Attaining Piety: The Defining Qualities Of The Muttaqun

Jumu'ah Khutbah — Mawlana Farhan Shariff

Beloved brothers and sisters, youngsters and elders, esteemed and honorable guests of the house of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Last week we spoke more on the concept of developing taqwa in the month of Ramadan. This is something that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions is one of the primary reasons for which fasting has been ordained.

Last time we spoke about the purpose of renewing our intentions —

— and recalling why we are fasting, for whose sake we are fasting, for whose sake we are standing. And also looking and anticipating reward.

This week I wanted to speak a little bit more about the qualities of the muttaqun. We are all striving to become righteous, muttaqi individuals — those who have created within ourselves such a consciousness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that will propel us towards pleasing Him and also protect us from sinning against Him.

So what has Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned regarding these individuals in the Qur'an? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Rush towards forgiveness from your Rabb. And also hasten towards a paradise, the vastness of which is as vast as the heavens and the earth. But this paradise, this forgiveness, has been prepared and it is solely for those who are the muttaqun.

The ulema mention in Surah Al-Fatihah, when it comes to the names of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim — that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is extremely merciful, very merciful. There is a general mercy which He has for all of creation. That is why when a person commits a sin, he is not immediately destroyed. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grants them chance after chance after chance. And then there is a special mercy which only the believers will enjoy — a special mercy that those who have developed this taqwa will enjoy.

So who are these individuals? What are their qualities and characteristics? Let us all assess and examine our lives to see whether we have secured these characteristics and qualities or not.

The Qualities of the Muttaqun

Quality One: Spending for the Sake of Allah

They are those who spend for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in both times of prosperity and also adversity — in times when it is difficult to spend, where they do not have much to spend, but they part with their wealth solely for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And also at times when they are blessed and they have the ability and capacity to spend freely for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala without having any worry or concern.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala addresses this aspect of attaining piety and righteousness elsewhere in the Qur'an, and He says:

You will never, ever, ever attain piety. You will never attain it. This is what we are all striving to achieve in this month. And throughout the year we are trying to become the friends of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah says, you will never attain this until you spend from that which you love for His sake.

Allah talks about what we all love. We all love wealth. This is part of our creation, a part of our nafs, that we are inclined towards wealth. We want to have a lavish lifestyle. But that is a natural disposition of human beings and the natural nafs which has not been worked on.

Let us ask ourselves — how much are we spending for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? How much do we spend throughout the year, and how much have we spent in the month of Ramadan particularly?

It is mentioned about Rasulullah ﷺ:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6)

He was the most generous of mankind. And so naturally he was extremely generous. Then can we imagine — he was even more generous at specific times of the year, particularly in the month of Ramadan. It is mentioned he was more generous than at any other time of the year. And then even in the month of Ramadan, he was most generous when Jibreel (peace be upon him) would come and he would recite the Qur'an with him.

Then the sahabi continues and mentions that Rasulullah ﷺ drew a comparison — he was as though he was like free-flowing wind. When wind blows outside, anyone who is standing outside is going to embrace the wind. It affects everyone. Like that, Rasulullah ﷺ's generosity went out to everyone. And like the speed of wind, it was so swift — Rasulullah ﷺ without any hesitation would part from things of this worldly life so that he could gift them to others for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The ulema also mention that perhaps Rasulullah ﷺ was the most generous at this time because he was experiencing the ecstasy of this bounty of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, which was none other than the Qur'an.

SubhanAllah, let us all examine our lives and emulate the sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ and become such that we are spending for His sake. The only thing that usually holds us back is the fear of our wealth diminishing. Whereas if we truly believed in the promises of Allah and Rasulullah ﷺ, we would not fear that. We would look beyond that. We would trust in the promises of Allah.

Rasulullah ﷺ mentioned:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2588)

We think that when we give charity we are losing our wealth. Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned: giving charity never decreases a person's wealth. In fact, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions in the Qur'an:

This is the promise of Allah. وَمَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللَّهِ قِيلًا — Who is more truthful than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? He says, whatever you spend will definitely be granted to you in full. SubhanAllah.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also says:

Who is there who is going to give a goodly loan to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? On one occasion, some of the Yahud commented, "Oh, is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala actually in need of a loan?" Of course Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is not in need of a loan. But rather Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala worded it like this because every loan is generally taken with the intention of being paid back — Allah is going to give it back to you. Who is there who is going to spend for the sake of establishing masajid, for the sake of propagating the deen, for the sake of taking care of the orphans and the needy, and so on and so forth? The category of فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ — for the sake of Allah — is very, very vast.

Solely so that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala may multiply that for him manifold. Allah uses the word كَثِيرَة, which in Arabic very literally translated means "a lot." But we can understand this by an example. If you ask a little child, "How much candy do you have?" and he says, "I have a lot of candy," that means he has his pockets full of candy. Then if you ask a teenager, "How much candy do you have?" and he says, "I have a lot of candy," he may have a bag full. You ask an adult — he says, "I have a lot of candy" — a whole pantry full, cabinets full of candy. Then you ask a businessman who sells candy, "How much candy do you have?" — "I have a lot of candy." What he means by this is multiple stores.

Now, can you imagine — this is مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ, the King of all kings, the One who has created everything. When He says He will multiply it a lot — can you imagine how much is in store for you? Can we imagine how much is in store for us when we spend for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

Quality Two: Controlling One's Anger

They are those — a quality of the righteous, of the muttaqun — who get upset. This is a quality. A quality of the muttaqun is that they get upset, but when they get upset, they control their anger.

It is a human characteristic, it is natural for a person to experience various emotions. Islam does not talk about ridding oneself of all of these things, but rather it is about regulating them. It is about regulating all of these human, natural tendencies that we have — whether it is loss, whether it is anger, whether it is envy.

There are things that are supposed to be envied. Like when you see a person reciting Qur'an beautifully — Rasulullah ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5026; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 815)

That person whom Allah has blessed with the Qur'an — you are supposed to desire that also, so that you can also recite beautifully night and day. Or that person whom Allah has blessed with wealth and he spends it day in and day out — for that individual also you should desire to spend like he is spending for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So there is a level of desire that is there. When it comes to lust, it can be out of control where a person has various illicit relationships, or it can be used within the confines of the Sharia to have a healthy relationship with one's spouse. Like that, anger is one of these things that it is not expected that a person never gets angry.

The sahaba would witness even the veins of Rasulullah ﷺ popping, the color of the face of Rasulullah ﷺ changing. But the beauty of the Messenger of Allah was that he only got angry for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Nonetheless, Rasulullah ﷺ asked the sahaba, "Who is that individual who you see as truly strong — who can floor his opponent?" So the sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) mentioned it is that individual who can physically take him down in a wrestling match. Then Rasulullah ﷺ said — and he said it three times:

That individual who gets angry — he gets very angry, his face becomes bright red with anger, his skin trembles in anger — and then he calms himself down, he settles his anger. He fights and holds back his anger. He does not vent out his anger. He does not hurt someone else, inconvenience someone else. He does not curse someone, or vilify them, or malign them, or make them feel bad. But rather he keeps it in control.

For such an individual, Rasulullah ﷺ has promised that individual will taste the sweetness of iman. Allah will fill his heart with true faith, nur, and iman. There are various different other rewards as well for that individual.

When it comes to the month of Ramadan, fasting is there to curb our desires. It is there to humble ourselves. And we find some people become so tired they can't even argue — alhamdulillah, that's great. But then you find the opposite: a hungry man is an angry man. So sometimes you find that too, and it is difficult to control your anger in the month of Ramadan. Let us remember that this is also a quality of the muttaqun.

Quality Three: Forgiving Others

Forgiving others. Others may have wronged us, they may have hurt us. We should be such that we do not take it to heart and harbor that enmity and keep it in for days and months, but rather we should forgive.

We understand from the hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ that just because of this one action — forgiving others and going to sleep, cleaning your heart — a person can be included amongst the inhabitants of paradise. This is such a wonderful, such an easy thing.

That individual who is patient and he forgives — that is certainly amongst the most difficult of things to do. And that individual will receive a very high place in the court of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

That is the third quality and characteristic of a muttaqi individual. He does not harbor hatred, he does not keep these things in, but he forgives and he tries his best to forget. They say, "Man gets and forgets, God gives and forgives." We should be such that we can pardon that individual and completely forget it. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us tawfiq.

Quality Four: Doing Acts of Goodness (Ihsan)

They do acts of goodness. A Muslim is such that he does good deeds not because of others, but rather solely for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This deen teaches us that we should not have tit-for-tat relationships with others — that if they're good to me, then I'm going to be good to them, and if they're rude to me, I'm going to be rude to them. Being good, doing random acts of kindness, showing ihsan, and being kind to others — this is also a quality of the muttaqun.

Quality Five: Seeking Forgiveness After Sinning

They commit heinous acts — absolutely terrible, wretched crimes and sins. The muttaqun, just like there are those who get very angry but control their anger, a muttaqi individual is someone who falls into sin — because:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2499; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4251)

Everyone is inevitably going to sin. Except if you are a nabi, you are protected by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from committing sin. Human beings make errors, they make mistakes, they slip up. But the difference is — it does not stop there, that they commit these terrible, atrocious sins. But they are such that when they do so, they remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and immediately seek forgiveness from Him, understanding: who is there who is going to forgive besides Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

For these individuals, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has mentioned:

They will receive forgiveness from their Rabb and gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they shall reside forever and ever and ever. What a wonderful reward for those individuals.

The Days of Maghfirah and Making Tawbah

Let us remember — this is the month of Ramadan. The first few days that passed were filled with rahmah from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The remainder are also filled with rahmah from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. In the hadith, it is mentioned the first 10 days have special rahmah, the second 10 days have special maghfirah, and in the last 10 days this special aspect of عِتْقٌ مِنَ النَّارِ — protection from the fire of Jahannam.

We have just now, or we are about to, end these special days of maghfirah. Let us all ensure that we make tawbah, we seek forgiveness for whatever sins we may have committed — major or minor — and we cry in the court of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the tawfiq to do so.

Rasulullah ﷺ has sent grave warnings about that individual who Ramadan passes by and he does not attain the forgiveness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So let us never lose hope regardless of what we may have done.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions:

Sometimes we think, "You don't know what I did, brother. You don't know what I'm involved in." Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is Ghafurun Raheem — He will definitely forgive you. But you have to seek genuine forgiveness. You have to make tawbah. You have to make the intention to stop. You have to stop the sin, feel bad about what you have done, and make the firm intention to never do it again. And inshallah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will forgive you.

The fact that you are sitting here shows that you inshallah do not engage in shirk. You are not worshipping idols — you are worshipping Allah. That is why you are here. Allah says He forgives everything besides shirk.

Allah says, يَا عِبَادِي — "Oh, My beloved servants." Who are the beloved servants of Allah? Look at how Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala describes them: الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ — they have transgressed, they have committed sin after sin after sin. These are the beloveds of Allah. Allah is referring to them as My servants. When Allah talks about His special ones, He attributes them to Himself — قُلْ يَا عِبَادِي, "My beloved servants."

Who are the beloved servants of Allah in this verse? Not those burning the musallah in tahajjud, not those who are fasting day in and day out outside of the month of Ramadan, not those doing a whole bunch of extra voluntary praying — inshallah, those are also the friends of Allah. But who is Allah referring to in this particular verse? Those who have transgressed. They have done wrong after wrong after wrong. Allah addresses them and says, "Oh My beloved servants — do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgives all sins."

Even the Du'a of Shaytan Was Accepted

Sometimes we think our du'a is not going to get accepted. For Allah's sake — Allah accepted the du'a of Shaytan when he disobeyed Him. Right there, after seeing the angels, after witnessing so much of the unseen — and after all of that, what did he do?

He rejected, he went against Allah. Allah said:

He said, أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ — "I am better than him." And it continues. So then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said:

"Go, get out of paradise. You are doomed, you are outcast, condemned, rejected." Then what did he do? He made du'a to Allah:

He said, "O Allah, grant me respite till the day they are all resurrected." What did Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala do?

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accepted his du'a. If Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accepted the du'a of Shaytan, do you not think Allah is going to accept your du'a and my du'a? Inshallah, Allah will definitely accept our du'as. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us all the tawfiq.

A Plea for Support: Spending for the Sake of Allah

Generally we stop at 1:20 — but because this is the month of Ramadan, this is a month when Rasulullah ﷺ was extremely generous. This is a month wherein, mashallah, we have been witnessing so many recitations of the Qur'an completing. This is also a month in which we are encouraged to spend for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

This is a humble plea, a humble request. Again — who is there who is going to spend for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? We here at Dar es Salaam have provided an opportunity. In very few minutes, we are looking for those individuals who perhaps cannot themselves enroll and learn and propagate the deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Maybe they have children who can do it, maybe they do not. But each and every one of us has this capacity to spend something for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — something to aid the deen of Allah.

But today, my brothers and sisters, we are not only looking for those individuals who are spending a few cents — definitely spend as much as you can. But particularly this fundraising is for those individuals who are ready to pledge, who are ready to make a covenant with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that they are going to give, inshallah, every single month — as long as they are alive or as long as it is physically possible for them to donate — a hundred dollars a month.

Like in the lifetime of Rasulullah ﷺ, you had those sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) in the Battle of Hudaybiyyah who came in Bay'at al-Ridwan and pledged to give their lives for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — we are looking for those individuals, those brave individuals, who are ready to wholeheartedly embrace the promises of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, so that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala can give them back manifold.

Who is there? Brothers can raise their hands or stand up so that the volunteers who are standing around can come and give them pledge forms. There are kiosks as well where you can enter the information. Who is going to spend for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

Allah will give it back to you. This is a promise of Allah. You will not be wronged.

Those individuals who spend — this is a time not only to spend secretly, but if we are feeling shy, Allah praises those individuals at times who spend openly to give courage to others as well. And what is in store for those individuals? They shall receive a special reward by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. There will be no fear for these individuals, they will not grieve.

This world is so limited, and the Hereafter is limitless. Whatever we spend in this world, inshallah, we will definitely see it in the Hereafter.

Is there anyone, any brother, who can give — for as long as you can give — inshallah a hundred dollars a month? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed you. And imagine, this is a way that you can aid the institutions of the deen of Allah.

I tell the students — subhanAllah, the purpose of life is not to become an alim. The purpose of life is not to become a hafidh. The purpose of life is to become a beloved in the court of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. How? Not everyone has an opportunity to study deen. Not everyone has an opportunity to become a hafidh. But Allah provides every single individual some opportunity through which they can aid the deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

There are some students who come for the one-year program, and then they have to leave because their parents are encouraging them to continue their secular education so that they may get a degree. They feel so bad, they feel so shy, they feel so ashamed when they are leaving. But we tell them — this is nothing to be ashamed of. You can assist the deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from an avenue that so many of your teachers and classmates are not going to be able to.

Look at the institutions throughout Chicago — they are there because people aided the deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Every major institution has hundreds of supporters. Imagine — subhanAllah, mashallah — those who are running the institution here, may Allah protect Mufti Minhaj and Mufti Azeem and look after them. Imagine how much reward they are attaining. The programs have now reached an international level. How many hundreds and thousands of students study here every single year? Even internationally their programs are becoming renowned. We had someone come all the way from Dubai for the summer program. SubhanAllah — can you imagine the extent of reward? We cannot even imagine that.

And think about Dr. Misbah Sahib, mashallah — may Allah protect him, preserve him, protect him from all types of calamities, and protect him and his family and everyone involved here at Dar es Salaam, all the teachers and staff. Can you imagine how much reward is there for that individual who spent so much for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? And this is an opportunity for you and I as well.

Maybe we did not have the opportunity to go out, but this is a way that we can still aid the deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is the kind of person that would be coveted in the eyes of everyone —

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5026; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 815)

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us all the tawfiq. Those brothers who are feeling a bit shy and would like to donate outside can do so. All the brothers can stand up and fill all the gaps.

I apologize again for the delay. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reward all of you for your patience. Jazakum Allahu khairan wa assalamu alaykum.

Announcements

Please note that there is no curb parking. Please do not park on the curbs behind the seminary building or on the Swift Highway. We have, alhamdulillah, additional parking spaces in the used car lot.

We have various different programs for this weekend. It is a kind request that all those who are going to partake in the programs register online at masjidds.org.

We also have, today particularly, a Sister's Sanctuary — Conversations and Connections: Upholding the Threads of Modesty — a halaqah with a question and answer session, dhikr, du'a, dinner, and dessert. It will be from 5 p.m. till 8 p.m. today. Sisters from ages 18 to 30. Registration is required, especially for food and logistical purposes.

Additionally, we are now beginning the last 10 days of Ramadan. We will have the last 10 nights' i'tikaf and daily programs. Please join the Sunnah i'tikaf or Nafilah i'tikaf, beginning inshallah this Sunday.

The blessed month of Ramadan is one of reformation. Alhamdulillah, we have so many individuals who are taking time out of their busy schedules to provide us various different programs. Let us inshallah avail ourselves and benefit.

Additionally, please pass the donation boxes from left to right and donate generously. Sadaqah wards off calamities — there are many rewards for giving sadaqah. May Allah grant us all tawfiq.

There are also many du'a requests. Please specifically let us all make sincere du'a for our brothers and sisters going through various difficulties in Palestine, and our Muslim brothers and sisters going through difficulties throughout various other parts of the world as well.

There is one brother of our community, Tanwir Zaman, who is suffering from pancreatic cancer. Please let us all make du'a for his shifa'. And Asad Tanwir is having surgery today — may Allah grant him a successful surgery.