Jummah Khutbah
الْحَمْدَ لِلّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِيْنُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنُؤمِنُ بِهٖ وَنَتَوَکَّلُ عَلَیْهِ۔ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللہ مِنْ شُرُوْرِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللہ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْهُ فَلَ هَادِيَ لَهُ۔ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللہ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنّ مُحَمّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ۔
(All praise is for Allah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our own souls and from our own bad deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His slave and His Messenger)
أَمَّا بَعد ، فَإنَّ خَيرَ الْحَدِيْثِ كِتَابُ الله ، وَخَيرَ الْهَدْي هَدْيِ مُحَمَّدِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ،وَشَرُّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلُّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلُّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ۔
(The best of speech is the Book of Allah and best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace be upon him). The worst of things are those that are newly invented (in religion); every newly-invented thing is an innovation (Bida’h) and every innovation is going astray, and every going astray is in the Fire.')
اَعُوْذُبِاللّٰہِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْمِ
بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ
I seek protection of Allah against the Devil. I begin with the name of Allah, the most Gracious and the most Merciful
ـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسۡلِمُونَ
O you who believe, fear Allah, as He should be feared, and let not yourself die except as Muslims. (Quran 3:102)
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُواْ قَوۡلاً۬ سَدِيدً۬ا
O you who believe, fear Allah, and speak in straightforward words. (Quran 33:70)
My dear brothers, today I would like to talk about some of the challenges of living as a practicing Muslim. The motivation behind this khutbah is to inform and prepare the new students who have come to Sendai about what lies ahead. But I think that discussing this topic will be beneficial for me and all those as well who have been living here for a while now. Personally, I feel that this is a topic that I need to keep reminding myself about again and again and again.
We have come here from Muslim countries, well a majority of us anyway. We have come from environments where we were protected and taken care of, where we were surrounded by our friends and family, where our neighborhoods were full of our fellow Muslims and there were Masjids everywhere, no matter where we were, we could hear the call to prayer five times a day everyday. But now we are in a foreign land where we are completely surrounded by non-Muslims. Less than 0.1% of the population belongs to the faith of Islam here. Living here as a practicing Muslim is going to be a challenge. Here your Imaan will be tested everyday. By Allah! Your Imaan will be tested. No doubt about it! Your Imaan will be tested in ways that you could never have imagined before.
For example, a beautiful girl might walk up to you and say I really like you and I would like to be your girlfriend. So what would you do in that situation? Your lab mates and your professor might offer you a glass of beer and say aren’t you even curious what this tastes like? Just take a sip, just a little sip!. No one will know, no one will ever need to know about it. How would you respond to that? Then a night might come when you will very hungry, you might be passing in front of a restaurant and the smell of grilled and bar b queued meat is pulling you towards that restaurant but you know that this meat is not halal. Then there will be this brand of chips or cookies or something else that you have grown fond of but one day you find out that its not Halal. Now every time you see it in the supermarket, you will miss having it, you will remember the taste and you will want it really bad. But! No! You cannot have it and you will have to control yourself and tell yourself that what Allah Almighty has is much better than this.
بَلۡ تُؤۡثِرُوۡنَ الۡحَيٰوةَ الدُّنۡيَا ۖ ﴿۱۶﴾ وَالۡاٰخِرَةُ خَيۡرٌ وَّ اَبۡقٰىؕ ﴿۱۷﴾
But you prefer the life of this world. While the Hereafter is much better and will last much longer (Quran 87:16-17)
And now this is an advice for myself before anyone else. Your Iman will be tested here and some tests are gonna be harder than others. But remember! Greater the challenges, greater will be the rewards in.sha.Allah. If you fail a test, then don’t give up, may Allah help you get back to the right path. When you make a mistake, repent as soon as you realize your mistake and try to return to the right path. Allah Almighty loves those who repent.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ خَطَّاءٌ, وَخَيْرُ اَلْخَطَّائِينَ اَلتَّوَّابُونَ .
The Prophet of Allah(peace be upon him) said: “All the children of Adam are sinners, but the best of sinners are those who repent often. (Tirmidhi: 2499, Ibn Majah: 2451, Grade: Hasan)
If you pass a test, then in.sha.Allah your Iman will increase. When someone is a practicing Muslim before coming here, then living here might make him cling to his Iman even more firmly. But if someone did not use to practice Islam, then he might go further in his misguidance. And actually this point is true about many other things as well. Allah Almighty says this about the Quran:
وَاِذَا مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَتۡ سُوۡرَةٌ فَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ يَّقُوۡلُ اَيُّكُمۡ زَادَتۡهُ هٰذِهٖۤ اِيۡمَانًا ۚ فَاَمَّا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا فَزَادَتۡهُمۡ اِيۡمَانًا وَّهُمۡ يَسۡتَبۡشِرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۴﴾ وَاَمَّا الَّذِيۡنَ فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ مَّرَضٌ فَزَادَتۡهُمۡ رِجۡسًا اِلٰى رِجۡسِهِمۡ وَمَاتُوۡا وَهُمۡ كٰفِرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۵﴾
And whenever a surah is revealed, there are among the hypocrites those who say, "Which of you has this faith increased?" As for those who believed, it has increased them in faith, and they are rejoicing. But as for those in whose hearts is disease, it has [only] increased them in evil [in addition] to their (existing) evil. And they will have died while they are disbelievers. (Quran 9:124-125)
So brothers, find the good people around you. Surround yourself with them. Be friends with people who bring you closer to Allah. We are supposed to guide the bad people, but we are not supposed to join them. Try to reason with them in a good manner and try to guide them.
فَذَكِّرۡ اِنۡ نَّفَعَتِ الذِّكۡرٰىؕ ﴿۹﴾ سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَنۡ يَّخۡشٰىۙ ﴿۱۰﴾ وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا الۡاَشۡقَىۙ ﴿۱۱
So advise people if the advice is useful. The one who fears (Allah) will observe the advice. And it will be ignored by the most wretched ones. (Quran 87:9-11)
فَذَكِّرۡ ؕ اِنَّمَاۤ اَنۡتَ مُذَكِّرٌ ؕ ﴿۲۱﴾ لَـسۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ بِمُصَۜيۡطِرٍۙ ﴿۲۲﴾
So keep on preaching, you are only a preacher. You are not a taskmaster set up over them. (Quran 88:21-22)
But if people refuse guidance then turn away from them. That is also very important.
خُذِ الۡعَفۡوَ وَاۡمُرۡ بِالۡعُرۡفِ وَاَعۡرِضۡ عَنِ الۡجٰهِلِيۡنَ ﴿۱۹۹﴾
Take what is given freely, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant. (Quran 7:199)
Keep in mind that you will make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. We are human beings after all. No one is perfect. Allah Almighty does not demand perfection from us. Allah Almighty only demands sincerity from us. What Allah Almighty wants from us is to turn towards him and return towards him.
فَفِرُّوۡۤا اِلَى اللّٰهِؕ اِنِّىۡ لَـكُمۡ مِّنۡهُ نَذِيۡرٌ مُّبِيۡنٌۚ
So flee towards Allah. Indeed, I am to you a clear warner from Him. (Quran: 51/50)
If you cannot run towards Allah then walk. If you cannot walk then crawl. If you cannot even crawl then at least change your direction and point yourself in the right direction. This is the one thing that we ask of Allah in each and every prayer.
اِهۡدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الۡمُسۡتَقِيۡمَۙ
Guide us to the straight path (Quran: 1/5)
We don’t know our destination. We don’t know how far we will be able to travel on this straight path. But anyone who is on this path is successful, no matter how little he has traveled on this path. Ask Allah to lead you towards this right path and ask Him to give you the ability to travel a long way on this path
Have good opinion of Allah Almighty annd expect the best from him. Have trust
in Him. Indeed a Muslim puts his trust only in Allah Almighty.
The
Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Allah says: 'I am just as My slave
thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for
him) and I am with him if he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in
himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a
group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and
if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if
he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched
arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.' " (Sahih Bukhari: 97/34, Sahih Muslim: 48/1, Riyad uss Saliheen: 1/440, Jami at-Tirdmidhi: 48/234, Sunan Ibn Majah: 33/167)
Fight
your temptations brothers. Fight the whispers of Shaitaan. Don’t give
in to them. Walking on the right path is going to be an uphill battle.
It is like going up a mountain. And you know how hard it is to walk to
Aobayama right? For walking on the straight path, here you not only need
to fight your nafs and the whispers of satan but also the whole
society. Here you will be an outcast. You
will not be able to drink alcohol, eat pork, go to the singing and dance
parties or have a girlfriend so you will be an outsider. You will always be the strange one. And I congratulate you for that.
بَدَأَ الإِسْلاَمُ غَرِيبًا وَسَيَعُودُ كَمَا بَدَأَ غَرِيبًا فَطُوبَى لِلْغُرَبَاءِ " .
The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Islam began
as something strange and it will revert to being something strange, so glad tidings to the strangers.”
It was said: Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?
He said: “Those who are righteous when the people are corrupt.”
Narrated
by Abu ‘Amr al-Daani in al-Sunan al-Waaridah fi’l-Fitan (1/25) from the
hadith of Ibn Mas’ood; classed as sahih by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah
al-Sahihah (1273); the hadith is also narrated in Sahih Muslim (145).
أَقُولُ
قَوْلِي هَذَا، وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللّهَ لِيَ وَلَكُمْ ولِسَائِرِ
الْمُسْلِمِيِنَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتْ ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ، إِنَهُ هُوَ
الْغَفُورُ الرّحِيمُ۔
(I say this
saying of mine, and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and for you,
and to the rest of the Muslims, so ask Him for forgiveness, He is the
the forgiver, the Merciful.)
Second Khutbah:
قال
الله تعالی فی کتابه الکریم اِنَّ اللّٰهَ وَمَلٰٓٮِٕكَتَهٗ يُصَلُّوۡنَ
عَلَى النَّبِىِّ ؕ يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا صَلُّوۡا عَلَيۡهِ
وَسَلِّمُوۡا تَسۡلِيۡمًا، اللھم صل علٰی محمد و علٰی آل محمد کما صلیت
علٰی ابراھیم و علٰی آل ابراھیم انک حمید مجید ۔اللھم بارک علٰی محمد و
علٰی آل محمد کما بارکت
علٰی ابراھیم و علٰی آل ابراھیم انک حمید مجید ۔
In
the second Khutbah in.sha.Allah, I will try to present a problem that
we are facing in the Masjid and that is the problem of finances. As you
know, we do not have any commercial venture and we do not have any
wealthy donor in the middle east or somewhere else who could cover the
running costs of the Masjid. Our funds come from you people.
Every Muslim living in Sendai has been requested to pay 1000 yen/month
as the Masjid membership fee. But it has been noted that many people are not paying this membership fee and the Masjid is suffering because of it.
First
of all, this should not a big amount for anyone. 1000 yen is what a
meal or two would cost you here. So just pay the membership fee to the
Masjid thinking that you have fasted for a day.
There are some people who complain that why should I pay this fee?
I don’t have even come to the Masjid. Well, if you are not coming to
the Masjid even for Jummah prayer then whose fault is that? Secondly, try to think of this fee as insurance. We all have to pay medical
insurance even though we might never go to the hospital all year but
there are people who need hospital and they benefit when we pay our
insurance and they would suffer if we don’t pay it. Similarly brothers
and sisters, please pay the membership fee thinking of the people who
need Masjid. Please do not be selfish about it. Think about the whole
community. Masjid is a definite requirement of the Muslim community.
So
I request all the brothers and sisters again. Please pay the monthly
membership fee regularly. Consider it your duty to this Masjid and this
community. Your country representative will contact you every month and
ask for membership fee. Please cooperate with him and support him. And
if your country representative cannot get in touch with you then you can
pay directly it in the box located near Wadhu area by yourself.
Jazak.Allahu khairan
Please pray for yourself, pray for me, pray for this Masjid and for the whole Muslim Community in Sendai.
اَللّٰھُمَّ
اَیِّدِ الْاِسْلاَمَ وَ الْمُسْلِمِیْن، اَللّٰھُمَّ انْصُرْ مَنْ نَصَرَ
دِیْنَ مُحَمَّدِ ﷺ وَاجْعَلْنَا مِنْھُمْ، وَاخْذُلْ مَنْ خَذَلَ دِیْنَ
مُحَمَّدِ ﷺ وَلَا تَجْعَلْنَا مِنْھُمْ، اَللّٰھُمَّ اَرِنَا الْحَقَّ
حَقًّا وَارْزُقْنَا اتِّبَاعَهُ، وَاَرِنَا الْبَاطِلَ بَاطِلًا
وَارْزُقْنَا اجْتِنَابَهُ، اَللّٰھُمَّ ثَبِّتْنَا عَلَی الْاِسْلاَمِ،
اَللّٰھُمَّ نَوِّرْ قُلُوْبَنِا بِنُوْرِ الْاِیْمَانِ، اَللّٰھُمَّ
اَغْفِرْ لِلْمُوْمِنِیْنَ وَالْمُوْمِنَاتِ، اَلْاَحْیَاءَ مِنْھُمْ
وَالْاَمْوَاتِ۔
عِبَادَ اللہ ِ،
رَحِمَکُمُ اللہ ُ،إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ
وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ
وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ، اذکرواللہ یذکرکم،
وَادْعُوْہُ یَسْتَجِبْ لَکُمْ، وَلَذِکْرِ اللہِ اَکْبَرُ، وَاللہ
ُیَعْلَمُ مَا تَسْمَعُونْ۔
(Slaves
of Allah! May Allah have mercy on you! “Allah commands justice, good
conduct, and giving to relatives, and He forbids all immorality,
injustice and oppression. He instructs you, that you may remember.”
(Quran 16:90) Remember Allah and He will remember you, Ask him and He
will answer you, remember Allah the Greatest. And Allah knows what you
hear.)
اَقِمِ الصَّلٰوۃ۔
(Establish the prayer)
(This Khutbah was delivered in Sendai Masjid on 26th October 2018)