘you have done nothing’. Another host will come and he will tell Satan, ‘I did not leave him [one of the human whom Satan wants to mislead] until I caused separation between him and his wife.’ Satan will then bring closer to himself and tell him, ‘yes it is you who [is closest to me in position].’” (Muslim)

If this is the stand of the accursed Satan, his mischievous followers are keen to destroy this great edifice and ruin the foundations of the society through their causing of disruptions in the families so much so that the rate of divorce and has alarmingly increased and more and more women are remaining unmarried. This is undoubtedly dangerous. For a situation like this breaks up the society, exposes children to negligence, makes the corruption widespread and creates resentment among families.

It is therefore the obligation of educators, reformers and journalists to look into this matter.

Brethren in faith! We all know that it is impossible to be perfect and that having differences is naturally human. It is impossible for the two spouses to have the same nature, character, desires and thoughts. It is enough a difference that one is male and the other is female. So it is unnatural to have differences among members of the same family. Even the household of the Prophet had its own share of differences. This is the natural. However, a home that is established upon piety and in which both the husband and the wife know their rights and obligations will never be negatively affected by these differences. The differences rather increase them in steadfastness and awareness, which lead them to correct their mistakes and block the way to further evils.

Fellow Muslims! When we take a quick look at the causes of marital problems, we will realize that they all emanate from the violation of Allaah’s commandments in many of the issues of marriage. Some marriages have become a curse and a calamity instead of becoming a source of tranquility and mercy. Allaah says,

“And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much.” (Ash-Shooraa 42:30)

There is no doubt in the fact that destruction of homes is one the greatest misfortunes.

One of the righteous predecessors said, “Whenever I disobey Allaah I see the impact of that in my mount animal and in the behaviour of my wife.”

Another said, “The sins of the righteous predecessors were few so they knew them and their causes.”

Yes! Can anyone who audaciously disobeys Allaah hope for success from Him? Can someone who disobeys Allaah wantonly expect his wife to obey him? Can a woman who is negligent in her obligations to Allaah expect her husband to fulfil her own rights? Though sins that either of the two spouses commits should not be made an excuse for maltreatment of his or her partner.

Dear brethren! There are general sins like neglecting the prayers and perpetrating forbidden things; and there are specifically related to marriage like transgression or negligence in marital rights and obligations. Differences occur between spouses in proportion to the degree of negligence.

The man who is negligent in his duties to his wife and the wife who is negligent in her duties to her husband should understand that they are disobeying Allaah. The Prophet said, “If a man invites his wife to his bed and she refuses and the man passes the night in the state of being of angry with her, the angels will continuously curse her till the morning.” (Al-Bukhaaree)

It is the duty of husband and wife to remember while they are fulfilling their marital obligations that they are performing acts of worship. The Messenger of Allaah has informed us that the Muslim would be rewarded for each morsel he puts in his wife’s mouth, though it is his obligation to spend on her.

The Messenger of Allaah is also authentically reported to have said that a man will be rewarded when he performs sexual intercourse with his wife, though he is naturally inclined to do so.

Therefore, the most important solution for those who want to lead a prosperous marital life is to fulfil the rights of Allaah, to carry out His commands and to fulfil all obligations. Let those who want to have an happy life read the saying of Allaah,

“Whoever works righteousness - whether male or female - while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islâmic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision).”

(An-Nahl 16:97)

Fellow Muslims! Selecting a good spouse is the foundation of happy and harmonious life. But negligence and disobeying Allaah regarding this vital matter cause problems. An example of this is to force a woman to marry a man she does not like as way of maintaining an obsolete tradition or because of the fame or the wealth of the suitor. This is definitely wrong and forbidden. Allaah’s Messenger said, “A matron should not be given in marriage except after consulting her; and a virgin should not be given in marriage except after her permission.” (A-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

However, young girl should seek to understand the opinion of their guardians and her utmost interest should be the criterion for selecting a suitor for her.

Another contravention of Islaam’s injunction regarding marriage is lie on the part of the husband or wife or their intermediary. This is betrayal the consequences of which the perpetrator will have to face in this world and the Hereafter.

Dear brethren! Another critical mistake made when selecting a suitor for girls is neglecting the religious aspects of his character and instead asking for his job, wealth and status in the society. The guardian who does this forgets that he who has betrayed Allaah and His Messenger could not be entrusted regarding his daughter. The suitor who neglects the religious aspects of his bride’s life forgets that a woman who is negligent in her duties to Allaah would never carry out her responsibility to her husband. A marital home built on materialism shall always be on the verge of destruction.

Brethren in faith! Guardians bear a part of this blame because of their indifference to the situation of the suitor and their failure to fulfil their obligations towards their daughters. There are many righteous girls who are afflicted with husbands who do not pray and who take intoxicants and commit forbidden things. This is a result of the negligence and indifference on the part of the girls’ guardians, for they did not bother to ask about the suitors’ religiosity.

Many are also is a man who insisted that his fiancé should fulfil all conditions available under the sun but gave only an insignificant consideration for her religiosity only to discover later after it was already late that the woman is not suitable to be a wife because of her lack religion and good morals.

The big question now is: what is the criterion for selecting a spouse?

This question is adequately answered by the Messenger of Allaah when he said, “When someone with whose religion and conduct you are pleased come for the hand of your daughter in marriage, marry to him. If you do not do so, there will be a great tribulation and widespread corruption on the land.” (At-Tirmidhee and Ibn Maajah)

The Messenger of Allaah also said, “A woman is married for one of the following four things: her wealth, nobility, beauty or her religiosity. Marry the one with religion, you will succeed.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

Fellow Muslims! Can someone who opens his marital life with violation of Islaamic injunctions expect success from Allaah? What I mean by this is a lot of violations of Allaah’s commandments that are witnessed in marriage banquets like immodest dressing, mingling of men and women, taking pictures, playing of music and neglecting prayers. This is in addition to extravagant spending and ostentatious banquets.

Let all fear Allaah and carry out his responsibilities. We should not leave a chance for the mischievous.

Fellow Muslims! Understanding the causes of marital problems leads to avoiding them and warning the Muslims not fall into them, thereby giving the relatives of both the husband and the wife an opportunity to intervene into what is outside their concern. The Messenger of Allaah said, “Shunning what is not of one’s concern is an aspect of perfection of one’s religion.” Allaah has also forbidding spying on people.

It is also an act of ignorance and foolishness that one of the spouses should complain to relatives about his or her spouse. For widening the scope of disagreement and involving outsiders increase the situation in complexity. It is therefore our obligation to preserve our secrets and solve our problems by ourselves. If the situation is allowed to reach a crisis point, the mischief-makers will wade into it and the matter will become the talk of the town, which eventually leads to destruction of homes.

Dear brethren! One of the reasons of marital problems is a misconception about matrimonial life and lack of understanding the noble goals of marriage like preservation of chastity for both man and woman, living together peacefully, establishing the Muslim home, cooperating in righteousness and piety and bringing up the children upon righteous path. If the spouses keep these concepts in their minds, they will never pay attention to flimsy things. Even if some worldly mistakes happen along the way they deal with them wisely and remember Allaah’s instruction,

“And do not forget liberality between yourselves.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:237)

Also, the imperfections in either of the two spouses should be borne with tolerance. The Messenger of Allaah said, “No believing man should hate a believing woman. If he dislikes a trait in her, he will find in her other traits which he likes.” (Muslim)

Another shortsightedness is the consideration people give to beauty. The Muslim should make the goals of Sharee‘ah the basic criterion in selecting a spouse. An interesting story in this regard is what is narrated from Ash’Sha’bee that a man asked him, “I have married a woman but I later realized that there is a trace of limping in one her two legs. Can I return the woman [to her family] and reclaim my mahr?” Ash-Sha’bee answered him saying, “If you have married her to use her for racing, you may return her.”

You can also find a man who scorns his wife simply because other women are taller and more knowledgeable than her. Some men compare their wives to other women thereby causing great dissention.

Another factor that influences people’s perception of beauty are many films, magazines and periodicals with images of women and satellite channels with which we are afflicted these days. This phenomenon leads some men to dislike their wives because they have seen the pictures of whom they regard as more beautiful women.

Then is it lawful for a Muslim who believes in Allaah and the Last Day, knows that he would meet Allaah, hopes for His Paradise and is afraid of His Fire to prefer a disbelieving woman whom he saw on TV screen or in a promiscuous magazine to his Muslim and chaste wife?

There is no gainsaying in the fact that the magazines and satellite channels that show the images of men and women in a most decorative manner have opened the gates of evils. It is here that we realize the importance of Allaah’s injunction,

“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts). That is purer for them. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things) and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts).”

(An-Noor 24:30-31)

We are also telling a woman who regards what she sees on TV screens as an embodiment of perfect life to fear Allaah and wake up from her delusions.

Things that are shown on satellite channels do not only stimulate sexual passion, they also destroy people’s morals and homes and cause a lot of mischief on the land. Allaah says,

“And when it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "We are only peace-makers. Verily! They are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive not.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:11-12)

Fellow Muslims! One of the major causes of marital problems is the husband’s lack of playing his role as demanded by Islaam, or being negligent in the performance of that role or allowing the wife to challenging his guardianship.

Being a guardian upon the woman does not mean overpowering and an ability to treat woman unjustly. It rather means taking good care of her and carrying out one’s responsibilities towards her. Allaah explains the rights of both husband and wife in the clearest possible way when He says,

“And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:228)

Allaah says, ‘to what is reasonable’ to indicate that demanding one’s right should not be by selfishness, for marriage is not a commercial companionship. It is rather a life companionship.

Even when the divorce becomes inevitable, Allaah commands that it should be carried out in the kindest manner. He says,

“Either you retain her on reasonable terms or release her with kindness.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:229)

Can you find a better way of reforming homes that these beautiful divine injunctions? Is it not appropriate for the writers and self-appointed reformists to follow the light of the Prophet, rather than waging a vicious war on hijaab and attempting to destroy homes? It is an Islaamic obligation to rein these elements of mischief in order to protect the society.

Dear brothers and sisters! Nothing can make people achieve happiness and prosperity except adherence to the correct religion, having good morals, overlooking mistakes, performance of duties and responsibilities, hoping to get the reward of all righteous deeds from Allaah and promoting societal harmony and love.

The wife should help to make her husband lower his gaze by making herself as attractive as possible to him. The husband should also be kind to his wife and satisfy her needs as much as he can.

Let all understanding that much violations breed hatred and that he who respects others get nothing in return but respect and honour and he who calls upon Allaah, never will Allaah disappoint him.

Dear brethren! The relationship between man and woman is not worldly or materialist, neither is it bestial. It is rather a spiritual honourable relationship if it is sincerely maintained. It is a relationship that transcends this mundane world to the Hereafter. Allaah says,

“'Adn (Eden) Paradise (everlasting Gardens), which they shall enter and (also) those who acted righteously from among their fathers, and their wives, and their offspring. And angels shall enter unto them from every gate (saying): "Salâmun 'Alaikum (peace be upon you) for you persevered in patience! Excellent indeed is the final home!”

(Ar-Ra‘d 13:23-24)
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S_87
05-03-2005, 03:03 PM
:sl:
jazakAllah :D
some good advice there :thumbs_up
Reply

ABDULLAH SAOOD
05-03-2005, 04:44 PM
Assalamoalaikum-wa-rahmatullah-hey-wabrakatu

Mashallah top khutba! I remember being in Mecca for that Jumma - I think every person who is married should read this inshallah what with Talaaq and domestic violence on the increase at a rapid pace.
Reply

Arwa
05-03-2005, 05:14 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by ABDULLAH SAOOD
Assalamoalaikum-wa-rahmatullah-hey-wabrakatu

Mashallah top khutba! I remember being in Mecca for that Jumma - I think every person who is married should read this inshallah what with Talaaq and domestic violence on the increase at a rapid pace.
jazakAllah
some good advice there
wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

wow lucky masha'Allah :sister:

Yeah.. it is a top khutbah.. even for those who aren't married :sister:
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Arwa
06-03-2005, 12:53 AM
Justice

Shaykh Saalih Aal Taalib


19, Rabee‘uth-thaanee 1426 (28, May 2005)


All praise is due to Allaah Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah as He should be feared that you may have success. Allaah says,

“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allaah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and will be admitted to Paradise).”

(Al-Ahzaab 33:70-71)




Return to your Lord in repentance and surrender your hearts to Him. Do not be deceived by the life of this world.

Know that hearts have a need that cannot be met except by devoting one’s attention to Allaah, loving Him and returning to Him in repentance. It is also only through observation of Allaah’s commands by shunning forbidden and ambiguous things that bodies can be protected. May Allaah bless the one who examines himself, is conscious of his Lord and prepares for his Hereafter!

Fellow Muslims! The life will be pleasant when someone have their rights in full. And there will be progress and developments in civilizations and countries if there is abundance of justice, equality and attainment of rights.

Allaah makes men’s hearts incline towards the love for justice, and human nature and wisdom loves it. It is justice that wins kings, leaders and rulers good repute and praise.

The divine messages also came to establish and promote justice. Allaah says,

“Indeed We have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs, and revealed with them the ure and the Balance (justice) that mankind may keep up justice.”

(Al-Hadeed 57:25)

The great religion of Islaam came to bring people out of the injustice of various religions to the justice of Islaam, for it is with justice that the heavens and the earth were established. Also, our Lord is Just and deems himself far above being unjust. He says,

“Surely! Allaah wrongs not even of the weight of an atom (or a small ant).”

(An-Nisaa 4:40)

The religion of Islaam is based upon justice. Allaah says,

“And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice.”

(Al-An‘aam 6:115)

Islaam is truthful in its news and just in its rulings. It does not approve of injustice or aggression. It always stands with the truth wherever it is. Islaam commands fulfilment of promises and covenants even with non-Muslims. Allaah commands His Messenger,

“If you fear treachery from any people throw back (their covenant) to them (so as to be) on equal terms (that there will be no more covenant between you and them). Certainly Allaah likes not the treacherous.”

(Al-Anfaal 8:58)

He also says,

“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allaah as just witnesses; and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety.”

(Al-Maaidah 5:8)

The above verse indicates that justice is mandatory in all situations even if the one involved is one’s enemy. Allaah also commands His Prophet to say,

“I am commanded to do justice among you.”

(Ash-Shooraa 42:15)

And He commands the entire mankind to uphold justice,

“Verily, Allaah enjoins justice and kindness.”

(An-Nahl 16:90)

When the Messenger of Allaah was addressing the Muslims about the seven individuals who would be sheltered under the shade of Allaah on the Day of Resurrection, the first individual he mentioned was the just ruler. The Messenger of Allaah said, “Certainly, the just ones shall stand before Allaah [on the Day of Resurrection] on the pulpit of light on the right Hand of Allaah – and both His Hands are blessed. These are the ones who are just in their decisions and in their dealings with their families and those over whom they have an authority.”

The opposite of justice is injustice and it is going to be darkness over the unjust on the Day of Resurrection.

Dear brethren! Allaah forbids injustice for Himself and makes it forbidden among His servants. For, the unjust will never prosper. Allaah says,

“Allaah does not like the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers).”

(Aal ‘Imraan 3:57)

There is no doubt that the greatest injustice is to worship others beside Allaah as He says in soorah Luqmaan,

“Verily joining others in worship with Allaah is a great injustice indeed.”

(Luqmaan 31:13)

The Muslim nation deserves support and power from Allaah if it establishes justice. Shaykhul-Islaam ibn Taymiyyah said, “Allaah supports a just government even it is non-Muslim and does not support an unjust government even if it is Muslim.”

Dear brethren! Justice must be maintained in all situations. The consequences of injustice are horrible in this world and in the Hereafter. The Messenger of Allaah said, “Whoever usurps an inch of [someone’s] land wrongfully, it will be hanged on his neck on the Day of Resurrection.”

He also said, “Allaah the exalted gives respite to the wrongdoer till when He seizes him, He does not allow him to escape.”

Even the injustices suffered by animals will not go in vain. The Messenger of Allaah said, “The claimants would get their claims on the Day of Resurrection so much so that the hornless sheep would get its claim from the horned sheep.” (Muslim)

The Messenger of Allaah said, “Whoever has oppressed another person concerning his reputation or anything else, he should beg him to forgive him before the Day of Resurrection when there will be no money (to compensate for wrong deeds), but if he has good deeds, those good deeds will be taken from him according to his oppression which he has done, and if he has no good deeds, the sins of the oppressed person will be loaded on him.” (Al-Bukhaaree)

However weak the oppressed may be, Allaah will certainly help him. The Messenger of Allaah sad, “Allaah raises the invocation of the oppressed through the clouds and He opens the gates of the heavens to it, and He will say: By My Glory and Majesty, I will certainly help you even if it is after a while.” (At-Tirmidhee) Allaah says,

“Consider not that Allaah is unaware of that which the wrong-doers do.”

(Ibraaheem 14:42)

Allaah also says,

“Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the (population of) the towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful, (and) severe.”

(Hood 11:102)

Won’t the oppressor fear the Lord of the worlds? Is he not frightened by the invocation of the oppressed? Tell those who falsely accuse others and bother the believers concerning their reputation that the call of the oppressed is always accepted. Remember the day that you will be made to stand before Allaah. Allaah says,

“And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, they bear (on themselves) the crime of slander and plain sin.”

(Al-Ahzaab 33:58)

Fellow Muslims! Islaam regards justice as greatly important, and the reward of justice is abundant with Allaah. The invocation of the just is accepted and Allaah loves those who are just. The maintainer of justice shall be sheltered under the shade of Allaah on the Day of resurrection.

Justice is a quality that a ruler must possess. Allaah says,

“Verily! Allaah commands that you should render back the trusts to those to whom they are due; and that when you judge between men, you judge with justice. Verily, how excellent is the teaching which He (Allaah) gives you!”

(An-Nisaa 4:58)

Justice must be upheld in all things like decision making, division of properties, delivering judgment on individuals and groups and classifying people as regards their reliability or otherwise.

Islaam teaches that the father should treat his children equally in all aspects. An example in this regard is the story of an-Nu’maan ibn Basheer whose father gave some gifts to the exclusion of his siblings. When the Messenger of Allaah was informed of that he commanded him to take back his gift and to treat all his children equally. He told him, “Fear Allaah and treat your children equally.”

It is also incumbent upon man to treat his wives equally, and to give them equal rights regarding the number of nights he spends with each and regarding expenses and other matrimonial rights. Allaah says,

“And if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphan-girls then marry (other) women of your choice, two or three, or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one or (the slaves) that your right hands possess. That is nearer to prevent you from doing injustice.”

(An-Nisaa 4:3)

The Messenger of Allaah said, “When a man has two wives and he is inclined to one of them, he will come on the Day of Resurrection with a side hanging down.” (Aboo Daawood)

Justice is required in everything, in sayings and deeds. Allaah says,

“And whenever you give your word (i.e. judge between men or give evidence), say the truth.”

(Al-An‘aam 6:152)

Being just in sayings is one of the most difficult things. If someone tries to makes himself accustomed to justice, he will succeed. If someone maintains justice and loves equality Allaah will teach him the truth and make him compassionate to others. He will also make it easy for him to follow the Sunnah and shun the path of error and desire. Allaah says,

“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allaah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allaah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you avoid justice; and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allaah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do.”

(An-Nisaa 4:135)

Dear brethren! Justice demands that one is sincere with oneself. It demands being conscious of Allaah and shunning of desires. Allaah says,

“O Daawood (David)! Verily! We have placed you as a successor on the earth; so judge you between men in truth (and justice) and follow not your desire - for it will mislead you from the Path of Allaah.”

(Saad 38:26)

As justice is required in treatment of wives, it is also required in one’s treatment of his employees and subjects. The Prophet said, “The Muslim is a brother of his fellow Muslim. He should not wrong him or surrender him [to the enemy].”

Dear Muslims! Fear Allaah and be conscious of Him in all that you do or leave. Know that you will stand before Him tomorrow and be recompensed for your deeds.
Reply

Arwa
06-03-2005, 12:54 AM
:sl: wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu

My we be among the justice.
Reply

Arwa
06-03-2005, 06:36 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Hash
Ameen

Have you read some of his books sister, very inspiring mashallaah.

Sheikh Salih al Talib has books?!?! :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg:

Tell me more! :omg:
Reply

Uthman
06-03-2005, 06:48 PM
:sl:

Good info :shade:

format_quote Originally Posted by Arwa
Sheikh Salih al Talib has books?!?! :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg:

Tell me more! :omg:
Please tell me it wasn't you who claimed to be his no.1 fan! ;D

:w:
Reply

ABDULLAH SAOOD
06-03-2005, 07:55 PM
Assalamo-alaikum-warahmatullah-hi-wabrakatu

Mashallah excellent post a good reminder about a topic which is increasingly being neglected within the ummat!
Reply

Ibn Abi Ahmed
06-03-2005, 07:57 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Hash
Ameen

Have you read some of his books sister, very inspiring mashallaah.
:sl:

Nice post sis,

:omg: :omg: :omg:

TELL ME MORE TOO :omg:
Reply

Ibn Abi Ahmed
06-03-2005, 07:57 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Osman
:sl:

Good info :shade:

Please tell me it wasn't you who claimed to be his no.1 fan! ;D
:w:
:lol: i must agree, i doubt if even brother Zak knows this, ill make a note to ask him Inshallah :shade:

Do you know anything about this brother AS?
Reply

Far7an
06-12-2005, 05:49 PM
Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

All Sermons by Shaykh Saalih Aal Taalib will posted in this thread InshaAllah
Reply

Arwa
07-17-2005, 09:49 PM
Time is Life

Sheikh Salih al Taalib

24, Jumaadal-Ulaa 1426 (1 July, 2005)


Fellow Muslims! Fear your Lord Who knows all that is hidden, and Sufficient is He, concerning the sins of His servants, as Acquainting and Seeing. Allaah says,

“O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. (Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always), and die not except in a state of Islâm (as Muslims (with complete submission to Allâh)).”

(Aal ‘Imraan 3:102)




In this world, man is between two dreaded things: his past life which he does not know what Allaah is going to do with it, and the remaining part of his life which he does not know what Allaah is going to decide on it.

The wise one then makes proper use of his life for his own benefits, fills his worldly life with righteous deeds in preparation for his hereafter and judiciously uses his free time before a time comes when he will be busy. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, there is nothing one can do after the death has come, and there is nothing after the life of this world but Paradise or Hell.

Dear Muslims! Man’s conditions in this world change between health and illness, free time and busy time, toil and rest, seriousness and indolence.

These days, the end of the academic year has created some free time. It is now common that people have their annual vacation in the summer; a situation that was unknown before but only created by the contemporary modernity that has turned man into a tool for the whole year, toiling tirelessly and frantically running after the materials of this world, far from spiritual nourishment like eemaan, which is the source of rest for the body, heart and the soul. The plague of vacations had become so widespread that it has become the sign of the summer all over the world.

In view of the reality of Islaam, its universality, its comprehensiveness and its balanced rules and just laws, it has affirmed the soul and the body’s right to have their share of rest and relaxation. The Messenger of Allaah said, “Surely, your body has a right upon you and your family has a right upon you. So give each their right.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

The soul might become tired because of a long work. And the hearts also are tired like bodies. ‘Alee said, “Give the hearts an hour of rest every now and then, for if the heart is coerced into work it becomes blind.”

Nevertheless, this recreation should not be allowed to exceed the limits of what is permissible. It is authentically reported that the Messenger of used to make jokes but he would not say anything but the truth. He engaged ‘Aaishah in a race, played with children and encouraged playing with one’s wife. He approved that the Abyssinians should play with their javelins. He would tell his companions, “Throw [arrows], for your father was an arrow-thrower.” These are some of the allowed recreation that do not consume all the time and that do not become one’s perpetual habit.

Making oneself happy and cheerful and refreshing oneself through permitted recreational activities are some of the things that Islaam considers in its law. A permitted recreational activity is the one that does not contradict the fundamentals and laws of Islaam. It should not be a forbidden thing or lead to a forbidden thing or block the way to an obligatory deed.

Brethren in faith! Since vacations have become a reality in people’s life, the conscious Muslim should therefore always keep two things at the back of his mind:

One: That the time of vacation is a part of his life, that time is life and that vacation does not mean abandonment of works.

Two: That he is not excused from abiding by Islaamic obligations. For, man is required to use all his time in worshipping Allaah, which is the purpose for which he was created. Allaah says,

“And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).”

(Adh-Dhaariyaat 51:56)

However, this does not mean that one should spend all his time in prayer, fasting and jihad without any stop or rest. What is meant is that man should always remain in obedience to his Lord in all his situations. He should not abandon the obligation, for he is always commanded and prohibited and there is no time in his life in which he is free from Islaamic regulations and free to do all that he likes. He should always abide by obligatory, supererogatory and permitted things. At least, he is obliged to shun all forbidden things however remote or relaxed he may be.

Holiday is not a time used on the margin of life. It is rather part of man’s life that is not owned by man but by Allaah, Who created man so that he might use the time in the service of his Lord. That is why Allaah made it forbidden that man should destroy his own life or waste his time in any form and for any reason. Allaah says,

“And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allaah is Most Merciful to you. And whoever commits that through aggression and injustice, We shall cast him into the Fire.”

(An-Nisaa 4:29-30)

This is in spite of the fact that the suicide perpetrator killed only himself. This underlines man’s responsibility before his Creator, regarding his own life.

The Messenger of Allaah said, “The feet of the son of Adam shall not slip on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked of four things: His life as to how he spent it, his youth as how he used it, his knowledge as to what he did with it and his wealth as to where he got and how he spent it.” (At-Tirmidhee)

Travels are also part of life. And everyone shall be held accountable for how he spent the hours of his life. Based on this, we realize that the concept of time, according to Islaamic legislation, does not permit man to waste any part thereof. We also realize the greatness of time in that Allaah swears with it and with some parts of it. He says,

“By Al-'Asr (the time). Verily, man is in loss. Except those who believe (in Islaamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma'ruf) which Allaah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar which Allaah has forbidden), and recommend one another to patience.”

(Al-‘Asr 103:1-3)

Allaah also swears by the night when it covers and the day when it appears and with the two kinds of creation: male and female. He also affirms that people’s efforts are diverse. He swears by the sun and its brightness, and by the day, night and the soul, affirming that whoever purifies his soul has succeeded and that whoever instils it with corruption has failed. All this, indicating that time is the essence of life.

Fellow Muslims! The wise is the one who reflects over his affairs and realizes that movement of days means nearness of his death however long or short he is destined to live. He then takes the safe side, strives in his day and prepare for his morrow. The time is nothing but man’s life and his repeated breath. Time is precious. The part of it that is gone will never be retrieved.

We seriously need to be alert. Many are the heedless who have sold off their most precious possession –their time – for a pittance. The time goes and those who fail to catch up with it, their days and times will go in vain and they will incur great loss, and nothing will remain of the life but only its effects. So choose for yourself what will benefit you. That is why the prosperous ones will be told on the Day of Resurrection,

“Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past!”

(Al-Haaqqah 69:24)

And the miserable ones will be told,

“That was because you had been exulting in the earth without any right (by worshipping others instead of Allaah and by committing crimes), and that you used to rejoice extremely (in your error). Enter the gates of Hell to abide therein: and (indeed) what an evil abode of the arrogant!”

(Ghaafir 40:75-76)

Dear brethren! Man has two days in which he will regret his time that he has wasted and in which he will ask to be given some respite.

One: when he dies, that is when he will say,

“My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while (i.e. return to the worldly life), then I should give Sadaqah (i.e. Zakât) of my wealth, and be among the righteous.”

(Al-Munaafiqoon 63:10)

And the answer to this request will be:

“And Allaah grants respite to none when his appointed time (death) comes. And Allaah is All-Aware of what you do.”

(Al-Munaafiqoon 63:11)

Two: in the Hereafter when he enters Hell. Allaah says,

“Therein they will cry: "Our Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not (the evil deeds) that we used to do.”

And the reply will be:

"Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it? And the warner came to you. So taste you (the evil of your deeds). For the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) there is no helper."

(Faatir 35:37)

Fellow Muslims! Preserving time and making proper spending of one’s life need some resoluteness and strong will. As for indolence, it is a destructive and fatal disease. It reflects negatively on individuals and the society. It causes languor, poverty, moral and material backwardness and it leads to sins. Though work might be strenuous, indolence is undoubtedly destructive. If one sits down too much, he will fail to achieve his goals.

Tell those who are looking for places of fun to kill their time: ‘Do you think that life is just a pastime or do you think that death is just a fun?’

Tell those who spend their days between illusions and dreams: ‘If you are ignorant of how much of the time you waste, visit the graveyards, and seek from their inhabitants some time so that you might know that time is a precious thing that cannot be perpetually owned and a missed thing that can never be retrieved.’

Many are those who say: O Lord, send me back to the world that I may do righteous deeds that I had earlier abandoned.’ But they will be told: ‘No, life does not go back.’

Free time does not remain so for ever. It must be filled with either a good or a bad deed. He who does not occupy himself with good deed will have himself occupied with evil deed. The righteous predecessors disliked that a man should have nothing to do neither in matters of his religion or matters of his worldly life. If free time is combined with wealth and health, the danger then becomes greater if that free time is not used in good thing. The Messenger of Allaah said, “There are two blessings in which many people are deluded: health and free time.” (Al-Bukhaaree)

Brethren in Islaam! If someone has no goal to pursue, he will waste his time. The one who wanders about aimlessly bothers none but only himself. A man without a goal is like a captain-less ship tossed about by the waves. Days are records of deeds, so fill them with good deeds. Opportunities move like clouds, and languor is the habit of backward people. He who adopts the life of weakness will stumble. If procrastination and indolence are combined they generate loss. One of the righteous people cried when he was dying and when he was asked of the cause of his crying he said, “I am crying in regret of a day in which I did not fast and a night in which I did not pray.”

The reality is that whenever everyone nears his death he regrets every moment in which he had not done a good deed, regardless of whether the person was righteous or neglectful. Can’t we then catch up with what is left of our lives? You will find the earliest generations the best in terms of their keenness to preserve their time more than a stingy person would be keen to preserve his money. The harvest of their keenness was useful knowledge, righteous deeds, fighting in the way of Allaah, glory and a firm-rooted civilization of towering branches.

But when you look at the situation of the contemporary Muslims, you will besurprised to notice how they waste their lives and times in a manner that is foolish and idiotic thereby lagging behind after they had been the leaders.

Fellow Muslims! If a man’s life is blessed he attains, within a short time, uncountable favours of Allaah. Many are those who are made to succeed in achieving a lot within a short time so much so that you think that their achievements are miracles, while the reality is that they are only blessed and made successful in investing their time in useful things. The best example is the Messenger of Allaah who brought the people out of darkness to the light and changed the face of human history within a short period of twenty-three years.

Another example is ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab who worked continuously through days and nights. He would say, “If I slept in the night I would waste my life and if I slept during the day I will waste the lives of my subjects. How can I then sleep between these two periods?”

Ibn ‘Aqeel said, “I cannot waste an hour of my life. Even if my tongue stops from reading and discussing matters of knowledge, and my eyes stops from browsing books, I make use of my thoughts at my time of rest and when I am lying down. When I get up I’ll already have in my mind what needs writing down.” That is how he was able to write his book, al-Funoon, about which adh-Dhahabee said, “Nothing greater than it [in its field] has ever been authored.”

Ibn al-Qayyim said about his Shaykh, “I have seen wonders in the strength of Shaykh al-Islaam concerning his ways, his actions and his writings. In a single day, he would author what a copyist would copy for a whole week.”

Adh-Dhahabee said about him, “His writings reached about five hundred volumes.”

All this is in addition to his other activities like da’wah and jihaad.

The Messenger of Allaah said, “He who fears [sudden attack of the enemy] sets out in the night, and he who sets out in the night will arrive at the appropriate station. Behold, Allaah’s commodity [Paradise] is precious and expensive! Behold, Allaah’s commodity [Paradise] is precious and expensive!” (At-Tirmidhee)

Brethren in faith! Since we have talked about time and the importance of investing it in useful things, here is a piece of advice for those who are gambling with their lives in the ambiguities of darkness that lead to unlawful shedding of the blood of Muslims.

Dear Muslim youths! The afflictions of your Ummah are many and its wounds are still fresh. However, the most bleeding wound of the Ummah and its most painful disease is the deviant thoughts and actions of some of its youths. It greatly pains this Ummah to see some of its youths attacking the scholars, the rulers and the wise men of their society who weigh the interests of the Ummah and try to prevent the worst of the two evils with the lesser one. This is a deviation that results in killings and shedding of innocent blood among Muslims and within the vicinity of the sacred cities.

The reprovers have reproved and the sincere advisers have given their sincere advice. The scholars have explained the truth. Will you then cease?

Many of the lives that should have been used in constructing the useful society with the guidance of the scholars and upon the Sunnah of the Prophet have been wasted. This is a call from a sympathetic and sincere adviser to those who have denounced the community of the Muslims to return to the right path. Let those who have committed mistakes repent, and those who are accused surrender themselves so that they can enjoy security. It is an act of bravery to admit mistakes and face the consequences.

It is our hope that you will understand and reason and then be excused and shown mercy. If not, you need to atone for your sins. Either of the two options is however better for a Muslim than proceeding in committing mistakes. Whatever Allaah has decreed shall come to pass, and to Him belongs the control of all affairs in the beginning and in the end. We seek refuge with Him against misleading trials.

:applaud: :applaud:
Reply

Arwa
08-24-2005, 03:55 PM
Another great khutba on the way! :sister: :thumbs_up

Importance of Marriage and its Etiquettes

Sheikh Salih al Talib

2, Jumaadal-Aakhirah 1426 (8, July 2005)



All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! The most truthful speech is the Book of Allaah and the best guidance is that of Muhammad. Every innovation is misguidance and every misguidance leads to Hell.

Fear Allaah and know that tomorrow, you will be made to stand in front of your Lord and be recompensed for your deeds.

“O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife (Hawwâ (Eve)) and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allâh through Whom you demand (your mutual rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allâh is Ever an All-Watcher over you.”

(An-Nisaa 4:1)




Beware of procrastination, for having deep inclination towards this world makes one forget the Hereafter, as following the desires blocks the way to the truth.

Dear brethren! Allaah has created humans upon inclinations to their natural instincts. It is also of His mercy and wisdom that He made the law of Islaam call to this and He promised prosperity and reward to those who follow the course of this nature. A manifestation of this is the relationship that takes place between man and woman through marriage.

Brethren in Islaam! No sane person will dispute the importance, virtues and benefits of marriage or dispute the fact that marriage is the natural means of achieving peace of mind, tranquility and societal stability and progress. Marriage makes life well-organized and it is from its fortress that righteous generations are produced. Allaah says,

“And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.”

(Ar-Room 30:21)

Marriage promotes purity and chastity, keeps the married person away from illegal sexual intercourse and sinful activities. It brings about blessing and makes the society live a morally secure and comfortable life. Allaah makes marriage a virtue and a way of the Prophets. He says addressing His Messenger,

“And indeed We sent Messengers before you (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) and made for them wives and offspring.”

(Ar-Ra‘d 13:38)

Therefore, it is because of these great benefits that Islaam encourages marriage and encourages its facilitation. It also prohibits all that could impede or disrupt it. Allaah says,

“And if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphan-girls then marry (other) women of your choice, two or three, or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one or (the slaves) that your right hands possess. That is nearer to prevent you from doing injustice.”

(An-Nisaa 4:32)

The Messenger of Allaah said, “O young people! Whoever among you is able to marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e. his private parts from committing illegal sexual intercourse etc.).” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

In the Qur’aan, Allaah commands that suitable suitors should be married to as He prohibits preventing women from marrying women of their choice. In the Qur’aan and the Sunnah, rights and responsibilities of the husband and the wife are explained so that a truly Muslim family that is the foundation of a strong and coherent society can be established.

Brethren in faith! It is certain that anyone who has concern for his society and Ummah and wishes his fellow Muslims well will make all efforts to promote this institution and make it successful. He will avoid all that could impede it. A concerned Muslim will also be worried about the failure of some marriages when he sees problems springing out of some homes. It is therefore necessary that a wise Muslim should adopt all useful means of making the marriage life successful.

Fellow Muslims! Speaking about marriage has many aspects. It is enough to talk about some phenomena that precede marriage and that have an undesirable impact on the course of life so that the Muslims can be sincerely admonished and the heedless will be awakened.

One: Delaying marriage until the end of studies or after getting a job and having financial capability or delaying marriage in order to avoid commitments or for any other reasons. All this is part of the evil plans of Satan by which he brainwashes humans especially the youth through the filthy films and serials that are aired on the satellite TV or published in magazines and newspapers. This has created a lot of misconceptions about marital life, corrupted the people’s morality and instilled in them mistaken ideas that opened the door to a great evil.

Delaying marriage contradicts Islaamic teachings as it contradicts the human nature. Sociologists affirmed that early marriage is the best marriage even if the financial condition is hard. They also affirmed that it is a major means of attaining stable psychological and physical health; and that the children born from early marriage are more intelligent and healthier and have less physical disabilities.

In addition to the above, early marriage makes one’s religion complete and makes one chaste. It is also established that early marriage is a major factor in many people’s success in their academic life. So when an artificial impediment is put in the way of this natural institution, the consequences will be woes upon the society.

In fact, there is no contradiction between marriage and requirements of marriage life, for that is a part of natural life that should not be linked to imaginary and artificial impediments created by the idiotic people. The Muslims’ stand concerning marriage should be reliance on Allaah and not on materials. Allaah says,

“And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Sâlihûn (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allâh will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allâh is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people).”

(An-Noor 24:32)

The Messenger of Allaah said, “There are three persons that Allaah has taken it upon Himself to help them: the fighter in the way of Allaah, a captive who is in the process of buying his freedom and the one who wants to marry to keep himself or herself chaste.” (At-Tirmidhee and others)

If there are some stupid people who have turned their daughters into commercial commodity and ask for exorbitant mahr [bridal gift] and lay down difficult conditions for those who want to marry their daughters, there are better women elsewhere. For, there are many families who only wish to marry their daughter to someone who can make her happy and preserve her religion for her and treat her well. These families are satisfied with minimal mahr, emulating by that, the Messenger of Allaah who said, “It is a sign of blessing in a woman that proposing marriage to her and her mahr are made easy for the suitor.” (Ahmad and others)

Demanding for excessive mahr and evaluating a suitor by the amount of mahr he is able to pay is a sign of meanness, perverted thinking and stupidity. Also, burdening the suitor with exorbitant mahr and requesting him to present many gifts to relatives of the prospective groom is the peak of greed, avarice and opportunism. All this breeds ill-feeling, weighs the husband down with debts, impedes the smooth course of marriage in the society and causes many girls to remain unmarried for a long time. This is, indeed, a manifestation of preventing woman from marrying; a situation that Allaah forbids.

Also, one of the cruellest forms of preventing woman from marrying is to insist that she should marry a particular relative of hers and preventing her from marrying any other suitor even if that leads to her remaining a spinster for life. This is a major crime and an excessive act of selfishness that is a product of an obsolete norm, and it goes against the everlasting injunctions of Islaam.

It is unlawful to coerce a woman into marrying someone she does not like. Her father’s guardianship over her is only to safeguard her interest and protect her, and definitely not that of imposition or coercion. The Messenger of Allaah said, “A matron should not be given in marriage except after consulting her; and a virgin should not be given in marriage except after her permission." The people asked, "O Allaah's Messenger! How can we know her permission?" He said, "Her silence (indicates her permission).” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

Shaykh al-Islaam ibn Taymiyyah said, “It is unlawful for any of the two parents to force their son into marrying someone he does not like. If he refuses to obey them in this regard he is not considered undutiful to them. If it is unlawful for anyone to force him to eat what he does not want to eat though he is capable of eating what he wants, the same thing applies to marriage, even with a greater reason. For, eating an undesirable thing is painful only for a moment but the pain of marrying an undesirable someone lasts for long.”

Forcing a woman into marrying someone she does not like because of that person’s money or his fame or his close relationship is an injustice and therefore forbidden. The guardians must understand this.

The girl should also try to understand the point of view of her guardian regarding acceptance and refusal of a proposal. In any case, interest of the girl should be the criterion.

Dear Muslims! Guardians have a great responsibility regarding the suitor who comes forward for the hand of their daughter in marriage. This is in view of the Prophet’s instruction, “Man is the guardian over his family and he will be asked as to how he discharged his responsibility towards them.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

Also, the girl is usually dependent upon her guardian’s knowledge and advice. He should therefore fear Allaah and make all efforts to know the real situation of the suitor and his compatibility. For, many are righteous women who are afflicted with a sinful husband who does not pray or who takes intoxicants and perpetrates forbidden things or who is ill-mannered. This unfortunate situation is caused by nothing more than her guardian’s negligence and his carelessness regarding the religiosity of the husband and his being satisfied only with his appearance or because he trusted the family from which the husband comes.

Compatibility in marriage should only be in terms of religiosity and good manner. The Messenger of Allaah said, “If someone with whose religion and manners you are pleased asks for the hand of your daughter in marriage, grant it to them. If you do not do so, there will be temptation in the land and widespread corruption.” (At-Tirmidhee)

Let those whose only goal is asking for money and fame and have no regard for religiosity realise that he who betrays Allaah and His Messenger cannot be trusted to be a guardian for his own daughter. The same thing can be said to the suitor as well. For, there are many men who stipulated for his fiancée all conditions of this world but regarded the religion as the least important and soon realised that the woman is not suitable to be his wife because of her lack of religiosity and morals. The Messenger of Allaah said, “A woman is married for four things: her wealth, her family status, her beauty and her religion. So you should marry the religious woman (otherwise) you will be a losers.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

The suitor should realize that any woman who is careless about her responsibility to her Creator will definitely negligent in her responsibility to her husband and children. Also, the adviser or the person responsible must be duly informed of the situation of the suitor. He should fear Allaah in all that he says and in the advice he gives. Some people might be influenced by tribal zealousness or haste thereby exaggerating in praising or disparaging a suitor or a woman though they have not had sufficient knowledge of the person concerned. The Messenger of Allaah said, “The Adviser is trusted [in the matter in which his advice is sought].” (Aboo Daawood)

Fellow Muslims! Some marriage banquets are plagued with excessive spending and violations of Islaamic teachings. This trend has become so prevalent that it is regarded as an indispensable aspect of marriage. Sometimes, the banquet expenses exceed the mahr in manifold and the decision regarded this is left in the hands of women and the unwise ones. This calamity becomes graver when it is coupled with sin acts. What blessing or success should one then expect if a married life is started, from its first night, with sinful things and acts of obedience to Allaah, Who alone owns the success and Who holds the hearts of humans in His Hand and twist them as He likes?

Certainly, intermingling of men and women who are not close relatives, employing the service of musicians with their instruments, neglecting the prayers and delaying them, exposing of nakedness –especially among women who are, though dressed, are practically naked – and open and stealthy snapping of pictures and videoing are all a manifestation of showing ingratitude to Allaah, rebelling His commands and wantonness. This is to say nothing of wastefulness and showing-off that are the characteristics of the preparations and banquets. Why all this? Can parties not take place without violation of Islaamic regulations? If the unlucky fails to achieve success in their marriage, he should then know what the cause.

If sins can weaken countries and shake kingdoms, it has the greater capacity to do so with little homes. Allaah says,

“Is it then he, who laid the foundation of his building on piety to Allâh and His Good Pleasure, better, or he who laid the foundation of his building on an undetermined brink of a precipice ready to crumble down, so that it crumbled to pieces with him into the Fire of Hell?”

(At-Tawbah 9:109)

Brethren in faith! It is a manifestation of excellent upbringing and fulfillment of the trust to prepare a girl for matrimonial life and to teach her how to be responsible and how to handle the demands of life. You will surely pity a girl sent off to her new home for a matrimonial life and yet knew nothing of her rights and responsibilities, knew nothing about how to deal with her husband, his family and relatives, knew nothing about how to nurture her children and deal with them and nothing about how to manage home affairs. A situation like this has caused many cases of separation and raised the rate of divorce in the society.

It is therefore the responsibility of the parents, the teachers, the curriculum writers and the journalists to exert sincere efforts in giving boys and girls appropriate awareness. What is the benefit of long years of study if it does teach the fundamentals of life?

All youths are in dire of proper education on how to adhere by the limits of Allaah concerning marriage, worshipping Allaah through maintaining good relationship with spouse, how to cooperate with one another in righteousness and piety before marriage and how to shun selfishness. They also need to know and acknowledge the real meaning of being guardian in the law of Islaam; that it is meant to protect, nurture and to manage excellently and that it is a responsibility of which man will be held accountable in the Day of Resurrection. The Messenger of Allaah said, “All of you are guardians and responsible for your charges: a man is a guardian of his family and is responsible for his charges and a lady is a guardian in the house of her husband and is responsible for her charge.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

If the intentions are good and the obligations are carried out, happiness and success will prevail all over the world. If one adheres to invoking Allaah and is sincere in his hope in Him, Allaah will not let him down, and will not make his efforts to go in vain.


:awesome:
Reply

BintAbee
04-13-2009, 02:35 PM
:sl:

Lessons from Hajj

Shaykh Saalih Aal Taalib [(Dhul Hijjah 7, 1424 (January 30, 2004)]





All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions. Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah as He should be feared. Allaah says,

"O mankind! Fear your Lord and be dutiful to Him! Verily, the earthquake of the Hour (of Judgment) is a terrible thing. The Day you shall see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling, and every pregnant one will drop her load, and you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet they will not be drunken, but severe will be the Torment of Allaah."

(Al-Hajj 22:1-2)

Seek nearness to Allaah with acts of worship that will make you earn His reward. Abstain from causes of Wrath and punishment.

Pilgrims to the House of Allaah! Congratulations on your arrival to the Sacred House of Allaah. Congratulations on your commencement of Hajj rites. Blessed are those who perform their Hajj seeking for Allaah's pleasure. May all of you be blessed. May Allaah shower on you His favour. May He tell you on 'Arafah day: 'Go, your sins have been forgiven.'



The Messenger of Allaah said, "He who performed Hajj and he did not engage in sexual activities nor engage in obscenities will return as [sinless] as the day his mother bore him." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)



This is a great blessing that gladdens the hearts of believers and for which they undergo great difficulties.



Dear pilgrims! You come here sincerely to answer the call of your Lord whose echo never breaks through years. Allaah says,

"And proclaim to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj)."

(Al-Hajj 22:27)



You have come to this Ancient House built by two noble Prophets: Ibraaheem and Ismaa'eel, peace be upon them. It was Prophet Ibraaheem who declared Islaamic Monotheism and shunned polytheism until he was thrown in fire from which Allaah saved him. As for Prophet Ismaa'eel, he had surrendered to the will of his Lord and submitted himself for slaughtering. So Allaah saved him and elevated his position. These are two noble Prophets who gave their lives to Allaah.



Therefore, this great edifice: the Ka'bah is the epitome of Tawheed and submission to Allaah in His laws and in abiding by His commandments and prohibitions. This is the path to victory threaded by the Prophets and their followers. Allaah says,

"So shun the abomination [worshipping] of idol, and shun lying speech [false statements] worshipping none but Allaah, not associating partners [in worship] unto Him."

(Al-Hajj 22:30-31)



Fellow Muslims! Hajj is not mere performance of some rituals and visiting places. It is a school, history, memories and pure act of worship that confers on the pilgrim the light of faith and the fruits of Ibaadah. When the pilgrim walks between As-Safa and Al-Marwah and trots in the valley, he remembers his helplessness and his need of Allaah. He also realizes that his need for his Lord is like the need of Haajar, the mother of Ismaa'eel in that difficult situation when she was passionately running up and down between the two mountains seeking Allaah's relief. The pilgrim also remembers that anybody who obeys Allaah as Ibraaheem had done, Allaah will not abandon him and his family and He will not reject his supplications.



Dear Pilgrim! Since Allaah has honoured you and made it easy for you to perform this Hajj, endeavour to perform the rites of Hajj completely as an implementation of Allaah's commandment,

"And perform properly the Hajj and 'Umrah for Allaah."

(Al-Baqarah 2:196)



And in line with the Prophet's commandment, "Take your Hajj rites from me." All necessary and obligatory rites of Hajj must therefore be performed perfectly.



Also, you should ask questions about acts of worship before you start them, for many a pilgrim worship Allaah on ignorance. He neither knows nor asks. This situation weakens his Hajj rites. If he had asked before he acted, he would have been spared of troubles. Negligence in performing Hajj rites renders the Hajj flawed. So fear Allaah and perform your Hajj and 'Umrah properly.



Proper performance of Hajj necessitates shunning things that could tarnish it like argument, engaging in obscenities and behaving arrogantly towards fellow Muslims. All these things must be abstain from in order to have the Hajj accepted and have the sins forgiven. Allaah says,

"The Hajj (pilgrimage) is (in) the well-known (lunar year) months (i.e. the 10th month, the 11th month and the first ten days of the 12th month of the Islaamic calendar, i.e. two months and ten days). So whosoever intends to perform Hajj therein (by assuming Ihraam), then he should not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commit sin, nor dispute unjustly during the Hajj. And whatever good you do, (be sure) Allaah knows it. And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is At-Taqwa (piety, righteousness). So fear Me, O men of understanding!"

(Al-Baqarah 2:197)



Dear brethren! The pilgrims should also abstain from things that contradict his goals. He should not call upon others besides Allaah and he should not proclaim anything but Islaamic monotheism and the Sunnah. No Muslim who believes in Allaah and the Last Day should harm or frighten a fellow Muslim. He should also not turn the pilgrims away from the Sunnah. Allaah says,

"And whoever inclines to do evil actions therein or to do wrong, him We shall cause to taste from a painful torment."

(Al-Hajj 22:25)



Brethren in Islaam! Hajj teaches patience, perseverance, forgiveness, tolerance, generosity and kindness. It also encourages giving guidance to the ignorant, calling to righteousness and benefiting the Muslims. All acts of righteousness are ordained for the worship of Allaah as they are meant for refinement and purification of the souls from impurities and imperfections and for liberating the minds from lusts.



During Hajj, you realize that worldly luxuries that you regard as essential are not really essential, and that they are things you can do without. You also realize that people's boasting of worldly materials is meaningless because; during Hajj you see people equal as they will be on the Day of Resurrection. This scene will make you change your perception of life and lead you into giving the life of this world its due without exaggeration or negligence.



The Muslims' congregation on this day is evidence that their unity is possible by the grace of Allaah.



Dear Muslims! Remembrance of Allaah is a conspicuous sign of Hajj. Tawheed is the proclamation of Hajj. 'Labbayk Labbayk Allaahumma labbayk, labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk, innal-hamda, wan-ni'mah laka wal-mulk, laa shareeka lak.' [I respond to Your call, O Allaah, I respond to Your call. I respond to Your call, You have no associate, I respond. Yours is the praise, favour and dominion. You have no associate.]



The Messenger of Allaah said, "Circumambulation of the House, trotting between As-Safa and Al-Marwah and throwing the pebbles [at Jamaraat] are all ordained for the remembrance of Allaah." (At-Tirmidhee)



If the verses of Hajj are properly reflected upon, one will realise that they are linked to the remembrance of Allaah. For instance, Allaah says,

"And remember Allaah during the appointed Days."

(Al-Baqarah 2:203)



He also says, "Then when you leave 'Arafat, remember Allaah (by glorifying His Praises, i.e. prayers and invocations) at the Mash'ar-il-Harâm."

(Al-Baqarah 2:198)

Allaah also says,

"So when you have accomplished your Hajj rites, remember Allaah as you remember your forefathers or with a far more remembrance."

(Al-Baqarah 2:200)



Dear pilgrims, remember Allaah much and glorify Him, He will elevate your ranks and forgive your sins.

Hajj is making talbiyah, glorifying Allaah, remembering Him and invoking Him. The successful is the one who beseeches his Lord submissively and shows his helplessness to Him without wasting his time in useless things.



The Messenger of Allaah has certain places in which he made much supplication. The Muslim must endeavour to emulate him: the day of 'Arafah especially just before sunset, after Fajr prayer at Muzdalifah until just before sunrise, after throwing Jamrah al-'aqabah, after throwing the pebbles at middle Jamrah on the 11th, 12th, 13th of Dhul-Hijjah. The Prophet also used to pray on the mountains of Safa and Marwah.



The Messenger of Allaah would appear to people and tell them. "Take your Hajj rites from me." He would teach the ignorant and answer the questioner. This is the Prophetic guidance for students of knowledge so that they can guide people to the straight path.



Dear brethren! Hajj is an opportunity for the scholars to teach hundreds of thousands of Muslims what is useful for them in their religion. Let those who want success adhere to the saying of the Prophet, "Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded. Strengthen yourself by worshipping Allaah in the mornings, the nights." (Al-Bukhaaree)



Brethren in faith! One of the greatest goals of Islaam is to make the Muslims united. In Al-Khayf, Mina, the Messenger of Allaah said, "May Allaah bless a person who heard my word and conveyed it [to others]. There are many carriers of knowledge who are not knowledgeable for there are many who carry knowledge to those who have more understanding. There are three things that the believer must bear in heart: performing acts of worship purely for Allaah alone, sincerely wishing the Muslim rulers well and adhering to the community of the Muslims." (Ibn Maajah)



Brethren in Islaam! These are some lessons of Hajj that the pilgrims must take into consideration so that their Hajj can be accepted and in order to attain great reward. The Messenger of Allaah said, "He who performed Hajj and did not engage in sexual activities nor engage in obscenities will return as [sinless] as the day his mother bore him." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim) He also said, "The accepted Hajj has no reward except Paradise." (Muslim)

May Allaah accept your Hajj and may He forgive your sins. Allaah says,

"And remember Allaah during the appointed Days. But whosoever hastens to leave in two days, there is no sin on him and whosoever stays on, there is no sin on him, if his aim is to do good and obey Allaah(fear Him), and know that you will surely be gathered unto Him."

(Al-Baqarah 2:203)



Fellow Muslims! This is Tarwiyah day [the eight day of Dhul-Hijjah]. In the morning of this day, the pilgrim will go to Mina where he will pray Zuhr and 'Asr prayers shortened at their respective times; and Maghrib at its time and 'Ishaa shortened at its time. He will pass the night in Mina. After the sunset of the following day, he will proceed to 'Arafah where he will pray Zuhr and 'Asr shortened and combined. He will then stay on the plain of 'Arafah remembering Allaah much and showing helplessness before Him. He asks Him the good of this world and the Hereafter. He makes a lot of supplications in that great occasion, for Hajj is 'Arafah. The Messenger of Allaah said, "The best supplication is the one done on the day of 'Arafah. And the best statement uttered by me and the Prophets who were before me is: 'Laa ilaaha illallaah, wahdahoo laa shareeka lah, lahul-mulk walahul-hamd wahuwa 'alaa kulli shay'in qadeer.'



On the plain of 'Arafah, the arena of forgiveness, hearts submit to Allaah and eyes shed tears in fear of Him. The sins will then be forgiven and degrees will be elevated. On that day, Allaah will boast with the pilgrims before the eyes of the angels and He will say, "See My slaves. They came to me dust-covered and dishevelled from every deep and distant places. I make you witnesses that I have forgiven them."



It is recommended for those who are not performing Hajj to fast on the day of Arafah with a hope that Allaah may erase with that the sins of the past year and the present one. The Messenger of Allaah said, "There is no day in which Allaah liberates more people from Hell than the day of 'Arafah." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)



After sunset on the day of 'Arafah, the pilgrim leaves 'Arafah for Muzdalifah peacefully. He will pray Maghrib and 'Ishaa there combined, with Ishaa shortened. He will pass the night there. After the dawn, he prays Fajr and makes a lot of supplication and remembrance of Allaah there until it is close to sunrise. He then proceeds to Mina. Women, children and other weak people are allowed to leave Muzdalifah in the middle of the night and that is ascertained by the disappearance of the moon.



When he reaches Mina, he throws seven pebbles at the Biggest Jamarah saying 'Allaahu akbar' with each throw. He then slaughters his sacrifice if he has to do so. After that he shaves or cuts his hair, though shaving is better. He then proceeds to the Sacred House, and makes his Tawaaf al-Ifaadah if that is possible for him and he makes Sa'y between Safa and Marwah. If he is doing Qiraan or Ifraad and he has performed it and he had performed it along with his Arrival Tawaaf, he does not need to make another Sa'y.

If anyone does any of these four rites in sequences different from the one mentioned above, there is no harm in that.



The pilgrim will then go back to Mina and pass the nights of Tashreeq [11th, 12th and 13th] there. While he is in Mina, he throws the pebbles at the three Jamaraat for each of three days after the sun has passed its zenith. If he likes he stays for two of these three days and if he likes he stays for the entire three days and this is better. He will then not have to do anything but the farewell Tawaaf when he is ready to leave Makkah.



Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah in all that you do. Purify your deeds for Allaah alone and follow the Sunnah and the correct guidance. Abstain from things that could render your Hajj incomplete or invalid. Perform your Hajj in peace and tranquillity. Be compassionate with your fellow pilgrims especially in crowded places like during Tawaaf, throwing the pebbles or at the gates of the Sacred Mosque.


Source:
http://www.islamiczone2.netfirms.com..._04_Taalib.htm

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BintAbee
04-14-2009, 07:02 PM
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Element of Steadfastness

Shaykh Saalih bin Muhammad Aal Taalib [(Rabee'uth-Thanee 13, 1424 (June 13, 2003)]





All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah as He should be feared and hold fast unto Islaam which is the most trustworthy handhold. Know that your bodies cannot bear the heat of Hell-Fire. Allaah says,

“Oh you who have believed, fear Allaah and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you; and Allaah is Forgiving and Merciful.”

(Al-Hadeed 57:28)

Remember that you are now in the abode of action where you are tested. Allaah says,

“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”

(Adh-Dhaariyaat 51:56)

Therefore, do good deeds in order to get reward, for there is nothing tomorrow but recompense with Paradise or punishment with Hell. O Allaah, bless the hearts that fear You and seek for Your mercy; open for us the gates of Your blessings and sustenance and forgive our sins.

Fellow Muslims! There are certainly impediments and problems that lie ahead for those who seek the way to their Lord and call to His religion and to the adherence to His straight path. It is only those whom Allaah wills that are saved from the effects of these impediments.

A keen observer of the history of Islaam will realize that there are periods in which the Muslims prevailed and periods in which they were weak and suffered loss and conquests at the hands of their enemies, as it is happening in our contemporary times. The pitiful state of the Ummah these days has reached a point where some Muslims have almost lost hope and the confused among them are asking, “Has Allaah not promised this Ummah victory and glory, and has He not promised the disbelievers defeat and humiliation? Those who ask questions like these has forgotten the saying of Allaah that goes thus:

“[He] Who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed – And He is Exalted in might, the Forgiving.”

(Al-Mulk 67:2)

This verse and similar ones clearly tell us that the abode of this world is that of tribulations for the believers, not that of reward and perpetuity. They also show that good and bad times are given in turns and that attaining success does not mean living a comfortable life but to work righteousness in times of ease and difficulty. Allaah says,

“And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you [for the cause of Allaah] and the patient, and We will test your affairs.”

(Muhammad 47:31)

Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “Giving the disbelievers and the sinful people authority on the earth is to afford the friends of Allaah the opportunity to attain perfection through their Jihaad against the disbelievers, their regarding people as friends or enemies for His sake and their sacrificing their lives and strength in His cause. If He had not given authorities to His enemies over His friends and had not put His friends to trials, they would not have sincerely worshipped Him, they would not have treated people as allies and enemies for His sake, and they would not have loved and hated, and given and denied for His sake.”

Brethren in faith! If it is a pre-decree of Allaah that a Muslim generation should live a period of its life in the state of political weakness and subjugation, it is then incumbent on such a generation to cling to those things that will make it remain steadfast in its religion. This is because; Islaam in itself is a power that is capable of guaranteeing the steadfastness of its adherents. This is the time of trials in which Allaah distinguishes the wicked from the good and the truthful from the liar, for the longer the trial, the greater the number of hypocrites and the higher the possibility of their revealing what is in their hearts.

Brethren in Islaam! Among the elements of steadfastness is to renew one’s faith and to fill one’s heart with complete certainty that we are on the truth. He who has a complete faith in his religion and is convinced of the correctness of his path, such would never be swayed by tribulations or sorrows. This was the stand of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, when he was antagonized by his close relatives and he was expelled, besieged, forsaken and an attempt was made on his life. Even a confederation was formed to fight him. But all this never prevented him from working towards achieving his goal until the religion of Allaah was brought to perfection. Some of his companions were shackled with iron chains; some had their limbs cut and some were severely persecuted. They were all touched with difficulties and calamities and they were shaken, but all that only increased them in faith and steadfastness. Allaah says about them,

“Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allaah. Among them is he who has fulfilled his vow [to the death], and among them is he who awaits [his chance]. And they did not alter [the terms of their commitments] by any alteration.”

(Al-Ahzaab 33:23)

This is the result of faith and certainty; and this is the effect of having trust in Allaah, and that is the way followed by the righteous predecessors who follow the companions.

Let me give you the stand of Imaam Ahmad during his trial as an example. He was able to stand firm due to his deep-rooted belief in his cause. As for those who are doubtful of their cause and those who have weak faith, they are those, whenever any calamity comes upon them, start blaming their religion and they start casting doubt on its fundamentals. If only they were wise, they would have tried to review their way of practicing their religion, they would have known that the religion of Allaah is complete and that there is no real reform in any place, at any time and in any circumstances without it. Allaah says,

“This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you and approved for you Islaam as religion.”

(Al-Maaidah 5:3)

Allaah also says,

“And whoever desires other than Islaam as religion – never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.”

(Aal Imraan 3:85)

The problem however lies in either ignorance and inability to implement Islaam properly, or in the desire and whims that prevent the implementation of that in all aspects of life. These are the two things that make the hypocrites attack Islaam and Muslims at a time in which the Muslims are in dire need of being steadfast in their religion and upholding to their identity and unity. It is therefore a blessing of Allaah that the leaders of this country do proclaim whenever there is a calamity and crisis that the country shall always adhere to the correct religion of Islaam and refuse to compromise on its fundamentals, as they also emphasize its readiness to defend these basics with souls and valuables.

Fellow Muslims! The entire society needs to demonstrate a greater interest in affirming the fundamentals of this religion far from extremism and negligence. The proper affirmation of the meanings of faith, certainty and trust in Allaah leads to righteous deeds, allegiance to the religion of Islaam and steadfastness how severe the calamities are.

The Islaamic countries had undergone many calamities and trials like the fall of the rightly guided caliphate, the fall of Abbasid and Umayyad caliphates and other political setbacks, but all that never caused the Muslims to have doubt in the truthfulness of their religion and did never cause them to look up to the ideologies and ways of life of their enemies, which contradict their religion. They saw the truth as regards the faith, the conduct and the way of life only in the religion of Allaah. This is the real meaning of superiority that is mentioned in the Word of Allaah:

“So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers.”

(Aal ‘Imraan 3:139)

This means, you will have glory and upper hand through faith and steadfastness not true conquest. Allaah says,

“Then We put you [O Muhammad], on an ordained way concerning the matter [of religion]; so follow it and do not follow the inclinations of those who do not know. Indeed they will never avail you against Allaah at all. And indeed the wrongdoers are allies of one another, but Allaah is the Protector of the righteous.”

(Al-Jaathiyah 45:18-19)

Brethren in faith! Among the elements of steadfastness on the religion of Allaah is adherence to the injunctions of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. The Messenger of Allaah said, “I am leaving two things for you, if you adhere to them you will never go astray: the Book of Allaah and my Sunnah.” Allaah says,

“And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you should believe in Allaah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.”

(An-Nisaa 4:59)

This verse means that you should let the Qur’aan and the Sunnah be the judge among you. This basic principle also entails emulating the righteous predecessors of this Ummah such as the companions of the Prophet the leaders of whom are the rightly guided caliphs: Aboo Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan and ‘Alee and those who followed their path. The Prophet said, “Adhere to my way and the way of the righteous and the rightly guided successors after me. Hold on to that tenaciously.”

The above also implies giving support to the righteous scholars and sincere callers to the way of Allaah. The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets they are the light in the darkness and they are the most guided people. So adhere to their company.

Among the elements of steadfastness is staying with the congregation of the Muslims and staying away from the crises. That was the Prophet’s admonition to Hudhayfah bin Al-Yamaan as reported by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.

Verification of information, shunning rumors, guarding your utterances and keeping away from issues that are not of any concern to you are also qualities that should be adopted at all times, particularly during crises. “It is enough a sin for a man to narrate all that he hears.”

Finally, making frequent and incessant supplication to Allaah helps to remain steadfast, for man is always in need of his Lord. One of the supplications that the Messenger of Allaah used to make is, “Yaa Muqallibal-quloob, thabbit qalbee ‘alaa deenik”, meaning: “O You Who moves hearts, make my heart remain firm on Your religion.” When he was asked about this supplication, he said, “There is no man without his heart being between two of the Fingers of Allaah. So He keeps whomever He wants straight and He lets whomever He wants deviate.”

We must also do a lot of remembrance of Allaah, for the remembrance of Allaah has wonderful benefits. Allaah says,

“O you who have believed, when you encounter a company [from the enemy forces], stand firm and remember Allaah that you may be successful.”

(Al-Anfaal 8:45)

Source:
http://www.islamiczone2.netfirms.com..._03_Taalib.htm

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BintAbee
04-15-2009, 06:04 PM
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Relief through Supplication

Shaykh Saalih bin Muhammad Al Talib [(Muharram 18, 1424 (March 21, 2003)]





All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Prophet, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah and be dutiful to Him. Stay away from sins. For sins destroy. Know that you have a Lord Whom you are going to meet and a house in which you are going to live after your death. Seek the pleasure of your Lord before you meet Him and properly build your house before you move into it.

Fellow Muslims! We are the ummah of Qur’aan and Sunnah, the ummah of divine guidance. We are the ummah of the right path but we did not stay on this path.

Brethren in faith! All hardships and tribulations that afflict the Muslims are just like whips that drive them back to Eemaan and Tawheed. They remind them of Allaah the Almighty; they encourage them to turn back to Him in repentance and to fear the Day of Judgement. Allaah says:

“See they not that they are tried once or twice every year (with different kinds of calamities, disease, famine)? Yet, they turn not in repentance, nor do they learn a lesson (from it).”

(At-Tawbah 9:126)

Materialism has prevailed over the hearts of many people, and as a result they see nothing except in the light of materials. It is when man keeps away from the light of Eemaan and his relationship with Allaah becomes weak that his soul lives in spiritual isolation and his heart becomes hardened. He then lives a disturbed and fearful life. All this is a result of his abandonment of the real source of life and his forgetfulness of Allaah. He forgets that it is Allaah Who created the soul and Who knows the means by which it lives. The life is not that of the body but of the soul. Allaah says,

“Is he who was dead (without Faith by ignorance and disbelief) and We gave him life (by knowledge and Faith) and set for him a light (of Belief) whereby he can walk amongst men - like him who is in the darkness (of disbelief, polytheism and hypocrisy) from which he can never come out?”

(Al-An‘aam 6:122)

Hence, belief in Allaah is the source of security and peace. And the hearts that are devoid of Eemaan are always far from Allaah and are full of fright and confusion.

Fellow Muslims! When a man’s heart is full of Eemaan, he knows his place of refuge and the remedy for his ailments. For this life is based on toil and man is seldom free from dangers. He suffers ailments and calamities; sorrows and wars; injustice and transgression and all kinds of tribulations. However, Allaah is Ever Compassionate with His slaves. He always provides for them relief through a door of His mercy and blesses them with tranquillity and peace of mind. That door is the door of supplication to Allaah, humbling oneself before Him and putting one’s trust in Him. For supplications are the security of the frightened, the refuge of the weak and the solace of invocators. Who is He that has sought refuge with Allaah and has not been protected and who is he that has relied on Him and has not been given guidance?

Supplication is the essence of worship. Allaah says,

“And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship (i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!”

(Ghaafir 40:60)

He also says,

“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:186)

Supplication is the dearest thing to Allaah. It is the way to patience in the cause of Allaah. It is a sign of sincere dependence on Allaah and keeping away from incapacity and laziness. It is an easy-to-make act of worship and it can be done at all places and times. Allaah tells us that Prophet Ibraaheem said,

“And I shall turn away from you and from those whom you invoke besides Allaah. And I shall call on my Lord and I hope that I shall not be unblessed in my invocation to my Lord.”

(Maryam 19:48)

Many are the afflictions that have been removed by supplications! Many are the sins that have been forgiven through invocations! And many are the blessings that have been endowed through supplications! The Messenger of Allaah said, “What has been destined cannot be prevented from happening. Invocation is helpful in things that have happened and things that have not happened. Calamity and supplication sometimes meet and engage in duel till the Day of Resurrection.” (Al-Haakim)

Supplication is the worship of the Prophets. Allaah says about them,

“Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us.”

(Al-Anbiyaa 21:90)

The Messenger of Allaah said, “No Muslim makes a supplication in which there is no sin or severing of the tie of kinship except that Allaah gives him by that one of three things: He gives him what he asked for immediately or He saves for him by that supplication some reward (which He gives him on the Day of Resurrection) or He saves him from a calamity which is equivalent to the supplication he made.” The companions then said: ‘We will then make more supplications.’ The Messenger of Allaah replied: “And Allaah also will give more.” (Ahmad)

When Prophet Ibraaheem called upon Allaah after he was thrown into fire, Allaah commanded the fire saying:

"O fire! Be you coolness and safety for Ibraaheem (Abraham)!”

(Al-Anbiyaa 21:69)

Allaah also says about Prophet Ayyoob,

“And (remember) Ayyoob (Job), when he cried to his Lord: "Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy. So We answered his call, and We removed the distress that was on him, and We restored his family to him (that he had lost) and the like thereof along with them, as a mercy from Ourselves and a Reminder for all those who worship Us.”

(Al-Anbiyaa 21:83-84)

He says about Prophet Yoonus,

“So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allaah, abstain from evil and work righteousness).”

(Al-Anbiyaa 21:88)

And about Prophet Zakariyya He says,

“And (remember) Zakariyya (Zechariah), when he cried to his Lord: "O My Lord! Leave me not single (childless), though You are the Best of the inheritors. So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon him Yahyaa (John), and cured his wife (to bear a child) for him.”

(Al-Anbiyaa 21:89-90)

O you who is afflicted with calamities! O you who has been weakened by ailments! O you who have been overwhelmed by debts! Why don’t you call upon Allaah the Self-Sufficient and the Most Gracious? O you who have been submerged by sins! Why can’t you call upon Allaah the Oft-Forgiving to forgive you? O you who lives in fear and distress! Why can’t you call upon Allaah to give you relief?

Brethren in Islaam! The nation of Islaam has experienced many crises and hardships and it was only through sincere return to Allaah that it was able overcome those hardships. Allaah says,

“Verily, We sent (Messengers) to many nations before you (O Muhammad) And We seized them with extreme poverty (or loss in wealth) and loss in health (with calamities) so that they might humble themselves (believe with humility). When Our Torment reached them, why then did they not humble themselves (believe with humility)? But their hearts became hardened.”

(Al-An’aam 6:42)

Even some ancient polytheists would sincerely call upon Allaah alone whenever they were faced with calamities.

The Muslim nation is now in dire need of the mercy of its Lord as it is in need of His help. Let us return to Allaah, invoke His blessings and hope for His mercy.

Fellow Muslims! Supplication has its condition and manners, which every Muslim must learn in order to have his supplications answered. Foremost among these is that the intention and means of supplication should be compatible with Islaamic Monotheism. It is this condition that makes supplication an act of worship that must be solely directed to Allaah alone. Man must call, seek assistance from and seek refuge with Allaah alone. He must seek forgiveness, victory, guidance, realization of his goals and aid from Allaah alone. He should ask only Allaah for the removal of his afflictions and for security against all evils.

All these are rights of Allaah over His slaves. Man must call upon Allaah alone. For neither does slumber or sleep overtakes Him. It is He alone who hears the supplication of the supplicants wherever they are and whichever language they speak. He is never distracted by a slave whom he listens to from listening to another and He is never annoyed because of the multitude of those who call upon Him. He alone has the power to give benefit or harm.

It is therefore an act of associating partners with Him to call upon the dead, the angels, the jinn and others besides Him. He says about Himself,

“He is the Ever Living. None has the right to be worshipped but He; so invoke Him making your worship pure for Him Alone (by worshipping Him Alone, and none else, and by doing righteous deeds sincerely for Allaah’s sake only, and not to show off, and not setting up rivals with Him in worship).”

(Ghaafir 40:65)

The observer of the invocations of the Prophets will notice that Tawheed characterizes them. An example of this is the invocation made by Prophet Yoonus,

“He cried through the darkness (saying): None has the right to be worshipped but You (O, Allaah) Glorified (and Exalted) are You (above all that (evil) they associate with You). Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers.”

(Al-Anbiyaa 21:87)

Allaah answered his supplication through Tawheed.

Brethren in Islaam! The supplicant should make sure that he follows the Sunnah while making the supplication. He should call upon Allaah with His sublime Names and Attributes. He should seek for His forgiveness and acknowledge His favour on him. It is good if he starts his supplication with praising Allaah as it is due and invoking His blessing on His Prophet, Muhammad –peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him. The supplicant should also not transgress while making supplication nor be in haste to have his supplication answered. He should also not despair. For the One he calls is the Graceful Lord.

Further, the supplicant must be a sincere believer. He should face the qiblah while making the supplication and should be sure that he is in the state of purity. He should raise his hands to Allaah. He should be resolute in his supplication, supplicate at the times when invocations are most likely answered and select the supplications that are authentically reported from the Prophet. He should also not forget to make a sadaqah before his supplication. If he can do all these, his supplication will never be rejected. If he however does not see a sign of the acceptance of his supplication, let him examine himself.

The Messenger of Allaah said, “O you people! Allaah is Pure and does not accept but only that which is pure. He indeed commands the believer with that which He commanded the Messengers. He says: ‘

“O (you) Messengers! Eat of the lawful foods (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables, fruits, etc.), and do righteous deeds. Verily! I am Well-Acquainted with what you do.”

(Al-Mu’minoon 23:51)

And He commands the believers saying:

“O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allaah, if it is indeed He Whom you worship.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:172)

The Messenger of Allaah then mentioned a man who was on a long journey, and he was shoeless and dust-covered. He was raising his hands to heavens saying: O my Lord! O my Lord!’ while his food, drink, dress and nourishment were all from unlawful sources. How could his supplication be answered?” (Muslim)

Brethren in faith! Listen to this call from your Lord:

“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors. And do not do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order, and invoke Him with fear and hope. Surely, Allaah’s Mercy is (ever) near unto the good-doers.”

(Al-A‘raaf 7:55-56)

Fellow Muslims! Whoever fears Allaah in times of ease Allaah, Allaah will stand by him in times of hardship. Allaah says about Prophet Yoonus when the whale swallowed him:

“Had he not been of them who glorify Allaah, He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.”

(As-Saaffaat 37:143-144)

Which means: Had it not been for the good deeds that he had done before, he would have been made to remain in the belly of the whale till the Day of Resurrection.

The Muslim must therefore remain steadfast during afflictions and return to Allaah in repentance.

Brethren in Islaam! We are also in dire need of uniting our ranks and removing our differences. For disunity is the cause of failure. Allaah says,

“O you who believe! When you meet (an enemy) force, take a firm stand against them and remember the Name of Allaah much (both with tongue and mind), so that you may be successful. And obey Allaah and His Messenger, and do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength depart, and be patient. Surely, Allaah is with those who are patient.”

(Al-Anfaal 8:45-46)

Fellow Muslims! Let us always follow the teachings of Qur’aan and Sunnah. It is the duty of the scholars to teach people and direct them to all that can benefit them and remove their distress. They should remind people of Allaah and teach them the importance of unity and the harm of disunity.

Source:
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BintAbee
04-15-2009, 06:05 PM
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Muhammad : Mercy to Mankind

Shaykh Saalih Muhammad Aal Taalib [(Rabee‘ul-awwal 8, 1424 (May 9, 2003)]






All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah and seek for His mercy by being dutiful to Him. Allaah says,

“O you who believe! Fear Allaah, and believe in His Messenger (Muhammad (peace be upon him)) He will give you a double portion of His Mercy, and He will give you a light by which you shall walk (straight), and He will forgive you. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

(Al-Hadeed 57:28)

Brethren in faith! Fear Allaah and do not incline to this world and its adornments. For this world is a temporary abode in which both righteous and sinful have their sustenance. The Hereafter is a true appointed time in which the Lord, Who is Omnipotent, shall judge between truth and falsehood.

Fellow Muslims! In this time of despair and hardship, a time in which values and concepts have been turned upside down, a time in which the powerful suppresses the weak and the rich the poor, a time that civilizations clash, the Muslims are seriously in need of affirming their civilization that is based on noble concepts. It is through these noble concepts that the Ummah’s injuries can be healed.

The world communities have never been in a greater need to realize the defects that are in their civilizations as they are today. They need to know the defects of their systems of life. It is time for them to ask themselves the causes of their problems and the misery, which their civilizations have caused. They need to know the causes of widespread distress and anxiety that have overwhelmed their lives.

These are just some of the questions whose answer is provided by the Glorious Qur’aan. Allaah says,

“But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur’aan nor acts on its teachings.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection. He will say: "O my Lord! Why have you raised me up blind, while I had sight (before)." (Allaah) will say: "Like this: Our signs came unto you, but you disregarded them (i.e. you left them, did not think deeply in them, and you turned away from them), and so this Day, you will be neglected (in the Hell-fire, away from Allaah's Mercy).”

(Taa Haa 20:124-126)

Dear brother! If you reflect on the life history of the Messenger of Allaah, you will find it full of noble qualities in concept and practice. This is why the civilization of his religion is the only civilization that brought happiness to the world.

‘Aaishah narrated that she asked the Prophet, 'Have you encountered a day harder than the day (of the battle) of Uhud?" The Prophet replied, "Your tribes have troubled me a lot, and the worse trouble was the trouble on the day of 'Aqaba when I presented myself to Ibn 'Abd-Yalail bin 'Abd-Kulal and he did not respond to my demand. So I departed, overwhelmed with excessive sorrow, and proceeded on, and could not relax till I found myself at Qarnath-Tha-alib where I lifted my head towards the sky to see a cloud shading me unexpectedly. I looked up and saw Gabriel in it. He called me saying, 'Allah has heard your people's saying to you, and what they have replied back to you, Allah has sent the Angel of the Mountains to you so that you may order him to do whatever you wish to these people.' The Angel of the Mountains called and greeted me, and then said, "O Muhammad! Order what you wish. If you like, I will let Al-Akh-Shabain (i.e. two mountains) fall on them." The Prophet said, "No but I hope that Allah will let them beget children who will worship Allah Alone, and will worship none besides Him.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

When the people of Makkah made things difficult for him, persecuted him and his companions and injured his face, he could still be heard saying while wiping blood off his face, “O Allaah! Forgive my people for they know not what they are doing.”

Fellow Muslims! It is with this mercy and compassion that the Messenger of Allaah was sent. And it is with mercy and compassion that he treated all his opponents and companions alike. Mercy is an attribute of Allaah. He is the Compassionate, the Merciful. And He is Kind with His creatures. He sent His Messenger with kindness and He says,

“And We have sent you (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) not but as a mercy for all the worlds.”

(Al-Anbiyaa 21:107)

The Prophet also brought the law of Islaam based on the principle of compassion. Allaah says,

“Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad (peace be upon him)) from amongst yourselves (i.e. whom you know well). It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He (Muhammad (peace be upon him)) is anxious over you (to be rightly guided, to repent to Allaah, and beg Him to pardon and forgive your sins, in order that you may enter Paradise and be saved from the punishment of the Hell-fire); for the believers (he peace be upon him is) full of pity, kind, and merciful.”

(At-Tawbah 9:128)

The Prophet would feel seriously hurt by whatever was harmful to his nation. He was never given an option to choose between two things except that he chose the easier as long as it was not forbidden. On many occasions he had said, “Had I not found it hard for my followers or the people, I would have ordered so and so or I would have done so and so.” Sometimes, he would want to prolong prayer and yet would shorten it when he heard the crying of a baby because he understood how upset his mother would be.

Brethren in faith! Compassion is a quality of manliness. Compassion is a quality that emanates from a merciful heart. It is a quality of the Prophets and a sign of perfect Eemaan and Islaam. Allaah says,

“Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allaah. And those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves.”

(Muhammad 48:29)

Usaamah bin Zayd said, “We were with the Prophet when one of his daughters sent (a messenger) to the him requesting him to come as her child was dying (or was gasping), but the Prophet returned the messenger and told him to convey his greeting to her and say: "Whatever Allah takes is for Him and whatever He gives, is for Him, and everything with Him has a limited fixed term (in this world) and so she should be patient and hope for Allah's reward." She again sent for him, swearing that he should come. The Prophet got up, and so did Sad bin 'Ubada, Muadh bin Jabal, Ubai bin Ka'b, Zaid bin Thabit and some other men. The child was brought to Allah's Apostle while his breath was disturbed in his chest (the sub-narrator thinks that Usama added): as if it was a leather water-skin. On that the eyes of the Prophet started shedding tears. Sad said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is this?" He replied, "It is mercy which Allah has lodged in the hearts of His slaves, and Allah is merciful only to those of His slaves who are merciful (to others).” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

Compassion breeds love and affection among people. Compassion is a delight of the heart and the way to Paradise. The Messenger of Allaah said, “People of Paradise are three: (1) a leader who is generous, spends in charity and is guided to the right course; (2) a man who is compassionate, kind to every relative and every Muslim and (3) a poor person who is virtuous and has dependants.” (Muslim)

Compassion softens the heart and leads man to be kind to even animals and birds. Abdullaah bin Mas‘ood said, “We were with the Messenger of Allaah on a journey. While he went to ease himself, we saw a redstart[1] with two chicks and we took them. The redstart then came, spreading out her wings. When the Messenger of Allaah arrived (and saw the bird) he said, “Who bereaved this with her children? Return her chicks back to her.” (Aboo Daawood)

Abdullaah bin Ja‘far narrated that the Messenger of Allaah entered the compound of an Ansaaree man. And there here was a camel there. When the camel saw the Prophet, it longed for him, groaned and shed tears. The Messenger of Allaah approached it and wiped off its tears and it became quiet. He then said, “Who is the owner of this camel? ” Who is the owner of this camel?” A young Ansaaree man came and said, “It is me O Messenger of Allaah!” The Prophet then said, “Won’t you fear Allaah as regards this animal which Allaah put under your possession? It complained to me that you starve it and overburden it.” (Aboo Daawood)

This is the Prophet’s reaction to the maltreatment of animals. Imagine how he would have reacted to a person who harmed humans, usurped the rights of the poor and did not treat children and old people with compassion. The Prophet said, “Allaah will show mercy to those who show mercy to people. Show mercy to those who are on the earth, the One Who is in the Heaven will show mercy to you.”

The Prophet also said, “You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it.”

As for compassion that Islaam shows in the area legislations, that is a very long topic. All aspects of Islaamic law are rather compassionate in their goals, means and applications.

Fellow Muslims! This is the mercy with which the Messenger of Allaah was sent. Our religion is that of compassion in times of war and peace. It is a religion of kindness towards enemies and friends, animals and birds. It is a religion of compassion in worship, cooperation and judgment and in all aspects of its law.

Words are not enough to describe how compassionate the Prophet was. Compare this to the so-called civilizations that are being claimed and that are in the real sense devoid of compassion and justice. Compare it to civilizations that do not, in victory, respect any pact of kinship or covenant of protection with a believer and that strive through the land to cause corruption therein and destroy crops and animals. And Allaah does not like corruption.

The Prophet found excuse for his people though they wanted to kill him. He was compassionate to them though they were fighting him. He wanted guidance and happiness for them. In our age on the contrary, the so-called leaders of modern civilization, who have no regard for compassion, claim to be compassionate. They find excuses for aggression and concoct lies to justify wars, killings, destruction and corruption.

“And when it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "We are only peace-makers." Verily! They are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive not.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:11-12)

It is therefore an act of compassion to rein in these people. And to be severe with them is part of the mercy that Islaam spreads.

Brethren in faith! Man has not excelled above other creatures by his mere physical size or strength. There are other creatures that are greater than him in power and size. He only excelled by his heart, soul, intelligence and feelings. It is not a matter of pride that man should be stern and severe, but real pride lies in excellent characters and sublime dispositions. This is shown through qualities like gentleness, compassion, graciousness and kindness. Allaah says,

“And by the Mercy of Allaah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allaah's) Forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs.”

(Aal ‘Imraan 3:159)

Brethren in Islaam! Emulate the pure characters of your Prophet and hold fast onto the lofty principles of your religion.

Fellow Muslims! Compassion is a sign of humility. It also removes arrogance. Compassion means doing good to all, assisting the needy and being kind to the kith and kin. It also entails showing sympathy for the weak, the sick, the disabled and the orphans by making them happy. Compassion entails helping the wronged and reining in the devilish people. Compassion means feeling concerned about the affairs of fellow Muslims, sharing their pains and aspirations and coming to their aid. It also entails enjoining good, forbidding evil, and teaching the Muslims the goals of being compassionate. The Messenger of Allaah said, “The example of me and you is like that of a man who kindled a fire. Grasshoppers and butterflies start falling into the fire and the man continue protecting them against it. I am holding you back from falling into the fire and you are slipping off my hand.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)


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[1] A kind of bird.



Source:
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BintAbee
04-17-2009, 08:45 PM
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Islam is the Extension and Completion of previous Revelations

Shaykh Saalih Aal Taalib [(Muharram 7, 1425 (February 27, 2004)]





All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah and be dutiful lo Him. Remember that this worldly life will come to an end and that the Hereafter is the everlasting abode. Allaah says,

"Whosoever does an evil deed, will not be requited except the like thereof; and whosoever does a righteous deed, whether male or female and is a true believer (in the Oneness of Allaah), such will enter Paradise, where they will be provided therein (with all things in abundance) without limit."

(Ghaafir 40:40)

Dear Muslims! In the past and before the start of the creation, there was Allaah alone and nothing was with Him. He is the First without beginning and the last without end. He is the Ascendant above Whom is nothing and He is Intimate and nothing is nearer than Him. He is the creator of the creation. He created the angels who never disobey His commands but implement them. He created the jinn and concealed them from the eyes of mankind and He created Adam with His two noble Hands. He created from Adam the rest of mankind. Allaah says,

"And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone). I seek not any provision from them (i.e. provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor do I ask that they should feed Me (i.e. feed themselves or My creatures). Verily, Allaah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong."

(Adh-Dhaariyaat 51:56-58)

Allaah is Self-Sufficient, may He be purified from all imperfections.

Adam is the first man and the first Prophet. Allaah commanded him with Islaamic monotheism and to purify all acts of worship for Him alone. He ordained for him His laws and He successively gave Prophethood to his progeny so that the Prophets might lead mankind and guide them to the true religion which He has chosen for them.

Mankind had been on this guidance. They were all upon the religion of Islaam and monotheism because of their continuous following of the Prophets one after another. They had been on Islaamic monotheism and worshipping Allaah alone until Satan misled them and made them deviate from the true religion and the right path. That was before Allaah sent Prophet Noah. Ibn 'Abbaas said, "There were ten generations between Adam and Noah. All of them were upon Islaam. When disagreement occurred among them as regards their religion and they abandoned obedience to their Prophets and adherence to the divine guidance, they adopted deities that they worshipped besides Allaah like Wadd, Yaghooth, Ya'ooq and Nasr. These false deities were righteous men when they were alive. Their people made their statues after their death in order to remember them and to worship Allaah more whenever they saw their statues. But when the makers of these statues died, those who came after them revered these idols until they worshipped them. It was then that Allaah sent the first Messenger, Noah, to the earth. Prophet Noah spent nine hundred and fifty years among these people calling them to Islaamic monotheism and to the worship of Allaah alone but none responded to his call but a few.

After him, Allaah sent Messengers to people and whenever a Messenger came, his people denied him. Some of these Messengers were: Hood and Saalih. Other types of polytheism like worshipping of stars then became widespread in the land until there were no more monotheists on the earth except Prophet Ibraaheem, his wife Sarah and his nephew Prophet Noah. Allaah then sent His Messenger who is leader of the monotheists the father of the Prophets and the foundation of pure faith Prophet Ibraaheem the friend of Allaah, peace and blessings be upon him. So Allaah removed with him those evils. With him He obliterated idols and destroyed the tyrants. Allaah then blessed him with two noble sons who were Prophets, Ishmael and Isaac. Peace be upon them.

Ishmael rose among Jur'hum, 'Amaaleeq, Hijaaz and Yaman; and Isaac was raised up in Syria and its environs. Allaah made among the descendants of Isaac Jacob, then Joseph, Moses, Aron, Yoonus, David, Solomon, Zachariah, Yahya and Jesus, peace be upon them. Prophet Moses was sent with a book which Torah and Prophet Moses was sent with Injeel.

Since Prophets are mortal human beings and the bearers of knowledge after them were also prone to forgetfulness and error, Allaah did not guarantee the everlasting of their messages and did not guarantee the protection of their books out of a reason best known to Him.

Allaah has revealed glad tiding of the advent of a noble Prophet and the last Messenger to all previous Prophets. The message of this Prophet was to be everlasting and the Book to be revealed to him would be divinely protected. He would be the bearer of the trust that the previous Prophets have borne. Hence, if mankind adheres to the teachings of this Prophet it will attain salvation and if it denies him that means denial of the previous Prophets and Messengers. This Messenger is none other than Muhammad the son of Abdullaah, with whom Allaah sent the most complete and most comprehensive message. He called to the religion of Abraham and the religion of other Messengers before him. That is to worship Allaah alone and not to associate any partner with Him and to purify the religion for Him.

Allaah then purified the earth from idols after most people had been worshipping others besides Allaah.

Muhammad is the good news prophesied by Jesus and the previous Prophets. The malicious scholars among the people of the Book had tried to erase these prophesies from their books or to alter or to misinterpret them, though these applied to none but Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wasallam. Then Allaah guided many Jewish rabbis and Christian priests to Islaam because they sought for nothing but the truth.

Dear brethren! When one takes a keen look at history of Prophets and Messengers from Adam to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon them all, one will realize that their religion is one and their straight path is one. Allaah says,

"Truly, the religion with Allaah is Islaam."

(Aal 'Imraan 3:19)

All these Messengers were sent with the comprehensive religion that teaches that none should be worshipped but Allaah alone. They were also sent to people in order to guide them towards this religion, to inform them of the life after death, to tell them of resurrection, reckoning and recompense. This is the unity of messages of all Messengers. It is the meaning of the Prophet's statement, "We, the Prophets are [like] children of the same father who have with different mothers but have the same religion." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

The general rule is that the religion of all Prophets is one but their practical laws are different. Yet all of them are from Allaah. This is also the general meaning of Islaam: unity of the foundation and differences in practical laws. No Prophet ever called to anything but Tawheed. Allaah tells His Messenger Muhammad,

"And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) but We revealed to him (saying): none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allaah)) so worship Me (Alone and none else)."

(Al-Anbiyaa 21:25)

Allaah also said,

"And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allaah (Alone), and avoid all false deities."

(An-Nahl 16:36)

Allaah also never ordained that any Prophet should be worshiped besides Him. Allaah says,

"It is not (possible) for any human being to whom Allaah has given the Book and Al-Hukm (the knowledge and understanding of the laws of religion) and Prophethood to say to the people: "Be my worshippers rather than Allaah's." On the contrary (he would say): "Be you Rabbaniyun (learned men of religion who practice what they know and also preach others), because you are teaching the Book, and you are studying it." Nor would he order you to take angels and Prophets for lords (gods). Would he order you to disbelieve after you have submitted to Allaah's Will?"

(Aal 'Imraan 3:79-80)

Allaah has also ordained for the religion of Islaam that He had ordained for the Messengers before us. He says,

"He (Allaah) has ordained for you the same religion (Islaamic Monotheism) which He ordained for Nooh (Noah), and that which We have revealed to you (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) and that which We ordained for Ibraaheem (Abraham), Moosaa (Moses) and 'Eesaa (Jesus) saying you should establish religion (i.e. to do what it orders you to do practically), and make no divisions in it (religion) (i.e. various sects in religion)."

(Ash-Shooraa 42:13)

It is because of this that Prophet Jacob gathered his children before he died to be assured of the path they were going to follow after his death. Allaah says,

"Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya'qûb (Jacob)? When he said unto his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We shall worship your God – (Allaah), the God of your fathers, Ibraaheem (Abraham), Ismaa'eel (Ishmael), Ishaaq (Isaac), One God, and to Him we submit (in Islaam)."

(Al-Baqarah 2:133)

Allaah also rebuked the Jews and the Christians on their excessive veneration of their Prophets and their worshipping of other things besides Allaah and He called their act polytheism. He says,

"And the Jews say: 'Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allaah, and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allaah. That is their saying with their mouths, resembling the saying of those who disbelieved aforetime. Allaah's Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth! They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allaah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allaah), and (they also took as their Lord) Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), while they (Jews and Christians) were commanded (in the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)) to worship none but One Ilâh (God - Allaah) Lâ ilâha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). Praise and glory is to Him, (far above is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him)."

(At-Tawbah 9:30-31)

Allaah also says,

"Surely, they have disbelieved who say: "Allaah is the Messiah ('Isâ (Jesus)) son of Maryam (Mary)." But the Messiah ('Isâ (Jesus)) said: "O Children of Israel! Worship Allaah, my Lord and your Lord." Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) there are no helpers."

(Al-Maaidah 5:72)

He also says,

"O people of the ure! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allaah aught but the truth. The Messiah 'Eesaa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allaah and His Word, ("Be!" - and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit created by Him; so believe in Allaah and His Messengers. Say not: "Three (trinity)!" Cease! (it is) better for you. For Allaah is (the only) One Ilâh (God), Glory be to Him (Far Exalted is He) above having a son."

(An-Nisaa 4:171)

It is on these ancient foundations and this belief that Islaam, the best and the last divine message was based.

As for Islaamic law, it is the most perfect divine law and the most comprehensive. It is also the law that abrogated previous laws.

After all this, is it not the time for the people of the Book to believe that the law of Islaam is the continuation of divine laws and that Islaam is the religion that Allaah chosen for all mankind from the time of Muhammad till the Last Hour? Allaah says,

"And whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers."

(Aal 'Imraan 3:85)

Is there any religion that makes belief in all divine books and in all Prophets and Messengers a pillar of its faith? Even Allaah's Messenger asserted that he and his companions had greater right to the previous Prophets than those who claimed to be their followers. He told Madeenah Jews, "We have greater right to [Prophet] Moses more than you." With this statement, he made it clear that the source of all Messengers and their messages is one and that it is the only way that leads to Allaah.

Another fact is that for the past fifteen hundred years, history has never recorded a single Muslim scholar who embraced Judaism or Christianity though it has recorded scores of Jewish rabbis and Christian priests and others who have embraced the light of Islaam, the religion that Allaah has chosen for all mankind. So Allaah gave them their reward two-fold.

We are therefore, calling on all non-Muslims, from the pulpit of the Sacred House built by Prophet Abraham and which Prophets Moses and Jesus visited for pilgrimage, to submit to Allaah in monotheism. Embrace Islaam, you will be saved. Embrace Islaam, you will have your reward twice. If you do not embrace Islaam, you will bear your own sins and the sins of those who follow you in ignorance. We are calling you to embrace the truth and to study Islaam with sincerity. Islaam is the only true religion sent with the Prophet of guidance, Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wasallam. It is a religion that is free of innovations and imperfections. Allaah says,

"Say (O Muhammad: "O people of the ure (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allaah (Alone), and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allaah. Then, if they turn away, say: "Bear witness that we are Muslims."

(Aal 'Imraan 3:64)

Brethren in faith! One of the things that bring misery to mankind is the system of using religion on the path of some politician to suppress other nations and lord it over the followers of other religions as done by the Zionists in their exploitation of Judaism or by some governments who claim secularism with Christianity. They occupied countries under the guise of religion though they deny that. The religious scholars of those religions are duty bound to explain the truth to their governments and tell them that what they are doing is against the teachings of their religion, so that their citizens who are used in these oppressions will know the truth that their leaders are just using them as tools to promote their personal interests and goals that are contradictory to both religion and moral.

Certainly, the clergy's silence or indirect condemnation of what the political leaders are doing can cause the so-called clash of civilization. The racist wall that is being built in Palestine is an evidence of that.

Brethren in Islaam! It is compulsory that Muslims should increase in certainty about their religion. They must bear it in mind that they are upon the only true religion which is Islaam. They also need to believe that the Qur'aan is the last divinely revealed Book; that their Prophet, Muhammad is the last Messenger; that their law is the last divine law and that Allaah will accept no religion from anyone except Islaam. Nothing of all this should be compromised if lives are at stake.

We are saying all this because; we are now at a time when some defeatists among the Muslims are advocating for gap-bridging between abrogated and adulterated laws and between Islaam. We are also saying this at a time when some people of weak faith belief that the correct religion includes all faiths as if they are oblivious of the saying of Allaah that goes thus,

"And whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers."

(Aal 'Imraan 3:85)

Where did these people put the verses of the Qur'aan? Do they not read Soorahs Al-Faatihah, Al-Baqarah and Aal-'Imraan, An-Nisaa nad Al-Maaidah? If some people are calling towards religious reform, what we, as Muslims need is going back to the fundamentals of our religion. That is the reform that the Sunnah teaches us.

Fellow Muslims! Know that fasting on the tenth of Muharram expiates for the sins of two years, so fast on that day and a day before or a day after it. That is the Sunnah of your Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wasallam, for he observed fasting on that day to show gratitude to Allaah for saving Prophet Moosaa on that day from Pharaoh and his hosts.

It is however sad, that some people who call themselves Muslims turn this day into a permanent annual anniversary in which they perform all kinds of activities that has nothing to do with religion and in which they blindly follow the erroneous element. How I wish these people correct their actions and follow the path of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wasallam.



Source:
http://www.islamiczone2.netfirms.com..._04_Taalib.htm

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Reply

BintAbee
04-18-2009, 05:34 PM
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Hajj: Actualization of Tawheed

Shaykh Saalih bin Muhammad Al Talib [(Dhul-Hijjah 13, 1424 (February 14, 2003)]






All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.



Fellow Muslims! Visitors to the Sacred House of Allaah! You are today in the last days of Tashreeq. You have entered into ihraam, made talbiyah, stayed in Arafaat, passed a night at Muzdalifah, passed nights in Mina, thrown the pebbles,stood in front of the Ancient House, run between Safaa and Marwah and pereformed all other rites of hajj seeking blessings from Allaah.



Allaahu akbar, many sins have been forgiven, many requests have been granted and many invocations have been accepted. May Allaah accept acts of worship from you and us.



Indeed, performing rites of hajj is a great blessing upon which we must thank Him Who bestowed it. All praise is due to Allaah for His hidden and clear favour.

You must however know dear brethren, that real gratitude to Allaah for His favours lies in following His commandments, abstaining from His prohibitions and being afraid from His tribulations. Gratitude should be shown orally by praising Allaah, from the heart by loving Him and submitting to Him and on the limbs by surrendering to His wills. The Muslim must be grateful to Allaah at all times though that gratefulness is more emphasized in these days.

Brethren in Faith! The greatest commandment of Allaah is Tawheed (Islaamic Monotheism) and the greatest thing that He forbids is ascribing partners to Him. He has showered His blessings on us by bringing us to existence and providing for us. How can we then thank others besides Him? He says in His Glorious Book:



“O men! Call to mind the grace of Allah unto you! is there a Creator, other than Allah, to give you sustenance from heaven or earth? There is no god but He: how then are ye deluded a way from the Truth?”

(Faatir 35:3)



Hajj is a school and the best lesson lessons learnt thereof is Islaamic Monotheism. It is rather its very purpose. Jaabir who narrated the Prophet’s hajj said: “The Messenger of Allaah then proclaimed the Word of Monotheism for his hajj.” (Muslim)



Talbiyah means belief in the Oneness of Allaah and putting off one’s clothes for Ihraam means freeing oneself from everything but Allaah alone. All rites of hajj are therefore Tawheed. Allaah says,



“That they may witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e. reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade), and mention the Name of Allaah on appointed days (i.e. 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th day of Dhul-Hijjah).”

(Al-Hajj 22:28)



The Messenger of Allaah also said, “The best invocation is that of the day of Arafah and the best thing that I and the Prophets before me said is the word: ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah wahdahoo laa shareeka lah, lahul-mulk walahul-hamd wahuwa alaa kulli shay’in qadeer.” Meaning: ‘No deity has the right to be worshipped but Allaah alone. He has no partner. His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He has power over all things.”



Aaishah also said, “Indeed, throwing the pebbles at Jamaraat and running between Safaa and Marwah are only ordained for the remembrance of Allaah.” (At-Tirmidhee)



Even the Ka‘abah itself is established upon Tawheed. Allaah says,



“And (remember) when We showed Ibraaheem (Abraham) the site of the (Sacred) House (the Ka'bah at Makkah) (saying): "Associate not anything (in worship) with Me.”

(Al-Hajj 22:28)



In hajj, people of all tongues, races and colours gather in the same situation and performing the same rites. They all proclaim the statement of Monotheism and affirm that all acts of worship are sincerely for Allaah alone. They also affirm their renunciation of shirk in line with the clear statement of the Glorious Qur’aan that says,



“And a declaration from Allaah and His Messenger to mankind on the greatest day (the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah) that Allaah is free from (all) obligations to the polytheists and so is His Messenger. So if you (polytheists) repent, it is better for you, but if you turn away, then know that you cannot escape (from the Punishment of) Allaah. And give tidings (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) of a painful torment to those who disbelieve.”

(At-Tawbah 9:3)



Brethren in faith! The Muslims are in dire need of examining themselves, the way they practice their religion and their relationship with their Lord. It is high time they knew their weaknesses especially in the light of their present conditions.



Allaah has indeed created the creation purposely for His worship and He showered them with blessings so that they direct all acts of worship to Him alone. He says,



“And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).”

(Adh-Dhariyaat 51:56)



This is the greatest message with which Allaah sent Muhammad –peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him. This message, though few in words, is full of meanings.



However, Satan has made true his vow on some men and misled them. He had not only made the Christians adopt Jesus as god but also made them worship his mother and their saints and made them have wrong perception about Allaah by comparing Him to worldly kings who cannot approached for help but through intermediaries.



But Allaah bestowed His blessings on the Ummah of Muhammad by sending the Qur’aan to them, which makes it clear that Allaah is close to His slaves and that He hears their supplications and knows their conditions. He says,



“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright."

(Al-Baqarah 2:186)



The glorious Qur’aan also emphasized that invoking Allaah sincerely is an act of Islaamic Monotheism and that calling upon others besides Him is an act of shirk. Allaah says addressing His Messenger,



“Say (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) "I invoke only my Lord (Allâh Alone), and I associate none as partners along with Him. Say: "It is not in my power to cause you harm, or to bring you to the Right Path."

(Al-Jinn 72:20-21)



In spite of the clarity of this and similar verses, it is unfortunate that many Muslims do commit acts that negate their purports and indulge in superstitious and erroneous deeds like hallowing stones and buildings, facing the graves for their needs and seeking relief from them.



O you Muslim that testifies that there is one worthy of being worshipped but Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah! O you who believe in Allaah and the Last Day! The first thing that should command your attention is that all your imaginations and deeds should be based on the Qur’aan and in the light of Islaamic Monotheism. O you scholars and the heirs of the Prophets! When the ignorant people are excused for their ignorance, you will not be excused before your Lord for your failure to show them guidance and truth on the basis of Islaamic Monotheism. There is no doubt that the disease that weakened the ummah and turned her to an easy target for her enemy is her disunity in the very foundation of her faith. ‘Umar said: “We are a nation elevated to glory through Islaam, and if we seek glory from through other means, Allaah will humiliate us.” So when the ummah become negligent about the source of her power and directs her attention to others beside her Lord and the criteria of power become human, the most powerful contender wins the war as it is the case today.



When we however cast a deeper look at the Muslim history, we will see that the Muslims’ sources of power had never been great numbers or sophisticated weapons. None of the historical accounts had even mentioned it that the Muslims were ever greater in numbers and weapons in any war they won except in the battle of Hunayn. Even with their majority in that battle, they were defeated before they were proud of their multitude, so that Allaah might teach them the real criterion for power, which they should reckon with which is the sincere eemaan and truthful adherence to Islaam.



Brethren in faith! Indeed, Allaah will not change the condition of a nation until they themselves change their ways. The children of Israel had remained in wilderness for forty years and they did not attain victory and entered the holy land until they did what made them deserved it. Is it not time that Muslims should come out of their wilderness while they are the blessed and supported nation? Is it not time to put a stop to calamities and tribulation that afflict them and go back to their religion?



Fellow Muslims! Certainly, blessing and victory will not come without prerequisites. So make a sincere return to your Lord and reform your faith. Let everyone of us examine himself so that we could move together on the path of Allaah, for a community cannot be reformed if individuals are not reformed.



Let us correct the weakness of trust in Allaah, weakness of certainty, reliance on others besides Allaah, holding onto the slogans of the times of ignorance and affinity to other things at the expense of Islaam that is widespread among us. Let everyone of us bear it in mind that Allaah promises,



“Allaah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practice their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islaam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allaah).”

(An-Noor 24:55)



Brethren in faith! Allaah says,



“And with Him are the keys of the Ghaib (all that is hidden), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in the land and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but he knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record.”

(Al-An‘aam 6:59)



This and similar verses indicate that nothing happens in this universe except through Divine decree from Allaah the Omniscient, All-Wise from Whom nothing escapes in the heavens and the earth.



Fellow Muslims! Verily, Allaah hears whoever calls on Him. He is near to whoever invokes Him and He guarantees answer for those who supplicate to Him. He commands that He alone should be relied on and promises to suffice those who rely on Him. May Messengers have been afflicted with calamities but Allaah eventually removed their hardships. And His mercy comes when it is least expected but most people know not.



Dear brethren! This nation is not like other nations. It is a selected, divinely supported and blessed nation however immense its tribulation may be and however weak it may be. The Messenger of Allaah said, “My Lord says: ‘O Muhammad! I have made an irrevocable decision. I have given it to you for your nation that I will never destroy them with a general calamity and that I will not give their enemy an authority over them even if they gather from all nations until they will be destroying one another and taking one another as captives.” (Muslim)



This means that a nation whose qualities are these should not despair whatever their condition may be and should not think that it is dead. We should rather make a lot of supplications for that is the sword of a believer. Allaah says,



“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors.”

(Al-A‘raaf 7:55)



Source:
http://www.islamiczone.netfirms.com/...d_AlTaalib.htm

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Reply

BintAbee
04-19-2009, 08:19 PM
:sl:

Return of the Pilgrims

Shaykh Saalih Aal Taalib

18, Dhul-Hijjah 1425 (28, January 2005)

All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon
the Messenger, his household and companions.
Fellow Muslims! Be dutiful to Allaah as it is due by carrying out His commandments and abstaining from His prohibitions and by keeping away from all that could cause His wrath and punishment. Allaah says,

"O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allaah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and will be admitted to Paradise)."
(Al-Ahzaab 33:70-71)

Dear brethren! Pilgrims to the sacred House of Allaah! Those numbered days have passed and those nights have also disappeared like dreams. Congregations of the people have thronged during the past blessed days and many tears were shed. Many returned to Allaah in repentance and many surrendered to Him in humility. All is magnified by Allaah's magnanimity in forgiving sins, answering supplications and removing difficulties. The Messenger of Allaah said,

"Whoever came to this House [the Ka'bah for Hajj] and neither spoke indecently nor acted wickedly, would return [free from sins] as when his mother gave birth to him." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

In another hadeeth reported by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim, the Prophet said,

"An 'Umrah is expiation for the sins committed between it and the next, and the Hajj which is accepted will receive no other reward than Paradise."
Would that I knew those among us whose supplications and acts of worship were accepted so that we could be congratulate them!

Fellow Muslims! Though one must have trust in Allaah's forgiveness and hope in His mercy, the Muslim must always ask Allaah to accept his righteous deeds and should not be deluded by those deeds. He should rather hope in His mercy and fear Him.

Allaah describes the characteristics of the true believers as follows,

"Verily! Those who live in awe for fear of their Lord; And those who believe in
the Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their
Lord; And those who join not anyone (in worship) as partners with their Lord; And those who give that (their charity) which they give (and also do other good deeds) with their hearts full of fear (whether their alms and charities have been accepted or not), because they are sure to return to their Lord (for reckoning). It is these who race for the good deeds, and they are foremost in them (e.g. offering the compulsory Salât (prayers) in their (early) stated, fixed times and so on)."
(Al-Mu'minoon 23:57-61)

'Aaishah asked the Prophet about the meaning of this verse, 'and those who give that (their charity) which they give (and also do other good deeds) with their hearts full of fear', as to whether they are those who drink alcohol and steal.
The Messenger of Allaah answered, "No, daughter of As-Siddeeq. They are rather those who observe fasting and prayers and give in charity, yet they fear that these deeds might not be accepted from them. It is these who race for the good deeds." (At-Tirmidhee)

Brethren in faith! This is the reality of piety which Allaah mentions at the end
of the verses of Hajj when He says,

"It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allaah, but it is piety
from you that reaches Him."
(Al-Hajj 22:37)

Allaah also says about fasting,

"O you who believe! Observing fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain piety."
(Al-Baqarah 2:183)

Are we going to achieve piety in our future life as an extension of what we have achieved during Hajj when each pilgrim performed his rites with orderliness, adhering to the limits and specified periods, places and time, avoiding all violations of ihraam, bearing all difficulties in patience, hoping for what is with Allaah, realizing that it is possible to do away with the luxuries of this world which are discovered as not indispensable? By adhering to the specific time and place, the pilgrim realizes that desires can be put under check by the law of Allaah and that situations of life are like the situations of Hajj that should be followed according to the will of Allaah and that laxity in adhering to these limits could wipe off the positive impacts of Hajj.
This is the piety upon which the pilgrim is nurtured and which he should follow in his life until he dies. He should abide by the essence of this piety through respecting Allaah's commandments and prohibitions. The fact that there is no indecency, wickedness or argument in Hajj is also a kind of training and refinement for the pilgrim so that these might be his qualities in the rest of his life. He should be as described by the Messenger of Allaah, "The Muslim is not a curser or a slanderer or an immodest." These are some of the manifestations of piety in Hajj that a Muslim should always remember in addition to the saying of Allaah that goes thus,

"Verily, Allaah accepts only from those who are pious."
(Al-Maa'idah 5:27)

Brethren in Islaam! Visitors to the sacred House of Allaah! Now that Allaah has
made you succeed in attaining His pleasure and made it easy for you to have some of His blessings, you should then remain upright upon His command. The Muslim should endeavour not to blemish his clean record.

"And be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun after it has become strong, by taking your oaths a means of deception."
(An-Nahl 16:92)

The greatest admonition that can be given next to piety is the one that the
Messenger of Allaah gave Sufyaan when he asked him; "Messenger of Allaah! Tell me a word in Islaam about which I will have no need to ask any other person after you." The Messenger of Allaah replied him, "Say I believe in Allaah and remain upright [upon that]." (Muslim)

Though a Muslim might be upright, he can still commit errors. That is why Allaah says,

"Therefore take Straight Path to Him (with true Faith - Islâmic Monotheism) and obedience to Him, and seek forgiveness of Him."
(Fussilat 41:6)

This is also what the Prophet alluded to when he said, "Try to be upright though you cannot attain [the highest level of] uprightness. Know that the best of all your deeds is prayer; and none keeps on preserving the ablution but the true believer." (Ahmad and Ibn Maajah)

The Messenger of Allaah also said, "Maintain moderation and justness [in your
deeds]." What is required of a Muslim is justness in uprightness. If he cannot do that he is therefore negligent.

Dear brother pilgrim! How beautiful is it to be back to your family and your
country after Hajj with perfect conduct and pleasant manners, following the truth, justice and moderation! Hajj with its rites has increased you in knowledge about Allaah and reminded you of your obligations to Him and qualities of His exclusive right to be worshipped and that none has the right to be worshipped but He alone. He is the only One unto Whom souls should submit and Whom the believer should face.

"Verily, I have turned my face towards Him Who has created the heavens and the earth Hanîfa, (Islaamic Monotheism, i.e. worshipping none but Allaah Alone), and I am not of the polytheists."
(Al-An'aam 6:79)

How will it be all right to give any of Allaah's rights like supplication, seeking
help, sincerity or vowing to others besides Him? Where is the impact of Hajj on someone who returns home after his Hajj to neglect observance of prayers, refuse to pay Zakaah, deal in usury and bribery and have no respect for what Islaam commands or prohibits?

Dear pilgrim! Adhere to the path of uprightness and good deeds, for you are not in the abode of eternity. Beware of showing-off, for many a great deed is diminished by [improper] intention and many a little deed is magnified by [proper] intention. Let your Hajj be the beginning of your new life.

"And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death)."
(Al-Hijr 15:99)

May Allaah accept your Hajj and efforts. May He let us witness many more years of these blessed days in glory, honour, righteousness and uprightness!

Dear brethren! Fear Allaah and know that the best of all speech is the Book of
Allaah and the best guidance is that of the Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. The worst of all affairs are innovations and all innovations are erroneous and all errors lead to Hell. Adhere to the community of the Muslims for the Hand of Allaah is wit the community. The one who isolates himself, isolates himself into the Hell-Fire.

Fellow Muslims! Great righteous deeds are concluded with seeking forgiveness.
Blessed be those who find a lot of istighfaar in the record of their deeds. Among the signs of acceptance of a good deed is to follow it up with another good deed. For, he whom Allaah accepts and favours He makes him succeed in doing good deeds and protects him against evils. Endeavour to protect yourself and your good deeds. Be moderate and just, and have
glad tidings and hope. Acceptance of deeds revolves around sincerity in and
correctness of the deeds. I pray that Allaah make you succeed with Paradise and high degrees. I also beseech Him to make us among those, whom the angels will supplicate for with the saying of Allaah,

"Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allaah) and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah) (saying): "Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your Way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire! Our Lord! And make them enter the 'Adn (Eden) Paradise (everlasting Gardens) which you have promised them - and to the righteous among their fathers, their wives, and their offspring! Verily, You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. And save them from (the punishment, because for what they did of) the sins, and whomsoever You save from (the punishment for what he did of) the sins (i.e. pardon him) that Day, him verily, You have taken into mercy. And that is the supreme success."
(Ghaafir 40:7-9)

Source:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2543917/Re...f-the-Pilgrims

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Reply

BintAbee
04-20-2009, 07:00 PM
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Welcome Ramadaan!

Shaykh Saalih Aal Taalib

1, Ramadaan 1425 (15, October 2004)

All praise is due to Allaah Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah as He should be feared. Allaah says,

"O you who believe! Fear Allaah (by doing all that He has ordered and by
abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. (Obey Him, be
thankful to Him, and remember Him always), and die not except in a state of Islaam
(as Muslims (with complete submission to Allaah))."
(Aal 'Imraan 3:102)
Allaah also says,

"O mankind! Be afraid of your Lord (by keeping your duty to Him and avoiding all
evil), and fear a Day when no father can avail ought for his son, nor a son avail
ought for his father. Verily, the Promise of Allâh is true: let not then this
(worldly) present life deceive you, nor let the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you
about Allaah."
(Luqmaan 31:33)

Dear brethren! Know that however long you live, you will certainly return to
Allaah and your final destination is either Paradise or Hell.
Fellow Muslims! In the first day of Ramadaan, we congratulate ourselves and all
Muslims for living to witness this great month. We pray that Allaah make it a
blessed month for the Ummah in all parts of the world. May Allaah make it a month
of blessing, security, peace, glory and victory for the Muslims.

Brethren in faith! The Ummah receives this great visitor with happiness. O
Ramadaan! The day of your arrival is a day for which our hearts are opened. We
welcome you with joy and hope. We are happy for the return of your pure atmosphere
in which our souls swim after they have been dry and inactive. We are happy to
receive the hour of righteous deeds after we have long abandoned those deeds. May
Allaah help us to spend your days and nights in the best and the most righteous
way. Our souls have longed for you and we have been waiting for your clouds that
are full of mercy, forgiveness and blessings.

We pray to Allaah to bless the arrival of this month, to give the Muslims a great
share of its blessings. O Allaah! As you have made us witness the beginning of
Ramadaan, let us witness its end and accept the acts of worship we perform in it.

Brethren in faith! Who among the Muslims does not know the virtue of this month?
It is the leader of all months. Allaah says,

"The month of Ramadaan in which was revealed the Qur'aan, a guidance for mankind
and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)."
(Al-Baqarah 2:185)

He who fasts in this month and observes prayers during its nights, his sins will
be forgiven. There is a night in this month that is greater than a thousand
months. The Messenger of Allaah said, "Whoever observes fasting in the month of
Ramadaan with eemaan, hoping to get reward from Allaah, his past sins will be
forgiven." He also said, "Whoever observes the nights of Ramadaan in prayers and
does so with eemaan, hoping to get reward from Allaah, his past sins will be
forgiven."

And he said, "Whoever observes Laylatul-Qadr with eemaan, hoping to get reward
from Allaah, his past sins will be forgiven."

This is Ramadaan! The greatest act of worship in it is fast which Allaah makes
obligatory in order to attain piety. Allaah says,

"O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it
was prescribed for those before you, that you may become pious."
(Al-Baqarah 2:183)

It is a month that the souls are purified. Piety is consciousness, pure feeling,
transparence of the soul and being conscious of Allaah. Fast develops sense of
consciousness and purifies the soul through righteous deeds. As for the reward of
the fasting Muslims, that is up to Allaah, the Most Generous. Allaah's Messenger
said, "Allaah said: 'All the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them, except
fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.' Fasting is a shield
or protection from the fire and from committing sins. If one of you is fasting, he
should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarrelling, and if somebody should
fight or quarrel with him, he should say, 'I am fasting.' By Him in Whose Hands my
soul is' The unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is
better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for
the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the
time when he will meet his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his fasting."
(Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

In another version, Allaah said: "He abandons his food, drink and desire for my
sake."

In a hadeeth reported by Muslim, The Messenger of Allaah said, "Observing fasting
in Ramadaan after Ramadaan erases whatever sins committed in between as long as
major sins are avoided."

As for you who have been weakened by sins, hasten to supplicate to your Lord
during the darkness of the night. Do not lose hope in the mercy of Allaah Who
says,

"And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) concerning Me, then
(answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the
invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or
intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led
aright."
(Al-Baqarah 2:186)

May he be disgraced, the one who witnessed Ramadaan and his sins are not forgiven.
This is because of the blessings and mercies that this month contains. The
Messenger of Allaah said, "When Ramadaan comes, gates of Paradise will be open,
gates of Hell will be closed and the devils will be fettered."

The month of Ramadaan is the month of night prayers and Taraaweeh. It is a month
of Remembrance of Allaah and His glorification. Spend the nights of the month in
prayers, supplications and recitation of the Qur'aan. For, many are sincere
invocations done in the middle of the night that are allowed to penetrate the
heaven and by which Allaah bless those who made them with prosperity in this world
and the Hereafter.

Ramadaan is the month of the Qur'aan. Angel Gabriel would meet the Messenger of
Allaah every night during Ramadaan and would review the Qur'aan with him. Allaah
says,

"The month of Ramadaan in which was revealed the Qur'aan, a guidance for mankind
and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)."
(Al-Baqarah 2:185)

When Ramadaan would come, the righteous predecessors would leave teaching of the
hadeeth and they would devote all their time for the Qur'aan. Their habit
testified to the fact that, until recently, there were people who completed the
recitation of the entire Qur'aan every day and there were others who completed its
recitation every three days.
So remember your Lord much in these days. Read the Qur'aan as much as possible,
for in doing so lies the purification of your souls. It gives you happiness and
let attain great rewards.

Fellow Muslims! Spending generously is closed linked to the Qur'aan. Ibn 'Abbaas
said, "The Prophet was the most generous amongst the people, and he used to be
more so in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel visited him, and Gabriel used to meet
him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month. The Prophet used to
recite the Holy Qur'aan to Gabriel, and when Gabriel met him, he used to be more
generous than a fast wind (which causes rain and welfare)." (Al-Bukhaaree)
This is because Ramadaan is the month in which Allaah gives to His servants
generously through mercy, forgiveness, liberation from Hell and provisions. So he
who is generous to his fellow humans, Allaah will be generous to him.

In these days that many sources of generosity have dried up, who is going to be
there for the poor, the needy, the orphans and widows? Who is going to help the
calamity-stricken peoples who have been emaciated by wars? They are your brethren
in religion and they have no one to support them after Allaah but you. Let make
use of this month to renew our resolve in righteous deeds and kindness.

We are calling upon those whom Allaah blessed with wealth to remember that it is
Allaah Who gives and deprives; it is He Who elevates and downgrades. He makes you
trustees over the wealth He gave you so as to know how you are going to act. The
believer will be in the shade of his righteous deeds on the Day of Resurrection.
And whatever you spend, Allaah will replace it and He is the Best of all
providers. The wealthy person will not fail to find a needy person whom he himself
knows or known by recognized and trusted organizations.

Fellow Muslims! Fasting has wisdoms. It includes the fact that it is a lawful
deprivation, training through hunger, humbleness for Allaah; it incites
compassion, encourages charity, removes arrogance, teaches perseverance and
promotes righteous traits.

Fellow Muslims! Ramadaan is the month of conquests and victories. The more we feel
happy with its arrival the more we hope to have our situation changed to victory
and glory. For Ramadaan of this year came at a time that the Ummah is suffering
from wounds; at a time the Quds is occupied and desecrated. Ramadaan at a time
that the believers who are the inhabitants of the Quds are being killed and
expelled and their houses are been demolished and their groups are being
exterminated under the supervision of unjust oppressive people who are
perpetrating the similar acts of aggression in Iraq. Our complaint is only to
Allaah.

Therefore, the least right that these suffering brethren have upon you in this
month is that you should sincerely remember them in your supplication. You should
supplicate for them in your prostrations and regard their causes as yours, for if
one is not concerned with the affairs of the Muslims he is not of them. Allaah
says,

"It may be that Allaah will restrain the evil might of the disbelievers. And
Allaah is Stronger in Might and Stronger in punishing. "
(An-Nisaa 4:84)

Dear brethren! Ramadaan is the season for sincere return to Allaah in repentance.
Is it not the time for the Ummah to worship its Creator sincerely, to incline
towards Him, to seek for His help through recommended means and to direct its
attention to Him alone? The hopes are great and the trust in Allaah should be
perfect, for it is He alone Who is sought for help. Allaah says,

"O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it
was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious -
see V.2:2). Observing Saum (fasts)) for a fixed number of days, but if any of you
is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days. And
as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man, etc.), they have (a
choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskîn (poor person) (for every day). But
whoever does good of his own accord, it is better for him. And that you fast, it
is better for you if only you know. The month of Ramadaan in which was revealed
the Qur'aan, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the
criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the
first night of) the month (of Ramadaan i.e. is present at his home), he must
observe Saum (fasts) that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same
number (of days which one did not observe Saum (fasts) must be made up) from other
days. Allaah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult
for you. (He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you
must magnify Allaah (i.e. to say Takbîr (Allaah Akbar; Allaah is the Most Great)
for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him."
(Al-Baqarah 2:183-185)

Brethren in Islaam! When a Muslim receives a season in which he hopes to gain, he
has to firstly, examine himself so that he might avoid things that could hinder
the acceptance of his deeds or diminish them. For, what is it the benefit of a
deed whose reward is wasted and an act in which one expects a reward but instead
gets blamed for doing it?

Learning the knowledge of the religion of Allaah, avoiding sins and things that
invalidate righteous deeds and guarding the limbs from unlawful things are some of
the things that a Muslim must do. Ibn Rajab said, "Know that one cannot seek
nearness to Allaah through abandonment of these lawful things during fasting
except after one has sought nearness to Him through abandonment of all that Allaah
forbids in all times like lying, injustice and committing aggression against
others regarding their blood, properties and honours." That is why the Messenger
of Allaah said, "Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is
not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his
fasting.)" (Al-Bukhaaree)

Fellow Muslims! The purpose of fasting is to train the soul to obey Allaah, to
purify it with patience, to develop it with piety and to make it overcome lusts.
As the body is deprived of some permitted things during fasting, it is with
greater reason that the limbs should also be deprived of unlawful things.
The period of Ramadaan is more precious than having it being wasted in useless
night keeping, roaming about the markets or watching satellite programs that if
there was nothing undesirable in it than wasting of time, it would have been
enough to condemn it. But the channels are actually playing the role of devils in
homes.

Conclusively, many are those who treat Ramadaan as a beloved friend who visits
after a long absence. The acts of worship they perform in Ramadaan occupy their
time so much so that they hardly have time for their fellow humans. They wish that
stays forever. Conversely, there are others who regard Ramadaan as a period for
achieving their lusts. They are negligent of repentance and they commit much sins
and upon sins. They spend their Ramadaan days in loss upon loss and they fail to
prepare for their Day of Resurrection through righteous deeds in Ramadaan. O
Allaah! Help us to remember You, to thank You and to worship You in the best
manner.

Source:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2543978/Welcome-Ramadaan

:w:
Reply

BintAbee
04-22-2009, 10:34 AM
:sl:

Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil

March 7, 2008

Sheikh aal Taalib

الوثاق المتين
Sheikh Saalih aal Talib
March 7, 2008 ~ Safar 29, 1429

All praise is due to Allah, who deserves all forms of praise. I thank Him for His abundant bounties and provision. I turn to Him in repentance and I seek His forgiveness. I bear witness that there is no God worthy of worship except Allah, who has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is His servant and messenger. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, his companions, and those who follow him in righteousness until the day of judgment.

Oh Muslims, fear Allah as He is should be feared. “O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) he has indeed achieved a great achievement.” [Surah Ahzaab: Ayaah 70-71] Oh Muslims, prepare yourselves to meet your Lord because after a short period of time your soul will be taken and this worldly life will come to an end. All humans will pass over the fire, and only the righteous will be saved. Remember those who passed away before you, and seek the ways of those who were seeking to follow the righteous path. Ponder on those who have already passed away, because you are going to join them on that day. So what is your attitude going to be when you meet your Lord?


Allah says: “O mankind! Verily, the Promise of Allâh is true. So let not this present life deceive you, and let not the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allâh.” [Surah Fatir: Ayah 5] Oh servants of Allah, one of the principles of this religion which Allah the Almighty revealed in His book and the Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) has narrated in ahadeeth, is to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. Allah says “Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write whom they find written with them in the Taurât and the Injeel, - he commands them for Al-Ma‘rûf; and forbids them from Al-Munkar…” [Surah 'Araaf: Ayah 157] One of the scholars considered this to be a great part of this religion, after the observation of the five main pillars of Islam. It is this strong tie by which this religion links the fundamentals of Islam and then connects them to everyday life. By enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, we protect the rights of the Muslims. It is not an optional act, but a religious duty and a means of drawing closer to Allah the Almighty. It is an Islamic principle, no one has a choice to take it or leave it.

Allah says about the believers: “The believers, men and women, are Auliyâ’ of one another; they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma‘rûf, and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar…” [Surah Tawbah: Ayah 70] Regarding those who have fallen astray, Allah says: “The hypocrites, men and women, are one from another, they enjoin (on the people) Al-Munkar, and forbid (people) from Al-Ma’rûf…” [Surah Tawbah: Ayah 67] It is narrated by Abu Sa’eed al Khudri (Radiallahu Anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, “Whoever sees something evil should change it with his hand. If he cannot, then with his tongue; and if he cannot do even that, then in his heart. That is the weakest degree of faith.” [Saheeh Muslim] This great principle in our religion is an individual duty on every Muslim. Every person according to his position and capability should fulfill this command. It is also a duty in the Ummah to establish and train a group of people who are specialized to fulfill this properly. Allah says: “Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining Al-Ma’rûf and forbidding Al-Munkar . And it is they who are the successful.” [Surah Ale 'Imraan: Ayah 107] People who are specialized in enjoing what is good and forbidding that which is evil, prevent others who are ignorant from doing wrong actions and guide them to the straight path and true guidance in a manner that is pleasing to Allah and beneficial to the people they are dealing with.

Goodness is righteous deeds, justice, and giving people their rights, while evil is indecency, falsehood, and oppression. If we abandon this princinple of our religion, we will face problems in practicing our religion and evil will overtake goodness and ignorance will overtake righteousness. If we leave people to do whatever they like, the nation will collapse. If we leave them to fulfill their desires, they will transgress the limits of Allah the Almighty, spread corruption, and violate people’s rights while there is no one to remind them and guide them back to the truth. In this way, chaos will spread and crimes will occur, then the punishment of Allah will befall all of them. It is narrated by Abu Bakr as Siddique (Radiallahu Anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) has said, “When people see an oppressor but do not prevent him from (doing evil), it is likely that Allah will punish them all.” [Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi] It is also narrated by Hudhayfa (Radiallahu Anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said “By Him, in whose hand is my soul, you should enjoin good and forbid evil or else it is likely that Allah will send a punishment upon you and then you will invoke Him and you will not be answered.” [Tirmidhi]

Oh Muslims, the general image and behavior of the Ummah is not owned by individuals. It originally belongs to Allah the Almighty. After this, it belongs to the whole Ummah in general. So the individual does not hold the right to distory the image by his bad behavior in claiming he is free to do whatever he likes. We are all a part of a collective unit and we must protect each others rights. True freedom is that the individual finds a pure, safe community where his honor, religion, and life are protected. Is it not the right of the individual to breath pure air and be able to live his daily life with feelings of safety and security? The effects of the evil behavior of an individual falls on many people around him and also negatively affects the environment and pollutes the water and air. For example, if there is a black spot on a white garment, the appearance of the clothing is spoiled. So what if there are many spots and stains? This garment will be described as unclean and unusable. We should try to stop all types of disease that affect people’s throats, and physical balance and traits.

Promoting absolute freedom, without enjoining what is good and forbidding that which is evil is the philosophy of the non believers. It is the methodology of a nation that was cursed by Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) and it is still being followed by many nations today. Allah says “Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of Dawûd and ‘Īsā, son of Maryam. That was because they disobeyed and were ever transgressing beyond bounds.” [Surah Ma'idah: Ayah 78] The Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said “The point of weakness that led to the downfall of the Banu Isra’eel was that one morning one of the men would forbid evil, saying stop what you are doing but it is unlawful. Then the following day he would meet him and the man’s sin would not prevent him from socializing with him as if nothing had happened the previous day. When they did this, Allah the Almighty hardened their hearts against each other.” The Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) also said “Indeed, by Allah the Almighty, you should enjoin what is good, forbid what is evil , and stop the hand of the oppressor and you should urge him to follow the truth.“

Oh Muslims, indeed this nation differs from any other, because other nations were cursed as they failed to establish this vital principle. This ummah is protected as long as we enjoin good and forbid that which evil. We should understand the importance of fulfilling this duty. We should know that Allah the Almighty has sent this ummah to lead people and to be pioneers of goodness, not leaders in evil. Thus, we should not receive our instructions and guidance from any other nation. We must act upon the sources of knowledge that we have, the Quraan and the Sunnah. To do this properly, we should have knowledge of the sound creed and methodology and how to enjoin what is good and forbid evil. We should have sound creed to be directed to the right way. If people rely on their opinions and culture alone, evil will spread everywhere and people will live in chaos. Therefore, they must go back and refer to the sound sources of knowledge.

Allah says: “You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma’rûf and forbid Al-Munkar, and you believe in Allâh…” [Surah Ale Imraan 110] We have to understand this matter in terms of the relationship between Allah the Almighty and His creation, and the purpose of creation itself. Allah says: “Indeed We have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs, and revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance (justice) that mankind may keep up justice…” [Surah Hadeed: Ayah 25] If people have correct belief in Allah the Almighty by basing their thoughts on the correct sources of knowledge this would result in enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. May Allah enable us all to benefit from the Quran and Sunnah. I seek His forgiveness, and He is the Almighty, the Most Forgiving.

All praise is due to Allah, who deserves all forms of praise. Glory be to Him who controls all things. He grants sucess and victory to the righteous. I praise Him abundantly. Allah the Almight promised to increase the provision of the one who is thankful to Him. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah who has no partners. And I also bear witness that Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is His servant and messenger, whom He chose from mankind. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family members, his companions, and all those who follow him in righteousness until the day of Judgement.

Oh Muslims, the principle of enjoining good and forbidding evil is a means of avoiding the punishment of Allah the Almighty. Allah says: “Your Lord would not destroy the (populations of) towns for their wrong-doing while their people were righteous..” The people who will be saved are the ones who enjoin good and forbid evil. Allah says: “If only there had been among the generations before you, persons having wisdom, prohibiting (others) from Al-Fasâd in the earth, (but there were none) except a few of those whom We saved from among them…” [Surah Huud: Ayah 116] Nu’maan ibn Basheer (Radiallahu Anhu) narrated that the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said “The example of the one who is adhering to the boundaries of Allah and the one who falls behind them is like the example of the group of people who casts lots to see who will take the upper floor and who will take the lower in a shed. Those who end up on the lower floor wanted to have some water, and to get the water, they had to pass by those on the upper floor. Then they said if we made a hole in our share of the shed to get the water, we will not harm those in the upper floor. If these people were able to do so, they would have destroyed themselves and everyone else with them. If they were stopped, they would all be saved.” [Bukhari]

Oh servants of Allah, willfull disobiedience and evil actions are very dangerous to both the individual and the Ummah. It is a reason for decrease in ones provision and unjust increase in market prices. It is a reason for oppressors to have control over people. The danger is much more graver if the acts of disobedience and sin are done publicly and nobody denies them. Establishment on earth or destruction is condtioned by following the religion of Islam and adhering to its principles and rules. “Those who, if We give them power in the land, enjoin Iqamat-as-Salât, pay the Zakât and they enjoin Al-Ma’rûf , and forbid Al-Munkar. And with Allâh rests the end of (all) matters.” [Surah Hajj: Ayah 41] Establishment on earth can be achieved by following Allah’s commands and the peak of that is to establish the prayer. Establishment on earth cannot be achieved by spreading corruption or new innovations. It cannot be achieved by killing Muslims, fighting those who should be secure like the civilians. Establishment on the earth has a clear methodology: it neccisitates building, not destroying, and reforming, not corrupting. It is so sad to see some people who believe that spreading corruption is a type of jihaad.

May Allah the Almighty protect those who guard security and those who guard morality.


Oh Allah, show us the truth as true, and grant us the ability to follow it. And show us the evil as wrong, and help us to avoid it.

Oh our Lord, do not misguide our hearts after You have guided us, and grant us from your mercy, You are the Oft Forgiving.
May Allah have mercy on you, you must know that Allah has ordered upon you something that He has started Himself. Allah says: “Allâh and His angels send Salât on the Prophet. O you who believe! Send your Salât on him, and greet him with the Islâmic way of greeting.” [Surah Ahzaab: Ayah 56]

Oh Allah, send your peace and blessings on your Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, on whose face is shining, the one whose forehead is light. Oh Allah, be pleased with the rightly guides khulafa, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, Uthmaan and ‘Ali.


Oh Allah, be pleased with us, all the Muslims. You are the Ever Living, the Eternal. And you are the Owner of glory and generousity.


Oh Allah, honor Islam and the Muslims….


Source:
http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2008/03...rbidding-evil/
(Jawhara's site :D )

:w:
Reply

BintAbee
04-23-2009, 09:35 PM
:sl:

Merits of the Beloved
Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib
Rabee ath Thaani 5, 1429 ~ April 11, 2008

All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamîn, The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense. [Surah Fatiha: Ayaah 1-3] We praise Him, beseech Him for help and forgiveness, and seek refuge in Him from the evil of ourselves and from our bad deeds. Indeed whoever Allah guides, he can never go astray; and whoever Allah allows to go astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the One God who has no partners. And I testify that Muhammad is Allah’s servant and messenger. He brought all that is good and warned against all that is evil. May Allah’s peace and blessings be on him, his family, his companions, and all those who follow them in righteousness until the day of Judgment.

Fellow Muslims, fear Allah and keep in mind that He watches over you, so submit yourselves to Allah and avoid all that He forbids. Allah says “Oh you who believe! Fear Allâh and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what you do.” [Surah Hashr: Ayah 18] The fear of Allah is the means of attaining the good things of this life and overcoming its troubles. Allah says “…And whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out..” [Surah Talaaq: Ayah 2]


Our topic today is a topic that every Muslim likes and enjoys talking about. It is about the best character and personality which is the Prophet’s (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) character. We intend by talking about the Prophet’s (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) character to open our hearts up for the love of Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and renew our faith and sincerity to him. The Prophet’s (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) character has so many noble aspects and so we may not be able to include them all today.

Fellow Muslims, when we talk about the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) we seek to increase our faith in him and strengthen our love for him in addition to other things we are required to achieve as true Muslims. All this is intended to make us follow the Prophet’s (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) teachings, abide by what he enjoined, and avoid what he had forbidden. Though we believe that the Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is a human we also believe that Allah the Almighty created him with the noblest character and the best of appearances. The Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) has the noblest lineage and was raised in the best of Allah’s lands. The Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is the best person and belonged to the best of tribes which was Quraysh. Makkah, where the Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam), is the most beloved place to Allah and all people. Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is Allah’s Prophet. He is the most honorable human of whom hearts are filled with love towards. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.

It is the Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) who used to have the best of appearances and the noblest character. Indeed Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is free of all imperfections. Umm Ma’bad described him saying

“A great light is shining on his face, he has a lovely countenance, the nobility of his character is clear, he is very smart, and has a good physique. He is black haired and black eyed. He appears to wear kohl on his eyes. He doesn’t have a large waist. His head is not large. He has long eyelashes. He has a soft voice. He has a long neck. He has a heavy beard. He has a long, rounded, and knitted eyebrows. He is clear. He isn’t talkative or over silent. His words flow like beads on a string. He is of a medium height, not very tall, nor very short.“

‘Ali (Radiallahu Anhu) described the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) saying

“His face was pink and rosy, and black eyed with long eyelashes. He had a flowing gait as if he was walking along a straight path. If he turned around, all his body would turn. Between his shoulders was the seal of prophethood. He was very generous. He was very courageous. He was the most truthful and honest. He was of the sweetest temper. When you see him for the first time you may fear him, and if you mix with him you would love him. If you are asked to describe him, you would say, I didn’t see anyone like him ever before and I think there is none like him.“

Abu Tufayl (Radiallahu Anhu) said:

“He had a fair and lovely countenance.“

Anas ibn Maalik (Radiallahu Anhu) said:

“He was very generous. His face was pink and rosy. He was black haired, except for a few gray hairs on his cheeks.“

Baraa’ (Radiallahu Anhu) said:

“He used to have wide shoulders and long hair. If he wore red clothing no one would see anyone more beautiful than him. His countenance had shining light as that of the moonlight.“

Jaabir (Radiallahu Anhu) said:

“The Prophet’s (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) laughter was just smiles. He used to appear as if he is wearing kohl while he is not. In the eve of the Battle of Badr I saw him. He was wearing a red shirt. I kept looking at him and at the moon. Actually in my eyes he was more beautiful than the moon.“

Abu Hurayrah (Radiallahu Anhu) said:

“I have never seen anything more beautiful than the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam). His face was so shining as that of the sunlight. No one was more faster than the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) in walking. It would seem as though the earth was being paved for him. When walking with him we would get tired while he was okay.“

Ibn ‘Abbas (Radiallahu Anhu) said

“The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) had pearly white teeth. Whenever he spoke you would feel like light was emitting from his teeth.“

Anas (Radiallahu Anhu) said:

“I didn’t touch silk or cloth softer than the Prophet’s (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) skin. And I didn’t smell a fragrance nicer than that of the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam).“

When the Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) came to Madeenah people came out to recieve him. Amongst the people was ‘Abdullah ibn Salaam, who came out to see the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam). At that time ‘Abdullah ibn Salaam was Jewish scholar. ‘Abdullah ibn Salaam said, “When I saw the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) I realized that he would never be a liar.“

These are a few features of our Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) that prove that he had the best appearance. As far as the morals of the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) he used to have the noblest character in this regard. It is enough that Allah the Almighty testified to his morality by saying “And verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) are on an exalted (standard of) character.” [Surah Qalaam: Ayah 4] In the same context the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said “My God cared for me, and how good Allah’s care is.” This is why the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) set the best examples of nobility in all regards.

All the time you find the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) optimistic and easy. He used to be lenient with people. He never uttered a lewd word. He was never harsh, nor did he exaggerate in praising others. Never did he criticize, nor did he make fun of others, nor violate their privacy. He used to be gentle to people and overlook their mistakes. Patience was a distinctive manner of his character. Whenever the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) had to make a choice between two things, he would choose the easiest unless it was a sin. If it was a sin, the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) used to keep himself away from it. Never would the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) retaliate except that when Allah’s law was violated, a case in which he would be in rage for the sake of Allah.

The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) had a great kindness and generosity. He used to give in charity without fearing poverty, so the Prophet’s (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) generosity used to be something more flowing than a continuous stream of fresh water. The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) used to establisj justice all the way. The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) used to have the highest degree of modesty. He was the most truthful and honest. Before the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) took his mission he was known as the most truthful and honest person. The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) was the bravest. He overcame all hardships and difficulties he faced and proved to be steadfast. ‘Ali (Radiallahu Anhu) said “The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) was the most modest.“

Whenever the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) was upset, it would show on his face. The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) would not stare at people. He was modest, soft, and humble. He used to visit the poor and sit with them. He used to mix with the people. He would come to his companions. He would hate for anyone to stand up for him in respect like the standing for kings. ‘Aysha (Radiallahu Anha) said “The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) used to clean his footwear, fix his torn clothes, milk his goat, and help in house burdens like anyone.” The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) would fulfill his promise and keep good relation with his relatives. The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) would have a lot of mercy and compassion towards people. In this regard, Allah the Almighty says “Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He is anxious over you, for the believers (he SAW is) full of pity, kind, and merciful.” [Surah Tawbah: Ayah 128] Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) was a mercy that made all peoples heart meet on loving him. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.

Allah says “And by the Mercy of Allâh, you dealt with them gently…” [Surah Ale 'Imraan: Ayah 159] The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) used to be a sincere friend and would smile at others. Jaabir (Radiallahu Anhu) said “The Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) never prevented me from meeting him since I accepted Islam. Nor did he meet me but that he smiled.” The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) used to renounce the worldly pleasures though they were accessible for him. He wasn’t attached to the pleasures of this world until death. When he died, his armor was being mortgaged with a Jew for a sum of money he borrowed to satisfy his family needs. He (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) used to say “Oh Allah, provide the family of Muhammad just with that which satisfies their basic needs.” [Saheeh Bukhari and Muslim] ‘Aysha (Radiallahu Anha) said “Never did the Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) eat his fill for three consecutive days until he died.” She also said “The Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) did not leave property behind to be inherited.” She also said “He used to have a mattress of leather stuffed with straw to sleep on.“

The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) used to set the best example of the fear of Allah. He used to stand in prayer at night. He used to shed tears out of fear of Allah. He used to keep standing in prayer until his feet were swollen. It would be said to him “Why do you exert yourself in devotion while you had your sins ,past and future, forgiven?” He used to reply “Shall I not be a grateful servant of Allah?” [Saheeh Bukhari and Muslim]

‘Abdullah ibn Masud (Radiallahu Anhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) once told him to read. Abdullah ibn Masud (Radiallahu Anhu) said the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said to me “I like listening to the Quran from others.” So ‘Abdullah ibn Masud (Radiallahu Anhu) embarked on reciting Surah Nisaa until he reached the ayah “How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad SAW) as a witness against these people?” [Ayah 41] Hereupon the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said to ‘Abdullah ibn Masud (Radiallahu Anhu) “Stop here.” ‘Abdullah ibn Masud (Radiallahu Anhu) said “When I turned my eyes up to the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) I found tears falling down his face.” [Saheeh Bukhari and Muslim] This is our beloved Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and such a few aspects of his character.

Words fail to express the nobility of the Prophet’s (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) character. It is the duty of Muslims to adhere to the teachings of the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and follow his guidance. Indeed the world does not know anyone like the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam). Indeed we inherited from the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) the heritage that we have to take pride in and introduce to all civilizations. Allah says “Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad SAW) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day and remembers Allâh much.” [Surah Ahzaab: Ayah 21]

Oh servants of Allah, I ask Allah to bless you and me with the noble Quran and to benefit us from what it includes of clear signs and judicious speech. This is what I say and I ask Allah’s forgiveness for you, me, and all Muslims. So ask Him to forgive you and seek His protection from Shaytaan, indeed He is the Most Merciful, Oft Forgiving.

All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamîn, The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense. [Surah Fatiha: Ayaah 1-3] I bear witness that there is God worthy of worship except Allah, the True God who has no partner in worship. Allah is the King and the Clear Truth. And I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s servant and messenger. He is the most truthful and the most honest. May Allah’s peace and blessing be upon Muhammad, his family, companions, and all those who followed them in righteousness until the day of Judgment.

Fellow Muslims, Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) has a great position is Allah’s sight. So Allah made him the best human. Allah selected Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) from amongst all humans for His mission. It is Allah who recieved Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) in the heavens when he ascended. In this regard, you can read Allah’s statement “By the star when it goes down, (or vanishes). Your companion (Muhammad SAW) has neither gone astray nor has erred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only a Revelation revealed. He has been taught (this Qur’ân) by one mighty in power [Jibril].” [Surah Najm: Ayaah 1-5] In Jerusalem, Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) led all other Prophets of Allah in salaah. Then he ascended to the heavens until he reached the lote tree, a place very near to Allah the Almighty’s Throne. Above the heavens Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) met Allah and asked Him reduce the number of the obligatory prayers and Allah responded to his request. In this situation, Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said to Musa (Alayhi Salaam) “Oh Musa, I kept asking Allah to reduce the number of the obligatory daily prayers until I felt ashamed of Him.” It is Allah who cleansed Prophet Muhammad’s (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) heart from all that is evil, forgave his sins, and exalted his mention. Allah says “Have We not opened your breast for you (O Muhammad (SAW))? And removed from you your burden, Which weighed down your back? And have We not raised high your fame?” [Surah Sharh: Ayaah 1-4]

Allah associated His name with Muhammad’s name in the call to prayer and in the article of faith. Allah says “Believe in Allah and His messenger” in His Book repeatedly. The obedience to Allah is associated to the obedience to His messenger Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam). Allah says “Obey Allah and His Messenger.” Allah also says “Whoever obeys the Messenger, indeed obeys Allah.” Allah confers His peace and blessing upon Muhammad and the angels pray to Allah for same thing. Allah says: “Allâh and His angels send Salât on the Prophet.” [Surah Ahzaab: Ayah 56] Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) as a witness over all humans, as He says “O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)! Verily, We have sent you as witness, and a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner, And as one who invites to Allâh by His Leave, and as a lamp spreading light.” [Surah Ahzaab: Ayaah 45-46] Allah spoke gently with Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam). Allah says to him “May Allâh forgive you (O Muhammad SAW). Why did you grant them leave [from the fighting]…” [Surah Tawbah: Ayah 43] Allah promised to give Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) what he wants of good things until he is pleased. Allah says “And verily, your Lord will give you (all good) so that you shall be well-pleased.” [Surah Dhuha: Ayah 5] And Allah says “And verily, for you (O Muhammad SAW) will be an endless reward.” [Surah Qalam: Ayaah 3] Allah has promised to look after Muhammad and defend him. Allah says to Muhammad “Truly! We will suffice you against the scoffers.” [Surah Hijr: Ayah 95] Allah also says to Muhammad “Allâh will protect you from mankind.” [Surah Ma'idah: Ayah 67] And Allah also says “So wait patiently (O Muhammad SAW) for the Decision of your Lord, for verily, you are under Our Eyes…” [Surah Tuur: Ayah 48]

The Prophet’s (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) life kept the world secure against destruction and ruin. Allah the Almighty forgave Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) his past and future sins. Allah guided Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and supported him. Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) as a mercy for the whole world. Allah says “And We have sent you (O Muhammad SAW) not but as a mercy for the ‘Alamîn.” [Surah Anbiya: Ayah 107] A prophet like Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) can never be harmed by abuse or insults. The love of Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) wells up in the hearts of Muslims. Muhammad’s (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) position in Allah’s sight is very great. This is the clear truth that can never be removed by mere false accusations.

Oh Allah, fill our hearts with the love of Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam). Oh Allah, we turn unto you against those who abuse Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam). Oh Allah, make us follow the traditions of the Prophet (salawatullahi wa salaamuhu alayh).

Fellow Muslims, always remember that Allah has commanded you to invoke His peace and blessings on Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam), the seal of the prophets and the mercy of Allah all mankind. Allah says: “Allâh and His angels send Salât on the Prophet. O you who believe! Send your Salât on him, and greet him with the Islâmic way of greeting.” [Surah Ahzaab: Ayah 56]

Oh Allah, confer your peace and blessings on your servant and messenger Muhammad, and be please with the four rightly guided khulafa Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, Uthmaan, and ‘Ali, as well as the Prophet’s household, all his companions, the tabi’een, and those who have followed them in doing good deeds until the day of Judgment. And be pleased with us along with them by your Grace, Bounty, and Benovelance….

Source:
http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2008/04...loved/#more-20
(Jawhara's site :D )

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Reply

BintAbee
05-21-2012, 06:38 AM
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The status of the child in Islam

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

December 24, 2010 ~ Muharram 18, 1432

First Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah. All praise is due to Allah whose praise no praiser can encompass and whose bounties no counter can count and no observer can encompass. He has granted bounties to His creation. So he made them between (being) a son and a father and He is exempt in His being so He did not take a wife nor a child and he did not have a father in what has passed. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger, the noblest prophet and the noblest worshipper. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, companions and those after them and those that follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter, O Muslims: Verily the sacrificial advice is that of Taqwa, so hold onto it secretly and quietly, Allah will be with you in every condition and He will always grant you the best possessions.

“O Mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women and fear Allah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you” [Nisaa; Verse 1]

O Muslims: In our houses and under the roofs of our homes are tender humans and many wings. And in the branches of our trees are soft sticks and emerging buds. Verily these buds do not flower and the flowers do not bear fruit thereafter. They are the children; fruits of the heart; parts of the liver. Our children are incapable under our ability; and poor, shadowed by our strength; and they are the future, depending on our present; and life, formed and formulated by our rearing and they are thereafter everything. They are some of the present and all of the future.

Childhood – O Muslims – is a cave by which the elderly are accommodated so they wash their worries in the innocence of their children and they exalt the beauty of life in the smiles of their children. The most eloquent expression demanding love is the stutter of a child. And the most conveying of calls recruiting love is the lisp of the young.

“Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world” [Kahf; Verse 46]

And they are favourable bounties between our hands, morning strength for us and fragrance. And surely the law of Allah came offering childhood its rights, surrounding the abstract and physical rights of the child, from the time its being formed a foetus until it reaches manhood.

The psychological and abstract care of children has been shown in the life of our prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and in his directives. For he would joke with the children, and feed the orphans and pass (his hand) over their heads and he said: “Myself and the one who cares for an orphan will be in Paradise like these two” and he said: “Whoever provides for two slave girls, he and I will enter Paradise like these two” and he showed his two fingers. And he said: “He is not of us, who does not have mercy on our young”. And he ordered children to be protected against playing when the devils are out and about, and he hastened his prayer when he heard a child’s cry, and he forbid that a female slave be separated from her child in selling.

In fact, his laws included (peace be upon him) even the children of animals. He ordered the one who took the chick of a bird to return it, and he said: “Who shocked this with (regards to) her child” just as he prohibited separating a sheep from her child.

Even he (peace be upon him) protected the rights of the foetuses even if it was illegitimate. He ordered a lady that had committed adultery to go until she delivers her child and he delayed executing the punishment due to protecting the right of the child. When she delivered her child, he ordered her to return until she completed nursing (breastfeeding) him for two years.

In fact, in the most important obligation of religion and the greatest he (peace be upon him) used to pray while carrying Umamah, the daughter of his daughter Zainab (may Allah be pleased with them both). And he used to pray while carrying Hasan, the son of his daughter Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with them both). And when he prostrated (peace be upon him) then Hasan mounted his back. He prolonged his prostration for him, and when he was asked about that, he said: “Verily this son of mine made me his mount and I disliked rushing him until he had satisfied his wish”.

His devoutness to his Lord and his standing in His presence did not prevent him from kind treatment to children and considering their feelings.

O You Muslims: Is there a need to remind about childhood and children and their rights and to create awareness about them, despite the natural disposition calling towards that, and being naturally driven and inclined as well?!

It is said with much grief-: Yes. Despite much good produced by modern civilization, however there are behavioural patterns and phenomena that are no longer hidden. We are now realising them in our societies. And they were not in them before.

Under daily life stressors, the abundance of psychiatric illnesses and the boldness to abuse psychotropic substances, you find the spring of love has decreased in the hearts of some fathers and mothers. The severity of autumn has caused the leaves of love to fall in their souls. Their humanity is alienated between their wings and the first sacrifices for that alienation are the children.

How many violated childhoods and slain innocences among the walls of the houses and schools? Children are exposed to forms of stress and physical violence. You see that five-year-old’s eyes with its pure water and its innocent glow turning towards his father approaching him. And his soft heart batters on the sight of his father, waiting for a hug or kiss from him, but the sting of fire blows him or a severe beating catches him. And the weapon of the child – and O his weapon – broken groans and rattling sighs and the helper and aider is absent.

Use – O listener – the imagination of a poet or mighty literature to describe what this child is feeling and how all the joys of life are buried in himself. And in his imagination, every beautiful thing that reaches his dreamy mind is decreased.

And there’s a child whose troubled mother does not find someone to offload her troubles on except the body of her child. And how many examples of these violations occur in our society and how many exercise this brutality in their houses and no family or neighbours know about it. The fathers have abused their children and the wives have disciplined the children of their husbands. And the children are not safe from harm even from the domestic workers. And those who live from amongst them live a distorted humanity, dressed with aggression. He has a dark future and he might take up crime and deviation so he loses himself and the society loses him.

O Muslims: Verily these manifestations are not – with the praise of Allah – widespread and common but quite a few are present. And verily from the greatest type of satisfaction is that the society deals with lifting oppression from this group, especially if the oppression is occurring among relatives.

And the oppression of relatives is the greatest torture

on the self (more) than the impact of an Indian sword

It is imperative to be alert with regard to the young who are affected by psychiatric illnesses or are involved in psychotropic substances, especially the child that is a victim and tortured. When it occurs you don’t hear him expressing and revealing what he has been afflicted with. And these assaults are digging trenches in him. And the tortured child is unable to complain but his tongue is able to say a lot. And the young do not forget. And the insults of childhood do not heal. And if sorrow does not rectify them then it is about to end in death.

And these centres and houses that aid in protecting children and educating fathers and mothers are a good phenomenon. Their organizers are doing a great good. They should be supported, communicated with and praised.

Servants of Allah: There is another page in the book of child torture. Its title: Marital Disputes. When satan is present between spouses and each one intends abuse towards the other and the eyes of the children are looking and waiting and their souls are upset and bleeding and they see verbal abuse from the father towards their mother or a psychological insult from the mother towards their father or physical assault from one of them on the other. Verily childhood – then – is in vain. And in its hours, psychological complexes grow in the dark. The child’s glow of life fades and this applies to his indifference to education. And his future becomes dim in his sight. There’s no dream that flirts with him and no hope that entices him.

The days are scarred in his eyes and the meaning of motherhood and fatherhood has deteriorated in his view. And the two parents couldn’t care less. They are competing as to who is worse and which of them is more prominent in injuring their children with no healing.

O you disputing spouses: Verily Allah – Glorified and Majestic – has laid down times when children do not enter on their parents so that their eyes do not see what they do not know about being permissible. Is it not more deserving that we avert from the sight of our children and we dismiss their knowledge regarding the negative relationship between their parents, so that they live in a clean environment and a happy psychological state.

Verily, differences have etiquettes and arguments have boundaries and there’s no victim here to overcome except the trespasser himself and his family and all of their futures.

As for after divorce and separation, then there arises the question of maintenance of the children and visiting one of the parents. And how many times in this issue are there pictures of whose ink is disheartening and of whose colours are troubling while Allah says: “No mother shall be treated unfairly on account of her child, nor father on account of his child” [Baqarah; Verse 233]

And how many a child is made to be absent from his mother while he has committed no sin except the dispute which he was not part of, but is punished for. And the prophet (peace be upon him) says: “Whoever separates a mother from her child, Allah will separate him from his beloveds on the Day of Resurrection” [Narrated by Ahmad; classified as Saheeh by al –Haakim]

So which sin has prohibited the child from the love of his mother or meeting his father while he is part of them both and he should not do away with one compared to the other, no matter what the one has done. The child should be able to see his parents and to contact them when he wishes, without reckoning or harassment. Under no circumstances should the separation between parents be a call to raise the child on the ingratitude of one of them or the lack of goodness towards the other.

O you who has been through divorce, both fathers and mothers! Do not forget favours between you. And fear Allah with regards to your children. Verily your disputes are an elongated rope of whose ends are in your hands and at the centre is a knot curled around the neck of the child. Every time one of the parents tightens the pull, the knot grips the neck of the child, knowing that usually in disputes between parents, the loser has more goodness than the winner.

How many fathers evade and decrease the maintenance of their children, or escape from it, not for anything except to enrage their mother. So how does he expect the obedience of his children after that and hope for their dua and their charity on him when they grow up?!

O Muslims: And among the widespread pictures of torture is shouting and screaming at the child and threatening and intimidating him, and excessively rebuking and scolding him. And this is what fathers, mothers and teachers are careless about. And they portray their angry feelings without realising the destructive consequences to the psychology of the child. Intimidation and threats produce an unstable personality and a troubled psychology. Behold! Fear Allah in their His advice “Allah advises you as regards your children” [Nisaa; Verse 11] and everyone should fear Allah in their flock, for everyone will be asked and reckoned with.

O Allah bless us in the Book (Quraan) and Sunnah, and make us benefit from their verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine and I ask Allah to forgive me and you.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah as He ought to be praised and the most loyal (praise). And salutations and greetings be upon His messenger and His chosen one. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him and on his family, companions and those associated.

O Muslims: The mistakes of children are forgiven and their sins are pardoned. Allah has lifted the pens of compulsion from them, so you should lift the methods of violence from them. Take a stand between violence and weakness in the position of resoluteness and give due appreciation to the young of age and the love of fun. And if the child is not hit for prayer which is a pillar of religion except if he is ten years old and beyond and after he has been commanded hundreds of times, then how can a two- or three-year old child be hit, or a five- or seven-year old. Should he be naturally troubled or be in innocent fun?!

And for you in the guidance of the prophet (peace be upon him) is a good example. On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) he said: “I served the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) for ten years. During that time, he never once said to me as much as ‘uff’ if I did something wrong. He never asked me, if I had failed to do something, ‘Why did you not do it?’ and he never said to me, if I had done something wrong, ‘Why did you do it?’” [Narrated by Bukhari]. And the wording in Abu Dawud: Anas said: “I served the Prophet (peace be upon him) at Medina for ten years. I was a boy. Every work that I did was not according to the desire of my master, but he never said to me: ‘uff’, nor did he say to me: Why did you do this? or Why did you not do this?“

Hafith ibn Hajar said: “The benefit of this: leaving out admonition for what has been missed because it is inevitable and can be called for if needed. It is also disliked for the tongue to snap and vilify and falsely allege against the servant. And this is with regards to humans. As for religious obligations, then there should be no overlooking, because this falls under enjoining good and forbidding evil”.

Servants of Allah: There’s no dispute regarding the early correction of mistakes of children when they err but it should be corrected in a manner that is constructive, not destructive and should be politely, not harshly. And for us in the prophet (peace be upon him) is an example. On the authority of Umar bin Abi Salamah, he said: “I was a boy under the care of Allah’s Apostle and my hand used to go around the dish while I was eating. So Allah’s Apostle said to me, ‘O boy! Mention the name of Allah and eat with your right hand, and eat of the dish what is nearer to you.’ Since then I have applied those instructions when eating.” [Agreed upon]

And on the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), that Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) took a date from the dates of charity and put it in his mouth. The Prophet said, “Expel it from your mouth. Don’t you know that we do not eat a thing which is given in charity?” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

And Tabarani narrated on the authority of Zainab bint Abi Salamah that she entered on the prophet (peace be upon him) while he was bathing. She said: “So he took a handful of water and splashed it in my face and said: ‘Go back, O small one’.

So look at how he taught Umar bin Abi Salamah the etiquette of eating and how he taught Hasan piety and he taught Zainab the etiquette of seeking permission and refraining from looking at the prohibited. And ponder over how the teaching was in a method understood by the young, with one word or a short, concise clear sentence, easy to memorise and understand, without humiliation or insult and without blame or scolding, without scowling or blaming. More virtuous than hitting the young or praying against them and this is a dangerous matter, because if the supplication coincides with an hour of acceptance then the one who supplicated will be regretful at a time when regret will not benefit.

And the prophet (peace be upon him) says: “Do not supplicate against yourselves. And do not supplicate against your children. And do not supplicate against your wealth. Perhaps an hour from Allah when He is asked anything and it is granted might correspond and you will be answered” [Narrated by Muslim]

And this is his etiquette (peace be upon him) even with the elders. Mu’awiya bin al Hakam (may Allah be pleased with him) said – and he spoke during the prayer – : “May my father and mother be sacrificed. I have not seen a teacher before him nor after him better in teaching than him. By Allah he did not rebuke me, nor hit me, nor abuse me. He said: ‘It is not fitting to have any speech from people in the prayer. It is only glorification and proclaiming the greatness of Allah and reciting the Qur’aan” [Narrated by Muslim]

And on the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: “I went along with Allah’s messenger (peace be upon him) at a time during the day but he did not talk to me and I did not talk to him until he reached the market of Banu Qaynuqaa’. He came back to the tent of Fatimah and said: ‘Is the little chap (meaning Hasan) there?’ We were under the impression that his mother had detained him in order to bathe him and dress him and garland him with sweet garland. Not much time had passed that he (Hasan) came running until both of them embraced each other, thereupon Allah’s messenger (peace be upon him) said: ‘O Allah, I love him; so love him and love the one who loves him” [From Bukhari and Muslim] and this is the wording in Muslim. And the wording in Bukhari: then he came running until he embraced him and kissed him.

And he said (peace be upon him) to a man who never used to kiss his children: “I cannot put mercy in your heart after Allah has taken it away from it” [Narrated by Muslim]

And on the authority of Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: “I have not seen anyone more merciful to children than the messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).” He said: “His son Ibraheem was in the care of a wet nurse in the hills around Madeenah. He would go there, and we would go with him, and he would enter the house, pick up his son and kiss him, then come back. [Narrated by Muslim]

And Ibn Hibban has recorded in his saheeh on the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “The prophet (peace be upon him) used to stick out his tongue at Hasan bin Ali and the lad used to see the redness of his tongue and he used to rush towards him”.

And on the authority of Mahmood bin Rabee’ who said: “When I was a boy of five, I remember, the prophet (peace be upon him) took water from a bucket with his mouth and threw it on my face.” [Agreed upon].

This is his guidance so act upon it and this is the messenger so follow his footsteps.

Then send salutations and peace on the best of the best and the purest of mankind. O Allah send your salutations, peace and blessings on your slave and messenger Muhammad and on his pure, good family and his companions, the best of personalities. And be happy O Allah with the guided leaders and the rightly guided khulafa: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali and all the other companions of your prophet and those who follow their ways and emulate their methods O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims……

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/05...hild-in-islam/

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Reply

BintAbee
06-27-2012, 12:23 PM
:sl:

Contemplations and lessons from the story of Yusuf (عليه السلام)

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib
May 11, 2012 ~ Jumadal Akhirah 20, 1433

First Khutbah
Surely all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek help and forgiveness from Him and We seek His protection from the evil of our souls and from our evil deeds. Whoever Allah guides, then there is no misguidance for him and whoever Allah leads astray, then there is no guidance for him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be on him and on his good, pure family and his companions, the fortunate personalities, and those who came after them and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter:

I advise you – O people – and myself to fear Allah. For taqwa is the lifeline and it is a barrier against trials, and with it there is help at the time of hardships and tribulations.

“No doubt! Verily the Auliya of Allah (those who believe in Oneness of Allah and fear Him and love Him), no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve, Those who believed, and used to fear Allah much For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present world, and in the Hereafter. No change can there be in the Words of Allah, this is indeed the supreme success.” [Yunus; Verse 62 – 64]

O Muslims:

O you patient and steadfast ones – and O you troubled ones! Verily with the long length of night and the aggravation of wounds, optimism is beautified. And in the midst of sadness, tales of solace are wished for. And during pains, hopes are born. And when hardships become severe, and when calamities become widespread, and the evildoer dominates and the victor becomes rare – then the way of Allah in His Quran (is that) before victory there are stories that send hope and liven up the souls and purify them with faith.

And whatever afflicts a believer of wounds or troubles is nothing except a norm that has passed by the sincere friend before; raising ranks; decreasing the sins; examining the hearts; and distinguishing the believing nation. “If a wound has touched you, be sure a similar wound has touched the others. And so are the days, We give to men by turns, that Allah may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. And Allah likes not the wrong-doers. And that Allah may test the believers and destroy the disbelievers.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 140-141]

And in the biography of our prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him – are signs and lessons. And in the most critical and severe of times in Makkah, three years before the migration, Khadeejah – may Allah be pleased with her – passed away, and she was a true advisor to Islam. The beloved prophet would complain to her and seek support from her. And his paternal uncle Abu Talib passed away and he was a prevention for him and a helper against his nation. And people found the incident of Israa (night journey) strange so they belied him (prophet), and some who had become Muslim apostatised. And da’wah (calling to Islam) regressed until no one was entering into Islam.

And the Prophet – peace be upon him – called that year: The Year of Sadness. And the Quraysh ventured against the Prophet – peace be upon him. And war against him had reached to its furthest extent. And the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – was suffering from loneliness and foreignness – and the group of Muslims suffered this hardship with him.

So Allah the Exalted revealed Sura Israa and Furqaan, then Sura Yunus was revealed, then Sura Hood and in them was steadfastness and pleasure and the stories of the prophets and their information with their nations and the days spent with them and the success of the Truth and its people – whatever strengthened the determination of the prophet – peace be upon him – and his believing group. And at the end of Sura Hood: “And all that We relate to you (O Muhammad –peace be upon him) of the news of the messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your heart thereby. And in this (chapter of the Quraan has come to you the truth, as well as admonition and a reminder for the believers.” [Hood; Verse 120]

And after these Suras and in that sad time, Sura Yusuf was revealed. It was a balm, love and mercy from Allah and a solace. And it was the last of the beautiful stories.

Sura Yusuf, in it are scenes of pain and hope, and the bitterness of separation and the sweetness of meeting. In it are tales of despondence and certainty, and oppression and subjugation, and trials and patience, then success and victory. In it is revenge and pardoning and forgiving. In it is hope and Dua and stability after trials, and good consequences for the pious and the patient.

In Sura Yusuf, the wisdom and decree of Allah is manifested, and his planning and secrets in a narrative style not heard of before by the world. “Alif-Lam-Raa. These are the verses of the clear Book. Verily, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran in order that you may understand. We relate unto you (Muhammad – peace be upon him) the best of stories through Our revelations unto you, of this Quran. And before this (revelation) you were among those who knew nothing about it (Quran).” [Yusuf; Verse 1-3]. Allah relates to His noble prophet the story of his noble brother: Yusuf ibn Ya’qub ibn Ishaaq ibn Ibraheem – peace and salutations of Allah be upon all of them. And he was suffering many kinds of tribulations and hardships: the tribulation of the plotting of the brothers; the tribulation of the well and fear and intimidation in it; and the tribulation of slavery and he was transferred like a commodity from hand to hand against his wish and he had no protection and no care from his parents or family.

And the tribulation of the plot of the wife of Azeez (ruler of Egypt) and the women. And before this the hardship of seduction and the trial of lust. And the tribulation of prison after a comfortable and tender life in the palace of Azeez. Then the tribulation of prosperity and full authority in his hands while he was ruling over the livelihoods of people and their throats, and in his hands was a bit of bread that sustained them. And the trial of human emotions when he met, after that, his brothers who threw him in the well and who were the apparent reason for all these tribulations and hardships.

So it is not strange that this Sura – with whatever it contains of the story of this noble prophet and of the commentaries on it after that that was revealed to the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – and the Muslims with him in Makkah at that particular time – that it was a consolation and a pleasure, and peace and steadfastness for the persecuted expatriates.

But as if in this there was a hint about the exit from Makkah to another land where there will be victory and stability, even though leaving was disliked under threat, just as Yusuf was taken out from the lap of his father to face all these hardships. Then he ended up after that with victory and stability. “Thus did We establish Yusuf in the land, that We might teach him the interpretation of events. And Allah has full power and control over His affairs, but most of men know not.” [Yusuf; Verse 21]

The verse of stability came in between mentioning Yusuf when he was being sold as a slave. And this Sura came and in all its stages of narration is a confirmation of faith, firm belief and certainty in the Lord of the worlds, and good consequences for the pious.

And at the time that Yusuf was thrown in the well, and sold, and the intention of the plot against him, Allah the Exalted said: “And Allah has full power and control over His affairs, but most of men know not.” [Yusuf; Verse 21]. So the brothers of Yusuf wished a matter for him and Allah wished a matter for him – and when Allah has full control over His affairs and is Dominant, then His affairs will surely be disposed. As for the brothers of Yusuf – they owned none of their affairs, so it escaped from their hands and was disposed against their wishes. “but most of men know not” – They do not know that the way of Allah will come to pass and that His affairs will occur.

And when Yusuf was about to lean towards a mortal – mentioning his being oppressed to the king – his retribution was that he remained in prison for several years. His Lord wished to teach him how to cut off all means, and to hold fast to His means alone; that He does not make His needs fulfilled at the hands of a servant; and not through means attached to a servant. And this is from His selection and His Generosity.

Verily, the pious servants of Allah should be sincere to Him – Glorified is He – and their leadership should call unto Him alone and they should call unto Him – Glorified is He – to map out their pathways. And when they fail to their human weaknesses in the first case regarding the choice of this method they should prefer Allah – Glorified is He – then He will make them overpower it (weakness) until they know Him and experience Him and they commit to Him thereafter in obedience, pleasure, love and yearning. So He will complete His favour on them because of all of this.

Certainty (Yaqeen) is: Being proud of Allah, and peace towards Him and certainty in Him and deprived without Him and divorcing all worldly values and freedom of all its lassos (ropes), and belittling heavy matters that are controlled.

As for Ya’qub, the prophet, – he was a firm believer and a confident, patient (person). And at every moment and occasion he says: “But Allah is the Best to guard and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy” [Yusuf; Verse 64] and he says “and I cannot avail you against Allah at all. Verily! The decision rests only with Allah. In Him I put my trust and let all those that trust, out their trust in Him.” [Yusuf; Verse 67]

And at the time of losing his three children and the pain reached its end he says: “So patience is more fitting (for me). May be Allah will bring them (back) all to me. Truly He! Only He is All-Knowing, All-Wise”. And he says: “I only complain of any grief and sorrow to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you know not. O my sons! Go you and enquire about Yusuf and his brother and never give up hope of Allah’s Mercy. Certainly no one despairs of Allah’s Mercy, except the people who disbelieve.” [Yusuf; Verse 86-87]

Verily it is the faith of the prophets and the certainty of the true believers. So never give up hope of Allah’s mercy – O you who are traumatized. And never give up hope of Allah’s victory – O you stationed ones, steadfast in the face of storms. The believers, those whose hearts are connected to Allah; whose souls are moist with His mercy, feeling His gentle breezes, do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah even if hardships encompass them, and narrowness becomes severe on them. For a believer is in mercy from the shadows of his faith; and in happiness due to the link with His Lord, and in peace due to the certainty of His Protector, even though he may be in severe difficulty or choking hardships.

O Muslims:

Surely these trials and hardships were from the planning of Allah and His Kindness, Knowledge and Mercy, until Allah gave Yusuf – peace be upon him – full authority on the earth. So he became a dear king. In his hands were the storehouses of Egypt. “Thus did We give full authority to Yusuf in the land, to take possession therein, as when or where he likes.” [Yusuf; Verse 56]. He took from it the position he wanted, and the place he wanted, in contrast to the well and whatever was in it of fears and the prison and whatever was in it of restrictions. “We bestow our mercy on who We please” so We exchanged for him difficulty with ease, narrowness with escape, and fear with safety, and restrictions with freedom, and the disgrace among people with honour and a high position. “And We make not to be lost the reward of the good doers.” Those who perfect the faith in Allah and reliance and turning to Him. And they perfect their behaviour and deeds. “And Verily, the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believe and used to fear Allah and keep their duty to Him (by abstaining from all kinds of sins and evil deeds and by performing all kinds of good deeds)” [Yusuf; Verse 57]

And like this, Allah replaced for Yusuf the trials with that position on earth, and this glad-tidings in the Hereafter, an agreeable reward for faith, patience and good. And this is the recurrent secret of the description of Allah – Exalted in His being – that He is the All-Knowing, All-Wise. He knows the conditions. And He knows what is behind these incidents and hardships. And He brings every affair at its appropriate time, when His Wisdom is realized in the sequence of reasons and results. “It may be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings through it a great deal of good.” [Nisaa; Verse 19]

And at the end of the Sura “And We sent not before you (as messengers) any but men, whom We inspired from among the people of townships. Have they not travelled through the earth and seen what was the end of those who were before them? And Verily, the home of the Hereafter is the best for those who fear Allah and obey Him. Do you not then understand?” [Yusuf; Verse 109] “(They were reprieved) until, when the messengers gave up hope and thought that they were denied (by their people), then came to them Our help, and whomsoever We willed were delivered. And Our Punishment cannot be warded off from the people who are Mujrimoon (criminals/sinners)” [Yusuf; Verse 110] “Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding. It (Quraan) is not a forged statement but a confirmation of Allah’s existing Book (Taura and Injeel) and a detailed explanation of everything and a guide and a Mercy for the people who believe” [Yusuf; Verse 111]. Verily it is steadfastness with the passing of Allah’s way when the messengers lose hope and a hint to a disliked exit that precedes the desired escape.

Meanings that believing hearts are aware of so faith and certainty fill them, and patience and steadfastness. That is the way of Allah. Hardships are unavoidable and distress is unavoidable. Then victory comes after despondency from all the apparent means that people attach to. Victory comes from Allah. So those who deserve saviour are saved from the destruction that overtakes the oppressors. And they are saved from oppression and tyranny that which the haughty have brought upon them. And Allah’s strength replaces the criminals, destroying, eradicating, not stopping. And no helper or friend can block it. “Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding. It (Quraan) is not a forged statement but a confirmation of Allah’s existing Book (Taura and Injeel) and a detailed explaination of everything and a guide and a Mercy for the people who believe” [Yusuf; Verse 111].

May Allah bless me and you in the Book (Quran) and Sunnah, and benefit us with what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine and I ask Allah – the Exalted – to forgive me and you.

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. The Beneficient, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgement. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. The clear Truth. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. The truthful, the trustworthy. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be on him and on all his family and companions.

Servants of Allah:

For truth and justice are words that have to be said. And condemnation of oppression without sweet talk or excuses. For verily what has occurred regarding the seizing of the Saudi diplomat in Yemen is a wrong act and an oppression and crime which neither religion nor customs condone. It is not from religion or from Jihad. And it is not enmity against just one Muslim, but it is enmity against every one representing them from this land. And an announcement for hostility and fighting for them. And our lands never answer for blackmail and they do not decline their rights. Except that the door of repentance is open, and the principle of review is discarded.

So fear Allah regarding Islam and the Muslims. For how many vices are gained due to distorted behaviours and deviant ideas.

May Allah release the captive and make the plots of the aggressors turn against them.

This; and send salutations and peace on the chosen prophet and selected messenger.

O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on Your servant and messenger Muhammad, and on his good, pure family, and his companions, the outstanding personalities.

O Allah be pleased with the guided leaders and the rightly-guided khulafa: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali and all the other companions of your prophet and those who follow their ways and emulate their methods, O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/06...tory-of-yusuf/

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Reply

BintAbee
07-03-2012, 05:17 AM
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Marital Bliss

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib
June 15, 2012 ~ Rajab 25, 1433

First Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah the amount that He created and shaped, and established and dispersed. And all praise be to Allah a dominating praise. “He has created man from water, and has appointed for him kindred by blood, and kindred by marriage” [Furqaan; Verse 54]. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the best of creations without exception. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him and on his family, his companions and those who follow them and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter:

Fear Allah – the Exalted – and obey Him. And revere His commands and do not disobey Him. “O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women, and fear Allah through Whom you demand (your mutual rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you.” [Nisaa; Verse 1]. He watches your deeds. And He counts your breaths. And He numbers your days.

So if mankind knows that he will be asked about how he spent his life and how he utilized his youth, he will stick to hard work (throughout) his age and he will leave amusement (throughout) his life. “So when you have finished (your occupation) devote yourself for Allah’s worship. And to your Lord (Alone) turn (all your) intentions and hopes.” [Sharh; Verse 7-8].

O Muslims: The family, the house and the marital home is the foundation of the system of Muslim society and its nucleus. And from it is the reformation of the individual and in it is his cultivation. In addition to marriage being a natural inclination, a necessity and a natural human need, in Islam it is also a law and command, a Sunnah and a purity, an entity of which every potential is employed for its establishment, completion and reformation and to protect it from obstacles and disturbances.

And from the goals of Islam and its efforts: The establishment of a family comprising of two spouses (wife and husband); love, mercy and peace flapping in its wings; guided by legislations and instructions; and its individuals complement (it) by fulfilling responsibilities; and from it pious offspring are bred; and children are grown in its care; and its individuals share roles in helping towards goodness and piety, and integration and solidarity in realizing the goals and hopes in this world and in the Hereafter. And that is the philosophy of the family in Islam.

And understanding this natural reality in its Shar’i dimensions determines the features of marital happiness and the features of the building of a pious family. And therefore the coherent society is able to build its civilization after building its individuals and its entity.

And from here comes the importance of the command to marry and encouraging towards it. Allah – Glorified and Majestic – said: “And marry those among you who are single and (also marry)) the Salihun (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty.” [Noor; Verse 32]

And in the pure Sunnah the prophet – peace be upon him – says: “O group of youth! Whoever from among you can marry should do so …” [Hadeeth; narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

O Muslims: And to build this family entity and its reformation and its protection, Sharee’ah came with a sentence of commands and prohibitions; and etiquettes and commandments; painting for houses features of their happiness and sketching for the family the path of its delight. Muslims are summoned to take it and adopt it, drawing close to Allah – the Exalted – as a protection for their houses and their societies, and reformation for their conditions.

And the need is magnified when there is much negligence, and aggravation of injuries in the houses, and the marital building cracks. And from what is hurtful is that studies and examinations indicate that the rate of divorce in the Arab and Islamic world is no less than 30% and it reaches 40% in some of our countries. These rates are alarming, requiring the initiative of the society with its organizations and individuals for more studies, solutions, plans and programs – with thanks and praise for what the organizations and associations are doing – and the positions and directions which help with regards to the family and its issues.

O Muslims: The features of happiness and success for the family come from the first building, which is choosing and deciding. For character and religion are the path of searching and the secret of happiness. And negligence in considering that is the source of misery. And in the freedom of choice, there is asking permission and seeking counsel. So no man should be compelled to take who he dislikes. And no girl should be forced to accept who she hates.

And in the Quraanic verses and prophetic instructions, there is the light of guidance of the light of what is quoted from it, and (too) from the guidance that which we do not oppose. And enough for us are these snippets and quotes:

Regarding rights and responsibilities: “And they (women) have rights similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them.” And with explaining rights and responsibilities, surely it is not (about) stinginess and accountability, but it is in (the light of) the generous instruction: “And do not forget liberality between yourselves.” [Baqarah; Verse 237]

And with regards to dealings, the prophet – peace be upon him – says: “A good word is charity” [Agreed upon]

And He –peace be upon him – says: “Smiling in the face of your brother is charity for you” [Narrated by Tirmidhi].

And on the authority of Aisha – may Allah be pleased with her – the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Gentleness does not enter anything except that it beautifies it and harshness does not enter anything except that it disfigures it.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Verily gentleness, good words, pardoning and forgiving is better than gifts with bounties and bad dealings, and in the Beloved Revelation: “Kind words and forgiving of faults are better than charity followed by injury.” [Baqarah; Verse 263]

Servants of Allah: And it is not from justice: Requesting rights while neglecting the fulfilling of obligations. For verily, the one who said: “If I were to command anyone to prostrate to anyone else, I would have commanded women to prostrate to their husbands” is the one who said: “O Allah I declare inviolable the rights of the two weak ones: the orphans and the women” and it is he who said: “Treat the women kindly.”

And verily the one who said: “The best of you is the best of you to his family”, he – peace be upon him – is the one who said: “If a woman prays her five (daily prayers), fasts her month (Ramadan), guards her private parts and obeys her husband, it will be said to her ‘Enter Paradise through whichever of the gates of Paradise you wish.”

And regarding the richness of the heart and foresight and a good comparison, the prophet – peace be upon him – says: “A believing man should not hate a believing woman. If he dislikes something in her character, he should be pleased with some other or another trait of hers” [Narrated by Muslim]

And in this regard Allah – Glorified and Majestic – said: “And live with them honourably. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings through it a great deal of good.” [Nisaa; Verse 19]

And regarding administration: “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means.” [Nisaa; Verse 34]. And maintenance is not domination and abuse, and not oppression and looking down upon another, but it is care and protection, and establishing interests. And surely the call to the opposite of that, calling towards equality or freedom is the heart of primitiveness and an opposition to nature.

O Muslims: Piety, truthfulness and trust are the best (things) that relationships are built upon. And this noble character is a spring for the heart, a purification of the habitus, and fruit of generosity, and bravery of the conscience, for surely the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “I order you to be truthful for verily truthfulness leads to righteousness and verily righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man continues to be truthful and strives for truthfulness until he is written as a truthful person by Allah. Beware of lying, for verily lying leads to sinning and verily sinning leads to the Fire. And a man continues to tell lies and strives upon lying until he is written as a liar by Allah.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

As for trust and protecting marital secrets, it is compulsory. It protects the homes and cares for families. On the authority of Abu Sa’eed al Khudriyy – may Allah be pleased with him – the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Among the worst people in Allah’s sight on the Day of Judgement: The man who has conjugal relations with his wife and she with him, and then he divulges her secret.”

And the warning is for the man and woman alike.

O you men and women: O you who are searching for happiness in this world and the Hereafter! The composition of happiness is in the saying of Allah – Glorified and Majestic – : “Whoever works righteousness – whether male or female – while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter).” [Nahl; Verse 97]

Surely this meaning is more worthy of care and propagating instead of people’s pre-occupation with what destroys and does not build regarding the affairs of the family and the society. Reformers and advisors, and those who control pens and the media should care greatly for the reformation of the family and its stability and to establish the houses and strengthen its building and to ward off everything that affects it (negatively).

And Allah is asked to preserve for the Muslims their religion and security and to reform their conditions and to make happy their lives.

May Allah bless me and you in the Book and the Sunnah and benefit us from what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine and I ask Allah – the Exalted – to forgive me and you.

Second Khutbah

Al praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, the Strong, The Able. And He – Glorified is He – is The Mighty, The Helper. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the True Omnipotent King. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him, and on his family, companions and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter:

The blood is still flowing oppressively on the soil of Syria. And the massacres are committed in front of the hearing and sight of the world. Neither religion nor (good) character deters the committing of it. And surely Allah has permitted for those who are fought against and oppressed that they have the right of defense of themselves. And in some cases, admonition and advice is futile.

For you is Allah, O Levant (Shaam). This era has not witnessed a people ruled by their enemy as the Levant has witnessed. Its government has ruled over it as an enemy, and administrated its affairs as an executioner, and has dealt with its dealings as a butcher and what a butcher?! The massacres of its despot almost make the massacres of the Qarmatians and Tartars forgotten. Mercy has diminished in their hearts, and humanity has evaporated from their actions. And the slaughter of women and children have become part of their requests, and the destruction of the land (has become) part of their wishes.

May Allah curse them, the curse of Aad and Thamud, and kill them, the killing of the people of the trenches, and hasten on their tyrant days of misfortunes and blackness, and deliver them quickly to the darkness of the graves.

And it is compulsory upon the world to fulfill its responsibilities in the face of this catastrophe, the duration of which is prolonged, and the pain of which is continuous. And the responsibility is greater on the Arabs and Muslims especially, so they should call for the helping of the oppressed, and warding off of the oppressor, and the solution should be practical and immediate, for the days are not increasing the aggressor except in slogans and nothing is seen from him except hell and fire.

O Syrians: “Permission to fight is given to those who are fought against, because they have been wronged; and surely Allah is Able to give them victory.” [Hajj; Verse 39]. Surely the thief government has overstepped in oppression, and this is an announcement of a close relief. And oppression is an announcement of the passing away of kingship and hastening in punishment, so be happy: “Help from Allah (against your enemies) and a near victory.” [Saff; Verse 13]

And surely Allah ensures ease with difficulty. Two signs of victory have joined for you. Defend with everything you are able to, and place your trust in Allah for He does not disappoint the one who depends on Him. And surely you have seen the betrayal of nations and their leagues.

Verily the tyrant has pledged repeatedly that the protests are the exchange for their tyranny. Thereby they have betrayed their omens and belied their thoughts and gathered your matters and united your rows. And fear Allah with regards yourselves and your families. “So fear Allah and adjust all matters of difference among you” [Anfaal; Verse 1] “It may be that Allah will restrain the evil might of the disbelievers. And Allah is Stronger in Might and Stronger in punishing.” [Nisaa; Verse 84]

Perhaps Allah will restrain the evil might for you, and ward off evil for you.

This, and send salutations and peace on the chosen prophet and selected messenger.

O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on Your servant and messenger Muhammad, and on his good pure family and his companions, the fortunate personalities.

O Allah be pleased with the guided leaders and rightly guided Khulafa: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali and with all the rest of the companions of Your prophet and those who follow their approach and follow their way, O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/marital-bliss/

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Reply

BintAbee
07-08-2012, 05:55 AM
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Why the Fear of Islam?

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib
April 6, 2012 ~ Jumadal Awwal 14, 1433


First Khutbah
All praise to Allah. All praise to Allah. He made the religion of Islam the final religion and he completed it. And He made the one affiliated to being under His flag from the best of nations. All praise to Allah. We praise Him, seek help from Him and seek His forgiveness. And we ask Allah’s protection from the evil of ourselves and from the evil of our actions. Whoever Allah guides, there is no misguidance for him. And whoever Allah leads astray, then there is no guidance for him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And no one can overturn His Rule. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be on him and on all of his family and companions.

Thereafter:
Fear Allah – the Exalted – as He ought to be feared. And hold fast onto Islam with the firm tie. “O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared. And die not except in a state of Islam with complete submission to Allah.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 102].

Fear Allah and have hope in Him, and fear Him and fear Him as He ought to be feared. For the one who fears Allah is not the one who squeezes his eyes. Verily the one who fears (Allah) is the one who leaves his desires of the forbidden while he is able to do them. “But for him who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (i.e. Paradise).” [ArRahmaan; Verse 46]

Servants of Allah: In the Hadeeth of the story of the pledge of Aqabah, when the prophet – peace be upon him – congregated secretly with the Ansaar to pledge help to him. Ka’b bin Malik – may Allah be pleased with him – narrated to us, he said: The first to grab the hand of the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – was al-Bara bin Ma’roor. Then the people followed him. After we pledged allegiance to the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – shaytaan shouted from a mountain of Aqabah in the most piercing voice I’ve heard: O people of “Jubajib”! – and Jubajib (means): houses – do you want a blameworthy person and the apostates with him who have gathered together to wage war on you?!
So the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “This is the (devil) Azabb of Aqabah, the son of Athyab. Listen, enemy of Allah. By Allah, I shall deal with you….” [Hadeeth; Narrated by Imam Ahmad and others].

O people: This was the first call for the fearing of Islam. A satan from the satans of jinn started it. And in that rumour and story, he portrayed that this early birth of the existence of Islam is a gathering of war against people.

And throughout the span of the following generations, it continued (through) humans who inherited that call and propagated it, either ignorantly or neglectfully. And fear and intimidation of Islam still continues currently in international resolutions and international forums, due to the media.

And politicians and media personnel still insist on confirming the picture of Islam as it being an aggressive culture and that tolerance is the culture of the west. And if they looked justly and fairly they would see in the tenets of Islam and its principles, the best values and examples regarding justice and tolerance.

Verily, for this lie – i.e. the fear of Islam – there are negative effects for Muslims and other than them, because it destroys the bridge of trust and help, and it breaks the international relations and the establishment of interests between human beings, and it nourishes the root of enmity and terrorism, and it represents threats and dislike of equal rights, and discrimination on the basis of religion and racism, in addition to harassment and torture, and restrictions on personal freedom, as if it is a distortion of the truth which came from Allah.

Due to the lie of the fear of Islam, the matter has reached (the level of) incitement and stirring up religious grudges. Some have even trespassed in desecrating and degrading the holy Islamic sites, and violating the sacred religious (items), extending to the sacredness of the prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him – or the profanation of the Noble Quran, and the issuing of laws against the portraying of the woman’s Hijaab or face veil, and the promotion of taunting drawings in newspapers and media hurting the Muslims and linking pictures of Muslims and their appearances with topics that speak of terrorism.

And belonging to Islam, whether an individual or a nation, still continues to be a reason for the failing of his affairs, and denying his rights and refusing his requests.

The fear of Islam is behind the oppression of Palestine and the strong defense of the cruel (one) for 60 years, and the justification of the continuous oppression and seeking to cheapen the blood of the Palestinians, and seizing their lands.

And the fear of Islam is behind the attitudes of suspicion and enmity in every effort of nations regarding their choice of the decision by which they wish to live. And you will be disappointed when you find many looking with great tolerance towards the pagan religions, but in the case of Islam, the reaction towards it is not usually rational, but it is (one of) overwhelming negative emotion.

And surely, the delay in assisting the distressed, and the hesitancy in saving the oppressed from those who are oppressing them is nothing except fear of establishing support for Islam. And there’s no doubt that the cultural heritage has an effect in the formation of this trend of others (being) against Islam. The biased media nourishes it, and (too) the unfair policies until the current secretary of the United Nations warned – justly – by saying: “Surely the surge of fear of Islam has progressed to a level of the resistance (against) racism for this religion.” And his predecessor surely said something similar on the pulpit of the United Nations.

Verily it is upon the intellectuals of the world to stop with fairness and justice in front of this serious matter, which is useless except for increasing conflicts and disagreements. And verily, ignorance of Islam, its teachings and its ethics is the main reason for fearing it. And humans fear what they are ignorant of.

O people: Surely, when we acknowledge the above, we do not acknowledge it in the context of mobilization (of military) or projecting injury. But it is so that many of the world’s simple (people) and liberals may know the magnitude of their unawareness of the historical facts and the context of events, and many times many do not stop a wrong situation which is not in line with what they boast about regarding values and ethics which man has reached in the third millennium.

Why the fear of Islam?
Because Muslims were never ever responsible for igniting the two world wars, where 17 million people were killed in the first one; and in the second one, 50 million. (This), besides the injured and the enormous destruction of the environment and human abilities.

And the Muslims did not colonize the world, and they did not subject its nations to exhaust the good (produce/products) of that nation so that the colonizer may enjoy it. And Islam never carried out, in its long history, inquisition tribunals to force people to change their religion. But across the span of 15 centuries of the expanding rule of Islam, there still continued to be temples and churches undesecrated for religious people and people of faith. And those minorities still continue living with the Muslims on Islamic land until today.

And it is for you to look at the international cases today to see how narrow interests prevail over principles and values, and how the judgement is justified against people because they are Muslim, or (due to) fear for Muslims to obtain their human rights in their countries and not outside them!

Surely, it is an embarrassing situation that a nation is annihilated and the world refrains from carrying out its international and ethical responsibility, (just) because they are Muslims or Sunnah!

Are these values? Are these principles? Thereafter Islam is accused of racial discrimination. And this shakes the confidence of the world (regarding) the contemporary relations built on national interests, not on ethics, principles and laws when they are not consistent with interests.

And in the past 100 years, in which organizations that took care of human rights emerged, and (in which) resources and lands were held sacred, history has not recorded that (any) Muslim land invaded a non-Muslim land. While the opposite is true, with much pain, and in the view of the world. So much so, that a suspicion or just an accusation is enough to invade a Muslim land, and kill millions of its people, plunder its resources, destroy its potentials and violate its history and civilization. Then it becomes clear that the suspicion was not true, and the situation passes without apology or compensation.

The international media has surely succeeded in portraying the uprising of the slaughtered as being barbaric, so they have busied people in blaming the slaughtered, while forgetting the slaughterer!

Why the fear of Islam?
While it calls for people to have mercy among them. “O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women, and fear Allah through Whom you demand (your mutual rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you.” [Nisaa; Verse 1].

Islam surely cancelled the system of castes and racism in the society, while the age of banning castes and racism in the strongest and greatest western country has not reached 50 years. “O mankind! We have created you from a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has Taqwa (piety).” [Hujuraat; Verse 13].

Why the fear of Islam?
While the first human rights that were laid down, were under its banner. Surely Islam is the most clear and explicit method in decreasing tyranny, coercion and despotism, not only from the political aspect, but because it considers these crimes (as) contradictory to the gem of this true religion, which is Tawheed (Oneness) of Allah – Glorified and Majestic – and in the Quraan, there is a complete way to decrease despotism and coercion and eradicating it.

Why the fear of Islam?
While it has surely preserved, even the rights of animals. They (animals) are not burdened more than they can bear, and they are not starved. A sheep and her child are not separated, and the young of a bird is not taken from its nest.

Why do people fear Islam? Do they fear that the joys of life, its beauty and adornment will be prohibited for them?

Never. For Islam emphasized the denouncement of those who forbid the adoration (with clothes) created by Allah for people. “Say (O Muhammad – peace be upon him) ‘Who has forbidden the adoration with clothes given by Allah, which He has produced for His slaves and the lawful things of food?” [A’raaf; Verse 32]. Verily Islam has ensured the right of life, its enjoyments and delights for everyone, so there should be no fear of Islam or anxiety.

Why the fear of Islam?
While it has surely leapt with civilization in a period of history, leaps of which others were on after it (period), and nations after it completed the journey.

Why is Islam portrayed as if it carries seeds of torture and intolerance, while tolerance and noble character is an original Islamic principle. In the Quraan, the mentioning of mercy, pity, pardoning, forgiving, covering up faults and patience comes more than 900 times, besides what was transmitted from the prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him. So does there exist a religion or culture that gives such concern in training on tolerance?!

Know that tolerance does not mean humiliation and disgrace, or subservience to oppression and submission to the oppressors. But it is a balance which the Quraan reflects on in its saying: “And those who, when an oppressive wrong is done to them, they take revenge. The recompense for an evil is an evil thereof, but whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah. Verily, He likes not the oppressors. And indeed whosoever takes revenge after he has suffered wrong, for such there is no way (of blame) against them. The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress men and wrongly rebel in the earth, for such there will be a painful torment. And verily, whosoever shows patience and forgives that would truly be from the things recommended by Allah.” [Shoora; Verses 39-43]

And tolerance means: Righteousness and meting bad with good, a matter that is required and desired, which does not result in helping oppression, or abandoning the oppressed or violating the principle that honour belongs to Allah, His messenger and the believers.

Surely, Islam came with good character, and with every detail of good behaviour towards humans and the environment, just as it came with harmony between the spiritual side and the material side.

Servants of Allah: Verily, the reality of the matter is that the fear of Islam is a product synthesized by nations intending to repel people from Islam, or idle talk about its facts, values, symbols and laws due to political and racial purposes and carnal desires. And if people and their affair were left, if they were left to their natural inclinations, their consciences and their independent intellects, if they were left without incitement and mobilizing against Islam, they would never have feared it (Islam).

Verily Islam is not the religion of Arabs alone, and its best is not reserved for the Muslims alone, but he is a mercy for all people. “And We have sent you (O Muhammad – peace be upon him) not but as a mercy for the worlds.” [Anbiyaa; Verse 107]

And it is compulsory for the Muslims to hold fast onto its principles and values, and to explain its facts to people by actions and words, and sincere calling, not pretending and posing.

And there is no fear of Islam, for Allah is the protector of His religion, but the fear is of those who are extremists or negligent or repel against it or turn away. “So hold you (O Muhammad – peace be upon him) fast to that which is inspired in you. Verily, you are on a Straight Path.” [Zukhruf; Verse 43].

May Allah bless me and you in the Great Quraan, and benefit us in what is contained in it of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine and I ask Allah – the Exalted – to forgive me and you.

Second Khutbah:

All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgement. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. The Clear Truth. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the truthful and trustworthy. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him, and on all his family and companions.

Thereafter, O you people: What was mentioned above was conscripted. And the satellite channels are raining over us pictures of killing and intimidation which are happening in our beloved Shaam (Levant) “Syria,” and its killer has assured the tackling of the nations – especially in the west and east of it – And the propagation of these images no longer upset him, but perhaps he considers it (to be) the propaganda to intimidate his nation. All that no longer upsets him, as long as the tyrant of Shaam warned (against) any of the Muslims succeeding him in ruling, and nations are content with this warning. Those who were deceived by him, of the nations of the earth, do not know that the Muslims – and the “Sunni” of them especially – will not only succeed him, but they were the predecessors of his party for generations.

And Shaam was more honourable, pleasant, secure and finer when it was under Muslim rule, and it did not know of misfortunes until the tyranny appeared.

And verily the hope in Allah is great. And when the aid from the earth is cut off, the doors of the heaven are opened. And surely every action, political or ideological (that) removes that darkness is praised and thanked. And from it is what this land is doing. For it has surely raised its voice in every national and international conference that promised to look into the matter of the oppression. It has called seriously for the removal of oppression and firmly (against) taking the hand of the oppressor, and (to) hope when looking at the consequences, and peace from fear.

Perhaps Allah will make successful the true efforts and will make beneficial the sincere strivings and remove the veils from the eyes and change the days (so as to be) against every arrogant tyrant. “And We wished to do a favour to those who were weak (and oppressed) in the land and to make them rulers and to make them inheritors.” [Qasas; Verse 5]

This, and send salutations, peace and blessings on the chosen prophet and selected messenger.

O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on your servant and messenger Muhammad and on his pure, good family, and his companions, the fortunate personalities.

O Allah be pleased with the guided leaders, and rightly-guided successors: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan and ‘Ali and with all the rest of the companions of your prophet and those who tread on their method and follow their way, O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/07...fear-of-islam/

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BintAbee
07-11-2012, 06:17 PM
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The virtue of honesty and its importance

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib
January 15, 2010 ~ Muharram 29, 1431


First Khutbah
All praise to Allah. “All the praises and thanks be to Allah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. His is all the praises and thanks in the Hereafter, and He is the All-Wise, the All-Aware. He knows that which gets into the earth and that which comes forth from it, and that which descend from the heaven and that which ascends to it. And He is the Most Merciful, the Oft-Forgiving.” [Saba; Verse 1-2]

Glory be to Him and praise be to Him. He knows the hidden and concealed of the souls. And He uncovers the secrets of the heart and its concealment: “Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal.” [Ghaafir; Verse 19]. And He counts the harvests of the tongues, then He will spread it on the Day of Resurrection. He makes firm and He writes, then He takes reckoning, then He forgives or punishes.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah’s many salutations, peace and blessings be upon him, and on his pure family and his best companions.

Thereafter:
Verily Taqwa (piety) is the best advice, the best dress and the noblest character: “O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His messenger – peace be upon him – he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. saviour from Hell and entry into Paradise).” [Ahzaab; Verse 70-71]

May Allah have mercy on the one who reforms his tongue and recognizes his bridle and makes his leading rope the path of truth and does not make idle talk his habit and not (make it) his decision-maker.

O Muslims: Today’s talk is a talk about a character trait that is the leader of character, the collection of virtue and the head of good traits. Allah praises it in His Book when He – Glorified is He – says: “And who is truer in statement than Allah?” [Nisaa; Verse 87] “And whose words can be truer than those of Allah?” [Nisaa; Verse 122] and He says: “Say (O Muhammad – peace be upon him): ‘Allah has spoken the truth…” [Aal Imraan; Verse 95]

Allah describes His messengers, His prophets, His sincere friends and His friends as truthful so He – Glorified is He – says: “And mention in the Book (Quraan) Isma’eel. Verily! He was true to what he promised, and he was a messenger, (and) a prophet.” [Maryam; Verse 54] and He says to all His servants: “O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds).” [Tawbah; Verse 119].

O Muslims: The quality of honesty is neither voluntary nor a choice. Verily it is compulsory on a Muslim and a feature of a believer, of whom it is compulsory for his external and internal alike to be true, clear, pure and serene.

Although this quality is simple and the creation agrees on it, we are today in great need to advise regarding mandating it in the midst of a crisis of character which many suffer from. The main reasons of which are: weakness of faith, weakness of upbringing and yearning for this world.

Honesty – O believers – is praised in this world and the Hereafter and is a sign of piety, a reason for the expiation of evil deeds and raising in ranks. And all this is gathered in the saying of Allah – Exalted and Majestic – : “And he (Muhammad – peace be upon him) who has brought the truth (this Quraan and Islamic Monotheism) and (those who) believed therein, those are the pious. They shall have all that they will desire with their Lord. That is the reward of the good-doers. So that Allah may remit from them the evil of what they did and give them the reward, according to the best of what they used to do.” [Zumar; Verse 33-35]. As for the Day of Retribution, then listen to the Saying of Allah – the Exalted – : “Allah will say: ‘This is a day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens under which rivers flow – they shall abide therein forever. Allah is pleased with them and they with Him. That is the great success.” [Maaidah; Verse 119]

Honesty is a virtue, a nobility, an illuminated path and a sublime soul, and its companion is always given the ability to do good. And ponder – O Muslims – on this hadeeth: On the authority of Abdullah bin Mas’ood – may Allah be pleased with him – who said that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man continues to tell the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to sinning and sinning leads to the Hellfire, and a man may continue to tell lies till he is written before Allah as a liar.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]. And in the narration of Muslim: “And a man continues to be truthful and strives for truthfulness until he is written as a truthful person by Allah. And a man continues to tell lies and strives upon lying until he is written as a liar by Allah.”

Verily honesty is a guide to every righteous deed, a guide to every good; taking its companion on the pathways of guidance until it enters him into Paradise. How not, while he speaks the truth? How not, while he speaks the truth and is truthful, defending the truth in every speech and action?

Verily he is truthful and he strives on honesty and he mandates it, is cautious regarding it, weighs his words, stays far from errors, and feels embarrassed at stumbles.

He doesn’t involve himself in secrets or betrayal until he is written by Allah as truthful.

And which rank does a Muslim hope for after this! Verily they are the friends of the prophets and martyrs: “…Then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!” [Nisaa; Verse 69].

O Muslim: In order to explain to you the effect of honesty in the heart and why the truthful ones deserve the company of the prophets, ponder also over this authentic hadeeth on the authority of Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – who said that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “When the time draws near, a believer’s dream can hardly be false. And the truest vision will be of one who is himself the most truthful in speech. The vision of a Muslim is one forty-sixth part of prophethood.” [Hadeeth; narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

Ponder.. A true dream is a part of prophethood, and it is in the heart of the truthful one who soars and purifies, so he shines and is illuminated by the Light of Allah and the curtain of the unknown is opened for him and Allah lets him know of what He wills.

O Muslims: Whoever mandates honesty while he is young, he will hold onto it when he is older. And whoever holds onto it regarding himself, then it is regarding Allah more (deserving) to be held onto. And whoever strives for honesty is guided towards it, his self is made good, his pleasure is purified and his heart is illuminated.

Servants of Allah: Verily it is not correct to be negligent in this principle, because it is the basis of our religion, and it was a rubric for our model and example Muhammad – peace be upon him – whose life was the best example of a complete human, who took from truthful speech and trustful dealings a firm way, not deviating from it even one iota. And that was in him like a secret refuge and naturally. He was known for it even before prophethood and he was nicknamed the truthful, the honest. And he was well-known for this, and he was known by this among people. And when he was commanded to announce in public the call and propagation of the message, he gathered the people and asked them whether they will believe him if he informs them of a matter, so they answered with what they knew of him saying: We have not experienced you except as truthful.

And consider this incident from a life which was full of truthfulness, nobility and loyalty. On the authority of Abdullah bin Abi Hamsa who said: “I bought something from the prophet – peace be upon him – before he received his prophetic commission, and as there was something still due to him I promised him that I would bring it to him at his place, but I forgot. When I remembered 3 days later, I went to that place and found him there. He said: “You have vexed me, young man. I have been here for 3 days waiting for you.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood]

Three days and he came (regarding) the same promise to the agreed place loyally and truthfully.

And this solid principle continued with him from his childhood until he – peace be upon him – passed away. He did not utter (even) one lie, but lying was the most disdained attribute to him. Aisha – may Allah be pleased with her – said: “There was no behaviour more hateful to the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – than lying. A man would lie when narrating something in the presence of the prophet and he would not be content until he knew that he had repented.” [Imam Ahmad and Ibn Hibbaan].

That is because lying – O Servants of Allah – is a vile quality and an ignoble trait. And a stingy person or a coward may be excused but the liar has no excuse – Safwan bin Sulaim narrates: It was said to the prophet – peace be upon him – : “Can a Muslim be a coward?” He said: “Yes.” It was said: “Can he be stingy?” He said: “Yes.” It was said: “Can he be a liar?” He said: “No” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad in his muwatta]

Another hadeeth in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad supports and explains it: On the authority of Abu Umamah – may Allah be pleased with him – who said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “A believer may commit every sin except betrayal and lying.”

An Nawawi – may Allah have mercy on him – said: “The texts of the Book (Quraan) and Sunnah have demonstrated the prohibition of lying in a sentence, and it is from the ugly sins and the immoral faults and the consensus of the Ummah is in agreement on its prohibition as mentioned in the demonstrations of the texts.” Then he – may Allah have mercy on him – said: “And this hadeeth of whose authenticity is agreed upon suffices: On the authority of Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – who said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks he lies, when he promises he breaks his promise and when he is entrusted he betrays the trust.”

And on the authority of Abdullah bin Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – who reports that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Whoever has (the following) four characteristics will be a pure hypocrite. And whoever has one of these characteristics has one characteristic of a hypocrite unless he gives it up: when he makes a covenant he proves treacherous, when he speaks he lies, when he makes a promise he breaks it, and when he argues he proves wicked.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

Lying decreases faith. Allah – Exalted and Majestic – said: “It is only those who believe not in the verses of Allah, who fabricate falsehood…” [Nahl; Verse 105]. Surely the liar is dealt with with cursing: “…then we pray and invoke (sincerely) the Curse of Allah upon those who lie.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 61].

Silence is better than lying and the honesty of the tongue is the first happiness. And there isn’t anything that you can think of, that is more further (away) from chivalry and beauty and glory in men than lying. Lying is the collection of every evil and the origin of every sin and its small brings on its big.

And surely the wise ones said: “Whoever has legalized the suckling on lying, his weaning is made difficult.” For that reason the prophet – peace be upon him – used to rebuke it even if small, and he used to shun lying even to small children so that they may grow up on honesty and become familiar with it and that they may distance (themselves) from lying and reject it.

Abdullah bin Aamir reports: My mother called me one day when the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – was sitting in our house. She said: Come here and I shall give you something. The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – asked her: “What did you intend to give him?” She replied: I intended to give him some dates. The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “If you were not to give him anything, a lie would be recorded against you.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood with a good chain of narration].

And on the authority of Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – who said that the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Whoever says to a child: ‘Come here and take this’ then does not give him something, this is counted as a lie.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad with an authentic chain of narration].

Look at how the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – taught fathers and mothers to bring up their children, an upbringing wherein they sanctify honesty and mock lying. And if he were to ignore these matters and regard them as trivial trivia it would have been feared that the children would grow up considering lying (as) a small sin while it is in the sight of Allah great.

And this strictness in striving for the truth and protecting honesty continued until it encompassed (even) domestic issues. On the authority of Asmaa bint Yazeed – may Allah be pleased with her – who said: “O messenger of Allah if one of us were to say about something we desired ‘I do not desire it’, would this be considered lying? He replied: “A lie is written as a lie, and a white lie is written as a white lie.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad and Tabarani in Kabeer].

Surely, there’s no negligence in the principle of lying even in entertaining or joking. On the authority of Bahz bin Hakeem, who narrates from his father, who narrates from his grandfather – may Allah be pleased with them – that: I heard the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – saying: “Woe to him who tells lies to make people laugh. Woe to him. Woe to him.” [Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi and Nisaai and Tirmidhi said: (It is) good and authentic].

So if this is (regarding) the one who jokes, then what do you think about the most heinous lie, that is, the lie against Allah and His messenger! Allah – Exalted and Majestic – said: “And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied against Allah – their faces will be black…” [Zumar; Verse 60] and he – peace be upon him – said: “Whoever lies against me intentionally, let him occupy his seat in Hellfire.” [Agreed upon]

In keeping with that, is the one whose harm is widespread like lying that affects the interests of the Ummah and its great matters or (that) which causes confusion in the ranks of society or spreads chaos and disposes of trust and dresses the truth with falsehood, especially with the presence of means to spread (news) widely and quickly propagating information, so you find information networks releasing rumours and you see the media lying and newspapers inciting, so honesty is hurt in the midst of this mess. And when the truths are mixed, people walk without guidance. And surely, the prophet – peace be upon him – saw the punishment of the one whose lie was propagated so he said: “And as for the man whose cheeks you saw being torn apart, he is a liar. He used to speak lies until they used to become famous everywhere.” [Narrated by Bukhari]

And perhaps the lie comes from a source that the listener thought was true, so he took his stance on it, then it reached the (level of) infliction and harm that none besides Allah knows, and perhaps it has destroyed homes, broken families or spilled blood due to the conveying of a liar or a treacherous betrayal. And in the hadeeth: “It is great treachery that you should tell your brother something and have him believe you while you are lying.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood]

Servants of Allah: Honesty is a blessing and lying is a destruction, and at (the time of) buying and selling greed is present and piety decreases, therefore the noble directives (serve) as an admonition at this stage. Hakeem bin Hizaam – may Allah be pleased with him – said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Both parties in a business transaction have the right to annul it so long as they have not separated; and if they speak the truth and make everything clear they will be blessed in their transaction; but if they tell a lie and conceal anything the blessing of their transaction will be wiped out.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

And Bukhari classified this hadeeth in his Saheeh as: The chapter (on) what lying and concealment wipes out in trade.

And Rifa’ah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrated that he came out with the prophet – peace be upon him – to the place of prayer, then he saw the people trading so he said: “O group of merchants,” so they answered to the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – they raised their necks and their sights towards him, then he said: “All merchants are resurrected on the Day of Judgement as sinners, except for those who feared Allah, treated their customers well, and were truthful.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi and Ibn Maja and Tirmidhi said: This hadeeth is good and authentic].

Beware, so make honesty a motto and garment for you and mandate it in public and private, Allah will create piety in your hearts and ability and light on your paths: “O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds).” [Tawbah; Verse 119].

May Allah bless me and you in the Great Quraan and benefit us with the guidance of the leader of the messengers. I say these words of mine and I ask Allah – the Exalted – to forgive me and you.

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah for His Kindness and thanks to him for His ability and bounties. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. Great is His Being. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, a caller to His Pleasure. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be n him, and on his family, companions those after them and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter:
O Muslims: growing your souls with honesty and holding fast onto it and (onto) the (fact that) Allah – the Exalted – is always watchful, in secret and public, and holding onto piety; (all these) motivate a person to have honesty as a quality.

Spreading honesty in the society and renouncing the liars – especially in the general media networks and broadcasting sources – is compulsory on the society.

Verily it is sinful that people become used to the one who liars, and he remains present, affecting (others) with his pen, tongue or media means. Surely liars are found in any place, but it is not permissible for lying to remain or (for us) to become used to its presence.

Sharee’a is critical in this regard. And the punishment of the slanderer (as mentioned) in the Great Quraan is lashing and being known as evil. And Allah also says: “And reject their testimony forever…” [Noor; Verse 4].

It is a containment of an epidemic and a removal for a disease. Similarly, the role model has a great effect in this regard. And how many a mother, father or teacher neglects by being careless about honesty and they do not realise that the growing one picks up from him, being aware or unaware, and he is raised on this character or that.

Honesty is the enlightenment of the society and the responsibility of every person… “And are people thrown on their faces into the Fire for anything but the harvest of their tongues”

This, and send salutations and peace on the best of people and the purest of humans Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Hashimiyy, al-Qurashyy.

O Allah send your salutations, peace and blessings on your servant and messenger Muhammad and on his pure good family and his companions, the fortunate personalities. And be happy O Allah with the guided leaders and pleased khulafa – Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Ali – and all the rest of the companions of your prophet and those who tread their path and follow their way, O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/07...ts-importance/

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BintAbee
07-11-2012, 06:23 PM
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The virtue of honesty and its importance

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib
January 15, 2010 ~ Muharram 29, 1431


First Khutbah
All praise to Allah. “All the praises and thanks be to Allah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. His is all the praises and thanks in the Hereafter, and He is the All-Wise, the All-Aware. He knows that which gets into the earth and that which comes forth from it, and that which descend from the heaven and that which ascends to it. And He is the Most Merciful, the Oft-Forgiving.” [Saba; Verse 1-2]

Glory be to Him and praise be to Him. He knows the hidden and concealed of the souls. And He uncovers the secrets of the heart and its concealment: “Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal.” [Ghaafir; Verse 19]. And He counts the harvests of the tongues, then He will spread it on the Day of Resurrection. He makes firm and He writes, then He takes reckoning, then He forgives or punishes.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah’s many salutations, peace and blessings be upon him, and on his pure family and his best companions.

Thereafter:
Verily Taqwa (piety) is the best advice, the best dress and the noblest character: “O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His messenger – peace be upon him – he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. saviour from Hell and entry into Paradise).” [Ahzaab; Verse 70-71]

May Allah have mercy on the one who reforms his tongue and recognizes his bridle and makes his leading rope the path of truth and does not make idle talk his habit and not (make it) his decision-maker.

O Muslims: Today’s talk is a talk about a character trait that is the leader of character, the collection of virtue and the head of good traits. Allah praises it in His Book when He – Glorified is He – says: “And who is truer in statement than Allah?” [Nisaa; Verse 87] “And whose words can be truer than those of Allah?” [Nisaa; Verse 122] and He says: “Say (O Muhammad – peace be upon him): ‘Allah has spoken the truth…” [Aal Imraan; Verse 95]

Allah describes His messengers, His prophets, His sincere friends and His friends as truthful so He – Glorified is He – says: “And mention in the Book (Quraan) Isma’eel. Verily! He was true to what he promised, and he was a messenger, (and) a prophet.” [Maryam; Verse 54] and He says to all His servants: “O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds).” [Tawbah; Verse 119].

O Muslims: The quality of honesty is neither voluntary nor a choice. Verily it is compulsory on a Muslim and a feature of a believer, of whom it is compulsory for his external and internal alike to be true, clear, pure and serene.

Although this quality is simple and the creation agrees on it, we are today in great need to advise regarding mandating it in the midst of a crisis of character which many suffer from. The main reasons of which are: weakness of faith, weakness of upbringing and yearning for this world.

Honesty – O believers – is praised in this world and the Hereafter and is a sign of piety, a reason for the expiation of evil deeds and raising in ranks. And all this is gathered in the saying of Allah – Exalted and Majestic – : “And he (Muhammad – peace be upon him) who has brought the truth (this Quraan and Islamic Monotheism) and (those who) believed therein, those are the pious. They shall have all that they will desire with their Lord. That is the reward of the good-doers. So that Allah may remit from them the evil of what they did and give them the reward, according to the best of what they used to do.” [Zumar; Verse 33-35]. As for the Day of Retribution, then listen to the Saying of Allah – the Exalted – : “Allah will say: ‘This is a day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens under which rivers flow – they shall abide therein forever. Allah is pleased with them and they with Him. That is the great success.” [Maaidah; Verse 119]

Honesty is a virtue, a nobility, an illuminated path and a sublime soul, and its companion is always given the ability to do good. And ponder – O Muslims – on this hadeeth: On the authority of Abdullah bin Mas’ood – may Allah be pleased with him – who said that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man continues to tell the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to sinning and sinning leads to the Hellfire, and a man may continue to tell lies till he is written before Allah as a liar.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]. And in the narration of Muslim: “And a man continues to be truthful and strives for truthfulness until he is written as a truthful person by Allah. And a man continues to tell lies and strives upon lying until he is written as a liar by Allah.”

Verily honesty is a guide to every righteous deed, a guide to every good; taking its companion on the pathways of guidance until it enters him into Paradise. How not, while he speaks the truth? How not, while he speaks the truth and is truthful, defending the truth in every speech and action?

Verily he is truthful and he strives on honesty and he mandates it, is cautious regarding it, weighs his words, stays far from errors, and feels embarrassed at stumbles.

He doesn’t involve himself in secrets or betrayal until he is written by Allah as truthful.

And which rank does a Muslim hope for after this! Verily they are the friends of the prophets and martyrs: “…Then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!” [Nisaa; Verse 69].

O Muslim: In order to explain to you the effect of honesty in the heart and why the truthful ones deserve the company of the prophets, ponder also over this authentic hadeeth on the authority of Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – who said that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “When the time draws near, a believer’s dream can hardly be false. And the truest vision will be of one who is himself the most truthful in speech. The vision of a Muslim is one forty-sixth part of prophethood.” [Hadeeth; narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

Ponder.. A true dream is a part of prophethood, and it is in the heart of the truthful one who soars and purifies, so he shines and is illuminated by the Light of Allah and the curtain of the unknown is opened for him and Allah lets him know of what He wills.

O Muslims: Whoever mandates honesty while he is young, he will hold onto it when he is older. And whoever holds onto it regarding himself, then it is regarding Allah more (deserving) to be held onto. And whoever strives for honesty is guided towards it, his self is made good, his pleasure is purified and his heart is illuminated.

Servants of Allah: Verily it is not correct to be negligent in this principle, because it is the basis of our religion, and it was a rubric for our model and example Muhammad – peace be upon him – whose life was the best example of a complete human, who took from truthful speech and trustful dealings a firm way, not deviating from it even one iota. And that was in him like a secret refuge and naturally. He was known for it even before prophethood and he was nicknamed the truthful, the honest. And he was well-known for this, and he was known by this among people. And when he was commanded to announce in public the call and propagation of the message, he gathered the people and asked them whether they will believe him if he informs them of a matter, so they answered with what they knew of him saying: We have not experienced you except as truthful.

And consider this incident from a life which was full of truthfulness, nobility and loyalty. On the authority of Abdullah bin Abi Hamsa who said: “I bought something from the prophet – peace be upon him – before he received his prophetic commission, and as there was something still due to him I promised him that I would bring it to him at his place, but I forgot. When I remembered 3 days later, I went to that place and found him there. He said: “You have vexed me, young man. I have been here for 3 days waiting for you.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood]

Three days and he came (regarding) the same promise to the agreed place loyally and truthfully.

And this solid principle continued with him from his childhood until he – peace be upon him – passed away. He did not utter (even) one lie, but lying was the most disdained attribute to him. Aisha – may Allah be pleased with her – said: “There was no behaviour more hateful to the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – than lying. A man would lie when narrating something in the presence of the prophet and he would not be content until he knew that he had repented.” [Imam Ahmad and Ibn Hibbaan].

That is because lying – O Servants of Allah – is a vile quality and an ignoble trait. And a stingy person or a coward may be excused but the liar has no excuse – Safwan bin Sulaim narrates: It was said to the prophet – peace be upon him – : “Can a Muslim be a coward?” He said: “Yes.” It was said: “Can he be stingy?” He said: “Yes.” It was said: “Can he be a liar?” He said: “No” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad in his muwatta]

Another hadeeth in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad supports and explains it: On the authority of Abu Umamah – may Allah be pleased with him – who said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “A believer may commit every sin except betrayal and lying.”

An Nawawi – may Allah have mercy on him – said: “The texts of the Book (Quraan) and Sunnah have demonstrated the prohibition of lying in a sentence, and it is from the ugly sins and the immoral faults and the consensus of the Ummah is in agreement on its prohibition as mentioned in the demonstrations of the texts.” Then he – may Allah have mercy on him – said: “And this hadeeth of whose authenticity is agreed upon suffices: On the authority of Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – who said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks he lies, when he promises he breaks his promise and when he is entrusted he betrays the trust.”

And on the authority of Abdullah bin Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – who reports that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Whoever has (the following) four characteristics will be a pure hypocrite. And whoever has one of these characteristics has one characteristic of a hypocrite unless he gives it up: when he makes a covenant he proves treacherous, when he speaks he lies, when he makes a promise he breaks it, and when he argues he proves wicked.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

Lying decreases faith. Allah – Exalted and Majestic – said: “It is only those who believe not in the verses of Allah, who fabricate falsehood…” [Nahl; Verse 105]. Surely the liar is dealt with with cursing: “…then we pray and invoke (sincerely) the Curse of Allah upon those who lie.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 61].

Silence is better than lying and the honesty of the tongue is the first happiness. And there isn’t anything that you can think of, that is more further (away) from chivalry and beauty and glory in men than lying. Lying is the collection of every evil and the origin of every sin and its small brings on its big.

And surely the wise ones said: “Whoever has legalized the suckling on lying, his weaning is made difficult.” For that reason the prophet – peace be upon him – used to rebuke it even if small, and he used to shun lying even to small children so that they may grow up on honesty and become familiar with it and that they may distance (themselves) from lying and reject it.

Abdullah bin Aamir reports: My mother called me one day when the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – was sitting in our house. She said: Come here and I shall give you something. The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – asked her: “What did you intend to give him?” She replied: I intended to give him some dates. The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “If you were not to give him anything, a lie would be recorded against you.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood with a good chain of narration].

And on the authority of Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – who said that the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Whoever says to a child: ‘Come here and take this’ then does not give him something, this is counted as a lie.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad with an authentic chain of narration].

Look at how the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – taught fathers and mothers to bring up their children, an upbringing wherein they sanctify honesty and mock lying. And if he were to ignore these matters and regard them as trivial trivia it would have been feared that the children would grow up considering lying (as) a small sin while it is in the sight of Allah great.

And this strictness in striving for the truth and protecting honesty continued until it encompassed (even) domestic issues. On the authority of Asmaa bint Yazeed – may Allah be pleased with her – who said: “O messenger of Allah if one of us were to say about something we desired ‘I do not desire it’, would this be considered lying? He replied: “A lie is written as a lie, and a white lie is written as a white lie.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad and Tabarani in Kabeer].

Surely, there’s no negligence in the principle of lying even in entertaining or joking. On the authority of Bahz bin Hakeem, who narrates from his father, who narrates from his grandfather – may Allah be pleased with them – that: I heard the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – saying: “Woe to him who tells lies to make people laugh. Woe to him. Woe to him.” [Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi and Nisaai and Tirmidhi said: (It is) good and authentic].

So if this is (regarding) the one who jokes, then what do you think about the most heinous lie, that is, the lie against Allah and His messenger! Allah – Exalted and Majestic – said: “And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied against Allah – their faces will be black…” [Zumar; Verse 60] and he – peace be upon him – said: “Whoever lies against me intentionally, let him occupy his seat in Hellfire.” [Agreed upon]

In keeping with that, is the one whose harm is widespread like lying that affects the interests of the Ummah and its great matters or (that) which causes confusion in the ranks of society or spreads chaos and disposes of trust and dresses the truth with falsehood, especially with the presence of means to spread (news) widely and quickly propagating information, so you find information networks releasing rumours and you see the media lying and newspapers inciting, so honesty is hurt in the midst of this mess. And when the truths are mixed, people walk without guidance. And surely, the prophet – peace be upon him – saw the punishment of the one whose lie was propagated so he said: “And as for the man whose cheeks you saw being torn apart, he is a liar. He used to speak lies until they used to become famous everywhere.” [Narrated by Bukhari]

And perhaps the lie comes from a source that the listener thought was true, so he took his stance on it, then it reached the (level of) infliction and harm that none besides Allah knows, and perhaps it has destroyed homes, broken families or spilled blood due to the conveying of a liar or a treacherous betrayal. And in the hadeeth: “It is great treachery that you should tell your brother something and have him believe you while you are lying.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood]

Servants of Allah: Honesty is a blessing and lying is a destruction, and at (the time of) buying and selling greed is present and piety decreases, therefore the noble directives (serve) as an admonition at this stage. Hakeem bin Hizaam – may Allah be pleased with him – said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Both parties in a business transaction have the right to annul it so long as they have not separated; and if they speak the truth and make everything clear they will be blessed in their transaction; but if they tell a lie and conceal anything the blessing of their transaction will be wiped out.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

And Bukhari classified this hadeeth in his Saheeh as: The chapter (on) what lying and concealment wipes out in trade.

And Rifa’ah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrated that he came out with the prophet – peace be upon him – to the place of prayer, then he saw the people trading so he said: “O group of merchants,” so they answered to the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – they raised their necks and their sights towards him, then he said: “All merchants are resurrected on the Day of Judgement as sinners, except for those who feared Allah, treated their customers well, and were truthful.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi and Ibn Maja and Tirmidhi said: This hadeeth is good and authentic].

Beware, so make honesty a motto and garment for you and mandate it in public and private, Allah will create piety in your hearts and ability and light on your paths: “O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds).” [Tawbah; Verse 119].

May Allah bless me and you in the Great Quraan and benefit us with the guidance of the leader of the messengers. I say these words of mine and I ask Allah – the Exalted – to forgive me and you.

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah for His Kindness and thanks to him for His ability and bounties. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. Great is His Being. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, a caller to His Pleasure. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be n him, and on his family, companions those after them and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter:
O Muslims: growing your souls with honesty and holding fast onto it and (onto) the (fact that) Allah – the Exalted – is always watchful, in secret and public, and holding onto piety; (all these) motivate a person to have honesty as a quality.

Spreading honesty in the society and renouncing the liars – especially in the general media networks and broadcasting sources – is compulsory on the society.

Verily it is sinful that people become used to the one who liars, and he remains present, affecting (others) with his pen, tongue or media means. Surely liars are found in any place, but it is not permissible for lying to remain or (for us) to become used to its presence.

Sharee’a is critical in this regard. And the punishment of the slanderer (as mentioned) in the Great Quraan is lashing and being known as evil. And Allah also says: “And reject their testimony forever…” [Noor; Verse 4].

It is a containment of an epidemic and a removal for a disease. Similarly, the role model has a great effect in this regard. And how many a mother, father or teacher neglects by being careless about honesty and they do not realise that the growing one picks up from him, being aware or unaware, and he is raised on this character or that.

Honesty is the enlightenment of the society and the responsibility of every person… “And are people thrown on their faces into the Fire for anything but the harvest of their tongues”

This, and send salutations and peace on the best of people and the purest of humans Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Hashimiyy, al-Qurashyy.

O Allah send your salutations, peace and blessings on your servant and messenger Muhammad and on his pure good family and his companions, the fortunate personalities. And be happy O Allah with the guided leaders and pleased khulafa – Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Ali – and all the rest of the companions of your prophet and those who tread their path and follow their way, O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/07...ts-importance/

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BintAbee
09-13-2012, 03:24 PM
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The Levant (Shaam) .. Its virtues and its history

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib
February 24, 2012 ~ Rabi al Awwal 2, 1433


First Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, the one whose commands change the conditions. He rotates the days, so how many a country was judged against, then was changed. And how many a group dominated and thought their domination was everlasting, then they slipped and passed away and its kingdom passed away. I praise my Lord – Glorified is He – and I praise him and thank him and I seek His repentance and forgiveness. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, The Great, The Exalted. He gives respite without neglect. And He is severe (in) insidiousness, Great in warning. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the noblest of messengers and the most complete of men. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be on him and salutations on his companions and family.

Thereafter:

Verily the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad – peace be upon him – and the worst of affairs are the newly invented, and every newly invented thing is a bid’ah (innovation), and every innovation is a misguidance.

Then verily the best advice: (is) the advice of the fearing of Allah – The Exalted. “O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His messenger – peace be upon him – he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. saviour from Hell and entry into Paradise).” [Ahzaab; Verse 70-71]

O Muslims:

When Allah spread out the earth and caused the hand of the creation over the creatures, He made in it lands and spread on it humans. Then He chose from these lands, lands, and from humans, humans. “And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses.” [Qasas; Verse 68]. So it was Makkah and the Mashaa’ir (Mina, Muzdalifah, Arafah) and the purest of the pure (Madeenah), and the birthmark of them was the land of Shaam.

And He chose from humans, His prophets and messengers, and He decreed for the land of Shaam a great portion of them. He made its land the route of the prophets and the descent of revelation from the sky. It is the land of gathering and resurrection. And when Allah will send the Messiah, son of Maryam at the end of times, he will not descend except in it, at the eastern, white minaret of Damascus, (as is) narrated by Muslim.

Blessedness for Shaam! The angels of the Most Gracious spread their wings over it. Surely it is a land that Allah has blessed through the texts of the Book and the Sunnah. For it is the wet-nurse of Islam and its nurse-maid; and its capital for a long period of time. Many governments of Islam ruled on its land and many companions (sahaba) and scholars of the Muslims are buried in it.

How many (tears) of the eyes of worshippers were shed on its soil, and (how many) brigades of Jihaad were summoned in its shadows, and (how much of) ink flowed on its notebooks with knowledge and (how much of) the blood of martyrs flowed on its soil: companions and chosen ones and sincere friends. And the rule rotated in it (through) kings and sultans, increasing majesty in majesty and honour in honour.

The crusader movement that flocked to it for 200 years was defeated on its hills, (of which) the number of soldiers in it was close to the (number of) citizens of the entire land of Shaam.

When the civilization of Islam is considered, Shaam is mentioned; and when knowledge, virtue and conquests are mentioned, Shaam is mentioned. It is the land of prophets and the refuge of the sincere friends. And the prophet – peace be upon him – did not visit a land outside the Arabian Peninsula except the land of Shaam.

And at the end of time, when there will be a great massacre, the tent of the Muslims and the unison of their banners will be in the land of a fertile oasis, in which is the city said to be: Damascus, and it will be the best place for people to live in on that day, as Tabarani narrated from the saying of the prophet – peace be upon him.

And surely the companions– may Allah be pleased with them – had grasped the supplication of the prophet – peace be upon him -: “O Allah bless us in our Shaam, O Allah bless us in our Shaam” [Narrated by Bukhari].

And his saying – peace be upon him – “If the people of Shaam are corrupted then there is no good in you. There will always be a group of my nation that will be victorious, and they will not be harmed by those who seek to humiliate them until the hour comes.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi].

They (companions) did not remain after his – peace be upon him – demise, except a few of them. Their hearts turned to the land that Allah had blessed and (that) the messenger of Allah advised about. Then the banners of victory fluttered towards it (Shaam), and the brigades of Jihaad flapped in its cradles, and features of light ruled it, and Islam spread its robe over Shaam. The vanguards of faith extending it, being led by Khalid bin Waleed, Abu Ubaidah bin Jarraah, Shurahbeel bin Hasanah, Amr bin Aas, Diraar bin Azwar and with them was a thousand companions, 100 of whom had witnessed Badr. And the noble companions were successors to it (Shaam).

Waleed bin Muslim said: “10 000 eyes that saw the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – entered Shaam.”

Eyes, after the purity of Madeenah, saw the sight of Shaam. Not surprisingly, for the prophet – peace be upon him – chose it for his companions, and advised his most loyal of companions regarding it. He – peace be upon him – said: “You will be split up into groups of armies. An army will be in Shaam, an army in Yemen and an army in Iraq.” Ibn Hawlah – may Allah be pleased with him – said: “Choose for me O messenger of Allah if I’m around to witness that. So he said: “You must join Shaam, for it is the chosen land of Allah in His earth. In it the chosen ones among His servants shall have protection. Otherwise, go to Yemen but be prepared to drink from still water. For Allah has given me a guarantee concerning Shaam and its people.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawood].

And Shaam became the capital of Islam. The first kingdoms of Islam and the most just kings of Islam were established in it. The light of knowledge radiated from it. And the robe of justice was spread out in it. And the values of truth and freedom were spread in it. The Muslims there portrayed the most wonderful examples in good neighbouring and noble dealings with others.

And the Muslims protected the custody of the people of religions, and they left their sects and places of worship for them, so the people lived in peace and security, free in their land and beliefs. And Shaam partook of the blessings of justice, and its life was comfortable, and its sustenance was great, so much so that Umar bin Abdul Aziz said, while he was sitting on its throne: “Scatter the grain on the tops of mountains so that it will not be said: The birds are hungry in the land of the Muslims.”

And the armies of Tartar were defeated on its hills, and the light of Islam was elevated in it and gained victory, so much so that a questioner asked Ibn Taymiyyah – may Allah have mercy on him -: “Is the status of Shaam due to its manifestation of Islam better or that of Makkah and Madeenah?”

Then a long time passed, and the days changed. And with the rising of the ones who rose to its rule, its condition changed, then Shaam was not the Shaam that promises. Its vegetation withered, and its flowers shriveled, and the life of its people narrowed, and security demised from its meadows, and the enemies cut off a part of its land. And there were still scholars and pious (people) in the land of Shaam. Some left their homes and were separated from their countries, expelled. They were met with the hand of oppression and transgression. Their eyes flow with tears. And most of the strangers are not kind to their people and homes. And they see on the screens, places of their lands that they know. They had memories and sorrows there. The airplanes are bombing them and the cannons are demolishing them.

O Muslims: Shaam is the heritage of the conquerors i.e. the companions and those who follow them; and a trust of the ancestors of the Muslims for the descendants. Its history is inspirational and its current situation is sad, and its people have patience of whose tales are long. Perhaps their patience can be interpreted towards goodness.

And surely we are in a time in which we are summoning that majesty and that old history to take a stand against two hollow wounds in the land of Shaam; two bleeding bloods that the Islamic nation suffers from. Both wounds are moist, and too the sickles are affecting them: The wound of Palestine, and the wound of Syria, and between them there are scars here and there. And these are days of tests and trials.

O Muslims: How is a person in these days able to exceed the massacres of values in our beloved Shaam and he sees treachery of the near (ones), and betrayal of the far (ones), and disloyalty of the shepherd for his flock. The capabilities of the nation and its achievements are employed for its suppression and humiliation; and its weapons which are (usually) used to drive off the danger of the enemy returned on the jugular veins of the citizens, slaughtering and chopping. The Islamic nation is crushed for the sake of the interests of individuals who don’t care about it (even) for a day. Surely the covered has been uncovered, and the slogans have worked up the feelings, and it is clear that sometimes the enemy that is beyond the borders is more merciful than the enemy that is within the borders.

Women and children not armed even with a stone, the missiles of treachery are scattered on the stones of their homes; and their bodies are shattered under the mess. You see arms amputated and bodies buried below the rubble of the houses; in pictures portraying the capability of the lack of humanity and the like thereof of the perpetrators, and the lack of character and nobility in their actions. The blood of the Shaamis are flowing (like) the flowing of the Tigris and Euphrates, not on (the hands) of an apparent enemy, but on the hands of an imposter, an Arab Renaissance and the guardianship of the Arabs about whom no excuse can tolerate and no justification can conceal.

O Noble Shaamis: Your weapons have honour, so do not dirty them by attaining your brethren with them. And your strength is a pride for the Arabs, so do not tackle your people with it. And make your weapons for your family a protector; and for your land a defender. There is no excuse for you in front of Allah and history that you return the barrels of guns against your chests, and some of you taste the wrong of others. “And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allah are upon him and a great punishment is prepared for him.” [Nisaa; Verse 93]. Unify the ranks, join the speech, and seek help from Allah and be patient.

Servants of Allah: Verily the virtue of Shaam and its existence is the inlet of Islam which makes it necessary for the Muslims to call to aiding its people and driving off oppression from them and removing injustice from them. And surely the prophet – peace be upon him – made the reformation of Shaam the criterion for the reformation of the entire Islamic nation. Therefore, it is necessary on the Muslims – all the Muslims – to drive off as much as they can so that the hand of corruption does not change the beautiful face of Shaam, and it remains as its history, faith, knowledge, civilization and light, no hungry birds in it as Umar wanted; and no people fear in it; loyal to the companion conquerors and the glorious scholars who put the soil of Shaam under their heads for the last sleep in this world; and standing efficiently on its rights that were gifted by the Arabs and Muslims.

Surely the ardent intellectuals have called for the interests of the Islamic nation. And the custodian of the two Holy Mosques has raised his voice from the first hour, calling for ruling with truth and justice, and logic, wisdom and intellect, and placing noble public interests before personal interests, sparing the blood of the Muslims and preserving the unity of their ranks and their land, and repelling group and ideological differences, and steadfastness on the positions of religion and character. And he has stood up – may Allah protect him – coming out openly with words of truth and justice with his ardent brothers and friends.

So may Allah fulfill the efforts, and reform the affair, and make the consequences good.

And verily we have hope in the morning (that) enfolds the stifling night, and by which the flowers breathe, and with which the sun of salvation shines. And the hope in Allah is great that the day will return its (Shaam’s) glad tidings. And the sky gives hope when it is obscured.

Perhaps Allah will replace your night (with) morning, and your fear (with) security, and your agony (with) comfort, and make the best of you take charge, and suffice you with the evil of your evil ones. “And Allah has full power and control over His affairs, but most of men know not.” [Yusuf; Verse 21]

May Allah bless me and you in the Great Quraan, and benefit us with what is in it of verses and wise reminders. I say these words of mine, and I seek the forgiveness of Allah – The Exalted – for me and for you.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah, The Guardian, The Praiseworthy. He creates what He wishes and rules as He pleases. And He is Just, doing what He wishes and ruling as He pleases. In His hand is giving and preventing, and trials and comfort – Glorified is He, Exalted and Holy. His actions and commands do not stray from wisdom, mercy and reformation. And we are His servants, the sons of His male servants, the sons of His female servants. Our past is His command. Our justice is His decree. And He – Glorified is He – is the most wise of judges, and the most merciful of those who show mercy. He does not decree for His friends except that it is the best for them, whether that decree hurts them or pleases them. And for Him is great praised wisdom in everything that occurs to the believers, even though that decree may be apparent trials and evils, for verily in His involvement, there is wisdom and advantages of which only Allah can count. “And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.” [Baqarah; Verse 216]

And when the believers are certain about this reality, and they know aspects of goodness and mercy are in what has afflicted them, their hearts will be filled with steadfastness, patience, hope, and trust in the promise of Allah, and peace regarding His good planning and choices. “It may be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings through it a great deal of good.” [Nisaa; Verse 19]

Verily, the wounds are hollow, and the calamities are great, and the pain is intense, but the sentiments that this destruction has caused in the Islamic nation are immense. And if Shaam is suffering, then surely the rest of the body of the Islamic nation suffers from fever and sleeplessness, and solidarity manifests among the Muslims, and life cheers up in their one body, and the masajid resound with supplication, and deep emotions in the Islamic nation are stirred up, emotions that were almost wiped out, and that were almost overlooked by the desires of life, and for as long as the enemies of Islam try to anaesthetise them (emotions) with distractions and entertainment – (so) they claim.

And because of it, they have re-awoken and there is raging in the hearts, and it sees the blood of the beloveds flowing on the blessed land of Shaam. And people have returned, a true returning, to the religion. And the truth of the truthful ones has become evident, and the betrayal of the betrayers has manifested, and the confidence of the world in the international organisations has shaken, and it is clear that they do not act except according to their selfish interests. The cries of children and the moans of the injured and oppressed do not affect the hearts of its (organisation’s) owners.

The hearts of the believers are certain about the saying of The True – Glorified is He -: “If Allah helps you, none can overcome you, and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you? And in Allah (alone) let the believers put their trust.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 160]

It is narrated that Ali bin Abi Talib – may Allah be pleased with him – sang:

And do not be despondent when a mishap befalls you

For how much, by Allah, of concealed benevolence

And how many eases come after difficulty

Thereby relieving the distress of the grieved heart.

And how many a matter is hurtful at morning

And pleasure comes to you at evening.

When conditions narrow on you on a day

Then depend on The One, The Unique, The Exalted.


O Believers: Surely Allah the Exalted wants us to hold back tears at (the time of) every calamity or mishap; and to wipe away sadness, and to renew repentance, and not to become weak and not to be despondent, and to drive off fate with fate. “So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 139]

Assembly of Muslims: Verily, knowing the aspects of goodness in these events, and being happy with the decree of Allah – Honoured and Majestic – and submitting to His decree does not mean: indifference and weakness, and being happy with corruption, disgrace and humiliation and not taking the means to victory, honour and nobility, but it strengthens the certainty in the promise of Allah – Glorified is He – and the confidence in His victory and contentment of His decree and planning.

Trials are an elevation, a purification, and an examination. And the martyrs are chosen and selected. “And that (Hereafter) which is with Allah is better and will remain forever.” [Qasas; Verse 60]

Pain gives birth to hope. And to the extent of the intensity of the hardship, the certainty of the closeness of relief is obtained. And know that victory is with patience and relief is with hardship and that with difficulty is ease.

With patience, there is reinforcement from the heavens, “Yes, if you hold on to patience and piety, and the enemy comes rushing at you, your Lord will help you with 5000 angels having marks (of distinction).” [Aal Imraan; Verse 125]

And with patience the harm of the enemies disappears “But if you remain patient and become pious, not the least harm will their cunning do to you.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 120]

And surely Allah has praised the ones who are patient in extreme poverty, disease and at the time of fighting (battles) so He – Glorified is He – said: “Such are the people of the truth and they are the pious.” [Baqarah; Verse 177]

Verily patience is necessary and there’s no substitute for it. Patience is necessary on the effects of the events like pain and anger and hopelessness sometimes and despondency. Patience is necessary and so too is endurance, endurance of the oppressors who try and strive to break the patience of the believers.

And if falsehood insists, forebears and remains on its way, then how much more deserving is it for the people of truth to be intensely persistent and greatly patient. “If you are suffering (hardships) then surely, they (too) are suffering (hardships) as you are suffering, but you have hope from Allah (for the reward i.e. Paradise) that for which they hope not, and Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise.” [Nisaa; Verse 104]

So O people of Shaam! “Seek help in Allah and be patient. Verily, the earth is Allah’s. He gives it as a heritage to whom He wills of His slaves, and the (blessed) end is for the pious.” [A’raaf; Verse 128]

Verily Allah – Exalted and Majestic – has surely provided Shaam and its people for His prophet. That which Allah has provided, then there is no forfeiting of it. And surely the description in the Book and Sunnah of blessings is a glad tiding that the period of tribulation and tyranny will not be long in it, because it is a place of blessings, security and faith.

And surely Shaam was the cemetery of the enemies of the Islamic nation and the elders. For in it the crusaders and Tartars were defeated, and in it the Romans were overpowered – as in the Hadeeth of the great slaughter – and in it Dajjaal (anti-Christ) and those who follow him from amongst the Jews will be destroyed. And the prophet – peace be upon him – made the corruption of Shaam a permission for the vanishing of goodness from the Islamic nation, and he made its reformation a glad tiding for the reformation of the affair of the entire Islamic nation. And here it is today, glad tidings are coming and nights filled with hope.

And surely we swear by Allah – Exalted and Majestic – firmly, with full conviction in what our Lord has promised us of the help of His friends and defending them when they take from the means of victory, that hardship and difficulty will never be prolonged on a nation that surrender their needs to Allah and exclaim: O Allah, there is no one for us besides You, O Allah! And Allah – the Exalted – says: “And whoever holds firmly to Allah (i.e. follows Islam – Allah’s religion, and obeys all that Allah has ordered, practically), then he is indeed guided to a Right Path” [Aal Imraan; Verse 101] “And (as for) the believers it was incumbent upon Us to help (them).” [Room; Verse 47] “And that Our hosts, they verily would be the victors.” [Saaffaat; Verse 173] “Verily, Allah will help those who help His (Cause).” [Hajj; Verse 40] “Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah) in this world’s life and on the Day when the witness will stand forth (i.e. Day of Resurrection)” [Ghafir; Verse 51]

O Muslims: Verily waiting for relief is from amongst the greatest acts of worship. And verily despondency of the mercy of Allah is from amongst the major sins. And the believers should fill their optimistic hearts with the closeness of relief and the conviction of the end of the oppressors. “So make no haste against them; We only count out to them a (limited) number (of the days of the life of this world and delay their term so that they may increase in evil and sins).” [Maryam; Verse 84]

And surely Allah wants for His servants victory and relief greater than they imagine; and stability more everlasting than they are waiting for. “And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things.” [Talaaq; Verse 3]

This; and send salutations and peace on the chosen prophet and selected messenger.

O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on your servant and messenger Muhammad and on his good, pure family, and his companions, the fortunate personalities.

O Allah be happy with the guided leaders and rightly-guided khulafaa: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and with all the rest of the companions of your prophet, and those who tread their path and follow their way O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/09...d-its-history/

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Reply

BintAbee
09-17-2012, 01:15 PM
:sl:

Easy acts of worship with immense reward

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib
August 24, 2012 ~ Shawwal 6, 1433


First Khutbah
All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, the Returner of the seasons and the eids, and the One who makes easy the paths of good so that the servant may be plenty in good and increase. Then all praise be to Allah on what He has legislated, and thanks to Him for the ability He has granted, and virtue to Him for His guidance. To Him is the returning and the turning back. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partners and no rivals. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His messenger and the best of servants. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him and on his family and companions, the possessors of guidance, and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Mutual Talks.

Thereafter:
Then piety – O Muslims – piety: the advice of the prophets, and the ornament of the saints and the best preparation for the Day of Meeting. “O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” [Hashr: Verse 18]

O Muslims: There still remains in our clothes a fragrance from the scents of our month that has not reduced, and there still remains in ourselves a moistness from the reciting of Quraan that has not dried, and there still remains in our eyes a dampness due to the farewell of Ramadan, and who can blame it for (not) drying, and this is not except for what it misses regarding the sweetness of worship and the sweetness of actions that bring (us) close (to Allah). And the mount of time of worship has not dried us, to reverberate the souls and overcome the hearts.

And if a person exercises patience, and overcomes his desires, and continues the voluntary acts of worship that he made habitual during the month of Ramadan like fasting, standing in prayer at night, recitation of Quraan, charity and goodness, his life will become a season of goodness always, and his self will change to a garden of good actions continuously and he will exemplify the saying of Allah – Glorified and Majestic – : “Say (O Muhammad – peace be upon him): ‘Verily my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds.” [An’aam: Verse 162]

O Muslims: The earth is Allah’s inheritance for his servants. They choose their houses from Paradise to the extent of their reaping for the Hereafter. “And they will say: ‘All praises and thanks be to Allah Who has fulfilled His Promise to us and has made us inherit (this) land. We can dwell in Paradise where we will.” [Zumar: Verse 74] And the true believer is going towards his Lord, rushing and he does not break down until his end is Paradise, and he does not stop until death overtakes him. “And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death).” [Hijr: Verse 99]

And although the month of Ramadan has passed – and it is a month of multiplication of rewards – then verily Allah the Exalted is the Lord of all the months. And in life there are wide prospects for (doing) good deeds, and rewards (that) multiply. It (life) is – by Allah – the profiting store. And in the laws of Allah and the guidance of His messenger – peace be upon him – there are (many) roads that connect to Allah, and paths that lead and guide to His Pleasure, and actions that seek the pleasures of Allah and His Mercies, and he is rewarded for them with His Paradise, but where are the people busy in work (towards Paradise)?!

Abdullah bin Umar – may Allah be pleased with both of them – said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – took me by my shoulder and said: “Be in this world as a stranger or a wayfarer” And Ibn Umar used to say: “At evening, do not wait for morning and at morning do not wait for evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and from your life for your death.” [Narrated by Bukhari]

And surely the prophet – peace be upon him – indicated towards easy actions, and set for them immense rewards, and opened for us wide doors of good actions to increase in for the Day of Recompense, and stock away for the meeting of Allah, the Lord of lords. “And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it (i.e. do righteous deeds of Allah’s obedience) while he is a believer (in the Oneness of Allah), then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, thanked and rewarded (by Allah).” [Israa: Verse 19]

Abu Tharr – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “A charity is due for every joint in each person on every day the sun comes up: For in every glorification there is a charity, and in praise of Him there is a charity, and in declaration of His Oneness there is a charity, and in every declaration of His Greatness there is a charity, and in enjoining good there is a charity, and forbidding evil is a charity, and 2 units of Dhuha prayers which one performs in the forenoon is equal to all this (in reward).” [Narrated by Muslim]

And he – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that people said: “O messenger of Allah! The rich have taken the rewards. They pray as we pray, they fast as we fast, and they give charity from their extra wealth. He said: “Has Allah not made ways for you to give charity? In every glorification of Allah there is charity, and in every declaration of His Greatness there is charity, and in praise of Him is charity, and in every declaration of His Oneness there is charity, and enjoining good is charity, and forbidding evil is charity, and in a man’s intimate relations with his wife is charity.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, is there a reward for one who satisfies his passions?” He said: “You see if he were to devote himself to something forbidden it would be a sin; likewise, if he were to devote himself to something lawful, he will have a reward.” [Narrated by Muslim]

And surely the believer reaches the highest stages through easy actions, by which he does not think he will reach what he has reached. Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the prophet – peace be upon him –said: “I saw a man going about in Paradise (and enjoying himself) as a reward for cutting from the middle of the road a tree which was causing inconvenience to the Muslims.” [Narrated by Muslim]

And in the narration by him: “A man who passed by a branch of a tree leaning over a road and decided to remove it, saying to himself: ‘By Allah! I will remove from the way of the Muslims so that it would not harm them.’ On account of this he was admitted to Paradise.”

According to another narration in Bukhari and Muslim: “While a man was walking, he saw a thorny branch on the road, so he removed it and Allah appreciated his action and forgave him.”

O Muslims: And a simple word that a servant seeks the pleasure of his Noble Lord, and he appreciates His widespread bounties. Anas – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the messenger of Allah –peace be upon him – said: “Verily Allah is pleased with a servant when he eats a morsel and praises him for it and when he takes a drink and praises him for it.” [Narrated by Muslim]

As for ablution and prayer, and this is repeated many times a day, then listen to what Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrated that the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “When a Muslim – or a believer – performs ablution and washes his face, every sin he committed with his eyes will be washed away from his face along with the last drop of water; when he washes his hands, every sin he committed with his hands will be washed away along with the last drop of water; when he washes his feet, every sin towards which his feet have taken him will be washed away along with the last drop of water, until the result is his purification from sin.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Shall I not guide you to that by which Allah wipes away the sins and raises the ranks?” They said: “Certainly O messenger of Allah” He said: “Completing the ablution when it is a hardship, and many steps towards the mosques and waiting for the (next) prayer after the prayer. That is defending the frontiers.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “The five obligatory prayers, the Friday prayer, Ramadan followed by another Ramadan expiate sins committed in between them as long as major sins are avoided.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrated that the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “If people knew the reward for pronouncing the Athan (call to prayer) and for standing in the first row and found no other way to get that except by drawing lots, they would draw lots, and if they knew the reward for the Thuhr prayer (in the early moments of its stated time) they would race for it (go early) and if they knew the reward of Isha and Fajr prayers in congregation, they would come to offer them even if they had to crawl.” [Agreed upon]

Abu Abdullah – may Allah be pleased with him – or it is said: Abu Abdur Rahmaan – Thawbaan, mawla of the messenger – peace be upon him – and may Allah be pleased with Thawbaan – narrates: I heard the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – saying: “Perform many prostrations, for verily you do not prostrate to Allah a prostration except that Allah raises you by it a rank, and reduces from you by it a sin.” [Narrated by Muslim]

And the remembrance of Allah the Exalted is a rubric of success, and a sign of ability and reformation. Abdullah bin Busr – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that a man said: “O messenger of Allah! The laws of Islam are too much for me. Tell me something I can cling to. He said: “Your tongue should remain moist with the remembrance of Allah.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi]

Abu Darda – may Allah be pleased with him – says: the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Shall I inform you of the best of your actions and the purest of your property and the highest of your degrees and what is better for you than spending in gold and silver and better for you than encountering your enemy and striking their necks and their striking your necks?” They said: “Yes indeed”. He said: “Remembrance of Allah the Exalted.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi, and Haakim said: its chain is authentic]

Abu Abbas – may Allah be pleased with him – said: the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “If someone clings to seeking forgiveness, Allah will appoint for him a way out of every constriction, and relief from every difficulty, and will provide for him from where he does not imagine.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood]

Shaddad bin Aws – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “The best way to seek forgiveness is for a slave to say: ‘O Allah You are my Lord. There is no god but You. You created me and I am Your slave. I comply with Your covenant and Your promise as much as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me. Only You can forgive sins.’ Anyone who says this during the day having confidence in it and dies on that day before evening will be among the people of Paradise. Anyone who says it during the night having full confidence in it and dies before morning will be among the people of Paradise.” [Narrated by Bukhari]

And in goodness towards the creation, you should not hesitate in goodness, and do not belittle a good act that you present, even if it may be little. Adiyy bin Hatim – may Allah be pleased with him – said: I heard the prophet – peace be upon him – saying: “Fear (ward off) the Fire, even if it be by giving half a date in charity.” [Agreed upon]

And in a narration in them (Bukhari and Muslim) he said: the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Allah will speak to every one amongst you without any interpreter between them. He (the man) would look towards his right and would not find anything but (the deeds) which he had done before and he would look towards his left and would not find anything but (the deeds) which he had done before. He would see in front of him and would find nothing but Fire just before his face. So protect (yourselves) against the Fire even if it is (by giving) half a date in charity. But if you fail to find it, (then protect yourselves against the Fire) with the help of a pleasant word.”

Abu Moosa – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Every Muslim has to give in charity.” The people then asked: “(But what) if someone has nothing to give, what should he do?” The prophet replied: “He should work with his hands and benefit himself and also give charity (from what he earns).” The people further asked: “If he cannot find even that?” He replied: “He should help the needy who appeal for help.” Then the people asked: “If he cannot do (even) that?” The prophet said: “He should command to good”. The people asked: “If he cannot do (even) that? The prophet said: “He should keep away from evil deeds, and that will be regarded as charity.” [Agreed upon]

May Allah bless me and you in the Quraan and Sunnah, and benefit us of what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine, and I seek forgiveness from Allah the Exalted for me and you.

Second Khutbah
All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgement. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. His is the kingdom. The Clear Truth. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the truthful, the trustworthy. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him, and on all his family and companions.

Servants of Allah: Good actions with great recompense and concealed reward encompasses all dealings in the Muslim society like (dealings with) parents, wife, relatives and neighbours. Abdullah bin Mas’ood – may Allah be pleased with him – said: A man came to the messenger of Allah and said: “O messenger of Allah! Who from amongst mankind warrants my best companionship from me?” He replied: “Your mother”. The man asked: “Then who?” So he replied: “Your mother”. The man then asked: “Then who?” So the prophet replied again: “Your mother”. The man then asked: “Then who?” So he replied: “Your father.” [Agreed upon]

And in a narration: “O messenger of Allah! Who from amongst mankind warrants my best companionship from me? He said: “Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, then the next closest to you in kinship, then the one next closest.”

And his saying: “Then your father” means: then kindness to your father.

And Anas – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Whosoever desired that he be granted more provision, and his life be prolonged, should join ties with his blood relations.” [Agreed upon]

And Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – said: the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “The believer with the most complete faith is the one with the best character. And the best of you is the one who is the best to his wives.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi; and he said: good, authentic Hadeeth].

Ibn Umar and Aisha – may Allah be pleased with them both – said: the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Jibraeel continued to advise me to be good to my neighbour until I thought that he would have m make him my heir.” [Agreed upon]

Abdullah bin Mas’ood – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Let whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day honour his guest, and let whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day join his family ties and let whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day speak good or be silent.” [Agreed upon]

And regarding covering up (the faults) of people, the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “No servant conceals (the faults of) another servant in this world, except that Allah conceals (his faults) on the Day of Judgement.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates: the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – was asked about (what) causes most people to enter Paradise. He said: “Fearing Allah and good character.” And he was asked about (what causes) most people to enter the Fire. So he said: “The (sins of) the mouth and the private parts.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi and he said: (it is an) authentic hadeeth].

O Muslims: O those whom Allah has made noble by (virtue of) the fast of the month of Ramadan! Verily it is from the Sunnah that you fast six days from the month of Shawwaal. For surely the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it up by six (fasts) of Shawwaal, it is as if he has fasted an entire year.” [Narrated by Muslim]

And it is permissible to fast them continuously or intermittently.

So increase in pious actions, and remain on obedience and beware of evil deeds. “And be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun after it has become strong.” [Nahl: Verse 92] And whosoever Allah has freed from the Fire, he should not return to disobedience, for he will return to the slavery of sins and to captivity.

Then send salutations and peace on the selected prophet and the pleased messenger.

O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on your servant and messenger Muhammad, and on his good, pure family, and his companions, the fortunate personalities.

O Allah be happy with the guided leaders and rightly-guided khulafaa: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and on all the rest of the companions of your prophet and whoever treads their path and follows their way, O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/09...mmense-reward/

:w:
Reply

BintAbee
10-03-2012, 02:10 PM
:sl:

Helping the Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم .. How should it be?

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

September 21, 2012 ~ Thul Qa’dah 5, 1433


First Khutbah
All praise to Allah, Unique in His Lofty name, connected with the honourable, defending Kingship. He has no end and nothing is out of His reach. His Knowledge and Mercy encompass everything. And He completes for His servants widespread bounties. And He sends to them messengers from amongst themselves, the most precious of them, Arab and non-Arab. And much praise be to Allah as He gives much bounties. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s servant and messenger, the best of creation (in) intellect, knowledge and tolerance, and the purest of them (in) soul and understanding. His Lord purified his spirit and body and He distanced him from faults and blemishes. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be on him and on his pure good family and his companions, the fortunate personalities, and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter:
Then piety – O people – piety: Mandate it in private and public and prepare for what will save you on the day of presenting before Allah, for all of us are returning to Him. And there is nothing except reaching Delight, or the punishment of the Fire. And the one who is given the ability is the one who rescues his soul and prepares his tools for the great matter. May Allah recompense our broken hearts, and forgive our great sins, and guide us to what saves us from His punishment, and draw us near to His Mercy and His Door.

O people:
Places and humans, and books and words are equal in their absolutely original forms. Then if they are increased they acquire their worth from what is added to them. And the greatest and most majestic and most serious addition is the addition to Allah, the Great, for the books of Allah are the crown of books, and the houses of Allah are the purest of houses, and the speech of Allah is the greatest speech, and His Messengers are the beginning of mankind and the ornamentation of this world.

Allah chose them the best of the best, and made them sinless before prophethood and after it, and exemplified the perfection of humans in their beings, and the high standards of humanity in their souls, and the upright paths in their guidance.

The messengers of Allah and His prophets are the best who have tread the earth, and the noblest and most kind of people. There is no path to Paradise except by obeying them, and there is no salvation from Hellfire except by believing in them, and there is no reaching to Allah, the Majestic and Noble, except with their guidance. Venerating the messenger is part of the veneration of the One Who sent him, and respecting him is part of respecting the One Who sent him, and their status by Allah is great.

And verily Allah guards over His prophets and defends them. How many nations were eradicated by the supplications of their prophets against them, and how many houses were changed and startled and shaken due to their belying their messengers and their taunting of them. “And indeed (many) Messengers were mocked before you, but their scoffers were surrounded by the very thing that they used to mock at.” [An’aam: Verse 10]

And prophets and messengers still continue to have a high position in laws and messengership. Every time a messenger came, he confirmed the truth of the messenger before him, and gave the glad tidings of a messenger after him. And all the messengers gave the glad tidings of a messenger who will come after them named: Ahmad; he is the seal of them and their leader in goodness; their leader, although he was the last of them in order – may Allah send salutations on him and send salutations on all His prophets, messengers and their followers.

O Muslims:
Expressions and praises fall short and the meanings and talents decrease in front of the greatness of the noble prophet and the great messenger, Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, the son of Abdul Muttalib, the Hashimite, the Qurayshy, the Arab. And the pulpits never reach (encompassing) his status. And the pens never accomplish his value. And the honourable biography is in no need of introduction, for value is high and status is lofty.
How can the prophets surpass your rank O sky, which no sky has surpassed (in loftiness)

O people:
Verily, the world from its beginning to its end has not known a human (with such) pure excellence, pure biography, graceful character, solid striving and strong connection to his Lord as is known in the prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him.

An the world has not known a human (who) has cut open the road of perfection, and made life smooth and comfortable for people, and called them to it eagerly, and explained its characteristics to them sleeplessly; and forbore, for the sake of Allah, what no one else forbore, as is known of the prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him.

And those who studied the philosophy of character, sociology, politicians, army generals and founders of civilizations and countries know some of the greatness of this great messenger. Then when these comprehensive studies regarding the great people of the earth are concluded and are compared with the excellent leaders of humanity, it halts in front of the distinction of the perfect human: Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, so that it is seen that the geniuses of the earth fade in his brightness, and that their legacies are minute in front of his guidance, and that their excelling over their peers amounts to nothing in front of the rising sun of prophethood and its wonderful halo.

Verily the reality of the messenger – peace be upon him – is above the description of the describers and the hands that discharge it. It makes every believer indebted to him for the light of faith that illuminates his soul and purifies it. “And verily, you (O Muhammad – peace be upon him) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the Straight Path. The Path of Allah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. Verily, all the matters at the end go to Allah.” [Shoora: Verse 52-53]

Verily Muhammad – peace be upon him – came in the descendants of prophethoods which Satan followed the fruits of. And his coming was the last word of the heavens, for it was an assurance preventing distortion and a protection against deviation to conserve the long future of humanity, and in the noble Quraan: “By Allah, We indeed sent (Messengers) to the nations before you (O Muhammad – peace be upon him), but Satan made their deeds fair-seeming to them. So he (Satan) is their helper today, and theirs will be a painful torment. And We have not sent down the Book to you (O Muhammad – peace be upon him), except that you may explain clearly unto them those things in which they differ, and (as) a guidance and a mercy for a folk who believe.” [Nahl: Verse 63-64]

Fabricated religions were in existence, and beliefs ascribed to Allah that is not befitting and sayings about Him that cannot be uttered and it reached from the stability of this and that that it resisted the truth severely when it came, and the world only gained misery from it. In that regard, Allah – Exalted and Majestic – said: “Then, who does more wrong than one who utters a lie against Allah, and denies the truth when it comes to him! Is there not in Hell an abode for the disbelievers? And he (Muhammad –peace be upon him) who has brought the truth and (those who) believed therein, those are the pious persons. They shall have all that they will desire with their Lord. That is the reward of good-doers.” [Zumar; Verse 32-34]

Verily the coming of Muhammad – peace be upon him – was the birth of truth in its most glorious form and its brightest ray, and the rising of this truth was a declaration of the passing away of the prevailing confusion and the miserable mood.

Surely Islam came to announce about One God. He created everything, Exalted, above similarity to anything. “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth, He enlarges provision for whom He wills, and straitens (it for whom He wills). Verily! He is the All-Knower of everything.” [Shoora: Verse 11-12]

And the absolute Oneness is the truth that Islam regards as very valuable, and it spreads its verses in every horizon. Surely the coming of the prophet – peace be upon him – was salvation from this godlessness and its disgraceful consequences; and a raising and defense against oppression and the worshiping of humans by humans, and these were the first signs of widespread mercy that the possessor of this great message was sent with. Following that were the actions and manners, for Muhammad – peace be upon him – came to all nationalities with a religion commanding them to do good and forbidding them from all sins. Verily Muhammad – peace be upon him – is a divine production never to be repeated, so glory be to the One Who perfected Muhammad.

O people:
The stance today is not the stance of speaking about the status of the messengers and the virtue of the seal of them – peace and salutations be on all of them – and not confirming the truth of the prophethood of Muhammad – peace be upon him – and the authenticity of his message, for this is something that no human who respects his intellect argues over, and the means of recognition today are abundant to a great extent. But it is pausing and indications around what busies people regarding the insults of the person of our prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him – and the violation of our final religion, which agitates the bosoms, and makes the hearts boil as pots boil. And there is no good in a nation when its prophet is harmed and they do not get angry, and there is no good in anger for the messenger of Allah discharged (causing) the anger of Allah and His messenger.

It is impossible for a man who has a respected culture or insightful intellect to hate Muhammad. Why does he hate him?! Is it because his book describes the Exalted Creator saying: “Allah! None has the right to be worshiped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth.” [Baqarah: Verse 255]

Muhammad is the messenger of Allah – peace, salutations and blessings be upon him – may my father and my mother and myself be sacrificed for him – today one billion, five hundred million or more people follow him. He is more beloved to them than themselves, their wealth, their children and all people. Their selves are for his soul sacrificed and their honour is for his honour a protection. All of them say as Hassaan (Radiallahu Anhu) said:
Then verily my father and his father and my honour
Is for the honour of Muhammad amongst you a protection.

And a question to the so-called liberals: For whose interests are these incitements been incited?! For whose interests have civilizations and cultures been shocked?! And (since) when has freedom of speech meant violation without limits or restraints?!

Alas, so where is the freedom of speech when denying the slaughtering of the Jews before the treaty which the politicians assume to be more than the historical reality?! No individual in the world dares to deny it (holocaust) or doubt it except that the international organizations and their governments, courts and leaders pursue him. As for the messenger Muhammad – peace be upon him – them talking about him is permissible, and a freedom granted by the law! What is wrong with you, how do you judge?!

Verily the leaders and decision makers should know that the reactions of the nations are a flood that cannot be seized and a raging fire that cannot be extinguished, and maybe the bridle has disappeared, so no word is heard, and no wisdom benefits, and especially when the Ummah is disgraced regarding its holy symbol.

Therefore, it is on the wise to prevent the fools, and on the leaders to prevent those who fuel fires, and no one should accept an excuse regarding his religion.

Verily we call for dialogue, understanding and tolerance, but all these will be of no use if those people continue inheriting the deep-rooted hatred of centuries and harbouring in their hearts resentment with no tranquillity towards Islam and its messenger and its Ummah.

Where are the international laws and international treaties that criminalize calling towards hate and racism, and especially when it represents (in drawing/pictures/photographs etc.) direct provocation towards violence?!

Verily we request from the world, which claims with its assembly to place rules for the protection of all, to draw up a code of ethics and (to) legislate a binding law forbidding and criminalizing the insulting of the prophets and messengers and their heavenly messages.

And surely the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has called for that in every gathering, and strived in extending the bridges of dialogue between the followers of the heavenly religions and the human cultures, so that the relationships between the nations of the earth are built on foundations of cooperation, justice and mercy and to change the world from the clashing of civilizations to the dialogue of civilizations, and calling to the truth without prevention or misrepresentation, for these are our principles, the principles of Islam. In it is the respect of the prophets, all of them; and believing in them, all of them; and following them; and spreading goodness, security and Islam.

And in the description of Allah of His prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him -: “And We have sent you (O Muhammad – peace be upon him) not but as a mercy for the worlds.” [Anbiyaa: Verse 107]

May Allah bless me and you in the Quraan and the Sunnah, and benefit us of what is in them of verses and wisdom. Surely I have said what has passed and I seek forgiveness of Allah – the Exalted – for me and you.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgement. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. The King, the Clear Truth. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on him and on his companions and those who follow them, and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Jugdement.

Servant of Allah:
It was said to one of the predecessors: A person has backbitten about you. He said: “Surely he has thrown an arrow at me that did not wound me, until you came and carried it to me.”

So the prophets of Allah – peace be upon them – are continuously insulted and mocked, them and their followers and this happens in every period and place. “And never came a Messenger to them but they did mock him.” [Hijr: Verse 11]

And even if that occurred from the most evil human and the worst in both the worlds, then it is compulsory on the one who heard something of that not to spread it and not to speak about it except to an authority that is able to prevent the abuse.

And surely the poems of the polytheists speaking ill of the leader of the messengers were lost although they were many and (even though they) were delivered as songs. And those poems died then and there when the Muslims did not celebrate or exchange it between them, and they did not include them when mentioning lines of poetry or the information of the Arabs.

Your religion – O servants of Allah – is manifest, and your prophet is sufficed and helped. “It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad – peace be upon him) with guidance and the religion of , to make it superior over all religions even though the polytheists, hate (it).” [Tawbah; Verse 33]. And the status of the prophets will never be affected at all by the attacks of foolish atheists or betrayed disbelievers. And Allah – the Exalted – says: “Truly! We will suffice you against the scoffers.” [Hijr; Verse 95]

So the positions of the prophets are protected, and their values are dear and safeguarded, and verily the insulter is the poor loser. “For he who makes you angry (O Muhammad -peace be upon him)), – he will be cut off (from every good thing in this world and in the Hereafter).” [Kawthar; Verse 3]

And perhaps in this there is a balm for the souls of the listeners and a moistening for the hearts of the defending believers, guidance for their appreciated defence and their rewarded help.

O Muslims:
In the famous incident of “Ifk” (slander), Allah – Exalted and Majestic – said: “Consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you.” [Noor; Verse 11] and in the incidents of these days the emotions are stirred, whereas they were cold in the souls of some of the Muslims. The gazes of the non-Muslims have turned to this religion and its noble prophet, and sluggish water has been moved towards the Muslims and other than them.

And if the Muslims make good use of this incident, it will be a victory and honour, and if they make bad use of it, it will become a defeat, and repulsion.

Verily the described good of this Ummah is a complete good that does not divide, so it is incumbent on the Muslims to portray their goodness in reactions, for killing innocent (people) is not of goodness, nor is the destruction of properties, nor demagoguery in dealing with the incidents.

And if the Muslims portray more of holding onto the guidance of their prophet and treading his footsteps, and spreading his biography and knowledge of it, making use of the social media sites – as many Muslims do thankfully – this will be the most impressive reply to the insulters, and to instigate their arguments for the prevention of the repetition of the insults due to what they see of adverse da’wah effects, for verily this reply is the most hurtful for those who insult, and it is dealing with contrary intent.

As for the objective behind every one that wishes evil for this Ummah, (it is) either by busying it with its condition that it is being trialled by in this period, or by provoking the Muslim expatriates in the West towards actions that they are not responsible for to justify their deportation, as the right wing calls for in that country, or so that those actions are a justification for the prevention and blockage of every da’wah activity in the West after they have realised that Islam is present in every angle of their countries, and the future is for it.

Verily the Muslims should know that they are not in need of new incidents distressing the rising tide of Islam and losing its gains. Verily the Muslims should be at the level of awareness and maturity, and not to repeat mistakes, and verily living for Islam is sometimes more effective in its (incident’s) antagonism than dying for it (Islam).

Verily, helping the prophet – peace be upon him – does not mean straying from his Sunnah, and (does) not (mean) acting contrary to his guidance. Verily these insulting incidents mandate that the Ummah increases in holding onto its religion, and protecting its prophet, and returning to following his Sunnah, in happiness and anger, and weakness and strength. “So be patient (O Muhammad – peace be upon him). Verily, the Promise of Allah is true, and let not those who have no certainty of faith, discourage you from conveying Allah’s Message (which you are obliged to convey).” [Room; Verse 60]

O Allah send salutations on the merciful guider and the holy bounty.
O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on Your servant and messenger Muhammad, and on his pure good family and his companions, the fortunate personalities.
O Allah be pleased with the guided leaders and rightly guided khulafa: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali and with all the other companions of Your prophet and those who tread their path and follow their way, O Lord of the worlds.
O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: https://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/1...the-messenger/

:w:
Reply

_Y168
10-03-2012, 02:16 PM
Subhaan Allaah! Jazaakillaah Khair. May Allaah reward you abundantly. Aameen.
Reply

A-Brother
10-10-2012, 07:52 PM
:sl:

Standing Up For The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasalam - 2nd Version Of Translation - How Should It Be?

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

September 21, 2012 ~ Thul Qa’dah 5, 1433

Part One

Praise be to Allah Who has His unique Supreme Name, Who is distinguished by
the rule of the Most Powerful Kingdom, the Eternal, with no beginning and no end.
He encompassed everything with His Mercy and Knowledge and bestowed His
abundant blessings upon His servants. He sent them a Messenger (Muhammad)
from among themselves, Arabs and non-Arabs. All Praise be to Allah and I bear
witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah alone, Who has no
partners. And I also bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, who
is the best amongst all creatures in mind, knowledge and tolerance. His Lord purified
his soul and body and guarded him against any flaw or disgrace. May Allah send His
Salat and Peace upon him, his kind, virtuous family, his honourable, blessed
Companions, and those who follow their footsteps in righteousness until the Day of
Judgement.

Guard taqwa (fear of Allah), O people! Guard taqwa! Keep to it secretly and
openly, and make ready for that which saves you at the Day of Exposure before Allah,
for we all shall return unto Him. Once judged, there is either eternal bliss (in Paradise)
or eternal torment in the blazing Fire. The successful people are those who save their
own souls and get ready for the Great Event (the Day of Judgment). May Allah
cleanse our hearts, forgive all our sins, guide us to what saves us from His
punishment, and bring us closer to His Mercy.

O People!

Land and mankind, books and words might be equal in their abstract origins;
however, if they are attached to anything, they shall acquire their value from that
thing to which they are attached. The greatest, the most important and serious
attachment is the attachment to Almighty Allah. For the Books of Allah are the crown
of all books, the houses of Allah (mosques) are the most immaculate houses, and the
word of Allah is the best of all words, and His Messengers are the best of all mankind
and the ornament of life.

Allah selected them as the best descendants from the best ancestors, saved them
from committing sins before and after prophethood. Human perfection is represented
in them, the eminence of humanity is represented in their souls, and the straightest
paths are represented in their guidance.


The messengers and prophets of Allah are the best who have trodden the earth, the
noblest and most pious humans. There is no path that leads to Paradise and away from
the Hell Fire except by believing and obeying them. No person can ever reach Allah
without their guidance. The greatness and honour of a Messenger derives from the
greatness and honour of the One Who has sent him. Thus, their dignity in the eyes of
Allah is great.

Truly, Allah is vigilant in defending his messengers. How many a nation has been
annihilated because its messenger invoked Allah against it and how many a country
was turned upside down, struck violently or quaked because they belied their
messengers and mocked them. And indeed (many) Messengers before you
were mocked at, but their scoffers were surrounded by the very
thing that they used to mock at. [Al-An’âm: 10]

The messengers and prophets still have of a great position in divine laws and
Messages. Whenever there came a messenger, he believed in the one who came
before him and gave glad tidings of a messenger to come after him. The glad tidings
of all the messengers to their people agreed upon a messenger to come called 'Ahmad'
(the more praiseworthy). He is the Seal of all of them and their Imam (leader) even
though he was the last of them. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him
and upon all prophets and messengers and all their followers.

O Muslims!

All expressions, praises, meanings and talents fall short in front of the greatness of
the Arab noble Prophet and Messenger Muhammad ibn `Abd Allah ibn `Abd al-
Muttalib Al Hashimi Al Qurashi. Neither pulpits nor inkstands will suffice to grant
him his due worth. His honorable Sira (life) need not be told about, as his standing is
lofty and his objective is eminent. (Then, the sheikh cites a line of poetry describing
the Prophet's standing): How could prophets attain your level, O you, who is a lofty
heaven, no other heaven can be compared with.

O People!

Never has the world, from its creation to eternity, known a man with such
attributes as Prophet Muhammad (). For, he was pure, reputable, good-looking,
brave and deeply attached to Allah. Neither has the world known a man who opened
the way of perfection, paved it very well to people, called them cordially to it, and
explained its features to them in the most subtle way as Muhammad () did. He also
endured for the sake of Allah what no other human could endure.

Those who have studied about the philosophers of ethics, sociologists, politicians,
army leaders, and founders of civilizations and states stand still before the greatness
of this perfect man, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, to find that all the geniuses of the earth
have disappeared in the brightness of his light, that their legacies have shrunk in front
of his guidance, and that the privilege those great people had over their peers became
nothing in front of the rising sun of prophethood and its beautiful aura.
The verity of the Messenger () is above all descriptions. The great services he
has offered make every believer indebted to him for the light of faith that illuminated
his/her life and purified it. And verily, you (O Muhammad   
 )
are indeed guiding (mankind) to the Straight Path (i.e. Allâh’s
Religion of Islâmic Monotheism). The Path of Allâh to Whom belongs
all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. Verily, all
matters at the end go to Allâh (for decision). [Ash-Shûra: 52-53]
Prophet Muhammad () came after some prophets whose fruits were spoiled and
damaged by Satan. The Prophet's Message was the last heavenly Message. Thus, it
was a guarantee preventing crookedness, and protecting from corruption, to safeguard
the long future of humanity. In the Holy Qur'an, we read: By Allâh, We indeed
sent to the nations before you, but Shaitân made their deeds fairseeming
to them.

So he is their Wali today, and theirs will be a
painful torment. And We have not sent down the Book to you
except that you may explain clearly unto them those things in
which they differ, and a guidance and a mercy for a folk who
believe. [Al-Nal: 63-64]

There were contrived religions and beliefs which attributed to Allah what does not
befit Him and attributed false reports to Him. Such contrived religions and beliefs
were so deeply rooted that they strongly resisted the Truth, when it came. As a result,
the world won only misery. That is why Allah () says,  Then, who does more
wrong than one who utters a lie against Allâh, and denies the truth
when it comes to him! Is there not in Hell an abode for the
disbelievers? And he who has brought the truth and believed
therein, those are Al-Muttaqûn. They shall have all that they will
desire with their Lord. That is the reward of Muhsinûn. [Az-zumar:
32-34]


Indeed, Muhammad's Mission () was the birth of Truth in its best form and
brightest rays. The rise of this Truth was an indication for the demise of the prevailing
confusion and overhanging misery.

Islam has come to declare that there is only one God who created everything and
that there is nothing like Him: There is nothing like Him; and He is the
All-Hearer, the All-Seer. To Him belong the keys of the heavens
and the earth. He enlarges provision for whom He wills, and
straitens. Verily He is the All-Knower of everything. [Ash-Shura: 11-
12]

Absolute monotheism is the truth which Islam overemphasized and extended its
signs in every horizon. The Mission of Muhammad () was salvation from atheism
and its nefarious consequences, removal and repulsion of injustice and of the
enslavement of man by man. These were the first signs of the overwhelming mercy
with which was sent the one entrusted with of this great message. Then, the emphasis
of good deeds and behavior followed. Muhammad () did come to all races with a
religion telling them to enjoin Al-Ma‘rûf (good deed) and forbid Al-Munkar (bad deed
or evil), sanctioning At-Tayyibât (anything that is good and harmless) and forbidding
Al-Khabâ’ith (anything that is evil and harmful). Muhammad () is a divine creation
which did not recur. Glorified be He who excelled in creating Mohammed.

O People!

Today we are not trying to talk comprehensively about the standing of the
Messengers and the merit of their Seal (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon
them all), neither are we trying to prove the truthfulness of the prophethood of
Muhammad () and the truthfulness of his Message, for no one respecting his/her
mind can contest this as there are so many channels of knowledge available
nowadays. Yet, there are views and indications flaring up in our chests and boiling in
our hearts that need to be made about what preoccupies people concerning the abuse
of Prophet Muhammad () and the prejudice towards our religion. Let it be known
that there is no good in a nation whose prophet is hurt and does not get angry, and
there is no good in being angry for the sake of Allah's Messenger () which leads to
the wrath of Allah and His Messenger.

It is impossible for a man with a respected culture or a shrewd mind to harbor any
sort of malice against Prophet Muhammad (). Why harbor malice against him? Is it
just because his Book describes the Almighty Creator (Allah) saying: Allâh! Lâ
ilâha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), AlPage


Hayyul-Qayyum (the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and
protects all that exists). Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him.
To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the
earth. [Al-baqarah: 255]

Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (), for whose sake I sacrifice my father,
my mother, and myself is followed today by more than a billion and a half people,
who love him more than themselves, their money, their children and the rest of
mankind. They are ready to sacrifice themselves for his sake, and protect his honor
with theirs. All of them reiterate what Hassan (The Prophet's poet) said:
(My father, my grandfather, and my honor are shields for Muhammad's honor against
you.)

A question I ask those who claim to defend the freedom of speech: For whose sake
are such incitements to evil raised?! For whose sake are civilizations and cultures
pushed to clash?! And when has the freedom of speech meant aggression without
limits or restrictions?!

Where indeed did the freedom of speech disappear when the Holocaust, which
took place decades ago, was denied? Was not the Holocaust imposed by politics
rather than by historical facts? No person in the world dare deny or question it. If ever
one dares, he will be pursued by world organizations, governments, courts and
politicians. Whereas, talking malevolently about the great Messenger Muhammad ()
is permissible and the freedom of speech is guaranteed by law! How do you judge
so?!

Politicians and decision-makers should realize that peoples’ reactions are typhoons
which cannot be controlled and an explosive hell which cannot be avoided. Matters
may get out of control, and in this case, no word would be heard and no wisdom
would be useful, especially if a nation is humiliated in its sacred symbol.
So the wise have to prevent the foolish and politicians have to prevent those who
light fires, and no one would accept any excuses from those who abuse his religion.
We call for dialogue, understanding and tolerance, but all this is of no avail if the
hearts of those people continue to inherit the hatreds of centuries and heap fathomless
scorn on Islam, its Messenger and its ummah.

Where are the international law and treaties that criminalize the advocacy of hatred
and racial discrimination, especially when they constitute a direct incitement to
violence?!


We call upon the world which claims, in its totality, to have made a set of rules to
protect all people to issue a code of conduct and enact a binding law which prohibits
and criminalizes insulting the prophets and messengers, and their Heavenly Messages.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has advocated this in every occasion and
sought to build bridges of dialogue between the followers of the Monotheistic
religions and human cultures so that the relationship between the nations of the earth
is built on the basis of acquaintance, justice and mercy and thus the
world turns from the clash of civilizations to the dialogue of civilizations and calls for
the Truth without any discouragement or distortion. This is our principle, the principle
of Islam, which means believing, respecting, and following all the Prophets as well as
disseminating good, peace and security.

Describing His Prophet Muhammad (), Allah says: And We have sent you
not but as a mercy for the ‘Âlamîn. [Al-Anbiya: 107]
May Allah bless you and me by Qur'an and Sunnah and benefit us with their
verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah, be He exalted, to forgive me and
you!




Part Two

Praise be to Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, Lord of the worlds, the Only
Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of
Resurrection). I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone who has no
partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah
bless him, his Companions, the tab'in, and those who follow them until the Day of
Resurrection!

Servants of Allah!

It was once said to one of our predecessors: “Someone slandered you.” He
responded, “He, thus, threw an arrow towards me, but it didn’t reach me until you
stabbed me with it.”
The Prophets of Allah (May peace be upon them all), and their followers are still
abused and mocked in every era, and in every country. And never came a
Messenger to them but they did mock him. [A-Hijr: 11]
While such an action emanates from people that belong to the lowest classes of
humanity and occupy the bottom status in the two worlds (this world and the
Hereafter), it is the duty of anyone, who hears derisions, not to spread them nor
transmit them except to a capable ruler who can prevent the transgressor.

The infidels’ satirical poetry mocking Prophet Muhammad (), the master of all
messengers, faded into oblivion although it was widely spread and recited. Such
poems vanished immediately because Muslims neither paid attention to them nor
circulated them. Most of these poems are not mentioned in any of Arab news or
collections of poetry.

O servants of Allah! Your religion is manifest and your Prophet is taken care of by
Allah and he is victorious:

It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad  
 )with guidance and the religion of truth (Islâm), to make it superior
over all religions even though the Mushrikûn (polytheists, pagans,
idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh) hate (it). [At-Taubah:
33]

The standing of the prophets will not be lowered due to an impertinent atheist, or a
disheartened infidel. Allah, be He exalted, says: Truly! We will suffice you
against the scoffers. [A-Hijr: 95]
The Prophets’ standings are preserved and their fates are precious and protected,
but the impertinent transgressor is the miserable loser. For he who hates you

(O Muhammad   ), he will be cut off (from posterity and
every good thing in this world and in the Hereafter). [Al-Kauthar: 3]
This verse heals the suffering souls and sweetens the hearts of ardent believers and
guides them in their thankful devotion and rewarded advocacy.
O Moslems!
In the notorious “ifk” (fabrication) (ifk about Aisha (May Allah be pleased with
her), the Prophet's wife), Allah () says:
... Consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you. [An-
Nûr: 11]
In the insolent fabrication of these days against the Prophet (), Muslims’
feelings, which have long lain dormant, have flared, and many non-Moslems have
paid attention to our honorable religion and our Noble Prophet (). Today’s
fabrication moved stagnant water in Muslim and non-Muslim countries.


If Muslims make good use of this event, it can be a road for conquest and triumph,
and if they misuse it, it can lead to relapse and alienation.
The benevolence with which the Muslim Ummah (nation) is depicted is an
indivisible whole. Therefore, Muslims should show their benevolence in their
reactions. It is not benevolent to kill innocent people or destroy properties. It is not
benevolent to follow hooliganism while dealing with such events.

If Muslims had demonstrated closer adherence to their Prophet’s guidance and
footsteps, and spread his tradition and biography, making use of the international
social networks to communicate with others as some Muslims have already
thankfully done this would have been the most effective response to the insolence of
the attackers, and we would have seen how our enemies would hasten to prevent the
repetition of the abuse leveled at our Prophet () when they witness our counter
abuse activities. Such a response would be the most productive vis-à-vis those who
have abused our Prophet () and the best way to refute the intentions of the
offenders.

But, following those who harbor evil intentions towards this Ummah (nation)
either through keeping it busy with the problems which are afflicting it in these times,
or provoking the Muslim communities in foreign countries to commit irresponsible
actions that will lead to their expulsion, which right-wing parties in those countries
are calling for; or to lead those countries to prohibit or suspend any activities for
da'wa (religious call) in the West, after they realized the presence of Islam in each
corner in their countries and that the future belongs to it.

Muslims should realize that they do not need any more of such events that may
result in restricting the tide of Islam and losing its gains. Muslims should show a high
level of maturity and awareness, and they should not repeat the same mistakes. They
also should know that sometimes living for Islam has a heavier negative effect on its
enemies than dying for it.

Standing up for the Prophet () does not mean breaching his Sunnah, nor does it
lead to an action that opposes his guidance. The abuse that has occurred should make
the Ummah cling more firmly to its religion, defend more ardently its Prophet, and
follow his Sunnah in contentment and wrath, in strength and weaknesses. So be
patient (O Muhammad  
 ). Verily, the Promise of Allâh is
true; and let not those who have no certainty of faith, discourage
you from conveying Allâh’s Message (which you are obliged to
convey). [Ar-Rûm: 60]

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace on Your
servant and Messenger Muhammad, the Given Mercy, the Offered Blessing! O Allah!
Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace on Your servant and
Messenger Muhammad, on his kind, virtuous family and his honourable, blessed
Companions! O Allah! Be pleased with the guided imams and the righteous tab'în
(the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet  after his death), and all the
Caliphs –Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali– and on all of Your Prophet's
Companions, and on those who follow their path, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims, and fail polytheism and polytheists
(who associate partners with You). O Allah! Destroy the enemies of Your Religion.

O Allah! Grant safety and security to this homeland and to the rest of Muslim
homelands!

O Allah! Fail those who want to harm or divide our country, turn their plots
against them, and make that the cause of their own destruction!

O Allah! Grant us safety in our homelands, guide our leaders and those responsible
for our affairs, and support with the Truth our Imam and leader. O Allah! Grant
success to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and make his deeds the source of
Your Satisfaction, and provide him with a righteous retinue! O Allah! Reunite
through him the word of all Muslims and raise high the emblem of our religion! O
Allah! Reward him for supporting the causes of all Muslims, for his striving to unify
them, and for his firm stance for blocking all the electronic links that insult our noble
Prophet! O Allah! Grant him and our Crown Prince success, and help them all in
their endeavors for the good and welfare of this nation.

O Allah! Improve the conditions of our Muslim brothers in all countries. O Allah!
Improve their conditions in Syria. O Allah! Gather them around Your Truth and
Guidance. O Allah! Spare their blood, reassure them, feed the hungry people among
them, preserve their dignity and honour, strengthen their hearts, and grant them power
and victory over their oppressors! O Allah! Lift the siege around them! O Allah!
Bring an end to their suffering! O Allah! Bring an end to their suffering!

O Allah! Come to the succor of the orphans, the widows, and the oppressed! O
Allah! Have mercy on them, O You our Lord, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate, O
You Who help the oppressed!

O Allah! Defeat the tyrant and oppressors! O Allah! Inflict Your suffering and
contempt on them! O You, the Lord of the Truth!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s
Sunnah, and Your true servants! O Allah! Grant victory to the oppressed among the
Muslims everywhere, and reunite them around Your Truth. O You, Lord of al-'alamîn
(the worlds)! O Allah! Grant them victory in Palestine over the Zionist occupiers! O
Allah! Grant victory to the oppressed in Burma! O Allah! Spare their blood, improve
their conditions!, and be on their side, O You Lord of the worlds, Most Merciful,
Most Compassionate!


… Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the
Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the
Fire! [ Al-Baqarah: 201]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, pardon our shortcomings, make easy our affairs, and
fulfill our hopes in accordance with Your pleasure! O Lord! Forgive our parents, our
grandparents, our wives and children, O You, Who hears our prayers!

O Allah! Accept our prayers, and forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving,
Most Merciful!
Glorified be You Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power! You are free from what they
attribute unto You! May peace be upon the Messengers! The last of our supplications
is all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!
Reply

A-Brother
10-10-2012, 07:53 PM
Paradise

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib
September 12, 2008 ~ Ramadaan 1, 1429


Right Click > Save: Khutbah Audio in Arabic
Right Click > Save: Khutbah Text in Arabic
First Khutbah
All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, the Possessor of virtue and bounties. For him is abundant praise and purest greetings, and (in) Him is the hope for forgiveness of sins and errors. He threats and He promises, and makes the good outcome for the one who believes in Him and guides and who is steadfast and guided and does not ascribe any partners with his Lord.
And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.
And I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s servant and messenger. He gave his nation the glad-tidings of Paradise and warned them of Hellfire, and being dissatisfied with this abode, longing for the permanent abode. May Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on him and on his pure family and chosen companions and those who follow them and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.
Thereafter:
O Muslims: I advise you and myself with the fear of Allah. For it is the preparation of this life to reach to the promise of the God. And do not let the life of this world distract you, for verily life is a wheel that will soon stop and souls are approaching and nearing their deadlines. Then all the creation will thereafter arrive at the promise of Allah or His threat. “O my people! Truly, this life of the world is nothing but a enjoyment, and verily, the Hereafter that is the home that will remain forever. Whosoever does an evil deed, will not be requited except the like thereof, and whosoever does a righteous deed, whether male or female and is a true believer, such will enter Paradise, where they will be provided therein (with all things in abundance) without limit.” [Ghafir: Verse 39-40] So the one who is granted the ability is the one who is earnest and strives and in the seasons of goodness he strives and in them he rejoices to attain Paradise and with Paradise he is triumphant.

O fasters, O worshipers, O weak repenters: Allah’s glad-tidings for you is the eternal Garden, the home of peace. And His Promise for you is Lofty Gardens. And for the one who fears the standing (in front of) his Lord is two gardens. Talking about Paradise – O believers – is an antidote, a solace, a yearning and faith. And at the time of good deeds, the hearts are eager for its promised and they hope for gardens from their Lord and the One they (hearts) worship, for Paradise is promised by the Lord of the worlds and (it is) His recompense for the pious workers, and it is the solace of the patient ones and the destination of the journey of the worshipers. It is the houses of the prophets and the abode of the true, happy friends and the resting place of the saints. Paradise and whatever is in it is the end of the hope of the hopeful and the objective of the ambitions of the ambitious. The talk about Paradise is the “departure of the souls to the lands of joys”, and the objective of it (talking about Paradise) is strengthening courage and melting the hearts and reminding the souls, and giving glad-tidings to the people of faith and Sunnah of what Allah has prepared for them in Paradise, for verily they are deserving of good news in the life of this world and the Hereafter. “And give glad tidings to those who believe and do righteous good deeds, that for them will be Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise).” [Baqarah: Verse 25] “That is (the Paradise) whereof Allah gives glad tidings to His slaves who believe (in the Oneness of Allah) and do righteous good deeds.” [Shoora: Verse 23] “Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah) and emigrated and strove hard and fought in Allah’s Cause with their wealth and their lives are far higher in degree with Allah. They are the successful. Their Lord gives them glad tidings of a mercy from Him, and that He is pleased (with them), and of Gardens (Paradise) for them wherein are everlasting delights. They will dwell therein forever. Verily, with Allah is a great reward.” [Tawbah: Verse 20-22]
Paradise is the promised and its bounties surpass description and imagination. In the two authentic (books) (Bukhari and Muslim): “A (small) place equal to an area occupied by a whip in Paradise is better that the world and whatever is in it.” The people of Paradise will be welcomed with security and the glad tidings of eternity. “My worshipers! No fear shall be on you this Day, nor shall you grieve, (you) who have believed in Our verses and were Muslims. Enter Paradise, you and your wives, in happiness. Trays of gold and cups will be passed round them, therein all that the one’s inner-selves could desire, all that the eyes could delight in, and you will abide therein forever. This is the Paradise which you have been made to inherit because of your deeds which you used to do. Therein for you will be fruits in plenty, of which you will eat.” [Zukhruf: Verse 68-73]
And in the two authentic (books) (Bukhari and Muslim): That the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Verily the first group (of people) who will enter Paradise will be (glittering) like the moon when it is full; and those who will enter next will be (glittering) like the most brilliant star in the sky. They will not urinate, defecate, spit or blow their noses. Their utensils will be of gold and their sweat will smell like musk. The aloes-wood will be used in their centers. Their wives will be the fair wide-eyed maidens. All of them will look alike and will resemble their father Aadam (in statute), sixty cubits tall.
O Muslims: In Paradise, troubles will be cast off for a believer and he will relax from hardship, and he will praise Allah for this rest: “And they will say: ‘All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has removed from us (all) grief. Verily our Lord is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate. Who, out of His Grace, has lodged us in a home that will last forever; there, toil will touch us not, nor weariness will touch us.’” [Faatir: Verse 34-35]
Paradise is free from disturbances: “(They will enter) Eden Paradise, which the Most Beneficent has promised to His slaves in the unseen. Verily! His Promise must come to pass. They shall not hear therein any evil talk, but only salutations of peace. And they will have therein their sustenance, morning and afternoon. Such is the Paradise which We shall give as an inheritance to those of Our slaves who have been pious and righteous.” [Maryam: Verse 61-63].
Listen, O you pious. Verily you are the inheritors. And this promise is the truth by Allah. Verily, His Promise must come to pass. “Verily! The pious will be in a place of Security (Paradise). Among Gardens and Springs. Dressed in fine silk and (also) in thick silk, facing each other, So (it will be), and We shall marry them to female fair ones with wide, lovely eyes. They will call therein for every kind of fruit in peace and security; They will never taste death therein except the first death (of this world), and He will save them from the torment of the blazing Fire, – As a Bounty from your Lord! That will be the supreme success!” [Dukhaan: Verse 51-57].
Verily Paradise has no danger in it. It is, by the Lord of the ka’bah, a shining light and a vibrating sweet fragrance and a constructed castle and a steady (flowing) river and abundant, ripe fruit and a good, beautiful wife; and abundant jewels in an everlasting place; in silk and gold; in tall gorgeous houses; enmity, hatred and (evil) whisperings removed from their hearts. “And We shall remove from their hearts any sense of injury (that they may have), (So they will be like) brothers facing each other on thrones.” [Hijr: Verse 47]
Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Allah – the Exalted – said: ‘I have prepared for my righteous servants what no eye has seen and no ear has heard, nor has it occurred to the human heart.” Thus recite if you wish: “And no soul knows what joy for them has been kept hidden.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]
Eden Paradise (Everlasting Gardens): its rooms are (made) of all types of jewels; and its tents are (made) of hollow pearls on the shores of its pleasant rivers. The throne of the Most Beneficent is its roof; and musk and saffron are its soil; and pearls, ruby and jewels are its pebbles; and gold and silver are its bricks; lofty rooms, one above another under which rivers flow.
And if you want more, then listen to what will meet the fearful working believers, those who: “And they give food, inspite of their love for it (or for the love of Him), to the poor, the orphan and the captive (saying): ‘We feed you seeking Allah’s Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you. Verily we fear from our Lord a Day, hard and distressful, that will make the faces look horrible (from extreme dislike for it).’ So Allah saved them from the evil of that Day, and gave them a light of beauty and joy. And their recompense shall be Paradise, and silken garments, because they were patient. Reclining therein on raised thrones, they will see there neither the excessive heat of the sun, nor the excessive bitter cold, (as in Paradise there is no sun and no moon). And the shade thereof is close upon them, and the bunches of fruit thereof will hang low within their reach. And amongst them will be passed round vessels of silver and cups of crystal, crystal-clear, made of silver. They will determine the measure thereof according to their wishes. And they will be given to drink there a cup (of wine) mixed with ginger, A spring there, called Salsabil. And round about them will (serve) boys of everlasting youth. If you see them, you would think them scattered pearls. And when you look there (in Paradise), you will see a delight (that cannot be imagined), and a great dominion. Their garments will be of fine green silk, and gold embroidery. They will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a pure drink. (And it will be said to them): ‘Verily, this is a reward for you, and your endeavour has been accepted.” [Insaan: Verse 8-22].
The delight of the body with gardens and rivers and fruits; and the delight of the self with pure wives; and the delight of the heart and coolness of the eyes with eternity and permanence. Life and delight forever and ever. “This is a Reminder, and verily, for the pious is a good final return (Paradise), – Eden Paradise, whose doors will be open for them, Therein they will call for fruits in abundance and drinks; And beside them will be chaste females restraining their glances only for their husbands, of equal ages. This is what you are promised for the Day of Reckoning! (It will be said to them)! Verily, this is Our Provision which will never finish.” [Saad: Verse 49-54]
And if you ask about the wives, then they are the fair, wide-eyed maidens, good and beautiful. They combine both outward and inward beauty; beautiful fair females restrained in pavilions; loving their spouses; virgins, whom no man or jinn has had sexual relations with before them. If one of them had appeared in this world, whatever is between the sky and earth would be filled with fragrance and perfume and her light and radiance will outshine the light of the sun and her veil on her head is better than this world and whatever is in it. And Allah will reward the believing women with their being created in the best creation: “Verily, We have created them (maidens) of special creation. And made them virgins. Loving (their husbands only), equal in age. For those on the Right Hand.” [Waqi’ah: Verse 35-38].
Allah will unite their gathering and make their families accompany them. “Eden Paradise (Everlasting Gardens), which they shall enter and (also) those who acted righteously from among their fathers, and their wives, and their offspring. And angels shall enter unto them from every gate (saying): ‘Peace be upon you for that you persevered in patience! Excellent is the final home!’” [Ra’d: Verse 23-24] “Verily, the dwellers of Paradise, that Day, will be busy in joyful things. They and their wives will be in pleasant shade, reclining on thrones. They will have therein fruits (of all kinds) and all that they ask for. (It will be said to them): Peace be on you, a Word from the Lord, Most Merciful.” [Yaseen: Verse 55-58].
Everlasting pleasure and eternity and radiance and happiness. “Verily the pious who fear Allah and avoid evil will be in Delight (Paradise). On thrones, looking (at all things). You will recognise in their faces the brightness of delight. They will be given to drink pure sealed wine. The last thereof will be the smell of musk, and for this let (all) those strive who want to strive (i.e. hasten earnestly to the obedience of Allah). It will be mixed with Tasnim. A spring whereof drink those nearest to Allah.” [Mutaffifeen: Verse 21-28].
This; and if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face – free from any resemblance or likeness to anything – as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, as was constantly conveyed by the truthful, the trusted, which is present in the books of authentic Ahadeeth, narrated by Jurair, Suhaib, Anas, Abu Hurairah, Abu Moosa and Abu Sa’eed – may Allah be pleased with them all: “Then listen on the day that the caller will call: ‘O People of Paradise! Your Lord – Blessed and Exalted – requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!’ So they will say: ‘We hear and obey!
Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet – and none of them will turn down the request of the caller – the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will order His Chair to be brought there. Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: ‘O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allah in which He wishes to reward you!’ So they will say: ‘And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?’
And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller – Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names – has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: ‘O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!’ So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: ‘O Allah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honour!’ So the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will laugh to them and say: ‘O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!’
So, they will all give the same response: ‘We are pleased, so be pleased with us!’ So, He will say: ‘O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!’ So, they will all give the same response: ‘Show us Your Face so that we may look at it!’ So, the Lord – Mighty and Majestic – will remove His covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allah – the Exalted – had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.
And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord – the Exalted – will speak to him and say: ‘Do you remember the day that you did this and that?’ and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the worldy life, so he will say: ‘O Lord! Will you not forgive me?’ So, He will say: ‘Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by My forgiveness.’”
O Allah we ask you for the enjoyment of seeing Your Noble Face and yearning for Your Meeting, without any harm nor misguiding trial.
O Allah bless us in the Quraan and Sunnah, and benefit us in what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine and I seek the forgiveness of Allah – the Exalted – for me and you.
Second Khutbah
All praise be to Allah. He made the Firdaws Paradise an abode for His believing servants. And He varied for them righteous deeds as a means to be taken to these gardens. And He made the appointment for entering them the Day of coming to Him. And He set the period of temporary life with no postponement.
And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. We are not self-sufficient (even) for the blink of an eye of His bounties and mercy. And we have no craving for (entering) Paradise except through His Pardon and Forgiveness. And I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s servant, His messenger, His friend and His chosen one. May Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on him and on all his family and companions.
Thereafter:
O Muslims: These words are nothing except references. Verily the realities are greater, and Allah – the Exalted – is more Generous, so who is the striver for Paradise? Say (you all): We are the strivers, if Allah wills. For it is – by Allah – The life. Alas, evil is the one who prefers the life of this world over it (Paradise). He trades the everlasting Paradise for a temporary life. If he is happy for a little while, he will cry a lot and if he is pleased for a day, he will be sad for a month. Its (The life of this world) beginning are fears, and its end are deserts. Evil is a nation that delights in this world as if they were created for it and they tread every path, whether permissible or forbidden, in order to obtain it as if they are everlasting in it. Evil is a nation that forgets the Hereafter and neglects it and leaves out the commands of Allah and flouts them. Tomorrow it will be said to them: “Then taste you (the torment of the fire) because of your forgetting the Meeting of this Day of yours, (and) surely! We too will forget you” [Sajdah: Verse 14]. So how strange is the one who prefers the temporary over the permanent. And surely the exorbitant fraud will be apparent on the Day of Judgement, when grief and regret will be apparent. When the pious will be gathered unto the Most Beneficent like delegates, and the criminals will be driven to Hell, thirsty. And a caller will call out bearing testimony: The standing people will surely know who is more deserving of hospitality among the servants. And if you see the noble believers “They will be served by immortal boys, with cups, and jugs, and a glass from the flowing wine, Wherefrom they will get neither any aching of the head, nor any intoxication. And fruit; that they may choose. And the flesh of fowls that they desire. And (there will be) fair females with wide, lovely eyes, Like unto preserved pearls. A reward for what they used to do.” [Waqi’ah: Verse 17-24]
Thereafter O servants of Allah: Here you are in the era of ploughing, work, storing and hope. And verily this world is patience for an hour, then to Allah is the returning. So show Allah the best of yourselves. “And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious.” [Aal Imraan: Verse 133]. Then Allah – the Exalted – calls you: “Allah calls to the home of peace” [Yunus: Verse 25]. So come to Paradise and pleasure, and be like those who the Most Beneficent has described: “They used to sleep but little by night. And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allah) for forgiveness. And in their properties there was the right of the beggar, and the poor who does not ask others.” [Thaariyaat: Verse 17-19].
And verily in Paradise there are rooms which can be seen from the inside and the outside. Allah has prepared them for he who utters good, feeds the poor and spends the night in prayer while the people are asleep. And here is the month of Ramadan, the season of repentance and returning and the occasion of supplications and answering (of supplications), the month of prayer, fasting, charity and joining family ties. Take provisions from good deeds and increase in good until it is said to you tomorrow in the Hereafter: “Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past!” [Haaqqah: Verse 24]. Reach out for yourselves, for verily among people, there are poor, destitute, those overwhelmed by debts, disabled, struggling, orphans, widows, prisoners, the families of prisoners, beggars and those keeping chaste (seeking marriage). All of them are in need of your charities. And in the lands, there are national committees for the welfare of prisoners and their release and the welfare of their families, so fulfil their needs. And a Fatwa (religious ruling) has been issued (that) Zakaat (annual obligatory charity) may be given to them, so help them. “As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him, And believes in The Best, We will make smooth for him the path of ease.” [Layl: Verse 5-7]
O Allah make us from the people of Paradise. O Allah make us from the people of Paradise. O Allah make us from the people of Paradise.
This; and send salutations and peace on the best of mankind and the purest of humans, the messenger of Allah, Muhammad, the son of Abdullah. O Allah send salutations, peace and increase and (send) blessings on your servant and messenger Muhammad and on his family and companions.
O Allah let us drink from his pond. O Allah let us drink from his pond and resurrect us in his gathering and grant us his company in Paradise.
O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…
Reply

BintAbee
11-17-2012, 08:10 AM
:sl:

Caution with regards to the Hellfire

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

August 14, 2009 ~ Sha’baan 23, 1430

First Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, the Possessor of Power and Eternity and Kingship. For Him is Glory in the heavens and earth. And for Him is Honour in them and Force and Might, painful in punishment, severe in consequences, and He is Eternal, Ever-Living and does not die. Glory be to You, O Allah. Who is the one that feels safe (with) Your Plan, how lost is he?! And who is the one that flouts Your Prohibitions, then how regretful is he?! And who is the one that Your Threat befalls and he is saved?!

And I bear witness that there is no god but You. Glory be to You. And I bear witness that Muhammad is Your servant and messenger. May Allah’s salutations be on him, for how fearing he was of Allah and how devout! And may Allah’s salutations be on him, how pious and Allah-conscious he was! And may His salutations be on him, for how much of his tears flowed for Allah! And may His salutations be on the family and noble companions and much peace until the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter:

Fear Allah – the Exalted – as He ought to be feared. And hold onto Islam with the firm tie. And prepare for the meeting of Allah and beware of His Punishment, for verily your bodies cannot be patient on the heat of the Hellfire and cannot withstand it: “O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” [Hashr; Verse 18]

Servants of Allah: Surely it is from the way of the prophet – peace be upon him – to advise his companions and attach their conditions to the Hereafter. And in the two authentic (books) (Bukhari and Muslim): that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “The Hellfire complained to its Lord and said: ‘O Lord! My different parts eat up each other.’ So, He allowed it to take two breaths, one in the winter and the other in summer, and this is the reason for the severe heat and the bitter cold you find (in weather).” And also in the two authentic books: that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “If it is very hot, then pray the Thuhr prayer when it becomes (a bit) cooler, as the severity of the heat is from the raging of the Hellfire.”

O Muslims: A destiny (that) prevents the eyes of the pious from sleep; and a return (that) trembles the hearts of the Allah-fearing; and an end, the warning of which makes thirsty the days of the worshippers and lengthens the standing of the saints at night; and an end (that) perpetuates sadness in the expression of the soft-hearted. “Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope.” [Sajdah; Verse 16].

Verily it is, O Muslims, the Hellfire. The Hellfire is a great creation of the creations of Allah. And it is the abode that Allah prepared for the disbelievers; for it is the lodge of the oppressors; and the prison of the disbelievers; and the punishment of the sinners and violators. And it is the greatest disgrace and the clear loss. It is evil in which there is no good and the destination that is necessary; ancient in creation; previously existing. “And fear the Fire, which is prepared for the disbelievers.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 131]. For it is prepared and created and surely the prophet – peace be upon him – saw it, as in the Hadeeth in the two authentic (books), in the solar eclipse prayer.

O Muslims: The discussion about Hellfire is a true, truthful discussion. In it are mountains, valleys, rivers and ravines. In it are descending steps and houses and it is black and dark, gloomy and obscured. For it, is a sound that (can) be heard from far; groaning, scolding and shaking a dreadful shaking, and “Verily! It (Hell) throws sparks (huge) as a fort. As if they were yellow camels or bundles of ropes. Woe that Day to the deniers (of the Day of Resurrection)!” [Mursalaat; Verse 32-34].Grief therein is everlasting and long, and for the people therein is screeching, shouting and wailing. The hearts of its people are filled with hopelessness and despair and the days in it do not increase them except in difficulty and hardship. In it are punishment and pains which tongues and pens are incapable of describing. And in it are terrors and griefs of which the mind is deficient in picturing. “Evil indeed it (Hell) is as an abode and as a place to dwell.” [Furqaan; Verse 66]. Allah frightens the close angels with it: “And if any of them should say: ‘Verily, I am a god besides Him (Allah),’ such a one We should recompense with Hell. Thus We recompense the polytheists and wrong-doers.” [Anbiyaa; Verse 29]. And He said to His noble messenger: “Set not up with Allah any other god, or you will be thrown in Hell, blameworthy and rejected (from Allah’s Mercy).” [Israa; Verse 39].

And the messenger frightened his companions and his nation with it, then he warned them of the Hellfire and he said: “I warn you of the Hellfire, I warn you of the Hellfire, I warn you of the Hellfire.” Will the rest of the world be safe after this, nay will the sinners (be safe)?! Hasan al Basriyy – may Allah have mercy on him – said: “By Allah, never will a servant truly believe in the Hellfire, except that the earth will narrow upon him despite its vastness, and the hypocrite will not believe in the Hellfire even if it was behind his back, until he is disfigured in its depths. By Allah, the servants have not been warned of anything worse than it ‘Therefore I have warned you of a Fire blazing fiercely (Hell); None shall enter it except the most wretched, who denies and turns away.’ [Layl; Verse 14-16].” And in the Mighty Revelation: “There is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell); this is with your Lord; a Decree which must be accomplished.” [Maryam; Verse 71]. So where is the fear of that passing over? Verily there is one who fears travelling by night and whoever travels by night reaches the house, and by Allah no one will be saved except the believers: “Aforetime, we were afraid with our families (from the punishment of Allah). But Allah has been gracious to us, and has saved us from the torment of the Fire. Verily we used to invoke Him (alone and none else) before. Verily, He is the Most Kind, the Most Merciful.” [Toor; Verse 26-28].

Abdullah – may Allah be pleased with him – said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “The Hellfire will be brought on that Day with seventy thousand reins; and with every rein will be seventy thousand angels pulling it.” [Narrated by Muslim]. For it, are a terrorizing sound, destruction and palpitations: “When it (Hell) sees them from a far place, they will hear its raging and its roaring.” [Furqaan; Verse 12] and in the Kingdom Chapter: “It almost bursts up with fury.” [Mulk; Verse 8]. Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – said: the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “The fire of the children of Adam which they kindle is a seventieth part of the fire of Jahannum (Hellfire).” They said, “Messenger of Allah, this fire is certainly enough.” He said: “That fire is sixty-nine times greater.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

“This is the Hell which the polytheists denied.”[Rahmaan; Verse 43]. They will enter it with the severest of speech then the doors will be shut on them: “The fire of Allah, kindled, which leaps up over the hearts, Verily, it shall be closed in on them. In pillars stretched forth (i.e. they will be punished in the Fire with pillars, etc.).” [Humazah; Verse 6-9]. Its fuel is people and stones. Its fire will not be extinguished with the length of time and its kindles will not be dimmed with the passing of days “whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.” [Israa; Verse 97]. And (together) with that they will be bound: “Verily, we have prepared for the disbelievers iron chains, iron collars and a blazing Fire.” [Insaan; Verse 4]. “When iron collars will be rounded over their necks, and the chains, they shall be dragged along. In the boiling water, then they will be burned in the Fire.” [Ghafir; Verse 71-72], and above that they will be hit and humiliated “And for them are hooked rods of iron (to punish them). Every time they seek to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be driven back therein, and (it will be) said to them: “Taste the torment of burning!” [Hajj; Verse 21-22]. They will be dressed with fire and will melt: “And you will see the disbelievers (in the Oneness of Allah) that Day bound together in fetters; Their garments will be of pitch, and fire will cover their faces.” [Ibraheem; Verse 49-50], and in the Pilgrimage Chapter: “then as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, boiling water will be poured down over their heads. With it will melt or vanish away what is within their bellies, as well as (their) skins. And for them are hooked rods of iron (to punish them).” [Hajj; Verse 19-21]. Do you not see how meat is roasted on the fire? So like this is the condition of the disbelievers in the Hellfire “On the Day when their faces will be turned over in the Fire, they will say: ‘O would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger (Muhammad – peace be upon him).” [Ahzaab; Verse 66], “The Fire will burn their faces, and therein they will grin, with displaced lips (disfigured).” [Mu’minoon; Verse 104].

As for their food, it is punishment and their drink is punishment: “No food will there be for them but “Daree’” (a poisonous thorny plant).” [Ghashiyah; Verse 6]. And “Daree’” is a thorny plant that comes from the land of Hijaz sticking in the earth; “Verily, the tree of Zaqqum, wil be the food of the sinners, like boiling oil, it will boil in their bellies, like the boiling of scalding water.” [Dukhaan; Verse 43-46] and Zaqqum is a tree that springs out of the bottom of Hellfire, the shoots of its fruit-stalks are like the heads of devils. As for their drinks, they are the discharge of wounds and pus, and it is the beverages of the people of the Hellfire: “And if they ask for help (relief, water, etc.) they will be granted water like boiling oil, that will scald their faces.” [Kahf; Verse 29], “and be given, to drink, boiling water, so that it cuts up their bowels.” [Muhammad; Verse 15] and in another verse: “and he will be made to drink boiling, festering water. He will sip it unwillingly, and he will find a great difficulty to swallow it down his throat, and death will come to him from every side, yet he will not die and in front of him, will be a great torment.” [Ibraheem; Verse 16-17]. These are some of the scenes of punishment, so do the desires of an hour of this world rank equally?

Anas bin Malik – may Allah be pleased with him – said: the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “One of the citizens of Hell who led a life of ease and plenty amongst the people of the world would be made to dip in Hellfire only once on the Day of Resurrection and then it would be said to him: O son of Adam, did you find any comfort, did you happen to get any material blessing? He would say: By Allah, no, my Lord.” [Narrated by Muslim]. Verily it is one dip and man will forget every bounty of this world and its delicacies and desires: “The sinner would desire to ransom himself from the punishment of that Day by his children, and his wife and his brother, and his kindred who sheltered him, and all that are in the earth, so that it might save him. By no means! Verily! It will be the Fire of Hell! Taking away (burning completely) the head skin! Calling: ‘(O disbeliever, O polytheist) (all) such as turn their backs and turn away their faces (from faith).” [Ma’arij; Verse 11-17].

Servants of Allah: And when the hardships are prolonged on the people of the Hellfire and the punishment has reached every extent and their griefs and regrets are many, they will seek exit and refuge: “Therein they will cry: ‘Our Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not (the evil deeds) that we used to do.” [Fatir; Verse 37] and they will confess their sins: “They will say: ‘Our Lord! Our wretchedness overcame us, and we were (an) erring people. Our Lord! Bring us out of this; if ever we return (to evil), then indeed we shall be polytheists.” [Mu’minoon; Verse 106-107], so they will be answered after a while: “Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not to Me!” [Mu’minoon; Verse 108], then they will request from the keeper of the Fire that he intercedes with Allah for them to be destroyed and to die so that they may be acquitted of the punishment: “And they will cry: ‘O Malik (keeper of Hell)! Let your Lord make an end of us.’ He will say: ‘Verily you shall abide forever.” [Zukhruf; Verse 77]. Verily it is denial of everything that they request, and death will be brought, then slaughtered and it will be said to the people of Paradise: Eternity and no death, and it will be said to the people of Hellfire: Eternity and no death… The Hadeeth is in Saheeh Bukhari. There, the wailing of the people of Hellfire will intensify and their grief will heighten and their cries will prolong, so they will cry until their tears end, then they will cry blood until it flows on their faces like the shape of trenches (due to) crying.

O Muslims: Verily from the perfection of the justice of Allah – Glorified and Majestic – is that He does not equate the obedient and the sinner nor the reformer and the corrupter: “Shall We then treat the (submitting) Muslims like the polytheists? What is the matter with you? How judge you?” [Qalam; Verse 35-36]. And verily Allah – the Exalted – has described to us His Punishment, so there is no proof for the sinner against Allah. So disbelief and hypocrisy are the reasons for eternity in the Hellfire: “Allah has promised the hypocrites; men and women, and the disbelievers, the Fire of Hell, therein shall they abide. It will suffice them. Allah has cursed them and for them is the lasting torment.” [Tawbah; Verse 68]. And whoever recommends his opinions, opposing the commands of Allah and His Law, then he should listen to the saying of Allah – Glorified and Majestic – : “Know they not that whoever opposes and shows hostility to Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), certainly for him will be the Fire of Hell to abide therein. That is extreme disgrace.” [Tawbah; Verse 63]

And woe, then again woe to the one who neglects the prayer when he is asked: “What has caused you to enter Hell?’ They will say: ‘We were not of those who used to offer their prayers. Nor we used to feed the poor. And we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allah hated) with vain talkers. And we used to belie the Day of Recompense. Until there came to us (the death) that is certain.’ So no intercession of intercessors will be of any use to them.” [Muddathir; Verse 42-48].

And the consuming of interest is a cause of entering Hellfire, and (so too) is eating the wealth of the orphans oppressively: “Verily, those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only a fire into their bellies, and they will be burnt in the blazing Fire!” [Nisaa; Verse 10], and in Saheeh Muslim: that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: Allah – the Exalted – says: “Pride is My cloak and greatness is My robe, and he who competes with Me in respect of either of them, I shall cast into the Hellfire.” And in the great Quran: “And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him.” [Nisaa; Verse 93]. And eating the wealth of people falsely and suicide are coupled in one verse, Allah – Glorified and Majestic – said: “And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you. And whoever commits that through aggression and injustice, We shall cast him into the Fire, and that is easy for Allah.” [Nisaa; Verse 29-30]. And a false oath submerges its companion in the Hellfire, therefore an oath is called ‘catastrophic’, and leaning towards oppressors and inclining towards them: “And incline not toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire should touch you.” [Hood; Verse 113].

And Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrated that: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “There are two types of people who will enter the Hellfire, whom I have not (as yet) seen: People having whips similar to ox-tails with which they will beat people, and (secondly) women who will be dressed yet appear to be naked. They will seduce men and be inclined towards them. Their heads will be like the swaying humps of the Bactrian camels. They will neither enter Paradise, nor smell its fragrance, even though its fragrance can be smelt from such and such distance.” [Narrated by Muslim].

And Abdullah bin Umar – may Allah be pleased with them both – narrated that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “O group of women, give charity and ask for much forgiveness for I saw you in majority amongst the dwellers of Hell,” so a lady amongst them said: Why is it O messenger of Allah, that we are the majority in Hell? He said: “You curse too much and are ungrateful to your spouses.”[Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

As for the hypocrites, they are the first who will be burned by the Fire on the Day of Judgement as is in the two authentic (books of Hadeeth: Bukhari and Muslim). And say to the ones who speak with their tongues and their pens with no weight or accountability. The prophet – peace be upon him – said: “And are people thrown on their faces into the Fire for anything but the harvest of their tongues.” Hellfire is promised for the alcoholic, the breaker of family ties, the believer of sorcery, the carrier of tales and the one who reduces the wealth of his brother by a false oath should build his abode in the Hellfire.

O Muslims: And surely the prophet – peace be upon him – saw pictures of the punishment of the people of Hellfire, as in the Hadeeth (narrated) by Samurah bin Jundub – may Allah be pleased with him -: So surely the prophet – peace be upon him – saw a man who was lying on his back while another man was standing over him with a stone which he then dropped onto his head, crushing it. Then the stone rolled away from him and he went after the stone to retrieve it. When he returned to him, his head was whole again and had become as it had been in the first place. So he went back and hit him as he had done the first time… and he said in the Hadeeth: This is the man who memorized the Quran and then abandoned it and slept through the obligatory prayers. Just as the prophet – peace be upon him – saw a man lying on his back, and there was another man standing over him with an iron hook. He went to one side of his face and cut open the side of his mouth until it reached the back of his neck and then his nostril to the back of his neck and his eye to the back of his neck. Then he moved to the other side and did the same thing as he had done to the first side. When he finished that side, the first side had become whole again. Then he did the same thing all over again… and he said in the Hadeeth: This is the man who went from his house and told lies which spread everywhere. And the prophet – peace be upon him – saw something like an oven. There was babble and shouting in it, and it contained naked men and women. The flames would come at them from underneath, and when those flames reached them, they cried out… and he said: These are the adulterers and adulteresses. And the prophet – peace be upon him – saw a river red like blood. And in it was a man swimming while on the bank of the river there was a man who had many stones with him. When that swimmer swam and reached the one who had gathered stones, he forced his mouth open and made him swallow a stone. Then he would begin to swim and would come back to him again. Whenever he came back to him, he forced open his mouth and made him swallow a stone… and he said: This is the consumer of interest. And he saw a man with a repulsive appearance like the most repulsive man you have ever seen, and he said: This is Malik, the keeper of Hell. [Hadeeth narrated by Bukhari]. So is there any (greater) threat after this threat… “Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for him who has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful.” [Qaaf; Verse 37]

O Allah save us from the punishment of the Hellfire. O Allah save us from the punishment of the Hellfire. O Allah save us from the punishment of the Hellfire. Our Lord we have believed so forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the Hellfire.

May Allah benefit us and you with the guidance of His Book and save us all from His humiliation and His Punishment. I say these words of mine and I seek the forgiveness of Allah – the Exalted – for me and you.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, the One Who Honours the one who is obedient to Him and the One Who disgraces the sinners against Him, the One Who saves the seeker of His Saviour and the One Who answers the caller unto Him. I praise Him – the Exalted – and I thank Him and I praise Him and I seek His Forgiveness and I ask His saviour for me and you. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him and on all his family and companions.

Thereafter: Surely the speech of Allah is the truth: “And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he is indeed successful” [Aal Imraan; Verse 185], and faith and good righteous deeds are – by Allah – the path of success and deliverance, and the promise of Allah and the promise of His messenger is the truth. So the Hellfire will never go through the man who cries out of the fear of Allah until milk returns to the udder. And two eyes that the Hellfire will never touch: the eye that cries out of the fear of Allah and the eye that keeps watch in the way of Allah. And for piety there is a great rank: “But for him (the true believer of Islamic Monotheism) who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (i.e. in Paradise).” [Rahmaan; Verse 46]. And supplication and seeking refuge with Allah is the greatest door to saviour. Anas bin Malik – may Allah be pleased with him – said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “No one asks Allah for Paradise three times except that Paradise says: ‘O Allah! Enter him into Paradise!’ And no Muslim seeks protection with Allah from the Hellfire three times except that Hellfire says: ‘O Allah! Protect him from me.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi and Ibn Maja with an authentic chain of narration].

And we are about to welcome a great month, the month of emancipation from Hellfire, so whoever fasts one day in the path of Allah, Allah distances his face, due to that day, from the Fire by the distance traveled in seventy years, and in Ramadan the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hellfire are shut. And for Allah on every night of Ramadan are those emancipated from the Hellfire.

O Allah, O Ever-Living, O Sustainer, O Possessor of Majesty. O Allah we ask you by (virtue) of our bearing witness that you are Allah, there is no god but You and there is no power and might except with You. We ask You O Allah to enter us into Paradise and to save us from the punishment of Hellfire. O Allah we ask you for Paradise and we seek Your protection from Hellfire. O Allah we ask you for Paradise and we seek Your protection from Hellfire. O Allah we ask you for Paradise and we seek Your protection from Hellfire.

O Allah send salutations on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad as You have sent salutations on Ibraheem and on the family of Ibraheem. Verily You are the Praise-Worthy, the Glorious. And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed the family of Ibraheem amongst the worlds. Verily You are the Praise- Worthy, the Glorious.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/11...-the-hellfire/
Reply

BintAbee
11-17-2012, 08:10 AM
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Caution with regards to the Hellfire

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

August 14, 2009 ~ Sha’baan 23, 1430

First Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, the Possessor of Power and Eternity and Kingship. For Him is Glory in the heavens and earth. And for Him is Honour in them and Force and Might, painful in punishment, severe in consequences, and He is Eternal, Ever-Living and does not die. Glory be to You, O Allah. Who is the one that feels safe (with) Your Plan, how lost is he?! And who is the one that flouts Your Prohibitions, then how regretful is he?! And who is the one that Your Threat befalls and he is saved?!

And I bear witness that there is no god but You. Glory be to You. And I bear witness that Muhammad is Your servant and messenger. May Allah’s salutations be on him, for how fearing he was of Allah and how devout! And may Allah’s salutations be on him, how pious and Allah-conscious he was! And may His salutations be on him, for how much of his tears flowed for Allah! And may His salutations be on the family and noble companions and much peace until the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter:

Fear Allah – the Exalted – as He ought to be feared. And hold onto Islam with the firm tie. And prepare for the meeting of Allah and beware of His Punishment, for verily your bodies cannot be patient on the heat of the Hellfire and cannot withstand it: “O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” [Hashr; Verse 18]

Servants of Allah: Surely it is from the way of the prophet – peace be upon him – to advise his companions and attach their conditions to the Hereafter. And in the two authentic (books) (Bukhari and Muslim): that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “The Hellfire complained to its Lord and said: ‘O Lord! My different parts eat up each other.’ So, He allowed it to take two breaths, one in the winter and the other in summer, and this is the reason for the severe heat and the bitter cold you find (in weather).” And also in the two authentic books: that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “If it is very hot, then pray the Thuhr prayer when it becomes (a bit) cooler, as the severity of the heat is from the raging of the Hellfire.”

O Muslims: A destiny (that) prevents the eyes of the pious from sleep; and a return (that) trembles the hearts of the Allah-fearing; and an end, the warning of which makes thirsty the days of the worshippers and lengthens the standing of the saints at night; and an end (that) perpetuates sadness in the expression of the soft-hearted. “Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope.” [Sajdah; Verse 16].

Verily it is, O Muslims, the Hellfire. The Hellfire is a great creation of the creations of Allah. And it is the abode that Allah prepared for the disbelievers; for it is the lodge of the oppressors; and the prison of the disbelievers; and the punishment of the sinners and violators. And it is the greatest disgrace and the clear loss. It is evil in which there is no good and the destination that is necessary; ancient in creation; previously existing. “And fear the Fire, which is prepared for the disbelievers.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 131]. For it is prepared and created and surely the prophet – peace be upon him – saw it, as in the Hadeeth in the two authentic (books), in the solar eclipse prayer.

O Muslims: The discussion about Hellfire is a true, truthful discussion. In it are mountains, valleys, rivers and ravines. In it are descending steps and houses and it is black and dark, gloomy and obscured. For it, is a sound that (can) be heard from far; groaning, scolding and shaking a dreadful shaking, and “Verily! It (Hell) throws sparks (huge) as a fort. As if they were yellow camels or bundles of ropes. Woe that Day to the deniers (of the Day of Resurrection)!” [Mursalaat; Verse 32-34].Grief therein is everlasting and long, and for the people therein is screeching, shouting and wailing. The hearts of its people are filled with hopelessness and despair and the days in it do not increase them except in difficulty and hardship. In it are punishment and pains which tongues and pens are incapable of describing. And in it are terrors and griefs of which the mind is deficient in picturing. “Evil indeed it (Hell) is as an abode and as a place to dwell.” [Furqaan; Verse 66]. Allah frightens the close angels with it: “And if any of them should say: ‘Verily, I am a god besides Him (Allah),’ such a one We should recompense with Hell. Thus We recompense the polytheists and wrong-doers.” [Anbiyaa; Verse 29]. And He said to His noble messenger: “Set not up with Allah any other god, or you will be thrown in Hell, blameworthy and rejected (from Allah’s Mercy).” [Israa; Verse 39].

And the messenger frightened his companions and his nation with it, then he warned them of the Hellfire and he said: “I warn you of the Hellfire, I warn you of the Hellfire, I warn you of the Hellfire.” Will the rest of the world be safe after this, nay will the sinners (be safe)?! Hasan al Basriyy – may Allah have mercy on him – said: “By Allah, never will a servant truly believe in the Hellfire, except that the earth will narrow upon him despite its vastness, and the hypocrite will not believe in the Hellfire even if it was behind his back, until he is disfigured in its depths. By Allah, the servants have not been warned of anything worse than it ‘Therefore I have warned you of a Fire blazing fiercely (Hell); None shall enter it except the most wretched, who denies and turns away.’ [Layl; Verse 14-16].” And in the Mighty Revelation: “There is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell); this is with your Lord; a Decree which must be accomplished.” [Maryam; Verse 71]. So where is the fear of that passing over? Verily there is one who fears travelling by night and whoever travels by night reaches the house, and by Allah no one will be saved except the believers: “Aforetime, we were afraid with our families (from the punishment of Allah). But Allah has been gracious to us, and has saved us from the torment of the Fire. Verily we used to invoke Him (alone and none else) before. Verily, He is the Most Kind, the Most Merciful.” [Toor; Verse 26-28].

Abdullah – may Allah be pleased with him – said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “The Hellfire will be brought on that Day with seventy thousand reins; and with every rein will be seventy thousand angels pulling it.” [Narrated by Muslim]. For it, are a terrorizing sound, destruction and palpitations: “When it (Hell) sees them from a far place, they will hear its raging and its roaring.” [Furqaan; Verse 12] and in the Kingdom Chapter: “It almost bursts up with fury.” [Mulk; Verse 8]. Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – said: the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “The fire of the children of Adam which they kindle is a seventieth part of the fire of Jahannum (Hellfire).” They said, “Messenger of Allah, this fire is certainly enough.” He said: “That fire is sixty-nine times greater.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

“This is the Hell which the polytheists denied.”[Rahmaan; Verse 43]. They will enter it with the severest of speech then the doors will be shut on them: “The fire of Allah, kindled, which leaps up over the hearts, Verily, it shall be closed in on them. In pillars stretched forth (i.e. they will be punished in the Fire with pillars, etc.).” [Humazah; Verse 6-9]. Its fuel is people and stones. Its fire will not be extinguished with the length of time and its kindles will not be dimmed with the passing of days “whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.” [Israa; Verse 97]. And (together) with that they will be bound: “Verily, we have prepared for the disbelievers iron chains, iron collars and a blazing Fire.” [Insaan; Verse 4]. “When iron collars will be rounded over their necks, and the chains, they shall be dragged along. In the boiling water, then they will be burned in the Fire.” [Ghafir; Verse 71-72], and above that they will be hit and humiliated “And for them are hooked rods of iron (to punish them). Every time they seek to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be driven back therein, and (it will be) said to them: “Taste the torment of burning!” [Hajj; Verse 21-22]. They will be dressed with fire and will melt: “And you will see the disbelievers (in the Oneness of Allah) that Day bound together in fetters; Their garments will be of pitch, and fire will cover their faces.” [Ibraheem; Verse 49-50], and in the Pilgrimage Chapter: “then as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, boiling water will be poured down over their heads. With it will melt or vanish away what is within their bellies, as well as (their) skins. And for them are hooked rods of iron (to punish them).” [Hajj; Verse 19-21]. Do you not see how meat is roasted on the fire? So like this is the condition of the disbelievers in the Hellfire “On the Day when their faces will be turned over in the Fire, they will say: ‘O would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger (Muhammad – peace be upon him).” [Ahzaab; Verse 66], “The Fire will burn their faces, and therein they will grin, with displaced lips (disfigured).” [Mu’minoon; Verse 104].

As for their food, it is punishment and their drink is punishment: “No food will there be for them but “Daree’” (a poisonous thorny plant).” [Ghashiyah; Verse 6]. And “Daree’” is a thorny plant that comes from the land of Hijaz sticking in the earth; “Verily, the tree of Zaqqum, wil be the food of the sinners, like boiling oil, it will boil in their bellies, like the boiling of scalding water.” [Dukhaan; Verse 43-46] and Zaqqum is a tree that springs out of the bottom of Hellfire, the shoots of its fruit-stalks are like the heads of devils. As for their drinks, they are the discharge of wounds and pus, and it is the beverages of the people of the Hellfire: “And if they ask for help (relief, water, etc.) they will be granted water like boiling oil, that will scald their faces.” [Kahf; Verse 29], “and be given, to drink, boiling water, so that it cuts up their bowels.” [Muhammad; Verse 15] and in another verse: “and he will be made to drink boiling, festering water. He will sip it unwillingly, and he will find a great difficulty to swallow it down his throat, and death will come to him from every side, yet he will not die and in front of him, will be a great torment.” [Ibraheem; Verse 16-17]. These are some of the scenes of punishment, so do the desires of an hour of this world rank equally?

Anas bin Malik – may Allah be pleased with him – said: the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “One of the citizens of Hell who led a life of ease and plenty amongst the people of the world would be made to dip in Hellfire only once on the Day of Resurrection and then it would be said to him: O son of Adam, did you find any comfort, did you happen to get any material blessing? He would say: By Allah, no, my Lord.” [Narrated by Muslim]. Verily it is one dip and man will forget every bounty of this world and its delicacies and desires: “The sinner would desire to ransom himself from the punishment of that Day by his children, and his wife and his brother, and his kindred who sheltered him, and all that are in the earth, so that it might save him. By no means! Verily! It will be the Fire of Hell! Taking away (burning completely) the head skin! Calling: ‘(O disbeliever, O polytheist) (all) such as turn their backs and turn away their faces (from faith).” [Ma’arij; Verse 11-17].

Servants of Allah: And when the hardships are prolonged on the people of the Hellfire and the punishment has reached every extent and their griefs and regrets are many, they will seek exit and refuge: “Therein they will cry: ‘Our Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not (the evil deeds) that we used to do.” [Fatir; Verse 37] and they will confess their sins: “They will say: ‘Our Lord! Our wretchedness overcame us, and we were (an) erring people. Our Lord! Bring us out of this; if ever we return (to evil), then indeed we shall be polytheists.” [Mu’minoon; Verse 106-107], so they will be answered after a while: “Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not to Me!” [Mu’minoon; Verse 108], then they will request from the keeper of the Fire that he intercedes with Allah for them to be destroyed and to die so that they may be acquitted of the punishment: “And they will cry: ‘O Malik (keeper of Hell)! Let your Lord make an end of us.’ He will say: ‘Verily you shall abide forever.” [Zukhruf; Verse 77]. Verily it is denial of everything that they request, and death will be brought, then slaughtered and it will be said to the people of Paradise: Eternity and no death, and it will be said to the people of Hellfire: Eternity and no death… The Hadeeth is in Saheeh Bukhari. There, the wailing of the people of Hellfire will intensify and their grief will heighten and their cries will prolong, so they will cry until their tears end, then they will cry blood until it flows on their faces like the shape of trenches (due to) crying.

O Muslims: Verily from the perfection of the justice of Allah – Glorified and Majestic – is that He does not equate the obedient and the sinner nor the reformer and the corrupter: “Shall We then treat the (submitting) Muslims like the polytheists? What is the matter with you? How judge you?” [Qalam; Verse 35-36]. And verily Allah – the Exalted – has described to us His Punishment, so there is no proof for the sinner against Allah. So disbelief and hypocrisy are the reasons for eternity in the Hellfire: “Allah has promised the hypocrites; men and women, and the disbelievers, the Fire of Hell, therein shall they abide. It will suffice them. Allah has cursed them and for them is the lasting torment.” [Tawbah; Verse 68]. And whoever recommends his opinions, opposing the commands of Allah and His Law, then he should listen to the saying of Allah – Glorified and Majestic – : “Know they not that whoever opposes and shows hostility to Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), certainly for him will be the Fire of Hell to abide therein. That is extreme disgrace.” [Tawbah; Verse 63]

And woe, then again woe to the one who neglects the prayer when he is asked: “What has caused you to enter Hell?’ They will say: ‘We were not of those who used to offer their prayers. Nor we used to feed the poor. And we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allah hated) with vain talkers. And we used to belie the Day of Recompense. Until there came to us (the death) that is certain.’ So no intercession of intercessors will be of any use to them.” [Muddathir; Verse 42-48].

And the consuming of interest is a cause of entering Hellfire, and (so too) is eating the wealth of the orphans oppressively: “Verily, those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only a fire into their bellies, and they will be burnt in the blazing Fire!” [Nisaa; Verse 10], and in Saheeh Muslim: that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: Allah – the Exalted – says: “Pride is My cloak and greatness is My robe, and he who competes with Me in respect of either of them, I shall cast into the Hellfire.” And in the great Quran: “And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him.” [Nisaa; Verse 93]. And eating the wealth of people falsely and suicide are coupled in one verse, Allah – Glorified and Majestic – said: “And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you. And whoever commits that through aggression and injustice, We shall cast him into the Fire, and that is easy for Allah.” [Nisaa; Verse 29-30]. And a false oath submerges its companion in the Hellfire, therefore an oath is called ‘catastrophic’, and leaning towards oppressors and inclining towards them: “And incline not toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire should touch you.” [Hood; Verse 113].

And Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrated that: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “There are two types of people who will enter the Hellfire, whom I have not (as yet) seen: People having whips similar to ox-tails with which they will beat people, and (secondly) women who will be dressed yet appear to be naked. They will seduce men and be inclined towards them. Their heads will be like the swaying humps of the Bactrian camels. They will neither enter Paradise, nor smell its fragrance, even though its fragrance can be smelt from such and such distance.” [Narrated by Muslim].

And Abdullah bin Umar – may Allah be pleased with them both – narrated that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “O group of women, give charity and ask for much forgiveness for I saw you in majority amongst the dwellers of Hell,” so a lady amongst them said: Why is it O messenger of Allah, that we are the majority in Hell? He said: “You curse too much and are ungrateful to your spouses.”[Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

As for the hypocrites, they are the first who will be burned by the Fire on the Day of Judgement as is in the two authentic (books of Hadeeth: Bukhari and Muslim). And say to the ones who speak with their tongues and their pens with no weight or accountability. The prophet – peace be upon him – said: “And are people thrown on their faces into the Fire for anything but the harvest of their tongues.” Hellfire is promised for the alcoholic, the breaker of family ties, the believer of sorcery, the carrier of tales and the one who reduces the wealth of his brother by a false oath should build his abode in the Hellfire.

O Muslims: And surely the prophet – peace be upon him – saw pictures of the punishment of the people of Hellfire, as in the Hadeeth (narrated) by Samurah bin Jundub – may Allah be pleased with him -: So surely the prophet – peace be upon him – saw a man who was lying on his back while another man was standing over him with a stone which he then dropped onto his head, crushing it. Then the stone rolled away from him and he went after the stone to retrieve it. When he returned to him, his head was whole again and had become as it had been in the first place. So he went back and hit him as he had done the first time… and he said in the Hadeeth: This is the man who memorized the Quran and then abandoned it and slept through the obligatory prayers. Just as the prophet – peace be upon him – saw a man lying on his back, and there was another man standing over him with an iron hook. He went to one side of his face and cut open the side of his mouth until it reached the back of his neck and then his nostril to the back of his neck and his eye to the back of his neck. Then he moved to the other side and did the same thing as he had done to the first side. When he finished that side, the first side had become whole again. Then he did the same thing all over again… and he said in the Hadeeth: This is the man who went from his house and told lies which spread everywhere. And the prophet – peace be upon him – saw something like an oven. There was babble and shouting in it, and it contained naked men and women. The flames would come at them from underneath, and when those flames reached them, they cried out… and he said: These are the adulterers and adulteresses. And the prophet – peace be upon him – saw a river red like blood. And in it was a man swimming while on the bank of the river there was a man who had many stones with him. When that swimmer swam and reached the one who had gathered stones, he forced his mouth open and made him swallow a stone. Then he would begin to swim and would come back to him again. Whenever he came back to him, he forced open his mouth and made him swallow a stone… and he said: This is the consumer of interest. And he saw a man with a repulsive appearance like the most repulsive man you have ever seen, and he said: This is Malik, the keeper of Hell. [Hadeeth narrated by Bukhari]. So is there any (greater) threat after this threat… “Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for him who has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful.” [Qaaf; Verse 37]

O Allah save us from the punishment of the Hellfire. O Allah save us from the punishment of the Hellfire. O Allah save us from the punishment of the Hellfire. Our Lord we have believed so forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the Hellfire.

May Allah benefit us and you with the guidance of His Book and save us all from His humiliation and His Punishment. I say these words of mine and I seek the forgiveness of Allah – the Exalted – for me and you.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, the One Who Honours the one who is obedient to Him and the One Who disgraces the sinners against Him, the One Who saves the seeker of His Saviour and the One Who answers the caller unto Him. I praise Him – the Exalted – and I thank Him and I praise Him and I seek His Forgiveness and I ask His saviour for me and you. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him and on all his family and companions.

Thereafter: Surely the speech of Allah is the truth: “And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he is indeed successful” [Aal Imraan; Verse 185], and faith and good righteous deeds are – by Allah – the path of success and deliverance, and the promise of Allah and the promise of His messenger is the truth. So the Hellfire will never go through the man who cries out of the fear of Allah until milk returns to the udder. And two eyes that the Hellfire will never touch: the eye that cries out of the fear of Allah and the eye that keeps watch in the way of Allah. And for piety there is a great rank: “But for him (the true believer of Islamic Monotheism) who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (i.e. in Paradise).” [Rahmaan; Verse 46]. And supplication and seeking refuge with Allah is the greatest door to saviour. Anas bin Malik – may Allah be pleased with him – said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “No one asks Allah for Paradise three times except that Paradise says: ‘O Allah! Enter him into Paradise!’ And no Muslim seeks protection with Allah from the Hellfire three times except that Hellfire says: ‘O Allah! Protect him from me.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi and Ibn Maja with an authentic chain of narration].

And we are about to welcome a great month, the month of emancipation from Hellfire, so whoever fasts one day in the path of Allah, Allah distances his face, due to that day, from the Fire by the distance traveled in seventy years, and in Ramadan the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hellfire are shut. And for Allah on every night of Ramadan are those emancipated from the Hellfire.

O Allah, O Ever-Living, O Sustainer, O Possessor of Majesty. O Allah we ask you by (virtue) of our bearing witness that you are Allah, there is no god but You and there is no power and might except with You. We ask You O Allah to enter us into Paradise and to save us from the punishment of Hellfire. O Allah we ask you for Paradise and we seek Your protection from Hellfire. O Allah we ask you for Paradise and we seek Your protection from Hellfire. O Allah we ask you for Paradise and we seek Your protection from Hellfire.

O Allah send salutations on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad as You have sent salutations on Ibraheem and on the family of Ibraheem. Verily You are the Praise-Worthy, the Glorious. And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed the family of Ibraheem amongst the worlds. Verily You are the Praise- Worthy, the Glorious.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/11...-the-hellfire/
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BintAbee
12-15-2012, 08:08 PM
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Yearning for the Secured Land (Makkah)

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

January 7, 2005 ~ Dhul Q’adah 26, 1425

First Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. He raised the symbols of Islam and He clarified for His creation the clear methods and signs. He contrasted between the months and days and He made the pilgrimage (one) of the pillars of the great religion. I praise Him – Glorified is He – and I thank Him and I ask Him of His gift of beautiful pardon and I seek His forgiveness from errors and sins and I ask Him for guidance and ability and entering in the group of the one who says my Lord is Allah and is then steadfast. And I bear witness that there is no god except Allah alone. He has no partner. He is Ever-Living, the Sustainer, the One Who does not sleep. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the preferred over the rest of the creation and beings. May Allah’s salutations and peace be on him and on his noble family and companions.

Thereafter: “O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” [Hashr; Verse 18] “And know that Allah knows what is in your minds, so fear Him.” [Baqarah; Verse 235]

O Muslims: Save the time for yourselves, for it is invaluable, and make good for yourselves the time and do not partake except of that which is permissible of it. And measure your actions by the Shar’i scale, and rectify the objectives and intentions and take from sincerity its virtue and monitor the world of secrets in private and public, for how good introspection is and how glorious (it is) and seize the virtuous days before they leave, days that Allah has honoured and blessed.

Thereafter: O Muslims: In these blessed days Makkah is welcoming the delegations of pilgrims and the sacred mosque is embracing the guests of the Most Beneficent in a majestic convoy, honoured by the care of Allah. They come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway, calling out the call of their Lord (Talbiyyah), responding to the announcement of His friend: “And proclaim to mankind the pilgrimage. They will come on every lean camel. They will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway. That they may witness things that are of benefit to them” [Hajj; Verse 27-28]. The pilgrims come, urging their mounts, yearning preceding them, hope prompts them, joy fills them while they are journeying to the revered house of Allah; wishing for the expiation of sins and reaching the gardens (of Paradise). They are discharging the fifth pillar of the pillars of their religion in the holiest of places on the face of the earth.

Makkah Mukarramah is a history and memories, biography and a tour. “Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for the worlds. In it are manifest signs: the place of Abraham; whosoever enters it, he attains security.” [Aal Imraan 96-97]. The prophets made pilgrimage to it and the leader of the true believers prayed towards it. And from Makkah, the light of guidance radiated, and the message of Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) went forth until it prevailed across the earth, and changed the world, and anchored the most beautiful and most just civilization known by history, for it is the centre of the world, a symbol of the unity of the Muslims, a source of light for the worlds; the best land by Allah, and the most loved land by the messenger of Allah – peace be upon him. Makkah Mukarramah is the mother of all cities. In it was the birth of the most honourable of mankind. On its hills, he was nurtured and raised; and in its expanses he walked and did not lose heart. (For) half a century, the life of the prophet – peace be upon him – was witnessed in Makkah, so which honour excels this honour?! And if these hills spoke, then which biography would they mention?! And which history would they transmit?!

At these sites, Gabriel – peace be upon him – descended with revelation, and the prophet – peace be upon him – cut open with Tawheed from the Safa mountain. If the Ka’bah were to speak to you or Zam Zam and the station (of Abraham) were to relate, they would say: Abu Bakr and Umar were here, and Uthman and Ali (too), and the rest of the noble companions – may Allah be pleased with them all. They illuminated this world, purified the earth, and Tawheed battled against paganism until Allah made the religion (of Islam) manifest.

Here the prophet – peace be upon him – stood in front of the Ka’bah to establish the great principles of the religion and he illustrated the finest path of humanity, which every civilization is incapable of realising up to this day.

Pilgrims of Allah’s sacred house, congratulations to you on reaching the revered house of Allah, congratulations to you on these symbols and emotions; an honourable time and an honourable place with greatness of deeds, so praise Allah for what He has awarded you of these bounties, and thank Him for He has proclaimed increase for the one who thanks. You have come, welcome, and (may) your walking be easy, and you are the guests of Allah and His delegation. It is compulsory to honour (you) and supply (you). May Allah make easy your pilgrimage and make your pilgrimage accepted and your efforts thanked. May Allah accept from us and from you.

O Muslims: Verily intending (to travel to) this pure land expiates sins, and wipes out evil deeds and unloads errors. In fact there is no reward for an accepted pilgrimage except Paradise: the saying of your prophet – peace be upon him.

How many souls yearn for the plain of Makkah and (how many) hearts sink for its hills, and how many a weeper (cries) yearning, craving, and how many a heartbroken (person) wishes to see the bare valley, wishes to spend a night in Mina or crowd at the Jamarat or circumambulate the house (of Allah) and shed tears. He wishes for these places where the tears flow, and mercy descends, sins are abolished and supplications are answered. Allah has watered those hills and plains.

This is Khaif (Masjid) and that is Mina

So be kind to us O camel-driver

And restrain the mount for us (for) an hour

We will weep (the amount that covers) a district and cry our blood

For this occasion we have prepared crying

And for this day, the tears attract us

The camel-driver does not have to (provide) the means even if he is kind

While I shed my tears, then embrace (the teachings of Islam)

This house that which he knows

Deserving of its inclination are those who are the most yearning.


And the camps continue to burst in with pilgrims from every distant land. How beautiful are the sounds of the Talbiyyah called out aloud in the airplanes in the skies and (in) the cleaving of the waves of the sea and (in) the ships that swap up the path and track the journey, coming to the sacred house, I am present, O Allah, I am present. Here I come. You have no partner. Here I come. One outlook, one goal, all of them are answered, then they meet in the sanctity of Allah. Verily they are caravans of faith; a journey of life to the place of inclination of the hearts; and the centre of Islam; and the qibla of the Muslims.

Servants of Allah: Pilgrims to His sacred house: Verily the status of pilgrimage by Allah is great, and its position in the religion is big. Allah mandated it by His Saying: “And pilgrimage to the House (Ka’bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses; and whoever disbelieves, then Allah stands not in need of any of the worlds.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 97]. As for its virtue, then Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrated that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “An Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) to an Umrah is expiation for what is between them and an accepted pilgrimage has no reward for it except Paradise.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]. And also in the two authentics (Bukhari and Muslim) that the prophet – peace be upon him – was asked: Which is the best of actions? He said: “Belief in Allah – Exalted and Majestic.” It was said: Thereafter what? He said: “Striving in the path of Allah.” It was said: Thereafter what? He said: “An accepted pilgrimage.”

Verily it is trading of this world and the Hereafter and profit of both the worlds. Ibn Mas’ud – may Allah be pleased with him – said: The messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “Follow up the pilgrimage and lesser pilgrimage, because they certainly remove poverty and sins as fire separates the impurities from iron.” [Narrated by Ahmad and Tirmidhi with an authentic chain]. And in the two authentics: that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Whoever performs pilgrimage to this house and does not commit any obscenity or wrongdoing, he will come out as his mother gave birth to him,” i.e. free from sins and mistakes. This is with the multiplication of good deeds and raising of ranks. Jabir – may Allah be pleased with him – narrated that the prophet – peace be upon him – said while he was in Madeenah: “One prayer in my mosque is better than one thousand prayers in any other mosque except Masjidul Haraam. And prayer in Masjidul Haraam is better than one hundred thousand prayers in any other mosque.” [Narrated by Ahmad and Bukhari in tareekh with an authentic chain] – i.e. the prayer of 54 years, so will anyone be blamed for the inclination towards the sanctity after this?! Aside from the standings of mercy in Arafaat and the gaining closeness (to Allah) at Mash’aril Haraam (Muzdalifah), and the going about in the mountain passes of Mina, and walking around the House and between Safa and Marwa, and stoning the Satans, and all that is from the occasions of mercy and acceptance of supplications.

As for Arafaat, and what will explain to you what Arafaat is?! The prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Allah frees far more people from Hellfire on the Day of Arafah than on any other day, and Allah comes closer this day and proudly says to the angels, ‘What do these people want and seek?” [Narrated by Muslim by Aisha – may Allah be pleased with her]. Verily they want the mercy of their Lord and His Paradise. They want the forgiveness of their sins and emancipation from Hellfire. They come from every distant place of this world and the outskirts of the land. They left their families and countries, and spent everything they could in order to reach these honoured places, in a time when you see some affluent, able (people) lazy to fulfill the obligation of Islam. They spend their wealth and waste their time in traveling, pleasure rides, and amusement and negligence. They have not made pilgrimage (even) once. These (people) should know that verily they are leaving out a pillar from the pillars of Islam. Umar bin Khattab – may Allah be pleased with him – said: “Whoever dies, being well off enough but having never done pilgrimage let him die as a Jew if he wishes or as a Christian.” And the same was narrated on the authority of Ali bin Abi Talib – may Allah be pleased with him. So he should fear Allah and the capable one should take the initiative before he passes on and if incapability or death overtakes him then excuses of complacency and laziness will not benefit him.

O believers, pilgrims to Allah’s ancient house: Allah has brought you to His house, so honour His Symbols, He will increase you in faith and piety: “Thus it is. And whosoever honours the symbols of Allah, then it is truly from the piety of the heart.” [Hajj; Verse 32]. And from amongst honouring the symbols is good deeds and completing them and ensuring their perfection and following the guidance of the prophet – peace be upon him – in every small and big (action), and surely he said: “Take your rituals from me.” Just as following weakness and complacency in the rituals is abandonment and deficiency, and Allah – the Exalted – says: “And perform properly the pilgrimage and the lesser pilgrimage for Allah.” [Baqarah; Verse 196]. Just as from honouring the symbols of Allah is distancing (oneself) from whatever decreases (the reward/value) of the pilgrimage, and respecting and revering the time and the place that the True – Glorified is He – has honoured. Refrain from disputes, arguments, quarrelling and disturbance, for acceptance and forgiveness are conditioned with that. Allah – Glorified and Majestic – said: “The pilgrimage is (in) the well-known months. So whosoever intends to perform pilgrimage therein, then he should not have sexual relations, nor commit sin, nor dispute unjustly during the pilgrimage.” [Baqarah; Verse 197], and indeed the prophet’s – peace be upon him – saying previously as mentioned in the two authentics: “Whoever performs pilgrimage to this house and does not commit any obscenity and wrongdoing, he will come out as his mother gave birth to him.”

Verily the purification of the self, increasing in faith and attainment of piety will be when a Muslim approaches his acts of worship with etiquette and devotion and he devotes himself to what he came for and (for) what he intends, preserving his time, sincere to his Lord. Like this, it is imperative to ask about Shar’i rulings before beginning actions, for how many a pilgrim worships Allah with ignorance. He does not learn, nor does he ask. And how many a seeker of fatwa (religious ruling) if he asked before acting, he would not be in transgression. And upon those in charge of the pilgrims is a great responsibility, so they should fear Allah, and every shepherd is responsible for his flock.

O believers, verily the principle on which this great house was built is the Oneness of the Lord of the worlds, who said in the true revelation: “And (remember) when We showed Abraham the site of the (Sacred) House (saying): “Associate not anything (in worship) with Me’” [Hajj; Verse 26]. And amongst the verses of pilgrimage, He – Glorified is He – said: “So shun the abomination (worshipping) of idol, and shun lying speech (false statements), worshipping none but Allah, not associating partners (in worship, etc.) unto Him.” [Hajj; Verse 30-31].

So purify your deeds, may Allah have mercy on you. And stick to the Sunnah in your actions and throughout your life, for verily associating partners with Allah renders deeds useless. And mandate the remembrance of Allah – the Exalted – for it is a prominent feature of pilgrimage, and it is an announcement of the Oneness of Allah which is the slogan of pilgrimage: “O my Lord, here I am at your service. Here I am at your service. You have no partner. Here I am at your service. Verily all praise and bounty and kingdom is for You. Here I am at your service. You have no partner.” And surely He – Glorified is He – said: “And remember Allah during the appointed days” [Baqarah; Verse 203], and He said: “Then when you leave Arafaat, remember Allah (by glorifying His Praises) at the Mash’aril Haraam (Muzdalifah).” [Baqarah; Verse 198], and He – the Most Majestic of speakers – said: “So when you have completed your rituals (of pilgrimage), then remember Allah” [Baqarah; Verse 200], and He – Glorified is He – said: “That they may witness things that are of benefit to them, and mention the Name of Allah on appointed days (i.e. 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th of Thul-Hijjah).” [Hajj; Verse 28]

May Allah bless me and you in the Great Quraan, and make us tread the path of the master of the messengers. I say these words of mine, and I seek the forgiveness of Allah – the Exalted – for me and you and the rest of the Muslims so seek His forgiveness. Verily He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah as He ought to be praised. And may salutations and peace be upon our master Muhammad, His prophet and His servant. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. Honoured in His Majesty. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the purest of people and the most virtuous of those who made pilgrimage to the Sacred House. May Allah’s salutations be upon him and upon his family, companions and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of His Promise.

Thereafter: O Muslims all over the world: In a short while the first ten days of the month of Thul-Hijjah will set in, and they are days of which Allah has honoured their worth and raised their remembrance, and swore by in His Book saying: “By the 10 nights (i.e. the first 10 days of Thul-Hijjah)” [Fajr; Verse 2]. And in Saheeh Bukhari, narrated by Ibn Abbaas – may Allah be pleased with him – that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “There are no days in which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days (of Thul-Hijjah).” They said: O messenger of Allah, not even striving in the path of Allah? He said: “Not even striving in the path of Allah, except that person who left with his life and wealth and did not return with any of it.”

And it is recommended in it (that you do) much good deeds and various types of voluntary acts and Takbeer (saying Allah is great) and Tahmeed (praising Allah) and Tahleel (saying there is no god but Allah), so revive these ways, and seek good from Allah that you may be successful.

And whoever is not a pilgrim, it is preferred that he fasts the Day of Arafah (9th day of Thul-Hijjah), according to the narration of Abu Qatadah – may Allah be pleased with him – that the prophet – peace be upon him – said regarding the fasting of the day of Arafah: “I have hope in Allah that it (the fast of Arafah) will be an atonement for the sins of the past and the forthcoming year.” And whoever intends to do the sacrifice (of a sacrificial animal) should not cut anything from his hair or nails from the beginning of the ten (days) until (after) he sacrifices.

And there is an important matter that people should be warned of, alas and that is the competing in giving religious rulings by those who are not well-versed in them and speaking regarding (the rules of) Allah with no knowledge, for how many a hasty one causes the pilgrims to transgress, and maybe he carries the sin of corrupting their pilgrimage by his issuing of religious rulings while he is not a legal source, and by his contributing to directives while he was not asked, and surely he would have been in safety if he mandated the fearing of Allah and piety. And surely the companions – may Allah be pleased with them – used to defend religious rulings, so what is the matter with today’s nation, they compete in them as if they are spoils of war?! There is no doubt that teaching people, guiding them and giving them religious rulings is among the greatest of actions that bring one close to Allah, and the most necessary of compulsory acts, but it is for the scholars, and knowledgeable students of knowledge. As for the ignorant and the masses, it is a sin, and surely Allah has coupled speaking without knowledge with Shirk (associating partners with Allah), sin and adultery. Verily pilgrimage is an act of worship and rituals that require comprehension and deep understanding, and upon the qualified is that they take charge of their degree so that others are dispensed for them.

Then remember – may Allah have mercy upon you – that Allah has surely commanded you with a command which He begins Himself, and which the angels who glorify His Holiness repeat, and which He directed to you O believers amongst the Jinn and humans, so He – Majestic in His Highness – said: “Allah sends His Salutations on the prophet (Muhammad – peace be upon him) and also His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your salutations on him (Muhammad – peace be upon him), and (you should) greet him with peace.” [Ahzaab; Verse 56]

O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on Your slave and servant Muhammad for as long as the stars shine and the clouds combine, and send salutations and peace on Your prophet and his family, his companions, his wives and offspring and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Recompense.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: https://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/1...d-land-makkah/

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BintAbee
12-22-2012, 03:36 AM
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A Pause with the Meaning of ‘Barakah’ [1]

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

December 7, 2012 ~ Muharram 23, 1434


Part One

Praise be to Allah! Blessed be He in His divine essence, He Who blessed whom He wills among His creatures! Praise be to Allah, the Supreme and the Most Generous. No human being can give Him His due in full. No creature is capable of disengaging itself from the bonds of His service; nor can any human being exist independently of His generosity and bountiful gifts. He is the First in the whole existence and to Him alone all creatures stand upright in performance of worship rituals and lie in prostration. His existence () is unequalled by any form of being and His generosity is peerless. His might takes those who shy away from His message unawares, either in their waking time or during their sleep.

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, with no rival partner to Him and that Muhammad () is His servant and Messenger. O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honors, and Mercy) and Peace on your servant and Messenger Muhammad (), his family, his Companions, the tab'în (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet () after his death), and all those who righteously follow them till the Day of Judgment!

O people!

My recommendation, to myself then to you, is to adhere to taqwa (fear of Allah). It is our resort in time of hardships, our source of assistance in ordeals, the inspiration of the soul and its quietude, the generator of patience and tranquility, the stimulator of strength and firm conviction, the tool of ascension to heaven to seek sublimity, the guarantee of guidance in moments of perilous predicaments, and the booster of morale in time of stressful affliction: O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. [70]. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and will be admitted to Paradise). [Al-Aȟzeb: 70-71].

O Muslims!

In our greetings and prayers, there are expressions which deserve our attention; we use them frequently and daily in our verbal exchanges and prayers. They contain the good of both this life and the Hereafter, the source of happiness now and later. They are namely prayers imploring (divine) barakah. For instance, when a Muslim meets his brother in faith, he says to him, “May Allah’s Peace, Mercy and barakat (plural of ‘barakah’, blessings) be upon you!” Have we ever contemplated the significance of supplication for barakah? Besides, in our prayer, we appeal to Allah by saying, “[…] and send Your ‘barakah’ upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as You had sent it upon Ibrahim […].” Also, among the supplications during Qiyaam (night) prayer, we ask Allah, “[…And] send Your ‘barakah’ (make abundant and blessed) in whatever you have bestowed on me!” We also say to the newly married couple, “May Allah send His ‘barakah’ (make abundant and blessed) in whatever He has bestowed upon you, and may He also send His ‘barakah’ upon both of you!”

So, what is the exact meaning of such ‘barakat’ (abundant blessings)?

O servants of Allah!

The original meaning of the term ‘barakah’ in Arabic is ‘constancy’, ‘permanence’, and ‘stability.’ Other meanings include ‘growth, increase, and abundance of good.’ The term ‘barakah’ can be followed by various prepositions in Arabic to mean: to bless something/someone, to make something abundant, to allow someone to enjoy divine bounties, and to preserve existent favors. There is also the attribute ‘mubarak’ (blessed and permanently abundant) to refer to anything which received Allah’s () holy blessings. Allah says in reference to the Holy Qur’ān: And this is “mubarak” (a blessed) Reminder (the Qur’ân) which We have sent down… [Al-Ânbiya: 50]. The attribute ‘mubarak’ is used here to refer to the abundant benefits, permanent merits, and various aspects of ‘barakah’ in the Holy Qur’ān.

‘Barakah’ is exclusively from Allah, for it is only the Lord, be He exalted, that has quintessential blessing and whatever is attributed to Him becomes blessed. In fact, His words are blessed, His Messenger is blessed, His servant believers dedicated to the service of His creatures are blessed, His Holy Mosque is blessed, and His sanctified land (His Kinanah) —which is Sham (the area consisting of Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan)— is the land of blessings and is depicted in some verses of the Holy Qur’ān as blessed. The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Al-Quds [2] along with its vicinity are blessed by Allah as well.

We say, when invoking Allah (), “tabaraka”; that is to say, “be He elevated, lauded, and glorified.” This (i.e. “tabaraka”) can never be said to anyone except Allah (). He is blessed in His divine essence and He imparts His blessing to whomever He selects from among His creatures. It is similar to saying “Allah is All-Mighty, All-Magnificent.” It is a sign of His Might, of the abundance and permanence of his goodness, as well as the accumulation of perfection traits in Him. This equally means that every benefit in the world originates from His bounty and generosity (), for He is the All-Mighty, the Glorious, and the All-Sublime.

This is why in the opening of Qur’ānic verses, Allah () frequently mentions the notion of blessing in association with His Magnificence and Glory. Allah () says: Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion (of right and wrong, i.e. this Qur’ân) to His slave (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) that he may be a warner to the ‘Âlamîn (mankind and jinn). [Al-Furqân: 1]. Allah () further affirms: Indeed your Lord is Allâh, Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days, and then He rose over (Istawâ) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty). He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly, and (He created) the sun, the moon, the stars subjected to His Command. Surely, His is the Creation and Commandment. Blessed is Allâh, the Lord of the ‘Âlamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists)! [Al-Aâraf: 54]

O Muslims!

Allah may equally make some of His creatures blessed. Thus, the recipient of divine blessing would generously engage in good acts, acquire a higher status allowing him to influence people’s lives positively, manifest clear signs of moral fiber, and benefit others from resources at hand. Jesus Christ () is a perfect example of the select blessed when he extols Allah’s favors: “And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me Salât (prayer), and Zakât, as long as I live. [Maryam: 31]
“Barakah” is Allah’s favour bestowed on man without the latter being aware of its source or involved in any conscious calculations to get it. In fact, whenever you notice a kind of imperceptible increase in some phenomenon, that very phenomenon is said to be blessed or contains “barakah.” “Barakah” is then a gift from Allah which is inexplicable by the causal logic followed by our human minds. For instance, when Allah bestows “Barakah” on someone’s age, that person will enjoy longevity coupled with obedience to and worship of Him or will enjoy a wealth of good traits characterizing his/her personality. Moreover, when Allah bestows “barakah” on someone’s health, this means its preservation.

The same applies to bestowing “barakah” on someone’s property; that is, Allah accumulates, increases, purifies, and turns it into a source of gaining further assets. In addition, He also guides its owner to spending it in ways which please Allah and facilitate obedience to His instructions. Other examples of Allah’s granting “barakah” to someone include offspring and spouse. When Allah confers “barakah” on someone’s offspring, his children will show filial devotion, piety and good conduct; and when Allah bestows “barakah” on someone’s spouse, her husband’s life will turn into sheer bliss: whenever he looks at her, he enjoys perfect happiness and while he is absent she remains faithful to him.

“Barakah” is also visible in our actions, for whenever Allah grants His blessing to our actions, their positive impact will spread to larger spheres of life and their utility to others will become more obvious and rewarding. It is worth remembering here that the safest guarantee of Allah’s blessing on our actions resides in loyalty to Him (that is, without indulging, even unknowingly, in forms of associating deities with Him) and in tracking the footsteps of the Prophet ().

Ibn Al-Qayyim [3] —may Allah have mercy on his soul—said, “…Whatsoever is not dedicated to Allah will certainly be devoid of blessing (barakah), for it is exclusively Allah who is self-sufficiently blessed and all types of “barakah” emerge from Him.”

In the divine statement [4]: The Lord () says, “Whenever I am worshipped, verily I am pleased, and whenever I am pleased I confer my blessings, knowing that my ‘barakah’ parallels infinity.” [Reported by Imam Ahmed in his hadith publication entitled Al-Zuhd, as narrated by Wahb Ibn Munabbih (authentic chain of reporters)].

How much “barakah” has been conferred on things, time, speech, actions, and people! With “barakah”, meager quantity turns into abundance; benefit is generalized; what is good yields further goodness; sufficiency is realized; satisfaction reigns all over; and joy fills up people’s lives.

We can draw lessons from the “barakat” (blessings) bestowed on the lives of famous personalities and great brains, although they were simply human beings living in their respective communities. However, Allah bestowed His blessings on their actions and lifetimes. Muhammad ()—the most honorable of all creatures—was endowed with a blessed lifetime. Quite amazingly, although his dawa (i.e. mission campaign to spread Islam) only lasted for twenty-three years or so, he benefited all creatures and his “barakah” is unceasingly unfolding, era after era, until the Day of Judgment when Allah inherits the earth and all that lives thereon. Abu Bakr’s term as Caliph lasted just two years and a few months; however, he fulfilled in such a short period of time what requires decades.

As to scholarship, there are miraculous phenomena in scholars’ biographies. For instance, Imam Chafeî —may Allah have mercy on his soul— died at an early age: 54. Al-Ťabari, Al-Nawawi, Ibn Taymîya, among others, left a scholarly legacy comprising books and various writings whose design and publication must have taken their lifetime and would certainly challenge entire teams. Such prolific scholarship would have never been possible without Allah’s assistance and “barakah” which He bestowed on their lifetimes and works.

As to “barakah” in ordinary people’s lives, it was manifest in their way of life: they used to be contented with the bare minimum to live at subsistence level on a day-to-day basis; they also used to live as an extended family in one collective house; a single serving of food would satisfy two individuals; they used to live under the umbrella of contentment, taking pleasure in the joy of satisfaction and perfect delight.

So, what’s the matter with people nowadays? Have their incomes shrunk or have their spirits been incarcerated? Have their lifetimes become shorter or is it their volition that has become too weak to meet the challenge?

People nowadays do enjoy numerous life facilities and aspects of well-being of which their predecessors were visibly deprived. Today, treasures have erupted from inside the earth; money and business have become abundant; job opportunities have been multiplied as a direct result of technological inventions, scientific discoveries, and industrial progress. Paradoxically, it seems as though people were more pauperized and their lives became a picture of human misery, frustration, and coercion. The whole world tends to be constantly complaining about poverty, scarcity, tight budget, constraints of time, and phobia about the future—despite the availability of all kinds of luxury and life facilities. Where does the problem lie then? The answer is certainly the effacement of “barakah.”

A very eloquent dictum says, “Barakah does not mean or result in abundance; it is rather the reverse: abundance is the direct output of Barakah.” In this regard, Abu Huraira () narrated that Prophet Muhammad () said, “A year of severe drought does not mean the absence of rainfall; it is rather the year during which there is heavy and continual rainfall, but Allah does not bestow His Bârakah on it).”

In our Holy Book, we read: And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwâ (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn (polytheism and crimes). [Al-Ârâf: 96]

Faith, taqwa (fear of Allah), and good deeds bring about “barakah” and increase income. They also bring about peace of mind and satisfaction: “But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur’ân nor acts on its teachings); verily, for him is a life of hardship…” [Ťâha: 124]

Indeed, shying away from Allah is the reason of misery from which both individuals and nations are suffering today.

Why don’t we ponder about the reasons behind the disintegration of the strongest economic consortiums despite the availability of expertise and management skills that Allah enabled them to master? Why don’t we think about the spread of panic and the absence of security in the most powerful and oppressive countries of the world, along with the recurrence of wars, homicides, and turmoil despite the existence of a battery of laws, conventions, and organizations to govern societies?

It is Allah, the Almighty ‒may He be exalted and elevated‒ Who is indeed running the world where things are exclusively managed in accordance with His sunnah (laws) and where prosperity and well-being only materialize when He () orders them to be. He () said: Allâh will destroy Ribâ (usury) and will give increase for Sadaqât (deeds of charity, alms, etc.) [Al-Baqarah: 276], and It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong i.e. by worshipping others besides Allâh), for them (only) there is security and they are the guided. [Al-Ana’am: 82]. It is Allah () Who also said: Whoever works righteousness - whether male or female - while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islâmic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter). [Al-Nahl: 97]

Faith, piety and good deeds bring about blessings, happiness and satisfaction while sinning annihilates them and makes scant livelihoods. Allah Almighty said: And Allâh puts forward the example of a township (Makkah), that dwelt secure and well-content: its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it (its people) denied the Favours of Allâh (with ungratefulness). So Allâh made it taste extreme of hunger (famine) and fear, because of that (evil, i.e. denying Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) which they (its people) used to do. [Al-Nahl: 112]

Fear and hunger make a monstrous specter terrifying all the living. In fact, some of the effects of sins and disobedience are unthinkable. It is said in the Hadith that »whenever two friends are separated it is because of a sin one of them committed. « [Narrated by Bukhari in Al Adab Al Mufrid [5] ].

Insofar as marital relations are concerned note the repetition of taqwa (fear of Allah) and its effects in Surat Al Talaq (Divorce), then also note what Allah () said in this regard: And many a town (population) revolted against the Command of its Lord and His Messengers; and We called it to a severe account (i.e. torment in this worldly life), and We shall punish it with a horrible torment (in Hell in the Hereafter). So it tasted the evil result of its affair (disbelief), and the consequence of its affair (disbelief) was loss (destruction in this life and an eternal punishment in the Hereafter). Allâh has prepared for them a severe torment. So fear Allâh, O men of understanding. [At-Talaq: 8 - 10].

These are the same laws Allah made and executed on families and individuals and on nations and villages alike.

On the authority of Hakim Ibn Hizam (), the Prophet () said: »The vending/purchasing parties are given the choice so long as they are not separated. If they are honest and clear with each other, then their deal is blessed. However, if they lie and hide the truth, blessing shall be wiped off of their deal.« [Narrated by Muslim].

On the authority of Ibn Omar –may Allah be pleased with both of them (he and his father)– the Prophet () mentioned the main sins annihilating blessing and bringing about poverty, disaster and misery. These are the spread of immorality, the failure to observe fullness in weighing and measuring (in trading), the prevention of zakat [6], the betrayal of promises, dishonesty, and the arbitration of laws other than those of Allah.

Here, one may wonder whether merchants and vendors, those who have no scruples over carrying out fraud, bribery, betraying promises and practicing forgery and advocates of vice and corruption who mean to propagate immorality among the believers understand that! Allah the Truthful said: And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much [Al-Shura: 30], and (What is the

matter with you?) When a single disaster smites you, although you smote (your enemies) with one twice as great, you say: "From where does this come to us?" Say (to them), "It is from yourselves (because of your evil deeds) [Al Omran: 165]

O servants of Allah!
Observe taqwa (fear of Allah) and good deeds and then think about the effect thereof on your physical health, the tranquility of your souls and the thoroughness of your happiness. Ask Allah to bestow His blessing on you and seek the reasons amenable to it, and obey Allâh and the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) that you may obtain mercy. [Al Omran: 132]

O Allah! Bless us by the Great Qur’ān and guide us to Your Right Path! I say this and ask Almighty Allah to forgive you and me.

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful and the Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, the King, and the Manifest Truth. I also bear witness that Muhammad () is His servant and Messenger, the honest and the faithful. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on him, his family and all his Companions!

O servants of Allah!

As is mentioned in both Sahihs [7] (Muslim’s and Bukhari’s), Abderrahman bin Abi Leila said: “I ran into Kaab Ibn Ujrah () who said to me: ‘may I pass on to you a gift I heard from the Prophet ()? I said: ‘certainly, give it to me.’ He said: ‘we asked the Messenger of Allah (): ‘O Messenger of Allah! How do we send our prayer on you, Ahl al Bayt [8] , for Allah taught us how to say ‘peace on you’? He answered: »say ‘O Allah! Send Your prayer on Muhammad and his family as You did on Ibrahim and his family! You are All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious. O Allah! Send Your blessing on Muhammad and his family as You did on Ibrahim and his family! You are All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious. «
Hence, supplicating for the Prophet (), by saying: »send Your blessing on Muhammad and his family as You did on Ibrahim and his family« , implies bestowing as much good on him as was bestowed on Ibrahim’s family, as well as sustaining, doubling and increasing it for him. Allah () said about Ibrahim and his family: We blessed him and Ishâq (Isaac) [Al Safat: 113]. Still on Ibrahim and his family, Allah () said: The Mercy of Allâh and His Blessings be on you, O the family [of Ibrâhîm (Abraham)] [Hud: 73]

O Allah! Send Your Prayer, Peace and Blessing on Your servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and on his good and pure family! O Allah! Be pleased with all of Your Messenger’s Companions and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and victory to Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors! O Allah! Grant glory to Your religion, Your Book and the sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honored and those of sins are guided, and where al-ma’roof (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine, in the Levant and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression! O Allah! Improve the conditions of Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Improve their conditions in Syria! O Allah! Group them around Your Truth and Guidance! O Allah! Spare their blood, safeguard their tranquility, bring them close together, feed their hungry, protect their honor, grant them boldness, strength and victory against their oppressors! O Allah! Lift the siege around them! O Allah! It’s Your speedy relief we seek!

O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do whatever you love and accept. O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness. O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!

O Allah! All praise is due to You for Your blissful curing of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques! O Allah! Bring him full recovery and keep him in good health. O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the sunnah of Your Prophet ()! O Allah! Make them merciful to Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous all of our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night! Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al Baqarah: 201], Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk. [Al Omran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing! O Allah! We ask You to be pleased with us and grant us Your paradise, and we seek refuge in You against Your wrath and hell fire! O Allah! Spare us the torment of hell fire! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness, Allah Who is the only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and we repent to Him!

O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair! O Allah! Send rain down on us! Bestow upon us expedient rain; a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands!

O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy. O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy. O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!
O Allah! Answer our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

1. The Arabic word (بركة) means blessing, benediction, good fortune, abundant good.

2. Al-Quds is the Arab name for what Western geographers tend to call Jerusalem in the occupied Palestinian territories.

3. Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr (also known as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ("Son of the principal of the (school of) Jawziyyah") (1292–1350 CE / 691 AH–751 AH) was a Sunni Islamic jurist, commentator on the Qur’an and theologian. His scholarship was focused on the sciences of Hadith and Fiqh.

4. This type of divine statement is known in the science of hadith as Hadith Qudsi (i.e. sacred hadith because—unlike the Prophet’s hadith—its provenance is traced back to Allah, though only its content is literally revelation whereas its wording is said to be the Prophet’s (peace be upon him).

5. This book, by Muhammad ibn Ismaeel al-Bukhari, is translated from the original Arabic into English. It provides a vivid insight into the moral conduct of the early Muslims in a society led by the perfect character of Prophet Muhammad (). The Prophet's Companions represent excellent examples of men of vigorous moral stature whose conduct inspired and attracted the masses to the fold of Islam wherever they went during the expansion of the Muslim territories, and contrary to the stereotypic portrayal, in the West, of Islam as being spread by the sword. (Retrieved from http://www.islamhouse.com/ip/13303, Dec. 9th, 2012)

6. It is the giving of a fixed portion of one's wealth as a tax, generally to the poor and needy or to the people who collect it. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. (Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zak%C4%81t, Dec. 9th, 2012).

7. Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are two of the Al-Kutub Al-Sittah (six major hadiths) of sunni Islam. These prophetic traditions, or Hadith, were collected by the Persian Muslim scholar Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim, respectively, after being transmitted orally for generations. Sunni Muslims view these as two of the three most trusted collections of hadith. In some circles, these Sahihs are considered the most authentic books after the Qur'an.[2][3] The Arabic word sahih translates as authentic or correct. (Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahih_al-Bukhari, Dec. 9th 2012).

8. Ahl al-Bayt (Arabic: أهل البيت‎) is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the family of Prophet Muhammad (). (Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahl_al-Bayt, Dec. 9th 2012).

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
01-06-2013, 06:48 PM
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The exaltation of Allah in the hearts

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

September 18, 2009 ~ Ramadan 28, 1430

First Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah. No praiser can encompass His praise. And the conveyances of praise cannot match up to His power. Glory be to Him, for no worshiper has worshiped Him as He ought to be worshiped, even if he spent his (entire) life devout to Allah, while bowing or prostrating.

All praise to Allah, Great in His Being, extensive in His rule, the Planner of the universe. In His kingdom, the celestial bodies glorify Him and around His throne, the angels glorify Him. “and there is not a thing but (that it) glorifies His praise” [Israa; Verse 44] For His Countenance is the splendor of Majesty and He is the Beautiful, the One who owns all beauty.

By Allah, if the oceans were ink and the seven heavens and earths were notebooks, they would not suffice in recording His Virtue and His bestowals and it will not convey the explanation of His Greatness and the Uniqueness of His actions.

Allah.. Noble of name, Exalted of description. The heavens and earth and whatever is in them praise Him, and the birds (too), folding in (their wings) and spreading (them). I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, he has no partner: the most truthful of words that the lips (can) utter and the best sentence the mouths (can) say. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the one who recognizes Allah truly, and relies on Him truthfully, worshiping and serving Him with humility. May Allah’s salutations be on him and his pure family and chosen companions and may Allah send much peace on him.

Thereafter:
O Muslims: The piety of Allah the Exalted is the best advice and the best dress and the noblest attribute: “O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. And die not except in a state of Islam with complete submission to Allah.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 102]. Whoever fears Allah, He will save him, and whoever betrays Him, He tears his covering and tests him. The disgrace of the one who stands at the door of anyone besides Allah is great. And the hopes of the one who hopes in the virtue of anyone besides Allah (will be) futile. And the one who works for other than Allah is wasting his actions.

(All) means are cut off except His means. He Allah is the One Who is feared and He Allah is the One on Whom hope is laid. And the people of the earth, the whole earth, – do not, by Allah – do not harm, do not benefit, do not disgrace and do not honour: “So know (O Muhammad – peace be upon him) that none has the right to be worshiped but Allah, and ask forgiveness for your sin, and also for (the sin of) the believing men and believing women. And Allah knows well your moving about, and your place of rest (in your homes).” [Muhammad; Verse 19]

O Muslims, O worshipers, O fasters, and standers (in prayer): While you are at the end of the month of Ramadan, surely your bodies have tired, and your nights have prolonged with worship, and the throats of the fasting are thirsty during the day and you are looking forward to the end. Then verily a creation of the creation of Allah, whose hearts are filled with recognition of Him and their souls overflow with exaltation of Him, they exert (in) good actions many times more than what you worship and they consider that they have done nothing.

And surely the prophet – peace be upon him – informed that there is no space in the seven heavens a foot’s length or a hand span or a palm’s width which does not have an angel standing, bowing or prostrating on it. Then on the Day of Judgement, they will all say: Glory be to You, we have not worshiped You as You ought to be worshiped, except that we have not ascribed any partners with You.

O Muslims: The exaltation of Allah in the hearts, and venerating Him in the souls, and recognition of His bounties and favours and His Power as it ought to be is – by Allah – the provision of the worshipers, and the strength of the believers and the consolation of the patient ones, and it is the enclosure of the pious.

Who is it that recognizes Allah, then floats His commands or is negligent with His prohibitions, and who is the one that exaltates Him then prefers over Him his desires, and does not appreciate Him, becoming heedless. Allah – Glorified is He – is worshiped, praised and loved, because He is worthy of that and it is His right. Indeed it is what He – Glorified is He – deserves. The ability of the servants cannot attain Him, and their intellects cannot picture Him, therefore the creation who knows his Lord the most – peace be upon him – said as in the authentic Hadeeth: “I cannot encompass Your praise. You are as You have praised Yourself.” And in the two authentic books (Bukhari and Muslim): “There is no one who loves praise more than Allah” and therefore He praises Himself.

O Muslims: Your Lord that you worship, and pray to and fast, and strive towards and serve is a Great Lord. He has majestic and complete qualities that are beyond description and imagination: “And say: ‘All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has not begotten a son, and Who has no partner in (His) dominion, nor is He low to have a protector. And magnify Him with all the magnificence.” [Israa; Verse 111]

There is no god but Allah, the Great. The celestial bodies praise Him and the angels submit to Him: “Whatever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah, and He is the All-Mighty, All-Wise. His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, it is He Who gives life and causes death, and He is able to do all things. He is the First (nothing is before Him), and the Last (nothing is after Him), the Most High (nothing is above Him) and the Most Near (nothing is nearer than Him), and He is the All Knower of everything.” [Hadeed; Verse 1-3]

Glorified is He and praised. How can the hearts not capture His love, while every good descends from Him, and every bounty is (due) to Him. From Him – Glorified is He – is giving and withholding, and trials and comfort, and restraining and extending, and justice and mercy, and pleasantness and kindness, and bounty and goodness, and concealment and pardon, and tolerance and patience, and answering supplication and lifting hardship and aiding anxiety. Indeed the expenses of the entire creation together are by Him.

And He is the most Generous of the generous. And surely He grants His servant more than he expects, before he (even) asks Him. He thanks for a little bit of actions and increases it, and He forgives a lot of sins and wipes it out. So how can the hearts not love the One Who is the only One Who brings goodness and the only One Who removes evil?

He answers supplications, and accepts slips, and forgives errors, and conceals faults, and lifts hardships. He is the most deserving of mention, and the most deserving of thanks, and the most deserving of worship and praise, and the most abundantly sought, and the most merciful of kings, and the most generous of those asked, and the most extensive of givers, and the most merciful of those from whom mercy is sought, and the most noble of purposes, and the most dear of those to whom are turned, and the most sufficient of those whom are dependent upon.

He is more merciful to His servant than a mother to her child, and more intensely happy with the repentance of the repenter than the joy of one who finds his camel after losing it and on it was his food and drink in a deserted land.

So Glorified is He and praised. He is the King. He has no partner, and He is alone and has no rivals: “And invoke not any other god along with Allah, none has the right to be worshiped but He. Everything will perish except His Face. His is the decision, and to Him you (all) shall be returned.” [Qasas; Verse 88]

He is not obeyed except by His Permission, and He is not disobeyed except with His Knowledge. He is obeyed, so He thanks, and He is disobeyed, then He pardons and forgives. He is the Closest Witness, and the Most Majestic Protector, and the most loyal with (regard to) promises, and the most Just, establishing with fairness. He comes between the souls, and He takes by the forelocks, and He writes the implications, and He reproduces the generations, so the hearts are conducive to Him, and the secrets are open to Him, and the unknown is exposed to Him, and everyone is compelled to Him. Faces are afflicted by the Light of His Countenance, and the intellects are incapable of comprehending His True Being. Through the light of His Countenance, darkness is brightened, and the earth and heavens are illuminated through Him, and all the creations are reformed by Him.

All critical matters are in His Hands and its returning is to Him, established on the throne of His Kingdom. No invisible is hidden from Him in the diameters of His Kingdom. The affairs of the servants and their needs and their deeds ascend to Him, so He – Glorified is He – commands what He wishes, then His command is carried out and His force overpowers. “Whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth begs of Him. Every day He has a matter to bring forth (such as giving honour to some, disgrace to some, life to some, death to some, etc.)!” [Rahmaan; Verse 29]

He forgives sins, and removes hardship, and lessens suffering, and consoles the afflicted, and helps the weak, and enriches the poor. He gives life after death, and makes happy and unhappy, and leads astray and guides, and He favours a nation and forbids His favours on others, and He honours nations and disgraces others: “He is Allah, than Whom none has the right to be worshipped but He, the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen. He is the Most Beneficent, Most Merciful. He is Allah, than Whom none has the right to be worshipped but He, the King, the Holy, the One free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the Almighty, the Compeller, the Supreme.” [Hashr; Verse 22-23]

For Him is absolute Power and complete Will. He spoke to Moses directly, and He manifested His Glory on the mount, thereby making it dust, crushed. And He is glory be to Him above His heavens, no hidden is concealed from Him. He hears and sees the crawl of the black ant on a solid rock on a dark night. He is not uncertain of the voices with the different languages and various needs, and not an atom moves in this universe except with His Permission. “And with Him are the keys of the hidden (ghaib), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in (or on) the earth and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record.” [An’aam; Verse 59] “Allah! None has the right to be worshiped but He, the Ever-Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep, overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.” [Baqarah; Verse 255]

His veil is light. If He uncovers His Face, the splendour of His Face will burn (everything) until where His Sight ends. So if nothing can stand the splendours of His Exalted Face, then what do you think about the Majesty of that Noble Face, and its Beauty and Magnificence and Greatness and Glory. For this (reason) the greatest bounty of the people of paradise is the enjoyment of seeing His Noble Face – Majestic is His Majesty – and it is a great occasion where Allah’s Glory is manifested, and His Greatness and Beauty and Majesty.

O Muslims: And on another occasion (as) indicated in some verses of the Quraan and Ahadeeth from the Sunnah: Ibn Kathir – may Allah have mercy on him – cites: that “when Israfeel blows into the trumpet a shocking blow, then the people of the heavens and the earth will die. And the angel of death will come and his Lord will ask him – and He knows (best) – Who remains? So he will say: You remain and You are Ever-Living and will not die, and the (angels) carriers of the throne remain, and Jibraeel, Mikaeel and Israfeel remain and I remain, so his Lord will command him to remove their souls. Then He will say – and He knows (best) – Who remains? And the angel of death will say: O Lord, You remain and You are Ever-Living and will not die, and I remain. So Allah – Exalted and Majestic – will say: You are a creation of My creation so die, so he will die.

So no one will remain except Allah, the One, the Irresistible – He is the Last, as He was the First – He will fold up the heavens and the earth (as) a scroll for writing is folded, then He will unroll them. Then He will say: I am the Mighty, I am the Mighty, I am the Mighty, three times. Then He will call out in His Voice: For Who is the Kingdom? For Who is the Kingdom? For Who is the Kingdom? Then He will answer Himself by Himself: For Allah, the One, the Irresistible.

Then Allah will change the earth into (something) other than the earth, and the heavens (too), then He will spread them out and flatten them, then He will stretch them, then Allah will restrain the entire creation and they will be in this changed earth, then Allah will grant life to the creation, then the people will stand together, one standing, the period of which is seventy years. He will not look at them and not judge between them until Muhammad – peace be upon him – intercedes for them.

And Ibn Kathir narrates with his chain: that the messenger of Allah Muhammad – peace be upon him – said: “so I will return and I will stand with the people. While we are standing we will hear a loud sound from the sky, so we will be frightened. Then (a group of) men and jinn like those on the earth will descend from the sky of this world, until they approach the earth and the earth will light up with their light and they will take their positions and we will say to them: Is our Lord with You? They will say: No, but He is coming. Then from the second heaven (a group) will descend as descended before, of angels, jinn and men, until they approach the earth, it will light up with their light and they will take their positions and we will say to them: Is our Lord with you? So they will say: No, but He is coming. Then like this multitudes will descend from every heaven. Until the Almighty – Majestic is His Majesty – will descend, in a shade of clouds and angels. Eight (angels) will carry His throne on that day, their feet being in the edge of the earth, and the earth and heavens at their waists and the throne upon their shoulders. They will be humming in their praise (of Allah) saying: Glory be to the Possessor of the Throne and Might, Glory be to the Possessor of Kingdom and Royalty, Glory be to the One Who causes the creation to die while He does not die, the Praised, the Holy, Lord of the angels and Rooh (Jibraeel).”

O Muslims: Allah is the greatest in His Being and the Dearest King, but the sins that seize the heart veil the exaltation of the Lord in the souls and weaken His purpose in the hearts. And if the purpose of Allah and His Greatness is firmly seated in the heart of a servant, he will not dare to disobey Him ever, for verily the exaltation of Allah – the Exalted – and His Majesty in the heart necessitates veneration of His sacred limits and submitting to His laws, commands and prohibitions. And this exaltation comes between you and sins.

And the daring ones who disobey Allah, do not appreciate Allah as He ought to be appreciated. And a sufficient punishment for sins is that this exaltation weakens in the heart until the deserter – the sins – persist, so it becomes easy for Allah, then He removes his awe from the hearts of the creation and they (creation) belittle him as he belittles the command of Allah.

And surely Allah – the Exalted – has mentioned that He covers the hearts of those persistent on sins and seals them, and that He ignores them as they forgot Him, and He disgraces them and destroys them as they have neglected His commands. In this regard, He – Glorified is He – says in the verse of the creations prostrating to Him: “And whomsoever Allah disgraces, none can honour him.” [Hajj; Verse 18]

So to the extent of your fear of Allah, the creation is in awe of you, and to the extent of your exaltation of Allah, the creation reveres you, and to the extent of your love for Allah, the creation loves you. And verily trials are driven off by repentance, seeking forgiveness and submitting to the commands of Allah, the One, the Irresistible: “And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.” [Noor; Verse 31]

May Allah bless me and you in the Great Quraan, and benefit us in what is in it of verses and wise reminders. I say these words of mine and I seek the forgiveness of Allah the Great for me and for you.

Second Khutbah
All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah with whose name all good actions are begun and with Whose praise (all good actions) are ended. And all praise be to Allah, the Pardoner, the Noble, the Most Generous. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger and the best of His creation and the chosen from amongst the rest of nations. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him, and on his family, companions, those who follow them and those who trace their path and adhere.

Thereafter:
O Muslims: The days of your month are like ships setting sail, contained in the horizon, unseen at dusk and what remains is just one boat or two boats. The coast dries them and the waves draw them closer and it is on the verge of being swallowed by the open sea, so whoever rectifies himself in these two boats, then verily the journey would not have been missed, and whoever is late for it, then surely his courage had forbid him and his neglect had made him lose.

And there is still in your month fasts and numbered rak’aat and prostrations, and a few occasions in which supplications are sought. Then to Allah is the return, and at the doorsteps of His door is the promise, and Allah knows (best) whether we will meet in the next (Ramadan) or not.

O fasters: Verily from the guidance of the Sunnah and the features of goodness and kindness at the end of this Noble month is that which Allah – the Exalted – has ordained on the tongue of His messenger – peace be upon him – regarding discharging the Fitr charity, for it is a purification for the fasting and a food for the poor and a bright representation of the virtues of this great Islam.. that Eid is for the rich and the poor and the haves and have nots, and as long as it is Eid, everyone should be joyous.

And the charity of Fitr is unanimously compulsory as Ibn Munthir, Baihaqiyy and others have related. And in the Hadeeth of Ibn Umar – may Allah be pleased with them both – that the prophet – peace be upon him – mandated the charity of Fitr, a Saa’ (type of measurement) of dates or a Saa’ of barley, on everyone, free or slave, male or female, of the Muslims. [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

As for the foetus, it is not compulsory to discharge it for him, but that is preferred according to the action of the rightly-guided khalif, ‘Uthman bin Affaan – may Allah be pleased with him.

And it is stipulated in the authentic Ahadeeth that it (should be) dates or wheat or barley or dry cottage cheese or raisins or it is acceptable to discharge it from the staple food of the land, like rice and the like.

And the time of discharging the Fitr charity and the most preferred is on the Day of Eid before the prayer. And it is permissible to give it out 1 or 2 days before Eid. And it is not permissible to delay it until after the Eid prayer. So discharge it – may Allah have mercy on you – as a purification for yourselves, then rejoice with your Eid and thank Allah – the Exalted – for the completion (of Ramadan), and ask Him for acceptance and a good ending (death).

And surely from the guidance of the Sunnah that Allah – Exalted and Majestic – has legislated and that His messenger – peace be upon him – has followed: The takbeer (declaration of the greatness of Allah) on the night of Eid and the morning of Eid. Allah – the Exalted – said in the verses of fasting: “(He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to magnify Him in that He has guided you, so that you may be grateful to Him.” [Baqarah; Verse 185].

And the way for a Muslim to say it is: “Allah is Great. Allah is Great. There is no god but Allah. Allah is Great. Allah is Great and for Allah is all praise.” Or like that, like saying: “Allah is Great, with all magnificence and for Allah is many praises.” And it is Sunnah for the men to say it aloud in houses and mosques and roads and markets.

And from the Sunnah is that a Muslim eats dates before leaving for the Eid prayer – 3 or 5 or 7 or more than that, an odd number as (mentioned) in Saheeh Bukhari.

And surely the prophet – peace be upon him – commanded everyone to come out for the Eid prayer, even the old women, the menstruating women and the virgins. [Narrated by Muslim].

So congratulations O Muslims on your fast and rejoice for your Eid, and thank your Lord and be steadfast and have glad tidings. May Allah accept from us and from you, and return Ramadan to us and you in the best condition.

Then send salutations and peace on the guider, the giver of glad tidings, the lighted and illuminated, the servant of Allah and His messenger Muhammad. O Allah send salutations and peace on Your servant and messenger Muhammad and on his pure, good family and all his companions and on those who follow them and those who follow them until the Day of Judgement.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: https://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/1...in-the-hearts/

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BintAbee
01-25-2013, 02:39 PM
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The “Ghazwah” [1] of Ûhud [2]: Glad Tidings of Victory

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

29 Safar 1434 ~ 11 January 2013

Part One

Verily, praise be to Allah! We thank Him, ask Him for assistance and forgiveness, and
seek refuge with Him from the evils of our inner selves and the mischievous nature of our
deeds. Whoever is guided by Allah nobody shall lead him astray, but whoever Allah
dooms to misguidance shall never benefit from any guidance elsewhere. I bear witness
that there is no deity except Allah, with no partner, and bear witness that Muhammad ()
is His Servant and Messenger. O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honors, and Mercy)
and Peace on him, his Companions, and the tab'în (the contemporaries of the
Companions of the Prophet [] after his death), and on all those who follow them
righteously till the Day of Judgment.

To start with: Fear (Taqwa) Allah () as He should be feared and hold fast to the firm
bond of Islam: O you who believe [in Mûsâ (Moses) (i.e. Jews) and ‘Îsâ
(Jesus) (i.e. Christians)]! Fear Allâh, and believe in His Messenger
(Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ), He will give you a double portion of His
Mercy, and He will give you a light by which you shall walk (straight).
And He will forgive you. And Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful
28 [Al-Ĥadeed: 28].

O Muslims!
The world is witnessing today major events, a colossal historical metamorphosis, and
massive backbreaking and depressing hardships. The whole globe is experiencing a wave
of accelerated ordeals and shifts in regimes and beliefs ‒which renders the forbearing
person confused. They are ordeals like a pitch-dark night. None can escape Allah’s preordained
predicament except he who shall receive Allah’s grace. We are a nation (ûmmah) with a (revealed) religion and followers of a (divine) Message; we have at our disposal a Holy Book and the Prophet’s Sunnah.

The eternal miracle of the Qur’ān is that although it was revealed fourteen centuries
ago and it engaged this nation in an enormous battle which transformed not only its
history but also the history of humanity altogether, yet it (the Qur’ān) continues to
accommodate itself to contemporary life conditions as if it were still in the course of
being revealed so as to orientate Muslims in their current circumstances and in their
struggle with the events taking place around them.

O Muslims!
Many similar ways (and mishaps of life) were faced by nations
(believers and disbelievers) that have passed away before you (as you
have faced in the battle of Uhud), so travel through the earth, and see
what was the end of those who disbelieved (in the Oneness of Allâh,
and disobeyed Him and His Messengers. 137 This (the Qur’ân) is a
plain statement for mankind, a guidance and instruction to those who
are Al-Muttaqûn (the pious). [Âl-‘Imrân: 137-138]. The Holy Qur’ān does
establish a link between the present instant of this Ûmmah (nation) and its past, tracing by
the same token its future perspective.

O servants of Allah!
The aforementioned Qur’ānic verses were revealed on the occasion of the Ûȟud
Ghazwah, which took place during the 10th of Shawwal (3rd Hijri year), when the
polytheists of Quraish decided to take revenge on Muslims for having defeated them in
the prior Ghazwah of Badr. So, they mobilized their troops by gathering three thousand
warriors to be stationed at the outskirts of Madinah. After consulting his Companions, of
whom many insisted on the military encounter outside Medinah, Prophet Muhammad ()
‒who was initially inclined to stay at Madinah and use it as a stronghold‒ eventually left
Madinah accompanied by seven hundred of his Companions after the leader of the
hypocrites had already dissuaded people (from enlisting in the Muslim forces) and
managed to persuade one third of the (Muslim) army to retreat back to Madinah.
Afterwards, the Prophet camped at the mountain of Ûȟud with the remaining soldiers and
ordered the archers to be stationed up there, commanding them not to leave their
positions.

The fight was sparked off on the battlefield. The Muslims initially won the battle and,
as a result, the polytheists fled and their banner fell down.[3] Reckoning that the battle war
over, some archers swiftly left their positions up the mountain. Then, the polytheists
gathered around the Muslims and attacked them from behind. Consequently, they killed
seventy among the best Companions, fractured the Prophet’s skull, broke his premolar
tooth, and spread the rumor that they killed the Prophet (). This grieved the believers
deeply, caused them great pain, and a strong feeling of a humiliating defeat.

Later, the polytheists circulated the rumor that they were heading to Madinah. So the
Prophet () called up the injured and the extremely exhausted among his followers, who
promptly responded to his call despite their grave wounds. They immediately rushed to
fight their enemy in all courage, paying no attention to those who let them down.

Meanwhile, historic statements, eloquent speeches, exceptional attitudes, acts of
heroism, regressions and rebukes were made. This historic event was recorded in the
Holy Qur’ān to be recited until the Day of Judgment. Sixty verses in Âl-‘Imrân (chapter 3
in the Holy Qur’ān) were revealed on this issue. They were not a sheer record of a
historical event that took place in the remote past. On the contrary, the reader of those
verses experiences those events and projects them onto the conditions of (today’s)
Muslims and sees them surrounded by their enemies, who are lying in ambush for them,
constantly conspiring against them, harboring envious thoughts about them, spreading
lies and suspicion amongst them, bearing mutual rancor against them, rallying against
them, meeting them on the battlefield, fleeing them, then they return to sow dissension
among them. History is repeating itself, indeed.

O believers!
If a wound (and killing) has touched you, be sure a similar wound
(and killing) has touched the others. And so are the days (good and
not so good), We give to men by turns, that Allâh may test those who
believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. And Allâh
likes not the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers). 140 And that
Allâh may test (or purify) the believers (from sins) and destroy the disbelievers. 141 [Âl-‘Imrân: 140-141]. This alternation of human conditions
between adversity and delight reveals the real nature of individuals, their true character,
the extent of their panic and patience, and the extent of their faith or loss of hope in
Allah.

It is indeed beneficial to the nation to experience violent shocks in order to purge evil
from it. Divine wisdom ordained this purification to take place during the Ûȟud
Ghazwah: Allâh will not leave the believers in the state in which you
are now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good. Nor will
Allâh disclose to you the secrets of the Ghaib (unseen) … [Âl-‘Imrân:
179].

The alternation of days and of adversity and delight are an infallible criterion and a
just balance.

In the battle of Ûȟud, the flaws of the hypocrites were uncovered. Their effect, as it
has always been, is to exploit periods of weakness to rock the hearts, break the ranks,
propagate debility, arouse schisms and suspicions to destroy the structure of the Muslim
society, starting with its faith and values in order to facilitate its surrender to mighty
victors.

The repercussions of the battle contributed to the purification of the souls and the
distinction between the camps of the believers and the hypocrites whose hidden traits
were made clear. Those repercussions contributed to the liberation from attenuated
morals and reluctant feelings.

Although Îbn Obey (leader of the hypocrites) succeeded in convincing one third of the
people to return to Madinah and abandon the support of the Prophet (), there was still a
pure elite (of Companions) who were steadfast, who assumed their responsibilities of
spreading religion, spending money to support fighters, fighting relentlessly on the
battlefield, and holding fast to the value of patience and perseverance: Among the
believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allâh [i.e.
they have gone out for Jihâd (holy fighting), and showed not their
backs to the disbelievers]; of them some have fulfilled their obligations
(i.e. have been martyred); and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [i.e. they never proved treacherous to their
covenant which they concluded with Allâh] in the least. [Al-Aȟzeb: 23].

It was thanks to their perseverance and sacrifice that Allah protected the destiny of
Islam in the early period of its history. Again, it is with such heroic deeds, persevering
spirit, and strong patience that Allah will continue to preserve the existence of Islam in
the remaining human history.

O Muslims!
Allah () was indeed able to support His Prophet, His religion, and His servants from
the first instant, and destroy the enemies of the believers without any hard work or effort
from the latter. But Allah () wanted to educate the believers and put them to the test so
that they could qualify for a rational leadership of humanity, despite the vulnerability of
humans to whims, caprices, and devious conduct. Such leadership requires unshakable
faith, unswerving attachment to the value of truth, and strong patience in times of
hardship: …But (He lets you fight) in order to test some of you with
others. But those who are killed in the Way of Allâh, He will never let
their deeds be lost.[4] [Muhammad: 4]. This is Allah’s law: trial before granting
(Muslims) access to power.

Servants of Allah!
Before those Qur’ānic verses [5] unfold the scenes and attitudes related to the Ûȟud
Ghazwah, Allah reminds the believers of the battle in which they were victorious, the
Great Battle of Badr. This juxtaposition is meant to make each battle act as foil to the
other, as Muslims are supposed to assume their full responsibility for defeat and victory
alike: "Yes, if you hold on to patience and piety, and the enemy comes rushing at you; your Lord will help you with five thousand angels
having marks (of distinction)."  [Âl-‘Imrân: 125].

Consider these divine words: "Yes, if you hold on to patience and
piety…”. It is indeed patience and taqwa (fear of Allah), with all meanings and
nuances, that are the secret of victory.

O believers!
In the course of divine directives and hints expressed in the verses of Sûrat Âl-‘Imrân,
Allah warns against the conspiracies of the People of the Scripture, knowing that there
were only Jews who used to live with Muslims in Madinah at that time. Allah warns
Muslims not to incline towards the infidels or obey them. As to the first half of the Sûrat,
it depicts one of the facets of the conflict between Islamic faith and devious beliefs. Allah
engages the People of the Scripture in a debate, arguing with them and rebutting the
unwarranted doubts (they raise about religion).

It is not an abstract argument; it is rather one realistic facet of the huge battle opposing
Muslims to their enemies who lie in ambush for them, gather force to assail them, and ‒
when waging war against them‒ use all sorts of weaponry, conspiracies, and evil means.
The most prominent of such means is to shake the Muslims’ faith. Indeed, the same battle
is still going on up to the present moment between Muslims and their enemies.

Embedded in those Qur’ānic verses is Allah’s warning against usury, as well as His
command for believers to observe taqwa (fear of Allah), seek paradise, purify their souls,
strengthen their faith, control their caprices and whims, adhere to charity and forgiveness,
and spread love, tolerance, and righteousness: Those who spend (in Allâh’s
Cause) in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger, and who
pardon men; verily, Allâh loves Al-Muhsinûn (the good-doers). [Âl-
‘Imrân: 134].

The human being can never win in wars unless he/she wins in prior contests: those of
values and principles. Those who turned back on the day the two hosts met at the battle of
Uhud, it was Satan who caused them to run away from the battlefield because of some
sins they had earned. (Cf Âl-‘Imrân, verse 155) [6]. However, those who won the battles of faith behind their prophets had already started the battle by asking Allah for forgiveness
from their sins, seeking refuge with Him and purifying themselves from wrongdoings.
Perhaps, the consequence of the archers’ disobedience of the prophet’s orders in the
Ûȟud Ghazwah may serve as a useful lesson from which Muslims can learn to appreciate
the value of obedience in every confrontation. A community which is not governed by a
single source of command, and whose individuals and groups (sects) are dominated by
personal conflicts, will not win a battle or succeed in a confrontation as long as its
members do not agree on just a single aspiration and a single destination, and as long as
they do not suppress all types of dissidence among their ranks.

When Muslims felt extremely shocked by the disaster which reversed their lives and
turned everything upside down, Allah said to them, (What is the matter with
you?) When a single disaster smites you, although you smote (your
enemies) with one twice as great, you say: "From where does this
come to us?" Say (to them), "It is from yourselves (because of your evil
deeds)." And Allâh has power over all things. [Âl-‘Imrân: 165]

O servants of Allah!
Despite the gravity of the ordeal inflicted on Muslims while struggling in defense of
Allah’s cause, they never sever their relationship with Allah; nor do they lose confidence
in the truthfulness of Allah’s promise to grant His soldiers victory sooner or later. They
never renounce faith in His vow not to let them down; on the contrary, they believe that
He will lead them to victory, support them, place them in a superior position to that of
their enemies, and grant them supremacy.

The Ûȟud Ghazwah left deep scars on the Prophet’s () psychological state, as he
was physically hurt, for his tooth was broken, his faced was wounded, and his skull was
fractured. His pure blood kept running on his virtuous face until a piece of a mat was
burnt and stuck on it (as remedy to stop the bleeding). Thirst exhausted him so much that
he kept falling on his knees. He also suffered from human casualties among his
followers; in fact, he lost at the foot of Mount Uhud seventy among his dearest
Companions and closest to his heart. He said, “I swear by Allah, I wish I were among
my companions who departed this life at the foot of the mountain.”

He also suffered from loss of lives among his family members. When he was informed
that his paternal uncle Ĥamza was killed, he stood by his corpse and saw his abdomen
ripped open, his nose amputated, and his whole corpse maimed. So, he did not want to look at him in that state and said, “I have never been placed in a position of suffering
from injustice more than this time.”

Nevertheless, the total submission to Allah’s will soon wiped off ephemeral sorrows.
The Prophet () resumed his inspection tour of the site, asking about his Companions,
relieving their suffering, and inspiring them with his strong faith in order to alleviate their
pain and incite them to accept their divine trial with a spirit of surrender to Allah’s
decree.

Rifa'a Az-Zuraqi () said, "On Uhud day when the polytheists retreated, Allah's
Messenger () said to his Companions: “Straighten up so that I thank my Lord”, ‘and
when they queued up behind him, he said’: “O Allah! All Praise is due unto You. O
Allah! none can seize what You have rescued, neither can anyone rescue what You
have seized; and none can guide whom You have misguided, neither can anyone
misguide whom You have guided; and none can deliver what You have deterred,
neither can anyone deter what You have given; and none can make near that which
You have made far, neither can anyone distance what You made near; O Allah!
Rescue us by Your Blessings, and by Your Mercy; and by Your Grace; and by Your
[ordained] Sustenance; O Allah! I ask You for steady bliss, that neither withers nor
evades; O Allah! I ask You for bliss on the day of dreadfulness; and for tranquility on
the day of fear; O Allah! I take refuge with You from the evil of what You sent our way
[as fate], and the evil of what you didn’t send; O Allah! Endear to us iimaan (faith)
and adorn our hearts with it; and make us hate kufr (disbelief), and sinfulness, and
defiance; and make us from the well-guided ones; O Allah! Grant us death as
Muslims; and keep us alive as Muslims; and join us among the righteous, without [us
falling into] ill-repute and disenfranchisement [in Your court]; O Allah! Kill the kafirs
– the people who contravene Your Prophets and avert Your [commanded] path; and
unleash on them Your punishment and torment; O Allah, the True God! Kill the kafirs
who were given the book (i.e., people of the book)”. [Reported by Imam Ahmad and
others]

O servants of Allah!
The Holy Qur’ān was gentle in addressing the believers after what befell them at
Uhud so that their defeat in the battlefield would not turn into despair that might weaken
their forces and a regret that might paralyze their productivity. Allah () says: So do
not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be
superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers. If a wound (and killing) has touched you, be sure a similar wound (and killing) has
touched the others. And so are the days (good and not so good), We
give to men by turns, that Allâh may test those who believe, and that
He may take martyrs from among you. And Allâh likes not the
Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers).  [Al Imran: 139-140]

In addressing them, Allah () combined encouraging them, strengthening their souls
and reviving their determination and mettle. He showed the good consolation and
mentioned the brilliant wisdom that required granting the disbelievers victory over them.
Allah consoled His Prophet and His Auliyâ’ [7] for those who were killed in His Way with
the best and kindest consolation and the most conducive to accept what He decreed for
them. He also told them about what they had got of His reward and esteem in order to
compete with them about it and not to grieve for their death. He told them that the
disaster is due to their own selves (because of their evil deeds) so that they should be on
the lookout. He also told them that it took place according to His decree and destiny so
that they keep to the Oneness of Allah, put their trust in Him and not to fear anyone other
than Him. He consoled them with what He had given them that was worthier and more
serious than the victory and spoils that they had missed.

The outcome of the Uhud Ghazwah and the Qur’ānic guidance preceding the events
were greater than the outcome of victory and spoils. The believers learnt that when defeat
happens, it follows Allah’s law due to slackness and negligence and that it achieves
outcomes which Allah predestines by His wisdom and knowledege in order to scrutinize
souls, distinguish camps, clarify facts, adopt values, establish the measures and make the
laws clear to shrewd people.

Victory depends on nothing but the support of the Lord of al-'ālamîn (the worlds) for
whomever Allah () helps, none can overcome him and his betrayal by others shall not
harm him.

I seek refuge with Allah from the outcast Shaitân (devil): If Allâh helps you,
none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after
Him that can help you? And in Allâh (Alone) let believers put their trust  [Al Imran: 160]. And in all of this there are lessons for Muslims these days in
every land and under every sky.

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and Sunnah and benefit us with their
verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah, be He exalted, to forgive me and you!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful and the
Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of
Resurrection)! I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, the King,
and the Manifest Truth. I also bear witness that Muhammad () is His servant and
Messenger, the honest and the faithful. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and
Mercy), Peace and Blessing on him, his family and all his Companions!

O Muslims!
While early Muslims needed only dozens of men and a few months to regain their
strength and excel in subsequent battles, Muslims these days drained millions of their
souls and decades of their ages but their conditions have not changed and the difference
between them and their predecessors is in learning lessons from others and inspiring
themselves with preachments.

While early Muslims used to return to their religion after each defeat, resort to their
Lord (Allah) and stick around their Prophet (), Muslims these days are being driven
away from their religion, alienated from their Sharia and kept from all means of victory
and its supplies.

You can look around at the situation of many Muslim countries during the last century
after they had been colonized and lost their power. Even today, they have tried all ways,
knocked all doors, got their share from the modern sciences, acquired weapons and
military equipment, and the treasures of the world and the springs of its fuel have flowed
under their feet. However, these days, the blood that is being shed is theirs; the lands that
are being invaded are theirs, and the people who are being subdued are theirs. Even in
their own countries, their fate is controlled by the minorities.

O Muslims!
The flame of disasters is driving you back to your religion, the whips of destiny are
pushing you to resort to your Creator, and the calamities of ad-dahr (time) are calling you: come to that with which your predecessors were powerful and proud and to that
which gave them strength.

O Muslims!
Reassess yourselves, as the space is full of media and channels which do not belong to
a conservative past nor do they care about a painful reality. Furthermore, people are
unmindful, and their wounds are bleeding in every valley.

How come that there is extravagance and lavishness while among Muslims there is
suffering and people who are hungry? Have you not seen that days are taken by turns and
that time is fickle?

O our people in Syria! Allah is on your side and no one but Him! The whole world has
abandoned you so that you become more attached to Allah. The East has condemned
your liberation so that your attachment to your religion becomes stronger. They have
prevented you from getting assistance so that you humbly seek it from Allah. Seek
help in Allâh and be patient. Verily, the earth is Allâh’s. He gives it as
a heritage to whom He wills of His slaves; and the (blessed) end is for
the Muttaqûn. [Al-A‘râf: 128]

The tyrant of Syria has exceeded all limits in slaughtering his people, and he has
shown enmity to his own country which no other enemy has ever shown before. His link
with Allah is cut off but it is attached with the defeated on earth. What he has recently
shown of arrogance, empowerment (from his supporters), and carelessness for what is
happening in Syria is but the awakening before death. This is a sign that the glad tidings
of an imminent victory from Allah will soon manifest itself in Syria. The sun of salvation
will rise up; the birds whose migration has been long, will return. The believers shall
rejoice with Allah’s victory. Bravery is but an hour of patience!

O Allah! You are the Compeller! You are the Avenger! Hasten the demise of the
oppressive people! O Allah! Hasten the demise of the oppressive people! Have mercy on
the oppressed among your servants and heal the hearts of the believing people!

Muslims, before all other people, have to rush to the relief of their brothers in Syria as
their misery is increasing with cold weather, bitter snow and sweeping floods. May Allah
help them!

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honors, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your
Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and on his good and pure family! O Allah! Be pleased with all of Your Messenger’s Companions and those who followed them in
righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors! O
Allah! Grant glory to Your Religion, Your Book and the sunnah of Your Prophet and
Your believing servants!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of
rationality (guidance) whereby the people of piety are honored and sinful people are
guided, and whereby al-ma’roof (good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (evil deeds) is
prevented! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and
Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their
own destruction! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine, in the Levant
and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds! O Allah! Lift the siege around them,
improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’
aggression!

O Allah! Improve the conditions of Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Improve their
conditions and group them around Your Truth and Guidance! O Allah! Spare their blood,
safeguard their tranquility, bring them close together, feed their hungry, protect their
honor, grant them boldness, strength and victory against their oppressors!

O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do whatever
you love and accept. O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Impart to
him health and well-being! O Allah! Impart to him well-being! O Allah! Bring him full
recovery and keep him in good health! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, their
brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your
Sharia and follow the sunnah of Your Prophet ()! O Allah! Make them merciful to
Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and all Muslim countries around the
world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers and the maliciousness of the lecherous!

Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the
Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the
Fire! [Al Baqarah: 201], Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our
transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly,
and give us victory over the disbelieving folk. [Al Omran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and fulfill our
wishes in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our
grandparents, our wives and children! You are indeed All-Hearing!

O Allah! We ask You to be pleased with us and grant us Your Paradise! We seek
refuge in You against Your wrath and hell fire!

O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the
Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us
from despair! O Allah! Send rain down on us! Bestow upon us expedient rain; a blissful,
flowing, widespread, useful, and harmless rain: one that would rejuvenate the land,
quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands!

O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction,
or flooding!

O Allah! Answer our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing!
And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power! You are free from what they
attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah,
the Lord of the worlds!

1. Ghazwah is a battle in which Prophet Muhammad () took part. It is mainly a defensive military
expedition to defend the Islamic creed against the attacks and conspiracies of the infidels and the
pagans.

2. Uhud ( أحد ) is a mount near Madinah where this famous Ghazwah took place.

3. During wars in ancient times, the banner used to be hoisted manually by one of the warriors, and its fall
meant defeat.

4. Here is the beginning of the verse that was only partially quoted by the Sheikh:
So, when you meet (in fight - Jihâd in Allâh’s Cause) those who disbelieve, smite (their) necks till
when you have killed and wounded many of them, then bind a bond firmly (on them, i.e. take them as
captives). Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free them without ransom), or ransom
(according to what benefits Islâm), until the war lays down its burden. Thus [you are ordered by Allâh
to continue in carrying out Jihâd against the disbelievers till they embrace Islâm and are saved from the
punishment in the Hell-fire or at least come under your protection], but if it had been Allâh’s Will, He
Himself could certainly have punished them (without you)… [Muhammad: 4]

5. The Sheikh is referring here to Sûrat Âl-‘Imrân (repeatedly cited throughout the Khutbah).

6. This sentence is somewhat a paraphrase of verse number 155 of surat Âl-‘Imrân.

7. The Auliyâ’ of Allah are those who believe in the Oneness of Allâh and fear Him much (i.e. abstain from
all kinds of sins and evil deeds which he has forbidden), and love Him much (i.e. perform all kinds of good
deeds which He has ordained).

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

:w:
Reply

noorzahra
03-25-2013, 02:40 PM
Aoa! I am looking for an English translation of the jumma khutbah by Shaykh Saalih Aal Taalib delivered on March 15 2013. Can u help!? thanku!
format_quote Originally Posted by Far7an
Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

All Sermons by Shaykh Saalih Aal Taalib will posted in this thread InshaAllah
Reply

BintAbee
03-27-2013, 02:12 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by noorzahra
Aoa! I am looking for an English translation of the jumma khutbah by Shaykh Saalih Aal Taalib delivered on March 15 2013. Can u help!? thanku!
:wasalamex

Thank you for your request and your interest :)

We will post the translation here once it is available in sha Allah :)

:w:
Reply

BintAbee
03-27-2013, 02:14 PM
:sl:

The protection of Allah for the servant

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib
Shawwaal 9, 1426 ~ November 11, 2005

First Khutbah

All praise be to Allah, a praise that is abundant, good and blessed. There is no deprived if He grants, and there is no granted if He deprives. His bounties cannot be encompassed and His boons cannot be counted, no matter how large or spacious the numbers may be. No one other than Him is praised during difficulties and worries. And there is no helper except Him when the warned against occurs. His knowledge encompasses the creation and His power extends to every difficulty. He saves His friends from the evil of the calamities, and He rescues His servants from hardships and crises. I praise Him – Exalted is He – and I thank Him, praise Him and seek His forgiveness. And I bear witness that there is no god but Him alone. He has no partner. He is Exalted, so He raises, and everything submits to His Greatness and is humbled. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. He conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust, advised the Ummah and truly strove for the sake of Allah. May Allah send salutations on him and on his family, and his companions, the possessors of God-fearingness and piety and may much peace be upon them.

Thereafter:
The advice of Allah for the former and later generations is His fearing: “And verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allah, and keep your duty to Him.” [Nisaa; Verse 131]. Taqwah (piety) is fearing the Majestic, acting upon the revealed and preparing for the day of demising. “Verily, for the Pious, there will be a success (Paradise); Gardens and grapeyards; And young full-breasted (mature) maidens of equal age; And a full cup (of wine). No Laghw (dirty, false, evil talk) shall they hear therein, nor lying; A reward from your Lord, an ample calculated gift (according to the best of their good deeds).” [Naba; Verse 31-36]

Thereafter: O Muslims:
Those traveling to Allah, some are foremost and others follow a middle course, varying ambitions, and lofty levels “Certainly, your efforts and deeds are diverse (different in aims and purposes).” [Layl; Verse 4]. And the greatest of them in status, the foremost of them in victory and the most fortunate of them is in the protection of his Protector and is pleased with him, so how happy is the one who is honoured by Allah.

Protection – O Muslims – is not a claim or pretention, and not humiliation or degradation. Verily it is a reality granted by Allah to whosoever of his servants He wishes if they tread the path of His pleasure. “As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths. And verily, Allah is with the good doers.” [Ankaboot; Verse 69]

And since the objective for which humans were created is the worship of Allah, and His unification, and His obedience and His glorification, the One Who made this world a place of trials and tests and made the abundance of obstacles and calamities, and enemies from devils and desires from the way of life, then verily Allah – the Exalted – does not surrender His servants nor abandon His friends. In fact He – Glorified is He – promises protection and care for His sincere friends and victory and stability for His friends when they carry out what He commands, and abstain from what He prohibits and prevents, and depend on Him truly, and preserve their religion, then the desires of the world and the evil of the transgressor will not distract them. “No doubt! Verily, the Auliya’ of Allah, no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve, Those who believed, and used to fear Allah much. For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present world, and in the Hereafter.” [Yoonus; Verse 62-64]

And surely the prophet – peace be upon him – guided in his encompassing words to the path of protection and to what contains protection and saviour in a Hadeeth about which some scholars have said: “I have contemplated over this Hadeeth, so it amazed me, and I continue to be heedless. So how unfortunate are the ignorance of it and the deficiency of understanding of its meanings.” Abdullah bin Abbaas – may Allah be pleased with them both – said: “I was behind the prophet – peace be upon him – and he said: ‘O boy, I will teach you some words. Be careful regarding Allah and He will take care of you. Be careful regarding Allah and you will find Him in front of you. When you ask, ask Allah and when you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if the whole community were to gather together to help you with something, they would not be able to help you in any way unless Allah had written that for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you in some way, they would not be able to harm you except with something which Allah has written for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages are dry.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi with an authentic chain]. And in the narration of Imam Ahmad: “Recognize Allah in ease and He will recognize you in hardship. Know that whatever misses you could never have hit you and what hits you could never have missed you. Know that victory comes with patience, rescue with hardship, and ease with difficulty.”

O Muslims: This Hadeeth includes great advices and complete rules from the most important matters of religion, and acting upon it is the realisation of Tawheed; and the exemplification of commands and prohibitions; and sufficient in the matter of this world and the Hereafter.

And the saying of the prophet – peace be upon him – “Be careful regarding Allah”, i.e.: Be careful of His laws, rights, commands and prohibitions, for whoever does that deserves the protection of Allah, and is amongst those promised Paradise, just like the True – Glorified is He – said: “And Paradise will be brought near to the pious not far off. (It will be said): “This is what you were promised, – (it is) for those oft-returning (to Allah) in sincere repentance, and those who preserve their covenant with Allah. “Who feared the Most Beneficent (Allah) in the Ghaib (unseen), and brought a heart turned in repentance” [Qaaf; Verse 31-33]

And from the greatest thing that requires preserving and being careful of is sincerity in the worship of Allah the Exalted and preserving the self from falling into Shirk (associating partners with Allah) in all its different forms, for whoever associates partners with Allah – the Exalted – , has wasted his efforts and nullified his actions. The Truth – Glorified is He – said: “And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust.” [Furqaan; Verse 23], and He – Glorified and Majestic – said: “And indeed it has been revealed to you (O Muhammad – peace be upon him), as it was to those (Allah’s Messengers) before you: “If you join others in worship with Allah, surely your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers.” [Zumar; Verse 65]. And the intelligent Muslim is the one who accounts for himself and his actions so that he does not fall into something that nullifies his actions.

And from amongst the greatest (actions) that is incumbent to preserve of the commands of Allah is the prayer which Allah has ordained by His saying: “Guard strictly (five obligatory) prayers especially the middle prayer (i.e. ‘Asr prayer).” [Baqarah; Verse 238], and He made the success for the believers who guard their prayers, and He made the key to prayer cleanliness, which is an expiation of sins, an erasure if errors. And surely it has been established in an authentic Hadeeth that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “No one preserves ablution except that he is a believer.” [Narrated by Ibn Majah in his sunan and Malik in the muwatta with an authentic chain].

And from amongst the things that Allah has commanded to be protected are the bodies, especially the mouth and private parts, and they are the (organs) that are foremost in entering people into the Hellfire. And surely the True – Glorified is He – said in praise of the successful believers: “And those who guard their chastity” [Mu’minoon; Verse 5]. And He said: “The men and the women who guard their chastity and the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward.” [Ahzaab; Verse35]. In fact, the prophet – peace be upon him – has surely guaranteed Paradise for the one who guards what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, and that is the mouth which is the path of unlawful eating, and in it is the tongue which is the path of unlawful speaking, and the private parts are the reason for falling into unlawful desires, so most sins are due to these matters.

Servants of Allah: The reward is the like of the type of action, and surely He – Glorified is He – said: “Therefore remember Me. I will remember you” [Baqarah; Verse 152], and He said: “If you help (in the cause of) Allah, He will help you” [Muhammad; Verse 7], and He said: “And fulfill (your obligations to) My Covenant (with you) so that I fulfill (My Obligations to) your covenant (with Me)” [Baqarah; Verse 40], and likewise whoever preserves the boundaries of Allah and His rights and mandates His commands and abstains from His prohibitions, then verily Allah the Exalted protects him, cares for him and guards him. And the protection is general in matters of this world and the Hereafter, so from it is that Allah the Exalted preserves for him the interests of his world, so He preserves him in his body, children, family and wealth. He – Glorified is He – said: “For each (person), there are Mu’aqqibaat (angels) in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allah.” [Ra’d; Verse 11], i.e. that this guarding is by the command of Allah, and the protecting “Mu’aqqibaat” are the angels as Ibn Abbaas – may Allah be pleased with them both – said. And in Saheeh Muslim that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “There are certain sayings, the repeaters of which or the performers of which after every prayer will never be caused disappointment: ‘Glory be to Allah’ thirty three times, ‘Praise be to Allah’ thirty three times, and ‘Allah is Great’ thirty four times.” And in Saheeh Muslim also that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Whoever prays the morning (Fajr) Prayer is under the protection of Allah. Do not put yourselves in a situation where Allah has to call you to account for your negligence.” In fact the protection continues to the offspring just like Allah preserved the treasure of the two boys so He – Glorified is He – said: “And their father was a righteous man” [Kahf; Verse 82], and Umar bin Abdul Aziz said: “No believer dies except that Allah preserves him in his children and the children of his children.” And Ibn Munkadir said: “Verily Allah preserves for a righteous man his children and the children of his children and the houses around him, so they continue being in the protection of Allah and (His) covering.”

On the other hand, whoever flouts the commands of Allah, Allah destroys him, so he is ruined among the creation until harm and hurt comes to him from whom he expected benefit from amongst his family and others.

And just like Allah the Exalted protects His slave from the evil of the day and night and wild animals and humans and jinn, then verily Allah the Exalted also protects him and guards him in his religion and faith, so He protects him from misguided doubts and unlawful desires and He preserves his religion for him so He causes him to die on faith (Imaan). And surely Allah – Exalted and Majestic – said regarding Yoosuf – peace be upon him – : “Thus it was, that We might turn away from him evil and illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was one of Our chosen, guided slaves.” [Yoosuf; Verse 24], and that is because he was careful of the commands of Allah in the unseen, and he said: “I seek refuge in Allah!” [Yoosuf; Verse 23] in a situation in which no one saw him except Allah, and he escaped from sin, and he supplicated to Allah to turn away from him the plot of the women. All that is what made him deserve that Allah removed trials from him and turned away evil and indecency from him, then Allah granted him kingdom.

And surely Allah protects the servant by different types of protection which he does not realise, and (which) he may have disliked. As for the one who disobeys, then verily he is not protected. And Hasan said mentioning the people of sin: “It became easy on them, so they disobeyed Him. And if they made Him dear to them, He would have protected them.”

And in the saying of the prophet – peace be upon him – “Recognize Allah in ease and He will recognize you in hardship” is an urge to fear Allah and guard His boundaries in the condition of ease, health, comfort and safety until when hardship comes, he finds the kindness of Allah, and His mercy, protection and help very close to him.

And when the hardship on Yoonus – peace be upon him – became severe in the stomach of the whale, he called out in the darkness saying: ‘there is no god but You, Glory be to You, Verily I am among the wrong-doers’, so Allah answered his supplication and saved him from his hardship and rescued him from his sorrow. Allah – the Exalted – said: “Had he not been of them who glorify Allah, He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.” [Saaffaat; Verse 143-144]. And when Allah mentioned in Sura Anbiyaa his answering of Ayyoob when he was afflicted with harm, and Than-Noon and Zakaria, He – Glorified is He – said: “Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us.” [Anbiyaa; Verse 90]. And in Tirmidhi with an authentic chain that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Whoever wishes for Allah to answer him at the times of hardship should increase supplication at the times of ease.” And the confirmation of that from the Book of our Lord is His saying – Glorified is He – : “And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).” [Talaaq; Verse 2], and His saying: “And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make his matter easy for him.” [Talaaq; Verse 4]

So O you upon whom mishaps become apparent and hardships have become many, where are you regarding the Knower of the Unseen?! When you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek help, seek help from Allah, for He is the One Who gives and withholds, and humiliates and raises, and harms and benefits. People are nothing but His servants, and the command is His command, so how can you beg from other than Him?! Or how can you have hope in besides Him?! “And if Allah touches you with hurt, there is none who can remove it but He; and if He intends any good for you, there is none who can repel His Favour” [Yoonus; Verse 107]. Who is the One Who saved our prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him – and his companion in the cave?! Who is the One Who saved Ibraheem the friend when he was thrown in the fire?! Who is the One Who parted the sea for Moosa?! Who is the One Who raised Eesa?! Who is the Begged in every hardship?! Who is the Hoped in every calamity?! Verily it is Allah, the All-Powerful.

O Muslims: In a time when the enemies have become apparent over the Muslims and they call each other and set upon them, just as diners set upon food, we do not fear – by Allah – our enemies, to the extent that we fear our sins, for whoever Allah is with, then who can fear?! And whoever Allah is against, then who can hope?!

Verily it is incumbent upon us to preserve the (laws of) Allah in ourselves and our religion, and to call to returning to Him, for if we are true with Allah “then know that Allah is your Maula (Patron, Lord, Protector and Supporter, etc.), (what) an Excellent Maula, and (what) an Excellent Helper!” [Anfaal; Verse 40].

May Allah bless me and you in the Book and the Sunnah, and benefit us with what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine, and I seek forgiveness of Allah the Exalted for me and for you and for the rest of the Muslim males and females, so seek His forgiveness and repent to Him. Verily He is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Second Khutbah
All praise be to Allah, a praise that continues His virtues and hopes for His pardon. I praise Him, while He is the Most Merciful, Glory be to Him. He forgives sins, removes hardships and answers supplicators. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah’s salutations be upon him and upon his family and companions and may much peace be upon them.

Thereafter: Verily from among the pillars of faith is believing in pre-destination and pre-ordainment, and that nothing occurs in this world, small or big except by pre-ordainment written by the pen in the preserved tablet by the command of Allah – the Exalted – and (by) His knowledge and His power before the creation of the heavens and the earth, so nothing occurs except in accordance to that, known to the slave or not known, “Should not He Who has created know? And He is the Most Kind and Courteous (to His slaves) All-Aware (of everything).” [Mulk; Verse 14], “And with Him are the keys of the Ghaib (all that is hidden), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in (or on) the earth and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but he knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record.” [An’aam; Verse 59].

And from here is the completion of the Tawheed of the believers, so their hearts are at peace towards the rules of pre-ordainment, and patience on trials becomes easy on them, and (so too) does gratitude in (times of) ease, and they leave their affair to Allah, and they ask Him for forgiveness, mercy, kindness and help, and for this reason the prophet – peace be upon him – exclusively chose Ibn Abbaas – may Allah be pleased with them both – just as he included the Ummah for this inclusive advice, and it is believing in pre-ordainment, patience on hardships and certainty (of belief) in the Lord of the earth and heavens.

And when understanding these meanings, the pleased souls are calmed and they live a pleasant life. In fact when death comes to them, they die a good death. And in Saheeh Muslim that the prophet – peace be upon him – said: “Strange is the affair of the believer. Verily all his affairs are good for him. If something pleasing befalls him he thanks (Allah) and it becomes better for him. And if something harmful befalls him he is patient and it becomes better for him.”

Then he closes the Hadeeth by his saying: “And know that in being patient on what you dislike is much good, and that victory comes with patience, rescue with hardship and ease with difficulty.” O by Allah! O how great these words are to the one who understands them and holds onto them. And the confirmation of that is in the Book of Allah: “So verily, with the hardship, there is relief, Verily, with the hardship, there is relief.” [Sharh; Verse 5-6], and a single difficulty will never overpower two eases, but where are the believers with certainty (of belief)?! And how many aspects of hardships have pleasantness, and surely people have seen wonders in the pleasantness of Allah and His ease.

And ponder over the precise meaning in this verse: “No calamity befalls, but with the Leave (i.e. decision and Divine Preordainments) of Allah, and whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart” [Taghabun; Verse 11], i.e. at the time of calamity, if the distressed understands that the calamity is from Allah, he will be guided to patience, pleasure and steadfastness on faith, so Allah guides his heart to all good. Qurtubi said: “Ikrimah reads it as: ‘His heart will be calmed’, and Malik bin Dinaar reads it lightening the hamzah: ‘His heart will be guided’”, so have the distressed, patient ones heard of this?! And some of the predecessors have said: “Good life is pleasure and contentment,” and Ibn Zaid said: “Pleasure (regarding the pre-ordainment of Allah) is the greatest door of Allah and the paradise of this world and the relaxation of the worshippers.”

And from the pleasure of the secrets of coupling rescue with hardship and ease with difficulty is that when hardship becomes severe and great and reaches its end, the servant reaches (a point of) despondency of its (hardship’s) removal by the creation, so he attaches his heart to Allah alone and all hope is cut off except in Him, and this is the reality of trust in Allah, and it is from the greatest reasons by which needs are sought, for verily Allah is sufficient for the one who relies on Him as He – Glorified is He – said: “And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him.” [Talaaq; Verse 3]

This, and send salutations and peace on the best creation and purest human, Muhammad bin Abdullah, the unlettered prophet.

O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on your servant and messenger Muhammad, and on his family and companions and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

O Allah guard us with Islam standing, and guard us with Islam sitting, and guard us with Islam lying, and do not make the enemies and envious ambitious for us.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2013/03...r-the-servant/

:w:
Reply

noorzahra
03-29-2013, 06:30 PM
Thanku so much! JazakAllah!
Reply

A-Brother
03-29-2013, 11:51 PM
03 جماد الأولى 1434 | MARCH 13 2013 JUMMAH KHUTBAH | KHUTBAH FILE NO: [49976]

The Al-Mu’awwidhatayn:
Merits and Proprieties



NOTE: The English Khutbah Is Now Available Via The Link Below.

Khutbah Translation Provided By: Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) in Al-Ahsa
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BintAbee
04-01-2013, 06:39 AM
:sl:

The Al-Mu’awwidhatayn (1): Merits and Proprieties
March 13, 2012 Jumadal Ula 3, 1434
Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib


Part One

Praise be to Allah! We express our gratitude to Him, implore His assistance, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our own selves and malevolent deeds. Whoever Allah guides will never be led astray, and whoever Allah leads astray will never find any source of guidance. I bear witness that there is no deity
worthy of worship except Allah with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad () is His servant and Messenger ‒May Allah send His bounteous Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace on him, his family, his Companions, and the tabi'în (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [] after his death), and all
those who have righteously followed them till the Day of Judgement.

O people! I recommend to you what Allah had recommended to bygone nations as well as to our present nation: And verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allâh  [Al-Nissâ: 131]. For whoever keeps vigilant will definitely enjoy peace and safety, and whoever remains oblivious (of Allah’s teachings) will surely regret it.

Resurrection is a truth. On that day, scales will be laid down (to weigh deeds). So, take extra precautions in preparation for that day: And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allâh. [Al-Baǭara: 281]

O Muslims!

Paradise was Man’s first abode. It is good devoid of any trace of evil, while Hell is evil devoid of any trace of good. However, life in this world contains both good and evil.

As humans have been constantly caught unawares by various forms of evil during their lifetime, they ‒especially the ignorant amongst them‒ have cherished certain cults which are falsely believed to exorcise those evils, without reliance on divine revelation or prophetic teachings. Consequently, evil tightened its grip on human beings and corrupted religions, as is confirmed by Allah’s () following words: ‘And verily, there were men among mankind who took shelter with the males among the jinn, but they (jinn) increased them (mankind) in sin
and transgression. [Al-Jînn: 6]

Then Allah () with His clemency and beneficence made rules (of conduct) to His creatures to acquaint them with who they should seek refuge and how they should seek protection. Oqba Ibn Amer () narrated that Allah’s messenger () said, “Have you heard the unprecedented Qur’ānic verses revealed tonight? They are namely, Say: I seek refuge with (Allâh), the Lord of the daybreak [Al-Falaǭ: 1] and Say: "I seek refuge with (Allâh) the Lord of mankind [An-Nâs: 1] (Narrated by Muslim in his Šaĥîĥ).

That was the way Prophet Muhammad () described these great sûrahs (Chapters in the Holy Ǭur’ān). When the Prophet () uttered those words, he meant that the two sûrahs contain a big divine secret. They are bestowed by Allah on his servants as a fortress and a weapon to be used by the believers to repel the devils of both the Jinn and the Humans. In addition, believers deploy such a weapon in facing the evil forces, hardships, tribulations of life, conspirators, enviers, magic spells, conjurors, and sins which put them in harm’s way.

Therefore, the surahs, Al-Falaǭ and An-Nâs, contain clear verses which mention the disease as well as its medication. Prophet Muhammad () used to pay special attention to these Qur’ānic surahs and would use them -under the command of His Lord‒ to seek His protection ().

Abu Saeed narrated: “Prophet Muhammad () used to seek Allah's protection against the Jinn and human harmful and envious looks until the surahs of Al-Falaǭ and An-Nâs were revealed. Then, he renounced everything else and stood fast to them.” This Hadith was narrated by At-Tirmidhi and Al-Nassaî (At-Tirmidhi said, “it is a good hadith.”)

O Muslims!

These two sûrahs constitute a directive from Allah () primarily to His Prophet () and then to all the believers. Both are exhorted to seek refuge in His self-sufficient dominion and seek protection with Him from all sources of panic, whether visible or latent, known or unknown, and general or specific. It seems as though Allah () were making His safe dominion accessible to the believers and offering them His unlimited and unconditional protection. It sounds as if He were lovingly and graciously saying to them, “Come along! Come to your safe haven to find rest. Come on! I am the One Who perfectly knows your weaknesses and all fears surrounding you. I am the One Who has greater power to defeat your enemy. Come along to the divine haven of safety, tranquillity, and peace.

He who examines both surahs closely finds out that they constitute a fortress against invisible evils which are too subtle to be perceived. These evils target humans, who remain totally unaware of their source. This is why Allah’s command in both surahs (through the word “say”) has accorded focal attention to such evils as distinct from the rest of the perils and plagues afflicting humans. Allah’s () command has equally been clear as regards invoking His assistance, succour, rescue, and Istiâδa (seeking His protection) from all sorts of evil, in general, but specifically from the above-cited ones.

The objective is to firmly entrench the meaning of tawhid (monotheism) in the souls as these have a vital need for protection from all types of evil and harm, which fosters in them a sense of attachment to their protector who safeguards them against evil. Thus, these two surahs include invocation of divine protection against all such evils, using a style characterised by maximum brevity, conclusiveness, semantic force, as an invocation to seek refuge with Allah.

In Arabic, the term “Aûuδu” means “I resort to”, “I seek refuge with”, “I hold fast to Allah and ask for His protection.” Istiâδa is a form of worship through which we seek the satisfaction of the One Whose protection we implore, Allah (). This term reflects total confidence in Allah’s exclusive power to repel and lift whatever kind of
peril.

In the first Muâwiδah (Al-Falaǭ), Allah () commands His Prophet to address the “Lord of Daybreak” in order to implore His protection, as He is the Lord of daylight which emerges from the night to illuminate its darkness. The very idea of restrictively associating Istiâδa with daylight is an indication that the coming into sight of bright
daylight epitomises the advent of relief that dispels hardships. There is an analogy between, on the one hand, someone who is awaiting the daybreak and, on the other hand, a panic-stricken person who is eager to enjoy a sense of relief and safety after a period of suffering. This is why Allah () say to His Prophet and to all believers:
Say: "I seek refuge with (Allâh), the Lord of the daybreak From the evil of what He has created… [Al-Falaǭ: 1-2]. That is to say, I seek refuge from the evils of His creatures in general without any specification, regardless of the type of evil in the Herein and the Hereafter, including the evils of the Jinn as well as those of
the humans, the evils of wild animals and predators, fire, sins, whims, caprices of the ego, bad deeds, and the evils of all evil-doers.

The next verse is "And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness; (or the moon as it sets or goes away [Al-Falaǭ: 3]. The Arabic word “ghasaǭ” means ‘total darkness’, the word “ghasaaǭ” means ‘night’ or ‘the person moving by night’, and the word “waǭaba” means ‘comes/arrives’. Ibn Abbes (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said, “It means the advent of night with its darkness,” while Mujahid and Al-Zohri said, “It means sunset time.”

The meaning of Istiâδa is protection from the night, and whatever it is associated with, when it covers the earth with its awe-inspiring obscurity. Night time is therefore a trigger of fear sensations, for wild animals and predators use darkness to camouflage themselves and their motion. By night time, criminals and conspirers become active,
instincts and desires grow irresistible, and satanic brainwaves, along with hallucinations, worries, and grieves, violently crawl into one’s consciousness, thus generating emotions and longings.

Satan himself is privileged by darkness; he exploits it to gain freedom and start enticing people (into sinful acts). That is why Allah () ordered His Prophet to resort to Istiâδa from the night and whatever evils it might entail. Allah () says, "And from the evil of those who practise witchcraft when they blow in the knots” [Al-Falaǭ: 4].

This refers to the witches who contrive to harm others through blowing witchcraft into knots that they secretly tie, using threads or other devices, which they attach to the name of the targeted person. The latter will therefore suffer from their harmful witchcraft: …but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allâh’s Leave… [Al-Baǭara: 281].

The Prophet () considered witchcraft as one of the major sins which lead to Hellfire, in addition to annihilating individuals and nations, and causing a fatal destiny to its perpetrators in the Herein before total loss in the Hereafter.

Whoever falls ill or prey to witchcraft is prohibited from resorting to magicians, witches, or conjurors. The Prophet () warned that whoever commits that sin, he is acquitted of such evil deeds (on the Day of Judgement). As an alternative, Allah () prescribed us the use of Istiâδa, resorting to Him and seeking His assistance.

The last verse of this surah, "And from the evil of the envier when he envies." [Al-Falaǭ: 5] talks about envy. Envy is a bad moral both according to human nature and according to religion. It consists in wishing that the bounties Allah bestowed on the envied person would cease. The real evil and harm of the envier will concretise as soon as he directs his spiteful looks at the victim or proceeds to harm the envied person. This explains why Allah () commanded His creatures to resort to Istiâδa from envious people: —"And from the evil of the envier when he envies." [Al-Falaǭ: 5].

If people rely on Allah () alone and seek His exclusive assistance to protect themselves with these Qur’ānic verses, they will certainly get protection from envy and safety from the envier’s spiteful looks. The Al-Falaǭ sûrah is among the best remedies for the envied person. It includes sincere reliance on Allah, resorting to His might, seeking His protection against the envier of the bounties exclusively endowed by Allah, the Provider of all favours, for He () is the sole provider of help to whoever requests it and refuge to whoever seeks it.

O Muslims!

In the second Muâwiδa (the surah of An-Nâs), Allah ordained that people should approach their Lord to seek His protection, for He is the sole Provider of protection, the only Sovereign Who has the power to command or prohibit them to do anything, and the God Whom they worship. Allah ordered people to seek His protection from the devils who keep trying to prevent them from true worship of Allah. In fact, Satan is the origin of all evil emanating from people and befalling them.

Allah says "The King of mankind, "The Ilâh (God) of mankind, [An-Nâs: 2-3]. Because people have kings, Allah says that He is their King, and because among people there those who worship other deities, He says that He is their Lord Who is worthy of worship. It is He Who should be sought refuge with and He alone to be resorted to, not to monarchs and renowned worldly figures. He () is their true Lord, the real King, the only God Who is alone worthy of worship. Everybody and everything else is under His divine authority, and are virtually helpless vis-à-vis
seeking favours, removing harm, determining death, giving life, or setting off resurrection.

Istiâδa from the evil of Al-Waswaas Al-Khannaas ‒i.e. Satan‒ covers all his satanic evils. In this verse, Satan is assigned the most dangerous, malevolent, influential, and corrupt attributes; it is namely waswasa (surreptitious enticement) which is the initial stage of volition; for at first, the heart experiences a state of vacuity where evil and sin are totally absent. Then, Satan starts his enterprise of surreptitious enticement by embellishing evil to its potential doer. He beautifies the projected act in the eyes of its potential performer. In addition, he activates the hibernating determination of the potential doer. Conversely, he demonises good acts and discourages their potential
doer from undertaking them.

Such is always the situation with Satan; alternating his evil deeds of whispering and retreating. He insinuates himself into man and, like blood, finds his way to his heart. This is confirmed in both Sahihs(2) where Ibn Abbas(3) May Allah be pleased with both him and his father) says: “Satan is ever perched on a man’s heart. Whenever he is distracted and slips into oblivion, he starts whispering evil to him. Once he remembers Allah, he withdraws”; that is he ‘runs away’ or ‘retreats.’

Evil whispering does not come only from Jinn(4), but it may come from humans. In this regard, Allah () said: …Of jinn and men. [An-Nas: 6]. This bears reference to the danger of those human demons, about whom very few of us are alerted, despite the fact that Allah () commanded His Prophet in this sûrah to seek refuge with Him from the evil of both types of such demons: the human and the jinn.

O servants of Allah!

Reciting Al-Mu'awwidhatayn is permissible at any time of the day, particularly during those times sanctioned by the Prophet () including what was reported by Uqba Ibn Amir(5) () thus: “Allah’s Messenger () commanded me to recite Al-Mu'awwidhatayn at the end of each salat.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawood and Al Nasai, and was authenticated by Al Hakim and others.]

Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) also narrated that the Prophet (), “whenever he went to bed every night he would put the palms of his hands together, blow in them and recite Say (O Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ): ‘He is Allâh, (the) One’.[ Al-Ikhlâs: 1]; Say: "I seek refuge with (Allâh), the Lord of the daybreak [Al Falaq:1] and Say: "I seek refuge with (Allâh) the Lord of mankind [An-Nas:1]. Then, using the palms of his hands, he would wipe three times all he could over the front part of his body, starting with the head and face.” [Narrated by Bukhari].

It is also part of the sunnah to recite Al-Mu'awwidhatayn three times while uttering morning and evening invocations. The Prophet () told Abdullah Ibn Khubaib(6) (): “ ‘Say’. I said: ‘say what?’ He said: ‘Say He is Allâh, (the) One, in addition to Al-Mu'awwidhatayn three times by morning and evening, for these will suffice to
ward off all evils.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi, who is quoted to have said: ‘This is a valid and sound Hadith’. The Hadith was authenticated by An Nawawi and others.]

O servants of Allah!

The recitation of Al-Mu'awwidhatayn is a self-ruqya(7) (treatment) for the Muslim and one he could use for others as well. Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) reported that “whenever the Prophet () felt pain, he would recite for himself Al-Mu'awwidhatayn and then blow. She said: ‘When he turned too ill to do it I would recite for him, and then use his own hand to wipe over his body with it wishing for its barakah(8).” [The Hadith was agreed upon.]

Also, Muslim reported, “Whenever one of his household fell ill, the Prophet () would blow on him/her while reciting Al-Mu'awwidhatayn.”

Furthermore, Al-Mu'awwidhatayn are recited as measure to ward off scourge before it strikes. Abu Saeed(9) () reported that “the Prophet () used to seek refuge with Allah from the evil eyes of humans and jinn alike. When Al-Mu'awwidhatayn were revealed to him he started to make exclusive recourse to them.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi, Al Nasai and Ibn Maja]

To recap, recitation of Al-Mu'awwidhatayn is confirmed at the end of each one of the five salats (prayers), before going to bed, in the morning and evening as well as for ruqya and protection purposes.

We beseech Allah to grant all of us refuge from all evils, wrongdoings, fitnas (temptations) and ailments.

May Allah () make His blessings for you and for me in the Noble Qur'ān and benefit us with the guidance of the Master of all Messengers ()! I say this and I ask Allah () forgiveness, for you and for me.

Part Two

Praise be to Allah! We praise Him kindly and abundantly and seek His blessing. He is the One Who answers whoever calls upon Him, shelters whoever seeks refuge with Him and provides safety for those seeking his protection and care. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, Who has no associates! I also bear witness that Muhammad () is His servant and Messenger! May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on him, his family and all of his Companions!

O Muslims!

One must not fail to realize the subtlety posed by the Sûrat of Al Falaq where the command, at the beginning of it, was ‘to seek refuge with the Lord of ‘Falaq’. The word ‘falaq’ means ‘Daybreak’, or rather anything that breaks out bringing goodness and good will. Making special reference to Al falaq here points to the ultimate verity that whoever is capable of bringing daybreak and of lifting the night darkness off the face of the earth is certainly be able of removing all types of darkness as well as ridding the oppressed of their sufferings. Hence there is no despair with the Almighty, the All-Capable: Verily! It is Allâh Who causes the seed-grain and the
fruit-stone (like date-stone) to split and sprout. [Al-An’am: 95]

Daybreak stands for that hope which is born out of tragedy. It is the morning light that comes to replace the gloomy darkness of the night. It is relief cascading from the peak of distress. It is a cheering voice announcing the advent of ease and relief.

Indeed, this is all we hope and wish for these days. The people of Syria are suffering from the oppression of their enemy and his allies from among his own denomination overseas, who are rushing for his support. However, such distress, no matter how extreme it may grow, is bound to perish in the face of the endurance of the believers and their exclusive reliance on Allah after they have been failed by those powers that pretend to stand by the weak. Nay, indeed! These powers only seek to secure their own interests.

It may be a sign –Allah Willing– that relief is drawing near, for certainly, there is relief after distress, triumph with patience and verily, along with every hardship is relief. [Ash-Sharh: 5]

In this context, what we so desperately need is that genuine feeling of trust in Allah and reliance on Him, in addition to imploring His forgiveness so profusely, for this is one of the most important keys to the establishment of relief and consent, and to the shunning of disputes. After all, ‘bravery is but an hour’s patience’.

Those Muslims who are capable of offering support to their brothers in faith – particularly the rulers– should realize that the initiative lies in their hands, that people would follow them, and that there is a great deal of goodness in our Umma (Islamic nation). Therefore, spare no effort to stop the aggression and to bring an end to perversity.

Verily, abandoning one’s brother in faith at times of hardships is only prelude to expedient retribution of the same nature. Likewise, standing by our brothers in Syria is warding off adversity from us in this Life and the Hereafter.

Now, ask Allah to send His Salat (Graces, Honors and Mercy) and Peace upon the Given Mercy and the Offered Blessing, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah. O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon
Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad () and his kind and virtuous family! O Allah! Be pleased with all of Your Messenger’s Companions and those who righteously follow them till the Day of Judgment!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and let down tyrants, infidels and all the corruptors! O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah and Your true servants!

O Allah! Foreordain for the nation of Islam a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honored, the people of sins are guided, Al-Ma‘rûf (good deeds) is enjoined, and Al-Munkar (bad deeds or evil) is forbidden! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Fail those who want to harm Islam and Muslims! Make them preoccupied with their own selves! Turn their plots against them, and make that the cause of their own destruction, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your Cause in Palestine, the Sham (Syria), and everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Relieve them of the siege around them! Set right their affairs and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Set right the situation of our brothers (in faith) wherever they may be! O Allah! Set right the situation of Muslims everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Set right their affairs in Egypt and everywhere, rally them around Your Guidance, and protect them against those evil-doers among them! O Allah! Set right their affairs!

O Allah! Help our Muslim brothers in Syria! O Allah! Gather them around Your Truth and Guidance! O Allah! Spare their blood, safeguard their tranquility, bring them close together, feed their hungry, protect their honor, grant them boldness, strength and victory against their oppressors! O You, the Ever-Living, the Eternal Guardian, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty!

O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him good health! O Allah! Grant him, his deputies, their brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!

O Allah! Help the Muslim leaders to govern and abide by Your Holy Book and to follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet, Mohammad ()! Make them a blessing on Your believing servants! O Allah! We implore You to spread security, prosperity in our own country and in those of all Muslims, to protect us against the evil of evil-doers
and the plotting of the lecherous! Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al Baqarah: 201]. Our Lord! Forgive
us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk. [Al Omran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and fulfill our wishes in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children! You are indeed All-Hearing!

O Allah! We ask You to be pleased with us and grant us Your Paradise! We seek refuge with You against Your wrath and hell fire!

It is Allah’s forgiveness we seek! It is Allah’s forgiveness we seek! It is Allah’s forgiveness we seek! O Allah! We turn in repentance to You! You are the Ever-Living, the Eternal Guardian! O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship except You! You are the Self-Sufficient and we are the poor! Send down rain upon us and do not make us despondent! O Allah! Send down rain upon us! O Allah! Send down rain upon us! O Allah! Send down rain upon us; a blissful, steady, widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands! O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy. O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy. O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Answer our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! O Allah! Forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful! Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power! You are free from what
they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!




(1) The Al-Mu'awwidhatayn ( المعوذتین ), sometimes translated as " Verses of Refuge", is an Arabic
term referring to the last two surahs (chapters) of the Qur’ān viz. Al-Falaq and An-Nas which are two
consecutive short prayers beginning with "Say: I seek refuge in the Lord...". Although these two Surahs
are separate entities in the Qur'ān and also are written in the Mushaf under separate names, they are
so deeply related mutually with their contents closely resembling each other's that they have been
designated by a common name Mu'awwidhitayn (the two Surahs in which refuge with Allah has been
sought). Imam Baihaqi in 'Dala'il an-Nubuwwat' has written that these Surahs were revealed together,
and hence their combined name of Mu'awwidhatayn. There is a Hadith that recommends reading them
over the sick or before sleeping and they are also considered a healing (adapted from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mu'awwidhatayn)

(2) Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari are collections of hadiths. They are considered to be the most
authentic collections of the Sunnah of the Prophet ().

(3) Abdullah ibn Abbas was a paternal cousin of the Prophet (). He is revered by Muslims for his
knowledge and was an expert in Tafsir (exegesis of the Qur'an), as well as an authority on the Islamic
Sunnah (adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%60Abd_Allah_ibn_%60Abbas)

(4) The jinn or genies are spirits mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān and Islamic theology who inhabit an
unseen world in dimensions beyond the visible universe of humans. Like human beings, the jinn can
also be good, evil, or neutrally benevolent and hence have freewill like humans and unlike angels. The
jinn are mentioned frequently in the Qur'ān, and the 72nd surah is titled Surat al-Jinn.

(5) Uqbah ibn Amir was a Companion of the Prophet () and a well-known member of the early Muslim
community.

(6) One of the Companions of the Prophet ()

(7) What is said for the purpose of seeking protection or healing. It is agreed among Ulama (Muslim
scholars) that for a ruqya ( رقیة ) to be permissible it has to meet three requirements: (1) It has to include Allah’s words and fairest names and attributes, (2) It has to be in Arabic or any other language the
ruqya receiver (patient) understands, and (3) Both the raqi (the person performing the ruqya) and the
ruqya receiver must believe that the ruqya in itself does not produce any effects and that it is Allah ()
that does. (Adapted from Dr. Khaled Al-Jeraisy’s Self Ruqya Treatment, trans. Dr. Mohammad Atif
Mogahed Mohammad.)

(8) The Arabic word ( بركة ) means blessing, benediction, good fortune, abundant good, etc.

(9) One of the Companions of the Prophet ().


Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

:w:
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BintAbee
04-01-2013, 06:39 AM
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The Al-Mu’awwidhatayn (1): Merits and Proprieties
March 13, 2012 Jumadal Ula 3, 1434
Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib


Part One

Praise be to Allah! We express our gratitude to Him, implore His assistance, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our own selves and malevolent deeds. Whoever Allah guides will never be led astray, and whoever Allah leads astray will never find any source of guidance. I bear witness that there is no deity
worthy of worship except Allah with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad () is His servant and Messenger ‒May Allah send His bounteous Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace on him, his family, his Companions, and the tabi'în (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [] after his death), and all
those who have righteously followed them till the Day of Judgement.

O people! I recommend to you what Allah had recommended to bygone nations as well as to our present nation: And verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allâh  [Al-Nissâ: 131]. For whoever keeps vigilant will definitely enjoy peace and safety, and whoever remains oblivious (of Allah’s teachings) will surely regret it.

Resurrection is a truth. On that day, scales will be laid down (to weigh deeds). So, take extra precautions in preparation for that day: And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allâh. [Al-Baǭara: 281]

O Muslims!

Paradise was Man’s first abode. It is good devoid of any trace of evil, while Hell is evil devoid of any trace of good. However, life in this world contains both good and evil.

As humans have been constantly caught unawares by various forms of evil during their lifetime, they ‒especially the ignorant amongst them‒ have cherished certain cults which are falsely believed to exorcise those evils, without reliance on divine revelation or prophetic teachings. Consequently, evil tightened its grip on human beings and corrupted religions, as is confirmed by Allah’s () following words: ‘And verily, there were men among mankind who took shelter with the males among the jinn, but they (jinn) increased them (mankind) in sin
and transgression. [Al-Jînn: 6]

Then Allah () with His clemency and beneficence made rules (of conduct) to His creatures to acquaint them with who they should seek refuge and how they should seek protection. Oqba Ibn Amer () narrated that Allah’s messenger () said, “Have you heard the unprecedented Qur’ānic verses revealed tonight? They are namely, Say: I seek refuge with (Allâh), the Lord of the daybreak [Al-Falaǭ: 1] and Say: "I seek refuge with (Allâh) the Lord of mankind [An-Nâs: 1] (Narrated by Muslim in his Šaĥîĥ).

That was the way Prophet Muhammad () described these great sûrahs (Chapters in the Holy Ǭur’ān). When the Prophet () uttered those words, he meant that the two sûrahs contain a big divine secret. They are bestowed by Allah on his servants as a fortress and a weapon to be used by the believers to repel the devils of both the Jinn and the Humans. In addition, believers deploy such a weapon in facing the evil forces, hardships, tribulations of life, conspirators, enviers, magic spells, conjurors, and sins which put them in harm’s way.

Therefore, the surahs, Al-Falaǭ and An-Nâs, contain clear verses which mention the disease as well as its medication. Prophet Muhammad () used to pay special attention to these Qur’ānic surahs and would use them -under the command of His Lord‒ to seek His protection ().

Abu Saeed narrated: “Prophet Muhammad () used to seek Allah's protection against the Jinn and human harmful and envious looks until the surahs of Al-Falaǭ and An-Nâs were revealed. Then, he renounced everything else and stood fast to them.” This Hadith was narrated by At-Tirmidhi and Al-Nassaî (At-Tirmidhi said, “it is a good hadith.”)

O Muslims!

These two sûrahs constitute a directive from Allah () primarily to His Prophet () and then to all the believers. Both are exhorted to seek refuge in His self-sufficient dominion and seek protection with Him from all sources of panic, whether visible or latent, known or unknown, and general or specific. It seems as though Allah () were making His safe dominion accessible to the believers and offering them His unlimited and unconditional protection. It sounds as if He were lovingly and graciously saying to them, “Come along! Come to your safe haven to find rest. Come on! I am the One Who perfectly knows your weaknesses and all fears surrounding you. I am the One Who has greater power to defeat your enemy. Come along to the divine haven of safety, tranquillity, and peace.

He who examines both surahs closely finds out that they constitute a fortress against invisible evils which are too subtle to be perceived. These evils target humans, who remain totally unaware of their source. This is why Allah’s command in both surahs (through the word “say”) has accorded focal attention to such evils as distinct from the rest of the perils and plagues afflicting humans. Allah’s () command has equally been clear as regards invoking His assistance, succour, rescue, and Istiâδa (seeking His protection) from all sorts of evil, in general, but specifically from the above-cited ones.

The objective is to firmly entrench the meaning of tawhid (monotheism) in the souls as these have a vital need for protection from all types of evil and harm, which fosters in them a sense of attachment to their protector who safeguards them against evil. Thus, these two surahs include invocation of divine protection against all such evils, using a style characterised by maximum brevity, conclusiveness, semantic force, as an invocation to seek refuge with Allah.

In Arabic, the term “Aûuδu” means “I resort to”, “I seek refuge with”, “I hold fast to Allah and ask for His protection.” Istiâδa is a form of worship through which we seek the satisfaction of the One Whose protection we implore, Allah (). This term reflects total confidence in Allah’s exclusive power to repel and lift whatever kind of
peril.

In the first Muâwiδah (Al-Falaǭ), Allah () commands His Prophet to address the “Lord of Daybreak” in order to implore His protection, as He is the Lord of daylight which emerges from the night to illuminate its darkness. The very idea of restrictively associating Istiâδa with daylight is an indication that the coming into sight of bright
daylight epitomises the advent of relief that dispels hardships. There is an analogy between, on the one hand, someone who is awaiting the daybreak and, on the other hand, a panic-stricken person who is eager to enjoy a sense of relief and safety after a period of suffering. This is why Allah () say to His Prophet and to all believers:
Say: "I seek refuge with (Allâh), the Lord of the daybreak From the evil of what He has created… [Al-Falaǭ: 1-2]. That is to say, I seek refuge from the evils of His creatures in general without any specification, regardless of the type of evil in the Herein and the Hereafter, including the evils of the Jinn as well as those of
the humans, the evils of wild animals and predators, fire, sins, whims, caprices of the ego, bad deeds, and the evils of all evil-doers.

The next verse is "And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness; (or the moon as it sets or goes away [Al-Falaǭ: 3]. The Arabic word “ghasaǭ” means ‘total darkness’, the word “ghasaaǭ” means ‘night’ or ‘the person moving by night’, and the word “waǭaba” means ‘comes/arrives’. Ibn Abbes (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said, “It means the advent of night with its darkness,” while Mujahid and Al-Zohri said, “It means sunset time.”

The meaning of Istiâδa is protection from the night, and whatever it is associated with, when it covers the earth with its awe-inspiring obscurity. Night time is therefore a trigger of fear sensations, for wild animals and predators use darkness to camouflage themselves and their motion. By night time, criminals and conspirers become active,
instincts and desires grow irresistible, and satanic brainwaves, along with hallucinations, worries, and grieves, violently crawl into one’s consciousness, thus generating emotions and longings.

Satan himself is privileged by darkness; he exploits it to gain freedom and start enticing people (into sinful acts). That is why Allah () ordered His Prophet to resort to Istiâδa from the night and whatever evils it might entail. Allah () says, "And from the evil of those who practise witchcraft when they blow in the knots” [Al-Falaǭ: 4].

This refers to the witches who contrive to harm others through blowing witchcraft into knots that they secretly tie, using threads or other devices, which they attach to the name of the targeted person. The latter will therefore suffer from their harmful witchcraft: …but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allâh’s Leave… [Al-Baǭara: 281].

The Prophet () considered witchcraft as one of the major sins which lead to Hellfire, in addition to annihilating individuals and nations, and causing a fatal destiny to its perpetrators in the Herein before total loss in the Hereafter.

Whoever falls ill or prey to witchcraft is prohibited from resorting to magicians, witches, or conjurors. The Prophet () warned that whoever commits that sin, he is acquitted of such evil deeds (on the Day of Judgement). As an alternative, Allah () prescribed us the use of Istiâδa, resorting to Him and seeking His assistance.

The last verse of this surah, "And from the evil of the envier when he envies." [Al-Falaǭ: 5] talks about envy. Envy is a bad moral both according to human nature and according to religion. It consists in wishing that the bounties Allah bestowed on the envied person would cease. The real evil and harm of the envier will concretise as soon as he directs his spiteful looks at the victim or proceeds to harm the envied person. This explains why Allah () commanded His creatures to resort to Istiâδa from envious people: —"And from the evil of the envier when he envies." [Al-Falaǭ: 5].

If people rely on Allah () alone and seek His exclusive assistance to protect themselves with these Qur’ānic verses, they will certainly get protection from envy and safety from the envier’s spiteful looks. The Al-Falaǭ sûrah is among the best remedies for the envied person. It includes sincere reliance on Allah, resorting to His might, seeking His protection against the envier of the bounties exclusively endowed by Allah, the Provider of all favours, for He () is the sole provider of help to whoever requests it and refuge to whoever seeks it.

O Muslims!

In the second Muâwiδa (the surah of An-Nâs), Allah ordained that people should approach their Lord to seek His protection, for He is the sole Provider of protection, the only Sovereign Who has the power to command or prohibit them to do anything, and the God Whom they worship. Allah ordered people to seek His protection from the devils who keep trying to prevent them from true worship of Allah. In fact, Satan is the origin of all evil emanating from people and befalling them.

Allah says "The King of mankind, "The Ilâh (God) of mankind, [An-Nâs: 2-3]. Because people have kings, Allah says that He is their King, and because among people there those who worship other deities, He says that He is their Lord Who is worthy of worship. It is He Who should be sought refuge with and He alone to be resorted to, not to monarchs and renowned worldly figures. He () is their true Lord, the real King, the only God Who is alone worthy of worship. Everybody and everything else is under His divine authority, and are virtually helpless vis-à-vis
seeking favours, removing harm, determining death, giving life, or setting off resurrection.

Istiâδa from the evil of Al-Waswaas Al-Khannaas ‒i.e. Satan‒ covers all his satanic evils. In this verse, Satan is assigned the most dangerous, malevolent, influential, and corrupt attributes; it is namely waswasa (surreptitious enticement) which is the initial stage of volition; for at first, the heart experiences a state of vacuity where evil and sin are totally absent. Then, Satan starts his enterprise of surreptitious enticement by embellishing evil to its potential doer. He beautifies the projected act in the eyes of its potential performer. In addition, he activates the hibernating determination of the potential doer. Conversely, he demonises good acts and discourages their potential
doer from undertaking them.

Such is always the situation with Satan; alternating his evil deeds of whispering and retreating. He insinuates himself into man and, like blood, finds his way to his heart. This is confirmed in both Sahihs(2) where Ibn Abbas(3) May Allah be pleased with both him and his father) says: “Satan is ever perched on a man’s heart. Whenever he is distracted and slips into oblivion, he starts whispering evil to him. Once he remembers Allah, he withdraws”; that is he ‘runs away’ or ‘retreats.’

Evil whispering does not come only from Jinn(4), but it may come from humans. In this regard, Allah () said: …Of jinn and men. [An-Nas: 6]. This bears reference to the danger of those human demons, about whom very few of us are alerted, despite the fact that Allah () commanded His Prophet in this sûrah to seek refuge with Him from the evil of both types of such demons: the human and the jinn.

O servants of Allah!

Reciting Al-Mu'awwidhatayn is permissible at any time of the day, particularly during those times sanctioned by the Prophet () including what was reported by Uqba Ibn Amir(5) () thus: “Allah’s Messenger () commanded me to recite Al-Mu'awwidhatayn at the end of each salat.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawood and Al Nasai, and was authenticated by Al Hakim and others.]

Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) also narrated that the Prophet (), “whenever he went to bed every night he would put the palms of his hands together, blow in them and recite Say (O Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ): ‘He is Allâh, (the) One’.[ Al-Ikhlâs: 1]; Say: "I seek refuge with (Allâh), the Lord of the daybreak [Al Falaq:1] and Say: "I seek refuge with (Allâh) the Lord of mankind [An-Nas:1]. Then, using the palms of his hands, he would wipe three times all he could over the front part of his body, starting with the head and face.” [Narrated by Bukhari].

It is also part of the sunnah to recite Al-Mu'awwidhatayn three times while uttering morning and evening invocations. The Prophet () told Abdullah Ibn Khubaib(6) (): “ ‘Say’. I said: ‘say what?’ He said: ‘Say He is Allâh, (the) One, in addition to Al-Mu'awwidhatayn three times by morning and evening, for these will suffice to
ward off all evils.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi, who is quoted to have said: ‘This is a valid and sound Hadith’. The Hadith was authenticated by An Nawawi and others.]

O servants of Allah!

The recitation of Al-Mu'awwidhatayn is a self-ruqya(7) (treatment) for the Muslim and one he could use for others as well. Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) reported that “whenever the Prophet () felt pain, he would recite for himself Al-Mu'awwidhatayn and then blow. She said: ‘When he turned too ill to do it I would recite for him, and then use his own hand to wipe over his body with it wishing for its barakah(8).” [The Hadith was agreed upon.]

Also, Muslim reported, “Whenever one of his household fell ill, the Prophet () would blow on him/her while reciting Al-Mu'awwidhatayn.”

Furthermore, Al-Mu'awwidhatayn are recited as measure to ward off scourge before it strikes. Abu Saeed(9) () reported that “the Prophet () used to seek refuge with Allah from the evil eyes of humans and jinn alike. When Al-Mu'awwidhatayn were revealed to him he started to make exclusive recourse to them.” [Narrated by Tirmidhi, Al Nasai and Ibn Maja]

To recap, recitation of Al-Mu'awwidhatayn is confirmed at the end of each one of the five salats (prayers), before going to bed, in the morning and evening as well as for ruqya and protection purposes.

We beseech Allah to grant all of us refuge from all evils, wrongdoings, fitnas (temptations) and ailments.

May Allah () make His blessings for you and for me in the Noble Qur'ān and benefit us with the guidance of the Master of all Messengers ()! I say this and I ask Allah () forgiveness, for you and for me.

Part Two

Praise be to Allah! We praise Him kindly and abundantly and seek His blessing. He is the One Who answers whoever calls upon Him, shelters whoever seeks refuge with Him and provides safety for those seeking his protection and care. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, Who has no associates! I also bear witness that Muhammad () is His servant and Messenger! May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on him, his family and all of his Companions!

O Muslims!

One must not fail to realize the subtlety posed by the Sûrat of Al Falaq where the command, at the beginning of it, was ‘to seek refuge with the Lord of ‘Falaq’. The word ‘falaq’ means ‘Daybreak’, or rather anything that breaks out bringing goodness and good will. Making special reference to Al falaq here points to the ultimate verity that whoever is capable of bringing daybreak and of lifting the night darkness off the face of the earth is certainly be able of removing all types of darkness as well as ridding the oppressed of their sufferings. Hence there is no despair with the Almighty, the All-Capable: Verily! It is Allâh Who causes the seed-grain and the
fruit-stone (like date-stone) to split and sprout. [Al-An’am: 95]

Daybreak stands for that hope which is born out of tragedy. It is the morning light that comes to replace the gloomy darkness of the night. It is relief cascading from the peak of distress. It is a cheering voice announcing the advent of ease and relief.

Indeed, this is all we hope and wish for these days. The people of Syria are suffering from the oppression of their enemy and his allies from among his own denomination overseas, who are rushing for his support. However, such distress, no matter how extreme it may grow, is bound to perish in the face of the endurance of the believers and their exclusive reliance on Allah after they have been failed by those powers that pretend to stand by the weak. Nay, indeed! These powers only seek to secure their own interests.

It may be a sign –Allah Willing– that relief is drawing near, for certainly, there is relief after distress, triumph with patience and verily, along with every hardship is relief. [Ash-Sharh: 5]

In this context, what we so desperately need is that genuine feeling of trust in Allah and reliance on Him, in addition to imploring His forgiveness so profusely, for this is one of the most important keys to the establishment of relief and consent, and to the shunning of disputes. After all, ‘bravery is but an hour’s patience’.

Those Muslims who are capable of offering support to their brothers in faith – particularly the rulers– should realize that the initiative lies in their hands, that people would follow them, and that there is a great deal of goodness in our Umma (Islamic nation). Therefore, spare no effort to stop the aggression and to bring an end to perversity.

Verily, abandoning one’s brother in faith at times of hardships is only prelude to expedient retribution of the same nature. Likewise, standing by our brothers in Syria is warding off adversity from us in this Life and the Hereafter.

Now, ask Allah to send His Salat (Graces, Honors and Mercy) and Peace upon the Given Mercy and the Offered Blessing, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah. O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon
Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad () and his kind and virtuous family! O Allah! Be pleased with all of Your Messenger’s Companions and those who righteously follow them till the Day of Judgment!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and let down tyrants, infidels and all the corruptors! O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah and Your true servants!

O Allah! Foreordain for the nation of Islam a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honored, the people of sins are guided, Al-Ma‘rûf (good deeds) is enjoined, and Al-Munkar (bad deeds or evil) is forbidden! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Fail those who want to harm Islam and Muslims! Make them preoccupied with their own selves! Turn their plots against them, and make that the cause of their own destruction, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your Cause in Palestine, the Sham (Syria), and everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Relieve them of the siege around them! Set right their affairs and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Set right the situation of our brothers (in faith) wherever they may be! O Allah! Set right the situation of Muslims everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Set right their affairs in Egypt and everywhere, rally them around Your Guidance, and protect them against those evil-doers among them! O Allah! Set right their affairs!

O Allah! Help our Muslim brothers in Syria! O Allah! Gather them around Your Truth and Guidance! O Allah! Spare their blood, safeguard their tranquility, bring them close together, feed their hungry, protect their honor, grant them boldness, strength and victory against their oppressors! O You, the Ever-Living, the Eternal Guardian, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty!

O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him good health! O Allah! Grant him, his deputies, their brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!

O Allah! Help the Muslim leaders to govern and abide by Your Holy Book and to follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet, Mohammad ()! Make them a blessing on Your believing servants! O Allah! We implore You to spread security, prosperity in our own country and in those of all Muslims, to protect us against the evil of evil-doers
and the plotting of the lecherous! Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al Baqarah: 201]. Our Lord! Forgive
us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk. [Al Omran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and fulfill our wishes in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children! You are indeed All-Hearing!

O Allah! We ask You to be pleased with us and grant us Your Paradise! We seek refuge with You against Your wrath and hell fire!

It is Allah’s forgiveness we seek! It is Allah’s forgiveness we seek! It is Allah’s forgiveness we seek! O Allah! We turn in repentance to You! You are the Ever-Living, the Eternal Guardian! O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship except You! You are the Self-Sufficient and we are the poor! Send down rain upon us and do not make us despondent! O Allah! Send down rain upon us! O Allah! Send down rain upon us! O Allah! Send down rain upon us; a blissful, steady, widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands! O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy. O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy. O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Answer our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! O Allah! Forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful! Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power! You are free from what
they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!




(1) The Al-Mu'awwidhatayn ( المعوذتین ), sometimes translated as " Verses of Refuge", is an Arabic
term referring to the last two surahs (chapters) of the Qur’ān viz. Al-Falaq and An-Nas which are two
consecutive short prayers beginning with "Say: I seek refuge in the Lord...". Although these two Surahs
are separate entities in the Qur'ān and also are written in the Mushaf under separate names, they are
so deeply related mutually with their contents closely resembling each other's that they have been
designated by a common name Mu'awwidhitayn (the two Surahs in which refuge with Allah has been
sought). Imam Baihaqi in 'Dala'il an-Nubuwwat' has written that these Surahs were revealed together,
and hence their combined name of Mu'awwidhatayn. There is a Hadith that recommends reading them
over the sick or before sleeping and they are also considered a healing (adapted from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mu'awwidhatayn)

(2) Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari are collections of hadiths. They are considered to be the most
authentic collections of the Sunnah of the Prophet ().

(3) Abdullah ibn Abbas was a paternal cousin of the Prophet (). He is revered by Muslims for his
knowledge and was an expert in Tafsir (exegesis of the Qur'an), as well as an authority on the Islamic
Sunnah (adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%60Abd_Allah_ibn_%60Abbas)

(4) The jinn or genies are spirits mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān and Islamic theology who inhabit an
unseen world in dimensions beyond the visible universe of humans. Like human beings, the jinn can
also be good, evil, or neutrally benevolent and hence have freewill like humans and unlike angels. The
jinn are mentioned frequently in the Qur'ān, and the 72nd surah is titled Surat al-Jinn.

(5) Uqbah ibn Amir was a Companion of the Prophet () and a well-known member of the early Muslim
community.

(6) One of the Companions of the Prophet ()

(7) What is said for the purpose of seeking protection or healing. It is agreed among Ulama (Muslim
scholars) that for a ruqya ( رقیة ) to be permissible it has to meet three requirements: (1) It has to include Allah’s words and fairest names and attributes, (2) It has to be in Arabic or any other language the
ruqya receiver (patient) understands, and (3) Both the raqi (the person performing the ruqya) and the
ruqya receiver must believe that the ruqya in itself does not produce any effects and that it is Allah ()
that does. (Adapted from Dr. Khaled Al-Jeraisy’s Self Ruqya Treatment, trans. Dr. Mohammad Atif
Mogahed Mohammad.)

(8) The Arabic word ( بركة ) means blessing, benediction, good fortune, abundant good, etc.

(9) One of the Companions of the Prophet ().


Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

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Reply

BintAbee
04-14-2013, 07:36 PM
:sl:

In the shade of Surah Qaaf

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

December 5, 2003 ~ Shawwaal 11, 1424

First Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah. All praise be to Allah, the One Who sent down the criterion (of right and wrong, i.e. the Quran) to His slave (Muhammad –peace be upon him) that he may be a warner to the worlds. And all praise be to Allah Who revealed the Book (the Quran) as an exposition of everything, a guidance, a mercy, and glad tidings for those who have submitted themselves (to Allah as Muslims). And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. In veneration of Him, in unification of Him and revering Him. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger, the best (person) sent by Allah as a guide and giver of glad tidings, and a caller to Allah by His Leave and a light and illumination. May Allah’s salutations be upon him and on his family and companions, and may much peace be upon them.

Thereafter: Fear Allah as He ought to be feared. And hold fast unto the Islam with the strongest handhold. “O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared. (Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always), and die not except in a state of Islam.” [Aal Imraan; Verse 102]. And whoever fears Allah, He saves him, and He suffices for him all his worries. “And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine.” [Talaaq: Verse 2-3]

Thereafter: O Muslims: Allah sent every messenger to his people with a miracle and a sign. He sent Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him- with the greatest miracle and the most decisive sign, which shall remain everlasting till the Day of Resurrection. The sign is the Noble Quraan, which is the revealed and preserved Word of Allah. The Book explains everything and guides to the most straightforward path. “Alif-Lam-Ra. (This is) a Book, the Verses whereof are perfected (in every sphere of knowledge, etc.), and then explained in detail from One, Who is All-Wise and Well-Acquainted (with all things).” [Hood; Verse 1]

The Qur’an is the greatest reference for the preachers and the best authority relied on by the just rulers. It is its light that guides the scholars. Allah calls it an admonishment when He says: “O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord, and a healing for that (disease of ignorance, doubt, hypocrisy and differences) in your breasts, – a guidance and a mercy for the believers.” [Yoonus; Verse 57]

Allah’s Messenger used to admonish and remind his companions with the Qur’an in response to the call of his Lord: “But warn by the Qur’an; him who fears My Threat.” [Qaaf; Verse 45]

And in Saheeh Muslim, Umm Hisham bint Harithah said: “We used to share the same oven with the Messenger of Allah for two years or a year and some months. And I did not memorise (Surah) ‘Qaf wal-Qur’anil-majîd’ but from the mouth of Allah’s Messenger. He used to recite it every Jumu‘ah on the pulpit when he preached to people.” Ibn Kathîr said: “The purpose is that the Messenger of Allah used to recite this Surah in big congregations like Eids and Jumuas because the Surah contains information about the beginning of the creation, the Resurrection, the return, the standing (for reckoning), the Reckoning, Paradise and Fire. It also contains information on reward, punishment, encouragement to do good deeds and warning against evil deeds. And Allah knows best.”

Fellow Muslims! Surely, knowing about admonition is a blessing and strength. It is also a reward and guidance. Allah says,

“But if they had done what they were told, it would have been better for them, and would have strengthened their (Faith); and indeed We should then have bestowed upon them a great reward from Ourselves. And indeed We should have guided them to a Straight Way.” [Nisaa; Verse 66-68]. Let us now incline towards the shades of this Surah in order to revive the Sunnah, to attain guidance and to admonish our hearts.
In the Name of Allah the Gracious, the Merciful.

“Qaf. By the honoured Qur’an.

Nay, they wonder that there has come to them a warner (Muhammad – peace be upon him) from among themselves. So the disbelievers say: “This is a strange thing!”

When we are dead and have become dust (shall we be resurrected?) That is a far return.”

We know that which the earth takes of them (their dead bodies), and with Us is a Book preserved (i.e. the Book of Decrees).

Nay, but they have denied the truth (this Qur’an) when it has come to them, so they are in a confused state (cannot differentiate between right and wrong).” [Qaaf; Verses 1-5]

In the last of this group of verses, Allah describes those who rejected the truth as being in a confused state. This is truly the state of anyone who keeps away from the guidance of the Qur’an, denies the truth and seeks guidance from other than Allah. Such a person is always erratic in his thoughts and positions and confused in his life and actions. He always follows his desire; and concepts and values are always contradicting in his view.

In the following verses, Allah commands His slaves to ponder over His Works through which He created everything in the state of perfection. Can anyone besides Allah create what is similar? Far is Allah above that. Rather, can the creatures stand by themselves? This is indeed, a great proof that Allah is Omnipotent and that He is the True God.

“Have they not looked at the heaven above them, how We have made it and adorned it, and there are no rifts in it?

And the earth!We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and have produced therein every kind of lovely growth.

It is an insight and a Reminder for every slave who turns to Allah in repentance.

And We send down blessed water (rain) from the sky, then We produce therewith gardens and grain that are reaped.

And tall date-palms, with ranged clusters.

A provision for (Allah’s) slaves. And We give life therewith to a dead land. Thus will be the resurrection.

Denied before them (i.e. these pagans of Makkah) the people of Nu, and the dwellers of Rass, and Thamud;

And ‘Ad, and Fir’aun (Pharaoh), and the brethren of Lut;

And the Dwellers of the Wood, and the people of Tubba’.

Everyone of them denied (their) Messengers, so My Threat took effect. Were We then tired with the first creation?

Nay, they are in confused doubt about a new creation (i.e. Resurrection)?” [Qaaf; Verse 6-15]

High and Exalted is Allah. Indeed, the One Who created the creatures from non-existence and never lacked strength while He was creating them is perfectly Capable of repeating their creation.

After this, Allah explains the second creation that will take place on the Day of Resurrection. He preceded that by reminding His slaves of His creation of man, that nothing is hidden from Him and that He knows what moves about in the hearts, not to talk of what is uttered or done however concealed they are. He explains that all that is watched and recorded. The Muslim should therefore get prepared for that day. For anyone who did an atom weight of good deed will find its reward and anyone who did an atom weight of evil deed will find its reward. You should therefore call yourselves to account before you are called to it.

“And indeed We have created man, and We know what his own self whispers to him. And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge).

(Remember!) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being), one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note his or her actions).

Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).

And the stupor of death will come in truth: “This is what you have been avoiding!” [Qaaf; Verse 16-19]

Yes! There is no escape from death. It is the fate of every living thing. No Muslim or disbeliever will escape from this fate. In spite of the severity of death, what comes after it, such as situations of the grave, the Resurrection and Reckoning are far more severe and more horrible.

“And the Trumpet will be blown – that will be the Day whereof warning. And every person will come forth along with an (angel) to drive (him) and an (angel) to bear witness.” [Qaaf; Verse 20-21]

The sinner will then be told: “Indeed you were heedless of this. Now We have removed from you your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!” [Qaaf; Verse 22]

In this difficult situation, the record of deeds will be distributed and the people will be shown their positions in Paradise or Hell. It is then that the dwellers of Hell will start arguing with one another as Allah explains in different places in His Book. He says:

“And his companion (angel) will say: “Here is (this Record) ready with me!”

(Allah will say to the angels): “Both of you throw into Hell every stubborn disbeliever.”

Hinderer of good, transgressor, doubter, “Who set up another god with Allah.

Then both of you cast him in the severe torment.”

His companion (Satan) will say: “Our Lord! I did not push him to transgress, but he was himself in error far astray.”

Allah will say: “Dispute not in front of Me, I had already in advance sent you the threat.

The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed, and I am not unjust (to the least) to the slaves.”

On the Day when We will say to Hell: “Are you filled?” It will say: “Are there any more (to come)?” [Qaaf; Verse 23-30]

As for Paradise, it will be brought closer to the believers as an honour to them. Listen to the description of its will-be dwellers.

“And Paradise will be brought near to the pious not far off.

(It will be said): “This is what you were promised – (it is) for those oft-returning (to Allah) in sincere repentance, and those who preserve their covenant with Allah.

“Who feared the Most Beneficent (Allah) in the Ghaib (Unseen) and brought a heart turned in repentance (to Him and absolutely free from each and every kind of polytheism).

“Enter you therein in peace and security – this is a Day of eternal life!” There they will have all that they desire – and We have more.” [Qaaf; Verse 31-35]

In a wonderful explicative apposition, the end of this Surah re-emphasises all the issues that are discussed in it. Allah says,

“And how many a generation We have destroyed before them who were stronger in power than they.

And (when Our Torment came) they ran for a refuge in the land!

Could they find any place of refuge (for them to save themselves from destruction)?

Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for him who has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful.

And indeed We created the heavens and the earth and all between them in six Days and nothing of fatigue touched Us.

So bear with patience all that they say, and glorify the Praises of your Lord, before the rising of the sun and before (its) setting.

And during a part of the night (also) glorify His praises and (so likewise) after the prayers.” [Qaaf; Verse 36-40]

Allah also tells us that performance of prayers and remembrance of Allah are means of perseverance and strength. He says:

“And listen on the Day when the caller will call from a near place.

The Day when they will hear As-Saihah (shout) in truth: that will be the Day of coming out.

Verily, We it is Who give life and cause death; and to Us is the final return.

On the Day when the earth shall be cleft, from off them, (they will come out) hastening forth.

That will be a gathering, quite easy for Us. We know of best what they say.

And you (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) are not the one to force them (to Belief). But warn by the Qur’an; him who fears My Threat.” [Qaaf; Verse 41-45]

Fellow Muslims! Show gratitude to Allah for giving you rain. Ask Him to make it a rain of blessing and to make it cover all the Muslim lands. For the real drought is not in lack of rain but lack of blessings in the fallen rain. Adhere to the means of achieving blessing. Allah says: “And if the people of the towns had believed and had piety, certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn (polytheism and crimes).” [A’raaf; Verse 96]

So O Allah for You is all praise for Your abundant bounties and great boons. O Allah for You is praise until You are pleased, and for You is praise until when You are pleased, and for You is praise after You are pleased. O Allah make that which You sent down on us strength to obey You and deliverance to it. O Allah make the plants grow with it, and make the milk flow in abundance with it, and make water abundant for us. O Allah make it a rain of mercy, and increase us in Your blessings, mercy, virtue and sustenance, and make your bounties general for all the houses of Islam, O Alive, O Self-Sustaining, O Possessor of Majesty and Bounty.

O Allah send salutations on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad just as You have sent salutations on Ibraheem and the family of Ibraheem. Verily You are the Praiseworthy, the Mighty. And send Your blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhmmad just as You sent Your blessings on Ibraheem and the family of Ibraheem in the worlds. Verily You are the Praiseworthy, the Mighty.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2013/03...of-surah-qaaf/

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Reply

BintAbee
05-06-2013, 06:05 PM
:sl:

High Aspiration
26 April 2013 ~ 6 Jumadal Akhirah 1434

by Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Part One

Praise be to Allah (), the Creator of all living creatures and the All-Knower. He preordained that His devout worshippers should be privileged over all creatures so that they would serve as exemplary models like lofty towers, and their faith would render them distinguished in the entire world. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah, with no associate ‒a testimony free of any scepticism or contention‒ and I bear witness that Muhammad () is His servant and Messenger, the best creature who ever tread on earth. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace on His Messenger Muhammad (), on his Companions, so brave and heroic, like lions, on his tabi'în (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [] after his death), and on all those who have followed them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment.

Having said that, I advise you to fear Allah and hold fast to His firmest bond: O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islâm [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allâh)]. [Âl-Îmran: 102]

O servants of Allah!

High aspiration is a token of honour that people look forward to. With it, nations can reach the zenith of achievement, realise the best results, and foster moral perfection. After all, acquiring such a prestigious status is a divine favour: Allâh will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge … [Al-Mujadila: 11]

Allah did commend His prophets and messengers for their strong aspirational potential, and counselled His Prophet Muhammad () to follow their example: Therefore be patient (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) as did the Messengers of strong will... [Al-Aĥqaf: 35]. Allah equally commended His devout worshippers for their high aspiration in situations requiring toughness and patience, exceptional determination and steadfastness, and unshakable religious belief: Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allâh [i.e. they have gone out for Jihâd (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers]; of them some have fulfilled their obligations (i.e. have been martyred); and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [i.e. they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allâh] in the least. [Al-Aĥzeb: 23]

In addition, Allah () commanded His creatures to compete for achievements. He said, So hasten towards all that is good … [Al-Baǭara: 148]. The Prophet () also taught his Ûmmah how to promote motivation and develop a sense of high aspiration. He said, “There are one hundred ranks in Paradise which Allah reserved for the mujahedeen for the sake of divine satisfaction; the interval between each two ranks measures the distance between the earth and the heavens. So, when you supplicate Allah, do ask for Firdaws ‒it is Middle Paradise and Higher Paradise. On top of it is located Allah’s Throne, and from it springs out the rivers of Paradise.” [Reported by Imam Bukhari]. On his part, Omar Bin Al-Khaŧŧab () was reported to have said, “Let not your volition and aspiration weaken, for I have never seen something that discourages people from performing good deeds more than that.”

Likewise, Allah () dispraised feeble-minded people who rush to fulfil their capricious and worldly desires when He said, “And recite (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), but he threw them away; so Shaitân (Satan) followed him up, and he became of those who went astray; [Al-Âraaf: 175]. And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith but he clung to the earth and followed his own vain desire. So his parable is the parable of a dog: if you drive him away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls his tongue out. Such is the parable of the people who reject Our Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.). So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect. [Al-Âraaf: 176]

Servants of Allah!

A religion characterised by such principles never accepts its followers to be lazy, sluggish, powerless, inactive, irresolute, feeble-minded and weak-spirited: So when you have finished (your occupation), devote yourself for Allâh’s worship. [Al-Sharĥ: 7]; And to your Lord (Alone) turn (all your) intentions and hopes. [Al-Sharĥ: 7].

As the pursuit of relaxation and idleness is not a commendable trait of those with valour and a sense of honour, one of the early commands our Prophet Muhammad () received was: O you wrapped in garments (i.e. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم)! [Al-Muzzammil: 1]  Stand (to pray) all night, except a little [Al-Muzzammil: 2]. The Prophet (), along with his Companions, made a lot of sacrifices; they migrated from their native towns; they were brought up for the sake of Allah. It is with sacrifice that they achieved victory at (the Battle of) Badr. It is with patience and certitude that they saved themselves from Al-Ahzeb (the Confederates). They departed into (the Battle of) Tabûk while in deplorable conditions. They equally followed their Prophet in time of difficulty; and when they were told: “Verily, the people (pagans) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them." [Al-Îmran: 173], they became stronger in faith and steadfastness, and simply replied: "Allâh (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us).” [Al-Îmran: 173-]

After the Prophet’s death (), his Companions did not spare any effort (to carry on their mission). Thus, their aspirations were so high that they defeated the two greatest of the time civilisations (i.e. the Persians and the Romans), hoisted their flags over the hills of the East and the West, and spread civilisation, knowledge and guidance throughout the entire world. All such achievements have been recorded in the chronicles of history in the form of spell-binding and enthralling biographies and records. Were it not for the existence of concrete historical evidence, some people might consider such accounts as just dreams!

They were humans, yet their hearts and souls were moulded by the Revelation to the extent that they became fond of the heavens. Allah selected and tested them (by hardships); they succeeded because they were sincere. That was the way the Prophet’s () educated his Companions until they became leaders of the Ûmmah in the areas of knowledge, jihad, and leadership.

O Muslims!

Today, our Ûmmah is in need of people who encourage our children to become (exceptional) men and women, for nowadays many people consider themselves as being promised paradise in the hereafter just because they happened to perform petty acts of worship, without ever contemplating the idea of sacrifice, as if Allah would not select amongst us martyrs or witnesses over mankind. For some of them, Islam has become a sheer social conduct which might be shared with other people and in which some others might outperform them. Don’t they realise that Islam means a set of solemn and arduous obligations, continuous work and trial: Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, "When (will come) the Help of Allâh?" Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allâh is near! [Al-Baǭara: 214]

If someone sleeps oneself to boredom, gets immersed in feasts abundantly set on tables, spends long hours shopping and in nightly entertainment, unrestrainedly spends most of the day browsing electronic media or performing futile entertainment activities and run after worldly gains, like predators in the bush running after their prey, then when should such a person be capable of producing anything positive or repelling any kind of external aggression or working for the advancement of his own nation?

Great achievements and grand aspirations strictly depend on hard work and arduous effort. If we examine the status of any nation, we will realize that no nation has been able to prosper and accomplish success ‒carving out its renown in the chronicles of history‒ without hard toil, immeasurable sacrifice, and onerous effort in all areas of life. Nations will never achieve such a status if their people do not assume their responsibilities and their youth and youngsters are not ready to serve their communities and offer sacrifices. This leads us to realize the risk of negligence when it comes to raising children or failing to nurture them to be serious and responsible. Imam Ghazali ‒may Allah send mercy on his soul‒ said, “The child is under the guardianship of his parents, and his pure uncorrupted heart is a precious gem. If he is taught to form good habits he will behave accordingly ‒achieving happiness both in the herein and the hereafter‒ and if, on the contrary, he is trained to acquire bad habits and is left to his own animalistic instincts, he will be unhappy and his destiny will be fatal. His deliverance lies in mending his manners, polishing up his taste, and teaching him good ethics.”

A retrospective look at how the earlier generations of Muslims handled this issue shows that they concentrated on a balanced education of their children. They were keen to instruct them how to face hardships and endure painful experiences without complaining. Indeed, they offered generous services to this religion and glory of this Ûmmah without asking for any favour.

Servants of Allah!

The current state of weakness and generalised infirmity from which our Ûmmah is suffering is due to excessive attachment to worldly desires and to the sense of contentment with petty mundane benefits, coupled with cowardice due to fear of losing benefits or missing opportunities. Thawban () narrated the following hadîth of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (): “Nations will be tempted to rush to defeat you in the same way eaters rush to a feast.” ‘One member of the audience then asked,’ ‘Is that because we will be outnumbered (by them) then?’ ‘The Prophet replied,’ “No, you will be numerous then; but you are like scum. Allah will remove any feeling of apprehension from the hearts of your enemy vis-à-vis you, and will alternatively instil a feeling of frailty and defeatism in your hearts.” ‘Someone asked,’ ‘What is frailty and defeatism?’ “It is the longing for worldly desires and the hatred of death”, ‘replied the Prophet ()’. [Narrated by Imam Ahmed and Abu Dawood with an authentic chain of authority]

Prophet Muhammad () said, “The moment your commercial transactions become based on forms of usury, you stick to the plough behind bovine tails, and feel contented with your crop, Allah will inflict upon you humiliation which only return to (and reconciliation with) your religion can eradicate.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood with a sound chain of authority].

Excessive indulgence in the pleasures of life, desires, debased amusement, and distracting entertainment is like drugs which obstruct the advancement of the Ûmmah and impede its accession to a prestigious position. Just read history! Just read modern and ancient history to learn lessons. O wise and judicious people! This Ûmmah has been experiencing a sense of loss for a long period now and its tragic conditions have persisted for ages, reaching a dead end of utter darkness.

During the last century, we have seen the rapid renaissance and full restoration of other nations to prosperity after many falls. They have been steadily recovering despite a series of crises, wars, plagues, predicaments, and ordeals. Of course, this is not a statement of admiration for the West; it is rather a statement of bewilderment by the conditions of the East which is experiencing ordeals monthly or bi-monthly. However, people refuse to repent (from their sins) and awaken from their slumber. Allah did blame communities that had suffered from ordeals inflicted upon them once or twice a year without ever repenting or getting out of their state of stupor.

All the goods and chattels of life can never be an efficient and wholesome way to realise pride and integrity for the Ûmmah. Arabs can have at their disposal all types of resources everywhere; but if one day they ignore the principles of their religion, they will simply be reduced to incapacity and eternal humiliation, notwithstanding their possession of the weaponry of the East and the West combined.

Thus, Muslims are left but with a single alternative to achieve glory; it is their return to Islam as both outer physical appearance and inner essence. Muslims are therefore invited to follow the footsteps of the pioneers of Islamic creed in the sincerity of their faith and the rectitude of their moral behaviour. Retracing such path of honour and integrity will depend on Muslims’ knowledge of how, in the past, they became an Ûmmah and how they claimed their existence in history. We primarily need to conduct a self-assessment and a re-examination of our status as a whole.

As a rule, the Ûmmah will not be subject to outside aggression until it deteriorates from the inside. Thus, if we perpetrate evil deeds, we should not normally expect Allah to bestow favours upon us: That home of the Hereafter (i.e. Paradise), We shall assign to those who rebel not against the truth with pride and oppression in the land nor do mischief by committing crimes. And the good end is for the Muttaqûn (the pious). [Al-Ǭaṧaṧ: 83]; And indeed We have written in Az-Zabûr [i.e. all the revealed Holy Books - the Taurât (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), the Psalms, the Qur’ân,] after (We have already written in) Al-Lauh Al-Mahfûz (the Book that is in the heaven with Allâh), that My righteous slaves shall inherit the land (i.e. the land of Paradise). [Al-Anbiya: 105]

The human being who is fit for edifying civilisation and inheriting Allah’s land is not restrictively the one characterised by intelligence; he should be someone who has a live conscience, a high feeling of taqwa (i.e. constructive and deterrent fear of Allah) which inhibits moral unrestraint and unethical capricious drives. All those qualities are normally nurtured by the enlightenment of monotheism and acts of worship. In fact, the entire world is in need for such a venerated spiritual leadership.

Making its way through the twenty-first Century, the world has found itself immersed in an atmosphere of injustice, disorder, anxiety and disintegration, where the night darkness is blocking the day light, the advocates of personal desires are flocking from all directions, virtue and morality are defeated, and where man –fueled by greed and vanity– goes on to kill his fellow man. In today’s world, the flames of lust are raging and the torch of guidance is being put out. Objects and substances have turned so precious and man so cheap.



In today’s world, vibrant cities are being flattened and thousands of people killed in minutes and seconds. A handful of nations have managed to dominate the world and turn it into a house of gambling or a butcher's market. They set out to abuse humanity the way a baby would a piece of paper and to manipulate other nations the way one would juggle a ball. In view of this, the universe cried out for justice, groping about the enlightening guidance of Islam as the steady gleaming light of dawn would traverse the gloomy darkness of the night. So, do you hear the call?!

O Muslims!

What you have in hand is the truest of all the heavenly legacies ever bestowed on man, and in your hands the world’s nurture. The Muslim Ummah is blessed with an everlasting religion that is capable of stirring life into dormant souls and bringing about rebirth. This Ummah is still in the process of recovering and trying to recuperate its strength in order to resume its maiden mission. May Allah () grant it the power it needs to accomplish its goal!

The territory our great Ummah occupies holds the reins of the entire world and the key to prosperity. Our Ummah holds the well-being and honor of humanity; and had it succeeded in employing such assets properly, it would have needed no other nation to help it while the rest of the world would have rushed to it in need of assistance: Verily, he who fears Allâh with obedience to Him (by abstaining from sins and evil deeds, and by performing righteous good deeds), and is patient, then surely, Allâh makes not the reward of the Muhsinûn (good-doers - see V.2:112) to be lost. [Youssef: 90]

Therefore, aim at success, put on the garments of pure righteousness, take from the ‘lantern’ of Allah’s words thus: Indeed he succeeds who purifies his ownself (i.e. obeys and performs all that Allâh ordered, by following the true Faith of Islâmic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds). [Ashams: 9], then follow (another) way. [Al Kahf: 92]. Recover your dignity and say ‘NO’ to desires and whims, wishes and fear, division and discord. Make the resolve to traverse pathways and pull through hardships, and bear in mind that reaching peaks and pinnacles may not be carried out in one leap and that progression is a necessary measure Allah () has created as part of His sunan (laws) in life.

Those with a high aspiration are willing to carry their Ummah’s concerns and sacrifce themselves and all that is precious to them towards helping it accomplish its goals and attain greatness. Such people do realize that positive outcomes are contingent upon negative ones and that interests, good things, pleasure and amenities may not be obtained except with a fair share of pain and discomfort. Those seeking greatness for their Ummah must learn to rise above others’ blame and reproach and must proceed to work hard towards that end: And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it (i.e. does righteous deeds of Allâh’s Obedience) while he is a believer (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism) - then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, (thanked and rewarded by Allâh). [Al Isra: 19]. In this context, the Prophet () said: "He who is afraid of the pillage of the enemy, sets out in the early part of the night; and he who sets out early, reaches his destination. Be on your guard that the commodity of Allah is precious. Verily the commodity of Allah is Jannah".

Verily, those possessing a strong determination do not rescind their intentions. In this regard Allah () says: Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allâh. [Al Imran: 159]

The road to success is not paved with roses and basils. It rather requires much endurance and hard work to make one’s way through it. Once a man gets a taste of success, then trouble does not matter anymore. Ironically, it turns into a delicacy that is sweeter than serenity and tranquility. Indeed, this is the Way of Allah () in this life: As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allâh’s religion - Islâmic Monotheism). And verily, Allâh is with theMuhsinûn (good doers). [Al Ankabout: 69]

The rearing of the Ummah on such tenets is the responsibility of parents, educators, the media and the officials alike. However, promoting insensibility and debility through the proliferation of distractions may only breed a tamed nation that is fit neither to build during times of prosperity nor to withstand hardships at times of calamity.

As it experiences the gloomiest of its circumstances ever and the most precarious juncture throughout its history, it is incumbent upon the Muslim Ummah to rise above the low motives of amusement, frivolity, division, discord, negligence and oblivion, and to take upon itself to raise its generation on the values of earnestness, ambition and strong resolve. Allah told His Prophet: O Yahyâ (John)! Hold fast the Scripture [the Taurât (Torah)]. [Mariam: 12]. He also said: Hold unto these with firmness. [Al Aaraf: 145]

The Laws of Allah in matters of triumph and defeat are no mere accidents as events are meant to evolve to an end in accordance with accurate universal laws, and premises as consistent as the effects that come to validate the causes: Verily! Allâh will not change the (good) condition of a people as long as they do not change their state (of goodness) themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allâh). [Al Raad: 11]

May Allah bless you and me by the Great Qur'ān and benefit us with the sunnah of the Master of all the messengers! Having said this, I ask Allah () to forgive me and you!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah Who would send out restraining exhortations to fend off evil, put forward lessons that would cause tears to flow, and Who would not hesitate to show His creatures their disgrace whenever they deserved it and their true value after they had been deluded. He () is the possessor of superb sagacity. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah alone, and I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on him and all his family and Companions!

Now, then:

Right there, in the backyard of the Arab World; on Muslim soil, and precisely in Syria, where the entire world can hear and see, the Syrian people are undergoing massacre after massacre. Blood is being shed continuously. The criminal regime proceeds to take the lives of thousands of Syrians, displace millions of them, terrorize them, bombard the heritage of ancient civilizations, and purposely set ablaze libraries holding treasures of knowledge and manuscripts. By so doing, that regime is deliberately announcing its formal break away from all that is human, ignoring religious values, civilization, and human heritage and turning a deaf ear to the crying of young children.

Perched on the land of Syria as an intruding cancerous tumor eating away its body, that regime continues to practice all forms of massacres and hideous crimes against the Syrian people, propagating terrorism among them with the help of its brothers in faith and enemies of Arabs and Muslims. These are only a minority in the process of eradicating the majority; a handful of people dominating an entire nation: And whomsoever Allâh disgraces, none can honour him. [Al Haj: 18]

Five hundred people, mostly young children, are being slain in Artouz Al-Fadhl in the outskirts of Damascus, while the world is watching and still looking for legimate reasons to intervene or supply weapons. Such reasons and excuses are indeed flimsy and fabricated as the the real motives lie in the fear that the neighboring enemy would feel embittered over the falling of weapons in the hands of true believers. Hence Syrian blood continues to be shed and people to be massacred at the hands of two enemies, not just one: an aggressor from inside and an occupier from outside; and hence continue to fall the values of those nations and organization that pretend to be protectors of man and human rights and to stand up for the weak and the defenseless as they watch such heart-rending images and horrifying news from Syria without lifting a finger.

It is an obligation for all to stand for the oppressed and to help put an end to this flagrant injustice. Anyone capable of supplying funds or weapons or exercising political pressure towards this end but refrains from doing so is judged to be a sinner and should expect divine retribution to be be wrought on him sooner or later. In this context, the Prophet () says: “When the people see the wrongdoer and they do not stop him, then soon Allah shall envelope them all in punishment from him."

O Allah! Alleviate the suffering of our brothers in Syria! O Allah! Alleviate the suffering of our brothers in Syria! O Allah! Put an end to their affliction! O Allah! Speed up their victory and relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them for they are too weak! Mend their breakage! Be with them! Bless the souls of their dead and heal their wounded! You, the charitable, the benevolent!

Remember –may Allah have mercy on you– that Allah gave you a command, which He Himself started as He said: Allâh sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and also His angels (ask Allâh to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât[1] on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islâmic way of greeting(salutation, i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum. [Al Ahzab: 56]

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, honours and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and on his good and pure family! O Allah! Be pleased with all of Your Messenger’s Companions and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors! O Allah! Grant glory to Your Religion, Your Book and the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) whereby the people of piety are honored and sinful people are guided, and whereby al-ma’roof (good deeds) is enjoined and al-munkar (evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine, in the Levant and wherever they may be, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression! O Allah! Improve the conditions of our Muslim brothers in Egypt and everywhere! O Allah! Bring them close together on the path of guidance! O Allah! Protect them against the evil doers among them and set right their conditions!

O Allah! Be on the side of our brothers in Syria! O Allah! Unite them around righteousness and guidance! O Allah! Spare their blood! Safeguard their tranquility, bring them close together, feed their hungry, protect their honor, grant them boldness, strength and victory against their oppressors! O You, the Living, the Everlasting!

O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do whatever you love and accept. O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Impart on him health and well-being! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet ()! O Allah! Make them a Mercy on Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night! Our Lord!


Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al Baqarah: 201], Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks. [Al Omran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing! O Allah! We ask You to be pleased with us and grant us Your paradise, and we seek refuge in You against Your wrath and hell fire!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! Allah is the only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and we repent to Him!

O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair! O Allah! Send rain down on us! Bestow upon us expedient rain; a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands!

O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy! O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy! O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Answer our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! Forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!


Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

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BintAbee
06-04-2013, 06:55 PM
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Truth Triumphant, Falsehood Defeated

14 Rajab 1434; 24 May 2013

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Bin Muhammad Al-Tâleb ‒may Allah protect him‒delivered this week’s Friday Khutbah titled “Truth Triumphant, Falsehood Defeated.” He spoke about the eternal battle between truth and falsehood and asserted that victory will inevitably be on the side of what is right, however long the battle might take. He also exhorted all Muslims to return to the two divine revelations (the Holy Qur’ān and the Noble Sunnah), to follow their teachings, and to adopt them as a way of life.

Part One

Praise be to Allah Who decreed that final glory, supremacy and victory would be granted to His devout worshippers and loyal servants despite the sufferings and agonies which might be inflicted on them, and the recurrent predicaments which they might suffer. that supremacy would be assigned to His loyal servants, notwithstanding the successive predicaments and agonies to which they might fall victim. Allah () promised to bestow on them double relief to face just a single ordeal and vowed that their gloomy nights would be followed by bright dawn as a token of forgiveness.

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, with no associate. He alone may deadlock or open up all affairs. commands the obstruction of whatever state affairs and to Him exclusively belongs resolution to every crisis. He makes days unfold in alternation among His creatures whose destinies fluctuate in a preordained direction. I also bear witness that Muhammad () is Allah’s Servant and Messenger, the most open-handed creature on earth and the noblest in spirit ‒may Allah’s Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) be sent onto him, his family, and his Companions, who took maximum advantage of their Prophet’s teachings and spread the word of truth after his demise in order to propagate his message and open up new horizons for it in remote territories.

Having said that, my counsel to you is to truly fear Allah and hold fast to the unbreakable bond of Islam: O you who believe! If you obey and fear Allâh, He will grant you Furqân [(a criterion to judge between right and wrong), or (Makhraj, i.e. a way for you to get out from every difficulty)], and will expiate for you your sins, and forgive you; and Allâh is the Owner of the Great Bounty. [Al-Anfâl: 29]

Certainly, Allah is in full command of all matters in the universe. All creatures are due to return unto Him to have their fate determined, and all litigants are bound to convene before Him; so, make your preparations and take all necessary precautions for this encounter: How (will it be) when We gather them together on the Day about which there is no doubt (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). And each person will be paid in full what he has earned? And they will not be dealt with unjustly. [Al-Îmran: 25]

On resurrection day, people shall be congregated naked, just like their original state when they were first created (born). They would avail themselves of no garment whatsoever, except the garment of taǭwa (if ever they happened to observe taǭwa in the Herein): …And each person will be paid in full what he has earned [Al-Îmran: 25]. As stated in the Holy Qur’ān above, each person shall be judged individually, denuded of titles, privileges, decorations, awards or medals.

O Muslims!

In the Book of Allah, there is reassurance and relief to every believer and guidance for everyone with unshakable faith. Allah will never let down His loyal servants, i.e. truthful believers, for subsequent to each predicament Allah proclaims to His devout worshippers: So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers. [139] If a wound (and killing) has touched you, be sure a similar wound (and killing) has touched the others. And so are the days (good and not so good), We give to men by turns, that Allâh may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. And Allâh likes not the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers). [140] And that Allâh may test (or purify) the believers (from sins) and destroy the disbelievers. [141] [Al-Îmran: 139-141]
In fact, wrong-doing is futureless. Look at how Allah narrated to people the histories of ancient nations that had been devastated and therefore doomed to extinction because they persisted in perpetrating sin. Allah’s () laws governing the universe dictate that His Servants’ faith must be tested in accordance with the wisdom stipulated in the above-stated verse: ...that Allâh may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you... [Al-Îmran: 140]. Allah’s trials also aim at purging the ranks of the believers. This is indicated in Allah’s () statement: Allâh will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good. Nor will Allâh disclose to you the secrets of the Ghaib (unseen) ... [Al-Îmran: 179]

Zaid ibn Asslam narrated: “Once Abu Ubaida ibn Al-Jarrah wrote to Omar ibn Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both) and mentioned to him the huge number of the Roman troops. He expressed his anxiety about their potential threat. Omar replied, “Whatever predicament is inflicted on a devoted believer will be eased, and Allah will soon send relief; for a single predicament will never overcome a double relief [1]. Allah says in His Holy Book: O you who believe! Endure and be more patient (than your enemy), and guard your territory by stationing army units permanently at the places from where the enemy can attack you, and fear Allâh, so that you may be successful. [Al-Îmran: 200]

Therefore, in Allah we trust. We are hoping to see the break of the dawn of salvation whose light will eliminate darkness and whose daylight will herald agreeable hopes!

May Allah bless you and me by the Holy Qur’ān and the Noble Sunnah; and may we reap the fruit of the signs and wisdom they contain. This being said, I implore Allah () to forgive us all.


Part Two
Praise be to Allah, the Omnipotent, the Possessor of all things, and to Whom the entire universe is indebted. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah Who has no partner. Those who turn to Him among His servants are never disappointed and those who embrace His faith are never disgraced. I also bear witness that Mohammad () is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessings upon him, his family, and all of his Companions!

Now then,

Our ‘yaqin’ [2] in Allah () is so great, and our faith in His will to carry out His promises is so unswerving. We turn to Allah, the Almighty, when all paths seem to be cut off and we find refuge in Him when our prospects turn desolate. Verily, full power and control lie in no one else’s hands but His.

As we speak, it is the obligation of every Muslim to supplicate Allah with utmost sincerity on behalf of our oppressed Muslim brothers who have been alternately victimized with no one to rid them of their distress but Allah.

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds! “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah the Incomparably Great, the Ever-Forbearing. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah the Lord of the Mighty Throne. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah the Lord of the heavens, the Lord of the earth, and the Lord of the Honorable Throne. [3] "

O Allah! You, Whose soldiers are invincible; Whose promises are never broken; and Whose command is ever carried out; glory and praise be to You! Honored he is who seeks Your neighbourliness! Glorified be Your praise, and sanctified be Your names! O Allah! We beseech You by Your Supreme Name to have mercy on our brothers in Syria! O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers in Syria! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them for they are defenseless; mend their breakage and take charge of their case! You, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate!

O Allah! You, Who sent down the angels on the Day of Badr [4] and dispersed Al Ahzāb [5] on the Day of Al Khandaq (the Trench); Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in the Levant in general and in Al Qusair [6] in particular!

O Allah! Lift the siege around them, spare their blood, reassure them, feed the hungry among them, preserve their dignity and honor, strengthen their stamina, and grant them power and victory over their oppressors!

O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around righteousness, and protect them against the evil doers among them! O Allah! Suppress their enemy! O Allah! Suppress their enemy! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them!

O Allah! The Revealer of The Book (The Holy Qur'ān), the Runner of the clouds, and the Defeater of Al Ahzāb (the Confederates)! Defeat the oppressors, shake the ground from underneath them and grant victory to our brothers in faith over them!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your true servants! O Allah! Save Al-Aqsa Mosque from the evil of the oppressors and the aggression of the occupiers!
O Allah! Set right the conditions of our brothers in Egypt and everywhere! O Allah! Unite them around righteousness and true guidance. O Allah! Set right their affairs and protect them against the evil doers among them!
O Allah! Foreordain for this Ummah (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honored and those of sins are guided, and where al-ma’roof (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail tyrants, atheists and corruptors!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the sunnah of Your Prophet ()! O Allah! Make them a mercy on Your believing servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous all of our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous! Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al Baqarah: 201], Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk. [Al Omran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and let our wishes come true in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing! O Allah! We beseech You to be pleased with us and grant us Your paradise, and we seek refuge in You against Your wrath and Hell fire!

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessings on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and on all of his family and Companions!

O Lord! Accept from us, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! Accept our repentance; You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power! You are free from what they wrongly attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!

............................................

1. Reference is being made here to the verse of Ash-Sharh: Verily, along with every hardship is relief, Verily, along with every hardship is relief. [Ash-Sharh: 5-6]

2. An Arabic word (يقين) meaning certitude, certainty, unswerving religious conviction

3. The italicized part is from among the supplications of the Prophet ().

4. The Battle of Badr (غزوة بدر‎), fought 17 Ramadan, 2 AH) was a key battle in the early days of Islam and a turning point in the Prophet’s () struggle with the polytheists of Makkah.

5. Al-Ahzab (الأحزاب‎ ) (The Confederates, The Clans, The Coalition, The Combined Forces) is the 33rd surah (Chapter) of the Qur’ān with 73 ayats (Verses). Here, Al-Ahzab refers to the people who gathered to fight the Prophet () and his Islamic Da’wah in Madina. But Allah’s Power and Mercy for His devout believers dispersed the various tribes who attacked Medina, on the Day of Al-Khandaq,and made them leave.

6. A small town in Syria

Source: www.alharamain.gov.sa

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Reply

BintAbee
06-18-2013, 12:21 PM
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The prayer, the prayer

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

January 9, 2004 ~ Dhul Qa’dah 17, 1424

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, Abundant in gifts; Excessive in bounties; the Remover of difficulties; the Averter of afflictions; He knows the hidden, and He sees what is in the dark. I praise Him – Exalted is He – and I thank Him. He created us from non-existence and extended to us bounties. He guided us with Islam. So for Allah is all praise from before and after. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. He conveyed the message and discharged the trust, and advised the ummah, and truly strove towards Allah, until the certainty (death) approached him. May Allah send salutations and peace on him, and on his family, companions and those who tread on his upright method.

Then fear Allah O Muslims! “O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allah.” [Ale Imraan: Verse 102]. Fear Allah and obey Him. “And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine.” [Talaaq: Verse 2-3]. Take account of yourselves before you are taken account of, for verily it is easier for you than the reckoning tomorrow. And prepare for the great exhibition by Allah. “That Day shall you be brought to Judgement, not a secret of you will be hidden.” [Haaqqah: Verse 18]. Save your relaxation for your grave, and decrease your amusement and your sleep, for verily before you is a sleep, the morning of which is the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter: Servants of Allah:

Before the sending of the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) this ummah was at the rear of the nations in worship, religion, strength, popularity, and taking the means of this world and being in the forefront, until Allah – the Exalted – blessed it with the sending of the leader of mankind, Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam). So it was just a few years until it (this ummah) excelled over the nations of the earth in every single field, and with truth it ruled, then with good it became expert. And its civilization and rule continued in extension and (thereafter) decreased until our present time and our late era, the condition of the ummah is complained to Allah. The enemies rule, and occupy some of its (ummah’s) homes, and depreciate from its lands, and steal their produce and they fight the Muslims in their religion and ideas. (Together) with the disunity of the Muslims, confusion in opinion and differences (thereby) increasing the rule of the enemies over them.

And verily the enumerating about the weak side and its portrayal humiliates and grieves, but it is necessary to expose the wound in order to cure it. And for many years, those affiliated with the Islamic nation compete in removing the disease and describing the cure, so from ascribing the weakness of the Muslims to material reasons or cultural and ideological reasons or other than that, everyone is looking and striving and every group is rejoicing with what it has. In fact, the condition has reached with some of the Muslims to accusing Islam itself or some of its laws. But the one who ponders over the history of the Islamic nation since its inception and the reflector over its methods and laws knows its illness and medication and its disease and its cure; he knows with certainty the reasons for disgraceful weakness, just as he knows the reasons for victory and stability.

Verily deriving that knowledge is not from humans, but from the Creator of humans – Glorified is He – Who is wise in His saying: “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much.” [Shoora: Verse 30], and the One Who said (Majestic in His Being): “When a single disaster smites you, although you smote (your enemies) with one twice as great, you say: “From where does this come to us?” Say (to them), “It is from yourselves (because of your evil deeds).”” [Ale Imraan: Verse 165]. Just as the beholder also knows that the breezes of change do not blow from idleness, and that reformation starts with the self, “Allah will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allah).” [Ra’d: Verse 11], just as he knows that guidance comes after striving, “As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allah’s Religion – Islamic Monotheism). And verily, Allah is with the good doers.” [Ankaboot: Verse 69].

Therefore, the reason for the current condition of the ummah and its painful situation is the deficiency in adopting the true means of victory, those of which there is no victory without, for we are a nation whom Allah has granted honour through Islam. However, if we seek honour with other than it, Allah will humiliate us. Therefore it is imperative that we take account according to this method. It is compulsory for the Muslims to inspect their conditions with regards to their religion and their relationship with their Lord.

O Muslims: O those who have intended (visiting) the honoured house of Allah:

This is a moment of taking account with the greatest subject of connection with Allah, and the most important pillar after testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Behold, it is that of the prayer.

Prayer – O believers – is a pillar of religion and the ascension of the pious and the compulsion of Allah on the Muslims. There is no religion for the one who has no prayer. And there is no place in Islam for the one who omits the prayer. Whoever omits a compulsory prayer intentionally with no valid excuse, the protection of Allah is cleared off him. The companions of the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) would not regard leaving out any action as disbelief except prayer. And in saheeh Muslim, that the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) said: “There is nothing between a man and disbelief – or polytheism – other than leaving out the prayer.” In fact, Allah made prayer the epitome of Islam, so he said: “Have you (O Muhammad – peace be upon him) seen him (i.e. Abu Jahl) who prevents, A slave (Muhammad -peace be upon him) when he prays?” [Alaq: Verse 9-10]

Every compulsory act Allah (the Exalted) descended upon His messenger except prayer – for verily He (Glorified is He) made His messenger ascend to it. So He made His prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) ascend to the seventh heaven, then He hosted him until he was happy, then He obligated five prayers on him, so it is the most mentioned compulsion in the Quraan. In fact it was the advice of the messenger (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) when leaving this world, while he was overcome by the pangs of death. His noble soul was coming out while he was kind to his nation, he sacrificed himself and he called out: “The prayer, the prayer, and what your right hands own,” and his concern while he was at the last breath asking: “Have the people prayed? Command Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.”

It is the epitome of success and the path of success. “Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their prayers with all solemnity and full submissiveness.” [Mu’minoon; Verse 1-2], until He says at the end of their characteristics: “And those who strictly guard their (five compulsory congregational) prayers (at their fixed stated hours). These are indeed the inheritors. Who shall inherit the Firdaus (Paradise). They shall dwell therein forever.” [Mu’minoon: Verse 9-11].

Prayer is compulsory on the Muslim in every condition. It does not fall away in sickness or fear. In fact even until inability on its conditions and pillars, as long as the intellect is present, and even in the conditions of fear and fighting. “Guard strictly (five obligatory) prayers especially the middle prayer (i.e. the best prayer – ‘Asr). And stand before Allah with obedience. And if you fear (an enemy), pray on foot or riding. And when you are in safety, offer the prayer in the manner He has taught you, which you knew not (before).” [Baqarah: Verse 238-239], and the description of the fear prayer is mentioned in Sura Nisaa. The Muslim should pray on every condition, facing the qibla, then if he cannot he should pray facing any direction; standing, and if he is unable then sitting, and if he is unable then lying down, and if not then on any condition. And if he is unable to be in purity or to cover his body or something else, then he should pray in any condition. Yes, in any condition, because it is the prayer, that which will be the first of which the servant will be asked about on the Day of Judgement, then if it is sound, then the rest of the actions will be sound. And if it is corrupt then the rest of the actions will be corrupt, just as was authentically narrated to us by the innocent one – peace be upon him – so Allah will not accept worship without it.

O Muslims, five compulsory prayers every day: Fajr Thuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha, are an expiation for what is between them, so the heart is purified from the dirt of sins. In fact it prevents it from the beginning: “Verily, the prayer prevents from Al-Fahsha’ and Al-Munkar” [Ankaboot; Verse 45]. And when your sins narrow upon you a day, and (when) sins burden your back, then race to the prayer and listen to the saying of the God: “And perform prayers, at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night (i.e. the five compulsory prayers). Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who accept advice).” [Hood: Verse 114], and in the two authentic (books of Hadeeth: Bukhari and Muslim): Abu Hurairah (Radiallahu Anhu) reports: I heard the messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) saying: “Do you think that if there was a river at the door of one of you and he bathed in it five times a day, there would remain any dirt upon him?” They said: “No dirt would remain upon him.” He said: “That is how it is with the five daily prayers, through them God washes away the sins.”

And the prayer is a door of sustenance: “And enjoin the prayer on your family, and be patient in offering them (prayers). We ask not of you a provision (i.e. to give Us something: money, etc.); We provide for you. And the good end (i.e. Paradise) is for the pious.” [Taaha; Verse 132]. It is a sanctuary at the time of anxiety, and to it is the escape at the time of fear. “O you who believe! Seek help in patience and the prayer. Truly! Allah is with the patient ones.” [Baqarah: Verse 153]. Therefore it was the coolness of the eyes of the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) for when a matter became serious he would take refuge in the prayer, and he would call: “Let us relax, O Bilal, with prayer,” and he replied when asked: Which is the best action? by saying: “Prayer at its appointed time” [Agreed upon]

And after this how can the ummah hope for the help of its Lord when it abandons its link with Him and is unable to fulfil His compulsion?! Verily those who neglect these prayers do not deserve respect and help from the Creator or the creation. Verily prayer is the first condition of victory and stability. “Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) order to perform the five compulsory congregational prayers, to pay the Zakat and they enjoin Al-Ma’ruf, and forbid Al-Munkar. And with Allah rests the end of (all) matters.” [Hajj: Verse 41]. So how can a Muslim be helped or granted ability when he leaves out the prayer while it has been made the reason for entering the fire?! “”What has caused you to enter Hell?” They will say: “We were not of those who used to offer their prayers.” [Muddathir: Verse 42-43], and in the description of the frowning faces: “So he (the disbeliever) neither believed (in this Quran, in the Message of Muhammad – peace be upon him) nor prayed! But on the contrary, he belied and turned away! Then he walked in full pride to his family admiring himself! Woe to you! And then (again) woe to you! Again, woe to you! And then (again) woe to you! Does man think that he will be left neglected without being punished or rewarded for the obligatory duties enjoined by his Lord (Allah) on him?” [Qiyaamah: Verse 31-36] And with all this, you will be disappointed and grieved to know that a group of Muslims leave out the prayer or are lax regarding it.

So fear Allah O Muslims, and enjoin good, and forbid evil, and advise towards the prayer, and let the example of the trainers and preachers be the command of Allah to His prophet: “And enjoin the prayer on your family, and be patient in offering them (prayers).” [Taaha: Verse 132]. And surely Allah praised Isma’eel – peace be upon him – by His saying: “And he used to enjoin on his family and his people the prayers.” [Maryam: Verse 55]. And in the authentic Hadeeth, according to Muslim, that the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) said: “Command your children to pray when they reach the age of seven and hit them if they leave it off when they reach the age of ten.” And commanding people with it, likewise commanding the family and children is (a means of) preserving it.

O Muslims: And there is a type of people for whom prayer has become cheap, for it is the last of their business, the end of their actions, and at the end of their concerns, so they combine prayers without an excuse, and they delay it beyond its appointed time, Allah’s saying applies to them: “Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up for the prayer, they stand with laziness” [Nisaa: Verse 142] and regarding them the saying of the True – Glorified is He – was revealed: “So woe unto those performers of prayers (hypocrites), Who delay their prayer from their stated fixed times” [Ma’oon; Verse 4-5], that is: leaving it out, delaying it from its appointed time. Have they not heard the saying of Allah (Glorified and Majestic) : “Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.” [Nisaa: Verse 103]?! That is: from time to time, knowing its beginning and ending times. It is not permissible (to pray) before its time just as it is not permissible to pray after its time except with a valid excuse.

So fear Allah, and preserve the prayers at their appointed times. And the men should know that it is compulsory upon them in the congregation of Muslims in the mosques. And if it were permitted for anyone to omit the (prayer in) congregation, then the merciful prophet to his nation would have permitted that blind old man who between him and the mosque was a valley with many predators and lions and there was no guider to guide him, so he asked the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) permission to pray in his house, but he did not permit him, so what about the one whom Allah has blessed and made easy for him?! And if not, then why were the mosques constructed, minarets raised and congregations established?! Is it only for Jumua (prayers)?! Is it only for Jumua (prayers)?! There is no might and power except with Allah.

Abdullah bin Mas’ood (Radiallahu Anhu) said: “If anyone would like to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim, he should persevere in observing these five prayers whenever the call for them is made, for Allah has chosen for your prophet the way of right guidance. And the (five prayers in congregation) are part of this right guidance. If you were to pray them in your houses, as this man who stays behind in his house, you would be leaving a Sunnah of your prophet. If you leave the Sunnah of your prophet, you would go astray. Verily I have seen a time when no one stayed away from them (the congregational prayers) except for the hypocrites who were well known for their hypocrisy. A man would be brought, supported by two people (due to his weakness) until he was placed in a row.” [Narrated by Muslim]

O Muslim: O servant of Allah:

Here you have heard the reminder, and surely you know, so hold fast. Hold fast onto the path of guidance.

May Allah grant me and you the ability to please Him, and may He make our future condition better than its past.

I seek protection in Allah from satan, the rejected one. “And seek help in patience and the prayer and truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for Al-Khashi’un. (They are those) who are certain that they are going to meet their Lord, and that unto Him they are going to return.” [Baqarah: Verse 45-46]

May Allah bless me and you in the Book and the Sunnah, and benefit us with what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine. And I seek forgiveness from Allah – the Exalted – for me and you and the rest of the Muslims, male and female, from every sin and error. So seek His forgiveness and repent to Him. Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, most Merciful.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah, the Forgiver of sins, Undoer of offences. “He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins” [Shoora: Verse 25]. I praise Him – Glorified is He – and I thank Him. And I repent to Him, and seek His forgiveness and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. A witness by which we hope for saviour on the day of death. O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on Your servant and messenger Muhammad, and on his family, companions and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter: O Muslims:

Whosoever wishes for refuge, protection, ability and security should preserve the prayer. Jundub bin Abdullah (Radiallahu Anhu) narrates: The messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) said: “Whoever prays Fajr in congregation will be under the protection of Allah.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Likewise, prayer is a shared compulsion among the prophets, for all of them were commanded with it. Allah (Glorified is He) said about Ibraheem, Loot, Ya’qoob and Isma’eel – peace be upon them – : “And We inspired in them the doing of good deeds and performing the prayer.” [Anbiyaa: Verse 73], and it is the supplication of our father Ibraheem when he supplicated to his Lord saying: “O my Lord! Make me one who performs the prayer, and (also) from my offspring” [Ibraheem: Verse 40], and he said: “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House; in order, O our Lord, that they may perform the prayer” [Ibraheem: Verse 37], and He (Glorified is He) said about ‘Eesa (Alayhi Salaam): “And He has enjoined on me prayer, and Zakat, as long as I live.” [Maryam; Verse 31], and in Allah’s (the Exalted) speech to Moosa (Alayhi Salaam): “Verily! I am Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but I, so worship Me, and perform the prayer for My Remembrance.” [Taaha; Verse 14], and to our prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him -: “And enjoin the prayer on your family, and be patient in offering them (prayers).” [Taaha: Verse 132], “Perform the prayers from mid-day till the darkness of the night, and recite the Quran in the early dawn. Verily, the recitation of the Quran in the early dawn is ever witnessed.” [Israa: Verse 78], and He (Glorified is He) said about His pious, reforming servants: “And as to those who hold fast to the Book and perform the prayers, certainly, We shall never waste the reward of those who do righteous deeds.” [A’raaf: Verse 170]

So do you find after this – O believers – an act of worship enjoying a rank above the prayer?! Or do the abandoners and neglecters (of prayer) find an excuse after this proclamation?!

Servants of Allah:

And connected to the topic on prayer is an important indication of its spirituality and its essence, behold it is that of perfection and devotion in it. From its perfection is abiding by its conditions, its ablution and being calm in it, and not preceding the Imam, and following the Sunnah in its fulfilling as the Chosen One (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) has said in a Hadeeth narrated by Bukhari: “Pray as you see me praying.”

And devotion, O you praying ones, is the crumbling of the heart in the presence of Allah (the Exalted) and filling it with His awe and respect, and putting off worldly thoughts, and realising the greatness of the Creator (Glorified is He) and being undividedly busy with prayer with respect and peace. At that the body is at peace and the eyes bow down.

‘Uthman bin Affaan (Radiallahu Anhu) narrated: The messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) said: “When the time for a prescribed prayer comes, if any Muslim performs ablution well and offers his prayer with humility and bowing, it will be an expiation for his past sins, so long as he has not committed a major sin, and this applies to for all times.” [Narrated by Muslim], and Allah (the Exalted) said: “O you who believe! Approach not the prayer when you are in a drunken state until you know (the meaning) of what you utter” [Nisaa: Verse 43], and how many a praying person does not drink intoxicants (yet) he does not know what he is uttering in his prayer. The world and its problems have intoxicated him.

So fear Allah, O Muslims and preserve the covenant of Allah with you, and prepare, for the reckoning is in front of you.

And know that Allah commands you with a command that He begins Himself, so He said: “Allah sends His Salat on the Prophet and also His angels too. O you who believe! Send your Salat on him, and gree him with the Islamic way of greeting.” [Ahzaab: Verse 56]

O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on Your servant and messenger Muhammad, and on his family, wives, companions, those who follow them and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2013/06...er-the-prayer/

:w:
Reply

BintAbee
06-18-2013, 12:21 PM
:sl:

The prayer, the prayer

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

January 9, 2004 ~ Dhul Qa’dah 17, 1424

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, Abundant in gifts; Excessive in bounties; the Remover of difficulties; the Averter of afflictions; He knows the hidden, and He sees what is in the dark. I praise Him – Exalted is He – and I thank Him. He created us from non-existence and extended to us bounties. He guided us with Islam. So for Allah is all praise from before and after. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. He conveyed the message and discharged the trust, and advised the ummah, and truly strove towards Allah, until the certainty (death) approached him. May Allah send salutations and peace on him, and on his family, companions and those who tread on his upright method.

Then fear Allah O Muslims! “O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allah.” [Ale Imraan: Verse 102]. Fear Allah and obey Him. “And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine.” [Talaaq: Verse 2-3]. Take account of yourselves before you are taken account of, for verily it is easier for you than the reckoning tomorrow. And prepare for the great exhibition by Allah. “That Day shall you be brought to Judgement, not a secret of you will be hidden.” [Haaqqah: Verse 18]. Save your relaxation for your grave, and decrease your amusement and your sleep, for verily before you is a sleep, the morning of which is the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter: Servants of Allah:

Before the sending of the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) this ummah was at the rear of the nations in worship, religion, strength, popularity, and taking the means of this world and being in the forefront, until Allah – the Exalted – blessed it with the sending of the leader of mankind, Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam). So it was just a few years until it (this ummah) excelled over the nations of the earth in every single field, and with truth it ruled, then with good it became expert. And its civilization and rule continued in extension and (thereafter) decreased until our present time and our late era, the condition of the ummah is complained to Allah. The enemies rule, and occupy some of its (ummah’s) homes, and depreciate from its lands, and steal their produce and they fight the Muslims in their religion and ideas. (Together) with the disunity of the Muslims, confusion in opinion and differences (thereby) increasing the rule of the enemies over them.

And verily the enumerating about the weak side and its portrayal humiliates and grieves, but it is necessary to expose the wound in order to cure it. And for many years, those affiliated with the Islamic nation compete in removing the disease and describing the cure, so from ascribing the weakness of the Muslims to material reasons or cultural and ideological reasons or other than that, everyone is looking and striving and every group is rejoicing with what it has. In fact, the condition has reached with some of the Muslims to accusing Islam itself or some of its laws. But the one who ponders over the history of the Islamic nation since its inception and the reflector over its methods and laws knows its illness and medication and its disease and its cure; he knows with certainty the reasons for disgraceful weakness, just as he knows the reasons for victory and stability.

Verily deriving that knowledge is not from humans, but from the Creator of humans – Glorified is He – Who is wise in His saying: “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much.” [Shoora: Verse 30], and the One Who said (Majestic in His Being): “When a single disaster smites you, although you smote (your enemies) with one twice as great, you say: “From where does this come to us?” Say (to them), “It is from yourselves (because of your evil deeds).”” [Ale Imraan: Verse 165]. Just as the beholder also knows that the breezes of change do not blow from idleness, and that reformation starts with the self, “Allah will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allah).” [Ra’d: Verse 11], just as he knows that guidance comes after striving, “As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allah’s Religion – Islamic Monotheism). And verily, Allah is with the good doers.” [Ankaboot: Verse 69].

Therefore, the reason for the current condition of the ummah and its painful situation is the deficiency in adopting the true means of victory, those of which there is no victory without, for we are a nation whom Allah has granted honour through Islam. However, if we seek honour with other than it, Allah will humiliate us. Therefore it is imperative that we take account according to this method. It is compulsory for the Muslims to inspect their conditions with regards to their religion and their relationship with their Lord.

O Muslims: O those who have intended (visiting) the honoured house of Allah:

This is a moment of taking account with the greatest subject of connection with Allah, and the most important pillar after testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Behold, it is that of the prayer.

Prayer – O believers – is a pillar of religion and the ascension of the pious and the compulsion of Allah on the Muslims. There is no religion for the one who has no prayer. And there is no place in Islam for the one who omits the prayer. Whoever omits a compulsory prayer intentionally with no valid excuse, the protection of Allah is cleared off him. The companions of the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) would not regard leaving out any action as disbelief except prayer. And in saheeh Muslim, that the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) said: “There is nothing between a man and disbelief – or polytheism – other than leaving out the prayer.” In fact, Allah made prayer the epitome of Islam, so he said: “Have you (O Muhammad – peace be upon him) seen him (i.e. Abu Jahl) who prevents, A slave (Muhammad -peace be upon him) when he prays?” [Alaq: Verse 9-10]

Every compulsory act Allah (the Exalted) descended upon His messenger except prayer – for verily He (Glorified is He) made His messenger ascend to it. So He made His prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) ascend to the seventh heaven, then He hosted him until he was happy, then He obligated five prayers on him, so it is the most mentioned compulsion in the Quraan. In fact it was the advice of the messenger (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) when leaving this world, while he was overcome by the pangs of death. His noble soul was coming out while he was kind to his nation, he sacrificed himself and he called out: “The prayer, the prayer, and what your right hands own,” and his concern while he was at the last breath asking: “Have the people prayed? Command Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.”

It is the epitome of success and the path of success. “Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their prayers with all solemnity and full submissiveness.” [Mu’minoon; Verse 1-2], until He says at the end of their characteristics: “And those who strictly guard their (five compulsory congregational) prayers (at their fixed stated hours). These are indeed the inheritors. Who shall inherit the Firdaus (Paradise). They shall dwell therein forever.” [Mu’minoon: Verse 9-11].

Prayer is compulsory on the Muslim in every condition. It does not fall away in sickness or fear. In fact even until inability on its conditions and pillars, as long as the intellect is present, and even in the conditions of fear and fighting. “Guard strictly (five obligatory) prayers especially the middle prayer (i.e. the best prayer – ‘Asr). And stand before Allah with obedience. And if you fear (an enemy), pray on foot or riding. And when you are in safety, offer the prayer in the manner He has taught you, which you knew not (before).” [Baqarah: Verse 238-239], and the description of the fear prayer is mentioned in Sura Nisaa. The Muslim should pray on every condition, facing the qibla, then if he cannot he should pray facing any direction; standing, and if he is unable then sitting, and if he is unable then lying down, and if not then on any condition. And if he is unable to be in purity or to cover his body or something else, then he should pray in any condition. Yes, in any condition, because it is the prayer, that which will be the first of which the servant will be asked about on the Day of Judgement, then if it is sound, then the rest of the actions will be sound. And if it is corrupt then the rest of the actions will be corrupt, just as was authentically narrated to us by the innocent one – peace be upon him – so Allah will not accept worship without it.

O Muslims, five compulsory prayers every day: Fajr Thuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha, are an expiation for what is between them, so the heart is purified from the dirt of sins. In fact it prevents it from the beginning: “Verily, the prayer prevents from Al-Fahsha’ and Al-Munkar” [Ankaboot; Verse 45]. And when your sins narrow upon you a day, and (when) sins burden your back, then race to the prayer and listen to the saying of the God: “And perform prayers, at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night (i.e. the five compulsory prayers). Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who accept advice).” [Hood: Verse 114], and in the two authentic (books of Hadeeth: Bukhari and Muslim): Abu Hurairah (Radiallahu Anhu) reports: I heard the messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) saying: “Do you think that if there was a river at the door of one of you and he bathed in it five times a day, there would remain any dirt upon him?” They said: “No dirt would remain upon him.” He said: “That is how it is with the five daily prayers, through them God washes away the sins.”

And the prayer is a door of sustenance: “And enjoin the prayer on your family, and be patient in offering them (prayers). We ask not of you a provision (i.e. to give Us something: money, etc.); We provide for you. And the good end (i.e. Paradise) is for the pious.” [Taaha; Verse 132]. It is a sanctuary at the time of anxiety, and to it is the escape at the time of fear. “O you who believe! Seek help in patience and the prayer. Truly! Allah is with the patient ones.” [Baqarah: Verse 153]. Therefore it was the coolness of the eyes of the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) for when a matter became serious he would take refuge in the prayer, and he would call: “Let us relax, O Bilal, with prayer,” and he replied when asked: Which is the best action? by saying: “Prayer at its appointed time” [Agreed upon]

And after this how can the ummah hope for the help of its Lord when it abandons its link with Him and is unable to fulfil His compulsion?! Verily those who neglect these prayers do not deserve respect and help from the Creator or the creation. Verily prayer is the first condition of victory and stability. “Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) order to perform the five compulsory congregational prayers, to pay the Zakat and they enjoin Al-Ma’ruf, and forbid Al-Munkar. And with Allah rests the end of (all) matters.” [Hajj: Verse 41]. So how can a Muslim be helped or granted ability when he leaves out the prayer while it has been made the reason for entering the fire?! “”What has caused you to enter Hell?” They will say: “We were not of those who used to offer their prayers.” [Muddathir: Verse 42-43], and in the description of the frowning faces: “So he (the disbeliever) neither believed (in this Quran, in the Message of Muhammad – peace be upon him) nor prayed! But on the contrary, he belied and turned away! Then he walked in full pride to his family admiring himself! Woe to you! And then (again) woe to you! Again, woe to you! And then (again) woe to you! Does man think that he will be left neglected without being punished or rewarded for the obligatory duties enjoined by his Lord (Allah) on him?” [Qiyaamah: Verse 31-36] And with all this, you will be disappointed and grieved to know that a group of Muslims leave out the prayer or are lax regarding it.

So fear Allah O Muslims, and enjoin good, and forbid evil, and advise towards the prayer, and let the example of the trainers and preachers be the command of Allah to His prophet: “And enjoin the prayer on your family, and be patient in offering them (prayers).” [Taaha: Verse 132]. And surely Allah praised Isma’eel – peace be upon him – by His saying: “And he used to enjoin on his family and his people the prayers.” [Maryam: Verse 55]. And in the authentic Hadeeth, according to Muslim, that the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) said: “Command your children to pray when they reach the age of seven and hit them if they leave it off when they reach the age of ten.” And commanding people with it, likewise commanding the family and children is (a means of) preserving it.

O Muslims: And there is a type of people for whom prayer has become cheap, for it is the last of their business, the end of their actions, and at the end of their concerns, so they combine prayers without an excuse, and they delay it beyond its appointed time, Allah’s saying applies to them: “Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up for the prayer, they stand with laziness” [Nisaa: Verse 142] and regarding them the saying of the True – Glorified is He – was revealed: “So woe unto those performers of prayers (hypocrites), Who delay their prayer from their stated fixed times” [Ma’oon; Verse 4-5], that is: leaving it out, delaying it from its appointed time. Have they not heard the saying of Allah (Glorified and Majestic) : “Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.” [Nisaa: Verse 103]?! That is: from time to time, knowing its beginning and ending times. It is not permissible (to pray) before its time just as it is not permissible to pray after its time except with a valid excuse.

So fear Allah, and preserve the prayers at their appointed times. And the men should know that it is compulsory upon them in the congregation of Muslims in the mosques. And if it were permitted for anyone to omit the (prayer in) congregation, then the merciful prophet to his nation would have permitted that blind old man who between him and the mosque was a valley with many predators and lions and there was no guider to guide him, so he asked the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) permission to pray in his house, but he did not permit him, so what about the one whom Allah has blessed and made easy for him?! And if not, then why were the mosques constructed, minarets raised and congregations established?! Is it only for Jumua (prayers)?! Is it only for Jumua (prayers)?! There is no might and power except with Allah.

Abdullah bin Mas’ood (Radiallahu Anhu) said: “If anyone would like to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim, he should persevere in observing these five prayers whenever the call for them is made, for Allah has chosen for your prophet the way of right guidance. And the (five prayers in congregation) are part of this right guidance. If you were to pray them in your houses, as this man who stays behind in his house, you would be leaving a Sunnah of your prophet. If you leave the Sunnah of your prophet, you would go astray. Verily I have seen a time when no one stayed away from them (the congregational prayers) except for the hypocrites who were well known for their hypocrisy. A man would be brought, supported by two people (due to his weakness) until he was placed in a row.” [Narrated by Muslim]

O Muslim: O servant of Allah:

Here you have heard the reminder, and surely you know, so hold fast. Hold fast onto the path of guidance.

May Allah grant me and you the ability to please Him, and may He make our future condition better than its past.

I seek protection in Allah from satan, the rejected one. “And seek help in patience and the prayer and truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for Al-Khashi’un. (They are those) who are certain that they are going to meet their Lord, and that unto Him they are going to return.” [Baqarah: Verse 45-46]

May Allah bless me and you in the Book and the Sunnah, and benefit us with what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine. And I seek forgiveness from Allah – the Exalted – for me and you and the rest of the Muslims, male and female, from every sin and error. So seek His forgiveness and repent to Him. Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, most Merciful.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah, the Forgiver of sins, Undoer of offences. “He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins” [Shoora: Verse 25]. I praise Him – Glorified is He – and I thank Him. And I repent to Him, and seek His forgiveness and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. A witness by which we hope for saviour on the day of death. O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on Your servant and messenger Muhammad, and on his family, companions and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

Thereafter: O Muslims:

Whosoever wishes for refuge, protection, ability and security should preserve the prayer. Jundub bin Abdullah (Radiallahu Anhu) narrates: The messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) said: “Whoever prays Fajr in congregation will be under the protection of Allah.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Likewise, prayer is a shared compulsion among the prophets, for all of them were commanded with it. Allah (Glorified is He) said about Ibraheem, Loot, Ya’qoob and Isma’eel – peace be upon them – : “And We inspired in them the doing of good deeds and performing the prayer.” [Anbiyaa: Verse 73], and it is the supplication of our father Ibraheem when he supplicated to his Lord saying: “O my Lord! Make me one who performs the prayer, and (also) from my offspring” [Ibraheem: Verse 40], and he said: “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House; in order, O our Lord, that they may perform the prayer” [Ibraheem: Verse 37], and He (Glorified is He) said about ‘Eesa (Alayhi Salaam): “And He has enjoined on me prayer, and Zakat, as long as I live.” [Maryam; Verse 31], and in Allah’s (the Exalted) speech to Moosa (Alayhi Salaam): “Verily! I am Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but I, so worship Me, and perform the prayer for My Remembrance.” [Taaha; Verse 14], and to our prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him -: “And enjoin the prayer on your family, and be patient in offering them (prayers).” [Taaha: Verse 132], “Perform the prayers from mid-day till the darkness of the night, and recite the Quran in the early dawn. Verily, the recitation of the Quran in the early dawn is ever witnessed.” [Israa: Verse 78], and He (Glorified is He) said about His pious, reforming servants: “And as to those who hold fast to the Book and perform the prayers, certainly, We shall never waste the reward of those who do righteous deeds.” [A’raaf: Verse 170]

So do you find after this – O believers – an act of worship enjoying a rank above the prayer?! Or do the abandoners and neglecters (of prayer) find an excuse after this proclamation?!

Servants of Allah:

And connected to the topic on prayer is an important indication of its spirituality and its essence, behold it is that of perfection and devotion in it. From its perfection is abiding by its conditions, its ablution and being calm in it, and not preceding the Imam, and following the Sunnah in its fulfilling as the Chosen One (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) has said in a Hadeeth narrated by Bukhari: “Pray as you see me praying.”

And devotion, O you praying ones, is the crumbling of the heart in the presence of Allah (the Exalted) and filling it with His awe and respect, and putting off worldly thoughts, and realising the greatness of the Creator (Glorified is He) and being undividedly busy with prayer with respect and peace. At that the body is at peace and the eyes bow down.

‘Uthman bin Affaan (Radiallahu Anhu) narrated: The messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wassalam) said: “When the time for a prescribed prayer comes, if any Muslim performs ablution well and offers his prayer with humility and bowing, it will be an expiation for his past sins, so long as he has not committed a major sin, and this applies to for all times.” [Narrated by Muslim], and Allah (the Exalted) said: “O you who believe! Approach not the prayer when you are in a drunken state until you know (the meaning) of what you utter” [Nisaa: Verse 43], and how many a praying person does not drink intoxicants (yet) he does not know what he is uttering in his prayer. The world and its problems have intoxicated him.

So fear Allah, O Muslims and preserve the covenant of Allah with you, and prepare, for the reckoning is in front of you.

And know that Allah commands you with a command that He begins Himself, so He said: “Allah sends His Salat on the Prophet and also His angels too. O you who believe! Send your Salat on him, and gree him with the Islamic way of greeting.” [Ahzaab: Verse 56]

O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on Your servant and messenger Muhammad, and on his family, wives, companions, those who follow them and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2013/06...er-the-prayer/

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BintAbee
06-18-2013, 12:30 PM
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Ramadhaan has come

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

July 20, 2013 ~ Ramadaan 1, 1433

First Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. He returns to His servants the seasons of goodness. And He prepares for them that which cleanses the souls and raises the ranks. And He eases for them that which nears them to the Lord of mankind. So from them are those who draw near to their Lord and are therefore elevated. And from them are those who are disgraced and deviated, and others whose desires degrade them to the lowest of positions. I praise my lord – Exalted is He – and I thank Him, and I praise Him and seek His forgiveness. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. He recompenses greatly for a little and He forgives great sins. He removes grief from believers, and He covers the ugly (sins) and He portrays the beautiful (deeds). He is Far above a similarity, partner and an equal. “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.” [Surah Shoora; Verse 11]. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave, messenger, friend and chosen one. Successful is the one who is guided with his guidance and misguided is the one whose desires cause him to dislike him. May Allah send salutations on him (Muhammad) and on the family, companions and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement and may much peace be upon them.

Thereafter: So fear Allah – the Exalted – as He ought to be feared, and hold onto Islam with the firm tie. “And fear Allah, and know that you are to meet Him (in the Hereafter), and give good tidings to the believers.” [Surah Baqarah; Verse 223]

O Muslims: The days pass by us in haste while we are out of breath in them, and our lives are shortening while we are heedless, and our tasks busy us from what is required of us, and surely a violent year has passed in which thrones were overturned and countries were alternated and conditions were troubled and a page of history was changed, a whirlpool of quick incidents of which no human could capture its depth, of them were those of lesson and those of kindness.

And from the mercy of Allah and His Kindness is that we awaken today to the morning of a day of Ramadhaan, by His Grace, Blessings, Glad-tidings and Victory. Ramadhaan is a shore on which the ships of hearts are raised after the violence of events and heedlessness of days. A year passed with the changes of its conditions, and our business and our neglect.

And surely the day has come for us to devote our souls (to Allah) after dryness, and to soften our hearts after hardening, and may his nose be rubbed in dust: the one who experiences Ramadhaan and is not forgiven.

O Allah, start it (Ramadhaan) for us with safety, faith, security and submission.

O believers: Verily the seasons of goodness are auspicious opportunities. Although the coming season (requires) activeness (but) verily the gains in it and from it are patience for an hour, then the Muslim will be, after the acceptance of his deeds, from the successful, and to his creator from the close ones.

O, by Allah! How much of rewards are deposited in this season, and how many apparent sins are decreased in it. So make us, O Allah, exposed to Your fragrances (of mercy), and hasteners towards Your forgiveness, and possessors of Your pleasure, and grant us the ability to (perform) good deeds, and accept us, O Allah, among the accepted , and complete for us with goodness when the appointed time (death) arrives.

O Muslims: Fasting is an old law: “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you” [Surah Baqarah; Verse 183], and Ramadhaan is a month of mercy and goodness, the doors of Paradise are opened in it, and the doors of Hell are closed. In it is the Night of Power which is better than a thousand months. And for Allah – the Exalted – are those He frees from Hellfire and it is authenticated from the two authentics (Bukhari and Muslim) that the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadhaan with faith and expecting reward, his past sins will be forgiven”, and “whoever stands (in prayer) in Ramadhaan with faith and expecting reward, his past sins will be forgiven”, and “whoever stands the night of power with faith and expecting reward, his past sins will be forgiven.”

The smell of the mouth of the fasting person is sweeter to Allah than the scent of musk. And for the fasting person, there are two joys: when he breaks his fast, he is happy with his fast-breaking, and when he meets his Lord, he is happy with his fasting.

And in Saheeh Muslim, that the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “And one Ramadhaan to the next is an expiation for what is between them if the major sins are abstained from.”

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong).” [Surah Baqarah; Verse 185]. Jibra’eel (Alayhi Salaam) used to teach the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) the Quraan in it. And the predecessors – may Allah have mercy on them – when Ramadhaan came, they would leave out Hadeeth and busy (themselves) with the recitation of the Quraan. And fasting and the Quraan will intercede for their companion on the Day of Judgement.

It is the month of taraweeh prayers and standing, and lining up in the niches of tahajjud while people are asleep; a month of shedding tears and abrogation of sins. For the fasting person is a supplication that is not rejected. “And when My slaves ask you concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me. So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.” [Baqarah; Verse 186].

In Ramadhaan the souls are purified, and character is refined. And in fasting, there is training on breaking desires, and cutting off the means of servitude to whims and desires. In Ramadhaan the poor and suffering are supported, for it is a month of charity and equality.

O Muslims: Make sincere your religion for Allah, and dispose the dirt of sins and disobedience, and wash them away with repentance and forgiveness, for verily sins are a restraint to obedience (of Allah) and an obstacle to good deeds.

Then preserve your fasting from that which depreciates it or nullifies it. Make sincerity and continuity a reality in all your acts of worship. And beware of polytheism for it is the severest prevention to the acceptance of deeds. In fact, it is a nullifier of them. And distance yourself from every innovation in religion, for Allah does not accept deeds that are not legislated by Islam.

Protect your fast from that which injures it. Abu Hurairah (Radiallahu Anhu) narrated that the messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “Whoever does not give up false statements, and evil deeds, and speaking bad words to others, Allah is not in need of his (fasting) leaving his food and drink.” [Narrated by Bukhari]

And in the two authentics (Bukhari and Muslim) that the prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “If one of you is fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarrelling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say ‘I am fasting.”

O you fasting ones: Verily the objective of fasting: is the training of the self towards the obedience of Allah and purifying it with patience, and elevating it of base desires. Just as the body is prevented from permissible things during the condition of fasting, so it is more deserving that the body is prevented from the impermissible. Verily the time of Ramadhaan is too valuable to be wasted in front of lowly viewing (of television programs), even if the only thing (about viewing them) was wasting valuable time, it would be enough to shun it. How then when its channels are in a frantic race with the devil in promoting corruption and sedition, and a prevention to the remembrance of Allah and to prayer. So, will you not then abstain?!

Ramadhaan is a reminder to the ummah to review its accounts and its relationship with its religion, and to inspect the defective positions. “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become pious.” [Surah Baqarah; Verse 183], for it is a month of purifying the souls and training them.

O Muslim, O servant of Allah! Take the call of the Irresistible to you towards repentance, and answer the call: “And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.” [Surah Noor; Verse 31]. Hurry to repentance, may Allah forgive me and you, and beware of placing in your book of deeds today that which you will be ashamed of being mentioned tomorrow, and verily the greatest relaxation is for those who work hard.

O you fasting ones: And at pre-dawn, there are secrets, breezes and mercy with the divine descent, and perhaps a supplication may cause everlasting success to be written for you, and at the time of breaking the fast there is a supplication that is not rejected.

So be happy with your month, O Muslims, and deposit as much good deeds in it as you can, and draw near in it to your Protector, for surely Paradise is calling you: “Allah calls to the home of peace (i.e. Paradise) and guides whom He wills to a Straight Path.” [Surah Yoonus; Verse 25].

May Allah bless me and you in the Book and the Sunnah, and benefit us with what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine, and I seek forgiveness from Allah – the Exalted – for me and you and the rest of the Muslims, so seek Allah’s forgiveness. Verily He is Oft-Forgiving.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah, Who has made fasting a shield, and a means of attaining Paradise. I praise Him – Glorified is He – and I thank Him. He guides and eases (as a) grace from Him and a bounty. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. He guided us to the clear path and upright method. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be on him, and on his family, companions and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

O believers; those who are fasting: Ramadhaan is a month of reminders, conquests and victories, so to the extent of our joy with its coming, we put together our hopes that Allah will change the condition of the ummah to (that of) honour, victory and stability, and that He will return it, a beautiful returning, otherwise Ramadhaan will dawn on us while the ummah is inflicted with wounds; burdened with pains.

Ramadhaan dawns while the place of the night journey of the messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is occupied (and) lamenting under the pressure of the oppressors.

Ramadhaan dawns, while the believers’ stationed troops under the shade of the holy house (Baitul Muqaddas) are being killed and captured, and their houses are being destroyed, and their lands are being shovelled away, and their unity is perishing.

Ramadhaan dawns while our brothers in Syria are being slaughtered and destroyed, and the evil people of the earth are oppressing them, and verily we see relief for them closer than one may think; victory that builds towards the tributaries of the patient ones, provided by the supplication of the humble fasters, and it is not difficult for Allah that at Eid there will be two eids in Shaam (Levant): the Eid of Fitr (breaking the fast) and the Eid of victory.

So O my Lord! Your servants, Your servants, You know of them better, and surely continuous calamities have come to them, so O my Lord! Grant them victory from You, victory (where) they thank no one besides You, and (victory) that suffices them on their enemies and Your enemies.

Then send salutations O my Lord and peace on the best of mankind. O Allah send salutations, peace and blessings on Your servant and messenger Muhammad, and on his good pure family, and his companions, the noble personalities. O Allah be happy with the guided leaders and rightly-guided successors: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Ali, and with all the rest of the companions of Your prophet, and those who tread their path and follow their method, O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2013/06...haan-has-come/

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BintAbee
07-11-2013, 09:16 PM
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Ramadan and the Conditions of the Muslim Ummah

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

July 5, 2013 ~ Shabaan 26, 1434

First Khutbah

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, Who has privileged certain days and months over others and made Ramada the month of the greatest forms of worship and the source of the most generous rewards. I praise my Lord and thank Him. I repent to Him and ask for His forgiveness. He is the Merciful, the Pardoner, the Forgiver, the Generous, the Munificent, and the Grateful. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah alone without associate; a testimony whereby I seek salvation on Resurrection Day. I equally bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is Allah’s Servant and Messenger and the best creature ever. May Allah send His Salat and Peace onto him, his family, his Companions, and his Ummah as long as crescents are born in the sky and mid-month full moons come into view by night time.

Now then, fear Allah and hold fast to the non-severable bond of Islam. Hold yourselves accountable before the Day of Accountability and make your own šaĥîfa (Deed Record) clear of sins before it is tagged around your neck (on Doomsday), and also before your body organs and locations you once frequented in the herein serve as witnesses for what you perpetrated. There are certainly angel-scribes taking record of all your deeds, and Allah is the promptest in exacting His creatures’ accountability: “And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allâh. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.“ [Surah al-Baqara: 281]

O Muslims! Year in, year out; days and nights alternate. Sunset gives way to sunrise. Victories, defeats, advantages, and inconveniences rotate. The passage of time burdens the self with responsibilities, pitfalls, fatigue, and regression which incite worshippers to recoil from the journey to Allah and make them feel bored with the length of the path leading to Allah’s promised recompense. Sometimes, one may even feel alienated from the very road taken and estranged from one’s travel mates. One will therefore struggle under the heavy burden of life’s habits which exert extra pressure on one’s psychological state torn between pain of despair and a ray of hope. Under such circumstances, one is inclined to search for a safe haven of shade from the scorching heat of sunshine and a secure harbour from tempestuous sea waves. One is in need of some respite, as the journey is long, food is scarce, and the obstacle is insurmountable.

This is why Allah, the Most-Munificent, bestowed upon His servants a graceful month and a magnificent season so that Muslim worshipers could strengthen their faith to confront the journey of belief ahead and enhance the degree of their taqwa. This graceful month is similar to a river for quenching one’s thirst, healing one’s wounds, and imbibing souls with its bounteous graces ‒which eventually leads to their felicitous destiny. It is a month during which one defeats one’s capricious desires and satanic drives. It is a month of bounteous divine favours and forgiveness. Notice how swiftly time passes and the twelve months of the calendar rush in succession until the month of Sha`aban has departed and the holy month of Ramadan is close to supplant it. Signs of its advent herald its remarkably glamorous features. It will soon be our most welcome and venerated guest. So, make yourselves ready to stand in awe of its revered arrival with determination to obey Allah by performing acts of worship.

How much longing worshipers have for it! How much pious people adore it! How impatiently they have been aching for its arrival! How much spiritual elevation their egos have experienced during its nights and early dawns! How mysterious they have found its early daybreak! How close they have felt to Allah, the One and the Omnipotent! How frequently they have tasted the flavour of faith and kept company of the Holy Quran both in listening and in reciting!

It is indeed one of Allah’s bounties to benefit from such a seasonal occasion in order to be cleansed of our sins and to purify our souls so as to achieve moral rectitude and ethical refinement: “O you who believe! Observing the fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious …).“ [Surah al-Baqara: 183]. Taqwa is a multi-faceted innermost feeling of fear that the performer of fasting experiences; it is positively reflected on his/her soul in the form of internal radiance, moral purity, and unblemished conduct.

Ramadan is the springtime of believers’ hearts, the beacon for moral people, the intimate company of the pious, and a good omen for worshippers. It is indeed a month whose perfection is crystal clear and whose splendour is manifest: “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’ân, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion. So whoever of you sights the month, he must observe fasts that month, …“ [Surah al-Baqara: 185]

Its daytime is reserved for fasting; its night time is devoted to Qiyām (night worship rituals); its motto is the Quran and its outer fitting is charity and benevolence. During the month of Ramadan, prayers are met with acquiescent divine response, and good deeds are raised to Heaven. Each night, there are people who are salvaged from Hellfire. So, are there people determined to repent?

As to the reward reserved for Muslims performing fasting, it pertains to Allah’s benevolence. Abu Huraira (Radiallahu Anhu) reported that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Allah said: “Every good human deed belongs to its performer except fasting: it belongs to me and thus I offer the reward thereof. Fasting is an ideal shelter. Whoever performs fasting is interdicted from approaching his wife and from clamouring. If ever he is insulted or assaulted, he should say, ‘I am a fasting person.’ I swear by Allah, who is in control of my soul, the typical odour of the fasting person’s mouth smells better than musk. The fasting person experiences joy twice: the first time when he breaks his fast and the second time when he meets his Lord glad with his own fasting.” [Reported by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim] In a different version by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim, “the fasting person refrains from eating and drinking for my own sake.”

In the Sahih by Imam Muslim, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have said, “The current month of Ramadan succeeded by the following month of Ramadan offers remission of sins for the time span between both months on condition that grave sins be avoided.” In the same Sahih Book, there is the Hadith, “Remiss and failed will be everyone who reaches the month of Ramadan but his sins have not been expiated.” This is because Ramadan is known for its whiff of spiritual splendour and divine compassion of which only a totally remiss person would be deprived.

In the two Sahih Books of Hadith by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have said, “With the advent of Ramadan, the gates of paradise are opened and those of hell are firmly locked, while Shaytan and his agents are chained in manacles.” In the two Sahih Books of Hadith by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have said, “Whoever performs fasting during the month of Ramadan ‒solely prompted by faith and sacrificing comfort in anticipation of Allah’s reward‒ will have his sins expiated in retrospect” and that “Whoever performs nightly prayers during the month of Ramadan ‒solely prompted by faith and sacrificing comfort in anticipation of Allah’s reward‒ will have his sins expiated in retrospect.” By the same token, “Whoever performs nightly prayers during Laylat Al-Qadr [the Night of Decree] ‒solely prompted by faith and sacrificing comfort in anticipation of Allah’s reward‒ will have his sins expiated in retrospect.”

It is worth noting that the best form of welcome for the month of Ramadan is repentance, for a soul delivered from sins and alleviated of burdens would be more readily motivated to perform the acts of worship associated with Ramadan and is likely to please Allah with good deeds and intentions.

Another germane point worth mentioning here is related to diverging astrological opinions with regard to confirming the beginning of the lunar month, including individual attempts to use observatories for that purpose. The very publication of such controversial observations in the media (both printed and audio-visual) has no other consequences than spreading scepticism among Muslims concerning their acts of worship and to underestimating the logistic and technical capacity of governmental institutions and committees to provide reliable information. Some people who get involved in such a debate are quite well-intentioned; others find in it an opportunity to show off and rise to fame.

To both camps we would like to say: Save your energy! You have been spared such effort in this country where special committees have been set up in different locations on the territory in order to duly observe this ritual and to take precautions against any error affecting the performance of this religious duty. Allah’s guidance and those special committees’ advice are quite sufficient for such a task, and whoever has a different opinion let them contact the authorities directly and stop disturbing Muslims’ spiritual life.

Servants of Allah! The meaning of fasting is not restricted to the sheer act of refraining from consuming food, then filling one’s stomach when breaking the fast. The wisdom behind fasting is to coerce the self to restrain its whims, to break the routine of its habitual actions, to cleanse it of all sorts of impurity, and to train it to remember the existence of starving and homeless families. Who will take care of populations struck by ordeals and weakened by wars that actually subjugate and grind down humanity? The victims are your brothers in faith who have no refuge except in Allah’s providential protection and in you. It is Allah Who grants and retains favours; it is Allah Who lowers and elevates His creatures’ status; and it is He Who ordained you to be His trustee in the property He bestowed on you in order to see how you would act. On Resurrection Day, the believer will take shelter from Hellfire in his charitable acts in the herein: “…and whatsoever you spend of anything (in Allâh’s Cause), He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers.” [Surah Saba’: 39]

Of course, it is not impossible for a wealthy person to come across a needy person from among his own acquaintances or through authorised agencies and institutions. May Allah recompense every doer of meritorious deeds with due reward and accept good services from benefactors. I seek refuge with Allah from the cursed Satan: “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’ân, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion. So whoever of you sights the month, he must observe fasts that month, …“ [Surah al-Baǭara: 185]

May Allah bless you and me by the Holy and Magnificent Qur’ān. May Allah help us benefit from the teachings of the Sunnah of the Master of Messengers, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Having said this, I ask Allah to forgive you and me.

Second Khutbah

May Allah be praised abundantly and kindheartedly, a blessed praise that pleases our Lord and is to His liking! I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, Who has no associate. I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on him and all his family and Companions!

Now then, O Muslims! There are certain events that are so conclusive in the history of the Muslim Ummah. When Muslims managed to overcome their own passions and desires Allah helped them triumph over their aggressors. Such events served as a precursor of the days that followed. The month of Ramadan witnessed the great Battle of Badr (fought 17 of Ramadan, 2 AH), the conquest of Makkah (fought 18 of Ramadan, 8 AH) and many others including those of the Sindh, Antioch, Sicily, the Battle of Ain Jalut (the Spring of Goliath) and finally the battle for the recovery of Sinai by the Egyptians. It was indeed in Ramadan that all of these battles and conquests took place.

There is a lesson to be learnt from these events particularly these days in which the forces of evil and hypocrisy have gone on the rampage against large numbers of Muslims across the world. The hostility deeply entrenched in the hearts of many against this religion has suddenly surfaced.

Presently, Muslims are being afflicted with much sturdiness at the hands of platoons of people who share no language, values, faith or homeland but bitter sentiments of hostility and enmity towards Islam. However, Muslims are still oblivious of their own cause, or say it is meant for them to remain unaware of the fact that hostility is nothing but religious. In Arakan and Burma, waves after waves of extermination are being launched against Muslims. In Syria, criminals are carrying out their evil practices in alternation. Elsewhere in the Muslim world, people are being abused, wickedness is prevailing and assistance and support have gone hard to find.

For decades we have not witnessed such masters of hypocrisy nor have we heard such loud voices speaking up against Islamic Sharia. Today, international laws and conventions are violated; political, human, children’s and women’s rights are abused. Advocates of such rights are not acting the way they should had the aggressor been Arab or Muslim and the victim from a different nationality or faith.

What has been going on is a disgrace for the entire world with its international organizations, conventions and covenants. The opponents of religion have been called into alliance from all directions and have grown increasingly powerful. Their determination and enthusiasm in this regard are so strong that they would stop at nothing (even if it comes to kneeling down) in order to stand by the aggressor and support injustice, to suppress truth and subjugate the oppressed.

In light of this, it is the obligation of every Muslim –without exception– to stay alert and vigilant, to hold as fast as ever to the Rope of Allah and not to take this religion (Islam) with weakness. Should Muslims venture to relinquish their faith they would lose power in this Life and reap disappointment in the Hereafter. On the other hand, if they take it with laxity they will run the risk of being overpowered by the enemy with no entitlement to the support they have otherwise been promised. However, if they take it with resolve, they will prevail in this Life and succeed in the Hereafter: “O Yahyâ! Hold fast the Scripture.“ [Surah Mariam: 12]

We are hopeful that Allah shall help our oppressed brothers in Syria prevail and that our fellow Muslims throughout the world shall realize the complexity of their cause in such a way that urges them to hasten to their support towards lifting the siege around them and defeating their enemy, particularly that the enemies of Arabs and Muslims have now rushed to strengthen their grip on the city of Homs.

All Muslims should also realize that one of the very first instructions given to ensure victory during the Battle of Badr was: “and do not dispute lest you lose courage and your strength departs, and be patient. Surely, Allâh is with those who are patient.” [Surah al Anfal: 46]

We place our hope first in Allah and then in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its support of our fellow Muslims in Syria and for its efforts in taking their cause to international forums and organizations and in urging major world powers to intervene in order to put an end to this prolonged and bloody tragedy. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques himself has so repeatedly and generously insisted on halting this bloody violence in Syria and bringing peace back to it.

May Allah help carry out their endeavors and bless their efforts! Remember that Allah gave you a command, which He Himself started as He said: “Allâh sends His Salât on the Prophet, and also His angels. O you who believe! Send your Salât on him, and greet him with the Islâmic way of greeting“ [Surah al Ahzab: 56]

O Allah! Send Your Salat, Peace and Blessing on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and on his good and pure family! O Allah! Be pleased with all of Your Messenger’s Companions and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail the tyrants, infidels and corruptors! O Allah! Grant glory to Your Religion, Your Book and the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!

O Allah! Foreordain for this ummah a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) whereby the pious are honored and the sinful are guided, and whereby al-ma’roof (good deeds) is enjoined and al-munkar (evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen! O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine, in the Levant and wherever they may be, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! We beseech You by Your Supreme Name to have mercy on our brothers in Syria! O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers in Syria! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them for they are defenseless! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case, You, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate!

O Allah! You, Whose soldiers are invincible, Whose promises are never broken and Whose command is ever carried out, glory and praise be to You! Honored he is who seeks Your neighbourliness! Glorified be Your praise, and sanctified be Your Names! O Allah! We beseech You by Your Supreme Name to have mercy on our brothers in Syria! O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers in Syria! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them for they are defenseless! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case, You, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate!

O Allah! You, Who sent down the angels on the Day of Badr and dispersed Al Ahzāb on the Day of Al Khandaq (the Trench)! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in the Sham in general and in Homs in particular! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, spare their blood, reassure them, preserve their dignity and honour, bring them closer together, feed the hungry among them, strengthen their stamina, and grant them power and victory over their oppressors!

O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around righteousness, and protect them against the evil doers among them! O Allah! Suppress their enemy! O Allah! Suppress their enemy! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them!

O Allah! The Revealer of The Book (The Holy Qur’ān), the Runner of the clouds, and the Defeater of Al Ahzāb (the Confederates)! Defeat the oppressors, shake the ground from underneath them and grant victory to our brothers in faith over them!

O Allah! Liberate Al Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression! O Allah! Improve the conditions of our Muslim brothers in Egypt and everywhere! O Allah! Improve the conditions of our Muslim brothers in Egypt and everywhere! O Allah! Bring them close together on the path of righteousness and guidance! O Allah! Set right their conditions, and protect them against the evil doers among them! O You the Ever-Living, the Eternal Guardian, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty!

O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Impart on him health and well-being! O Allah! Impart to him well-being! O Allah! Keep him in good health! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, their brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the sunnah of Your Prophet ﷺ! O Allah! Make them merciful to Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and all Muslim countries around the world! O Allah! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers and the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

“… Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!] [Al-Baqarah: 201]! [Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk." [Surah Ale 'Imran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing! O Allah! We ask You to be pleased with us and to grant us Your paradise, and we seek refuge in You against Your wrath and hell fire!

O Allah! Help us reach Ramadan! O Allah! Help us reach Ramadan and guide us to do good throughout it and do accept our good deeds, You the most Generous!

O our Lord! Accept from us, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! Accept our repentance; You are the Relenting, the Merciful!

Glorified be our Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! He is free from what they attribute unto Him! Peace be on the Messengers! And all the praises and thanks be to Allâh, Lord of the ‘Al`alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb & http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2013/07...-muslim-ummah/

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BintAbee
08-14-2013, 07:04 PM
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Do Not Miss the Fragrance of Ramadan

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

August 2, 2013 ~ Ramadhaan 24, 1434

Khutbah Topic

His eminence Sheikh Salih Al-Talib –may Allah protect him– delivered this Friday Khutbah titled “Do Not Miss the Fragrance of Ramadan.” He spoke about the month of Ramadan and its final days and nights. He pointed out that although Ramadan is coming to an end, there is still time for presenting offerings and pious deeds during its blessed last days and nights. He added that in Ramadan worshippers compete for gaining divine bounties and blessings and take advantage of the Night of Al-Qadr (Night of Decree) and its high merit to please Allah and be saved from hellfire. He equally explained that Zakāt al-Fitr [1] is both important and mandatory.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah: Owner of creation, command, glory, and subdual. We praise and thank Him for this blessed month and for keeping us alive until we have reached its last ten days. We therefore praise Almighty Allah and thank Him. We also ask Him to forgive us and protect us from all sorts of evil. We pray Him to grant us more bounties and favours. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah alone without associate. May His name be glorified and His pardon magnificent! I equally bear witness that our Master and Prophet Muhammad () is Allah’s Servant and Messenger, the one who was best in fast and i’tikāf [2] and who was closest to his Lord. May Allah send His bountiful Salāt (Mercy, Honour, and Grace), Peace upon him, his family, his Companions and all those who have followed their footsteps till the Day of Judgement!

Now then, O people! Observe taǭwa, for it is the best garment to be worn and is our only hope when we depart this life: O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islâm [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allâh)]. [Al ‘Imran: 102]

Let it be known to you that you are doomed to appear before Allah on Doomsday. Then, you will be exposed to close scrutiny for all your deeds. You will be rewarded or penalised, depending on your own deeds. Whoever shows laxity or proclivity for mundane affairs will surely regret it on the Day of Judgement. Let it also be known to you that tombs are the site of utter desolation which only good deeds can dissipate and substitute by delightful company. The darkness of the grave can only be eliminated by taking advantage of propitious worship seasons (like Ramadan). Thus, beware the temptations of the herein and let not this life distract your attention from the hereafter. Surely, he who competes for pursuing worldly desires will never move up the ladder of pious deeds.

Nonetheless, never lose hope because of the multitude of people doomed to perdition and the supremacy of the godless: O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow the (right) guidance [and enjoin what is right (Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden)] no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. The return of you all is to Allâh, ...  [Al-Maîda:105]

O Lord! Give us remedy for our pitfalls, forgive our slips, and grant Your pardon for the ignorance of those who sought help with anyone but You. Your pardon is so encompassing that no sinner is able to escape from the sphere of his own sin except through returning to You.

O Muslims!

Although most of the month of Ramadan has elapsed, what remains of it is the best. Despite the passage of its days, what remains of it secures salvation. Even though its nights have passed by so quickly, there are still some (nights) during which a worshipper can fulfil his hope. It is a graceful month whose hours and seconds are imbibed with good; it is a great religious season whose moments are all blessed by Allah. It offers a track for every competitor to hasten his paces; its race course is still wide open for anyone (hindered by certain excuses) to join in the race again.

O Allah’s servant! You do not know the exact moment when you will be shaded by its graces and perfumed with its fragrance; nor will you be able to know which night you will be delivered from hellfire in order to join the righteous. Indeed, Allah has imparted His blessing to the entirety of the month of Ramadan. Therefore, the gates of heaven are still wide open to allow prayers to ascend thereto, and the angels are still holding their pens to record all good and pious deeds. Thus, no fortunate person will ever give up doing good deeds until he actually enters Paradise.

Worshippers and righteous people have never regretted departing this life except when it has to do with missing such religious occasions. In fact, they have never shed tears on departing this life except when they feel certain they will no longer perform night prayers, fast during extremely hot days, and make jihad (holy war) for the cause of Allah.

Now, you still have time. Have you made up your mind about how to proceed? Keep in mind that you are still in the herein where there is room for further action. So, what are you going to do? Remember that the same occasions had been presented to previous communities, but they kept postponing action for some indefinite future time until the agony of death took them unawares. Thus, they just became part of history after having enjoyed capacitation and self-confidence during their lifetime. Allah commented on such people by saying:
Lest a person should say: "Alas, my grief that I was undutiful to Allâh (i.e. I have not done what Allâh has ordered me to do), and I was indeed among those who mocked [at the truth! i.e. Lâ ilâha illallâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh), the Qur’ân, and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and at the faithful believers]. (56) Or (lest) he should say: "If only Allâh had guided me, I should indeed have been among the Muttaqûn (the pious)" (57) Or (lest) he should say when he sees the torment: "If only I had another chance (to return to the world), then I should indeed be among the Muhsinûn (good-doers)” (58) Yes! Verily, there came to you My Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and you denied them, and were proud and were among the disbelievers. [Az-Zumar: 56-59]

Quite certainly, one of the greatest effects of the month of Ramadan on the rightly guided and successful servants of Allah is their return to their Lord and their repentance (for sins). In an authentic hadith, Prophet Muhammad () said “Amen” in response to Archangel Gabriel’s prayer, “Whoever witnesses Ramadan without being forgiven his sins, let him be expelled by Allah! O Muhammad, say ‘Amen’.” “Amen”, Muhammad said acquiescently. Thus, there is no choice but to resort to repentance. In this regard, Allah says: And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed Zâlimûn (wrong-doers, etc.).  [Al-Ĥujurât: 11]

O Muslims!

There remain a few nights of Ramadan which are likely to coincide with the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree); so, do your best and try hard to worship Allah and do good deeds. It is a little effort during a short period of night time, but its result will be a bounteous reward and eternal bliss. Beware the erroneous beliefs about the possibility of recognizing the Night of Al-Qadr through visions and dreams, for if Allah had ordained the disclosure of the Night of Al-Qadr to His creatures, He would not have kept it unidentified; so, just work harder. Do not merely depend on Allah without doing anything, but rather take the initiative. Each single night of the last ten days of Ramadan is expected to coincide with the Night of Al-Qadr, but odd numbers are more likely to coincide with it, especially the twenty-seventh night. In addition, every night Allah salvages a number of people from hellfire.

Prophet Muhammad’s () teachings about how to experience the last ten nights of Ramadan represent the most accurate and perfect guidance. Such last ten nights are sanctified by Allah Who eulogised them and promised abundant reward for worship associated with them. As reported by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim, “With the advent of the last ten nights, Prophet Muhammad () would tighten his mi’zar [3] (wrapper)[i.e. keep awake at night ready for prayer], bring his night to life (through prayer), and wake up his family (to do so).”

Prophet Muhammad () used to lead Muslims in prayer until they started worrying about missing their saĥūr (last meal before fajr prayer during the month of Ramadan). In addition, during the last ten nights of Ramadan the Prophet would make I’tikāf. He would perform acts of worship day and night and, together with his honourable Companions, try to identify the Night of Al Qadr. Prophet Muhammad () said, “Whoever performs the night prayer on the Night of Al-Qadr with firm faith and while seeking reward, his past sins will be forgiven.” [Narrated by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim]

It is called ‘the Night of Al-Qadr’ because of its high “qadr” (great importance and high status) and because of what Allah had ordained for all creatures, including the (size of) means of living and the instants of death.

Allah revealed the Holy Qur’ān on the Night of Al-Qadr and endowed it with His blessing. Allah () said: Hâ.-Mîm. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’ân and none but Allâh (Alone) knows their meanings] (1)  By the manifest Book (this Qur’ân) that makes things clear (2) We sent it (this Qur’ân) down on a blessed night [(i.e. night of Al-Qadr, Sûrah No. 97) in the month of Ramadân - the 9th month of the Islâmic calendar]. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship] (3) Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments  (4) [Ad-Dukhân: 1-4]

Allah revealed about it (i.e. the night of Al-Qadr) an entire chapter (sūrat) in the Holy Qur’ān: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful: Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’ân) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) (1) And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is? (2) The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allâh in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months) (3) Therein descend the angels and the Rûh [Jibrîl (Gabrîl)] by Allâh’s Permission with all Decrees, (4) (All that night), there is Peace (and Goodness from Allâh to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn. (5) [Al-Qadr: 1-5]

The successful believer is the one who does his best and sincerely searches for it by performing night prayer during all nights, for Allah never dissipates the reward of the performers of good deeds. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah’s Messenger () said, “Search for the Night of Al-Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) also reported that: “Allah’s Messenger () used to seclude himself in the mosque for worship during the last ten days and said: ‘Search for the Night of Al Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan.’” [Bukhari and Muslim]

Ubada Ibn Essamit () is reported to have said: “When the Prophet () went out to inform us about the Night of Al Qadr, two men came into sight. So, he said, ‘I went out to inform you about the Night of Al Qadr but so-and-so as well as so-and-so came into sight; therefore, it was blurred and lifted. This might be good for you. So, search for it in the 25th, 27th, and 29th night.’” [Imam Bukhari]

This is evidence of the misfortune brought about by disagreement, conflict and division, and all that stands in the way of benevolence.

O fasting believers!

Make your supplications for Allah with utmost insistence for He appreciates those who do so. Beseech, invoke and ask Him goodness in this life and the Hereafter for your relatives, homelands, and for those to whom Allah has entrusted your affairs as well as all Muslims. Make a portion of your supplications for the sake of those who are distressed among your fellow Muslims, particularly in Syria, Palestine, and Burma and for the healing of every bleeding wound of theirs. Verily, it is no surprise that Allah lifts their distress in response to a supplication by a true believer to whom others would pay no heed but who would be highly regarded by Allah.

Make your supplications for Allah with utmost insistence for He appreciates those who do so. See how many misfortunes have unexpectedly been set right and how many oppressors have been struck by the fatal arrow of response (from Allah to the supplications) before they could live to witness the next morning! See how many deadlocks have so miraculously been broken!

Verily, Allah appreciates the devoutness of those invoking Him: And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islâmic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islâmic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation! [Ghafir: 60]. In the context of highlighting the merits of fasting Allah says: And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright. [Al Baqarah: 186]

Make your supplications for Allah with utmost insistence for He appreciates those who do so, and maintain your submissiveness to Him: Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors (55) and do not do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order, and invoke Him with fear and hope. Surely, Allâh’s Mercy is (ever) near unto the good-doers. [Al Aaraf: 55-56]

Aisha –may Allah be pleased with her– reported that she once asked the Prophet (): “O Messenger of Allah! If I knew which night (of Ramadan) is the Night of Qadr, what should I say?” He replied: “Say OAllah! You are Most Forgiving and You love forgiveness; so forgive me.” [Hadith sahih on the authority of Imam Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and Sunnah and benefit us with their verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah () to forgive me and you!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, the Possessor of heavenly glory, and thanks are ever due to Him! I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone with no associate. I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, the best among those who have ever fasted, undertaken night prayers, given zakat and worshipped Allah. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessings upon him, his family and his Companions, those men of merit and honour, and upon those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment!

O Muslims!

Allah, may He be exalted, has legislated for you at the end of your month (Ramadan) the undertaking of zakat al-fitr, which is unanimously decreed (by Muslim scholars) as an obligation incumbent on every Muslim. Indeed, Zakat al-Fitr constitutes one of the bright facets of this great religion where Eid [4] is for all, the poor and the rich, the haves and the have-nots.

For Eid to be a genuine festivity and celebration it must bring joy and happiness to all. Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah reported that the Prophet () “made zakat Al fitr an obligation in order to cleanse the fasting Muslim from previously committed acts of falsity and obscenity and to feed the needy.”

Therefore, make certain –may Allah have mercy on you– that your zakat reaches those who are duly entitled to it. With respect to the value thereof it is estimated at one saa’ (equivalent to 2.5 kilograms) of dates, barley or whatever the staple food such as wheat or rice. Zakat al-Fitr is to be delivered locally. However, it is permissible to deliver it outside the country of the fasting Muslim where there is more need for it. With respect to zakat delivery time, it should be one or two days prior to Eid day up until before the Eid Prayer time.

Then, make certain to perform Eid prayer in congregation with the rest of the Muslims and to bring along your children and wives as it is one of those manifest rituals of Muslims. It is also part of the Prophet’s sunnah to make takbir [5] during the night of Eid up until the morning of that day and before the arrival of the Imam. Takbir is to be carried out loudly and in public (in the markets and streets). In this context Allah () says: (He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allâh [i.e. to say Takbîr(Allâhu Akbar; Allâh is the Most Great] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him. [Al Baqara: 185]

Muslims’festivities are different from those of Jahiliya [6] in that they are meant to be a means of establishing closer rapport with Allah and to worship Him. Such festivities feature the exaltation and mentioning of Allah through takbir in both Eids [7] , performing congregational prayer, delivering zakat al-Fitr, showing joy and happiness for being blessed with Islam and the ability to fast successfully.

Let us rejoice then, thank Allah for enabling us to carry out our fasting, and ask Him to accept our worship in this regard and grant us a happy ending.

Remember that Allah gave you a command, which He Himself started as He said: Allâh sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and also His angels (ask Allâh to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât[1] on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islâmic way of greeting(salutation, i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum. [Al Ahzab: 56]

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, honours and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and on his good and pure family! O Allah! Be pleased with all of Your Messenger’s Companions and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors! O Allah! Grant glory to Your Religion, Your Book and the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) whereby the people of piety are honoured and sinful people are guided, and whereby al-ma’roof (good deeds) is enjoined and al-munkar (evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and everywhere! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! We beseech You by Your Supreme Name to have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria! O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are defenseless! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case, You, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate!

O Allah! Lift the siege around them, spare their blood, reassure them, feed the hungry among them, preserve their dignity and honour, strengthen their stamina, and grant them power and victory over their oppressors!

O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around righteousness, and protect them against the evil doers among them! O Allah! Suppress their enemy! O Allah! Suppress their enemy! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them!

O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Improve the conditions of our Muslim brothers and sisters in Egypt and everywhere! O Allah! Bring them close together on the paths of righteousness and guidance! O Allah! Set right their conditions and protect them against the evil doers among them!

O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country and reward them with blessings for the efforts they are investing in the service of the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors!

O Allah! Grant success to our security forces and to those working in the service of the visitors of the Two Holy Mosques and those coming to perform Umrah, and bestow on them profuse rewards!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet ()! O Allah! Make them a Mercy on Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night! Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al Baqarah: 201]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You!

Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks. [Al Omran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

O Allah! We ask You to be pleased with us and grant us Your paradise, and we seek refuge in You against Your wrath and hellfire!

O Allah! Grant us, our loved ones, those who urged us to make supplication for them, and all those to whom we are indebted the most of whatever good we have implored you to bestow on us throughout this holy month!

O Allah! Grant us success to observe prayer during the Night of Al-Qadr! O Allah! We implore you to accept our good deeds and spare us the torment of hellfire!

O Allah! We beseech you to accept our fasting, night prayers, supplications and good deeds as You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! O Allah! Do accept our repentance as You are Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!

......................................

[1] Zakat Al-Fitr is a required charity given to the needy at the end of fasting in Ramadan by every Muslim, whether male and female, minor or adult. The head of the household may pay the required amount for the other members.

[2] Iʿtikāf (اعتكاف‎) in Islam consists of a period of retreat in a mosque (to pray Allah) for a certain number of days in accordance with the believer's own wish. It is most common during the month of Ramadan, especially the last ten days.

[3] Note that some scholars explained this Arabic metaphor as meaning ‘he would refrain from sexual intercourse.’

[4] Eid al-Fitr (Feast of Breaking the Fast) is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan.

[5] To say Allahu Akbar _الله أكبر_ (Allah is Great).

[6] It is the Arabic label given to the pre-Islamic era.

[7] They are Eid al-Fitr (see footnote 4) and Eid al-Adhā. Eid al-Adhā (عيد الأضحى‎ ʻĪd al-’Aḍḥá, i.e. Feast of the Sacrifice, the Greater Eid) is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of prophet Ibrāhīm __ (Abraham) to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismā’īl __ (Ishmael) as an act of submission to Allah’s command and his son's acceptance to being sacrificed, before Allah intervened to provide Ibrāhīm with a lamb to sacrifice instead. In the lunar Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adhā falls on the 10th day of Dhul al-Hijjah (12th month) and lasts for four days. Note that in the Gregorian calendar, the dates vary from year to year, drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year.




Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

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BintAbee
08-14-2013, 07:04 PM
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Do Not Miss the Fragrance of Ramadan

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

August 2, 2013 ~ Ramadhaan 24, 1434

Khutbah Topic

His eminence Sheikh Salih Al-Talib –may Allah protect him– delivered this Friday Khutbah titled “Do Not Miss the Fragrance of Ramadan.” He spoke about the month of Ramadan and its final days and nights. He pointed out that although Ramadan is coming to an end, there is still time for presenting offerings and pious deeds during its blessed last days and nights. He added that in Ramadan worshippers compete for gaining divine bounties and blessings and take advantage of the Night of Al-Qadr (Night of Decree) and its high merit to please Allah and be saved from hellfire. He equally explained that Zakāt al-Fitr [1] is both important and mandatory.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah: Owner of creation, command, glory, and subdual. We praise and thank Him for this blessed month and for keeping us alive until we have reached its last ten days. We therefore praise Almighty Allah and thank Him. We also ask Him to forgive us and protect us from all sorts of evil. We pray Him to grant us more bounties and favours. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah alone without associate. May His name be glorified and His pardon magnificent! I equally bear witness that our Master and Prophet Muhammad () is Allah’s Servant and Messenger, the one who was best in fast and i’tikāf [2] and who was closest to his Lord. May Allah send His bountiful Salāt (Mercy, Honour, and Grace), Peace upon him, his family, his Companions and all those who have followed their footsteps till the Day of Judgement!

Now then, O people! Observe taǭwa, for it is the best garment to be worn and is our only hope when we depart this life: O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islâm [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allâh)]. [Al ‘Imran: 102]

Let it be known to you that you are doomed to appear before Allah on Doomsday. Then, you will be exposed to close scrutiny for all your deeds. You will be rewarded or penalised, depending on your own deeds. Whoever shows laxity or proclivity for mundane affairs will surely regret it on the Day of Judgement. Let it also be known to you that tombs are the site of utter desolation which only good deeds can dissipate and substitute by delightful company. The darkness of the grave can only be eliminated by taking advantage of propitious worship seasons (like Ramadan). Thus, beware the temptations of the herein and let not this life distract your attention from the hereafter. Surely, he who competes for pursuing worldly desires will never move up the ladder of pious deeds.

Nonetheless, never lose hope because of the multitude of people doomed to perdition and the supremacy of the godless: O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow the (right) guidance [and enjoin what is right (Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden)] no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. The return of you all is to Allâh, ...  [Al-Maîda:105]

O Lord! Give us remedy for our pitfalls, forgive our slips, and grant Your pardon for the ignorance of those who sought help with anyone but You. Your pardon is so encompassing that no sinner is able to escape from the sphere of his own sin except through returning to You.

O Muslims!

Although most of the month of Ramadan has elapsed, what remains of it is the best. Despite the passage of its days, what remains of it secures salvation. Even though its nights have passed by so quickly, there are still some (nights) during which a worshipper can fulfil his hope. It is a graceful month whose hours and seconds are imbibed with good; it is a great religious season whose moments are all blessed by Allah. It offers a track for every competitor to hasten his paces; its race course is still wide open for anyone (hindered by certain excuses) to join in the race again.

O Allah’s servant! You do not know the exact moment when you will be shaded by its graces and perfumed with its fragrance; nor will you be able to know which night you will be delivered from hellfire in order to join the righteous. Indeed, Allah has imparted His blessing to the entirety of the month of Ramadan. Therefore, the gates of heaven are still wide open to allow prayers to ascend thereto, and the angels are still holding their pens to record all good and pious deeds. Thus, no fortunate person will ever give up doing good deeds until he actually enters Paradise.

Worshippers and righteous people have never regretted departing this life except when it has to do with missing such religious occasions. In fact, they have never shed tears on departing this life except when they feel certain they will no longer perform night prayers, fast during extremely hot days, and make jihad (holy war) for the cause of Allah.

Now, you still have time. Have you made up your mind about how to proceed? Keep in mind that you are still in the herein where there is room for further action. So, what are you going to do? Remember that the same occasions had been presented to previous communities, but they kept postponing action for some indefinite future time until the agony of death took them unawares. Thus, they just became part of history after having enjoyed capacitation and self-confidence during their lifetime. Allah commented on such people by saying:
Lest a person should say: "Alas, my grief that I was undutiful to Allâh (i.e. I have not done what Allâh has ordered me to do), and I was indeed among those who mocked [at the truth! i.e. Lâ ilâha illallâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh), the Qur’ân, and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and at the faithful believers]. (56) Or (lest) he should say: "If only Allâh had guided me, I should indeed have been among the Muttaqûn (the pious)" (57) Or (lest) he should say when he sees the torment: "If only I had another chance (to return to the world), then I should indeed be among the Muhsinûn (good-doers)” (58) Yes! Verily, there came to you My Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and you denied them, and were proud and were among the disbelievers. [Az-Zumar: 56-59]

Quite certainly, one of the greatest effects of the month of Ramadan on the rightly guided and successful servants of Allah is their return to their Lord and their repentance (for sins). In an authentic hadith, Prophet Muhammad () said “Amen” in response to Archangel Gabriel’s prayer, “Whoever witnesses Ramadan without being forgiven his sins, let him be expelled by Allah! O Muhammad, say ‘Amen’.” “Amen”, Muhammad said acquiescently. Thus, there is no choice but to resort to repentance. In this regard, Allah says: And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed Zâlimûn (wrong-doers, etc.).  [Al-Ĥujurât: 11]

O Muslims!

There remain a few nights of Ramadan which are likely to coincide with the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree); so, do your best and try hard to worship Allah and do good deeds. It is a little effort during a short period of night time, but its result will be a bounteous reward and eternal bliss. Beware the erroneous beliefs about the possibility of recognizing the Night of Al-Qadr through visions and dreams, for if Allah had ordained the disclosure of the Night of Al-Qadr to His creatures, He would not have kept it unidentified; so, just work harder. Do not merely depend on Allah without doing anything, but rather take the initiative. Each single night of the last ten days of Ramadan is expected to coincide with the Night of Al-Qadr, but odd numbers are more likely to coincide with it, especially the twenty-seventh night. In addition, every night Allah salvages a number of people from hellfire.

Prophet Muhammad’s () teachings about how to experience the last ten nights of Ramadan represent the most accurate and perfect guidance. Such last ten nights are sanctified by Allah Who eulogised them and promised abundant reward for worship associated with them. As reported by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim, “With the advent of the last ten nights, Prophet Muhammad () would tighten his mi’zar [3] (wrapper)[i.e. keep awake at night ready for prayer], bring his night to life (through prayer), and wake up his family (to do so).”

Prophet Muhammad () used to lead Muslims in prayer until they started worrying about missing their saĥūr (last meal before fajr prayer during the month of Ramadan). In addition, during the last ten nights of Ramadan the Prophet would make I’tikāf. He would perform acts of worship day and night and, together with his honourable Companions, try to identify the Night of Al Qadr. Prophet Muhammad () said, “Whoever performs the night prayer on the Night of Al-Qadr with firm faith and while seeking reward, his past sins will be forgiven.” [Narrated by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim]

It is called ‘the Night of Al-Qadr’ because of its high “qadr” (great importance and high status) and because of what Allah had ordained for all creatures, including the (size of) means of living and the instants of death.

Allah revealed the Holy Qur’ān on the Night of Al-Qadr and endowed it with His blessing. Allah () said: Hâ.-Mîm. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’ân and none but Allâh (Alone) knows their meanings] (1)  By the manifest Book (this Qur’ân) that makes things clear (2) We sent it (this Qur’ân) down on a blessed night [(i.e. night of Al-Qadr, Sûrah No. 97) in the month of Ramadân - the 9th month of the Islâmic calendar]. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship] (3) Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments  (4) [Ad-Dukhân: 1-4]

Allah revealed about it (i.e. the night of Al-Qadr) an entire chapter (sūrat) in the Holy Qur’ān: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful: Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’ân) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) (1) And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is? (2) The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allâh in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months) (3) Therein descend the angels and the Rûh [Jibrîl (Gabrîl)] by Allâh’s Permission with all Decrees, (4) (All that night), there is Peace (and Goodness from Allâh to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn. (5) [Al-Qadr: 1-5]

The successful believer is the one who does his best and sincerely searches for it by performing night prayer during all nights, for Allah never dissipates the reward of the performers of good deeds. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah’s Messenger () said, “Search for the Night of Al-Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) also reported that: “Allah’s Messenger () used to seclude himself in the mosque for worship during the last ten days and said: ‘Search for the Night of Al Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan.’” [Bukhari and Muslim]

Ubada Ibn Essamit () is reported to have said: “When the Prophet () went out to inform us about the Night of Al Qadr, two men came into sight. So, he said, ‘I went out to inform you about the Night of Al Qadr but so-and-so as well as so-and-so came into sight; therefore, it was blurred and lifted. This might be good for you. So, search for it in the 25th, 27th, and 29th night.’” [Imam Bukhari]

This is evidence of the misfortune brought about by disagreement, conflict and division, and all that stands in the way of benevolence.

O fasting believers!

Make your supplications for Allah with utmost insistence for He appreciates those who do so. Beseech, invoke and ask Him goodness in this life and the Hereafter for your relatives, homelands, and for those to whom Allah has entrusted your affairs as well as all Muslims. Make a portion of your supplications for the sake of those who are distressed among your fellow Muslims, particularly in Syria, Palestine, and Burma and for the healing of every bleeding wound of theirs. Verily, it is no surprise that Allah lifts their distress in response to a supplication by a true believer to whom others would pay no heed but who would be highly regarded by Allah.

Make your supplications for Allah with utmost insistence for He appreciates those who do so. See how many misfortunes have unexpectedly been set right and how many oppressors have been struck by the fatal arrow of response (from Allah to the supplications) before they could live to witness the next morning! See how many deadlocks have so miraculously been broken!

Verily, Allah appreciates the devoutness of those invoking Him: And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islâmic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islâmic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation! [Ghafir: 60]. In the context of highlighting the merits of fasting Allah says: And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright. [Al Baqarah: 186]

Make your supplications for Allah with utmost insistence for He appreciates those who do so, and maintain your submissiveness to Him: Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors (55) and do not do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order, and invoke Him with fear and hope. Surely, Allâh’s Mercy is (ever) near unto the good-doers. [Al Aaraf: 55-56]

Aisha –may Allah be pleased with her– reported that she once asked the Prophet (): “O Messenger of Allah! If I knew which night (of Ramadan) is the Night of Qadr, what should I say?” He replied: “Say OAllah! You are Most Forgiving and You love forgiveness; so forgive me.” [Hadith sahih on the authority of Imam Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and Sunnah and benefit us with their verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah () to forgive me and you!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, the Possessor of heavenly glory, and thanks are ever due to Him! I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone with no associate. I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, the best among those who have ever fasted, undertaken night prayers, given zakat and worshipped Allah. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessings upon him, his family and his Companions, those men of merit and honour, and upon those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment!

O Muslims!

Allah, may He be exalted, has legislated for you at the end of your month (Ramadan) the undertaking of zakat al-fitr, which is unanimously decreed (by Muslim scholars) as an obligation incumbent on every Muslim. Indeed, Zakat al-Fitr constitutes one of the bright facets of this great religion where Eid [4] is for all, the poor and the rich, the haves and the have-nots.

For Eid to be a genuine festivity and celebration it must bring joy and happiness to all. Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah reported that the Prophet () “made zakat Al fitr an obligation in order to cleanse the fasting Muslim from previously committed acts of falsity and obscenity and to feed the needy.”

Therefore, make certain –may Allah have mercy on you– that your zakat reaches those who are duly entitled to it. With respect to the value thereof it is estimated at one saa’ (equivalent to 2.5 kilograms) of dates, barley or whatever the staple food such as wheat or rice. Zakat al-Fitr is to be delivered locally. However, it is permissible to deliver it outside the country of the fasting Muslim where there is more need for it. With respect to zakat delivery time, it should be one or two days prior to Eid day up until before the Eid Prayer time.

Then, make certain to perform Eid prayer in congregation with the rest of the Muslims and to bring along your children and wives as it is one of those manifest rituals of Muslims. It is also part of the Prophet’s sunnah to make takbir [5] during the night of Eid up until the morning of that day and before the arrival of the Imam. Takbir is to be carried out loudly and in public (in the markets and streets). In this context Allah () says: (He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allâh [i.e. to say Takbîr(Allâhu Akbar; Allâh is the Most Great] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him. [Al Baqara: 185]

Muslims’festivities are different from those of Jahiliya [6] in that they are meant to be a means of establishing closer rapport with Allah and to worship Him. Such festivities feature the exaltation and mentioning of Allah through takbir in both Eids [7] , performing congregational prayer, delivering zakat al-Fitr, showing joy and happiness for being blessed with Islam and the ability to fast successfully.

Let us rejoice then, thank Allah for enabling us to carry out our fasting, and ask Him to accept our worship in this regard and grant us a happy ending.

Remember that Allah gave you a command, which He Himself started as He said: Allâh sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and also His angels (ask Allâh to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât[1] on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islâmic way of greeting(salutation, i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum. [Al Ahzab: 56]

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, honours and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and on his good and pure family! O Allah! Be pleased with all of Your Messenger’s Companions and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors! O Allah! Grant glory to Your Religion, Your Book and the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) whereby the people of piety are honoured and sinful people are guided, and whereby al-ma’roof (good deeds) is enjoined and al-munkar (evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and everywhere! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! We beseech You by Your Supreme Name to have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria! O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are defenseless! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case, You, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate!

O Allah! Lift the siege around them, spare their blood, reassure them, feed the hungry among them, preserve their dignity and honour, strengthen their stamina, and grant them power and victory over their oppressors!

O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around righteousness, and protect them against the evil doers among them! O Allah! Suppress their enemy! O Allah! Suppress their enemy! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them!

O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Improve the conditions of our Muslim brothers and sisters in Egypt and everywhere! O Allah! Bring them close together on the paths of righteousness and guidance! O Allah! Set right their conditions and protect them against the evil doers among them!

O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country and reward them with blessings for the efforts they are investing in the service of the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors!

O Allah! Grant success to our security forces and to those working in the service of the visitors of the Two Holy Mosques and those coming to perform Umrah, and bestow on them profuse rewards!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet ()! O Allah! Make them a Mercy on Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night! Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al Baqarah: 201]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You!

Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks. [Al Omran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

O Allah! We ask You to be pleased with us and grant us Your paradise, and we seek refuge in You against Your wrath and hellfire!

O Allah! Grant us, our loved ones, those who urged us to make supplication for them, and all those to whom we are indebted the most of whatever good we have implored you to bestow on us throughout this holy month!

O Allah! Grant us success to observe prayer during the Night of Al-Qadr! O Allah! We implore you to accept our good deeds and spare us the torment of hellfire!

O Allah! We beseech you to accept our fasting, night prayers, supplications and good deeds as You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! O Allah! Do accept our repentance as You are Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!

......................................

[1] Zakat Al-Fitr is a required charity given to the needy at the end of fasting in Ramadan by every Muslim, whether male and female, minor or adult. The head of the household may pay the required amount for the other members.

[2] Iʿtikāf (اعتكاف‎) in Islam consists of a period of retreat in a mosque (to pray Allah) for a certain number of days in accordance with the believer's own wish. It is most common during the month of Ramadan, especially the last ten days.

[3] Note that some scholars explained this Arabic metaphor as meaning ‘he would refrain from sexual intercourse.’

[4] Eid al-Fitr (Feast of Breaking the Fast) is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan.

[5] To say Allahu Akbar _الله أكبر_ (Allah is Great).

[6] It is the Arabic label given to the pre-Islamic era.

[7] They are Eid al-Fitr (see footnote 4) and Eid al-Adhā. Eid al-Adhā (عيد الأضحى‎ ʻĪd al-’Aḍḥá, i.e. Feast of the Sacrifice, the Greater Eid) is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of prophet Ibrāhīm __ (Abraham) to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismā’īl __ (Ishmael) as an act of submission to Allah’s command and his son's acceptance to being sacrificed, before Allah intervened to provide Ibrāhīm with a lamb to sacrifice instead. In the lunar Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adhā falls on the 10th day of Dhul al-Hijjah (12th month) and lasts for four days. Note that in the Gregorian calendar, the dates vary from year to year, drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year.




Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

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BintAbee
09-14-2013, 05:19 AM
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Landmarks for Muslims in Times of Fitnahs [1]

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

September 6, 2013 ~ Shawwaal 30, 1434



Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Ᾱl-Tālib ‒may Allah protect him‒ delivered last Friday’s khutbah titled “Landmarks for Muslims in Times of Fitnahs.” In the khutbah, he spoke about fitnahs and how the Muslim is expected to behave in order to sidestep them. Using evidence from the Holy Qur'ān and the Sunnah, the Sheikh demonstrated the magnitude of fitnahs and the perils of being ensnared therein. He also said that once wrapped in obscurity, the Muslim should resort to the Holy Qur'ān and the Sunnah as well as to experienced scholars.

Part One

Praise be to Allah, praise that is followed by pure salutations! He is the source of assistance, for there is none but Him whose support is hoped for in times of distress and disasters. On Him we rely, and sufficient unto us and unto all creatures is Allah! I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah alone with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad () is Allah’s Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing onto him, his family, his offspring ‒the most honourable of all offspring‒ his Companions () who were endowed with pure inner souls, and all those who follow their footsteps righteously till the Day of Judgement.

Now then,

Do observe taqwa (fear of Allah) sincerely and hold fast to the non-severable bond of Islam:  O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islâm [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allâh). [Ᾱl-Imrān: 102]. In fact, Allah will protect, suffice, gratify, and shelter anyone who observes taqwa.
(The Sheikh cites a line of poetry celebrating taqwa):

Observing taqwa means optimal provisions stored for days ahead,
And Allah has further provisions for him who best observes taqwa.

Servants of Allah!

Abdurrahman Ibn Abd Rab Al-Kaaba narrated: “When I got into the Mosque, I found Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-Âass sitting in the shade of the Kâaba and people gathered around him. I joined them and sat near him. So, he said, “We were once on a trip with the Messenger of Allah (); so we stopped by (some place) on our way. There were those of us who were fixing their tents; others were competing in throwing arrows; and still others were taking their camels and horses out to pasture. Then, the herald of Allah's Messenger () suddenly cried: "gather for prayer." So, we gathered in front of the Messenger of Allah () who said, “There was no prophet preceding me who was not bound to guide his Ummah (community) to what is best for them, and warn them against what is the worst evil for them. Your present Ummah was destined to experience wellness and stability during its first generations but its later generations will witness afflictions and incidents that you would abhor. Fitnahs will follow in succession; some will seem milder compared to others. Whenever a fitnah befalls a believer, he says, ‘This time, it is going to be fatal.’ But it soon drives away. Then, a further fitnah follows, and again the believer says, ‘This fitnah (will finish me) … this fitnah (will finish me), and so on and so forth.’ Whoever wishes to be removed away from Hellfire and admitted into Paradise should ascertain that when he faces death he shall persist in remaining a believer in Allah and in the Last Day, and that he treats people the way he likes himself to be treated … (until the end of the Hadith).” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]

O believers!

Whenever the dormant tribulations of fitnahs are resuscitated and the sable nights of ordeals grow unrecognisably obscure, whenever the Ummah experiences phases during which many people are induced into error and fitnahs grow ferociously blind to the extent that a lot of people become dubious to truth, in such case the Muslim becomes in dire need for landmarks to guide him, for lighthouses to regain orientation and for stars to show him the way. This is mainly because, for any Muslim, the dearest possession is the soundness of his faith. The Prophet () said: "A time will come when the best property for a Muslim will be a flock of sheep which he drives to mountain tops and places of rainfall so as to flee with his religion from fitnahs." [Narrated by Al-Bukhari]

Fleeing from fitnahs takes place when resorting to Allah, the Almighty. This is in conformity with Allah’s () words: So flee to Allâh (from His Torment to His Mercy - Islâmic Monotheism). [Ath-Thāriyāt: 50]. He () also says:  Is not Allâh Sufficient for His slave?  [Az-Zumar: 36]

Ibn Al-Qayyim ‒may Allah have mercy on his soul‒ said, “Divine sufficiency is dependent upon the nature of the individual's servitude through worship; the more obedient you are to Allah, the more you will be endowed with divine sufficiency.” This is why the Prophet () instructed people to worship Allah in times of fitnahs. He said, “Worship in times of turmoil equals hijra (migration) to join me.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]. Therefore, congratulations for the believer who resorts to prayers and worship while others remain busy with forms of tumultuous agitation and eager to hunt for news and track rumours. Congratulations for those who feel secure and tranquil by the remembrance of Allah when souls are anxious and hearts are disturbed.

One night, Prophet Muhammad () suddenly woke up frightened and said, “Glory to Allah! What has Allah revealed from His hidden coffers? What afflictions have befallen His creatures? Who could wake up the occupants of the chambers (he means his wives so that they could perform night prayer). Many a veiled (i.e. enjoying Allah's blessings) woman in the herein will be reduced to nudity (punished for not obeying Allah and being thankful to Him) in the hereafter." [Narrated by Imam Bukhari]. In this Hadith, there is evidence that performing night prayer is one of the major ways of escaping fitnahs. In fact, before revealing the verses dealing with trial, Allah () says: O you who believe! Seek help in patience and As-Salât (the prayer). Truly! Allâh is with As-Sâbirin (the patient ones, etc.). [Al-Baqarah: 153]

Worship is full of secrets, among which are the following: it represents the provisions for the wayfarer, the spiritual supplies for the soul, and the light for the heart. Prophet Muhammad () used to hurry to perform prayer whenever he happened to face some serious matter. He () urged believers to perform pious deeds since they protect them from fitnahs before they take place and save them from them when they do take place. Thus, Prophet Muhammad () said, “Proceed to good deeds. There will be fitnahs as dark as stratified nocturnal obscurity; a believer in the morning swiftly becomes an unbeliever in the evening and a believer in the evening swiftly becomes an unbeliever in the morning. He would sell out his religion in exchange for trivial mundane gains.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]

Thus, he who is equipped with sufficient taqwa and good deeds will deserve salvation, bearing in mind that according to Allah’s laws governing the universe, Allah never disappoints a servant who seeks refuge with Him. It is said: “Prevent fitnahs by observing taqwa.” This is confirmed by Allah’s () verse: O you who believe! If you obey and fear Allâh, He will grant you Furqân [(a criterion to judge between right and wrong), or (Makhraj, i.e. making a way for you to get out from every difficulty)]... [Al-Anfāl: 29]

O Muslims!

Among the forms of resorting to Allah is supplicating and imploring Him. Allah () says: And indeed We seized them with punishment, but they humbled not themselves to their Lord, nor did they invoke (Allâh) with submission to Him. [Al-Mū’minūn: 76]. He also says: When Our Torment reached them, why then did they not believe with humility? Al-An’ām: 43]

Among the supplications is seeking refuge from fitnahs; this is affirmed in the Hadîth narrated by Zaid Ibn Thabet () that Prophet Muhammad () said, “Seek refuge from fitnahs, both overt and covert.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]

Servants of Allah!

Among the landmarks guiding the Muslim and providing him with relief is to follow Allah's firm signs as well as His constant sunan (laws governing the affairs of the whole universe). Instances of such firm signs and constant sunan include: verification prior to action, sanctity of human blood, keeping to the Revealed Book and to the Sunnah, anticipating the adverse repercussions of certain human actions, as well as identifying advantageous and disadvantageous courses of action along with classifying them in accordance with the principles of religion rather than personal desires and mundane worldly incentives. Allah () says: O you who believe! Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allâh and His Messenger (SAW), if you believe in Allâh and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination. [An-Nissā': 59]

From the above, we realise that the truth consists in whatever coincides with Allah’s instructions and His Messenger’s teachings whereas fitnah means whatever runs contrary to both of them. Prophet Muhammad () says, “There will be a fitnah.” “So, what are we supposed to do”, they asked. He answered, “You then return to your initial state of affairs.” [Reported by Tabarani]

In the Hadîth narrated by Al-Irbādh Ibn Sāriyah (), Prophet Muhammad () is reported to have said, “I advise you to observe taqwa (fear of Allah) and to show deference and obedience even if your ruler is an Ethiopian slave. Indeed, whoever outlives me will definitely notice much divergence. So, hold fast to my Sunnah and the tradition of the rightly guided caliphs after me. Stick to that and never relinquish your grip/bite on it. Be cautious and make sure not to follow inventions (in religion), for every invented belief or rite is sheer fabrication, and sheer fabrication means misguidance.” [Sound Hadith reported by the authors of Sunan Books].

Allah enjoins probity and forbids corruption. In this regard, one’s judgment may sometimes be right and sometimes wrong. Among Allah's firm signs, there is the sanctity of human blood. Prophet Muhammad () says, “Whoever is capable of eliminating any hindrance to his admission into Paradise virtually occasioned by smearing his hands with bloodshed he may have perpetrated should proceed to do so.”

O servants of Allah!

In times of fitnahs, the Muslim is faced with a multiplicity of news and rumours, and thus truth gets confounded with falsehood. This is essentially because of the increased impact of printed and audiovisual media, the spread of electronic websites and data networks, along with the ease of communication, the rapidity of news transmission, the fast dissemination of lies, and people’s audacity to tell lies with no feeling of embarrassment or fear of Allah. Abu Hurairah () narrated that Prophet Muhammad () had said, “It is enough evidence to say that somebody is telling lies if he talks about all he hears.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]

Omar Ibn Al-Khattāb () said, “Beware of fitnahs! The work of the tongue in times of fitnah is similar to that of the sword.” Another version goes like this: “There will be a fitnah in which the work of the tongue is more severe and cruel than that of the sword.” [Reported by Imam Ahmed, Abu Dawood, and Ibn Majah]

In reality, proper conduct requires verification and patience, lenience and forgiveness in times of fitnahs and sudden changes in life conditions, consulting experienced and wise scholars, and avoiding taking decisions alone. A safe person is the one who is spared all such ordeals. Thus, it is not necessary for you to have your own say in every problem or your opinion on every incident. Allah () says: When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or fear, they make it known (among the people), if only they had referred it to the Messenger or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them (directly)... [An-Nissā': 83]


Justice and equity must also be observed. Allah () says: And whenever you give your word (i.e. judge between men or give evidence), say the truth. [Al Anam: 152]. Allah () also says: And let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety. [Al Māedah: 8]

Contrarily to this, there are people who, in times of fitnahs, would not hesitate to harm the believers in their honour and dignity. They would hone their tongues and sharpen their pencils in order to humiliate the righteous, stir confusion among common Muslims, forge facts and incite fitnah and disunion, bearing in mind that the most dangerous of all is fitnah in religion. In this context, Allah () says: Verily, those who put into trial the believing men qnd believing women (by torturing and burning them ) and then do not turn in repentance (to Allah0, then they will have the torment of Hell and they will have the punishment of the burning fire. [Al-Burūj: 10]

A Muslim must avoid being one of those whom Allah has vilified in the following words: They follow but a guess and that which they themselves desire, whereas there has surely come to them Guidance from their Lord. [An Najm: 23] and But they have no Knowledge thereof. They follow but a guess, and verily, guess is no substitute for the truth (28). Therefore, withdraw (O Mohammad  from himwho turns away from Our Reminder(this Qur’an)and desires nothing but the life of this world (29). That is what they could reach of knowledge. Verily, your Lord it is he Who knows best him who goes astray from His Path, and He knows best him whjo receives guidance. [An Najm: 28-30]

When in doubt or ambiguity, a believer must seek to avoid confusion. However, once matters are clear, he must side with what is fair and right; rather he must put in the effort towards unveiling the truth. Therefore, he must not thwart the oppressed who are entitled to a certain right under the pretext of avoiding fitnah. To this effect Allah () says: And if two parties or groups among the believers fall to fighting, then make peace between them both. But if one of them outrages against the other, then fight you (all) against the one that which outrages till it complies with the command of Allah. Then if it complies, then make reconciliation between them justly, and be equitable. Verily! Allah loves those who are equitable. [Al Hujurāt: 9]

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and Sunnah and benefit us with their verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah, be He exalted, to forgive me and you!

Part Two
Praise be to Allah, Guardian of the believers! No aggression must be carried out save against oppressors. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, Allah, the Ultimate Truth. I also bear witness that Mohammad () is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessings upon him, his family, and all of his Companions!

Now then,
Amidst the political conflicts taking place in the Muslim world and given the ambiguity that is infesting the social communications networks where nobody knows who is writing what and for what purpose, justice may run scarce and people may be carried away along the path of confusion undeterred by legality or values. Therefore, it is necessary to observe self-control and restraint first before taking any action, in accordance with Allah's () following words: O you who believe! If a fasiq (a liar; evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done. [Al Hujurāt: 6]

The Prophet () warned against fitnahs when he said: "There will be fitnahs, at which time the sitting person will be better than the standing one, and the standing one will be better than the walking one, and the walking one will be better than the running one. And whoever will look towards those fitnahs, he will be overtaken by them. Therefore whoever finds a refuge or a shelter, he should take refuge therein." [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

Some of the salaf [2] said: “When fitnahs take place, minds are taken away and hearts are defeated.” At first a fitnah would seem suspicious, but when it’s over it becomes all too evident.
Ibn Taymiya ‒may Allah bless his soul– said: “When fitnah strikes, the rightful would be unable to ward off the impudent and no one would be saved from it (fitnah) except those that Allah chooses to make invulnerable to it.”

O Muslims!
Patience is the believer’s means to avert fitnahs. The Messenger of Allah () said: “Ahead of you are days which will require endurance, in which showing endurance will be like grasping live coals. The one who acts rightly during that period will have the reward of fifty men who act as he does. He (one of those present) said: 'Messenger of Allah, the reward of fifty of them?' He replied: 'The reward of fifty of you.'” [Narrated by Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah]

Abu Al-Sha'thā was reported to have said: “We went out with Abi Mass'ūd Al Ansari () and said to him: ‘Give us a tip.’ He replied: ‘You must observe taqwa (fear) of Allah and hold on to Muhammad’s congregation, for Allah ‒be He exalted‒ would not unite such congregation on perversion. Allah’s religion is but one, so beware of making it multi-faceted. You must observe taqwa of Allah and have patience until a righteous man is at ease and a dissolute man is gotten rid of.'" [Narrated by Al-Hākim in his ‘Al-Mustadrak’ (a book of Hadith); he (Al-Hākim) said: ‘This is a sound Hadith in accordance with Imam Muslim'.]

O servants of Allah!

There are still trials and fitnahs in this life, so arm yourselves with patience to defeat such calamities. Patience does not mean the willingness to settle for less and surrender to alienation, but the resolve to devote oneself to faith and to doing what is required by Sharia law, and this is laudable indeed.

In this age, it is important for Muslims to remain optimistic and hopeful, to avoid despair and firmly believe that those who observe taqwa shall have the upper hand in the end, for we read in the Holy Qur'ān: …and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you. [Al-Baqarah: 216]. In this context, it is equally important to remember Allah’s wisdom in bringing about trials.

There must be blazing events that would steer the believers back towards their faith just as much as they have pulled away from it, retributions that would make them seek refuge with their Creator just as much as they have alienated themselves from Him, and earthly disasters that would call upon them to revert to that which brought glory and might to your salaf and predecessors. After all, hardship is always followed by relief.

Signs of victory are looming in the horizon while the causes thereof keep coming and going. Our hope in Allah is so immense and boundless.

It must be known that those hadiths of fitnahs and epic encounters are mentioned by way of prompting consideration (on the part of the believers) and setting warning. Such hadiths include those of Al-Dajjāl [3], Al khasf [4], and wars. There should be no assertion as to the applicability of certain news on a given incident, for this is part of Ilm Al-Ghaib (knowledge of the unseen and unknown), and it is not allowed to speak instead of Allah while having no knowledge.

O Allah! We seek Your protection against misleading fitnahs! O Allah! We seek Your protection against misleading fitnahs! O Allah! Keep away from us all forms of disgrace and fitnahs, apparent or concealed!

This being said, send (O you Muslims) your salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy) and peace upon Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (), al-Hāshimi al-Qurashi, the best and most honest of Allah’s creatures.

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, honours and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, his good and pure family, his magnanimous and auspicious Companions and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail tyrants, atheists and corruptors!

O Allah! Foreordain for this Ummah (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honored and those of sins are guided, and where al-ma’rūf (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented, O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction, O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your Cause! O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your Cause in Palestine and wherever they may be! O Allah! Lift their siege, set right their conditions and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Alleviate the suffering of our brothers in Syria! O Allah! Put an end to their affliction! O Allah! Speed up their relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are too weak! Mend their breakage, O You, the charitable, the benevolent! O Allah! Spare their blood, reassure them, preserve their dignity and honour, feed the hungry among them, strengthen their stamina, bring them closer together, and grant them power and victory over their oppressors!

O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around righteousness and protect them against the evil doers among them! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!

O Allah! Liberate Al Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of our brothers in Egypt and everywhere! O Allah! Unite them around truth and righteousness, set right their conditions, and protect them against the evil doers among them!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet ()! O Allah! Make them a blessing on Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and all Muslim countries around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers and the maliciousness of the lecherous!
Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al Baqarah: 201], Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk. [Al-Imran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and fulfill our wishes in what pleases You!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children! You are indeed All-Hearing!

O Lord! Accept from us, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! Accept our repentance; You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

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[1] The Arabic word فتنة (fitnah, pl. فتن fitan) carries many meanings: affliction, civil strife, discord, dissension, enticement, infatuation, intrigue, ordeal, riot, sedition, temptation, trial.

[2] The Salaf are the first generations of Muslims, who included the Companions and followers of Mohammad () at the time.

[3] Al-Masīh ad-Dajjāl (Arabic for "the false Messiah"), is an evil figure against whom the Prophet () warned the Muslims. He is to appear pretending to be Al-Masīh (i.e. the Messiah) at a time in the future, before Yawm al-Qiyamah (the Day of Resurrection).

[4] The swallowing of the earth and all that is on it

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

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Reply

BintAbee
10-22-2013, 04:57 PM
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Directives for the Pilgrims of the Ancient House [1]

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

October 11, 2013 ~ Dhul Hijjah 06, 1434

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Mohammad Āl Tālib –may Allah protect him– delivered last Friday’s khutbah titled “Directives for the Pilgrims of the Ancient House” in which he discussed Hajj to the Holy Mosque and the spiritual acts of body and soul. He gave important advice and cautioned Muslims in general, and pilgrims in particular, to learn their manasik (rites) well and to observe adequacy of practice in this respect by fulfilling the enjoined duties and shunning prohibited acts and by seeking to experience the spiritual meanings of Hajj in both words and deeds.

Part one

Praise be to Allah! To Him we offer our true thanks and purest salutations. We offer Him abundant praise that can fill the earth and heavens. Verily He is worthy of praise and glory. He honored Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifa and Arafat, and made the hospitable and cheerful reception therein of His pilgrim guests a source of clemency, forgiveness and answering prayers. I praise my Lord (), thank Him, pay sincere tribute to Him and seek His forgiveness. He granted His creation propitious occasions, and bestowed upon them His never-ending graces. He who does business with his Lord achieves success. This is –I swear by Allah– the fruitful trade.

I bear witness that there is no deity worth worshipping except Allah alone with no associate. To Him pilgrims turn reciting talbiyah [2] and tawheed [3]. He made the holy sites and the Holy Mosque witnesses that there is no associate and no rival to Him, that He is the Greatest, and that all creatures are His slaves. I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Prophet, and that he is the last and the most honourable of His messengers. His Lord has granted him Al-Hawdh and Al-Kawthar, ordered him to perform prayers to Him, to slaughter sacrifices, to go on Hajj to His Holy Mosque, and to mention His Lord at the Mash’ar [4]. May Allah’s salat and profuse peace be upon him, his family and his Companions () until Judgment Day.

Having said that,
I enjoin you –people‒ to observe taqwa, for taqwa (fear of Allah) is the best sustenance and the best attire. It is Allah’s () recurrent advice to the pilgrims of His Ancient House And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is At-Taqwa (piety, righteousness, etc.). So fear Me, O men of understanding! [Al-Baqarah: 197]

O believers!
Today, our Ummah is witnessing a great day of Allah’s and observing a great pillar of Islam. It is an occasion when sins and evil deeds are pardoned, errors rectified, and prayers answered.

Hajj to Allah’s Ancient House is a symbol of unity and tawheed. It is an occasion to proclaim covenants and pledges, honour rights and dignities, cease bloodshed, and protect souls and property. It is a spiritual season; such are the days of Allah.

Imagine the pilgrims piously plodding the roads to the mash’ar in their unified form; imagine the whiteness of their ihram, and the palpitation of their hearts as they recite talbiyah: “labayka allahumma labayk, lā sharīka laka labayk; inna al-hamda wa-n ni’mata laka wa-l-mulk; lā sharīka lak.”

I wonder how they can see their way with their tearful eyes. I wonder how their feet can support them as their hearts are severed from everything except from Allah’s mercy, and their souls free except from yearning to Him.

They have put their life’s cares behind their back –its embellishments, clamours and differences– just to be Allah’s guests. They have come to seek benefits, mention Allah’s name and thank Him for the favours He bestowed upon them.

Every pilgrim must have left behind a family and relatives whose yearnings that surpass his own. They are following the pilgrims’ news with infinite faster-than-tears longings. Having been prevented from joining the fold by certain impediments, they reiterate the cameleer’s lines:

You who are travelling to the Ancient House
You have become bodies and we souls.
We stayed behind because of insurmountable impediments
But he who has an excuse is as good as those who have gone.

When Um Ayman Bint Ali left Egypt and saw the pilgrims and camels passing by her, she started to weep and said, “This is the sorrow of one who was prevented from reaching the House, but how sorrowful would be the one who severed his relationship with the House’s Lord?”

(The Sheikh recites the following poetic lines):

Every horizon in Hijaz has angels
Heralding Allah’s graces and blessings.
Religion is yours, Lord of Pilgrims! You have assembled them
On a journey to a House of pure expansions and lands.
I see that people of different races and from everywhere
Have come to You from foreign lands and dispersion.
They have become equal, as You recognize
Neither difference of birth nor of destiny
You are the Most Forgiving, so we beseech You to strike out
With you forgiveness the sins we have committed in our lives.

Servants of Allah! O Muslims everywhere!
How happy we are to see the pilgrims enjoying the Holy Mosque, well organized moving around Al-Haram’s (the Holy Mosque) immaculate spaces in a dignified show of faith, seeking Allah’s satisfaction and favour.

They have stopped by Allah’s Ancient House Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-'Alamîn (the mankind and jinns). In it are manifest signs (for example), the Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhim (Abraham); whosoever enters it, he attains security [Āl Imrān: 96-97]

They are responding to the eternal and renewed command And proclaim to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj). That they may witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e. reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade, etc.) [al-Hajj: 27-28]

They are performing the fifth pillar of Islam And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka'bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allâh, those who can afford the expenses (for one's conveyance, provision and residence) [Āl Imrān: 97] reciting talbiyah, praying the Lord (), asking Him acceptance, hoping for His clemency and fearing His torture.

O pilgrims! Welcome to Hajj. Welcome to this Holy Valley and to the Ancient House which was the first to be built for people. Prophets performed Hajj to it; it was the locus of the early divine inspiration. Gabriel roamed about it, the Qur’ān was revealed in its high mountains, and it was the birthplace of the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (). It is the place where our Prophet () brought up the most truthful and righteous of his men.

It is a House built by Al-Khalil (Prophet Ibrāhīm ), to which prophets had performed Hajj over the ages and the years. Zamzam, Al-Maqām, Al-Hijr, Al-Safā, Al-Marwā, the mountains, the valleys and gorges all bear witness to the conflict between right and wrong; between guidance and deviation until light shone and spread from horizon to horizon.

On these hills, sins are expiated, and the pilgrim returns like the day he was born. There is no other place in the whole world that enjoys such an advantage. Therefore, you should feel the sanctity of the House, and seek the blessing of the time and place. The Prophet () says, “He who performs Hajj without committing sins will return as if he were born anew. [5]” [An agreed-upon hadith]

In the two Sahihs (Hadith Books by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim), it is reported that the Prophet () said, “An Umrah expiates the sins committed in the interval between it and the next one. An accepted Hajj has no other reward but paradise.” [An agreed-upon hadith]

May Allah accept your acts of obedience, forgive your sins and complete your nusuk (rituals)!

O Muslims in the East and West!

Pilgrims of the Holy House of Allah! The days you are witnessing now are glorified by your Lord. In His glorified Book, He () swore by them as He said, By the dawn. By the ten nights (i.e. the first ten days of the month of Dhul-Hîjjah) [al-Fajr: 1-2]. Speaking of these days, the Prophet () said, “There are no other days on which good deeds are rewarded by Allah than these days.” “Not even jihad in the cause of Allah?” they asked. “Not even jihad in Allah’s cause,” the Prophet answered, “except for a man who went out with his body and wealth and returned with neither,” the Prophet concluded.” [Narrated by Bukhari].
According to Imam Ahmad’s version: “So Observe a lot of tahlil, takbir, and tahmeed.” [6]
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la Ilaha Illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa lillah al-Hamd.

O Muslims! This Ancient House was established for no other purpose than to observe tawheed of Allah () and to worship no other deity than Him alone. And (remember) when We showed Ibrâhim (Abraham) the site of the (Sacred) House (the Ka'bah at Makkah) (saying): "Associate not anything (in worship) with Me, [Lâ ilâha ill-Allâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh Islâmic Monotheism] [al-Hajj: 26]. Al-Khalil () raised the building supplicating Allah, And (remember) when Ibrâhim (Abraham) and (his son) Ismâ'il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), (saying), "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. "Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manâsik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage - Hajj and 'Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. [Al-Baqarah: 127-128].
Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You. Islam is absolute surrender, obedience to Allah and repudiation of shirk and mushrikeen (polytheism and polytheists respectively). and show us our Manâsik is to uphold righteousness, shari’a and sunnah.

In between the Hajj verses, Allah says, So shun the abomination (worshipping) of idol, and shun lying speech (false statements) Hunafâ' Lillâh (i.e. to worship none but Allâh), not associating partners (in worship, etc.) unto Him and whoever assigns partners to Allâh, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place. [Al-Hajj: 30-31]

Jābir () narrated that the Prophet () then recited, “labayka allahumma labayk, lā sharīka laka labayk; inna al-hamda wa-n ni’mata laka wa-l-mulk; lā sharīka lak.” [Narrated by Abu Dawud]. So be sincere in your faith, and examine your deeds and aims.

Servants of Allah!

The manasik train the pilgrim to turn to no one else but Allah alone in supplication and prayers with complete reliance on Him, to seek refuge with Him, and renounce reliance on people. And the mosques are for Allâh (Alone), so invoke not anyone along with Allâh [Al-Jinn: 18]. This means one should not invoke a prophet, a righteous man, a place or an image. A pilgrim must not alter the purpose of Hajj. No invocation should be addressed to anyone except Allah alone; no motto should be raised except that of tawheed and sunnah. It is Allah’s religion and shar’. He who has received the word of Allah and the Prophet should adhere to righteousness and renounce everything else. Under no circumstances should he ignore the Qur’ān or the sunnah, regardless of who the instigator might be. Allah says, And let those who oppose the Messenger's (Muhammad SAW) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements, etc.) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant, etc.) befall them or a painful punishment. [Al- Nur: 63]

Weakness has found its way into the (Muslim) Ummah as much as Bida' [7], innovations and deviations from the right path. Moreover, if Muslims are seeking nowadays a way to progress, they have no other way except through their unity; and there is no way to achieve their unity except by practicing true Islam. In its turn, true Islam has its origin in the Holy Qur'ān and the Sunnah as implemented by the salaf of the Ummah , i.e. the (Prophet's) Companions and the tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Companions () after the death of the Prophet []).



O Muslims!

Hajj is a unique form of worship that gathers millions of people who are eager to perform the ritual and are willing to leave behind (the pleasures of) their worldly lives. Is there anything more beautiful to see than this great gathering of faith? In it is shown the gathering and harmony of the Ummah as well as its ethics and values: So whosoever intends to perform Hajj (therein by assuming Ihram), then he should not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commit sin, nor dispute unjustly during the Hajj. [Al Baqarah: 197]. These values include the values of tolerance, brotherhood, and the shunning away from differences and disputes, the values of equality and justice, the values of contentment and simplicity as reflected in the pilgrim's abandonment of the pleasures of this worldly life in his hajj clothes (Ihram), residence, and sleep.

O Muslims!

Since the commencement of Hajj in Islam, its gathering season has been used to deliver valuable instructions to the Muslim Ummah. It is the gathering of Muslims and their great meeting place. During the Farewell Hajj of Prophet (), the great speech (oration) he gave then addressing the most honourable gathering was an oration containing the greatest principles and the most honourable goals. Indeed, it is the ultimate record for human rights and the freedoms of nations.

During the Hajj of the ninth year of Hijrah (since the emigration of the Prophet to Madinah) all treaties previously concluded with the Mushrikeen (who take associates with Allah) were announced invalid; these treaties were respected and adhered to only by Muslims. The Mushrikeen, on the other hand, often abused these treaties and violated them as long as they were able to do so. Such violation of treaties keeps repeating itself nowadays and all the time.

Now then, O pilgrims of Allah's Sacred House!

Do learn the rulings of your rituals and make sure to know them properly before doing them; get yourself busy with worship and good deeds, for Allah’s reward cannot be gained with negligence.

Make abundant your Dua’a and supplication, and continue remembering Allah in all circumstances (good or bad), for your Prophet () says: "Verily the Tawaf (circumambulation) around the House (Ka'ba) and Sa’iy (going and coming in haste) between Safā and Marwā and Ramy of Jimar (stoning of the specified pillars in Mina epitomizing Satan) have only been ordained to establish the remembrance of Allah." [Narrated by Abu Dawood and Al-Tirmithi]

Allah () says: Then when you leave 'Arafat, remember Allah (by glorifying His Praises, i.e. prayers and invocations, etc.) at the Mash'ar-il-Haram. And remember Him (by invoking Allah for all good, etc.) as He has guided you, and verily, you were, before, of those who were astray. [198] Then depart from the place whence all the people depart and ask Allah for His Forgiveness. Truly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Merciful. [199] So when you have accomplished your Manasik [(i.e. Ihram, Tawaf of the Ka'bah and As-afa and Al-Marwah), stay at 'Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina, Ramy of Jamarat, (stoning of the specified pillars in Mina) slaughtering of Hady (animal, etc.)]. Remember Allah as you remember your forefathers or with a far more remembrance. But of mankind there are some who say: "Our Lord! Give us (Your Bounties) in this world!" and for such there will be no portion in the Hereafter. [Al-Baqarah: 198-200]

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and Sunnah and grant us benefit from their verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah, be He exalted, to forgive me and you!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the Merciful, the Compassionate, the Owner of the Day of Judgment. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, Allah, the True Incontestable Sovereign. I also bear witness that Muhammad () is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessings upon him, his family, and all of his Companions!

Now then, O servants of Allah!

O pilgrims of the Sacred House (the Ka'bah) of Allah! The day after tomorrow will be the eighth of Thul-Hijjah (12th month in the lunar calendar), and before noon on that day anyone intending to perform Hajj should wear Ihram and go to Mina. There, he performs all the prayers, the dhuhr (noon), the ‘assr (afternoon), the maghreb (sunset) and the ‘isha (night) prayers on time but in a shortened form. Then, he spends the night there.

Upon performing the fajr (dawn) prayer on the ninth day and after sunrise, he moves to ‘Arafāt [8]. There, he performs both the dhuhr and ‘assr prayers in a joined and shortened form. He then stays in the highland of ‘Arafāt praising and remembering Allah () abundantly. The pilgrim should ask Allah with submissiveness to grant him some of the blessings of the Herein (this life) and the Hereafter. While in that great holy place (Arafāt), the pilgrim should supplicate Allah with insistence, for “Hajj is ‘Arafah” as the Prophet () said. He also said: "the best dua' (supplication) is the supplication on the Day of ‘Arafah, and the best of what I and the Prophets before me have said is: There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone with no associate, to Him belongs sovereignty and praise and He has absolute capacity over all things." [Narrated by Al-Tirmithi]

O servants of Allah!

For those who are not performing Hajj, it is recommended that they fast the Day of ‘Arafah hoping that Allah will forgive them (the sins of) the preceding year and the coming one, as the Prophet () said in a Hadith narrated by Imam Muslim.

Aishah (wife of the Prophet), may Allah be pleased with her, reported that the Prophet () said: "There is no day when Allah sets free more servants from Hell than the Day of 'Arafah. He draws near, then praises them to the angels, saying: What do these want?" [Narrated by Muslim]

When the sun sets, the pilgrims set for Muzdalifah with serenity and veneration. There they perform the sunset and night prayers joined, while shortening the night prayer. They spend the night in Muzdalifah where they perform the dawn prayer. They praise Allah and supplicate Him abundantly until dawn is very clear. They then proceed to Mina before the sun rises. It is, however, permissible for the weak, including women, children and the like to leave Muzdalifah after midnight, which is signaled by the setting of the moon.

When the pilgrims reach Mina they throw (the pebbles at) Jamratu al-Aqabah (the biggest of the three pillars at the entrance of Mina from the direction of Makkah) with seven successive pebbles making Takbir (saying Allah is Great) with each thrown pebble. Then they slaughter the Hadiy (sacrificial animal) in case they have to sacrifice one, then they shave their heads or cut their hair, bearing in mind that shaving is better. Afterwards, they go to the Sacred House during the Eid Day (Sacrifice Day) if possible; otherwise, they go the following day and make the Ifādhah Tawāf then the Sa’iy between Safā and Marwā. If they have already intended to perform Hajj Al-Qirān [9] or Hajj Al-Ifrād [10] and have already made Sa’iy before Hajj after the Arrival Tawāf, then this Sa’iy will suffice. There is no harm in not performing the rituals of the Sacrifice Day according to their due order.

The pilgrims then return to Mina and stay there during the nights of the days of Tashreeq (11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah) and throws (pebbles at) the three Jimār on each day after the sun declines from the meridian. If they wish to, they can do that in two days; otherwise, they should stay until the day of the 13th which is better. Now, what remains for them to perform is only the Farewell Tawāf once they decide to leave Makkah.

The Prophet () had certain times during which he used to increase his supplication. It is therefore appropriate for a Muslim to seek these times. They include (a) the Day of Arafah, especially the last part of it, (b) immediately after the dawn prayer in Muzdalifah until dawn grows very clear, (c) after the throwing of the pebbles at the first Jamrah (i.e. Jamratu al-‘Aqabah or the biggest Jamrah), (d) after the throwing of the pebbles at the second Jamrah (or the middle Jamarah) during the Tashreeq Days, and (e) at the Safā and Marwā.

Therefore, try hard to perfect your Hajj and fear Allah in what you do and do not do; be sincere with Allah in your deeds and intention; follow the Huda (the Qur’ān) and the Sunnah. Avoid what may jeopardise or blemish your Hajj. Be gentle, calm, and tranquil. Have compassion and mercy towards your Muslim brothers and sisters especially in crowded places: during circumambulation, the throwing of pebbles at Jimār and in front of the entrances of the Holy Mosque. Do feel the greatness of this worship and the grandeur of the situation.

You should know that the government represented by its authorities, various systems, and institutions is doing the best it could to serve you and facilitate your Hajj. Order is set for your interest and all efforts are made for your service.

Therefore, adhere to the instructions and follow them, and be conscious of what you are doing. Let your conduct and ethics be the best. Stick to serenity and veneration. Be hardworking and never take extreme stances. Try to be as perfect as possible and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded (by Allah). Be optimistic, for you are coming to a Generous Lord.

May Allah accept your pilgrimage, appreciate your endeavours, and forgive your sins!

This being said, do send (O you Muslims) your salat and peace upon Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (), al-Hāshimi al-Qurashi, the best and most honest of all mankind.
O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, his good and pure family, his magnanimous and auspicious Companions: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, and Ali and on all the Companions of Your Prophet and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail tyrants, atheists and corruptors! Make this homeland secure and peaceful and all homelands of Muslims!

O Allah! Grant us security in our homeland, set right our Imams and leaders, support with the Truth our Imam and leader; O Allah! lead him to Your guidance and make his deeds gain Your contentment! O Allah! Grant him a righteous retinue! O Allah! Reward him with blessings and merits for serving the Two Holy Mosques and taking care of the pilgrims and performers of Umrah! O Allah! Grant him, his two Crown Princes, their brothers and assistants success!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Unite them on the Truth and right guidance! O Allah! Stop their bloodshed, alleviate their fear, satisfy their needs, and feed their hungry!

O Allah! Grant victory to oppressed Muslims everywhere and unite them on the Truth, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!

O Allah! Destroy the enemies of the religion, for You are more than a match to them!

Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah: 201]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make our wishes come true in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, and their progeny, You are All-Hearing!

O Allah! Protect the performers of Hajj and Umrah! Facilitate their hajj rituals and help them to perform them in security, and accept (the good deeds) from them and from us!

O Allah! Guide and help the security forces and those who serve the pilgrims and reward them with blessings and increase their good deeds, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Lord! Accept from us, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! Accept our repentance; You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!

_____________________________________

[1] Ancient House is one of the names of the ka’bah in Makkah.

[2] Saying labayk Allahumma labbayk. (We have come, O Allah, in response to your command)

[3] Saying lā Ilāha Illa Allah (There is no deity except Allah alone)

[4] Muzdalifa valley

[5] He means without sins

[6] Saying lā Ilaha Illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, lā Ilaha Illa Allah, wa lillah Hamdu respectively

[7] In Arabic, bida’ (بدع) is the plural of bid’ah (بدعة) which is anything invented, innovated, or added to the religion of Islam after it was completed on Prophet Mohammad (). It especially concerns the rites and rituals of worship or any deed which was not performed or endorsed by the Messenger of Allah, but was added as a part of the religion after his death

[8] Note that, in Arabic, this holy place of Hajj is called ‘Arafāt (عرفات) or ‘Arafah (عرفة)

[9] Qirān (قران) is the combination of both umrah and hajj in the same state of ihrām. In this kind of hajj, the pilgrim is not allowed to end his state of ihrām after performing umrah but continue with it until he finishes hajj. He does not need to make ifādhah tawāf on 10th Dhul Hijjah since he has already made it when he arrived in Makkah and performed umrah. Such type of pilgrim is called ‘qārin’ (قارن)

[10] Ifrād (إفراد) in hajj is the intention to perform hajj only without umrah. Such type of pilgrim is called ‘mufrid’(مفرد) and should not perform umrah during the hajj season. The ‘mufrid’, unlike the ‘qārin’ is not obliged to make hadiy (animal sacrifice). Those who can perform Hajj al-Ifrād are those living within the limits of the Haram or within Meeqāts, including those living in Jeddah

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

:w:
Reply

BintAbee
10-22-2013, 05:03 PM
:sl:

Advices to the Muslims on the Day of Eid

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

October 26, 2013 ~ Dhul Hijjah 10, 1433

First Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah Who is glorified in His Loftiness, and Unified and Unique in His Lordship. For Him is Everlasting Eternity. And for Him alone is Honour. There is no god but Allah, everlasting and Ever-Existing, and He makes miserable and He makes happy. Glorified and Holy is He. The praise on Him cannot be counted, and there is no escape from Him except to Him, and there is no hoping for good except from Him. “And say: ‘All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has not begotten a son, and Who has no partner in (His) Dominion, nor He is low to have a Wali. And magnify Him with all the magnificence, [Allahu-Akbar (Allah is the Most Great)].” [Surah Israa: 111]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest of the great, and praise be to Allah much, and glory be to Allah morning and evening. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Allah is the greatest the amount of (times) the Ihraam is donned at appointed times of the pilgrims. And Allah is the greatest the amount of pilgrims flowing in the valleys. And Allah is the greatest the weight of the water of the seas, and the amount of gushing of the waves. Allah is the greatest, a takbeer that brightens this king and that kingdom, and Allah is the greatest of the great, the possessor of Honour and Might. And Allah is the greatest, the Ever-Living Who never dies. Allah is the greatest the amount of blood flowed of sacrificial animals. And Allah is the greatest on the plains and in the ravines and in the districts.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

All praise be to Allah, the One, the Unique, the Great, the Almighty. No describer can encompass describing Him. And no knower can perfect His right, even if he counts, and accounts, and investigates and strives. All praise be to Allah without exception, and all praise be to Allah secretly and openly. And thanks be to Him successively. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. He executes the matters in the world while He is the Lofty. And the creation is in need of Him, while He is Self-Sufficient. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger, primarily the best of people, and his name in the Injeel (original bible) is Ahmad. With his prophethood, the light of ignorances was eliminated, and on the Day of Reckoning, he will have a flag held, and a praised position and a watering pond. May Allah send salutations on him as the star in the sky shines and the bright star of Ursa Minor illuminates, and may his Lord send salutations on him and send salutations on his pure family, the selected of the selected, and send salutations on his pious companions. They were worshippers at night, lions during the day. Allah opened up lands through them, and built big cities, and (salutations be) on those who follow them (companions) and those who follow them in goodness, and much peace – O Lord – be on them.

Thereafter: I advise you and myself with the fear of Allah, for surely Allah has commanded and advised you with it: “And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is piety.” [Surah al Baqarah: 197], and remember the resurrection when looking at this gathering, and prepare for the day of returning, for verily you have a performance by your Lord so fear Him. “And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.” [Surah al Baqarah: 281]

Pilgrims to Allah’s sacred house! You have stopped at the paths of the messengers and the prophets, and the place of revelation from the sky. Here is Islam and this is its centre, and here is its conclusion and to it is its unison. In these shadows the Sharee’ah was enacted, and the laws were enacted, and on these grounds the religion of Islam was completed.

Here our prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, and here he received revelation. Here his propagation began and he met the first harm in the way of his Lord, then he was patient. Here the conquests of his reign were concluded, and here he bid farewell to his companions and his nation from these hills and those mountain feet. Here the first verses of the noble Quraan were revealed, and here they were recited, so the mountains listened to them, and the valleys and hills bowed with them.

This is the exalted Ka’bah of Allah, and this is the station of Abraham, and there is Safa and Marwa, and this is Zam zam and the hateem.

This land with its signs has been the inspiration of the Muslims over the years, and it is the desire of the worshippers and the pious regardless of how remote their houses are, and however old they may be.

On these hills, sins are washed away, and the pilgrim returns clean like (the day) his mother gave birth to him. And there is no place in this world with the distinction like this place, so appreciate the sacredness of the house, and be aware of the blessedness of the time and place, for your prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever performs pilgrimage to this house and does not commit any obscenity or wrongdoing, he will come out as his mother gave birth to him.” [Agreed upon]

And in the two authentic (books of Hadeeth: Bukhari and Muslim) also: that the prophet ﷺ said: “An accepted pilgrimage has no reward for it except Paradise.”

May Allah accept your obediences from you, and forgive your sins, and complete for you your rituals. You have descended at Mina, and you have arrived at the house of Allah, and before (that) you have stood at Arafaat, then drew close (to Allah) at Mash’aril Haraam (Muzdalifah), and gone about in the regions resounding in it with Talbiyyah and Takbeer, and announced the unity of Tawheed in it.

Lands where the name of Allah was mentioned and revered, and the inspired pilgrim was forgiven and honoured.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Group of pilgrims: Verily this day of yours is a blessed day. Allah has raised its worth, and exalted its remembrance, and called it: “The great day of pilgrimage,” and he made it a festivity for the Muslims, pilgrims and residents, and on this esteemed day, the pilgrims set out to Mina to pelt the big devil (symbol) with seven pebbles, then he sacrifices his sacrificial animal if he was a Mutamatti’ (one doing the Tamattu’ type of pilgrimage) or Qaarin (one doing the Qiraan type of pilgrimage), and he shaves his head, and with this the first permissibility becomes permissible, and whatever was forbidden for him due to the state of Ihraam becomes permissible except sexual relations, then the pilgrim sets off to Makkah to circumambulate the Ifaadah circumambulation, as per the saying of Allah – Majestic in His Being -: “Then let them complete the prescribed duties (rituals of Hajj) for them, and perform their vows, and circumambulate the Ancient House.” [Surah al Hajj: 29]

Then he walks between Safa and Marwa, and there is no harm in doing any of these actions before the other.

Guests of the Beneficent, pilgrims of Allah’s sacred house! It is compulsory on you to spend the night in Mina, following the Sunnah of the chosen one ﷺ and tomorrow is the 11th day (of Dhul Hijjah), and it is the first day of Tashreeq, of which Allah – Exalted and Majestic – says with regards to: “And remember Allah during the appointed Days.” [Surah al Baqarah: 203]

Ibn Abbaas (Radiallahu Anhum) said: “They are the days of Tashreeq.”

And the messenger of Allah ﷺ said regarding them: “(They are) days of eating, drinking and remembrance of Allah – Exalted and Majestic - ” [Narrated by Muslim]

So increase – may Allah have mercy on you – in remembrance of Allah and takbeer in these blessed days, exemplifying the command of your Lord, following the Sunnah of your prophet, following in the legacy of your predecessors, for surely the companions used to do takbeer, and Umar (Radiallahu Anhum) used to do takbeer in his camp in Mina, and the people used to do takbeer with his takbeer, and Mina used to resonate with takbeer.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims in the east and west of the world: Congratulations on this Eid. May Allah make your days forever happy, and increase you in delight and joy with Eid. May Allah accept your actions, elevate your ranks, expiate you your sins, and may Allah return it (Eid) to us and to you and to the entire Islamic nation with goodness, success, happiness, honour, victory and stability to Islam and the Muslims.

Eid – O believers – is accepted actions, joining of family ties, remembrance of Allah and gratitude and joy with the bounties of Allah and permissible entertainment, not distracting from the remembrance of Allah, so congratulations on your Eid, O Muslims.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Pilgrims to Allah’s sacred house: Surely in the pilgrimage of the prophet ﷺ are lessons and advices, and wisdom and rulings. The laws of the religion were fixed by it, and (too) the principles of justice. He delivered a sermon and bade farewell after the establishment of the Sharee’ah and completion of the religion, and completion of the favour. “This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” [Surah al Ma’idah: 3]

Then he established Tawheed, and abolished the meaning of castes and racism, and he established the rights of women, and discarded usury, and protected lives, wealth and honour. And he said: “I left for you what if you hold up to, you will never be misguided: the book of Allah.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

And it is appropriate for the Muslims to be inspired from the directives of their prophet: the superior principles, and the strongest of paths, and the most successful of methods for justice and the happiness of humanity in this world and the Hereafter.

Servants of Allah: Islam – and its basis of Tawheed – is the religion of glad tidings and mercy, and the pillars of Islam are an expiation of sins, so whoever meets Allah without associating anything with Him enters Paradise, and in the Great Quraan: “Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases.” [Surah an Nisaa: 48]

And in prayer: “And perform the prayer, at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night (i.e. the five compulsory prayers). Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins).” [Surah Hood: 114]

And in charity: “Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it.” [Surah at Tawbah: 103]

And in fasting: “Whoever fasts Ramadhan with faith and expecting reward, his past sins will be forgiven.” [Agreed upon]

And in pilgrimage: your prophet ﷺ says: “Whoever performs pilgrimage to this house and does not commit any obscenity or wrongdoing, he will come out as his mother gave birth to him.” [Agreed upon]

And in abstaining from the major sins: Allah the Exalted says: “If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden to do, We shall remit from you your (small) sins, and admit you to a Noble Entrance (i.e. Paradise).” [Surah an Nisaa: 31]

And in the category of character and manners: the prophet ﷺ says: “Those of you who will be closest to me on the Day of Judgement will be those who have the best character.”

And the mercy of Islam is general for all of creation: “And We have sent you not but as a mercy for the worlds.” [Surah al Anbiyaa: 107]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: The religion is the religion of Allah, and the law is His Law and it is compulsory on the one who is conveyed the speech of Allah and the Sunnah of His messenger ﷺ to follow the truth and discard everything besides it, and not to leave the Quraan and Sunnah for the saying of anyone no matter who, and Allah the Exalted says: “And let those who oppose the Messenger’s commandment beware, lest some Fitnah befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.” [Surah al Noor: 63]

And surely weakness has infiltrated the Islamic nation just as innovations, modernity and deviation from the true path have infiltrated it, and (so too has) laxity in deriving from the two revelations (Quraan and Sunnah) (infiltrated it).

And if the Muslims today search for a way to rise, then there is no way except (by) uniting their groups. And there is no way for their unity except by (following) the authentic Islam. And the source of authentic Islam is the Quraan and Sunnah, and that is what the predecessors of this Ummah, the sahaba and tabi’een were upon.

And the call of the truthful ones is to return to Islam, with its clear meaning, from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His messenger ﷺ so do not let the (different) paths confuse you, and do not let desires misguide you, and do not let the abundance of differences deter you, or the influence of the imposters.

O you Muslims: Your predecessors are Muhammad ﷺ, his companions and the preferred generations, so in which book do you find them killing the Muslims, or betraying the trustees or calling unto Imams and pious, other than Allah, or invoking blessings from tombs and graves of predecessors, or creating trials between the Muslims?!

Your predecessors – O Muslims – were ardent on uniting sayings, unification of ranks, and cleansing the religion from the deviation of the extremists, and plagiarism of the liars, and the interpretations of the ignorant.

Declaring the predecessors as one’s ancestors is not a call claimed by an individual or a group or built by a cult or organization, but it is obedience and following, unity and togetherness, and discarding disunity and innovations.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Servants of Allah: Surely the United Nations have realised the need for unity and harmony, so they united despite their differences, and they allied and reformed despite a crushing war that occurred between them, but today’s interests necessitated unity and togetherness.

And we are – O Islamic nation – more deserving of togetherness and harmony and abandoning disunity and differences. “And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Quran), and be not divided among yourselves.” [Surah Ale Imraan: 103]

And surely this Muslim nation owns a historical and civilized heritage in unity and togetherness, and it owns the ingredients of unity more than others. And surely it has experienced distracted pathways and closed tunnels and dark paths, and these did not succeed in doing away with it, and they did not direct it away.

Verily the struggle between nations today is not just a struggle of power, but it is a struggle of remaining or disappearing: to be existing or not to be existing! In a time of ideological and cultural globalization before economic and political globalization, in a time of domination of force and imposing opinions with force.

Surely it is upon the Islamic nation to strive with truthfulness and sincerity to hold fast to the means of its remaining as one nation, and to return to the reason for its discovery and to (return to) the Possessor of its message. “So fear Allah and adjust all matters of difference among you.” [Surah al Anfaal: 1]

And from the great objectives of Islam which manifests in the scene of Hajj in belief, worship and signs: The unification of the word of the Muslims, and the unison of their hearts and joining of their gathering. “And verily! This your religion (of Islamic Monotheism) is one religion, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty to Me.” Surah al [Mu’minoon: 52]

And from Khaif (Masjid) in Mina, the prophet ﷺ said: “May Allah cause his face to shine, the man who hears what I say and conveys it (to others). There are those who have knowledge but no understanding, and there may be those who convey knowledge to those who have more understanding than they do. There are three things because of which hatred does not enter the heart of a Muslim: sincerity in doing an action for the sake of Allah; advising the rulers of the Muslims; and adhering to the main body of the Muslims, for verily the prayers (of the Muslims) surround those from behind them.” [Narrated by Ibn Majah with an authentic chain].

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: Verily every society has characteristics that stop at its limits, and rites obliged by its veneration, even in countries headed by atheism, the nation agrees on matters that unite them and meet their quests, and regulate their lives with its words, and we Muslims do not build our lives except on certainty (of belief) in Allah, the One, and we do not sketch the lines of our society and the horizons of our future except in agreement with the guidances of Allah, the Great, as conveyed to us by His noble messenger.

And therefore, the spreading of indecency and atheism is never acceptable in the life of a Muslim society, and invalidating the laws of Allah in the rest of affairs is (also) not acceptable, and (also) not to despise the conduct of faith in the areas of general life. And the conciliation of Allah is not optional, the abstainers abstaining from it or the hesitant choosing it. And never should we leave the inheritance of truth which we have been given and then look forward to good in our immediate or future affairs.

Verily the Islamic beliefs have produced generations (and) have given the ability to change human life and uplift it. And these beliefs produce complete character, and build true manhoods, and overpower mighty crises.

Verily successful training depends on enduring facts, and truths that do not accept debate, and when the environment becomes evil, and doubts prevail in it, and suspicions are attached to that which is revealed from the sky, then how impossible it is to raise generations steadfast on their manners, their virtues and their justice!!

It is mandatory not to permit those with (spiritually) sick hearts to be active from time to time, spreading fake doubts and fabricated suspicions between the Muslims. And it is not permissible to go against the general opinion with ideas that influence towards anarchy, and (that) entice to the freedom from every stipulation and absconding through every loophole.

Verily the young generation and teenage youth, and the general Muslims, their hearts are corrupted with the scorch of these poisons. “O you who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones.” [Surah at Tahreem 6]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: Verily from the ways of Allah the Exalted in His creation (is): The remaining of the struggle between truth and falsehood so that Allah may distinguish the wicked from the good and so that He may, with examination, choose the people of faith and raise, with trials, their ranks.

And what is occurring to the Ummah of great incidents harbouring matters that the self surely dislikes, and incidents that narrow the hearts, it’s final end will be – by the permission of Allah – victory and honour for the Muslims, and stability for the believing servants of Allah and the disappearance of the reasons of disgrace and humiliation. For this Ummah is not like others, for it is an Ummah that is promised victory and (good) outcomes, and it is an Ummah saved from mass destruction, and it is a superior Ummah, despite the wounds. “So do not become weak, nor be sad, and you will be superio if you are indeed (true) believers.” [Surah Ale Imraan: 139]

Servants of Allah: Verily with the long length of night and the aggravation of wounds, optimism is beautified. And during pains, hopes are born. And whatever afflicts a believer of wounds or troubles is nothing except a norm that has passed by the sincere friend before; raising ranks; decreasing the sins; examining the hearts; and distinguishing the believing nation, and besides, for verily the calamities of the Ummah in its (various) regions are significant; in Palestine, in Levant (Shaam), in Burma and others.

Verily the wounds are hollow, and the calamities are great, and the pain is intense. Big cities levelled, a nation torn apart, and absent sentiments. Religion does not deter the despots; neither does (good) character restrain them. But the sentiments that this destruction has caused in the Ummah are immense. And if Shaam is suffering, then surely the rest of the body of the Islamic nation suffers from fever and sleeplessness, and solidarity manifests among the Muslims, and life cheers up in their one body, and deep emotions in the Ummah that were almost wiped out are stirred up. And the truth of the truthful ones has become evident, and the betrayal of the betrayers was manifested, and the confidence of the world in the international organizations has shaken, and it is clear that they do not act except according to their selfish interests and the cries of children and the moans of the injured and oppressed do not affect the hearts of its (organization’s) owners. And our hope in Allah is great, for He – Glorified is He – said: “And We wished to do a favour to those who were weak (and oppressed) in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors.” [Surah al Qasas: 5]

And it is compulsory upon the world to fulfil its ethical and legal responsibilities in the face of the massacres and oppression which are perpetrated every day in the land of Shaam, and the continuous violations in Palestine. It is compulsory to stop war and destruction, and advancing general interests over personal interests, in order to spare the blood of the Muslims, and preserve the unity of their ranks and lands, and rejecting tribal and sectarian differences, and steadfastness on the stands of religion and good character.

And it is compulsory upon the world to fulfil its responsibilities in the face of this catastrophe, the duration of which is prolonged, and the pain of which is continuous. And the responsibility is greater on the Arabs and the Muslims especially, so they should call for the helping of the oppressed, and warding off of the oppressor, and the solution should be practical and immediate, for the days are not increasing the aggressor except in slogans and nothing is seen from him except fuel and fire. Perhaps Allah will relieve the affliction and remove the distress. “It may be that Allah will restrain the evil might of the disbelievers. And Allah is Stronger in Might and Stronger in punishing.” [Surah an Nisaa: 84]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Allah bless us in the Quraan and Sunnah, and benefit us in what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine and I ask Allah – the Exalted – to forgive me and you.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, praise that does not come to an end and does not decrease. He continues His bounties upon us, consecutively and flowing. No counting can encompass them and no one can count them, and no poetry can give them their full right. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Protector, the Guard. How many broken wings does He restore, and (how many) sick and ill does He cure. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant, His messenger, His sincere friend and His friend. Dark affairs became brightened with his coming. May Allah’s salutations be on him, and on his family, his companions and those who follow them, and may much peace be upon them.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: Women are the twin halves of men. “And they (women) have rights similar (to those of their husbands) over them to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them.” [Baqarah; Verse 228]. The prophet ﷺ advised regarding them while the pangs of death were overpowering him, and he said: “I advise you to take care of the women.” And he said: “I declare inviolable the rights of the two weak ones: the orphans and women.”

And the law of Allah is just and wise, not in need of adjudication or exploitation. And the religion does not bear the mistakes of individuals. Just as the prophet ﷺ advised the women of the Ummah and admonished them, commanded them, prohibited them and warned them of the slips of trials.

O trainers: You are entrusted with the shaping of the nation and leading the future in development and modernization and co-existence with civilization, with authenticity and steadfastness derived from the law of Islam, the goals of which are to make people worship the Lord of the worlds, and loyalty to this religion and rearing a pious, beneficial and conscious citizen, free of extremism of ideas and deviated paths. And training today encompasses every person who has a media platform, or a listened voice.

So the possessors of pens and media and those of websites and (internet) forums should fear Allah, for everyone will be questioned.

Servants of Allah: Commanding good and forbidding evil is a sign of the affection of a Muslim for his nation, and his loyalty to it. “The believers, men and women, are Auliya’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin Al-Ma’ruf, and forbid from Al-Munkar; they perform prayer and give the Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” [Surah at Tawbah: 71]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Servants of Allah: Verily Islam did not spread in many lands by sword or weapons, but verily the character of the Muslims spread it, and the values of the pious traders. Verily it was our Islamic values that others adopted from us, then they produced by it and were successful. And whoever reads history and ponders over the past battles, he will find that degeneration of character, corruption of manners, deception, betrayal, affluence, relaxation, taking pleasure in bounties, selfishness and egocentricity are the poisons that flow in the substance of the nations until it drops them at the end of the road.

And verily the zealous one for his religion and nation (and) the advisor for Allah, His messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and their masses, his heart will be cut with grief, and he will burn with fear and apprehension when he sees the values of the Ummah disintegrating on the hands of the falling media, soiling the garment of modesty and decency by the viewing of nudity and indecency, and destroying the palace of striving and determination by the propagation of the culture of entertainment and amusement, and triviality and futility. And the zealous one will be saddened to see, between the individuals of the Muslim society, followed pleasures, and obeyed greed and worldly influence.

Verily preserving the values of modesty and chastity is the safety valve for the society in the face of the moral disaster which has hit the world in a vulnerable spot.

Servants of Allah: Verily the way of Allah is not biased to anyone. And neither the individual nor the society has subjective immunity, and when the Ummah is deficient in fending off the reasons of the general calamities, then it is upon it (the Ummah) to accept the results of the deficiency, and the happy one is the one who learns from others. And it is not an Ummah secluded from punishment if it summons its causes, and it is not in safety from punishment if it treads its path and opens its doors to sins.

Verily a nation on which difficulties are descending in its regions, and the enemy is directing its efforts against it in its religion and its lands is obligated to be the furthest of people away from entertainment and indulgence, and leaning towards this world and its ornaments, and to devote its efforts and strength to draw near to its Creator and Originator, and to make sincere for Him the religion, and to unite to Allah the Lord of the worlds, and to abandon disobediences and desires, and avoiding sins and evils.

And it is true that a nation standing with a message of distinguished features and a civilization possessing principles will never rise from its fall if it does not return to the contents of its message, and follow the divine ways, and divine rules in establishing nations and their crumbling, and the rising of countries and their falling, and all that is conveyed in the Great Quraan: “Allah will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves.” [Surah ar Ra’d: 11]. “Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me.” [Surah al Noor: 55]

And how many a nation rose up after being seated, and became active after stagnation, and how many a nation were thankless for its means of livelihood, so punishment surrounded them and they were removed from existence. And how many a town of which Allah bestowed upon them His bounties, then they were ungrateful and did not thank, so they tasted the consequences of ingratitude and rejection.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: Surely from amongst the best deeds, and most brilliant acts that bring one closer to Allah in these days: (is) drawing closer to Allah the Exalted by slaughtering the sacrificial animals, and no action of the son of Adam on the Day of Sacrifice is dearer to Allah than sacrificing animals. Indeed it (the animal) will come on the Day of Judgement with its horns, hairs and hooves and indeed the blood (of the sacrificial animals) is surely accepted by Allah before it falls on the ground, so therefore do it wholeheartedly.

And it was confirmed in the two authentics (Bukhari and Muslim) that the prophet ﷺ slaughtered two white, horned rams. He slaughtered them with his hand and he mentioned Allah’s name and takbeer (saying Allah is great).

And it is Sunnah for the one who wishes to sacrifice to choose the best from camels or cows or sheep/goats, and to abstain from those which have defects in them, and the prophet ﷺ explained these defects as (mentioned) in Sunan with an authentic chain, and they are: a one-eyed animal which is clearly one-eyed, a sick animal whose sickness is obvious, a lame animal whose lameness is obvious, and an emaciated animal that no one would choose.

And the days of slaughtering are four: from after the Eid prayer until the sunset of the 13th day, which is the last day of Tahreeq. And slaughtering is permissible at night and day, while the day is preferable, and the day of Eid is preferred over those after it.

And one sheep is divided among a man and the people of his house. And it is Sunnah for a Muslim to eat from his sacrifice, and gift from it, and donate it. Allah – Exalted and Majestic – said: “Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only).” [Kawthar; Verse 2], and He – Glorified is He – said: “And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that they may mention the Name of Allah over the beast of cattle that He has given them for food. And your god is One God, so you must submit to Him Alone (in Islam). And give glad tidings to the those who obey Allah with humility and are humble from among the true believers of Islamic Monotheism, Whose hearts are filled with fear when Allah is mentioned; who patiently bear whatever may befall them (of calamities); and who perform prayer, and who spend out of what We have provided them. And the Budn (cows, oxen, or camels driven to be offered as sacrifices by the pilgrims at the sanctuary of Makkah.) We have made for you as among the Symbols of Allah, therein you have much good. So mention the Name of Allah over them when they are drawn up in lines (for sacrifice). Then, when they are down on their sides (after slaughter), eat thereof, and feed the beggar who does not ask (men), and the beggar who asks (men). Thus have We made them subject to you that you may be grateful. It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him. Thus have We made them subject to you that you may magnify Allah for His Guidance to you. And give glad tidings to the good-doers.” [Surah al Hajj: 34-37]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: Run to Allah, and mandate His obedience and His fearing, for with Allah every difficulty is eased, and every difficult task is made easy, and every far becomes near, and every fear becomes security. Mandate good deeds, and beware of sins. And there is nothing that Allah commands except that He helps towards it, and He does not prohibit anything except that He does not make it beneficial. And what is little and sufficient is better than much which distracts. And whoever is content, his life becomes good and the detained one is the one whose heart is detained from Allah, and the prisoned is the one who is prisoned by his desires. And who prolongs the path, weakens his walking. And perhaps one desire bequeaths long sadness.

Righteousness does not wear, and a sin is not forgotten, and the Judge does not die. And whoever does not have a preacher regarding his religion, religious lectures will not benefit him. Trust in Allah is the purest of hope, and depending on Him is the most loyal of actions, and in Allah there is a substitute for every loss, and in His anticipated meeting there is a consolation for every lost (item), and whoever reforms his private (affairs), Allah reforms his public (affairs), and whoever reforms that which is between him and Allah, Allah reforms that which is between him and people. And whoever works for his Hereafter, Allah suffices him for the provisions of his worldly (affairs).

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Pilgrims to Allah’s sacred house: Thank Allah the Exalted for what he has prepared for you and made easy regarding the fulfilment of the greatest pillar of pilgrimage by standing at ‘Arafah and Mash’aril Haraam (Muzdalifah) in safety, peace and security, and aspire to fulfil what remains of the rituals of pilgrimage, as the prophet ﷺ legislated, and exemplifying the command of Allah – Glorified is He – in His saying: “And perform properly (i.e. all the ceremonies according to the ways of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him), the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allah.” [Surah al Baqarah: 196]

Refrain from crowded places and reasons for differences and arguments. And be friendly with your Muslim brothers, for all of you are hoping for what is by Allah.

May Allah make your pilgrimage accepted, and your efforts thanked and your sins forgiven.

O Allah, the Alive the Self-Subsisting, just as you have gathered this Muslim gathering in this blessed place, so (too) unite the Ummah of Islam on Your book and the Sunnah of Your prophet Muhammad ﷺ and take them to the truth and guidance O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah reform the conditions of the Muslims all over the world, and return them to You, a beautiful returning.

O Allah send salutations on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, just as You sent salutations on Ibraheem and the family of Ibraheem, verily You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious. And send blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You sent blessings on Ibraheem and the family of Ibraheem in the worlds, verily You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims, and defeat the evil ones, atheists and corrupters. O Allah help Your religion, Your book, the Sunnah of Your prophet and Your believing servants.

O Allah establish for this Ummah guidance by which people of Your obedience are honoured, and people of Your disobedience are guided, and good is enjoined and vice is prevented O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah whoever intends evil for Islam and the Muslims, then preoccupy him with himself, and return his plots on his throat, and make a circle of evil surround him O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah assist the strivers in Your path all over the world. O Allah assist them in Palestine, and in the land of the Levant (Shaam), and in every place. O Allah break their siege, and reform their conditions and crush their enemy.

O Allah free Masjidul Aqsa from the oppression of the oppressors, and the anarchy of the occupiers.

O Allah reform the conditions of the Muslims all over the world. O Allah reform their conditions in Syria. O Allah unite them on truth and guidance. O Allah spare their blood and allay their fears, and remedy their shortcomings, and feed their hungry, and preserve their honours, and unite their hearts, and make steadfast their feet, and aid them against those who oppress them. O Allah break their siege. O Allah (we ask You for) Your near relief.

O Allah grant ability to the one in charge of our affairs, the custodian of the two holy mosques, to what You like and pleases You, and take from him to righteousness and piety. O Allah grant him the ability and his deputy and their brothers and aids to that wherein there is reformation for the servants and the countries. O Allah reward them with goodness and kindness for their sacrifices in serving the pilgrims, and serving the two holy mosques and their visitors.

O Allah suffice everyone who served the pilgrims, and reward with good those who took care of Your guests. O Allah make heavy their scales with good, and bless them in their deeds and lives.

O Allah grant the leaders of the Muslims ability to judge by Your law, and to follow the Sunnah of Your prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him -, and make them a mercy for Your believing servants.

O Allah spread security and comfort in our lands and the lands of the Muslims, and suffice us the evil of the evil one, and the plots of the evil ones.

“Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!” [Surah al Baqarah" 201] “Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.” [Surah Ale Imraan: 147]

O Allah forgive our sins, cover our faults, ease our affairs and convey our hopes to what pleases You.

O Allah forgive us, our parents, their parents and their progeny, and our wives and our progeny. Verily You are the Hearer of supplications.

O Allah we ask You for Your pleasure and Paradise and we seek Your protection from Your anger and Hellfire. O Allah make us of those who are free from the Hellfire. O Alive, O Self-Subsisting, O Possessor of Majesty and Bounty.

O Allah, You are Allah. There is no god but You. You are the Rich and we are poor. Send down on us rain and do not make us of the despondent ones. O Allah send rain on us, O Allah send rain on us, O Allah send rain on us. Rain that is sufficient, wholesome, flowing, large quantities, covering, widespread, beneficial, not harmful, giving life to the servants and quenching the lands, and make it sufficient for the towns and desert.

O Allah (we ask You for) a rain of mercy. O Allah (we ask You for) a rain of mercy. O Allah (we ask You for) a rain of mercy. Not a rain of punishment, trials, destruction or drowning.

O Allah accept from us. Verily You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing. And forgive us. Verily You are All-Forgiving, most Merciful.

O Allah make our Eid happy, and our actions righteous, accepted and guided. O Allah return this Eid to us and the Muslims in the best condition and best results, and protect the pilgrims and those doing the lesser pilgrimage. O Allah protect the pilgrims and those doing the lesser pilgrimage, and make easy for them the completion of their rituals and accept from us and from them and from all the Muslims.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise. Allah is the greatest of the great, and much praise be to Allah, and glory be to Allah morning and evening.

And may Allah send salutations on our prophet Muhammad, and on his family and companions, and may much peace be upon them.

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/10...he-day-of-eid/

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BintAbee
10-22-2013, 05:05 PM
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Advices to the Muslims on the Day of Eid

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

October 26, 2013 ~ Dhul Hijjah 10, 1433

First Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah Who is glorified in His Loftiness, and Unified and Unique in His Lordship. For Him is Everlasting Eternity. And for Him alone is Honour. There is no god but Allah, everlasting and Ever-Existing, and He makes miserable and He makes happy. Glorified and Holy is He. The praise on Him cannot be counted, and there is no escape from Him except to Him, and there is no hoping for good except from Him. “And say: ‘All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has not begotten a son, and Who has no partner in (His) Dominion, nor He is low to have a Wali. And magnify Him with all the magnificence, [Allahu-Akbar (Allah is the Most Great)].” [Surah Israa: 111]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest of the great, and praise be to Allah much, and glory be to Allah morning and evening. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Allah is the greatest the amount of (times) the Ihraam is donned at appointed times of the pilgrims. And Allah is the greatest the amount of pilgrims flowing in the valleys. And Allah is the greatest the weight of the water of the seas, and the amount of gushing of the waves. Allah is the greatest, a takbeer that brightens this king and that kingdom, and Allah is the greatest of the great, the possessor of Honour and Might. And Allah is the greatest, the Ever-Living Who never dies. Allah is the greatest the amount of blood flowed of sacrificial animals. And Allah is the greatest on the plains and in the ravines and in the districts.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

All praise be to Allah, the One, the Unique, the Great, the Almighty. No describer can encompass describing Him. And no knower can perfect His right, even if he counts, and accounts, and investigates and strives. All praise be to Allah without exception, and all praise be to Allah secretly and openly. And thanks be to Him successively. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. He executes the matters in the world while He is the Lofty. And the creation is in need of Him, while He is Self-Sufficient. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger, primarily the best of people, and his name in the Injeel (original bible) is Ahmad. With his prophethood, the light of ignorances was eliminated, and on the Day of Reckoning, he will have a flag held, and a praised position and a watering pond. May Allah send salutations on him as the star in the sky shines and the bright star of Ursa Minor illuminates, and may his Lord send salutations on him and send salutations on his pure family, the selected of the selected, and send salutations on his pious companions. They were worshippers at night, lions during the day. Allah opened up lands through them, and built big cities, and (salutations be) on those who follow them (companions) and those who follow them in goodness, and much peace – O Lord – be on them.

Thereafter: I advise you and myself with the fear of Allah, for surely Allah has commanded and advised you with it: “And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is piety.” [Surah al Baqarah: 197], and remember the resurrection when looking at this gathering, and prepare for the day of returning, for verily you have a performance by your Lord so fear Him. “And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.” [Surah al Baqarah: 281]

Pilgrims to Allah’s sacred house! You have stopped at the paths of the messengers and the prophets, and the place of revelation from the sky. Here is Islam and this is its centre, and here is its conclusion and to it is its unison. In these shadows the Sharee’ah was enacted, and the laws were enacted, and on these grounds the religion of Islam was completed.

Here our prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, and here he received revelation. Here his propagation began and he met the first harm in the way of his Lord, then he was patient. Here the conquests of his reign were concluded, and here he bid farewell to his companions and his nation from these hills and those mountain feet. Here the first verses of the noble Quraan were revealed, and here they were recited, so the mountains listened to them, and the valleys and hills bowed with them.

This is the exalted Ka’bah of Allah, and this is the station of Abraham, and there is Safa and Marwa, and this is Zam zam and the hateem.

This land with its signs has been the inspiration of the Muslims over the years, and it is the desire of the worshippers and the pious regardless of how remote their houses are, and however old they may be.

On these hills, sins are washed away, and the pilgrim returns clean like (the day) his mother gave birth to him. And there is no place in this world with the distinction like this place, so appreciate the sacredness of the house, and be aware of the blessedness of the time and place, for your prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever performs pilgrimage to this house and does not commit any obscenity or wrongdoing, he will come out as his mother gave birth to him.” [Agreed upon]

And in the two authentic (books of Hadeeth: Bukhari and Muslim) also: that the prophet ﷺ said: “An accepted pilgrimage has no reward for it except Paradise.”

May Allah accept your obediences from you, and forgive your sins, and complete for you your rituals. You have descended at Mina, and you have arrived at the house of Allah, and before (that) you have stood at Arafaat, then drew close (to Allah) at Mash’aril Haraam (Muzdalifah), and gone about in the regions resounding in it with Talbiyyah and Takbeer, and announced the unity of Tawheed in it.

Lands where the name of Allah was mentioned and revered, and the inspired pilgrim was forgiven and honoured.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Group of pilgrims: Verily this day of yours is a blessed day. Allah has raised its worth, and exalted its remembrance, and called it: “The great day of pilgrimage,” and he made it a festivity for the Muslims, pilgrims and residents, and on this esteemed day, the pilgrims set out to Mina to pelt the big devil (symbol) with seven pebbles, then he sacrifices his sacrificial animal if he was a Mutamatti’ (one doing the Tamattu’ type of pilgrimage) or Qaarin (one doing the Qiraan type of pilgrimage), and he shaves his head, and with this the first permissibility becomes permissible, and whatever was forbidden for him due to the state of Ihraam becomes permissible except sexual relations, then the pilgrim sets off to Makkah to circumambulate the Ifaadah circumambulation, as per the saying of Allah – Majestic in His Being -: “Then let them complete the prescribed duties (rituals of Hajj) for them, and perform their vows, and circumambulate the Ancient House.” [Surah al Hajj: 29]

Then he walks between Safa and Marwa, and there is no harm in doing any of these actions before the other.

Guests of the Beneficent, pilgrims of Allah’s sacred house! It is compulsory on you to spend the night in Mina, following the Sunnah of the chosen one ﷺ and tomorrow is the 11th day (of Dhul Hijjah), and it is the first day of Tashreeq, of which Allah – Exalted and Majestic – says with regards to: “And remember Allah during the appointed Days.” [Surah al Baqarah: 203]

Ibn Abbaas (Radiallahu Anhum) said: “They are the days of Tashreeq.”

And the messenger of Allah ﷺ said regarding them: “(They are) days of eating, drinking and remembrance of Allah – Exalted and Majestic - ” [Narrated by Muslim]

So increase – may Allah have mercy on you – in remembrance of Allah and takbeer in these blessed days, exemplifying the command of your Lord, following the Sunnah of your prophet, following in the legacy of your predecessors, for surely the companions used to do takbeer, and Umar (Radiallahu Anhum) used to do takbeer in his camp in Mina, and the people used to do takbeer with his takbeer, and Mina used to resonate with takbeer.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims in the east and west of the world: Congratulations on this Eid. May Allah make your days forever happy, and increase you in delight and joy with Eid. May Allah accept your actions, elevate your ranks, expiate you your sins, and may Allah return it (Eid) to us and to you and to the entire Islamic nation with goodness, success, happiness, honour, victory and stability to Islam and the Muslims.

Eid – O believers – is accepted actions, joining of family ties, remembrance of Allah and gratitude and joy with the bounties of Allah and permissible entertainment, not distracting from the remembrance of Allah, so congratulations on your Eid, O Muslims.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Pilgrims to Allah’s sacred house: Surely in the pilgrimage of the prophet ﷺ are lessons and advices, and wisdom and rulings. The laws of the religion were fixed by it, and (too) the principles of justice. He delivered a sermon and bade farewell after the establishment of the Sharee’ah and completion of the religion, and completion of the favour. “This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” [Surah al Ma’idah: 3]

Then he established Tawheed, and abolished the meaning of castes and racism, and he established the rights of women, and discarded usury, and protected lives, wealth and honour. And he said: “I left for you what if you hold up to, you will never be misguided: the book of Allah.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

And it is appropriate for the Muslims to be inspired from the directives of their prophet: the superior principles, and the strongest of paths, and the most successful of methods for justice and the happiness of humanity in this world and the Hereafter.

Servants of Allah: Islam – and its basis of Tawheed – is the religion of glad tidings and mercy, and the pillars of Islam are an expiation of sins, so whoever meets Allah without associating anything with Him enters Paradise, and in the Great Quraan: “Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases.” [Surah an Nisaa: 48]

And in prayer: “And perform the prayer, at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night (i.e. the five compulsory prayers). Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins).” [Surah Hood: 114]

And in charity: “Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it.” [Surah at Tawbah: 103]

And in fasting: “Whoever fasts Ramadhan with faith and expecting reward, his past sins will be forgiven.” [Agreed upon]

And in pilgrimage: your prophet ﷺ says: “Whoever performs pilgrimage to this house and does not commit any obscenity or wrongdoing, he will come out as his mother gave birth to him.” [Agreed upon]

And in abstaining from the major sins: Allah the Exalted says: “If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden to do, We shall remit from you your (small) sins, and admit you to a Noble Entrance (i.e. Paradise).” [Surah an Nisaa: 31]

And in the category of character and manners: the prophet ﷺ says: “Those of you who will be closest to me on the Day of Judgement will be those who have the best character.”

And the mercy of Islam is general for all of creation: “And We have sent you not but as a mercy for the worlds.” [Surah al Anbiyaa: 107]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: The religion is the religion of Allah, and the law is His Law and it is compulsory on the one who is conveyed the speech of Allah and the Sunnah of His messenger ﷺ to follow the truth and discard everything besides it, and not to leave the Quraan and Sunnah for the saying of anyone no matter who, and Allah the Exalted says: “And let those who oppose the Messenger’s commandment beware, lest some Fitnah befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.” [Surah al Noor: 63]

And surely weakness has infiltrated the Islamic nation just as innovations, modernity and deviation from the true path have infiltrated it, and (so too has) laxity in deriving from the two revelations (Quraan and Sunnah) (infiltrated it).

And if the Muslims today search for a way to rise, then there is no way except (by) uniting their groups. And there is no way for their unity except by (following) the authentic Islam. And the source of authentic Islam is the Quraan and Sunnah, and that is what the predecessors of this Ummah, the sahaba and tabi’een were upon.

And the call of the truthful ones is to return to Islam, with its clear meaning, from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His messenger ﷺ so do not let the (different) paths confuse you, and do not let desires misguide you, and do not let the abundance of differences deter you, or the influence of the imposters.

O you Muslims: Your predecessors are Muhammad ﷺ, his companions and the preferred generations, so in which book do you find them killing the Muslims, or betraying the trustees or calling unto Imams and pious, other than Allah, or invoking blessings from tombs and graves of predecessors, or creating trials between the Muslims?!

Your predecessors – O Muslims – were ardent on uniting sayings, unification of ranks, and cleansing the religion from the deviation of the extremists, and plagiarism of the liars, and the interpretations of the ignorant.

Declaring the predecessors as one’s ancestors is not a call claimed by an individual or a group or built by a cult or organization, but it is obedience and following, unity and togetherness, and discarding disunity and innovations.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Servants of Allah: Surely the United Nations have realised the need for unity and harmony, so they united despite their differences, and they allied and reformed despite a crushing war that occurred between them, but today’s interests necessitated unity and togetherness.

And we are – O Islamic nation – more deserving of togetherness and harmony and abandoning disunity and differences. “And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Quran), and be not divided among yourselves.” [Surah Ale Imraan: 103]

And surely this Muslim nation owns a historical and civilized heritage in unity and togetherness, and it owns the ingredients of unity more than others. And surely it has experienced distracted pathways and closed tunnels and dark paths, and these did not succeed in doing away with it, and they did not direct it away.

Verily the struggle between nations today is not just a struggle of power, but it is a struggle of remaining or disappearing: to be existing or not to be existing! In a time of ideological and cultural globalization before economic and political globalization, in a time of domination of force and imposing opinions with force.

Surely it is upon the Islamic nation to strive with truthfulness and sincerity to hold fast to the means of its remaining as one nation, and to return to the reason for its discovery and to (return to) the Possessor of its message. “So fear Allah and adjust all matters of difference among you.” [Surah al Anfaal: 1]

And from the great objectives of Islam which manifests in the scene of Hajj in belief, worship and signs: The unification of the word of the Muslims, and the unison of their hearts and joining of their gathering. “And verily! This your religion (of Islamic Monotheism) is one religion, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty to Me.” Surah al [Mu’minoon: 52]

And from Khaif (Masjid) in Mina, the prophet ﷺ said: “May Allah cause his face to shine, the man who hears what I say and conveys it (to others). There are those who have knowledge but no understanding, and there may be those who convey knowledge to those who have more understanding than they do. There are three things because of which hatred does not enter the heart of a Muslim: sincerity in doing an action for the sake of Allah; advising the rulers of the Muslims; and adhering to the main body of the Muslims, for verily the prayers (of the Muslims) surround those from behind them.” [Narrated by Ibn Majah with an authentic chain].

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: Verily every society has characteristics that stop at its limits, and rites obliged by its veneration, even in countries headed by atheism, the nation agrees on matters that unite them and meet their quests, and regulate their lives with its words, and we Muslims do not build our lives except on certainty (of belief) in Allah, the One, and we do not sketch the lines of our society and the horizons of our future except in agreement with the guidances of Allah, the Great, as conveyed to us by His noble messenger.

And therefore, the spreading of indecency and atheism is never acceptable in the life of a Muslim society, and invalidating the laws of Allah in the rest of affairs is (also) not acceptable, and (also) not to despise the conduct of faith in the areas of general life. And the conciliation of Allah is not optional, the abstainers abstaining from it or the hesitant choosing it. And never should we leave the inheritance of truth which we have been given and then look forward to good in our immediate or future affairs.

Verily the Islamic beliefs have produced generations (and) have given the ability to change human life and uplift it. And these beliefs produce complete character, and build true manhoods, and overpower mighty crises.

Verily successful training depends on enduring facts, and truths that do not accept debate, and when the environment becomes evil, and doubts prevail in it, and suspicions are attached to that which is revealed from the sky, then how impossible it is to raise generations steadfast on their manners, their virtues and their justice!!

It is mandatory not to permit those with (spiritually) sick hearts to be active from time to time, spreading fake doubts and fabricated suspicions between the Muslims. And it is not permissible to go against the general opinion with ideas that influence towards anarchy, and (that) entice to the freedom from every stipulation and absconding through every loophole.

Verily the young generation and teenage youth, and the general Muslims, their hearts are corrupted with the scorch of these poisons. “O you who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones.” [Surah at Tahreem 6]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: Verily from the ways of Allah the Exalted in His creation (is): The remaining of the struggle between truth and falsehood so that Allah may distinguish the wicked from the good and so that He may, with examination, choose the people of faith and raise, with trials, their ranks.

And what is occurring to the Ummah of great incidents harbouring matters that the self surely dislikes, and incidents that narrow the hearts, it’s final end will be – by the permission of Allah – victory and honour for the Muslims, and stability for the believing servants of Allah and the disappearance of the reasons of disgrace and humiliation. For this Ummah is not like others, for it is an Ummah that is promised victory and (good) outcomes, and it is an Ummah saved from mass destruction, and it is a superior Ummah, despite the wounds. “So do not become weak, nor be sad, and you will be superio if you are indeed (true) believers.” [Surah Ale Imraan: 139]

Servants of Allah: Verily with the long length of night and the aggravation of wounds, optimism is beautified. And during pains, hopes are born. And whatever afflicts a believer of wounds or troubles is nothing except a norm that has passed by the sincere friend before; raising ranks; decreasing the sins; examining the hearts; and distinguishing the believing nation, and besides, for verily the calamities of the Ummah in its (various) regions are significant; in Palestine, in Levant (Shaam), in Burma and others.

Verily the wounds are hollow, and the calamities are great, and the pain is intense. Big cities levelled, a nation torn apart, and absent sentiments. Religion does not deter the despots; neither does (good) character restrain them. But the sentiments that this destruction has caused in the Ummah are immense. And if Shaam is suffering, then surely the rest of the body of the Islamic nation suffers from fever and sleeplessness, and solidarity manifests among the Muslims, and life cheers up in their one body, and deep emotions in the Ummah that were almost wiped out are stirred up. And the truth of the truthful ones has become evident, and the betrayal of the betrayers was manifested, and the confidence of the world in the international organizations has shaken, and it is clear that they do not act except according to their selfish interests and the cries of children and the moans of the injured and oppressed do not affect the hearts of its (organization’s) owners. And our hope in Allah is great, for He – Glorified is He – said: “And We wished to do a favour to those who were weak (and oppressed) in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors.” [Surah al Qasas: 5]

And it is compulsory upon the world to fulfil its ethical and legal responsibilities in the face of the massacres and oppression which are perpetrated every day in the land of Shaam, and the continuous violations in Palestine. It is compulsory to stop war and destruction, and advancing general interests over personal interests, in order to spare the blood of the Muslims, and preserve the unity of their ranks and lands, and rejecting tribal and sectarian differences, and steadfastness on the stands of religion and good character.

And it is compulsory upon the world to fulfil its responsibilities in the face of this catastrophe, the duration of which is prolonged, and the pain of which is continuous. And the responsibility is greater on the Arabs and the Muslims especially, so they should call for the helping of the oppressed, and warding off of the oppressor, and the solution should be practical and immediate, for the days are not increasing the aggressor except in slogans and nothing is seen from him except fuel and fire. Perhaps Allah will relieve the affliction and remove the distress. “It may be that Allah will restrain the evil might of the disbelievers. And Allah is Stronger in Might and Stronger in punishing.” [Surah an Nisaa: 84]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Allah bless us in the Quraan and Sunnah, and benefit us in what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine and I ask Allah – the Exalted – to forgive me and you.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah, praise that does not come to an end and does not decrease. He continues His bounties upon us, consecutively and flowing. No counting can encompass them and no one can count them, and no poetry can give them their full right. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Protector, the Guard. How many broken wings does He restore, and (how many) sick and ill does He cure. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant, His messenger, His sincere friend and His friend. Dark affairs became brightened with his coming. May Allah’s salutations be on him, and on his family, his companions and those who follow them, and may much peace be upon them.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: Women are the twin halves of men. “And they (women) have rights similar (to those of their husbands) over them to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them.” [Baqarah; Verse 228]. The prophet ﷺ advised regarding them while the pangs of death were overpowering him, and he said: “I advise you to take care of the women.” And he said: “I declare inviolable the rights of the two weak ones: the orphans and women.”

And the law of Allah is just and wise, not in need of adjudication or exploitation. And the religion does not bear the mistakes of individuals. Just as the prophet ﷺ advised the women of the Ummah and admonished them, commanded them, prohibited them and warned them of the slips of trials.

O trainers: You are entrusted with the shaping of the nation and leading the future in development and modernization and co-existence with civilization, with authenticity and steadfastness derived from the law of Islam, the goals of which are to make people worship the Lord of the worlds, and loyalty to this religion and rearing a pious, beneficial and conscious citizen, free of extremism of ideas and deviated paths. And training today encompasses every person who has a media platform, or a listened voice.

So the possessors of pens and media and those of websites and (internet) forums should fear Allah, for everyone will be questioned.

Servants of Allah: Commanding good and forbidding evil is a sign of the affection of a Muslim for his nation, and his loyalty to it. “The believers, men and women, are Auliya’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin Al-Ma’ruf, and forbid from Al-Munkar; they perform prayer and give the Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” [Surah at Tawbah: 71]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Servants of Allah: Verily Islam did not spread in many lands by sword or weapons, but verily the character of the Muslims spread it, and the values of the pious traders. Verily it was our Islamic values that others adopted from us, then they produced by it and were successful. And whoever reads history and ponders over the past battles, he will find that degeneration of character, corruption of manners, deception, betrayal, affluence, relaxation, taking pleasure in bounties, selfishness and egocentricity are the poisons that flow in the substance of the nations until it drops them at the end of the road.

And verily the zealous one for his religion and nation (and) the advisor for Allah, His messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and their masses, his heart will be cut with grief, and he will burn with fear and apprehension when he sees the values of the Ummah disintegrating on the hands of the falling media, soiling the garment of modesty and decency by the viewing of nudity and indecency, and destroying the palace of striving and determination by the propagation of the culture of entertainment and amusement, and triviality and futility. And the zealous one will be saddened to see, between the individuals of the Muslim society, followed pleasures, and obeyed greed and worldly influence.

Verily preserving the values of modesty and chastity is the safety valve for the society in the face of the moral disaster which has hit the world in a vulnerable spot.

Servants of Allah: Verily the way of Allah is not biased to anyone. And neither the individual nor the society has subjective immunity, and when the Ummah is deficient in fending off the reasons of the general calamities, then it is upon it (the Ummah) to accept the results of the deficiency, and the happy one is the one who learns from others. And it is not an Ummah secluded from punishment if it summons its causes, and it is not in safety from punishment if it treads its path and opens its doors to sins.

Verily a nation on which difficulties are descending in its regions, and the enemy is directing its efforts against it in its religion and its lands is obligated to be the furthest of people away from entertainment and indulgence, and leaning towards this world and its ornaments, and to devote its efforts and strength to draw near to its Creator and Originator, and to make sincere for Him the religion, and to unite to Allah the Lord of the worlds, and to abandon disobediences and desires, and avoiding sins and evils.

And it is true that a nation standing with a message of distinguished features and a civilization possessing principles will never rise from its fall if it does not return to the contents of its message, and follow the divine ways, and divine rules in establishing nations and their crumbling, and the rising of countries and their falling, and all that is conveyed in the Great Quraan: “Allah will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves.” [Surah ar Ra’d: 11]. “Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me.” [Surah al Noor: 55]

And how many a nation rose up after being seated, and became active after stagnation, and how many a nation were thankless for its means of livelihood, so punishment surrounded them and they were removed from existence. And how many a town of which Allah bestowed upon them His bounties, then they were ungrateful and did not thank, so they tasted the consequences of ingratitude and rejection.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: Surely from amongst the best deeds, and most brilliant acts that bring one closer to Allah in these days: (is) drawing closer to Allah the Exalted by slaughtering the sacrificial animals, and no action of the son of Adam on the Day of Sacrifice is dearer to Allah than sacrificing animals. Indeed it (the animal) will come on the Day of Judgement with its horns, hairs and hooves and indeed the blood (of the sacrificial animals) is surely accepted by Allah before it falls on the ground, so therefore do it wholeheartedly.

And it was confirmed in the two authentics (Bukhari and Muslim) that the prophet ﷺ slaughtered two white, horned rams. He slaughtered them with his hand and he mentioned Allah’s name and takbeer (saying Allah is great).

And it is Sunnah for the one who wishes to sacrifice to choose the best from camels or cows or sheep/goats, and to abstain from those which have defects in them, and the prophet ﷺ explained these defects as (mentioned) in Sunan with an authentic chain, and they are: a one-eyed animal which is clearly one-eyed, a sick animal whose sickness is obvious, a lame animal whose lameness is obvious, and an emaciated animal that no one would choose.

And the days of slaughtering are four: from after the Eid prayer until the sunset of the 13th day, which is the last day of Tahreeq. And slaughtering is permissible at night and day, while the day is preferable, and the day of Eid is preferred over those after it.

And one sheep is divided among a man and the people of his house. And it is Sunnah for a Muslim to eat from his sacrifice, and gift from it, and donate it. Allah – Exalted and Majestic – said: “Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only).” [Kawthar; Verse 2], and He – Glorified is He – said: “And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that they may mention the Name of Allah over the beast of cattle that He has given them for food. And your god is One God, so you must submit to Him Alone (in Islam). And give glad tidings to the those who obey Allah with humility and are humble from among the true believers of Islamic Monotheism, Whose hearts are filled with fear when Allah is mentioned; who patiently bear whatever may befall them (of calamities); and who perform prayer, and who spend out of what We have provided them. And the Budn (cows, oxen, or camels driven to be offered as sacrifices by the pilgrims at the sanctuary of Makkah.) We have made for you as among the Symbols of Allah, therein you have much good. So mention the Name of Allah over them when they are drawn up in lines (for sacrifice). Then, when they are down on their sides (after slaughter), eat thereof, and feed the beggar who does not ask (men), and the beggar who asks (men). Thus have We made them subject to you that you may be grateful. It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him. Thus have We made them subject to you that you may magnify Allah for His Guidance to you. And give glad tidings to the good-doers.” [Surah al Hajj: 34-37]

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

O Muslims: Run to Allah, and mandate His obedience and His fearing, for with Allah every difficulty is eased, and every difficult task is made easy, and every far becomes near, and every fear becomes security. Mandate good deeds, and beware of sins. And there is nothing that Allah commands except that He helps towards it, and He does not prohibit anything except that He does not make it beneficial. And what is little and sufficient is better than much which distracts. And whoever is content, his life becomes good and the detained one is the one whose heart is detained from Allah, and the prisoned is the one who is prisoned by his desires. And who prolongs the path, weakens his walking. And perhaps one desire bequeaths long sadness.

Righteousness does not wear, and a sin is not forgotten, and the Judge does not die. And whoever does not have a preacher regarding his religion, religious lectures will not benefit him. Trust in Allah is the purest of hope, and depending on Him is the most loyal of actions, and in Allah there is a substitute for every loss, and in His anticipated meeting there is a consolation for every lost (item), and whoever reforms his private (affairs), Allah reforms his public (affairs), and whoever reforms that which is between him and Allah, Allah reforms that which is between him and people. And whoever works for his Hereafter, Allah suffices him for the provisions of his worldly (affairs).

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise.

Pilgrims to Allah’s sacred house: Thank Allah the Exalted for what he has prepared for you and made easy regarding the fulfilment of the greatest pillar of pilgrimage by standing at ‘Arafah and Mash’aril Haraam (Muzdalifah) in safety, peace and security, and aspire to fulfil what remains of the rituals of pilgrimage, as the prophet ﷺ legislated, and exemplifying the command of Allah – Glorified is He – in His saying: “And perform properly (i.e. all the ceremonies according to the ways of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him), the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allah.” [Surah al Baqarah: 196]

Refrain from crowded places and reasons for differences and arguments. And be friendly with your Muslim brothers, for all of you are hoping for what is by Allah.

May Allah make your pilgrimage accepted, and your efforts thanked and your sins forgiven.

O Allah, the Alive the Self-Subsisting, just as you have gathered this Muslim gathering in this blessed place, so (too) unite the Ummah of Islam on Your book and the Sunnah of Your prophet Muhammad ﷺ and take them to the truth and guidance O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah reform the conditions of the Muslims all over the world, and return them to You, a beautiful returning.

O Allah send salutations on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, just as You sent salutations on Ibraheem and the family of Ibraheem, verily You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious. And send blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You sent blessings on Ibraheem and the family of Ibraheem in the worlds, verily You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims, and defeat the evil ones, atheists and corrupters. O Allah help Your religion, Your book, the Sunnah of Your prophet and Your believing servants.

O Allah establish for this Ummah guidance by which people of Your obedience are honoured, and people of Your disobedience are guided, and good is enjoined and vice is prevented O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah whoever intends evil for Islam and the Muslims, then preoccupy him with himself, and return his plots on his throat, and make a circle of evil surround him O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah assist the strivers in Your path all over the world. O Allah assist them in Palestine, and in the land of the Levant (Shaam), and in every place. O Allah break their siege, and reform their conditions and crush their enemy.

O Allah free Masjidul Aqsa from the oppression of the oppressors, and the anarchy of the occupiers.

O Allah reform the conditions of the Muslims all over the world. O Allah reform their conditions in Syria. O Allah unite them on truth and guidance. O Allah spare their blood and allay their fears, and remedy their shortcomings, and feed their hungry, and preserve their honours, and unite their hearts, and make steadfast their feet, and aid them against those who oppress them. O Allah break their siege. O Allah (we ask You for) Your near relief.

O Allah grant ability to the one in charge of our affairs, the custodian of the two holy mosques, to what You like and pleases You, and take from him to righteousness and piety. O Allah grant him the ability and his deputy and their brothers and aids to that wherein there is reformation for the servants and the countries. O Allah reward them with goodness and kindness for their sacrifices in serving the pilgrims, and serving the two holy mosques and their visitors.

O Allah suffice everyone who served the pilgrims, and reward with good those who took care of Your guests. O Allah make heavy their scales with good, and bless them in their deeds and lives.

O Allah grant the leaders of the Muslims ability to judge by Your law, and to follow the Sunnah of Your prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him -, and make them a mercy for Your believing servants.

O Allah spread security and comfort in our lands and the lands of the Muslims, and suffice us the evil of the evil one, and the plots of the evil ones.

“Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!” [Surah al Baqarah" 201] “Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.” [Surah Ale Imraan: 147]

O Allah forgive our sins, cover our faults, ease our affairs and convey our hopes to what pleases You.

O Allah forgive us, our parents, their parents and their progeny, and our wives and our progeny. Verily You are the Hearer of supplications.

O Allah we ask You for Your pleasure and Paradise and we seek Your protection from Your anger and Hellfire. O Allah make us of those who are free from the Hellfire. O Alive, O Self-Subsisting, O Possessor of Majesty and Bounty.

O Allah, You are Allah. There is no god but You. You are the Rich and we are poor. Send down on us rain and do not make us of the despondent ones. O Allah send rain on us, O Allah send rain on us, O Allah send rain on us. Rain that is sufficient, wholesome, flowing, large quantities, covering, widespread, beneficial, not harmful, giving life to the servants and quenching the lands, and make it sufficient for the towns and desert.

O Allah (we ask You for) a rain of mercy. O Allah (we ask You for) a rain of mercy. O Allah (we ask You for) a rain of mercy. Not a rain of punishment, trials, destruction or drowning.

O Allah accept from us. Verily You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing. And forgive us. Verily You are All-Forgiving, most Merciful.

O Allah make our Eid happy, and our actions righteous, accepted and guided. O Allah return this Eid to us and the Muslims in the best condition and best results, and protect the pilgrims and those doing the lesser pilgrimage. O Allah protect the pilgrims and those doing the lesser pilgrimage, and make easy for them the completion of their rituals and accept from us and from them and from all the Muslims.

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and for Him is all praise. Allah is the greatest of the great, and much praise be to Allah, and glory be to Allah morning and evening.

And may Allah send salutations on our prophet Muhammad, and on his family and companions, and may much peace be upon them.

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/10...he-day-of-eid/

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BintAbee
11-01-2013, 08:06 PM
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The Objectives of the Islamic Pilgrimage and its Witnesses

Sheikh Saalih aal Taalib

November 2, 2012 ~ Dhul Hijjah 17, 1433

First Khutbah

Verily all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help and seek His forgiveness. And we seek protection in Allah from the evil of ourselves and the evil of our deeds. Whoever Allah guides, there is no misguidance for him. And whoever He misguides, there is no guidance for him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him, and upon his family, companions, those who succeed them and those who follow them in goodness until the day of Judgement.

Thereafter: Verily the most truthful of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad – peace be upon him -, and the worst of affairs are the newly invented ones. And every newly invented affair is a bid’ah, and every bid’ah is a misguidance, and every misguided one is in Hellfire.

Behold verily the best advice after praise and greetings, is the advice of fearing Allah, the Great. “O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) he has indeed achieved a great achievement.” [Surah al Ahzaab: 70-71]

Surrender leadership to Allah, and prepare for the day of Returning, and be sincere to Allah in private and public; for how many a person (with) much clothes (is) naked of reward; mentioned on earth; unknown in the heaven.

O pilgrims on these plains! O you who have traveled from every direction and field, here is the watering place, so enjoy; and here is fresh water, so drink. Allah has honoured you by your accomplishment of a great day of the days of Islam; and a majestic event of the events of the Muslims, so you have completed your pilgrimage and fulfilled your prescribed duties. And surely Adam; Nooh; Ibraheem; Moosa; Eesa; many prophets; Muhammad, the noble prophet; his companions: Abu Bakr; ‘Umar; ‘Uthman; ‘Ali; the great companions; the leaders of the schools of thought and the pious Muslims have preceded you in these steep hills.

And here you are succeeding them on these lands. The Lord is One; the sacred lands are the same; the goal is united, so why is the condition different to their (the predecessors’), and the men inferior to their men?!

Your lineage – O Muslims – in beliefs, is continuous to the prophets of Allah and His messengers; so why the deviation?

And the law of Islam – Quraan and Sunnah – is still alive, and the testimonies of monotheism is still standing from the era of Ibraheem, so why the confusion?

And your religion is the greatest law that was revealed from the heaven to the earth, so why the humiliation?

You have discharged the rituals, whose slogans are monotheism, so make it your slogans until you meet your Lord, and surely the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever meets Allah without having ascribed any partners to Him enters Paradise.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Revere Allah and respect His messenger. And revere that which has come from them and submit to it make sincere your intentions and deeds to Allah. And follow the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions whom Allah is pleased with and they are pleased with Him. And base your worship on the Quraan and Sunnah, “And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it).” [Surah Hashr: 7] And discard that which is not cited in the Sunnah.

O Muslims: Pilgrims to Allah’s ancient house! Verily the one who does pilgrimage or ‘Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) to the House has surely increased in his closeness to Allah, and has neared much to Him, and the close ones are the most deserving of respect with Allah – Majestic is His Greatness. Their hope spurs them on to increase in obedience, and their shyness prevents them from staining with any sins after Allah has hosted them and made them superior; forgave their sins and completed their rituals.

O yes, surely Allah has enabled you to please Him, and made the exposure to the breezes of His mercy easy for you, so remain steadfast on His command, “And be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun after it has become strong.” [Surah an Nahl: 92]

And the most deserving of advice to the Muslim after (the advice of) piety: is what the Prophet ﷺ advised Sufyaan (Radiallahu Anhu) when he said: “O messenger of Allah! Tell me something about Islam, which I cannot ask anyone besides you.” He replied: “Say I believe in Allah, then remain steadfast.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Behold and surely the most worthy for a believer to remain steadfast on after monotheism: is the preservation of prayer, for it is a pillar of the religion; and the differentiation of the believers from the disbelievers, and surely Allah (Exalted and Majestic) said: “Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their prayers with all solemnity and full submissiveness.” [Surah Mu’minoon: 1-2]

Tirmidhi, Nisaai and Haakim narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Ten verses have been revealed to me, whoever acts upon them will enter Paradise, then he read ‘Successful indeed are the believers’ until he completed 10 verses.”

“Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their prayers with all solemnity and full submissiveness.And those who turn away from Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk, falsehood, and all that Allah has forbidden). And those who pay the Zakat. And those who guard their chastity (i.e. private parts, from illegal sexual acts), Except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, for then, they are free from blame; But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors; Those who are faithfully true to their Amanat (all the duties which Allah has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts etc.) and to their covenants; And those who strictly guard their (five compulsory congregational) prayers (at their fixed stated hours). These are indeed the inheritors. Who shall inherit the Firdaus (Paradise). They shall dwell therein forever.” [Surah Mu’minoon: 1-11] These are the means of success and the means of entering Paradise: prayer; charity; refraining from non-beneficial sayings and actions; preserving the modesty and (abstaining from the) prohibited; refraining from indecency; and preserving the trust and promise.

O believers: Islam is submission to Allah, and compliance to Him with obedience; free from polytheism and its people. And the submission to Allah is expressed by the rules of pilgrimage just as the salient features embody it, and the biography of the prophet of Allah Ibraheem and his family exemplify it; that righteous family in which Ibraheem submitted to the command of Allah by leaving his wife and her suckling son in a valley of poverty; because Allah ordered him to do that. And his wife Haajar asked: “Did Allah command you with this?” He said: “Yes.” She said: “If it is so, He will not neglect us.”

So their Lord did not neglect them, and He split the earth with the water of Zam Zam, and He blessed it, and He populated the valley with humans, and the hearts of people inclined towards them, and Allah granted them pure sustenance, and He made their land safe and peaceful.

And Ibraheem submitted to the command of Allah of sacrificing his son, and Isma’eel also submitted to this command. And Allah said regarding them: “Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the Will of Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead” [Surah Saaffaat: 103], i.e. they both submitted, but Allah, the Most Merciful was kind.

Verily it is an example to the submitting righteous family, and a lesson to the Ummah in every detail of the event, and the reward in both the situations was that Allah was with them, and He raised their status, and made prophethood in both of them and in their progeny, and He made their heritage rituals for the believers until the day of Judgement.

Servants of Allah: And from the spirituality of pilgrimage: is training on piety, and among the verses of pilgrimage: “And take a provision for the journey, but the best provision is At-Taqwa.” [Surah Baqarah: 197]. Surely it is a limited act of worship in numbered days. The pilgrim strives to complete it, and he is cautious from being deficient or futile in it, and he requests acceptance from his Lord; hoping for His Mercy; seeking saviour from His fire. And this is the summary of life and its essence.

And piety is a heart feeling during which a Muslim is spurred on to journey, consistent with the wishes of Allah; driven by the fear of Allah; and hope for what is by Allah, not what is by people. And when a Muslim makes the pleasure of his Lord his objective, he succeeds and is saved.

O Muslims: Pilgrimage is a special season (where) the reality of holy worship spreads among the Muslims: Obedience and responding to the call of the Beneficent; and submission to His laws and rulings, and no matter how much a person encompasses himself in outward affluence, he is not released from the feeling of reality; the reality that he is an individual among millions of people, and that he is needy to Allah, just like the rest of the travelers to Him; seeking mercy, forgiveness and pleasure from Him.

Therefore, surely it is an error to seek a luxurious pilgrimage, or complaining of hardships encountered by those who are not used to hardship, for verily Allah (the Exalted) said: “And they carry your loads to a land that you could not reach except with great trouble to yourselves.” [Surah Nahl: 7]. So simplicity and abandoning of luxury is from the objectives of the pilgrimage. In it is training, servitude and humility, and equality while in devotion in front of Allah.

And in that also: is training for the Muslims that there be mercy on their brethren, humility to them, carrying out their interests, staying away from self-centeredness and selfishness, let alone depriving of their rights, or changing of what has been entrusted of their obligations.

Servants of Allah: And from the witnesses of pilgrimage: is that Allah the Exalted encompassed it with care and protection, and showered on the pilgrims to His House security and serenity, in times when the world is disturbed like the fire of war burning in various lands, and (while) we are not spared from the envious and hostile, but Allah the Exalted is the One Who is Kind and protects; covers and pardons; showers His apparent and hidden bounties on us, and utilized truthful defenders for this land. May Allah protect the servants and the land through them.

So for Allah is praise and thanks, and for Him is good praise, and Allah has been truthful: “Have they not seen that We have made (Makkah) a sanctuary secure, and that men are being snatched away from all around them?” [Surah Ankaboot: 67]

Surely it is a bounty deserving mention, gratitude and caution; speaking about the bounty of Allah the Exalted, and thanks to Him and praise.

May Allah bless me and you in the Quraan and Sunnah, and benefit us of what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine, and I seek the forgiveness of Allah the Exalted for me and you.

Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah by Whose bounties all righteousness is completed. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner: A testimony on which we live and die. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him, and upon his family, companions and those who follow them in goodness until the day of Judgement.

Thereafter: O believers: With seeking forgiveness, big actions are ended, and glad-tidings for the one who finds in his records abundant seeking forgiveness. And verily good deeds are a good tree requiring watering and care until it grows; steadies and produces its fruit.

And from the signs of the acceptance of good deeds: is following it up with good deeds; for the one who is accepted and drawn close to Allah, He grants him the ability to do good deeds, and He saves him from evil deeds.

So aspire – may Allah protect you – to protect your deeds, and guard yourself, and be truthful and draw near (to Allah), and be happy and hopeful. And sincerity and reward is the pivot of acceptance.

May Allah make you successful with Paradise; occupying of the highest stages, and make us and you of those to whom the angels call out with the saying of Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) : “Those who bear the Throne and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (saying): “Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your Way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire! “Our Lord! And make them enter the ‘Adn Paradise which you have promised them, and too the righteous among their fathers, their wives, and their offspring! Verily, You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. “And save them from (the punishment, because of what they did of) the sins, and whomsoever You save from (the punishment, because of what they did of) the sins (i.e. excuse them) that Day, him verily, You have taken into mercy.” And that is the supreme success.” [Surah Ghafir: 7-9]

This; and send salutations and peace on the best of humans; purest of mankind and best of messengers: Muhammad bin Abdullah; for whoever sends salutations on him once, Allah sends salutations on him, due to this, ten times.

O Allah send salutations, peace, and increase, and blessings on your servant and messenger Muhammad, and on his good pure family; his companions, the fortunate personalities and those who follow them in goodness until the day of Judgement.

O Allah grant honour to Islam and the Muslims…

Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2012/11...its-witnesses/

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BintAbee
11-20-2013, 03:57 AM
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Thankfulness Yields Lasting Graces

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

November 8, 2012 ~ Muharram 5, 1435

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Āl Tālib delivered this Friday’s khutbah entitled “Thankfulness Yields Lasting Graces” in which he talked about the innumerable graces that Allah bountifully bestowed upon His servants. He pointed out that people should constantly thank Allah () in acknowledgement of the blessings He has bestowed on them and the afflictions He has spared them. The Sheikh equally pointed out that the ungrateful person who disavows graces is the one who erroneously deploys such graces in ways that displease Allah ().


Part One

Praise be to Allah! O Lord! All praise is due to You, for You created us, bestowed upon us the means of subsistence, guided us, imparted knowledge to us, salvaged us, and lifted afflictions befalling us. Praise is due to You for all Your Graces! Praise be to You for Islam! Praise be to You for the Qur’ān! Praise be to You for the bounties of kinship, property, and sound health! You have restrained our enemy, bestowed abundant resources upon us, reinforced our security, unified our split ranks, granted us stability and steadfastness, and given us whatever we asked for!

Therefore, we owe You profuse gratitude for all that! Praise is due to You for every single grace You have bestowed on us lately or currently, in private or in public ‒be it general or special‒ benefiting those who are alive or dead, present or absent. Praise be to You until You are pleased! Praise be to You once You are pleased! Praise be to You after You are pleased! Lord, we are not counting our praises to You (for You really deserve more than we can count)!

O Allah! We beseech You to enable us to thank You for Your graces and to duly worship You! We seek refuge in You from the disappearance of Your graces and the sudden change of Your favour on our health and stability! We seek refuge in You from substituting Your graces for disbelief, from denying them after having enjoyed them, and from forgetting them and not praising You for them!

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah alone without associate, and I equally bear witness that Muhammad () is Allah’s Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Grace, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, his Companions, the tabi'în (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [] after his death), and all those who have righteously followed them till the Day of Judgement!

Now, then, O people!

I recommend you to listen to Allah’s counsel addressed to bygone nations as well as to this present one: ...And verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allâh, and keep your duty to Him... [Al-Nissā’: 131]. He who is alert will be safe, but he who he is not vigilant will regret it: O mankind! Remember the Grace of Allâh upon you! Is there any creator other than Allâh who provides for you from the sky (rain) and the earth? Lâ ilâha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). How then are you turning away (from Him)? [Fātir: 3]

O Muslims!

Imams Bukhari and Muslim narrated on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both him and his father) that Prophet Muhammad () once came to Madinah and found the Jews fasting the ͑Āshūrā’ Day, so he asked them, “What is this day that you are fasting?” They answered, “This is a glorious day on which Allah saved Moses and his people and caused Pharaoh and his people to drown. Thus, Moses observed fasting in commemoration of that day. Likewise, we observe fasting on ͑Āshūrā Day.” Prophet Muhammad () said, “We are more entitled to claim closeness to Moses than you are.” Therefore, Prophet Muhammad () observed fasting during Āshūrā’ Day and ordered his followers to do so. Prophet Muhammad () added, “If I remain alive for next year, I will also fast the ninth day (i.e. in addition to the 10th day of Muharram).”

On the authority of Abu Qatādah, Prophet Muhammad () is reported to have said, “By fasting the Āshūrā Day, I trust Allah to expiate the sins of the previous year.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]

O servants of Allah!

Prophet Muhammad () thanked Allah for a favour bestowed upon another prophet some centuries ago. What is more, he confirmed such attitude as part of his teachings to his Ummah. Thus, he explained to them the great recompense attendant upon thankfulness, as it is half of religion, and Allah loves those who are thankful and has promised them bountiful reward. In fact, Allah () is the Thankful, the All-Knowing, the All-Thanking, and the Clement. ...and Allâh will give reward to those who are grateful... [Āl ͑Imrān: 144]; ... And We shall reward the grateful. [Āl ͑Imrān:145]

Allah has commanded His servants to be thankful, proscribed the antithesis of thankfulness, commended thankful people for such character, attributed the trait of thankfulness to the closest creatures to Him, promised thankful people the best reward, and made thankfulness a reason for receiving further favours and a safeguard of His graces. Allah has also made of thankfulness the ultimate purpose of creation and ordainment. Thus, Allah () said: And Allâh has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allâh).  [Al-Naḫl: 78], and encapsulated worship in (the precept of) thankfulness when he said:  ... and be grateful to Allâh, if it is indeed He Whom you worship. [Al-Baqarah: 172]

Allah commended His true servants and select prophets for being thankful. Thus, about Noah, He said: ... he was a grateful slave [Al-Isrā’: 3], and about Ibrahim Al-Khaleel (), He said: Verily, Ibrâhim (Abraham) was an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation, obedient to Allâh, Hanifa (i.e. to worship none but Allâh), and he was not one of those who were Al-Mushrikûn (polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh, and those who joined partners with Allâh). (120); (He was) thankful for His (Allâh's) Graces. He (Allâh) chose him (as an intimate friend) and guided him to a Straight Path (Islâmic Monotheism, neither Judaism nor Christianity). [Al-Naḫl: 120-121]. Allah also cited His two prophets ‒Dawood and Suleiman‒ as saying: "All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, Who has preferred us above many of His believing slaves!"  [Al-Naml: 15]

Allah mentioned Suleiman () as saying (in a prayer): "My Lord! Inspire and bestow upon me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favours which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, and admit me by Your Mercy among Your righteous slaves."  [Al-Naml: 19]. Therefore, thankfulness is associated with good deeds when Suleiman realised his objective of having the throne of the Queen of Sheba brought forth and placed in front of him:  ... he said: "This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his ownself, and whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for the loss of his ownself). Certainly! My Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful."  [Al-Naml: 40]

Here is what Allah’s prophet, Yusuf (), said when he became the governor of Egypt and benefited from the favour of power as well as reunion with his parents and kinsfolk: “My Lord! You have indeed bestowed on me of the sovereignty, and taught me the interpretation of dreams; The (only) Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Walî (Protector, Helper, Supporter, Guardian, etc.) in this world and in the Hereafter, cause me to die as a Muslim (the one submitting to Your Will), and join me with the righteous." [Yusuf: 101]. Thus, he thanked his Lord, attributed favours to Him, and asked Allah for good deeds and decent ending to his lifetime.

As to Prophet Muhammad () ‒the Seal of Prophets and the Imam (Leader) of the thankful‒ he used to perform night prayer until his heels cracked. When Aisha (his wife) asked him about that, he answered, “Should I not be a thankful servant?” [Narrated by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari]

O Muslims!

Thankfulness consists in praising the Benefactor for the bestowed reward. In this regard, the Muslim will never be considered as thankful to Allah for His abundant bounties until he shows gratitude to his Lord by his heart, tongue, and limbs. He should believe deep inside himself that the favours he is blessed with are exclusively from Allah as a sign of His munificence and benefaction. This should be echoed in his verbal praise when his tongue eulogises Allah () as is shown by Allah’s verse: And proclaim the Grace of your Lord (i.e. the Prophethood and all other Graces). [Adh-Dhuḫā: 11]

The essence of being thankful for the bestowed graces is to use such graces to win the Benefactor’s satisfaction, for whoever exploits Allah’s graces to disobey Him will have denied such graces and will have received the due punishment of the Benefactor.

Thankfulness is, therefore, not just verbal praising. It is also an action which shows gratitude. Allah () did say, "Work you, O family of Dâwud (David), with thanks!" But few of My slaves are grateful.  [Saba’: 13]. Allah () ‒the best of all speakers‒ also said: O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allâh, if it is indeed He Whom you worship. [Al-Baqarah: 172]. He () equally said: Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc.). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favours on you) and never be ungrateful to Me.  [Al- Baqarah: 152]

Thus, when Allah bestowed on (the tribe of) Quraish the two graces to which every creature aspires, He said: So let them worship (Allâh) the Lord of this House (the Ka'bah in Makkah). (3) (He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear. (4) [Quraish: 3-4]. In fact, Allah provided them with enough food and granted them security. In the verse So let them worship (Allâh) the Lord of this House (the Ka'bah in Makkah). [Quraish: 3] there is an invitation to show thankfulness to Allah so that His graces will last.

O servants of Allah!

Thankfulness is one of the reasons which guarantee that Allah is pleased with His servant: And if you are grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you. [Al-Zumar: 7]. Thankfulness is also a security from torment: Why should Allâh punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him [Al-Nisā’: 147].

Qatādah ‒may Allah have mercy on him‒ said, “Allah ‒may He be greatly praised‒ torments not a thankful person or a believer.” Thankfulness also leads to abundance. Allah () said: And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allâh), I will give you more (of My Blessings), ... [Ibrāhīm: 7]

Al-Hassan Al-Basri said, “Allah does bestow His graces upon people for as long as He wishes, but if He is not thanked in return, He transforms them into torment.” This is why thankfulness used to be referred to as the ‘preserver’, for it preserves existing graces, and the ‘attractor’, as it attracts missing graces. The position of thankfulness being what it is, the job of Iblīs (Satan) has always been to deter people and keep them away from being thankful. He said (talking to Allah): "Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path.16 Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)." 17 [Al-‘A ͑rāf: 16-17]

In fact, how rare thankful people are! Allah () said: ...Truly, Allâh is full of Bounty to mankind, but most men thank not.  [Al-Baqarah: 243]. This explains why among the prophets’ supplications there is this one: ...“My Lord! Inspire and bestow upon me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favours which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, ... [Al-Naml: 19]

Prophet Muhammad () used to supplicate Allah as follows: “My Lord! Help me praise You for your graces. My Lord, make me constantly thankful to You! I beseech You!” He also advised Mu͑ādh Ibn Jabal () while firmly grasping his hand, “O Mu͑ādh! I swear by Allah I feel affection for you!” Then the Prophet said, “I advise you Mu͑ādh: Never cease to repeat these words immediately after each prayer. You say, ‘O Allah! Help me remember You, thank You, and worship You properly.’” [Narrated by Abu Dawood via an authentic chain of narrators]

O servants of Allah!

Allah has generously offered us bounties and bestowed upon us graces and favours munificently: And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you count the Blessings of Allâh, never will you be able to count them.  [Ibrāhīm: 34]. Thus, graces are maintained only when the Benefactor is shown thankfulness, for Allah () gave promises and at the same time made threats when He said: And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allâh), I will give you more (of My Blessings), but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily! My Punishment is indeed severe."  [Ibrāhīm: 7]

Ingratitude and denial of graces ‒in addition to using them as a springboard for disobedience, arrogance, and rebellion against Allah’s commands and proscriptions‒ cause the vanishing of blessings, the retraction of graces, their substitution with afflictions, the infliction of collective predicaments and punishments: And Allâh puts forward the example of a township (Makkah), that dwelt secure and well content; its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it (its people) denied the Favours of Allâh (with ungratefulness). So Allâh made it taste the extreme of hunger (famine) and fear, because of that (evil, i.e. denying Prophet Muhammad SAW) which they (its people) used to do. [Al-Naḫl: 112]

Notice how in the verse above Allah said: denied the Favours of Allâh (with ungratefulness) rather than simply “denied Allah”, for the denial of favours is the cause of hunger, fear, affliction, turmoil, lack of security, and economic instability. Again, among other forms of denying favours include squandering wealth, extravagance, tyranny, and arrogance which cause Allah’s wrath and abhorrence, and lead to His fury and punishment: Nay! Verily, man does transgress all bounds (in disbelief and evil deed, etc.).  (6) Because he considers himself self-sufficient. [Al-͑Alaq: 6-7]

Therefore, do not be among those who have traded the graces of Allah with infidelity and have thus wrought loss and calamity upon their people. Allah has set an example to this effect; He () said: Indeed there was for Saba' (Sheba) a sign in their dwelling place, - two gardens on the right hand and on the left (and it was said to them) "Eat of the provision of your Lord, and be grateful to Him, a fair land and an Oft-Forgiving Lord (15). But they turned away (from the obedience of Allah), so We sent against them Sail Al-'Arim (flood released from the dam), and We converted their two gardens into gardens producing bitter bad fruit, and tamarisks, and some few lote-trees (16). Like this We requited them because they were ungrateful disbelievers. And never do We requit in such a way except those who are ungrateful, (disbelievers). [Saba’: 15 – 17]. Still on the fate of such people, Allah () has gone as far as saying: so We made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all, totally. Verily, in this are indeed signs for every steadfast grateful (person). [Saba’: 19]

Look at those who have suddenly been struck by calamities so their grace has turned into scourge, their security into fear and their affluence into destitution and hunger: That is so because Allah will never change a grace which He has bestowed on a people until they change what is in their ownselves. [Al-Anfāl: 53]

Many a nation were safe and secure and enjoying the diverse pleasures of life with their livelihoods abundantly flowing into their hands from all directions; never had their hearts experienced fear or their souls hunger. In the blink of an eye, their lives were turned around and suddenly found themselves such wretched souls with all the grace and well-being taken away from them and punishment on their doorstep.

How many a tale time has recounted of states and nations, individuals and communities who have wrought on themselves (divine) retribution and have therefore been uprooted and eradicated from the face of the earth, as no weaponry or power would have been able to reverse the outcome of their ultimate fate.

Every human being should know that there is no escape from our Lord’s indignation except through making recourse to His Path. Verily, He is the Strong, the Subduer, the Honorable, the All-Powerful, the Almighty.

Allah sets His own days and ways when dealing with His creatures. This becomes evident when we try to reflect on the lot of the bygone peoples of ͑Ād and Thamūd, the Pharaohs ‒notwithstanding their severity‒ those (mighty) people who tilled the earth, sculptured the mountains (to make houses out of them), possessed all forms of power and made provisions against calamities? When these people overlooked Allah, He sent down His affliction on them and wiped them out from existence leaving nothing of them save traits and signs. They were reduced to nothing but tales to be recounted and lessons to be learnt from their history. In this regard, Allah () says: So We punished each (of them) for his sins, of them were some on whom We sent Hasiban (a violent wind with shower of stones) [as the people of Lout (Lot)], and of them were some who were overtaken by As-Saihah [torment - awful cry, etc. (as Thamud or Shu'aib's people)], and of them were some whom We caused the earth to swallow [as Qarun (Korah)], and of them were some whom We drowned [as the people of Nuh (Noah), or Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and his people]. It was not Allah Who wronged them, but they wronged themselves. [Al-͑Ankabūt: 40]

May Allah bless you and me by the Glorious Qur'ān and benefit us with the Sunnah of the Master of all Messengers! I say this and I seek forgiveness from Almighty Allah for me and for you.


Part Two

Praise be to Allah, Who has given in abundance, bestowed from His bounty profusely, and made recovery from His own afflictions! He bestowed His blessings on us; those we can see and those we can’t. Much praise be to Him, just in the same way He bestows on us! I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him with no associate, and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger! May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace upon him, his family, his Companions and the tabi'īn (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet  after his death).

Now then, O Muslims!

Working to safeguard those blessings we experience both in public and private –including homeland security, unity and affluence– calls for some Sharia (religious) considerations that may never be substituted with worldly ones. Rather, such considerations constitute the foundation in this respect.

Two decades ago, you witnessed a world super power fall apart and collapse; its once national territory was fragmented into small states and its weapons turned into a commodity to be bought and sold. Its vast territories as well as its massive army and military might were no assets that could halt the process of disintegration. The latest and swift developments over the last few years reflect but a similar trend.

By contrast, there is the Arabian Peninsula which was on the margin of civilization and history altogether. As the light of Islam sprang from it and began to shine on it, it became such a pivotal part of the world with treasures and goods flowing into it. Then, it underwent a setback for a while and lost impact until Allah brought about the Call of Reform (by Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahāb) in it in line with the prophetic approach three centuries ago. Once again, the Arabian Peninsula recovered its glamour and purity. Allah brought out for it and its people the treasures of the earth and bestowed on it from His bounty in ways it would never reckon. It developed into a nation to be revered throughout the world and to be feared by those who would pay no heed to it some decades back.

This would have never been achieved for this part of the world if it weren’t for the support and benevolence of Allah Almighty and for its own will to make His Holy Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet () the foundation of its state. It shall endure for as long as it remains steadfast on that path. It shall persist so long as it takes good care of the foundation upon which it was erected.

Endurance requires awareness of such a fact and perseverance on such a principle: And whoever changes Allah's Favour after it had come to him, [e.g. renounces the Religion of Allah (Islam) and accepts Kufr (disbelief),] then surely, Allah is Severe in punishment. [Al-Baqarah: 211]

Those hostile attempts emanating from without and reverberating within through some of those caught in their spell –those who are trying to shake this country off its path of righteousness– are indeed attempts at severing the country from its sources of power and empowerment with which Allah has endowed it; at cutting off the heavenly bliss of livelihood and security that has been extended to it. It should be noted in this regard that a change in faith inevitably brings about a change in condition.

We have been repeatedly warned through Allah’s ways and laws of dealing with nations across time and through His righteous words thus: And Allah puts forward the example of a township (Makkah), that dwelt secure and well content; its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it (its people) denied the Favours of Allah (with ungratefulness). So Allah made it taste the extreme of hunger (famine) and fear, because of that (evil, i.e. denying Prophet Muhammad) which they (its people) used to do. [An-Naḫl: 112]

The change in faith whose consequences are to be feared is one that consists in either one of the two extremes: excess and negligence. Radicalism, ‘takfeer’ (charging fellow Muslims with unbelief), disregarding the sanctity of blood and stirring chaos are misdemeanors targeting primarily the integrity and stability of religion rather than people’s security and lives.

Apostasy, the dissemination of adultery, the irreverence of Allah’s sanctities and the manifest acts of disobedience are geared to bring down religion and push people away from it. Verily, they are forms of ingratitude vis-à-vis Allah’s graces.

Excessiveness and negligence, on the one hand, and lechery and extravagance, on the other, make up the two repulsive sides of debauchery that neither of which necessitates resistance and prevention more urgently than the other. Both of them are comparable to a pair of scissors that would clamp up on the connection between heaven and earth until it is severed.

Why would people want to trade the graces of Allah with unbelief and thus bring about loss and calamity to their people? Have they not seen that We have made (Makkah) a secure sanctuary, and that men are being snatched away from all around them? [Al-͑Ankabūt: 67]

Have they not seen that Allah has blessed us with security, communal life, goodness and virtue? Or are those wicked souls not willing to settle down before they ignite the flame of chaos, disorder, discord and perversity setting the stage for the propagation of vice and consequently the revelation of Allah’s indignation and retribution?

It is indeed an obligation on the part of the rational people among us to prevent the foolish from wrongdoing, for when calamities strike, everybody is affected. Every Muslim is entitled to defend his right in helping maintain security and virtue.

As long as counsel is mutually undertaken and prudence is a common practice among people they will remain safe from Allah’s scourge and the vanishing of His blessings. Allah says: And your Lord would never destroy the towns wrongfully, while their people were right-doers. [Hūd: 117]

Therefore, you are called upon to be appreciative of Allah’s graces and never to take anything as substitute for them; otherwise Allah shall turn your life around. You are equally called upon to stand firm in the face of those preaching blasphemy.

May Allah protect our homeland and those of all Muslims!

O Allah! We seek refuge in You against the vanishing of Your graces, the change in the good health you granted us, the suddenness of Your vengeance, and all kinds of Your wrath!

This being said, I advise you to send your salat and peace on the best and the purest of all mankind, Mohammad Ibn Abdullah, Al Hashimi, Al Qurashi.

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your servant and Messenger, Muhammad, on his good and pure family, on his sincere and audacious Companions, and on those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and victory to Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honoured and those of sins are guided, and where al-ma’roof (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsā Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are defenceless! O Allah! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case!

O You, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate! Spare their blood, safeguard their tranquillity, protect their honour, bring them close together, feed their hungry, grant them boldness, strength and victory against their oppressors!

O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around righteousness, and protect them against the evil-doers among them!

O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your true servants!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet ()! O Allah! Make them a Mercy on Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah: 201], Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks. [Āl ͑Imrān: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

O Allah! We implore You not to hold us accountable for our sins or for the deeds of the malevolent among us!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! Allah is the only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and we repent to Him!

O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! Bestow upon us expedient rain, a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands!

O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy! O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy! O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Accept our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

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BintAbee
11-20-2013, 03:57 AM
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Thankfulness Yields Lasting Graces

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

November 8, 2012 ~ Muharram 5, 1435

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Āl Tālib delivered this Friday’s khutbah entitled “Thankfulness Yields Lasting Graces” in which he talked about the innumerable graces that Allah bountifully bestowed upon His servants. He pointed out that people should constantly thank Allah () in acknowledgement of the blessings He has bestowed on them and the afflictions He has spared them. The Sheikh equally pointed out that the ungrateful person who disavows graces is the one who erroneously deploys such graces in ways that displease Allah ().


Part One

Praise be to Allah! O Lord! All praise is due to You, for You created us, bestowed upon us the means of subsistence, guided us, imparted knowledge to us, salvaged us, and lifted afflictions befalling us. Praise is due to You for all Your Graces! Praise be to You for Islam! Praise be to You for the Qur’ān! Praise be to You for the bounties of kinship, property, and sound health! You have restrained our enemy, bestowed abundant resources upon us, reinforced our security, unified our split ranks, granted us stability and steadfastness, and given us whatever we asked for!

Therefore, we owe You profuse gratitude for all that! Praise is due to You for every single grace You have bestowed on us lately or currently, in private or in public ‒be it general or special‒ benefiting those who are alive or dead, present or absent. Praise be to You until You are pleased! Praise be to You once You are pleased! Praise be to You after You are pleased! Lord, we are not counting our praises to You (for You really deserve more than we can count)!

O Allah! We beseech You to enable us to thank You for Your graces and to duly worship You! We seek refuge in You from the disappearance of Your graces and the sudden change of Your favour on our health and stability! We seek refuge in You from substituting Your graces for disbelief, from denying them after having enjoyed them, and from forgetting them and not praising You for them!

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah alone without associate, and I equally bear witness that Muhammad () is Allah’s Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Grace, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, his Companions, the tabi'în (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [] after his death), and all those who have righteously followed them till the Day of Judgement!

Now, then, O people!

I recommend you to listen to Allah’s counsel addressed to bygone nations as well as to this present one: ...And verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allâh, and keep your duty to Him... [Al-Nissā’: 131]. He who is alert will be safe, but he who he is not vigilant will regret it: O mankind! Remember the Grace of Allâh upon you! Is there any creator other than Allâh who provides for you from the sky (rain) and the earth? Lâ ilâha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). How then are you turning away (from Him)? [Fātir: 3]

O Muslims!

Imams Bukhari and Muslim narrated on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both him and his father) that Prophet Muhammad () once came to Madinah and found the Jews fasting the ͑Āshūrā’ Day, so he asked them, “What is this day that you are fasting?” They answered, “This is a glorious day on which Allah saved Moses and his people and caused Pharaoh and his people to drown. Thus, Moses observed fasting in commemoration of that day. Likewise, we observe fasting on ͑Āshūrā Day.” Prophet Muhammad () said, “We are more entitled to claim closeness to Moses than you are.” Therefore, Prophet Muhammad () observed fasting during Āshūrā’ Day and ordered his followers to do so. Prophet Muhammad () added, “If I remain alive for next year, I will also fast the ninth day (i.e. in addition to the 10th day of Muharram).”

On the authority of Abu Qatādah, Prophet Muhammad () is reported to have said, “By fasting the Āshūrā Day, I trust Allah to expiate the sins of the previous year.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]

O servants of Allah!

Prophet Muhammad () thanked Allah for a favour bestowed upon another prophet some centuries ago. What is more, he confirmed such attitude as part of his teachings to his Ummah. Thus, he explained to them the great recompense attendant upon thankfulness, as it is half of religion, and Allah loves those who are thankful and has promised them bountiful reward. In fact, Allah () is the Thankful, the All-Knowing, the All-Thanking, and the Clement. ...and Allâh will give reward to those who are grateful... [Āl ͑Imrān: 144]; ... And We shall reward the grateful. [Āl ͑Imrān:145]

Allah has commanded His servants to be thankful, proscribed the antithesis of thankfulness, commended thankful people for such character, attributed the trait of thankfulness to the closest creatures to Him, promised thankful people the best reward, and made thankfulness a reason for receiving further favours and a safeguard of His graces. Allah has also made of thankfulness the ultimate purpose of creation and ordainment. Thus, Allah () said: And Allâh has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allâh).  [Al-Naḫl: 78], and encapsulated worship in (the precept of) thankfulness when he said:  ... and be grateful to Allâh, if it is indeed He Whom you worship. [Al-Baqarah: 172]

Allah commended His true servants and select prophets for being thankful. Thus, about Noah, He said: ... he was a grateful slave [Al-Isrā’: 3], and about Ibrahim Al-Khaleel (), He said: Verily, Ibrâhim (Abraham) was an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation, obedient to Allâh, Hanifa (i.e. to worship none but Allâh), and he was not one of those who were Al-Mushrikûn (polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh, and those who joined partners with Allâh). (120); (He was) thankful for His (Allâh's) Graces. He (Allâh) chose him (as an intimate friend) and guided him to a Straight Path (Islâmic Monotheism, neither Judaism nor Christianity). [Al-Naḫl: 120-121]. Allah also cited His two prophets ‒Dawood and Suleiman‒ as saying: "All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, Who has preferred us above many of His believing slaves!"  [Al-Naml: 15]

Allah mentioned Suleiman () as saying (in a prayer): "My Lord! Inspire and bestow upon me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favours which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, and admit me by Your Mercy among Your righteous slaves."  [Al-Naml: 19]. Therefore, thankfulness is associated with good deeds when Suleiman realised his objective of having the throne of the Queen of Sheba brought forth and placed in front of him:  ... he said: "This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his ownself, and whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for the loss of his ownself). Certainly! My Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful."  [Al-Naml: 40]

Here is what Allah’s prophet, Yusuf (), said when he became the governor of Egypt and benefited from the favour of power as well as reunion with his parents and kinsfolk: “My Lord! You have indeed bestowed on me of the sovereignty, and taught me the interpretation of dreams; The (only) Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Walî (Protector, Helper, Supporter, Guardian, etc.) in this world and in the Hereafter, cause me to die as a Muslim (the one submitting to Your Will), and join me with the righteous." [Yusuf: 101]. Thus, he thanked his Lord, attributed favours to Him, and asked Allah for good deeds and decent ending to his lifetime.

As to Prophet Muhammad () ‒the Seal of Prophets and the Imam (Leader) of the thankful‒ he used to perform night prayer until his heels cracked. When Aisha (his wife) asked him about that, he answered, “Should I not be a thankful servant?” [Narrated by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari]

O Muslims!

Thankfulness consists in praising the Benefactor for the bestowed reward. In this regard, the Muslim will never be considered as thankful to Allah for His abundant bounties until he shows gratitude to his Lord by his heart, tongue, and limbs. He should believe deep inside himself that the favours he is blessed with are exclusively from Allah as a sign of His munificence and benefaction. This should be echoed in his verbal praise when his tongue eulogises Allah () as is shown by Allah’s verse: And proclaim the Grace of your Lord (i.e. the Prophethood and all other Graces). [Adh-Dhuḫā: 11]

The essence of being thankful for the bestowed graces is to use such graces to win the Benefactor’s satisfaction, for whoever exploits Allah’s graces to disobey Him will have denied such graces and will have received the due punishment of the Benefactor.

Thankfulness is, therefore, not just verbal praising. It is also an action which shows gratitude. Allah () did say, "Work you, O family of Dâwud (David), with thanks!" But few of My slaves are grateful.  [Saba’: 13]. Allah () ‒the best of all speakers‒ also said: O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allâh, if it is indeed He Whom you worship. [Al-Baqarah: 172]. He () equally said: Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc.). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favours on you) and never be ungrateful to Me.  [Al- Baqarah: 152]

Thus, when Allah bestowed on (the tribe of) Quraish the two graces to which every creature aspires, He said: So let them worship (Allâh) the Lord of this House (the Ka'bah in Makkah). (3) (He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear. (4) [Quraish: 3-4]. In fact, Allah provided them with enough food and granted them security. In the verse So let them worship (Allâh) the Lord of this House (the Ka'bah in Makkah). [Quraish: 3] there is an invitation to show thankfulness to Allah so that His graces will last.

O servants of Allah!

Thankfulness is one of the reasons which guarantee that Allah is pleased with His servant: And if you are grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you. [Al-Zumar: 7]. Thankfulness is also a security from torment: Why should Allâh punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him [Al-Nisā’: 147].

Qatādah ‒may Allah have mercy on him‒ said, “Allah ‒may He be greatly praised‒ torments not a thankful person or a believer.” Thankfulness also leads to abundance. Allah () said: And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allâh), I will give you more (of My Blessings), ... [Ibrāhīm: 7]

Al-Hassan Al-Basri said, “Allah does bestow His graces upon people for as long as He wishes, but if He is not thanked in return, He transforms them into torment.” This is why thankfulness used to be referred to as the ‘preserver’, for it preserves existing graces, and the ‘attractor’, as it attracts missing graces. The position of thankfulness being what it is, the job of Iblīs (Satan) has always been to deter people and keep them away from being thankful. He said (talking to Allah): "Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path.16 Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)." 17 [Al-‘A ͑rāf: 16-17]

In fact, how rare thankful people are! Allah () said: ...Truly, Allâh is full of Bounty to mankind, but most men thank not.  [Al-Baqarah: 243]. This explains why among the prophets’ supplications there is this one: ...“My Lord! Inspire and bestow upon me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favours which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, ... [Al-Naml: 19]

Prophet Muhammad () used to supplicate Allah as follows: “My Lord! Help me praise You for your graces. My Lord, make me constantly thankful to You! I beseech You!” He also advised Mu͑ādh Ibn Jabal () while firmly grasping his hand, “O Mu͑ādh! I swear by Allah I feel affection for you!” Then the Prophet said, “I advise you Mu͑ādh: Never cease to repeat these words immediately after each prayer. You say, ‘O Allah! Help me remember You, thank You, and worship You properly.’” [Narrated by Abu Dawood via an authentic chain of narrators]

O servants of Allah!

Allah has generously offered us bounties and bestowed upon us graces and favours munificently: And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you count the Blessings of Allâh, never will you be able to count them.  [Ibrāhīm: 34]. Thus, graces are maintained only when the Benefactor is shown thankfulness, for Allah () gave promises and at the same time made threats when He said: And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allâh), I will give you more (of My Blessings), but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily! My Punishment is indeed severe."  [Ibrāhīm: 7]

Ingratitude and denial of graces ‒in addition to using them as a springboard for disobedience, arrogance, and rebellion against Allah’s commands and proscriptions‒ cause the vanishing of blessings, the retraction of graces, their substitution with afflictions, the infliction of collective predicaments and punishments: And Allâh puts forward the example of a township (Makkah), that dwelt secure and well content; its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it (its people) denied the Favours of Allâh (with ungratefulness). So Allâh made it taste the extreme of hunger (famine) and fear, because of that (evil, i.e. denying Prophet Muhammad SAW) which they (its people) used to do. [Al-Naḫl: 112]

Notice how in the verse above Allah said: denied the Favours of Allâh (with ungratefulness) rather than simply “denied Allah”, for the denial of favours is the cause of hunger, fear, affliction, turmoil, lack of security, and economic instability. Again, among other forms of denying favours include squandering wealth, extravagance, tyranny, and arrogance which cause Allah’s wrath and abhorrence, and lead to His fury and punishment: Nay! Verily, man does transgress all bounds (in disbelief and evil deed, etc.).  (6) Because he considers himself self-sufficient. [Al-͑Alaq: 6-7]

Therefore, do not be among those who have traded the graces of Allah with infidelity and have thus wrought loss and calamity upon their people. Allah has set an example to this effect; He () said: Indeed there was for Saba' (Sheba) a sign in their dwelling place, - two gardens on the right hand and on the left (and it was said to them) "Eat of the provision of your Lord, and be grateful to Him, a fair land and an Oft-Forgiving Lord (15). But they turned away (from the obedience of Allah), so We sent against them Sail Al-'Arim (flood released from the dam), and We converted their two gardens into gardens producing bitter bad fruit, and tamarisks, and some few lote-trees (16). Like this We requited them because they were ungrateful disbelievers. And never do We requit in such a way except those who are ungrateful, (disbelievers). [Saba’: 15 – 17]. Still on the fate of such people, Allah () has gone as far as saying: so We made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all, totally. Verily, in this are indeed signs for every steadfast grateful (person). [Saba’: 19]

Look at those who have suddenly been struck by calamities so their grace has turned into scourge, their security into fear and their affluence into destitution and hunger: That is so because Allah will never change a grace which He has bestowed on a people until they change what is in their ownselves. [Al-Anfāl: 53]

Many a nation were safe and secure and enjoying the diverse pleasures of life with their livelihoods abundantly flowing into their hands from all directions; never had their hearts experienced fear or their souls hunger. In the blink of an eye, their lives were turned around and suddenly found themselves such wretched souls with all the grace and well-being taken away from them and punishment on their doorstep.

How many a tale time has recounted of states and nations, individuals and communities who have wrought on themselves (divine) retribution and have therefore been uprooted and eradicated from the face of the earth, as no weaponry or power would have been able to reverse the outcome of their ultimate fate.

Every human being should know that there is no escape from our Lord’s indignation except through making recourse to His Path. Verily, He is the Strong, the Subduer, the Honorable, the All-Powerful, the Almighty.

Allah sets His own days and ways when dealing with His creatures. This becomes evident when we try to reflect on the lot of the bygone peoples of ͑Ād and Thamūd, the Pharaohs ‒notwithstanding their severity‒ those (mighty) people who tilled the earth, sculptured the mountains (to make houses out of them), possessed all forms of power and made provisions against calamities? When these people overlooked Allah, He sent down His affliction on them and wiped them out from existence leaving nothing of them save traits and signs. They were reduced to nothing but tales to be recounted and lessons to be learnt from their history. In this regard, Allah () says: So We punished each (of them) for his sins, of them were some on whom We sent Hasiban (a violent wind with shower of stones) [as the people of Lout (Lot)], and of them were some who were overtaken by As-Saihah [torment - awful cry, etc. (as Thamud or Shu'aib's people)], and of them were some whom We caused the earth to swallow [as Qarun (Korah)], and of them were some whom We drowned [as the people of Nuh (Noah), or Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and his people]. It was not Allah Who wronged them, but they wronged themselves. [Al-͑Ankabūt: 40]

May Allah bless you and me by the Glorious Qur'ān and benefit us with the Sunnah of the Master of all Messengers! I say this and I seek forgiveness from Almighty Allah for me and for you.


Part Two

Praise be to Allah, Who has given in abundance, bestowed from His bounty profusely, and made recovery from His own afflictions! He bestowed His blessings on us; those we can see and those we can’t. Much praise be to Him, just in the same way He bestows on us! I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him with no associate, and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger! May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace upon him, his family, his Companions and the tabi'īn (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet  after his death).

Now then, O Muslims!

Working to safeguard those blessings we experience both in public and private –including homeland security, unity and affluence– calls for some Sharia (religious) considerations that may never be substituted with worldly ones. Rather, such considerations constitute the foundation in this respect.

Two decades ago, you witnessed a world super power fall apart and collapse; its once national territory was fragmented into small states and its weapons turned into a commodity to be bought and sold. Its vast territories as well as its massive army and military might were no assets that could halt the process of disintegration. The latest and swift developments over the last few years reflect but a similar trend.

By contrast, there is the Arabian Peninsula which was on the margin of civilization and history altogether. As the light of Islam sprang from it and began to shine on it, it became such a pivotal part of the world with treasures and goods flowing into it. Then, it underwent a setback for a while and lost impact until Allah brought about the Call of Reform (by Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahāb) in it in line with the prophetic approach three centuries ago. Once again, the Arabian Peninsula recovered its glamour and purity. Allah brought out for it and its people the treasures of the earth and bestowed on it from His bounty in ways it would never reckon. It developed into a nation to be revered throughout the world and to be feared by those who would pay no heed to it some decades back.

This would have never been achieved for this part of the world if it weren’t for the support and benevolence of Allah Almighty and for its own will to make His Holy Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet () the foundation of its state. It shall endure for as long as it remains steadfast on that path. It shall persist so long as it takes good care of the foundation upon which it was erected.

Endurance requires awareness of such a fact and perseverance on such a principle: And whoever changes Allah's Favour after it had come to him, [e.g. renounces the Religion of Allah (Islam) and accepts Kufr (disbelief),] then surely, Allah is Severe in punishment. [Al-Baqarah: 211]

Those hostile attempts emanating from without and reverberating within through some of those caught in their spell –those who are trying to shake this country off its path of righteousness– are indeed attempts at severing the country from its sources of power and empowerment with which Allah has endowed it; at cutting off the heavenly bliss of livelihood and security that has been extended to it. It should be noted in this regard that a change in faith inevitably brings about a change in condition.

We have been repeatedly warned through Allah’s ways and laws of dealing with nations across time and through His righteous words thus: And Allah puts forward the example of a township (Makkah), that dwelt secure and well content; its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it (its people) denied the Favours of Allah (with ungratefulness). So Allah made it taste the extreme of hunger (famine) and fear, because of that (evil, i.e. denying Prophet Muhammad) which they (its people) used to do. [An-Naḫl: 112]

The change in faith whose consequences are to be feared is one that consists in either one of the two extremes: excess and negligence. Radicalism, ‘takfeer’ (charging fellow Muslims with unbelief), disregarding the sanctity of blood and stirring chaos are misdemeanors targeting primarily the integrity and stability of religion rather than people’s security and lives.

Apostasy, the dissemination of adultery, the irreverence of Allah’s sanctities and the manifest acts of disobedience are geared to bring down religion and push people away from it. Verily, they are forms of ingratitude vis-à-vis Allah’s graces.

Excessiveness and negligence, on the one hand, and lechery and extravagance, on the other, make up the two repulsive sides of debauchery that neither of which necessitates resistance and prevention more urgently than the other. Both of them are comparable to a pair of scissors that would clamp up on the connection between heaven and earth until it is severed.

Why would people want to trade the graces of Allah with unbelief and thus bring about loss and calamity to their people? Have they not seen that We have made (Makkah) a secure sanctuary, and that men are being snatched away from all around them? [Al-͑Ankabūt: 67]

Have they not seen that Allah has blessed us with security, communal life, goodness and virtue? Or are those wicked souls not willing to settle down before they ignite the flame of chaos, disorder, discord and perversity setting the stage for the propagation of vice and consequently the revelation of Allah’s indignation and retribution?

It is indeed an obligation on the part of the rational people among us to prevent the foolish from wrongdoing, for when calamities strike, everybody is affected. Every Muslim is entitled to defend his right in helping maintain security and virtue.

As long as counsel is mutually undertaken and prudence is a common practice among people they will remain safe from Allah’s scourge and the vanishing of His blessings. Allah says: And your Lord would never destroy the towns wrongfully, while their people were right-doers. [Hūd: 117]

Therefore, you are called upon to be appreciative of Allah’s graces and never to take anything as substitute for them; otherwise Allah shall turn your life around. You are equally called upon to stand firm in the face of those preaching blasphemy.

May Allah protect our homeland and those of all Muslims!

O Allah! We seek refuge in You against the vanishing of Your graces, the change in the good health you granted us, the suddenness of Your vengeance, and all kinds of Your wrath!

This being said, I advise you to send your salat and peace on the best and the purest of all mankind, Mohammad Ibn Abdullah, Al Hashimi, Al Qurashi.

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your servant and Messenger, Muhammad, on his good and pure family, on his sincere and audacious Companions, and on those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and victory to Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honoured and those of sins are guided, and where al-ma’roof (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsā Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are defenceless! O Allah! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case!

O You, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate! Spare their blood, safeguard their tranquillity, protect their honour, bring them close together, feed their hungry, grant them boldness, strength and victory against their oppressors!

O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around righteousness, and protect them against the evil-doers among them!

O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your true servants!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet ()! O Allah! Make them a Mercy on Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah: 201], Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks. [Āl ͑Imrān: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

O Allah! We implore You not to hold us accountable for our sins or for the deeds of the malevolent among us!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! Allah is the only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and we repent to Him!

O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! Bestow upon us expedient rain, a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands!

O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy! O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy! O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Accept our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

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BintAbee
12-31-2013, 01:24 PM
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The Crime of Accusing Muslims of Unbelief Unjustly

Safar 10, 1435 ~ December 13, 2013

Khutbah Topic
His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Mohammad Āl Talib –may Allah protect him– delivered this Friday’s khutbah titled ‘The Crime of Accusing Muslims of Unbelief Unjustly’ in which Sheikh Saleh talked about moderation brought about by our shari’a and our religion. He warned against extremism and exaggeration in religion, and presented some examples of reproach in the Qur’ān and Sunnah to the Prophet and his Companions; then he talked about the suffering of our Muslim brothers and sisters in Syria. Finally he concluded by giving advice to all Muslims and reminding them of the necessity to unite and avoid division and to adopt a unified stance so as to prevail over their lurking enemies who are waiting for the opportunity to do them harm. He urged them to see to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Syria who are going through horrible trials and underscored the necessity of supporting them in this respect.

Part one

Praise be to Allah Who made His Religion our shari’a and made the Right Path clear to us. He made divine inspiration evidence and proof for approved actions and made our faith an epitome of moderation that may defeat anyone who tries to pursue a hard line in faith. I praise and thank my Lord (May He be extolled), and I ask for His guidance and forgiveness. He deserves all praise, thanks and glory. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger; he ordered us to follow his path and tenets, and to sacrifice our children, wealth and souls for him and his religion –may Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessings upon him. Allah sent him to clear the darkness (people were living in before Islam) and so the Right Path became clear to us and divine proof unmistakable. May Allah also send His Salat upon his family, Companions and the tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Companions after the death of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him]) and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement.



Now then,

I urge you to observe true taqwā (fear of disobeying Allah) and adhere to Islam’s firm, reliable grip. And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allâh. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly. [Al-Baqarah: 281]. On that Day, only those who observed taqwā shall be saved: Paradise will be brought near to the Muttaqûn (pious - see V.2:2) not far off. (It will be said): "This is what you were promised, - (it is) for those oft-returning (to Allâh) in sincere repentance, and those who preserve their covenant with Allâh (by obeying Him in all what He has ordered, and worship none but Allâh Alone, i.e. follow Allâh's Religion, Islâmic Monotheism). "Who feared the Most Beneficent (Allâh) in the Ghaib (unseen): (i.e. in this worldly life before seeing and meeting Him), and brought a heart turned in repentance (to Him - and absolutely free from each and every kind of polytheism), "Enter you therein in peace and security; this is a Day of eternal life!" [Qāf: 31-34]

Servants of Allah!

Our Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) brought us from his Lord (to Whom belongs Might and Majesty) a complete, flawless and moderate shari’a that encourages neither exaggeration nor negligence. It has been implemented by Allah’s command, and perfected in accordance with His Wisdom. To show perfect loyalty to this shari’a and to show indefatigable preparedness to make it prevail, our Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) took it upon himself to safeguard its tenets and protect its dictates against adversaries as well as friends, i.e. those who would exaggerate in observing it or those who shun it. For any deviance befalling it, regardless of the perpetrators, be they admirers or loathers; proponents or opponents may affect it and result in a serious schism in it.

Defending Allah’s shari’a dictates that no compromise be made for the sake of anyone, be they relatives, compatriots, or even a generally righteous person because faith is dearer than all, and sunnah is more precious than loved ones. This is a divine law and the Prophet’s teaching. Allah Almighty reproached Jonah when he left his village without permission. He threw him into the sea then into the whale’s belly. Allah also reproached our Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) when he frowned and turned away when a blind man came to him. Then, when he asked Allah to forgive a polytheist, Allah Almighty said, It is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allâh's Forgiveness for the Mushrikûn (polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh) even though they be of kin, ... [Al-Tawbah: 113] In another reproach, we read: May Allâh forgive you (O Muhammad SAW). Why did you grant them leave (for remaining behind, you should have persisted as regards your order to them to proceed on Jihâd), until those who told the truth were seen by you in a clear light, and you had known the liars? [Al-Tawbah: 43] Reproach is well-known in the case of Badr prisoners of war.

There is also the case of a prophet-to-prophet reproach. Moses blamed his brother Hārūn (Aaron) for earnest concern about his Lord’s Message that he grabbed his brother by the beard and the head.

Our Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) reproached his best friend Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) and told him, “You have probably angered them!” He was referring to Salman, Suhaib and Bilal. He also reprimanded Abu Dharr (May Allah be pleased with him) and said, “Have you taunted him with his mother?” Again, he blamed Usāmah Ibn Zaid for killing a man after he had uttered the shahādah [1] when he saw the flash of the sword. The Prophet said, “How could you kill him after he had said ‘lā ilāha illa Allāh (There is no deity except Allah)?’ What are you going to do with ‘lā ilāha illa Allāh’ when it comes on Doomsday?” “He said it only to save his life, O Allah’s Messenger!” Usāmah replied. “Have you looked into his heart?” the Prophet asked. “What are you going to do with ‘lā ilāha illa Allāh’ when it comes on Doomsday?” The Prophet repeated the question to him so many times that Usāmah wished he had become a Muslim only that day.

The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) exonerated himself of the people that Khalid ( May Allah be pleased with him) killed from (the tribe of) Bani Judhaimah as they were unable to say “aslamna” (We have become Muslims) and instead said “ṣaba’nā” [2] (We have renounced our religion). Many other examples could be cited in this respect.

O Muslims!

While citing the aforementioned examples, we notice some of those who are considered righteous ‒those who think that they are sacrificing their lives in the cause of Allah‒ commit worse sins than those committed by some dissolute villains. Their sins were much more harmful to Islam than those perpetrated by many sinners. Such sinners have received little advice and no denunciation.

Some righteous people have tried to justify their reticence in various ways. Some have argued that they did not want the enemy to gloat or the delinquent to rejoice. Others have opined that reticence has priority. They have forgotten that even prophets and the best of the Prophet’s Companions had been reproached.

O servants of Allah!
Among the gravest evil acts perpetrated by some are the crime of unjustly accusing a Muslim of unbelief and the crime of shedding his blood. The latter is often the consequence of the former. Both are grave sins in Allah’s sight on account of the great harm they both pose for the faith and the faithful. They prevent the dissemination of the message of Islam and the spread of its Call. In addition, they are sources of the corruption inflicted on the Muslim society.

Some people might avoid alcohol consumption, adultery, usury, and other major sins. However, Satan may deceive them into far worse sins such as unjustly accusing a Muslim of unbelief. The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said, “He who calls his brother [in Islam] ‘O you Kafir (unbeliever)’ then one of them is a Kafir.” Alternatively, one might unlawfully shed someone else’s blood. The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said, “The Mu’min (believer) will still be within the boundaries of his faith unless he unlawfully commits bloodshed.” [Narrated by Bukhari]

He also said (as narrated by Al-Nasā’ī and Ibn Mājah), “The destruction of the world is easier in the sight of Allah than the killing of a Muslim.” In line with this, Allah Almighty says, And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allâh are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him [Al-Nisā’: 93]

Satan has despaired of those who cling to religious tenets and avoid major sins. If Satan tried to tempt one of them into unlawfully accepting a dirham, he would not certainly be tempted. Then, Satan lures him into accusing a Muslim of unbelief and then into killing him. Such a person becomes a burden on the faith, and a disaster to the ummah. His sin register will outweigh that of a life-long delinquent. He is similar to the one who murdered Al-Husain [3] (may Allah be pleased with him) then asked whether killing a mosquito is tolerated, and those who kill Muslims and spare the pagans.

O Muslims!

When scholars’ esteem wears thin in the youths’ eyes, and their reverence is undermined by newspapers and columnists or by extremists and hardliners, the younger generation will be brought up on chaotic authority. Novices and dreamers alike will inevitably step in to assume religious authority; consequently, not only will they go astray, but they will also misguide others. The easy recourse to accusing others of unbelief is, more often than not, preceded by scholars being disparaged and attacked by the impudent, be they extremists or antagonists. However, they are on equal footing in sin and effect. In the past four decades, we have seen some of the faith-loving Muslim youths who are earnestly concerned about their ummah repeat their past mistakes and failures. Consequently, the ummah takes one step forward but many backward. Not a single asset is gained without several concurrent liabilities.

This often happens in times of disasters whose details are witnessed by kind-hearted youths who may succumb to emotion and be overwhelmed by zealotry to the stage that they may accuse scholars of negligence in presenting what is right and of shirking their capital duties. They witness the enemy rushing upon the ummah and the inefficacy of many Arab and Muslim governments. Thus, some of them may rebel; others may mobilise themselves to make jihad. Yet, some may lose confidence in their scholars. Their opinions may vary, and their inclination may be contradictory. All this may drive a wedge in the nation’s entity that may ultimately turn detrimental.

Some sympathizers may turn a blind eye to this defect under the pretext that these youths are fulfilling a collective obligation [4] ignored by those more responsible for it. However, the danger among them and because of them grows, whereas good diminishes and contracts. Finally, they will realize that they have neither travelled long nor kept their rides. Quite the opposite, they might return home empty-handed leaving their enemy even stronger, and the crops of their endeavour reaped by others. (Not translated) In this case, everybody bears the consequences.

Today, Syria is a living example. When the enemies of Muslims and Arabs colluded against Syria, most of the Arab and Muslim governments failed to act or desisted from any action that might put an end to the Syrian catastrophe. Therefore, belligerent organizations and parties multiplied and rushed to take part in the war. Many good-intentioned youths were also involved. However, intelligence agencies and the devils had some fingers in the dirty pie. It has been discovered that the on-going struggle is partly fought between some of these organizations which have become a fertile ground for takfīr (accusing Muslims of unbelief) and liquidations. Nay, some of them are bent on hunting for zealous youths trying to recruit them to act against their own countries and even their protectors.

Some scholars have failed to explain the reality of the role played by those pursuing the takfīr path and legalizing bloodshed in re-enacting past disasters the blood of which is still fresh and tears running.

We are certain that some of them only had good intentions, which emphasizes that this country and its scholars were right when they warned against going blindly to sites with unknown colours and with partisans harbouring mysterious agendas.

O you scholars!

Jihad is the apex of Islam. But the mujahideen are only fallible human beings. Criticizing what is wrong in jihad does not entail criticizing jihad itself, nor is it meant to dampen the spirit of jihad or deny its great effect on the life of the ummah and the glory of the faith. We have to make it absolutely clear; we must not mince matters; we are facing a very serious problem. It is the problem of defacing honest jihad and doing harm to true mujahideen, who are defending their ummah and their homeland.
As we denounce the aberration of the dissolute and the presumptuousness of Islam haters, we have to denounce counter aberration since it is much worse and more harmful to the nation. This will keep our path clear and straight. Calling to the Way of Allah should be carried out with kindness and compassion, without any resort to classification or calling for hostility. Try to win them over, for this is closer to righteousness.

We are told that when Ibn Abbas debated with the Kharijites [5] , four thousands of them returned to the fold. This does not normally happen with the depraved. The Caliph accepted their return and did not punish them for defecting to the other side. This is the way to deal with suspects, whose hands are not tarnished with unlawful blood, taking into account that their motives are mainly well-intentioned. One of the most important reasons for victory is rank purification. Allah described a group of people saying, Had they marched out with you, they would have added to you nothing except disorder, and they would have hurried about in your midst (spreading corruption) and sowing sedition among you, and there are some among you who would have listened to them. And Allâh is the All-Knower of the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.). [Al- Tawbah: 47]

We must distinguish the good from the bad, the mujahid from the saboteur, and the reformist from the corruptor, bearing in mind that he who defends his homeland against the enemy is right and is making jihad. Denunciation and censure are levelled against a group who got involved in that path and not against all.

O Muslim Youths!

Good intentions are hardly enough in securing a good end for Islam and Muslims. Yes, a Muslim may be excused and rewarded in certain cases. Allah may grant his servant the honour of jihad or martyrdom that he was looking forward to. However, this does not mean that he who has attained this has achieved victory for, or supported, Islam. Nay, some of them might go to war just to get killed not knowing that living and life in the cause of Allah are sometimes more beneficial for the ummah than a hasty death in the cause of Allah.

Despite the fact that shahādah (martyrdom) is the greatest goal of the jihadist, the ultimate goal of jihad is sublimating Allah’s word in order to preclude fitnah (trial) for Muslims in their religion, wealth and honour, and that religion (i.e. worship) is (acknowledged to be) for Allah [6].

This is emphasized by what Imam Ahmad had reported in his Musnad. He reported that Abu Umāmah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) three times on separate occasions to supplicate Allah to grant him shahādah (martyrdom), and in each occasion the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) would answer, “O Allah, keep them safe and grant them the spoils of victory!”

Shahādah is a personal gain, whereas sacrificing life and wealth in the cause of Allah has long-lasting benefits. He who sincerely prays Allah for Shahādah will attain it even if he dies a normal death in his bed.

We emphasize this and approve of it at a time when the West and East are all smiles as they watch this war raging and dragging on and on; a war that has already devoured, and is still devouring, tender bodies and souls.

We see the enemy rejoicing at seeing the best of Muslim youth lining up just to be killed; those enemies are trying their best to make sure that neither party wins in order that the wheel of death continues reaping lives.

This situation necessitates on Muslim states to do their best to bring this battle to an end since the oppressive party that can put an end to this tragedy does not care about its people's blood or its citizens' souls. The oppressor, in fact, is not one of them; neither is his religion theirs, nor his grief. He is using foreigners and strangers against his own people.

O Muslim youth who are anxious to secure a bright future for their Ummah!

When somebody calls in question the integrity of the religious scholars of your Ummah, the leaders of your country and seeks to fuel your anger at them, at your country and people, you should know that he has taken the battle to your country, that its fuel are your countrymen and the loser is your homeland. Be sure that our great religion will not reap any good out of this.

Never lose hope in your own people and kinsfolk, for either they have got an excuse that you have failed to understand or that they are in a negligence which can be treated but not through causing fighting or hatred. You have to learn a lesson from those who were implicated in such risky paths then felt remorse when it was too late.

Servants of Allah!

All the above could be said with respect to treating an injury in a healthy body or cleaning out a stain in a clean shiny cloth; otherwise good is abundant and our youth are generally fine and straight. Most of them are on good right guidance that pleases the hearts of Muslims and displeases the hearts of the hypocrites who never stop mixing good with evil and making unfair generalisations. They have found their luck with few religious individuals to vent their frustration on the religion itself and to market their deviations as being the real moderation. However, what happened and is still happening is predestined by Allah; it is a test from Him and a purification so that the believer will be distinguished from the hypocrite and the good person from the fāsiq (corrupt) one, and so that hearts express their true inner feelings. Eventually, those who perish [through disbelief] will perish upon evidence and those who live on [in faith] will live upon evidence [7].

Allah's religion shall definitely prevail; it does not need us to give it victory, but we need it to promote it and raise it above everything and everyone.

O Allah! Show us the Truth as truth and guide us to follow it, and show us evil as evil and guide us to avoid it! O Allah! Guide us by Your will to the truth of which people hold contradictory views for You guide whomever You will to a straight path!

May Allah bless you and me by the Glorious Qur'ān and benefit us with the Sunnah of the Master of all Messengers! I say this and seek forgiveness from Almighty Allah for me and for you.

Part Two

All the praises and thanks are to Allah, to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. He is all the praises and thanks in the Hereafter, and He is the All-wise the All-aware. (1). He knows that which goes into the earth and that which comes forth from it, and that which descends from the heaven and that which ascends to it. And He is the Most Merciful, the Oft-Forgiving. [Saba': 1-2]. I praise my Lord (May He be extolled) and thank Him and ask for His forgiveness! I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone with no associate and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger! May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, his Companions, the tabi'īn (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death), and those who follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgement! (Not translated)

O Muslims!

Seeking truth and justice is a natural disposition in man. During the pre-Islamic era and after the advent of Islam people used to hasten to charters, rules, and orders that would protect rights and establish justice. However, some people adopt falsehood as truth till they reach their goals though these go against justice.

What draws the attention nowadays is the fast pace of events and their turbulence, the speed of transformations and their disparity. These are transformations and changes in thought, principles, and policies and a withdrawal from charters, values, and treaties. You could see the positions (stands) of many states and individuals like the waves of a tumultuous sea, and you could see peoples and principles among them as a bird's nest being jerked around by these positions till it is torn out while nobody cares about it.

Thus, who was a devil yesterday under the banner of religion has become today a dear friend with no heed paid to religion! Since religion is taken merely as a means to achieve (worldly) goals. There is no consideration either for those peoples whose lives have been torn apart, the bloodshed, the values and covenants for these do not really matter as they are merely means used to achieve certain goals and greed. This is indeed the reality of man when he distances himself from Allah’s way.

Thanks are due to events, for they have revealed the ugly face of the materialistic civilization and the truth and reality of many organizations, parties, and policies as well. These events have shown that their celebration of human rights, defense of the truth, and advocating rights of the oppressed are only false slogans. Moreover these events showed men of values and principles who take the side of truth, righteousness, and justice even though they might be alone.

Muslims had joined world associations and international organizations, but what did they reap? Was their blood protected, and their rights kept? Or were these trodden by those who are powerful in such a shameless and disconcerting manner?!

The Muslim world nowadays is being hit strongly, and the executioners want to suffocate it and achieve their greed mercilessly. There is Palestine and our occupied Aqsa Mosque being sold and bought, its lands (with trees and plants) shovelled away, and its people displaced. Still, there is no just decision!!

Look at Syria! It is witnessing its plight with millions of homeless people and hundreds of thousands of dead and injured!!

The world is getting together to secure its selfish greed while turning a blind eye to a crystal clear oppression, and it is never keeping its convents and treaties.

Against these events and changes, a Muslim needs certain clear landmarks and truths to stick to and a safe haven to sail into lest his boat sinks by tumultuous storms. There is no haven safer than resorting to Allah Almighty, asking for His forgiveness, supplicating Him and relying on Him. He is the best Lord and the best Supporter; therefore, hasten your escape to Allah.

Islam is a faith, legislation and deeply rooted principles a Muslim lives by and for and stands to defend. Indeed, our future is bound by being faithful and sincere to our religion. However, holding tight to truth and right requires strenuous responsibilities Muslims can withstand. They can exercise patience vis-à-vis the discouragements of those who betray, impede and oppose them: O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves (do righteous deeds and fear Allah much). If you (follow) the right guidance [and enjoin what is right (Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden)] no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. [Al-Māidah: 105]

O Muslims!

A true Muslim does not get disheartened or perplexed; he does not get weak nor does he hesitate, for he trusts Allah (May He be extolled) and has complete faith in Him, And indeed We have written in AZ-Zabur [i.e. all the revealed Holy Books – the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), the Psalms, the Qur'an) after (We have already written in) Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz (the Book that is in the heaven with Allah), that My righteous slaves shall inherit the land (i.e. the land of Paradise). [Al-Anbiyā: 105]

People remained for some time unable to distinguish right from falsehood and attracted to slogans. However, Allah's Sunnah and wisdom remain unabated: Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good. Nor will Allah disclose to you the secrets of the Ghaib (Unseen). [Āl-‘Imrān: 179]

Calamities perhaps train people to be strong and patient. They can polish the very natures of people who have indulged in luxury and desires: ….and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you. [Al-Baqarah: 216]

What we surely believe in is that Allah wants good for this Ummah and that its destiny is going to be better even though it may be affected by evil and harm and may have repeatedly suffered from calamities. How much we are in need to trust Allah, rely on Him and have complete faith in Him, while, at the same time, try our best to achieve victory.

O Muslims!

Some of the big signs (of preparing for victory) include: unity and cooperation, and abandoning disunity and disagreement. Unity is an urgent, great Islamic need, for the worst kind of disunity is that in religion.

Also, you have to beware of false rumours and disquieting news, for they are a destructive axe to unity and agreement. How many a short-sighted word or an uncalculated behaviour became a fuel that could set one’s own home on fire, lead to disorder, corruption, insecurity, instability, attack on persons and possessions in a state of total chaos and blindness.

O Muslims!

Muslim countries are targeted and the current situation features many means of destruction and dispersion. A Muslim is supposed to avoid what may promote wrath and enmity. He should beware of the lying media, avoid what fills his heart with wrath on his people and country. Allah Almighty has prohibited keeping company to whimsical, suspicious and corrupt people.

O servants of Allah!

In a final gesture about Shām narrated by Ibn Rajab –may Allah bless his soul‒ he said: "Omar Ibn Al-Khattab –may Allah be pleased with him‒ used to write to the people of Shām at the start of winter advising them thus: winter has come and it is an enemy; therefore, be ready for it in terms of wool, shoes, and socks; make wool your clothes and covers, for cold is an enemy that is fast in coming (into the body) late in leaving it. Omar used to write to the people of Shām when it was conquered during his time; he was afraid that the companions (of the Prophet) there and others might be hurt by the cold they were not used to."

Omar Al-fārūq [8] sensed the enmity of cold to those who were in Shām at that time in spite of the security and welfare they were enjoying there. Today, however, security has departed from these homelands, houses have been destroyed, and homes are being replaced by rags and tents which do not protect against bitter cold or rain.

Wars, homelessness, cold, hunger, and siege have rushed madly on the people of Shām. Many have let them down and have not tried to save their lives and wipe off their tears. They did not successfully deter their enemy who is oppressing them.

At least, Muslims who are financially capable must do their duties towards the people of Shām, both refugees and residents, especially now that cold is bitter, rain is constant, and snow has covered them with its fatal quilt. Therefore, the least that Muslims can do in order to expiate their letting down of their brothers is to donate clothes and food to protect them against hunger and cold.

All Muslims must give whatever they can so their brothers and sisters will be contented and in no need of the help of others, especially that death is roaming among their camps harvesting with its scythe the souls of children, the elderly, and women.

It is not an aspect of manhood or religion to check our children before they go to bed and find that we have made available for them heat and covers and that they are sleeping safely at home while the souls of the children of our brothers and sisters there are clattering. They are dying before their fathers' eyes. These fathers can do nothing except shed rattling tears to accompany this tragedy and seal up this sad chapter of the child's short life.

Stand in support of your brothers and sisters ‒may Allah help you and them‒ and give what can ward off calamity from you and them.

O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters, for You are Most Compassionate and All-Knowing of their conditions! O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters, for You are Most Compassionate and All-Knowing of their conditions!

O servants of Allah!

I advise you to send your salat and peace on the best and the purest of all mankind, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, Al Hashimi, Al Qurashi.

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your servant and Messenger, Muhammad, on his good and pure family, on his sincere and audacious Companions, and on those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and victory to Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honoured and those of sins are guided, and where al-ma’rūf (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make it the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy! O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsā Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are defenceless! O Allah! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case!

O You, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate! Spare their blood, replace their fear with safety, protect their honour, bring them close together, feed their hungry, grant them boldness, strength and victory against their oppressors!

O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around righteousness, and protect them against the evil-doers amongst them!

O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your true servants!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!

O Allah! Spread security and prosperity over our homeland and all Muslim homelands! Protect us against the evil of evil-doers and the wickedness of the dissolute!

Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire![Al-Baqarah: 201],Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks. [Āl ͑Imrān: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! Allah is the only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and we repent to Him!

O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! Bestow upon us expedient rain, a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands! O Allah! Make it rain of mercy not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Accept our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

__________________________________________________ _______________________

[1] The shahādah (الشهادة), in this context, is the uttering of “Ash-hadu an lā ilāha illa Allāh (wa ash-hadu anna Muhammad rasūlu Allāh” (I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah [and that Muhammad is His Messenger]). He who utters it becomes a Muslim.

[2] Ṣaba’a (صبأ) means to renounce one’s religion. The Arab polytheists of the time of the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) used it to refer to conversion to Islam, because they looked at it from the point of view of renouncing their forefathers’ religion.

[3] He is one of the two grandsons of the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him), the other being Al-Hasan.

[4] This is known in Arabic as (فرض كفاية). It is an obligation or a duty on the whole Muslim community. However, if it is undertaken by some members, it would suffice the rest. If none does it, then the whole community will have sinned. Note that farḏ ‘ain (فرض عين), individual duty or obligation, which is opposed to farḏ kifāyah, means a duty that has to be done by every Muslim, such as praying five times a day.

[5] The Arabic word for kharijites is (الخوارج). They were a fanatic group of Muslims who claimed that the fourth Righteous Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Ṭālib and Mu’āwiyah as well as others were all unbelievers and should be killed. They were responsible for the assassination of Ali (May Allah be pleased with him).

[6] This expression is borrowed from the Holy Qurā’n, Surat Al-Baqarah, verse 193.

[7] This expression is borrowed from the Holy Qur’ān, surat Al-Anfāl, verse 42.

[8] Al-Fārūq (الفاروق) is a title given to Omar Ibn Al-Khaṭāb (May Allah be pleased with him). The word actually means someone who discriminates good from evil or right from wrong.

Source: Al-Fārūq (الفاروق) is a title given to Omar Ibn Al-Khaṭāb (May Allah be pleased with him). The word actually means someone who discriminates good from evil or right from wrong.

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BintAbee
05-27-2014, 05:55 PM
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The Ummah's malady and its remedy

Rabi-uth- Thaani 28, 1435 ~ February 28, 2014


Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Ä€l-Tālib –may Allah protect him− delivered this Friday’s khutbah entitled “The Ummah’s Malady and Its Remedy”. He spoke about the causes of the Ummah’s weakness and the series of calamities befalling it in recent decades. He further explained that this situation is imputable to a major reason: namely, Muslims’ failure to adhere to the Holy Qur’ān and the Noble Sunnah, in addition to the blatant disunity among them. Finally, he insisted on the necessity of remedying that especially at the hands of Muslim scholars (the Ulama) and rulers.

Part One
Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah Who sent His Prophet with guidance and the final of divine messages. Allah sent him with revelation, supported him with miracles, unified with him the Arab tribes formerly disunited, and rescued them through him from obscurity to radiant light. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone –the Lord of the Earth and the Lord of the Heavens. How profuse His bounties are! How numerous His graceful blessings are despite our interminable sinning! I equally bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s Servant and Messenger. His Lord perfected His creation, blessed his inherently noble self, made his guidance a token of purity for all creatures, and imparted lustre to the whole universe through His religion. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, his Companions, the tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Companions after the death of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him]), and all those who follow them righteously till the Day of Judgement!

Now then,

The best advice ever provided, after offering due praise and greetings, is to urge you to observe taqwa vis-à -vis Allah, the Supreme Being: O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger (SAW) he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise). [Al-Aḥzāb: 70-71]

Each of you shall return to Allah and proceed to the Hereafter. Time flies, days hasten to their destination unfolding our lifespan. Human souls in the Herein are bare and shall soon return to their owner (Allah). Gates leading to Allah are still wide open, and with Allah lies all vow of recompense and threat of chastisement. He is lurking for tyrants but His bounties for obeisant worshippers are endless.

O Muslims!

Nowadays, the whole world is engaged in a fierce struggle for realising political, nationalistic, religious, and economic desires. It is witnessing a number of serious crises due to individual whims, regional avidity, and tyranny deriving its very existence from committing atrocities and aggressions. This has led to the emergence of wrongdoing, injustice, warfare, casualties, and devastation of material assets, which threatens the whole world with turmoil and deteriorating conditions.

Muslims have been largely affected by such calamities. Having fallen prey to the greed of other nations, their share of the disaster has been twice as much as the others’. Some of their territories were colonised, their resources completely exhausted, their sources of livelihood and riches stolen, and their voices lost. They have been experiencing disunity, dislocation, conflicts, and divergence. Meanwhile, many of the other countries are organising themselves into international coalitions and alliances which have ironed out their differences. As a result, they have come closer to one another in order to serve their mutual interests, bearing in mind that the Muslims’ bonds of unity, solidarity, collaboration, and mutual assistance are potentially stronger than those extant among all the other nations of the entire globe.

The real conditions of Muslims today are quite similar to those they once experienced on the day of Al-Aḥzāb (the Confederates)[1]: When they came upon you from above you and from below you, and when the eyes grew wild and the hearts reached to the throats, and you were harbouring doubts about Allâh. [Al-Aḥzāb: 10].

Look at the Al-Aqsā Mosque ... the Holy Land and its outskirts ... the Levant (Sham) of glory and its inhabitants ... Burma and Central Africa ... the turmoil in so many Muslim countries, internal fighting (civil strife), and the rush of enemies from east and west to seize them.

The wound of Palestine is still bleeding; the more Muslims are preoccupied with incidental events, the more the occupier reopens that very wound to cause painful irritation, which becomes all the more provocative for millions of Muslims. In so doing, provokers are simply accelerating the emergence of revolts and confrontations which can easily be triggered but slowly subdued. The Muslim peoples are experiencing today the state of a boiling cauldron. Being aware of such a vulnerable situation, their enemies rushed to block their aspirations and abort their dreams, using as their ally certain wicked souls and all those who want to induce their people to sink into decadence, humiliation and expatriation.

The one billion Muslims are now experiencing ordeals and cruel predicaments across the world; in fact, it is part of Allah’s universal rule of trial through affliction so that Allah might accomplish a matter which He had already ordained.[2]

O Muslims!

Our great Muslim Ummah, which is deeply rooted in history, is a high-ranking pioneer nation; it prevailed over the world throughout ages of human history. Therefore, its welldeserved destiny is to continue to occupy its leading position, since it represents the closure of nationhood, the owner of the most perfect divine laws, the witness to successive generations of mankind, and the inheritor of the revealed divine religions the final True Religion.

Under its rule, the whole world enjoyed stability and people benefited from its justice. When it called people to Islam through wise counselling, they were guided to the path of their Creator.
Under its rule, the earth was connected to the avenues of bliss ascending towards heaven. At that moment in history, Muslims were completely aware of the quintessential nature of their own Ummah and its merits thanks to the wise leadership of their rulers, scholars, and judicious people. They offered sacrifice and showed patience and perseverance. Consequently, they enjoyed the blessings of life, and so did their Ummah and the entire world. The fruit of the prevalence of the final religion (Islam) announcing the sealing of divine revelation was so bountiful that it affected even the lives of animals, birds, and plants.

Now that the equilibrium has been disturbed, the civilisation of the machine has prevailed over that of Man, egotism has been dominant, morality has decayed, many advocates of this religion have grown powerless and have turned easy prey to the maladies affecting previous nations, and now that many Muslim rulers have failed to assume their full responsibility, this Ummah has been split into factions with little control over their destiny. Their force has been scattered to the four winds, their might has lost all momentum, and their position among the nations has deteriorated.

As a corollary, people today seek guidance from sources other than Islam; they turn to other nations for counsel; they over-rely on the products of materialistic civilisation and the gist of modern thought. The only outcome has been further loss and straying in life. Nevertheless, our only relief here is that the malady whose symptoms are the aforementioned failures does not reside in Islam per se, but it is the fault of many of its followers and advocates. This is why the torch has not been extinguished but rather its carrier has felt exhausted. The sun has not gone down below the horizon but its watcher’s eyes have rather turned blind. Indeed, this religion resists extinction. It resists dilution although some of its followers have melted into soft substance. Even if one generation does not fully assume its responsibility vis-Ã -vis its religion, Allah will create other generations to assume such responsibility.

All the foregoing elements urge us to stop for a moment of contemplation in order to find a way out. That is to say, to look for a rescue path and an optimal plan for the rebirth of our Ummah so that we can protect it from afflictions, wars, poverty, scarcity, diseases, and ignorance. Today’s conflict between nations is not a mere competition for victory but it is rather a struggle for survival. It is a matter of existence or non-existence: to be or not to be!

In an era of intellectual and cultural globalisation followed by an economic and political globalisation, and in an era of dominant superpowers where everyone is trying to impose their own opinion by force, solidarity among Muslims remains the ultimate tool of survival, since the world around us is constantly building coalitions and only united powerful groupings command due respect.

The Muslim peoples categorically reject all types of faith except Islam. They adhere to it as a creed, a system of government, a religion which unites their dispersion, a brotherly bond unifying their ranks, sincere deeds fulfilling their goals, justice reigning over their societies, and equality enjoyed by all social strata so that they could live in peace and worship Allah in serenity.

O Muslims!

Solidarity and mutual assistance are a natural predisposition in human nature, an authentic Islamic principle, and a magnificent divine command: ... Help you one another in Al-Birr and AtTaqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression...  [Al-Māedah: 2]. Allah (Glory Be to Him: He is the Venerated of All Speakers) said: And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allâh (i.e. this Qur'ân), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allâh's Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islâmic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allâh makes His Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided. [Ä€l ‘Imrān: 103]

The Messenger of Allah [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] said, “In their solidarity, mutual love and affection, the believers are comparable to the human body: whenever an organ is affected, the rest of the organs will consequently respond via symptoms of insomnia and fever.” [Reported by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari] He [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] also said, “The believer is to the co-believer like building blocks, they mutually support each other.” In the Musnad of Imam Ahmed ‒via a good chain of narration‒ the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] said, “Congregation is mercy whereas disunity is torment.”

The first thing the Messenger of Allah [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] did when he emigrated from Makkah to Madinah was to enjoin the Muhajireen (Muslim immigrants from Makkah) and the Ansār (Muslim supporters in Madinah) to establish brotherly ties with each other. As a matter of fact, Qur’ānic verse and the Prophet’s hadith have repeatedly exhorted people to adhere to unity and reject disunity. This is not only a religious commandment but also a rational principle, since divergence pertains to irrationality. Allah (To Whom belong Might and Majesty) said: ...You would think they were united, but their hearts are divided, that is because they are a people who understand not. [Al-Ḥashr: 14] Accordingly, Allah once tormented a certain people by inflicting on it Diaspora for forty years during which they went astray everywhere on Earth.

O servants of Allah!

This Muslim Ummah has a historical heritage of unity and consensual spirit. More than any other nation, it possesses the potential and the constituent elements of unity. Throughout history, it has tried to follow labyrinthine tracks leading down blind alleys and obscure pathways, but it has neither succeeded nor gained any insight in traversing those paths out and back.

The Islamic Ummah is expected to sincerely and faithfully try to hold fast to the very motives that represent its raison d’être, return to its spirit of leadership, and adhere to the essence of its message. We are hoping that this expectation will be shared by all Muslim people: including people in power, those concerned with Islamic da’wa, politicians, economists, educationalists, and sociologists in our modern world. We expect them to adopt such a view and defend it sincerely, faithfully, resolutely, and decisively so that our Ummah can regain and occupy its due position among the nations of the world and realise the divine proclamation in Allah’s (Glory and Grandeur Be to Him) statement: You [true believers in Islâmic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad SAW and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden), and you believe in Allâh. [Ä€l ‘Imrān: 110]

Nowadays, the world is witnessing the bankruptcy of Western values, the disintegration of man-made secular systems, the multiplicity of disasters affecting mankind, the decadence of human dignity. It is also witnessing the support of discriminatory doctrines and sectarian perspectives which advocate and lead to bloodshed in Muslim societies, divide their opinion, twist their religion, ruminating past enmities and our predecessors’ grievances, and allowing animosities and vengeance to take root.

The Ummah’s disunity is further aggravated by the hysteria of partisan affiliation and the multiplicity of identifying labels to the point that the noble designation originally assigned to the members of this Ummah –that is, Muslims− is about to disappear amidst the vast ocean of partisan and sectarian affiliation which, whether forced or voluntary, further itemises society and fosters disunity in already divided communities. To add insult to injury, categorisation enthusiasts have become so label-sensitive that they classify Muslims on the basis of a single term uttered or even via misclassification.

This requires from all Muslims to realize the magnitude of the responsibility of preserving the remainder of their territories and communities and to proceed to building solidarity amongst them in order to reduce the gravity of their differences. They also need to work seriously and steadily in order to gradually realise unity as stipulated by the Holy Qur’ān and the Noble Sunnah. While engaged in such a process, they have to be equipped with a proper understanding and realistic knowledge of modern life in order to move on confidently and steadily. All improvisation or reactive response has to be avoided. All events and incidents should be handled according to the modern spirit in conjunction with the Shar’ (Islamic legislation or law): So fear Allâh and adjust all matters of difference among you. [Al-Anfāl: 1]

Unification attempts have been made on premises other than those of Islam. Such attempts have been founded on nationalistic and racist thoughts which would alienate Islamic faith and overlook its laws or legislations. Each time, the outcome has been but loss, dispersion, bloody wounds and devastating effects which are still at the root of the Ummah’s suffering.

O Muslims!

There are signs of glad tidings despite the doom and gloom and the grave dangers afflicting Muslims, despite the ferocity of the offensive launched against them. Verily, the Ummah teems with goodness and benevolence; it is a good enough witness and observant of righteousness and justice among people: And so are the days (good and not so good), We give to men by turns. [Ä€l ‘Imrān: 140]

If willing to act in good faith, a unified Muslim Ummah would be able to set a model of integrity and a living example of true Islam; that kind of Islam for which all mankind aspire in order to be saved from its stumbles, agitation and bankruptcy with respect to values and morals in a world dominated by the dictates of the ego, materialism and mad passion. It is a world where morals and political initiatives are overpowered by such dictates and where materialism has failed to ensure happiness for people and to put an end to warfare and conflicts.

The current rupture befalling Muslims today is but a temporary misfortune; it is one that Islam had already experienced and subsequently overcome and survived. Verily, succumbing to defeat is a misdeed, loss of confidence in the future and a sin. Defeat comes from within the self before it is brought by pressure from the enemy, and we are not the first nation to be trialled and forced to live contrary to its will.

The imperativeness of solidarity is a matter imposed by reality, recommended by experience, and prompted by the critical phase our Ummah is undergoing in a world where people who are so far apart culturally, religiously and ethnically rush to seek solidarity among them in order to safeguard their common interests. If this is the case, then we should be the first to be entitled to such attribute and endeavour, as our Lord ‒the Almighty– said: Truly! This, your Ummah [Sharia or religion (Islamic Monotheism)] is one religion, and I am your Lord, therefore worship Me (Alone). [Tafsir Ibn Kathir ] [Al-Anbiyā’: 92] He (May He be extolled) also said: And verily! This, your religion (of Islamic Monotheism) is one religion, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty to Me. [Al-Mu’minÅ«n: 52]

O Allah! Bless us by the Qur’ān and the Sunnah and benefit us with the verses and wisdom they contain! I say this and ask Almighty Allah to forgive you and me.


Part Two

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful and the Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, the King, and the Manifest Truth. I also bear witness that Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger, the honest and the faithful; May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on him, his noble and chaste family, his magnanimous and auspicious Companions, on the tabi'în (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death), and on all those who have followed them righteously till the Day of Judgment!

Now, then

Among the good omens is the hosting in Makkah ‒the Islamic capital, the birthplace of the Revelation, and the Qiblah [3] of all Muslims‒ of the gathering of senior Muslim scholars from around the world under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques –May Allah grant him success. These scholars have come to examine the reality of the Muslim world including its problems and solutions, and seek to carry out the aspirations of the Muslim Ummah.

Religious scholars (The Ulama) always remain our best hope during times marked with political turmoil and multiplicity of factions and partisanships: They seek to unify the Ummah on the grounds of Tawheed (monotheism); they show people Truth and guide them to it; they reveal the aspersion of falsehood and prevent them from practicing it; they take up tasks that would make of Islamic solidarity a reality and not a dream, a tangible reality and not just something to be wished for.

The time has come for the leaderships across the Muslim world to help come true the dream of their peoples in achieving solidarity and unity among them on premises that would please their Lord (May He be extolled) and bring happiness to them.

The obligation of putting an end to the state of dispersion experienced by Muslims falls squarely on the Ummah’s leaders and scholars. All nations have managed to achieve unity, so how come ours is the only one that is still dispersed despite the availability of the means to secure it, the pressing need for it, the warranty of success and the abundance of resources?! We look forward to a type of union and solidarity that would yield much goodness and blessing in all fields of life and help empower our Ummah to lead the other nations and to defend itself, its values and existence.

Such solidarity will be of no avail to the Ummah unless it is mentored by an unswerving religious authority that would form the foundation for its unity and its launch pad towards reform. Such authority is represented by the Revelation embodied in the Book of Allah (May He be extolled), the Sunnah of His Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) and the righteous path set by the valued Companions of the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him). Allah, the Almighty, said: O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination. [Al-Nisā’: 59]. He - the Almighty – also said: And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muhammad) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way. We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination. [Al-Nisā’: 115]

Hence, it is incumbent upon the (religious) scholars to help unify the Ummah around righteousness, to speak about the Truth loudly and clearly and to observe the candidness of Allah’s religion regardless of courtesy and civility. The discord in religion currently befalling the Ummah, the rampant ambiguity in the approach of Truth and Falsehood and the employment of religion to achieve political ambitions are indeed the main impediments behind its weakening and dispersion. In fact, today's reality attests to the futility of sectarianism and partisanship. Hence blood is heedlessly shed, countries destroyed, and Muslims displaced in their own lands.

Such misfortune is only fuelled by evil Sheikhs and leaders who have swept along with them into polytheism a number of Muslims. They have managed to reshape their thoughts and reasoning to make of them foes and warriors against their own Ummah. Driven by their heinous desire to pursue certain cases of historical feud –of which they make no part or parcel – such Sheikhs have attributed to Islam unlikely creeds, legislations, stories, and information. It is such a cheap attempt to use in absentia certain Muslim groups. They got into politics in the name of religion where it was revealed that the latter was none of their concerns. They succeeded in making appeal to their pathos and using their ignorance.

O Muslims!

Enough of this state of oblivion and unconsciousness! Enough of these intimidation endeavours being permeated via pressing charges of fanaticism in order to justify inaction against those who do indeed practice sectarianism in word, deed and belief! The time has come to shout out loud for the halting of foreign interventions that are rocking our security and causing division and dispersion among our Ummah. Such interventions are good for nothing; they can neither help preserve our faith nor can they make our living better: Truly, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. [Al-Baqarah: 220] Therefore, it is imperative for us to join efforts, ‘screen out our rows’, safeguard our religion and achieve consensus on the premises of true faith. May Allah lead this Ummah to the right guidance!

O Muslims!

Reaching out for the needy among our fellow Muslims is a form of solidarity and an obligation that falls on all of those who can afford it. The scourge of warring and destruction befalling the Sham (Levant) region is no secret to anyone. People, young and old, have been killed, crops and cattle decimated and millions of people have been displaced out in the cold. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques –May Allah grant him success– has renewed the call for reaching out to them and donating what would help attenuate their suffering. May Allah Almighty be on their side!

Therefore, you are called upon to let your spirit of munificence take over. May Allah Almighty bestow on you from His bounty! Be kind (towards them) in return for Allah’s kindness towards you. Give them a portion of the money Allah has bestowed on you and you shall have established credit in your Hereafter, ensured blessings in your Herein and provided your fellow Muslims with assistance.

I advise you to send your salat and peace on the best and the purest of all mankind, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, Al-Hashimi, Al-Qurashi. O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your servant and Messenger, Muhammad, on his good and pure family, on his sincere and audacious Companions, and on those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and victory to Muslims, and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honoured and those of sinning are guided, and where al-ma’rÅ«f (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims!
Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make it the cause of their own destruction!
O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds! O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Al-Aqsā Mosque! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the worlds! O Allah! Lift the siege around the defenceless Muslims in Palestine! O Allah! Improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy! O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsā Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria, Burma, Central Africa and wherever they may be! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are defenceless! O Allah! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case!
O Allah! Spare their blood, safeguard their tranquillity, protect their honour, bring them close together, feed their hungry, grant them boldness, strength and victory against their oppressors! O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around righteousness, and protect them against the evil-doers among them!
O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your true servants!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)! O Allah! Make them a Mercy on Your true servants!

O Allah! Entrust the Muslims’ affairs to the best among them and protect them against the evil of wrongdoers! O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous!

Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah: 201], Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks. [Āl ͑Imrān: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make our wishes come true in what pleases You!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! Allah is the only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and to Him we repent!
O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair!
O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! Bestow upon us expedient rain, a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban
lands! O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Accept our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

----------------------------------------------
[1] The Battle of the Trench (Arabic: Ghazwat al-Khandaq), also known as the Battle of the
Confederates (Arabic: Ghazwat al-Aḥzāb), was a fortnight-long siege of Yathrib (now Medinah)
by Arab and Jewish tribes.

[2] This is expression which the Sheikh borrowed from the Holy Qur’ān, Surat Al-Anfāl, verse 42: that Allâh
might accomplish a matter already ordained (in His Knowledge).

[3] The Qiblah ( قبلة , "direction") is the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays. It is fixed as
the direction of the Kaabah in Makkah.

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

:w:
Reply

BintAbee
05-30-2014, 05:42 PM
:sl:

Standing firm by what is right and caution against relapsing

Jumadal Akhirah 4, 1435 ~ April 4, 2014



Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Āl Ṭālib –may Allah protect him– delivered this Friday’s Khutbah titled “Standing Firm by what is Right and Caution against Relapsing” in which he discussed holding on to what is right and explained that none may achieve success in this regard except those who cling to Allah’s rope, follow the right path and are equipped with obedience to and taqwa of Allah. Their behaviour should be accompanied by devout worship, observance of obedience and renunciation of suspicious acts and desires. He cautioned against following the path of those who relapse, so that the servant of Allah may fear for himself and avoid arrogance and pride.

Part one

Praise be to Allah! We praise Him, seek His assistance, and repent to Him. We seek refuge in Allah from our wrong doings and our sins. He whom Allah guides may never go astray and he who is deprived of Allah’s guidance may never be guided. I bear witness that there is no deity worth worshipping except Allah alone with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send his Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family and all his Companions.

Now then,

I urge you and myself to observe taqwa (fear) of Allah in private and in public. It is the provision of the journey, the essence of virtues, the birthplace of traits, the source of power, the ascendance of sublimity, and the composure of the heart in times of trials. [And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allâh. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.] [Al-Baqarah: 281]


O Muslims!

Coming forth to Allah and feeling the happiness of obeying Him, accustoming oneself to worshipping and resenting sinful acts indeed constitute a treasure at hand. It is a triumph both present and future, a gain and success for mankind. Though the Muslim seeks pleasing the All Merciful, he must realize that his faith-laden heart is a targeted bastion, and that his senses, humbled by and for obedience, are misfortune prone. Therefore, they deserve to be protected, and revered.

Man’s march towards his Lord is full of trials and plights. There are slippery and highly dangerous roads. This is Allah’s decree [Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving;] [Al-Mulk: 2], [… and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good.] [Al-Anbiyā’: 35]

As long as the believer’s body and soul are not severed by death, he is in a continual jihad (strife against evil.

It is said that when Imam Ahmad –may Allah have mercy on him– was in his deathbed, an apparition of Satan biting his fingers came to him and said: “You escaped me, Ahmad! You escaped me, Ahmad!” “Not yet, not yet,” Ahmad answered, remembering the Prophet’s hadith, “Man spends a long time doing the work of the people of paradise, then he ends doing the work of the people of hell-fire.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Anas Ibn Mālik [May Allah be pleased with him] narrated that the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] very often said, ‘“O Over-turner of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your Religion.” “O, Messenger of Allah!” a man said, “How come that you are afraid for us and we have believed in you and in what you have brought?” “Hearts are between two fingers of Arrahman’s (Allah, the Compassionate),” the Prophet answered, “He turns them the way He wishes.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Al-Termidhi, and Ibn Mājah]

In Al-Termidhi’s version, the prophet often said, “You Who make the hearts firm, make my heart firm upon Your religion!”

O servants of Allah!

These and similar hadiths warn against the danger of relapse that keeps threatening man. It is a potential flaw to which all mankind, except the infallible prophets, are susceptible. It is a situation feared by the pious and the righteous, and avoided by the truthful purists.

Many a righteous has gone astray; many a failure has been defeated, and many a regressing individual has fallen by the wayside. None but the feeble will fall. In times of trials, relapses abound. We seek refuge in Allah against scarcity after profusion.

A believer’s supplication is mentioned in the Qur’ān, [(They say): "Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the Bestower."] [Āl-Imrān: 8]

O servants of Allah!

A careful observant of the present situation of the Muslim society will not fail to see signs of debility on some of its members in a reality made so trivial by the media that it started to distract people away from Allah and deepen non-observance. These signs are manifested in shallowness of devoutness, negligence of religious duties, permissiveness and in condoning (sometimes accepting) imperfections.

These faults may be perpetrated by someone who has spent the better part of his life in righteousness and piety, but might double back and fall by the wayside. Despite the fact that this may often happen in times of long-persistent evil, it is not a valid excuse for man to neglect his duties towards his Lord. Each human being will individually be held to account. [And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection (without any helper, or protector or defender).] [Maryam: 95]

Certainly, every worker is entitled to a break, and every walker may stumble. However, this downside should not tempt the servant of Allah to neglect his duties or indulge in forbidden acts. It is only a condition that may affect the servant of Allah on his way towards Allah; a weakness dictated by the human disposition that may be overcome by remembering the hereafter. The servant of Allah may then rush to safety.

Putting one’s hope in Satan and promising oneself firmness in Allah’s religion are signs of vanity and pride. Firmness in Allah’s religion is a gift that is only bequeathed by Allah on whomever He wishes. Allah says, [Allâh will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm in this world (i.e. they will keep on worshipping Allâh Alone and none else), and in the Hereafter. And Allâh will cause to go astray those who are Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.), and Allâh does what He wills.] [Ibrahim: 27]

Al-Nawās Ibn Sam’ān [May Allah be pleased with him] quoted the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] as saying, “Every heart is between two fingers of Arrahman’s; if he wishes He may guide it to righteousness, or to misguidance.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Mājah] Addressing His Prophet, Almighty Allah says, [And had We not made you stand firm, you would nearly have inclined to them a little.] [Al-Isrā’: 74], Prophet Ibrahim [Peace be upon him] said these prayers: [... and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols.] [Ibrahim: 35] Also, prophet Yūsef supplicated Allah to save him from women’s cunning.

O servants of Allah!

In our Lord’s Book, the symptoms and the remedy are defined. There is also a description of the weak losers. These have only themselves to blame. Almighty Allah says, [(What is the matter with you?) When a single disaster smites you, although you smote (your enemies) with one twice as great, you say: "From where does this come to us?" Say (to them), "It is from yourselves (because of your evil deeds)." And Allâh has power over all things.] [Āl Imrān: 165]

When man turns away from Allah, Allah will cause his heart to turn away: [So when they turned away (from the Path of Allâh), Allâh turned their hearts away (from the Right Path).] [Al Saff: 5] Turning away from good deeds causes the heart to turn away as well: [Then they turn away. Allâh has turned their hearts (from the light) because they are a people that understand not.] [Al-Tawbah: 127] Pride and rejection entail that [I shall turn away from My Ayât (verses of the Qur'ân) those who behave arrogantly on the earth, without a right, and (even) if they see all the Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), they will not believe in them. And if they see the way of righteousness (monotheism, piety, and good deeds), they will not adopt it as the Way, but if they see the way of error (polytheism, crimes and evil deeds), they will adopt that way.] [Al-A’rāf: 146]

He whose heart grows callous is only because of his sinful deeds: [Nay! But on their hearts is the Rân (covering of sins and evil deeds) which they used to earn.] [Al-Muá¹-affifeen: 14] Following one’s whims and clinging to the herein (al-dunya) are conducive to misguidance and deprivation of the bliss of knowledge: [And recite (O Muhammad SAW) to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), but he threw them away, so Shaitân (Satan) followed him up, and he became of those who went astray. And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith but he clung to the earth and followed his own vain desire. So his description is the description of a dog: if you drive him away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls his tongue out. Such is the description of the people who reject Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.). So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect. Evil is the likeness of the people who reject Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses and signs, etc.), and used to wrong their own selves. Whomsoever Allâh guides, he is the guided one, and whomsoever He sends astray, those! They are the losers.] [Al-A’rāf: 175-178]

Here is a man upon whom Allah has bestowed His signs, whom He granted from His favours, clad with His knowledge, allowed full opportunity for guidance and sublimation, yet he rejects all these favours. He dissociates himself from Allah’s signs, discards the protective shield, and deviates from guidance to follow his whims and descends from the shining horizon to wallow in the murky mud.

With this he becomes an easy target for Satan, vulnerable and unprotected. He follows and accompanies him and becomes totally enslaved by him. In this he is just like a dog; it pants if it is chased and if it is left alone, it still keeps panting.

O servants of Allah!

The pious and the upright were very keen on inspecting and mending their hearts. Righteousness, taqwa, tranquility and pleasure in invocating Allah Almighty, belief and certainty and all types of good may not exist but in pure and consecrated hearts. They may not dwell in hearts polluted by darkness and sin. Hence, the supplication of Ibrahim Al-Khaleel (Allah’s intimate friend), peace be upon him: [And disgrace me not on the Day when (all the creatures) will be resurrected; The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, Except him who brings to Allâh a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifâq (hypocrisy)].] [Al-Shu’arā’: 87-89]

The fact that Allah does not misguide the one who comes to Him and follows His guidance is a feature of His absolute justice. If the servant of Allah relapses, it is only because of him and his negligence. [And Allâh will never lead a people astray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them as to what they should avoid. Verily, Allâh is the All-Knower of everything.] [Al-Tawbah: 115]

Taking sins and disobedience lightly is one of the main reasons for relapsing and damnation: [When you were propagating it with your tongues, and uttering with your mouths that whereof you had no knowledge, you counted it a little thing, while with Allâh it was very great.] [Al-Noor: 15]

It is narrated in the hadith, “Beware of underestimated sins; they accumulate in the record of the individual until they destroy him.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad and Al-Tabarāni]

Of the most dangerous perils conducive to delinquency and relapse are the sins of having a solitary meeting with the opposite sex, which may facilitate committing forbidden acts. At present the ways and means are readily available to the public, and nothing can preclude their temptation except taqwa and fear of Allah.

Opportunities for solitary meetings may be facilitated by way of testing one’s faith: [O you who believe! Allâh will certainly make a trial of you with something in (the matter of) the game that is well within reach of your hands and your lances, that Allâh may test who fears Him unseen.] [Al-Māidah: 94]

Kindled by a treacherous look or a delinquent thought, proscriptive desires may take roots in the heart, weakening the faith, tearing down the edifice of knowledge, sweeping away piety, precluding the mention of and the love of Allah and the solace one finds in Him, and generating dislike of the righteous and renunciation of worship.

How bitter a relapse is! [(The hypocrites) will call the believers: "Were we not with you?" The believers will reply: "Yes! But you led yourselves into temptations, you looked forward for our destruction; you doubted (in Faith); and you were deceived by false desires, till the Command of Allâh came to pass. And the chief deceiver (Satan) deceived you in respect of Allâh."] [Al-Hadeed: 14]

What could be most sorrowful and affliction laden for the servant of Allah is when he sees the path of salvation laid open for him and thinks that he is saved and starts to experience the situation of the joyous; then, all of a sudden, he gets separated from them and cast into damnation.

It is incumbent upon the Muslim to try to mend fences with himself, look after his heart and beware of the Satan-induced steps. Allah is watching and observing, and He will hold him to account and reward or punish him accordingly. Man has to watch his thoughts as corruption germinates in the thought. The thought holds the seeds of Satan in the heart and he takes care of his seeds by watering them time after time until they mutate into fruit of actions.

Undoubtedly, repelling thoughts is easier than repelling willed decisions. The servant of Allah will be unable to fend off these thoughts once they have developed into willed decisions. He has only himself to blame if he fails to nib them in the bud. He is then compared to someone who refused initially to put off the spark that fell on a heap of wood, and was therefore unable to extinguish the ensuing blaze afterwards.

O Muslims!

It is also advisable to avoid suspicious and ill-reputed places, to keep away from bad company and to realize that illnesses of the heart are more contagious than those of the body. [And when you (Muhammad SAW) see those who engage in a false conversation about Our Verses (of the Qur'ân) by mocking at them, stay away from them till they turn to another topic. And if Shaitân (Satan) causes you to forget, then after the remembrance sit not you in the company of those people who are the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrongÂ-doers, etc.).] [Al-An’ām]

He who candidly seeks the purity of his heart will follow the right path; he will sterilize his heart with the right decontaminants and save it from all depressants. The best remedy of all is for one to heed the commandments of Allah [May He be extolled], observe taqwa, and fill one’s heart with the love of Allah.

Quoting Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-’Ās [May Allah be pleased with both him and his father], Al-Tabarāni and Al-Hākim, in his Al-Mustadrak, narrated that the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] said, “Faith deteriorates in your hearts in the same way your garment wears out. Ask Allah to revive faith in your hearts.”

In his Sahih, Muslim narrates that the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] used to say (the following prayers): “O Allah! Bestow on my soul piety and purify it as You are the Best to do so. You are its Guardian and its Protector.”

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur’ān and Sunnah and benefit us with the wisdom and verses therein! I say this and seek Almighty Allah’s forgiveness for me and for you.


Part Two

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and King of Judgement Day! I bear witness that there is no deity worth worshipping except Allah alone with no associate, The King, the Supreme and Ultimate Truth. I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, the honest

and the truthful. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family and all of his Companions.

O Muslims!

Our society, thanks be to Allah, enjoys abundant wealth, and it is our duty to take care of, develop and protect such wealth against misfortunes. Therefore, it is incumbent on us to teach ourselves and our children to fear Allah and observe taqwa, and to know about Him, His hudood [1] and shari’a. It is the kind of knowledge that induces action and intelligence and remains as sustenance and a protecting cover through thick and thin. He who possesses provisions in terms of taqwa and good deeds deserves salvation. It is Almighty Allah’s decree never to disappoint any servant of His who comes forth to Him.

Avoiding pitfalls is effected by seeking refuge in the Almighty Allah [May He be extolled] Who says, [So flee to Allâh (from His Torment to His Mercy Islâmic Monotheism) ...] [Al-Thāriyāt: 50] He [May he be extolled] also says, [Is not Allâh Sufficient for His slave?] [Al-Zumar: 36]

Ibn Al-Qayyim –may Allah have mercy on him– said, “Sufficiency is proportionate to obedience. The more obedient you are to Almighty Allah, the more sufficiency you will receive from Him.”

That is why the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] directed Muslims towards worship in times of trials. He said, “Worship in times of trouble is like emigrating to me.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Blessed is the believer who resorts to prayers and worship when others are busy with trifling. Blessed is he who finds solace in Allah when other souls are worried and hearts are disturbed.

We must bring up our own selves and children to observe perseverance and determination and to avoid laziness, lethargy and whimsical desires. Honour is not obtained through vanity.

The Qur’ān says, [(It was said to his son): "O Yahya (John)! Hold fast to the Scripture [the Taurât (Torah)]."] [Maryam: 12]

About Mūsā (Moses) [Peace be upon him], the Qur’ān says, [And We wrote for him on the Tablets the lesson to be drawn from all things and the explanation of all things (and said): Hold unto these with firmness.] [Al-A’rāf: 145]

It is through perseverance and hard work that the Prophet’s Companions [May Allah be pleased with them] obtained the best of the herein and the hereafter. They joined knowledge and worship, as well as calling to Islam and making jihad. They did not succumb to rest and comfort. The Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] said that paradise is surrounded by discomforts, which means that no one can reach paradise unless he surmounts these discomforts and overcomes these difficulties with reliance on Almighty Allah.

Protecting the self includes avoiding suppressants and bad company. [O you who believe! Take care of your own selves, [do righteous deeds, fear Allâh much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allâh much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. If you follow the right guidance and enjoin what is right (Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden) no hurt can come to you from those who are in error.] [Al-Mā’idah: 105]

Those who observe prayers most are the ablest to control their desires. Desires take over when prayers are neglected. [But there came after them successors [i.e. later generations] who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil."] [Maryam: 59]

Almighty Allah grants wisdom and firmness to whomever is wont to perform well with respect to worshiping Him, whomever is able to control himself and his behaviour, whomever is willing to watch his steps and follow the straight path, not defeated by evil whispers or undeterred by Satan’s beckoning. He who observes worship in solitude will be helped by the Almighty to stand firm in times of trials and misfortunes.

Our Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] says, “He who is scared will embark on his journey at nightfall so that he may reach home quickly. Allah’s reward is costly; Allah’s reward is paradise.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhy with an authentic chain of narrators]

In times of fluctuations and relapses, it is necessary that we resort to Almighty Allah in supplication to invoke His Mercy: [... and know that Allâh comes in between a person and his heart (i.e. He prevents an evil person to decide

anything) ...] [Al-Anfāl: 24] So pray Almighty Allah to help you stand firm.

During the time of the apostates, Caliph Abu Bakr [May Allah be pleased with him] used to show humbleness in his prayers and read, [(They say): "Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the Bestower."] [Āl Imrān: 8]

O Over-Turner of the hearts, make my heart take root in Your Religion! O Over-Turner of the hearts, make my heart take root in Your Religion!

Then send your salat and peace upon the best of mankind and the most honoured of humanity, Muhammad Ibn Abdillah, the Hashimite, the Qurashi.

O Allah, send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his virtuous and pure family, his righteous and brave Companions and upon those who follow in righteousness till the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims, and fail the tyrants, the atheists, and the corruptors!

O Allah! Foreordain for this Ummah (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honored and those of sins are guided, and where al-ma’roof (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Turn their plotting and their cunning against them and make them the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to those who fight in Your cause in Palestine and everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah! Lift the siege around them! Set right their conditions, and defeat their enemies!

O Allah! Free Al-Aqsa Mosque from the oppression of the oppressors and the aggression of the aggressors!

O Allah! Ease the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Syria, Burma, and Central Africa. O Allah! End their plight, and hasten the end of their suffering. O Allah! Have mercy on their weakness, help them overcome their helplessness, mend their breakage and take charge of their

affairs, O You are the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate! O Allah! Spare their lives, attenuate their fear, protect their honour, provide for them, grant them courage, help them stand firm and make them prevail on their aggressor! O Allah! Set right their conditions, let them unite on guidance, save them from the evil among them and defeat their enemy!

O Allah! We implore you to rid us of the oppressive tyrants and their collaborators!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of our brothers and sisters in Egypt and everywhere! O Allah! Let them unite on righteousness and guidance! Grant leadership to the best amongst them, and save them from the evil people amongst them!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] and to Your faithful servants!

O Allah! Support our leader the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and guide him to do what pleases you, and to observe righteousness and taqwa! O Allah! Grant success to his Crown Prince and his Deputy Crown Prince, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Bless their reign and make it good augur for Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Set right every Muslim ruler, and fill his heart with fear and heed of You in private and in public!

O Allah! Grant Muslim rulers success to implement Your Shar’ (Islamic law), and to follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] and make them mercy-like for Your faithful servants!

O Allah! Make widespread security and prosperity throughout our country and all Muslim countries, and save us from the evils of the malicious and the machinations of the wicked. [... "Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!"] [Al-Baqarah: 201] [And they said nothing but: "Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk."] [Āl Imrān: 147]

O Allah! Forgive us our sins, conceal our blemishes, facilitate our affairs, and help us fulfil our hopes in accordance with what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins and those of our parents, their parents, our spouses and offspring; You are the All-Hearing!

O Lord! Accept our supplication; You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! Grant us forgiveness; You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, and forgive us our sins; You are the All Forgiving, the Most Merciful!

Glorified be our Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from all that is wrongly attributed to You! And may peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!



[1] Hudood in Arabic (Ø-دود) are the bounds or restrictions that Allah has placed on man’s freedom of action.

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

:w:

Reply

BintAbee
05-30-2014, 05:49 PM
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Responsibility for one's own words

Jumadal Akhirah 25, 1435 ~ April 25, 2014


Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ᾱl Ṭālib –may Allah protect him− delivered this Friday’s khutbah entitled “Responsibility for One’s Own Words”. He dealt with the negative impact of the word on Muslim society and demonstrated its colossal significance and value. The Sheikh directed advisory remarks towards the Muslim community as a whole, stressing the need for being alert to one’s utterances, reminding them of those who once claimed that they were telling jokes using simple words but Allah virtually considered them as infidels after they had embraced Islam. The Sheikh cited ample evidence from the Qur’ān and the Prophet’s hadith cautioning against such behaviour.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, the Inspirer of Awe, the Magnificent, and the All-Perfect! Praise be to Allah, the Supreme, the Great, and the Sublime! I thank Him (May He be extolled) and I repeatedly extend my truthful and blessed gratitude to Him day and night. I bear witness that there is no other deity save Allah, alone and with no associate. His leniency is unparalleled, His ordainment is perfectly executed, and His all-encompassing knowledge leaves no single entity unattended:

[...yet they (disbelievers) dispute about Allâh. And He is Mighty in strength and Severe in punishment.] [Al-Raad: 13]

I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger –bearer of the most dignified traits and the noblest qualities. May Allah send His Salat, Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, and his Companions –the best Companions and family ever!

Having said that, I enjoin both you and myself to adhere to taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah) vis-Ã*-vis Allah, the Supreme (May He be extolled):

[O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger (SAW) he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise).] [Al-Aḥzāb: 70-71]
O Muslims!

People may adopt different views and concepts, and their sources of thought and desires may equally differ. In fact, this is inherent in the very disposition of human nature. However, this should by no means lead to the toleration of chaos in speech and in thought. Nor should anybody indulge into dealing with any kind of topic, because nobody can treat patients except the physician; otherwise, a charlatan might make the patient’s condition worse. Besides, nobody can lead people through the right path except a knowledgeable guide; a bad guide would lead them astray.

By the same token, nobody can claim authority in the area of divine religion except a scholar of Islam. But as self-expression is now within reach for all and language interaction is today effortlessly undertaken today by everybody, people have literally abused this possibility after being totally submerged in its distractive impact. Thus, certain people have engaged in all sorts of talk, defaming whoever reachable, and posting all such data in public in an era when the word can reach the remotest audience on the planet in seconds.

Their predecessor was someone whose speech triggered the revelation of divine verse which could have devastated a whole chain of mountains. During the Ghazwah of Tabook (i.e. the battle between Muslims and Roman polytheists during the Prophet’s lifetime, in 9th year AH), some of those who followed the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) to serve as recruits in the ‘Usra Army (Hardship-time Army) said, “We have never seen more greedy, insatiable, twist-tongued liars, and cowardly people on battlefield than our Qur’ān readers [1] here.”

When they knew that the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) learnt what they had said, they came to him and said apologetically, “We were just kidding; it was a sort of entertainment to subdue the length of the journey through chatting.” Then, Allah’s words (Glory Be to Him) were revealed as follows:

[...Say: "Was it at Allâh and His Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger (SAW) that you were mocking?" Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after you had believed. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you because they were Mujrimûn (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, criminals, etc.).] [Al-Tawbah: 65-66]

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Omar –may Allah be pleased with both him and his father: “I did see the man clutching onto the ropes fitted over the back of the Prophet’s she-camel (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him), and being hurt by stones on the ground, he kept saying, “O Messenger of Allah! We were just kidding and entertaining ourselves.” The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) repeatedly replied (quoting the beginning of the above verses): "Was it at Allâh, His Ayât and His Messenger that you were mocking? ... Was it at Allâh, His Ayât and His Messenger that you were mocking?”

O Muslims!

These verses from the Holy Qur’ān fill the heart with fear and send shivers down one’s spine. Any Muslim would simply feel shaken up by the horrifying effect of their menacing tone. It was Allah who addressed the defamers by saying:

[... you have disbelieved after you had believed...] [Al-Tawbah: 66]

In fact, while recognising their initial state of faith evidenced by their mobilisation for jihad, Allah equally affirmed their unbelief (retreat from faith) through a simple utterance which, as they claimed, was meant to be a harmless pastime for sheer amusement.

On the surface, their utterance does not seem to be an outright mockery of the Divine Being, Allah, and His Messenger; it was rather addressed to those advocating the propagation of the signs of Allah and His Messenger, seeking to sublimate His religion and pursue the goal of spreading Allah’s revealed messages. From this perspective, the real target of the utterance becomes the mission they are set to fulfil and the merits associated with it. This is why the Qur’ānic verse above confirmed that what represented the object of such mockery was essentially Allah, His Signs, and His Messenger rather than just certain Muslims.

Nowadays, you can easily notice how people indulge in writing articles, exchanging expressions, posting commentaries, and composing words notwithstanding the horrible data they might contain. Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said, “A single word that a man utters unaware of its implications, may tumble him in a ditch of hellfire as deep as the distance separating East and West.” [Reported by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari in their Sahîh Books] An alternative wording reads “Many a man utters a single word, heedless of its real content...” [Reported by Imam Bukhari]

How strange it is indeed to notice that some people have resorted to impudent audacity to mock sharî’a (religion) or its advocates in pursuit of amusement, malicious whims, or personal settlement of accounts:

[Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).] [Qāf: 18]

If this is the case with individual behaviour, how much is that tolerable when such impudent audacity is shown by printed media enjoying large-scale circulation or audiovisual media mobilising the masses?

Words should be used responsibly. Otherwise, unrestrained speech and thought do have forebodings effects about virtual torment manifesting itself at least in conflicts, schisms, mutual hatred, frustration, disunity, disintegration of national solidarity, dismantlement of society, and other consequences you had better not know.

O Servants of Allah!

The person who really deserves disparagement and is potential target of divine chastisement is the one who arrogantly and obstinately tries to exonerate himself of his whimsical sins, opposes Allah’s laws and shari’a relying on his own reason and personal judgement, dedicates himself to annihilating the very fundaments of Islam, wages war against any virtue that runs contrary to his caprices, advocates whatever appeals to his own pleasures and desires –emulating what classic philosophers used to do when they relied on reason to determine good and evil –until he strays too far away in the labyrinthine desert of his whims and the dark pathways of misguidance, and eventually becomes so imbued with his own desires and whims (just like an encumbered receptacle) that he can no longer appreciate acceptable deeds and abhor impermissible acts.

This is what Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) meant in the hadith narrated by Hudaifah –may Allah be pleased with him− and reported by both Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari in their Sahîh Books: “There are advocates at the gates of hell; whoever responds to them will be thrown into it (hell).” I said, “O Messenger of Allah! Describe them to us.” He said, “They are from among our own folk, and they speak our own tongue.” In another hadith, Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said, “Out of my ummah will emerge certain categories of people whose whims have full control over them, just like rabies controls the rabid, sparing none of his veins or joints.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood]

As a rule, if the ego got accustomed to feeding on whimsical desires, weaning would be practically unattainable. Consequently, it is imperative that religious matters be arbitrated by Allah and His Messenger, along with well-versed scholars who can deduce Allah’s laws from His revealed verses. The Sheikh of Islam, Ibn Taimiyyah –may Allah bless his soul− said, “Conflict between litigants can only be arbitrated through recourse to a revealed book from a celestial provenance, for if they were left to their own reason, each one of them would have his own mind.”

Thus, ignorance-based intrusion in matters of knowledge is disparaged:

[And among men is he who disputes about Allâh, without knowledge or guidance, or a Book giving light (from Allâh] [Al-Hajj: 8]

Also, whoever encroaches upon other people’s area of specialism will definitely produce bizarre outcomes. May Allah have mercy on the author of this dictum: “If only the ignorant remained silent, conflicts would certainly become less frequent.”

O Servants of Allah!

As the crux of the matter has proved to be revolving around the tongue and speech output, as well as expressions written or spoken, divine instructions and the Prophet’s teachings have constantly iterated that no one could be excused from abiding by them. This is because speech faithfully reflects the levels of conscience and betrays hidden intentions. Its verbal initiative is hardly retrievable and its unrestrained messages can hardly be controlled.

Accordingly, it stands to reason that one should be cautious as to how to be in control of one’s tongue through restraining it or curbing its verbal output. In reality, harmless reticence should be the rule rather than the exception, for timely silence is the merit of great men. Conversely, relevant and timely speech is one of the best virtues. In the Prophet’s Hadîth, “For a man to be considered as liar, suffice it for him to recount whatever he has heard.” [Reported by Imam Muslim]

In the same vein, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab –may Allah be pleased with him− once said, “He whose speech abounds will have the chance of facing more pitfalls; he whose pitfalls become numerous is likely to commit many more sins, and he whose sins multiply would rather reside in hell.” Likewise, whoever commits himself to either speech or silence in accordance with Allah’s command (Glory be to Him), inhibiting his own desire, does deserve divine beneficence. Allah will therefore grant him felicity both in speech and silence. Besides, whoever considers his speech an integral part of his deeds will definitely speak less about topics which are irrelevant or useless to him.

Anas –may Allah be pleased with him− said, “Nobody could claim real piety and taqwa vis-Ã*-vis Allah until he restrains his tongue.” Keeping the tongue under restraint and observing integrity in speech attest to perfect faith, sincere religiosity, safety from snares, forthright manners, high moral standards, and purity of heart. These traits also yield Allah’s love for the individual, followed by people’s friendship as well as reverence for him. Imagine how straight and virtuous society would become if its members were committed to such ideals!

It isn’t too much to guarantee reward with paradise for those who seek to control their tongues. In Sahih Al-Bukhari, Prophet Muhammad [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] is reported to have said: “Whosoever gives me a guarantee to safeguard what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I shall guarantee him Jannah (Paradise).”
Whether they are uttered, heard, read, or aired through websites and forums, words may bear grave consequences and lead to serious reckoning. Indeed, many a word has said to its speaker: “Let go of me!”

In a Hadith reported by Mo’āth Ibn Jabal –May Allah be pleased with him– the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) once said: “What else would lead to dump people on their faces in Hell fire except what their tongues have reaped?!” In this regard, Allah the Almighty says:

[But verily, over you (are appointed angels in charge of mankind) to watch you, Kiraman (honourable) Katibin writing down (your deeds)] [Al-Infitār: 10-11]

Oqbah Ibn ‘Ᾱmer –May Allah be pleased with him– is reported to have asked the Prophet: “O, Messenger of Allah! How can salvation be achieved?” He replied: “Control your tongue, keep to your house, and weep over your sins." [Narrated by At-Tirmidhi with an authentic chain of narration]

If every Muslim sought to carry out his duties and endeavored to do what would benefit him in the herein and the hereafter with the view to reaching righteousness, then the outcome would be highly significant for himself and the community at large.

O servants of Allah!

Talking about others, tracking down their falls and spreading them around are some of the ugliest sins and most hideous forms of wrongdoings. Those in the habit of practicing such deeds in life shall not pass away until they are first given a taste of their own medicine. The Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] said: “Every Muslim’s blood, property and honour are interdicts to another Muslim.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Certainly, the issue would be even more serious if it involved aberrant matters of dispute, whimsical frivolities, love of predominance and superimposition and the desire to put others down!

The issue would be even more serious if it involved backbiting those doing good in life, carrying out discrete or manifest acts of sowing dissension among the Ulama (religious scholars), students of religious studies and the righteous, and seeking to stigmatize them without proof or evidence, carping, slandering, scorning and incriminating beliefs and intentions.

There is no way out of such vanities except through a strong resolve within the believer that is bolstered by his fear of Allah and by his good deeds; this would soften his heart, render him more fearful of his Lord and set for him those limits he is not to overstep.

It is only rational to rise above frivolities; this would, with the help of Allah Almighty, enlighten one’s heart and vision, bequeath peace of mind, remission of self, and clarity of conscience. This, indeed, constitutes the ultimate purity of the soul and sanity of the heart.

However, preoccupying the self with trivialities and gossip would lead to lack of success, poor judgment, injustice, corruption of the heart, waste of time, lack of knowledge, intolerance, inclemency, long-term grief and distress, eclipse of the mind, and annihilation of bliss from one’s livelihood and life.

Abu Hurayrah –may Allah be pleased with him– narrated that Prophet Muhammad [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] once said: "It is from the excellence of (a believer's) Islam that he should turn away from that which is of no concern to him." [Narrated by Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Malik in Al-Muwatta’, and Ahmad in Al-Musnad]

It is reported in both Sahihs (Al-Bukhari’s and Muslim’s) that the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] had said: “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day let him speak good or remain silent."

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and Sunnah and benefit us with their verses and wisdom! I say this and I ask Allah the Almighty to forgive you and me!



Part Two

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, Who is cognizant of the heart’s secrets! He knows the soul’s contemplations; those that are manifest and those that are discrete. To him, nil may be concealed and all is clear and apparent. Allah Almighty says:

[It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceal his speech or declare it openly...] [Al-Ra’d: 10]

I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone, with no associate, Allah, the Almighty, the Subduer. I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger; May Allah’s Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy) and Peace ever be upon him, his family, his Companions and all those who follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgement!

Now, then, O Muslims!

The Islamic Faith is one of clarity and integrity wherein nothing may stand on conjecture, suspicion and delusion. This is made evident through the noble directives of the Holy Qur'ān thus:

[And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not, etc.) that of which you have no knowledge (e.g. one's saying: "I have seen," while in fact he has not seen, or "I have heard," while he has not heard). Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by Allah).] [Al-Isrā’: 36]

O Muslims!

These few but immaculate words from the Holy Qur'ān offer an integrated approach to matters of the heart and reason that is superior to its modern and scientific counterpart. In fact it adds to science two significant features: rectitude of the heart and fear of Allah Almighty. Such two features are what make Islam excel over those dry rationalistic doctrines. Indeed, verifying the validity of any claim or rumour before judging it is a call advocated by the Holy Qur'ān and a thorough approach set by the Islamic religion. Once the heart and the mind have settled for this approach there will no longer be room for illusion and myth in the world of faith. There will no longer be room for doubt or suspicion in the world of justice and reason. Rather, there will no longer be room for superficiality and fictitious assumptions in the world of research, experimentation and science.

Scientific integrity, the object of much praise today, is but part of that emotional and yet rationalistic trust whose great amenability the Holy Qur'ān comes to proclaim, highlighting man’s accountability as to his own hearing, seeing and feeling before his Lord, the Almighty, the One Who granted him such abilities.
It is the trust of the senses on which the servant will be brought to account on the Day of Judgement. It is a trust that would cause the truly feeling human being to shake under the impact of its magnitude and subtlety whenever he uttered a word, related a story, wrote a letter, or passed a verdict on someone, on some issue, or some incident. Allah so truthfully says:

[Verily, this Qur'an guides to that which is most just and right.] [Al- Isrā’: 9]

This being said, I advise you to send your salat and peace on the best and the purest of all mankind, Mohammad Ibn Abdullah, Al Hashimi, Al Qurashi.

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, on his good and pure family, on his sincere and audacious Companions, and on those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims, and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honoured and those of sins are guided, and where al-ma’roof (good deed) is promoted and al-munkar (evil deed) is prevented! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and wherever they may be, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Lift the siege laid to them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsā Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria, Burma, and Central Africa! O Allah! Alleviate their suffering! O Allah! Speed up their relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are too weak! Mend their breakage and take up their case, O You, the Charitable, the Benevolent!

O Allah! Spare their blood, reassure them, preserve their dignity and honour, feed the hungry among them, strengthen their stamina, bring them closer together, and grant them power and victory over their oppressors! O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around righteousness and protect them against the evil doers among them! O Allah! Suppress their enemy! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of our brothers and sisters in Egypt, Iraq and everywhere! O Allah! Unite them around the truth and righteousness and set right their conditions. O Allah! Entrust their affairs to the best of them and protect them against the evil doers among them!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!

O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince and his Deputy Crown Prince success! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Set right all the leaders of Muslims and fill their hearts with fear of You in public and in private! O Allah! Set right their retinue!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him]! O Allah! Make them a blessing on Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and all Muslim countries around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers and the maliciousness of the lecherous!

[Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!] [Al-Baqarah: 201]

[Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.] [Ᾱl Imrān: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and fulfil our wishes in what pleases You!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children! You are indeed All-Hearing!

O Lord! Accept from us our supplications, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! Accept our repentance! You are Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!






[1] Qurrā’ (قرّاء) means HuffāD (خفّاظ), those who know the Qur’ān by heart, according to the rules of tajweed (reciting).

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...owseby=khateeb

:w:
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BintAbee
05-30-2014, 06:28 PM
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The ways of Prophetic reformation in the Hadeeth: "“Do not be jealous…”..."


August 1, 2003 ~ Jumadal Akhirah 3, 1434

First Khutbah


All praise be to Allah. All praise be to Allah; the Originator of creatures; Abundant in gifts. To Him belongs abundant praise and generous greetings. He created His creation and made their souls bare containers, and He sent to them His messenger with beautiful qualities and good character. He guided towards that which is upright, and he called to that which is most submitting in the most wise (way), and he warned of the Greater Standing, in which the hidden aspects of the bosoms and the contents of the interior will be made apparent. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the best of humans whose footsteps have walked the earth and whose mouth has spoken the truth, and whose blood has flown in his veins. May Allah send salutations on him and on all his family and companions and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Resurrection.

Thereafter:

O Muslims, fear Allah the Exalted as He ought to be feared, and hold onto Islam with the firm hold. “O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” [Surah Hadeed: 28]
And know that the best speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ï·º, and the worst of actions are the innovated ones, and every innovation is a bid’ah, and every bid’ah is a misguidance, and every misguided one is in Hell, may Allah save us and you from it.

Thereafter:

Nation of Islam. There has never come a law or order, ancient or recent, more encompassing and more perfect than the law of Islam which cures material and spiritual matters, and which came with the reformation of religious and worldly affairs, in profound moderation and precise character. That is because the Legislator – Glorified is He – is the Creator of humans and the Knower of their affairs and what reforms them. And this recent civilization despite accomplishing that which it has accomplished regarding the material side, it has neglected the spiritual angle of humans, and has been unable to build an exemplary society and a noble individual. In fact, recent times have established that the most learned of people in material civilization are the most low and despicable of people in the civilization of character, in fact of humanity, and that is only due to their lacking faith.

O Muslims: This civilization has also surely forgotten that humans are not objects, nor whips in tools no matter how abundant the material means and its excess, or (how much) the skills and services develop surely humans will remain humans. They have ambitions, desires, disputes and aspirations. They love and hate, befriend and act hostile, become jealous and compete. The souls have been created with a love of good for itself, and to gain benefit for itself, just as they have been created with a love for owning, dominating and seizing what they desire.

But surely Islam, with its inclusiveness, perfection, majesty and beauty, refined these natures and elevated these souls with rules and laws making them on the level of perfection. And the divine directives and prophetic guidances came with everything that refined the souls and character, and guided towards that which is the most upright, most beautiful, most perfect and the best. And Allah the Exalted commanded us to join family ties; be kind to parents; be sympathetic towards the destitute; assist the needy; repel oppression; defend against harm and remove it; be generous; remove harm; enjoin good; spread peace and promote love between the Muslims, just as He prohibited us from deception; betrayal; jealousy; backbiting; slandering; evil character and anarchy against other persons and their wealth, honour, religion or ideology.

And in one sentence, surely Islam came with everything that protects the unity of the society and cares for the rights of its individuals. Surely Islam calls for the establishment of a united society; pure of selfishness and love of the self, so that they may be a virtuous nation; with sound hearts and souls, refined emotions, purity of hearts just like the first generation; soundness of methodology and biography; purity in heart and privacy. And for you – may Allah protect you – are a few words, from the concise words of the prophet ï·º which is suitable to be the methodology of the Ummah, even though it may be limited letters.

Muslim and others narrated that Abu Hurayrah (Radiallahu Anhu) said: The messenger of Allah ï·º said: “Don’t nurse jealousy and don’t bid him out for raising the price and don’t nurse aversion or enmity and don’t enter into a transaction when others have entered into that transaction and be as fellow-brothers and servants of Allah. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him. The piety is here, (and while saying so) he pointed towards his chest thrice. It is a serious evil for a Muslim that he should look down upon his brother Muslim. All things of a Muslim are inviolable for his brother in faith: his blood, his wealth and his honour.

Glory be to Allah! How many great meanings and huge directives these few words unite, and the first of them is the prohibition of jealousy which is wishing for the bounty to be removed from others, and it is prohibited and despised in the Book and Sunnah, and it is the first sin by which Allah was disobeyed when the devil (Iblees) was jealous against Adam, and he continued with it until he removed him from Paradise, so with jealousy Iblees was cursed and made an accursed satan. Jealousy is the quality of the jews and polytheists, when they were hostile to the messenger of Allah ï·º and disbelieved in his message while they knew it was the truth, (due to) jealousy from themselves. “Many of the People of the Scripture wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from themselves [even] after the truth has become clear to them.” [Surah Baqarah: 109]

The jealous person objects to the pre-destination of Allah and His Decree when he is not pleased with what Allah has apportioned for him and for others, and this is the proof of the ugliness of the soul and its evil nature. “Or have they a share of dominion? Then [if that were so], they would not give the people [even as much as] the speck on a date seed. Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty? But we had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.” [Surah Nisaa: 53-54]

The jealous person in his jealousy is in unending worry; in an unrewarded calamity and unpraised dispraise. His Lord is angry with him and closes all doors of ability on him.

O Muslims, verily jealousy is contained in the nature of humans, and no doubt that the one who sees good wishes that for himself, but surely the blame is in oppression with jealousy i.e. hating the bounty to reach the envied one or desiring its removal. And the sin is magnified when that is coupled with backbiting, slandering, defamation and striving to remove this bounty.

O Muslims, jealousy eats the good deeds just like fire eats wood, just as it eats the heart as well, and in the wise prose: the punishment of the jealous one is from his self.

And of people are those who when he sees a bounty, he thanks Allah – the Exalted – with his heart; remembers Him with his tongue & follows the Sunnah; and supplicates for blessings; and asks Allah the Generous from His Bounty, so he refines his self with this; reforms his heart and nature and relaxes his mind, so Allah – the Exalted – rewards him and grants him.

And of people are those who satan betrays until they are described with his quality, so he burns his self and dies of his anger. No reward is attained and no majesty is strengthened.

To the afflicted with the disease of jealousy: why all this? Have you forgotten that you are a Muslim, believing that Allah – the Exalted – apportions sustenance among His creation. And some of them possess abundance, and others whose sustenance is narrowed on them; He raised some of them above others in degrees (of rank) that they may make use of one another for service. But the mercy of your Lord is better than whatever they accumulate.

This is the way of Allah regarding His creation. And whoever wishes for safety in his religion; serenity in his heart and pleasure of his Lord should watch his self; purify his heart and be content with what Allah apportioned and should ask Allah – the Exalted – from His bounty, for He – Glorified is He – grants and withholds; lowers and raises. He honours who He wills and disgraces who He wills. His treasures are filled and His gifts are abundant.

Brothers in Islam, just as the prophet ï·º forbade jealousy, he also forbade all that arouses bitter feelings in the hearts and harms others, so he forbade ‘najash’ by his saying: “And do not do ‘najash’” and ‘najash’ is increasing the goods intentionally and raising its price not for the purpose of selling, because in this there is deception and betrayal of the purchasers, but the meaning of ‘najash’ is more comprehensive than that, for its basis is pursuing something with plotting, trickery and cheating, so its meaning is: Do not cheat and do not violate one another with plotting and trickery, because there is harm and deception to the Muslims in this, and in the Hadeeth (narrated) by Ibn Mas’ood (Radiallahu Anhu) that the prophet ï·º said: “Whoever cheats is not of us, and the deceitful and fraudulent are in Hellfire.” [Narrated by Tabarani with an authentic chain]

Then the prophet ï·º forbade mutual hatred and hostility, especially regarding the desires of the self; for verily Allah – the Exalted – made the Muslims loving brothers, and made love the proof of faith, for in Saheeh Muslim (it is narrated) that the prophet ï·º said: “By Him in Whose hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another; should I not indicate to you an act which if done will make you love one another? Spread (the greeting of) peace amongst yourselves.
Therefore, Islam prohibited everything that causes conflict and causes enmity and hatred, so it prohibited intoxicants, gambling, backbiting, slandering, entering into a transaction against another’s transaction and sending a marriage proposal against another’s marriage proposal, just as it prohibited oppression, lying and humiliating others, and Allah – the Exalted – favoured His servants by His saying: “And remember the favour of Allah upon you – when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favour, brothers.” [Surah Ale Imraan: 103] As He – Glorified is He – encouraged towards reformation between (one another) and said: “So fear Allah and amend that which is between you” [Surah Anfaal: 1], and He – Glorified is He – said: “No good is there in much of their private conversation, except for those who enjoin charity or that which is right or conciliation between people. And whoever does that seeking means to the approval of Allah – then We are going to give him a great reward.” [Surah Nisaa: 114]

O Muslims: Hatred, disdain, jealousy and malice is a lethal disease in the heart and a fatal ailment which if spreads in the Ummah, will corrupt it, and will change the dealings of the society to hardness and stubbornness, severing that which Allah ordered to be joined and spreading corruption on earth, and surely detested politics flares it up or dictatorship and oppression or ambition and greed or jealousy grown in the shade of the absence of faith, and it is contrary to the brotherhood that the religion brought; and it is in conformity to the desires of the accursed satan.
Jaabir bin ‘Abdullah (Radiallahu Anhum) narrated that the messenger of Allah ï·º said: “Shaytan has despaired of being worshiped by those who engage in prayer in the Arabian Peninsula, but (has not lost) hope in creating dissension among them.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Servants of Allah: Soundness of the hearts is calmness for the souls; ease in life and relaxation of the mind; and a path to Paradise, and surely the prophet ï·º bore witness three times for a man from the Ansaar that he was from the people of Paradise. Then when Abdullah bin Amr asked him, he said: It is nothing other than what you have seen except that I have no place in myself for ill-intentions or jealousy towards any Muslim and what Allah has given them. Abdullah said: This is what has made you deserving of the praise.

And therefore this was one of the qualities of the pious believers, those who succeeded the Muhajireen and Ansaar as comes in the Book of our Lord: “And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, “Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.” [Surah Hashr: 10]. So how can he be a believer; he who carries enmity and hatred in his heart for his Muslim brothers?! Let alone their scholars, pious, preachers and reformers. Or how can he be a believer; he who worships with the hatred of the selected (individuals) of the Ummah, and hatred of the companions of the messenger ï·º or the noble predecessors?!

Servants of Allah, then the noble prophet ï·º said: “And be as fellow-brothers and servants of Allah.” Yes, the Ummah will not be an honorable, strong Ummah until it holds onto the links of religion and realizes the meaning of the Islamic brotherhood which will not be realized by the slogans of ignorance, nor factional friendships or transitory interests. Rather, the lofty principles of Islam will realize it; Islam which made the Muslims brothers despite the difference in their nations, tribes and statuses, and united their hearts, and they were honored with that, and their souls soared above the universal principles, and their courage rose over the earth’s divisions, so the scales became heavenly and lofty and loyalty was for religion and love and victory for those who submitted to the Lord of the worlds. Stinginess left and affection overpowered, and every Muslim loved for his brother what he loved for himself and treated him according to that. With Islamic brotherhood, a Muslim participates with his Muslim brothers throughout the earth in their joys and luxuries, and shares their pains and hopes. With brotherhood, the word is unified, the ranks are united and cohesion is strengthened, so the strength and honor of the Ummah is portrayed.

And the command of the prophet ï·º to brotherhood is a command with its means and requirements from fulfilling all the rights of the Muslims and preventing harm to them. And from the beauty of Islam is replying the greeting of peace; praying for the one who sneezes; visiting the sick; responding to the invitation; equality; protecting the unseen; gifts; assisting the needy; and your smiling in the face of your brother is charity; and prevention of the forbidden, like back-biting, slandering and bad thoughts.

I seek protection in Allah from the accursed satan. “The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy.” [Surah Hujuraat: 10]

May Allah bless me and you in the Book and Sunnah, and benefit me and you in what is in them of verses and wisdom. I say these words of mine, and I seek forgiveness of Allah – the Exalted – for me and you and for the rest of the Muslims from every sin and error. So seek His forgiveness and repent to Him. Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, most Merciful.


Second Khutbah

All praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds; The Beneficent; the most Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgement. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner. For Him is the Kingdom. The Clear Truth. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the guide, the trustworthy. May Allah send salutations on him and on all his family and companions.

Thereafter:

And this noble prophetic directive continues in this great comprehensive hadeeth forbidding evil character, which causes disunity between the Muslims and refutes the meaning of brotherhood, so the prophet ï·º forbade oppression, lying and humiliating others, for oppression is darkness on the day of Judgement. Allah – the Exalted – prohibited oppression on Himself and made it prohibited between his servants. He promised response to the supplication of the oppressed and threatened the oppressor with punishment. And how much of amazement people see in the death of the oppressors! And in the consequence of their affairs, a lesson! And whether the oppression is from countries, governments, leaders or between the masses, let every one who Allah has made responsible for an affair of the weak fear Allah, whether of a servant, worker, orphan or he has a ruling, for verily the Mighty – Glorified is He – grants respite to the oppressor until when He seizes him; he cannot escape Him.

Verily injustice, oppression, stealing rights and ruining honors is a cause of misery and a stimulant of seditions, and when oppressing and mutual oppression spreads in the society, it is the beginning of falling and disappearing, or that the tyrants of the nations rule over them, making them taste the bitterness of servitude and humiliation which is more severe than the bitterness of extinction and disappearance.
Servants of Allah, and in the great hadeeth of the prophet, there is a prohibition of lying, by which whoever is described with is vile, and to Allah and people he is low and small; a quality hated by the Beneficent and rejected by faith. “They only invent falsehood who do not believe in the verses of Allah” [Surah Nahl: 105]

As for the true believer, he is noble of nature, protected in being, noted for love and respect. “O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true.” [Surah Tawbah: 119], and honesty guides to righteousness and Paradise, and raises its companion to the status of the truthful with the prophets and pious.

As for humiliating the Muslims, it is inferiority of the self and pride in the heart, and in Saheeh Muslim: “Pride means rejecting the truth and looking down on other people” i.e humiliating them, and it is a quality of shaytan and a prevention of guidance. “I will turn away from My signs those who are arrogant upon the earth without right; and if they should see every sign, they will not believe in it.” [Surah A’raaf: 146], and there is no dispraised trait except that pride advances it.

So fear Allah, servants of Allah, and be humble to the creation of Allah, for Allah knows best who fears Him, and perhaps a weak; oppressed; dishevelled; dusty (person); with rags; pushed away from doors, if he were to supplicate to Allah, Allah would accept (his supplication), so do not belittle a Muslim even if he is deficient (in fulfilling Islamic laws). And in Saheeh Muslim: “It is a serious evil for a Muslim that he should look down upon his brother Muslim.” “O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them.” [Surah Hujuraat: 11], so the measurement is by Allah, and honor is with piety and religiousness. “Indeed, the most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is the most pious of you.” [Surah Hujuraat: 13], and piety is not a claim or a production and boasting.

And the prophet ï·º pointed to his chest three times, saying: “Piety is here,” and when piety is found in the heart, its effect is apparent in deeds and limbs.

Then the hadeeth is concluded with a great law of the laws of Islam: “All things of a Muslim are inviolable for his brother in faith: his blood, his wealth and his honour.” And this expression is sufficient conveyance. Verily the honour of a Muslim by Allah is great, and the punishment for violation against it is dangerous, so no matter whether he errs or is deficient intentionally or openly, his blood, honour and wealth is not permissible (to violate), for all that is innocent except according to the Book of Allah, and neglect in that or individual judgement in it with no knowledge is a door of evil, sedition, hardship and calamity. May Allah save us and you.

Servants of Allah, Verily the best of your days is the day of Friday, so send abundant salutations and peace in it on the best of creation and purest of humans, Muhammad bin Abdullah. O Allah send salutations, peace, blessings and increase on Your servant and messenger Muhammad and on all his family and companions and be pleased, O Allah, with all the four successors: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali and with all the rest of the companions of Your prophet and with those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgement.

O Allah grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and save us from the punishment of the Hellfire…



Source: http://khutaab.wordpress.com/2003/08...ot-be-jealous/

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BintAbee
11-02-2014, 05:43 PM
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Building a family in Islam

June 6, 2014 ~ Sha'baan 8, 1435

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Ᾱl-Ṭālib –may Allah protect him− delivered this Friday Khutbah titled “Building a Family in Islam” in which he talked about the Muslim family and how it is formed in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Qur’ān and the Noble Sunnah. The Sheikh offered advice to the young people intending to get married and cautioned them against the violation of religious teachings through committing sinful acts associated with the early days of marriage.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! We praise Him, seek His assistance, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our own selves and the malevolence of our own deeds. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to go astray, none can ever guide. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, with no associate. Above, be He, any peer, counterpart, analogue, or parallel. There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. [Ash-Shura: 11] I equally bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, his Companions, the tabi’în (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death), along with all those who righteously follow in their footsteps till Judgement Day!

Now then!

O people! Observe taqwa (fear of divine chastisement for disobedience), have a sense of Allah’s presence in surveillance of your deeds, obey His commands, and do not disobey Him.

O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women and fear Allâh through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allâh is Ever an All¬-Watcher over you. [Al-Nissā: 1]

O Muslims!

The concept of family in Islam is different from other concepts. Indeed, a family is an extended social unit which constitutes the building blocks of the Muslim society. As evidenced by verses from the Holy Qur’ān and the Prophet’s teachings, a family is like a nucleus founded on the basis of benevolence, faith, commitment, and loyalty. It is an integrated whole to which Islam accords a lot of interest through focusing on the way its foundations are laid. Such a concern becomes noticeable from the very moment Islam exhorts its followers to get married and thereby involved in matrimonial bonds. It encourages the marrying couple to make the right choice of the partner beforehand, observe moral standards during the betrothal and wedding period, treat each other well, proper use of the male’s right to guardianship, perform marital duties, mutually observe the rules of intimate companionship, provide advice in case of disagreement, in addition to sensitising partners to the Islamic rulings pertaining to the couple’s separation and divorce.

All this testifies to the fact that Islam focuses on how to build a family on a solid ground and how to protect it so that it can attain its preset goal, including chastity for both partners, instinctual mutual attraction, love, and affection, formation of the Muslim household, mutual assistance to perform pious acts, good education to raise dutiful children who will worship and obey Allah.

The family encompasses a chain of interlaced units which include relatives and matrimonial kith and kin. Additionally, it has a self-supervisory role through monitoring the behaviour of its members and checking their commitment to Islamic moral principles and values. In so doing, the family contributes to bequeathing its members the precepts of good conduct so that they could in turn transmit them to their offspring, just like a good seedling germinating into a leafy tree.

This objective is attainable through guiding the family members to visit one’s relatives and treat each other properly, the indispensability of bringing up one’s children in a physically sound atmosphere, providing them with proper medication and nutrition along with decent accommodation, an atmosphere of love, affection, compassion, and psychological balance for all members regardless of their status in the family. Besides, the parents should commit themselves to providing all children under their guardianship with the necessary and sufficient knowledge about to their religion and its teachings and about whatever might help them behave as good citizens and ideal servants of Allah, the Lord of the Universe, in order to help them lead a decent life in this world.

The more close-knit families are, the more firmly cemented society will be by a spirit of mutual solidarity. Notwithstanding the nature of marriage and the act of building a family as common life requirements, the marital bond extends beyond the herein to reach the hereafter. Based on the natural disposition of human beings, this represents a conclusive definition of the family bond in Islam:

'Adn (Eden) Paradise (everlasting Gardens), which they shall enter and (also) those who acted righteously from among their fathers, and their wives, and their offspring. [Al-Ra’d: 23]

O Muslims!

Talking about marriage and building families in this time of the year, when engagement and wedding ceremonies are so frequent, is actually endless and may sometimes cause heartache. What is most disappointing about that is the high rate of failure, the preoccupying increase in the number of conjugal disputes, and the increasing ratio of divorce which has reached over one third of the total number of marriages. This is likely to spoil people’s rejoicing at seeing so many weddings take place. This matter needs careful consideration from scholars and intellectuals, and requires more vigilance on the part of experts and decision-makers.

Likewise, educationalists, curriculum designers and education policy-makers are equally invited to cater for such a concern affecting boys and girls alike. In addition, the mass media are to a large extent held morally responsible vis-à-vis the entire society by virtue of the nature of their broadcast programmes, be they positive or negative. It goes without saying that none is infallible or perfect; therefore, self-criticism is a sign of nobility.

In fact, serious revisions are actually needed to assess the degree to which education and the media have monitored the process of building families and contributed to protecting them, fostering in them the spirit of commendable moral values and principles, encouraging them to observe the rules of humane companionship, considerate treatment, and dutifulness towards others, plus training them to perform their duties properly.

These virtues must be reinforced so as to become deeply rooted in people’s consciousness and totally internalised until they turn into tangible behaviour which manifests itself in reality rather than simply remain a set of theoretical routines quite divorced from reality. For instance, the parents do assume a primordial responsibility when responding to a fiancé pledged in marriage to their daughter, for they will be accountable before Allah for the duty with which they have been entrusted.

O Muslims!

Marriage is a divine command, an exhortation by the Prophet, and a tradition observed by the Messengers of Allah throughout history:

And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Sâlihûn (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allâh will enrich them out of His Bounty... [Al-Nūr: 32]

 ...then marry (other) women of your choice, two or three, or four but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one or (the captives and the slaves) that your right hands possess... [Al-Nissā’: 3]

In his command to youth, Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said, “O young men! Whoever amongst you can afford it, let him get married ... (cf. the rest of the hadîth).” In this respect, the criterion of marital happiness and success in choosing one’s partner is explicitly stated in the following directive by the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him): “A woman can be married for these four criteria: her wealth, high social status, beauty, and religiosity. Beware! Choose the one whose religious faith is sound, lest you should be losers forever!” [Narrated by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim]. In another hadith, Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) offers this advice to women and their parents: “Whenever someone whose religious faith and moral behaviour pleases you proposes to your female folks, do accept his proposal. Otherwise, there will be fitnah (i.e. afflictions befalling you) and grave corruption.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Mājah]

It is often the case that failing to positively respond to such a noble teaching offered by Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) will virtually lead to numerous problems. In fact, so many people fail to perceive the extremely important significance of what Allah has called “strong covenant.” Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said, “The most significant terms and conditions you are expected to comply with are those connected to the marriage covenant whereby you have gained utmost intimacy with your spouses.” [An agreed upon hadith among scholars of hadith]

For this reason, it is incumbent upon both partners to be disciplined and to take special care of such a covenant. Thus, one of the signs of a successful marriage is to cultivate an ambience of security and affection within the newly built family, especially if we know that Satan did make pledges to induce Adam’s offspring into error through temptation and separation between husband and wife. Therefore, in order for both partners to experience love, compassion and affection, and for marriage to fulfil the functions for which it was originally designed, a set of directives for enjoying a successful marital life have to be reiterated, Allah willing.

So, I now address both partners. Maintain the bond between you and Allah so that Allah keeps you closely attached to each other. Many a misdeed has led to the disruption of happy families and many a sinful act has turned conjugal life into a bitter nightmare!

And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much. [Al-Shūrā: 30]

Whoever desires to enjoy blissful life in tranquillity should read Allah’s verses (Glory Be to Him):

Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islâmic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision)... [Al-Naḥl: 97]

Emotional harmony between hearts ‒I swear by Allah‒ cannot be gained by buying furniture, clothes, or exchanging sweet words, although all these are needed to achieve such a goal. Emotional harmony and concord is a gift from Allah, and love is among His bounties, as ‒May He be extolled‒ said:

And He has united their (i.e. believers') hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allâh has united them. Certainly He is All-Mighty, All-Wise. [Al-Anfāl: 63]

Exchanging presents is a key to hearts. It fosters love, reinforces affection, and chases out hatred. Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) did advise us to exchange gifts when he said, “Exchange gifts; show mutual affection.” [Reported by Imam Bukhari in his manuscript entitled Al-Adab Al-Mufrad]

You partners! Both of you should avoid futile argument and useless dispute. Say and do only what you deem appropriate. Talk gently to each other and never engage in a row, as disagreement breeds deep resentment and frequent disputes kill love and happiness. The old saying goes: “Permanent companionship is the fruit of frequent and harmonious agreement.”

Conjugal life is not a series of emotional scenes or rosy daydreaming. In fact, perfection is beyond everybody’s reach. Parents may have their differences, and this is but a fact of life and human nature. However, a righteous household that is based on taqwa and where both parents realize their rights and obligations would not be negatively affected by such differences, as these would only bolster its integrity and sense of cognizance and awareness. Errors would then be set right and the doors of evil shut.

O servants of Allah!

Mutual respect is one of the most prominent signs of family stability and one of the strongest pillars that ensure its establishment and continuity. The wife must realize the importance of her husband and appreciate his merits and special status at home. By the same token, the husband must treat his wife with sympathy on the grounds of marital rather than business partnership.

Whatever good deed either of the parents would undertake vis-à-vis the other would indeed bring happiness to himself/herself first before the other partner. A mother once said to her daughter advising her in this regard: “Be a bondmaid to him and he shall be a slave to you.”

In order to ensure household stability, it is mandatory that both parents overlook or ignore from time to time each other’s mistakes and lapses. In fact, family life is based on spontaneity and not on affectation and pretence. There are enough troubles and worries in life to make it rather inevitable for one to act spontaneously and candidly at home. At this point, understanding the facts of life and admitting them would be indispensable.

The various types and forms of oddities propagated via TV movies and series as well as media communication channels, and which enter into the sphere of satanic machination, have left behind a massive legacy of misconceptions on married life and of moral corruption, in addition to inculcating false principles in the minds of their recipients. Thus, the ensuing distortion of verities has started to yield pathways of great evil, in addition to those areas where comparisons and preoccupation with the other are most operative.

As for life and its material concerns, how many a family has been torn apart because of money!! How many a relationship of love and kindness has been destroyed because of money!!

O you husband! It is your duty to spend on your family and ensure for them proper housing so that they don’t fall prey to loss and perdition. You must not forget what the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said in this respect: "A dinar you spend in Allah's way, or to free a slave, or as a charity you give to a needy person, or to support your family, the one yielding the greatest reward is that which you spend on your family." [Narrated by Muslim]

The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) also said: “When a Muslim spends on his family seeking reward for it from Allah, it counts for him as sadaqah (charity).”

It is also your duty to observe sensible management in your spending so that Allah (Almighty) would bestow His grace and blessing on your livelihood. Allah (Almighty) said:

But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. [Al-Isrā: 26] And let not your hand be tied (like a miser) to your neither neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach (like a spendthrift), so that you become blameworthy and in severe poverty. [Al-Isrā’: 29]

O you wife! Do observe leniency and forbearance and never ask or wish for too many things; for this would bring about much discord and many disputes. Never compare yourself to those who are above you financially, lest life would then seem dull and not good enough to you, and thus you would not be as grateful to your husband and to your Lord. The Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: “Look at those who are lower than you (financially) but do not look at those who are higher than you, lest you belittle the favours Allah conferred upon you.” [Narrated by Muslim] Nothing has ever done more harm to man than imitation and flaunt!

All is in dire need of education before and after marriage, as to our commitment vis-à-vis the limits set by Allah (Almighty) in this regard, as to His worship by observing sound companionship and courtesy, good manners, cooperation on the grounds of righteousness and piety, by avoiding egoism and neglect, understanding the legal concept of trusteeship. Verily, the latter embodies the senses of protection, honouring, control, good family upbringing and management and is, in itself, a trust to be accounted for on the Day of Judgement. The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) also said: "All of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects. A man is a guardian of his family; a woman is a guardian in her husband’s house and is responsible for her subjects." [An agreed upon hadith]

When obligations are carried out in good faith happiness is bound to reign and success to prevail. He who undertakes supplication of Allah (Almighty) with persistence and observes true reliance on Him shall never be disappointed and his endeavours shall never go to waste.

O Allah! We implore You to bless us by the Noble Qur'ān and the Sunnah and to make them beneficial to us and to raise our status through the verses and wisdom they contain! This being said, I ask Allah, the Almighty, to forgive you and me and all Muslims of all sins; so ask Him for forgiveness and turn in repentance to Him, for my Lord is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful!















Part Two

Praise be to Allah (Almighty) Who has created (everything), and then proportioned it; and Who has measured (preordainments for each and everything even to be blessed or wretched); then guided (i.e. showed mankind the right as well as wrong paths, and guided the animals to pasture)]. He [(Allah) creates the pairs, male and female (45) from Nutfah (drops of semen male and female discharges) when it is emitted. [Al-Najm: 45-46]. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah Alone, Who has no associate. I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on him and all his family and Companions!

Now then,

Some marriage ceremonies have been marred with outrageous spending, exaggerations, and various forms of evil and infractions. On such occasions, the financial spending incurred by excessive flaunting has reached exponential levels beyond the ordinary dowry costs. The organization and management of such parties have been entrusted to women and to the foolish. What blessing is expected from a marriage that is inaugurated with sinful deeds against the Lord of the Earth and the Heavens, Who is the only One with the power to grant success?!

The free mixing between men and women other than the mahārim [1] , the hiring of male and female singers, along with their forbidden musical instruments, the missing of prayer, the indulgence of women in wearing wedding apparels exposing parts of their bodies, and the taking of photographs, both openly and secretly, are all considered acts of infidelity, disobedience, and rejection vis-à-vis Allah’s graces and blessings, not to mention the extravagance and flaunt in the preparation of such ceremonies.

Why all of this?! Can’t joyful occasions be celebrated without disobedience of Allah (Almighty)?! There is no doubt then that in the event of future failure those concerned will pertinently realize the cause of their plight. Indulgence in disobedience and sinning is enough to cause states to perish and kingdoms to shake, let alone small homes?!

Therefore, observe taqwa and advise each other to do ma'rūf (good deeds). Commit yourselves to righteousness and do not be deceived by the great number of violators; for “All of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects.” [2] The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: “Part of the blessing bestowed on a woman is facilitating her engagement and her marriage.” [Reported by Imam Ahmad, Ibn habbān and Al-Ḥākim] Elsewhere, in Imam Ahmad’s words: “The most blessed among women are the least requiring in terms of expenditure.”

O Allah! Grant success to those married and those seeking to get married! O Allah! Grant success to those married and those seeking to get married! O Allah! Grant them happiness, bless their marriages and their lives, gather them on the grounds of goodness, and bestow on them righteous offspring!

O Allah! Grant success to young Muslim men and women, protect them against lewdness and fitnas, and make them immune to such evils through faith and chastity!

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, on his good and pure family, on his sincere and audacious Companions, and on those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honoured and those of sins are guided, and where al-ma’rūf (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsā Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria, Burma, Central Africa, and everywhere! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are defenceless! O Allah! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case! You, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate!

O Allah! Spare their blood, reassure them, preserve their dignity and honour, feed the hungry among them, strengthen their stamina, bring them closer together, and grant them power and victory over their oppressors! O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around righteousness and protect them against the evil doers among them! O Allah! Suppress their enemies! O Allah! Defeat the oppressors and those who side with them!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet and to Your believing servants!

O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him, his Crown Prince, his Deputy Crown Prince, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for Islam and Muslims!

O Allah! Set right anyone entrusted with Muslim’s affairs, and fill his heart with fear of you, privately and publicly!

O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)! O Allah! Make them a blessing on Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and all Muslim countries around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous, and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah: 201]

Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk. [Ᾱl Imrān: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and fulfil our wishes in what pleases You!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children! You are indeed All-Hearing!

O Allah! Help us reach Ramadan! O Allah! Help us reach Ramadan and guide us to do good throughout it and do accept our good deeds! O You, the Ever-Living, the Eternal Guardian, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty!

O Lord! Accept from us, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! Accept our repentance; You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!




[1] In Islamic sharia legal terminology, a maḥram (plural: maḥārim) is an unmarriageable kin with whom sexual intercourse would be considered incestuous, a punishable taboo. Being maḥram is a symmetric condition. If A is maḥram to B, B is definitely maḥram to A. A maḥram is anyone a Muslim is not allowed to marry.

[2] This statement is borrowed from a hadith.


Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
11-02-2014, 06:02 PM
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The story of Jonah - peace be upon him

August 8, 2014 ~ Shawwaal 12, 1435


Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Ᾱl Ṭālib –may Allah protect him− delivered this Friday’s khutbah titled “The Story of Yūnus (Jonah) ‒Peace Be upon Him.” He dealt with the story of Allah’s Prophet Yūnus –peace be upon him− and the morals to be learnt from it. The Sheikh outlined the most important moral lessons to be drawn from his story, such as holding fast to, rather than renouncing, the path of da’wa (preaching Allah’s religion) despite the hardships and difficulties associated with it, and resorting to Allah Almighty through thick and thin to dispel grief and drive away sorrow.


Part One

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, the Sovereign enjoying power and dominion. He has pervasive volition in dealing with His creatures. He is the Living, Eternal and Immortal. He (Glory Be to Him) has unrivalled supremacy over His creatures in terms of Rank, Potency, and Omnipotence. He salvaged His close companion (Ibrahim) from fire and saved Yūnus from the whale’s belly. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah; No minute detail can escape His knowledge or surpass His will. I also bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s Servant and Messenger. His Lord has embellished his character with the best traits and the noblest qualities. May Allah send His bountiful Salāt (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace upon him, his family, and his Companions till the Day of Judgement!

Now then!

The best speech is Allah’s Book and the best guidance is that of Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him). The most vicious of all things are novelties (muḥdathāt, in religion); every novelty (muḥdathah) is an innovation (bid’ah), and every innovation is misguidance.

Then the best advice is indeed observing taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah). So, do adhere to taqwa vis-à-vis Allah and perform good deeds:

... then whosoever becomes pious and righteous, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. [Al-A’rāf: 35]

Whoever observes fear of Allah will be under His guardianship, and whoever fears humans will find no shelter from divine chastisement.

O Muslims!

The conduct of prophets (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon them all) is full of lessons and moral points. It is a radiant light procession upon a radiant light procession:

Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding. It (the Qur'an) is not a forged statement but a confirmation of the Allâh's existing Books [the Taurât (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel) and other Scriptures of Allâh] and a detailed explanation of everything and a guide and a Mercy for the people who believe. [Yūsuf: 111]

The stories of the Holy Qur’ān were revealed to the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) while he was still in Makkah and while the few believers who followed him were under siege in the mountain paths of Makkah. Their way was hard and long, and they could hardly see any end to it. The Qur’ānic stories would reveal for them the end of the way ahead, show them its contours, guide their steps, and provide them with the needed help. The Qur’ānic stories were also meant to keep the Prophet (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) steadfast:

And all that We relate to you (O Muhammad SAW) of the news of the Messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your heart thereby. And in this (chapter of the Qur'an) has come to you the truth, as well as an admonition and a reminder for the believers. [Hūd: 120]

and say to him “You are not alone in this path.”

Therefore be patient (O Muhammad SAW) as did the Messengers of strong will ... [Al-Aḥqāf: 35]

O Muslims!

Today, we are going to deal with the story of one of Allah’s prophets. It is a story that said to our Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him): “Beware! Never renounce the mission of da’wah (calling to Islam) and the burdens of (conveying) the Message.” It said:

So wait with patience for the Decision of your Lord, and be not like the Companion of the Fish, when he cried out (to Us) while he was in deep sorrow. [Al-Qalam: 48]

That was the story of Yūnus (peace be upon him). Allah sent him to the people of Nineveh in the district of Mosul (in modern Iraq). He called them to tawheed, i.e. to profess belief in the unity of Allah (be He glorified) and to worship Him alone, but they disbelieved him and obstinately persisted in their atheism. With the passage of time, he grew impatient with their disbelief, became furious and quitted them. He threatened them that divine chastisement was due in three days.

He therefore quitted, showing his extreme anger thinking that Allah would not constrict the land in front of him. He thought that the earth was quite vast, the cities were numerous, and human communities were also countless. He also thought that since those people were too difficult to call to Allah, then Allah would certainly redirect him to other people. This is the meaning of the verse: ... and imagined that We shall not punish him (i.e. the calamites which had befallen him)!...  [Al-Anbiyā’: 87], that is to say, “He imagined we shall not constrict the land in front of him.”

As to the people of Yūnus, when they noticed that he quitted them and that Allah’s punishment would certainly befall them, Allah threw into their hearts repentance, so they regretted their negative response to their prophet. They, then, submitted themselves to Allah, showing their humility to Him. It was really a great moment! Allah lifted off, with His Might, Strength, Compassion, and Mercy, the punishment that was otherwise to befall them due to their deeds. That divine favour was granted only to the people of Yūnus.

Indeed, no nation in history, which disbelieved its messenger and was about to be punished, but then declared belief and was saved from the due divine punishment (except the people of Yūnus). Allah the Almighty says in the surah of Yūnus:

Was there any town (community) that believed (after seeing the punishment), and its Faith (at that moment) saved it (from the punishment)? (The answer is none,) - except the people of Yûnus (Jonah); when they believed, We removed from them the torment of disgrace in the life of the (present) world, and permitted them to enjoy for a while. [Yūnus: 98]

O servants of Allah!

The fury of Yūnus (peace be upon him) led him to the sea shore where he boarded a ship laden with passengers and merchandise. In the middle of sea, the ship badly struggled against high winds and rising waves. In common creed, that symptom was ominous of wrath against one of the passengers who must have committed a sin and should accordingly be thrown into the sea so that the ship could be saved from sinking. They may have alternatively wanted to alleviate the cargo of the ship in order to avoid sinking. After they drew lots to decide on who should be thrown into the sea to save the ship, Yūnus’ name emerged, but they pitied him and could not throw him into the sea. However, on drawing lots, Yūnus’ name emerged repeatedly:

And, verily, Yûnus (Jonah) was one of the Messengers. When he ran to the laden ship [Al-Ṣāffāt: 139-140]

To describe Yūnus’ departure, Allah used the Arabic verb “abaqa”, to run away in the same a slave does from his master, because he departed without Allah’s permission: He (agreed to) cast lots, and he was among the losers. [Al-Ṣāffāt: 141]. He was then thrown into the sea. Then a (big) fish swallowed him and he had done an act worthy of blame. [Al-Ṣāffāt: 142]. He indeed deserved blaming because he disengaged himself from the mission Allah entrusted him with. Furious with his people, he left them before taking permission from Allah. Then, the big fish (whale) swallowed him without eating his flesh or smashing his bones. He remained inside the whale’s belly for a while (preordained by Allah). It was a triple obscurity: the obscurity of the whale’s belly, the obscurity of the sea, and the obscurity of the night. He (peace be upon him) called up his Lord in supplication:

... Lâ ilâha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allâh)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers." [Al-Anbiyā’: 87]

It was reported that when the angels heard his voice, they said, “O Lord! A feeble familiar voice coming from an alien country.” So, Allah answered his supplication and salvaged him from grief:

And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allâh, abstain from evil and work righteousness). [Al-Anbiyā’: 88]

Had he not been of them who glorify Allâh He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection. [Al-Ṣāffāt: 143-144]

Had he not shown obedience to Allah through performing prayers and evoking divine attributes in the time of well-being before being swallowed by the whale, he would have remained in the fish’s belly till Resurrection Day. This point is implicit in the Prophet’s hadith, “Be mindful of Allah’s commandments, He will protect you; Be mindful of Allah’s commandments, you will find Him in front of you.” Yūnus (peace be upon him) was one of those who glorify Allah and supplicate Him even inside the whale’s belly because he was before accustomed to doing so.

Then, the big fish threw up Yūnus (peace be upon him) on the sea shore in a place where there was neither vegetation nor shade. His body was very weak:

But We cast him forth on the naked shore while he was sick. And We caused a plant of gourd to grow over him. [Al-Ṣāffāt: 145-146]

The gourd plant cast its shade over Yūnus with its large leaves and protected him from flies which are said to be repelled by such a plant. In the Arab culture, every plant having no stem is categorised as gourd. It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) was fond of al-dubbā’ (a dish made of gourd) to the point that he would eat up every bit of it even in the edges of his bowl.

Then, Allah ordered him to return to his people, who believed him and embraced his faith. Their number reached no less than one hundred thousand people, which means that Allah honoured and favoured His prophet. That is why our Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) has the highest number of followers. He said, “Every prophet, without exception, was given what humans were supposed to embrace as creed; and what I was given was divine revelation inspired to me by Allah; thus, I hope I will have the highest number of followers on Resurrection Day.”

O servants of Allah!

That was (the story of) Yūnus (peace be upon him), a noble prophet. In the two Sahih Books by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari, it is confirmed that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said, “None should say: ‘I am better than Yūnus Ibn Mattā (Matthew) was’.” He was one among many other noble prophets. Allah mentioned them in the surahs of Al-Nissā’ and Al-An’ām when He said, They are those whom Allâh had guided. So follow their guidance. [Al-An’ām: 90]

The great guidance in this story is the right guidance that Allah commended His Prophet to follow when He said:

So wait with patience for the Decision of your Lord, and be not like the Companion of the Fish, .... [Al-Qalam: 48]

So, all the people entrusted with a particular da’wah must, by all means, endure its painful burden and keep their patience in the face of disbelief and harm, for its sake. Disbelieving sincere and confident people is indeed very bitter for the soul to cope with, but these are the dear costs to be paid (for being entrusted with a da’wah).

Followers of the messengers must observe patience and endurance; they must stay the course and maintain perseverance. They must re-engage the da’wah and keep calling people time and again. They must not, however, give up faith in the goodness of souls and the responsiveness of hearts no matter how much denial, refutation, arrogance and ingratitude they may face.

It is easy for reformers to feel frustrated and give up on the people they are calling on because they do not find them responsive enough, but this does not help the truth to come out victorious. A believer must suppress his anger and carry on. It is better for him to be patient as all shall end well for the righteous:

Indeed, We know that your breast is straitened at what they say. (98). So glorify the praises of your Lord and be of those who prostrate themselves (to Him). [Al-Ḥijr: 97-99]

O servants of Allah!

O you, who are feeling distressed, burdened and afflicted! You shall find a set example in those supplications by the prophets. Imam Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi narrated with an authentic chain of narration on the authority of Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqāṣ (May Allah be pleased with him) who reported the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) to have said: “The supplication of Dhi Al-Nūn (Prophet Yūnus) when he supplicated, while inside the whale’s belly was: ‘There is deity (worthy of worship) except You, Glory be to You! I have been of the transgressors.’ No Muslim man has ever asked Allah for anything using this supplication without being answered.”

Therefore, think about this great supplication, for it includes tawheed (monotheism) of Allah Almighty, His tanzeeh (elimination of anthropomorphic elements wrongly attributed to Him) as well as gratitude (towards Him):

La ilaha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers." [Al-Anbiyā’: 87]

Imam Ahmad narrated that Abdullah Ibn Mas’ūd (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: ‘No servant (of Allah) suffering from distress and worry has ever said (supplicating Allah Almighty): Oh Allah, I am Your servant, the son of Your servant, and the son of your maid! My forelock is in Your hand; I am subject to Your supreme power and I confess to the wisdom in Your justice. I call on You with every attribute You possess, have sent down in Your book, taught anyone of Your creatures, or have solely reserved for Yourself, I call on You to make the Holy Koran the spring and light of my heart, the vanishing of my sorrow and sadness’ - No servant (of Allah) has ever supplicated Allah Almighty in these words without having his concerns blown away, and replaced with joy’, (or ‒as reported elsewhere with the word‒ relief.”

They said: “O Messenger of Allah! Should we learn these words?” He said: “Those who have heard them should learn them.” Of course, ‘learning them’ includes memorizing them, understanding them, and supplicating Allah using them.

In the two Sahihs (the two hadith books by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari), the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) used to supplicate Allah using the following words whenever he felt anguished: “There is no deity but Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. There is no deity but Allah, the Lord of the Great Throne. There is no deity but Allah, the Lord of the heavens, the Lord of the earth, and the Lord of the Noble Throne.”

These supplications are Prophetic remedies against all sorts of grief and sadness. He who uses them in good faith, Allah would ease up his grief and make go away his sadness.

Whenever you are graciously guided to voluntarily perform two rak’ahs [1], do supplicate Allah Almighty in humility. (In this context, the Sheikh quotes a few lines of poetry paraphrased as follows):

Ask your Lord to grant you success through them (rak’ahs).
Ask Him in good faith whenever you implore Him;
Whenever you prostrate yourself before Him in gratitude, supplicate Him
In the same words uttered by ‘Thu Al-Nūn’
Observe perseverance when knocking at His door,
So that He may open it for you when you do so.
Do remember Him continuously for as long as you are on Earth,
So that you will be mentioned in the Heavens whenever you do so.

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and Sunnah and benefit us with their verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah, be He exalted, to forgive me and you!










Part Two

Praise be to Allah Alone, Who granted victory to His Servant [2] and might to His soldiers, and Who defeated the confederates alone. Praise be to Allah, the One and only One, the Single, the Ṣamad [3], Who begets not, nor was He begotten; and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him. [4] I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah Alone with no associate and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat and Peace upon him, his family, Companions, the tābi’ῑn, and those who followed them with righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

Now then, O Muslims!

“Palestine: the Usurped Territory”, “Jerusalem: the Captive City”, and “The Palestinians: an Oppressed People while among their kin and brothers and sisters in faith.” All the above are epitomes as to the current incapacitation within the Arab world, an arena for political auctioneering and state-sponsored terrorism which is perpetrated by the occupying entity (Israel) no matter how hard those governments that installed and sponsored it try to justify its crimes and cover up its massacres. One day, the cover will certainly be lifted and the media blackout will eventually come to an end.

While dismayed on account of the victims (of Israeli bombing), and aggrieved over the displacement of many families and the terrorizing of scores of citizens, and despite the differences among people over the circumstances involved, there is still shining hope through the gloomy night of aggression which is embodied in a number of aspects including the sympathizing from the part of many nations on earth as they realize the criminality of the occupier and usurper, the aggressor and bloody criminal, the appalling and insidious killer.

The blackout over those crimes committed against the Palestinians and Palestine is the quilt which has long covered up the enemy’s hideous acts. This evil face, however, has been unveiled and along with it many other evil faces. Those who have always concealed and justified such crimes and occupation have now been exposed:

And Allah drove back those who disbelieved in their rage, they gained no advantage (booty, etc.) [Al Aḥzāb: 25]

They have achieved nothing but the killing of children and civilians, the destruction of mosques and homes, collective massacres excluding no one, war crimes against humanity, with no moral scruples or human consideration. All has been carried out under the gaze of the international community and its silent and languid institutions and organizations.

The recent confrontation on the land of Gaza, despite the similar assaults that were previously launched against its territory, features a new outcome where the balance of power has slightly shifted as never before in favour of the oppressed. This bears evidence of change towards a new type of rivalry; one that is carried out on the grounds of more equity in terms of the balance of power in the face of the unjust occupier, especially with the changes taking place in the region, despite their negative and blurry aspects. The sparks in the face-off are bound to strike a long-oppressing aggressor and an enemy who has continued killing and displacing people.

May Allah Almighty have mercy on the souls of the martyrs of Palestine, heal its wounded, make up for its losses in money and homes, and grant it success in setting up a righteous and truthful leadership.

We thank those nations who, despite the fact that they share neither language nor faith with the Palestinians, have taken commendable positions vis-à-vis the recent offensive. However, we have no consolation to offer for those who are still too weak in this regard!

And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not. [Yūsuf: 21]

O Allah! Send your Salat and Peace upon Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, the best and most honest of all mankind.

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, his good and pure family, and his magnanimous and auspicious Companions! O Allah! We implore your satisfaction with the rightly-guided Imams and Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, and Ali, with all the Companions of Your Prophet and those who followed them in righteousness and taken up their sunnah, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims, and fail polytheism and polytheists (who associate partners with You). O Allah! Destroy the enemies of Your Religion. O Allah! Grant safety and security to this homeland and to the rest of Muslim homelands!

O Allah! Fail those who want to harm or divide our country, turn their plots against them, and make that the cause of their own destruction, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant us safety in our homelands! O Allah! Grant us safety in our homelands, set right our leaders and those responsible for our affairs, and support with the Truth our Imam and leader! O Allah! Help him follow Your guidance, make his deeds the source of Your Satisfaction, and provide him with a righteous and truthful retinue! O Allah! Grant him and his deputies success in their endeavours to achieve good and welfare for the people and the country! O Allah! Lead them to the path of guidance and righteousness!

O Allah! Shove away from us expensiveness, epidemics, usury, earthquakes, trials, and the worst ordeals whether implicit or explicit!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Unite them on the Truth and right guidance! O Allah! Stop their bloodshed, alleviate their fear, and protect their religion, honour, homelands and property!

O Allah! We implore You to be on the side of the oppressed and the afflicted, to grant victory to the defenceless Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Grant them victory in Palestine! O Allah! Unite them around Your Truth, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your true servants! O Allah! We leave to you the enemies of religion, for they are no match to You! O Allah! We leave to you the enemies of religion, for they are no match to You! O Allah! We leave to you the enemies of religion, for they are no match to You!

…Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah: 201]

O Allah! We ask You for pardon, well-being and long-lasting soundness in religion in the Herein and the Hereafter!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and let our wishes come true in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, their progeny, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

O Allah! Lead us to the path of righteousness and expiate our shortcomings! Do accept from us our salat, fasting, supplications, and good deeds as You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing! O Allah! Forgive us, for You are All-Forgiving, All-Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon the Messengers! The last of our supplications is all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!




[1] A rak’ah is an individual unit of salat (prayer). For instance, Ṣubḥ (or Fajr) prayer is made up of two rak’ahs.

[2] Used in reference to Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) during the Battle of the Trench.

[3] It is one of Allah’s attributes mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān, meaning the Eternal, the Ever-Lasting, the Self-Sufficient.

[4] The expression in bold borrowed from sūrat Al-Ikhlāṣ, verses number 3-4.


Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
11-02-2014, 06:12 PM
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The Fragrances of Hajj

September 12, 2014 ~ Dhul-Qa'dah 17, 1435

[17/11/1435 – A – Ᾱl Ṭālib] 17-11-1435- أ- آل طالب

The Fragrances of Hajj


Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Ᾱl Ṭālib –may Allah protect him– delivered this Friday’s Khutbah titled “The Fragrances of Hajj” in which he talked about Hajj and its merits, providing proof from the Qur’ān and the Sunnah.


Part One

Praise be to Allah! He created hearts and knows the secrets within their inner parts; He excited in the souls of his sincere servants the ardent desire to perform Hajj to his Sacred House. He made accepted Hajj a means to expiate all past sins, big and small. With accepted Hajj, Allah protects every soul from its own evil deeds and impieties. I praise my Lord –may He be extolled– and thank Him as He sanctified these sites and raised their status among the worlds. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah; It is a testimony reiterated in the mosques’ mihrabs and on top of its minarets.

Now then,

I exhort you, as well as myself, to observe taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah Almighty); it is the provision and preparation, and the treasure for the day of account.

And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is At-Taqwa (piety, righteousness, etc.). So fear Me, O men of understanding! [Al-Baqarah: 197]

O Muslims!

These days, the Holy Mosque is welcoming the early arrivals of Al-Rahman’s (The Compassionate) delegates. Makkah and Al-Madinah have put on their best appearance as the gentle breeze of Hajj is blowing and its blessed days are getting nigh. Spurred by their yearning, the pilgrims are pursuing their dreams to embrace the Ancient House. It is an emotion that prompts the heart to come to the holy land, filling the soul with sentiments that sublimate the soul and captivate the heart. It is an emotion where hope mingles with fear, apprehension with aspiration, and love with longing and nostalgia. The soul is overwhelmed with emotions and charged with sentiments the moment it takes it upon itself to set out to the Holy Mosque and start to visualize the holy sites in Makkah and the lights of Taiba. Such feelings take the soul so deep into the past that it begins to remember (the tribe of) Quraish and its influence, the early Call and its secrets, and the places the mention of which stirs the serenity of the soul and its latent fondness. The mere fact of mentioning them brings back all the feelings and memories associated with them: The Ka’bah, the Holy Mosque, Ghār (the Cave of) Hirā’, (the well of) Zamzam, Maqām Ibrahim, Ghār Thawr, Kheif (mosque in) Mina, Wādi ‘Arafah, Masjid (the mosque of) Namirah, Al-Safā, Dār (house of) Al-Arqam, Al-Mash’ar Al-Ḥarām, Shāmah and Ṭafeel, Muzdalifah and (Mount) Thabeer, Harrat (the stony area of) Wāqim, Bani Sālim Ibn ‘Awf, Masjid (mosque of) Qubā, Bi’r (the well of) Arees (in Madinah), Mount Uḥud, Al-Baqee’, Al-Rawdhah between the Prophet’s House and his Minbar (pulpit), the ruins of Al-Khandaq (The Trench), etc. All these names (of sacred sites) in Makkah and Al-Madinah take the better of you when you mention them and wish to see them for the great events they represent. Overwhelmed by rhapsody and dazzled by the history of Islam brought back to life, you break into silent tears. Great and triumphant times are raised high above humanity and levitate above history itself to challenge the earth and all that is on it. Times of weakness stir sentiments and bring tears to your eyes.

The gentle breeze of Hajj is blowing and its blessed days are fast approaching. You remember when the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) called for Hajj and people started to flock to Makkah from the four corners of the world: from the city and the countryside, from plains and mountains, and from valleys and deserts. They came mounted and on foot motivated by true desire to perform Hajj to Allah’s Holy House. Having performed Dhuhr prayer in Madinah on Saturday, the 25th of Dhul Qi’dah, the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) led the people towards Makkah with over a hundred thousand pilgrims around him. Describing that solemn scene, Jābir (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “The Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– performed prayer in the mosque and mounted his she-camel, Al-Qaswā [1] . When it was up and ready to move, I saw people as far as my eyes could see in front of him, on his right, on his left and behind him. The Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ was right in our midst.” [See the rest of this hadith; narrated by Imam Muslim]

This great scene seemed to incarnate the Qur’ānic verse:

He it is Who has supported you with His Help and with the believers. [Al-Anfāl: 62]

You remember how the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) used to tour the Arab tribes before Hijrah (migration to Madinah) asking them for shelter and protection telling them, “Who would give me shelter so that I convey my Lord’s Message and he would be rewarded with paradise?” Nobody would answer his appeal or offer him support. Today, they have all answered his call and come to him from everywhere. When he left Makkah on his migration journey pursued by the misbelievers, he was alone with nobody except Al-Ṣiddῑq (May Allah be pleased with him) walking in front of him, behind him, on his right and on his left to protect him.

Today, he has thousands of men around him stretching as far as the eye could see.

…and (as for) the believers it was incumbent upon Us to help (them). [Al-Rūm: 47]

These are Allah’s laws (in His Universe), land marks guiding the followers of messengers every time they are faced with problems or met with malevolence. What makes the heart yearn for the land of divine inspiration and Qur’ān revelation is first the hope to purify of the soul and expiate sins and misdeeds so that the soul can be worthy of the aid and support of Allah the Almighty. Second, the heart yearns to take an oath at the venues of the first Call to foster the connection with the early Muslim generations to follow in their footsteps and adhere to the Sunnah of the Great Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him). Nothing can set right the present generations of this Ummah except what had set right its earlier generations.

O Muslim believers!

The gentle breeze of Hajj is blowing and its blessed days are drawing near. We seem to hear the Prophet’s eternal Khutbah at the Farewell Hajj. Set in truthful words and divine inspiration, his address to his Ummah will continue echoing in Muslim ears till Doomsday:

“O people! Your lives and your property are, amongst you, haram (sanctified). Do not turn back misbelievers killing each other after I am gone. The usury of Jāhiliyyah is waived, and Allah decreed that there shall be no usury. Make women your concern; you owe rights to your women and they owe rights to you. Your Lord is One; your God is One. You all belong to Adam, and Adam was created from earth.

In the Holy Qur’ān, we read:

Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. one of the Muttaqûn (pious)]. [Al-Ḥujurāt: 13]

These are the words of Allah’s Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him), the initiator of justice and righteousness in which he settled many issues, such as creed, unity, (the sanctity of) blood, property, women, and humanity. These are issues related by the history of mankind and asserted by contemporary reality, but they are always abused by the Earth’s tyrants and despots. They would corrupt prophets’ creeds so as to dominate the human being later; they would revel in killing and murder and humiliate women in order to obtain wealth and fulfil their carnal desires. At the same time, they would legalize usury and propagate drugs. In addition to financial and economic crises, the results would be community annihilation, family disintegration, ethics degradation, and health and psychological deterioration. In his universal address, the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) outranked all other systems vis-à-vis creed, unity, protection of life, property, honour and prohibition of usury and protection of women as he said, “The most honoured amongst you in the eyes of Allah are the most pious.”

O believers!

The gentle breeze of Hajj is blowing and its blessed days are drawing near. We learn how the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) declared that all his rules were diametrically opposed to the misbelievers’. Misbelievers used to leave Muzdalifah after sunrise, chanting, “Ashriq Thabeer kaymā nugheer” (Let the sun rise over Thabeer so that we may leave). The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) did the opposite; he left before sunrise. He said, “Our guidance is different from the misbelievers’.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad]

What the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) wanted was for his Ummah to be distinguished with all its guidance, neither emulating the East nor following the West; neither sharing their rites, nor giving their guidance priority over the Muslims’. He alerted people to the fact that this Ummah is the heir to prophets; its heritage is always connected with the heavens. Passing by the valley of ‘Usfān, the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) asked, “O Abu Bakr! What valley is this?” “This is ‘Usfān,” Abu Bakr answered. “Hūd and Saleh had crossed this valley riding two young red camels with tuft nosebands, woollen wraps, and woollen garments chanting talbiyah [2] on their way to Hajj to the Ancient House.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad]

Mūsā Ibn ‘Imrān and Yūnis (Jonah) Ibn Mattā (Matthew) (May Allah’s Peace be upon them) performed Hajj, whereas ‘Īssā (Jesus, may Allah’s Peace be upon him) will perform Hajj at the end of life on earth. The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said, “I swear by Him in Whose hand is my soul that Ibn Mariam will cross Al-Rawhā’ valley [3] to perform Hajj or Umrah or both.” [Narrated by Muslim]

The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) wanted to remind Muslims going to Hajj of the procession of the honoured prophets to whom they belong and of their roots. He wanted to remind Muslims that in their performing Hajj they are following the example of the prophets, the righteous, and the martyrs.

They are those whom Allâh had guided. So follow their guidance. Say: "No reward I ask of you for this (the Qur'ân). It is only a reminder for the 'Alamîn (mankind and jinns).” [Al-An’ām: 90]

The Holy Qur’ān draws attention to this fact in the following words of Allah (May he be extolled):

And take you (people) the Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhim (Abraham) [or the stone on which Ibrâhim (Abraham) stood while he was building the Ka'bah] as a place of prayer (for some of your prayers, e.g. two Rak'at after the Tawâf of the Ka'bah at Makkah). [Al-Baqarah: 125]

This is in concordance with the Imam of the Ḥunafā’ [4] and the father of all prophets: Ibrahim (May Allah’s Peace be upon him) and to what Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) has called. When you see these situations, think of Allah Almighty’s following Words:

And (remember) when Ibrâhim (Abraham) and (his son) Ismâ'il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), (saying), "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower." "Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manâsik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage - Hajj and 'Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. O Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise. [Al-Baqarah: 127-129]

In the Farewell Hajj, The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) told Muslims, “Stand on your Mashā’ir (holy sites). You are on a heritage of your father Ibrahim.” [Narrated by the compilers of the Sunan (books on Hadith)]

This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion. [Al-Mā’idah: 3]

This verse of the Holy Qur’ān seals the Message, and the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) alerts the Muslims to this fact, saying, “Take your manāsik (rites) from me. I might not see you next year.” Thus he accomplished his mission, said farewell to his Ummah, entrusted it to Allah Almighty and made his Ummah feel that truth never dies with the death of its advocates.

‘Ᾱṣim Ibn Humaid said that when the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) sent Mu’ādh Ibn Jabal to Yemen, the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) went out with him giving him advice; Mu’ādh was riding his camel and the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) was walking next to the camel; when he finished his advice he said to Mu’ādh: "O Mu’ādh! Perhaps you will not meet me after this year; perhaps you will pass by my mosque and grave." Mu’ādh wept for fear he won't meet the Prophet again. The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: "Do not cry O Mu’ādh…” (See the rest of the hadith, which was narrated by Imam Ahmad and others). Indeed, what the Prophet said happened.

O Muslims! The gentle breeze of Hajj is blowing and its blessed days are here. During such days, people are eager to win the great blessing and perform Hajj to the House of Allah, the Generous, answering the call of the Compassionate:

And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka'bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allâh, those who can afford the expenses (for one's conveyance, provision and residence) [Ᾱl ‘Imrān: 97]

The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: "O people! Allah has prescribed Hajj upon you; therefore, perform Hajj." [Narrated by Muslim] Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said that he had heard the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) say: "He who performs Hajj and abstains from rafath (sexual intercourse with one’s wife) and committing sins will return from Hajj as pure and free from sins as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him." [An agreed-upon hadith] Abu Hurairah also said that the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: "Sins committed between one Umrah and another are expiated, and the reward for Hajj Mabrur (pilgrimage accepted by Allah) is nothing but Paradise." [An agreed-upon hadith] Abdullah Ibn Mas’ūd (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: "Follow your Hajj with Umrah, for they eradicate poverty and sins as the bellows dismisses the refuse of iron, gold, and silver, and there is no reward for an accepted Hajj (Mabrur) except Paradise." [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhy and Al-Nasā'i]

The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) was once asked: "Which deed is best?" He said: "Faith in Allah and His Messenger." It was said: "Then what?" He said: "Jihad in the cause of Allah." It was said: "Then what?" He said: "An accepted Hajj." [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

In Hajj, there is forgiveness of sins, expiation of bad deeds, doubling of the reward and answering of supplications. As for the day of Arafat, it is indeed a remarkable day. Allah has sworn by it in the following verse:

By the heaven, holding the big stars (1) And by the Promised Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection); (2) And by the witnessing day (i.e. Friday), and by the witnessed day [i.e. the day of 'Arafât (Hajj) the ninth of Dhul-Hîjjah];(3) [Al-Burūj: 1-3]

Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: "There is no day on which Allah sets free more servants from Hell than He does on the Day of `Arafah. Allah comes closer and feels proud of them in front of the angels and says to them: ‘What do these want?’" [Narrated by Muslim] He (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) also said: "I trust Allah that fasting the Day of Arafat results in forgiving the sins committed during the year after it and the year before it." [Narrated by Muslim]

Hajj is good in its totality, and has benefits in this worldly life and the Hereafter as well:

And proclaim to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj) (27) That they may witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e. reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade, etc.), and mention the Name of Allâh on appointed days (i.e. 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th day of Dhul-Hijjâh), over the beast of cattle that He has provided for them (for sacrifice) (at the time of their slaughtering by saying: Bismillah, Wallâhu-Akbar, Allâhumma Minka wa Ilaik)(28) [Al-Hajj: 27-28]

So make haste, O Muslims, to perform Hajj, for one does not know what may happen to him (i.e. before performing it).

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and the Sunnah and grant us the benefit and wisdom contained therein! I say this and ask Allah Almighty to forgive you and me.









Part Two

All praise be to Allah! He made the House (Ka’bah) a resort and safety for people, and granted us generously from His Blessings and Graces. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy) and Peace upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad and upon all his family and Companions!

Now then, O Muslims!

Allah glorified His Holy House and swore by it in His Book (the Qur’ān) saying: I swear by this city (Makkah) [Al-Balad: 1] and He (May He be extolled) said: By this city of security (Makkah) [Al-Tῑn: 3]. He showed its merit by saying:

Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-'Alamîn (the mankind and jinns) (96) In it are manifest signs (for example), the Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhim (Abraham); whosoever enters it, he attains security. And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka'bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allâh, those who can afford the expenses (for one's conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves [i.e. denies Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), then he is a disbeliever of Allâh], then Allâh stands not in need of any of the 'Alamîn (mankind and jinns) [Ᾱl ‘Imrān: 96-97]

One of the blessings of the Holy Mosque in Makkah is the multiplication of reward therein. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: "One salat (prayer) in my mosque (the holy mosque in Madinah) is better than a thousand prayers in any other mosque except in the Holy Mosque in Makkah." [Narrated by Muslim]

Makkah is the most beloved city to Allah and His Messenger. Al-Tirmidhy narrates that the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: "I swear by Allah, you are the best land of Allah and the most beloved land to Him. Had I not been banished from you I would not have left you."

Among the merits of Makkah ‒may Allah safeguard it‒ is the inclusion of security for all and everything: humans, animals, and plants. The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: "Makkah has been made a sanctuary by Allah and not by the people, so it is not lawful for a person who believes in Allah and the Last Day to shed blood therein or to cut its trees." [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim] In another version by them: "This city has been made a sanctuary by Allah when He created the heavens and earth. It is a sanctuary till the Day of Judgment, for He said so. It is not lawful to cut its thorns, to scare its games, to pick up lost property except after due public announcement, or to cut its grass."

Glorifying this holy city is an indication of taqwā (piety) and a means to it. Allah Almighty said:

And whosoever honours the Symbols of Allâh, then it is truly from the piety of the heart. [Al-Hajj: 32] and He (May He be extolled) said: That (Manâsik prescribed duties of Hajj is the obligation that mankind owes to Allâh), and whoever honours the sacred things of Allâh, then that is better for him with his Lord. [Al-Hajj: 30]

Among the first things that honour and dignify this Sanctuary is the avoidance of taking partners with Allah or anything that might lead to it, such as making innovations and introducing new things to religion. Allah Almighty said:

And (remember) when We showed Ibrâhim (Abraham) the site of the (Sacred) House (the Ka'bah at Makkah) (saying): "Associate not anything (in worship) with Me, [Lâ ilâha ill-Allâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh Islâmic Monotheism], and sanctify My House for those who circumambulate it, and those who stand up for prayer, and those who bow (submit themselves with humility and obedience to Allâh), and make prostration (in prayer, etc.) [Al-Hajj: 26]

It is, then, a House based on monotheism. We must also seek to honour and purify this Sacred House (Sanctuary) and this good and unsullied place from manifest abominations and sins. This can be done by enjoining good and prohibiting evil, and by advising one another to give charity and be pious, for enjoining good and prohibiting evil is one of Allah's rituals that must be honoured and dignified.

Rather, some of the Salaf (earlier pious Muslim generations) maintain that sins are multiplied in this city (Makkah). Mujāhid ‒may Allah, the Almighty, bless his soul‒ said: "Sins, like good deeds, are multiplied in Makkah." Muslims must be conscious of this sacredness while glorifying Allah's rituals and abstaining from his prohibitions. Let their deeds be in accordance with the commandments of Allah and His Sharia (Law). Let them do good and be busy seeking Allah's contentment which they have come to secure. Let them also avoid what may defeat the purposes of Hajj. Allah Almighty said:

The Hajj (pilgrimage) is (in) the well-known (lunar year) months (i.e. the 10th month, the 11th month and the first ten days of the 12th month of the Islâmic calendar, i.e. two months and ten days). So whosoever intends to perform Hajj therein by assuming Ihrâm), then he should not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commit sin, nor dispute unjustly during the Hajj. And whatever good you do, (be sure) Allâh knows it. And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is At-Taqwa (piety, righteousness, etc.). So fear Me, O men of understanding! [Al-Baqarah: 197]

The people of this country must be hospitable and generous toward their brothers. They should help and support them to alleviate their hardships; they should teach them what they need of the matters of Islamic Sharia. They should be cooperative and forgiving with the guests of Allah the Almighty. They should smile to them, feel compassion towards them and never hurt them or deny their rights.

May Allah protect the pilgrims and performers of Umrah, help them complete their rituals, and accept the good deeds from us and them!

Now, send your salat and blessing upon the best of creatures and the purest of humans, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah. O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, upon his pure and good family and his brave righteous Companions! O Allah! Be pleased with his four Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, all the Companions of Your Prophet Muhammad, and the tabi'în (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death) and those who righteously followed them, O You, the Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Rout polytheism and polytheists; destroy the enemies of religion (Islam); make this country and all Muslim countries secure and tranquil! O Allah! Whoever intends to cause us or our country evil or to spread disunity amongst us, O Allah, turn his plotting back against him and let his plotting bring about his own destruction!

O Allah! Grant us security in our homelands, and set right our Imams and leaders! O Allah! Support with the truth our Imam and leader and provide him with a righteous retinue, guide him to whatever You please and accept! O Allah! Guide our leader, his deputies and brothers to do what is good for Islam and Muslims and what would lead to the right path!

O Allah! Protect our security men and all those who work in the service of the two holy mosques (in Makkah and Madinah) and their visitors! O Allah! Guide them, help them, protect them, bless their deeds and lives, and reward them with good and happiness!

O Allah! Keep away from us expensiveness, epidemics, interest, fornication, earthquakes, trials, and the worst calamities, whether manifest or hidden!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Join them around the truth and good guidance! O Allah! Stop their bloodshed and relieve their fears, protect their religion, honour, homelands and properties! O Allah! Be on the side of the oppressed, the persecuted, and the afflicted! O Allah! Grant victory to the oppressed of Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Grant them victory in Palestine! O Allah! Unite them around the Truth, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet, and to Your believing servants! O Allah! Destroy the enemies of religion (Islam) for You are a match for them! ... “Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” [Al-Baqarah: 201]

O Allah! Grant our selves their piety and purify them, for You are their best Purifier; You are their Benefactor and Lord!

O Allah! We ask You to grant us forgiveness, good health, and constant recovery in religion, in this life, and in the hereafter!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our shortcomings, make easy our matters, and help us accomplish our goals in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive us, our parents, our grandparents, their progeny, our spouses and progeny! You are the Hearer of supplications!

Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! (He is free) from what they attribute unto Him!(180) And peace be on the Messengers!(181) And all the praise and thanks be to Allâh, Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists)(182) [Al-Ṣāffāt: 180-182]



[1] Al-Qaswā’ is an epithet of a she-camel or a sheep whose ears have been cut short.

[2] Saying “labbayk Allahumma Labbayk…”

[3] Al-Rawhā’ is a valley between Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah.

[4] This Arabic word (حنفاء) is the plural of Ḥanῑf (حنيف), meaning ‘upright’, follower of Ḥanῑfiyyah (الحنيفية), the religion of prophet Ibrahim (May Allah’s Peace be upon him) founded on monotheism and embraced by many in pre-Islamic Arabia.


Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
11-02-2014, 06:23 PM
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A Pause for Meditation after Hajj

October 10, 2014 ~ Dhul-Hijjah 16, 1435

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Ᾱl Tālib ‒may Allah protect him‒ delivered this Friday Khutbah titled “A Pause for Meditation after Hajj.” He dealt with the code of conduct pilgrims will have to observe after performing hajj rituals. He equally exhorted his congregation to train themselves to regularly perform acts of worship proving obedience to Allah and to keep on doing pious deeds.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah for the completion of religious observances with ease. Expressions of gratitude are due to Him for perfecting religion and allocating favours. When He called His servants to perform hajj (pilgrimage) to His sanctified House, they massively responded to His call and came from the four corners of the world appealing for His forgiveness and seeking His benevolence. Unrelenting praise is therefore due to Him till it matches the number of pilgrims’ steps trodden on these sanctuaries, and gratitude is extended to Him until it pairs up with the overflow of tears shed by worshippers in awe of Him!

I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, alone with no associate. He consented to make this Sanctified House a lighthouse for tawheed (monotheism) and a testimony that all creatures are His servants and therefore utterly dependent on Him for their subsistence. I also bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant, Messenger, and Select Creature of Allah. These Holy Sites were the cradle of his divine Message, these sanctified relics represent the inauguration of his call to Islam, and these locations witnessed the dawn of his prophethood. May Allah send His profuse Salāt (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon his family and his Companions!

Now then, O Muslims, whether you are performing hajj or residing elsewhere in the rest of the world!

Do hold fast to taqwa vis-à-vis Allah (piety and fear of disobeying Him) and adhere to whatever pleases Him. Observance of taqwa is indeed the best advice ever provided, the noblest of provisions to be made (for the hereafter), and the unsurpassed deed to be performed cumulatively for one’s future. It is through adhering to taqwa that further blessings can be made accessible, adversities can be neutralised, deeds and souls can be mended, and sins and misdeeds can be forgiven:

O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him, speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allâh and His messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hellfire and will be admitted to Paradise. [Al-Aḥzāb: 70-71]

O pilgrims to the Holy Mosque of Allah! O guests of the Al-Rahmān (the Compassionate)!

How lucky you really are! What great days you have been experiencing! What a blessed occasion you are celebrating these days! What resplendent landmarks have urged you to relent and then stand for meditation; so, you did stand in contemplation (on Mount Arafah)! How frequently such hallmarks have aroused your nostalgic attraction to the early exemplary generations of Muslims and moved you to tears!

You have, thank Allah, performed the fifth pillar of religion (i.e. hajj). Earlier, on this very holy site, Allah had once perfected religion:

…This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion… [Al-Mā’edah: 3]

It is in this location that Allah has bestowed upon you two blessings: the blessing of perfecting religion and that of perfecting your own religiosity. So, do acknowledge Allah’s favours and appreciate the merits of such blessings.

These singular days have elapsed and delightful nights have passed, during which an influx of pilgrims swarmed into the Holy Sites, tears flooded, and the whole area reverberated with supplications, following those observing Iḥrām (wearing the hajj special attire), those making Talbiyah [1], the humbleness of the pious (before Allah), the tears shed by those standing on Mount Arafah (during the 9th day of Thu-Al-Hijja), and the hadi’y (animal sacrifice) of those offering it to Allah (on the 10th day of Thu-l-Hijjah). All these rituals were covered by the forgiveness of the Most Compassionate.
You stood up on Mount Arafah, the Arafah of Allah; you visited Muzdalifah, performed circumambulation around the Ancient Sanctuary of Allah, and made sa’y (i.e. to and fro march) between (the small Mounts) Safā and Marwah. You moved from one holy site to another, tracing your itinerary between rituals and holy sanctuaries in quest for the awe-inspiring graces of the Lord. How many tears have been shed! How many supplications have been met with positive divine response! How many requests have been answered! How many faults have been forgiven! Indeed, you deserve congratulations for the completion of the hajj rituals! Rejoice at the divine promise of accepting your deeds, for Allah never breaches His promises.

O believers! Pilgrims to the Ancient House of Allah!

The accomplishment of hajj rituals is in itself a great blessing and its provider, Allah Almighty, deserves gratitude. So, profuse thanks are due to Allah for the visible and invisible blessings He bestowed upon us. Besides, let it be known to you –may Allah forgive my sins and yours‒ that the essence of thankfulness to Allah resides in obeying His commands, avoiding His prohibitions, showing Him constant gratitude, being on guard against whatever may cause afflictions to befall us or blessings to be retracted, and feeling bashful and humble vis-à-vis Allah whenever we remember His benevolence. Thus, gratitude manifests itself in words through gratefulness and praise, morally through showing adoration and submission, and physiologically through total compliance and obedience:

So eat of the lawful and good food which Allâh has provided
for you. And be grateful for the favour of Allah, if it is He Whom you worship. [Al-Naḥl: 114]

Remember that the most substantial of Allah’s commands is (untainted) tawheed and the most crucial of Allah’s prohibitions is shirk (polytheism). Knowing that Allah has benevolently bestowed upon us the blessing of creation and livelihood, how can gratitude be shown to others and who can be worshipped except Him? In His glorious Holy Book, a verse reads:

O Mankind! Remember the Grace of Allâh upon you! Is the any creator other than Allâh who provides for you from the sky (rain) and the earth? LâilâhaillâHuwa (none has the right to be worshipped but he). How then are you turning away (from Him)? [Fāṭir: 3]

O honourable pilgrim!

The performance of hajj rituals has definitely enhanced your knowledge of Allah, reminded you of your accountability to Him, and revived in you the traits of His uncontested divinity (Glory Be to His Supreme Existence!). You have equally remembered that none is worth worshipping except Allah, for He is the One and the Unique to whom the soul delivers itself subserviently and to Whom the believer orientates his/her inner self:

Verily, I have turned my face towards Him Who has created the heavens and the earth Hanîfa(Islâmic Monotheism, i.e. worshipping none but Allâh alone), and I am not of Al-Mushrikûn. [Al-An’ām: 79]

Having established that, how can you accept the idea of diverting the duties incumbent upon you vis-à-vis Allah from Him to someone else, such as supplication, seeking assistance, searching the straight path, and consecrations (to Allah)? So, where is the positive impact of hajj on someone who, upon returning from pilgrimage, reverts to missing prayers (on time), refusing to pay zakāt, dealing in usury and bribery, in total defiance of any divine command or proscription?

O Muslims! O scrupulous and pious worshippers!

Now that Allah Almighty has guided you towards winning His satisfaction and bestowed upon you the ease of exposure to His divine inspiration, do observe His commands and behave righteously. Each Muslim should beware of tainting his record after it has been cleansed of sins:

And be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun, after it has become strong, by taking your oaths as a means of deception among yourselves… [Al-Naḥl: 92]

The best advice after observing taqwa is the one offered by Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) to Sufiyān ‒may Allah be pleased with him‒ when the latter said, “O Messenger of Allah! Tell me something concerning Islam about which I will never ask anybody else.” The Prophet said, “Say ‘I have faith in Allah’, then adhere to the straight path.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]

Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) also said, “The most appreciated deeds by Allah are those which persist in time however scanty they might be.” [This hadith is agreed upon by hadith scholars]. In fact, he whose heart is in permanent contact with his Creator will receive from Him strength and constancy:

…And whosoever puts his trust in Allâh, then He will suffice him… [Al-Ṭalāq: 3]

Notwithstanding his adherence to the Straight Path, the Muslim is still vulnerable to error and neglectful behaviour. This is why Allah (Glory and Might be to Him) said:

…Therefore take Straight Path to Him (with true faith ‒ Islâmic monotheism) and obedience to Him, and seek forgiveness of Him… [Fuṣṣilat: 6]

This meaning is equally referred to in the authentic hadith reported by Imam Ahmed and Ibn Majah, in which Thawbān narrated that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said, “Hold fast to the Straight Path, though you can hardly attain it perfectly; and let it be known to you that the best of your deeds is prayer. Indeed, only a believer insists on preserving his wudhū (ablutions).” In another version of this hadith reported by Imam Ahmed, “Do your best to hit or approximate your target! Indeed, only a believer insists on preserving his wudhū (ablutions).”In the two Sahih books (by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari), Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) is reported to have said, “Do your best to hit or approximate your target.” Therefore, each person is supposed to hit the target, which is moral rectitude through following the Straight Path. But in case he fails to either hit or approximate the target, he will be considered as neglectful of his duties.

O honourable pilgrim!

How beautiful it would be if you returned home to join your family and homeland after hajj equipped with flawless morals, virtuous character, and commendable habits. You will adopt gallant behaviour with your spouse, children, and other family members. Your heart will be clean of any impure thoughts and you will be constantly in pursuit of truth, justice, and wise conduct. So, do stick to the Straight Path, carry on performing good deeds as the world where you reside is not eternal, and beware of hypocrisy. Many a great deed is minimised by the intention of its performer; and many a tiny deed is maximised by the intention of its performer. Let your hajj be the inauguration of a new age, a promising dawn, a rising sun, and rebirth for you:

And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death). [Al-Ḥijr: 99]

Commit yourself to taqwa, for it is the ultimate treasure and hope: It is neither their [2] meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is taqwa from you that reaches Him.  [Al-Ḥajj: 37]

O servants of Allah! O Muslims wherever you are!

These blessed days have passed; nonetheless, a believer’s life ever teems with virtue and benevolence. It is fertile soil for good deeds and obedience (to Allah Almighty). The longer a believer lives, the more credit he accumulates down the path of benevolence. Worshipping Allah is confined by neither time nor space, and the criterion for acceptance in this regard is the extent of integrity vis-à-vis Allah and pursuance of the guidance of His Messenger (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him). Allah’s bounty is immense. You must realize that following a good deed with another is indeed a sign of acceptance (by Allah Almighty) and that changing for the better is a sign of acceptance of your hajj. Those whose records of deeds have been cleansed (by Almighty Allah) with forgiveness must never return to sinning, for a relapse is far worse than the initial ailment. Likewise, they must seek to increase their good deeds as this is a sign of acceptance as well.

May Allah Almighty accept your hajj and good endeavours, help you and us all re-live these blessed days for many years to come and maintain for our Muslim Ummah its pride, dignity, righteousness and integrity!

May Allah bless you and me by the Great Qur'ān and the sunnah of the Master of all the messengers! May the Almighty benefit us with the verses and guidance they contain, and spare us the shame of tumbling from His Grace! I say this and I ask Almighty Allah to forgive me, you, and all Muslims for every sin and wrong-doing we have committed. Do ask Him for forgiveness and repent to Him, for our Lord is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful!


























Part Two

All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists); the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful; the Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah alone, with no associate, the King, and the Manifest Truth. I also bear witness that Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family and all his Companions!

Now then,

It is indeed worth-mentioning and praising that Almighty Allah has bestowed His care, protection, security and peace on the pilgrims to His Sacred House while the rest of the world is experiencing unrest in addition to the wars breaking out in various regions. Certainly, we are not immune to the envious and aggressors. However, Allah Almighty has bestowed on us His kindness, security, protection, well-being, and graces, inward and outward. He has made for this country a truthful guardianship capable of protecting it and its people.

Have they not seen that We have made (Makkah) a secure sanctuary, and that men are being snatched away from all around them? [Al-Ankabūt: 67]

Therefore, all praise and all thanks are due to Allah (for the bounties and blessings He has bestowed on this holy land)!

O servants of Allah!
Your Lord (May He be Extolled) says:

So when you have accomplished your Manasik[(i.e. Ihrâm, Tawâfof the Ka'bah and As-Safâand Al-Marwah), stay at 'Arafât, Muzdalifah and Mina, Ramyof Jamarât, (stoning of the specified pillars in Mina) slaughtering of Hady(animal, etc.)]. Remember Allâh as you remember your forefathers or with a far more remembrance. But of mankind there are some who say: "Our Lord! Give us (Your Bounties) in this world!" and for such there will be no portion in the Hereafter. And of them there are some who say: "Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" For them there will be alloted a share for what they have earned. And Allâh is Swift at reckoning. [Al-Baqarah: 200-202]

Therefore, you are called upon to observe the remembrance, praise, and supplication of Allah (May He be extolled). Prior to returning home every pilgrim must carry out the farewell ṭawāf (circumambulation of the Ka’bah) with no obligation to perform sa’y or shave one’s head. It is worth-mentioning here that menstruating female pilgrims may not perform such ṭawāf. May Allah accept our hajj and yours!

This being said, do ask Allah Almighty to send His pure Salats and everlasting Peace on the most honourable of His creatures, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of all His Prophets, on his good and pure family, and his magnanimous and auspicious Companions. O Allah! Be content with his rightly guided caliphs: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, and Ali and on all the Companions of Your Prophet and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims, fail atheism and atheists, destroy the enemies of (Your) religion and make this homeland secure and peaceful and all homelands of Muslims!

O Allah! Grant us security in our homeland, set right our Imams and leaders, support with the Truth our Imam and leader! O Allah! lead him to Your guidance and make his deeds gain Your contentment! O Allah! Grant him a righteous retinue! O Allah! Grant him and his Crown Prince success to accomplish what is in the best interest of the country and the people and lead them to the path of guidance and wisdom! O Allah! Reward them with blessings and merits for serving the Two Holy Mosques and taking care of the pilgrims and performers of Umrah! O Allah! Give from Your bounty all those who have assisted in serving the pilgrims!

O Allah! Do accept from the pilgrims their hajj and answer their supplications! O Allah! Make it a Mabroor (accepted) hajj, a rewarded effort, and a forgiven sin, and help the pilgrims return to their homelands safe and successful! O Allah! Do accept our hajj and theirs, help us persevere on the path of truth and guidance, and give us a good ending, O You, the Most Merciful!

O Allah! Shove away from us expensiveness, epidemics, usury, adultery, earthquakes, trials, and the worst ordeals whether implicit or explicit!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims! O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Gather them around truth and guidance! O Allah! Stop their bloodshed, safeguard their security and well-being, set right their conditions and suppress their enemy! O Allah! Grant victory to the defenceless among Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Grant them victory in Palestine! O Allah! Gather them around truth, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Grant victory to Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants! O Allah! We leave the enemies of religion to You, for You are more than a match to them! O Allah! We leave the enemies of religion to You, for You are more than a match to them!

… Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah: 201]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, pardon our shortcomings, make easy our affairs, and fulfill our hopes in accordance with Your pleasure! O Lord! Forgive us, our parents, our grandparents, their children and their wives, our children, those who have loved us and those we have loved for Your sake, and all those who have done good towards us, O You, Who hears our prayers! Our Lord, do accept our prayers, and forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be our Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they wrongly attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And “praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!”





[1] Those saying again and again: “Labbayka Allāhumma Labbayk. Labbayka Lā Sharīka Laka Labbayk. Inna l-Ḥamda, Wa n-Niʻmata, Laka walMulk, Lā Sharīka Lak.” ("I respond to Your Call, O Allah! I respond to Your Call. I respond to Your Call; there is no partner to You, I respond to Your Call. All praise and grace belong to You, and so does supreme authority. There is no partner to You.")

[2] In reference to the animals slaughtered as sacrifices on Eid day

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
01-21-2015, 08:06 PM
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Warning against Fitnahs [1]

Muharram 21, 1436 ~ November 14, 2014

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Mohammed Aal Taalib –May Allah protect him–
delivered this Friday’s Khutbah titled “Warning against Fitnahs” in which he addressed the
fitnahs that have befallen Muslim countries in general. He touched upon those which the
enemies of Islam foment in the country of the Two Holy Mosques and Vicinity: the cradle of
the Revelation and the Divine Message. Sheikh Aal Taalib re-iterated the position of this
country and highlighted the unrelenting efforts that have been made by its rulers across time
to maintain security and protect the interests of the people without any discrimination
between the various Islamic sects and the like.

Part One

Praise be to Allah Almighty! Praise be to Allah the Most Supreme, the Most Revered!
He spread the Earth then He directed Himself to heaven and made them seven heavens [2]. He
has granted us unity on His Religion after disunity and dispersion. He has given us shelter
with His Divine Law after all cities and open spacewere proven too narrow to accommodate
us. His graces are infinite, and we cannot thank Him enough. He showed us lessons to learn
from those around us, and sent us restrictions and deterrents. I bear witness that there is no
deity except Allah with no associate; there is neither ‘Uzzah nor Laat. [3] I also bear witness that
Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger who was sent by His Lord to deliver the most
perfect law and the last of all divine messages. May Allah Almighty send His Salat, Peace
and Blessingupon him, his noble family, his Companions, and all those who followed in their
footsteps until Doomsday!

Nowthen,

I exhort you to observe taqwa of Almighty Allah, to heed His commandments, avoid
His proscriptions, and never show disobedience. You should know that everyone is
responsible for his own acts, and in his grave, on the Day of Account,he will be tested and
held accountable for everything he did.

There, people will be overwhelmed by feelings of remorse and regret:

[And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allâh.
Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not
be dealt with unjustly.] [Al-Baqarah: 281]

O Muslims!

History illiterates may not be present-cognizant. Since the divine message was
revealed to the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him), Islam has been gathering
momentum and Muslims homogeneously united. That was the case during the reign of the
Caliphs who conquered new territory both east and west and built their civilization and glory.

Naturally, this displeased Muslims’ enemies who, having been defeated in the
battlefield, tried to destroy Islam from within. Early Muslim history abounds with events that
raised seditions, disunited the ummah, brought conquests to a halt, and inflicted serious,noncoalescent
wounds upon Islam.

History still remembers the intrigue of Al-Ashtar and IbnSaba’ [4].Having seen that
Muslims had made peace and united their ranks,Ibn Al-Sawda [5] - disgraced may he be - said,
“You haveto infiltrate into peopleand mix with them. When they come together, ignite war and
fighting among them; do not let them get together.” So he ignited the fire, started the war, and
initiated fighting in a pitch-dark night.

O Muslims!

Not withstanding the difference in time and situation, a similar picture still persists in
times of fitnah. Spies sow the seed of trouble among different Muslim factions staging an
incident here and an incident there, and they insinuate to the common people of each party
that the other party is to be blamed for what is happening to them. By misleading each party
to believe that the other has perpetrated a crime against them, hostilities grow, rancour
intensifies, war breaks out and destruction ensues. If you want to know the perpetrator of an
incident, look for the beneficiary.

O servants of Allah!

In the last few decades, Muslim countries have been afflicted with painful situations
whose fire is still raging. It is not surprising for the enemy to adopt every dirty means to
foment sedition among Muslims. However, it is indeed regrettable when Muslims descend
into the quagmire of intrigues and exchange accusations and incriminations until
inextinguishable fire is started to destroy them all. They do not benefit from experience and
cannot foresee the consequences.


O Muslims!
The greatest fitnah in such cases is the feeble andself-defeating claim by the common
people as well astheelite blaming their values and principles for the prevalent seditions and
casting unfounded suspicion and accusations thereon. They allege that the methods of
religious scholars, with which they sublimated for years, are behind the fitnah:
[Surely, they have fallen into trial.] [Al-Tawbah: 49]

They criticize the system on which their state was built and which is its raison d’être:
[so that they destroyed their own dwellings with their own hands and the hands of
the believers.] [Al-Hashr: 2] and turn a blind eye to the real causes of events.

Indeed, it is all too odd for anyone to have to prove the existence of sunshine or
moonlight.

O servants of Allah!

Since its three-phase inception, the policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always
been based on respecting the rights of minority sectsand non-persecution offollowers of other
religious schools. Since the establishment of this country, there have always been citizens
adopting religious schools other than that of the majority. The government has always been
keen on protecting their privacy and, unlike secular governments of other Muslim countries,
or countries where Sunni Muslims are in the minority, neither has it tried to force them into a
certain belief, nor to drive them out of their land.

Having discovered this concordance, and having falsely believed the mixture to be
explosive and ready for use as happened in the neighbouring countries, the enemies tried to
experiment with this problem in the Eastern Province. They tried, but miserably failed, to
sow the seeds offitnah among the people. Allah has thwarted their efforts and spared Muslims
the consequences of their sinistermachinations. They ended up with innocent blood on their
hands, and with a heinous murder around their necks. Allah did not grant them success, but
set an example out of them to those who would follow in their footsteps.

This country has a long history of tolerance and justice, and of scorning bigotry and
exclusiveness. It is a principle that grew with it and could be denied by no one but those
denying their own principles themselves.

During the half-century-reign of the founding king, King Abdul Aziz (May Allah
bless his soul) or the reign of his sons who succeeded him to the throne, the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, while at the peak of its might, has never forced anyone into a religion, or taken
a bigoted stand against anyone on account of religious belief or sect. The system makes no
racial or sectarian distinctions.

Since the establishment of the State until the present day, thousands, or say, millions
of people from different religions and sects have entered the country.Some lived in it for
years, but none of them was persecuted for his religion or sect.

Now that we live in the age of communication, over seven million people come to the
Kingdom (every year) to perform Hajj or Omrah exclusive of tourists, workers or
businessmen. Yet, no one has ever noticed the slightest difference in worship between the
Kingdom and other countries.

On the contrary, one of the greatest achievements of this country is the termination of
religious jurisprudence bigotry. In the past, Muslims used to perform prayers behind four
imams scattered all over the Holy Mosque divided against themselves according to their
religious school. Now they all pray behind one Imam who tries to follow the example of the
Prophet (May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him) regardless of any specific religious
school.

Visitors of the Two Holy Mosques see and hear their teachers who,when giving their
lessons, mention all the four Muslim Imams with equal respect and non-discrimination. They
also choose what suits the student or the subject from any of the books of these known
religious schools and their revered scholars.

Muftis do not restrict themselves to a specific Sunni school, but select the opinion
supported by the strongest evidence. Judges also do not have to abide by a certain school. If
the judge gives a sentence supported by evidence from one school, his sentence may not be
overruled because of his choice of that particular school.

When the Council of Senior Muslim Scholars was first formed in this country, it
comprised scholars from all four schools of Islam and it has been so for forty years now.
At the Kingdom’s universities, theses and dissertations in jurisprudence deal with
problems and issues that derive from all four schools with no discrimination as far as
religious scholars are concerned. The researcher gives precedence to opinions that are
supported by the strongest evidence (from the Holy Qur’aan or the Sunnah of the Prophet).

The Kingdom’s universities have contributed immensely to validating the heritage of the
Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali schools and served in an unprecedented way the books of
these schools by way of studying, authentication, and verification.

It is the concern of the thinkers and reformers of this country to resist any reactionary
movement aimed at reviving religious bigotry. If you asked a commoner on the street about
his school, chances are he would not seea meaning inyour question!

Since its inception in this country, the scholarly movement has succeeded in
connecting people with evidence, following the divine inspiration and shunning bigotry.

When visitors arrive in the Kingdom, they do not find a fifth school, a religion unknown to
them, or an unusual interpretation of Islam. Rituals, prayers and Friday Khutbahs are
broadcast via multimedia to all corners of the world. Yet, nobody sees a different religious
practice, or hears a statement or sees an act that is religiously different from the way it is
practiced by Ahl Al-Sunnah(the followers of the Prophet’s Sunnah) throughout history!

What is different in this country, however, is that it seeks to rise above superstitious
beliefs and bida’ (false innovations in religion) and to apply the true religion as revealed to
Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him). If one or,for this matter, a
group chose to be out of step, it is unfair to hold the whole ummah accountable.

After all this?¯O servants of Allah?¯shouldn’t the languid feel ashamed to accuse their
own society, universities, religion, and state of fanaticism and extremism? Or accuse their
own religious school of being the cause of sectarianism and exclusion?

Indeed, such unjust allegations are the ones to be blamed for producing fanaticism and
extremism as they tend to fill hearts with hatred and incite enemies. When some of our fellow
citizens set out to challenge our educational curricula, and blame their own religion and
government, they are then casting a faulty vision, a limitation in thought, and defeatism in
spirit.

As a result, human blood and rights are no longer protected the way they used to at a
time when such allegations and blame were rather at their peak. However, killing and death
were stepped up when the sceptic managed to voice their accusations loudly and the defamers
dart their arrows intensely. Our country was most secure and prosperous at a time when some
of those languid people levelled their criticism against it.

Indeed, people in general and foreigners before kinsmenhave come to realize that all
members of the fighting groups are nationals of those countries where secular governments
maintain control over the curricula being taught at schools.

It is indeed a shame on those who exaggerate and exploit their country's plight to pick
up their pens and start criticizing quite harshly their own rulers, scholars, systems and
curricula. They have forgotten the role of Sharia (Islamic Law and Jurisprudence) in
reforming life and religion; thus they set out to defame the country's venerated and trusted
scholars, those who are still living as well as those who are dead, denying their merits, in vile
criticism and malicious suggestions.

Slandering Muslim scholars was but a proxy to the slandering of Sharia in its totality.
Distinction between what is certain and what is suspicious disappeared; therefore, calling to
besiege the Sharia and contain it became part and parcel of their objective.

Allah blamed harshly previous peoples and exposed their venoms, and made of
similar incidents the most suitable occasions to expose their rancour, but Allah does
distinguish the evil from the good [6].

The learning of Islamic Sharia and Fiqh cannot be measured by learning worldly
sciences, nor is it dependent on them, for learning Sharia is a worship of Allah first and
foremost. Whenever Allah intended good for His servant, He would make of him a learned
scholar in religion; such knowledge would accompany him during his lifetime and in his
grave, and Allah would raise his status in Paradise by this knowledge if achieved in good
faith (i.e. he learnt it for the sake of Allah). Thus, the attainment of goodness in a particular
society is commensurate with the increase in religious learning therein.

This Sharia has led this Ummah to pinnacle standards for centuries and ages.Under its
umbrella, kingdoms and civilizations have been built, and under its banner thoughts and
cultures have been formed. This Ummah has not been defeated until its grip on religion caved
in, and the flame of Sharia subsided in the hearts of many. This took place only over the last
century.

However, those defeated seem to have forgotten history, and Allah's promise to give
the upper hand to whoever seeks to glorify His religion and raise His Word:
[And Allâh has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of
them know not.][Yusuf: 21]

May Allah bless us with the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and benefit us with the verses and
wisdom they contain! I say this and ask Allah Almighty to forgive you and me.


Part Two

All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that
exists), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge)
of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)! I bear witness that there is no deity
worthy of worship except Allah alone with no partner. He is The Sovereign, The
(unmistakable) Truth. I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.May
Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy) Peace and Blessingupon him, his Family and
all his Companions!

Now then,

Everybody must understand that the security of the country of the Two Holy Mosques
is indeed the security of every Muslim on earth, and that there is no compromise on the
security of the Kingdom under any circumstances or on any plea.

The citizens of this country, thank Allah, are fully conscious of the conspiracies that
target its unity and security, and that the enemies are using terrorism and causing disorder in
order to achieve their goals. In addition, they would seek to deceive the impertinent in order
to accomplish their plans. These matters are clearer than ever before.

We have to put emphasis on the prohibition of Muslim blood, let alone the blood of
those who are granted security and protected. Allah Almighty said:
[And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to
abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allâh are upon him,
and a great punishment is prepared for him.][Al-Nis?E': 93]

The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said:"Whoever kills a
person of the covenant (a Dhimmy, i.e. a non-Muslim given the promise of safety) will be
prohibited to smell the fragrance of Paradise."[Narrated by Bukhari]

Therefore, it would be much more serious if the killing targets the starting of fitnah,
or those men through whom Allah protects the security of the country and its people. Each
one of us carries the obligation to avoid any stand or speech that might cause hostility or
disagreement, for the security of the country is not subject for bargaining or outbidding.
All men of integrity in this Ummah should seek to set matters appropriately, name
things properly and attribute incidents to their causes fairly and soberly. Indeed, with
sincerity and truthfulness matters may only get better, and evil discarded.
May Allah protect our country and Muslim countries from every evil and adversity!

This is said, ask Allah (O you Muslims) to send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and
Mercy) upon the best of Allah's creatures, the most honest human being, Muhammad Ibn
Abdullah the Hashemite, the Qurashi.

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy) Peace and Blessing upon
Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad! O Allah! Be pleased with all his good pure
family, his wives, the mothers of the believers, his brave Companions, the tabi'in (the
contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon
him] after his death) and those who follow them righteously until the Day of Resurrection!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and
Muslims! Destroy all despots, atheists and corrupters!

O Allah! Grant this Ummah a matter of guidance in which the people of Your
obedience are honoured and those of Your disobedience are rightly guided, and in which
good is enjoined and bad is prohibited, O You, the Hearer of all supplications!

O Allah! Whoever wants evil to befall us, our country, the Muslim countries, Islam,
and Muslims, then keep him busy with himself, turn his evil doings against himself, and let
evil befall him, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen (fighters) in Your Cause in Palestine and
everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Break their siege, make better their conditions,
and defeat their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate the Aqsa Mosque from the oppression of the oppressors and the
aggression of the occupiers!

O Allah! Be with our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Syria, Burma, Central Africa,
and everywhere! O Allah! Alleviate their calamity, hasten their relief. O Allah! Have mercy
on them for they are defenseless, mend their breakage, and take care of them. O Allah! Stop
their bloodshed, reassure them, protect their honour, grant them their needs, feed their
hungry, instill courage into their hearts, help them stand firm in the battlefield, and grant
them victory over their oppressors, O You, the Ever-Living, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty!

O Allah! Set right their conditions, unite them around the truth and true guidance,
spare them the evil ones among them, and defeat their enemy! O Allah! Destroy the,
oppressors and their assistants! O Allah! Destroy the oppressors and their assistants! O Allah!
Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing
servants!

O Allah! Guide our leader to what You like and accept! O Allah! Lead him to piety
and righteousness! O Allah! Guide him, his two Crown Princes, their brothers and assistants
to what is good for the people and the country! O Allah! Guide the leaders of the Muslims to
rule according to Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your prophet Muhammad (May
Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) and make them a mercy on Your believing servants! O
Allah! Spread security and prosperity in our country and Muslim countries, and protect us
against the evil of the evildoers and the wickedness of the wicked!

[Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the
Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the
Fire!][Al-Baqarah: 201]

[Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping
our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory
over the disbelieving folk.][?l ‘Imr?n: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our defects, make easy our tasks, grant us our hopes
in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive us, our parents, grandparents, our spouses and
progeny! You are the Hearer of supplications!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask forgiveness
from Allah, the only One to be worshiped, the Ever-Living, and we repent to Him!

O Allah! You are Allah with no other deity worthy of worship but You! You are the
Self-Sufficient and we are the poor! Send down rain on us and do not make us despondent! O
Allah! Relieve us (with rain)! O Allah! Relieve us! O Allah! Relieve us with rain that is
smooth, healthy, widespread, heavy, wholesome, beneficial,harmless, and with which You
will give life to the land and water to Your creatures, and let itreach both the urban and rural
areas! O Allah! Make it a rain of mercy, not one of torture, trial, destruction or drowning!
O Allah! We ask You to forgive us as You are the Forgiver! Send heavy rain on us! O
Allah! Relieve us with rain! O Allah! Relieve us with rain!

O Lord! Accept from us (our supplications)! You are the All-Hearing! And grant us
repentance! You are Forgiving and Merciful!

Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! He is free from what they
attribute unto Him! Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the
Worlds!

-----------------------------------------

[1] In Arabic, fitan is the plural of fitnah: sedition, trial, civil strife, temptation, discord, dissention, etc.

[2] This is borrowed from the Holy Qur’aan, suratAl-Baqarah, verse 29.

[3] Al-Lat and Al-‘Uzzah were two idols worshipped by the Arabs before Islam. They were believed to
be placed inside the Ka’bah but destroyed after the Conquest of Makkah by Prophet Muhammad [May Allah's
Salat and Peace be upon him].

[4] Al-Ashtar and Ibn Saba’ were two figures in Islamic history who were believed to have spread sedition among
Muslims, particularly during the Caliphate of Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (May Allah be pleased with him).

[5] This is another name of Ibn Saba’.

[6] This expression is borrowed from the Holy Qur’aan (Sura Aal Imraan: 179 and surat Al-Anfaal: 37).

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
01-22-2015, 03:10 PM
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The Call to Allah’s Path: the Mission of Messengers

December 19, 2014 ~ Safar 27, 1436

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Ᾱl Ṭālib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday Khutbah titled “The Call to Allah’s Path: the Mission of Messengers”. He talked about the Call (dacwah) to the Path of Allah, highlighting its merits and the magnitude of the reward of those making it. He says these people are heirs to such a great responsibility, namely the legacy of prophethood. He also showed that it is the duty of every Muslim to make dacwah.

Part One

Praise is due to Allah! He sent His Prophets and Messengers in succession, and decreed that the closest of His creatures to Him are those who show obedience to His Messengers and prove to be their most loyal followers. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, alone with no associate. He sent to every single community a guide to be obeyed and a source of enlightenment to chase out obscurity. I equally bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant, Messenger, Select Creature, and Close Companion of Allah. His Lord sent him as a Witness, a Herald of good tidings, a Warner, a Caller to (the path of) Allah, with His leave, and a Lustrous Lamp. May Allah send His Salāt (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him and all his Companions and Family!

Now then,

O people! Observe taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah) vis-à-vis Allah, for taqwa is the best of provisions and the most suitable apparel to be adorned with:
And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allâh. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly. [Al-Baqarah: 281]

In fact, earthly life is mortal whereas the hereafter is eternal. Beware of being distracted by ephemeral worldly life! Let it not divert your attention from everlasting life! Worldly life is perishable and the ultimate destination is towards Allah.

O Muslims!

Allah Almighty sent His Messengers to guide people to His straight path and to illuminate their way to Him. Whenever the teachings of a precursor divine messenger faded and the inspirational impact of prophethood on the hearts of its followers withered away, Allah would send a messenger to revive the faint traces of religious precepts and renew people’s faith which either slid into oblivion or became prone to confusion. The Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said, “Israelites used to be ruled by prophets; whenever a prophet passed away, he was succeeded by another. But there will be no prophet after me.” [Agreed-upon hadith]

When Allah sealed prophethood by (the Message of) the Master of Mankind, Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him), He made him the best of Messengers and made his Ummah (i.e. his followers till Doomsday) the best of all ummahs. Among the honours with which Allah has blessed this Ummah is conferring upon it the role of messengers to continue calling (mankind) to His Path and guiding them towards Him:
You [true believers in Islâmic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad SAW and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden), and you believe in Allâh... [Ᾱl Imrān: 110]

Then, He said, ordering His Prophet (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) to convey the following message to people:
Say (O Muhammad SAW): "This is my way; I invite unto Allâh (i.e. to the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism) with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allâh i.e to the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism) with sure knowledge... [Yūsuf: 108]

Therefore, the Call (dacwah) to the Path of Allah is a continuous religious obligation upon this Ummah:
Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islâm), enjoining Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden)... [Ᾱl Imrān: 104]

It is the duty of the Ummah to transmit the Message revealed to the Prophet (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) and forewarn of divine chastisement as its Prophet did earlier. Allah ‒to Whom belong Might and Majesty‒ says:
Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may get instructions in (Islâmic) religion, and that they may warn their people when they return to them, so that they may beware (of evil)...  [Al-Tawbah: 122]

Allah, the Most Glorious of speakers, also says:
Invite (mankind, O Muhammad SAW) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islâm) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'ân) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better... [Al-Naḥl: 125]

Allah ‒Exalted be He‒ also says:
...but invite them to your Lord. Verily! You (O Muhammad SAW) indeed are on the (true) straight guidance. (i.e. the true religion of Islâmic Monotheism). [Al-Hajj: 67]

Allah ‒Great and Almighty‒ also says:
…and invite (men) to (believe in) your Lord [i.e: in the Oneness (Tauhîd) of Allâh (1) Oneness of the Lordship of Allâh; (2) Oneness of the worship of Allâh; (3) Oneness of the Names and Qualities of Allâh], and be not of Al-Mushrikûn (those who associate partners with Allâh, e.g. polytheists, pagans, idolaters, those who disbelieve in the Oneness of Allâh and deny the Prophethood of Messenger Muhammad SAW). [Al-Qaṣaṣ: 87]

Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said in this respect, “Transmit even one verse from what had been revealed to me.” So, the incumbency of dacwah upon every individual is in accordance with the capacity of every individual, even if it is farḍ kifāyah (community obligation) [1]. However, what kifāyah (are we talking about) while the Ummah is mostly submerged in ignorance, lack of religious discipline, (moral) deviations,
undesirable innovations (in religion), in addition to the great numbers of those who are in crucial need for dacwah and education –let alone the existence of entire nations lost in misguidance and disbelief.

The start of every dacwah and every divine message is the call to monotheism: the Oneness of Allah, the Almighty, and singling Him out with ‘ulūhiyyah (Divinity) and rubūbiyyah (Lordship, Sovereignty). This is the foundation of the dacwah of all Messengers, and all details in those successive divine messages have been based on this great foundation.

And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allâh (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Tâghût (all false deities, etc. i.e. do not worship Tâghût besides Allâh)." ... [Al-Naḥl: 36]

And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad SAW) but We inspired him (saying): Lâ ilâha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allâh)], so worship Me (Alone and none else)." [Al-Anbiyā’: 25]

O Muslims!

Suffice it for the Muslim to be among those honoured by calling to what Allah Himself has called to:
Allâh calls to the home of peace (i.e. Paradise, by accepting Allâh's religion of Islâmic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds and abstaining from polytheism and evil deeds)... [Yūnus: 25]

It is He (May He be exalted) Who also says:
 ...but Allâh invites (you) to Paradise and Forgiveness by His Leave, and makes His Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) clear to mankind that they may remember. [Al-Baqarah: 221]

Servants of Allah!

The religious scholar is the inheritor of the status of prophethood. He assumes its major responsibilities, namely, calling and guiding Allah’s creatures to His path, purifying them, teaching them (religious precepts), coaching them on truth so that they understand it, accept it, and work with it and for it. There is no speech better than that of the Muslim scholar’s. (Here is what Allah says about his speech):
And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allâh (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allâh's (Islâmic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims." [Fuṣṣilat: 33]

Also, there is no work better than his. Ibn Al-Qayyim –May Allah have mercy on his soul– said: “Conveying the Prophets’ sunnah (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) to the Muslim Ummah is better than shooting the enemies’ necks with arrows because shooting arrows is being done by many people, whereas conveying the prophet’s sunnah is exclusively done by the inheritors of prophets.” In the same vein, Abu Al-Dardā’ –May Allah be pleased with him– said, “There is no better form of charity than exhorting one’s Muslim brothers, so that, after they disperse, they realise that Allah has benefited them from that religious exhortation.”

In the two Sahῑh Books (those of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim) ‒and the wording is to Imam Bukhari‒ Sahl Ibn Saad is reported to have narrated that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said, “I swear by Allah that contributing to guiding just one person to the Path of Allah is by far better for you than owning the best species of camels.” Thus, dacwah brings about Allah’ love. In this respect, Al-Tabarāni reported that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said, “The dearest of mankind to Allah Almighty are those who are most beneficial to people.”

Quite certainly, the greatest benefit to people is helping them rectify their fallacious religious beliefs, boost their faith, purify their moral behaviour, combat their wrong beliefs and impermissible pleasures. It is enough reverence and success for the ducāt (pl. of dāci, those making dacwah) that they are fortunate and happy both in the Herein and the Hereafter. The Absolute Truth (an attribute of Allah) says:
Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islâm), enjoining Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful. [Al-Imrān: 104]

They are also promised divine mercy:
The believers, men and women, are Auliyâ' (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islâm has forbidden); they perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât) and give the Zakât, and obey Allâh and His Messenger. Allâh will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise. [Al-Tawbah: 71]

Imam Muslim, along with the collectors of the Sunan Books, reported that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said. “Whoever invites people to guidance will gain the same reward of whom he guided, without them losing their own share of it.”

The Call to the Path of Allah benefits him who makes it, guarantees him constancy in faith, blessing in family and offspring, repudiates his misdeeds, refutes and repels the erroneous assumptions of those advocating misguidance, improves the conditions of society at large, spreads Islam and champions its glory. It is enough honour for dacwah that is the way leading to the establishment of religion which is approved by the Lord of the Worlds to people.

Moreover, dacwah leads to an increase in good deeds and an elevation in the status of the ducāt. If reward for human beings ceases after their death, the reward of the ducāt continues for as long as their dacwah continues to be beneficial to others. Abu Mascūd Al-Ansāri –May Allah be pleased with him– reported that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said, “Whoever guides others to do good will gain the same reward as that obtained by the doers themselves.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]

Therefore, it is the duty of the ducāt and reformers to implement the mission entrusted to them as regards spreading religion and good morals, in addition to combating evil and vice and stopping the overt plea for corruption which has devastated the entire world:
(And remember) when Allâh took a covenant from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) to make it (the news of the coming of Prophet Muhammad SAW and the religious knowledge) known and clear to mankind, and not to hide it, ... [Ᾱl Imrān: 187]

Whenever the drive of dacwah withers away or disappears altogether, the shariah will weaken, faith will be shaken, acts of worship will vanish, the Prophet’s tradition (Sunnah) will become extinct, security will be compromised, and misguided thought will spread.

Servants of Allah! O Muslims!

Nations before us were penalised because they had forsaken their religion. Allah (May He be exalted) says:
Then We gave the Book the Qur'ân) for inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose (the followers of Muhammad SAW)... [Fāṭir: 32]

This Ummah has indeed been selected to assume its responsibility for this gigantic legacy, which it has inherited. It is, therefore, accountable before Allah for the consequences of such a huge legacy. It is equally held responsible vis-à-vis the Holy Book (Qur’ān) with which Allah sealed His Revelation, after entrusting this Ummah with the duty of studying and spreading it, in addition to living with and for it.

The Ummah of Islam has inherited this Book and this divine Message; so, its duty as well as the main rationale behind its very existence is to salvage mankind from utter darkness to enlightenment and to guide the world to the straight path, piety, chastity, and sufficiency.

People may indeed be shut off from Truth by various types of darkness wherein they might live until death. We, Muslims, are required to illuminate their way until those at a loss are guided. If the Earth’s mountains are stationary in order to save it from shaking, then active religious scholars the society’s stationary mountains. Scholars are the remedy for all social illnesses. They are the last hope for the survival of good on earth despite successive disasters and darkening horizons. Allah (May He be exalted) says:
And of those whom We have created, there is a community who guides (others) with the truth, and establishes justice therewith. [Al-Acrāf: 181]

Championing the truth entails heavy burdens, for whenever someone’s advocacy clashes with people’s whims and personal desires, they hold him as their enemy. That was the case with prophets earlier in history. Therefore, one needs to persevere in confronting the thwarting efforts of saboteurs and the demoralising conspiracies of opponents, and to constantly behave leniently with all people.

Our Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) was most enthusiastic about guiding people to the path of Allah. He (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) promptly proceeded to invite people to Islam as soon as the following verses were revealed to him:
O you (Muhammad SAW) enveloped (in garments)! Arise and warn! [Al-Muddaththir: 1-2]

Thereafter, he rose and never renounced his enterprise.

We testify that he conveyed the message, performed his duty, advised the Ummah, and made true jihad in the cause of Allah until the end of his lifetime. He sacrificed his life and comfort to call mankind to Islam, teaching them its precepts, and guiding them to the right path even though he had put himself harm’s way. He used to take advantage of all types of situations to offer advice to people and to remind them of Allah everywhere, in all circumstances and at all times, to the extent that Allah revealed to him these verses as consolation and comfort:
...Verily, Allâh sends astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. So destroy not yourself (O Muhammad SAW) in sorrow for them. ... [Fāṭir: 8]

Perhaps, you, would kill yourself (O Muhammad SAW) in grief, over their footsteps (for their turning away from you), because they believe not in this narration (the Qur'ân). [Al-Kahf: 6]

When some of the Jinn converted to Islam, they rushed to their community to forewarn their peers to do the same, and when Abu Bakr Al-Siddῑq –May Allah be pleased with him– converted to Islam, he kept calling people to convert to his faith until half of the ten Companions promised entry to Paradise declared their conversion to Islam. Thus, he guaranteed that whatever good deeds they were to perform in Islam, he would gain with them an equal reward.

Besides, when Al-Ṭufail converted to Islam, he soon returned to Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) accompanied by eighty or ninety people from the tribe of Daws who had already converted to Islam.

Our Al-Salaf Al-Ṣāliḥ [2] sailed the seas, travelled through wildernesses and worked day and night in order to pursue dacwah for Allah and convey His Message. How could some of the successors of such righteous people laze around when it comes to engaging dacwah for the sake of their relatives, neighbours, servants, as well as others around them, particularly when such task has become much easier and the ways to carry it out multifarious!?

Indeed, had people known of the favours and rewards accrued from such a deed as the call to Allah Almighty, they would have never opted for lounging around. Doing good and seeking to promote it engender some of the Ummah’s manifest peculiarities, intrinsic endowments, and enduring tasks. The Ummah’s mission is not just engaging dacwah; for the act rather stands as a set example to follow and an integrated entity of benevolence experienced by the dāci before engaging his dacwah. Allah Almighty says:
O you who believe! Bow down, and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord and do good that you may be successful. And strive hard in Allah's Cause as you ought to strive (with sincerity and with all your efforts that His Name should be superior). [Al-Ḥajj: 77-78]

Every (religious) scholar should realize that he is entrusted with the Book of Allah, with implementing the Sunnah of His Messenger and with carrying it out as it is. Indeed, he is entrusted with their guardianship against attempts of falsification by the immoderate, distortion by the extremists, or abuse by the (heretic) innovators.

It is the obligation of every Muslim to beware not to cause any abuse to Islam, to promptly respond to the call of truth and to the rescue of his religion whenever it is alarmed or offended. It is also the obligation of every Muslim to actively seek to uphold the spirit of truth and guidance whenever that of delusion and aberration is stimulated, to rush to the support of truth against falsehood, to fight off heretic novelty, evil and corruption before they thrive out of control, before people get accustomed to them, and before their roots run so deep within their hearts and souls that it will be too difficult to extirpate them.

Almighty Allah will certainly bless the efforts of people of integrity, though they seem to stumble at times:
As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allah's Religion - Islamic Monotheism). And verily, Allah is with the Muhsinun (good doers). [cAl-Ankabūt: 69]

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and the Sunnah and benefit us with their verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah, be He exalted, to forgive me and you!



Part Two

Praise be to Allah! I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger. May Allah send His Salat, Peace, and Blessing on him, his Companions and followers!

The dacwah to Allah is limited neither by time nor by place. For instance, Prophet Nūḥ (Noah) –May Allah’s Peace be upon him– said:
O my Lord! Verily, I have called my people night and day (i.e. secretly and openly to accept the doctrine of Islamic Monotheism). [Nūḥ: 5] and …Then verily, I proclaimed to them in public, and I have appealed to them in private.  [Nūḥ: 9]

Also, Prophet Yūsuf (Joseph) –May Allah’s Peace be upon him– said, calling on his fellow inmates while in prison:
O two companions of the prison! Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible? [Yūsuf: 39]

He who finds it difficult to work things out a certain way will surely find an alternative way, and he who has one door shut to his face will certainly find several open before him. Indeed, the dacwah to Allah is an advisory undertaking that is accessible for all.

A dāci must observe perseverance and endurance while carrying out his task, conveying Allah’s Message, and issuing commands and warnings in accordance with the provisions of Islamic shariah and within the bounds of what is possible. He must then train himself to withstand the ensuing harm and tribulations and never lose faith in the benevolence-laden hearts of many.

There are many among Muslims whom Almighty Allah has endowed with much knowledge in the areas of jurisprudence, Islamic law and teaching. Some have been gifted with effectiveness in permeating admonition and inspiring leniency, while others have been granted the aptitude for exhortation, guidance, the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice. Some Muslims have been preoccupied with the publication of books and some others with striving against evil and wrongdoing. Operating within their respective fields of competence, each and every one of these (experts) must observe a sense of commitment towards Islam.

Such a potentially wholesome diversity should by no means turn into a factor of dissent and dispute, for all are entrusted to carry out that for which they have been created. To this effect, Allah Almighty says: Each (group of) people knew its own place for water. [Al-Baqarah: 60] And it is not (proper) for the believers to go out to fight (Jihad) all together. Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may get instructions in (Islamic) religion, and that they may warn their people when they return to them, so that they may beware (of evil). [Al-Tawbah: 122]

In the event an offense is committed regarding dacwah by any Muslim or any group of Muslims from among the advocates of benevolence and reform, who have been known for their true faith, good intent and ethical conduct, it behoves their fellow Muslims to be considerate enough to gently enlighten and admonish them, to observe perseverance in teaching and exhorting them at any time, no matter how alienated they may seem. Indeed, they are more worthy of patience than the infidels during the times of the prophets.

Discord is by and large the greatest impediment down the path of dacwah. May Almighty Allah bless those who seek to offer support for religion by contributing even a fraction of an utterance! Verily, true perdition resides in relinquishing one’s chance to carry out dacwah for the sake of this religion.

O Muslims!

Prominent among those factors that would be detrimental to Islam by hampering the dacwah process and limiting the Religion’s propagation scope are the actions of certain Muslims, particularly those who wrongly consider themselves to be its defenders. Allah Almighty says:
Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the disbelievers. [Al-Mumtaḥinah: 5]

In recent years we have witnessed criminal actions from the part of such people that have been far more effective in denigrating Islam and the dacwah to it than its own foes. The scene was not a war zone, nor were the casualties warriors. Rather, the targets have been Muslim schools, homes and markets. The latest of such actions was the one carried out in a Pakistani school where more than one hundred and thirty people, mostly young children, were killed.

There will be no excuse for those assassins before Almighty Allah. No logic or common sense would stand a chance seeking to justify such heinous deeds. By all standards, moral or otherwise, their actions are utterly unacceptable. Those murderers are doomed as their action of bloodshed has been judged ‘ḥarām’ (forbidden); they have taken the lives of many, mostly children. What did those do to deserve that?!

What did they do to deserve such fate, those young children in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere in the world who are being massacred day and night, ousted from their homes and left to suffer from starvation, terror and the freezing winter?! Criminals are criminals, and Islam has nothing to do with them.

One of the fundamental and most obvious precepts of our religion involves the immaculacy and sanctity of human blood. Yet, we see that many would not hesitate to commit bloodshed. Indeed, it is such a daring evil act driven by the wicked power of perversion and falsity. Islam has always maintained to spare the blood of young fighting boys among the infidels, let alone that of peaceful Muslim children.

We seek protection from Allah against the evil of relapse in religion and the risk of slipping into the aberrant path of Khawarij/Kharijites [3]. We beseech Almighty Allah to protect Muslims against their evil, to defeat them, to bless the souls of those who are dead among Muslims and to cure their wounded!

On behalf of all Muslims, our condolences go to the families of the victims, thus: May Allah bless their souls, and compensate those of them who left children behind! May Almighty Allah make those children intercessors for them (on the Day of Judgment) and reward them with the guardianship of their forefather, Ibrahim (Peace be upon him)!

I advise you to send your salat and peace on the best and the purest of all mankind, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, Al Hashimi, Al Qurashi.

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, on his good and pure family, on his wives, the mothers of believers, and on his sincere and audacious Companions, and on those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Be pleased with the four Caliphs and true Imams, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, on all the Companions of Your Prophet, and on us along with them, O You, the Most Merciful!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and victory to Muslims, and fail tyrants, polytheists and corruptors!

O Allah! Foreordain for this Ummah (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the pious are honoured and the sinful are guided, and where al-macrūf (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented, O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm us, our country, Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and everywhere! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Have mercy on our fellow Muslims in Syria, Burma, Central Africa, and everywhere! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are defenceless! O Allah! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case! O Allah! Spare their blood, turn their fear into safety, protect their honour, bring them close together, feed their hungry, grant them boldness, strength and victory against their oppressors! O Allah! Grant them victory against their oppressors! O Allah! Set right their conditions, gather them around (Your) Guidance, and protect them against the evil of the wrongdoers among them!

O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your true servants!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do what you love and accept and to follow the path of righteousness and taqwa! O Allah! Guide him, his crown princes, his brothers, and their aids to do what is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Guide all Muslim leaders to rule by the provisions of Your Book (shariah) and to follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)! O Allah! Make them a mercy on Your believing servants!
O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah: 201], Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks. [Āl cImrān: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make our wishes in what pleases You come true!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!
O Allah! Forgive us our sins and the excess [committed] in our affairs and plant firmly our feet, and grant us victory over the disbelieving people. [4]

O Allah! Forgive us! O Allah! Forgive us! O Allah! Forgive us! O Allah! It is Your forgiveness we seek, for You are All-Forgiving! O Allah! Do send down pouring rain on us!
O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send rain down on us and save us from despair! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us; a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful, and harmless rain: one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands!
O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Answer our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

-------------------------------------------------------
[1] Farḍ kifāyah (فرض كفاية ) is something that the whole community is responsible for. If some members do it, then that would suffice. If none does it, then the whole community is at fault and has sinned. An example is funeral prayer.

[2] This Arabic term means ‘the righteous predecessors’, i.e. the earliest Muslims, including the Prophet’s Companions, as model examples of Islamic practice.

[3] A separatist group of Muslims

[4] The expression in bold face is borrowed from the Holy Qur’ān, surat Ᾱl cImrān, verse number 147.

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
01-22-2015, 03:12 PM
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The Call to Allah’s Path: the Mission of Messengers

December 19, 2014 ~ Safar 27, 1436

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Ᾱl Ṭālib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday Khutbah titled “The Call to Allah’s Path: the Mission of Messengers”. He talked about the Call (dacwah) to the Path of Allah, highlighting its merits and the magnitude of the reward of those making it. He says these people are heirs to such a great responsibility, namely the legacy of prophethood. He also showed that it is the duty of every Muslim to make dacwah.

Part One

Praise is due to Allah! He sent His Prophets and Messengers in succession, and decreed that the closest of His creatures to Him are those who show obedience to His Messengers and prove to be their most loyal followers. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, alone with no associate. He sent to every single community a guide to be obeyed and a source of enlightenment to chase out obscurity. I equally bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant, Messenger, Select Creature, and Close Companion of Allah. His Lord sent him as a Witness, a Herald of good tidings, a Warner, a Caller to (the path of) Allah, with His leave, and a Lustrous Lamp. May Allah send His Salāt (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him and all his Companions and Family!

Now then,

O people! Observe taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah) vis-à-vis Allah, for taqwa is the best of provisions and the most suitable apparel to be adorned with:
And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allâh. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly. [Al-Baqarah: 281]

In fact, earthly life is mortal whereas the hereafter is eternal. Beware of being distracted by ephemeral worldly life! Let it not divert your attention from everlasting life! Worldly life is perishable and the ultimate destination is towards Allah.

O Muslims!

Allah Almighty sent His Messengers to guide people to His straight path and to illuminate their way to Him. Whenever the teachings of a precursor divine messenger faded and the inspirational impact of prophethood on the hearts of its followers withered away, Allah would send a messenger to revive the faint traces of religious precepts and renew people’s faith which either slid into oblivion or became prone to confusion. The Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said, “Israelites used to be ruled by prophets; whenever a prophet passed away, he was succeeded by another. But there will be no prophet after me.” [Agreed-upon hadith]

When Allah sealed prophethood by (the Message of) the Master of Mankind, Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him), He made him the best of Messengers and made his Ummah (i.e. his followers till Doomsday) the best of all ummahs. Among the honours with which Allah has blessed this Ummah is conferring upon it the role of messengers to continue calling (mankind) to His Path and guiding them towards Him:
You [true believers in Islâmic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad SAW and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden), and you believe in Allâh... [Ᾱl Imrān: 110]

Then, He said, ordering His Prophet (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) to convey the following message to people:
Say (O Muhammad SAW): "This is my way; I invite unto Allâh (i.e. to the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism) with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allâh i.e to the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism) with sure knowledge... [Yūsuf: 108]

Therefore, the Call (dacwah) to the Path of Allah is a continuous religious obligation upon this Ummah:
Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islâm), enjoining Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden)... [Ᾱl Imrān: 104]

It is the duty of the Ummah to transmit the Message revealed to the Prophet (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) and forewarn of divine chastisement as its Prophet did earlier. Allah ‒to Whom belong Might and Majesty‒ says:
Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may get instructions in (Islâmic) religion, and that they may warn their people when they return to them, so that they may beware (of evil)...  [Al-Tawbah: 122]

Allah, the Most Glorious of speakers, also says:
Invite (mankind, O Muhammad SAW) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islâm) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'ân) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better... [Al-Naḥl: 125]

Allah ‒Exalted be He‒ also says:
...but invite them to your Lord. Verily! You (O Muhammad SAW) indeed are on the (true) straight guidance. (i.e. the true religion of Islâmic Monotheism). [Al-Hajj: 67]

Allah ‒Great and Almighty‒ also says:
…and invite (men) to (believe in) your Lord [i.e: in the Oneness (Tauhîd) of Allâh (1) Oneness of the Lordship of Allâh; (2) Oneness of the worship of Allâh; (3) Oneness of the Names and Qualities of Allâh], and be not of Al-Mushrikûn (those who associate partners with Allâh, e.g. polytheists, pagans, idolaters, those who disbelieve in the Oneness of Allâh and deny the Prophethood of Messenger Muhammad SAW). [Al-Qaṣaṣ: 87]

Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said in this respect, “Transmit even one verse from what had been revealed to me.” So, the incumbency of dacwah upon every individual is in accordance with the capacity of every individual, even if it is farḍ kifāyah (community obligation) [1]. However, what kifāyah (are we talking about) while the Ummah is mostly submerged in ignorance, lack of religious discipline, (moral) deviations,
undesirable innovations (in religion), in addition to the great numbers of those who are in crucial need for dacwah and education –let alone the existence of entire nations lost in misguidance and disbelief.

The start of every dacwah and every divine message is the call to monotheism: the Oneness of Allah, the Almighty, and singling Him out with ‘ulūhiyyah (Divinity) and rubūbiyyah (Lordship, Sovereignty). This is the foundation of the dacwah of all Messengers, and all details in those successive divine messages have been based on this great foundation.

And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allâh (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Tâghût (all false deities, etc. i.e. do not worship Tâghût besides Allâh)." ... [Al-Naḥl: 36]

And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad SAW) but We inspired him (saying): Lâ ilâha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allâh)], so worship Me (Alone and none else)." [Al-Anbiyā’: 25]

O Muslims!

Suffice it for the Muslim to be among those honoured by calling to what Allah Himself has called to:
Allâh calls to the home of peace (i.e. Paradise, by accepting Allâh's religion of Islâmic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds and abstaining from polytheism and evil deeds)... [Yūnus: 25]

It is He (May He be exalted) Who also says:
 ...but Allâh invites (you) to Paradise and Forgiveness by His Leave, and makes His Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) clear to mankind that they may remember. [Al-Baqarah: 221]

Servants of Allah!

The religious scholar is the inheritor of the status of prophethood. He assumes its major responsibilities, namely, calling and guiding Allah’s creatures to His path, purifying them, teaching them (religious precepts), coaching them on truth so that they understand it, accept it, and work with it and for it. There is no speech better than that of the Muslim scholar’s. (Here is what Allah says about his speech):
And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allâh (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allâh's (Islâmic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims." [Fuṣṣilat: 33]

Also, there is no work better than his. Ibn Al-Qayyim –May Allah have mercy on his soul– said: “Conveying the Prophets’ sunnah (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) to the Muslim Ummah is better than shooting the enemies’ necks with arrows because shooting arrows is being done by many people, whereas conveying the prophet’s sunnah is exclusively done by the inheritors of prophets.” In the same vein, Abu Al-Dardā’ –May Allah be pleased with him– said, “There is no better form of charity than exhorting one’s Muslim brothers, so that, after they disperse, they realise that Allah has benefited them from that religious exhortation.”

In the two Sahῑh Books (those of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim) ‒and the wording is to Imam Bukhari‒ Sahl Ibn Saad is reported to have narrated that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said, “I swear by Allah that contributing to guiding just one person to the Path of Allah is by far better for you than owning the best species of camels.” Thus, dacwah brings about Allah’ love. In this respect, Al-Tabarāni reported that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said, “The dearest of mankind to Allah Almighty are those who are most beneficial to people.”

Quite certainly, the greatest benefit to people is helping them rectify their fallacious religious beliefs, boost their faith, purify their moral behaviour, combat their wrong beliefs and impermissible pleasures. It is enough reverence and success for the ducāt (pl. of dāci, those making dacwah) that they are fortunate and happy both in the Herein and the Hereafter. The Absolute Truth (an attribute of Allah) says:
Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islâm), enjoining Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful. [Al-Imrān: 104]

They are also promised divine mercy:
The believers, men and women, are Auliyâ' (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islâm has forbidden); they perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât) and give the Zakât, and obey Allâh and His Messenger. Allâh will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise. [Al-Tawbah: 71]

Imam Muslim, along with the collectors of the Sunan Books, reported that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said. “Whoever invites people to guidance will gain the same reward of whom he guided, without them losing their own share of it.”

The Call to the Path of Allah benefits him who makes it, guarantees him constancy in faith, blessing in family and offspring, repudiates his misdeeds, refutes and repels the erroneous assumptions of those advocating misguidance, improves the conditions of society at large, spreads Islam and champions its glory. It is enough honour for dacwah that is the way leading to the establishment of religion which is approved by the Lord of the Worlds to people.

Moreover, dacwah leads to an increase in good deeds and an elevation in the status of the ducāt. If reward for human beings ceases after their death, the reward of the ducāt continues for as long as their dacwah continues to be beneficial to others. Abu Mascūd Al-Ansāri –May Allah be pleased with him– reported that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) said, “Whoever guides others to do good will gain the same reward as that obtained by the doers themselves.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]

Therefore, it is the duty of the ducāt and reformers to implement the mission entrusted to them as regards spreading religion and good morals, in addition to combating evil and vice and stopping the overt plea for corruption which has devastated the entire world:
(And remember) when Allâh took a covenant from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) to make it (the news of the coming of Prophet Muhammad SAW and the religious knowledge) known and clear to mankind, and not to hide it, ... [Ᾱl Imrān: 187]

Whenever the drive of dacwah withers away or disappears altogether, the shariah will weaken, faith will be shaken, acts of worship will vanish, the Prophet’s tradition (Sunnah) will become extinct, security will be compromised, and misguided thought will spread.

Servants of Allah! O Muslims!

Nations before us were penalised because they had forsaken their religion. Allah (May He be exalted) says:
Then We gave the Book the Qur'ân) for inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose (the followers of Muhammad SAW)... [Fāṭir: 32]

This Ummah has indeed been selected to assume its responsibility for this gigantic legacy, which it has inherited. It is, therefore, accountable before Allah for the consequences of such a huge legacy. It is equally held responsible vis-à-vis the Holy Book (Qur’ān) with which Allah sealed His Revelation, after entrusting this Ummah with the duty of studying and spreading it, in addition to living with and for it.

The Ummah of Islam has inherited this Book and this divine Message; so, its duty as well as the main rationale behind its very existence is to salvage mankind from utter darkness to enlightenment and to guide the world to the straight path, piety, chastity, and sufficiency.

People may indeed be shut off from Truth by various types of darkness wherein they might live until death. We, Muslims, are required to illuminate their way until those at a loss are guided. If the Earth’s mountains are stationary in order to save it from shaking, then active religious scholars the society’s stationary mountains. Scholars are the remedy for all social illnesses. They are the last hope for the survival of good on earth despite successive disasters and darkening horizons. Allah (May He be exalted) says:
And of those whom We have created, there is a community who guides (others) with the truth, and establishes justice therewith. [Al-Acrāf: 181]

Championing the truth entails heavy burdens, for whenever someone’s advocacy clashes with people’s whims and personal desires, they hold him as their enemy. That was the case with prophets earlier in history. Therefore, one needs to persevere in confronting the thwarting efforts of saboteurs and the demoralising conspiracies of opponents, and to constantly behave leniently with all people.

Our Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) was most enthusiastic about guiding people to the path of Allah. He (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) promptly proceeded to invite people to Islam as soon as the following verses were revealed to him:
O you (Muhammad SAW) enveloped (in garments)! Arise and warn! [Al-Muddaththir: 1-2]

Thereafter, he rose and never renounced his enterprise.

We testify that he conveyed the message, performed his duty, advised the Ummah, and made true jihad in the cause of Allah until the end of his lifetime. He sacrificed his life and comfort to call mankind to Islam, teaching them its precepts, and guiding them to the right path even though he had put himself harm’s way. He used to take advantage of all types of situations to offer advice to people and to remind them of Allah everywhere, in all circumstances and at all times, to the extent that Allah revealed to him these verses as consolation and comfort:
...Verily, Allâh sends astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. So destroy not yourself (O Muhammad SAW) in sorrow for them. ... [Fāṭir: 8]

Perhaps, you, would kill yourself (O Muhammad SAW) in grief, over their footsteps (for their turning away from you), because they believe not in this narration (the Qur'ân). [Al-Kahf: 6]

When some of the Jinn converted to Islam, they rushed to their community to forewarn their peers to do the same, and when Abu Bakr Al-Siddῑq –May Allah be pleased with him– converted to Islam, he kept calling people to convert to his faith until half of the ten Companions promised entry to Paradise declared their conversion to Islam. Thus, he guaranteed that whatever good deeds they were to perform in Islam, he would gain with them an equal reward.

Besides, when Al-Ṭufail converted to Islam, he soon returned to Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him) accompanied by eighty or ninety people from the tribe of Daws who had already converted to Islam.

Our Al-Salaf Al-Ṣāliḥ [2] sailed the seas, travelled through wildernesses and worked day and night in order to pursue dacwah for Allah and convey His Message. How could some of the successors of such righteous people laze around when it comes to engaging dacwah for the sake of their relatives, neighbours, servants, as well as others around them, particularly when such task has become much easier and the ways to carry it out multifarious!?

Indeed, had people known of the favours and rewards accrued from such a deed as the call to Allah Almighty, they would have never opted for lounging around. Doing good and seeking to promote it engender some of the Ummah’s manifest peculiarities, intrinsic endowments, and enduring tasks. The Ummah’s mission is not just engaging dacwah; for the act rather stands as a set example to follow and an integrated entity of benevolence experienced by the dāci before engaging his dacwah. Allah Almighty says:
O you who believe! Bow down, and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord and do good that you may be successful. And strive hard in Allah's Cause as you ought to strive (with sincerity and with all your efforts that His Name should be superior). [Al-Ḥajj: 77-78]

Every (religious) scholar should realize that he is entrusted with the Book of Allah, with implementing the Sunnah of His Messenger and with carrying it out as it is. Indeed, he is entrusted with their guardianship against attempts of falsification by the immoderate, distortion by the extremists, or abuse by the (heretic) innovators.

It is the obligation of every Muslim to beware not to cause any abuse to Islam, to promptly respond to the call of truth and to the rescue of his religion whenever it is alarmed or offended. It is also the obligation of every Muslim to actively seek to uphold the spirit of truth and guidance whenever that of delusion and aberration is stimulated, to rush to the support of truth against falsehood, to fight off heretic novelty, evil and corruption before they thrive out of control, before people get accustomed to them, and before their roots run so deep within their hearts and souls that it will be too difficult to extirpate them.

Almighty Allah will certainly bless the efforts of people of integrity, though they seem to stumble at times:
As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allah's Religion - Islamic Monotheism). And verily, Allah is with the Muhsinun (good doers). [cAl-Ankabūt: 69]

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and the Sunnah and benefit us with their verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah, be He exalted, to forgive me and you!



Part Two

Praise be to Allah! I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger. May Allah send His Salat, Peace, and Blessing on him, his Companions and followers!

The dacwah to Allah is limited neither by time nor by place. For instance, Prophet Nūḥ (Noah) –May Allah’s Peace be upon him– said:
O my Lord! Verily, I have called my people night and day (i.e. secretly and openly to accept the doctrine of Islamic Monotheism). [Nūḥ: 5] and …Then verily, I proclaimed to them in public, and I have appealed to them in private.  [Nūḥ: 9]

Also, Prophet Yūsuf (Joseph) –May Allah’s Peace be upon him– said, calling on his fellow inmates while in prison:
O two companions of the prison! Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible? [Yūsuf: 39]

He who finds it difficult to work things out a certain way will surely find an alternative way, and he who has one door shut to his face will certainly find several open before him. Indeed, the dacwah to Allah is an advisory undertaking that is accessible for all.

A dāci must observe perseverance and endurance while carrying out his task, conveying Allah’s Message, and issuing commands and warnings in accordance with the provisions of Islamic shariah and within the bounds of what is possible. He must then train himself to withstand the ensuing harm and tribulations and never lose faith in the benevolence-laden hearts of many.

There are many among Muslims whom Almighty Allah has endowed with much knowledge in the areas of jurisprudence, Islamic law and teaching. Some have been gifted with effectiveness in permeating admonition and inspiring leniency, while others have been granted the aptitude for exhortation, guidance, the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice. Some Muslims have been preoccupied with the publication of books and some others with striving against evil and wrongdoing. Operating within their respective fields of competence, each and every one of these (experts) must observe a sense of commitment towards Islam.

Such a potentially wholesome diversity should by no means turn into a factor of dissent and dispute, for all are entrusted to carry out that for which they have been created. To this effect, Allah Almighty says: Each (group of) people knew its own place for water. [Al-Baqarah: 60] And it is not (proper) for the believers to go out to fight (Jihad) all together. Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may get instructions in (Islamic) religion, and that they may warn their people when they return to them, so that they may beware (of evil). [Al-Tawbah: 122]

In the event an offense is committed regarding dacwah by any Muslim or any group of Muslims from among the advocates of benevolence and reform, who have been known for their true faith, good intent and ethical conduct, it behoves their fellow Muslims to be considerate enough to gently enlighten and admonish them, to observe perseverance in teaching and exhorting them at any time, no matter how alienated they may seem. Indeed, they are more worthy of patience than the infidels during the times of the prophets.

Discord is by and large the greatest impediment down the path of dacwah. May Almighty Allah bless those who seek to offer support for religion by contributing even a fraction of an utterance! Verily, true perdition resides in relinquishing one’s chance to carry out dacwah for the sake of this religion.

O Muslims!

Prominent among those factors that would be detrimental to Islam by hampering the dacwah process and limiting the Religion’s propagation scope are the actions of certain Muslims, particularly those who wrongly consider themselves to be its defenders. Allah Almighty says:
Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the disbelievers. [Al-Mumtaḥinah: 5]

In recent years we have witnessed criminal actions from the part of such people that have been far more effective in denigrating Islam and the dacwah to it than its own foes. The scene was not a war zone, nor were the casualties warriors. Rather, the targets have been Muslim schools, homes and markets. The latest of such actions was the one carried out in a Pakistani school where more than one hundred and thirty people, mostly young children, were killed.

There will be no excuse for those assassins before Almighty Allah. No logic or common sense would stand a chance seeking to justify such heinous deeds. By all standards, moral or otherwise, their actions are utterly unacceptable. Those murderers are doomed as their action of bloodshed has been judged ‘ḥarām’ (forbidden); they have taken the lives of many, mostly children. What did those do to deserve that?!

What did they do to deserve such fate, those young children in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere in the world who are being massacred day and night, ousted from their homes and left to suffer from starvation, terror and the freezing winter?! Criminals are criminals, and Islam has nothing to do with them.

One of the fundamental and most obvious precepts of our religion involves the immaculacy and sanctity of human blood. Yet, we see that many would not hesitate to commit bloodshed. Indeed, it is such a daring evil act driven by the wicked power of perversion and falsity. Islam has always maintained to spare the blood of young fighting boys among the infidels, let alone that of peaceful Muslim children.

We seek protection from Allah against the evil of relapse in religion and the risk of slipping into the aberrant path of Khawarij/Kharijites [3]. We beseech Almighty Allah to protect Muslims against their evil, to defeat them, to bless the souls of those who are dead among Muslims and to cure their wounded!

On behalf of all Muslims, our condolences go to the families of the victims, thus: May Allah bless their souls, and compensate those of them who left children behind! May Almighty Allah make those children intercessors for them (on the Day of Judgment) and reward them with the guardianship of their forefather, Ibrahim (Peace be upon him)!

I advise you to send your salat and peace on the best and the purest of all mankind, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, Al Hashimi, Al Qurashi.

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, on his good and pure family, on his wives, the mothers of believers, and on his sincere and audacious Companions, and on those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Be pleased with the four Caliphs and true Imams, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, on all the Companions of Your Prophet, and on us along with them, O You, the Most Merciful!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and victory to Muslims, and fail tyrants, polytheists and corruptors!

O Allah! Foreordain for this Ummah (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the pious are honoured and the sinful are guided, and where al-macrūf (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented, O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm us, our country, Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and everywhere! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Have mercy on our fellow Muslims in Syria, Burma, Central Africa, and everywhere! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief! O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are defenceless! O Allah! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case! O Allah! Spare their blood, turn their fear into safety, protect their honour, bring them close together, feed their hungry, grant them boldness, strength and victory against their oppressors! O Allah! Grant them victory against their oppressors! O Allah! Set right their conditions, gather them around (Your) Guidance, and protect them against the evil of the wrongdoers among them!

O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them! O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your true servants!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do what you love and accept and to follow the path of righteousness and taqwa! O Allah! Guide him, his crown princes, his brothers, and their aids to do what is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Guide all Muslim leaders to rule by the provisions of Your Book (shariah) and to follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)! O Allah! Make them a mercy on Your believing servants!
O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah: 201], Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks. [Āl cImrān: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make our wishes in what pleases You come true!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!
O Allah! Forgive us our sins and the excess [committed] in our affairs and plant firmly our feet, and grant us victory over the disbelieving people. [4]

O Allah! Forgive us! O Allah! Forgive us! O Allah! Forgive us! O Allah! It is Your forgiveness we seek, for You are All-Forgiving! O Allah! Do send down pouring rain on us!
O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send rain down on us and save us from despair! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us; a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful, and harmless rain: one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands!
O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Answer our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

-------------------------------------------------------
[1] Farḍ kifāyah (فرض كفاية ) is something that the whole community is responsible for. If some members do it, then that would suffice. If none does it, then the whole community is at fault and has sinned. An example is funeral prayer.

[2] This Arabic term means ‘the righteous predecessors’, i.e. the earliest Muslims, including the Prophet’s Companions, as model examples of Islamic practice.

[3] A separatist group of Muslims

[4] The expression in bold face is borrowed from the Holy Qur’ān, surat Ᾱl cImrān, verse number 147.

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-15-2016, 09:30 AM
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Accepting Allah, His Messenger and His Religion

February 27, 2015 ~ Jumuadal Ula 8, 1436

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib


Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Ṣāleh ibn Muhammad al-Ṭālib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah entitled “Accepting Allah, His Messenger and His Religion.” Citing evidence from the Holy Qur'ān and the Sunnah, the Sheikh explained that this feeling of the acceptance of Allah (to Whom be ascribed all Perfection and Majesty), His Messenger –May Allah’s Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him‒ and His religion represents perfect faith.


Part One

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah Who Has created, enacted, decreed, and sent His messengers with perfectly designed codes in which He has instilled enlightenment and consecrated guidance. He has made accepting them an emblem of glorifying Allah and acknowledging His absolute supremacy. Woe unto him who blocks the way to those coming to Allah’s religion, or shies away haughtily! I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, alone with no associate. Compared to anyone considering oneself great, Allah is definitely the Greatest, and compared to anyone considering oneself mighty, Allah is certainly the Mightiest. I equally bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah. He transmitted the Message, notified and warned the Ummah, and heralded good tidings. May Allah send His Ṣalāt (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing be upon him, his family, his Companions, and all those who righteously follow in their footsteps till the Appointed Day,the Day of Resurrection!

Now then! O you, believers in Allah and His Encounter! Observe true taqwā of Allah (fear of disobeying Him) and make haste to beseech your Lord for pardon and satisfaction. Do respond to the call for joining the abode of His benevolence and His vast Paradise. Lifetime, with its hours and days,is flying by. Every person whose conduct was commendable before death would inevitably regret not having enhanced his record of good deeds, and everyone whose record was negative would wish he had not died(before having repented of his sins):
"O you who believe! Fear Allâh and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what you do."[Al- Ḥashr: 18]

O Muslims! In his Saḥῑḥ Book, Imam Muslim reported a hadith narrated by Abῑ Sacīd Al-Khudrῑ where Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Ṣalātand Peace be upon him– said, ‘“O Abā Sacīd! Whoever accepts Allah as his Lord, Islam as his religion, and Muhammad as his Prophet does deserve Paradise.” ‘Abu Sacīd liked it very much and said: O Messenger of Allah! Could you please repeat it once more for me!’ The Prophet did so…”(cf. the rest of the ḥadῑth).

O Muslims! Acceptance is afeelingwithin one’s heart. It includes both acquiescence and full compliance. Acceptance is the foundation of Islam, the basis of faith (Īmān), and the prerequisite for attesting monotheism (tawḥῑd). Allah –to Whom belong Might and Majesty‒ says:
"But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad SAW) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission."[Al-Nisā’: 65]

Therefore, Allah, the Absolute Truth –May He be exalted– vowed that they would not embrace faith until they make Allah and His Messenger judges(in all disputes between them), find in themselves no resistanceagainst His judgement, and accept it with full submission. This is the essence ofaccepting Allah’s Judgement and Sharia. Allah attributes nonresistance and full submission to the self rather than to the heart for a specific wisdom.That is, the fact that it is the ‘self’ wherelie the whims, desires, protests, and objections. This is why the Prophet–May Allah’s Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him– said, “Only someone who accepts Allah as his Lord, Islam as his religion, and Muhammad as his Messenger will taste the flavour of faith (Īmān).” He also said, “He who, upon hearing the azan (the call for prayer)being raised: ‘I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and
Messenger’ says: ‘I accept Allah as my Lord, Muhammad as my Messenger, and Islam as my religion’ will have his sins expiated.” [The two hadiths are narrated by Imam Muslim]
As said by Ibn Al-Qayyim ‒May Allah bless his soul‒ these two hadiths constitute the foundation of religion and its ultimate end. They contain the acceptance of His Lordship and Divinity –May He be exalted–the acceptance of and submission to His Messenger, as well as the acceptance of His religion and full submission to Him. Whoever has these four qualities combined is considered the truly righteous Muslim.

However, although they are easy to claim verbally, these qualities prove to be extremely difficult when they are put to test in real practice, especially if they happen to run contrary to the desires and aspirations of the self. First, the acceptance of His Lordship involves accepting to love Him alone, fear Him, implore Him, worship Him with no associate, and show Him full loyalty. The acceptance of His Divinity involves accepting His unalterable prearrangement of His creatures’ affairs, relying on Him, and accepting whatever the Lord decrees for His servant. Second, as to the acceptance of His Prophet as Messenger, it involves blind obedience and total submission to him. Third, the acceptance of His religion means total acceptance of whatever Allah says, ordains, decrees, or forbids, without finding any resistance to His judgement,and submits to it totally even if this judgement might be opposed to one’s wishes and desires, to the opinions of one’s Sheikh, one’s sect, or the scholar of whom one is a disciple.

The acceptance of the Lord is truehonour and companionship of Allah and His Messenger and the essence of intimacy with Him. He who accepts Allah as his Lord, Muhammad –May Allah’s Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him– as his Messenger, and Islam as his religion will stand deeply rooted in tawakkul (true reliance on Allah), submission, and confidently entrusting one’s fate to Allah. So, whoever is satisfied with what Allah has bestowed upon him will by the same token benefit from requited divine satisfaction. For this reason, acceptance is Allah’s greatest gate, this world’s paradise, the relief of the knowledgeable, the real life of Allah’s adorers, the bliss of the worshipers, and the delight of those craving for divine companionship.

O servants of Allah! O Muslims! The opposite of acceptance is objection and hatred of what Allah has revealed, be it partially or totally. Acceptance means submission, approval, and obedience. Its opposite is refusal, resistance, and aversion. The origin of such resistance is pursuing personal desires, seeking inspiration other than divine revelation, and receiving from external sources other than those from Allah and His Messenger. Some people resorted to reason, impulse, and personal opinion as their sole arbitrator, and followed the philosophy of those lost in thought. Others used taste, strong emotion, and inquiry as their criteria of judgement. As a result, Satan fiddled around with their reason, causing them to sink into the abyss of fairy tales and illusion. Still others chose to deliver themselves to petty worldly gains, sought refuge in mundane conventions, and indulged in capricious whims, justifying their position by using analogical reasoning and a plethora of opinions in order to make permissible what Allah has prohibited and prohibit what Allah has made permissible, as well as nullify certain obligations imposed by Allah and make lawful what He has already nullified. The main reason behind all that is pursuing whimsical desires and not accepting Allah, His Messenger, and His religion. This explains why the Holy Qur'ān is replete with warnings against caprices. Even more, one of the ultimate objectives of Sharia is to rescue people reaching the age of performing religious observances (at puberty) from the seduction of whims and orientate them to comply with shar’i (set of religious codes in Islam). At this particular point, divine trial through ordeals will take place, and a clear-cut distinction will be made between those who obey Allah and those who disobey Him, as well as between a worshiper and a dissolute person. Allah –to Whom belong Might and Majesty‒ says: "And if the truth had been in accordance with their desires, verily, the heavens and the earth, and whosoever is therein would have been corrupted! ..."[Al-Mu’minūn: 71] He–May He be exalted– also says:"...and follow not your desire for it will mislead you from the Path of Allâh..."[Ṣād: 26]

O believers! Adhering to the Sharia of Allah and obeying Him are indeed a question of creed and faith before being practical rituals and jurisprudential details. Therefore, the cause of all types
of deviation, humiliation, defeat, and disunity in our everyday life is our departure from the approach of the Sunnah and Jamā’ca (Muslim Congregation) in faith, behaviour, religious commitment, and the path of reform. Likewise, disengagement from acts of worship and evasion from observances and duties are caused by the laxity and decline which the Ummah
is currently suffering from. Nonetheless, the shar'i does not lower its ceiling to reach the level of people’s nonchalance or justify their lethargy and disobedience. The shar'i does not follow human inclinations; on the contrary, the designer of Sharia (i.e. Allah) exhorts them to elevate themselves to the glory of obedience and reach high to the sublime rank of servitude to Allah.
However, the self,while gradually renouncing endeavour, evading its duties, and quits the summit point of submission, is trying bit by bit to find excuses to justify why it has lapsed back into indolence and indifference. This is a known psychological fact.

O servants of Allah! One of the most serious reasons of divergence occasioning afflictions in this respect is the idea of insisting on jurisprudential differences and supporting one’s argument with feeble opinions as well as unwarranted statements. As a result, religious rulings have been nullified on the grounds of divergence of opinion, and worshipers’ motivation has faded away to the point of renouncing rites of obedience, getting distracted by superfluous permissible acts and commodities, audaciously approaching repugnant deeds which represent the gateway to
committing interdictedacts. What is more, certain people have been locked in perplexity and confusion after using the pretext of diverging scholarly interpretations once they are confronted with any religious text. Thus, each time they are presented with a verse from the Holy Qur’ān, a hadith from the Sunnah, or a jurisprudential ruling, they advance the argument that it is an object of controversy among scholars. It sounds as if they had forgotten that Allah –May all Majesty be ascribed to Him– revealed this Book to us so that we can adjudicate disputes. He Exalted be He‒ said: "Mankind were one community and Allâh sent Prophets with glad tidings and warnings, and with them He sent the Scripture in truth to judge between people in matters wherein they differed..."[AlBaqarah: 213] Therefore, the role of the Book is to guide, settle disagreements, and show truth. We worship Almighty Allah by making recourse to His revelation for arbitration in case of ‘disagreement’ rather than by making out of ‘disagreement’ an argument against it (the revelation). Allah ‒Exalted be He– said: "And in whatsoever you differ, the decision thereof is with Allâh (He is the ruling Judge)."[Al-Shūrā: 10] Perverts have sought to turn around this notion and use ‘disagreement’ as argument in fulfilling their whims, overlooking the illegitimacy of such a practice. They know then that such prohibition involves ‘disagreement’, which puts into doubt their acceptance of Allah Almighty and His adjudication! Indeed, this is one of the fitnahs (trials) pervading our modern times, for those who get caught under the spell of discord and aberrant discourse are bound to tailor for themselves a religion that is fully supportive of their whims and passions and far removed from the Will of Allah Almighty and the guidance of His Messenger. Therefore, following disputation and controversies is amenable to the vagrant path of whims and desires and is incompatible with the notion of acceptance. Ibn Ḥazm‒May Allah bless his soul‒ said: “If a man committed himself strictly to what had been determined as consensual by the Ummah leaving aside those areas of discord within the religious texts he would then be unanimously judged godless by the entire Ummah.” In the same context, Ibn Abd Al-Barrsaid: “As per all the Muslim scholars I have known, nonconformity has never been considered as a valid argument.” Allah –May He be raised far above– says: "O you who believe! Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger (Muhammad ,)صلى الله علیھ وسلمand those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer
it to Allâh and His Messenger ( ,)صلى الله علیھ وسلمif you believe in Allâh and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination." [Al-Nisā’: 59]


The Muslim Ummah must seek to take the commands of Allah seriously and to carry them out with firmness in order to attain, with determination and resolve, the peak of glory. Likewise, the Ummah must not regard Allah’s provisions as obligations that are open for manipulation and attenuation. Legal provisions, no matter how enormous they may seem, should never be considered burdensome. Rather, they are valid assets for power and sublimity, as an eagle that is made to soar high up in the air despite the ever-imposing weight of its massive wings. Allah Almighty says: "Hold firmly to what We have given you [i.e. the Taurât (Torah)" [AlA‘râf: 171], and "O Yahyâ (John)! Hold fast the Scripture [the Taurât (Torah)" [Maryam: 12]

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and Sunnah and benefit us with their verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah‒be He exalted‒ to forgive me and you!


Part Two

Praise be to Allah !Praising Allah is a valuable blessing and thanking Him is a prerequisite for the increase of His graces. We bear witness that there is no deity but Allah Who has no partner and that Muhammad (May Allah’s Ṣalāt, Peace and Blessing be upon him, his family and his Companions), is His servant and Messenger.

Now then,
The appeal to faith, Qur'ānic exhortations, and the values of piety, chastity, and taqwā of Allah (fear of disobeying Him) are among those precepts that ought to be taught to people and instilled within them. Jundub Ibn Abdullah ‒May Allah be pleased with him– once said: "We were with the Prophet (May Allah’s Ṣalātand Peace be upon him), and we were strong youths, so we learned faith before we learned Qur'ān. Then we learned Qur'ān and our faith increased thereby." [Narrated by Ibn Mājah]
In Al-Bukhari’s Sahih, Aisha ‒May Allah be pleased with her– is reported to have said:“(Be informed) that the first thing that was revealed thereof was a sūrah from AlMufaṣṣal (The detailed sūrahs of the Qur'ān), and in it was mentioned Paradise and Hellfire. When the people embraced Islam, the verses regarding legal and illegal things were revealed. If the first thing to be revealed was: 'Do not drink alcoholic drinks.' people would have said, 'We will never leave alcoholic drinks,' and if there had been revealed, 'Do not commit adultery’, 'they would have said, 'We will never give up adultery.' While I was a young girl of playing age, the following verse was revealed to Muhammad (May Allah’s Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him) in Makkah: 'Nay! But the Hour is their appointed time (for their full recompense), and the Hour will be more grievous and more bitter.' [Al-Qamar:46]. AlBaqarah (The Cow) and Al-Nisā’ (The Women) sūrahs were revealed while I was with him (later as wife)." [Cf. the rest of the Hadith]

Acceptance of Allah, His religion, and His Messenger means perfect faith, where faith,in turn, means perfect acceptance. Faith is a feeling of deeply entrenched certitude, and belief in Allah Almighty has such a sweet taste to it that would help nurture nobility and sublimity within the soul and impart on it such a purifying effect. Faith is that ardent longing for Allah and promptitude for His gratification. Faith enlightens the heart and fills it with pleasure and delight. Indeed, there is no stronger faith than that sense of trust in Allah Almighty, closeness to and preoccupation with Him alone and no one else. The strongest and soundest of all hearts, the most decent and most tender, the purest and the softest of them all are those hearts pledging devotion to Allah Alone as the sole deity to be worshiped. They are the ones vowing loyalty to Him alone and abstaining from their passions for His sake.
"And who can be better in religion than one who submits his face (himself) to Allâh (i.e. follows Allâh’s religion of Islâmic Monotheism); and he is a Muhsin (a good-doer)." [AlNisā’: 125]

Submitting one’s face to Allah suggests one’s utter devotion to Him alone, submission to His Will, grovelling to his greatness and pride and believing in His Oneness and His Sharia;and this is the ultimate faith. Observing fear of Allah is a lamp illuminating the turns and twists of the heart; it is a torch lighting pathways and ensuring their safety. Keeping away from pitfalls and warding off wrongdoings are natural attributes of the pious and the epitome of the believers. Verily, when hearts are set right, major sins are forgiven. Whenever Allah’s servants set up their minds to stay away from sinning, they would be granted success in their endeavours; whenever they decided to turn wholeheartedly to Allah Almighty, He would rush to draw their hearts close to him. Sufyan Al-Thawri said: “Observe piety, and Allah Almighty shall make your account light (on Judgement Day); stay away from suspicious matters so that you may ensure safety
of faith.” Al-Ḍaḥāk said: “I caught up with people learning piety; today, they are learning how to speak and argue.” Therefore, do accept Allah as your Lord, Islam as your religion, and Muhammad as your Messenger; experience the real taste of belief so you may attain Almighty Allah’s satisfaction and reward.

This is said, (O you Muslims) ‒May Allah have mercy on you‒ send your Ṣalāt (Graces, Honours and Mercy) upon Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (May Allah’s ṢalātandPeace
be upon him), the best of Allah’s creatures. O Allah! Send Your Ṣalāt, Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, his kind and pure family, his wives, the Mothers of believers, his good Companions, and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah!Be pleased with the four Caliphs and rightly-guided Imams Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, all the Companions of Your Prophet (May Allah’s Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him), O Allah! Be also pleased with us all, along with them, O You, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims, and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors! O Allah, make for this Ummah a matter of rationality where the obedient are glorified and the disobedient guided to the right path, and where virtue is promoted and vice prevented, O You, Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Whoever intends to do any evil against us, our homeland,Islam, and Muslims, make him preoccupied with himself! O Allah! Let his plotting return against him, and make it the cause of his destruction, O You, the Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds! O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!

O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsā Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!
O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria, Burma, Central Africa and everywhere! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief!
O Allah! Have mercy on them, for they are defenceless!
O Allah! Mend their breakage and take charge of their case!
O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them!
O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your true servants!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept!
O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness !
O Allah! Grant him, his two deputies, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Help all Muslim leaders to abide by your law and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet (May Allah’s Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him)!
O Allah! Make them a Mercy on Your Faithful servants!
O Allah! Spread security and prosperity over our homeland and all Muslim homelands! Protect us against the evil of evil-doers, the wickedness of the dissolute, and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!"[Al-Baqarah: 201],
"Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks."[Āl ͑Imrān: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make our wishes come true in what pleases You!
O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents and our grandparents!
O Allah! Bless their souls as they were mercy on us when we were small!
O Allah! Grant sound health to those of them who are still living so that they can worship you more!
O Allah! Engulf with Your mercy those who passed away!
O Allah! Enlighten their graves and make them a garden similar to those in Your heavens!
O Allah! Reunite us with them under Your Lordship! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents,their progeny, our wives, and our progeny! You are All-Hearing!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for
forgiveness!We ask Allah for forgiveness!
Allah is the only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and we repent to Him!
O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair!
O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us!
Bestow upon us expedient rain, a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands!
O Allah! Make it rain of mercy not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!
O Allah! Accept our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing!
And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
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Faith is Yemenite and Wisdom is Yemenite

April 3, 2015 ~ Jumadal Akhirah 14, 1436

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Dr.Saleh ibn Muhammad al-Ṭālib–May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah titled “BeliefisYemenite and Wisdomis Yemenite” in which he talked about the virtues of Yemen and the Yemeni people and explained the position occupied by Yemen in the Muslim World. He also mentioned the unwarranted unrest and chaos that have plagued Yemen, and he praised the Muslim steadfastness in responding to that gang of saboteurs and corruptors.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, who brought forth iron and vested people with its power and might gave legitimised resisting aggressors and oppressors so that they either give up their aggression and oppression or face strong determination. I thank my Lord, praise Him, ask for His help and repent unto Him. He ordered us to demolish any foundation of falsehood and to block any way for misleading. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate. He subjugated His creatures both humans and Jinn. I also bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah with whom the Lord illuminated darkness
and removed impurity. He left us on the Right Path, the Oneness of Allah and His Sharia.The Prophet’s Companions and family are his supporters and aides against the will of those who deny it. O Allah! Please send Your Ṣalāt(Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your Servant and Messenger Muhammad, his family and Companions as long as day and night keep alternating. Let the Ṣalāt and Peace be perpetual until the day when voices fade out of humility to and reverence of the All-Merciful!

Now then, O Muslims! Enjoining taqwā (fear of disobeying Allah) is the ultimate exhortation and the means to resist misfortunes and to ward off plights. "…. and whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will
make his matter easy for him." [At-Talaq: 4]. "And whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allâh, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allâh will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allâh has set a measure for all things." [Al-Ṭalāq: 2-3]

O Muslims! When our Prophet Muhammad was striving to make Allah’s Sharia the uppermost and His Word triumphant on Earth, despite the maltreatment he received from both relatives and strangers, the mountains of Yemen were teaming with men heading towards theḤijāz plains eager to meet the Seal of prophets. They were driven neither by force nor by fear of death to embrace religion but by clean natural dispositions and hearts eager for faith. Abu Hurairah‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ narrated that the Prophet ‒May Allah's Ṣalātand Peace be upon him‒ said, “The people of Yemen have come to you and they are more gentle and soft-hearted. Faith is Yemenite and Wisdom is Yemenite.” [Reported by Imam Bukhari] In his Ṣaḥīḥ book, Imam Muslim quotes the Prophet ‒May Allah's Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him‒ as saying, “Faith is Yemenite, fiqh is Yemenite and wisdom is Yemenite.” During the early Islam era, Ḥijāz was likened to a bird with the Levant and Yemen as its wings. The Prophet ‒May Allah's Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him‒ used to compare them in virtue and jihad. Yemen forms the birthplace and substance of the Arabs. They feature serenity and esteem, fiqh and reverence.They are the masters of rhetoric, literature and beautiful poetry,and the supporters of the Message and vanguards of jihad and bravery.The Prophet supplicated Almighty Allah for the wellbeing of Yemen. He said it was a land of faith, and praised the Yemenites as being people of faith, fiqh and wisdom. He
described the Yemenis as kind-hearted and said they were the backup forces and valiant soldiers of Islam.

Abu Umāmah Al-Bāhili–May Allah be pleased with him– reported that the Prophet ‒May Allah's Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him‒ said, “Allah Almighty made me face the Levant and stand with my back to Yemen and said to me, ‘O Muhammad! I have made what is facing you spoils and provision for you and made what is behind you a backup force.’” [Reported by Al-Ṭabarāni] Thawbān –May Allah be pleased with him– quoted the Prophet ‒May Allah's Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him‒ as saying, “I am by my Basin driving people away to make way for the Yemenites. I keep wielding my stick until the water flows towards them.” [Reported by Imam Muslim]
Ibn Omar –May Allah be pleased with him– quoted the Prophet ‒May Allah's Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him‒ as saying, “O Allah! Please bless our Levant! O Allah! Please bless our Yemen(See the rest of the hadith)!” [Reported by Imam Bukhari]

O Muslims! Yemen has always been a great bastion for the believers. It boasts many religious scholars and righteous men. The Yemenites have patience and sagacity, clemency, contentedness and sophistication, but they have been plagued with a group seeking worldly gains who have sold their conscience and betrayed their people. They colluded with the enemy to harm their own folks. Thus, there appeared an evil cohort backed by regional forces that have nothing but hatred for Arabs. These forces have strayed away from guidance and the sunnah, aiming to spread hegemony over Yemen and to make it a launch pad to control Arab and Muslim countries. This evil group has joined forces with other groups that have compromised their homeland and religion in return for personal or family gains at the expense of the creed and Arabic nature of Yemen. They are controlled and financed by an evil mass that is wont to perpetrate acts of aggression against the Arabs and Muslims. This evil gang has sought to drive a wedge in the side of the Arabian Peninsula, thus repeating the Syrian scenario. Arabs and Muslims have reaped no good from this act. At the time the enemies wage a verbal warfare against the Jews, they level their guns at the Arabs and Muslims who have suffered atrocities, including assassinations and agitations, at their hands. Deterred by neither compassion nor faith, the evil mass wants its newborn in Yemen to play the same role played by its Syrian brother. Having no regard for covenants or laws, they rebelled against a legal authority, chased the ruler and the government that had been rightfully endorsed by the Yemenites, and took the president and his aides as hostages; they laid siege to cities and villages, and harmed and vexed the people. Further, they committed murders, larcenies, and plunders by way of corruption, terrorism and sabotage. Those outlaws have destroyed homes, mosques, schools and universities. They have murdered peaceful Muslim inhabitants and driven them out of their homes in Yemen. They are bent on humiliating and subjugating the Yemeni people and on entangling them into bondage on behalf of the enemy. They are fiddling with the security of the Yemeni people, promoting sectarianism, and fomenting terrorism. Furthermore, these outlaws have become vociferous about threatening the entire area, speaking openly of assaulting the home of the Two Holy Mosques and spreading chaos and terrorism in the land of security and belief and the bastion of Islam and peace. "Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse. Indeed We have made plain to you the Ayât(proofs, evidences, verses) if you understand." [Āl 'Imrān: 118]

O servants of Allah! Right from the beginning, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its brother countries in the region have never been far from this impending catastrophe. It has not left a single stone unturned. On the contrary, it sought quite earnestly and wisely to extinguish the fire of the fitnah (sedition); it forged initiatives, called for meetings and supported dialogues with the view to sparing Yemen the peril of a civil war, anarchy and unrest should things get out of hand. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has exercised self-restraint for long. However, wisdom has been lost in the quagmire of treachery and sectarianism. Emboldened by flagrant foreign
intervention, the evil party has been aiming to throw the region into unrest and to spread internal chaos and disputes. With recurrent violations of every treaty, all chances have been exhausted and the will of Muslim enthusiasts has been mobilised.
(The Sheikh recites a line of poetry that can be translated as follows):
They entrusted their leadership, may Allah reward them,
To a long-handed man versed in matters of war.

Allah Almighty foreordained for the events the brave, resolute,and judicious king, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the guardian of Arab and Muslim countries, and the supporter of the Sunnah and religion: Salman Ibn AbdulAziz. Hence, the “Decisive Storm”was launched to wipe out the forces of those who brought enemies to destroy their homeland and harm their neighbours. The "Decisive Storm" thus started in the name of Allah and His blessing in order to uproot evil and put an end to it. The aim was to return Yemen to the Yemenis, for there is no return of the Sasenites (Persian Dynasty before Islam) after the advent of Islam, and no foreign accent will ever affect the tongue of Arabs; for Yemen must stay, as the Guiding Prophet said, as a cradle of faith and wisdom.Indeed, the Yemenis are supporters of Islam, fighting agents for the Arabs, and a strong pole in the face of calamities. When he took the decision, the following poetic line occurred to the king:
Stand up on the insteps of your feet and march to war,
For indeed security may be obtained by those who march.

Therefore, the King's decision ‒May Allah grant him victory‒ was bold and wise as his decision came at the right time to answer the hope of a needy (for defense) Ummah, carrying out the right of brotherhood and neighbourhood, answering the call of the Muslim Yemeni people, relieving the grieved, protecting honour, and saving Muslim countries from the controlling expansion of the occupying Savafids(Shiite Persian rulers who fought the Ottomans). May Allah bless the King's steps, his life and deeds, and may He, the Almighty, grant him support of His own! We congratulate the Muslim Ummah everywhere on this dignity, strength, resoluteness, decisiveness, unity, and coalition. We beseech Allah, the Generous, to make it a good ending for Islam and Muslims in general and for the people of Yemen in particular.We also beseech Him to make it the beginning of the collapse of the idol of dangerous expansionism within the Muslim Ummah.

The "Decisive Storm" has restored for the Ummah its soul and hope, united its word, aligned its lines, and exposed its enemy. O Allah! Make this operation a good start for the Muslim Ummah and a means through which it may return to You, entrust its matters to You, unite its word, increase its support for the Sunnah and religion. O Allah! Enhance our alliance, strength, and our will to return to You!

O servants of Allah! This oppressive sectarian expansionist coup in Yemen is an extension of what the criminals have done in Iraq and Syria.The sectarian Savafid expansion permeating the Ummah resorts to armed action, spreads disorder and killing.So many people from various sects in Iraq and Syria have tasted the atrocities of wars fuelled and waged by those criminals,wars that have destroyed mercilessly and shamelessly scores of civilians: children, men, and women. Standing up to this sectarian expansion in Yemen is an obligation that falls on those who are capable of it.This is an enemy of religion, an enemy of its own people and fellow citizens and its neighbours.Although this sect represents only a small percentage of the Yemenis, yet, it seeks to coerce all the Yemenis into adopting its beliefs and ideology, using iron, fire, killing, imprisonment, and displacement of people. Therefore, according to Islamic sharia, saving Yemen from the claws of the Savafid occupation is a legal undertaking, and fighting to achieve this end is a jihad in the cause of Allah. Defending Yemen means defending the Yemeni Corner (of the Ka'ba) which the enemies clearly intend to occupy‒making no secret of it‒ and threaten the security of the Two Holy Mosques and the qiblah of the Muslims. And because Yemen has suffered for over half a century, what has happened to it lately might be like the illness from which the body recovers.Then, Yemen shall return to the way it was: happy with its distinguished scholars and tradesmen.The Gulf region and the Arabs will then embrace and receive it where it originally belongs.

O dignified Yemenis! You have a historical opportunity offered to you … The hands of generous brothers are extended to you… The hearts of a billion Muslims sympathise with you … Therefore, make up your minds, unite your word, and do what is best for Islam and Arabism. Stand united to extract the thorns from the wounded body of Yemen. You can learn from previous examples and see what has happened to other countrieswhere the ‘evil block’ has dispatched fighting units and militias only to increase the killing and enhance discord among people.The outcome has been but further calamities and severe sorrow. Unity of word is indeed one of the great causes of victory: "And obey Allâh and His Messenger, and do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength depart, and be patient. Surely, Allâh is with those who are As-Sâbirin(the patient ones, etc.)." [Al-Anfāl: 46] Cleanse your country from the filth of those killers and criminals; go out on the hunt of the ousted president and his gang, for it was him who impoverished the country, oppressed its people, and called for the destruction of everything beautiful in it. We also call upon the Yemeni scholars, the dācīs (callers to Islam), the mujahideen (fighters in the cause of Allah), the tribal leaders, the politicians, the army leaders and the soldiers to fear Allah and to carry out that with which Allah has entrusted them. They must unite their word and get ready to defend their religion, faith, and their Muslim homeland.
They must unanimously decide to free Yemen from the sectarian expansionist project which, I swear to Allah, does not intend for them any good. It is such a huge trust being put forth at such a critical time.Therefore, let everybody remember the words of the Mighty ‒Glorified be He: "O you who believe! Betray not Allâh and His Messenger, nor betray knowingly your Amânât(things entrusted to you, and all the duties which Allâh has ordained for you)." [Al-Anfāl: 27] It is an opportunity to gather around the leadership in order not to give a chance to the enemies.

May Allah bless you and me with the Noble Qur’ān and the Sunnah, and benefit us with the verses and wisdom they contain. I say this and ask Almighty Allah to forgive you and me.

Part Two

Praise be to Allah who is Mighty and raised far above, and to whose Greatness has been subjugated. No one can withhold what He gives or give what He withholds. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger ‒May Allah's Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him‒ his Companions and those who follow his path.

Now then, This is a call to religious scholars and seekers of knowledge to carry out jihad by word, logic, and evidence: "…but strive against them (by preaching) with the utmost endeavour, with it (the Qur'ân)." [Al-Furqān: 52] It is necessary to reveal the truth about the dangers of the false beliefs that have reached Muslims and caused them to contradict Islam and instigate animosity against Muslims,both the salaf (righteous ancestors) and the khalaf(their descendants). No one could be more wretched and lost than those who take as their enemies the early Muslims of the Muhājirīn and Ansār (Emigrants from Makkah and their hosts and
supporters in Madinah)?! Those do nothing but destroy Islam, sever its links, spoil its principles, and shed Muslim blood. You are called upon to enlighten the public and carry out the mission entrusted to you.

O servants of Allah! Supporting the oppressed, defending religion, fighting oppressors, and protecting one’s homeland are among the greatest pious deeds that please to Allah, and the most urgent of all obligations.
Thanks are due to Allah Who has guided the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to make this crucial and historical decision. Arab and Muslim leaders are commended for their promptness to coalesce with him.He also received widespread support from the religious scholars, Islamic organizations and sharia associations from all over the world. He, as well,enjoyed the good graces of the judicious people in the world.

O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet, and Your righteous servants!
O Allah! The Revealer of the Book, the Sender of clouds, the Defeater of the Aḥzāb(theConfederates), grant victory to our soldiers, empower their spirits, enable them to hit their targets, make right their views, and grant them victory over Your enemy and theirs!
O Allah! Make fast the destruction of the oppressors who are hostile to Your believing servants and who seek to turn people away from Your religion!
O Allah! Destroy them for You are capable of doing so!
O Allah! Grant us victory in the “Decisive Storm!”
O Allah! Make it cool and peaceful on Your believing servants, and a destructive storm on the oppressive traitors!
O Allah! Bestow on us and our brothers in Yemen from its blessings, and give a taste of its venom to our enemy!
O Allah! Make it destroy the branches and roots of evil!
O Allah! Make it shove away evil before it takes place!
O Allah! You are our support and advocate! It is throughYou that we move and fight!

O Allah! Send YourṢalāt, Peace, and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger Muhammad, upon his good and pure family, upon his auspicious and magnanimous Companions, and upon his wives, the Mothers of the believers!

O Allah! Accept our supplication!
O Allah! Accept our supplication, O You the Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty!

Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! He is free from what they attribute unto Him! Finally, peace beupon the Messengers, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-15-2016, 09:37 AM
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The New Happy Yemen

April 24, 2015 ~ Rajab 5, 1436

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Āl Tālib –May Allah protect him– delivered the Friday khutbah titled “The New Happy Yemen” in which he spoke about Yemen in the aftermath of the ‘Decisive Storm’. He cited a number of Qur’ānic verses which give directives to all Muslims, both rulers and subjects, and highlight Allah’s beneficence imparted to His servants in this battle, including the victory He –May He be exalted– bestowed upon them. The Sheikh equally offered counsel, guidelines, and prayers for all those who dedicated their lives and property for the cause of Allah.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah Whose lofty position and outstanding merit have towered in the heights of heavens and Whose might and supremacy over His creatures are manifest in His Universe. To Him belong all types of goodness in His vast dominion! I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate. None can be addressed for relieving grief except Him, and it is He Whose support and backing in pursuit of triumph can be hoped for! I equally bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah. His journey to Allah is the best ever; he is an imperishable source of good (like an everflowing river); and his virtuous deeds are considered by Allah as unmatchable. May Allah send His Ṣalāt (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace (and Blessing) upon him, his family, his Companions, and whoever follows him till the Day of the Last Judgement!

O Allah! Due praise be to You, for You have created us, offered us provisions, guided us, taught us, salvaged us, and relieved us of grief! Praise be to You in return for the blessings of Islam and the Holy Qur’ān! Praise be to You in recognition of the favours of kin, property, and well-being! You have neutralised our enemy, provided us with bountiful provisions, offered us undeniable peace and security, brought us together after disunity, and bestowed upon us all sources of bliss and protection. Indeed, You have granted us whatever favours we requested from You. Due praise be to You for all such blessings! Praise be to You for all types of blessings You have furnished us with previously or recently, discreetly or conspicuously, individually or collectively, during our lifetime or posthumously, and in presentia or in absentia. Praise be to You until You are pleased with us and praise be to You after You are satisfied!

Now then, O people! Observe taqwā vis-à-vis Allah, feel His omnipresence, comply with His commands, and do not disobey Him. Work for the hereafter by performing good deeds, and never get distracted by worldly life and its mundane ornaments. In fact, any distinction between the wealthy and the poor could only be possibly discerned at the moment of their acquittal before Allah –to Whom belong Might and Majesty‒ after being brought to account in front of Him. One’s destiny will then be either Paradise or Hellfire. "That Day mankind will proceed in scattered groups that they may be shown their deeds." "So whosoever does good equal to the
weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it." "And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it." [Al-Zalzalah: 6-8]

Thank Allah, stormy (1) days have passed by, resolute decisions have been taken to bring forth joy, and spirits are consequently overwhelmed by the thrill of victory. "And there is no victory except from Allâh, the All-Mighty, the AllWise." [ĀlcImrān: 126] Due praise be to Allah for all the graceful blessings He bestowed upon us, and our sincere expressions of gratitude go to Him for His gifts of support and achievement. Allah
has definitely revealed the strength of the Sunnah and faith as opposed to the weakness of evil, injustice, and aggression. In fact, the Kingdom has never been an advocate of warfare, and its history bears witness to the absence of any transgression and aggression, but ... (The Sheikh cites one line of poetry which can be translated as follows):
Bereft of any alternative way except spearheads,
One would have no choice but to use them.

The Kingdom has led this blessed coalition in order to reinforce truth, deter falsehood, protect the holy sites, safeguard the integrity of all Muslims, and support the oppressed Yemenis. Therefore, Allah has turned this objective into a concrete reality and imparted His providential care to army and artillery alike. Due praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds! The Kingdom declared the launching of the‘Decisive Storm’ and later declared its coming to a close. Thanks to divine providence, the Kingdom has been in full control of the whole situation. It has hoisted the banner of monotheism and victory. Its positions have been characterised by strength and its decisions by a gratifying sense of pride. "That is the Grace of Allâh, which He bestows on whom He wills..." [Al-Jumucah: 4]

O Muslims! One of the blessings of this ‘storm’ is that is has restored hope to hearts which have been for long craving for satiation and have almost fallen prey to the fathomless depths of dejection. The Yemenis did experience one of the long nights which they thought was one of sustained subjugation and despair. However, no sooner had that night reached its midst than it entered the chronicles of history. It has heralded good tidings, discarded humiliation, changed the balance of power, and led to a shift in policies. In reality, the moves of the Ummah in leaps and bounds have proved to be more realisable than some desperate people might have imagined and, contrarily to the speculations of thwarters and saboteurs, reaching record rapidity in recovering from crises and going back to normal is now within easy reach. Allah has decreed maturity dates for everything to concretise as well as requirements for whichever condition needs to be utterly fulfilled so that our Ummah could be empowered and our flag would be hoisted high in the sky. In fact, the time span between the departure of the Prophet –May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him– from Makkah, feeling displaced and homeless, and the subsequent prevalence of his state over the territories ruled by Khosrau and Cesar is just fifteen years. May Allah bestow upon us and upon all Muslim countries His bounteous graces and sustained security!

O believers! Despite undeniable victory and empowerment, the believer’s attitude should never diverge from the ethics of the master of Messengers, knowing that Allah ‒May He be extolled‒ has honoured us with following his Sunnah and enforcing his Sharia in real life affairs. How dare we deviate from that if we bear in mind Allah’s respective warning in His Book? "And be not like those who come out of their homes boastfully and to be seen of men..." [Al-Anfāl: 47] Allah –May He be exalted– also said: "If Allâh helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you?..."[Āl cImrān: 160] Even more, what attracts our attention in the verses dealing with the Ghazwat (2) Badr (the Battle of Badr) namely afterthe victory achieved by Prophet Muhammad [May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him] and his companions– is that the Holy Qur’ān did not eulogise their triumph and aptitude (as warriors); on the contrary, in the aftermath of the said ghazwah, Allah said: "...And there is no victory except from Allâh..." [Āl cImrān: 126] Allah –May He be exalted– also said: "...And you (Muhammad SAW) threw not when you did throw but Allâh threw..."[Al-Anfāl: 17] Allah –May He be exalted– also said: "And Allâh has already made you victorious at Badr, when you were a weak little force..."[Āl cImrān: 123] In addition, when Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him– entered Makkah and marched victoriously–serenely escorted by his companions, and surrounded by cavalrymen, knights in armour, and the most virtuous men ever, after having peacefully exacted surrender from Makkah and its nobility– he was simply riding his she-camel reciting the Surah (chapter) of Al-Fatḥ. On the authority of Imam Bukhari, “The Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him– entered Makkah riding his she-camel and reciting the Surah (chapter) of Al-Fatḥ.” Muhammad Ibn Isḥāq said, “Abdullah Ibn Abῑ Bakr told me that the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him–lowered his head in humility to Allah on realising that Allah had bestowed upon him the blessing of Fatḥ (i.e. gaining control of Makkah without bloodshed) (3) to the point that his beard was about to touch the hump of the camel he was riding.” In the same respect, Al-Hāfiđ Al-Baihaqῑ reported a hadῑth narrated by Anas who said, “The Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him– entered Makkah on the Day of Fatḥ with his beard leaning down his female camel’s back in awe of Allah.”

O Muslims! The real believer is never satisfied with victory as a one-shot deal; rather, all his/her lifetime must represent victory and glory. The purpose of victory is to hold fast to our principles and to constantly adhere to what Allah wants us to do or renounce. This is manifest in the continued existence of the axiom of continuous strife between truth and falsehood until the Day of Last Judgement, the time of extinction of life on earth. "...And so are the days (good and not so good), We give to men by turns, that Allâh may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. And Allâh likes not the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrongdoers).And that Allâh may test (or purify) the believers (from sins) and destroy the disbelievers.Do you think that you will enter Paradise before Allâh tests those of you who fought (in His Cause) and (also) tests those who are As-Sâbirin (the patient ones, etc.)?" [Āl cImrān: 140-142] Amidst such strife, Allah’s inviolable vow is that His victory will never fail to come to the rescue of the pious: "Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh Islâmic Monotheism) in this world's life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth, (i.e. Day of Resurrection)," [Ghāfir: 51] However inconstant circumstances might be, the inevitable destiny will be: "And, verily, Our Word has gone forth of old for Our slaves, the Messengers,That they verily would be made triumphant. And that Our hosts, they verily would be the victors."[Al-Ṣāffāt: 171-173] In one of the divine verses of His Dignified Book, Allah –May He be exalted– has combined in His command to us two interrelated things: caring for warfare logistics and
adopting optimal conduct. He –May He be exalted– says: "O you who believe! When you meet (an enemy) force, take a firm stand against them and remember the Name of Allâh much (both with tongue and mind), so that you may be successful. And obey Allâh and His Messenger, and do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength depart, and be patient. Surely, Allâh is with those who are As-Sâbirin (the patient ones, etc.)." [AlAnfāl: 45-46] Therefore, Allah commanded the mujahideen (fighters in the cause of Allah) to stand fast to five principles which, once combined, can only lead to victory regardless of the limited number of the Muslim community engaged in jihad and the large number of its enemy: constant faith, frequent remembrance of Allah [Glorified be He], obedience to Him and to His Messenger, consensus and rejection of divisive contentions which invariably lead to failure and decline, and finally patience. These are the five pillars on which the dome of victory is founded. If they are totally or partially absent, victory will be proportionately truncated. When these five principles combined and concretised in the personality of the Companions –May Allah be pleased with them all– no other nation could resist them. They conquered the four corners of the world, and land and people were both under their control. However, when these principles faded away in the succeeding generations, things took a different turn, as you can see.

O servants of Allah! O Muslims! Our Ummah is engaged in a permanent battle against falsehood. It defends true religion of Allah, protects its sanctuaries, and stands in defence of Muslim existence per se. Notwithstanding the blessings bestowed upon us by Almighty Allah, such as economic assets, military power, professional expertise, sagacious judgement, and strong determination, we should still not forget that we have to be totally committed to the cause of Allah, for we are an Ummah that follows in the footsteps of the Seal of Prophets and unswervingly adheres to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger –May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him. We are therefore supposed to come closer to our Lord than any time before and to fulfil the requirements of empowerment as prescribed by religious principles. As a matter of fact, observing tawheed(monotheism) and obedience to Allah are the greatest cause of victory and empowerment: "Allâh has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islâm). And He will
surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me..."[Al-Nūr: 55] Indeed, there is a big difference between, on the one hand, a monotheist who defends the Holy Book and the Sunnah and, on the other hand, someone who has idolised his instinctive desires as deity.Therefore, Allah has led him astray. So, recognise the blessing of
your Lord Who has offered you guidance, adhere to the straight path He has chosen for you, compete for offering Him your good deeds, and dissociate yourselves from sins and acts of disobedience, especially those which are perpetrated in public, for they result in humiliation and disaster. Among the causes of humiliation that Allah inflicts upon Muslim communities without distinction, notwithstanding their disparate and remote geographical locations, there are the misdeeds which are not only committed but also publicised by certain people. These people advocate such misdeeds without facing any criticism or otherwise counsel. Unfortunately, this has become the norm in Muslim countries. It is indeed the reason why the obscure night of Muslims continues to darken, the support from Allah is delayed, and divine providence and blessing is lifted. The genuine hadith reads: “If people notice the presence of evil without changing it, Allah will imminently inflict upon them general chastisement.”From among the Holy verse, we read: "Those who oppose Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad SAW), they will be among the lowest (most humiliated)." [Al-Mujādilah: 20-21]

None is capable of overpowering Allah, for He coerces mankind to obey Him and determines their destiny. Nothing can move in the universe or remain in a state of inertia without His permission: "And put your trust (O Muhammad SAW) in the Ever Living One Who dies not, and glorify His Praises, and Sufficient is He as the AllKnower of the sins of His slaves;" [Al-Furqān: 58] O Allah! We disengage ourselves from taking refuge in ourselves and our own might and adhere to Your refuge and might. "... "In Allâh we put our trust. Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the folk who are Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doing) (i.e. do not make them overpower us)."And save us by Your Mercy from the disbelieving folk."" [Yūnus: 85-86]

The main advice to Muslims in general is to unite behind their leadership from among the princes and the scholars. Nowadays, it is time to build consensus and close ranks: "...and do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength depart,..."[Al-Anfāl: 46] What is needed is unity and cohesion, first within the fabric of each community or society, then among all Muslim peoples together. It is our duty to rise above all our differences,stand as one vis-à-vis the situation at hand and observe prudence regarding all that would lead to discord, weakness and division. For now, do try to report your differences and put your disputes behind. Stop accusing one another of treason whenever a point of view is expressed or some ideas are put forth. Indeed, each one of you is a security man with an obligation to carry out. Above all, beware of rumours and fabricated news. Do not let that urge for breaking the news rush you into reporting rumours short of validating them, for it is the enemy that stands behind much of those rumours, and the victims but volunteer to spread them out among themselves to their own detriment. You are the support for your soldiers. So, supplicate Almighty Allah for them and help them stand their grounds. Make them happy, endorse the mission of those amongst them who are stationed along the country’s borders and be good to their families. It is also necessary to remember that the Yemenis who are afflicted with these events are our brothers, and that this showdown is not meant against but rather for Yemen and its people. The Yemenis, whether they are currently living among us or at home, are our brothers and sisters; their enemy and ours is but one, and we share common interests. Therefore, beware of those opportunists who are seeking to incite grudge and rancour! Today, we are all Yemen. Particularly at a time like this, we must all revert to Almighty Allah with supplication and righteous deeds, for integrity and good supplications together form an undefeatable fighting force: "And there is no victory except from Allâh, the All-Mighty, the AllWise." [Āl cImrān: 126]

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'ān and the Sunnah and benefit us with their verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah‒be He exalted‒ to forgive me and you!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah alone, Who supported His Servant (the Prophet), granted glory to His soldiers, and defeated the confederates alone. Praise be to Allah Who has guided us to believe in His oneness, taught us the tenets of His religion, and blessed us with the Sunnah of His Prophet, Muhammad, May Allah’s Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, Who has no associate, and that Prophet Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Ṣalāt(Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon His Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, upon his family, Companions and those who followed him!

Now then, This country and its allies firmly believe in the nobility of their purpose: achieving security for our beloved Yemen, defeating the aggressors, and keeping the Muslim Ummah and its sanctities safe from the looming threats around it. Therefore, now that the mission has been successfully accomplished, there is no point in proceeding any further with the war and fighting; once again, hope is starting to find its way back into the hearts of Yemenis. May Allah bless all the efforts, make all our wishes come true, and Praise be to Allah! Amidst all of this, stands out the Kingdom’s honourable resolve to put an end to a storm which has achieved its goals in less than a month. Indeed, the storm came to a halt having achieved its purpose, no more no less. In the meantime, the incidents during the standoff have laid bare the falsity of wrongdoers and the malevolence of corruptors. Praise be to Allah!

O Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques!
(The sheikh recites a poem that may be translated as follows):
O you, the King who stood up
In answer to the call of San’ā!
After a long standing affliction
And debilitating ailment,
After its Arabian spirit cried out:
Persians have ill intentions for it.
But those were unaware that over there
Stand the Honourable against the ‘Rafidites’.
Then you leapt up and tore apart their evil plotting
Until it was exposed to all and nullified.
You deployed all types of rides
To counter the enemy until they lay down.
It never occurred to them that a nation
Could rise up and rescind their plans.
Over there is Sham (Syria), wounded as it is,
Where the face of life looks so resentful
Yearning for you and complaining,
But seeing in your onrush requital.
Over there is a merciless regime
That has never considered honour or anything.
Its treacherous gang are slaying a people
That rose up and revolted against it.
Compassion withered away from their hearts
Until it disappeared and completely died out.
Families are driven out of their homes
And unwillingly forced into exile.
Death has wielded its sword
Shedding blood everywhere,
And hunger has shown its evil fangs,
Biting little children’s bellies.
Perhaps through resolve and determination
Sham will be relieved of its scourge.
Then after being pale and haggard,
Its face shall regain freshness and youth.
Allah Almighty from above knows
Who responded and who did not.
Glory be to Him, the King of Kings,
Whose support is indispensable!

As for You, our brave men of arms, whether you are engaged in combat, or stationed in coastal areas, you have just warded evil off a Muslim homeland.You have raised high the banner of truth and justice and attained the peak of glory and honour. We wish for your endeavors to be actions of jihad, for your triumph to be one of Islam, and for your death to be that of martyrs. You must observe patience and trust in Allah Almighty: "Truly! Allâh is with As-Sâbirûn (the patient)." [Al-Baqarah: 153] Verily, your advent has helped revive hope in the hearts of people. Your decisiveness has made the Ummah’s old wishes spring up in the hope of restoring rights and glory. However, you must not give in to too much pride and arrogance, for Almighty Allah has held accountable the best from among the mujahideen when they felt arrogantly overconfident because of their overwhelming number; their Prophet (peace be upon him) was there among them and yet he could not intercede for them. "…and on the Day of Hunain (battle) when you rejoiced at your great number, but it availed you not." [Al-Tawbah: 25] May Allah be with you! For every security man, whether stationed inland or in the coastal regions, we offer this supplication: “May Almighty Allah guard you and take care of you! May He grant you victory, bestow on you from His bounty,and reward you as he would the mujahideen and those on duty! May Allah grant us and the rest of the Muslim Ummah full victory and sound health!”

This being said, send (O you Muslims) your salatand peace upon the best of Allah’s creatures,Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (May Allah’s Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him)! O Allah! Send Your Ṣalāt, Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, his virtuous and pure family, his wives, the Mothers of believers, and upon his righteous Companions and those who righteously followed them till the Day of Judgement! O Allah! Be pleased with the four rightly-guided Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, all of the Companions of Your Prophet (May Allah’s Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him), and with us all, along with them, O You, the Most Merciful!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and to Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors!

O Allah! Foreordain for this nation (the nation of Islam) a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) where the people of piety are honoured and those of sins are guided, and where al-macroof (promotion of good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (promulgation of evil deeds) is prevented! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm us, our country, Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction, O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqṣā Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!
O Allah! Have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Burma, Central Africa and wherever they may be! O Allah! Lift their distress and grant them speedy relief!

O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them!
O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Noble Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your true servants!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept!O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness !
O Allah! Grant him, his deputies, his brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Grant success to all the Muslim leaders in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet (May Allah’s Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him)!
O Allah! Make them a Mercy on Your true servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and all Muslim countries around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]
"Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks." [Āl cImrān: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You!
O Allah! Forgive our sins and those of our parents and grandparents!
O Allah! Bless their souls as they showed us mercy when we were small! O Allah! Prolong the lives of those of them who are still living so that they can worship you more and do more good!
O Allah! Engulf with Your Mercy, and fill with Your shining light the graves of those who passed away! O Allah! Make their graves spacious gardens similar to those in Your heavens, and make us join them then!
O Allah! Forgive our sins and those of our parents, grandparents, our wives and progeny! O You, the All-Hearing of our supplications!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness, Allah Who is the only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and we repent unto Him!
O Lord! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair! O Allah! Send down rain on us! O Allah! Send down rain on us!
Bestow upon us expedient rain, a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful and harmless rain; one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the people’s thirst and reach rural and urban lands!
O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy! O Allah! Send down upon us rain of
mercy! O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Answer our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the AllKnowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord,the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

__________________________________________________ ________________________________________

(1) This word is used in implicit reference to the ‘Decisive Storm.’

(2) The Arabic term ghazwah ( )غزوةrefers to a campaign or battle which took place under the leadership of
Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Ṣalāt and Peace be upon him). This is contrasted with sariyyah ( )سریّةwhere
someone else was the leader.

(3) Bracketed explanation added.

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-15-2016, 09:42 AM
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ISIS (1) :Causing Mischief and Serving Enemy Interests

June 5, 2015 ~ Sha'baan 18, 1436

Shiekh Saalih Aal Taalib


Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Saleh ibn Muhammad al- Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday Khutbah entitled “ISIS: Causing Mischief and Serving Enemy Interests.” While talking about the group known as ISIS, the Sheikh warned his congregation against its suspicious nature as it adopts radicalism and extremism. He also warned people against following their approach as it is found in manifest contravention of the straight path. He
equally denounced the events which recently took place in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom, in reference to the assault against worshippers performing their prayer at the mosque and to the shedding of sanctified blood.

Part One

True praise be to Allah! We praise Him, seek His assistance, and ask for His forgiveness! We seek refuge in Allah from our own evils and misdeeds. He whom Allah guides will never be led astray and he whom Allah assigns to misguidance will find none to guide him to the right path. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate. Far be He from being assigned a match, a counterpart, or a peer: "...There is
nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer" [Al-Shura: 11]. I equally bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah, the radiating light. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace (and Blessing) upon him, his family, his Companions, the tabi'in (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death), and all those who
virtuously follow in their footsteps till the Day of Last Judgement!


Now then! The best speech is the Book of Allah and the best guidance is that found in the teachings of Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him. Conversely, the worst things are those recently invented (in religion); knowing that each undesirable invention is a bid’ah (i.e. falsehood appended to religion), and each bid’ah is misguidance. In addition, the best advice ever offered is to exhort people to observe taqwa (fear of
disobeying Allah). So, adhere to taqwa and perform good deeds: "...whosoever becomes pious and righteous, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." [Al- A’raaf: 35]. He who observes taqwa vis-à-vis Allah will be rewarded contentment and he who fears people will reap nothing when brought to account in front of Allah.

O Muslims! With the dawn of Islam, the souls of its followers were inspired with its divine guidance. Their hearts were imbibed with its love and their spirits were yearning to serve its message. In fact, they learnt it, taught it, assimilated it, supported it, and sacrificed their own lives for it. They even left their homelands behind for its sake and travelled around the world to serve the cause of Allah. According to the chronicles of the Prophet’s tradition, when Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– made consultations with his Companions on the day of the Battle of Badr, Saad –May Allah be pleased with him– said, “I swear by Allah on Whose Hand my soul is, even if you ordered us to cross the deep sea with our horses, we would comply with your order, and if you ordered us to go on expedition to the remotest land (be it in Arabia or in Yemen (2)) we would comply with your order.”[Reported by Muslim] Thus, sacrifice and self-abnegation were the hallmarks of the first generation of Muslims as well as their successors. Therefore, jihad –whose pioneers were imbibed with such moral values– used to be like floods whose flow could never be halted by any dam and an affliction whose fatal outcome was unstoppable. It was from the womb of such meanings that the famous words that Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed –May Allah be pleased with him–said to the King of Persia, “I have brought to you people who yearn for death just like you do for life.” Their jihad was characterised by guidance, compassion, and justice. They used to practice Sharia through worshipping Allah in all sincerity, pursuing and enhancing interests benefiting the whole Ummah, avoiding and minimising vulnerability to evil, and preserving the fundamental necessities of humanity through protecting the sanctity of (religious) faith, life, personal honour, reason, and property, which are inalienable fundaments and premises. The Islamic civilisation has perfectly accomplished this noble mission, outperforming all other civilisations with respect to reinforcing this principle through the proclamations of its jurisprudential scholars and the way its rulers exercised authority, being always inspired with the Words of Allah –May He be exalted: "And We have sent you (O Muhammad SAW) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists)." [Al-Anbiya: 107] "...and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allâh likes not the Mufsidûn (those who commit great crimes and sins, oppressors, tyrants, mischief-makers, corrupts)." [Al-Qasas: 77] Successive communities of the human race embracing different religions and belonging to diverse sects and denominations have found shelter in the realm of the Islamic Ummah. Living in the same all-embracing homeland, they have enjoyed security and justice.

O Servants of Allah! As jihad and self-sacrifice have always epitomised the triumph of the Ummah and conversely the humiliation of its foes; and as the enemies failed to combat those two values from the outside, they had no choice but to infiltrate into its inner entity. Accordingly, inimical groups opposing the idea of jihad and self-sacrifice have throughout the various phases of history managed to infiltrate Muslims’ ranks and succeeded in diverting these values from their original objectives and in fashioning their ultimate outcomes. Quite significantly, notwithstanding massive bloodshed and the degree of sacrifice made by certain individuals generally known for their sincerity and aspiration to champion this religion since the very beginning of this Hijri century, the end result has not only been restricted to a manifest failure to realise expected goals but has also brought about reverse effects. Thus, Muslims themselves have been susceptible to the disastrous consequences of such sacrifice and have been victimised by such (reverse) devotion. Having successfully infiltrated into groups which were originally formed to stand up for religion,the enemies have now shifted into top gear and embarked on a more dangerous project, namely the establishment of an entity originally founded to eradicate Muslims’ power and annihilate the remnants of their countries.Theyaim to resist any of the Muslims’ attempts to liberate themselves from their victimisers and to recruit those whose are eager to lift the banner of religion in order to virtually use them as fuel for futile battles. Then, the enemies proceeded to decorate such a hybrid clone with the outfit of the Islamic Caliphate and called it ‘The Caliphate State.” They dubbed their crimes an implementation of divine law, which represents another episode in the process of offending Islam in the very name of Islam, although their undertaking has nothing to do with Islam. In fact, it is an entity based on contravening covenants, breaching contracts, shedding blood, guarding enemies’ interests, and usurping lands formerly emancipated from aggressors who used to persecute the indigenous inhabitants. Such a group cannot be part of Islam, even though it carries the most sublime labels and the noblest Islamic names. ISIS gangs, which emerged in the Sham (Greater Syria) and Iraq, have unmemorable founders and anonymous leaders. Even those of them who have been identified have literally neither history nor record in Islam. Instead, they are believed to play suspicious roles and act as traitors. One can assume that ISIS gangs represent a qualitative leap in the history of the enemies of Islam and Arabs, for they moved from the strategy of infiltrating Muslim groups to that of establishing a totally independent entity formed in step with their wishes and instructions. Its establishment was finalised by regional and international intelligence agencies and its constitutive components can be classified into three types: (a) leaders and activists who are by definition downright enemies, (b) renegade and naive kharijites (i.e. religious dissidents), and (c) immature people beguiled into acting as fervent supporters of religion. The latter category is used as the fuel to their war (against Islam). They are totally irrational, inexperienced, and devoid of religious knowledge and political awareness. As common in the axioms of politics, the success of any conspiracy requires that the majority of those involved in it are not aware that it is actually part of a conspiracy.

O Servants of Allah! If we, for the sake of revealing truth, examine the history of ISIS which is short but ominously apocalyptic for Muslims, we realise that their exclusive goal is to shed Muslim blood and capture their territories. As to their hypothetical enemies, they have remained safe except from some minor skirmishes exploited in reviving certain sectarian or ethnical conflicts, in manoeuvring the minds of their ignorant followers, or in realising the ultimate objective of their project, which consists of causing Islam to repulse people, distorting its image, and triggering universal hostility against Muslims. Another barefaced trick that ISIS recurrently plays on people consists in recruiting sincere and devout youths among Muslims everywhere in the world. They intend to use them as live coal to stir abating fire. However, as soon as the number of their raw recruits
increases, they get rid of some of them through artificially involving them in hopeless and aimless battles which hardly deserve a similar sacrifice. This was the case in their battle for Ain Al Arab (Kobani). For the sake of illustration, try to examine the moves of ISIS gangs as they deliberately spoil any achievement realised by victimised people, just to abort their dreams and continue to serve as protector of regimes they are normally supposed to consider as enemy, if they were actually sincere in their claims. In fact, whenever our country receives threats, their execution always bears the hallmarks of ISIS gangs, which illustrates their total harmony (with external parties) in all incidents.

O Servants of Allah! Neither Islam nor Muslims –be they individuals or states– have vested interest in offending or assaulting any other denomination. Islam never enjoins its followers to do so: "Allâh does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allâh loves those who deal with equity." [Al-Mumtahinah: 8] In the Muslim creed, even the difference in faith –let alone the difference in religious school or denomination– does not justify aggression or offence. Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– himself inhabited the same town as the Jews in Madinah and was their neighbour all his lifetime. Accordingly, the criminal acts perpetrated during the last two weeks in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom –claiming the lives of many people– are but an instance of a series of aggressions whose only outcome was the attempt to destabilise this country and compromise its security. The main purpose was to add it to the long list of neighbouring countries living in turmoil, to cause hundreds of thousands of casualties, and to displace millions of inhabitants. The real target of the recent events is the state and society at large, and the bloodshed is only meant to serve as fuel to get the fire alight in the whole region. So, feeling grieved over the assaults in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom is really justified, denouncing them is a duty, and combating them to prevent their recurrence is a responsibility. In fact, the criminal act has befallen the entire nation rather than just one of its sects. These gangs had previously targeted security forces all around our country, causing some casualties among them. They also targeted some public facilities and institutions, etc. In reality, the murderous atrocities perpetrated by ISIS gangsters –whose victims are among Muslims– is not comparable to the bloodshed committed against other communities, and the Sunni territories captured in Iraq and in Sham represent the integrity of the seized lands and nothing more, as they tend to dispossess nobody else (except Sunni Muslims). Accordingly, whoever claims that those ISIS gangs are the by-product of our creed and our way of life will by the same token contribute to the implementation of their agenda and will identify himself with the ultimate purpose for which ISIS was initially established. Although our religious discourse in this country might contain statements of approval or disapproval vis-à-vis certain convictional principles, it includes no explicit reference‒whether direct or indirect– to the permissibility of offending people embracing a different faith. On the contrary, our discourse insists on the sanctity of human blood, exhorts people to act in accordance with the method approached by the Jama’ah(the Sunnites) and prohibits insurgency against rulers. Paradoxically, some people mocked our attitude because they failed to understand that such an approach represents the idea of moderation recommended by Islam. Otherwise, what kind of Jihad is this when it leads to blowing up oneself amidst a group of people while they are performing the Friday Prayer inside a mosque?! In fact, there
is legal evidence for the prohibition of killing monks while in the church, let alone killing Muslims while they are performing their prayer. Furthermore, the houses of Allah (mosques) ‒Exalted be He‒ are places of feeling security not fear. In the “Conquest of Makkah”, the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: “… andhe who enters the mosque is safe.”[Reported by Abu Dawood] Many are those who have taken advantage of such events to thump themselves, lay the blame on their people, and condemn educational curricula!We say to those: Just as there has been ideological perversion among some people in this country, there have also been forms of extremism and rejection of religious provisions among them.So, were those also a product of our educational curricula and religious discourse?! Why was the overwhelming majority of our citizens overlooked? Those who hold a moderate view of religion follow the path of believers and reject exaggeration and aversion? Those knowledgeable have reported that the vast majority of ISIS gangs have never
set foot in our country, let alone been impacted by our curricula and discourse. Rather, none of the leaderships among them are from our country. Why then the rush at home and abroad to lay the blame on the Kingdom –despite the fact that it is the victim in all of this– and to accuse it of being the nurturing environment, despite the immaculateness of its faith and the clarity of its approach?! Muslims in general must be aware of the gravity of the conspiracy that is being worked out against their homelands, particularly the Kingdom, the home of the Two Holy Mosques, an advocate of the Sunnah and a preacher of peace. May Allah guard and protect it! Indeed, Allah is the best Protector! Allah is the best Protector!

O Allah! We implore You to bless us by the Noble Qur'ān and the Sunnah, to make them beneficial to us and to raise our status through the verses and wisdom they contain! This being said, I ask Allah, the Almighty, to forgive you and me for all sins!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds! No aggression must be carried out save against oppressors. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, Allah, the Ultimate Truth. I also bear witness that Mohammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, and all of his Companions!

Now then, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an important power with major global influence; it is therefore targeted by opportunistic groups practicing violence and extremism,by countries marked with hostility, revolutionary stance, and the tendency to propagate sectarianism and terrorism, or by authoritarian regimes. With the endowments Allah has bestowed on it, the Kingdom constitutes an impediment in the face of extremist organizations and revolutionary and expansionistic regimes. Likewise, its stability and unity as well as its commitment to covenants and agreements represent a challenge to present-day affluent media.Those engaged in carrying out intrigue and conspiracy definitely know the extent of the Kingdom’s influence; they know that it is a responsible state with such a profound geographical, human, religious, and economic foundation. Therefore, whenever the Kingdom chose to employ its influence in any of the world’s issues the outcome would be effective thanks to its solid principles, noble goals, and close relations. Almighty Allah has endowed the Kingdom with His Grace for it has made out of His Holy Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger a constitution for the country. The kingdom is an advocate of peace and collaboration. We make no bids when it comes to our future and that of our Ummah. However, it is our critical fate to confront this turmoil. We take on the concerns of the Arab and Muslim worlds. We are certainly active and effective partners in
global decision-making, and it is for this reason that we are targeted by the covetous. The events we are facing and the conspiracies being carried out against us are all bound to fail by Allah’s Will. All the Saudi people, across the board, are willing to make it their obligation to abort such conspiracies. Whenever provoked, they shall stand their ground firmly as a rock amidst the valley. The enemies shall fail to overcome them and shall then lose all their stakes in the Arab region.The enemy’s bet is on destabilizing the internal front, whereas ours is on its unity and cohesiveness.So, let us defeat their hopes. The events that took place in some of the mosques at the Eastern Province are but a lethal bait for the inducement of sectarianism and its temptation to rise in order for it to assume on their behalf the task of self-annihilation. All the citizens in this country pertinently knowthe extent to which they are enjoying security, prosperity and freedom. Therefore, they will not accept to wind up in the same situation in which several of our brothers and sisters in a number of other countries have found themselves; a situation where things have run out of control. One of the greatest blessings Allah has bestowed on us in this country is that of security and unity, and any laxity in maintaining them will certainly imperil all without exception. Away from sectarianism and regionalism, our unity in this country is based on Islamic Faith and Sharia, and working towards safeguarding it is the way to ensure its continuity.
Anyone, no matter his religious or otherwise ideological affiliations, intending to endanger our unity and accord is considered an enemy to this nation and must therefore be dealt with firmly and decisively. The Faith upon which our country is based is one of equity, justice and mercy, and under it the legal rights of all other religious sects are well safeguarded. Indeed, our Sharia’ enfolds more mercy towards violators than anyone else. Seeking to employ such events by such conspirators in order to undermine the Ummah’s Faith, constants, curricula and statute is but an immoral outgrowth of this controversy. Muslim scholars and preachers, writers, media people and thinkers must speak justice, equity and moderation while assessing situations. Deviation from the path of moderation whether in praise or slander, accord or discord would force some into the abyss of chauvinism. "And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not) that of which you have no knowledge. Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those one will be questioned (by
Allâh)." [Al-Isra’: 36] We hereby express our profound respect and sense of pride towards our security forces as they succeed to preempt and abort evil conspiracy, or find out about it in fine details after it happens. This is so by the Grace of Almighty Allah! Our obligation vis-à-vis the security forces is to engage true supplication and active support for them as well as assume individual responsibility towards this country of ours; that
each one of us is a potential security man ready to defend it from his respective position or place. Therefore, let us join hands in this undertaking, following Allah’s Words: "And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allâh (i.e. this Qur’ân), and be not divided among yourselves." [Al Imran: 103]

O Allah! We implore You to protect our country and those of all Muslims against every evil and affliction! O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil and turn their plots and their cunning against them those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm our country, leaders, scholars, people and unity! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Send Your Salat upon Muhammad and his family as You did upon Ibrahim and his family! You are All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious! O Allah! Send Your Blessing upon Muhammad and his family as You did upon Ibrahim and his family! You are AllPraiseworthy, All-Glorious! O Allah! Be pleased with the four Caliphs and true Imams: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, with all the Companions, the tabi'in, and with those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)and Your truly-believing servants!
OAllah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)and Your truly-believing servants!
O Allah! Grant victory to those who are Mujahedeen in Your cause in Palestine and everywhere, O Lord of the worlds! O Allah!Save Al-Aqsa Mosque from the evil of the oppressors and the aggression of the occupiers!
O Allah! Alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Burma, Central Africa, and everywhere! O Allah! Put an end to their affliction and grant them speedy relief!
O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who side with them!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Grant him, his Deputies, their brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)!
O Allah! Make them merciful to Your true servants!
O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and all Muslim countries around the world!
O Allah! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers and the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

"…Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]
"Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk." [Al Imran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins! O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents and our grandparents!
O Allah! Bless their souls as they were mercy on us when we were small!
O Allah! Prolong the lives of those of them who are still alive so that they can worship you more and do more good!
O Allah! Engulf with Your mercy, satisfaction and forgiveness the graves of those who passed away!
O Allah! Make their graves bright and spacious; gardens similar to those in Your Paradise!
O Allah! Join us together with them in Your benefaction!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!O Allah! Help us reach Ramadan,guide us to do good throughout it, and do accept our good deeds, O You, Lord of the Worlds!

O Lord! Accept from us (our supplication), You are the All-Hearing, the AllKnowing! Accept our repentance, You are All-Forgiving, All-Merciful!

Glorified be our Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! He is free from what they attribute unto Him! Peace be on the Messengers! And all the praises and thanks be to Allah, Lord of the worlds!

__________________________________________________ _______________________________________________
(1) ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and Sham) is the English equivalent acronym for the Arabic ‘da’ish’ ( )داعشwhich
refers to “al-Dawlah al-Islamiyyah fi al-‘Iraq wa al-Ash-sham” (.)الدولة الإسلامیة فب العراق والشام

(2) The Arabic expression “barakal-ghimed” implies remote travelling distance without referring to any
specific geographic location. In certain interpretations of the Hadith, the word “Yemen” is explicitly
included in this idiomatic expression denoting, at the time, remoteness.

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-16-2016, 07:20 AM
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The Merits of Supplicating Allah

June 26, 2015 ~ Ramadhan 9, 1436

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Muhammad al-Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday’s Khutbah titled “The Merits of Supplicating Allah” in which he talked about the merits of supplicating in general, and particularly in Ramadan. Supporting what he said with quotations from the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah, he explained the importance and benefits of supplicating and showed its best venues and times and how the servant of Allah can relish at supplicating Allah Almighty and having a secret dialogue with Him.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah whose hearing encompasses all voices, and Who knows the supplications of His servants even though they do not speak the same tongue. He controls accomplishments and fulfilments, fends off misfortunes and removes distress. May He be extolled and all praise is duly His. He is All Hearing, All Near; He is the Compassionate, and the Responsive Whose Kindness is extended to His servants in all situations and at all times. I bear witness that there is no deity except Almighty Allah alone with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah's Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing be upon him, his family, Companions and the tabi’in (contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death) and all those who follow in their footsteps until the Day of Judgement!

Now then, Observe real taqwa vis-à-vis Almighty Allah and hold on to Islam’s firm grip: "O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious)." [Al-Baqarah: 183] Taqwa is a refuge and a shield; it is a means to gain Allah’s satisfaction and attain His Paradise. The Herein is bound to perish while the Hereafter is everlasting, and to Allah we shall all return.

O fasting Muslims! Congratulations on the honour of time and place and on the (spiritual) shade which the month of fasting and forgiveness is giving to you: "The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’ân, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)." [Al-Baqarah: 185] It is a month during which good deeds are multiplied, sins expiated, and prayers answered; a month which includes a night that is better than a thousand months. He who fasts this month out of belief and seeking Allah’s reward will have his past sins forgiven. He who observes night-prayer during it out of belief and seeking Allah’s reward will also have his past sins forgiven. He who observes night-prayer during the night of Al-Qadr (the night of Power) will also have his past sins forgiven. Therefore, come forward, O you who seek benevolence! Go away, O you who seek malevolence!

O Muslims! In this blessed month, Allah’s graces become profuse and amiable for the pious servants enhancing their stamina so as to sublimate their souls and purify their hearts, thereby both their Herein and Hereafter may reach refinement through calling them to Ramadan’s splendid gifts, especially the answering of their supplications. In the Qur’anic verses dealing fasting, the Only True God ‒Glorified be He‒ says: "And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad )صلى الله عليه وسلمconcerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright." [Al-Baqarah: 186] In Ramadan, the soul sublimates and gives its total attention to worship; the heart softens in submission to Allah, the eye waters and wells in tears and the vehemence of the self, that of the whim and of Satan subsides and breaks. The fasting Muslim’s condition straightens up as he humbles himself before Allah Almighty. His senses and limbs engage in doing good deeds. He submits totally to his Lord and engages in supplication with certainty, humbleness and insistence before his Lord. Thus, his supplications get heard and eventually answered.

O fasting Muslims! Supplication is a great form of worship that indicates the attributes of the Supplicated: Allah (Glorified be He). Supplication shows the way to Allah Almighty and proves that He is close to His servants. It also indicates His Omnipotence, Might, Self-Sufficiency, Hearing, Seeing, Knowledge, Omniscience, Magnanimity and Generosity. That is why supplication was the indefatigable habit of prophets: "Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us." [Al-Anbiya’: 90]
Here is Noah ‒Peace be upon him‒ about whom his Lord says: "And (remember) Nûh (Noah), when he cried (to Us) aforetime. We answered his invocation and saved him and his family from the great distress." [Al-Anbiya’: 76] He ‒Glorified be He‒ also says: "And (remember) Ayyûb (Job), when he cried to his Lord: "Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy." So We answered his call, and We removed the distress that was on him, and We restored his family to him (that he had lost) and the like thereof along with them as a mercy from Ourselves and a Reminder for all those who worship Us." [Al-Anbiya’: 83-84] And the grief supplication from Jonah –Peace be upon him: "And (remember) Dhun-Nûn (Jonah), when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him (i.e. the calamities which had befallen him)! But he cried through the darkness (saying): Lâ ilâha illâ Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O, Allâh)], Glorified (and Exalted) be You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]! Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers." So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allâh, abstain from evil and work righteousness." [Al-Anbiya’: 87-88] "And (remember) Zakariyyâ (Zachariah), when he cried to his Lord: "O My Lord! Leave me not single (childless), though You are the Best of the inheritors." So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon him Yahyâ (John), and cured his wife (to bear a child) for him. Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves
before Us." [Al-Anbiya’: 89-90] Our Prophet Muhammad ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him– supplicated Almighty Allah very much and humiliated himself to Him both out of hope and out of fear. He supplicated Him for himself, his Companions, his family and his Ummah. Supplication is a form of worship. It shows man’s servility to his Lord, and shows that he is a helpless creature vis-à-vis an All-Sufficient Creator and that he depends to satisfy his needs on his Beneficent and Omniscient Lord when he raises his hands in humility, submissiveness, and hopefulness, saying: “O Lord! O Lord”. There he feels the pride of his servitude to Allah, cherishes persistence in supplicating Him, and finds spiritual comfort in getting closer to his Merciful Lord and feels relaxed deep down by imparting what is in his heart to his Great Lord. How beautiful such moments are when you supplicate your Lord complaining to Him about your burdens, asking Him alone, and no one else, to grant you what you need, begging Him for requests which you have not asked any human for! Rather, by so doing you will have confirmed His oneness. For He is the All-Powerful, the All-Sufficient Who suffices the servants who come to him in humility to grant them what they need. "Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls on Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations? Is there any ilâh (god) with Allâh? Little is that you remember!" [Al-Naml: 62]

O Muslims! Our Lord ‒Most High and Glorified be He– commissioned us to supplicate Him and to plead our needs before Him. "And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness
(Islâmic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation)." [Ghafir: 60] Where are those supplicating their Lord in response to His Call, their Lord Who is calling them to supplicate Him so that He may answer their supplications? The Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said, “Nothing is more noble to Allah than supplication.” [Narrated by Tirmidhy and Ibn Majah] He also said, “Supplication is the best form of worship.” [Narrated and considered authentic by AlHakim] Supplicating Allah with persistence is a necessary measure towards removing distress and fending off misfortunes. Khalil Al-Rahman (1) said: ""And I shall turn away from you and from those whom you invoke besides Allâh. And I shall call upon my Lord and I hope that I shall not be unblest in my invocation to my Lord."" [Mariam: 48] Prophet Zachariya ‒Peace be on him– said: "He said: "My Lord! Indeed my bones have grown feeble, and grey hair has spread on my head, And I have never been unblest in my invocation to You, O my Lord!" [Mariam: 4] How many a hopeless situation has been rectified after it was thought to be irreparable! How many a tyrant went to sleep, but received the arrow of Allah’s response to supplicants’ prayers before he woke up! Supplication –O you Muslims– is the passion of prophets, the attribute of messengers, the indefatigable habit of the righteous, and the intent of worshippers. With supplication, they seek and target the most favourable places. Allah’s houses (mosques) and Mount Arafat witnessed their imploration; their secret conversation with Allah was mixed with the darkness of night and the passing of time. Little wonder to see that supplication is the crown of worship. It is part of all the pillars of Islam, and it takes the forefront position thereof. When a worshipper prostrates himself, he is closest to Allah Almighty; prostration is the position of supplication when performing prayers. The greatest pillar of Hajj is standing in Mount Arafat, and this is the greatest place for supplication. You can hardly find a mandatory form of worship without concomitant supplication.It is part of good manners for Muslims to choose supplications with complete concentration –the ones that encompass the good of both the Herein and the Hereafter. They should be from among the supplications of the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ such as, “O Lord! Give us good in the Herein and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the torture of Hellfire!” and “O Allah! Make good my religion which is the safeguarding of my life, make good my world in which I live, and make good my Hereafter to which I shall return! Make living an increase of all kinds of good for me, and make death a relief for me from every evil.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim] One should choose the times when supplications are more likely to be answered such as the fasting days, the time of breaking one’s fast, predawn time, during prostration, the last third of the night, the time between athan (call to prayer) and iqamah (just before starting prayer), and during the response time on Friday. The Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said, “Three supplications are not turned down: the parents’, the fasting person’s, and the traveler’s.” [Narrated by Al-Baihaqi, with a good chain of narration] One should also observe the supplication ethics such as the purity of the body, facing the qiblah (Makkah), raising one’s hands, insistence with submissiveness, humility and a lowered voice. Allah, the Almighty says: "Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors." [Al-Acraf: 55] Narrated Salman –May Allah be pleased with him‒ that the Prophet –May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him– said, “Verily, your Lord is diffident and generous; he would be diffident to see the raised hands of a supplicant return with nil reward” or he said ‘disappointed.’” [Reported by Ibn Majah and Al-Bayhaqi] The Prophet –May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him– also said, “The supplication of a servant will always be answered as long as he does not supplicate for sin or for severing kinship ties.” [Reported by Imam Muslim] The more faith a servant has in his Lord the more his supplication will be accepted; and the more humble and devout he is the closer he will get to obtaining that he has asked for. The Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: "Hearts are vessels, and some of such vessels are more conscious than others. Therefore, when you supplicate Allah ‒Exalted be He‒ O people, supplicate Him and be certain of acceptance, for Allah does not answer a servant who supplicates Him while his heart is forgetful." [Narrated by Imam Ahmad from the hadith by Abdullah Ibn Amr ‒May Allah be pleased with him]

O fasting People! Being alone with Allah has its secrets and spiritual overflows that wash the ‘rust’ off the hearts and purify them; so let the servant of Allah choose a suitable time of his day or
night to be alone with his Lord, away from the noise and jostle of daily life in order to talk and complain to his Lord, to beg and flatter his Master. O Allah! How impactful these times of seclusion with Allah are on the soul, senses, and heart!? In fact, when kneeling or prostrating (to Allah) with eyes filled with tears, right then the doors of mercy are opened, supplications accepted, needs satisfied, and wrongdoings forgiven: "And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allâh) for forgiveness.", [Al-Zâriyât: 18] "Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope" [Al-Sajdah: 16] Some of the salaf (righteous predecessors) said: "I feel happy when the night approaches because my life becomes pleasurable and my soul tranquil while I am having a secret conversation with Allah and submit in humility in front of Him." Indeed, the joy and happiness that a believer experiences in that closeness (to Allah) is the happiness, joy and tranquillity with Allah. This state entices one to continue walking towards Allah, to be close to Him, to supplicate in His majestic presence, and to seek His pleasure in everything. Whoever does not feel this pleasure or some of it should accuse his faith and deeds; for real faith has a special sweet flavour and whoever does not taste it must seek some light
with which he can regain the sweetness of faith. Supplication is the path of those who desire to get closer to Allah and the means of those who seek His satisfaction; it is the intercessor which is cannot be rejected, and the arrow that does not miss its target. Thus, when an opportunity of supplication presents itself to you, then this means that Allah has decreed good for you. Raise your hands to your Lord and supplicate Him with a humble heart and eyes shedding tears truthfully and sincerely and with certainty that Allah never rejects a supplicant nor does he fail him:
"Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret." [Al-A'râf: 55] Rest assured and hopeful, for our Lord is Generous: "Is one who is obedient to Allâh, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men
of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allâh's Signs and Verses)." [Al-Zumar: 9]

O Allah! We implore You to bless us with the Noble Qur'an and the Sunnah, to make them beneficial to us and to raise our status through the verses and wisdom they contain! This being said, I ask Allah, the Almighty, to forgive your sins and mine!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah! He is kind with His blessing, and He is the All-Sufficient; He sent down His mercy and He is the Most High. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate. We have no intercessor or Lord except Him. I also bear witness that Mohammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat, Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, all of his Companions, the tabi'in and those who follow them righteously till the Day of Judgement!

Now then, During Ramadan people profusely supplicate in groups and as individuals in a state of humility and submission, begging their Great Lord, asking Him for the best of what He has, as He is the Most Generous. Supplication is most likely to be accepted and have the greatest impact if the supplicant understands its words and recognises its meanings. The worst malady that may strike the Ummah is when its forms of worship become mere formalities and routines; then weakness will prevail and the Ummah will become a body without a soul. Here, we find those who perform prayers but such prayers do not preclude them from committing sins. These prayers have no significant positive effect on their lives. Others fast only by abstaining from food and drink. In a hadith, the Prophet is reported to have said: "He who does not give up telling lies and keeps acting so, as well as engaging in offensive behaviour, Allah is in no need of his leaving his food and his drink.” [Narrated by Imam Bukhari] So be true to your Lord, think about your supplications, understand their meaning, and present your needs to your Great, Generous Lord.
Supplicate Allah insistently and keep calling Him wholeheartedly and in total submissiveness: “O You, the Owner of Majesty and Honour”; and during the shifting conditions of the Ummah, its painful reality, with every sorrow or disaster that befalls an individual or a group these divine scented breezes are meant to change people’s lives from grief to relief, from hardship to ease, and from affliction to benefaction. Those who are oppressed, subjugated, victimised and grieved on earth must take advantage of these times, for the Great Lord is indeed Omnipotent, All-Capable, Most High, All-Mighty, Irresistible, His Kingdom is within His Hand and He is capable of everything. He is not made incapable by the plotting of the plotters or the malice of the malicious. Rather, He does what He wills and His command ‒Elevated and Exalted be He‒ rests on the two (Arabic) letters: the Kaf and the Noon.(2) The voice of a pure devout believing servant supplicating his Lord submissively and humbly with hope and fear is dearer to the Creator than any other voice; for if the Generous accepts happily the repentant sinners, so imagine that he would do with a believing servant who constantly supplicates and repents unto Him! How much we are in need of supplication at all times and at this time in particular! Calamities are numerous, life is growing more complicated, earning a living is becoming tighter for people, and afflictions both on individual and public levels are continuous. Therefore, nothing saves man except a sincere return to his Lord, supplicating Him with certainty that relief comes from Him.

O fasting people! Do supplicate your Lord times and times again, for you are at a time where Allah ‒Exalted be He‒ will generously answer His righteous servants and generously bestows on
the sincere, fasting ones among them. This is indeed the right time for supplication and the expression of your needs to the Most Generous, the Most Merciful. Supplicate Allah for yourselves, your parents and progeny; supplicate Him for your leaders and those who are defending you at your countries outposts and borders. It is your duty to supplicate Allah for them. Mosques must resound with supplications for them. O Allah! We ask You for all the good: that which is immediate and that which is deferred, that of which we know and that of which we do not! O Allah! We seek refuge in You from all evil, that which is immediate and that which is deferred, that of which we know and that of which we do not! We ask you (to grant us) from the bounty which Your Servant and Messenger Muhammad ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ has asked you for! We seek refuge in You from the worst and most evil from which Your Servant and Messenger Muhammad ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ has sought refuge in You! O Allah! We ask You to set right our religion, our Herein, and our Hereafter!

This being said, send (O you Muslims) your salat and peace upon the best of Allah’s creatures, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, the Hashimite, the Quraishite (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)! O Allah! Send Your Salat, Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, his virtuous and pure family, and his brave companions! O Allah! Be pleased with the four rightly-guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, all the Companions of Your Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him), and all those who follow their path and Sunnah, O You, the Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and to Muslims and fail polytheism and polytheists, destroy the enemies of religion, and make this country along with all Muslim countries safe, secure, and tranquil!

O Allah! Whoever intends to harm us or our country, or call for division, O Allah, return his malice against him and make his plotting his own destruction!
O Allah! Grant victory to our soldiers who are positioned at our country's borders!
O Allah! Be their supporter and helper!
O Allah! Reward them for their good deeds, help them protect the borders, guide and protect all our security men everywhere!
O Allah! Guide and protect all our security men everywhere!

O Allah! Grant us security in our homes, set right our imams and leaders!
O Allah! Grant us security in our homeland and homes, set right our imams and leaders!
O Allah! Support with the Truth our leader! O Allah! Grant him success to follow Your Guidance and make his deeds win Your satisfaction!
O Allah! Grant him a righteous retinue!
O Allah! Guide him and his two deputies to do what is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Show them the right path!

O Allah! Push away from us expensiveness, epidemics, usury, fornication, earthquakes, calamities, and the worst trials both those overt and hidden!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere!
O Allah! Gather them around the Truth and righteousness!
O Allah! Stop their bloodshed, replace their fear with security, protect their religion, honour, countries, and properties!

O Allah! Be on the side of the oppressed who are stricken with calamities!
O Allah! Grant victory to the oppressed Muslims everywhere!

O Allah! Grant them victory in Palestine!
O Allah! Grant them victory in Palestine!
O Allah! Grant victory to the Murabitoun (stationed defenders) around Alquds (Jerusalem), and gather them on the Truth, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) and Your truly-believing servants!
O Allah! Destroy the enemies of religion for You are capable of doing so!

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the[ Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]
O Allah! Make our souls pious, purify them, for You are their best purifier! You are indeed their Lord! O Allah! We ask You for forgiveness, good health, and constant wellbeing in religion, this life, and the hereafter!

O Allah! Whatever good we asked you for in this generous month, O Allah, make the biggest share of it to us, our parents, grandparents, progeny, wives, and our Muslim beloved ones!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and let our wishes come true in what pleases You!

O Allah! Do accept our prayers, fasting, supplications, and good deeds, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!


_______________________________________________

(1) Khalil Al-Rahman or Khalil Allah ( )خليل الرحمن / خليل اللهis an epithet of Ibrahim (Abraham) peace be upon him,
meaning close friend to Allah Almighty.

(2) The Arabic letters kaf ( )كand noon ( )نmake kun ( )كنwhich is the imperative form of kana ( ,)كانmeaning ‘be’
or ‘come into existence.’

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-16-2016, 07:37 AM
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Bidding Farewell to the Month of Ramadan

July 17, 2015 ~ Shawwaal 1, 1436

Khutbah Topic
His Eminence Sheikh Saleh al-Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah entitled “Bidding Farewell to the Month of Ramadan”in which he talked about the month of Ramadan and the end of this season of good deeds. He also reminded his congregation of the need to continue doing good deeds after Ramadan and throughout the whole year.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, the Initiator and Regenerator of creation. He instigates the re-coming of the Eid for His servants year after year. He makes promises (to reward doers of good) and issues threats(to punish doers of evil), but His promises always precede His threats. Praise be to Allah! Glorified be He! May His Names be sanctified! May He be extolled! All praise is due to Him! His blessings are countless and His graces are beyond enumeration. Innumerable thanks are therefore due to Allah in return for His innumerable blessings! I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessingupon him, his family, his Companions, the tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death), and upon all those who piously follow in their footsteps till the Day of Judgement!

Now then! Observe taqwa of Allah (fear of disobeying Him) and show gratitude to Him. Obey His commands and never disobey Him. "O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islâm (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allâh."[Al Imran: 102] We praise Allah Almighty and show Him gratitude for the blessing of completing the observance of fasting in Ramadan and for His abundant favours and graces. We beseech Him –Be He extolled– to acceptour good deeds and yours and to beg His pardon for any negligence and faulty conduct on our part. May Allah respond to the insistent supplications of His humble servants during early night hours and may He accept their religious observances during the elapsed days!

O Muslims! Congratulations on this Eid! Blessed be you with what your Lord has stored for you on the day rewards will be increased! May Allah make all your lifetime full of bliss and may He
grant you the best reward and even more (1). May your days be blessed and your years longer in doing good deeds.May Allah accept your pious deeds, and may your lifetimes be associated with benevolence! How great the joy of those fasting is when they break their fast and when other people are frightened and they feel secure! "The greatest terror (on the Day of Resurrection) will not grieve them, and the angels will meet them, (with the greeting): "This is your Day which you were promised.""[Al-Anbiya’: 103] Whoever trades with Allah will reap much benefit from that trade, because in return for little work he will gain a huge reward. How generous Allah is!

O Muslims! Eid is a nice occasion for open-handed people to extend their hands in the various fields of charity and benevolence so that faces will be brightened with smiles and hearts overwhelmed with joy. Eid reinforces the bonds of parenthood and kinship as well as the brotherly relations with fellow Muslims and neighbours. Thus,hearts would get closer thanks to this mutual affection and grudges would be lifted.

O you who are celebrating Eid Al-Fitr! This is a day of gratitude and remembrance of Allah. It is a day of eating and drinking. Fasting on the Eid day is haram (forbidden), because doing so would imply a refusal to be the guest of the Generous Lord. So, consume permissible foods and drinks, feel happy, and show signs of happiness and joy with the Eid day and with the completion of Ramadan worship rites. "Say: "In the Bounty of Allâh, and in His Mercy (i.e. Islâm and the Qur'ân); -therein let them rejoice." That is better than what (the wealth) they amass."[Yunus: 58] Then, ask Allah to accept your good deeds, for among the salient traits of sincere believers is the one described in the following Qur’anic verse: "And those who give that (their charity) which they give (and also do other good deeds) with their hearts full of fear (whether their alms and charities, etc., have been accepted or not), because they are sure to return to their Lord (for reckoning)."[Al-Mu’menoon: 60] Narrated Aisha –May Allah be pleased with her– “I askedProphet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– about the following verse: "And those who give that (their charity) which they give (and also do other good deeds) with their hearts full of fear...". Aisha said, ‘Is it about those who drink wine and steal?’
He said, “No, daughter of al-Siddeeq [an epithet of her father Abu Bakr]. It is about those who observe fasting, perform prayer, and give charity, but they fear that their deeds should not be accepted. They are people who compete in doing good deeds.” [An authentic hadith narrated by al-Tirmithi]

O servants of Allah! Blessed be he whose fast and supererogatory night prayers have been accepted and whose sins and crimes have been expiated by Allah! Blessed be he who returns from the Eid Prayer after being awarded the prize of the benevolent Lord! As for those who spent the month of Ramadan distracted by trivialities and showed disrespect vis-à-vis their duties, and
whose Eid Feast would consequently reflect nonchalance and moral regression, they could only benefit from the outward appearance of Eid Al-Fitr and are likely to gain nothing except hard luck as they have missed its initial and final blessings.

O Muslims! It is an unalterable divine rule that every creature on earth is doomed to depart this life and every form of existence is destined for extinction. So, let us call ourselves to account and assess our own deeds, for the merchant always takes a break after the trade season is over in order to make an inventory, calculate his assets and liabilities, learn from his own mistakes,
and reinforce his achievements. I swear by Allah that a trade with Allah whose profit is paradise deserves more auditing and crosschecking effort (than any other trade). Allah has commanded you to observe these forms of worship in order to train you to adhere to taqwa, to impart to you lessons on patience, and to help you restrain your instinctive drives. Notice how you have developed a certain affinity for acts of obedience and a kind of abhorrence for acts of disobedience. You have also become cognizant with the value of time and life, and you have experienced the rapid flow of time by day and night. Therefore, Ramadan is an exemplary model of worship as it epitomizes the ecstasy of worship, repentance, and steadfastness. So, have we learnt the lesson? When a Muslim maintains the same rhythm of his worship rituals irrespective of the time interval during which they are regularly performed, it is one of the irrevocable proofs of divine acceptance and moral rectitude: "And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death)."[Al-Hijr: 99] "Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allâh [i.e. they have gone out for Jihâd (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers], of them some have fulfilled their obligations (i.e. have been martyred), and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [i.e.they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allâh] in the least."[Al-Ahzab: 23] Keep up your worship rituals and stay away from sinning: "Be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun, after it has become strong. […]"[Al-Nahl: 92] Nor like "[…]those who have changed the Blessings of Allâh into disbelief (by denying Prophet Muhammad صلى الله علیھ و سلمand his Message of Islâm)"[Ibrahim: 28] O you whom your Lord has saved from the Hellfire! Beware not to revert to it as a result of sinning! To those who have filled the mosques performing congregational prayer, I say ‘Make sure you do not neglect your prayers’. To those who have been patient observing halal (lawful deeds), I say ‘Stay the course fighting off the temptation of haram (forbidden deeds) until you are recompensed with Paradise:’ "[…] and (He) has enjoined on me Salât (prayer), and Zakât, as long as I live."[Maryam: 31]

O you Muslims! The area of righteousness is so broad and its concept so comprehensive. It includes those deeds that spring from the heart and limbs both inwardly and outwardly. In every action or inaction, you assume there is a potential act of obedience to Allah Almighty and perseverance worshipping Him. Righteousness involves both private and public deeds for the individual as well as for the group. All deeds are accounted for in the balance of the individual including his good intentions. These are kept in record in a book "[…]that leaves neither a small thing nor a big thing, but has recorded it with numbers."[Al-Kahf: 49] Therefore, do take good care of your time and do not belittle any of your deeds: "So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it."[Al-Zalzalah: 7-8]

O Allah! We implore You to bless us by the Noble Qur'ān and the Sunnah and to make them beneficial to us through the verses and wisdom they contain! This being said, I ask Allah, the Almighty, to forgive my sins and yours!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah Whose Grace engenders all acts of righteousness and Who possesses the Best Names and the loftiest Attributes. I bear witness that there is no deity worth worshipping except Allah alone with no associate and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger; a witness whereby we hope to win His satisfaction and save ourselves from the torment of His chastisement (on the Day of Judgement).

O Muslims! All of the Muslim’s lifetime is a special season. Every second in the life of those whom Allah has granted success is an opportunity for achieving further righteousness, reward and a lofty status in Paradise. Therefore, let Ramadan be the beginning of a long season where fate marks the end of one’s deeds and the advent of ‘Eid’.

O servants of Allah! As continuation to the acts of righteousness observed during the month of Ramadan, the month of Shawwal features a divine favour and a prophetic Sunnah that Almighty Allah has bestowed upon His servants so that He may raise their status and double their rewards. He has sanctioned the fasting of six days during Shawwal as a supererogatory act of benevolence following the obligatory fasting of Ramadan. Abu Ayoub Al Ansari –May Allah be pleased with him– reported that the Messenger of Allah‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “He who observes Al-Saum (fasting) in the month of Ramadan, and also observes Al-Saum for six days in the month of Shawwal, it is as if he had observed Al-Saum for the whole year." [Narrated by Imam Muslim] These six days of Shawwal may be fasted altogether in a row, or at intervals, whether at the beginning, middle or end of the month. Although it is better to fast these days every year, there is no obligation to do so as this is utterly optional. Therefore, you are called upon to seek as many blessings as possible, to avoid lingering about your worshipping, to observe taqwa at all times, to hasten your pace down the path to Allah, to get ready and work hard for the Day of Account when you shall meet Allah. Do not waste your time for fate is the fastest thing to come to you.

This being said, I advise you to send your salat and peace upon the one whom Allah has called out to you to ask Him to send His Salat and Peace upon him. Allah, the Almighty, says: "Allâh sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad ,)صلى الله علیھ وسلمand also His angels (ask Allâh to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad ,)صلى الله علیھ وسلمand (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islâmic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum." [Al Aḥzab: 56]

O Allah! Send Your Salat and Peace upon Your Servant and Messenger Muhammad, upon his virtuous and immaculate family,his blessed Companions, the rightly-guided Imams and Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, upon all the Companions of Your Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him), and upon those who righteously followed them, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims!

O Allah! Fail polytheism and polytheists (who associate partners with You) and destroy the enemies of Your religion!

O Allah! Grant this country and all Muslim countries security and peace!
O Allah! Grant us security in our homelands, and set right our Imams and leaders!
O Allah! Support with the Truth and success our Imam and leader!
O Allah! Grant him success to abide by Your guidance and make his deeds to Your satisfaction!
O Allah! Grant him, his deputies, his brothers and his assistants success in doing what is best for the people and the country and make them a torch of guidance to the path of righteousness!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere!
O Allah! Gather them around Your guidance and the Sunnah of Your Prophet!
O Allah! Stop their bloodshed, reassure them, safeguard their religion, honour, properties and homes, and suppress their enemy!
O Allah! Be with the defenseless among Muslims everywhere!Grant victory to Your Holy Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet, and the believers among Your servants!
O Allah! We leave the enemies of Your religion to You for You are more than a match to them!

O Allah! Shove away from us expensiveness, epidemics, usury, adultery, earthquakes, trials, and the worst ordeals whether implicit or explicit!

"[…]…Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You!
O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

O Allah! We implore You to accept our fasting, night prayers, supplication and righteous deeds, to help us persevere down the path of Truth and guidance, and to make the last of our deeds the most benevolent, O You, the Most Merciful!
O Allah! We implore You to bestow the biggest share of whatever good we have asked of You throughout this month of blessing on us, on our parents, grandparents, their children, our brothers and sisters, wives and children, on those who have asked us to supplicate for them and on those who have loved us through You!

O Lord! Accept from us, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! Accept our repentance! You are the One Who forgives, the Merciful! The last of our supplications is ‘praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!’

__________________________________________________

(1) The expression in bold face is adopted from the Holy Qur’an " لِل َّذِینَ أ َحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَى وَزِیَادَة": "“For those who have done good is the best (reward, i.e. Paradise) and even more (i.e. having the honour of glancing at the Countenance of Allâh…"[Yunus: 26].

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-16-2016, 08:03 AM
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Azan: Merits and Rulings

August 21, 2015 ~ Dhul Qa'dah 6, 1436

Shiekh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Muhammad al-Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday Khutbah titled Azan: Merits and Rulings in which he talked about azan, its merits as well as the merit of the muezzin and the reward awaiting him on the Day of Resurrection. He also explained the merit of responding to the azan by repeating what the muezzin says and mentioned the most important rulings related to it.

Part One

Praise be to Allah Almighty! We praise Him, seek His help, and implore Him for forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and from our sinful deeds. He whom Allah chooses to guide,none can misguide and he whom Allah chooses not to, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, and I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat, Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, and Companions until the Day of Judgement!

Now then, Observe true taqwa of Allah, the Almighty, and grasp the most trustworthy handhold (1) of Islam. "O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islâm (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allâh." [Al Imran: 102] Observe taqwa of Allah truly and sincerely so that He is totally obeyed, remembered, and thanked,with no sign of disobedience, oblivion, or denial. "[…] and whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make his matter easy for him." [Al-Talaq: 4]

O you Muslims! When the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ came to Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, he built a mosque and performed prayers.Azan did not exist then as we
know it today, and Muslims used to wait for the prayers’ time and gather in the mosque for this purpose. The Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ was anxious about how to assemble people for congregational prayers. Sharing his concern, Muslims took counsel with one another about that important issue. Some suggested raising a banner when it was prayer time. Once Muslims saw it, they would notify one another. But the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ did not like it. Others said: “You’d rather light a guiding fire.”The Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “That was the practice of the Magi.”Some others mentioned blowing horns, but the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ did not like that either. “That was the practice of the Jews,” he said. Still some others suggested ringing a bell, but the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ turned this suggestion down saying:“This is what the Christians do.” It was the aspiration that this Ummah be distinguished by its religious rites and manifestations. Abdullah Ibn Zaid –May Allah be pleased with him– said, “I went back to my folks feeling dejected in sympathy with the Prophet’s concern ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him.” “I had a dream: there was a man wearing two green garments and holding a bell in his hand. ‘Would you sell me that bell?’ I asked him. ‘What do you want to do with it?’ he inquired. ‘We want to use it to call to prayer,’ I answered. ‘Shall I show you something better?’ he asked. ‘Yes, sure’ I answered. ‘You say, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar; Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar; ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah, ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah; ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasoolu Allah, ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasoolu Allah; hayyi ala as-salah, hayyi ala as-salah; hayyi alal-falah, hayyi alal-falah; Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar; la ilaha illa Allah,’ (2) he said.” Abdullah Ibn Zaid continued, “The man moved a few steps away then said, ‘Before starting your prayer, you should say: Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar;ash-hadu an la ilaha illa
Allah; ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasoolu Allah; hayyi ala as-salah; hayyi alal-falah; qad qamati as-salat, qad qamati as-salat; Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar; la ilaha illa Allah.’” (3) The formula of azan can be translated as follows: Allah is Great (4 times), I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah (twice), I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah twice), come along to prayer (twice), come along to success (twice), Allah is Great (twice), there is no deity except Allah (once). The formula of the iqamah (beginning of Prayer), which is quite similar to azan, can be translated as follows: Allahu akbar (twice), I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah (once), I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (once), come along to prayer (once), come along to success (once), prayer begins herewith (twice), Allah is Great (twice), there is no deity except Allah (once). “In the morning, I came to the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ and told him about my dream. “It is indeed a vision of truth, Allah willing!” Go to Bilal and tell him about your dream and let him do azan. His voice is more pleasant than yours. So I went with Bilal and mentioned the words to him, and he was chanting azan(calling to prayer using those words). Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, still at home, heard it and came running, dragging his cloak saying, ‘I swear by Him Who sent you with the Truth, O Messenger of Allah, that I had the same dream!’ ‘Al-hamdu lillah,’ (Praise be to Allah) the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒answered’.” [Narrated by Ahmed, Abu Dawud and others with an authentic chain of narration]

O servants of Allah! This is how azan started! From then on, the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒had muezzins.Among them were Bilal Ibn Abi Rabah, Abu Mahzoorah and
Abdullah Ibn Ummi Maktoom –May Allah be pleased with them– who raised the name of Allah Almighty high in their azan, and He in turn raised their status in people’s memory. Also, His Messenger was pleased with them, and Muslims loved them.

O Muslims! The azan words imply a declaration of Allah’s Oneness,Greatness and Divinity. It is a testimony to His Oneness and to the Message He had sent; theyare a call to prayer and to success. The words of azan cleanse the soul five times daily. Could the soul ever be tarnished after that? The heart yearns for these words, and the soul finds infinite comfort in them. They ripple to the ear declaring that there is no deity except Allah and that none is greater than Him. The words of azan call out: “O you believer!If you have done good deeds in the past few hours, then you should work harder in the coming hours. If, however, you have sinned, then you should expiate your sins, and let the hours cancel each other out. One act changes another, and a minute that remains in your life embodies a great hope in attaining Allah’s mercy.” Throughout the hours of the day, the believer displays his account (of deeds), humbly stands before Allah and turn it into Him. What situation would it be for the one who spends his entire life waiting while every few hours the call “Allahu akbar” is being repeated? From one prayer time to another, day and night, the Muslim clock chimes, “Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar.” From one prayer time to another, day and night, the spiritual words “Allahu akbar” resonate and people respond “Allahu akbar”, so that the believers can easily follow the pathof good deeds and learn how to achieve within mankind the meaning of togetherness within their household. Thus the response to every call becomes instilled in them and integrated in their natural disposition without any coercion. The words of azan were a divine inspiration from Allah Who chose them for this Muslim Ummah and distinguished it therewith. “Al-hamdu lillah!” (Praise be to Allah) is the expression said before by the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒(when he learnt about the azan words), and we now say it after him.

O Muslims! How many great benefits are indeed missed by those who hear the muezzin but do not respond to his call nor repeat the azan words! In his Sahih, Imam Muslim narrated that Omar Ibn Al-Khattab quoted the Prophet‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ as saying:‘If the muezzinsays: ‘Allahu akbar, Allah akbar,and you repeat after him: ‘Allahu akbar, Allah akbar,’ and then he says: ‘Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah,’and you repeat after him: ‘Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah,’ and then he says: ‘ash-had anna Muhammadan rasoolu Allah,’ and you repeat after him: ‘ash-had anna Muhammadan rasoolu Allah,’ and then he says: ‘hayyi ala as-salah,’and you say after him: ‘La hawla wa la quwata illa billah,’ and then he says: ‘hayyi alal-falah,’and you say after him: ‘La hawla wa la quwata illa billah,’ and then he says: ‘Allahu akbar, Allahu Akbar,’ and you repeat after him: ‘Allahu akbar, Allahu Akbar,’and then he says: ‘la
ilaha illa Allah,’and you repeat after him: ‘la ilaha illa Allah,’ from the bottom of your heart, you would enter Paradise.” It is reported in the Two Sahihs, quoting Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ that the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said, “If you heard the call to prayer, repeat what the muezzin says.” Imam Muslim quoted Anas Ibn Malik ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ as saying that when the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ heard a man saying, “Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar,’ he said, ‘By natural disposition!’ Then the man continued, ‘Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah, Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah.’ The Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said, ‘You are saved from the Hellfire’.” In his Sahih, Imam Muslim reported that Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ heard the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ say, “He who says, ‘ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah wahdahu la sharika lahu wa anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasooluh; radhitu bi-llahi rabban wa bi-Muhammadin rasoolan wa bi-l-Islami deenan,’ all his sins will be forgiven.” (4) Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-As ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ narrated that he heard the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒say, “When you hear the muezzin, say as he says, then send your salat upon me,for Allah will send upon you ten salats for the one salat that you send upon me. Then, ask Allah to grant me Al-Waseelah –a position in Paradise that is only reserved for one of Allah’s servants– and I hope that this servant is me. He who implores Allah to grant me Al-Waseelah deserves my intercession.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]
Jabir Ibn Abdullah narrated that the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said, “He who says, ‘Allahumma rabba hathihial-da’wati at-tamah wa as-salati -lqa’imah, aati Muhammadan al-waseelata wa-l-fadheelah wa-b‘ath-hu maqaman mahmoodan al-lathi wa’adtahu (Al-Baihaqi added, ‘innaka la tukhlifu l-mee’ad,’ deserves my intercession on the Day of Resurrection.” (5) [Narrated by Imam Bukhari]

O Muslims! Here are four sunnahs and four merits: The four sunnahs: The first sunnah is to repeat what the muezzin says except for thetwoexpressions‘hayyi ala as-salah,’‘hayyi alal-falah.’
The second is to accept Allah asour Lord, Muhammad as our Messenger and Islam as our religion. The third is to send salat upon the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him. The fourth is to ask Allah to grant him Al-Waseelah.
The four merits are: The first merit: the Muslim will be granted Paradise. The second merit: the Muslim will be spared Hellfire The third merit: the Muslim’s sins will be forgiven. The fourth merit: the Muslim will gain the Prophet’s intercession. There is also a fifth merit: Supplicating Allah between the azan and the Iqamah is accepted. Imam Ahmad and others narrated via Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-Aas ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ that a man said to the Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ “O Messenger of Allah! The muezzins have an advantage over us by making azan.” The Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said to him: “Say as they say; When you finish ask (Allah) and He will give you.”
The compilers of the Sunan(books) narrated via Anas Ibn Malik ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ that the Messenger of Allah‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “Supplication between the azan and the iqamah is not rejected.”

O Muslims! Allah, the Almighty, says: "And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allâh (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allâh's (Islâmic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims.""[Fussilat: 33] Aisha ‒May Allah be pleased with her‒ said: “This verse (above)was revealed about muezzins.” This means that they are included in this verse. Who is worthier of the name“caller to Allah” than the muezzin?Every day, he calls to the Oneness of Allah and to prayer, which are the two greatest pillars of this religion.Again, which call is more complete than the azan about which the Prophet‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “O Allah, the
Lord of this complete (most perfect) call?!” The muezzins will have the longest necks as the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said in the Hadith narrated by Imam Muslim. It is a metonymy of dignity and honour; for they will be looking forward to the reward of Allah, the Almighty. They will be the ones who have the longest necks when,on the Day of judgement,sweat bridles people. On the Day of Judgement, Allah will honour and be generous to the muezzin, for everyone and everything that heard his voice will witness in his favour. The messenger ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “No jinn, human, or thing hears the voice of the muezzin but comes as a witness for him on the Day of Judgement." [Narrated by Imam Bukhari]

Let Muslims: those who live in the wilderness or in the desert make azan.Let Muslims who live in foreign countries make azan in public areas where it is possible to raise their voices, for how many doors of good it has opened and how many straying people it has guided (to truth)! Regarding competition to make azan, the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ says: “If people knew the reward of the call to prayer and of the first line (while praying), they would throw the lot.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim] Ibn Rajab ‒May Allah bless his soul‒ said: "The Hadith is an evidence of the honour and merit of azan, and a preference to compete for it among the notables; the most distinguished people used to compete in order to be able to make it.” Omar ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ said: “If I could afford to make azan in addition to being the Caliph, I wouldhave made it.” Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ said: “If I were able to make azan, I would have liked it more than making Hajj, Umrah or Jihad.” The meaning of this was also conveyed by Ibn Omar and Ibn Mas’ud.Ibn Az-Zubair said: “I would have loved it had the Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ given us azan.” May Allah be pleased with all of them! Abu Hurairah ‒May Allah be pleased of him‒ narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “The Imam (prayer leader) is a guarantor and the muezzin is trusted. O Allah! Guide the imams and forgive the muezzins.” [Narrated by Abu Dawud and Al-Tirmidhi, and was judgedauthentic by a group of scholars in Hadith authentication] The azan, while being made, is better than leading the prayer according to many scholars; the muezzin deserves to be treated generously and benevolently as has been indicated by the Prophet’s Sunnah.

O servants of Allah! Some of the rulings of azan include the fact that it is a Sunnah which should be made by men and not women; it should be made indwelling or travelling for either the group or the individual, whether the prayer is made on time or delayed. The Sunnah requires that the voice of the muezzin should be loud enough and nice; he should be trustworthy and knowledgeable in terms of prayer timing. Another Sunnahrequires that he should make azanstanding, having made wudhu, facing the qiblah, and turning to both sides alternatively when he says, “Hayyi ala s-salah, hayyialal-falah”! He should make azanslowly and with ease;however, he should make iqamah quickly. So, congratulations to the one who awaits his reward from Allah
whether while he is making azan or repeating after the muezzin. This is azan and these are some of its merits for the muezzins as well as for the ones repeating after them. The believing soul is more sublime and stronger than matter and abasement; it must endure the troubles of life firmly and strongly.It is indeed as if azan were saying: Don’t be frustrated; this is the order… Don’t go astray; this is the way… . This is the call and nothing else can be beyond your ability as long as your word is‘Allahuakbar.’

O Allah! Bless us by the Qur’an and the Sunnah and grant us benefit from the verses and wisdom they contain. I say what I have said and ask Allah Almighty to forgive you and me.

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, the only owner of the Day of Judgement.I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, the King, the Ultimate Truth. I also bear witness that Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ is His Servant and Messenger, the truthful, the trustworthy. May Allah send His Salat, Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, and all his Companions!

Now then, O Muslims! In a dear Muslim land, the tyrant and enemy of Sham is still committing massacres one after the other in such a way that even foreign enemies would not dare to commit against the people of a foreign country. The most recent of these massacres that this criminal committed was in Duma where he killed dozens of children and burnt down dozens of houses in a public Souk which is not a battle field. It is the hatred and malevolence that he and his party have for Arabs and Muslims, especially that he has handed his humiliated neck to the
scorpion of the region.All of them are joined by the animosity of their religious denomination, race, and history against the people of Sham. Nevertheless, the world is still watching and there is no supporter except Allah. O Allah! We ask You to make what the tyrant of Sham has done the last of what he could ever do and the first steptowards his decline! O Allah! Move in him what is still, and make still in him what is moving and make him an example for those who are willing to learn! O Allah! Hasten Your punishment on him and those who help him! O Allah! You are
indeed a match for them! O Allah! Avenge the martyrs, the wounded, the widows, the orphans, and the oppressed, and please our hearts and the hearts of the believers! O Allah! Be kind to our brothers and sisters in Sham and fasten their relief, O You, the Most Merciful of all!

O Allah! Send Your Salat upon Muhammad and his family as You did upon Ibrahim and his family, and bless Muhammad and his family as you did with Ibrahim and his family! You are the All-Praiseworthy, the All-Glorious!

O Allah! Be pleased with the rightly-guided Imams and Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, with all the Companions of Your Prophet Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ and with those who righteously follow them till the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ and Your truly-believing servants!
O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahedeen in Your cause in Palestine and everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Protect our country and Muslim countries from all kinds of evil!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil and make their plotting return against them those who intend to do any evil against us, Islam, or Muslims! O Allah! Make preoccupied with their
own evil and return their plots and their cunning against them, those who intend to harm us, our country, leaders, scholars, people, and unity, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do and say whatever You love and accept; guide him to benevolence and piety! O Allah! Guide him, his two deputies, his brothers, and assistants to
do whatever is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Guide the leaders of Muslims to rule according to Your Sharia, and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him!
O Allah! Make them a mercy on Your truly believing servants!

O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the malevolence of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

"…Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]
""Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk."" [Al Imran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and let our wishes come true in what pleases You!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, and our grandparents,
O Allah! Have mercy on them as they have brought us up as children!
O Allah!For those of them who are still alive, grant them sound health and welfare so they can worship You, and for those of them who are deceased, we implore You –O Allah– to bless
their souls with Your Mercy, to lighten their graves, and to make them spacious gardens similar to those in Your heavens!
O Allah! Join us to them in the Dwell of Your Generosity (Paradise)!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, their progeny, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

O Allah! Do accept our good deeds, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the AllKnowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

__________________________________________________ _______

(1) The expression in bold face is borrowed from the Holy Qur’an: Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 256 " ... فقد استمسك . ..."فقد استمسك بالعرة الوثقى ..." and Surah Luqman, Verse 22 "بالعروى الوثقى ...

(4) The Arabic transcribed words can be translated as follows: I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. I have accepted Allah as my Lord, Muhammad as my Messenger, and Islam as my religion.

(5) The Arabic transcribed words can be translated as follows: O Lord of this complete Call and the prayer that is going to be performed, grant Muhammad the Waseelah, the Special Favour, and the praiseworthy position which You promised him. You never break Your promise.

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-17-2016, 06:16 AM
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Merits of the ‘Limited Number of Days’ (1)

September 25, 2015 ~ Dhul Hijjah 11, 1436

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Al Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah entitled “Merits of the ‘Limited Number of Days” in which he talked about the Tashreeq Days. They are the “limited number of days” which Allah –May He be glorified– mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. The Sheikh explained what the pilgrim as well as the non-pilgrim should do during these days. Then, he reminded his congregation of the rulings pertaining to the slaughter animal,exhorting them to follow the Sunnah and avoid invented fabrications in religion.

Part One

Praise is due to Allah! Praise is due to Allah Whose Realm is glorifying Him! He truly deserves praise. May our Lord, Allah, be glorified and raised far above everything! Pilgrims hastened to respond to Him,travelling long distances to Makkah. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with neither partner nor peer, and I bear witness that Muhammad, who is the best of all Messengers, is the Servant and Messenger of Allah. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, and his Companions until the Day of Judgement!

Now then, O Muslims! Hold fast to whatever pleases Allah and do adhere to taqwa (fear of disobeying His commands) vis-à-vis Him, for taqwa is the best commandment, the ideal provision to be made for the Hereafter, and the unsurpassed deed to be performed and stored for the future. It is through taqwa that blessings can be possibly obtained, afflictions warded off, deeds reformed, souls refined, sins forgiven, and depravities expiated. "O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth.He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger (SAW) he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise)." [Al-Ahzab: 70-71]

O Pilgrims to the Ancient House of Allah! O Guests of the Compassionate! May Allah show you contentment with your deeds! What magnificent and blessed days you have spent and what fragranced nights you have experienced! You stood on the Arafah of Allah (Mount Arafat) and enjoyed full exposure to His Mercy and Forgiveness. Then, you spent the night at Mozdalifah making supplication to Allah at the sacred site on the eve of Eid Al-Ad’ha (Sacrifice Feast), which is the most blessed Eid. In the following morning, you lived the best day on earth, the Day of Immolation, the Day of the Greater Hajj. It is the greatest feast for Muslims, both the pilgrims and the rest of Muslims around the world. You stood on Arafah, made supplications, implored Allah to respond to your prayers, threw pebbles at jamarat, had your hair cut, and finally arrived at Allah’s Ancient House. "Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-'Alamîn (the mankind and jinns). In it are manifest signs (for example), the Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhim (Abraham); whosoever enters it, he attains security. And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka'bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allâh, those who can afford the expenses (for one's conveyance, provision and residence); …" [Al Imran: 96-97] On these hills, misdeeds are remitted, graces and blessing are hoped for, sins and wrongdoings are expiated, virtuous deeds are accepted, and ranks are raised. So, hold the sacredness of the House into high esteem and try hard to benefit from the blessings of both the timing and venue (i.e. hajj season). Your Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him–says:“Whoever performed hajj to this House and abstained from committing misdeeds would return home just like a newly-born baby (i.e. .sin-free).” [This hadith is agreed-upon (among the hadith scholars)]. Again, in the two Sahih books (by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari), Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him–said: “The mabroor (accepted) Hajj has no (better) reward but Paradise.”

O servants of Allah! Today is the eleventh day of Dhu-l-Hijja (the last lunar month in the Muslim calendar); it is the first of the three Tashreeq Days (following the Eid Day), which are also known as Mina Days. Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– called it “The Day of Settlement” because pilgrims settle down in Mina in preparation for throwing the pebbles (at jamarat) and spending the night there. In an authenticated narration, Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him–said, “For Allah, the Day of Immolation is the greatest Day, then comes the Day of Settlement.”[Narrated by Ahmed and Abu Dawood] The hajj rituals to be performed today and the following tashreeq days include throwing pebbles at the three jamarat, spending the night at Mina, shortening the four rak’ah salats (prayers) without combining them.That is to say, each prayer must be performed in its regular timing, and keep remembering and mentioning Almighty Allah. Also, make a lot of tahleel (la ilaha illa Allah: there is no deity except Allah), takbeer (Allahu Akbar: Allah is Greatest), tahmeed (Alhamdu li-llah: Praise be to Allah), and tasbeeh (subhana Allah: Glory be to Allah).

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar! La ilaha illa Allah! Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa lillahi al-hamd! (Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest! There is no deity except Allah! Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, and praise be to Allah!)
These are the “limited number of days” mentioned in the Holy Qur’an where Allah says: "And remember Allâh during the appointed Days…"[Al-Baqarah: 203] Make takbeer when you throw the pebbles at the jamarat; make takbeer when you immolate the (sacrificial) animal; make takbeer after the five (congregational) prayers, and make takbeer anytime. The rightly-guided Caliph, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ used to have a domed room at Mina from which he would make takbeer and people would make takbeer after him until Minashakes with their takbeer. Therefore, raise your voice with takbeer in obedience to Allah until the entire earth echoes your takbeer and until your takbeer towers to reach the heavens. Do make takbeer so that the Ummah could proclaim that obedience and subservience are to be strictly reserved for Allah, that humility and servility are to be exclusively shown to Him, and that He is indeed the Greatest. The sole provenance of assistance and support is from Allah and reliance should only be upon Him before proceeding to any action. "… and that you must magnify Allâh [i.e. to say Takbîr (AllâhuAkbar; Allâh is the Most Great) on seeing the crescent of the months of Ramadân and Shawwâl] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him." [Al-Baqarah: 185] In fact, all our religious ceremonies consist of tahleel, takbeer, shukr (saying ‘thank Allah’), and dhikr (remembrance and mention of Allah): "And say: "All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, Who has not begotten a son (nor an offspring), and Who has no partner in (His) Dominion, nor He is low to have a Walî (helper, protector or supporter). And magnify Him with all the magnificence, [AllâhuAkbar (Allâh is the Most Great)]."" [Al-Isra’: 111]

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar! La ilaha illa Allah! Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa lillahi al-hamd!
Abu Moossa Al-Ash’ari –May Allah be pleased with him– used to say, “After the Day of Immolation, there are the three days which Allah mentioned as “the appointed days,” during which supplications are not rejected.” Therefore, do articulate your wishes in your supplications to Allah –to Whom belong Might and Majesty. Nubaishah Al-Hudhali –May Allah be pleased with him– narrated that Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him–said: “The Days of Mina are days of eating, drinking, and remembering Allah.” [Reported by Imam Muslim]. It has to do here with gratifying the body’s needs with the pleasures of eating and drinking, and satisfying the needs of the hearts and souls with remembering Allah and thanking Him. This is how blessings are completed.

Allahu Akbar kabeera(n)! Al-hamdu lillahi katheera(n) wa subhana Allahi bukratan wa aseela(n)! (Allah is truly Greatest! Profuse praise is due to Allah! May Allah be glorified morning and evening!)

O pilgrims to the Sacred House of Allah! Congratulations! You have completed ‒thanks to Allah‒ the fifth pillar of Islam. Earlier on this very holy site, Allah had perfected our religion: "… This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion…" [Al-Ma’idah: 3] On this particular site, Allah has completed two blessings for you: the blessing of perfecting religion as well as the perfection of your religiosity. So, do acknowledge Allah’s favours and do grant these blessings their true value. Congratulations then once more on the completion of your hajj rituals! Enjoy the glad tidings of Allah’s promise to accept your hajj, and Allah never breaches His promise!

O you pilgrims! These days, you are standing on the land of the Revelation (to our Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)and the land of the Message (sent to humanity). You have seen the Ka’bah, embraced the Black Stone, performed prayer at the Maqam of Ibrahim, made sa’iy just like Hager (2) did, offered a sacrificial animal just like Ibrahim did, surrendered to the will of Allah just like Ismail did, performed circumambulation around the Ka’bah just like Muhammad–May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him and upon all the other prophets– did, visited the cradle of the pious Companions, and walked in hope for Allah’s reward and in total faith in Him. Who knows? Perhaps your footsteps coincided with those of such highly revered individuals! Perhaps, you performed circumambulation exactly where they did theirs! Perhaps, your sa’iy itinerary coincided with theirs! They are memorable moments revived across time and space and experienced by the successive generations of the Ummah, which can only deepen its sense of faith, strengthen its convictional certitude, and enhance its righteousness. They are indescribable feelings and inexpressible sentiments which are exclusively experienced by those who have performed such rituals and readily responded to their call. They are times, places and deeds which overwhelm your fatigued heart and instil into it a rebirth of spirit, sow in it the seeds of piety, and boost its faith. How great this religion is! How beautiful such Islam is! It is pure faith, unshakable belief, commendable behaviour, justice, equality, mercy, and action. Thus, if you aspire to glory as experienced by your predecessors and seek victory and empowerment as enjoyed by your ancestors, then just follow in their footsteps and adhere to their tradition. Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him–said: “Stick to my Sunnah [tradition] and that of the rightly-guided caliphs after me; hold fast to it and never follow invented additions to religion because every such fabricated invention is misguidance.” In this vein, Imam Malik –May Allah have mercy on his soul– said: “The later generations of this Ummah will never improve their conditions except if they proceed to the same course of action which had once improved the conditions of its earlier generations.” His statement ‒May Allah have mercy on his soul– is validated by the following holy verse: "…Allâh will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allâh)…" [Al-Ra’d: 11] As a rule, if Muslims do not unite on the basis of truth, they will diverge because of falsehood. If they are not united by the worship of the Compassionate, they will be disunited and torn apart through obedience to Satan. In addition, if they do not manage to unite on the basis of the word of tawheed (i.e. there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone with no associate), they will constantly remain in confusion and tumult.

O Muslims! Hasten to unite on the basis of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet–May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him. In the Holy Qur’an, the verse reads as follows: "And verily! This your religion (of Islâmic Monotheism) is one religion, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty to Me." [AlMu’minoon: 52] In fact, your deity is Allah; there is no deity except Him. Your prophet is Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him; your book is the Holy Qur’an; your religion is Islam, and your Qiblah is the same. So, why should there be such schisms and conflicts if you have at your disposal the Book of Allah (the Holy Qur’an) and the Sunnah of His Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him? Once you stick to both of them, you will never go astray.

O servants of Allah! O Pilgrims to the Sacred House of Allah! Your Lord –May He be glorified– says: "So when you have accomplished your Manasik [(i.e. Ihrâm, Tawâf of the Ka'bah and As-Safâ and Al-Marwah), stay at 'Arafât, Muzdalifah and Mina, Ramy of Jamarât, (stoning of the specified pillars in Mina) slaughtering of Hady (animal, etc.)]. Remember Allâh as you remember your forefathers or with a far more remembrance. But of mankind there are some who say: "Our Lord! Give us (Your Bounties) in this world!" and for such there will be no portion in the Hereafter.And of them there are some who say: "Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!"For them there will be alloted a share for what they have earned. And Allâh is Swift at reckoning." [Al-Baqarah: 200-202] Therefore, keep remembering, thanking, and supplicating Allah.

O pilgrims to the House of Allah! The Truth (Allah Almighty) says: "And remember Allâh during the appointed Days. But whosoever hastens to leave in two days, there is no sin on him and whosoever stays on, there is no sin on him, if his aim is to do good and obey Allâh (fear Him), and know that you will surely be gathered unto Him."[Al-Baqarah: 203] Therefore, whosoever hastens to leave Mina, he could do so after throwing the pebbles at the Jamarat on the 12th day of Dhi-l-Hijjah. However, whosoever stays on, he would spend the night of the 13th of the month and could then throw the pebbles on that day (13th). Prior to returning to his homeland, the pilgrim must perform the Farewell Tawaf, without having to do sa’iy or the shaving. For women who happen to be in menstruation or bleeding following child birth, they are exempted from the Farewell Tawaf. The same applies to the inhabitants of Makkah. May Allah Almighty accept our good deeds and yours!

O pilgrims to the Sacred House of Allah! O you Muslims wherever you may be! Do praise Allah for having guided you, and do perform the slaughtering ritual in the hope that He may accept from you this sacrifice. Do mention the Name of Allah for what He has bestowed upon you, and praise Him for His blessings and Graces. Eat from the meat of the animals you have slaughtered, give some of it away as charity and store the rest for yourselves. Keep away from what you have been prohibited to do. Bear in mind that the slaughtering days are four. They are the Eid day, and the following three Tashreeq days. Also remember the words of Allah –May He be extolled– in this regard: "It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allâh, but it is piety from you that reaches Him. Thus have We made them subject to you that you may magnify Allâh for His Guidance to you. And give glad tidings (O Muhammad )صلى الله علیھ وسلمto the Muhsinûn (doers of good)." [Al-Hajj: 37]

May Allah Almighty bless me and you with the Holy Qur’an, and May He make beneficial to us the Sunnah of the Master of all messengers. I say this, and I ask Allah for forgiveness, for me and for you.

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, the Owner of the Day of Recompense! I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah, the King, the Clear Truth. I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, the truthful, the honest one. May Allah’s Salat, Peace and Blessing be upon him, his family and all of his Companions!

Now then, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with all its leaders, facilities, administrative apparatuses and institutions, spares no effort in the service of the pilgrims, and those Umrah performers or visitors. For years and years, and with great pride, the government of Saudi Arabia has been sponsoring and running the Hajj season with a high degree of competence and care. This should not be scathed by an accident caused by some pilgrims who were pushing and stampeding each other, or who did not follow the directives and instructions delivered to them. If Allah Almighty has willed martyrdom for some of His servants, then all the better for them as they happen to die in the best circumstances and the most honourable place on earth; and if He has willed for some others to be afflicted with some injuries, for which they shall be rewarded, then it is utterly unacceptable to ignore all the efforts and achievements that have thus been put forth, and employ such mishap for gloating and false outbidding. It is pure meanness and cynicism to beat one’s drum over the affliction of Muslims and to exploit it in order to achieve mundane gains and political ends. The Kingdom –Praise be to Allah– is able to manage the Hajj affairs without outbidding, and its sovereignty in carrying out this trust of serving the Two Holy Mosques, with which Allah Almighty has honoured it,goes undisputed. Such a trust is indeed an important precept assumed by the Kingdom’s Constitution and Statutes.The on-going construction works and the achievements that have already been made in this respect, with all the care that has been put forth for the sake of the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors, constitute clear and ample evidence to this effect.Allah Almighty has engulfed His House and His guests with security and peace of mind at a time when the world undergoes great turmoil and suffers from the fires of strife and wars. Praise be to Allah, Who has madeavailable for His Sacred Land truthful protectors through whom He has safeguarded religion,the country and the people. "Have they not seen that We have made (Makkah) a secure sanctuary, while men are being snatched away from all around them?" [Al-Ankabut: 67] While we praise Allah for His blessings in facilitating the pilgrimage and protection of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, we hereby express our sadness as to the incident that was bound to happen to some of the pilgrims yesterday, who were meant to meet their Lord in the unfortunate stampeding event in Mina. Despite everything, we say only what pleases Allah with no indignation or objection to His Will. While efforts are being made to investigate the causes of the accident so that similar incidents will not occur in the future and the negligent are promptly brought to account, the efforts of tens of thousands of organizers and those serving the guests of the Merciful must not be ignored: those who have accompanied the pilgrims every step of the way, organizing them and following-up with them. They make secure their pathways, organize the crowds, care for the sick, help those lost among the pilgrims find their way, feed the hungry, give drinks to the thirsty, and help the disabled. To all of those who spent the time and effort in the service of the pilgrims we express our thanks and gratitude, and we supplicate Almighty Allah for them. Indeed, their hidden efforts outnumber those that are visible to people. May Allah recompense them and double their reward! It is unfair for some to exploit this incident in order to put into doubt or deprecate the efforts being put forth. The world has witnessed impressive endeavours and acts of giving from the part of the inhabitants of the country of the Two Holy Mosques, whether they are private individuals or public institutions. It is a fact that those who possess no sense of shame would permit themselves to do anything they like. It is therefore bitterly ironic that such individuals set themselves to fake mourning of the martyrs of Mina; these are the same kind of people who hold a criminal record of heresy that was previously manifested in the Holy Mosque through killing, bombing, smuggling weapons, terrifying and threatening pilgrims, and attempting to drive people away from it. It is only ironic that those faking feelings of concern and acts of mourning over the lives of Muslims are the same ones that are sending dozens of militias to Iraq, Yemen, and Syria for the killing of hundreds of thousands of Muslims and the displacement of millions, and for storing huge reserves of weapons in many Muslim countries. They are the ones who are nurturing hatred in the hearts of those who have fallen victim to their deception; they are teaching these people indoctrinated slogans, vowing to slaughter three-quarters of Muslims. May Allah protect Muslims from their malevolence and guide those who have been misled by them! To those ‘dancing over the wounds,’ with much ecstasy and jubilation, we say that‘the leaf of `piety` hiding your true nature has fallen and truth has finally come out’ and that those who have been skeptical about you may now see right through you. Allah Almighty has made many among us realize the difference between right and wrong, friend and foe. These are but the screams of the desperate and the murmurings of the shameless. The passing days have incurred nothing but disgrace on you, and such incident has added but insult to injury for you. You shall soon witness that which will please true Muslims, but make you sad… that which will rid the Arabs and Muslims of their calamities, but suppress and subdue you.

Here, at the Second Qiblah (the Holy Mosque in Makkah) we turn with our hearts to the First Qiblah, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the land of Palestine, whose people have set the best example in endurance and sacrifice. By Allah, your efforts and perseverance shall not be in vain. It has been a long night for you, but daybreak is imminent. You have suffered and endured much agony and pain, but this only bolstered your spirit of sacrifice and stamina for patience. Just remember, that after patience there is but success. Your Zionist enemies and Allah’s have grown even more oppressive. However, Allah can hear and see everything. "… And if Allah had willed, He could have taken vengence upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others. …" [Muhammad: 4] Your records overflow with what would elevate you before Allah while theirs teem with what would incur His wrath. Both records are due to reach the end of their terms indeed.While you are destined to reap benevolence in the Herein, the Hereafter, or both, they are doomed to accrue but perdition and loss in the Herein, the Hereafter, or both. Therefore, glad tidings for you! Keep up the good hope, patience and perseverance, and observe taqwa of Allah so that you may succeed!

O pilgrims to the Sacred House of Allah! Let it be known to you that the government, with its leaders, facilities, administrative apparatuses, and institutions, is sparing no effort in your service and towards facilitating your pilgrimage. Order has been set for your own interest and all the efforts put forth for your sake. Therefore, you are called upon to follow the directives and instructions, to sense the sanctity of the place and time, and to show exemplary conduct and ethical behaviour. Observe serenity and decency.Do your best, strive, seek to draw near (to Allah), and be hopeful since you are before a Generous Lord. May Allah Almighty make your Hajj accepted into His Grace, your efforts approved and appreciated and your sins forgiven!

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar! La ilaha illa Allah! Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa lillahi al-hamd!

This is said, send (O you Muslims) your Salat upon Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, the best of Allah’s creatures, and the most honest human being. O Allah! Send Your Salat, Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, upon his kind and pure family, and upon his pious Companions!

O Allah! Be pleased with the rightly-guided Imams and Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, all of Your Prophet’s Companions, and those who righteously followed them, O You, the Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims, degrade polytheism and polytheists (who associate partners with You) andgrant safety and security to this homeland and to those of all Muslims!
O Allah! Grant us security in our homelands! Set right our leaders and those responsible for our affairs! O Allah! Support with the Truth our leader and ruler, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques!
O Allah! Grant him success to abide by Your guidance and guide him to what you like and accept!
O Allah! Prepare for him a righteous retinue!
O Allah! Reward him with Your Grace and Beneficence in return for his service and care vis-à- vis the Two Holy Mosques, the pilgrims and those performing Umrah!
O Allah! Grant him, his two deputies, his brothers and assistants success!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere!O Allah! Unite their word on the Truth and the right guidance!
O Allah! Spare their blood, safeguard their tranquility, bring them close together, and feed their hungry!
O Allah! Grant victory to the defenseless among our fellow Muslims wherever they may be, and unite them around the truth, O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!
O Allah! Do punish the enemies of religion, for You are more than a match to them!
O Allah! Do punish the enemies of religion, for You are more than a match to them!
O Allah! Do punish the Zionist usurpers! Do punish them, for You are more than a match to them!

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, pardon our shortcomings, make easy our affairs, and fulfil our hopes in accordance with Your pleasure! O Lord! Forgive us, our parents, our grandparents,and their children,O You, Who hears our prayers!
O Lord! Forgive us, our parents, our grandparents, our wives and our children and all the Muslims!

O Allah! We implore You to protect the pilgrims and those performing Umrah!
O Allah! We implore You to protect the pilgrims and those performing Umrah, and to help them carry out their rituals with ease!
O Allah! We beseech You to accept (the good deeds)from us and from them!
O Allah! We implore You to accept from the pilgrims their Hajj, and to respond to their supplications!
O Allah! Do make their Hajj an accepted one, their efforts approved and appreciated and their sins forgiven!
O Allah! Do help them make a safe and successful return to their homelands!
O Allah! Accept (good deeds) from us and from them!

O Allah! Set our hearts on the truth and guidance and grant us a good ending, O You, the Most Merciful!

O Allah! Grant success and assistance to our security forces and those in the service of the pilgrims, and reward them with Your beneficence and benevolence, O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! Double their rewards, upgrade their ranks, and forgive their sins, You the Living, the Everlasting, the Lord of Honour and Majesty!

Our Lord! Do accept from us (the good deeds) as You are the All-Hearing! Do accept our repentance as you are the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be our Lord,the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they wrongly attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!

________________________________________________

(1) In some translation of the meanings of the Holy Qur’an, the phrase ‘ayyaam ma’doodaat’ ( )أیام معدوداتis translated “appointed days” but “limited number of days” is closer to the Arabic meaning.

(2) Hager was the second wife of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) and the mother of Prophet Ismael (PBUH). She accompanied her husband, Prophet Ibrahim, to Makkah and was, with her son Prophet Ismael, the first settlers there. Her walking between the hills of Safa and Marwa in frantic search for water for her thirsty babyson, Ismail is commemorated in a ritual known in hajj or Omrah as sa’iy.

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-17-2016, 07:18 AM
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Faithfulness: One of the noble characters of the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)

October 30, 2015 ~ Muharram 17, 1437

Khutbah Topic
His Eminence Sheikh Salehal-Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah titled “Faithfulness: One of the noble characters of the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)”in which he talked about the Prophet’s ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him– nobility of character, with special reference to faithfulness. On the basis of the Prophet’s biography, the Sheikh cited examples of his faithfulness ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him– vis-à-vis his wives, daughters, Companions, Al-Ansar, and even the polytheists and the prisoners of war. He also exhorted Muslims to uphold this noble character and warned against treachery and perfidy,which are among the characteristics of the hypocrites.

Part One

Praise be to Allah Almighty! We praise Him, ask Him for help and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and from our sinful deeds. He whom Allah guides, no one can lead astray, and He whom He misguides, no one else can guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat, (Graces, Honours, Mercy) Peace and Blessing upon him, his kind and virtuous family, his righteous and pious Companions and the tabi’in (the contemporaries of his Companions after his death) and all those who follow in their footsteps until Judgement Day!

Now then, The best discourse is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is Muhammad’s ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him. The worst of all things are innovations (in religion); every innovation is a bid’ah (heresy) and every bid’ah is misguidance. Adhere to taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah), submit to Almighty Allah and never disobey Him. "O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islâm (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allâh." [Al Imran: 102] O Allah! Please make our slips very few, forgive our sins, and with your Clemency pardon the ignorance of he who asks none but You! You are All-Forgiving. A sinner has no escape from his sin except to You.

O servants of Allah! The Messenger of Allah,Muhammad ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ is the only person to be really great. Every great figure has a skeleton in the closet –a secret that he does his utmost to keep under wraps. This is not so with Prophet Muhammad ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him! He made his whole life an open book for all to read; there is not a single page closed, not a single line blotted out. It is open to the public to read from it whatever they want to.He alone permitted his Companions to disseminate and relay all they knew about him, so they narrated everything they witnessed about him.

O servants of Allah! Among his great moral qualities conveyed by his Companions is faithfulness which, in its broad sense, means fulfilling one’s duties, rewarding good deeds, maintaining love and honouring pledges. The Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ excelled in this respect and has neither competitor nor peer. His noble character‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ is faithfulness. He is faithful to his Lord. Unrivalled in worshiping Allah, the Messenger of Allah‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ fulfilled all his worshiping duties vis-à-vis Allah as did Ibrahim –Peace be upon him‒ whom the Qur’an described thus: "And of Ibrâhim (Abraham) who fulfilled (or conveyed) all that (what Allâh ordered him to do or convey)," [Al-Najm: 37] He‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ used to say: “I swear to Allah that I am the most pious and the most fearful vis-à-vis Allah.” When he stood for prayer, the Messenger of Allah‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ used to lengthen it till his feet swelled and cracked(with fatigue). “O Messenger of Allah!” ‘Aisha would tell him, “Why are you doing this to yourself? Has not Allah forgiven you all your past and future sins?” “O ‘Aisha!” he would answer, “Shouldn’t I be a thankful servant?” [Narrated by Imam Muslim] It is also mentioned in the two Sahihs(books) quoting al-Mughirah ‒May Allah be pleased with him. He‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ used to ask Allah for forgiveness and to repent to Him a hundred times a day.

Fulfilling one’s duties towards one’s parents and being good and dutiful to them as they raised him and took good care of him during infancy are epitomes of faithfulness par excellence and this becomes all the more pronounced when the parents are aged and feeble. After their death, being faithful to them continues through praying Allah for them and giving alms on their behalf.

Faithfulness is one of the moral qualities of the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him. Quoting Abu Hurairah ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒Imam Muslim narrated that the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ visited his mother’s grave; he cried and made everyone else around him cry. He said: “I asked Allah for permission to supplicate Him to grant her forgiveness, but my supplication was declined. I supplicated Him to permit me to visit her grave, and permission was granted. Go and visit the graves; they do remind you of death.”

Faithfulness is one of his moral qualities‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him. It is mentioned in the two Sahihs that Al-Abbas Ibn Abdulmuttalib–May Allah be pleased with him– said, “O Messenger of Allah! Have you done AbuTalib any good turn? He used to protect you and support you?” “He is in a shallow area of the hellfire,” he answered. “Had it not been for me, he would have been in the deepest deck of the hellfire,” he concluded.

Faithfulness to his wives is one of the moral qualities of the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him. The most benevolent among you is the most benevolent to his family. “I have never felt jealous of any of the Prophet’s wives,” said Aisha‒May Allah be pleased with her‒ “as I did of Khadija, though I never saw her. The Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒used to mention her very often that he would slaughter a sheep, chop it into pieces and then give it in charity for her.” “It was as if Khadija were the only woman in the world,” I would say to him. “She was so and so; and she gave me children,” he would answer. “I was given her love,” he would continue. Aisha ‒May Allah be pleased with her‒ is quoted in the two Sahihs as saying: “Halah bint Khuwailid –Khadija’s sister– requested an audience with the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ and he recognized Khadija’s request, which gave him comfort (another version says, ‘which alarmed him’) and he said, ‘O Allah! It is Halah!” On the Day of Badr, al-‘As ibn al-Rabi’ was taken prisoner, and Makkans sent ransom to set their prisoners free. To pay for her husband’s freedom, Zainab, the Prophet’s daughter, sent money and a necklace which was Khadijah’s wedding gift to her. Looking at the necklace, the Prophet was deeply touched and he remembered his early days (with Khadijah). His yearnings welled in his heart and said, “If you would like to free her prisoner and return to her what is rightfully hers, then do.” “Yes, Messenger of Allah!” they answered.

Faithfulness to his in-laws and blood relatives is one of his moral qualities‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him. He exhorted his Companions to treat Egyptians well. Abu Dhar was quoted in Sahih Muslim as saying that the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said, “You are going to conquer Egypt. When you do, be good to its people; they are under your protection and they are your blood relatives (or he said ‘in laws’).”

Faithfulness is one of his moral qualities‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him. After fighting Hawazin (an Arab tribe), many women were taken prisoners. The wet nurses of the Messenger of Allah‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ belonged to Hawazin, so when a delegation of the vanquished tribe pleaded with the Messenger of Allah that among the prisoners were his foster mothers and aunts and begged him to set them free, the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ freed six thousand boys and women. When his foster sister –Shayma’– came to see him, he spread his cloak for her, invited her to sit down with him and gave her presents.

Faithfulness to his Companions is yet another of his moral qualities‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him. He always acknowledged their efforts, prohibited calling them names, and elevated their status especially that of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq who was with him in the cavern. (1) Abu Al-Darda’ –May Allah be pleased with him‒ narrated, “I was sitting with the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒when Abu Bakr came holding the edge of his thaub which left his knee uncovered. The Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒said, ‘Your friend has got involved in a dispute.’ Abu Bakr greeted us and said, “There was a problem between Omar and me and I seem to have offended him. I regretted what I did and went to apologize to him, but he turned me down, so I came to you.’ The Prophet said, ‘May Allah forgive you, AbuBakr; ‘May Allah forgive you, AbuBakr; ‘May Allah forgive you, Abu Bakr (three times).” Later Omar also was sorry and came to see Abu Bakr at his home. “Is Abu Bakr home?” Omar asked. “No,” his family said. So Omar came to the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒and greeted him. The face of the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒defined anger. Apprehensive as he was, Abu Bakr fell on his knees and said, ‘I swear by Allah that my fault outweighs his; I swear by Allah that my fault outweighs his (twice). The Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒said, “Allah sent me to you, but you called me a liar;however, Abu Bakr said ‘He was telling the truth.’ He gave me support and solace with money and with himself. Won’t you leave my friend alone? Won’t you leave my friend alone (twice)?’ Abu Al-Darda’ said, ‘Abu Bakr was never harassed after that’.” During his last illness which soon after resulted in his death, the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ sat on the mimbar with a piece of cloth tied around his head. He praised and thanked Allah and said: “Nobody has been more generous to me, both by himself and his money, than Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Quhafah. If I were to choose a close friend, I would choose Abu Bakr. But the friendship of Islam is better. Lock every khawkhah(small door) to this mosque except that of Abu Bakr.”Scholars said:“That was a hint to the caliphate of Abu Bakr after the Prophet’s demise. He gave him access to the mosque because he would be the Caliph and Imam.” On the Day of Hunain, the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ distributed the spoils and gave al-Ansar nothing, which displeased them. The Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said, “O you Ansar! Are you disappointed because I gave trifling worldly objects (from the spoils)to those people in the hope that they may convert to Islam knowing that I have full confidence in your Islam? Aren’t you happy to see people leave with sheep and camels while you return with the Messenger of Allah? I swear by Allah that had it not been for al-hijra (the migration), I would have been one of al-Ansar: if all people chose to follow one route and al-Ansar chose to follow another, I would choose to follow al-Ansar’s. O Allah! Have mercy on al-Ansar, their children and grandchildren!” People cried then until their tears wet their beards, and said: "We accept the Messenger of Allah as our share and luck." [Narrated by Imam Ahmad, but it is originally in the two Sahihs (books).

Faithfulness is one of his moral qualities ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him. He was loyal to his Ummah, for he conveyed to them the revelation of the Qur'an, and left them in hold of a crystal clear way: "Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad SAW) from amongst yourselves (i.e. whom you know well). It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He (Muhammad SAW) is anxious over you (to be rightly guided, to repent to Allâh, and beg Him to pardon and forgive your sins, in order that you may enter Paradise and be saved from the punishment of the Hell-fire), for the believers (he SAW is) full of pity, kind, and merciful." [AlTawbah: 128] He would leave many observances for fear of being too hard for his Ummah:"Were it not for fear that it would be hard for my Ummah, I would have ordered them to do so and so… ." It was narrated by Muslim from Abdullah Ibn Amruibn Al-‘As ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ that the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ recited what Allah ‒to Whom belong Might and Majesty‒ said about Ibrahim (Abraham): ""O my Lord! They have indeed led astray many among mankind. But whoso follows me, he verily is of me." [Ibrahim: 36] ‘Isa (Jesus) ‒Peace be upon him‒ said: ""If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily You, only You are the AllMighty, the AllWise."" [Al-Ma'idah: 118] The Prophet‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ raised his hands in supplication and said:"O Allah! My Ummah, my Ummah", and he cried.Allah ‒May He be exalted‒ said:"O Gibreel (Gabriel)! Go to Muhammad and say: ‘We will satisfy you in Our dealing with your Ummah and We will not displease you."May Allah send His Salat and Peace upon His noble Messenger! "Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad SAW) from amongst yourselves (i.e. whom you know well). It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He (Muhammad SAW) is anxious over you (to be rightly guided, to repent to Allâh, and beg Him to pardon and forgive your sins, in order that you may enter Paradise and be saved from the punishment of the Hell-fire), for the believers (he SAW is) full of pity, kind, and merciful." [AlTawbah: 128] May Allah bless me and you with the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah, and may He grant us benefit from the verses and wisdom they contain.

I say what I have just said and ask Allah the Almighty to forgive you and me.

Part Two

Praise is due to Allah the Almighty!May Allah send His Salat and Peace upon His noble Prophet! I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.

Now then, O believers! Faithfulness is a noble trait; it is comely for everybody to adorn themselves with it; for it is sincere devotion that is free of treachery or betrayal; it is giving without limit. Beauty is indeed to live this trait wholeheartedly,with might and main, and truthfully without spuriousness or hypocrisy. Friendship that is built on faithfulness is indeed a true friendship where affection is sincere and loyalty is kept. Faithfulness is a religiosity and manliness; it is a characteristic of the generous and the site of good morals; for piety, faithfulness, truthfulness, generosity and manliness are integral traits that increase glow in the face, raise fame and reward, and please the Lord.True faithfulness only emanates from a pure heart and is caused by good intentions, and this is indeed a trait of Allah’s ‒Be He exalted: "Verily, Allâh has purchased of the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allâh's Cause, so they kill (others) and are killed. It is a promise in truth which is binding on Him in the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel) and the Qur'ân. And who is truer to his covenant than Allâh?" [Al-Tawbah: 111] Faithfulness is also a characteristic of the Prophets: "And of Ibrâhim (Abraham) who fulfilled (or conveyed) all that (what Allâh ordered him to do or convey)," [Al-Najm: 37] "And mention in the Book (the Qur'ân) Ismâ'il (Ishmael). Verily! He was true to what he promised, and he was a Messenger, (and) a Prophet." [Maryam: 54]

Faithfulness is a feature of faith; Allah ‒to Whom belong Might and Majesty‒ said: "… and who fulfill their covenant when they make it" [Al-Baqarah: 177] It is also a characteristic of the Mutaqeen (those who fear Allah), and one of the greatest causes of gaining taqwa (fear of Allah). He ‒May He be exalted‒ said: "Yes, whoever fulfils his pledge and fears Allâh much; verily, then Allâh loves those who are Al-Muttaqûn(the pious - see V.2:2)." [Al Imran: 76] It is a way leading to the highest ranks (in Paradise): "… and whosoever fulfills what he has covenanted with Allâh, He will bestow on him a great reward." [Al-Fath: 10] In praising the believers, He said: "Those who fulfill the Covenant of Allâh and break not the Mîthâq(bond, treaty, covenant)" [Al-Ra'd: 20]

The verses that deal with faithfulness are more than twenty; all the verses containing the words ‘covenant’ and ‘bond’ indicate this. The greatest form of faithfulness is that vis-à-vis Allah the Almighty: "… and fulfill (your obligations to) My Covenant (with you) so that I fulfill (My Obligations to) your covenant (with Me), and fear none but Me." [Al-Baqarah: 40] "…and fulfill the Covenant of Allâh." [Al-Ana'am: 152] Ibn Jarir ‒May Allah bless his soul‒ said:"His covenant with them is that if they do respect their covenant with Allah, He will grant them Paradise." Parents are the most worthy of faithfulness, especially when in need at old age: "If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour. (23) And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: "My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small."" [Al-Isra’: 23- 24] Faithfulness must be observed when dealing with people in general: "O you who believe! Fulfil (your) obligations …"[Al-Ma’idah: 1]

Faithfulness must also be present in family life at all times, for the greatest covenant between two humans (a man and a woman) is the marriage covenant. The Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said:“From among all the conditions which you have to fulfil are those which make it legal for you to have sexual relations (i.e. the marriage contract).”[Narrated by Bukhari] Allah the Almighty says: "And how could you take it (back) while you have gone in unto each other, and they have taken from you a firm and strong covenant?" [Al-Nisa': 21] Also, He ‒May He be exalted‒ said: "And do not forget liberality between yourselves." [Al-Baqarah: 237]

O servants of Allah! If faithfulness is a feature of faith and piety, then treachery and perfidy are features of hypocrisy and immorality. Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-‘As ‒May Allah be pleased with both of them‒reported the Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ to have said:"Whoever has the following four (characteristics) will be a real hypocrite and whoever has one of them will have one characteristic of hypocrisy unless and until he gives it up: 1. Whenever he speaks, he tells lies. 2. Whenever he promises, he breaks his promise. 3. Whenever he makes a covenant, he acts perfidiously. 4. Whenever he quarrels, he acts immorally." [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim] Ali ibn Abi Talib ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒reported the messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ to have said: "And Whoever betrays a Muslim in this respect incurs the curse of Allah, of the angels, and of all the people, and in such case no deed will ever be accepted from him." [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim] Among the worst perfidious acts is killing those in prayer, terrorizing secure people, and blowing up mosques: "And who is more unjust than those who forbid that Allâh's Name be glorified and mentioned much (i.e. prayers and invocations, etc.) in Allâh's Mosques and strive for their ruin? It was not fitting that such should themselves enter them (Allâh's Mosques) except in fear. For them there is disgrace in this world, and they will have a great torment in the Hereafter." [Al-Baqarah: 114] We seek refuge in Allah from meeting with disappointment and from following the paths of Satan. Fear Allah, O servants of Allah! Adjust yourselves to what your faith has ordered to do:to behave in a good manner and to show noble morals. As an act of faithfulness towards the one whom Allah sent to take us out of the darkness (of ignorance) into the light (of Islam) and to guide and counsel us is to send our salat and peace upon him (the Messenger of Allah) in abundance.

O Allah! Send Your Salat upon Muhammad and his family as You have sent Your Salat upon Ibrahim (Abraham) and the family of Ibrahim! You are the All-Praiseworthy, the All-Glorious! O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You have blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim in the worlds! You are the All-Praiseworthy, the All Glorious!

O Allah! Be pleased with the rightly-guided Imams and Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, all of Your Prophet’s Companions, and those who righteously followed them till the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your truly-believing servants! O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your truly-believing servants!

O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahedeen in Your cause in Palestine and the Sham and everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Save Al-Aqsa Mosque and the believers in and around it!
O Allah! Save AlAqsa Mosque and the believers in and around it from the evil of the aggressors and the oppression of the occupiers!
O Allah! Destroy the Zionist aggressors, for You are more than a match to them!
O Allah! Be with our brothers and sisters in Palestine and Syria, for their condition is worsening and their grief is growing! They have no supporter except You‒Exalted be You‒
O Allah! Hasten their victory and relief!

O Allah! Protect our country and Muslim countries from all kinds of evil!
O Allah! Protect our country and Muslim countries from all kinds of evil!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil and make their plotting return against them those who intend to do any evil against us, Islam, or Muslims!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil and return their plots and their cunning against them those who intend to harm our country, leaders, scholars, our people and unity, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do and say whatever You love and accept! Guide him to benevolence and piety! O Allah! Guide him, his two deputies, his brothers, and assistants to do whatever is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Guide the leaders of Muslims to rule according to Your Sharia, and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him!
O Allah! Make them a mercy on Your truly believing servants!
O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the malevolence of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

"…Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire" [Al-Baqarah: 201]

""Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk."" [Al Imran: 147]
O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and let our wishes come true in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, and our grandparents!
O Allah! Have mercy on them as they had brought us up as children!
O Allah! For those of them who are still alive, grant them sound health and welfare so they can worship You, and for those of them who are deceased, we implore You –O Allah– to bless
their souls with Your Mercy, to lighten their graves, and to make them spacious gardens similar to those in Your heavens! O Allah! Join us to them in the Dwell of Your Generosity (Paradise)!
O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents, their progeny, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah forgiveness, Allah Who is the only deity worthy of worship! We repent unto Him. He is the Ever-Living, the Sustainer and Protector of all that exists!
O Allah! You are Allah and there is no deity worthy of worship except You! You are the Rich (Free of all needs) and we are poor! Do send down rain on us and do not make us among the desperate!
O Allah! Do send down rain on us!
O Allah! Do send down rain on us!
O Allah! Do send down rain on us, rain that is abundant, helpful, wholesome, and healthy.With it, You grant life to the land, provide drink for people, and make it a useful resource to urban and rural dwellers!
O Allah! We ask You to make it a sign of mercy, not one of torment, destruction, or drowning!
O Allah! We ask You to forgive us, for You are Forgiving, so do send down on us abundant rain!

O Allah! Do accept our good deeds, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the AllKnowing! Forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

__________________________________________

(1) This is a reference to the Prophet’s migration from Makkah to Madinah when, chased by the infidels of Makkah, the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒and Abu Bakr hid in a cave.

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-17-2016, 07:46 AM
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Commandments to the Ummah

December 11, 2015 ~ Safar 29, 1437

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Muhammad AlTalib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah titled “Commandments to the Ummah”in which he addressed the current situation of Muslims and their enemies’ plots being fiercely contrived against them. Then, he put forth several commandments to the Ummah’s awakening, support and empowerment.

Part One

Praise be to Allah!Praise be to Allah Who sets sovereignty in successive rotation among mankind, changes their conditions despite their proclivity to clinging to them so that they would know that this life is no permanent residence for any human being, no target for the insightful, and no aspiration for the sagacious. Praise be to Allah Who has made Paradise a permanent abode for the perseverant! I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah with no associate, sitting firmly on the Throne in His Lofty Kingdom. I also bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah with whom Allah has illuminated the universe and wiped out ignorance. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family and his Companions who were the best of generations and of noblest models to follow. O Allah, our Lord! Praise be to You as You have created us, provided for us, guided us, granted us knowledge, saved us and dispelled our worries. O Allah! Help us to thank You for Your favours and for worshipping You as You should be worshipped. We seek refuge in You against the disappearance of Your blessings, the change of the good health You granted us, the suddenness of Your vengeance and all forms of Your wrath!

Now then, I recommend to you –O people–what Allah has recommended to many past nations as well as to the present one: "We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allâh, and keep your duty to Him," [Al-Nisa: 131] The attentive will be saved; the negligent will feel sorry: "O mankind! Remember the Grace of Allâh upon you! Is there any creator other than Allâh who provides for you from the sky (rain) and the earth? LâilâhaillaHuwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). How then are you turning away (from Him)?" [Fatir: 3]

O Muslims! In a world so inflamed world and amidst rapid vicissitudes therein and thereabout, we sense, more than ever, the dire necessity to hold on to our gains vis-à-vis our religion, our homeland, our security and our concord. Fate is quick to strike, and conditions are quick to change. We have neither promise nor covenant from our Lord that He will continue to supply us with bounties and protect us against misfortunes except what is inherent in His Divine Laws and stated in His Glorious Book. Divine Laws stipulate that Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves (1). Also, His Divine Laws stipulate that He does not amend the work of corruptors (2). Divine inspiration has been sent down with a Divine Law which Allah had applied to previous nations, and will inevitably apply to us too: "And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwâ(piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn (polytheism and crimes, etc.)." [Al-A’raf: 96] These days, powers which, in accordance with human material criteria,we are unable to beat are lying in wait for us. We are more than ever in need to solidify our bond with the Creator, for we have no other Protector, and none, no matter how strong they may be, can protect themselves from Him. It is the bond of Allah which alleviates the fears of the desperate, switches powers and tips balance. It was the bond which extinguished the pyre that was supposed to incinerate Ibrahim (Abraham), parted the sea and dried its bottom for Moses, and cast Allah’s benevolence over Muhammad ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ and his Muslim Companions when they were but a disesteemed small minority before their dominion eventually reached the corners of the world.

It is Allah’s benevolence that granted Muslims support, power and wealth because they sought it in accordance with its righteous channels and felt out its reasons. We, in this very country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, have experienced this divine benevolence and seen its fruit. When the whole world was fighting two world wars and using the most lethal weapons then known to mankind –weapons that claimed over seventy million lives– none of the warring countries was able to expand an inch. Meanwhile, Allah granted us power and helped us to unify our country with primitive means and at a negligible cost. This gave us security, coalescence, and unmatchable treasures that gushed from the depth of the earth. Because the founders and the unifiers of this nation had been actually righteous and after all staunch believers in the Oneness of Allah, Allah Almighty made available to them things unavailable to armed superpowers that outnumber them. That was the same scene that prevailed during the early Muslim period, and after all, Allah’s Divine Law will continue as is.

O Muslims! Disunited as we Arabs and Muslims are,our material power is at present no match to that of other nations. Our enemies’ ambitious designs to our lands and resources are increasing and their lying-in-wait for us has become only too apparent. The truth to say none can protect us from them except Allah Almighty. While we should follow the Words of Allah ‒to Whom belong Might and Majesty: "And make ready against them all you can of power" [Al-Anfal: 60] and thus build a military force that can deter avid people casting covetous eyes on us, we should at the same time take great care of our moral power. We must protect and strengthen our acquired gain, namely religion, which is our unfailing weapon and formidable shield. Disgracing religion in our society, particularly at this very time, is capital treason; its open and public disgracing, in particular, results in our deprivation of Allah’s protective Hand and Benevolence. Islam is not only the guarantee for the hereafter, but also the rationale behind the Ummah’s very existence and the assertion of its identity. Betrayal also involves nonchalance towards Allah’s rights when the Ummah makes its love and hate contingent on its interests and not on its principles. Only when the Ummah got splintered and split, shunned its Lord and became heedless, were its enemies able to overcome it. The outlying world, no matter how secular and atheistic it may look, makes recourse to its religion in times of trouble and calls out to God to bless its armies and wars. However, some defeatists in our midst are trying to slacken the grip of religion on our life and religiosity in an attempt to diminish its influence on society. They propagate carnal desires so that the souls would surrender to insensibility and forget about tomorrow’s perils. This was the zero hour when disasters struck sometime in the Ummah's long history, and there are admonitions and lessons from the history of Andalusia and Baghdad.
(The Sheikh recites a line of poetry that can be rendered as follows):
He who is clad in garments of affluence
Without being thankful, Allah will take them off him.

A calamity-stricken nation whose religion and lands are targeted must shun worldly entertainments and pleasures and dedicate its efforts and potentials to getting closer to its Creator. It must adhere to Allah’s pure religion, abstain from carnal desires, avoid sins and forbidden acts, and above all, punish the impudent. Allah Almighty says: "So flee to Allâh (from His Torment to His Mercy Islâmic Monotheism), verily, I (Muhammad SAW) am a plain warner to you from Him." [Al-Thariyat: 50]

O Muslims! Among our greatest gains are the blessings of unity and concord. They were Allah’s Command to and bestowal upon previous nations: "and remember Allâh's Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islâmic Faith), …" [AlImran: 103] With dispersion, no celestial favour may be enjoyed. We have seen, and still see, that vast nations with flowing rivers and deep delved treasures have gone bankrupt and become fear-and-poverty-stricken. So the people there were compelled to migrate from their homeland and accept to live in humility in foreign countries in search for security and peace. May Allah guard them against harm and end their ordeal! He who has been used to good health may not know the suffering of the sick and may not appreciate the bliss he is enjoying. Thus, in order to continue enjoying Allah’s bounties, we must secure the reasons thereof; I mean the two main reasons of today: writing and speech. These two are causes of society’s disunity and homeland’s fragmentation.

O servants of Allah! Never before have spreading the word, giving one’s opinion, and criticising people and societies been so easier. This has been made possible by present-day media in general and its social type in particular. Despite the obvious benefits of these means of communication, there has always been a down side to them. Many have exploited them to spawn not only differences but also disunity, quarrels and disputes igniting hostility, hatred, and reciprocal accusations. What is rather saddening is seeing some religious people involved in these disputes, trying to find fault with each other and attack certain luminaries. Such disputes and reviling are present on the tribal and regional levels, and get worse in the field of sports.In fact, their negative effect is now growing day after day before our own eyes.

O Muslims! Most of your disputes are superfluously unbecoming in time of peace, let alone in time of war. Most hatred-spawning disputes are competently dealt with by rulers, officials, scholars, religious bodies and state institutions. Why call each other traitor? Why accuse each other of disloyalty and strip each other of citizenship? Such acts are perpetrated by people with neither official status nor authority. Their spurious purpose is to deepen hostility, achieve fame or settle old scores. Otherwise, the way to exhortation is clear, and tipping the police off about imminent danger is always a telephone call away.Allah has rendered defective people who, when there comes to them information about [public]security or fear, they spread it around, but (3): "…if only they had referred it to the Messenger or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them (directly)." [Al-Nisa: 83] It is neither beneficial nor courteous to use writing to belittle others or to find fault with institutions or individuals. This would expose the country to serious harm and open the gates to the tendentious to pile accusations against the country and its citizens. Real patriots are those who defend their compatriots and their country: its traditions, faith and territory in media and political platforms. They defend their country through being faithful to their Ummah on every front where the believer works and carries out his duty. Real citizens are those who are stationed on the borderlines defending their faith, country, land and honour. The real heroes with whom the media should busy itself are those guarding the borders in the scorching heat of the summer and the freezing cold of the winter. Just to make us enjoy the comfort of our homes and the company of our families and in order to make a new history that brings pride to the whole Ummah, some have sacrificed their lives; their wives have been widowed and their children orphaned. Behind such heroes there are loyal men; they are the ones who are worthy of praise in writing and speaking; they deserve all our support and prayers.

O Muslims in general, and youths in particular! Busy yourselves with what is good for you. Remember Allah’s favours; beware of their cessation and the reasons thereof. Do your job in earnest. Prosperity cannot last without serious work and the path leading thereto; avoid hurdles and those fatal causes,especially obeying Satan and betraying your homeland. Loyalty to homelands is a principle that has disappeared from the minds of the ungrateful. In the case of those illusive minds, such principle has withered away.For they think that being loyal to one's own homeland would affect the universality of Islam and the brotherhood of all Muslims. The truth is that if one is not good to one’s own country, then how can one be good to the other Muslim countries!? And the one who denies the right of one’s close family and folks will be even more denying when it comes to the rights of the others. The feelings of loyalty overflew from that big heart of the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ towards his town Makkah whose inhabitants were still polytheists. Moreover, they were still hurting him and rejecting his religion.However, he did not accept the offer by Archangel Jibreel (Gabriel)‒Peace be upon him‒ to close the Akhshabain (mountains in Makkah) around them (as a punishment). Even when he entered Makkah in full victory, while its inhabitants had not embraced Islam yet, he did not change or destroy anything except the idols inside the sacred ka'bah, let alone kill anybody or destroy his own town. Yet still, his loyalty has reached such high peak as is narrated by Jubair ibn Mut'im ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ who reported that the Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said concerning the captives of the Badr battle:“Had alMut'im ibn Uday been still alive and talked to me about freeing those smelly ones, I would have let them go for his sake.” [An agreed-upon Hadith] Based on these two noble meanings of loyalty towards one's homeland and loyalty towards a benevolent person, though not a Muslim (al-Mut'im ibn Uday), one can see clearly the huge difference and the big moral gap between those aggressing their homelands through killing, blasting, causing harm, and terrorizing people and the model of our Prophet Muhammad ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ and his Sharia. So what if their homelands are Muslim homelands and their inhabitants are Muslims?! The Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ would have accepted the intercession of a polytheist‒who used to protect him‒ to free polytheist warriors.So what about he who kills his own security men, who are fellow Muslims?! We here address the hijacking of minds by the gangs of “Daesh” (or ISIS) and their leaders. We are not addressing the leaders themselves, for the events have confirmed that their premises are not at all religious even if they pretend that they are so.Their problem does not lie in a twisted understanding of Islam, though they use Islam in their discourse; rather, their Islam is highly suspected by many, and their not being Muslims is confirmed by many more. In fact, we are addressing those who have surrendered their minds to some people
whose identities and religion are not known; they have surrendered their souls to them in order to kill other souls from their own people. They have given them their blood to be used in shedding that of their own compatriots; they have given them the bits and pieces of their own bodies in order to destroy buildings and constructive, meaningful ideas in their own countries. The Prophet‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ was rather sent (by Allah) as mercy to the worlds. In this respect, ibn Taymiyyah ‒May Allah bless his soul‒ said: “All religion revolves around loyalty to the Truth and mercy towards Allah’s creatures.” O you who are deceived! Do you think that you are doing the right thing!? Remember that losing the Hereafter is greater than losing the Herein, great as this may sound.Indeed, sacrificing the reward of the Hereafter is a disaster that can never be remedied or prevented, for Allah's verses and the hadiths of His Prophet‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ are clear about the fate of the one committing suicide or killing a Muslim. Why, then, leave what is confirmed in order to go stray?Why be uncertain about property and souls?! Still there are some Muslim youths who are derided their own selves, their Hereafter, country, and compatriots,so they handed themselves to a gang whose members are most likely enemies to his own religion and country.Moreover, those gangsters make fun of his people and his faith; thus, he loses his life for nothing in the Herein, and he deserves the threat of a severe punishment in the Hereafter. Those who have planned these attacks do not care about the faith of the killer or that of the killed; neither do they care about the denomination of those who pray in this place or that.What they really care about is to destabilize this country and to tear out its harmony; causing disunity is their goal. They have tried several times to play this tune, but failed, thanks to Allah. The advertence of this country's citizens remains a stumbling block in their way to success.

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful: "(It is a great Grace and Protection from Allâh), for the taming of the Quraish, (1) (And with all those Allâh's Grace and Protections for their taming, We cause) the (Quraish) caravans to set forth safe in winter (to the south), and in summer (to the north without any fear), (2) So let them worship (Allâh) the Lord of this House (the Ka'bah in Makkah). (3) (He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear."[Quraish: 1-4]

May Allah bless me and you by the Qur’an and the Sunnah, and grant us benefit from what they have of signs and wisdom. I say this and ask Allah, the Almighty, to forgive me and you!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah Who is praised in His Lofty Height, and thanks are due to Him: the Benefactor in both His earth and heaven. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate; I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, and the best of His prophets and selected creatures. May Allah send His Salat, Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, and all of his Companions!

O Muslims! Nowadays that plotting against Sham (Syria) and Shamians has reached its zenith in a form of conspiracy against land, religion, and people, we are awaiting a light of hope rising from here (the kingdom of Saudi Arabia)where delegates representing various factions of the Syrian people are convening.We hope that Allah will bless their meeting and render it useful to their people and that they will bring about a good omen for their compatriots and make them keys to their good! The condition of the Syrian people has reached a point where the warring factions must relinquish their own interests in order to strike gain for their country. They have all been guided by Allah to agree on the Riyadh Charter which we hope will be a start to cure injuries, stop tears, end the tragedy, be a beginning for the good of Sham, an uplifting of injustice, and a deterrent to the oppressor, for the meeting in itself is a victory before the actual victory, and this agreement carries the first good tidings of success.May Allah help loyal Syrians! What needs to be urgently emphasized these days is the need to increase aid to the Syrians in terms of food, clothes, and furnishings.Winter this year is harsher than before and the homeless inside and outside the Syrian borders are many. Expressing our sympathy to our Syrian brothers and sisters is an obligation on our part; helping them is their right, and not a favour. Therefore, you are called upon to give them their share of the blessings Allah has bestowed on you, to help protect them against the harshness of winter, the stings of hunger, and the ruthlessness of the oppressing enemy. If the situation in Sham is a trial to its people to see how they would react, it is also a trial to the other Muslims to see how they would stand up for the help of their fellow Muslims! The whole matter from the beginning of Creation to its end belongs to Allah alone. Allah sees and hears everything, and if He willed, He would have defeated them (the aggressors). But He ‒Glory be to Him‒ let fate take its course for appointed times and wise reasons. What encompasses all this is the hadith of our Prophet Muhammad ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him‒ which cures wounds and stops tears: “How astonishing the affair of the believer is! All of his affair is good, and no one enjoys this (privilege)except a believer; for if something good happens to him, he thanks (Allah for it), and that is good for him; and if something harmful befalls him, he keeps patient, and that is good for him.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim] Though the Muslim Ummah is going through a difficult time and tough circumstances, I still see through this the signs of the morning break (i.e. relief), for lead gets stronger and denser when it reaches its melting point; gold cannot be purified except by fire; after the pitch darkness of the night comes dawn and sunrise, and how often, in life, pain is covered by hope! "And Allâh has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not." [Yusuf: 21]

O Muslims! In Palestine there is action and change in confrontation.This has been going on for more than a month and has resulted in martyrdom for some, and injuries and captivity for others. It also resulted in the draining of the enemy’s capabilities and in their exhaustion and attrition. This is a reminder for all that injustice and oppression, no matter how long they stay, will always remain injustice and oppression, that occupation, no matter how long it lasts, will never be legal, and that the recognition by some states of the thief’s right to steal and be aggressive does not change the reality of things. Palestinian resistance is a jihad, their sticking to their land is garrisoning, and those killed amongst them are martyrs ‒Allah willing‒for they are promised victory in the end and a great reward on the Day of Resurrection. What is painful for every Muslim these days is the sight of pictures showing besieged Palestinians and their urgent need to cross the borders for medical treatment or for pressing needs, while they are constantly exposed to killing and harassment. It is incumbent upon every capable Muslim leader to rid them of their suffering,for whoever relieves a Muslim of hardship, Allah will equally relieve him of his hardships; and whoever falls down hard on an oppressed person, Allah will make things tight on him even if the whole world offers him support.

O servants of Allah! In Yemen, the aggressors are putting money and effort not in the interest of their homeland or their people's stability, but to distort its identity, take its people hostage, and exploit the country and the people to serve the interest of a distanced foreigner.May Allah help the Yemenis accomplish security and cleanse the land! We supplicate Allah to render successful all the efforts that are invested to spare their bloodshed, unify their country and people, and achieve advancement, security, and peace! Our country and the other gulf countries are pioneers in this; we hope that their last meeting brings them closer together and ensures power to their states, to the Arabs, and Muslims. All the Muslims’ attention is focussed on Riyadh, the capital of decision-making, in terms of political and economic power, as it is the land of the Two Holy Mosques, and the hub of Islam.May Allah protect it and bless its efforts!May He protect and guide all those who make sacrifices for the sake of Islam and Muslims! O Allah! We do absolve from our strength and power and resort to Your strength and power: "They said: "In Allâh we put our trust. Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the folk who are Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doing) (i.e. do not make them overpower us). (85) "And save us by Your Mercy from the disbelieving folk."" [Yunus: 85-86]

Now do send your salat and peace upon the Given Mercy and Offered Blessing, Allah’s Prophet, Muhammad ibn Abdullah. O Allah! Send Your Salat, Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, upon his kind and pure family! O Allah! Be pleased with all Your Messenger’s pious Companions and those who follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and to Muslims and fail tyrants, atheists, and corruptors!
O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet, and Your believing servants!
O Allah! Grant victory to Mujahideen (fighters) in Your Cause in Palestine, the Sham area, and everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Save the Aqsa Mosque and the believers in and around it from the aggression of the aggressors and the oppression of the occupiers! O Allah! Deal with the Zionist aggressors, for they cannot escape Your punishment!
O Allah! Be with our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Syria, and everywhere; for they are living unbearable hardships and their trial is severe!
O Allah! They have no supporter except You, O You‒Glory be to You!
O Allah! Grant them a quick victory and a speedy relief!


O Allah! Protect our country and all Muslim countries from every evil!
O Allah! Whoever intends to carry out evil against us, Islam, or Muslims, let him be busy with himself, and return his plotting against him! O Allah! Whoever intends to harm our country, leaders, scholars, and the public with harm, make him busy with himself and let him evil return against him, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Guide our ruler to what You like and accept and lead him to piety and righteousness! O Allah! Guide him, his two crown princes, their brothers and assistants to
what is good for the country and the people! O Allah! Guide Muslim leaders to rule according to Your Sharia and to follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him!
O Allah! Make them a mercy on Your believing servants!
O Allah! Spread security and prosperity in our country and all Muslim countries!
O Allah!Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqara: 201]

"Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk." [Al-Imran: 147]
O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our defects, make easy our tasks, make come true our wishes in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive the sins of all Muslims and all believers, male and female, those who are dead and those still alive!
O Allah! Forgive us, our parents, their parents, our spouses and progeny! O Allah! Forgive us, our parents, their parents and progeny, our spouses and progeny; You are the Hearer of supplications!

We ask Allah for forgiveness, we ask Allah forgiveness, we ask Allah forgiveness! He is the only deity worthy of worship, the Ever Living, the Sustainer and Protector of all that exists.We repent unto Him.
O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship except You. You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send rain down on us and save us from despair!
O Allah! Send down rain on us!
O Allah! Send down rain on us!
O Allah! Bestow upon us expedient rain, a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful, and harmless rain: one that would rejuvenate the land, quench people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands!
O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

Our Lord! Do accept from us (the good deeds) as You are the All-Hearing, the AllKnowing! Do accept our repentance as you are the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful! Glorified be our Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they wrongly attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!

_____________________________________________

(1) The expression in boldface is borrowed from the Holy Qur’an, surat Al-Ra’d, verse number 11.

(2) The expression in boldface is borrowed from the Holy Qur’an, surat Yunus, verse number 81.

(3) The expression in boldface is actually a slight paraphrase to the beginning of the Qur’anic quoted verse below (Al-Nisa’: 83).


Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-18-2016, 07:45 AM
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Lessons from the Prophet’s Biography

January 29, 2016 ~ Rabi-ul-Akhir 19, 1437

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Muhammad al-Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah titled “Lessons from the Prophet’s Biography”in which he talked about Muslims’ current reality and reminded his audience that since the moment Allah ordained that the sun of this religion should rise in the horizon of this territory, He has been in charge of protecting it. He equally decreed that a victorious Muslim minority shall continue to enjoy divine support, without being the least harmed by those Muslims who fail them or those who oppose them. The Sheikh cited one situation from the Prophet’s biography, namely, the ghazwah (1) (Battle) of Hamra’al-Assad which represents the glory of the Muslims as epitomised by the personality of their extraordinary leader –Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)– and from which lessons and morals are to be learnt. The Sheikh also advised people about the necessity to hold fast to this religion and to defend it against aggressors, referring to the commendable efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in this respect.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! We praise Him and supplicate Him to come to our assistance and to forgive our sins. We seek refuge in Allah from the vices of our inner selves and the evils of our misdeeds. None can misguide anybody whom Allah has guided (because they have chosen to follow His Guidance), and none can guide anybody whom Allah has misguided (He has left them to themselves because they have refused to follow His Guidance). I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family, his Companions, the tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salāt and Peace be upon him] after his death), and all those who piously follow in their footsteps until the Day of Judgement!

Now then! The best of all speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of all guidance is that brought by Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him. The worst of all matters is what has been fabricated into religion, and every fabrication introduced into religion is considered as bid’ah (condemned innovation in religion) and every bid’ah is by definition misguidance.

O people! I exhort you as well as myself to abide by what Allah had been exhorting bygone nations –and is still exhorting present-day nations: "...And verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allâh,..." [AlNisa’: 131] He who observes taqwa vis-à-vis Allah (fear of disobeying divine commands) will be salvaged.He who is vigilant will be safe, and he who is heedless will regret it. People are bound to be resurrected and scales shall be set in place to weigh their former deeds. So, get ready and make provision for that day: "And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allâh. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly." [Al-Baqarah: 281]

O Muslims! Ever since Allah, the Almighty,has ordained that the sun of this religion should rise in the horizon of this territory and decreed that this faith would cover the entire globe, He – Glory be to Him– He took it upon Himself to protect it and had by the same token decreed that a victorious Muslim minority shall continue to enjoy divine support, without being the least harmed by those Muslims who fail them or those who oppose them. This minority of Muslims are normally loyal followers of Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– and his Companions. Allah,the Almighty, established His universal law of testing the followers of this great religion through trials and ordeals, starting from the noble and much-revered prophet through his venerated Companions and on to their followers until the Day of Judgement so that He can select believers and identify His truthful servants. Since the era of prophethood and as decades elapse, further enemies and hypocrites continue to emerge. They come to the fore either from inside or outside the Ummah; they manifest themselves through either force and fight or deviant thought and misguidance. However, Allah has entrusted certain ulema (Scholars of the Islamic religion) and rulers in power with the mission of warding off the perils which jeopardise religion, clarifying truth to people, bringing people back to the pure fountain of faith, and exhorting them to hold fast to the Holy Qur’an and the Noble Sunnah: "And as to those who hold fast to the Book (i.e. act on its teachings) and perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), certainly, We shall never waste the reward of those who do righteous deeds." [AlA’raf: 170]
During the current century and the one before, the Ummah has been inflicted in both its religion and power.Fortunately, however,Allah’s Mercy spared the Arabian Peninsula, the place of Allah’s Revelation and the refuge of His Messenger(when he emigrated from Makkah to Madinah.This divine protection of this peninsula led to the formation of a young, Sunni state amidst international conflicts and world wars. Thus, Allah saved it from the afflictions of wars, and from the-then intellectual and political conflicts. This young new state has opted for a reasonably moderate way regarding both religion and worldly affairs. It has chosen as its constitution the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒discarded all types of bid’ah and myths (which have infiltrated religion), and showed the people the purity of religion. Nevertheless, the religious dedication of this newly-formed state has not prevented it from being an integral part of the modern world in such areas as politics, economics, sciences, industry, intellectual matters, and dialogue. Thus, Allah has empowered this state and bestowed upon it wealth after it had caused the treasures of the earth to spring up. Accordingly, it has become the supporter of victims of injustice, the helper of the needy, the destination for working and trading, and for earning a living. Consequently, its blessings and bounties have reached all those in need of help, whether they are countries or individuals; none can deny that except the envious. This country would not have reached such a privileged status had it not been for Allah’s support. That is because it has shown devotion to the creed of monotheism, practised the glorious precepts of sharia, adopted a moderate, sincere and fair line of thought as regards the religion of Allah, and held fast to the genuine values and principles of Islam.This ‒besides the abundant good inherent in the Muslims everywhere in the world and their solidarity‒ has earned it the appreciation and respect of Muslims who have recognised its leading role. Whenever certain events take place, you will notice the Kingdom on its guard, equipped with its unwavering principles and values of truth and justice, and supported by its sister states and sincere allies. The Ummah is, infact, a reservoir of good.

O Muslims! The universal law of Allah,the Almighty, still stipulates the eternal conflict between truth and falsehood, the difference and mutual fight between humans, and the affliction (of humans) with good and evil by way of trial. Nonetheless, Allah has not let down His devout worshippers. He has rather taught them and guided them by making at their disposal a divine Book through which they seek guidance and from which they derive inspiration to illuminate their way. This Book must be their refuge and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah their exemplary model, regardless of the nature and area of their afflictions or the intensity of their sufferings.

O Muslims everywhere in the world! Here is a glimpse from the Book of Allah and a situation which the Messenger of Allah and his Companions once experienced.In it there is perseverance for the believers, consolation for those suffering, and encouragement for those traumatised. In the Qur’anic surah titled Al Imran (chapter 3), the verses provide a survey of the struggle undertaken by our Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– and his Companions against the polytheists from their people. The surah depicts the victory of the believers at the Battle of Badr, their defeat at the Battle of Uhud, the afflictions which had befallen them and the ordeals they had gone through, the conditions of the believers and the martyrs, and the positions taken by hypocrites and enemies. The verses of this surah narrate such a lengthy experience, highlighting the lessons and morals which can be learnt from its successive phases, accounting for the chronicled facts and events, picturing the divine laws (governing human life), inviting people to meditate on the causes and their consequences, and inciting them to adhere to certitude and to hold to the principles and positions. With regard to the principles, we read: "So if they dispute with you (Muhammad SAW) say: "I have submitted myself to Allâh (in Islâm), and (so have) those who follow me." ..." [Al Imran: 20] As to the positions to be taken, there is: "So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers." [Al Imran: 139] In relation to consoling afflicted believers, we read: "If a wound (and killing) has touched you, be sure a similar wound (and killing) has touched the others. And so are the days (good and not so good), We give to men by turns, that Allâh may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. And Allâh likes not the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrongdoers). And that Allâh may test (or purify) the believers (from sins) and destroy the disbelievers." [Al Imran: 140-141] In the end, falsehood has no future. There should be wounds and afflictions which would distinguish enemies from friends, sift out seekers of mundane gains and immediate benefits, and preserve loyal and honest people who are ready to support their Prophet in times of hardship and distress and to take refuge with their Lord, however harsh conditions might prove to be.

O Muslims! Allah also narrated in the aforementioned surah of the Qur’an what happened to Muslims after their defeat at the Battle of Uhud. Praising the commendable behaviour of His loyal servants, Allah said: "Those who answered (the Call of) Allâh and the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) after being wounded;..."[Al Imran: 172] That combat was called the Battle of Hamra’ al-Assad. It contains one of the lessons of politics, glory, and sacrifice. That was because Muslims were grieved after they had been defeated at the Battle of Uhud where seventy of the Companions were killed.Then, the polytheists retreated to settle in Al-Rawha’ (2). Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– feared that the weakening of Muslims might stimulate the avidity of the polytheists who could be tempted to return and make incursions into the territories of the Madinah where there were Muslim children and property. The narrator said: “When the Messenger of Allah–May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– led Muslims in the Sobh (Fajr) Prayer after the battle of Uhud and notables from the Aws and Khzraj (3) were with him; they in fact had spent the night in the mosque. When the Messenger of Allah–May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– finished the prayer, he asked Bilal (4) to spread this message: ‘The Messenger of Allah orders you to chase your enemy, and only those who fought the battle yesterday are allowed to come with us.’” So, he went back home ordering his people to march on the enemy. According to the narrator’s account,there was a large number of injured people.The majority –or even all– of the Bani Abd Al-Ash-hal tribe were injured. Then, Saad ibn Muadh arrived and said: ‘The Messenger of Allah orders you to chase your enemy.’ The narrator adds: “Usaid Ibn Hudhair, who was trying to treat his seven wounds, said, ‘Allegiance and obedience to Allah and to His Messenger.’ Then, he grasped his weapon and never resumed treating his wounds,and joined the Messenger of Allah. Then Saad ibn Obadah came to his people ‒Bani Saaidah‒ and asked them to pursue their enemy. They wore their warrior clothes and embarked on the pursuit. Abu Qatadah also came to the Kharbaa people while they were treating their wounds and told them: ‘Here is the envoy of the Messenger of Allah ordering you to pursue your enemy.’ So, they jumped to their weapons and stoppedtreating their wounds. Forty injured Muslims from Bani Salimah set off to meet the Prophet: Al-Tufail ibn Al-No’man had thirteen wounds, Khirash ibn Al-Summah ten, Kaab ibn Malek more than ten, and Qutbah ibn Amer nine. After they had reached the Prophet at Bi’r Abi ‘Inabah located in Ra’s Al-Thaniyyah –equipped with their weapons– they were organised in rows to meet him. When the Messenger of Allah looked at them and noticed the density of wounds in their bodies, he said: ‘O Allah, have mercy on (the people of) Bani Salimah’” Al-Waqidi said: “Otbah Ibn Jubair also told me about some men from his own folk who said: ‘When Abdullah ibn Sahl and Raafi’ ibn Sahl ibn Abd Al-Ash-hal came back from Uhud, they had many wounds, but Abdullah was more seriously injured. In the morning, when Saad ibn Muadh came to them to tell them that the Messenger of Allah ordered them to pursue their enemy, one of the two men (i.e. Abdullah ibn Sahl or Raafi’ ibn Sahl ibn Abd AlAsh-hal) said to the other: ‘If we miss one ghazwah with the Messenger of Allah, that will be remiss of us; however, I swear by Allah, we have no horseback to ride and we do not know how to behave.’ Abdullah said: ‘Let us get started.’ ‘Really? I swear by Allah I cannot even stand up’, Raafi’retorted. His brother said: ‘Just set off down the road now; we will lean on each other and strive to walk.’ They left their home crawling, and whenever Raafi’ felt feeble and helpless his brother, Abdullah, would carry him on his back and they kept exchanging roles along their way to the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him. When they reached him, it was already the Isha (evening) prayer time, and the guard on duty that night was Abbad ibn Bishr.’ When they were taken to the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– he asked them:‘What kept you all this time?’ They told him about the cause.So he supplicated Allah to bless them and said: ‘If you live longer, you will have means of transport, including horses, mules, and camels …(see the rest of the hadith).’ Then, the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– left home while still injured. His face was still bearing the trace of a wound caused by the two ringlets of a metallic helmet; his forehead was affected by a slight fracture visible at the roots of his hair skin; his lateral incisor (tooth) was dented; his lip was injured at the level of the oral cavity; his right shoulder was enfeebled because of a blow directed to it by ibn Qami’ah; and his knees were seriously scratched. The Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– entered the mosque and performed two Rak'ahs (supererogatory prayer). The crowds had gathered including people from the outskirts of the city, who came after they had heard the (Prophet’s) call. The Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– performed two rak'ahs. Then, he called for his horse to be brought to the door of the mosque where he was met by Talhah. The latter had heard the caller, so he went out to see when the Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– would depart. When he came into view, the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– was thoroughly covered with a shield and a helmet except for his eyes. He said: ‘O Talhah! Your weapon!’ I Said: ‘right away.’ Talhah said:‘I took off running to put on my metal shield, get my sword, and throw my leather shield on my chest; I had nine wounds in my body, but I was concerned about the wounds of the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– rather than mine.’ Then, the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– came to Talhah and said: “See the people now?” He said: ‘They are at Sayyalah (5).’The Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said:‘I thought so, but they will not defeat us like they did yesterday until Allah helps us conquer Makkah.’
The Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– remained with his Companions until they camped in Hamra’al-Assad (6). Jaber said: ‘Most of our provisions were dates.’ Saad ibn Obadah had thirty camels with him. He drove them until he reached Hamra’. He picked up some among them and slaughtered two the first day and three the next. The Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– instructed each one of them (the Companions) to collect firewood during the day, and to make a fire in the evening, so that each man made a fire. During those nights, we would make five hundred fires that could be seen from remote distances. In no time our camps and fires had become the talk of everyone and a means to suppress our enemy as in the words of Allah ‒May He be exalted‒ thus: "Those (i.e. believers) unto whom the people (hypocrites) said, "Verily, the people (pagans) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them." But it (only) increased them in Faith, and they said: "Allâh (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us). So they returned with Grace and Bounty from Allâh. No harm touched them; and they followed the good Pleasure of Allâh. And Allâh is the Owner of Great Bounty." [Al Imran: 173-174] Such is the story of Hamra’ al-Assad and such are the events that took place there. The Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– and his Companions endured and marched forth carrying with them their pains and wounds, and putting up with agony and grief in order to show their enemy that they were still strong, that the land was still protected, that they were not defeated despite their wounds, that if no lions were seen in the land, then the foxes would take over. With the help of Allah, the believers came out victorious and the aggressors were defeated.

I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan. In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful: "So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers. If a wound (and killing) has touched you, be sure a similar wound (and killing) has touched the others. And so are the days (good and not so good), We give to men by turns, that Allâh may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. And Allâh likes not the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers).And that Allâh may test (or purify) the believers (from sins) and destroy the disbelievers. Do you think that you will enter Paradise before Allâh tests those of you who fought (in His Cause) and (also) tests those who are As-Sâbirûn (the patient)?" [Al Imran: 139-142]

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'an and Sunnah and benefit us with their verses and wisdom! Having said this, I ask Allah ‒Be He exalted‒ to forgive me and you!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, the Supreme, the Almighty, "The Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment, the Bestower (of favours). Lâ ilâha illâ Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), to Him is the final return" [Ghafir: 3], and I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah alone with no partner; to Him belongs sovereignty and praise. He gives life and causes death. He is Ever-Living,Immortal; in His Hand is all goodness and He is Able to do all things. I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger, the bearer of glad tidings and the warner, and the enlightening torch. May Allah send His Salat, Peace and Blessings upon him, his family, wives, Companions, the tabi’in and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

Now then, We see the world, east and west, in a desperate move to undermine Muslims. At the same time, we see the enemy incognito and lying in wait for a chance to strike. In fact, throughout their long history, this enemy never missed a chance in this regard, stabbing the Ummah in its back in support of its enemies, briskly shaking it from within, and taking advantage of incidents and grievances across history that were none of their (the enemy’s) concerns and that had nothing to do with them. They accuse us of terrorism while we are its prime victims! It is sheer contradiction and blatant injustice which prompt the Ummah to get ready to defend itself putting its trust in Allah, the One and Only. All these changes in policies and shifting political alliances will not harm us so long as we remain firmly adherent to the One Who will never turn things around against us unless we first choose to do so; the One Who will never let us down if we do take refuge with Him. Indeed, He is our sponsor and warranty in this world and the hereafter, and He never let down anyone seeking His assistance whatever the case. Seeking to establish a close rapport with Allah at all times and in these particular circumstances is the ultimate obligation. People must feel the urge to make recourse to Allah and to maintain connection with Him; deviating from His path would be easy booty for the enemy. Our country –thank Allah– with its elites and common people, is well-aware of what is happening and what is being plotted against it. To us, such circumstances have turned all too familiar and it is through them that the true nature of Arabs and Muslims in this country is manifested, featuring a deeply-entrenched faith and unwavering integrity (vis-à-vis Allah Almighty). Thus, the bond of fraternity comes in to stir among people the spirit of solidarity urging the leadership to take its wisdom one step further into decisive action while leaning on the basis upon which it was founded, holding on firmly to the fundamental precept of unity and unification, relying on its people and getting ready (for any possible scenario). We see our Ummah looking forward to the future with hope. It is being actively involved down the road of advancement, competition and excellence. Our Ummah shall not give up though besieged by hurdles; it shall not succumb to hardships; it shall never lose hope as it is blessed by Almighty Allah and promised (resounding) victory. We are not the first nation that had to struggle and endure in order to live the way its wants to. Life has never been ‘a bowl of cherries’ for Muslims since the outset of their history, as the road before them has always been mined with impediments. This is the way Allah willed it to be, and any laxity or inadvertence on their part is bound to be exploited by the devils of mankind and jinn to get at Truth and its advocates. I swear to Allah that He will never humiliate or let us down while we undertake to observe and fulfill our goals set by the Qur'an: "Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) enjoin Iqamat-as-Salât [i.e. to perform the five compulsory congregational Salât (prayers) (the males in mosques)], to pay the Zakât and they enjoin Al-Ma‘rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do), and forbid Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism and all that Islâm has forbidden) [i.e. they make the Qur’ân as the law of their country in all the spheres of life]. And with Allâh rests the end of (all) matters (of creatures)."[Hajj: 41] Doing good and preaching it are manifest attributes of this Ummah. They are inherent faculties in it and they constitute its permanent function and reputation that ‘fills horizons.’ An Ummah carrying the Message of Allah and embracing the call for Truth is one that cannot help but guard honour, rise above baseness and disgrace, and urge people to recommend one another to compassion and mercy. It is a nation to be marked with its support for the weak and compassion for the oppressed. Our country –thank Allah– is worthy of all that and in such a spirit of tolerance and munificence. Allah favours tawheed (monotheism) over polytheism, belief over disbelief, and justice over injustice. "And indeed We have written in Az-Zabûr [i.e. all the revealed Holy Books - the Taurât (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), the Psalms, the Qur’ân,] after (We have already written in) Al-Lauh Al-Mahfûz (the Book that is in the heaven with Allâh), that My righteous slaves shall inherit the land (i.e. the land of Paradise)." [Al-Anbiya’: 105] The State –thank Allah– is strong, first by the grace of Allah, then by its fixed principles and firm belief (in Him). It is strong by its men, potentials and capabilities and will not tolerate attempts to undermine its security and create divisions within its Ummah. It is the sponsor and homeland of Islam and the qiblah (direction in prayer) of all Muslims. It is the guardian of the Two Holy Mosques, and its borders stretch into the hearts of one billion Muslims; its reverence and respect go far beyond open seas and wastelands. May Allah protect our country and those of all Muslims! Oh Allah! We disburden ourselves from any claim of power and might irrespective of Yours! "In Allah we put our trust. Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the folk who are Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doing) (i.e. do not make them overpower us and save us by Your Mercy from the disbelieving folk)." [Yunus: 85-86]

This is said, do ask Allah to send His Salat and Peace upon the Given Mercy and the Offered Blessing, Muhammad ibn Abdullah. O Allah! Send Your Salat, Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ and his kind and virtuous family! O Allah! Be pleased with all the Companions of Your Messenger, and those who righteously follow them till the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail oppressors, infidels and corruptors! O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of your Prophet, and Your servants who believe in You!
O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine, in Sham and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds! O Allah! Save Al-Aqsa Mosque and the believers in and around it from the evil of the aggressors and the oppression of the occupiers!
O Allah! We leave the Zionist usurpers to You, for You are certainly more than a match to them!
O Allah! We implore You to be with our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Syria and everywhere as they are experiencing great suffering and grave calamities and they have no one else to turn to except You‒Glory be toYou! O Allah! Grant them speedy victory and relief and protect them! O Allah! Protect them, O You the Living, the Ever-Lasting, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty!
O Allah! Protect our country and all Muslim countries from all forms of evil!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims and turn their plots and their cunning against them! O Allah! Whoever intends to carry out evil
deeds against our country, our leaders, our ulema, our people and our unity,
O Allah, busy him with himself and make his destruction in his planning, O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept!
O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness !O Allah! Grant him, his Deputies, his brothers and aids success to do what is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him!
O Allah! Make them a mercy on Your true servants!

O Allah! Make our country and those of all Muslims around the world safe and prosperous! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]
"Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks." [Al Imran: 147]
O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You!
O Allah! We beseech You to forgive all Muslims and all believers, those who are still living and those who have passed away! O Allah! Forgive us, our parents and our grandparents and be merciful towards them as they were merciful towards us when we were small!
O Allah! Prolong the lives of those of them who are still alive so that they can worship you more and do more good! O Allah! Engulf with Your mercy those who passed away, light their graves and make them spacious!
O Allah! Make their graves a garden similar to those in Your heavens and reunite us together in Your House of Dignity and Generosity!
O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our grandparents and their progeny, our wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness;We askour only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and we repent unto Him!
O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair!
O Allah! Send rain down on us!
O Allah! Send rain down on us!
O Allah! Send rain down on us! Bestow upon us expedient rain, a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful and harmless rain that would rejuvenate the land, quench people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands!
O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy!
O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy!
O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Accept our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful! Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

________________________________________________

(1) The Arabic term ‘ghazwah’ normally refers to a battle or a campaign which was led by the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] himself. It is contrasted with the term ‘sariyyah’ (expedition) which someone else led.

(2) It is a well-known location at about 80 km from Madinah. Caravans used to travel to Makkah and elsewhere via Al-Rawha’.

(3) Two famous Arab tribes from Madinah who supported the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him. They are known as Al-Ansār (the supporters).

(4) He was one of the Companions of the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– who used to call for prayer (muezzin).

(5) A village not very far from Madinah

(6) A village near Madinah

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-18-2016, 08:22 AM
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The Merit of Ribat (1) and Murabiteen in the Cause of Allah

February 26, 2016 ~ Jumadal Ula 17, 1437

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Muhammad al-Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah entitled “The Merit of Ribat and Murabiteen in the Cause of Allah.” He talked about the merits of being stationed at frontline positions in the cause of Allah and explained the true meaning of being stationed to serve the cause of Allah, thus dissociating the term from what has been collated to it by feeble-minded and untrustworthy people. He equally addressed professional writers and media people and advised them about the need to abandon internal conflicts and turn instead to the conspiracies being strategized against the Ummah. He also pointed out that Muslims must protect their internal unity at all fronts just like soldiers stationed at the frontiers protect the territory from the enemies lying in ambush for Muslims.

Part One

True praise is due to Allah! We praise Him, seek His assistance, and ask Him for forgiveness!We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our inner selves and from our vicious deeds. None can misguide anybody whom Allah has guided (because they have chosen to follow His Guidance), and none can guide anybody whom Allah has misguided (He has left them to themselves because they have refused to follow His Guidance). I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his virtuous family, his Companions serving as role models for the pious, the tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death), and all those who devoutly follow in their footsteps until the Day of Judgement!

Now then! The best speech is that of the Book of Allah, that the best guidance is that of Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salatand Peace be upon him‒ that the worst of matters are innovations (appended to religion), that every innovation is bid’ah(a type of worship not sanctioned by religion), and every bid’ah is a form of misguidance. I advise you –O people as well as myself– to observe taqwa vis-à-vis Allah (fear of disobeying Him), for it is indeed the ideal provision for the traveller, the best crop to be ever reaped and saved for tomorrow. "O you who believe! Fear Allâh and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what you do." [Al-Hashr: 18]

O Muslims! Security and tranquillity are blessings which Allah bestows on mankind. They are also inborn prerequisites for all living creatures on earth. In fact, only in secure conditions can people worship their Lord in tranquillity; so, they can go calmly and peacefully to their workplace and to educational institutions. As a result, they can regularly go about their life affairs and pursue their goals towards the Hereafter.

O believers! Just as doors are fitted with locks lest they should be broken into by thieves and dams are constructed to prevent the devastating effects of floods, the frontiers of the country are also equipped with barriers and gates to protect them –Allah willing– from the inundating effects of evil and the devastation of the homeland. There are men who stay awake so that other people can sleep and who exert themselves so that others can enjoy rest. In their records of good deeds, they have gained the equivalent merit of worshippers’ devotion, learners’ knowledge, merchants’ profits, and preachers’ guidance. They are the guards stationed at the outposts, the guards of the borders, and the guarantors of security.

O servants of Allah! Ribat is settling at the outposts:the sites whose inhabitants are exposed to the perils of enemy attacks. The murabit is someone who is preparing himself to engage in jihad in the cause of Allah and in defence of his religion and his brothers and sisters in faith. It is a duty ordained by Allah in His Words: "O you who believe! Endure and be more patient (than your enemy), and guard your territory by stationing army units permanently at the places from where the enemy can attack you, and fear Allâh, so that you may be successful." [Al Imran: 200] It is a form of worship with a far-reaching effect and a high risk. In his discussion of the merits of ribat in the cause of Allah, the Sheikh of Islam (i.e. Ibn Taymiyyah) reported that there was a large consensus among the Imams/scholars of Islam that it is better than living in the vicinity of the Holy Mosque (in Makkah), of the Prophet’s Mosque (in Madinah), or of the Aqsa Mosque (in Al-Quds: Jerusalem). Imagine then the reward of those who are stationed in defence of those holy sites and in order to protect them, guard their territory, and cater for the needs of their visitors! In this vein, Sahl ibn Saad –May Allah be pleased with both him and his father– narrated that the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “One day of ribat in the cause of Allah is better than the whole world and all it contains; the space of the whip’s length of any one you in paradise is better than the whole world and all it contains; a journey in the cause of Allah,whether in the evening or in the morning, is better than the whole world and all it contains.” [Reported by Imams Bukhari and Muslim]

O Muslims! Ribat and jihad are sharia-set duties. They have their own characteristics and limitations in accordance with sharia and not with whimsical desires,or again by the enemies’ distorted portrayal or by the misconception of the foolish. Ribat and jihad are legislated for the preservation of faith, human life, property, and territory. Whoever fights to make the Word of Allah supreme is the real mujahid (fighter) in the cause of Allah. Conversely, how can anyone claim to be raising the Word of Allah if he kills Muslims praying in the mosques, violates the sanctity of human life, destabilises the security of peaceful inhabitants, and targets Muslims –before anybody else– with killing, devastation, and destruction?! In fact, the appropriation of Islamic terminology by renegades should by no means negate its original significance. Accordingly, one is not allowed to abandon the truth on the pretext that it has already been misused by the advocates of falsehood. In actual fact, the real protector of the Muslim borders and the defender of Muslim lives is the murabit in the cause of Allah, as well as those stationed at the frontiers of the country to ensure its stability and guard its territory. The murabit is also anyone who devotes himself to defend Islam and its precepts, to protect them and guards them, even if not directly involved in actual military fight. The sheer act of murabatah (2) –even if armed fighting has not taken place– is full-fledged ribat for which the murabit is fully rewarded by Allah. Thus, in the above hadith of the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– the expression “One day of ribat …” means staying at the frontiers with the purpose of protecting them. Narrated Salman –May Allah be pleased with him: “I heard the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– say: “One day and a night of ribat is better than fasting and observing night prayer for one month. If he happens to die on that particular day, all his lifetime deeds will be counted as ribat; he will continue to benefit from equivalent reward eternally, and he will be safe from the trail of the grave.” [Reported by Imam Muslim] In the same vein, Fudhalah ibn Obeid –May Allah be pleased him– narrated that the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “The record of every person’s deeds will be closed on his/her death, except that of the murabit in the cause of Allah whose deeds will be continuously increased until Resurrection Day; in addition, he will be spared the trial of the grave.” [Reported by Abu Dawood, Al-Tirmithi, and AlNassaee via an authentic chain of narration] Abu Al-Dardaa –May Allah be pleased with him– narrated that the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “Aribat for one month is better than fasting for one’s lifetime. Whoever dies while doing ribat in the cause of Allah will be safe from the Great Horror, will be allocated paradisiacal reward day and night, and granted the recompense of a murabit until Allah –to Whom belong Might and Majesty‒ resurrects him from the dead.” [Reported by Al-Tabarani and its narrators are trustworthy] Abu Hurairah –May Allah be please with him– narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “Whoever dies as a murabit in the cause of Allah will be counted as continuously performing the good deeds he used to do during his lifetime, shall be offered eternal bounty, and he will be spared the trial of the grave. In addition, on Resurrection Day, Allah will resurrect him from the dead immune from the Great Horror.” [Reported by Ibn Majah via an authentic chain of narration] Certainly, Almighty Allah’s favours are great, for any person stationed at the vanguard of Muslim positions will be rewarded, even if they are inside the country. Ibn Abbas –May Allah be pleased with both him and his father– narrated: “I heard the Messenger of Allah – May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– say, ‘Two types of eyes will not be affected by hellfire: one which wept in awe of Allah and another which stayed awake to watch over (Muslims and their territories) in the cause of Allah.’”[Reported by Al-Tirmithi via an authentic chain of narration]

O Muslims! This is ribat and this is its merit even if no killing or armed fighting has taken place. On the other hand, if the believer is tested by Allah through placing him in direct encounter with the enemy, he is considered to be in a state of jihad in return for which he will be rewarded, in a privileged position for which others will envy him, and in an ordeal he is bound to go through to reach higher ranks. Allah –to Whom belong Might and Majesty‒ says: "And surely, We shall try you till We test those who strive hard (for the Cause of Allâh) and the patient ones, and We shall test your facts (i.e. the one who is a liar, and the one who is truthful)." [Muhammad: 31] He –May He be glorified– equally says: "... Allâh has preferred in grades those who strive hard and fight with their wealth and their lives above those who sit (at home). Unto each, Allâh has promised good (Paradise), but Allâh has preferred those who strive hard and fight, above those who sit (at home) by a huge reward." [Al-Nissa’: 95] He –Glory be to Him‒ also says: "And those who believed, and emigrated and strove hard in the Cause of Allâh (Al-Jihâd), as well as those who gave (them) asylum and aid; - these are the believers in truth, for them is forgiveness and Rizqun Karîm(a generous provision i.e. Paradise)." [Al-Anfal: 74] Abu Hurairah –May Allah be pleased with him–said: “The Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said, ‘In Paradise, there are one hundred ranks which Allah has reserved for the mujahedeen in the cause of Allah; the distance between two ranks is similar to that between the earth and the heavens. Whenever you implore Allah, do ask Him for the Firdaws rank; it is the medium position and the highest one in Paradise; above it there is the Divine Throne of the Compassionate and from it spring out the rivers of Paradise.’” [An authentic hadith according to the criteria of hadith selection adopted by the two Sheikhs(Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari)]

O servants of Allah! Undoubtedly, armed combat is quite arduous, and therefore loathsome by nature. Allah –to Whom belong Might and Majesty‒ says: "Jihâd(holy fighting in Allâh's Cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allâh knows but you do not know. [Al-Baqarah: 216] Of course, killing is not an end in itself, as the Muslim does not go out for jihad in order to be killed. Rather, he engages in jihad in order to support Allah’s religion, defend Muslims and their territories, and in order to succeed in his mission. However, martyrdom is guaranteed if things turn out to be otherwise. The believer is therefore bound to face one of two things: victory or martyrdom. Allah –to Whom belong Might and Majesty‒ says: "Say: "Do you wait for us (anything) except one of the two best things (martyrdom or victory); while we await for you either that Allâh will afflict you with a punishment from Himself or at our hands. So wait, we too are waiting with you."" [Al-Tawbah: 52] Quite certainly, truth requires supporters to enforce it, power to protect it, and men to defend it. O you murabitoon in the cause of Allah! I swear by Allah that you are envied for your great deeds and their respective divine recompense. Congratulations on such reward and honour! Be guided by the example of the Prophet and his Companions with respect to remembering and supplicating Allah, along with adhering to perseverance. Let me convey to you glad tidings of success and victory: "And many a Prophet (i.e. many from amongst the Prophets) fought (in Allâh's Cause) and along with him (fought) large bands of religious learned men. But they never lost heart for that which did befall them in Allâh's Way, nor did they weaken nor degrade themselves. And Allâh loves as-Sâbirin (the patient ones, etc.). And they said nothing but: "Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk."So Allâh gave them the reward of this world, and the excellent reward of the Hereafter. And Allâh loves Al-Muhsinûn(the gooddoers)." [Al Imran: 146-148]

O Muslims! You are greatly indebted to the Mujahedeen and the murabiteen on the borders as they are putting their lives on the line and are undergoing great risk, exhaustion and distress so that you may live in peace, security, prosperity, tranquillity, and comfort. They are exposing themselves to all kinds of calamities and horrors; they have left behind their wives, children and parents so that their fellow citizens, brothers and sisters, may enjoy a good life. They are indeed carrying out such a great undertaking! Do pray for them, secretly and openly, and help them out in any way you can, for the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “… and he who looks after the family of a warrior in the cause of Allah will himself be considered a warrior."

May Allah bless me and you with the Glorious Qur'an and benefit us with the Sunnah of the Master of all Messengers! I say this, and I ask Allah Almighty for forgiveness to me and to you.

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the Merciful, the Owner of the Day of Judgement! I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah alone with no partner, the King, the Ultimate Truth, and I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, the honest and trustworthy. May Allah send His Salat, Peace, and Blessing upon him, his family and Companions!

Now then, O Muslims! Just as ribat is usually carried out in outposts and on the outskirts of the country, people of the inland have their own ribat which is of no less importance, especially if the country is at war. Its (ribat) is the guard of the Ummah’s unity of ranks and concord: loopholes through which the enemy can get in if those in the outskirts prove to be impenetrable. In fact, the efforts to safeguard the borders of the country will turn rather futile if the latter is vulnerable from within. Such vulnerability is an alternative loophole that is usually targeted by hypocrites who might seek to entice the foolish and the ignorant into it. Reason and logic make it imperative that all internal conflicts or contentions, though deemed rightful, be postponed so long as the country is at war, much less when such contentions are fabricated and trivial ones that are contrived to keep communities preoccupied, draw high-profile attention, stir concern within the media, and fill the hearts with rancour and hatred. For several days, people would go engrossed in the news and developments incurred by such differences where the ego more often than the truth comes out victorious in utter disregard of the country’s status quo and the serious events being experienced. In every society, there are sensitive issues known to many of us, and no matter how these issues are approached, rightly or wrongly, controversy is bound to erupt about them, drawing much public attention and conjuring up hatred within society. Such issues are prodded by the simple-minded, or those who are carelessly rammed into them with no consideration of the ensuing consequences or the situation the state is currently undergoing. Hence, people forget all about the ongoing war only to be preoccupied with internal clashes. If judged legitimate, those sensitive issues are, at their best, badly timed. Otherwise, they are to be construed as an internal raid whose shots come from within and its targets are within. The Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– overlooked the preoccupation with the issue of Bani Al-Nadheer’s (3) betrayal of Muslims in the Battle of the Trench until the disintegration of Al-Ahzab (the confederates) and their retreat. Afterwards, the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ brought the traitors to account.How can we stir concern within society because of issues of much less importance, issues that can wait?! In the first verse of Suratal-Anfal, Allah Almighty says: "So fear Allâh and adjust all matters of difference among you", and towards the middle of the Surat He says: "And obey Allâh and His Messenger, and do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength departs, and be patient. Surely, Allâh is with those who are AsSâbirûn (the patient)." [Al-Anfal: 46] Rushing matters and using them to suit one’s whims and desires are signs of failure and weakness. Media people in the public and private sectors alike must be aware of the current circumstances and the calamities surrounding our Ummah. Many are those who are not keeping up with events and who do not quite realize what is going on around them, hence the loss of earnestness when addressing issues and the absence of rising above pitiful agendas and instinct-based propagandas. It is indeed all too bizarre to see satellite channels owned by Arabs and Muslims, and yet their agendas are at odds with the ethical norms of Arabs and the provisions of Islamic Sharia. You also see others who are trying to appeal to the public through the use of affective language, tweets and articles while approaching certain matters; they do this in a blare fuelled by emotions and an appeal provoked by unbridled whims and passion that lead nowhere but to the awakening of seditions. Our country is envied because of its solid home front and widespread security; it is also targeted by enemies who are plotting against it and are waiting for it to meet with disaster.

With all the tremendous responsibilities it is currently assuming and carrying out, the state is in the process of managing momentous operations, facing multiple conflicts and wrestling a variety of contentions on the ground and under the domes of international bodies. Our country and its leaderships are racing to all that is good (4) and are stationing at the borders of the entire Ummah. Therefore, it is our duty to ensure the proper atmosphere in order for them to take the country and the people to safety. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a state Allah Almighty honoured with the service of the Holy Mosques and sites. Its founder –May Allah bless his soul– meant it to be established on the Straight Path. As a result, it has been endorsed, esteemed and trusted by Muslims worldwide, and it is determined to carry out its global obligation in this regard and live up to the trust with which Allah Almighty honoured it. Therefore, speakers and writers alike must seek to the best of their abilities to ensure accord, unity and cooperation among people in order to achieve our common objective. Beat up as it is now, and being infested with the insidious work of evil doers, time is unlikely to withstand further escalation and harassment. We must seek to control what we write and say so that Allah Almighty may bring an end to the crises looming about the Ummah and lift this affliction. Our Ummah is going through circumstances that prompt the halting of even that which is permissible, let alone that which is not?!The principles upon which our Ummah has stood for centuries are summed up in the Qur’an thus: "Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) enjoin Iqamat-as-Salât [i.e. to perform the five compulsory congregational Salât (prayers)(the males in mosques)], to pay the Zakât and they enjoin Al-Ma‘rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do), and forbid Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism and all that Islâm has forbidden) [i.e. they make the Qur’ân as the law of their country in all the spheres of life]. And with Allâh rests the end of (all) matters (of creatures)." [Al-Hajj: 41]

This being said, I advise you to send your salat and peace upon the best and the purest of all mankind, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, Al-Hashimi, Al-Qurashi. O Allah! Send Your Salat, Peace, and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his good and pure family, and be satisfied with all the Companions of Your Messenger, and with those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims!
O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and victory to Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors!
O Allah! Grant victory to Your Religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet, and Your believing servants!
O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahedeen in Your cause in Palestine, Sham and everywhere, O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahedeen and the murabiteen in Palestine, Sham and everywhere, O Lord of the worlds!
Oh Allah! Save Al-Aqsa Mosque and the believers in and around it from the aggression of the aggressors, and the injustice of the occupiers!
O Allah! We leave them to You, those Zionist aggressors, for You are more than a match to them!
Oh Allah! Be with our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Syria, and everywhere! O Allah! Their situation has gone a lot worse and their anguish more intense and they have no one to side with them but You –Glory be to You!
O Allah! Grant them speedy victory and relief!
O Allah! Grant them speedy victory and relief! O You, the Everlasting, the SelfSubsisting, the Possessor of Majesty and Honour!

O Allah! Protect our country and Muslim countries from all evils!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm us, Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm our country, our leaders, our Ulema, our people, and our unity! O Allah! Turn their plots and their cunning against them, O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever You love and accept! Lead him to virtue and righteousness!
O Allah! Guide him, his deputies, his brothers and his helpers to do what is good for the country and the people!
O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him!
O Allah! Make them a mercy on Your believing servants!
O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and all Muslim countries around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]

"Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk." [Al Imran: 147]
O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You!
O Allah! We beseech You to forgive all Muslims and believers, males and females, those who are still living and those who passed away!
O Allah! We implore You to forgive us, our parents and grandparents! O Allah! Bless their souls as they were mercy on us when we were small!
O Allah! Prolong the lives of those of them who are still alive so that they can worship you more and do more good!
O Allah! Engulf with Your Mercy those of them who have died, light up and render spacious their graves, make them gardens similar to those in Your Paradise, and join us together with them in the House of Your Magnanimity!
O Allah! We implore You to forgive us, our parents and grandparents, their progeny, our wives and our progeny! O You, the All-Hearing of our prayers!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness!
Allah is the only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and we repent unto Him!
O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair!
O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us!
Bestow upon us expedient rain, a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands!
O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Accept our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be our Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are far above what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!

__________________________________________________ __

(1) In Islam, the Arabic word ( )رباطmeans guarding the borders of Muslim lands against possible enemy attacks. It is considered one of the highly praiseworthy forms of worship. The one who is stationed at the borders of Muslim lands is called murabit ( ;)مرابطits Arabic plural form is murabitoon (.)مرابطون

(2) Another term for ribat

(3) One of the Jewish tribes which the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ expelled from Madinah because of their treachery.

(4) The expression in boldface is a paraphrase from the holy Qur’an, surat Al-Baqarah, verse 148 and surat alMaedah, verse 48.


Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-18-2016, 08:46 AM
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The Behaviour of the Prophet (:saws:) with his Children and Grandchildren

March 25, 2016 ~ Jumadal Akhirah 16, 1437

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Muhammad al-Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah entitled “The Behaviour of the Prophet (:saws:) with His Children and Grandchildren” in which he mentioned some instances of the Prophet‟s behaviour –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– and the way he used to treat his sons, daughters and grandchildren. The Sheikh offered a few glimpses of their biographies –May Allah be pleased with them all and may He grant them contentment– and talked about the compassion, modesty and humility of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him–when dealing with children.

Part One
Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, the Most-Revered and the Most-Benevolent in His sublime dominion! To Him shall be addressed the most sublime expressions of praise and the most transcendent forms of gratitude.For neither the blessings nor the gifts of our Lord can be ever requited. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no partner. He decreed that wealth and offspring be the adornment of life and that the good righteous deeds associated with them afterwards be everlasting. I equally bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant, Messenger and Select creature of Allah. He is the most affectionate male parent ever born on earth, the ideal father whose heart overflew with affection and whose eyes shed tears on his dear departed children. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his daughters and sons! May Allah also send His Salat upon his Wives, Companions, followers, and all those who follow him righteously till Doomsday!

Now then, O people! The best counsel to be offered and the noblest habit to be acquired remains forever taqwa (fear of disobeying divine commands). For it is the substance of all prophets‟ advice, the ornament of Allah‟s select servants, and the ideal provision on the Day of Encounter (with Almighty Allah): "…And We have instructed those who were given the Scripture before you and yourselves to fear Allâh. …"[Al-Nissa‟: 131] "O you who believe! Fear Allâh and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what you do." [Al-Hasher: 18]

O Muslims! The Seerah (biography) of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him–is full of enlightening guidance in the areas of da‟wah (inviting people to Islam), education, politics, war, worship and ethics. You can get guidance and full benefit from whichever aspect of his Noble Seerah. Here is an instance of the Seal of Prophets‟ –May Allah‟s profuse Salat and Peace be upon him–graceful model behaviour when dealing with his children and grandchildren. It is a context where his humaneness, fatherhood, compassion, and affection become manifestly clear. Even the father whose child/children departed this life could find in the Prophet‟s model behaviour some consolation, especially when he realises that the same affliction befell someone of superior nature and higher rank(i.e. the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him). Every person could find in his Seerah rulings, benefits, and sharia guidance. The Seerah of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– is anyone‟s companion, and his accounts are the décor of social gatherings. Everybody enjoys listening about his Seerah and finds a sense of tranquillity and comfort in his accounts. Let us then engage in a journey back to his early days and his first home in the company of his children ‒May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him.

O servants of Allah! The Messenger of Allah –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– was a young man from Quraish. He was known among his peers –if the term „peer‟ applies to this context– for his truthfulness and honesty. They used to call him „al-Ameen‟ (the Trustworthy). His impeccable manners and moral rectitude spread east and west. So, Khadijah Bint Khuwailid ‒May Allah be pleased with her– chose him to be in charge of her trade in the Sham. Thus, she sent her servant Maysarah to accompany him; and you all know the rest of the story. Khadijah –May Allah be pleased with her‒ liked him, and the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– married her while he was still twenty-five years old. She was older than him. The first home he formed was full of happiness and lighted with of faith. The Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– loved Khadijah so intensely that his later wives would feel jealous of her. He used to say: “I have been endowed with her love.” Their marital life lasted for twenty-five years, and he did not marry other women until after her death. He–May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ got from her six children: Two sons: Al-Qasim, Abdullah, and four daughters: Zainab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthoom, and Fatimah. Al-Qasim was the elder child of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him; hence his nickname „Abu Al-Qasim‟(1). He –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “Give your children my name, but do not use my nickname.” In this particular regard, most scholars unanimously agreed that such a prohibition mentioned in the Prophet‟s hadith above is time-restricted and was later rescinded, as is confirmed in Imam Muslim‟sSahih who reported that Anas –May Allah be pleased with him– said: “A man once addressed another man at al-Baqee‟as „Aba Al-Qasim‟. When the Messenger of Allah –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him–turned around and looked at him, the man said: „O Messenger of Allah, I didn‟t mean to call you, but I called so and so. The Messenger of Allah –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “Give your children my name, but do not use my nickname.” Al-Qasim had died in his early childhood before the bi‟thah (2) of the Prophet–May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him. Then, a girl was born to the Prophet–May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him. He called her Zainab. One of the details about her biography is that the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– had married her to Aba al-„As ibn Abi Arrabee‟. She embraced the Islamic faith before him and emigrated from Makkah to Madinah while her husband only converted to Islam sometime before the fat‟h (3) (of Makkah). As a result, the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– later reunited her with her husband. On the day of the Battle of Badr al-„As ibn Abi Arrabee‟ was among the prisoners of war. Each one of the people of Makkah sent a ransom to free their respective captives. Zainab sent some money and a necklace to ransom her husband. That necklace was Khadijah‟s gift to her daughter Zainab on her wedding day. Upon seeing it, the Messenger of Allah‒May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ felt so emotionally touched and remembered his early days with nostalgia. He then said: “If you deem it appropriate to set free her prisoner and return what she has sent (as ransom), then do.” They said: “Yes, we‟ll do, O Messenger of Allah.” Then, Zainab gave birth to a female baby, Omamah. As a token of his affectionate nature and modest behaviour, the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– would occasionally hold Omamah in his hands while performing prayer. He would hold her when he was in an upright position and put her on the floor when in a prostration position. Muslim scholars have taken this behaviour to mean a permission to make certain gestures during prayer if need be. After his wife‟s death (Fatimah), Ali –May Allah be pleased with him– married Omamah, whose mother –Zainab– later died in the 8th year of Hijrah. Muslim women then washed her dead body and shroudedit in the loincloth of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him. After Zainab, the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– had another daughter whom he called Ruqayyahand married to Othman ibn „Affan –May Allah be pleased with him. On the day of the Battle of Badr (first battle opposing Muslims with nonbelievers and polytheists), Ruqayyah had serious health problems which prevented Othman from participating in the battle.Instead, he remained with his wife to nurse her. Then, she passed away –May Allah be pleased with her. Nonetheless, the Prophet–May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– allocated to Othman a share of the spoils as if he took part in the battle. Imam Ahmed reported that Aisha –May Allah be pleased with her– narrated that the Messenger of Allah –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– was offered an onyx decorated collar as a present.So, he said: “I will definitely offer it to the dearest in my family.” The women present there said: “The daughter of Abi Quhafah (4) will certainly receive it, then.” Then, the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– called Omamah, Zainab‟s daughter, and hung it around her neck. [This hadith‟s chain of narration is debatable] When Ruqayyah –May Allah be pleased with her– passed away, the Prophet–May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– married his daughter, Umm Kulthoom, to Othman, hence his nickname „Thu al-Noorain‟ (i.e. he married two of the Prophet‟s daughters). Abu Hurairah narrated that when the Prophet–May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– met Othman at the gate of the mosque, he said to him: “O Othman! Jibreel (Gabriel) visited me and informed me that Allah had married you Umm Kulthoom for the same dowry as that given to Ruqayyah and for the same type of marital relation.” [Reported by Ibn Majah, and its chain of narration is debatable] As to Fatimah, the youngest daughter of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– the following questions are worth raising here: Whose daughter was she? Whose wife was she? Whose mother was she? Who can even comeclose to her high glorious status?! In Imam Muslim‟sSahih, it is reported that ibn Massood –May Allah be pleased with him– said: “While the Messenger of Allah –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– was praying at the Holy Mosque, Abu Jahl (5) and some of his comrades were sitting nearby. It happened that the previous day a camel was slaughtered; so, Abu Jahl said, „Who can bring the viscera of the camel slaughtered by so and so and place it on Muhammad‟s shoulder when he lays prostrate?‟ The most wretched member of the group brought it swiftly, and when the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– laid prostrate he placed it on between his shoulders.” Ibn Massaood added:“They burst into laughter each leaning on the other.”He continued:“At that time, I kept watching the scene.If I had had any guarantee of communal protection (against the reaction of Quraish), I would have removed the viscera from the back of the Messenger of Allah –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him. While the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– was lying prostrate without raising his head, someone went quickly to Fatimah and told her about the incident. At that time, she was still a little girl. Thus, she removed the viscera and then she went to them and insulted them. When the Prophet–May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– finished his prayer, he raised his voice and supplicated Allah to punish them. It was in the habit of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– to repeat his supplications and prayers three times successively. Then he said three times: “O Allah! Punish Quraish!” When they heard his voice, they stopped laughing and looked frightened of his supplication.” The Prophet–May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– married Fatimah –May Allah be pleased with her– to her cousin, Ali ibn Abi Taleb –May Allah be pleased with him– in the 2nd Hijri year. Then, she gave birth to Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein, the masters of the youth in Paradise. The prophet–May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– loved them very much. He would often say: “They are my two sweet basils in this worldly life.” One day, while the Messenger of Allah –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– was delivering a khutbah, Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein came, wearing red overalls, stumbling and standing up. So, he stepped down the mimbar, took both of them and regained his place. He then said: “Allah tells but the truth when he says: "Your wealth and your children are only a trial..." (6). When I saw these two I couldn't stand it.” [A hadith reported by the five Imams of hadith] Another day, in a congregational prayer with his Companions, the Prophet–May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– (unusually) lay prostrate for a long time. After finishing the prayer, the Companions asked him about the cause.He said: “My son climbed up my back, and I didn‟t like to disturb him until he had enough.” [Reported by Ahmed and Al-Nassae] Such is the heart of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace Be upon Him– and such is his merciful nature with children: no scolding, beating, or yelling at them, or at the child who climbed up his back while he was performing prayer; he simply prolonged his prostration until the boy got off his back. He –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “My son climbed up my back, and I didn‟t like to disturb him until he had enough.” Al-Aqra‟ ibn Habis once visited the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– and saw him kissing al-Hassan. He said: “I have ten children, but I have never kissed any one of them.” The Prophet then replied: “He who does not show mercy to others will not be shown mercy.” Such is the heart of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– and such is his merciful nature with children: "Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad )صلى الله عليه وسلمyou have a good example to follow," [Al-Ahzab: 21]. Those were Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein. Fatimah is but a part of the Prophet. He –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “Indeed Fatimah is but a part of me;what disquiets me does so to her." Complaining about the blisters on her hand because of using a mill-stone,she came, one day, to the Prophet ‒May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ to ask him for a servant, but she did not find him (at home) and had to inform Aisha of her need. When he came back, Aisha informed him about it. Ali added: “He came to us when we had gone to bed. When I was going to get up, he said:„Stay where youare,‟and sat between us, till I felt the coolness of his feet on my chest.Then, he said:„Shall I not tell you of a thing which is better for you than a servant? When you (both) go to bed, say: 'Subhan Allah' thirty-three times, 'Alhamdu lillah' thirtythree times, and 'Allahu Akbar' thirty-four times. For that is better for you than a servant.‟” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim] Ibn Hajar said: “The point here is that he who mentions Allah continuously shall be granted power greater than that given to him through a servant.” It was reported in both Sahihs that Aisha –May Allah be pleased with her– said: “Once Fatimah came walking and her gait resembled the gait of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him. The Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– said:„Welcome, O my daughter!‟ Then he made her sit on his right or on his left side and whispered something to her, and she started weeping. I asked her, „Why are you weeping?‟ He again whispered something else to her, and she started laughing. I said: „I never saw happiness so near to sadness as I saw today.‟ I asked her what the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– had told her. She said: „I would never disclose the secret of Allah's Messenger –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him‟. When the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– died, I asked her about it. She replied. „The Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: „Every year Jibreel (Gabriel) used to revise the Qur'an with me once only, but this year he has done so twice. I think this portends my death, and you will be the first of my family to follow me.‟ So I started weeping. Then he said. „Don't you like to be the lady of all the women of Paradise or the lady of the believing women?‟ So I laughed for that.” Six months after the death of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– Fatimah passed away. May Allah be pleased with her, her husband, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and her two sons, Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein!We do take Allah as our witness that we love them, are loyal to them, and that we seek closeness to Him through this love and loyalty without aversion or hyperbole.

O Muslims! The youngest child of the Prophet‟s –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– from Khadijah was Abdullah, nicknamed the „Kind‟, or the „Pure‟. He was born after the bi‟thah and died while still young. Upon his death, Al-„As ibn Wael said with reference to the Prophet ‒May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him: “Leave him, for he is cut off(without offspring).When he dies, there will be no mention of him anymore as he has no son to live after him!” To this effect, Allah sent down the following verses: "Verily, We have granted you (O Muhammad )صلى الله عليه وسلمAl-Kauthar (a river in Paradise). Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only). For he who hates you (O Muhammad ,)صلى الله عليه وسلمhe will be cut off (from posterity and every good thing in this world and in the Hereafter)." [Al-Kawthar: 1-3] As to our Prophet, Muhammad –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– Allah said, addressing him: "And have We not raised high your fame?" [Al-Sharh: 4] Those were the children of the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– from Khadijah –May Allah be pleased with her: Al-Qassim, Abdullah, Zainab, Ruqayah, Umm Kulthoom, and Fatimah –May Allah be pleased with them all, and may His Salat, Peace and Blessing be upon our Prophet and his family!

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'an and Sunnah and grant us benefit from their verses and wisdom!Having said this, I ask AllahtheAlmightyto forgive me and you!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful and the Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, the King, and the Manifest Truth. I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat, Peace and Blessing upon him, his family and all his Companions!

Now then, O Muslims! One day, the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– performed fajr prayer and then turned around to his Companions and said: “A child was born to me at night and I named him Ibrahim after my father‟s.” Muslim scholars then sanctioned the naming of the new-born on the first day of birth. Al-Bayhaqui‒May Allah bless his soul‒ said: “Naming the new-born upon birth is more authentic than what was said concerning naming him on the seventh day.” Yes, indeed! Such was Ibrahim, son of Maria, the Egyptian Copt, whom AlMuqawquis offered as a gift to the Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him–and who bore him Ibrahim. Anas ibn Malik‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ said: “I have never seen anyone so merciful with his own children as the Messenger of Allah –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him. He had his son (Ibrahim) suckled in the outskirts of Madinah and the husband of his wet-nurse was a blacksmith. We used to go there together withus, and the house would be full of smoke from the bellows. He would kiss the child and then come back.” Ibrahim died in the tenth year (of the Hijrah) when he was eighteen months old. There was a solar eclipse the day he died and people believed that this was in mourning of his death. The Prophet –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him–wept and said: “The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Lord. O Ibrahim! Indeed we are grieved by your departure.”He –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “He has a wet nurse in Paradise to complete his suckling period.”

May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be upon His Servant and Messenger Muhammad, his family, Companions, wives, progeny, and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement! O Allah! Grant us his intercession and a drink from his Basin!
O Allah! Gather us on the Day of Resurrection as part of his group and grant us success to follow his Sunnah!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims, and degrade polytheism and polytheists (who associate partners with You)!
O Allah! Defeat all tyrants, infidels and corruptors!
O Allah! Grant victory to Your Holy Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!
O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your Cause in Palestine, Sham and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! Save Al-Aqsa Mosque and the believers in and around it from the aggression of the aggressors and the oppression of the occupiers!
O Allah! We leave them to You, those Zionist usurpers, for You are more than a match to them!
O Allah! Be on the side of our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Syria, and everywhere!
O Allah! Their situation has turned more serious and their calamity greater, and there is no one to grant them victory but You ‒Exalted be You!
O Allah! Grant them a speedy victory and relief!
O Allah! Protect our country and all Muslim countries from all forms of evil!
O Allah! Whoever intends to carry out evil deeds against us, Islam, and Muslims, O Allah, let him be kept busy him with himself, and let his plotting be to his own detriment!
O Allah! Whoever intends to carry out evil deeds against us, our homeland, our leaders, our ulema (religious scholars), our people, and our unity, O Allah, let him be kept busy him with himself, and let his plotting be to his own detriment, O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept!
O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness!
O Allah! Grant him, his deputies, their brothers and assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country, O You, the Living, the Subsisting, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty!
O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet, Muhammad –May Allah‟s Salat and Peace be
upon him!
O Allah! Make them a Mercy on Your true servants!
O Allah! Grant victory to our soldiers who are stationed on the borders!
O Allah! Grant victory to our Mujahidin(soldiers) who are stationed on the borders, and all of our security forces!
O Allah! Protect them just as they seek to protect Your Holy land and Your believing servants!
O Allah! Grant them steadfastness and restraint, bless their deeds and lives, their families and possessions!
O Allah! Reward them and accept from them (their good deeds), O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and those of all Muslims around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201],

"Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks)." [Al Imran: 147]
O Allah! Forgive our sins! O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make our wishes come true in what pleases You!
O Allah! We beseech You to forgive all Muslims and believers, those who are still living and those who passed away!
O Allah! We implore You to forgive us, our parents and grandparents!
O Allah! Bless their souls as they were mercy on us when we were small!
O Allah! Prolong the lives of those of them who are still alive so that they can worship you more and do more good!
O Allah! Engulf with Your mercy those of them who have died, light up and render spacious their graves, make them gardens similar to those in Your Paradise, and join us together with them in Your Paradise, O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! We implore You to forgive us, our parents and grandparents, their progeny, our wives and our progeny,O You, the All-Hearing of our prayers!

We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness! We ask Allah for forgiveness!
Allah is the only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and we repent to Him!
O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair!
O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are the Self-Sufficient while we (humans) are destitute! Do send down rain on us and save us from despair!
O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! O Allah! Send rain down on us! Bestow upon us expedient rain, a blissful, flowing, widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench people‟s thirst and reach the rural and urban lands!
O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!

O Allah! Accept our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

__________________________________________________ ____

(1) The Arab tradition is to nickname the father by using the word ‘Abu’ (that is, father of) followed by the name
of his elder son or daughter.

(2) The time the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ was appointed by Almighty Allah as His
Messenger and thus received the first revelation of the Qur’an.

(3) It means the peaceful capture of Makkah when the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ and
his Companions made a victorious entry to it without fighting in the eighth year of Hijrah.

(4) This is the nickname of Abu Bakr ‒May Allah be pleased with him.

(5) His real name was Amr ibn Hisham, nicknamed by the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ as “Abu Jahl”. He was one of the polytheist Quraishi leaders of Makkah who was known for his critical opposition towards Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ and early Muslims.

(6) SuratAl-Taghabon, verse number 15.



Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-19-2016, 08:16 AM
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The Effect of the Holy Qur’an on Hearts

May 27, 2016 ~ Sha'ban 20, 1437

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Muhammad Al Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah titled “The Effect of the Holy Qur’an on Hearts” in which he talked about the effect that the Holy Qur’an has on hearts, pointing out its impact on the polytheists when they heard it and how the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ felt upon reciting it and hearing it recited. He also showed its effect on the Prophet’s Companions and others, such as the Jinn and the angels, and concluded with mentioning some hadiths about the merit of reciting the Holy Qur’an and that of those who have learned it.


Part One

Praise be to Allah! "All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, Who has sent down to His slave (Muhammad SAW) the Book (the Qur'ân), and has not placed therein any crookedness. (He has made it) Straight to give warning (to the disbelievers) of a severe punishment from Him, and to give glad tidings to the believers (in the Oneness of Allâh Islâmic Monotheism), who work righteous deeds, that they shall have a fair reward (i.e. Paradise)" [Al-Kahf: 1-2]. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family and all his Companions!

Now then, The best speech is Allah’s Book, and the best guidance is Muhammad’s –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him! The worst of all things are the novelties (in religion), and every novelty is a bid’ah (unlawful innovation in religion) and every bid’ah is misguidance. "O you who believe! Fear Allâh and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what you do" [Al-Hashr: 18] I exhort you to observe taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah) so that you may succeed. Do as many good deeds as you possibly can because you will soon be leaving (this world to the next). "Whosoever does a good deed, it is for his ownself, and whosoever does evil, it is against (his own self). Then to your Lord you will be made to return" [Al-Jathiyah: 15] Mention Allah Almighty when you are in prosperity, and He will mention you when you are in adversity. If you mention death, count yourself as one of the dead, and if your soul tempted you to covet some of its joys, look at the consequences.

O Servants of Allah! Living under the auspices of the Qur’an is a divine grace experienced only by the one who was given it. It is a grace that blesses and purifies life, guides the heart and makes it happy. What greater grace is there for a poor servant other than that of being spoken to by the Lord –May He be extolled– through this Qur’an? "Is it not sufficient for them that We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur'ân) which is recited to them? Verily, herein is mercy and a reminder (or an admonition) for a people who believe" [AlAnkaboot: 51] It is indeed a bounty, mercy and remembrance: "Say: "In the Bounty of Allâh, and in His Mercy (i.e. Islâm and the Qur'ân); -therein let them rejoice." That is better than what (the wealth) they amass." [Yunus: 58] Exegetes (of the Holy Qur’an) say that Allah’s bounty is Islam and His mercy is the Qur’an: "Say: "In the Bounty of Allâh, and in His Mercy (i.e. Islâm and the Qur'ân); -therein let them rejoice." That is better than what (the wealth) they amass." [Yunus: 58] The soul should be filled with joy owing to the Qur’an, and happiness and pleasure should be shining on the faces, extended to homes and societies. It is the joy of this Qur’an and of this bounty for which Allah has praised Himself before His praising servants could praise Him: "All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, Who has sent down to His slave (Muhammad SAW) the Book (the Qur'ân), and has not placed therein any crookedness.)."" [Al-Kahf: 1] This great book sent to this Muhammadan Ummah is indeed a way of life. It is the Message of Islam conveyed by the proselytizer and the preacher by which they can move people’s hearts. It is the tongue of the khatib (preacher) on his pulpit. It carries enough preaching and guidance. Sciences are honoured by approximating this Qur’an.

O Muslims! People have had certain positions with the Qur’an that have been proven by the Qur’an itself. There have been events recorded by history and stories circulated showing the effect of the Qur’an on souls: "Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding. It (the Qur'an) is not a forged statement but a confirmation of the Allâh's existing Books [the Taurât (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel) and other Scriptures of Allâh] and a detailed explanation of everything and a guide and a Mercy for the people who believe." [Yusuf: 111] Ibn Is-haq and others narrated the story of Utbah ibn Rabi’ah which says that when Quraish knew that Islam was spreading, they selected their best men to go and talk to the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him! So when Abu al-Walid Utbah ibn Rabi’ah came to the Prophet and talked to him for a long time, the Prophet listened to him attentively. When he was through, the Prophet asked him: “Have you said all you have to say, Aba Al-Walid?” “Yes, I have,” he answered. Then the Prophet recited to him the beginning of Surat Fussilat: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful: "HâMîm. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'ân, and none but Allâh (Alone) knows their meanings.]. A revelation from Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. A Book whereof the Verses are explained in detail; A Qur'ân in Arabic for people who know. Giving glad tidings [of Paradise to the one who believes in the Oneness of Allâh (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism) and fears Allâh much (abstains from all kinds of sins and evil deeds) and loves Allâh much (performing all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)], and warning (of punishment in the Hell Fire to the one who disbelieves in the Oneness of Allâh), but most of them turn away, so they listen not" [Fussilat: 1-4] The Prophet continued reciting and Utbah was listening to him with his hand behind his back, until the Prophet reached the verse: "But if they turn away, then say (O Muhammad SAW): "I have warned you of a Sâ'iqah (a destructive awful cry, torment, hit, a thunderbolt) like the Sâ'iqah which overtook 'Ad and Thamûd (people)."" [Fussilat: 13] Utbah put his hand on the Prophet’s mouth and begged him in the name of Allah and
kinship to stop. Other versions (of the same story) narrate that Utbah returned to his people who said to each other: “We swear that Abu al-Walid returned to you with a different face!” When he sat with them, they asked him to tell them what happened. “I swear to Allah that I heard something like never before in my life,” he said. “I swear to Allah that it is not magic, poetry
or divination. O, Quraish! Obey me and count it as a favour to me. Let the man have his own way. I swear to Allah that what I heard will have a great impact. If the Arabs put an end to him, you would get rid of him through someone else. Should he prevail, then his triumph and his glory would be yours too; this would make you the happiest of all,” he concluded. “He must have cast a spell on you, Aba al-Walid, with his tongue,” they said to him. “That’s what I think of him, so do what you like,” he replied.

O servants of Allah! When the polytheists saw the magnificent effect the Qur’an had on people, and how people converted to Islam when they heard its divine verses, they advised each other not to listen to the Qur’an: "And those who disbelieve say: "Listen not to this Qur'ân, and make noise in the midst of its (recitation) that you may overcome."" [Fussilat: 26] The polytheists used to enjoy listening to the Qur’an when the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ recited it. Abu Sufian, Abu Jahl and other Qurashi dignitaries used to sneak surreptitiously at night to the house of the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ just to listen to the Qur’an. One night, Abu Sufian ibn Harb, Abu Jahl and al-Akhnas ibn Shuraiq al-Thaqafi went
out to listen to the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ reciting the Qur’an in his prayers at home. Each took his place around the house of the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him! None of them knew about his companion’s presence there. They spent the night listening to the Qur’an. What a night it was! The night the polytheists spent listening to the Holy Qur’an being recited by the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him! Soon it was daybreak, so they dispersed only to meet on their way back (to their homes). They started blaming one another and agreed not to do it again. “If some idiots saw you, they would suspect that you are up to something,” they said. So they agreed not to do it again and went their way. The following night, each one returned to his former place to listen to the Qur’an and did exactly what he did the previous night. They kept coming for three nights. [The story was narrated by ibn Is-haq and others with an authentic chain of narration] Quoted by al-Bukhari in his Sahih, Jubair ibn Mut’im ibn ‘Adiy –May Allah be pleased with him‒ said: “I came to the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒as member of the Badr prisoners-of-war delegation, and heard him recite (surat) AlToor at Maghreb prayer. When he reached "Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, but they have no firm Belief. Or are with them the treasures of your Lord? Or are they the tyrants with the authority to do as they like?" [Al-Toor: 35-37], I felt that my heart was about to get out of it place. Some versions other than that in Sahih go thus: “I felt distressed by his way of reciting,” or “I felt as if my heart cracked.” But in the Sahih, we read: “That was the first sign that belief started to be instilled in my heart.” Nonetheless, he ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ did not embrace Islam until after the Hudaibiyah Peace Treaty and the Conquest of Makkah. Further proof of the wonderful effect of the Qur’an comes from a story narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih quoting Qutbah ibn Malik –May Allah be pleased with him! He said: “I performed my prayer, and the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒was leading the prayers and he recited: "Qâf (1). By the Glorious Qur'ân." [Qaf: 1] until he reached "And tall date-palms, with ranged clusters." [Qaf: 10]. He said: “I started repeating it and lost track of what he said after that.”

O servants of Allah! Prophet Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ to whom the Qur’an was revealed liked to listen to it recited by someone else. He told ibn Mas’ud –May Allah be please with him: “Read me the Qur’an,” and he started to read from the beginning of Surat Al-Nisa’. When he reached "How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad SAW) as a witness against these people?" [Al-Nisa’: 41], he said: “Enough now!” When ibn Mas’ud looked at him, he saw tears flowing from his eyes. Abdullah ibn Amru ibn Al-As –May Allah be pleased with both of them‒ reported that the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ recited what Allah ‒Glorified be He‒ said about Ibrahim (Abraham) ‒Peace be upon him: ""O my Lord! They have indeed led astray many among mankind. But whoso follows me, he verily is of me." [Ibrahim: 36] and about Issa (Jesus) ‒Peace be upon him: ""If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily You, only You are the AllMighty, the AllWise”" [Al-Maidah: 118]. Then, he raised his hands and said: “O Allah! My Ummah, my Ummah!” and he started to cry. Allah ‒Glorified be He‒ said: “O Jibreel! Go to Muhammad –and Your Lord knows best– and ask him: “Why are you crying?” Jibreel came to the Prophet and asked him, and the Prophet answered him. Allah ‒Glorified be He‒ said: “O Jibreel! Go to Muhammad and tell him: ‘We are going to keep you happy with your Ummah and We will never let you down!” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]

O servants of Allah! Before emigration to Madinah, the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ dispatched Mus’ab ibn Umair –May Allah be pleased with him– there to teach and guide people. He stayed with As’ad ibn Zurarah. He invited him to Islam and recited the Qur’an to him, and the latter embraced Islam. People heard of Mus’ab, and Sa’d ibn Mu’ath, the master of the Aws tribe, came to see him wearing his pair of cuirasses with the intent to kill him. As’ad ibn Zurarah told him: “Cousin! Listen to him first. If you hear something evil, disprove it, and if you hear something righteous respond to him!” “What does he say?” Sa’d asked. Mus’ab then recited: “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful: "HâMîm (2). By the manifest Book (that makes things clear, i.e. this Qur'ân). We verily, have made it a Qur'ân in Arabic, that you may be able to understand (its meanings and its admonitions). And Verily, it (this Qur'ân) is in the Mother of the Book (i.e. Al-Lauh AlMahfûz), before Us, indeed Exalted, full of Wisdom. Shall We then (warn you not and) take away the Reminder (this Qur'ân) from you, because you are a people Musrifûn." [Al-Zukhuf 1-5]. These are only the first verses of Surat Al-Zukhruf. Sa’d ibn Mu’ath then embraced Islam and became a magnanimous mujahid for whose death the Divine Throne shook! Biographers narrate that Sa’d returned to his people and said: “You will never talk to me until you believe in Allah and His Messenger. We swear to Allah that when the evening fell, no man or woman from the House of Bani Abd Al-Ash-hal (a big branch from the Aws tribe) was but a Muslim.” Remember Omar (ibn al-Khattab) –May Allah be pleased with him– who would always heed Allah’s hudood (3), admonish people with the Qur’an and reminds them of Allah through it: Ibn Abi Hatim and others narrated that a courageous man from Sham used to visit Omar ibn al-Khataab ‒May Allah be pleased with him! Omar missed him and said: “what did so and so do?” They said: “O Commander of the Faithful! He gave in to drinking.” Omar called his scribe and said: “Write down: ‘from Omar ibn al-Khataab to so and so. Peace be upon you. Now then, I praise Allah to you. There is no deity but Him, alone with no associate, the Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment, the Owner of abundance. There is no deity but Him; to Him is the destination.’”(4) Then Omar said to his companions: Supplicate that your brother accepts this wholeheartedly, and that Allah may accept his repentance. When the man received Omar’s letter, he started to read it repeatedly saying: “(The Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment.) He warned me against his punishment and promised to forgive my sins.” The man continued to repeat this verse to himself crying. Then, he totally gave up drinking sincerely and for good. When Omar ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ heard this news, he said: “Do likewise. When you see that your brother has committed a wrongdoing, correct him, guide him, and supplicate Allah to accept his repentance. But don’t be assistants of Satan against him.”

O believers! The Qur’an had also its effect on the hearts of Christian priests: "And when they (who call themselves Christians) listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognised. They say: "Our Lord! We believe; so write us down among the witnesses." [Al-Ma’dah: 83] Even more, the most notorious of disobedient Jinn, who used to eavesdrop (in heaven) before its revelation, were affected by it: "Say (O Muhammad SAW): "It has been revealed to me that a group (from three to ten in number) of jinns listened (to this Qur'ân). They said: 'Verily! We have heard a wonderful Recital (this Qur'ân)! (1) 'It guides to the Right Path, and we have believed therein, and we shall never join (in worship) anything with our Lord (Allâh)." [Al-Jinn: 1-2] The Jinn came down to the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ while he was reading the Qur’an under a palm tree. When they heard it, they said: “Listen to it!” They were nine Jinns. Then, Allah ‒Glorified be He‒ revealed the following verses: "And (remember) when We sent towards you (Muhammad SAW) Nafran (three to ten persons) of the jinns, (quietly) listening to the Qur'ân, when they stood in the presence thereof, they said: "Listen in silence!" And when it was finished, they returned to their people, as warners. (29) They said: "O our people! Verily! We have heard a Book (this Qur'ân) sent down after Mûsa (Moses), confirming what came before it, it guides to the truth and to a Straight Path (i.e. Islâm). (30) O our people! Respond (with obedience) to Allâh's Caller (i.e. Allâh's Messenger Muhammad SAW), and believe in him (i.e. believe in that which Muhammad SAW has brought from Allâh and follow him). He (Allâh) will forgive you of your sins, and will save you from a painful torment (i.e. Hell-fire)(31). And whosoever does not respond to Allâh's Caller, he cannot escape on earth, and there will be no Auliyâ' (protectors) for him besides Allâh (from Allâh's Punishment). Those are in manifest error." [Al-Ahqaf: 29-32] Have you ever read anything better than these words!? If this was this is the Jinn’s manner of speaking about the Qur’an, the Angels too have their own manner about it. In the two “Sahih” books (by Bukhari and Muslim), Osaid ibn Hudhair ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ said that while he was reading the Holy Qur’an (surat al-Baqarah) at night and his mare tied close to him, the mare suddenly moved around. So he stopped and the mare calmed down. Then, he resumed reading, and again, it moved around, so he stopped, and it calmed down. Then, he resumed reading, and again it moved around. So, he stopped reading for he was afraid that the mare would hurt his son Yahia who was close by. The next morning, he told the story to the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him. So the Prophet said to him: “Read, O Ibn Hudhair!” He replied: “I was afraid ‒O Messenger of Allah‒ that the horse would tread on Yahia who was close to it. I looked up to the sky and saw something like a cloud with things like lanterns. I went out to see them. The Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “Do you know what those were?” He replied: “No.” the Prophet said: “Those were the angels; they came down closer to hear your voice. Had you continued to read, the people would have been able to see them in the morning without them concealing themselves.” Such are the news of the Jinn and the angels. As for the mountains, this is what Allah told us about them: "Had We sent down this Qur'ân on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending asunder by the fear of Allâh. Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect." [Al-Hashr: 21] Had the hearts had real hearts and consciousness, and the Qur’an were revealed to them, then they would have been cleft out of fear of Allah: "Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect" [Al-Hashr: 21]

May Allah bless us with the Great Qur'an and guide us to His straight path! Having said this, I ask Allah the Almighty to forgive you and me!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah! He revealed to His servant the Book, the most dignified one. It was sent down via the most dignified of Angels (Jibreel or Gabriel) upon the most dignified of Messengers (Muhammad), to the most dignified Ummah, in the most dignified Tongue (Arabic), at the most dignified time and place. So all dignity has been secured to this Book: "And verily, this (the Qur'ân) is indeed a Reminder for you (O Muhammad SAW) and your people (Quraish people, or your followers), and you will be questioned (about it)." [Al-Zukhruf: 44] I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger.

O Muslims! This Qur’an that is between our hands is the same Qur’an that was read by the first generations of Muslims. It is still fresh; however, hearts are no longer the same hearts: "Do they not then think deeply in the Qur'ân, or are their hearts locked up (from understanding it)?" [Muhammad: 24] Allah has made keys for these locks. The first of these keys is to know the speaker in this Qur’an. It is Allah ‒Exalted be He. He is your Lord and the Lord of your earliest ancestors, the Lord of the worlds, the Giver of life, the One who causes death, the Provider, the Most Strong, the Firm. Hence, the dignity of this speech derives from the dignity of the speaker. All kinds of human speech, no matter how lofty and sublime, are indeed lower than the words of Almighty Allah. This is not to mention those who leave the words of Allah and get busy with the amusing words of falsehood. Othman ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ said: “If your hearts were pure, then you would never get your full of the words of your Lord.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad] The second of these keys is to know the blessings of the Great Qur’an: "(This is) a Book (the Qur'ân) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember." [Sad: 29] The blessings of the Qur’an on individuals, families, and communities are general blessings in this world and the Hereafter: “Whoever reads a letter of the Book of Allah will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed is worth a ten-fold reward.” [Narrated by AlTirmithy] - “Recite the Qur’an, for it comes on the Day of Resurrection to intercede for the one who recited it.” - “Recite the Two Bright Ones: surat Al-Baqarah and surat Al Imran, for they will come during the Day of Resurrection like two clouds or two shades or two flocks of birds in ranks to plead for those who recited them.” - “Recite Surat Al-Baqarah as there is blessing in it, there is sorrow in leaving it, and the sorcerers cannot confront (or recite) it.” [Narrated by Muslim] - “There is a Surat in the Qur'an which contains thirty Ayats that kept interceding for a man until his sins are forgiven. They are "Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion,' [Al-Mulk: 67]." [Narrated by Ahmad, Al-Tirmithy, and ibn Majah] - “The reciter of the Qur'an will be told (on the Day of Judgement): ‘Read, ascend (up into Paradise), and recite as you used to recite when you were in the world. Your rank will be at the last Ayat you recite.’” [Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and Al-Tirmithy] - “He who is proficient in the recitation of the Qur'an will be with the honourable and obedient scribes (angels), and he who reads the Qur'an, stammers with it, and finds it difficult to read will have a double reward.” [Narrated by Muslim] These are some hadiths by your Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him!

O Muslims! The third key to padlocks is supplication. Imam Ahmad and others narrated via ibn Mas’ud ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ that the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “Whoever is afflicted with grief and distress and says: “O Allah! I am your servant, the son of your servant, my forelock is in Your Hand, Your judgment of me is inescapable, Your trial of me is just; I am invoking You by all the Names which You use to call Yourself, which You have taught to anyone in Your creation, which You have mentioned in Your Book, or which You have kept unknown except to Yourself to let the Great Qur’an be the delight of my heart, the light of my bosom, the remover of my sadness and the pacifier of my worries,” then Allah will remove his grief and will change his sorrow into happiness.” In some other versions: “into relief”. It was said: “O Messenger of Allah! (Do) we have to learn these words?” He replied: “Yes, whoever hears them should learn them.” O Allah! Unlock our hearts, forgive our previous wrong doings and sins, guide us to recite your Book at night and during daytime! Help us to reflect on its verses and admonition! Enable us ‒O Lord‒ to witness the month of Ramadan, the month of the Qur’an! O Allah! Make it a blessing for us, help us to fast it, perform its night prayers and the most righteous of deeds! Successful will he be who fills his time with reading the Qur’an, and who makes the Qur’an his friend and companion: "The month of Ramadân in which was revealed the Qur'ân, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)." [Al-Baqarah : 185]

Now, do ask Allah to send His Salat and Peace upon the best of all creation and the purest of all mankind, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, the Hashimite, the Quraishite! O Allah! Send Your Salat and Peace upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and his kind and virtuous family! O Allah! Be pleased with all the Companions of Your Messenger, and those who righteously follow them till the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail oppressors, infidels and corruptors!
O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of your Prophet, and Your believing servants!
O Allah! Grant victory to the mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine, in Sham and wherever they may be, O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! Save Al-Aqsa Mosque and the believers in and around it from the evil of the aggressors and the oppression of the occupiers! O Allah! We leave the Zionist usurpers to You, for You are certainly more than a match to them!
There is no deity except Allah, the Great, the Oft-Forbearing. There is no deity except Allah, the Lord of the Great Throne; there is no deity except Allah, the Lord of the heavens, the Lord of the earth, and the Lord of the Great Throne.
O Allah! We implore You to be with our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Syria and everywhere as they are experiencing great suffering and grave calamities, and they have no one else to turn to except You ‒Glory be to You!
O Allah! Grant them speedy victory and relief!
O Allah! We entrust to You the people of Fallujah, and certainly You protect the entrusted ‒Exalted be You! O Allah! Save them from the claws of the terrorists, the aggression of sectarians, and the oppression of oppressors!

O Allah! Protect our country and all Muslim countries from all forms of evil!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims and turn their plots and their cunning against them!
O Allah! Whoever intends to carry out evil deeds against our country, our leaders, our ulema, our people and our unity, O Allah, let him be busy him with himself and make his destruction in his scheming, O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! Guide our leader to do whatever you love and accept!
O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness!
O Allah! Grant him, his two Deputies, his brothers and aids success to do what is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Grant success to all the leaders of Muslims in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him!
O Allah! Make them a mercy on Your true servants!

O Allah! Grant victory to our soldiers positioned on our borders, and to all our security men!
O Allah! Protect them as they are protecting Your holy country and believing servants!
O Allah! Grant them steadfastness, help them, and bless their deeds, lives, families, properties, and reward them and accept from them their deeds, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and all Muslim countries around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]

"Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk." [Al Imran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You!
O Allah! We beseech You to forgive all Muslims and believers, males and females, those who are still living and those who passed away!
O Allah! We implore You to forgive us, our parents and grandparents! O Allah! Bless their souls as they were mercy on us when we were small!
O Allah! Prolong the lives of those of them who are still alive so that they can worship you more and do more good!
O Allah! Engulf with Your Mercy those of them who have died, light up and render spacious their graves, make them gardens similar to those in Your Paradise, and join us together with them in the House of Your Magnanimity!
O Allah! We implore You to forgive us, our parents and grandparents, their progeny, our wives and our progeny! O You, the All-Hearing of our prayers!

O Allah! Accept our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! And forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be our Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are far above what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!

_______________________________________________

(1) Note: There are many surats (Chapters) in the Holy Qur’an which begin with just Arabic ‘letters’, liked surat Qaf. These letters are among the miracles of the Qur'an, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings.

(2) See footnote one above.

(3) Limits set by Allah or prohibited by Him in the Holy Qur’an which should not be transgressed by a Muslim.

(4) The expression in boldface is a grammatical paraphrase of verse number 3, surat Ghafir.

Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-19-2016, 08:36 AM
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Conclusion of the Month of Ramadan

July 1, 2016 ~ Ramadhan 26, 1437

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Muhammad Al Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah entitled “Conclusion of the Month of Ramadan” in which he talked about the good conclusion of this blessed month, Ramadan, and the special worship of Allah, the Almighty, that a Muslim should observe. He should make sure that every moment and hour of Ramadan is spent in obeying Allah –Sublime and exalted be He. He should remember Allah, supplicate Him, and recite the Qur’an. Finally, the Sheikh explained some rulings that concern every Muslim at the end of the month, namely al-Fitr zakat (The fastbreaking charity given to the needy at the end of Ramadan), and the rulings of Eid al-Fitr (The fast-breaking feast) and some of its ethics.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! He sends seasons of worship repeatedly to His servants in order to purify them. He prescribes to them certain kinds of worship that increase their reward abundantly. He calls them to repentance every now and then in order for their souls to be purged and purified. I bear witness that there is no deity (worthy of worship) except Allah. How much mercy there exists in His decrees and prescriptions (to His servants)! How much choice He made for us in what we were cautious or afraid of! He has the Kingship and the Kingdom of Heaven; He is the Glorious, the Omnipotent. His decrees are applicable to all creatures, and His treasure houses are full and can never be exhausted. He is glad with His servants’ requests, for He is the Generous. He is also pleased by supplicating Him for mercy, for He is the Merciful. I also bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah; he was the role model for his Ummah. In fearing and supplicating his Lord, he was an example to follow. He filled all his life with worship and obedience; however, the peak of his servitude to his Lord was in these last ten days of Ramadan. He would do all his best during those radiant nights. May Allah’s Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace, and Blessing be upon him, his family, his Companions, and his followers in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

Now then, O Muslims! Taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah) remains the best recommendation and the best equipment for disasters: "And verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allâh, …." [AlNisa’: 131] Whoever does not pay attention to the fact that the passage of days and nights brings him closer to his Lord and takes him away from this world, and that every day that passes of his life-time is a box which is sealed and that every hour that passes takes away part of his soul ‒whoever does not realize all this‒ then he will have falsely elongated his expectation and left his death time out of consideration. Good Lord! How regretful he will be the one who has not taken advantage of his time in worshipping Allah! Do you know how one’s lifetime is stolen? He gets distracted off his present day in anticipation of his following day. He stays as such until his lifetime is over. The end result is that he is left empty-handed of any good.

O Muslims! The days and hours of the blessed month which Allah granted you are about to come to an end. Only the farewell days remain: three or four nights which are like droplets of water that one is trying hard to pour. Three or four nights and Ramadan will be taking its leave and it will be bidden farewell. It will carry the good deeds along with it; however, what remains of the month is the best, the most looked-forward to, the greatest, and the most brilliant. In it there exists the night that is the most looked-forward to: the Night of Al-Qadr (the Night of Power/Esteem/Decree). In it still exists the nights of redemption from Hell-fire. The last nights of Ramadan have unrivalled veneration. However, all reliance is indeed on Allah’s Mercy alone. Because this month’s days and hours are blessed, and because the blessings of Allah are limitless, I advise you to draw as much blessing as possible from what is remaining of this month. Make use of its hours, for you will never know which one of its hours will carry along for you infinite happiness, nor will you know the moment when Allah’s Mercy will engulf you, and when He will grant you full acceptance (of your good deeds). Therefore, use the remaining hours and nights of this month as mounts to get you closer to Allah’s satisfaction, and win His promised reward. For Allah’s help is extended to His servants depending on how much effort, perseverance, desire, and fear of him they show. By the same token, His letting them down is also in accordance with similar criteria. So, save yourself today while you can, for the day will come when you can do nothing: That is the day of Taghabun (Mutual Loss and Gain). (1)

O Muslims! The Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– used to be more assiduous in worshipping Allah during Ramadan than in other months, and he used to be more assiduous in worshipping Allah during the last ten days of Ramadan than the first twenty days. He used to make I’tikaf (2) in these last ten days and nights. He would do his best, stay up all night, and wake up his family, as was narrated by Bukhari and Muslim. That is because these nights are privileged and the Prophet had the desire to tally with the Night of Al-Qadr which Allah the Almighty has honoured and blessed. It is the night on which every precise matter is made distinct (3). That is, that year’s preordained events by Allah ‒Exalted be He‒ which are detached from Al-Lawh Al-Mahfoodh (the Divine Protected Tablet) (4) on to the Scribes (Angels): fates, boons, lifespans, good and evil, and other things of every precise matter.

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful:
"Verily! We have sent it (this Qur'ân) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree). And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is? The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allâh in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months). Therein descend the angels and the Rûh [Jibrael (Gabriel)] by Allâh's Permission with all Decrees. Peace! (All that night, there is Peace and Goodness from Allâh to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn." [Al-Qadr: 1-5]
It is the night on which the Great Holy Qur’an was sent down. During this night many Angels descend to Earth because it is so much blessed and because Allah’s Mercy also descends (on His servants). It is peace for the believers and safety from everything they fear. Also, during this night, so many people are redeemed from Hell-fire and so many will be saved from torture (on the Day of Judgement). A Muslim’s worship of Allah therein is better than the worship of one thousand months. So, congratulations to those whom Allah has guided to worship Him during this night and accepted their worship! The Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “He who performs the night prayer in the Night of Al-Qadr in full faith and in anticipation of Allah’s reward in the Hereafter will have all his previous sins forgiven,” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]. It is the night of salvation from Hellfire; it is the night where Allah boasts in front of the Angels of His worshipping servants, the night of supplication and closeness to Allah, the night of mercy and forgiveness, the mother of all nights. In it there is much blessing; its hours are so precious since little worship is made much (worship), and much worship is multiplied. It is Allah’s Mercy for His servants that He made the Night of Al-Qadr unknown to them. He did so to help them increase their good deeds as they keep seeking it among the last ten nights of Ramadan by praying, remembering Allah and supplicating Him. All this would bring them closer to Allah and to His awaited recompense. He hid it in order to test them and see who are serious in seeking it and making the best out of it and who are lazy and indifferent. For those who care about something will definitely do their best to get it, regardless of how much hardship they come across along the way. Therefore, do your best in collecting good deeds. Aisha –May Allah be pleased with her– said: “The Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– used to stay in the Masjid during the last ten days of Ramadan, and he used to say: ‘Seek the Night of Al-Qadr among the last ten nights of Ramadan,” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]. Each night is worthy of being the Night of Al-Qadr, especially the odd-number nights, and in particular the night of the twenty seventh day (of the month). In every night Allah saves a number of His servants from Hellfire. Aisha –May Allah be pleased with her– said: “I said: O Messenger of Allah! You see, if I knew which night was the Night of Al-Qadr, what should I say then? He said: ‘Say: O Allah! You are Forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me,” [An authentic hadith narrated by the following Imams: Ahmad, Al-Tirmithy, and ibn Majah]. Ibn Rajab ‒May Allah bless his soul‒ said: “During the last ten nights of Ramadan, the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ would wake up all members of his family who were able to perform the night prayers.”

O Muslims! Performing the night prayer collectively with the believers in these nights is indeed a great blessing. It enlivens resolve and enhances energy and vitality: there is recitation of the Qur’an, prostrating, kneeling, and supplicating; there is also a Generous Lord. Long night prayer requires perseverance and patience, and whoever thinks about how many hours he has lost and wasted during the whole year, he would not consider long his hours spent in night prayer. Remember while performing your long night prayer the length of the time spent standing before Allah on the Resurrection Day. Therefore, try to make that long standing short by lengthening your night prayer. In your long prostration (to Allah), express to Him your needs, desires, and fears. Verily, Allah is near and responsive. Allah’s servant has two occasions during which he stands in front of Allah: the first at the time of performing prayer and the other at the time of meeting Him. Whoever honours rightly the first one, the second will be made easier for him. Therefore, make the conclusion (of this month) good! May Allah conclude it with the best reward (for you and us)! Insist on Allah in your supplications, for He loves those who insist on Him. Implore Allah and beg Him! Humble yourself to Him ‒May He be Exalted‒ and ask Him for forgiveness! Request whatever is good in this worldly life and in the Hereafter for yourselves, your families, relatives, countries, leaders, for those stationed in the frontlines in your defence on the borders of your countries, and for all Muslims. Also, devote part of your supplication for your disaster-stricken brothers and sisters, especially those in Syria and Palestine, and for every Muslim’s bleeding wound: "Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors. (55) And do not do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order, and invoke Him with fear and hope; Surely, Allâh's Mercy is (ever) near unto the good doers," [Al-A’raf: 55-56].

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur'an and the Sunnah and benefit us with the marvels and wisdom they contain! I say this and ask Allah, the Almighty, to forgive me and you!

Part Two

Praise be to Allah, our Ultimate Source of Hope, the Generous, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful! I bear witness that there is no deity (worthy of worship) but Him, the King, the All-Knowing. I also bear witness that Muhammad is his Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat, Peace, and Blessing upon him, his family and all his Companions!

O Muslims! Allah ‒May He be exalted‒ has prescribed for you at the end of your month (Ramadan) the undertaking of al-Fitr zakat, which is, according to Ijmaa’ (consensus) (5), an obligation incumbent on every Muslim on behalf of himself and his dependants. Indeed, alFitr zakat constitutes one of the bright facets of this great religion where Eid (6) is for all, the poor and the rich, the haves and the have-nots. For Eid to be a genuine festivity and celebration, it must bring joy and happiness to all. According to Sunnah, it is possible, but not obligatory, to pay al-Fitr zakat on behalf of one’s unborn babies. With respect to zakat payment time, it should be one or two days prior to Eid day up until before the Eid prayer time. Therefore, make certain –May Allah have mercy on you– that your zakat reaches those who are duly entitled to it. With respect to the value thereof, it is estimated at one saa’ (equivalent to 2.5 kilograms) of dates, barley or whatever the staple food such as wheat or rice. Al-Fitr zakat is to be paid in the country where the fasting person lives. However, it is permissible to pay it outside his/her country where there is more need for it. Abdullah ibn Omar ‒May Allah be pleased with him and his father‒ said: “The Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– made al-Fitr zakat obligatory on every Muslim, whether a free man or a slave, male or female, young or old, and ordered that it must be paid before the Eid prayer.” [Narrated by Bukhari] Ibn ’Abbas ‒May Allah be pleased with him and his father‒ reported that “The Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ made al-Fitr zakat obligatory so as to purify the fasting person from any foolish talk or obscene behaviour and to provide food for the needy. It is accepted as zakat for those who pay it before the Eid prayer and a Sadaqah (i.e. voluntary charity) for those who pay it after it.” [Reported by Abu Dawud and ibn Majah, among others, via an authentic chain of narration] Then, perform Eid prayer in congregation with the rest of the Muslims and bring along your children and wives, as it is one of those manifest rituals of Muslims. It is also part of the Prophet’s sunnah to make takbir (7) during the night of Eid up until the morning of that day and until the Imam enters the mosque. Takbir is also to be carried out loudly and in public (in the markets and streets). In this context, Allah, the Almighty, says: "(He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allâh [i.e. to say Takbîr(Allâhu Akbar; Allâh is the Most Great] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him." [Al Baqarah: 185] Muslims’ festivities are different from those of Jahiliya (8) in that they are meant to be a means of getting closer to Allah and of worshipping Him. Such festivities feature the exaltation and mentioning of Allah through takbir in both Eids (9), performing congregational prayer, paying al-Fitr zakat, showing joy and happiness for being blessed with Islam and the ability to conclude the fast successfully. Let us rejoice then, thank Allah for enabling us to fast, and ask Him to accept our worship in this regard and grant us a happy ending. Eid is a gift from Allah to His servants, so be happy and generous with yourselves and your families. For those whom Allah has honoured with leading Eid prayer and delivering its two khutbahs must see to it that the content of the latter be focussed on joy and merriness, generosity with the family, visiting relatives and continuation of doing pious deeds. It is unwise to call for sadness and misery on Eid day no matter how miserable the situation around us could be. It is a special day for Muslims, a day that Allah, the Almighty, has made to be celebrated in a special way, with joy and gladness. In this regard, the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “The fasting person experiences two moments of joy. One when he breaks his fast and the other when he meets his Lord,” [An agreed upon hadith]. Here, the joy of breaking the fast is used to mean the joy of Eid al-Fitr. It is for this reason that it is recommended to put on new clothes on Eid day and to be happy without disobeying Allah. By making reference to sadness in his khutbah and causing tears to flow, the Imam would be ruining the Eid day and putting down its spirit of jubilation and mirth. This is precisely what Allah hates for us to feel on this day in particular.

O Allah! Make the last of our deeds and days in this worldly life the best of them, and make the best of our days, the day we meet You! O Allah! Forgive our past mistakes and make righteous our future deeds! O Allah! We ask You to help us do good deeds, forsake reprehensible actions and love the needy! O Allah! We ask You to forgive us and have mercy upon us! O Allah! If You decree to send an affliction on a nation, please take our souls before your affliction strikes all! O Allah! We ask for Your love, the love of those who love You, and the love of all that would get us closer to Your love!

Remember –May Allah bless you– that Allah commanded you to do something, which He Himself started as He said: "Allâh sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad ,)صلى الله علیھ وسلمand also His angels (ask Allâh to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad ,)صلى الله علیھ وسلمand (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islâmic way of greeting (salutation, i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum." [Al-Ahzab: 56] O Allah! Send Your Salat, Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his good and pure family! O Allah! Be pleased with all of Your Messenger’s Companions and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors!
O Allah! Grant glory to Your Religion, Your Book and the Sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!
O Allah! Foreordain for this Muslim Ummah a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) whereby the people of piety are honoured and sinful people are guided, and whereby al-ma’roof (good deeds) is enjoined and al-munkar (evil deeds) is prohibited, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Make preoccupied with their own evil those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction, O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your cause in Palestine and everywhere, O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!
O Allah! We beseech You by Your Supreme Name to have mercy on our Muslim brothers and sisters everywhere! O Allah! Be there for them in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and everywhere!
O Allah! Have mercy on them, lift their distress, grant them speedy relief, set right their conditions, and rally them on the grounds of right guidance!
O Allah! Protect them against the evil doers among them and suppress their enemy!
O Allah! Do punish the tyrants and aggressors and those who side with them!
O Allah! Do punish the tyrants and aggressors and those who side with them!
O Allah! Liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!

O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do whatever you love and accept!
O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness!
O Allah! Grant him, his Deputies, his brothers and aids success to do what is good for the people and the country and reward them with blessings for the efforts they are investing in the service of the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors!
O Allah! Grant success to our security forces and to those working in the service of the visitors of the Two Holy Mosques and those coming to perform Umrah, and bestow on them profuse rewards!

O Allah! Grant success and protection to our armed forces who are stationed on the borders, who are sacrificing themselves to safeguard the security of our country, families and the holy sites!
O Allah! Help, support, and protect them!
O Allah! Grant success to all Muslim leaders in order to govern by Your Sharia and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him!
O Allah! Make them mercy to Your true servants!
O Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and all Muslim countries around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers and the maliciousness of the lecherous!

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]

"Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk." [Al Imran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and fulfil our wishes in what pleases You!

O Allah! Grant us a share of whatever good, happiness, well-being and livelihood You have decreed (for Your creatures) these nights, so make our reward and share of them the biggest, and protect us and all Muslims against whatever evil, scourge, and sedition You have decided to send down, O Lord of the worlds!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, grandparents, wives and children, You are All-Hearing!

O Allah! We ask You to be pleased with us and to grant us Your Paradise, and we seek refuge in You against Your wrath and Hellfire!

O Allah! Grant us, our loved ones, those who urged us to make supplication for them, and all those to whom we are indebted the most of whatever good we have implored you to bestow on us throughout this holy month!

O Allah! Grant us success to observe prayer during the Night of Al-Qadr!

O Allah! We implore you to accept our good deeds and spare us the torment of Hellfire!
O Allah! We beseech you to accept our fasting, night prayers, supplications and good deeds as You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing!

O Allah! Do accept our repentance as You are Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!
_____________________________________

(1) See the Holy Qur’an, surat Al-Taghabun (No. 64).

(2) Retreat in a mosque, usually for a few days, for devotions. When in this state of worship, the mu’takif does not leave the mosque except for necessary errands.

(3) The expression in boldface is a paraphrase from the Holy Qur’an, surat Al-Dukhan, verse number 4.

(4) It is the Preserved Slate containing of all divine decrees and willed events, preordained by Allah, since the beginning of creation (See the Holy Qur’an, surat Al-Burooj, verse number 22).

(5) Ijmaa’ is the agreement of Muslim scholars over a certain issue. It is considered one of the main sources of Islamic jurisprudence.

(6) Eid al-Fitr (Feast of Breaking the Fast) is an important religious holiday, celebrated by Muslims worldwide, that marks the end of Ramadan.

(7) To say Allahu Akbar_( _الله أكبرAllah is Great).

(8) It is the Arabic label given to the pre-Islamic era.

(9) They are Eid al-Fitr (see footnote 4) and Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha ( عید الأضحىʻĪd al-’Aḍḥá, i.e. Feast of the Sacrifice, the Greater Eid) is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of prophet Ibrāhīm (Abraham, peace be upon him) to sacrifice his young first-born son, Ismā’īl (Ishmael, peace be upon him) as an act of submission to Allah’s command and his son's acceptance to being sacrificed, before Allah intervened to provide Ibrāhīm with a lamb to sacrifice instead. In the lunar Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adhā falls on the 10th day of Dhul al-Hijjah (12th lunar month) and lasts for four days. Note that in the Gregorian calendar, the dates vary from year to year, drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year.



Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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BintAbee
09-19-2016, 08:50 AM
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Deeds that Weigh Heavily on the Scales on Resurrection Day

July 29, 2016 ~ Shawwaal 24, 1437

Sheikh Saalih Aal Taalib

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Muhammad al-Talib –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah titled “Deeds that Weigh Heavily on the Scales on Resurrection Day” in which he talked about the Muslim’s duty to take advantage of his time and spend it in total obedience to Allah, the Almighty. One does not know which good deed might be the cause of Allah’s Mercy on him and which misdeed might bring him Allah’s wrath. Throughout his khutbah, the Sheikh mentioned some of the deeds which might weigh heavily on the servant’s scales on Resurrection Day.

Part One

Praise be to Allah! We praise Him, seek His assistance, and pray Him for forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our own selves and from our misdeeds. He whom Allah guides will never be led astray, and he whom Allah misguides will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His profuse Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his Family, his Companions, and the tabi'in (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ after his death).

Now then, Verily, the best of all discourse is the Book of Allah, and the best of all guidance is available in the teachings of Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him! The worst of all matters are those invented in religion (after it was already perfected); every such invention is considered bid’ah (fabricated precept in religion), and every bid’ah is misguidance and loss. "O you who believe! Fear Allâh and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what you do." [Al-Hashr: 18] So, do observe taqwa vis-à-vis Allah, and perform further good deeds, for you are soon departing (this mundane life). "Whosoever does a good deed, it is for his ownself, and whosoever does evil, it is against (his ownself). Then to your Lord you will be made to return." [Al-Jathiyah: 15] Remember Allah in your well-being, and He will remember you in times of trials and hardships. Whenever you remember or mention death, consider yourself among the departed, and whenever you feel inclined towards any of the mundane pleasures, do meditate on your destiny.

O servants of Allah! On resurrection day, people will get out from their graves naked, barefooted, and with parched lips. "… That is a Day whereon mankind will be gathered together, and that is a Day when all (the dwellers of the heavens and the earth) will be present." [Hood: 103] The disbelievers pretend that they will never be resurrected (for the Account). Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of (and recompensed for) what you did, and that is easy for Allâh." [AlTaghabun: 7] On that awesome day, Allah will set up scales to weigh human deeds and to demonstrate His perfect justice –May He be glorified! "And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We as Reckoners." [Al-Anbiya: 47] "Then, those whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, - these, they are the successful. And those whose scales (of good deeds) are light, they are those who lose their ownselves, in Hell will they abide." [Al-Mu’minoon: 102-3] Blessed be the one whose good deeds will weigh heavily on the scales, and what a huge loss it will be for the one whose misdeeds will instead weigh heavily on Resurrection Day! "Then as for him whose balance (of good deeds) will be heavy, He will live a pleasant life (in Paradise). But as for him whose balance (of good deeds) will be light, He will have his home in Hawiyah (pit, i.e. Hell). And what will make you know what it is? (It is) a hot blazing Fire!" [Al-Qari’ah: 6-11] On that day, one would wish to gain an extra good deed to raise the status of one’s belief or any good deed which could weigh heavily on the scales. In this respect, Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– mentioned acts which can weigh heavily on the scales on Resurrection Day. It stands to reason that one should try to identify and hold on to such acts. One of those deeds –May Allah protect you– is the realisation of tawheed (monotheism) and the sincere proclamation of the two shahadas (the statement whereby one bears witness that there is no deity except Allah alone without a partner and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger) to Allah –the Lord of the Worlds. Al-Tirmithi, among other hadith scholars, reported a hadith narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-‘As –May Allah be pleased with him and his father (Amr)– where Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “Allah will salvage a man from among my Ummah in presence of all creatures on Resurrection Day. He will unfold for him ninety-nine registers where his sins had been recorded; the size of each register reaches the horizon. Then, Allah –to Whom belong all might and majesty– says: ‘Has any of my angel scribes (who minutely record human deeds) been unfair to you?’ The man says: ‘No, O Lord!’ Then, Allah says: ‘Do you have any excuse?’ The man replies: ‘No, O Lord!’ Allah says: ‘Oh yes! You have a good deed in Our registers. There is definitely no injustice today! Then, a card is brought forth to the man, on which is written: ‘I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’ The man says: ‘What can this card do in front of all these registers?’ Then, the card will be placed on one plate of the scales while all the registers of the bad deeds will be placed on the other. So, the registers will be ejected out and the card will weigh heavily, for nothing can outweigh the name of Allah, the Almighty.”

O servants of Allah! This is a great hadith for which some scholars (of religion) have devoted entire volumes. The Truth (Allah) ‒Exalted be He‒ has truthfully said: "Verily, Allâh forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allâh in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin." [Al-Nissa’: 48] In the verse of ‘hope’, He also says: "Say: "O 'Ibâdî (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! despair not of the Mercy of Allâh, verily Allâh forgives all sins. Truly, He is OftForgiving, Most Merciful." [Al-Zumar: 53] Have you noticed what the two shahadas have done for those multitudes of sins and how they weighed heavily on the servant’s scales on Resurrection Day? This is because the man uttered the shahadas wholeheartedly with full dedication to Allah; he did not commit actions which contradicted or breached them, such as supplicating or worshipping any other divinity except Allah, believing in sorcery and fortune-telling, or being a disciple to anybody else except Allah.

O Muslims! Another deed which weighs heavily on the scales is the nobility of character. Abu AlDarda’ –May Allah be pleased with him– narrated that Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “Nothing weighs heavier on the scales than the nobility of character.” [This hadith is narrated by Abu Al-Darda’ and others] The nobility of character means saying kind words to people, smiling to your Muslim brother, being tactful, kind, magnanimous, friendly, benevolent, giving charity, and abstaining from harming people. That is why Allah has linked kind speech to major acts of worship. He, the Almighty, says: "And (remember) when We took a covenant from the Children of Israel, (saying): Worship none but Allâh (Alone) and be dutiful and good to parents, and to kindred, and to orphans and Al-Masâkîn (the poor), [Tafsir At-Tabarî, Vol. 10, Page 158 (Verse 9:60)] and speak good to people [i.e. enjoin righteousness and forbid evil, and say the truth about Muhammad Peace be upon him ], and perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), and give Zakât. Then you slid back, except a few of you, while you are backsliders." [Al-Baqarah: 83] He –May He be glorified– also said: "And say to My slaves (i.e. the true believers of Islâmic Monotheism) that they should (only) say those words that are the best. (Because) Shaitân (Satan) verily, sows disagreements among them..." [Al-Issra’: 53] Thus, if there is a choice between words that are kind and others that are kinder, then choose the ones that are kinder. The nobility of character should be used with all people without exception: believers and non-believers, youngsters and adults, rich and poor. Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– says: “Man can attain with the nobility of his character the rank of someone observing fast and performing Qiyam (night prayers).” [Narrated by Imam Ahmed and Abu Dawood] He also says: “The most endeared amongst you to me and the closest in my company on Resurrection Day are those with the noblest character,” [Narrated by AlTirmithi]. Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– also says: “The most frequent causes of people’s entry to paradise are taqwa vis-à-vis Allah and the nobility of character.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmed and Imam Al-Tirmithi] Those who mostly deserve your nobility of character are your next of kin: your parents, wives, and children. Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– says: “The best amongst you are those whose treatment of their family is best; I am the best amongst you in treating my family.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmithi and ibn Majah]

O servants of Allah! The third type of good deed which weighs heavily on the scales on Resurrection Day is the remembrance of Allah, the Almighty. In the two Sahihs (that of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim), as narrated by Abu Hurairah –May Allah be pleased with him– the Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ was reported to have said: "There are two words that are light for the tongue to utter, heavy in the scales and are dear to the Merciful: 'Subhana-Allahi wa bihamdihi! Subhana-Allahi-l-Alzim [Glory be to Allah and His is the praise! Glory be to Allah, the Great]'." This is the last hadith in the Sahih of Imam Bukhari. He who wishes his good deeds to weigh heavily on Resurrection Day, let him say as many times as he can those words, and let his tongue be soft with the remembrance of Allah. The Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “That I should say: ‘Subhana-Allah, wa-l-hamdu lillah, wa la ilaha illallah, wa-llahu Akbar’ [Glory be to Allah; praise be to Allah; there is no deity but Allah; and Allah is the Greatest] is dearer to me than all that the sun has risen over.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim] The Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ also said: “He who says: 'Subhana-Allahi wa bihamdihi’ one hundred times a day, his sins will be effaced even if they are like sea foam." [An agreed-upon hadith among hadith scholars] The Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ once said to Abu Musa alAsha’ari –May Allah be pleased with him: "Shall I guide you to a treasure from the treasures of Paradise?" I said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah!’ He said: 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' [There is neither power nor strength except with Allah]." [An agreedupon hadith] The Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ met with Ibrahim on the Night of Isra’ (his night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem) and Mi’raj (his ascension from Jerusalem to the seven Heavens) and he said to him: “O Muhammad, convey my greetings to your Ummah, and tell them that Paradise has a vast plain of pure soil and sweet water. It is a plain levelled land. Plants grow there by uttering: ‘Subhana-Allah, wa-l-hamdu lillah, wa la ilaha illallah, wa-llahu Akbar’." [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi] Juwayriyah bint al-Harith, the Mother of Believers –May Allah be pleased with her– reported that the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ left her early after fajr prayer while she was at the mosque. Then, he came back before noon and found her still sitting there. So, he said: “You have been in the same state and place since I left you. She said: ‘Yes’. He ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “I said four words three times after I left you and if they are to be weighed against what you have said since morning, they would outweigh them. These words are: “Subhana-Allahi wa bi-hamdihi ‘adada khalqihi wa ridha nafsihi wa zinata ‘arshihi wa midad kalimatihi” [Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him as many times as the number of His creation, the pleasure of His Self, the weight of His Throne and as much as the ink used in recording His Words]." [Narrated by Imam Muslim]

We seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan:
"O you who believe! Remember Allâh with much remembrance. And glorify His Praises morning and afternoon [the early morning (Fajr) and ‘Asr prayers]. He it is Who sends Salât (His blessings) on you, and His angels too (ask Allâh to bless and forgive you), that He may bring you out from darkness (of disbelief and polytheism) into light (of Belief and Islâmic Monotheism). And He is Ever Most Merciful to the believers. Their greeting on the Day they shall meet Him will be "Salâm Peace (i.e. the angels will say to them: Salâmun ‘Alaikum)!" And He has prepared for them a generous reward (i.e. Paradise)." [Al-Ahzab: 41-44]

May Allah bless me and you with the Qur'an and the Sunnah and benefit us from the signs and wisdom they contain. I say this, and I ask Allah, the Almighty, to forgive me and you.

Part Two

Praise be to Allah for His beneficence, and for the success He granted us and the indebtedness we owe Him, and –by way of exalting and glorifying Him– I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone with no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, the one who calls upon us to seek His satisfaction. May Allah send His profuse Salat, Peace and Blessing upon him, his Family, Companions and brothers (in faith)!

Now then, O Muslims! If good deeds and bad deeds are to be weighed on Resurrection Day, then one should take care to consider acts of benevolence and avoid acts of malevolence, though trivial they may seem, for one does not really know which good deeds may incur Allah’s blessing and which bad ones may bring about His wrath. Therefore, you are called upon to do as many good deeds as you can and to stay away from evil ones as much as possible before it is too late.

Now, bear in mind (O you Muslims) that Allah ordered you, after beginning by Himself, saying: "O you who believe! Send your Salât on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad ,)صلى الله عليه وسلمand (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islâmic way of greeting(salutation i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum." [Al-Ahzab: 56] O Allah! Send Your Salat, Peace and increase Your Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his noble and chase Family! O Allah! Be pleased with all of Your Messenger’s Companions and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims and humiliate polytheism and polytheists!
O Allah! Fail tyrants, infidels and corruptors!
O Allah! Grant glory to Your Religion, Your Book and the sunnah of Your Prophet and Your believing servants!
O Allah! Foreordain for this Ummah a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) whereby the people of piety are honoured and sinful people are guided, and whereby alma’roof (good deeds) is promoted and al-munkar (evil deeds) is prevented, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Those who want to harm Islam, Muslims, and Muslim lands, let them be preoccupied with their own affairs! Turn their plots and their cunning against them and make that the cause of their own destruction! O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahedeen in Your cause in Palestine and wherever they may be, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Lift the siege around them, improve their conditions, and suppress their enemy!
O Allah! Help us liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the occupiers’ aggression!
O Allah! We beseech You by Your Supreme Name to have mercy on our fellow Muslims everywhere!
O Allah! Be with them in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and wherever they may be!
O Allah! Have mercy on them, lift their distress and grant them speedy relief!
O Allah! Set right their conditions, gather them around the right guidance, spare them the malevolence of the evil doers among them and suppress their enemy!
O Allah! We beseech You to punish tyrants and oppressors and all those who side with them!
O Allah! We leave them to You as You are more than a match to them!

O Allah! Grant our leader success to do what You love and accept!
O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness!
O Allah! Grant him, his Deputies and his assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Reward them generously for all they are doing in the service of the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors!

O Allah! Grant success to our security forces and those working in the service of pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors of the Two Holy Mosques!
O Allah! Do reward them generously!
O Allah! We beseech You to protect our armed forces stationed on our borders and grant them success, those mujahedeen who are working to safeguard the security of our country, people and holy sites!
O Allah! Grant them help, victory and protection from Your own!
O Allah! Cure their injuries, accept their martyrs, and take charge of their matter, O You, the All-Living, the Everlasting, the Lord of Majesty and Generosity!

O Allah! Help all Muslim leaders to abide by your Law and follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him!
O Allah! Make them a mercy for your believing servants! Allah! Make safe and prosperous our country and all Muslim countries around the world! Protect us against the evil of wrongdoers, the maliciousness of the lecherous and the evil of those plotting to carry it out by day or night!

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]

"Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folks." [Al Imran: 147]

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and make come true our wishes in what pleases You!
O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, grandparents, their children, our wives and our children as You are All-Hearing!

O Allah! We pray You for Your satisfaction and Paradise and seek refuge with You from Your wrath and Hellfire!

We pray Allah for forgiveness! Allah is the only deity, the Living, the Subsisting, and we repent to Him!

O Allah! Accept our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing! O Allah! Forgive us, for You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!



Source: http://www.alharamain.gov.sa/index.c...audio#kh_audio

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