Khutbah – Ramadan Mercy

FIRST KHUTBAH 1st December 2000

 

بَعْد أعوذ بالله من الشّيطان الرّجيم

وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ –  فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُوتُونَ الزَّكَواةَ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِأَيَاتِنَا يُومِنُونَ

My mercy extends to all things

but I will prescribe it for those who have taqwa

and pay the Zakah,

and those who believe in Our Signs:

 

When Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, mentions that His mercy extends to everything, it indicates that nothing exists except by the Mercy of Allah. This is an undifferentiated mercy that is necessary for anything to exist and survive. Existence itself is a mercy.

If we remember that Allah told us that when He desired to create the universe He took a portion of His light and said to it, “Be Muhammad”, and also that He sent him, sallallahu alayhi wa sallim, only as a mercy to all the worlds, we can see that mercy is the very fabric of our existence and Allah’s will.

The first thing a child does as it emerges from the womb, before it cries is breathe. This first sustaining breath comes with the gift of life and is quickly followed by others until the last one heralds our entry into the next world. It is the gift which makes all else possible, and the one we can least do without while in this world.

The sun, moon and stars, the oceans, mountains and rivers and the animal world all exist in His extensive mercy and rely  on it for their continuance. The birds are held in the sky by it and fish breathe by it. Nothing is beyond His mercy not even Shaytan, ar-Rajeem.

But Allah continues in the ayah to say that He has written it for some in particular. Who are they?

They are the Muminun. The ones who fear Allah and give of what they have. They are the ones who respond appropriately to the mercy that they have received from Allah.

The quality of this mercy relates to the reward that its recipients will meet in the next world and what relates to it in this world. It is freedom from punishment, and the enjoyment of eternal bliss in the unveiled presence of Allah. In this world it is Iman and the station of Ihsan, where the slave lives his or her life already in the presence of Allah.

So there is an overall mercy and a particular mercy. All creation shares in the first, but only the Mumineen receive the latter.

The mercy that comes with the beginning of Ramadan is this particular Rahmah, and characterises the essential nature of these first ten days.

Abu Huraira, radiallahu anhu, reported Allah’s Messenger as saying, sallallahu alayhi wa sallim, “Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, said, ‘Every act of the son of Adam is for himself, except fasting. It is for Me alone and I will reward it’.

With the difficulty of going without comes the knowledge of Allah’s pleasure and the company of those that are fasting with you. Its mercy is that Allah commands it of us, and for those with Taqwah He will reward it directly.

أقول قَوْلي هذا وَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَ لَكُم و لِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُهُ إنّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحيم

SECOND KHUTBAH

 

الحمد لله  ربّ العالمين

الحمد لله الذي هدانا لهذا وما كنا لنهتدي لولا – أن هدانا الله

لقد جاءت رسل ربنا بالحق

أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله و أشهد أنّ محمداً رسول الله

لا حول و لا قوّة إلا بالله عليّ العظيم

Ramadan is the breaking of the shackles that we have entwined ourselves in. It is the weakening of the hold that Dunya has over our hearts and minds, and the dawning of the light of Allah upon those same hearts.

It is the time when we break out of the dark forest of self-involvement surrounded by the waswas of Shaytan and into the sun-lit clearing of the remembrance of Allah and our true purpose.

It is another opportunity to see clearly the way ahead, to build your resolve, rely on Allah and expect the best from Him.

Imam Muslim relates in his Sahih;

Kuraib reported that Umm Fadl bint Harith, sent her son Fadl to Mu’awiya in Syria. He arrived in Syria, and it was there that the month of Ramadan began. He said, “I saw the new moon of Ramadan on Friday. I came back to Madinah at the end of the month. Abdullah b. ‘Abbas asked me about the new moon of Ramadan and said, ‘When did you see it?’ I said, ‘We saw it on Friday night’ and he said, ‘did you see it yourself?’ I replied, ‘yes, and the people also saw it and they observed fast along with Mu’awiya, whereupon he said, ‘But we saw it on Saturday night. So we would continue to observe fast till we complete thirty days or we see the new moon of Shawwal. I said, ‘Is the sighting of the moon by Mu’awiya not valid for you?’ and he said, ‘No! This is how the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallim, has commanded us.

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Ya Allah give us all the blessings and benefit of Your generous month, and show us clearly the Night of Power. Gives us gratitude and appreciation for all that comes to us. Remove from our hearts what separates us and unite us in our worship of You.

Muslims! Make your actions du’a and make your du’a actions, rely on Allah and ask Him to help your brothers and sisters in Islam, and make your actions bring benefit to those around you.

Ya Allah! Count us among those that love You and Your Rasul, and bless us with the actions that come from it. Allah bless us with the encounter with him, and may we be among those that preserve and re-establish his Sunnah.

Ya Allah! Confirm us in our Shari’ah, and make it a means to drawing closer to You, and not let it become for us like the stones of the Ka’abah that the Mushriks used to take away for worship.

Ya Allah! Return to us Your complete Deen, the Deen that will overwhelm the Kufar and bring many of them to Your path. The Deen that will bring back the rule of Islam, sincere Iman and attainment of Ihsan.

Allah give us strength and courage in Da’wa, and open the hearts of people to Your message.

Allah have mercy on all the Muslims in the world who are oppressed and being murdered. Give us victory over the Kafirun so that Your Name will become uppermost and justice will prevail for all.

Allah give us power for Your sake as you have given us knowledge for Your sake.

Allah grant peace and blessings on Your Rasul, bless his family and companions all of them, particularly the four rightly-guided khalifs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali.

Allah bless our guide and teacher, Shaykh Abdalqadir as-Sufi, and help him in his task of re-connecting the Muslims to pure Deen of Islam.

Ya Rabbi! Grant Your clear victory to the one who takes charge and empowers the Deen.

May He bless all of our amirs in their endeavour to implement the guidance that comes to them; Allah give them the strength and courage that their task requires.

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