Unlocking Friday's Blessings Through Surah Al-Kahf Recitation

Opening Supplication

In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful. We praise Him, and we pray, and we salute His noble Messenger. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls, and from the evil of our actions.

O my Lord, expound to me my heart, and make easy for me my affair. And loosen the knot from my tongue, so that my speech may be understood. O Allah, inspire us with guidance in our affairs, and protect us from the evil of our souls.

Beloved brothers and sisters, esteemed and honorable guests of the house of Allah. السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The Countless Bounties of Allah

Alhamdulillah, we are very blessed by Allah. Allah has granted us hundreds and thousands of bounties and blessings. So many bounties and so many different blessings that Allah mentions in the Qur'an:

That if you were to even attempt to try and enumerate them, you would never be able to do so.

In one hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ mentioned:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2346)

That the individual who wakes up and he is healthy and his belongings are intact, and he has enough provisions to last him the day — this individual has been so blessed, it's as though the entire world and whatever it contains has been brought for that individual. This is what these few bounties are worth in the court of Allah.

The Virtue of Jumu'ah and Surah Al-Kahf

And when it comes to Friday, it is a very special day for the believers. It is known as يوم العيد — it is a day of celebration. It is a very special day which alhamdulillah we are able to enjoy.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 854)

The best day that the sun has ever shined upon. And when it comes to this day, we are taught by Rasulullah ﷺ to observe certain etiquettes — such as preparing well beforehand to present yourself in the court of Allah, present yourself in the masjid, to first cleanse oneself and take a shower, take a ghusl, and then also to adorn nice clothing, and before leaving to apply perfume — for the male to apply perfume, or even oil to oil the hair — and appear in a very presentable manner, to come early to the masjid. And there are various other etiquettes as well.

One of the teachings that we are taught when it comes to the day of Friday is to recite Surah Al-Kahf. And there are various different ahadith with regards to the virtue of Surah Al-Kahf. They are mentioned in Sahih Muslim, Sunan al-Nasa'i, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, and many other books as well, wherein Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned that the individual who recites the last 10 ayat of Surah Al-Kahf will be protected from the test and the trial of Dajjal.

Other narrations mention that a person should recite the first 10 ayat of Surah Al-Kahf. So therefore the scholars have mentioned that if a person has the ability to recite the entire Surah, then definitely he should do so. And if a person does not have the ability to do so, then he should at least recite the first 10 ayat and the last 10 ayat to secure for himself this great reward.

There is another hadith mentioned in Musnad Ahmad and elsewhere that Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned that the individual who recites Surah Al-Kahf will be blessed with a celestial light from the side of Allah.

And there are various different lessons when one opens up Surah Al-Kahf and begins to recite. There are various different stories which fortify a person's iman — starting with the story of the young men who sought refuge in the cave. SubhanAllah, for many of us, that cave we seek refuge in is in the masjid every Jumu'ah. And for many others, it is also a place which we frequent more often to preserve our deen, to preserve our faith.

And there are various other stories and incidents, passages, which talk about the insignificance of this world and the importance of the hereafter, and what lies in store for that individual who applies himself in this world — what bounties, what blessings of Jannah are in store for that individual. From time to time we should make it a point to read Surah Al-Kahf with the meaning as well.

The Most Oppressive of People — Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 57

One of these ayat which struck a chord in my heart and mind, which I would like to share today, is wherein Allah mentions in Surah Al-Kahf, verse number 57:

Let us ask ourselves — if we were to close our eyes for a minute and reflect upon the following prompt: who is the most oppressive individual or group of people that you can think of? And what atrocities have they done? Think about who you would consider to be the most wretched, the most tyrannical, oppressive of individuals or groups. And think about what atrocities they have committed. There are so many, subhanAllah, to think about.

And it's so sad to think about. Whether it is unnecessarily killing a person, torturing a person, persecuting an individual, raping someone, bombing someone, destroying their homes, so on and so forth. We have so many different things that would enrage a normal person, a normal human being.

Allah addresses this question throughout places in the Qur'an, starting off with a rhetorical question:

There is no one more oppressive than this individual. Think about all the different oppressors in the world and all the different actions that they are doing. And then think about this ayah in the Qur'an. Allah says there is no individual or person that is more oppressive than the one who is reminded about the verses of his Rabb, about the reminders of his Creator.

There is no one who is more oppressive than the one who is given reminders about his Creator — فَأَعْرَضَ عَنْهَا — and he completely ignores it. وَنَسِيَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ — and he is oblivious of what his hands are sending forth for himself tomorrow. Allahu Akbar.

The Sealing of Hearts

Let us think about our lives too. Every Friday we come to this cave of ours, this kahf of ours, this wonderful sanctuary, this fortress, wherein we can practice upon our faith, wherein we are reminded time and again about the various different injunctions, about what really truly matters in life. And then let us ask ourselves — how much are we putting into practice? How much are we actually taking heed? And how much are we ignoring? This is something for each one of us to ask ourselves.

Allah talks about these individuals who fit this category. He says:

That We have placed such seals and curtains and covers over their hearts so that they will not be able to understand the verses of the Qur'an. They will not be able to understand the hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ. It won't affect them whatsoever. And We place deafness in their ears.

It's not necessarily the eyes or the ears that are truly blind or deaf. But rather it is the eyes and the ears of the heart that can no longer take in this nur, this blessing from Allah.

Allah mentions that the hearts of such individuals begin to rot, such that whenever they're reminded about any verse or any hadith, it has no effect on them whatsoever.

And if you were to call on to them, if you were to shout out to them towards guidance — come to guidance, come to success — they will never ever, ever be able to be guided. There is double emphasis: فَلَن in the Arabic language already means it will never happen. Then Allah adds أَبَدًا — it will never ever, ever be such that they will be able to be rightly guided afterwards. SubhanAllah.

Following the Guidance of the Messengers

This is a reminder for you and I. When it comes to our deen, Allah sent mankind messengers time and again with a reminder about how we have to live our lives.

These are the ones who Allah has guided. Allah says: take lesson from their lives. Live your lives in accordance to how they lived theirs.

The messengers came, Rasulullah ﷺ came, he taught the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم what was required for success — how to live our lives to please our Creator. He is the one who created us, we are here for this purpose to please Him, and we are going to go back to answer to Him.

Allah says:

Every single thing in the universe will be destroyed except for His countenance. So therefore, whatever action a person does — if it's not done لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ, for the sake of Allah — then it will also perish. The only thing which will benefit you and I, the only thing which will protect us in this world and in the next, are the instructions of Rasulullah ﷺ, the advices of Rasulullah ﷺ, the ayat of the Qur'an — which alhamdulillah we are so fortunate, living in this country, that we have subhanAllah so many different institutions and so many different reminders. But it is upon ourselves.

When push comes to shove — when now we have started learning, mashallah, we have begun changing our lives — but then when we're faced in difficult situations, when there is peer pressure involved, when there is pressure from other family members, then what happens at that particular time? Do we give up? Do we give in? Do we succumb to our desires and the petty desires of others? Or do we stand true to the faith of Allah and carry out what is required from us at every given moment in time? This is something for you and I to ask ourselves.

Safeguarding the Salah

How many of us are particular about our salah? This is one of the most important things. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه mentions in a hadith:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 654)

Whoever wants to meet Allah tomorrow — meaning on the Day of Judgment — in a pleasant condition where he is considered a believer in the court of Allah, then he should be very particular about safeguarding his salah.

How many of us are performing our five daily prayers on time, regularly, as we ought to be, irrespective of whether it's happening in the masjid or not? Let's say that's another higher level — may Allah grant us all the ability to do so. But at least our five daily prayers.

Honesty and Amanah in Our Daily Lives

When it comes to zakat, are we truly giving zakat or are we looking for every other excuse to miss out on our zakat? When it comes to the various different sunan of Rasulullah ﷺ — the different practices, the way he would treat others, the way he would be truthful.

I've heard from countless others, subhanAllah, and unfortunately from my own experiences — the worst of individuals in business dealings, and perhaps you have similar experiences as well — unfortunately, it's very sad and very frustrating to say that the worst of people to conduct business dealings with are our very own Muslim brothers and sisters. Because they are the very ones who cheat the most. I've heard so many people say no one wants to deal with Muslims. Why? Because they are not upfront.

You are hiring a Muslim individual who is a businessman, perhaps he is helping you remodel your house. You're telling him, I want it done this way, and he's doing it a completely different way. You're paying him for his efforts, he's not coming on time, he's not being upfront, he's doing it as he wants to do, and then when you talk to him, he starts yelling. Where is the amanah? When a person is going to a car dealer, you find the very own Muslims are the ones who are cheating you — subhanAllah. Allahu Akbar.

And the list continues, and continues, and continues. When it comes to our own business dealings as Muslims — it's not about whether someone can see me cheating, someone can see me stealing. We know that we're going to be held accountable in the court of Allah. When it comes to our own jobs, our own professions — are we cutting corners?

Allah says: may those who shortchange others be destroyed. We are supposed to clock in at a particular time, clock out at a particular time, and if we are cheating the system to our benefit, feeling that no one is watching —

Muslims should know better than anyone else on the face of this earth that Allah is watching. Muslims would be the last people to do that because we know Allah is going to hold us accountable. Every single action of ours is going to be accounted for on the Day of Judgment.

That is how we remain positive, that is how we continue doing what is asked of us — because just as every sin will be held accountable, similarly every good action that you did — every time that you were honest, every time that you were kind, every time that you were courteous, every time that you went out of your way and no one else saw it, no one else patted you on the back, no one else gave you any sort of praise whatsoever —

Don't worry — it's just a short amount of time. Everyone is going to eventually die. As a Muslim, we look forward to the hereafter, because Allah mentions: you will never truly be granted reward for any of your actions except in the hereafter. You'll only be granted your reward in full on the Day of Judgment.

So let us all reflect on our lives, and let us ask ourselves — how many different reminders have we gotten over the years? How many different lectures have we heard? How many different points have come into one ear and then out the other? And how many of those things have we actually practiced upon? And how serious are we when it comes to preparing ourselves for the hereafter?

The Mercy of Allah and the Call to Repentance

Your Rabb is extremely merciful. Your Lord, your Creator is the most merciful, the most compassionate. If Allah were to take all of us accountable for what we have truly done and how we have been living our lives, the vast majority of us — if Allah were to truly hold us accountable for our deeds, He would have sent the punishment immediately. A person would be watching some haram and immediately the whole ground underneath him would swallow him up.

But Allah does not act like that. Allah gives us chance after chance after chance after chance. Because Allah knows that we are human beings.

If you look at the Qur'an — يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا, O you who believe, do this. O you who believe, do that. There are 89 ayat in the Qur'an like this — different instructions. If you look at the very last instruction, what does Allah say?

O you who believe, O My beloved servants — repent to Allah sincerely. Sincerely change your lives. But Allah says: I don't act like that. I don't exact retribution immediately.

But rather Allah says: I have stipulated an appointed time wherein no one will be able to escape. That is known as the Day of Judgment. And may Allah grant us all the ability to truly prepare for that day.

The Danger of Istidraj — Being Deceived by Worldly Comforts

In one hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ mentioned — and I'll end off with this. He mentioned that a man came to a shaykh after he gave a similar lecture to this and said: "Shaykh, you're talking about preparing for the hereafter, you're talking about how Allah has sent us various different instructions and injunctions, and if you disobey them, then you will suffer in this world and the next. But look at me — I am not praying, I am not doing any of these things." Unfortunately, he said it very proudly. And he said: "Look, I have the best of homes, the best of cars, the most amount of wealth, so on and so forth."

Rasulullah ﷺ mentioned a hadith. He said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 17311)

If you see a person whom Allah has opened up the world to and granted him various different bounties, against the commandments of Allah, then don't get taken aback. Don't think that the promise of Allah is untrue. That is only Allah granting him respite until a time.

And Allah mentions in the Qur'an:

When they forget what they were reminded about time and again — فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ — We open up the doors to all bounties. Why? So that they get perpetually lost more and more and more. And they completely forget about the hereafter. Until they begin to boast about what they have before them — أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً — We seize them suddenly. فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ — And then they are thrown into eternal regret and destruction.

Closing Supplication

May Allah protect us from that. May Allah grant us the ability to recognize the bounties that He has given us. May Allah grant us the ability to work towards the hereafter, and to utilize all of these bounties to please Him and to act in accordance to all of His instructions. May Allah protect us from being heedless of these various different instructions. May Allah grant us all success in this world and the next.

Announcements

Please pass the donation boxes from left to right and donate generously. Sadaqah wards off calamities and draws the mercy of Allah.

We have a Youth Night on October 31st from 5:15pm to 7:30pm. Please sign up your boys and girls aged 5 to 17 for a fun-filled youth night with games, activities, pizza, hot cocoa, and a talk on nurturing intellectual and spiritual identity. You can sign up at masjidds.org/youthnight.

Also save the date for our 7th Annual Winter Intensive, which will take place Saturday, December 21st through Tuesday, December 24th. Insha'Allah more details will be coming soon.

Our Sunday School weekend classes for boys and girls have already started. Students will be engaged in a curriculum that covers du'a, hadith, adab, sunan, and Qur'an. Enrollments are open at masjidds.org. This is extremely important — that we teach our youth and our children the correct teachings of Islam.

Our weekly programs will alhamdulillah continue. We have Team Fajr tomorrow after Fajr Salah — Fajr Iqamah is at 6:15am. Tuesday Tafsirs are after Isha Salah, and we will be going over Surah Fussilat. We also have a weekly Urdu Sirah program every Thursday after Isha Salah.

Mufti Alimuddin Ahmad hafidhahullah has just returned from a humanitarian trip to Jordan. He visited Syrian and Palestinian refugees with the organization known as Helping Hands. He was also blessed with a short visit to Masjid Al-Aqsa. Insha'Allah join him this Sunday, October 20th after Isha Salah at 7:45pm as he shares his reflections. The event will be in-person only and will not be streamed online.

Helping Hands is fundraising for Palestinian, Syrian, and Rohingya refugees. There are fundraisers for 50 new shelter homes and each home costs $4,700. Please visit the Helping Hands booth outside the archway entrance.

Let us all make earnest du'a for all of our suffering brothers and sisters throughout the world — especially those who are in Palestine, Lebanon, and all throughout the Muslim lands.

Additionally, there is a special du'a request for Khawaja Anisuddin, who has passed away. Let us all insha'Allah make du'a that Allah grants him and all those who have passed away complete maghfirah, honors them, and grants them the best of afterlives.