Jumu`ah Khutbah at As-Siddiq Institute & Mosque (ASIM)
Aoodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Allah (swt) said:
إِنَّهُ مِن سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Innahu min Sulaymaan wa innahu Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.
Verily it is from Sulaymaan and verily it begins with the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.
(Surat an-Naml, 27:30)
Ibn Mas`ood (r) reported:
عن عبد الله بن مسعود قال : من أراد أن ينجيه الله من الزبانية التسعة عشر فليقرأ : بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
If you want to be saved from the angels of the Hellfire (who are 19, according to Holy Qur'an) those who deserve Hellfire must pass between these 19 angels. So recite ‘Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem,’ and you are safe from them. (Tafsir Qurtubi: ad-Durru ’l-Manthour, Vo1.1, pg. 9, sahih to ibn Mas`ood)
Salaam `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh. We have entered Safar al-Khayr, second month of the Hijri calendar. In this month Allah (swt) sends balaa, affliction, on Mankind and we ask Allah (swt) to protect us, we hope it does not reach us and that we remain safe from the calamities and disasters that come down in this month. What can we do to be safe? Allah (swt) said:
سَلَامٌ قَوْلًا مِنْ رَبٍّ رَحِيمٍ
"Peace," a word (of salutation) from a Lord Most Merciful. (Surat YaaSeen, 36:58)
“Peace and safety from your Lord, ar-Raheem, The Most Merciful.” Ar-Raheem is the third Ismullah, Beautiful Name of Allah, in ‘Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem’. Safety is found in the Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem, with the Name “Allah” (swt), then the Name “ar-Rahman” and then the third Name, “ar-Raheem”.
We are also asking Allah (swt) in another form, “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem”, of which the Prophet (s) told us in another Hadith, according to Imam an-Nasafi, that on the night of Mi`raaj when the Prophet (s) ascended to the Heavens he saw a very beautiful, pearl-like, white dome with door and lock of gold. If all the jinn and human beings ever created gathered and sat on that dome, they would be like a little bird on a mountain top. Prophet (s) saw this and wanted to describe it for us. He saw a beautiful white dome, a golden gate with a golden lock, but he did not have the key, so araada an yarjaa, he went to turn back and continue on his journey, then it was said to him limaa laa tadkhuluhaa, “Why don’t you enter? This was created for you”, as everything is created for the honor of the Prophet (s). “The key is with you, O Prophet, it is ‘Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem’. Why don't you open the door and see what's inside?”
So he (s) said Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem and the lock opened, then he said it again and the door opened and he described what he saw: four rivers inside the dome. The first river is from maa’in ghayra `asin, a pure water which is clear and has no dirt or impurity in it, flowing from the first letter of Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem, the Meem of ‘Bismi’. The second river was of milk and flowed from second letter of Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem, the Haa. The third river was a blissful, pleasurable wine flowing from the Meem of ‘ar-Rahman’. Finally a fourth river of strained, pure honey that contained no dirt or wax flowed from the fourth Meem, in ‘ar-Raheem’.
What the Prophet (s) sees is Haqq, the truth and Allah (swt) supports what the Prophet (s) says in Holy Qur'an as wahiyy, Divine Revelation, that what he says is not from his own desire.
وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَى مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى
By the star when it goes down, your Companion is neither astray nor being misled, nor does he say (anything) of (his own) desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him. (Surat an-Najm, 53:1-4)
مَثَلُ الجَنَّةِ الَّتي وُعِدَ المُتَّقونَ ۖ تَجري مِن تَحتِهَا الأَنهارُ ۖ أُكُلُها دائِمٌ وَظِلُّها ۚ تِلكَ عُقبَى الَّذينَ اتَّقَوا ۖ وَعُقبَى الكافِرينَ النّارُ
The example of Paradise, which the righteous have been promised, is (that) beneath it rivers flow. Its fruit is lasting, and its shade. (Surat ar-Ra`ad, 13:35)
وَمَن أَصدَقُ مِنَ اللَّهِ قيلًا
And who is more truthful than Allah in statement? (Surat an-Nisa’, 4:122)
Mathalu ‘l-jannat allatee wu`id al-Muttaqoon, “The description of Paradise which Allah (swt) has promised the Pious Ones, those who have taqwa.” Wa man asdaq min Allahi qeela, “And who is better at fulfilling His promise than Allah (swt)?”
In Holy Quran, descriptions of Paradise given to the Believers mention rivers of water that do not change, they are clear and pure, and rivers of unspoiled milk, rivers of blissful wine and rivers of pure honey.
فِيهَا أَنْهَارٌ مِّن مَّاء غَيْرِ آسِنٍ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِن لَّبَنٍ لَّمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ طَعْمُهُ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِّنْ خَمْرٍ لَّذَّةٍ لِّلشَّارِبِينَ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِّنْ عَسَلٍ مُّصَفًّى وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ
In it are rivers of water incorruptible, rivers of milk of which the taste never changes, rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink, and rivers of honey pure and clear, in which they will have from all (kinds of) fruits and forgiveness from their Lord. (Surat Muhammad, 47:15)
و ذكر أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم رأى ليلة المعراج قبة من درة بيضاء لها باب من ذهب وقفل من ذهب لو أن الجن والأنس جلسوا على تلك القبة لكانوا كطير على رأس جبل فأراد أن يرجع فقيل له لم لا تدخلها قال لأنها مقفولة فقيل مفتاحها معك وهو بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم فانفتح فرأى فيها أربعة أنهار من ماء غير آسن أي غير متغير يخرج من ميم بسم الله ونهر من لبن لم يتغير طعمه يخرج من هاء الجلالة ونهر من خمر لذة للشاربين يخرج من ميم الرحمن ونهر من عسل مصفى يخرج من ميم الرحيم فقال الله تعالى يا محمد من ذكرني من أمتك بهذه الأسماء لسقيته من هذه الأنهار الأربعة, قاله النسفي.
Prophet Muhammad (s) is saying that when he went on the Night Journey he saw these four rivers, and Allah (swt) is confirming this in Qur’an al-Kareem. But who will take from these rivers? They are for Muttaqoon, the pious, the God-fearing people. Did Allah (swt) describe them in the Holy Qur'an? Of course! Allah (swt) describes the God-fearing as “Those who are aware of Allah in everything they do.” This is what at-tuqaa is, to avoid sins, to be aware in every step, every word, to be aware of Allah (swt). That is taqwa, fearing, “Allah (swt) will be upset with me if I do say this or that.” These are the Muttaqeen, the God-fearing, Pious Ones. Allah (swt) says in Holy Qur'an:
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ والَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ أُوْلَـئِكَ عَلَى هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.
(Surat al-Baqara, 2:2-5)
There are those who believe in the Unseen: they know that Allah (swt) is present, He is here, alive. This is imaan al-ghayb, belief in the Unseen. laa takhudhuhu 's-seenatun wa laa nawm, these people are aware that Allah (swt) is always here, always present, ever watchful, never does He sleep or even take a little nap, He would never do that, He is ever Watchful. So these pious people are conscious with every action and with every step they take they are asking themselves, “Are Allah (swt) and His Prophet (s) pleased with what I'm going to do now or not?”
The rivers the Prophet (s) saw on Night of Mi`raaj are for those pious people, and we ask Allah (swt) to make us with them! We cannot be them or even like them, not even through our praying and fasting, because Allah (swt) described us as doing one good deed followed by one bad one, we mix them.
Asa'llahu an ya`foo `anhum, Allah (swt) will forgive them! His Holy Name is al-Ghafoor, The Forgiver. How can we expect Allah (swt) not to forgive us when His Attribute is Forgiveness? That is not good imaan if we think sometimes Allah (swt) might forgive but sometimes He will not, then our imaan is not perfect. We are from those people who do something good then something bad and we ask Allah (swt) to forgive us!
We ask to be with the Muttaqeen and to find people who are aware, full of God-consciousness, who are God-fearing! If we think we are them, we are making a big mistake! Everyone knows themselves and what they do when they are alone, which is not behaving like the Muttaqeen. On this blessed day and for sake of the good ones around us we ask to be granted to follow them, that we are with them here and that we enter Paradise with them and especially that we enter this Paradise that the Prophet (s) saw on the Night Journey! We ask Allah (swt) for His mercy and forgiveness for us and all the Believers!
Wa min Allahi ‘t-tawfeeq bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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