Dear brothers and sisters, the Angel Jibreel brought down the Quran to us through the Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings of Allah SWT be upon him. It was revealed to the Prophet SAWS in the month of Ramadhan and for this we regard this month as the best of months. We know it was first revealed in the night of Power as we call it and this has become to be known as the best of nights.
This book is our living miracle in a world of gadgets, scientific breakthroughs and technology. There is nothing like it in this world and this reminder will never be able to fully do justice to that fact. However, the focus on today’s reminder is on the effect it has on our lives, our homes and our paths in this life.
The imam reminded us of the following ayat from Sura An-Nisa, ayat 174 which is translated to say:
O mankind, there has come to you a conclusive proof from your Lord, and We have sent down to you a clear light.
Dear brothers and sisters, in a world that is misleading and full of darkness for the believer, this is the clear advice being offered on what will provide that light in order to keep us on the path and not lose our way.
The imam mentioned the following hadith in which the Prophet SAWS has said:
If anyone recites the Qur’an and acts according to its content, on the Day of Judgement his parents will be given to wear a crown whose light is better than the light of the sun in the dwellings of this world if it were among you. So what do you think of him who acts according to this ?
Dear brothers and sisters, we need to understand that the Holy Quran being the light has many explanations. One of the key ones for the youth growing up in the world today is that this book is the living miracle that each and every Muslim ought to be aware of.
First of all, this book is the most read, understood, memorized, discussed and contemplated book in the whole world and has always been this way from the moment it was revealed up until the last day of this life.
This book is such that it is being read all the time somewhere in the world due to the time zones that span the whole world. It is a book that, if the world was to burn every single copy of every single book in the world tomorrow, we would have the Quran back on paper within 24 hours due to the amount of people that have memorized it across the world.
This book is a book that is unaltered and cannot be altered due to the vast number of people who have memorized this book over the world. It is a book that is repeated in part in every single masjid in every town in every country in the world. And there is no variation, there is no discrepancy and there is no change. Nothing else written past, present or future has and will come close to this.
And secondly, and most importantly, this book is a source of happiness, healing and mercy. In a world where the hedonistic pursuit of one’s desires results in the chaos we see, the Quran is the true source of contentment until the return to our Lord.
The imam reminded us of the 82nd ayat of Sura Al-Isra which is translated to say:
And We send down of the Qur’an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.
And so, this reminder concludes with 5 practical tips we can take to achieve happiness from the book of Allah.
- Read it. It’s not given to gather dust in our homes. It ought to be a member of our family and all should witness it’s reading, especially children in the home.
- Try to memorize some of it. Allah SWT said in Surat-Qamar, ayat 17:
And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance
Since, this book is a guidance for all, regardless of nationality or language, not a single Muslim should ever think that this task is beyond them to achieve. However, it requires effort and focus which lies within the induvial to commit to.
- Try to ponder over the ayats of the Quran. Dear brothers and sisters, for those of us who are not native Arab speakers, this may appear like a difficult task. However, this is a question of attitude. Imagine this, you’ve just received a message from out of this world. This message is from your most beloved person. It is a message that is however encrypted. However this message is one you have waited your whole life for. It is the key to understanding everything about your beloved and about yourself. However, it’s encrypted. But good news, you can learn to decrypt the message as there are people who can help you do this. The question then is: Would you not then make the effort to decrypt that message? would you not then spend every waking minute wondering what this super message is to you? Would you not seek the best people to unlock this supernatural message that’s been sent just for you?
Dear brothers and sisters, this is the Quran. It’s encryption is the language of Arabic. And this is a message delivered from the Heavens by an Angel to a Prophet specifically for you. Why wouldn’t you make a small commitment to work towards understanding the book of your beloved Creator?
- Work on practically adhering to the lessons within the Quran. This book is a living book, unlike any other which talks back to the reader and guides them to the path of Allah SWT. And alongside that we have the example of the living embodiment of the Quran, the sunnah of the Prophet SAWS to help us live out the lessons of the Quran.
- Lastly, the Prophet SAWS said: The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it. So let’s spread wisdoms and lessons we learn from Quran. Let’s teach our youth how connected we are to the book. Let’s make the book of Allah SWT the central point in each of our homes.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are the nation to which belongs the single greatest miracle in existence today. However, the Quran serves not only to prove the authenticity of Islam but also provides each and every believer with a source of happiness that cannot be found anywhere else in life. The biggest tragedy that can befall us is that we do not realise this fact and that we don’t make the effort to acquaint ourselves with this living miracle and source of real happiness in this life.
Read More
Brothers and sisters, it is of no doubt that happiness is a gift from our Lord and it’s a sign of being grateful to our Lord, and appreciating the bounties we have been gifted.
So, whatever a person does, they believe that as a result of that action they will achieve happiness. They say “I will be happy. It will bring me pleasure, joy and peace.”
Different people take different paths to find happiness in life. One group of people believe it is found in possessions such as a house, a car, savings and investments. So they think of achieving the best education, the best career, the best university and the best job.
Others believe in finding the path through fame or recognition. They say “What can make me famous. What can make people recognize me?”
Another group pursue their happiness through satisfaction of their sensual instincts. They tread the path of pursuing women, wine and other intoxicants.
And a lot of us sadly believe that happiness is found through a combination of the above. A little bit of wealth, with a little bit of fame, and a little bit of sensual desires.
But if you look in society at the people at the top of each of these groups: the rich, the famous and the ones most evil in their pursuit of sensual desires, you will see they all share the same thought:
Some of them have even been honest enough to say it. And that is the answer to the question. “Have you found happiness now?” The honest amongst them say “Not yet…”
Dear brothers and sisters, true happiness does not come from this world. It is because this world is not our ultimate goal. True happiness, ultimate happiness comes from Allah SWT.
The imam reminded us of Sura Younis ayat 58 in which Allah SWT says:
Say, “In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy – in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate.”
Dear brothers and sisters, once we establish a connection with Allah SWT then this world becomes secondary. Happiness is acquired from worshipping our Lord and following His commandments. We have evidence in this as there are countless examples of people in the spotlight who suffer from depression or worse because they are looking in the wrong place for happiness.
As Muslims seeking true happiness, the world does not become our ultimate goal. And when the world ceases to be our ultimate goal then we are content with what we have. Our attitude becomes one of gratitude for what we have and optimism for what we will get from Allah SWT in the eternal existence of the afterlife.
Don’t pursue the role models mentioned previously as they haven’t found happiness despite being at the top. Be amongst the guided so that you can find true happiness.
The imam reminded us of this point through the 26th ayat of Sura Al-Ra’d which is translated to say:
Allah extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]. And they rejoice in the worldly life, while the worldly life is not, compared to the Hereafter, except [brief] enjoyment.
And as our Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
“The world, with all that it contains, is accursed except for the remembrance of Allah that which pleases Allah; and the religious scholars and seekers of knowledge.”
Alongside this, the reminder also mentions that with all other things, we have limits to how we demonstrate our happiness. This is about self-control and the Prophet SAWS guided us in this through his mannerisms and character.
For example, he exercised a control level of laughter and did not joke at others expense or mock others for the sake of humour. Even at times of celebration, this was always done with the remembrance of Allah SWT.
We ought to be mindful of this point during celebrations of Eid for example and ask ourselves if we exceed our boundaries during this time in what is permitted of us in celebration.
Dear brothers and sisters, we know that the secret to happiness lies in our soul being happy. However, it is easy to say that we have achieved this but is it possible that we are able to check to see if our happiness is sincere and from the heart?
The reminder mentioned four examples of happiness that we should feel and it’s a great way to assess if our happiness comes from the heart and whether it’s befitting of a Muslim.
The first example is fundamental as it’s the happiness of faith. Stopping and pondering over the blessing that each and every one of us has been blessed with being Muslim when so many around us have not been blessed with this ultimate gift.
Alongside that is the happiness one feels when he hears of someone becoming a Muslim. Our hearts ought to fill to the brim with happiness when we hear of someone converting to Islam or even a Muslim mending their ways and returning to the path of Allah SWT.
The third example given was the pleasure one feels when he eats after fasting for the sake of Allah SWT. We are only a couple of months away from Ramadhan insh’Allah and we were reminded of the hadith today in which the prophet SAWS said:
“The fasting person has two moments of joy: When he breaks his fast he rejoices at breaking his fast and when he meets his Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, he will rejoice at having fasted.” ‘
And last example of happiness was given today when one thinks of the return to Allah SWT. Of course, nobody should be wishing to die but the idea that when we do, we will be reunited with Allah SWT and we will reside in paradise should make us feel uplifted and motivated to strive to improve further on being obedient slaves of Allah SWT. Compare that to those who love this life and for them the thought of this life ending fills them with dread and sadness.
Dear brothers and sisters, everyone is chasing happiness. We need to understand that as Muslims, we are blessed with the ability to obtain true happiness, contentment and peace. And this can only be achieved through the remembrance of Allah SWT and through actions that please our Lord, the giver of happiness and contentment in this life and the next.
Read More
This week we start with ayat 62-64 of Sura Yunus:
Unquestionably, for the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.
Those who believed and were fearing Allah.
For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah. That is what is the great attainment.
Dear brothers and sisters, we have discussed many times of the desire to have Allah SWT pleased with us. And rightly so, after all He is the master and we are his Slaves. This is the underlying theme in the Glorious Quran.
So is it apt, that we can have a discussion about us being pleased with Him? Being pleased with Allah SWT takes nothing away from the relationship we have with Him.
However, what the essence of this khutba is, is about being content with our lives. In a hadith, it is narrated that the Prophet Muhammed SAWS said:
The person will taste the true flavour of Faith is the one who is pleased with Allah as his Lord, Islam as his religion and Muhammed as his Messenger.
Dear brothers and sisters, it is natural to have ups and downs in faith. Nobody can claim that this life is without tests. However, to be pleased with Allah SWT is understanding the point to this life.
Once one gets a grasp on the reality of this existence, they will find that the trials and tribulations of this life are tests sent to enable us attain the best we can in the hereafter.
And to achieve that comes great reward as is mentioned by the Prophet SAWS in the following hadith:
Whoever is pleased with Allah as his Lord, Islam as his religion, and Mohammed as his messenger, paradise is guaranteed for him.
Dear brothers and sisters, the reward clearly is massive so what can we do to ensure that we are of those who fit into this category?
It all begins with saying Alhamdullilah. Translated is: All praise and thanks is for Allah SWT.
This is how Muslims show gratitude to Allah SWT and this is how one demonstrates being pleased with Allah SWT.
Practically though, how does one implement this?
It’s as simple as making dua to Allah SWT for the things that go right in your life. The only thing that Allah SWT asks in return for all the blessings in your life is gratitude.
Since we already say it in our prayers, we should apply it to our lives as well. Utter Alhamdullilah often, with sincerity and from the heart. Really embrace the meaning of the word into our hearts every time we say it.
Each time you say Alhamdullilah, visualise the blessing that you are praising and thanking Him for. With that process will come sincerity as it’s no longer lip service but it’s attached to an emotion and an event.
Make it a habit to say Alhamdullilah at every turn in your life. Not to forget that even if we don’t understand the outcome, it is for the best for us as it is from Him.
Also, in seeking to thank Allah SWT, not only are we pleasing Him, but we are also ensuring continued success in return. We must remember that Allah SWT loves those who thank Him. Be grateful throughout the day. When you wake, when you eat, drink, when you are with family, friends, work or school. All opportunities to recognize the blessing of the moment and to thank Him for making it so.
Of course, we can also express this in actions through recitation of Quran, voluntary prayers and prayers at the masjid. However, the key is to express with sincerity to He who gives us all that we are happy with, our thanks and praise at those things.
And as mentioned earlier, the reward for this frame of mind is immense, the khutba ends with a hadith in which the Prophet SAWS said:
Whoever says when they hear the call to prayer, I am pleased with Allah as my Lord, Islam as my religion and Mohammed as my Messenger, his sins are forgiven.
Dear brothers and sisters, we cannot underestimate the importance of this week’s khutba.
Our Glorious Quran begins with Alhamdulliah and so we need to adhere to its message and its teachings.
Let’s be of those who fit into the category defined by our Prophet SAWS and lets start by having the Praise and Thanks of Allah SWT on the tips of our tongues and within our hearts.
May Allah SWT enable us to be content with the life he has given us. May Allah SWT enable us to express gratitude to Him. And may Allah SWT reward us for our efforts in expressing gratitude to Him.
Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.
Read More
Dear brothers, we are all living life for the same reason and that is to please our Creator and our Master. Allah SWT has made it easy for us, his slaves, to perform such actions in our everyday lives.
And it is through these actions that potentially the greatest rewards can be achieved. But as Muslims, how do we perform such actions?
Allah’s SWT instructions to us Muslims living in this age are the same as the Muslims that lived even a thousand years ago. The template we need to adapt as Muslims today is that of the Prophets that were sent to us from Allah SWT (May the peace and blessings of Allah SWT be upon them all).
Allah SWT has mentioned numerous Prophets in the Quran and in particular, when He speaks of them in Sura Al-Anbya:
Indeed, they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us, humbly submissive.
Dear brothers, you can see from here that the template of the Prophets of Allah SWT is defined.
Firstly, it isn’t just about performing good deeds. Allah SWT mentions the fact that they would rush to perform good deeds. This is a question of mind-set dear brothers. Insh’Allah the aim here should be of a mind-set where we are conscious of Allah SWT and therefore when an opportunity presents itself to do good, we rush to it because we know it will be marked as a good deed. We know that it will please Allah SWT. It’s our love for Allah SWT which makes us rush to do this.
Secondly, the point is mentioned of supplication or dua. There is one thing supplicating to your Lord but this ayat goes further in that it mentions doing so with a sense of fear and hope.
This is important dear brothers. We’ve mentioned love for Allah SWT. However, it is the hope for his mercy and the fear of his punishment that we need to have as a running theme in our supplications to Him.
And for what are we doing all of this dear brothers? Let’s think for a moment. If Insh’Allah, with the mercy of Allah SWT, we are granted pardon for our bad deeds and our good deeds are indeed accepted. What then?
Well, the first answer as every Muslim from an early age will know is that we are spared Jahannam, i.e. the Hellfire and are admitted to Jannat (Paradise).
The Quran speaks of Paradise and we have all imagined life in this fortunate abode. But what then dear brothers?
Once you have fulfilled every desire, every whim. Once you have imagined every pleasure imaginable available to you? What else will give you joy on top of that?
The simple truth is, as Muslims who are the creation of Allah SWT, we have no desire greater than to please Him. No want greater than to feel his pleasure at us. Once everything else is taken away, all we want is for Him to embrace us with compassion and love and be happy at us.
This is the ultimate goal of the Muslim. Once you take away the material pleasures of your final abode, you are left with a very intimate connection to the one who brought you into existence.
Dear brothers, we will all be presented with a time in the future where we will be in front of Allah SWT. Sura Al-Waqia mentions the reward of the best of us in the following ayats:
And the forerunners, the forerunners – those are the ones brought near to Allah
Dear brothers, the forerunners are the best of mankind. And Allah SWT has mentioned their reward here. They will be the ones nearest to Him. And this is what we all yearn for in the Hereafter. This is happiness in the Hereafter.
We can all achieve this through the simplest of actions. Everything we do can become a form of worship of Allah SWT.
To finish off this weeks’ khutba, what follows are three simple tasks we can all do:
- Recite Bismillah before each action. Yes, it is true we can do more. There is a supplication for everything, from waking up to visiting the toilet, eating and going to sleep. But this khutba is about keeping it simple, so begin each task in His name and insh’Allah with that, receive the reward of doing it for His pleasure.
- Send Greetings upon our beloved Prophet (SAWS). Even if it’s once a day. He is the best of creation so why wouldn’t you want to send salaam upon him? It’s an act that takes seconds to perform but could reward you for an eternity in the hereafter insh’Allah.
- Read the Quran. Dear brothers, the Quran is our saviour, our guide, our tangible link to the life beyond death. Read a page, a line or even a word. Just get started on the book of Allah SWT and insh’Allah it will weigh heavily for you in the hereafter.
May Allah SWT enable us to perform simple good deeds. May Allah SWT enable us to be mindful of the HereAfter and may Allah SWT grant us Jannat in the Hereafter.
Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.
Read More
It is a common fact of existence that each and every living being has but one ultimate goal. That goal is to find happiness. It is to feel fulfilled in life, it is to feel peace and tranquility, it is to feel that inner happiness within themselves.
So, whatever a person does, they believe that as a result of that action they will achieve happiness. They say “I will be happy. It will bring me pleasure, joy and peace.”
Different people take different paths to find happiness in life. One group of people believe it is found in possessions such as a house, a car, savings and investments. So they think of achieving the best education, the best career, the best university and the best job.
Others believe in finding the path through fame or recognition. They say “What can make me famous. What can make people recognize me?”
Another group pursue their happiness through satisfaction of their sensual instincts. They tread the path of pursuing women, wine and other intoxicants.
And a lot of us sadly believe that happiness is found through a combination of the above. A little bit of wealth, with a little bit of fame, and a little bit of sensual desires.
But if you look in society at the people at the top of each of these groups: the rich, the famous and the ones most evil in their pursuit of sensual desires, you will see they all share the same thought:
Some of them have even been honest enough to say it. And that is the answer to the question. “Have you found happiness now?”
The honest amongst them say “Not yet…”
My brothers, true happiness does not come from this world. It is because this world is not our ultimate goal. True happiness, ultimate happiness comes from Allah SWT.
In Sura Az-Zumar Ayat 61 Allah SWT says:
And Allah will deliver the righteous to their place of salvation: no evil shall touch them nor shall they grieve.
Once we establish a connection with Allah SWT then this world becomes secondary.
What we have then we say “Alhamdullilah!”
What we don’t have then we say – “Alhamdullilah!
The world does not become our ultimate goal. And when the world ceases to be our ultimate goal then we are content with what we have. Our attitude becomes one of gratitude for what we have and optimism for what we will get from Allah SWT.
Don’t pursue the role models mentioned previously as they haven’t found happiness despite being at the top. Be amongst the guided so that you can find true happiness.
In Sura Al-Anam Ayat 125, Allah SWT says:
And whomever God wants, He guides him. He expands his breast for The Submission to One God. And whomever He wants to cause to go astray, He makes his breast tight, troubling, as if he had been climbing up a difficult ascent. Thus, God assigns disgrace on those who believe not.
My brothers, we are all to return to our Lord Allah SWT one day. On that day inshAllah each and every one of us will experience infinite happiness due to our good deeds.
In Sura Al-Isra, Allah SWT says:
And We have attached to every person’s neck his deeds, and We bring forth for him a record on the Day of Resurrection which he will find on display.
As our Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
Richness is not the quantity of possessions that one has, rather true richness is the richness of contentment” –Sahih Al-Bukhari
This world is telling you through the mouths of those on the false paths that happiness does not lie there. So turn to the path of submission to Allah SWT and the Sunna of our beloved prophet Muhammed, Peace Be Upon Him.
We ask Allah SWT to help us to attain happiness in this life through the worship of Him. We ask Allah SWT to help us achieve that inner happiness through the right means and the only means that truly work.
Ameen. Alhamdullilahi rabill alamin
Read More
