Jumuah Khutbah | Br. Abdul Rahman Idris | EPIC Masjid

Opening Du'a and Announcements

We ask Allah to give her a shifa and ajl, ya rabbal alameen.

And then we also have one of our community members, his brother is currently going through a heart bypass surgery. So we ask Allah to make it an easy surgery, ya rabbal alameen. We ask Allah to give him full speedy recovery and good health and aafiyah.

Ameen, ya rabbal alameen. Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

The Reality of Life and Death

I ask a question. And I want everyone to lend me your hearts. And this is a question I was thinking of myself. We work hard for the job, we work hard for the degree. We work hard to get married, we work hard to have kids, to have a family. We work hard. We work hard in this dunya to attain a certain status, a certain level, a certain amount of knowledge, a title. We work very hard day in and day out.

And subhanAllah, 10am today, if you subscribe to the EPIC newsletter, you saw the email that came out. And it comes out often, إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ – someone has passed away.

Just after the first khutbah, may Allah have mercy on her, ya rabb al-alameen and all of our dead. May Allah forgive all of the Muslims who have passed away, ya rabb al-alameen. For all those who are buried, may Allah make their graves gardens from Jannah, ya rabb al-alameen. And when our time comes, may Allah make our graves gardens from Jannah. Ameen, ya rabb al-alameen.

One day that will be you and me. As tough as that is to admit, as tough of a pill it is to swallow, it's the truth. الْمَوْتُ حَقٌّ. Death is certain, it's true. Whether you're a Muslim, you're a Christian, you're a Jew, you're an atheist, everyone agrees on one thing and that's death. So may Allah take us away when He's most pleased with us.

The Day of Judgment

But it doesn't end there. After that is rabb al-alameen subhanahu wa ta'ala. After that is me, you, Muhammad, Mahmoud, Mustafa, Abdullah, Fatima, Zainab, Khadijah. Allah will call us forward. Come my servant, come my slave. You were hustling and bustling. You were doing X, Y, Z, A, B, C. Come, now it's the time. Now it's يَوْمُ الْحِسَابِ, the day of judgment.

When we're in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, please, I beg you, think, imagine it with me. When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, when we're in front of Him subhanahu wa ta'ala, just us and Allah. And Allah displays our deeds, our good and our bad. And insha'Allah, insha'Allah, may Allah make us from amongst them that we have mountains and mountains of good deeds. May Allah make us from amongst them. Ameen, ya rabb al-alameen.

But wait, Abdurrahman, wait. Abdurrahman, you back bit this person. Abdurrahman, you slandered that person. Abdullah, you look down upon this person. Fatima, you took away from this person. You cheated this person. You hurt that person. You separated between these two. And slowly and slowly, the good deeds go down and down and down until nothing is left. Nothing except for a few little deeds.

A few little deeds that Rabbul Alameen subhanahu wa ta'ala in the hadith Qudsi, He subhanahu wa ta'ala said, الصِّيَامُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ. Your salah gone, your sadaqa gone, your umrah gone, your charity, your orphans, this, that, the other gone. Except for these few deeds. Those days where you spent fasting for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

How much of it? Wallahi, wallahi, please, I beg you. If today is our last day, tomorrow we go back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And Allah presents us this exact scenario that I painted for you. And all of our good deeds are gone because we have shortcomings. May Allah forgive us all. And all that's left is our fasting. How much of it is there? How much of it is there? I'm ashamed, myself, I'm ashamed. I don't know how much I have, barely maybe. A few Ramadans, that's it. Allah knows how much of it was accepted. May Allah accept from all of us.

But this is a reality, brothers and sisters. الْمَوْتُ حَقٌّ, death is certain. And sooner or later we'll be back with Rabbul Alameen subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Purpose of Fasting and Taqwa

As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, He says:

This fasting, my brothers, my sisters, this is the medicine that every single one of us needs. This fasting is the medicine that this heart needs day in and day out. So that we can build taqwa. And wallahi, I could talk to you for 10 hours about taqwa. To this day I still don't have a full grasp of taqwa. But what did the ulamas say? How did they summarize it? It's the love and the fear of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It's the consciousness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in everything that we do.

The Story of Umar and Ubaid

When Umar ibn al-Khattab radhiAllahu ta'ala anhu, when he was the ameer al-mu'mineen, and he was with Ubaid ibn Ka'b radhiAllahu anhu, and he asked him, "Ya Ubaid, tell me what is taqwa?" He said, "Ya ameer al-mu'mineen, when you walk on a path, authority path, how do you walk? How will you get through this path?" He said, "I will fold up my garment, I will hold it close, and I will be cautious with every step that I take." He said, هَذَا هُوَ التَّقْوَى. This is taqwa.

This is consciousness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That before you take any step, you remember Allah. Before you say any word, you think, is Allah pleased with this? Before you look at anything, listen to anything, engage in anything, does this please Allah? Does this please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? And may Allah make us from those who please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And often, often we hear taqwa, taqwa, taqwa. We heard it in the beginning of the khutbah, we hear it in salah, we hear it in ayahs, we hear it in lectures. It's a giant, giant, it's a giant word. It is a giant concept. And may Allah grant us all hearts to have taqwa, ya rabbil alameen.

As An-Nabi ﷺ said, التَّقْوَى هَاهُنَا، التَّقْوَى هَاهُنَا، التَّقْوَى هَاهُنَا. That he pointed at his chest, عليه الصلاة والسلام, and he said, piety, consciousness of Allah is here in the heart. Taqwa, you can't see it on me. Taqwa is not an abaya, or a kufi, or a beard, or giving a khutbah. Taqwa is none of this thing. Taqwa is something that only Allah can see. And only we are aware of what the situation of our heart is. May Allah purify our hearts, ya rabbil alameen. May Allah allow us to meet Him with قُلُوبٌ سَلِيمَة, ya rabbil alameen.

The Three Levels of Taqwa

There are three levels of taqwa, three levels. One in the most basic, foundational, fundamental level is something that alhamdulillah I believe that all of us here have today. And that is the consciousness and the fear of Allah to staying away from shirk, associating any partner with Allah, or any child to Allah, or any other deity with Allah, ma'azallah. We all can have that, alhamdulillah. We all believe in لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ. Done. But this is not enough. This is the bare minimum. This is someone who comes and takes their shahadah, they're on that as well.

The second level is the one who avoids major sins. And they forget, sometimes when they fall into it, sometimes when they slip up, they immediately repent and come back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They immediately come back and repent to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And these ones, they don't commit a major sin often. You don't push your salah often, you don't forget salah multiple times in a week. Once in a blue moon when something will happen, la samaha Allah. Once in a blue moon when you slip up, this is the second level. And when you slip up, immediately the tawbah comes after.

And the third and highest level of taqwa is these people that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala describes in the Qur'an, that when shaitan, when shaitan touches them, these people of taqwa, touches them, just touches them. Not attacks them, touches them. They immediately, مُبْصِرُونَ, they can see, they're clear. They remember jannah, jahannam. They remember yawm al-qiyamah, yawm al-hisab. They remember Allah is watching. This is the highest level. And I ask Allah to make us all from amongst them, ya rabbil alameen.

That any single time of the day or night, whether they're sleeping or waking up, they're remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They're constantly, does this please Allah? Does that please Allah? Am I living a life pleasing to you, ya rabbil alameen? This is the level we strive for and we ask Allah to make us all from amongst them, ya rabbil alameen.

The Spiritual Dimension of Fasting

And think about when it comes to fasting, siyam, we are preventing ourselves from halal, food and drink. We are preventing ourselves from halal so that we can build this relationship. Because think about it, food, water, it all comes from this planet, from this earth. The nafs throughout the year loves to food, loves to drink, loves these things. But when we fast, we strengthen our ruh, our soul. We strengthen that one, that ruh, that is not even from this earth, it's from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And when we die, we'll go back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Our ruh is our true essence, while our nafs is the animalistic, is the earthly, is the worldly desires.

Think about it, when we prevent ourselves from this world, the more our iman raises. You think it's a secret? No, it's clear. When we limit this nafs, our ruh, our heart becomes stronger and closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And An-Nabi ﷺ, we know, he was the most generous of people. No one was as generous as him ﷺ. But in the blessed month of Ramadan, he was the most generous, even more so than he was outside of Ramadan. It has an effect on everyone, from As-Sadiq al-Amin ﷺ to you and I.

Preparing for Ramadan

And this is exactly where I pivot, and where we go to. Ikhwani fillah. It's not Sha'ban. But Ramadan is right around the corner. Ramadan is less than roughly 90 days around the corner. And I ask Allah ta'ala every single one of us to witness it, ya rabb al-alameen. And I ask Allah ta'ala to allow us to witness it and be from the successful of those. Ameen, ya rabb al-alameen.

But when we reflect and when we look back, and when we see the janazahs coming in and out, and the emails, and the text messages, and the WhatsApp announcements, are we not a little afraid? Whether we'll make it or not? When we look at our life and we look back, and we see our lives as they pass by, were we filled with taqwa-filled lives? Lives that we remember Allah and His Messenger ﷺ? Lives where we're striving for the sake of Allah, even though we were working, we were studying, we were doing whatever we need to do. But we made sure that that working was for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We made sure that that studying, that degree, was for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We made sure that everything we did was tied to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And guys, the sahaba radhiAllahu ta'ala anhum, they would prepare for Ramadan six months in advance. So why is it that we wait till Sha'ban to prepare? The same people who Allah is pleased with them, after Ramadan they would ask Allah for acceptance for six months. Why is it that as soon as Eid comes, halas, we go back to how we were before, unchanged. Same people, same habits, same relationships. May Allah forgive all of us, ya rabbil alameen.

And just to go over the fada'il of Ramadan and I ask Allah again to let us witness it, ya rabbil alameen.

Preparing for Ramadan: The Season of Preparation

The Prophet ﷺ said: When the month of Ramadan comes, the gates of Jahannam are closed, the gates of Jannah are wide open. All the major shayateens, the big ones are chained. And every single night Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala handpicks by name, people who are free from the hellfire. May Allah make us from amongst them, Ya Rabbil Alameen. May Allah allow us to witness it and make us from amongst them, Ya Rabbil Alameen.

Akhwani fillah, we have to prepare for Ramadan. We have to prepare from now. None of us are guaranteed to live till tomorrow. None of us. If I were to ask who here will live? None of us. Not me, not you, no one. The email was sent out this morning for someone's funeral. One day, wallahi al-'azim, wallahi, wallahi, wa tallahi, wa billahi. It's gonna be you or I one day. Sooner or later. May Allah take us away when He's most pleased with us, Ya Rabbil Alameen.

And as I said earlier, الصيام لي وأنا أجزي به - "Fasting is for Me and I will reward for it." But I don't want you to think about Ramadan, I want you to think about before Ramadan.

Practice Makes Perfect

Before any match, whether it's football, basketball, cricket, you name the sport, soccer. They never go into the match and just play. They practice, they practice, they practice. Before the Super Bowl or the World Cup or any championship or any competition. You practice, you practice, you practice. So why do we practice and practice our coding and our interview skills and our resume and everything left and right and center? But we don't practice for this blessed month, this gift from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Why?

The month where Allah says, I handpick every night people to be free from the hellfire. The month where Allah says, if you just fast and you get up every night, I will forgive you for all your sins. The month where it's so easy to be forgiven. It's so easy to have your du'as answered. But we wait till the month starts. We wait till, okay, I got in the habit of fasting in Ramadan, now I'm good for the next 20 days.

Let us be like the sahaba radhiyallahu anhum. We can never be like them but let us attempt to be like them. Like Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radhiyallahu anhu. Like Umar ibn Khattab radhiyallahu anhu. Like Uthman ibn Affan radhiyallahu anhu. Like Ali ibn Abi Talib radhiyallahu anhuma. May Allah have mercy on all of them, Ya Rabbi, and allow us to be with them.

The Rewards of Fasting

Put aside fasting in Ramadan. Fasting right now in these normal weeks, normal days. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the fasting person, when you fast one day, Allah will remove your face from the hellfire to the distance of 70 years. One day, 70 years.

Is it not enough that the fasting person before they break their fast, their du'a is accepted? Is it not enough that all the deeds can be taken away except for fasting? That Allah said, I have a special reward for those who fast? That Allah said, there's two happinesses of the fasting person. One when we take that tamar or we drink that water and we break our fast finally. And the second is when we meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. When Allah shows us, Ya abdi, My slave, look what I prepared for you. You were fasting for My sake. You were staying away from food and drink which is halal for My sake. Now here, look at your reward. May Allah allow us the sweetness of that day, Ya Rabbil Alameen. May Allah allow us to be from those who fast often, Ya Rabbil Alameen.

Three Levels of Fasting

And quickly as the time is of the essence, there are three different categories of people who fast in Ramadan. And let's practice right now so we don't be from, we'll be from the best of them.

Number one is that you fast from food and drink and that's it. You don't eat and drink, alhamdulillah, but you're looking at food all day. You're still lying, you're still cheating. You might be engaged in something that's not pleasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And the Prophet ﷺ said, the one who only fasts from food and drink, but doesn't leave off the ill speech, the lying, the backbiting, Allah is in no need of his leaving off the food and drink.

And the second level is I think majority of people, is that they fast, they don't lie, they don't steal, they don't cheat, they say, I'm fasting when someone angers them.

But the third and the highest level is those who their hearts itself are free from impurity, free from jealousy, free from envy, free from hatred and hiqd. Pure hearts. May Allah grant all of us that, Ya Rabb al-alameen.

Practical Advice for Preparation

My dear brothers, inshallah if everyone could scoot as much as possible as we still have people coming in and they're in the hallways. Jazakumullah khairan. Brothers and sisters in Allah, time is of the essence. So I'll end with these few advices for myself first and foremost.

Number one, we have to have the right mindset and the right intention. As I said before, none of us knows that we're going to live to Ramadan and none of us knows if we do live to Ramadan if it might be our last Ramadan. Majority of us know someone who passed away within the last few years, someone we know, we spoke with who's no longer here in this masjid, who's no longer here on this side of the earth. So we don't know when our last Ramadan will be.

So let's set the intention that if Allah gives us life and we ask Allah to give us life, Ya Rabb al-alameen, that this will be the best Ramadan we ever had inshallah ta'ala. And if we don't make it to this Ramadan then may Allah grant us because of our intention now acceptance and as if we fasted the whole month of Ramadan, Ya Rabb al-alameen.

And Ramadan is filled with three main things: Salah, qiyam al-layl, qiraat, Qur'an, kitab Allah, and sadaqah, charity. Don't wait till Ramadan to start doing those things.

The Spring of the Believer

This season that we're in right now is Rabi' al-mu'min - This is the spring of the believer. Fajr, 5:40, 5:30. Maghrib, right around, it's barely 12 hours. It's the easiest time to fast right now. The easiest time to fast.

If you can, just three white days. That's it, three days in a month. If you want to be better, let's follow the sunnah of Rasul ﷺ - Monday and Thursday. Whatever you can, just please, please, please. Now, now, now. Start to fast now.

Get up for qiyam al-layl. Even if it's 5, 10 minutes before adhan. That's fine. If you're too weak for that, before you go to sleep, go aside, pray two rak'ah with the intention of qiyam. So inshallah, when Ramadan comes, bi-idhnillah, our knees are strong and our hearts are ready, bi-idhnillah. May Allah make us ready, Ya Rabb al-alameen.

And of course, the relationship with the Qur'an, O brothers and sisters in Allah. Let's start a daily word of Qur'an now. So that in Ramadan, we can already be in the flow. In Ramadan, we don't struggle to get one khatam. Instead, we get two, three, five, maybe ten. Wallah, I know some people, masha'Allah 11, 12, Allahumma barak. Allah did not make me fortunate to be from amongst them. But may Allah make us all from amongst them. May Allah make us from ahl al-Qur'an, Ya Rabb al-alameen. The companions of the Qur'an, Ya Rabb al-alameen. And may Allah allow us to witness Ramadan, Ya Rabb al-alameen.

A Question for Self-Reflection

And lastly, I ask a question that everyone should ask themselves. And I ask myself, if we look back at last Ramadan, what did we leave it with? It's gone, it's gone. What did we leave it with? Did we seek any benefit from it? Did we leave a changed person from it? Did we give up that haram that we might be doing or might be looking at or engaging in? Or are we the same person that we were right before Ramadan? The answer is all, we all answer that privately with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. May Allah forgive us, Ya Rabb al-alameen. May Allah allow us to change and be closer to Him, Ya Rabb al-alameen. And may Allah give us hearts of taqwa, Ya Rabb al-alameen.

Du'as

wa qumu ila salatikum

Please fill in the gaps inshallah. If there is any opening in the row in front of you please fill it. Jazakumullah khair.