Mohammed Faqih – Friday Khutbah 28-06-2024
AI: Summary ©
The importance of faith in Islam is highlighted, with speakers emphasizing the need to renew faith and engage in daily prayer to strengthen their spiritual health and belief. They stress the importance of not giving up on one's faith and not taking responsibility for one's actions. The speakers also emphasize the importance of maintaining connection with divine guidance and faith in one's religion to achieve spiritual renewal, and remind attendees to register for the upcoming election and make their presence felt even if they do not register. The speakers also emphasize the need for everyone to register to vote in the upcoming election and avoid wasting time and effort.
AI: Summary ©
All praise is due to Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala, the Lord of the worlds.
We praise him, seek his help, and we
ask for his forgiveness and his guidance.
We seek refuge in Allah azza wa jal
from the evil of our own souls
and from our own wrongdoings.
Whosoever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala guides, none can
misguide.
And whoever Allah azza wa Jal allows to
go astray no 1 can
guide him.
I bear witness
that there is no
God worthy to be worshiped except Allah alone.
He has no partners subhanahu wa ta'ala. And
I bear witness that prophet Muhammad salallahu alaihi
wa sallam
is his servant
and his messenger.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says, oh you who
believe.
He teaches us,
oh believers
fear or be mindful of Allah azza wa
jal
as you ought to be.
And make sure that you do not die
except in the state of Islam,
in the state of submission,
in the state of Tawhid.
Oh mankind be mindful of Allah
and be mindful of the rights of your
kinship.
Be mindful of Allah and the rights of
your kinship through whom you demand your mutual
rights for Allah, Azzawajal, is watching over you.
Oh you who believe Oh believers,
be mindful of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and
watch what you say and make sure that
whatever you say is the right word.
Make sure that it's true, it's accurate.
And if you do so,
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
will rectify your affairs
and Allah will forgive you your sins and
whoever
believes in Allah and his messenger and obey
them
will indeed
triumph.
It is reported on the authority of Abdullah
ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him
and his father,
that the messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam
It is reported that the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam
said that Iman faith
Iman,
faith
wears out
within an individual.
In our hearts,
this faith of ours
as cloth
wear out. When you put on your clothes
and you use them on a regular basis,
what happens to them?
They wear out.
So iman likewise
wears out.
It runs thin.
It deteriorates
or it weakens over time.
So the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
told us to renew
our faith or ask Allah Azza wa Jal
to renew
faith, iman, in our hearts.
Iman wears out within
yourself.
If you do not do something about it,
if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not replenish,
rejuvenate
and revive
or renew that iman. If you do not
engage in actions,
if you're not committed to a lifestyle
that is conducive to the renewal of your
iman, your iman will wear out and before
you know it you'll be stripped of your
faith.
And that is why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
out of his mercy subhanahu wa ta'ala he
gives us seasons
and opportunities for that iman to be renewed.
You see Allah azza wa Jal does not
benefit anything from this congregational prayer of ours.
If everyone in the world was to gather
at this moment and worship Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala and praise Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, that
will not increase Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's kingdom.
Allah aza wa jal
doesn't need our ibadah.
But because we needed, Allah aza wa jal
obligated us. And because
and unless Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala obligates us,
we wouldn't do it. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
obligates us for our own sake so that
we can maintain that iman of ours that
will be our ticket to Jannah.
That will qualify us
to live in this life in a meaningful
way
and be saved in the hereafter.
And that is precisely why Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala commands us to pray 5 times a
day. Wallahi, it won't make a difference whether
we pray 1 time,
5
times, 50 times, or a 1000 times a
day to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
And we know that in the hadith
that the prophet salallahu alaihi wa sallam relates
to Allah himself
where Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says I am
self sufficient.
I don't need your Ibadah. I don't need
your worship. I don't need anything from you.
So the reason Allah
tells us to do these things
and commands us to worship him
it is for our own sake, for our
own iman. For that faith in our hearts
to remain
alive and to be strong.
Otherwise, we will lose
it. So a wise believer
is the 1 that actually makes sure that
they engage in this process of renewing their
iman
on a daily basis, on a weekly basis,
on a monthly basis,
annually,
that you make sure that that iman in
your heart is renewed.
Because without it,
there is no
point of anything that you have.
If you lose your iman or if your
iman is weak,
then nothing is left for you.
What defines you,
what gives you the value that you have
is your belief, your iman, your faith.
And now
you and I live
under
very intense circumstances.
With all kinds of things happening around us,
we're being exposed to fitna day and night.
And the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam told
the sahaba
that a time will come where fitna is
going to be so prevalent
and so intense
that an individual
will rise up in the morning as a
believer
and
by night
at the end of that day that believer
will lose his iman.
The prophet shalallahu alaihi wa sallam confirmed. He
said,
A man
will get up in the morning as a
believer in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and then
that individual will be exposed
to elements that actually
cause the erosion of his iman in his
heart.
And by the end of the day he
will be stripped or he will lose that
iman of his and that individual will end
up kafir.
And likewise,
A person goes to bed,
comes home as a believer,
And some intense fitna happens overnight and that
person loses their iman.
And the worst thing that could happen to
an individual is to die in that state
of kuf,
in that state of disbelief.
So never take that faith of yours for
granted.
And beg Allah
day night
that Allah keeps that faith of yours strong
in him Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Because to begin
with it's a gift from Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala.
And Allah azza wa Jal in the verse
that we hear every Friday, Allah azza wa
jal says,
He gives us a hint as to what
it takes to keep that iman alive.
Be mindful of Allah as you should.
In a manner that is befitting to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala's
majesty.
Allah ajaz deserves to be remembered.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala deserves to be respected.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala deserves for you and
I to be aware of
him. If you lose your awareness of Allah
Azzawajal If Allah Azzawajal
the most powerful self evident
reality of this existence
of ours. If you become heedless or unaware
even for a moment of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala's power, Allah's presence,
if you become heedless of it,
then that level of ghaflah is
you might as well just forget who you
are.
That's a very dangerous state to be in,
to be unaware of Allah azza wa jal.
So 1 has to be mindful of Allah
azza wa jal because Allah is deserving of
it.
Everything within you and everything around you should
remind you of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, of
Allah's power, of Allah's grace, of Allah's love,
of Allah's generosity.
Without whom we won't be able to function.
Without whom actually we will cease to exist,
let alone be able to function.
Allahu Rabu Anami. And Allah Azzawajal in the
Quran tells us
Most people do not really value or do
not
do not
perceive Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
as he should be perceived.
They don't they don't know the the the
the the the
the
the Qadr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
They don't.
So Allah says,
If you do that, if you if you
keep yourself committed to taqwa,
that perhaps will qualify you,
that you do not die except in that
state of submission, in that state of
iman.
And that moment is unknown.
My dear brothers and sisters, within the past
2, 3 weeks,
III don't know of any
maybe
the early days of COVID.
Left and right. People that I that I
personally knew,
dropping dead
or dying suddenly.
Many of us
I personally, in Hajj, saw saw people that
1 moment they were doing talbiyah, the next
minute they're gone.
1 moment they were saying la ilaha illallah.
Fortunately,
we should be envious of them.
And the next minute someone is saying La
ilaha illallah on their behalf because they just
dropped it.
Different
ages. Anytime
in this community, we have lost so many
people.
From the day I went until I came
back, so many janazas.
May Allah have mercy on all of them.
May Allah grant him janazas for those.
So never take your imam for granted and
be prepared to meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
The most important thing is that you die
upon La ilaha illallah, which by the way
in and of itself
When in a hadith
there were
the sahaba asked how do we keep our
iman renewed? How do we
revive and maintain our
iman?
He
says,
Say La ilaha illallah.
Every now and the make sure that you
always say La Illahi Illallah. Be upon La
Illahi Illallah. May Allah Azzawajal allow you and
I to live upon La Illahi Illallah
and die upon La ilaha illallah.
So that's 1 thing that we maintain
attachment and connection to this divine guidance of
Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
And be always upon la ilaha illallah. Number
2 my dear brothers and sisters, and I
conclude with this,
in the example of the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam we see a man
who was
the who had the strongest iman of all,
yet he didn't take that for granted. And
he used to ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
day night to keep him upon faith,
to keep him upon this iman.
He will ask Allah Azzawal, 1 of the
most repeated duas of the prophet shalallahu alaihi
wa sallam, 1 of the most repeated supplications
and prayers of the prophet
was,
oh Allah, yamuqalibankruo
subbizqalbi aladin. Keep me firm upon your faith
or upon your religion.
And of the dua of the prophet was
Oh Allah, I ask you for a steadfastness
in the matter in this matter of ours,
meaning the deen, their religion,
and determination upon guidance because guidance requires determination
and commitment.
May Allah
guide our hearts, and may Allah
protect our souls. May Allah
forgive our sins.
May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala's blessings be upon
all of you, my dear community members. May
Allah
bless the soul of those of our community
members who perished
over the past
2 or 3 weeks. May Allah
grant them genitive for dose. May Allah bring
comfort to the hearts of their family members
and their loved 1 that they left behind.
Every single 1 of these
individuals,
may Allah
when I received the news, they were in
my dua and my prayers,
during these blessed days of Hajj, and I
ask Allah, azza wa jal, to have accepted
that from all of us. And for those
who have
who are able to perform Hajj and return,
welcome back. May Allah
accept your deeds and forgive your sins.
Remember
that
you are now
experiencing
a new beginning.
This is 1 of the most
powerful
acts of spiritual renewals
that you could engage in,
but it's not the only 1.
Those who try their best during the 10
days of the Hijjah
to
do dhikr and du'a
and fast.
Those who maintain their daily prayers, those who
get up in the middle of the night
and beg Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala for forgiveness
and ask Allah Azzawajal for guidance.
Those who make tawba every single day as
the prophet taught us
to make tawba every single day, You are
engaged actually in that spiritual renewal.
Remember that our iman
our iman
needs to be renewed and revived
and rejuvenated.
Likewise,
our hearts need
that revival,
as well as our relationships.
Do not take any blessing that Allah has
given you in your life, be it a
family member, be it a spouse, a child,
a parent. Don't take any of that for
granted.
Make sure that you maintain these relationships
in a manner that pleases Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala. Make sure that you're thankful for
them.
Make sure that you express how you feel
to those individuals in your life that Allah
blessed you with before it's too late, before
a time may come where they're no they're
no longer there for you to tell them
how you feel about them. Tell them now
when it really matters.
So
not only do our iman,
or our faith in our hearts
require or need that renewal, but also our
relationships as well. My dear brothers and sisters,
I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala upon
my return from this journey
to bless this community of ours and allow
us inshallah
to work together
for the betterment of our
community members, our our community itself,
and also
the largest society. We have a big huge
responsibility
placed upon our shoulders. I'm told today, alhamdulillah,
we have
a campaign to,
do voter registration.
Those of you who watched the debate last
night
must have come to realize
the pathetic state
that our nation is in, actually the world
as well. It's really scary to know that
the most powerful nation in the world
has to choose between these 2 individuals.
The United States of America with all its
might and all resources
and these brilliant
minds that we have,
we have come down to 2 these 2
individuals. We you have to choose 1 of
these 2 individuals.
This is beyond me. It's
like I I if you told me this
30 or 40 years ago, I would have
said no way.
No way on earth that this will happen.
And there's a lot to be said here
about the state of this democracy.
There's a lot to be said here, but
this is not the place for it.
So now there is an added responsibility
upon us
to take whatever
privileges we have seriously.
And it's not time for inaction
or for us to say, oh, khalas. We're
doomed.
Whoever says that people are doomed, he's the
most doomed out of all of them.
The very exercise of this particular
right or privilege in and of itself is
a huge moral responsibility.
So all we're asking is that you actually
register,
Make your
presence
felt
even if you do choose not to vote
later.
Be counted.
1 of the most frustrating things for me
during Hajj was that how on earth is
our percentage 1.1
percent of the United States population?
That's what the Hajj minister in Saudi Arabia
thinks, and the Muslim population in America is
still somewhere between 3 to 4000000.
That's because
most of us just don't want to be
counted. We don't want to be
there's there
III just don't understand why why some of
us are just
not willing to do something that will take
literally how many seconds will it take
to register?
You can respond to me. 2 minutes?
2 or 3 minutes. That's it.
So please make sure that if you have
not registered, July
first is the deadline
for
registering to vote in this upcoming election.
All we're asking you to do is to
register.
Be a,
or even if you're already a registrar or
you think you're registered, make sure that you
register again because sometimes they they lose
your, voter registration.
This is very common. It happened to me.
I had to register 3 or 4 times
since I moved to Tennessee.
So I ask Allah
to make you and I of those who
listen and follow the best of who they
listen to. And may Allah
may Allah
the almighty
bless our community. May Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
bless,
bless our Ummah, and may Allah, subhanahu wa
ta'ala, strengthen our brothers and sisters who are
fighting
for their dignity and for the dignity of
the entire. May Allah
strengthen the people of Gaza
and
grant them decisive
victory against their enemies.
So.
How are we good to go?
Go? Brother Majid, are we good?
Assalamu Alaikum. Once again, please, make sure that
you register or renew your voter registration, inshallah,
before you leave. The idea is not to
really impact or affect the outcome of the
presidential
election.
That's irrelevant anyways. The most relevant part is
the
local politics.
Unless we are registered, we won't be able
to have any impact whatsoever
as individuals.
But also as a voting block,
it's very important for us to make sure
that us and everyone within our circle is
registered. If you are a US citizen,
make sure that you're registered.
So,
so please
stop by. If you haven't done it,
do it. If you have done it in
the past or you're not sure, just do
it to be on the safe side Insha'Allah.
Tonight, we have our graduation recognition celebration.
For all the graduates that have signed up,
we have sent you the schedule to your
emails that you've signed up with.
Insha'Allah, that will start at 7.
After Aisha, we also have a program tied
to the theme called The Pursuit of Knowledge.
And that's gonna
be
with
and talking about their,
you know, past experience going through Tissa
and Bayen and pursuing their degrees. And then
also, we have the Food Truck Fridays for
tonight. So Steak Escape Food Truck and the
Snow Me Something food truck will be here
between 7 PM to 10 PM. So make
sure to bring your family out for that.
Tomorrow, we are resuming our weekly barbecues.
So starting at 6:30 PM, we'll be at
the gazebos, inshallah. You can bring your family
and friends. And that'll be going on until
Maghrib.
And then next week, we have the program.
So we have Mufti Hussain Kamani and Mufti
Abdul Wahab Wahid coming,
for the program about the journey of Musa.
And that's gonna be at 6:30 PM
on Saturday, July 6th.
Make sure to register for that. You can
register at miftaf.org/musa.
And there's flyers on both sides, inshallah.
And we hope to see the whole community
there. And also, at that program, we'll be
announcing the details of the next event, which
is gonna be Friday,
July 19th, Inshallah. And we'll let you know
who the speaker and program is for that
at the July 6th 1.