Jumu`ah Khutbah at As-Siddiq Mosque
(Du`a of Khutbah)
O Muslims! It is said that salaat, prayer, is where you will ask Allah (swt), as He said in the Holy Qur’an:
ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
Id`oonee astajib lakum.
Supplicate to Me and I will give you! (Surat al-Mu’min, 40:60)
So prayer, whether it be Zhuhr, `Asr, Maghrib, is the place to reach the Lord and is said to be the “jewel of your life.” But unfortunately, instead of spending our time in prayer, we are spending it socializing and entertaining ourselves; we don’t spend our time in praying to Allah (swt) and we are lazy to pray. So if you want closeness to Allah (swt), as much as you pray you get nearer to the Divine Presence. If you want to know yourself or know if you are near or far from the Divine Presence, check your prayers.
One way to check is when the adhaan is called, do you quickly make ablution and then run to pray or do you wait and keep postponing until the next prayer time? Try to see if you are courageous enough to do your prayers punctually and not to lose them. If your prayers prevent you from falling into the work of dunya you are lucky! If you are always planning ahead ten or twenty years, such people are so far from praying. Did you plan for your prayers? Did anyone make plans to pray when `Asr or Maghrib time comes? No, these days we don’t plan to pray, fast or do good; we only plan for dunya and how to be more famous, make more money, how to be a politician or leader. That is how we think, not, “If I pray, I will be king in akhirah.” Do we think of dunya or akhirah? Every person will be happy if Allah (swt) rewards him in akhirah.
Prayers prevent you from falling into sins and mistakes, so if you feel that your prayer is doing that, then it is a real prayer, but if your prayer is only a custom and does not achieve that, then you must change your prayer. You have to decide what kind of prayer you are going to make; it is up to you!
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَه ُُ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَ
Fa man ya`mal mithqaala dharratin khayran yarah, wa man ya`mal mithqaala dharratin sharran yarah.
Whosoever has done an atom's weight of good shall see it, and whosoever has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it. (Surat al-Zalzalah, 99:7-8)
If your prayers prevent you from committing sins and mistakes, be happy! Otherwise, you have to struggle to perfect your prayer so Allah (swt) will be happy with you; then the manifestation of this verse will appear in you:
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ
Inna as-salaata tanhaa `anil-fahshaai wa ’l-munkari
Salaat prevents wrongdoing and evil and rebellion. (Surat al-`Ankabut, 29:45)
You have to struggle with yourself and drop desires from your heart to improve your prayer!
The Prophet (s) said:
من لم تنهه صلاته عن الفحشاء والمنكر فلا صلاة له
Man lam tanhahu salaatahu `ani ’l-fahshaai wa ‘l-munkari fa laa salaata lahu.
The one whose prayer doesn’t prevent sins and mistakes, that is no prayer.
This is a warning from the Prophet (s) for us to pray correctly. Sometimes you see people are not keeping the principles of salaat; they say “Allahu Akbar” and enter prayer, but after reciting Surat al-Fatihah and another surah, in ruku` they move too quickly, not giving the right of the ruku`, in which you must recite, “Subhaana Rabbee al-`Azheem,” or according to a different school of thought, “Subhaana Rabbee al-`Azheem wa bi hamdihi” at least three times. You can even recite, “SubhaanAllah w ’alhamdulillah wa laa ilaaha illa-Llah w ’Allahu Akbar.” There you have to connect your heart and feel you are between the Hands of Allah (swt), as you are praising the Lord, saying, “I am praising You! O my Lord, forgive me!” Take your time; don’t let Shaytan make you raise your head quickly and void your prayer.
The Prophet (s) said, “Don’t be like pecking roosters and void your prayer.”
Roosters quickly peck up and down; don’t pray that way, but show respect and take your time because you are between the Hands of Allah (swt)! You must face qiblah and take your time in your prayer as the Prophet (s) said, “Whose prayer does not prevent them from falling into sins and mistakes, that prayer is not a salaat.” So take your time and don’t rush.
Also, when going from the bowing position, ruku`, to the standing position, qiyaam, we say, “Sami` Allahu liman hamidah,” but some don’t stand erect but go only halfway, which is also to deny the rights of qiyaam. Actually, to get the full benefit you must recite, “Sami` Allahu liman hamidah rabbanaa wa lakal hamd hamdan katheeran tayyiban mubaarakan feehi.” Today most people only say, “Rabbanaa laka ‘l-hamd,” or “Rabbana wa laka ‘l-hamd,” or, “Rabbanaa wa laka ‘l-hamd wash-shukr” and stop there.
Then sajda, like Surat al-Fatihah, is essential in the prayer. Like you must recite “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” at the beginning of Surat al-Fatihah or, in some schools, such as Hanafi or Shafi`i schools, you recite it after the imam, which is why he pauses briefly. Sajda is the position in the prayer to speak to Allah (swt); that is why angels make sajda. They made sajda to Sayyidina Adam (a) as they were ordered, and that was the sajda of respect, not sajda of worship. So take your time in that sajda and know you are in Allah's Presence! Make du`a and ask Allah (swt) for what you need. They say the best place for making du`a is in sajda after reciting “subhaanAllahi ‘l`Azheem wa bi hamdihi,” or just before reciting on the right and left, “As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah,” that ends the salaat.
Angels are always in sajda. There is one group of angels that is always in sajda. The symbol of `uboodiyya is sajda, which is what differentiates us from non-Muslims. Non-Muslims do their own things, like bowing, standing and shaking their hands, but none of them do sajda. By making sajda, you want to put your forehead on the earth from which you came. That is why Allah (swt) made earth clean, as we came from it; Allah (swt) ordered Jibreel (a) to take a handful of soil, from which He created Sayyidina Adam (a).
And Allah (swt) said:
مِنْهَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ وَفِيهَا نُعِيدُكُمْ وَمِنْهَا نُخْرِجُكُمْ تَارَةً أُخْرَى
Minhaa khalaqnaakum wa feehaa nu`eedukum wa minhaa nukhrijukum taaratan ukhraa.
From the (earth) did We create you and into it We will return you, and from it We will bring you out once again. (Surat TaHa, 20:55)
“From it you were created and to it you return and from it you come out another time,” and that is for worship
Does Allah (swt) smile? Yes, as the Prophet (s) mentioned, “I saw a dream in which Allah came to me smiling, dahikan.”
It means “happy,” not physically smiling, but the rida, happiness and satisfaction with the Prophet’s (s) `ibaadah. Sayyida A`yesha (r) asked Sayyidina Muhammad (s), “Allah has forgiven you your former and later sins, and yet still you pray until your feet are swollen?” That is when Allah (swt) was happy with the Prophet (s), when he stood in worship for hours and hours. To make sajda is easier than that. They tell someone with back pain to go into sajda to relieve the pain, as it lengthens the spine.
In Middle East countries, to get a document certified you stand for hours waiting for your turn to come, but you cannot stand for Allah (swt) one time? Yes we can, but we don’t do that as we want to finish quickly. So Sayyida `Ayesha (r) said that the Prophet’s (s) feet were swollen from standing, but what was he asking for when he was standing? He was asking for the ummah. That is why love of the Prophet (s) is important, as he is doing more for you than anyone. You love your father and mother, which is your duty, but to love the Prophet (s) is more important as he will not let anyone enter Hellfire; he will make shafa`a for them not to enter Hellfire but to enter Paradise. His shafa`a is for the big sinners from his ummah.
Abi Dharr al-Ghifari (r) said, “Any breath that comes out from me if not in the way of dhikrullah, then shame on me, yaa hasratee.”
Remember Allah (swt) by saying, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” or “Yaa Rahman, yaa Raheem,” or any of Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes that come to your mind in that moment, or from Holy Qur'an or dhikrullah when breathing out. He said, “If my breath comes in or goes out with no dhikrullah, it is as if I lost a jewel in a dump.” He compared his breath to a jewel, if it is used in the Way of Allah (swt). How can you find it in the dump when it becomes dirty? So don’t make your tongue dirty, but clean it by making dhikrullah.
Allah (swt) said:
فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ
Fadhkuroonee adhkurkum, washkuroo lee wa laa takfuroon.
Remember Me, I will remember you. Give thanks to Me and do not be ungrateful towards Me.
(Surat al-Baqarah, 2:152)
Does Allah (swt) forget us? No, but it means that He will raise us and give us what we like. Many people say, “I have an unresolved problem.” To solve it recite istighfaar, as you might be doing something wrong. If we ask Allah (swt), He will give us what we want, so ask! Allah (swt) says, “Ask Me and I will answer you,” but the asking has to be perfect. Sometimes you ask and nothing happens, but that doesn't mean Allah (swt) will not respond; the answer might be delayed or you might get the reward for that in your grave. So anyone who makes salawaat, the Prophet (s) will not leave him!
So what if we make dhikrullah? The evidence is what the Prophet (s) said:
من صلى علي واحدة صلى الله عليه عشرا
Man salla `alayya marratan sal-Allahu bihaa `alayhi `ashara.
If anyone invokes a blessing on me once, Allah will grant him ten blessings. (Bukhari and Muslim)
Whose salaat is better? Allah's is better, of course! If we make salawaat on the Prophet (s), Allah (swt) gives us ten back. Then what if we make dhikrullah? Allah likes us to recite, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah,” and He said:
وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ
Wa rafa`na laka dhikrak.
And We raised up your remembrance. (Surat al-Inshiraah, 94:2)
“We raised your name, yaa Rasoolullah, and now they know your level of respect from Me.”And also, Allah (swt) ordered the angels to make salawaat on the Prophet (s):
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Inna ’Llaaha wa malaa'ikatahu yusalloona `ala 'n-nabiyy, yaa ayyuhal-ladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi was sallimoo tasleema.
Verily, Allah and His angels send praise on the Prophet. O Believers! Pray upon him and greet him. (Surat al-'Ahzaab, 33:56)
Allah (swt) is saying, “I ordered My Angels to make salawaat,” which is like prayers. You cannot recite at-Tahiyyaat without saying, “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa wa rasooluh,” or your prayer is not accepted. So we have to remember, Allah (swt) raised Sayyidina Muhammad (s) to the station of Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, Two bow’s-length or nearer.
Prophet (s) said, “My happiest time is when Allah (swt) created me in pre-Eternal to post-Eternal, and called me His “`abd,” servant. I'm happy that Allah accepted me as His Servant!”
And we must be happy that Allah (swt) accepted us as Muslims. We are saying, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah,” but we are not yet true servants. The Prophet (s) struggled with those who tried to prevent him from bringing Islam, as we struggle with our egos and bad desires, and Allah (swt) took him to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa. We are not “`abdAllah,” but when we are praying and not wasting time we might become Servants of Allah. When you are not praying, you are far from the station of Allah’s Servant; you are struggling, “thumma aamanoo thumma kafaroo,” one day believing and one day unbelieving. If you see your prayer is preventing you from committing sins and bad behavior, then it is good. Try to make prayers that prevent you from falling into the hands of Shaytan.
Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an:
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
Innaka laa tahdee man ahbabta wa laakin Allaha yahdee man yashaa wa Huwa `alamu bi’l-muhtadeen.
It is true you (O Muhammad) will not be able to guide every one whom you love, but Allah guides those whom He will and He knows best those who receive guidance. (Surat al-Qasas, 28:56)
Who guided all of you here to Islam and imaan? Did we? No way! The One Who sent mercy to you will send mercy to everyone! Sayyidina Muhammad (s) was the first one and he introduced “interfaith dialogue,” when he extended his hand to the Jews, Christians and idol-worshippers. At that time he was in Mecca and for seventeen months he prayed facing Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, until Allah (swt) said, “Enough,” and He (swt) revealed the verse:
قَدْ نَرَى تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاء فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَا
Qad naraa taqallaba wajhika fi 's-samaai fa-lanuwalliyannaka qiblatan tardaaha fawalli wajhaka shatara ’l-masjidi 'l-haraam.
We see the turning of your face towards the Heavens. Now We will turn you to a qiblah that will please you. Turn then your face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque. (Surat al Baqara, 2:144)
This verse was revealed when the Prophet (s) was making salaat facing al-Quds, and he turned in the prayer to face the Ka`bah. From that action, that masjid came to be known as “Masjid al-Qiblatayn,” Mosque of the Two Qiblahs. That showed real love, while our love is only plastic. Allah's Love is Noor, Light. He (swt) said it in Holy Qur'an:
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Qul in kuntum tuhibboona 'Llaaha fattabi`oonee yuhbibkumullaahu wa yaghfir lakum dhunoobakum w 'Allaahu Ghafooru 'r-Raheem.
Say (O Muhammad), "If you (really) love Allah, then follow me! Allah will love you and forgive your sins, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat Aali-`Imraan, 3:31)
So we say, guide us, yaa Rabbee! We are weak servants, always making mistakes. Forgive all our mistakes! Inna-Llaaha wa malaa'ikatahu yusalloona `ala 'n-nabiyy, yaa ayyuhal-ladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi was sallimoo tasleema. (33:56)
Look how Allah (swt) made salaat on the Prophet (s) in Khutbat al-Jumu`ah, to the extent that if you don't make salaat on the Prophet (s) your Jumu`ah is not complete! We recite it in the second half of the khutbah: Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadan nabi al-ummi wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.
(Du`a)
(Salaat al-Jumu`ah)
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