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First Khutbah:
Praise be to Allah! Every single day, but The Sublime and the Glorified and Exalted (i.e. Allah) says: O My servant, you have not been fair to Me, I remember you and you forget Me, I urge you to take refuge with Me and you seek others' help, and I relief you from hardship and you keep sinning.
O my servant, what will you say when you come to Me?
I created everything for you, and I created you for Me, yet you get occupied with the creations and forgot Me.
If you are occupied with My graces and bestowals and you forget to worship Me (the Bestowal and The Giver of graces), then you do not show gratitude for My graces to you and you are not taking into consideration the Sacredness of Mine, thus every Grace distracts you from Me is but diversity, and every bestowal occupies you is but affliction.
I testify that there is no deity but Allah Alone, and that He has no partners. Worship is only For You, to You only we turn, from You only we fear, On You only we depend, to you Only is our submission, The Authority is only the one of Your Shari'a and the Guidance is only Yours.
And I testify that Sayyidina Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is the Messenger of Allah.
O messenger of Allah:
You traveled over night from one sacred place (Haram Mosque) to another (Aqsa Mosque, same)
as the full moon travels (at night) through intense darkness.
And (O Prophet!) you continued ascending until you reached (your) destination (which is) Qaaba Qausain (the distance of two cubits length)
which is never been attained nor sought (by any other prophet).
And (O Prophet!) you were preferred (to lead other prophets in prayer), due to your (high) position, by all prophets and messengers
(just as a) preference given by (a) servant to (his) master.
And (O prophet) you are bestowed extremely excellent ranks (status);
and the bounties which (are) granted to you, are not understandable.
* * *
O Allah, our Lord! Grant peace and blessings to Sayyidina Muhammad, upon his Family and his Companions, and his descendants, the trustees of his message and leaders of his army, and be pleased with us and them O Lord of the worlds.
The prophet's complain Peace be Upon Him:
O servants of Allah, I advice you and myself of fearing Allah and I encourage you to obey Him and I will begin with what is good.
((Oh, Allah, I appeal to you for the weakness in my strength, and my limited power, and the treatment of contempt and humiliation from people. To you, the most Merciful of all the Merciful ones, you are the Lord of the oppressed, and you are my Lord. Under whose care are you leaving me to? To an enemy oppressing me? Or to a friend you have given control of my affair? If there is no anger from you on me I will forever be content. However, your blessing is vastly important for me. I seek refuge with the glory of your light, which the heavens and earth are lit form, your anger will not befall on me, nor your displeasure descends on me. To you is the supplication until you are pleased, and there is no control or power except by You))
This was the supplication of the prophet PBUH in Ta'if, for the prophet (PBUH) went to Ta’if, a town near Makkah, calling its people to Islam. But they rejected his call most insolently, mocked him and even urged their fools to be mean to him.
Gabriel came to him PBUH and said, '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 the prophet PBUH, 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 (PBUH) said his words that manifest his overwhelming mercy,
"No but I hope that Allah will let them beget children who will worship Allah Alone, and will worship None besides Him."
Complaint to Allah and seeking refuge with Him bespeak servitude and consciousness, better yet, it is the utmost means of nearness (to Allah).
The tenth year of the prophet’s mission was a year of grief, because of the death of his wife, Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her - the most truthful of all women, who sympathized with him at times of distress and consoled him at times of hardship with herself and wealth - and because of the death of his uncle Abu Talib, who had shown much nobility and truthfulness as a sponsor and supporter, after whose death Quraish did more harm to the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH).
In addition to all that the response of the people of Ta’if was very harsh.
Beyond a shadow of doubt, the prophet (PBUH) bore in that year many more troubles and hardships than any other human being could ever bear, unless he be a Prophet.
Allah says:
﴾O Messenger (Muhammad )! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message. Allah will protect you from mankind. Verily, Allah guides not the people who disbelieve﴿
Al Isra' and Al Mi'raj:
Beyond a shadow of doubt, the Prophet’s miraculous journey was a most prominent event in Islamic history, because it was preceded by the Prophet’s Mission and followed by his Emigration to Madinah.
In fact, the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascension were not only a kind of redemption of the past injuries and encouragement for the prophet PBUH but also reassurance of the future of the call to Islam and recompense by heavenly honor for earthly roughness and by Divine hospitality for cruelty of mankind.
In such a unique Divine journey, the prophet PBUH saw that Allah was with him in His Care and Protection, and that He All Mighty conferred upon him an unmatched honor and let him know that he is the best of all mankind. He (PBUH) was made to see the Kingdom of the heavens and earth and even the world to come. Verily, he was made to see the Greatest Signs of his Lord.
Brothers in faith everywhere: every religious occasion in Islam but has significant denotations, explicit beacons and deep morals. It is not the details or the occurrences that count in these incidents for the purpose of knowing and remembering them, but rather, these historical incidents teach us lessons which give light upon the path we take to reach Allah and they turn into torches that help us while we are calling to Him.
What do we learn from Al Isra' and Al Mi'raj?
In fact, the Prophet’s unmatched miraculous Journey embraces a great many significations!
1- Worldly life is but the abode of test and affliction:
It teaches us that this worldly life is a place of crookedness and is not a place of straightforwardness. It is a place of grief and is not a place of joy. Whoever recognizes this will not feel joy at [the achievement of] some hope [because, he knows it is temporary] or feel grief at wretchedness. Allah has meant for the worldly life to be a place of trial, and has meant for the Hereafter to be a place of ramification. Hence, He has made the adversity of the worldly life a reason for the reward in the Hereafter, and He has made the reward of the Hereafter a compensation for the adversity of the worldly life. He takes to give and afflicts to reward.
2- There is profound wisdom hidden within calamities:
It teaches us that trials and hardships are meant to drive people to the Way of Allah and cause them to turn to Him All Mighty with servitude and submission and push them to pray to Him for Divine Help.
3- Calamities never drive the believer away from his Lord:
It teaches us that hardships and obstacles should never prevent us from perseverance and firm resolution.
4- Allah is our only Guarantee, Protector and Helper:
It teaches us that so long as Allah is the Commander, He is no doubt the Protector, Supporter and Helper.
5- Had it not been for striving and endurance, Allah would have never been worshiped on earth:
It teaches us that without strife and perseverance, Allah would not have been worshipped on earth and Islam would not have spread all over the world, and that we would not be now celebrating Allah’s Oneness and Glory in this mosque on air.
6- Relief comes with hardship and victory comes with endurance:
It teaches us that ease always comes with distress, that victory always comes with perseverance and that weal always comes with woe.
7- Salah is privileged by being imposed during the journey of Mi'raj:
It teaches us that Allah, Glorified and Exalted, honored the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by this unmatched journey and ascension to bring him nearest to His Divine Entity, and that He, All High, honored the nation of Islam by enjoining the Salat (prayers) on them as nearness and spiritual exaltation to Him, Lord of the heavens and earth.
As Salah:
1- As Salah is the cornerstone of Islam:
As Salat (prayer) was enjoined on the prophet and his Muslim nation when he (PBUH) was nearest to Allah, Praise be to Him.
As Salat was enjoined by direct revelation when the prophet was Near Sidrat-ul-Muntaha [lote-tree of the utmost boundary (beyond which none can pass)], near the Paradise of Abode, where he approached and came closer and was at a distance of two bows' length or (even) nearer. So did (Allah) convey the Inspiration to His slave [Muhammad through Jibrael (Gabriel)].
As Salat was enjoined because it is the Pillar of Islamic religion. He who performs the Salat firmly establishes religion; but he who neglects it destroys religion. This is because the essence of Islamic religion is: to be connected with Allah and to do good to His creatures.
Had it not been for this connection with Allah (or had this connection been disconnected or been voided from its purpose), man would have abandoned the religion and treated all creatures badly.
2- As Salah brings about to its performer transcendent rank:
Truly, mankind is of two types, wretched and happy. The wretched ones are those who are disconnected with Allah, disobey Him and do evil and injustice to His creatures. The happy ones are those who are connected with Allah, obey Him and do good to His creatures.
Salah elevates man from a rank to a better one, from a status to a better one, from a level to a better one and from a vision to a better one.
Salat was enjoined because it saves man from the world of illusion and falsehood to the world of Reality, and from the world of materialism to the world of values.
It saves him from evil lusty desires to the ecstasy of nearness to the Lord All Mighty, from insane trivialities to sublime nobility, from degradation to exaltation and from the muddy shallows of lusts to the heavens of Allah's Proximity.
3- As Salah is but Dhikr:
Salah is but remembrance of Allah, Allah says:
﴾"Verily! I am Allah! La ilaha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshipped but I), so worship Me, and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) for My Remembrance.﴿
4- As Salah is but nearness to Allah:
It is nearness to Allah All Mighty:
﴾Nay! (O Muhammad)! Do not obey him (Abu Jahl). Fall prostrate and draw near to Allah!﴿
[Al-'Alaq; 19]
5- As Salah is but submission to Allah:
Salah is but submission, Allah says:
﴾Successful indeed are the believers. hose who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness.﴿
6- As Salah is but Munajat (confindential talking of man to Allah):
Salah is but Munajat, the prophet PBUH said:
(("When you pray you are talking confidentially to your Lord. So look to what you confide to Him))
7- As Salah is but consciousness:
It is consciousness,
﴾O you who believe! Approach not As-Salat (the prayer) when you are in a drunken state until you know (the meaning) of what you utter, nor when you are in a state of Janaba, (i.e. in a state of sexual impurity and have not yet taken a bath)﴿
8- As Salah is but comprehension:
With consciousness there is comprehension. The Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), says,
“Man is not recompensed for his Salat (prayer) except what he comprehends thereof.”
9- As Salah is but a spiritual ascension for its:
As Salat is spiritual ascension, the prophet PBUH said:
“The Salat is the believer’s ascension (to Allah).”
10 – As Salah is the path to know Allah:
However, As Salat will not be nearness, submission, comprehension, consciousness, ascension or supplication unless it is based on good knowledge of Allah, for it is impossible to invoke Whom you do not know. As Salat will not be truthful unless it is preceded by adherence to Allah’s Commands and His prophet’s Sunna, for it is impossible to seek nearness to Whom you disobey. Verily ignorance is an obstacle, and disobedience is a barrier.
If we reflect on the creation of the heavens and earth, we will know the Creator Whom we remember and confidentially talk to, and thus the barrier will be removed.
The sincere repentance wipes out all previous sins, and the veil between man and Allah will be torn thereof, and if it is followed by good deeds, this will accelerate the paces to Allah and exalt man's rank in His Sight.
Allah says:
﴾So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord."﴿
As Salat, therefore, is an accurate scale of man’s knowledge of Allah, of worshiping Him and offering good deeds.
To this effect, the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), says,
“The parable of the enjoined Salat is that of a scale; he who gives full measure gets full measure.”
In other words, he who performs prayer properly, gets its fruits promised by Allah, All Mighty.
The purpose of Salah and its fruitful outcome:
Now, what are the fruits of prayer which Allah has promised?
1- As Salah purifies the soul:
It purifies the worshipper’s soul from all evil desires, deviated lusts and devastating psychological diseases. It also grants him self-abstention from committing evil deeds and reprehensible actions on the basis of self-motivation rather them outer deterrence. To this effect, Allah All Mighty says,
﴾Verily, As-Salat (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahsha' (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc.) and the remembering (praising, etc.) of (you by) Allah (in front of the angels) is greater indeed [than your remembering (praising, etc.) Allah in prayers, etc.]﴿
According to scholars, this Ayah denotes that Allah’s remembrance is the greatest fruit of prayer.
﴾…and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) for My Remembrance.﴿
The prophet PBUH clarified the main purpose of Salah:
Abu Hurairahu (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, "Say, if there were a river at the door of one of you in which he takes a bath five times a day, would any soiling remain on him?" They replied, "No soiling would left on him." He (PBUH) said, "That is the five (obligatory) Salat (prayers). Allah obliterates all sins as a result of performing them."
2- As Salah is but enlightenment for the believer:
Prayer, besides its being purification, it is enlightenment for the believer, as confirmed by the prophet,
((... with which man will see the truth as truth and follow it, and falsehood as falsehood and avoid it))
Allah All Mighty also 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?﴿
Allah also says:
﴾ Their greeting on the Day they shall meet Him will be "Salam: Peace (i.e. the angels will say to them: Salamu 'Alaikum)!" ﴿
Such light is the fruit of prayer; by it man’s vision of things is corrected and rightly guided; and once vision is corrected, work becomes correct, too.
3- As Salah overwhelms the soul with joy:
Besides its being purification and enlightenment, prayer causes spiritual joy, for the heart is not at ease and the soul is not in joy without Salah. To this effect, Allah, says
﴾…and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) for My Remembrance.﴿
﴾Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest .﴿
It was narrated that Anas said: "The Messenger of Allah said: 'Women and perfume have been made dear to me, but my comfort has been provided in prayer.'"
On the authority of Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin ’Amr bin al-’Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “None of you [truly] believes until his desires are subservient to that which I have brought.”
The one, who is disconnected from Allah, is very impatient and irritable, whereas the performer of prayers is healed from such vulnerability, Allah says:
﴾Verily, man (disbeliever) was created very impatient; Irritable (discontented) when evil touches him;﴿
Whenever befallen by a serious matter, the prophet (PBUH) would always hurry to prayer. He (PBUH) used to say: “
O Bilal, call iqamah for prayer: give us comfort by it.
Narrated Al-Aswad: I asked `Aisha what did the Prophet (PBUH) use to do at home. She replied. "He used to keep himself busy serving his family and when it was time for the prayer, he would get up for prayer."
Sayyidina Said Ibn Abi Waqqas said:
((In doing three things I consider myself to be a (real) man; otherwise I am just one of the average. I never pray and be busy with something else till I finish my prayer; I never heard something from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, but I knew for sure that it was the truth revealed to Him from Allah the Almighty; and I have never attended a funeral and talked about anything else than it till it was over.))
To sum up, we bring forth the Divine Hadith narrated by the prophet (PBUH), in which Allah says,
((Not all those who pray are prayers, as I accept Salat from only those whose Salat make them humble to My Greatness, who do not follow their desires, who do not insist on disobeying Me, who feed the hungry, who cloth up the needy, who are merciful to the injured, and who house the stranger. Only if all are done for my Sake, by My Glory and My Loftiness the light of his face will be to Me brighter than the sun. I will turn his recklessness to patience and darkness to light, and if he supplicates Me, I will answer him, if he asks Me, I will give him, if he swears by My Name, I will respond to him. I will keep him close to Me and let My angels protect him. He is to Me like Paradise whose fruits do not lack and whose state never changes.))
Prayer is the pillar of religion, the tight bond of true Faith, the best and foremost of all of man’s righteous deeds that bring him near to the Lord All Mighty. It is the paramount work of obedience and spiritual enhancement. It is the only repeated daily pillar of Islam, from which no Muslim is exempt.
It is the basis of all acts of devotion, the origin of all the deeds that bring man near to Allah, and the source of all acts of obedience.
It is the basic and foremost pillar of Islam and the first thing that man will be questioned about on the Day of Resurrection and will never prosper without.
Allah says:
﴾Successful indeed are the believers. hose who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness.﴿
O Allah, teach us what is beneficial to us and let us benefit from it and increase our knowledge.
The second Khutba: Celebrating Al Isra' and Al Mi'raj:
1- Faith and Jihad (strife):
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds and may He bless and grant peace to Muhammad PBUH, the Faithful and the Honest, and may Allah bless his folks and companions.
Dear brother, faith is deeply linked with strife. Faith is not well established unless strife is one of its components. Allah says:
﴾Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allah's Cause, so they kill (others) and are killed. It is a promise in truth which is binding on Him in the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel) and the Qur'an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain which you have concluded. That is the supreme success .﴿
With the Night Journey and Ascension, Al- Aqsa Mosque is considered as a symbol of the Islamic character, so it should not be taken or desecrated by the enemies of Allah who make lot of evil on earth.
2- Al Aqsa Mosque:
The occasion of the Night Journey and Ascension refers strongly that Muslims should not neglect their duty in protecting Al- Aqsa Mosque, because it was a place where Allah honored His prophet, and consequently it is a place of honor for them. Strife for liberating this mosque from the criminal Zionists is an individual duty on every Muslim who is able to do it.
3- The Intifada of Al Aqsa Mosque:
The Intifada of people in the occupied territories is derived from the occasion of the Night Journey and Ascension, when souls ascend to their Lord asking Him to destroy the tyrants and the dallier oppressors.
O dear brother in the occupied territories, may your efforts be blessed. You have always been a symbol of giving. You are a good example of sacrifice. You have made the Zionists worried and afraid, and made your nation proud of you, so hearts sympathize with you, and supplications are made for you.
Umar ibn Al- Khattab wrote to Sa’s bin Abi Waqqas and his soldiers: “I order you to fear Allah in all situations as taqwa is the best weapon against the enemy, and beware of sins as they are worse to you than your enemy. You achieve victory because of your enemy’s disobedience to Allah, but if you are sinners like them they achieve victory with their power.”
