khutbah: The Sale is Almost Over

The Sale is Almost Over

It's almost Christmas season. Soon, you'll be receiving magazines from Macy's, Sears, Radio Shack and other similar stores advertising their products. The advertising will intensify for the season. The staff will increase, at least momentarily. The stores will be at their cleanest, and will look better than they've looked all year round. Why?

Because they are going to reap the benefits of the season. These stores see an opportunity to make a whole lot of money in a small amount of time.

Similarly brothers and sisters, Allah the Mighty and Exalted has blessed us with a season. This is the season where we can earn a whole lot of reward in a small amount of time. There is good news and bad news.

The good news is that the month of Ramadan, the season of a great business opportunity (with Allah (swt) ), is upon us. And the bad news is that this month is almost over.

Just last night in taraweeh, the imam was reciting the last few surahs of the Holy Quran. As I stood there listening, my eyes began to tear almost as if a family member had passed away. Each little surah reminded me of the sand slipping through my fingers. Driving home, I thought about the topic for my khutbah: Self-evaluation: Did we make the most of Ramadan?


Brothers and sisters, soon you will see these stores begin preparations for their big season. These preparations will determine their success. Some will suffer losses and others will thrive, depending on their preparations. Similarly, the results for our month of great virtue are dependent upon the preparations we made as Ramadan was approaching. Now that we are more than half way through, what does our grade report look like?

I'm sure we've memorized the often-recited verses from Surah al-Baqara in which Allah (swt) mentions the sole purpose of fasting. He says "Oh you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you, so that you may attain taqwa..." God-consciousness, piety, righteousness are amongst some of the definitions that we've heard for taqwa. If this was the reason why Allah (swt) ordered us to fast, then it is imperative that we look to see if we have achieved this goal.

The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, said, "Taqwa is here" and he pointed to his chest. Notice, brothers and sisters, that the Messesnger of Allah (pbuh) did not point to the stomach, which cried for food all day long. He didn't point to the tongue which was deprived the wetness of any kind of liquid. He didn't point to the legs, which stood all night in prayer before the Creator of the worlds. He didn't point to the hands, which were raised in front of his Lord, begging for His mercy. He didn't point to the eyes, which read the Quran or the lips that recited it so beautifully. But he pointed to the chest. This is where taqwa is brothers and sisters.

The service of all these other body parts is solely for purifying the soul and cleansing the heart. As the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said : "For everything there is a purification and the purification of the body is to fast; and fasting is half of endurance." So the question today, brothers and sisters, is "has this month of fasting purified our bodies?"

Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "Let it not be that the day that you fast and the day that you break fast (meaning, not fast) be equal." Meaning, one's behavior, attitude and outlook are the same whether one fasts or not, i.e. fasting has no effect upon that person. He also said in another Hadith: "It may be that a fasting person attains nothing but hunger and thirst from his fasting" due to vain speech and actions, and faulty intentions.

We should think about how we spent our fasts over the past few weeks. Were we rude to the students in our classes and to the people on the road while driving home from school? Did we say any bad words to our friends or neighbors? Did we lie or cheat in any of our affairs? Did we draw nearer to Allah (swt), or were we too busy talking on the phone or chatting online with our friends? Was the quran our companion, or was it the TV?

A great mujaddid of Islam, `Umar ibn `Abdul `Azeez, rahimahullaah, shed some light on taqwaa and explained in his own words how it can be achieved. He said, "None can reach the station of taqwaa until he possesses neither action nor words that can be exposed to his embarrassment either in this world or the Hereafter." He was once asked, "When does the worshipper reach the peak of tawqa?" He replied, "If he put all his thoughts and desires in his heart on a plate and then wandered around in the market, he should not feel ashamed of anything there."

We have committed many grave sins, brothers and sisters, and we should have hope in Allah's mercy and pray for our forgiveness. After all, we are reminded with the story of Musa (as) when he and his people were suffering from an intense drought, they turned to Allah (swt) for help, making dua to His Majesty. Allah (swt) responded that there was one sinner amongst them and this sinner must leave the group. When Musa (as) announced this to his people, the man knew who he was, and now had a choice to make. Either he can face humiliation by leaving or he can watch the whole group suffer, by remaining with them. In this time of desperation, the man turned to Allah (swt), in secret, and repented. As the rain of mercy sprinkled down, Musa (as) asked Allah (swt) why He sent rain when none of the men had left the group. Allah (swt) told him that the man had repented to Him and his repentance was accepted. Hearing this, Musa (as) asked Allah to reveal the identity of this man. Allah the Most-Wise responded by saying "O Musa, I hid his sins for forty years, do you think that after his repentance I shall expose him?"

This sinner is in all of us, brothers and sisters. We must turn to Allah (swt) in repentance in this month of mercy, forgiveness, and freedom from hellfire.

Part II

The month of Ramadan is a blessing from Allah (swt). We are grateful that He blessed the ummah of Muhammad (pbuh) with such an event. This month is so virtuous that just one night in this month equals 1000 months. Allah (swt) blessed us with so many incentives to fast for this month.
Amongst His rewards is that
-He'll forgive the person who fasted the whole month of all his past sins.
-You will be forgiven if you offered qiyam during the month of Ramadan.
-You are promised the reward of a thousand months for obersving the night of laylatul qadr.
-We are told that the shaytan will be chained up for a whole month, and the gates of paradise will be open.
-We've been told that Allah will free from punishment a number of worshippers every night of Ramadan.
-Allah (swt) answers the dua of a fasting person when he breaks his fast.
-Allah (swt) multiplies the rewards of fasting beyond limits of imagination.

These are all rewards that Lord of the worlds has offered us. But how many of these did we earn during this month of ramdan? Did we really fast the whole month wholeheartedly and sincerely? Were our days of fasting different from the days we didn't fast? How long were we up at night praying qiyam? How hard did we try to search out laylatul qadr? Did we take advantage of the fact that shaytan was chained up for this whole month? Did we try to break our bad habits without his whispers? Did we take the time to make dua at iftar for ourselves, our families, and the ummah of Muhammad (pbuh)? Did we take advantage of the fact that our rewards will be multiplied many times over? If we are all college students here, then we have at least fasted for the past 5 to 7 Ramadans. So the question now is "are you 5 to 7 times better now than you were before?" If the answer is 'no' then you must step back and evaluate yourself. Have you made the most of Ramadan?

Tell me brothers and sisters, is it us that need Allah's mercy or the Prophet (pbuh) to enter paradise? No doubt you would all say that it is we. Then perhaps we can learn from the narrations of the companions who used to count for the Prophet (pbuh) in each congregation his saying one hundred times: "My Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance, for You are At-Tawwab (the One who accept repentance), Al-Ghafoor (The Oft Forgiving)." If the Prophet (pbuh) said this dua 100 times, then how many times must we say it to be forgiven for our sins?

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, is also reported to have said: "No one will be rescued (on the Day of Judgment) by his deeds." They (his companions) asked "even you Messenger of Allah?" He said, "even me, unless Allah would grant me His mercy and Grace." If the Messenger of Allah needs mercy to be saved on the day of judgment, then do you think that we will enter paradise according to our deeds?

Did we use this month to seek forgiveness and beg for His mercy? Or are we better than the companions of the prophet (pbuh) who said "I will not feel quite safe even if I see that one of my feet is already in Jannah - not until both of them are in there." Brothers and sisters, did they not fast the month of Ramadan, did they not stand in prayer all night, did they not try their hardest to search-out laylatul qadr? Then what is it that makes them more pious and worthy of paradise? It is taqw-Allah.

Have we achieved our goal for this Ramadan?

In conclusion:
unfortunately Ramadan comes only once a year, therefore, we should host it in the best possible way. However, contrary to what many of us think, Ramadan is not a month of tables full of dishes and useless parties and gatherings but rather it is the month of recital of the Qur'an, the remembrance of Allah, the prayer at night, the Suhour, the du`a at the Iftar, the charity ...amongst other things. It is only by doing these actions will one attain taqwa of Allah in this world, and Jannatul Firdows in the next.

Suhaib radhiya Allahu `anh relates that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: When the inmates of the Paradise will have entered Paradise, Allah, the Master of Honor and Glory, will ask them: "Do you want anything more that I should give you?" They will submit: "(O Allah)! Have you not made our faces shining? Have you not admitted us to the Paradise and saved us from the Hell? (What else is left to be desired?)" Thereupon, the veil will be withdrawn, and the inmates of the Paradise will not have known anything dearer to them than looking at their Lord. [Muslim].

May Allah make us amongst those inmates of paradise. Ameen.

written by: Umer Akbar
Last khutbah of Ramadan 1424/December 2003