Jumu`ah Khutbah at As-Siddiq Institute & Mosque (ASIM)
Alhamdulillah...man yahdilllah fa la mudilla lahu wa man yudlil fa laa haadiya lahu wa ashadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah wahdahu la shareek lahu wa ash-hadu anna Sayyidina Muhammad (s) Rasoolullah... Ayyuhal-mu`minoon al-haadiroon ittaqullah wa ati`ooh inna-Allah ma` 'Lladeena 'ttaqaw w'alladheena hum muhsinoon.
O Muslims, Believers! We are coming to a very important day that the Prophet (s) mentioned, al-Hajj, the day of `Arafat, and to honor what Allah (swt) taught Ibrahim (a) and Sayyidina Yaqub (a) and other prophets, to sacrifice, which is not to sacrifice something you are not connected with. `Arafat will be on Monday, and `Eid will be on Tuesday in bilad al-hijaz, Arab countries, and in many other Muslim countries. Our duty is to respect what Allah honored and He (swt) honored these ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, and the sacrifice.
We should sacrifice something very precious to us. If they tell you to sacrifice a goat, a cow or camel, it is not difficult, but if they tell you to sacrifice your son, you will find hundreds of excuses not to do that! Allah (swt) tested prophets by asking them to sacrifice something that is very dear to themselves, even more than themselves. Why Allah (swt) wanted Sayyidina Ibrahim (a) to sacrifice his son? Why He wanted Sayyidina Yaqub (a) to lose his son, Sayyidina Yusuf (a)? Why Allah tested many prophets through loss of many things that were very beloved to them?
In a Hadith Qudsi, Allah (swt) says:
ما وسعني سمائي ولا أرضي ولكن وسعني قلب عبدي المؤمن
Maa wasi`anee samaee wa laa ardee wa laakin wasi`anee qalbi `abdee al-mu’min.
My Earth could not contain Me, nor My heavens, but the heart of My believing servant contained Me.
That means, "Nothing contained My Glory, My Lights, My Manifestations except the heart of the believer. The hearts of the believers contain Me." Allah (swt) is saying, "You cannot have any other thing where I am contained." You cannot have two things contained in your heart, only one. And Allah (swt) is saying, "Nothing can contain Me but the heart of the believer."
And it is related in another hadith:
قلب المومن بيت الرب
Qalba al-mumin bayt ar-Rabb.
The heart of the believer is the house of God.
No one likes to share his house with anyone. Allah is showing his messengers that no one can occupy the heart except Himself, not even your son. "You love your son so much, O Ibrahim, sacrifice him. You cannot leave your heart with anyone else except Me. You want to be my khalifah on Earth, as I said, 'We have made on Earth a representative.' Then you cannot have anyone sharing your heart with Me, for then you will be like normal people, but you are a prophet." So Allah ordered Ibrahim (a), "Take that love of him from your heart, sacrifice him." Allah was testing him. There will be no more Isma`eel (a)? How can that be, when he is carrying the light of the Prophet (s)? But Allah tests as He likes!
Sayyidina Yaqub (a) loved his son Yusuf (a) so much. "How can that heart contain love for someone other than Me?" So Allah had his brothers take Yusuf (a) away. And then he had to turn to Allah with his love. That is the meaning of the ayah:
وَخَرُّواْ لَهُ سُجَّدًا
wa kharru lahu sujadan.
And they (all) fell down prostrate before Yusuf. (12:100)
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Qul in kuntum tuhiboon Allaha fat-tabi`oonee yuhbibkumullah wa yaghfir lakum dhunoobakum.
Say, "If you love Allah, follow me (Muhammad). Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (`Aali Imraan, 3:31)
Prophet Muhammad (s) was tortured more than all the other prophets. And that is how Allah granted him to reach qaba qawsayni aw adna. No one can approach there if he is sharing his heart with anything other than Allah! Sayyidina Muhammad (s) was able to do that all the way to qaba qawsayn, saying, "Laa ilaaha illa 'Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah," accepting whatever Allah wants from everyone.
Allah ordered us to remember Him day and night:
الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىَ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذا بَاطِلاً سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Alladheena yadhkuroonullah qiyamaan wa q`oodan wa `alaa junoobihim wa yattafakkaroona fee khalqi 's-samawaati wa 'l-ard, rabbanaa maa khalaqta hadhaa baatilan subhaanaka fa qina `adhaaba 'n-naar.
Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the Creation of the Heavens and the Earth, (saying),"Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire." (Aali `Imraan, 3:191)
Not sleeping during jumu`ah; open your eyes, or else what are we going to benefit? Nothing. The Prophet (s) kept only one, only Allah in his heart, and that is why his grandsons were killed. This is how all the family of the Prophet (s) is.
He is asking forgiveness for the ummah up to today:
I observe the deeds of my ummah and if I find good, I praise Allah, and if other than that I ask for forgiveness for them.
What is better for us than a prophet who observes our actions and praises Allah, and if he sees any bad, he asks for forgiveness on our behalf? If the Prophet (s) is asking forgiveness for us, do you think any sins are going to remain on you? That is how we are ummatan marhouma, mercied ummah. Even if we are falling into sin, Allah (swt) will forgive us for the sake of the Prophet (s)! And that day of `Arafat is coming on Monday; it will take your sins of the year before and keep you from falling into sins in the coming year. It is a day of worship, to thank Allah that he made us from Ummat an-Nabi! The Prophet (s) said that the day of `Arafat and day of nahr are the days of celebration, eating and drinking, entertainment and being happy, as narrated by all as-haab as-sunan, all different sahih books.
O Muslims! Keep these days that are coming; they are holy days. It means visit your friends, your family, visit those who are ill, poor, and give to them. Feed people, then Allah will be happy with us.The Prophet (s) said:
النفقة في الحج كالنفقة في سبيل الله، الدرهم بسبعمائة ضعف
An-nafaqatu fil-hajj kan-nafaqatu fee sabeelillah, ad-dirham bi-saba` miata da`f.
If you give money in Hajj, it is as if you are giving money in jihad fee-sabeelillah, the dirham is rewarded 700-fold.
That is as if spending money in real jihad, not like those today, who claim jihad and attack innocent people, but jihad defending against aggressors. So wherever you see someone in need, spend on them and Allah will make your spending of even one dirham equal to 700 dirhams.
O Muslims! These days are coming. We hope for the barakah of the Prophet (s) and for barakah of these days that Allah will forgive us.
ya fawzan li 'l-mustaghfireen, astaghfirullah.