20170324- 1st Khutba- imam Mokhtar Maghroui

Opening — Khutbah of Need (Khuṭbat al-Ḥājah)

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 إِلَهَ 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

O you who have attained faith, be Allah conscious — have reverent awe in your hearts for Allah in a way that is worthy of who He is, worthy of His glory and majesty, worthy of His names and attributes, worthy of His bounties, worthy of who He is. And make sure we do not die except in a state of Islam. Make sure we do not die except in a state of Islam — in a state of loving surrender, voluntary loving surrender, mentally and emotionally, in words and in deeds, in actions and in reactions, all in loving surrender to Allah.

Our Purpose: To Be Ibād of Allah

My dear brothers and sisters, I remind myself and you always and again — that we are created for the purpose of being ibād of Allah, loving servants of Allah, in this short span of life. No matter what our occupations are, no matter what our conditions are, at the individual level and at the collective level — in that context we are to be ibād of Allah.

And to do that, we need to constantly monitor the state of our tawḥīd of Allah — our active affirmation of the oneness of Allah in our lives. We monitor that. We watch our vital signs — like we usually and customarily and periodically go see doctors and have a general checkup and check the vital signs and make sure the vital signs are well. Most essentially of our vital signs is our active affirmation of Allah, our tawḥīd of Allah — not only intellectually, but emotionally and experientially. Always aware of the attributes of Allah, what they mean and how they reflect themselves in this world, in this existence, and upon me — always. Monitor that and think about that. And check how I am in relation to every attribute, every name of His.

That's part of monitoring the vital sign of my tawḥīd of Allah — whether in prosperity or in adversity, whether alone or in public, under all conditions, no matter what I do, no matter where I am, individually or at the collective levels. And consequently, of that awareness of the tawḥīd of Allah and observing in my life the expressions of His attributes, to monitor my akhlāq, to monitor my character, and therefore my deeds and actions and words and reactions in all aspects of life. I monitor my akhlāq and strive to make sure that my akhlāq — regardless of what I do or not do — are, to the best of my striving ability at the time, depending on the level of my maturity, as much as possible in line and in harmony with the akhlāq of the most beautiful representation of Allah in existence: the akhlāq, the ṣifāt of the nubuwwah of Rasulullah ﷺ.

Examples from the Qur'an and Sunnah: Responding to Provocation

The Story of Hābīl and Qābīl

I do not forget Allah and I do not forget the way I live as it relates to that relationship. And therefore, examples abound in the Qur'an and in the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ to help us navigate through this spiritual reality — as I mentioned — of tawḥīd and of akhlāqic requirement.

Allah tells us about the story of the children of Ādam — Hābīl and Qābīl. They live life; they are muwaḥḥidūn and they live life and they have challenges. And in one of those challenges — as all of you should know — one is angry at the other. They have a conflict; there's a conflict of interest of some sort, socially and even spiritually. But look what one of them responded to the threats of the other:

"If you extend your hand to me to kill me, I shall not extend my hand to you to kill you. I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds."

The Prophet ﷺ and Sayyida 'Ā'ishah: The Virtue of Gentleness

In another case — a more mundane event, if you will — when Rasulullah ﷺ was walking with our beloved mother of the believers, somebody approached them on the way. Sayyida 'Ā'ishah answered instead of Rasulullah ﷺ, quickly, saying: "May be upon you the sām and the anger of Allah" — because she understood that the person who appeared to say assalāmu alaykum in fact meant assāmu alaykum, meaning "death be upon you." So she answered him accordingly.

The point is: Rasulullah ﷺ, in that incident, looked at her and said: "Don't do that. Beware of violent behavior and be one who is kind and gentle." For whenever gentleness is introduced in anything, it makes it more beautiful. When gentleness and kindness in action or in reaction is introduced in anything, it makes that thing and that situation or that challenge more beautiful. And whenever the opposite — violence — is introduced in anything, at any level, it vilifies it; it makes it vile and ugly.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 6274)

The Righteous Predecessor Who Would Not Respond to Abuse

And then listen further. When a righteous man of our predecessors was exposed to abuse — someone verbally abusing him — and there were people witnessing, he would not utter a word in response in public. This was a scholar, a walī of Allah, a righteous person. When the person left, those witnessing said to him: "Why didn't you answer him back?" Listen to his answer — his personal answer, at his personal level, in the way he personally reflects the tawḥīd and the awareness of Allah and the akhlāq of prophethood:

He answered — raḥimahullāhu ta'ālā — "I don't know any of his ailments of character. I don't know the person. I don't know his character. I don't know the negative aspects of his character. So I had nothing to say. And I disliked to lie against him."

Another one, in the same situation, answered the person who abused him and said:

Allahu Akbar! He says: "Were it not that Allah sees, I would have answered you." Allahu Akbar!

The Example of Abū Ḍamḍam

He ﷺ once said to his companions: "Is it too much to ask of you? Is it impossible for you to be like Abū Ḍamḍam?" They said: "Who is Abū Ḍamḍam, yā Rasulallāh?" He answered:

(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Book 41, Hadith 4993)

"Abū Ḍamḍam was a man who, every morning, would say the following, addressing Allah: 'O Allah, I have given for Your sake — to You — my life and my honor.' And therefore, he would not abuse back anyone who abused him. He would not transgress against anyone who transgressed against him. And he would not beat anyone who beat him."

Al-Kāfī — The Sufficer: The Attribute Behind It All

What is this? If we contemplate it, it is a manifestation of servants of Allah who are so aware of the attributes of Allah — in this case, the attribute al-Kāfī, al-Kāfī, al-Kāfī: the Sufficer, the One Who suffices.

Why did they react that way? It is extremely powerful — morally incapacitating. How could they do that? Because in their hearts there are living attributes of Allah. Because in their hearts, in their minds, they are so aware and so contemplative of the attributes of Allah as they manifest themselves in their own lives and in the lives around them. They see the ultimate controller, through His attributes, Allah. Because when they responded the way they responded, they did so by finding refuge and rescue in an invincible, untouchable refuge: al-Kāfī.

The Consequences of Not Internalizing Al-Kāfī

When we are not in that condition — when we are not aware of this attribute in our lives, and when we do not commit ourselves to adorn ourselves with this attribute and its consequences in our lives — what will happen?

When al-Kāfī — the Sufficer — is not in our hearts, the result is isrāf versus al-qaṣd. Al-isrāf: to be spendthrift, to be excessive in general — versus al-qaṣd: to be moderate. The consequence of that is sharaha. Sharaha wants more and more and more — at any level: eating, or wealth, or power — more, more, more — versus al-qaṣd, contentment. If there is that internalization of the name al-Kāfī, we are of the second category, not of the first.

When we don't internalize that, the consequence is al-qalaq and al-khawf in our lives. There is no kāfī because we rely on ourselves and our resources and our abilities and things around us, and it leads to qalaq — restlessness: "Will it work? Will it not work? I'm afraid it doesn't work." — versus tranquility and quietude, versus amān — security instead of khawf — and safety.

And in the first case — when we don't have that relationship with al-Kāfī — the consequence of what we said, from isrāf and sharaha and qalaq and khawf, leads to al-ibrār bi'l-nafsi wa bi'l-ghayr: it leads us to be hurtful and injurious and destructive to self and to society. And it leads us, consequently, to shaqā' — misery in this life. Versus the opposite: after tranquility and quietude, it leads us to naf' and iṣlāḥ — to be constructive and helpful and useful and positive to self and to society — and consequently, to sa'ādah — happiness in this dunyā before the ākhirah — versus shaqā' and misery in this world before the ākhirah.

Al-Kāfī and the Environment

Al-Kāfī — the Sufficer. When we don't have that — nothing suffices in any pursuit, in any even legitimate pursuit: of business, of trade, of power, of social concerns, political concerns, of any sort of pursuit we seek. When that name is not there in our hearts and in our lives, it turns against us. There is no end — for example, those of us who don't internalize that name. The world that does not internalize that name leads to a situation and condition in society — because it is in the heart — of never having enough. And when we feel we don't have enough, and that "enough," the limit of it keeps growing and growing and becoming more and more — guess what will happen?

That's how the environment is wasted. That's how we abuse the environment. The resources — we want more and more and more and it's never enough. And it's not only at a small level or a medium level — bigger and bigger and bigger, and therefore drawing more and more of the resources of the environment and of the earth, even physically. Why? Because there is no kifāyah. It's never enough. Why is it never enough? Because we have never internalized the name — the One Who is enough — the Sufficer.

And then you may even start a business — and if there is no al-Kāfī, even legitimately, there is no limit: more and more and more. And the more you want, you forget that there will be more responsibilities, and you will have less time to use and enjoy what you have. You spend more time making sure you still have it — to be protected and preserved — and you will rarely use it. You spend most of the time protecting and preserving it, with all the insecurities it comes with, and with all the taxes it comes with, at all levels of the concept of tax. And then one will have a lot more to answer for — in this world and in the Hereafter. Why? Because it's never enough. It's never enough. Why? Because I have not internalized the attribute of the Sufficer — that only Allah suffices.

Our Prophet ﷺ teaches us that this sufficiency from Allah operates at all levels: drawing in what is good for us at all levels, and warding off and repelling that which is hurtful and destructive to us at all levels. The Sufficer, the support — the support is Allah. And if, as we pursue the worldly legitimate means, we do not internalize this attribute and all other attributes, then in this case our lives are miserable, agitated, always afraid, always insecure — no matter whether we have or we don't have. When we have, we are afraid to lose what we have. When we don't have, we are afraid we will not survive with the least we have. It's never enough.

Making One's Concern the Ultimate Encounter with Allah

So he ﷺ said — and I repeat — he said: "Whosoever makes his concern — his worry — one worry only: the worry of the ultimate encounter with Allah..."

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 2465)

He who makes their worry, their concern, their focus, their objective the ultimate moment of encounter with Allah — that is kafahullāh — now the name al-Kāfī, the verb kafā: kafahullāhu — Allah will suffice him or her or them for all their concerns — the concerns and worries of this world and of the Hereafter. And as to the one who allows his worries and concerns to be spread out and scattered and shattered into all the concerns of this world, Allah will not mind in which of those valleys of those concerns that person is lost. He doesn't mind in which of those that person is lost and destroyed and perishes.

The Counsel of the Righteous Predecessors

The righteous ṣāliḥūn of our predecessors used to advise one another — as one of them said — on the basis of these teachings, those who see this life the way it should be seen, in a very balanced way. They would still always enjoin upon one another, saying — this is the way they admonish one another in their lives — and they lived life with all its complexities and challenges:

"The one who works for the Ākhirah, Allah will suffice them for all matters of this world and of the next. And the one who rectifies the relationship between him or her and Allah, Allah will rectify his or her relationship with the creatures."

May Allah be the Sufficer for us — outside anything and anyone else. Al-Fātiḥ.

The Power of Du'ā — Never Belittle It

My dear sisters and brothers, I leave you with what I said to you and to myself, and with this last du'ā. And never — never — belittle du'ā. Never belittle du'ā — prayers. For du'ā is sometimes like medicine. A particular medicine works for some people, but it doesn't work for others — so the doctor gives them another medication of another brand, and it works for them. Du'ā is like that. There are so many, and those are medicine. Sometimes you use a du'ā or a dhikr and you think it didn't work — don't think that way ever. Maybe it didn't work for you because that's not the right du'ā for you. Therefore never stop looking for the du'ā and using all du'ā. For one day, by the grace of Allah — if Allah knows we deserve it — and by His bounty and grace, the right du'ā will be taught and the right du'ā will be said — and it works. Medicine works that way. And medicine is a creation of Allah; it is a sabab. And du'ā is a sabab also, by Allah.

Don't think that the material sabab is more important than the spiritual sabab. That's one indicator that we are not internalizing al-Kāfī inside of us properly. Beware. Doctors and patients — beware. Doctors are a means of al-Kāfī. Their medicine you use is a means of al-Kāfī. You take it, but you don't believe in it. You don't worship it. You don't ascribe the result to it. It belongs to whom? To Allah.

The Du'ā of Al-Kāfī — Seven Times Morning and Evening

And Allah knows better. So he said ﷺ: "Every morning, every day — whoever says, every day in the morning and in the evening — seven times:"

(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Book 8, Hadith 5081)

"Ḥasbī Allāh" — My Sufficer is Allah.
"Lā ilāha illā huwa" — There is no deity but He.
"'Alayhi tawakkaltu" — Upon Him truly I rely.
"Wa huwa rabbu al-'arshi al-'aẓīm" — And it is He, the Lord of the Great Throne.

Seven times — Allah will suffice him, morning and evening. Allah will suffice him of his worries of this world and of the Hereafter. Yā Rabbi!

Closing Du'ā

Closing of the Khutbah

Ibāda Allāh — Indeed Allah commands justice and excellence and giving to those of near relation, and He forbids immorality and wrongdoing and oppression. He admonishes you so that perhaps you will be reminded.

Qūmū ilā ṣalātikum, yarḥamkum Allāh. — Rise to your prayer, may Allah have mercy upon you.