Jumu`ah Khutbah
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem.
Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
O mu’mins, O believers. We have arrived at the month of Rajab, after that is Shaban, after that is Ramadan and so forth. May Allah (swt) allow us to reach `Eid.
Allahumma barik lana fee Rajab wa Shaban wa balighna Ramadan.
May Allah (swt) allow us to go through these holy months with the blessed du`a of Rasoolullah (s), the blessed du`as of Awliyaullah. Inshaa-Allah, his shafa`a reaches us and we can coast through until `Eid when Allah (swt) will forgive all the sins that were done in the previous year. Allah (swt) will grant from things that nobody knows at the end of Ramadan. Allah (swt) says, I reward you for fasting. Inshaa-Allah, we can reach that `Eid and Allah (swt) will give us from the endless rewards He has.
Rasoolullah (s) is the source. All messengers, prophets and saints are the healers of hearts. In our hearts lurk bad desires, bad manners, bad intentions, and bad characteristics. Allah (swt) sent the messengers to clean the hearts. We are 50, 60, 70 years old with one foot in the grave and we’re still running around this world as if we will live forever, quarreling with people as if we will live forever, trying to grab as much power, money or whatever we can. You are heedless, O human being, O mankind.
In the past there used to be students who would go from one `alim to another `alim to another `alim, seeking knowledge. A bunch of students went to the presence of a Waliyullah to ask him some questions. When they entered his presence and approached his majlis, he said, “Marhaban, the servants of my servant.” They said, “Wow. What did he just say? Let’s leave him. He doesn’t look like a good one.”
They left and found another `alim. When they approached they said, “As-salamu `alaykum. Do you know what that shaykh just said?”
“What did he say?”
“When we approached him, he said, ‘Welcome, servants of my servant.’”
The second shaykh started to laugh and said, “The first shaykh said the truth. He meant to tell you, O students of knowledge, that you are the servants of your desires. Desires are my servant so you are the servants of my servant. My desires work for me and you work for your desires. I control my desires.”
What is a desire? It is something that thrills you. What excites you? What electrifies you? We are in the century of electric cars. What jolts you? What makes you excited and happy and thrilled? Do cars thrill you, O Muslim, O old man, O young man, O teenager? Do mansions with pools thrill you? Do European vacations excite you? Does laying on the beach in Spain, Italy and France excite you? I’m sorry, maybe worship excites you. Everybody gets thrilled for worship. No, it’s the opposite.
He said, you are the servants of your desires. You run after your desires, whether you are a Muslim or not. As long as you are a human being, you have these desires in your heart. What excites you, O insaan? What have prophets and Awliya come to tell you? Don’t get too excited here because you will leave and go. We are poor. We are Michiganders. In Michigan they love “hunning.” Have you ever heard of “hunning”? Hunting. They eat the “t” too. It’s a silent “t.” They have their weapons and they go hunt some deer. Or they go into scuba diving which is a little bit more exciting.
As the story goes, there was an Arabian king who was always excited to go hunting. He spent most of his life running after the fun and games of hunting. At night he partied with his friends and ate whatever they hunted and during the day they went out hunting. One day this king was out hunting with his buddies and he got lost in the desert. He didn’t know where to go. He found a man in the distance thinking he could find some directions. This man was sitting and had gathered some bones and he was moving the bones around with his hands. He asked, “How is it going? What happened to you? Why are you wearing such dirty clothes? You look dehydrated. You look like you haven’t eaten in days. What is going on?”
He said, “Yes, sir. The state you see me in is because I am a traveler. I am on a long journey. I have two officers that were assigned to me. They are urging me to a house like the house of ants, very dark at the bottom. Nobody likes to stay there. They will deliver me to the company of dead ones. They will deliver me to withering away. Not only that but the earth will eat up my body and take my bones. It is a very narrow, dark place that nobody wants to be in. But if I stayed there after becoming nothing, that’s also okay because this misery of mine will end. If I go back to the earth, my misery will end but I will be catapulted up to the Day of Gathering. I will be pushed out of the grave and I will stand in front of Allah (swt) for 50,000 years.”
Do you ever think of that? It’s mentioned in Surah Ma’arig.
تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
Fee yaumin kaana miqdaaruhu khamsuna alfa sana.
The angels and the spirit ascend unto him in a Day the measure whereof is (as) fifty thousand years. (Surat al-Ma’arig, 70:4)
That day is like 50,000 years. If you have not read this verse, read it.
He continued, “If I am left in that dark house like the house of ants underground, under the layers of earth and I wither away and I’m in the company of those who have perished before me, at least my agony will end when the earth has taken back its belongings. But no, I will be thrown out on a day that is very long. Allah (swt) will judge and I don’t know which of the two homes I will end up in.”
When the king heard that, he came off of his horse and he sat in front of the man. He said, “You have made my life miserable. You have depressed me. My mood is now upside down but your words have taken my heart. Repeat what you said.”
The man repeated himself, “Do you know who these bones belong to?”
“No.”
“These are the bones of kings like you. The dunya has deceived them with its glamor and decorations, with its Spanish beaches, big mansions with pools, with tropical island vacations. The dunya has taken their hearts by lying to them. The dunya has distracted them from what is coming.”
Allah (swt) says:
أَلْهَىٰكُمُ ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ
Alhakumu ‘t-takathur.
The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more serious things). (Surah At-Takathur, 102:1)
Being all together, enjoying each other has distracted you, and has kept you busy. Who reads? Who understands? Nobody understands or reads. Everybody is busy on Instagram from morning to evening, checking what's going on. Dunya has deceived everyone with its decorations. It has taken the hearts of everybody. It has kept everybody busy.
He continued, “But they will come back as bodies. These bones will be resurrected. These bones will come in front of Allah (swt).”
Imma illa daarin na’imi wal karar wa imma illa daril jaheemi wal bawar wal halaq
Choose, O man. Either you will go to the home of na’im, bliss and Eternal happiness, or you will go to the house of Jaheem, Blazing Fire and perishment. Choose. You are 50-years-old and you’re still running after dunya, still planning your vacation for next Christmas or next Easter, still running after your homes, your wealth and positions. O Muslim! Wake up. No, they only awaken when the desires of the heart are in front of them, “Oh yeah, this is very fun for me today. I will do it.” When you say, “Come to worship, come to Mawlid,” they say, “No, no, that does not electrify me.”
Know your ending. Your ending is going to be under the layers of earth in a dark place where nobody likes to stay. The two angels that Allah assigned to you will deliver you to whatever is down there, either you will be in rawdah min Riyadu ‘l-Jannah, the home of bliss, or you’re going to be in the home of agony and hardship.
The man left. What happened to that king? His hunting buddies returned and looked at the king. His face had changed, his color had changed, he didn’t want to eat or drink or party. When the night came, instead of partying, he left the company of his stupid buddies. They don’t have a mind to start with and they lose their minds more at night. I mean the mind that knows the Creator. They only know dunya and this and that.
O insaan, in your heart are desires. Desires electrify you. Huda, guidance has to electrify you. What did Sayyidina Zainu ‘l-Abideen (r) say? “I wonder about every proud and arrogant one. Yesterday he was a drop of water. Tomorrow he will be a rotten corpse.” Do you think you’re going to be beautiful in the grave? Saints and Anbiya are given those glad tidings but we might be rotten corpses. He was thinking about the proud and arrogant ones. “He only worked for dunya, which is temporary and fleeting and he left the home of Eternity. He worked for this temporary life and left his Eternal life.”
O Muslim. O mu’min. You are smart ones. Allah (swt) has awakened your hearts and minds and guided you to the guidance of Rasoolullah (s). He is tabeebu ‘l-quloob, the doctor of hearts, to take away the desires of your heart and fill it with huda. Get electrified by worship. Don’t get lazy. Don’t get electrified by vacationing. Some people become sad when they are about to go on vacation because they know they will see things that Allah (swt) doesn’t like, they’re going to be with people that Allah (swt) doesn’t like, they’re going to be forced into acts that Allah (swt) and Rasoolullah (s) don’t like. Some people hate going on trips and vacations because they know they will make sins by mistake. Others become electrified about going on vacation because they’re going to do the same things but they’re happy to do them.
May Allah (swt) forgive us. Know yourself, O mankind. In your heart is hawa. Don’t worship hawa. Allah (swt) has said, asta`eedhu billah.
أَفَرَءَيْتَ مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُۥ هَوَىٰهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِۦ وَقَلْبِهِۦ وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِۦ غِشَـٰوَةً فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ٱللَّهِ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
Afara’ayta manittakhadha ilaahahu hawaahu.
Then do you not see such a one as takes as his god his own vain desire? Allah has, knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart (and understanding), and put a cover on his sight. Who, then, will guide him after Allah (has withdrawn Guidance)? Will you not then receive admonition? (Surat al-Jathiya, 45:23)
Do you see the one who has taken his desires as his god? Whatever their desires tell them, they say, “Sami`na wa atana, yes sir. We hear and obey.” Don’t be from them. In Surah Jinn: wa anna lamma sami`na ‘l-huda.
وَأَنَّا لَمَّا سَمِعْنَا ٱلْهُدَىٰٓ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ فَمَن يُؤْمِنۢ بِرَبِّهِۦ فَلَا يَخَافُ بَخْسًا وَلَا رَهَقًا
Fa man yu’min bi Rabbihi falaa yakhaafu bakhsan wa laa rahaqa.
'And as for us, since we have listened to the Guidance, we have accepted it: and any who believes in his Lord has no fear, either of a short (account) or of any injustice. (Surat al-Jinn, 72:13)
When we heard the huda, amana bihi, we accepted it and we followed it.
Hear hudaa and follow it and hear hawaa and leave it. Leave the whispering of your desires. Hear the wahiy that came to Rasoolullah (s) and his holy words and take them.
The one that accepts what has come from Allah (swt) will not fear anything. He will not fear not being given his rights here or Hereafter. Allah (swt) will give you your rights here and Hereafter, also you will not be tired in this dunya and you will not be tired on the Day of Judgment and 50,000 years of standing. Those who have submitted to Allah (swt) are the good detectives. They find rashad, the right way. Be a detective of the right way to God Almighty.
May Allah (swt) forgive us.
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