20161118 -1st Khutba - Imam Mokhtar Maghroui

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ، نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَسْتَهْدِيهِ، وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ. وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا وَمَوْلَانَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ. أَمَّا بَعْدُ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْكَلَامِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهُدَى هُدَى سَيِّدِنَا وَمَوْلَانَا مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ.

Ameen.

The Reflection That Surpasses a Year of Worship

One of the righteous scholarly saints said, rahimahullah ta'ala: مَا فِكْرَةٌ الَّتِي هِيَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ سَنَةٍ؟ — What is the kind of reflection and pondering and self-examination — what is the fikrah that is better than being in ibadah for one entire year?

And the answer was: نِسْيَانُ نَفْسِكَ — Nisyanu nafsik. That a person, for a moment in reflection, lives in a state in which she or he has forgotten his own nafs, forgot his own nafs.

Because the nafs — when we say nafs — the nafs is the source and the generating energy inside of us, the source of energy inside of us for low passions and dangerous drives and selfish and greedy inclinations and so on. The source of conceitedness, the source of arrogance, the source of ostentation, the source of self-aggrandizement, self-admiration, the source of delusion, of ghurur, and the source of active evil.

To forget one's nafs — while all of us, or most of us on average, we live making sure we do not forget our nafs, our drives, our inclinations. Forget your nafs and remember Him, subhanahu wa ta'ala. Forget your nafs and remember Him, subhanahu wa ta'ala.

How to Arrive to Allah — The Lesson of Sayyidina Musa

That is why it is said amongst our great scholars, rahimahumullah ta'ala, in an athar — in a report related about — it is said Sayyidina Musa, alayhi wa ala rasulina as-salatu wa as-salam:

كَيْفَ أَصِلُ إِلَيْكَ يَا رَبِّي؟ — How shall I arrive to you, ya Allah? I am a human being, a servant, an abiding quest of you. How shall I arrive to you? كَيْفَ الْوُصُولُ إِلَيْكَ؟

And of course, al-wusulu ilayka — arriving to Allah — is not geographically, is not in space and time. For Allah azza wa jal is beyond all of that. He is the creator of space and time, subhanahu wa ta'ala. فَلَا يَحُدُّهُ زَمَانٌ وَلَا مَكَانٌ، سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى، فَهُوَ خَالِقُ الزَّمَانِ وَالْمَكَانِ.

So, how do I get to you, ya Allah? That internal, complete collectedness and awareness, certitude and elation about being — as though you see Allah azza wa jal, as though you are in His presence, His infinite attributes. The answer came: اتْرُكْ نَفْسَكَ وَتَعَالَ — Leave your nafs behind you and come.

Leave your nafs. What is nafs? What I and you have inside of drives and energies — especially the negative energies — to fulfill those drives inside of us. In our daily activities, at home, at work, in the masjid, in agreement, in disagreement — that's what's with us all the time. And many of us, most of us, are keen to make sure that we indulge that. And that's what we protect.

And yet, to reach Allah azza wa jal is to leave the nafs behind. And to leave the shahawat. And to leave the ahwa' of the nafs. اتْرُكْ نَفْسَكَ — Leave your nafs behind and come. In other words, it's only one step. And that step is the conquering.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us be of those at least who are sincerely and genuinely and arduously in the quest of being liberated from our nafs. And with that, in that condition, we hear the words. And we feel the meanings. And we embark in the challenges and the opportunities of life — in that condition, hopefully.

Worshipping Allah on an Edge — Surah al-Hajj

And in that condition — that I and you, hopefully, strive for — listen to what Allah azza wa jal says:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ — People, human beings. We. Us. Human beings, believers and non-believers — non-believers worse. وَمِنَ النَّاسِ — who worship God, who worship Allah azza wa jal, who serve Allah — عَلَىٰ حَرْفٍ — like on an edge. On an edge. In other words, in doubt.

فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ — And consequently, when such a person — Ya Latif, may Allah protect us amongst us — أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ — if he is befallen or graced with something virtuous, good, comfortable, likeable — اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ — he or she is content. Satisfied and content and elated and goes on easy. Relaxed.

اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ — As though this ayah is saying to us, اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ meaning here اطْمَأَنَّ لَهُ — to be content with something versus to be content in something. And then we relax in it. Not only we relax by it. We relax to it and in it.

وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ — And if such an individual person, or persons, are then befallen by a trial — a fitna, a tribulation, an affliction, a trial of any nature: psychological trial, intellectual trial, philosophical trial, ideological trial, health trial, wealth trial, social trial — fitna. And then the reaction is انقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ — he turns back upon his face. In other words, the fact that he was just on an edge — this shows it. And he turns away from being a normal, good, virtuous, God-obeying, Allah-obeying individual. And becomes very, very, very egocentric and self-centered and self-aware on account of that challenging situation — of what is going to happen. And to the extent that he or she forgets Allah and does not forget his nafs. Instead of forgetting the nafs, he forgets Allah. Instead of accusing the nafs, he accuses Allah.

خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ — And consequently, such a person would lose in this world and in the Hereafter. In this world: frustrations, agonies, anger, despair, depressions, violence. خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا — even if he or she has a lot of material dunya. What is material dunya? Dunya with a mind so at unrest, restless and afraid. خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ — and loses the Hereafter obviously. ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ — This indeed is the most evident and most manifest of failures.

The Human Being in Times of Ease and Hardship — Surah Hud

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran:

The human being, in general and on average — if We were to make him or her or them taste of a delight, of an ease, of a comfort, after having been afflicted with ضَرَّاءَ — with pain, with hurt, with discomfort — لَيَقُولَنَّ ذَهَبَ السَّيِّئَاتُ عَنِّي — "Harm has gone away from me. We conquered it." And he does that in a way — فَرِحٌ — delighted, exhilarated — and فَخُورٌ — boastful, boastful.

Now the human being also sees his own nafs, his own self, as the source of the positive change. But when negative things happen to him or around him, he doesn't see that from his own self, as a consequence of his own self. But he instead accuses anything else — and even accuses God Himself, subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Exception: Those Who Show Sabr

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ — Except those who... And here, listen. Allah does not say, as usual, إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ. Usually when you read the Quran, عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ comes after آمَنُوا — آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ, إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ, الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ. In this ayah — and only this ayah in the entire Quran — إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ. Except those who show sabr, and perform acts of righteousness.

Sabr — in other words, these are people who don't see their nafs. They see, most importantly, the act of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — whether it is positive for them or negative for them. They are not focused on themselves. If good — alhamdulillah, they are grateful. If a challenge — they are patient. And even when things are good, they should be patient — not to be so comfortable in things, not only for things. Because sometimes we do need patience in the face of opportunity and of good. Patience, how? So that that ease in which I am, that comfort in which I am, does not make me develop that energy inside to do the things that are improper — that show lack of gratitude and lack of thankfulness. I need sabr against the drive of my nafs to enjoy, in ways detrimental, that which I am delighting in — the good things.

Or when things are against me, challenging me — challenging my nafs, this nafs — I should show sabr and continue to strive to do good, to be righteous, and not to desist from that. Because sometimes, isn't it? When we are too happy, or too sad, or depressed as it is said — we cannot, we think, we say to ourselves — "We lost energy, we are depressed. We cannot pray, we cannot read Quran, we don't do goodness, we don't fast. The problems didn't let us do that."

Allah says: إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ. One should not be a worshipper of our nafs.

Blaming Allah for Misfortune — Surah al-Nisa'

My dear brothers and sisters, may Allah forgive us. Allah says in the Quran also:

These people don't even understand a single hadith.