Jumuah Khutbah | Imam Abdur Rahman Bashir | EPIC Masjid

Don't Miss What Hajj Came to Teach Us

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to Prayer. Come to Prayer. Come to success. Come to success. Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah.

To remember Allah on our tongues, to remember Allah in our minds, in our hearts, in our thoughts, in our intentions. To remember Allah in our appearances, through our actions, interactions, through our reactions. To remember Allah at all times and under all circumstances. This is the essence of taqwa, the mindfulness of God. To be aware of Allah at all times and to beware of Allah at all times.

Brothers and sisters, the topic of my khutbah today is don't miss what Hajj came to teach us. As we have gathered here this afternoon, a week has passed since the early days of Dhul Hijjah reached their peak. All around the world, over 2 million of our brothers and sisters have either returned or are now preparing to return home from the sacred journey of Hajj. They stood at the plains of Arafah, they wept before Allah in the heat of the desert. They circled around the Kaaba, they walked between Safa and Marwa and offered their sacrifice in Mina.

But all of these are not just rituals, they are the pinnacle of spiritual surrender. As the Prophet ﷺ has stated, that an accepted Hajj brings no reward but paradise. And the Prophet ﷺ has also said, "Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah and avoids intimate relations, foul speech and sins, returns as pure as the day they were born." So what a gift, what a gift for those who went for Hajj.

And though we were not physically with them, many of us fasted on the day of Arafah just over a week ago, in solidarity of catching the mercy that descends upon them. May Allah accept from those who stood and from those who fasted. And our dua for our Hujjaj is that they return safely, that their duas are accepted, and that they bring back the light of Hajj into our homes and into our communities.

And folks, in our audience here, if we are ever honored to meet someone who has returned from Hajj, we should embrace them, congratulate them, and ask them to make dua and pray for us. Because this group of people are coming back with hearts that are cleansed. Their dua flows from tongues that were just in Arafat. And the doors of mercy that opened for them may open for us through them.

What About the Rest of Us?

So now, what about the rest of us? What does our journey look like? Now that the ten days of Dhul Hijj are over, Eid has passed, sacrifices have been done, much of the meat is either consumed or distributed, the fasting is complete, what do we do moving forward?

So even though we didn't go for Hajj, Hajj still comes around every single year to teach us a lesson. To teach us about unity, about equality, about sacrifice, and stripping away the dunya until all that is left is you and Allah.

Think about, as we were scrolling, as we were watching on our screens, the images of over two million people standing in Arafat, in one plane, with one hope, with one dress, making one dua. SubhanAllah. When we see these images, we are not witnessing just a ritual. We are witnessing a sneak peek, our worldly level sneak peek, of how the Day of Judgment will be like.

In the planes of Arafat, everyone is in white. The men, two cloths more than what a person will experience on the Day of Judgment. In the planes of Arafat, there are no followers, there are no filters, just everyone longing for the mercy, pardon, and forgiveness of Allah.

And when we see the site, we are reminded of the verse in the Qur'an which Allah states:

O people, we created you from one man and one woman. We made you into nations and tribes so that you can recognize each other, you can differentiate between each other. Verily, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the one who has the greatest God consciousness of Allah.

So when we look at the images from Hajj, it teaches us that no one is closer to Allah because of their passport, or because of their nationality, or because of the color of their skin, the language they speak, or because their food is spicy or bland, or because they look a certain way, or because of their socioeconomic status.

Brothers and sisters, there is nothing in our composition, there is nothing in our DNA, there is nothing in our blood that makes us automatically beloved to Allah. And it is in these very planes that the Prophet ﷺ during his final Hajj highlighted something and made it very clear that, "O people, your Lord is One, your Father is One, there is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab and a non-Arab over an Arab, of a white over a black, and a black over a white, except by piety and taqwa" in the words of the Prophet ﷺ.

The Spirit of Unity

The image and this lesson is captured so well by Malcolm X, who was able to catch this realization when he wrote a letter from Makkah. And I quote:

"There were tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans, but we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and the non-white." End quote.

He continued saying, "America needs to understand Islam because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all colors together irrespective of their color." End quote. SubhanAllah.

This is the spirit of Hajj. This is the essence of what we are called to carry in our lives, in our communities, even if we did not go.

So if Hajj is meant to humble us, if it reminds us that we are all equal before Allah, that no one's life is worth more than another, then it must also awaken in us a deeper compassion for one another. Not just for the people we know, but for the people we don't know. Not just for the people who are in our feed and headlines, but also for those who are in the shadows of silence.

Because if we leave Hajj, if we leave Eid, if we leave the blessed month of Dhul Hijjah and we go back to just scrolling and ignoring, shopping and forgetting, celebrating while others are suffocating, then we've missed the point and lesson that Hajj is meant to teach us.

The Prophet ﷺ has stated in a hadith:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6011)

The example of the believers in their love, in their compassion, in their kindness, in their mercy towards each other are like one body. And if one limb aches, how can we celebrate like nothing is wrong?

Our Brothers and Sisters Around the World

So let us not be numb. Let us not become a people who only feel when the media tells us to feel. Let us not be reactive Muslims. Let us be conscious, praying and present with our ummah. Yes, the world is noisy. As soon as we get out of here, it will be noisy. The news is overwhelming. But some of the most brutal pain is happening beneath all of this noise.

For example, in Sudan, an entire population of women violated, children orphaned. A human-made famine is unfolding in silence. In Kashmir, families live in daily military lockdown, not knowing when the next raid, the next arrest, or the next curfew will fall. In Gaza, in the West Bank, all across Palestine, generations are being erased. Children are counting airstrikes instead of birthdays. In Xinjiang, children are still being detained, monitored and erased behind walls of forced silence.

And then beyond the headlines, refugees in camps scattered all around the world, families living under tarps, widows raising children with trauma in their eyes, fathers working 20-hour days just to send a few dollars back home.

But as we are hearing this, brothers and sisters, we are not powerless. Maybe you and I can't change a war. Maybe you and I can't stop the occupation, but we can refuse to remain silent. We can raise our hands in dua. We can donate. We can educate, pray, and stand for our brothers and sisters throughout the world.

See, Allah doesn't expect us to fix the whole world. But on the Day of Judgment, we will be questioned. Did we care? Did we do what we could? Even if it was our own dua instead of just saying ameen on someone else's dua.

Start with Our Own Homes

So brothers and sisters, as the hajjaj return, as these 10 days, as the past 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah fade into memory, let us not lose what they came to teach us. Let us keep our hearts soft, our hands generous, our tongues in dua, and our lives committed to the values of unity, equality, compassion, and sacrifice. Because the world needs more than just meat from our qurbani. It needs mercy from our character. It needs justice from our actions.

I'm very humbled to be in your presence this afternoon. And alhamdulillah, in a community like yours, we all hear reminders from this very member. We hear wise advice from beloved teachers and esteemed scholars. But today, if there is one message that I want to leave you with, it is this. The compassion, mercy, and justice we want to see in the world, it must and has to start with our own homes.

Before we dream of changing the globe, let us start by changing the tone in our homes. Think about the way we speak to our spouse, the way we raise or lower our voice with our children, the way we treat our parents perhaps, the way we deal with our neighbors, the way we deal with our fellow believers, maybe right here outside in the parking lot or as you are exiting. Even the way we look at a stranger.

Because sometimes, folks, sometimes, a smile, a dua, a moment of patience, a moment of kindness and compassion is what someone's heart needs the most. The Prophet ﷺ has said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2626)

Do not belittle, do not think any deed is small. Even if it is, you meet your brother with a cheerful face. That's all that might count to make a difference in someone's life.

Cherish the Moment

As a moment of reflection, just think about yesterday. A tragic plane crash occurred in India. Hundreds of souls on board connected to thousands of lives who are affected. It's summer time. Families were traveling. Think of all of the plans that everyone had, whether it was weddings, vacations, job interviews, reunions, whatever it may be.

Now imagine the ripple effect of that one event on the families who dropped them off and bid farewell, on the families who were waiting with flowers on the other side to pick them up, the effect on the friends who texted them, "oh let me know when you land," on the voicemails that will never be returned.

And amidst all of this chaos, one survivor walked away from the 11th row, a seat in which the pundits and aviation experts say rarely survives impact. Why him? Why not others? Wallahu'ala.

But here is the reminder. There are people in your life, brothers and sisters, right now as we are seated here, there are people in our lives who we have already seen for the last time. We just don't know it yet. So cherish the moment and cherish the people.

Cherish our elders, hug them, serve them, forgive them. Cherish our siblings, even when they annoy you. Cherish your spouse, show them appreciation and presence. Cherish your friends, check in, don't check out. Cherish the blessings of today. Cherish the blessing of this Jumu'ah, the most blessed day of the week, our weekly gathering and get together. Prepare for it, honor it, give it the reverence that it deserves, the reverence and the etiquette that the Prophet ﷺ surrounded and engulfed Jumu'ah around with.

Living Each Jumu'ah with Purpose

Walk into Jumu'ah like it might be your last, because you don't know and I don't know if this Jumu'ah that I am praying is my final one.

Practical Steps Forward

Now what to go away with this khutbah? Number one, call or message someone we have been distant from. Heal a relationship. Number two, donate or volunteer - volunteer time, even 30 minutes. It goes a long way. Number three, start a family du'a, a family du'a circle, a hadith circle once a week at least. Small but make sure it's consistent. Support a cause, whether it be Sudan, Gaza, Kashmir, your local masjid, other initiatives. There is always an opportunity to diversify our portfolio, to diversify for our Book of Deeds on the Day of Judgment.

And talking about cherishing Jumu'ah, coming early to the next Jumu'ah. Be from amongst those who are here seated and ready to welcome the blessing of Jumu'ah from the get-go. And remember to be nice. Unconditionally nice. To say السلام (salam), to share a smile, not just with the people you know, but with everyone and anyone around you. Because maybe you'll change someone's life or maybe they will change yours.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 6221)

Or as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said.

Du'a

Oh Allah, you are peace and from you is all peace. Ya Rabb, we turn to you on this blessed day of Jumu'ah, a week after you have honored millions with the journey of Hajj. We ask you, Oh Allah, to accept the Hajj of every haji and hajiya. Oh Allah, we ask you to accept their standing at Arafat, to accept their tawaf, their sa'i, their tears, their du'as. Let them all return home like the day they were born - pure and forgiven. Let their presence be a light for their families, for their communities and the Ummah at large. Let them be amongst those whose Hajj was truly mabroor and accepted and whose reward is nothing less than paradise.

Oh Allah, we ask you for all of us the opportunity to visit your house, to stand on those same plains, to feel the same closeness and to have our sins washed away as well.

Oh Allah, we lift our hands for every brother and sister suffering in silence - in Sudan, in Gaza, in Kashmir, in Uyghur lands, in Yemen and beyond. Those who are being driven from their homes, Oh Allah, those who are burying their children, those who are waiting in refugee camps with eyes full of trauma and hearts filled with du'a. Ya Rahman, show them your mercy. Ya Hakim, Ya Adl, grant them justice. Ya Saboor, give them strength beyond human limits. Replace their pain with peace, Oh Allah. Replace their fear with faith. Replace their sorrow with reasons to smile again.

Oh Allah, bring relief to the oppressed. Raise the ranks of the shuhada and protect all innocent from harm. Oh Allah, help us be the voices for the voiceless. Help us soften our hearts starting in our homes. Help us heal our families, mend our relationships and honor our elders. Make us people of compassion, make us people of taqwa, make us people of action, Oh Allah - not just people of emotion.

Oh Allah, allow us to live this life with purpose and to leave this world in a state you are pleased with. Let us not be amongst those who heard reminders but forgot, who fasted but didn't change, who prayed but never softened. Oh Allah, make our final days our best days, let our final deeds be our best deeds, and when our time comes, Oh Allah, let our final words be لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله.

Prayer Instructions

Please make sure that your lines are straight. Your lines are complete, there are no gaps. Make sure you are cozy with each other. Brothers in the back who are walking into the masjid, please quickly fill up the lines to your right and left. Make sure that the line in front of you is complete before being in the line that you are in. Please make sure that your phones and your children continue to be on silent mode. Thank you very much.