All praise is for Allah. We praise Him, Most Glorified is He, seeking a continuance of His Graces and submitting to His Strength. Surely, none can be misled after his Guidance.
I bear witness that there is no god or deity worthy of worship except Allah alone with no partner. It is a testimony that we will cling to as long as we have to live. It is the strength of Iman and the opening of Ih'san, and what Pleases ar-Rahman and provokes the Shaytan.
I bear witness that Muhammed (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) is Allah's slave and final Messenger. He was sent with the complete religion, perfect knowledge, the Inscribed Book and sincere and pure Tawheed.
I ask Allah to send His Salah and Salaam on him, his purified family, his honoured companions and those who follow their path of Ih'san until the Day of Judgement.
I advice you to have Taqwa Allah (AW) for it is the key to true happiness and ensures freedom and salvation from all peril. With Taqwa, the one who seeks shall find, the one who flees shall be given security.
Know that good deeds raise you, Taubah (repentance) benefits you, and that your Du'a is heard. Start working righteous deeds now before you age, become ill, or pass away.
Know that death destroys all desire and ambition. It will come suddenly to extinguish your fame, cut your ties, silence your words and remove you from your homes. Your inheritors will squabble over that which you gathered and hoarded. They will be beloved to you, yet of no power to help you. Or, they will be close to you, yet cannot prohibit anything from befalling you, or, an enemy who will rejoice at your departure.
Know that throughout your life there are those who are taking into account of all your deeds and actions and even breaths that you take. No darkness can conceal you, and no bunker can hide you. Surely, the Day is near. Allah (SW) says:
"Verily, the Promise of Allah is true, let not then this (worldly) present life deceive you, nor let the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah." Luqman 32:33
Surely, days pass relentlessly like the movement of the clouds. Surely, in the change of day and night and the movement of the clouds there is a lesson to be learned. So of those whom have been given wisdom said: "A year is like a tree, its branches are like months, its limbs are like days, and its leaves are like the hours. The breaths are like the fruits on the tree. The fruits of whosoever obeyed Allah are sweet and blessed. And, The fruits of whosoever disobeys Allah are putrid and improvished. Surely, on the day of harvest it will be known that which is sweet and what which is putrid."
Since creation, mankind is in a suspended state of travel towards either Paradise or Eternal Hell.
'Ibad Allah!
Know that hours pass quickly, unstopping and irreversible in their march towards finality of all affairs. They constantly draw us nearer to the Final Day and its precursory signs.
A twenty or thirty year old can be asked about the days that he has lived and the nights that he has spent. He will remember them as if they were long distant memories that have passed much quicker than he could remember. Allah (SW) says:
"He (Allah) will say: 'What number of years did you stay on earth?' They will say, 'We stayed a day or part of a day. Ask of those who keep account.' Al-Mu'minun 23:112,113
Surely, Rasool ul Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
"Take advantage of five before five. Take advantage of your life before your death, health before illness, free time before becoming occupied, youth before old age and wealth before poverty." Reported by Al-Bayhaqi and Al-Hakim.
This Hadeeth that is shone from the lamp of Prophethood is important to all Muslims. Your life is an extended rope that is yet to snap or be cut. You never know what the next day holds in store. This day could be the day of health and the morrow could be the day of illness. For this reason, we live our lives in the present while looking towards the future, not seeking to know what it holds in store, but planning for it. We donot look to the past as a source of dreams and ambitions lost. This is a leading cause of depression and unending sorrow because, surely, the past cannot be changed. We should constantly look to our present. For the present is the key to the future and makes up for the past.
Allah (SW) says describing those whonever looked to the future and never made up for the past: "And on the Day that the Hour will be established, the Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers and sinners) will swear that they stayed not but an hour, thus were they deluded (from truth in this life of the Dunya)." Ar-Rum 30:55
Allah (SW) also said: "No, doubt, surely, all that is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. No doubt, surely, Allah's Promise is true. But most of them know not." Yunus 10:55
Allah (SW) says: "The Day they see it (it will be) as if they had not tarried (in this world) except an afternoon or a morning." An-Nazi'at 79:46
Time is a great commodity that should not be wasted. Taubah, doing good deeds, enjoining good, and forbidding evil are to occupy the days and nights of the believer. The days and nights are given to us as a lesson and a time to worship Him.
Allah (SW) says: "And it is He Who has put the night and the day in succession, for such who desires to remember or desires to show his gratitude." Al-Furqan 25:62
Looking into history and seeing the example of those who have come before us and understanding that everything has been given a specific Qadar (Preordainment) allow us to see the rise, and naturally, the descent of all the nations of yesteryear. A fact that will always reign as a reminder to those who are of understanding is those who live, will mature, and that which matures will eventually wilt away. Time opens and closes its gates as Allah pleases. Many nations have attained loftiness and subsequently have fallen from grace. Where are the people of Thamud? They were the ones who cut out rocks in the valley for dwellings. Where is Fir'aoun (Pharaoh) and his pegs for torturing people? Surely, he did transgress beyond bounds in the lands. Where are the people of 'Aad? They were very tall like lofty pillars, of which the likes were not created in the lands. Where are Qarun, the Greeks and the Romans? They are all entombed in the earth. None can escape the inevitable fact that no matter how long you live you shall die and no matter how much you gather you shall leave it behind.
In this Sacred House (Masjid al-Haram) we are reminded of Ibrahim and his son Isma'eel raising the foundations of this Sacred House. We are reminded of the blessed Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) entering, after expulsion, the Sacred House victoriously without arrogance, reciting from the Quran: "And say: 'Truth has come and Falsehood has vanished. Surely, falsehood is ever bound (eventually) to vanish." Al-Isra' 17:81
Know O Muslims that everything has its day. Surely, the place (Masjid al-Haram) where we are standing, shall also be destroyed. Rasool ul Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) described this by saying: "The Ka'ba shall be destroyed by Dhul-Suwayqatin of Ethiopia. He is black (in complexion and shall destroy it stone by stone." Reported by Bukhari.
This Hadeeth indicates that the nearness of the finality of existence will be soon at hand. All will be presented to Allah the Originator of the Heavens and the earth. We will be gathered naked, barefoot and uncircumcised. Every one of us shall be addressed and spoken to by Allah without a barrier between Him and us. He will question us about the large and the small. on that Day there will be no King or minister, no free man or slave, no oppressor and oppressed.
Yes, we shall stand in front of Allah the Lord of the Ka'ba. Allah (SW) says:
"And truly you have come unto Us alone (without wealth, companions, or anything) as We created you the first time." Al-An'am 6:94
We shall all stand in front of the Sovereign Lord. O you, who are oppressive to others, have you taken note of this Day? Will you not stop your oppression before the Day will come when nothing shall be of avail for you?
Yes, O Muslims we shall stand in front of Allah the Sovereign Lord Most High is He. O you, who deceive and defraud, have you looked towards this Day?
Yes, we shall all stand in front of the Unique, The one and be questioned by Him. O you, who are self-absorbed and think of yourselves as being more important than all others, are you not identical in manner and physical appearance to he whom you deem unimportant? We are all created and descendants of Adam and Eve.
Yes, O slaves of Allah we all shall stand in front of the Creator. O Muslim women! Have you prepared for this Day?
Have you prepared for the Day when you shall be naked and your deeds laid bear for all to see? Do you not turn to Allah in Taubah and seek His forgiveness? Do you not abandon sinning and enticing others with your beauty, causing the same affect on the hearts and thoughts as intoxicants has on the mind?
Do you not stop perfuming yourself before leaving your home, knowing that this is one of the most alluring tactics that is used to attract men and their attention to you?
Yes, O slaves of Allah ,we shall all stand in His presence, Our Lord, Creator on a Day whose length is that of one thousand years. It is the Day of the Earthquake and the Overwhelming event. It is the Day of the Striking Hour and the Reality and the day of Recompense.
'Ibad Allah!
The Month of Ramadan is nearly finished. The Muslim Ummah has enjoyed its graces for the last 29 days. We were all consumed with its splendor, atmosphere and sights and sounds. Yet, it has passed by as quickly as it has arrived, like the twinkling of an eye. The season of Taqwa has elapsed and all returns to Allah eventually.
O sinner, you who have wronged your own selves and have involved others in your sins, turn to Allah and beg Him for His Mercy and forgiveness. Seek Allah and call out to Him in true regret and shame of your sin. Donot let this month elapse without turning to Him in sincerity seeking His forgiveness and Mercy.
Allah (SW) says: "But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts), Verily his abode will be Hell-Fire." An-Nazi'at 79:40,41
Have you taken a critical look at yourself O sinner and tried to comprehend and add up the amount of punishment that is set in store for your sins? Have you comprehended the fact that your sins will be made public and you will be exposed for what you really are? If sins emitted an aroma, none of us would be able to sit beside the next. May destruction befall those who allow the Month of Ramadan to elapse without attempting to seek forgiveness for one's sins. Know that without admitting and regretting your sins, you will not be forgiven.
Those who have come before us and were of piety could actually count the sins that they have committed in their lives. Imam bin Sireen (ra) said: "By Allah I know the sin that I am carrying as a debt. Forty years ago I once told a man you are surely in destitute."
He can remember the sin and is carrying it as a debt that will be repaid. While we today are sinning in such multitude that we cannot remember all the sins that we have committed this day. They counted large and minor sins knowing that reward or punishment will fit the crime. They were very careful in their words, deeds and interactions with others. They lived as a collective society not individuals. To them, the worldly life was a trust that would eventually be given back to its rightful owner.
Know that he, who is in love with the Dunya, scorns the Akhira. None shall hate to meet Allah except that Allah shall become angered with him and hate to meet him.
Ibn Mas'ood (ra) said: "The one who forsakes from amongst you is in fact coveting. The one who strives from amongst you ceases to act, and the one who is knowledgeable from amongst you is ignorant." This means that no matter what we do, we can always do more, know more, and strive more. We have not fulfilled our obligations.
Therefore, O you who seek to delay asking for forgiveness, delay not, for no one knows how long he will remain. Donot delay your Taubah for a later date or until the next Ramadan; repent now for no time is better than the present. Beautify yourself with Taubah and seeking forgiveness. Seek forgiveness and admit your sin and shortcoming. Change yourself for the better. Be from those who are foremost in the maintenance of their religion. True life is the life of the pure and enlightened.
Allah (SW) says: "Is he who was dead (without Faith due to ignorance or 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? Thus it is made fair-seeming to the disbelievers that which they used to do." Al-An'am 6:122
Surely, he who fears his Lord, Allah shall cause his enemies to fear him. But, he who fears his enemies and does not fear his Lord, Allah shall let him remain in fear and grief.
O Muslims, the final page of the month of Ramadan for this year is turned over. Those who were righteous will be notarized as having done so. Equally those who disobeyed Allah will be known as those who did not repent or earn forgiveness. Some have lost goodness, others were deprived of goodness, while others acquired and shared in goodness and piety. Surely, we are in sorrow that we must wait in patience for a full year to have this Month grace on us once again.
I ask to bless you and I with the Glorious Quran and to benefit us with its reminder and Ayat that are full of wisdom. I ask Allah to forgive you and I and the rest of the Muslim Ummah from every sin. Seek Allah's forgiveness and repent to Him, surely He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Fear Allah (SW) and know that we as Muslims have only two days of festivity a year, no third to them. This is a religious and cultural understanding, although we know that any day that a Muslim lives and does not disobey His Lord is a day of festivity as 'Ali bin Abi Talib (ra) has stated.
The days of 'Eid or festivity are intended to be a source of relaxation and enjoying each others company without transgressing of the normal day to day bounds. Therefore, 'Eid should not be filled with anything that is not sanctioned in other days of the year. Our homes, communities and media should work towards clean, healthy and sanctioned enjoyment that is free of immorality, and sin.
One of the Salaf (ra) saw a group of people at the end of Ramadan during the 'Eid festivities celebrating in a manner that was improper. He (ra) said:
"If their Siyam has been accepted (by Allah) they are not thanking Him for His acceptance. But, if their Siyam has not been accepted (by Allah) then they are not showing Him that they fear Him."
Such a type of people have corrupted the concept of al-'Eid by making it a time of no inhibitions and unrestraint. They forget the importance and merit of fasting the six days of Shawal (the month that immediately follows Ramadan). They forget the virtue of the last hours of the day of Jum'aa (Du'a is accepted in one of those hours). They forget the importance of the third or last part of the night (Allah Descends in the manner that befits His Majesty to the heaven of the earth and listens to the pleas of His slaves and answers them).
In place of piety, they substitute an improper behaviour and travel to un-Islamic locals seeking to fulfill their lustful urges and quench their desires.
O Muslims, fear Allah and know that Allah has obligated every Muslim to give Sadaqat ul Fitr (Charity at time of ending fast). Men or women, young or old, slave or a freeman, all must pay the charity of the end of fast. Rasool ul Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) has set the amount of charity as being a Sa' (two and a half kilograms) of dried dates, or barley or raisins. This should not be paid with money to the poor. It is to be paid out in food and not the monetary equivalent.
Note that the Sadaqah should be given in full before the 'Eid prayer as was the habit and order of Rasool ul Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam).
Send your Salah and Salaam on Muhammed bin Abdullah bin Abdul Mutalib (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) the owner of the Haud and Intersession.
O Allah, bless Muhammed and the family members of Muhammed, as you have blessed Ibrahim and the family members of Ibrahim.
O Allah grant favours to Muhammed and the family members of Muhammed, as you have granted favours to Ibrahim and the family members of Ibrahim. In the worlds, You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious.
O Allah be content with the Caliphs Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman and 'Ali and the rest of the companions. O Allah give strength to Islam and the Muslims.
Sheikh Sa'ood Ibraheem Ash Shuraim - Imam and Khateeb of Al-Masjid Al-Haram
Hazrat Abu Umama (radhiallaho anho) reports that Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) made numerous duas but some of us could not remember any of these duas. We said to him: “O Nabi of Allah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam)! You have made immumerable duas but we do not remember any of them.” Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) replied: “Should I not show you such a comprehensive dua which includes all these duas? Say:
O Allah! I beg of You for all the good that Your Nabi Muhammad (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) asked of You and I seek refuge from all the evil that Your Nabi Muhammad (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) sought refuge from. You alone are the one from whom help is sought. And it is upon You to answer our plea. There is no power to refrain from sins and to perform righteous deeds except from You.
(I humbly request all The readers to try and memorise this blessed dua)
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