Available in: Turkish   English   Go to media page

Be Thankful

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

19 July 2013 Burton, Michigan

Jumu’ah Khutbah at As-Siddiq Mosque

Alhamdulillah who has honored us with Islam and honored us with Sayyidina Muhammad (s) and we thank Him for His favors, outward and inward, and on giving us life. We bear witness that there is no God but Allah and He has no partner, and we bear witness that Sayyidina Muhammad (s) is his Prophet and Messenger, peace be upon him and on his Family (r) and the Sahaabah (r), specifically on the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs: Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r), Sayyidina `Umar (r) ,Sayyidina 'Uthman (r) and Sayyidina `Ali (r).

O Muslims, Believers! We are now in the second ten days of Ramadan. In the first ten days of Ramadan, Allah dresses His servants with His mercy.

أَوَّلُ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ رَحْمَةٌ ، وَأَوْسَطُهُ مَغْفِرَةٌ ، وَآخِرُهُ عِتْقٌ مِنَ النَّارِ

Shahru Ramadaan awwalahu rahmah wa awsatahu maghfirah wa akhirahu `itqun min an-naar.

The first (ten days) of the month of Ramadan is mercy, the second (ten days) is forgiveness and the last (ten days) is salvation from the Fire. (Bayhaqi)

The first ten days is rahmah, and today is the 10th of Ramadan, or in some countries the 11th, and Allah will dress us from His mercy because Allah's servants are fasting and remembering Him by keeping their fast. That means they are thanking Him for giving them Ramadan and those who thank Allah (swt), He will give them more as He said in Holy Qur'an:

لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ

La-in shakartum la-azeedanakum.

If you thank Me, I will give you more. (Surah Ibraaheem, 14:7)

We have to give thanks for every moment in our lives! We cannot be unthankful to Allah. He (swt) is giving our breath when it comes in and goes out, and we have to thank him until the last breath. He gives easy breathing and He gives us what we need to eat and to live. That is why maqaam ash-shukr, the level of thankfulness to Allah (swt) is one of the highest levels that the Prophet (s) recommended for humanity, and not just the importance of thanking Allah, but also the importance of thanking each other. If someone does a favor for you, you must thank him. Don't be rude. There are people who forget; I’m not going to say that they don't thank, but they forget.

And what did the Prophet (s) say?

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ‏:‏ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَرْضَى عَنِ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الأَكْلَةَ، أَوْ يَشْرَبَ الشَّرْبَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا‏.‏

`An Anas ibn Malik qaal: qaala Rasoollullah (s) inna’Llaaha la-yardaa `ani ‘l-`abdi an ya’kula ‘l-aklata aw yashraba ‘sh-sharbata fa-yahmadahu `alayhaa.

Anas ibn Malik (r) related from the Prophet (s) that, Allah (swt) is pleased with that servant who eats one morsel (bite) or drinks one sip and gives thanks to Him. (Muslim)

Allah (swt) will be happy with His servant that eats his food and says, “Thank you, yaa Allah! Alhamdulillah.” Aw yashraba ‘sh-sharbata fa-yahmadahu `alayhaa, or he drinks water and thanks Allah (swt) for it. If we don't eat or drink, what will happen? For sure, we will get sick. Allah made everyone to eat and drink. Therefore, we must thank Him in everything He gives, whether big or small, and when we take even a small bite we must say, Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem, alhamdulillah alladhee aataanee min ma `indahu wa tatakaffala bi rizqee, “All praise be for Allah that He gave me from His treasures and sponsored my rizq.” Rizq comes to you wherever you are. Don’t think that you make that rizq; Allah gives you that rizq. The bite you eat is from Allah and the drink is from Allah.

صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى انْتَفَخَتْ قَدَمَاهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ أَتَتَكَلَّفُ هَذَا وَقَدْ غُفِرَ لَكَ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ قَالَ ‏ "‏ أَفَلاَ أَكُونُ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا ‏"‏

Sallaa Rasoolullahi (s) hattaa antafakhat qadamaahu fa qeela lahu atatakallafu haadhaa wa qad ghufira laka maa taqaddama min dhanbika wa maa ta’akhkhar. qaal: afalaa akoonu `abdan shakooraa.

Allah's Messenger (s) performed salaat until his feet were swollen, so it was said to him, “You burden yourself like this, while your past and future sins have been forgiven?” He said, “Shouldn't I be a grateful worshipper?'" (Tirmidhi)

The Prophet (s) prayed, worshipping Allah (swt) until his two feet became swollen, and they said to the Prophet (s), atatakallafu haadhaa wa qad ghufira laka maa taqaddama min dhanbika wa maa ta’akhkhar, “Why are you taking this difficulty? Why do you pray until your feet becomes swollen when Allah (swt) has forgiven your past and your future?" He said, afalaa akoonu `abdan shakooraa, “Do you not want me to be a thankful servant to Allah (swt)?" Therefore, every day it is important to say, “Shukran lillah! Shukran, yaa Rabbi.” Whenever you remember, say, “Shukran, yaa Rabbi! `Alaa maa an`amta `alayya.”

قَالَتِ الْمُهَاجِرُونَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ، ذَهَبَتِ الأَنْصَارُ بِالأَجْرِ كُلِّهِ ، مَا رَأَيْنَا قَوْمًا أَحْسَنَ نَوَالا لِكَثِيرٍ ، وَلا أَحْسَنَ مُوَاسَاةً فِي قَلِيلٍ مِنْهُمْ ، وَلَقَدْ كَفَوْنَا الْمُؤْنَةَ ، وَأَشْرَكُونَا فِي الْمَهْنَأِ فَقَالَ : أَلَيْسَ تُثْنُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِهِ وَتَدْعُونَ لَهُمْ ؟ قَالُوا : بَلَى ، قَالَ : فَذَاكَ بِذَاكَ .

Yaa Rasoolullah, dhahabati ‘l-ansaaru bi’l-ajri kullihi, maa ra’aynaa qawman ahsana nawaalan li-katheer wa laa ahsana muwaasaatan fee qaleelin minhum wa laqad kafawna ‘l-moo’nah. wa ashrakoonaa fi’l-mahna’i fa qaal: alaysa tuthnoona `alayhim bihi wa tad`oona lahum? qaaloo balaa. qaal: fa dhaaka bi-dhaak.

The Muhajiroon came to the Prophet (s) and said (concerning the Ansaar), "O Messenger of Allah! We have never seen people more liberal out of abundance or better in giving help when they have little than a people among whom we have settled. They have removed our trouble and shared with us their pleasant things so that we are afraid they will get the whole reward." He replied, “No, as long as you make supplication to Allah for them and express commendation of them.” (Tirmidhi)

The people who came from Mecca to Madinatu 'l-Munawwara are the Muhajiroon, and the Ansaar are those who supported them from Madinah. So the Muhajiroon (r) said, “Yaa Rasoolullah! Al-Ansaar took all kinds of rewards; they took all of the rewards.” Maa raa `ayna qawman ahsana nawaalan li-katheer, “We never saw people like them by any means and Allah gave them these rewards because they are very generous.” The Muhajiroon said to the Prophet (s), “We never saw anyone like them in generosity.” Alhamdulillah that Allah (swt) gave everyone something he can give in order to be considered following the sunnah of the Prophet (s) and the order of Allah (swt) to give from what Allah has given you and thank Him for what He gave. Wa laa ahsana muwaasaatan fee qaleelin minhum, “And no way, they were the best, although not all of them, in relating their feelings to those who are sick or homeless or need a smile, they were the best.”

The Prophet (s) said, “Are you praying for them and thanking them that they have all these characteristics? Are you thanking them or you are forgetting?” Even the Prophet (s) wants people to thank Allah (swt) first and then to thank those who made a favor for you. Anyone who makes any favor for you you have to thank him, not to run away from him.

Today if someone comes to you and says, “I need $10,000, can you help me?” and you say, "Okay, here it is," that he is going to pay back in 2-3 months, that you made a favor for him and then you never see him again. If you are coming from this street and he is coming from the other side, he will go somewhere else in order not to give the money back. Even if it is like that, the Prophet (s) said, wa`utiyy man haramak, “Give to the one who prevented (deprived) you.” It means, the one who took from you but did not return it, forgive him for Allah’s sake or don't give to him from the beginning! My shaykh, my teacher always says that if someone asks you for something, you have to think: is he going to give it back or not? If you feel he is not going to give it back, as today most people won't, then decide: I will give him for Allah’s sake; if he doesn’t return it I will forgive him, if he returns it I will take it back, it’s okay. By this way you will never be in confrontation with that person in the future. If you decide like that from the beginning then you will follow it up, but if you feel that you need the money back and you know he will not return it, then don’t give as then you are making confusion between you and him.

‏ وعن أسامة بن زيد رضي الله عنهما قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ مَنْ صُنِعَ إلَيْهِ مَعْرُوفٌ فَقَالَ لِفَاعِلِهِ : جَزَاكَ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا فَقَدْ أَبْلَغَ فِي الثَّنَاءِجزاك الله خيرًا، فقد أبلغ في الثناء‏

`An Usaama bin Zayd (r) qaal: qaala Rasoolullah (s), man sana` ilayhi ma`roof fa-qaala li-fa`ilihi jazaak-Allahu khayran faqad ablagha fi ’s-sana`.

Whoever has a favor done for him and says to the one who did it, “Jazaak-Allahu khayran,” has done enough to thank him. (Tirmidhi)

If anyone does you a favor and you say to him "jazaak-Allahu khayran," you will have done the best of what can be done to show thanks to him, and Allah will honor you and dress you with what He likes. That’s why, O People! We are coming to the second ten days of Ramadan, which are the days of maghfirah, forgiveness. Show and tell your brothers and sisters that we have to thank Allah (swt). If He forgives us should we not thank Him? Let us thank him at the beginning of the ten days and say, “Shukran lillah!”

لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ

La-in shakartum la-azeedanakum.

If you thank Me, I will give you more. (Surah Ibraaheem, 14:7)

May Allah protect us and support us and we thank Him in all our life with every breath in and out, saying, “Shukran yaa Rabbee, yaa Allah! Alhamdulillah yaa Rabbee, yaa Allah!”

Today is hot and it is going around 100ºF, which means about 40ºC or 36º/37º and everyone of you is fasting, but we are trying to make it easy on all of us by opening these fans and air conditioners in order to make people stay in the masjid and feel relaxed. Imagine if here it is 37ºC, how much is it in Mecca and Madina? It must be 50ºC or more and think, now Ramadan is coming in summer. How were the Sahaabah (r) and the Prophet (s) fasting when there were no fans, no air conditioning? And yet they were fasting and living in the hot desert, and they were saying, "Shukran, yaa Allah! Alhamdulillah, yaa Rabbee!" because the fire from Hellfire, the heat that comes from Hellfire is not going to be like 100ºF or 150ºF or 50ºC. No, it is going to be more than the heat in the center of the Sun, that center of the sun is 50º million Centigrade!

So imagine then the heat of Hellfire! It is said in a hadith that on the Day of Judgment, from the heat that Allah will send over human beings our brains will be boiling. We cannot see or hear anything. If Allah wants to punish us, He will make us feel all kinds of difficulties. So we have to say, “Thank you, yaa Rabbee, that you created us Muslim,” as He said, “Whoever says 'laa ilaaha illa-Llah' followed by 'Muhammad Rasoolullah' entered Paradise.” We have to thank Allah for that.

May Allah send us to Paradise.

(Du`a.)

http://sufilive.com/Be_Thankfull-5140.html

© Copyright 2013 Sufilive. All rights reserved. This transcript is protected

by international copyright law. Please attribute Sufilive when sharing it. JazakAllahu khayr.

UA-984942-2