Are We Grateful? (with Sign Language) - Abdirahman Hussein

Khutbah al-Ula — Opening

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

Amma ba'd: Indeed, the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. And the worst of matters are those newly introduced, and every newly introduced matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

The Countless Blessings of Allah

O assembly of brothers and sisters, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed us with bounties and blessings that we cannot count and enumerate. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has allowed you — has given you the understanding — to take time out of your day to come and dedicate this act of worship for Him alone. That is a blessing. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given you health. You can see, you can hear, you have the faculties of understanding. That is a blessing. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has allowed you to live in a place where you can live in peace, and you can practice your Islam without anybody harming you, without anybody preventing you from worshipping Allah. That is a blessing.

We can take the time out to list and count the blessings that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us. All of us sitting here together can generate a long list and brainstorm the blessings that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us. Yet we still cannot enumerate them. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said:

If you try to count the blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, you won't be able to enumerate them. So the blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala are many.

Two Things to Remember About Allah's Blessings

But there are two things that we need to keep in mind with regards to the blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

First: Blessings Are Only from Allah

Number one, we need to remember and realize that the blessings are only from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala alone. These blessings that we have — it is Allah alone who has provided us with these ni'am:

Any blessing that you have, indeed it is from Allah alone. In another part of the Qur'an, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reminds us to remember the favors of Allah upon us:

Is there a creator other than Allah who provides for you from the heavens and the earth? There is no one worthy of worship except Him. So the first thing we need to realize is these blessings are from Allah alone. It is special and unique to Him, and He is the one who provides them to us subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Second: Blessings Are a Test

The second thing that we need to keep in mind, my brothers and sisters, is that these blessings that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed us with are a test. We are being tested to see what we will do. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the Qur'an says:

And we will indeed test you with bad and good as a trial and a tribulation and a test for you.

And indeed We have tried them with bad and with good. And if you go through the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and the Sunnah of His messenger, peace be upon him, you would see examples and stories that have been told to us about people being tested and how they were with regards to these tests and these trials in the dunya. And the examples are many.

The Story of the Three Men from Bani Israel

The first example I want to bring is an example of people that were tested with blessings and how they were with regards to their tests. Al-Imam al-Bukhari and Muslim narrate the hadith of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, in which the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3464; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2964)

There were three men from Bani Israel — a man who had a disease in his skin, discoloration; a second individual who had hair loss, alopecia; and a third man who was blind. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wanted to test them.

So this angel came to the first man — the man who had the baras, the man who had that skin disease in which the color of the skin changes to a point where the person is difficult to look at. It's abhorrent. It's a test from Allah. And the angel came to this man and asked him: "What is it that you would like?" And the man responded by saying: "A good color and a nice complexion, and for this illness to be removed, because the people have detested me — they can't stand looking at me. That's the only thing I wish to be removed." So the angel wiped over the man and the disease was lifted.

He was then asked: "What type of wealth would you like to have? What kind of property would you like to own?" And the man said he would like to have camels. The hadith even mentions there is an uncertainty in the narration — was it camels or was it cows? In any case, the angel gave him a pregnant camel and told the man: "May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless it for you."

He moved on to the second man — the man who had his hair falling off, unnatural hair loss — and he asked him the same question: "What is it that you would like to have?" And he responded by saying: "Nice hair, and for this disease and this illness and this sickness to be lifted off me, because the people can't stand looking at me." And the angel wiped over him as well. He asked him: "What type of wealth?" And he said: "Cows." And the angel gave him a pregnant cow and told him: "May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless it for you."

He moved on to the third man, who couldn't see, and asked him: "What is it that you would like to have?" And the blind man responded by saying: "I would like that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala return my eyesight so I can see." The angel wiped over him and the man was able to see. He had a sheep, and he gave him a pregnant sheep and told him: "May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless it for you."

Then the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, says that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala blessed it for them to the point where each one of them had a valley — one had a valley of camels, and the other one had a valley of cows, and the other one had a valley of sheep. Allah blessed it for them. They were in a situation that was difficult, and Allah blessed them now with goodness and ease.

Then the angel came to the first man in the form that he used to be in and told him: "I am a poor person and I am traveling, and I do not have enough money to reach my destination. It is only Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — and then you — that is able to help me get to my destination. I ask you, by Allah, the one who gave you good skin and gave you a good complexion and blessed you with all this wealth and all these camels — one camel. Give me one camel so I can just go on my way."

How did the man respond? He responded: "I've got bills to pay, I've got responsibilities to deal with, I don't have enough money to help you out. Go on your way." The angel, who was in the form of the original man who had the skin disease, responded and said: "I know you — you look familiar. Weren't you the one that had that disease? The people couldn't stand looking at you, and you had nothing, and Allah blessed you with money and Allah blessed you with a good complexion. Weren't you that individual?" The man said: "I don't know what you are talking about. I inherited this wealth from my father, who got it from his father. I don't know what you are talking about." And then the angel responded to him: "If you are lying, then I ask Allah to take you back to the condition that you used to be in."

He moved on to the second man — the man who used to have no hair — and came to him in the condition that he used to be in, and asked him: "I'm traveling and I'm poor. After Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, there is no one that can help me but you. I ask you by the one who gave you this nice hair and all this wealth — one cow to help me on my way." He gave him the same response: "Sorry, man." And the angel responded: "Don't I know you? You were that guy that had that bad-looking hair that was falling off you, and Allah blessed you. You had nothing, and Allah gave you all this wealth." — "This is from my forefathers, my friend, I don't know what you are talking about." — "If you are lying, I ask Allah to take you back to the condition that you were in."

He moved on to the third man — the blind man — and told him: "Poor person that is traveling. I've got no money and I need to get to my destination. I ask you by the one who has returned the eyesight to you — one goat, one sheep, so I can get to my destination." And the blind man responded by saying: "You are right. It is Allah that returned my eyesight to me. There was a time when I couldn't see, but Allah alone is the one who gave it back to me. And today I have no excuse — I will not fight you, nor will I argue with you. Take whatever you please, because this is all indeed from Allah alone." The angel responded to him and told him: "Keep your wealth. I don't need it. Indeed this is a test, and Allah is pleased with you, and is displeased with the other two friends of yours."

This is an authentic hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Many lessons can be derived from this hadith, but I want to focus just on one point. Here you have three people whom Allah took out of a difficult situation and put them in a situation of ease. However, their response when the time came for them to give back was different. And that's the reality of people — some people will be grateful and will realize the blessings of Allah upon them, and some will forget.

So the question that you and I need to ask ourselves — when it comes to all of these blessings that we have, that we can't even count — how are you with regards to Allah? Are you from those who are grateful to Allah?

There are many other stories similar to this where Allah is informing us of people who have been given blessings yet they deny that it's from Allah alone, and they think it's from themselves, and the result ended up being a result that is evil. And we also have people who are examples for us to follow — whom when they were given blessings from Allah, they realized and understood that it's from Allah alone, and they are grateful and thankful. And I want to mention one of those stories in the next part of the khutbah.

We ask Allah to make us from amongst those who listen and benefit and understand from what we hear. We ask Allah to make us from amongst those who listen to what is being said and follow the best of it. Indeed, He is the Protector of that, and the All-Powerful over it.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and with Him we seek help in the affairs of this world and in religion. And may Allah's peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions.

Khutbah al-Thaniyah — The Example of Prophet Suleiman

As for my brothers and sisters — as I mentioned, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala brings us examples of people from the past who have done good and have mentioned their stories in the Qur'an. And we have similar stories in the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him. And the objective of those stories is for us to understand and reflect and apply them, and follow those people who came before us who were upon khair.

The example that I want to bring forth to you — as a reminder for myself first of all, and to all of us here — is the example of the Prophet of Allah, Suleiman, upon him and upon our Prophet may the best of prayers and peace be upon him.

Suleiman, peace be upon him, was one of the supplicants of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He said: "O Allah, O my Lord, forgive me. Grant me a kingdom that does not belong to anyone after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower." And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accepted his prayer and his du'a and gave him that. Suleiman, peace be upon him, had a kingdom that no one will ever have coming after him.

We have people today that are trying to chase the dunya, that are trying to establish themselves when it comes to their worldly matters. They will never attain and they will never reach the level of what Suleiman, peace be upon him, was given. As a matter of fact, in the story of Suleiman in Surah An-Naml — and I urge you and I request you to go back to that chapter of the Qur'an, Surah An-Naml, and recite and reflect upon the ayat speaking about the story of Suleiman, peace be upon him, because we don't have time to go into the details of the story in that surah — but I want to just bring some points as a point of reflection with regards to our topic of discussion today.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says when He is speaking about the story of Suleiman:

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala indeed has given Suleiman and his father, Daud, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon both of them — knowledge, revelation, prophethood, wisdom. And both Daud and Suleiman said: "All thanks and all praises are due to Allah who has given us a virtue over the rest of the people, the rest of the creation, the rest of the believers."

That's the first thing Suleiman and his father Daud did — Allah blessed them with the blessings of knowledge and prophethood and wisdom, and the first thing they did was they were grateful to Allah. An example for us to follow. Suleiman, peace be upon him, instantly recognizing and realizing — and that's what we're supposed to do — that these blessings are only from Allah, and He is the one who is deserving of praise and thanks for that.

And Suleiman inherited the prophethood and the kingdom from his father Daud. And Suleiman is speaking to the people: "Oh people, we have been taught and we have been given understanding of the speech of the birds" — he could understand what birds were saying — "and we have been given everything." And again, returning it to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala: "Indeed, this is inevitably a ni'ma and a bounty from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala."

The Valley of Ants and Suleiman's Gratitude

The story of Suleiman in this surah continues. Suleiman collects his army — comprised of jinn and mankind and birds — an army that has never been heard, past or present. And the army is marching:

They came upon a valley where there were ants. Allah is telling us in the Qur'an — the ant is calling on to the other ants: "Oh ants, enter your homes so that Suleiman and his army do not crush you while they are unaware." Suleiman hears this, and he smiles and is amused. And what is the first thing he says once he realizes that blessing?

"Give me the ability — give me the ability to thank you, O Allah. Give me the ability to be from the people who are thankful to you alone, for these blessings that you have given to me and my family. And give me the ability to do righteous deeds and to worship you alone. And allow me to be from amongst those who are your righteous worshippers." — (Quran 27:19)

Suleiman — and those guys that we mentioned before, all they had was a valley of camels and a valley of goats and cows, and they were ungrateful, they forgot the situation that they were in. How many of us forgot the situation that we used to be in, and now that we have blessings in front of us, we are ungrateful? Yet Suleiman, peace be upon him, is grateful. And every step of the way.

The Throne of Bilqis and the Lesson of Gratitude

The story of Suleiman continues in summary. He looks through his army and he's asking: "Where is the bird? Where is Hudhud? He better be here, he better have a reason." Hudhud comes and tells him: "O Suleiman, I know something that you do not know. I came across a people who are led by a woman — a woman is their queen, their leader. And those people, they worship the sun. They do not worship Allah. It would be beneficial and better for them to worship Allah alone."

Suleiman said: "Alright, we'll see if what you're saying is the truth." He wrote a letter and gave it to the bird to send it to them. The letter reached the queen. She opened the letter and it said — it's a letter from Suleiman, beginning with the name of Allah: "Do not become arrogant, and come to me in submission as Muslims."

The queen spoke to her people and asked them: "What should we do?" Some of the people said: "We're strong, we can deal with them. Let's fight them, let's see what they can do." The queen responded by saying: "If kings come into cities, they destroy the cities when they come in, and they make the people who are honorable in the city lowly. It's not a good idea for us to allow that." Eventually she sent a gift to Suleiman. Suleiman saw the gift and said: "I am not in need of these worldly provisions. Allah has given me more. Take it back — maybe you can be happy with it."

The story continues, and eventually the queen and her people were coming towards Suleiman. And Suleiman spoke to his workers from the jinn — and here's the point. Hudhud had told Suleiman that she has this great throne, so now Suleiman is commanding his jinn: "Which one of you can bring that throne of hers here before she even arrives?" One of them says: "O Suleiman, I can bring that throne here before you even stand up from your seat." Another one said: "I can bring it before you even blink your eye — before you close your eyes and open them, it is going to be right in front of you."

When Suleiman saw the throne in front of him, what is the first thing he said? He didn't say: "It's from my kingdom, it's from my ability, I have control over these jinn, I'm the man, I'm the king." He returned it to Allah. And that's the lesson today. Why? So that: "I am being tested. This kingdom that I have is a test. Am I going to be from those who are grateful, or am I going to be from those who deny? If you are grateful, it is for your own benefit. And if you are one that denies, then Allah is not in need of you and your thankfulness."

Are We Grateful?

That is the lesson. Are we grateful? We are healthy — are we grateful? We have children and families that are healthy — are we grateful? We live in a place that is peaceful — are we grateful? We have the understanding that we worship Allah alone — are we grateful? There are people that wake up every day, go to work, sleep — they don't even know Allah exists. They have no awareness that their responsibility in this world is to worship Allah alone. Allah guided you — are you grateful? Is it because of us that we are Muslims and we are guided? No, by Allah. But are we grateful? Are we thankful? By Allah, we will be asked about this — are we grateful? Are we really grateful?

Let's take this opportunity, my brothers and sisters, to reflect and to really look at our condition and our situation, and become from those people who are thankful and grateful.

Shaytan — from the things that he said with regards to Bani Adam — is that: "I will approach them from every angle — front of them, behind them, and from their sides — and you will find them to be ungrateful." Let us not be from those who fall into the trap of Shaytan and become from those who are ungrateful.

How Do We Show Gratitude?

Let us be thankful to Allah. How do we be thankful? We are thankful by thanking Allah with our speech. We are thankful by our actions. We fulfill our responsibility towards Allah by worshipping Him alone. We fulfill our responsibility towards Allah by staying away from that which He has forbidden us from doing. We are thankful through our actions. Allah, again referring to this family of Daud:

Their thankfulness was through their 'amal — their deeds and their actions.

Closing Du'as

We ask Allah to make us from the shakireen. We ask Allah to make us from those who are thankful and grateful to Him. We ask Allah to allow us to stay firm on the truth. We ask Allah to make us from those who, when they enter into paradise, will say:

O servants of Allah:

Before we proceed, I want to encourage myself and encourage all of the brothers and sisters to make it a point to donate generously to the masjid. Please don't forget that one of our means of being thankful to Allah for all of our blessings is to give back and seek the reward from Him alone. So don't forget that aspect of donating generously, and we ask Allah to accept it from us.

Salah — Qira'ah

Make sure the lines are straight, leave no gaps.

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ