Abdullah Oduro – Eid ul Adha Prayer 2024
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The Sharia (the holy spirit) is the driving force behind Islam, and individuals can receive rewards for their actions with their minds and heart. The holy spirit is a means to achieve the ultimate goal of worship, and animals are meant to achieve a greater understanding of every aspect of Jesus's actions, including his actions with his son and his wife. The ultimate goal is to be greater than everything, and animals are meant to achieve a greater understanding of every aspect of his actions, including his actions with his son and his wife.
AI: Summary ©
Mohammed.
I will do takbir to Iran, the first
takbir, and then I will do 5 takbir
or 6 takbirs after that. And then we
will recite so to Fatihah and then the
Surah Al A'la
and the regular and sujood. Then I'll come
back up, and I'll make one takbir and
then recite 5 takbir after that. And then
we'll recite the Surah inshallah after that.
And for those that wish to stay for
the,
it is better. You are allowed to leave
inshallah for the and the won't be no
more than 10 to 15 minutes
So that's the that's the makeup of the
prayer.
And a humble request from the team. Please,
those, if you have your children with you,
keep them with you during the prayer and
during the khutbah, please.
Allahu
Akbar.
We praise Allah. We seek his aid and
forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the
evil of ourselves
and of our shortcomings. Whomsoever Allah guides, none
can misguide, and whomsoever Allah allows to be
led astray, none can guide aright.
And I bear witness that there is no
one worthy of worship except Allahu Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala, the exalted, and that Mohammed is his
last messenger and servant.
Brothers and sisters, I remember when this day,
when the sun coming out, we used to
get ready for church.
Not all of
us. Some of us.
I'm from those individuals that used to get
ready for church,
that used to get ready to go to
a monastery or a place to say in
the name of Jesus.
In Jesus' name, we pray.
But then when understanding the meaning of what
we have been chanting,
of what we chance upon every movement
in our prayer that we pray 5 times
a day
implies
other than that.
It has a meaning much more great and
grand and closer to our nature.
When we say Allahu Akbar,
that means Allah is greater than every single
thing that you can imagine.
He is greater than all of his creation.
So if he is greater than all of
his creation,
Jesus, peace be at peace, and blessings be
upon him. One of the greatest
individuals that ever lived, Jesus, peace and blessings
be upon him. The one that was sinless,
Jesus, peace peace and blessings be upon him.
The one that brought the dead to life
from the bird that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
mentions in the Quran.
Wa'tuhlilmota
When Allah says, and you bring the dead
to life
with my permission.
When we hear Akbar,
remember the greatness of Allah
being one of the characteristics that I just
spoke about in regards to Jesus, peace and
blessings be upon him,
God created him, therefore, he is much greater
than him.
So god would not become like his creation
because that is lessening his status, his majesty,
his power, his wisdom, his knowledge, his greatness,
allahu akbar.
So when hearing this allahu akbar, brothers and
sisters, do not lose the opportunity
of thinking about the meaning
of what Akbar means.
When we say this on Eid al Adha,
which is today,
10th day of the last month of the
Islamic calendar,
which marks the day of celebration,
which the pilgrims which they are performing now
numerous
were performing before numerous acts of Ibadah,
from sacrificing the animal to shaving their hair,
to cleaning themselves, yakudul tafathuhum, to making it
throw off, circumambulating
around the Kaaba.
Doing all of these actions of worship of
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Why? Because Allah is
Al Akbar.
The first point that we want to understand
is the comprehensiveness
of this religion.
That this religion is so comprehensive
yet simple.
When we just spoke about the oneness of
God,
it is very easy for us with our
motherboard, our internal GPS
to detect
the greatness of the one that created us,
to have the natural feeling and inclination
of something out there that is greater than
us. And, also,
once acknowledging that, accepting that, struggling to stick
to that,
one searches for the system that he has
given us.
I believe in the fact that there is
a God. I believe that he sent people
to remind us.
But what exactly is he telling us? That
is what we know as the Sharia.
That is what we know as the deen
of Islam.
That is what we know of the actions
that we practice on a daily, monthly,
yearly, seasonal basis. If you notice within the
religion of Islam,
Allah always gives you an opportunity
to be better.
Individually with yourselves because each and every single
one of us knows the shortcomings that we
have, quote, unquote, the demons that we have
in our closet.
The shortcomings that we have, each and every
single one of us has it.
So individually,
what are we doing when we hear this
name of Akbar, pondering over those shortcomings?
To come closer to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala,
to come to a place such as you
are coming today. Make no mistake
that coming today,
you receive reward for that.
Smiling at your brother and sister,
you receive reward for that. Saying the name
of Allah, you receive and by the way,
each one of these are different rewards
that have been mentioned in the Sharia and
the Deen of Islam.
So one that truly wants to become
authentically better
internally
with their heart
and their mind,
their spirit,
their psychology
to be cleansed and nourished
by that which literally means in English nourishment,
Sharia means nourishment
of the soul.
When we hear this name Al Akbar,
remember the greatness of this deen.
Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. Allahu
Akbar. Allahu Akbar. Walilahi
Alhamd.
So when we say
for Allah, it's all praise.
I will share with you another personal
situation story that all of us some of
us probably have related to, and maybe some
of us have asked this question, and there
is a beautiful verse with a beautiful ending,
which we will end
There was one moment I was speaking with
someone that was a young lady, and she
was very intelligent, and she wanted to become
a nun. Non
Muslim.
But when she heard about the concept of
slaughtering,
as she term termed it, slaughtering for God,
it was confusing to her.
She further asked me the question, if you
slaughter animals for God, will Jesus will slaughter
for a much greater purpose?
Whereupon, I answered that, firstly, we don't believe
that he was slaughtered.
As Allah says in the Quran,
they did not kill him,
and they did not crucify him. Rather, it
was someone put in his place.
And I mentioned whereupon I mentioned
that the animal is only a means to
a goal.
Prayer is only a means to a goal.
Fasting is a means to a goal.
All of these are means, the way to
get to what?
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran,
in the chapter of Hajj, if you have
the opportunity to read this
practices that are done. But what's so beautiful
is that when Allah mentions
what people do in the ceremonial practice of
Hajj, he doesn't neglect the internal feelings that
take place.
He doesn't neglect what may go through the
heart of the Muslim.
He doesn't neglect look.
Don't
think too much about these aham,
about these rulings, what you're supposed to do,
what you're not supposed to do. Yes. I
have set these rulings, but there is a
goal. These are just the means.
These are the means
to a goal. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
Dear brothers and sisters,
I probably mentioned this verse, every evil because
it is so foundational
for
our existence. Allah says when he talks about
the sacrificing of the animal.
The blood
nor the meat
will reach Allah,
But it is the mindfulness that reaches him.
The blood nor the meat will reach Allah,
but it is the mindfulness that reaches him.
The mindfulness
is the goal.
Taqwa is the goal.
May Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, make us from
the muttaqeen.
So brothers and sisters, that is the goal.
If you notice in this chapter, Allah
mentions taqwa numerous times when talking about the
ceremonial practices of Hajj.
And make no mistake that taqwa is the
ultimate goal because when one is mindful of
Allah's names and attributes, it manifests,
transforms,
translates to, or or results in action.
So when we come here for the prayer,
brothers, each and every single one of you
ask yourself, honestly, young and old,
did we come here because I think I
just have to do it?
Mom told me I have to do it.
Dad told me I have to do it.
Right? Is I'm just supposed to do it.
Or can we take advantage of the opportunity?
Allahu Akbar. What does that mean? Allah is
greater than everything. Well, if Allah legislated this,
it must be for a great reason.
And I'll try to ponder over those reasons,
but in the process, oh Allah, forgive me
for my shortcomings. In the process, oh Allah,
bless those that have sacrificed themselves for your
cause. In the process, oh Allah, protect our
brothers and sisters all around the world in
Gaza.
Protect our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan.
Protect our brothers and sisters in the Congo.
Protect our brothers and sisters in in China.
Protect our brothers and sisters in Kashmir. You
think of the fortune that Allah has given
you and how there are people that are
oppressed.
And when we look at this ayah,
it is therefore foundational. How?
When Allah says the tangible things, he's sacrificing
the animal,
the blood and the meat, which, by the
way,
Ibrahim did with his son, Ishmael.
And we, brothers and sisters,
should take advantage
of sacrificing an animal for the sake of
Allah.
Take advantage of it. And brothers and sisters,
to be totally honest from my heart to
yours,
not look at the fact of it being
gross.
We are beyond that. This verse is telling
you, look beyond the tangibilities.
Look beyond the fact that that is gross.
Okay, Badin.
After that, this is for Allah
When one does it with the intention to
please Allah
and has a level
of Ihshishan,
a level of being a little rough,
and going through something that is uncomfortable
for the sake of Allah.
It is a beautiful,
beautiful experience.
The sacrifice of
Ibrahim's sacrifice
of his son or attempted
sacrifice of his son, let me rephrase that.
Ibrahim's attempt to please Allah in a way
that Allah has legislated,
Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala,
answered him and stopped him.
When he told him,
Ibrahim, if alma tu mar, do as you
have been or, yeah, Ibrahim,
you answered the call.
That you answered the call. And then Allah
says,
verily, this is how we reward the doers
of good.
And Allah recognizes that that was challenging
for Ibrahim.
Allah recognizes that it may be challenging for
you the first time when you're trying to
sacrifice an animal and it's sitting there, laying
there, and they're saying, say, Bismillah, alhamdulillah. And
you're like, it's a life.
Allah knows. That's why right after that, he
says,
Allah says right after that, verily, what we
just talked about with Ibrahim and Ishmael
is a great
test.
Do not rely on what is in front
of you. Do not rely on what people
say about animals, etcetera. This is the deen
of Allah. This is not my religion.
This is Allah's religion.
It is not my religion.
So trying our best to be our best
by sacrificing
from what we
have for something,
sacrificing
from ourselves
for ourselves.
Brothers and sisters, please do not belittle
this concept of sacrifice in general and specifically
the sacrificing of an animal because it goes
beyond what we think and feel.
Rather,
that food is going towards those that need
it.
And again, that's the wisdom of the nourishment
of the soul that is the wisdom of
the Sharia. Therefore,
this religion is far beyond
our total comprehensive understanding of every minutiae within
it.
Except for him. Allah is the greatest. Allah
is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. And
for him is all praise. May Allah, subhanahu
wa ta'ala, make this Eid, make this day
of celebration a day of celebration,
a day of smiling, a day of gifts,
a day of happiness, a day of spending
time with your loved ones, overlooking each other's
faults, and wanting best for each other. For
verily, we are the mummini, Insha'Allah.