- Sermons
- /
- Friday Sermons
Khutbah topics during Ramadan:
Dear brother, we are on the verge of giving welcome to the month of Ramadan and performing the second greatest act of worship in Islam.
Most khateebs (preachers and imams in mosques) are in the habit of dealing with the following topics during Ramadan: charity, reciting the Qur'an, the Battle of Badr, the Night of Qadr, and zakat, and this is why I wish to discuss the virtues of this month before it arrives.
The virtues of Ramadan:
Dear brother, there are certain kinds of grace bestowed on His servants by Allah in which the good deeds may grow exponentially, sins are forgiven, levels of faith are elevated and souls aim at their Lord (Allah):
"Indeed he succeeds who purifies his own self (i.e. obeys and performs all that Allah ordered, by following the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds). And indeed he fails who corrupts his own self (i.e. disobeys what Allah has ordered by rejecting the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism or by following polytheism, etc. or by doing every kind of evil wicked deeds)."
Indeed he succeeds who purifies his own self, especially in Ramadan…
Features of Ramadan:
Sawm is one of the greatest acts of worship, in which:
1- Allah enjoined on His servants to fast in Ramadan:
Allah the Almighty 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-Muttaqun (the pious)"
2- Allah makes His servants desirous of Ramadan:
Allah says:
"And that you fast, it is better for you if only you know."
3- Allah guides his servants to feel gratitude for Ramadan:
And He says:
"And that you must magnify Allah [i.e. to say Takbir (Allahu-Akbar; Allah is the Most Great) on seeing the crescent of the months of Ramadan and Shawwal] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him"
4- Allah makes them like Ramadan and facilitates their sawm:
This prevents the souls from feeling overburdened by this act of worship after they have been doing what is permissible. Allah says:
"[Observing Saum (fasts)] for a fixed number of days"
5-Allah has mercy on His servants and excuses them lest they get harmed:
Allah the Almighty says:
"But if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days."
No wonder, dear brother, that the hearts of believers approach their Merciful Lord, fear His authority above them, seek His rewards and avoid His punishment.
The virtues of sawm:
Sawm, dear brother, is one of the most glorious acts of worship and one of the most pious actions. Furthermore, it is a blessed act of obedience comprising abundant benefits, either in one's life-time or in the Hereafter. Sawm purifies souls, mends hearts, protects the beings from conflicts and evil acts, enhances morals, helps gaining great rewards, expiates destructive sins and grants higher levels in Paradise:
1- Sawm is a special act of worship:
Truly, dear brother, sawm is a special act of worship as it comprises distinctive features. It was reported in a Hadith Qudsi that Allah says:
((All acts done by the son of Adam are meant for him, except fast. It is exclusively meant for Me, and I (alone) will reward him for it.))
These words are enough to denote the high status and exalted position of sawm in the Sight of Allah the Almighty, the one for which special rewards are granted. The fact that Allah refers the reward for sawm to Him directly denotes that it will be particularly great.
((It is exclusively meant for Me, and I (alone) will reward him for it.))
The reward for sawm is manifold. In Sahih Muslim Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, reports: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
((Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward, each good deed receiving ten times its like, up to seven hundred times. Allah the Most High says: 'Except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will give recompense for it; he gives up his desires and his food for Me'. For the fasting person there are two instances of joy: the time when he breaks his fast and the time when he meets his Lord, and the smell coming from the mouth of the fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of musk.))
Dear brother, Allah the Almighty says:
"Say: "In the Bounty of Allah, and in His Mercy (i.e. Islam and the Qur'an); -therein let them rejoice." That is better than what (the wealth) they amass."
[Yunus, 58]
Man tends to make a living in order to obtain sustenance, but once he gets wealthy, he is just busy hoarding it. Allah says:
"Say: "In the Bounty of Allah, and in His Mercy (i.e. Islam and the Qur'an); -therein let them rejoice." That is better than what (the wealth) they amass."
2- Sawm is an act of worship based on sincerity:
Dear brother, suppose, by way of example, that a country has come to consider sawm as something beneficial for its citizens and as a result laws have been laid down to impose it. Do you think these laws could be enforced" Of course, home vigilance of the citizens of this country could not be put into practice and thus they would be in a position to satisfy in full their need for food and drink. By contrast, it is a fact that the fasting Muslim abandons eating and drinking on the hottest summer days, experiencing extreme thirst at midday and though water is available at his house, where he is alone, performing wudoo, he refrains from putting even one drop in his throat.
Pay close attention, dear brother, to the fact that similarly, lowering gaze is an act of worship based on sincerity.
Sawm is an act of worship based on sincerity as no party in the world, no matter how powerful or severe, can force people to fast. Only Allah, the Dayyan (Judge) can make us fast.
3- Sawm restrains desires:
Dear brother, sawm, as stated by the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, restrains desires, and this is considered one of its virtues. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
((O young men! Whoever is able to marry should marry, for that will help him to lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e. his private parts from committing illegal sexual intercourse etc.); and whoever is not able to marry should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual capacity.))
Dear brother, when one's hunger is satisfied, the body gets more active and this opens the door for desires. Hence, one of the virtues of sawm is that it restrains all sorts of cravings.
4- Sawm brings about Allah’s response to supplication:
Dear brother, another virtue of sawm is that it brings about Allah’s response to supplication, as Allah says after the ayaat referring to sawm:
"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."
It is as if responding to the fasting person’s supplication were a reward from Allah:
"And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me"
This ayah goes along with the sawm ayaat, as sawm is mentioned before it and afterwards, and the ayah comes in between –as if Allah, the Dayyan, were giving glad tidings to His servants that their supplication will be accepted by Him.
5- Sawm is expiation for sins:
Another virtue of sawm is that of expiating sins. As reported by Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
((The five daily prayers, and from one jumu’ah to the next, are expiation for whatever sins come in between, so long as one does not commit any major wrongdoing.))
The five daily prayers, and from one jumu’ah to the next, are expiation for whatever sins come in between, so long as one does not commit any major sin.
6- Sawm will play the role of intercession on the Day of Judgment:
Another virtue of Ramadan, dear brother, is that on the Day of Judgment sawm will intercede for the fasting person. Reported Abdullah Ibn Umar, may Allah be please with them both, that the Prophet said:
((The fast and the Qur’an are two intercessors for the servant of Allah on the Day of Resurrection. The fast will say: "O Lord! I made him refrain from his food and desires during the day. Let me intercede for him." The Qur’an will say: "I prevented him from sleeping at night. Let me intercede for him." And their intercession will be accepted.))
7- Sawm is the cause of happiness in this life and in the Hereafter:
Causing joy in one's life-time and in the Hereafter is another virtue of sawm. It has been reported in Sahihain (books of ahadith by Muslim and Bukhari):
((For the fasting person there are two times of joy: the time when he breaks his fast and the time when he meets his Lord.))
Divine injunctions may be hard on bodies but pleasing to the soul:
Dear brother, this statement is applicable to all acts of worship, and even more so to all acts of obedience and to every Divine command by which we abide. Acts of worship are described by the Arabic term takleef, which means "to make an effort in performing an act of worship" as they contradict disposition. The latter urges us to sleep, whereas takleef asks us to wake up (for the fajr prayer); it urges us to feast our eyes on women’s beauty, whereas takleef asks us to lower our gaze; it urges us to give ear to scandals, whereas takleef asks us to ignore them; and it urges us to earn money, whereas takleef asks us to spend it on the poor. Hence, takleef contradicts disposition, but, on the other hand, accords with the human nature. Namely, you feel relieved when you perform the acts of worship, when you tell the truth, when you are trustful, when you help your brother, when you have mercy on him, and when you carry out all the Divine orders in their correct, transactional and moral way:
"So set you (O Muhammad) your face towards the religion of pure Islamic Monotheism Hanifa (worship none but Allah Alone) Allah's Fitrah (i.e. Allah's Islamic Monotheism), with which He has created mankind"
Namely, this Divine Method accords, in all its details, with the human nature. Though takleef contradict the human body, dispositions, desires, and lusts, it accords with the inner nature of the human being.
Therefore, all acts of worship are hard to perform as they require efforts to be made, not to mention the fact that they disagree with the body, as the latter always demands food when it is hungry and drinks when it is thirsty, but once Ramadan comes, this body stops eating, drinking, and even doing permissible acts (which are permissible out of Ramadan), and accordingly, the body is making an effort.
Enduring acts of worship results in happiness:
Dear brother, all acts of worship with all their difficulty will pass away and only their rewards will remain, and much in the same line, all sins with their pleasure will pass away and only their guilt will stay behind. Accordingly, the one who succeeds is the one who gains pleasure at the end not at the beginning, and triumph is to be the one who laughs last not first, and he who laughs last will laugh more.
"But this Day (the Day of Resurrection) those who believe will laugh at the disbelievers"
He who laughs last, is the hero, not the one who laughs first. When you are born, everybody around you laughs and you cry. You should live in a way, the way of a righteous believer, that when death comes, everybody cries and you laugh:
"It was said (to him when the disbelievers killed him): "Enter Paradise." He said: "Would that my people knew!"
Dear brother, for the fasting person there are two times of happiness.
On the first day of Eid, you go back to your habits of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus all the rewards you gained in Ramadan for your fasting and night prayers, not to mention the fact that you get raised to a higher spiritual rank in the Sight of Allah the Almighty; whereas he who didn’t fast in Ramadan will eat in Eid like everybody else but will have missed this great act of worship, with which nothing can be compared, even fasting the whole eternity.
8- Sawm grants you entering Paradise through the Rayyan gate:
Dear brother, another virtue of sawm is that Allah grants the fasting servants the entrance to Paradise through the great gate meant for those who fast only, and they will be called out (as a sign of respect), as reported in Sahihain. We have on the authority of Sahil bin Sa’id, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
((Verily in Paradise there is a door called Rayyan. On the Day of Resurrection those who have fasted will enter Paradise through it. No one else will enter through this door. (It will be) called: Which person has fasted" Then they will stand up. Once they are inside, the door will be locked behind them immediately, so that no one else will be able to enter.))
Furthermore, he who bore thirst in this life (by fasting), will be granted a palace, on the door of which it will be written: Arrayyan, and that is why some scholars said: This great month is the month of endurance.
Endurance is the foundation of prosperity:
By the way, dear brother, the entire moral structure of mankind is based on endurance, and little is the worth of he who is unable to endure in this life. Hence, unless you have endurance, you won’t achieve triumph. Allah says:"And seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer)"
Seek help to achieve your purposes and to fulfill your aims.
Some commentators of the Qur’an have said that it will occur through being patient, especially, through complying with sawm and salah, as you all know.
Dear brother, when you come face to face with an arrogant, potent, powerful, and hateful enemy, with the weapons that you don’t own, wishing to destroy you, Allah in this case says to you:
"But if you remain patient and become Al-Muttaqun (the pious - see V.2:2), not the least harm will their cunning do to you"
Allah has clarified to us that the path to victory is through endurance in performing acts of worship and faith is almost two halves: the first half is endurance and the other one is gratitude.
The worth of he who is unable to endure in this life is indeed not much.
Endurance means improving the soul; it implies that your principles are more important to you than your needs, that your religion is more exalted than your desires, and that you are ready to give up the worthless for the sake of worthwhile; this is endurance.
This is why the month of sawm is considered as the month of endurance, because you strive to stay without food and drink, and without having intercourse with your wife (during the day only but not at night).
You should use this patience in all fields, such as your work, your studies, in facing your enemy and in living on your limited income striving not to eat ill-gotten money. Hence, sawm is a school in which to learn and Ramadan is the elementary education it gives, apart from which there are steps of higher education to be climbed.
By giving up your desires for higher purposes you prove to yourself and to Allah that you are setting your foot on the path of triumph.
Ramadan is the month of endurance.
In respect of having an aggressive enemy that challenges and confronts you, aiming to destroy you, Allah tells you the following:
"But if you remain patient and become Al-Muttaqun (the pious), not the least harm will their cunning do to you"
The fruits of sawm:
Dear brother, furthermore, endurance is manifested in altruism, charity, soothing sh3er' miseries and empathizing with people in their prosperity and adversity alike, by making you taste some of what they taste
1- Empathizing with the hunger of the poor:
Pay special attention to what I am going to say: The fasting person voluntarily performs acts of worship and tastes hunger which the poor are obliged to taste against their will.
Though the fasting person feels hunger, it is a voluntary act carried out for a limited period of time in order to draw closer to Allah the Almighty. However, the deprived are obliged to taste hunger against their will and for long periods of time.
Zakaht al-fitr is imposed on Muslims in Ramadan as a way of spending on the poor.
This kind of zakat is regulated by the Law of Islam. Namely, those who eat every day have to pay zakat al-fitr (including all the poor who can eat once a day) and the reason behind this law is that Allah wants the poor to taste the feeling of giving sadaqah, even if it is once a year. At the same time, the person who is in the habit of giving sadaqah all year long tastes the feeling of being hungry by choice and out of worship for Allah. Thus, the poor are hungry against their will (because of their poverty) all year long, unlike the fasting person who is hungry only for a limited period of time (in Ramadan).
Therefore, empathizing with sh3er, helping them, paying zakat, and performing salah are among the fruits of sawm.
2- To restrain the self from foolishness:
Dear brother, sawm restrains the fasting person from the foolishness of the self and its desires.
Furthermore, the fasting person experiences an urging tendency to avoid what is improper.
Do you think that the fasting person, who gives up on this account permissible acts, will commit sins, that is, prohibited ones" Is it possible that he should feast his eyes on women’s beauty in Ramadan" Is it possible that he should lie" You are ordered to abandon food and drink (which are permissible acts), then it is more than reasonable that you should give up haram (prohibited acts). It is as if Allah were strengthening your will during this month in order to make you abide by the Islamic laws.
Finally:
Dear brother, call yourselves to account before you are called to do so and weigh your deeds before they are weighed, and you should know that the Angel of Death has been reaching sh3er and will reach us soon, so pay heed. The clever one is he who upbraids himself and works for what comes after death; and the weak one is he who follows his desires and lives on wishful thinking, and praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
***
The second khutbah:
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds and may He bless and grant peace to Muhammad, the Faithful and the Honest, and may Allah bless his family and companions.
Acts of worship are enjoined for the best interest of mankind:
Dear brother, Imam Al-Shafe’ee interpreted it in an excellent way. He said: "The acts of worship are imposed in the best interest of mankind."
Some idolatrous practices claim to have acts of worship. Yet, they are nothing but movements, moments of stillness, mumbling, nodding and gestures for which Allah has sent down no authority, and thus they are meaningless.
On the other hand, all acts of worship in Islam are imposed in the best interest of mankind. To elaborate more on this point, take salah for example. Allah 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.) "
As for hajj, Allah says:
"Allah has made the Ka'bah, the Sacred House, an asylum of security and Hajj and 'Umrah (pilgrimage) for mankind, and also the Sacred Month and the animals of offerings and the garlanded (people or animals, etc. marked with the garlands on their necks made from the outer part of the stem of the Makkah trees for their security), that you may know that Allah has knowledge of all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and that Allah is the All-Knower of each and everything."
Piety is the ultimate purpose of sawm:
Allay 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-Muttaqun (the pious)."
The fruits of piety:
Allah the Almighty says:
"And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty)."
Abu Dhar, may Allah be pleased with him, transmitted:
((The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, started reciting the following ayah: "And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make for him a way out (of every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he could never have imagined.” He said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, kept reciting it over and over till I got sleepy, then he said: “O Abu Dhar! If people truly believed in this ayah, it would be enough for them."))
When matters get tougher (as they do nowadays), hardship takes root, things reach dead-end roads, barriers are put up and man gets desperate, piety which is strong enough will loosen up tightness, solve problems, break down barriers, and open dead-end roads.
Allah will provide a way out for him who has piety in afflictions, which makes him fall back on tawheed, on patience towards Divine pre-ordainment, on acceptance of fate and on adherence to his principles and righteousness, and by his doing so, Allah will turn his hardship into relief, his fear into security and his distress into ease.
Allah will provide a way out of alienation for him who, for fear of Allah, never lets a single figment of the mind find its way to his reason.
The Qur'an is the frame of reference for the Muslim:
Dear brother, the Muslim lives in a grace which is hard to imagine. What is this grace" It is to have
the Qur'an as a frame of reference, through which he knows what he is permitted to do and what he isn’t, and that is exactly what gives him peace and security in the time when other people act foolishly and are unable to sleep at night out of the feeling of guilt, unlike him.
Allah guides the Muslim to the ways of peace –peace with himself, with his family, with his society and place of work, because he abides by the Divine Method of Allah the Almighty.
Allah will provide a way out of alienation, bewilderment, deviation and disappointment for him who, for fear of Allah, never lets a single figment of the mind find its way to his reason.
Allah will provide help in takleef for him who, for fear of Allah, renounces his strength and everybody around him by saying: O Allah! I renounce my strength, ability and knowledge and I resort to Your strength, might, and knowledge.
Two lessons to learn from:
We should never forget the lesson of the Battle of Badr and Hunain, as in Badr, the companions said: "O Allah", and for that they were granted victory by Him:
"And Allah has already made you victorious at Badr, when you were a weak little force"
However, on the battlefield of Hunain they said: "We shall not be defeated because of the great number of our fighters":
"Truly Allah has given you victory on many battle fields, and on the Day of Hunain (battle) when you rejoiced at your great number but it availed you naught and the earth, vast as it is, was straitened for you, then you turned back in flight."
-Allah will provide a way out of haram into halal, out of hardship into ease, and out of Hellfire into Paradise for him who, for fear of Allah, never goes beyond the limits of shari’a.
-Allah will provide a way out of poverty into prosperity and out of losing money into making it for him who, for fear of Allah, has sought halal in earning his living trying to please Allah.
-Allah will provide a way out of deviations of the people of innovation for him who, for fear of Allah, follows the Sunnah.
-Allah will provide a way out of domestic conflicts for him who, for fear of Allah, has chosen a pious wife.
-Allah will provide a way out of children’s disobedience and misery for him who, for fear of Allah, has educated them well.
- Allah will provide a way out of failure at work for him who, for fear of Allah, has chosen a job that pleases Allah and tries to do his best while performing it.
By Allah this ayah encompasses all mankind, all problems and all activities.
"And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty)."
Ramadan is a training course for piety:
Allah has meant for us to be pious in this noble month (Ramadan) and to get used to the acts of worship.
You lower your gaze in Ramadan, but you should do so outside of Ramadan as well, but if you repent, Ramadan will be a good moment to start lowering your gaze.
Being able to lower your gaze for thirty days will prepare you to do so after Ramadan is over.
Being able to perform salah fajr at the mosque for thirty days will prepare you to do so after Ramadan is over.
Being able to perform salah isha’a in community for thirty days will prepare you to do so after Ramadan is over.
Being able to watch your mouth for thirty days in Ramadan will prepare you to do so after it is over.
Namely, Allah has meant for Ramadan to be a crash course for us through which we strengthen our will and feel the suffering of the poor.
According to the saying one can kill two birds with one stone, but when Allah the Almighty imposes an order, millions of purposes are achieved through it.
Who says that the only effect of Ramadan is to bring you closer to Allah" Practically wise, Ramadan is a kind of maintenance for your body, which you should go through once every year as all your systems will take a break (by performing sawm) from digesting food and by which all your energy will be rejuvenated.
The reality of some Muslims during Ramadan:
However, Muslims transfer eating greasy foods from daytime to night-time, and by doing so they do not benefit from Ramadan.
In fact, I have to tell you the following:
For some (and I am not generalizing), Ramadan turns into parties, meetings, merrymaking, making a night of it, gossiping, meaningless chatting, backbiting, slandering, admiring women’s beauty, watching movies late at night, eating, sleeping and waking up after salah fajr (after having missed it).
Moreover (and this has nothing to do with us), the high society attend what is called "Ramadan tents", in which there are singing and dancing programs and acts highly displeasing to Allah. Yet, they begin their function by saying that they are meant to honor the month of Ramadan.
Muslims get deceived as Ramadan is turned into a month of folklore, traditions, customs and habits which has nothing to do with the Deen.
He is not sa’im (fasting person) who does not consider Ramadan as a month of worship, of lowering gaze, of watching the mouth, of reciting the Qur'an, of spending on the poor, of drawing closer to Allah, of loving sh3er and of seeking forgiveness. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, described some hypocrites by saying: “Their example is that of a camel which doesn’t know why it was leashed by its owner nor does it know why it was unleashed.” The hypocrite performs sawm with people and breaks his sawm with them without changing a thing in his behavior.
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
((Whoever does not give up false speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his giving up his food and drink.))
((Many are the ones who fast, attaining nothing but hunger and thirst.))
Dear brother, some people fast to stay away from backsliding. There are also people who fast to progress spiritually, and there is a third group of people who fast like animals, as they attain nothing but hunger and thirst without any reward for their sawm and that is because they don’t make an effort to change their behavior, their acts of worship, or their connection with Allah the Almighty.
Supplication:
We beseech you Allah to show us the way of rightness, together with those to whom You have showed it; and give us good health, together with those whom You have healed; and be our Protector, together with those for whom You have become their Protector; and bless us in what You have bestowed on us and save us from the afflictions that You have decreed, for You rule with justice and You are never judged. He whom You protect shall never be humiliated and he whom You make enemy shall never be exalted. Blessed and dignified are You, and we thank You for what You have decreed.
We seek your forgiveness and we repent our bad deeds, O Allah! Guide us to perform a good deed, as you are the one who guides to the best of deeds.
O Allah! Make us do well in the Deen which is our dignity and make our lives good for it is our living and make us safe on the Day of Judgment for it is our final destination. Please make our life supply of all good things and make our death a rest from every evil, our Master the Lord of all the Worlds!
O Allah! Please make me satisfied with what You have made lawful and indifferent to what You have made unlawful, and make me through Your benevolence independent of all sh3er.
O Allah, our Lord! Grant peace and blessings to Sayyidina Muhammad, to his Family and his Companions.
