Abdullah Smith delivering khutbah on 12 12 2014

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

O you who have believed, fear your Lord who created you from one soul, and He created from her her husband, and He spread from them many men and women. And fear Allah with whom you ask, and the wombs. Indeed, Allah has been a watcher over you.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say a firm word. He will correct your deeds and forgive your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has won a great triumph.

As for after, the most truthful words are the words of Allah. And the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace be upon him.

The Importance of Reminder

Brothers and sisters in Islam, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, He says in the Quran:

"And remind, for verily the reminder benefits the believer."

So today inshallah ta'ala, I'm going to bring back up a topic that I know I've spoken about before. But due to the importance of this topic, talking about it and discussing it will be beneficial, because the reminder benefits the believer. And that is the issue of tawheed, the issue of making Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala one.

Tawheed: The Purpose of Our Creation

And making Allah azza wa jal the focus of our lives. As this issue is an extremely important issue for you and I. First and foremost, this issue, the issue of singling out Allah azza wa jal in worship, and making Allah ta'ala the focus of our life, is why we were created. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, He says in the Quran:

"And I did not create the jinn and the human being except that they should worship Me."

So for you and I, singling out Allah azza wa jal as our focus of worship, and making Allah ta'ala our focus in life is the purpose of our creation. Because when an individual understands that purpose, then he has some place that he's trying to go. Have you ever seen someone get into their car and just start driving around in circles? They'll never get to their destination because they have nowhere that they're going.

If a person does not have a goal, they will never accomplish anything. So when a person knows that his purpose in life is to make Allah azza wa jal one, to only worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and to make Allah azza wa jal the focus of his life, he has a direction. He knows where he's going.

Therefore, he cannot be distracted. Pomp and glitter and excitement of the dunya won't take him off of his path because he has a clear direction. He understands his purpose.

Money will not take him away from that purpose. Fame won't take him away from that purpose. Power won't take him away from that purpose because he has direction.

Tawheed, singling out Allah azza wa jal in worship is the purpose of our creation. And when we understand that, we see how it benefits us. Because it gives us direction. It gives us a goal. And it helps us from becoming distracted.

Why Prophets and Messengers Were Sent

Tawheed is why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent prophets and messengers. Allah ta'ala says in the Quran:

"Indeed, we have sent to every nation a messenger proclaiming, 'Worship Allah and stay away from false deities.'"

This was why we have a messenger. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was sent to us to teach us how to worship Allah and how to make Allah the focus of our lives.

Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not sent to us so that we can merely write his name in calligraphy and hang his name on the wall. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not merely sent to us to be an idol that we look up to or someone whose name we attribute ourselves to. He was meant to be followed.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent him to us to teach us how to worship Allah. Not so that we can name our children after him. But his purpose was so that we can follow him and model our lives after his life so that we can worship Allah azza wa jal alone and we can make Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala the focus of our life.

Foundation for Accepted Deeds

So we see, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has made tawheed important for us. Our deeds, how many from amongst us would like to live 80 years, 90 years, 100 years having fasted in Ramadan every year. Having taken money that he wanted to keep but he gave it away in charity.

Waking up early in the morning when you wanted to sleep. Praying, sacrificing, all these things. How many from amongst us would love to live 80 years doing all of these deeds to come on the day of judgment and have none of that become beneficial for us.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he told us that because of tawheed it will serve as a foundation for a person's actions to be accepted. And if there is no tawheed, the deeds are rendered null and void. Allah azza wa jal, he mentions in the Quran:

He said, Tabaraka wa ta'ala, "Nothing has prevented them from having their deeds accepted except that they disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger."

Why were their deeds not accepted? They gave charity. They were generous. They gave. They did something not just for themselves but for someone else. They did that. But why wasn't it accepted? They committed shirk with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

There was no tawheed. So the things that they've done were like dust particles in the wind. Allah azza wa jal, He said:

"And we took the things that they've done and we made them like dust particles in the wind."

If you hold up dust in your hand and a strong wind comes by, what's left? Absolutely nothing. And these are the deeds of the people who do not focus on Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and who do not single out Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in their worship. You can pray. You can fast. You can make hajj. You can do all of these deeds.

However, if you associate partners along with Allah and you do not make Allah azza wa jal the focus in singling Him out in worship, all of these things are null and void. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, He says in the Quran:

Allah azza wa jal was speaking to the Prophet himself sallallahu alayhi wasalam. Allah said to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasalam, "If you were to commit shirk, then your deeds will be rendered null and void."

So what about you and me? Who we are not the Prophet. We don't come close to the Prophet alayhi salatu wasalam. And Allah said to him in the Quran, "If you were to commit shirk, then your deeds will be rendered null and void."

So again, we don't want to be people who sacrifice our lives, 80, 90 years of our lives for Allah azza wa jal, just to come on the day of judgment and have none of that benefit us. So we need to focus. We need to single out Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in worship. We need to make Allah tabarak wa ta'ala the focus of our lives.

Tawheed Gives Life

We look outside, and I've said this before, We look outside and we see people, they're walking dead people. That's what they are. They're like the walking dead because they're outside, they're functional. They wake up, they go to work, they eat, they sleep, they do this, they do that. But on the inside, they're dying on the inside.

That's why they're on drugs, and they drink alcohol, and they take Prozac and all these other different mental illness medicines. There's anxiety going throughout the streets. People are worried all the time, jumping off of buildings because they're worried that they're not gonna have any money.

But tawheed, tawheed gives you life. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, He says in the Quran:

"O you who believe, answer the call of Allah and His Messenger, when they call you to that which gives you life. When they call you to that which gives you life."

Because tawheed, it gives you life, it gives you real life. Not just a walking zombie life, but gives you life. It gives you meaning, it gives you purpose, and it makes you feel like you are someone. Because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives you that. He gives you life on the inside. Fills your heart with joy. Fills your life with meaning. Because you practice tawheed. Because you answered Allah and His Messenger, عليه الصلاة والسلام, when they called to that which gives life.

Because without it, answering the call, because if we are not answering Allah's call, then we are answering the call of shaitan. And the call of shaitan calls us to death. It calls us to being deaf in the ears, blind in our sights, and it calls our hearts to become hard. This is what shaitan calls us to. Because if we are not answering Allah, we are answering shaitan.

Success on the Day of Judgment

Brothers and sisters in Al-Islam, without tawheed, we will not be successful on the Day of Judgment. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, He says in the Qur'an:

"Indeed Allah does not forgive that partners are associated with Him. Allah does not forgive that. And He'll forgive everything else to whomever He pleases."

But shirk, associating partners, the lack of tawheed, Allah will not forgive that. No matter what, He will not forgive that. We come on the Day of Judgment with good actions as we perceive them. We perceive them as good. But because we did not single out Allah عز و جل in worship, and because we did not make Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala the focus of our lives, we'll find that all of these deeds were done in vain.

So we find, brothers and sisters in Islam, that tawheed is the purpose of our creation. It is why the prophets and messengers were sent. Tawheed is the basis and the foundation for having our deeds accepted by Allah. Tawheed gives us life. Tawheed will make us successful on the Day of Judgment.

I pray to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He makes us from the people of tawheed.

Warning Against Christmas and Shirk

Next, brothers and sisters in Islam, one of the reasons why I wanted to have this refresher, or to bring this topic back up, even though we've discussed it before, is because at this time, in this season, I personally have started to notice that there are people in the Muslim community, from amongst the Muslimin, who partake in the festivities, the activities that are directly linked to shirk, and the people of shirk.

You know, it's very easy for a person to fall into doing something incorrect that Allah is displeased with, if we're not paying attention, if we're not being careful. One time, the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, one of the companions, he made a statement, he said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"Whatever Allah wants, and what you want," meaning the Prophet ﷺ, "whatever Allah wants, and you." The Prophet ﷺ, he became angry, and he said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"Have you made me a partner with Allah? Rather you should say, whatever Allah wants, then you."

Do we think that this companion, who was a true follower of the Prophet ﷺ, his intention was to make Allah, or make the Prophet ﷺ on the same level of Allah? No, we don't believe that was his intention. But what he said, the Messenger ﷺ became angry, and he reprimanded him. To teach us that, no, this wasn't his intention, but we have to pay attention to our actions.

This is the lesson that is learned from this story, that we have to pay attention to our actions, because simply having good intentions is not enough.

The Reality of Christmas

So with that being said, I would say more specifically, that we find people, from amongst the Muslim community, who right now in this time, they partake in the festivities, in the activities of Christmas. We find people in the Muslim community, celebrating Christmas.

Maybe there are some people who are here, who may not know what Christmas is. Christmas is the largest Christian holiday of the year. In their belief system, in their belief system, they believe that this is the day that God was born. They believe that this is the day that they say, the Lord, as they say, may Allah عز و جل protect us, but this is what they say.

So now when one of us, we partake in these festivities, by putting in our homes a Christmas tree, and standing around the Christmas tree, to take a family photograph, in front of the Christmas tree. I'm saying things that I know have happened, because I've seen them.

When we set up a Christmas toy drive, so that we can give and distribute toys to children, for Christmas gifts. You say, well what's wrong with giving children toys? Shouldn't children have toys? Say yes. That's a very good argument, but shaitan has now come, and he's tried to make talbis. He's tried to confuse us.

Because if we want to give children toys, then why do we wait till Christmas to give them? We didn't give children, we didn't do a toy collection, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, we didn't do a toy collection. We didn't do that then. Why do we wait for Christmas season, to collect toys to give to children? And then I've seen, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى help us, we've seen in some masajid, where they actually have a box, where it says, collecting toys for Christmas.

I say to myself, and I say to us all, I grew up celebrating Christmas. For those who don't know, I grew up celebrating Christmas. I know what Christmas is. I celebrated 13 Christmases. In my life. I know the evils that's associated with this holiday.

Some people may not know, but today, I stand in front of you, begging you, reminding myself, reminding you all, that tawhid is the purpose of our life. Allah is the focus of our life. Do not allow for shaitan, to confuse us. To make us think, that oh this is just a toy. Oh this is just a dinner. Oh this is just a gift.

Giving gifts is something good in Islam. Giving gifts is something good in Islam. But not on Christmas time. Not at Christmas time. We do not celebrate Christmas, or any of these other holidays. But we're discussing Christmas in particular, because this is a holiday, that is built on the celebration of shirk. This is a holiday, that is built on the celebration of shirk.

So now we should be focused. We should pay attention. And while our intentions may be good, the goals that we're trying to seek out, may be good. But the action itself, also has to be good. In order for this to be something, that is accepted by Allah.

And just as that companion, رضي الله تعالى عنه, who came to the Prophet ﷺ, out of respect, and out of honor, and reverence, for the messenger. He said, "whatever Allah wants and you." This was him, trying to show his respect, and his honor to the Prophet ﷺ. With those good intentions, the messenger ﷺ, still corrected him. Because the action itself, was not correct.

So you and I, you and I, we have to be very careful, in how we move forward. We have to make Allah, one in our worship. And we have to make Allah, the focus of our lives. And when we do that, that is how we will be successful.

Du'a and Conclusion

I pray that Allah makes us all successful. We ask Allah to guide us, and to guide our families. We pray that Allah guides all of the Muslimin. We pray that Allah showers his blessings, over all of the Muslimin. We pray that Allah gives safety and security, to all of the Muslimin.

We ask Allah to accept from us our good deeds, and our righteous actions. May Allah forgive us of our sins, and pardon us all of our mistakes. We ask Allah to protect us from the punishments of the grave, and the punishments of the hellfire. We ask Allah to enter us all into Jannah.

Aqeemus Salah. Irhamakum Allah.