Surah Kahf Recitation & Jumu'ah Khutbah | Mawlana Farhan Shariff | 10/3

Recitation of Surah Al-Kahf

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Who has sent down the Book to His servant, and has not made any crookedness in it, that He may warn of a severe punishment from Himself, and give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds, that they will have a good reward. They will remain in it forever. And He will warn those who say, Allah has taken a son. They have no knowledge of it, nor do their fathers. It is a great word that comes out of their mouths. They say nothing but a lie. So perhaps you will be grieved over them, if they do not believe in this message.

We have made what is on the earth a decoration for them, that We may test them, which of them is the best in deed. And We will make what is on it a barren ground. Or did you think that the dwellers of the cave and the inscription were of Our wonders? When the young men sought refuge in the cave, they said, Our Lord, give us mercy from Yourself, and prepare for us right conduct in our affair.

So We cast sleep over their ears in the cave for a number of years. Then We raised them up, that We might know which of the two parties had the best account of what period they had tarried. We tell you their story in truth. They are young men who believed in their Lord, and We gave them more guidance. And We made firm their hearts when they stood up and said, Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We will not call upon any god other than Him. We would then have said something outrageous. These are a people who have taken gods other than Him. Why do they not come to them with clear authority? Who is more unjust than one who invents a lie against Allah?

And when you have withdrawn from them, and they worship none but Allah, then go to the cave. Your Lord will spread for you of His mercy and will prepare for you from your affair facility. And you will see the sun rise, when it rises, moving away from their cave to the right. And when it sets, passing away from them to the left, while they were in an open space thereof. That is from the signs of Allah. Whoever Allah guides is the rightly guided, and whoever He leads astray — you will never find for him a protecting guide.

And you would think them awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them to the right and to the left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. If you had looked at them, you would have turned away from them in flight and been filled with terror of them.

And thus We awakened them that they might question one another. A speaker among them said, How long have you remained here? They said, We have remained a day or part of a day. They said, Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the best of food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you. Indeed, if they come to know of you, they will stone you or return you to their religion. And then you would never succeed.

And thus We disclosed them that they might know that the promise of Allah is truth and that of the Hour there is no doubt. When they disputed among themselves about their affair and said, Construct over them a structure. Their Lord is most knowing about them. Those who prevailed in the matter said, We will surely take upon them a place of worship. They will say, Three were their dog. And they say, Five, the sixth of them being their dog — guessing at the unseen. And they say, Seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. Say, My Lord is most knowing of their number. None knows them except a few. So do not argue about them except with an obvious argument and do not inquire about them among anyone.

And never say of anything, Indeed, I will do that tomorrow, except when adding, If Allah wills. And remember your Lord when you forget, and say, Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to right conduct. And they remained in their cave for three hundred years and exceeded by nine.

Say, Allah is most knowing of how long they remained. He has the unseen of the heavens and the earth. How Seeing is He and how Hearing! They have no protector besides Him, and He shares not His legislation with anyone.

And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no changer of His words, and never will you find in other than Him a refuge. And keep yourself patient with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring the adornments of the worldly life. And do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever in neglect. And say, The truth is from your Lord. So whoever wills — let him believe. And whoever wills — let him disbelieve. Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose walls will surround them. And if they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like murky oil, which scalds the faces. Wretched is the drink, and evil is the resting place.

Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds — indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds. Those will have gardens of perpetual residence, beneath which rivers flow. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade, reclining therein on adorned couches. Excellent is the reward, and good is the resting place.

And present to them an example of two men: We granted to one of them two gardens of grapevines, and We bordered them with palm trees and placed between them crops. Both gardens produced their fruit and did not fall short thereof in anything. And We caused to gush forth within them a river. And he had fruit, so he said to his companion while he was conversing with him, I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in numbers of men. And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, I do not think that this will perish ever. And I do not think the Hour will occur. And even if I should be brought back to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return.

His companion said to him while he was conversing with him, Have you disbelieved in He who created you from dust and then from a sperm-drop and then proportioned you as a man? But He is Allah, my Lord, and I do not associate with my Lord anyone. And why did you not say, when you entered your garden, MashAllah, La Quwwata Illa Billah — what Allah willed has occurred; there is no power except in Allah. Although you see me less than you in wealth and children, it may be that my Lord will give me something better than your garden and will send upon it a calamity from the sky, and it will become a smooth, dusty ground. Or its water will become sunken into the earth, so you would never be able to seek it.

And his fruits were encompassed by ruin, and he began to turn his hands about in grief over what he had spent on it, while it had collapsed upon its trellises, and said, I wish I had not associated with my Lord anyone. And there was for him no company to aid him other than Allah, nor could he defend himself. There the authority is for Allah, the Truth. He is best in reward and best in outcome.

And present to them the example of the life of this world: it is like rain which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it and then becomes dry remnants, scattered by the winds. And Allah is ever, over all things, Perfect in Ability. Wealth and children are the adornment of worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for one's hope.

And the Day We will remove the mountains and you will see the earth prominent, and We will gather them and not leave behind from them anyone. And they will be presented before your Lord in rows, saying, You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an appointment. And the record of deeds will be placed, and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, Oh, woe to us! What is this record that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it? And they will find what they did present before them. And your Lord does injustice to no one.

And when We said to the angels, Prostrate to Adam, and they prostrated, except Iblees. He was of the jinn and departed from the command of his Lord. Then will you take him and his descendants as allies other than Me while they are enemies to you? Wretched it is for the wrongdoers as an exchange. I did not make them witness to the creation of the heavens and the earth or to the creation of themselves, and I would not have taken the misguiders as assistants.

And the Day He will say, Call My partners whom you claimed, and they will invoke them, but they will not respond to them. And We will put between them a barrier of destruction. And the criminals will see the Fire and will be certain that they are to fall therein. And they will find no way to avoid it.

And We have certainly diversified in this Qur'an for the people from every kind of example. But man has ever been, most of anything, contentious. And nothing has prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them and from asking forgiveness of their Lord except that they awaited the fate of the former peoples or that the punishment should come before them directly. And We send not the messengers except as bringers of good tidings and warners. And those who disbelieve dispute with falsehood to refute the truth thereby. And they take My verses and that of which they are warned in ridicule.

And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord but turns away from them and forgets what his hands have put forth? Indeed, We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And if you invite them to guidance — they will never be guided, then, ever. And your Lord is the Forgiving, full of mercy. If He were to impose blame upon them for what they earned, He would have hastened for them the punishment. Rather, for them is an appointment from which they will never find an escape. And those cities — We destroyed them when they wronged, and We made for their destruction an appointed time.

And when Moses said to his boy, I will not cease until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period. But when they reached the junction between them, they forgot their fish, and it took its course into the sea, slipping away. And when they had passed beyond it, Moses said to his boy, Bring us our morning meal. We have certainly suffered in this, our journey, hardship. He said, Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot the fish. And none made me forget it except Satan — that I should mention it. And it took its course into the sea amazingly. Moses said, That is what we were seeking. So they returned, following their footprints.

And they found a servant from among Our servants to whom We had given mercy from Us and had taught him from Us a certain knowledge. Moses said to him, May I follow you on the condition that you teach me from what you have been taught of sound judgement? He said, Indeed, with me you will never be able to have patience. And how can you have patience for what you do not encompass in knowledge? Moses said, You will find me, if Allah wills, patient, and I will not disobey you in any order. He said, Then if you follow me, do not ask me about anything until I make to you about it mention.

So they set out, until when they had embarked on the ship, he made a hole in it. Moses said, Have you made a hole in it to drown its people? You have certainly done a grave thing. He said, Did I not say that with me you would never be able to have patience? Moses said, Do not blame me for what I forgot and do not cover me in my matter with difficulty.

So they set out, until when they met a boy, he killed him. Moses said, Have you killed a pure soul in other than an eye for an eye? You have certainly done a deplorable thing. He said, Did I not tell you that with me you would never be able to have patience? Moses said, If I should ask you about anything after this, then do not keep me as a companion. You have obtained from me an excuse.

So they set out, until when they came to the people of a town, they asked its people for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. And they found therein a wall about to collapse, so he restored it. Moses said, If you wished, you could have taken for it a payment. He said, This is parting between me and you. I will inform you of the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience.

As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea. So I intended to cause defect in it as there was after them a king who seized every good ship by force. And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should substitute for them one better than him in purity and nearer to mercy. And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure for them, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did not do it of my own accord. That is the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience.

And they ask you about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say, I will recite to you about him a report. Indeed, We established him upon the earth, and We gave him from all things a way. So he followed a way. Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it setting in a spring of dark mud, and he found near it a people. We said, O Dhul-Qarnayn, either you punish them or else adopt among them a way of goodness. He said, As for one who wrongs, we will punish him. Then he will be returned to his Lord, and He will punish him with a terrible punishment. But as for one who believes and does righteousness, he will have a reward of the best. And we will speak to him from our command with ease.

Then he followed a way. Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had not made against it any shield. Thus it was, and We had encompassed with knowledge whatever he had. Then he followed a way. Until, when he reached between two mountain barriers, he found beside them a people who could hardly understand any speech. They said, O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are great corrupters in the land. So may we assign for you an expenditure that you might make between us and them a barrier? He said, That in which my Lord has established me is better, but assist me with strength; I will make between you and them a dam. Bring me sheets of iron. Until, when he had leveled them between the two mountain walls, he said, Blow with bellows. Until, when he had made it like fire, he said, Bring me, that I may pour over it molten copper. So they were unable to pass over it, nor were they able to pierce it. He said, This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord comes, He will make it level. And the promise of my Lord is ever true.

And We will leave them that day surging over each other, and the Horn will be blown, and We will assemble them in a single assembly. And We will present Hell that day to the disbelievers, on display. Those whose eyes had been within a cover removed from My remembrance, and they were not able to hear. Then do those who disbelieve think that they can take My servants instead of Me as allies? Indeed, We have prepared Hell for the disbelievers as a lodging.

Say, Shall We inform you of the greatest losers as to deeds? They are those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work. Those are the ones who disbelieve in the verses of their Lord and in His meeting, so their deeds have become worthless; and We will not assign to them on the Day of Resurrection any importance. That is their recompense — Hell — for what they denied and for what they took My signs and My messengers in ridicule.

Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds — they will have the Gardens of Paradise as a lodging. Wherein they abide eternally. They will not desire from it any transfer. Say, If the sea were ink for writing the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement. Say, I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your God is one God. So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord — let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.

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The Adhaan

Allah is the Greatest. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to Prayer. Come to Prayer. Allah is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah.

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Khutbah: The Greatest Blessing and the Path to True Contentment

Beloved brothers and sisters, youngsters and elders, esteemed and honorable guests of the house of Allah. Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Let us take a brief moment to ponder and reflect, make muraqabah about all the various different bounties that our extremely benevolent, extremely kind, the all merciful, the all powerful, the all majestic creator of ours — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — has blessed us with. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

If you were to really try and enumerate and count all the different bounties of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He has bestowed you and I with, you will never be able to do so. Certainly Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is extremely forgiving, extremely merciful. Allah is غَفُورٌ بِالْعِبَادِ — extremely compassionate with His servants.

And if we were to think about all the different blessings that we have been blessed with, without a doubt, the greatest blessing is in fact the blessing and the bounty of Iman and Islam. There is no other bounty that is greater than this.

We make du'a that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protects every single one of us and all the Muslims at large from experiencing difficulties pertaining to their health, pertaining to their wealth, pertaining to their family members. May Allah protect every one of us. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala envelop us with rahmah and consistent aafiyah. Ameen.

But at the same time, if a person is going through difficulty, provided that he has Iman and Islam, then there is still something to look forward to. In a hadith of Sahih Muslim, Rasulullah ﷺ has once mentioned:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 53, Hadith 6738)

On the Day of Judgment, a person who will be destined to go to Jannah, but who has experienced the most amount of difficulties in this world, will be brought. And he will just be dipped momentarily — he will be placed momentarily for a brief moment or a second in Jannah. SubhanAllah. And then he will be taken out. And then he will be asked — this individual who was tested the most, no one else in the entire world was tested more than him — he will be dipped once in Paradise. And he will be asked afterwards, يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ — O son of Adam, O individual — هَلْ رَأَيْتَ بُؤْسًا قَطُّ — Have you ever experienced any difficulty in your life? Have you ever experienced any difficulty?

Mind you, this is such a person who was tested the most. No one was tested more than him. Allah will ask: have you ever experienced difficulty after being placed in Jannah momentarily? SubhanAllah. هَلْ مَرَّ بِكَ شِدَّةٌ قَطُّ He will reply: لَا وَاللَّهِ يَا رَبِّ، مَا مَرَّ بِي بُؤْسٌ قَطُّ — No, by Allah. I take an oath, O Allah. That I never ever experienced difficulty — just by being dipped momentarily in Jannah.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala admit every single one of us into Paradise. This is something that a person can always look forward to. The ni'mah of Iman and Islam is the key that enables one to enter Paradise. Without it, then that individual is doomed.

The Infinite Bounties Within Islam

At the same time, when it comes to Islam and Iman, the bounties within Iman and Islam are infinite. You cannot ever count, you can't ever encompass all of them. One of these bounties is the fact that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given mankind through the deen of Islam — He has given mankind through the teachings of Rasulullah ﷺ, through the Qur'an — a purpose and direction for every part of our lives. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

The sole purpose for which we were created — you and I — was to recognize the oneness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, to recognize our Creator as our Creator, to worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has informed us that those who believe and they live their lives in accordance to that — they do righteous deeds — they will have everlasting gardens of bliss, they will be in the gardens of Firdaus. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us amongst them. He has provided us this purpose, He has provided us this direction.

The Pursuit of Happiness and True Peace

We as human beings throughout our lives, we're constantly looking for peace, we're constantly looking for contentment. We're always in this pursuit of happiness and peace. For some of us, we find it in wealth. For some of us, we find contentment and peace in financial stability. For some of us, we find it in certain hobbies that we may have. For some of us, we may find it in our families, our spouses. But yet, so many of us, we're still wanting — we're still left wanting. No matter what we amass of this world and whatever it may contain, we still want more.

And this is because each and every one of us who is looking for happiness — and may have experienced a bit of happiness in all of these different pursuits — we're not really looking in the right avenue, we're not looking in the right place. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, our creator, our master:

Does He not know better than us? He is the one who has created us. He has mentioned:

It is only in the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that a person can attain true peace and contentment. It is only with the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that the hearts are at ease.

In another ayah of the Qur'an, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions:

That we are looking for a life of peace and contentment. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — who better to tell us where that would be than the one who Himself has created life and death:

He has mentioned that the individual who lives a righteous life as a believer, engaged in righteous deeds — فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً — then it is Allah's promise that we will most definitely grant that individual a peaceful life. On the other hand:

That person who ignores the remembrance of Allah, who turns away from Allah — Allah promises that individual will live a life of difficulty. And we will raise him on the Day of Judgment blind. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has told us: true happiness lies in living a life connected to Him. A life engaged in His remembrance, a life of submission.

The Meaning of Dhikr — Spiritual Starvation

أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ — Some scholars have mentioned, when it comes to the dhikr of Allah, then it could have different meanings. Some would say generally — as I've explained to you — others would say that true peace and contentment, yes of course it lies within living a life within the obedience of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, submitting oneself to Allah, but it's beyond that. It's not just iman, accepting and testifying to the kalimah — لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ — but beyond that: connecting oneself to the Qur'an.

Many of us we may be outwardly living a type of life wherein perhaps we are, for the most part, obeying Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, but we still feel — at times we feel miserable, we feel useless, we feel like we are corroding from the inside. Some ulama mention: أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ — look at your life, are you starving your soul? When a person is not engaged in the remembrance of Allah — actual dhikr — saying SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah:

Reading the Qur'an — then he is actually spiritually starving himself. Such a person who is experiencing spiritual starvation will never truly be happy.

When it comes to the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in general, if we really truly examine our lives, then many of us are falling short. We can in fact never truly do enough. The ulama mention: if you look at all the different ahkam of our deen, all the different injunctions, then we are told to pray a certain amount, we are told to fast a certain amount, do Hajj, give charity to a certain degree. But there is one thing where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has left it limitless. In other words, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has mentioned to do it — and not just to do it, but to do it in abundance. And that one command is:

Remember Allah, take the name of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in abundance. There is no other action per se wherein Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has instructed mankind to do this in abundance.

The Greatest Form of Dhikr: The Qur'an

So what are the different forms of dhikr that we can do? The greatest form of dhikr, without a doubt, is the Qur'an — the recitation of the Qur'an.

Certainly We have revealed the Qur'an to you, and We will most surely guard it. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala refers to the Qur'an as dhikr. Let us ask ourselves — SubhanAllah — how much tilawat are we actually making? Whereas Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has mentioned:

Those who truly read the Qur'an as it ought to be recited — they attach themselves to the Qur'an, they recite it with tajweed, with tadabbur, with tafakkur — those are the ones who truly believe in it. How can we ever expect to attain happiness and fulfillment when we are living lives where we are not connected to the Qur'an?

In whichever way it's possible, let us connect ourselves. If we are reading no Qur'an, then let us start reading at least one ayah of the Qur'an. Like they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away — then an ayah a day keeps the shaitan away. We have to make time. Otherwise we are spiritually depriving ourselves.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has mentioned:

Mentioning so many different bounties about the Qur'an. All of this has come to you, all of these bounties have come to you in the form of the Qur'an. مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ — Good counsel from your Rabb, advice. شِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ — A cure for all spiritual ailments and defects of the heart.

Feeling this feeling of uselessness, or this feeling of constant want, or this low feeling — it is a spiritual disease. It's something the Qur'an can cure. Whether we understand the Qur'an or not, it's not like any other book, it's not like any other material — it is miraculous in nature, it is mu'jiz.

The Story of the Basket and the Coal

Every single one of us, perhaps inshallah, has experienced this feeling before — where we hear someone reciting Qur'an with a very melodious voice. Maybe some of us were here attending the Surah Al-Kahf recitation, or on any other occasion. And we feel different. We feel attached to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, we feel affected.

On one occasion, there was a young boy — a very young child, 2 years old — and he was seeing his grandfather every single day. After Fajr, his grandfather would pick up a Qur'an and he would start reading. So he himself — mashallah, little children, they like to imitate their parents all the time — he would do the same. And then every day he would pick up the Qur'an, or sometimes he would just sit in the lap of his grandfather. Until eventually a time came where he began to understand. He reached the age of 5, 6, 7. Then he began to ask his grandfather. He said, "Grandfather, why are we reading this? What is the purpose of this?" So his grandfather just said, "You know, just continue reading. This is what we do — this is what we as Muslims do. We read the Qur'an."

So then finally he reached a little bit more of an older age — he was about 10 or 11 now. He started becoming a bit more rebellious. And then he asked his grandfather point blank: "Why is it that we are reading this Qur'an? I know that you don't understand anything that you're reading. I don't understand anything. What is the point of this? This is such a waste of time."

So his grandfather decided to teach him a lesson. He told him: "Why don't you take this basket full of coal" — he emptied it out — "go to the river and fill it up with water and bring it back." So he said, okay, fine. He took the basket, went to the river, picked some water up, came back. By the time he came back, all the water had left the basket. The grandfather told him, "I told you — bring the basket full of water." So then the child went again, a little bit faster this time, but to no avail. The basket was not retaining any water. Again, the grandfather scolded him: "I told you, I want a basket full of water."

So the child this time said, "That's it. I'm going to go as fast as I can, and I'm going to bring some water in this basket." So he ran as fast as he could, filled it with water, ran back as fast as he could. But again, to no avail. There was nothing left. The basket did not retain any water. So he took the basket, he threw it on the ground, he started yelling at his grandfather: "There's nothing! You're absolutely insane. Can't you see — this is the same exact thing I'm talking about. You're reading Qur'an every single day, you don't retain anything, you don't understand anything. You're telling me to fill this basket with water — there's nothing in here, you're a mad man!"

So then the grandfather said, "Look at the basket." It was a basket full of coal — it used to be full of soot, it was dirty, it was brown, it was black. And now here it was: gleaming, so clean, so beautiful. The grandfather told him: "Although you and I may not be able to retain anything, the Qur'an is still working on our hearts. It's still cleansing us — just as the water has cleansed the basket."

In a very beautiful hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ has explained something very similar — that whoever recites any ayah of the Qur'an, then he will receive one reward. That one reward will be multiplied by ten.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2910)

I don't say الم is one letter, but rather أَلِفٌ is one letter, لَامٌ is one letter, مِيمٌ is one letter. No one knows what the meaning of الم is. No one knows really what the meaning of كهيعص is. But a person recites it, he will receive the reward and he will experience the benefits. This is the miraculous nature of the Qur'an.

Let us ask ourselves and think to ourselves: Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, at His immense mercy, has sent mankind this manual to success. What are you and I doing to benefit from it? So many of us Muslims are passing away and we don't even know what Allah wants from us. We haven't even completed this one book — full of only our guidance and our benefit. How are we going to stand on the Day of Judgment? When at the same time there are people who don't even have iman, yet they have read it cover to cover. What do you and I have? Then we can understand why we are feeling this way.

The Second Form of Dhikr: Istighfar

Another type of dhikr that we can engage in is istighfar. So: an ayah a day keeps the shaitan away, inshallah. Those who are not reading Qur'an — start. If you don't understand the meaning, so what? Keep reading it, you will get the reward. If you are able to read mashallah fluently, start reading with the meaning. If you are able to read and you have been doing it with the meaning, start to read the tafsir, start to understand it in light of the teachings of the scholars of tafsir — and so on and so forth.

Rasulullah ﷺ — he himself was sinless, as is our belief with regards to all the prophets. He still taught the ummah:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6307)

O mankind, seek forgiveness from Allah, repent to Allah. For I do so over a hundred times a day. SubhanAllah. So let us have a regimen of dhikr wherein we're making istighfar — by saying أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ — making tawbah to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We have to take this seriously.

If we look at our lives, we are all engaged in so much du'a for all of our brothers and sisters that are suffering throughout the world. We make so much du'a for them. Rasulullah ﷺ has explained a very dangerous, very scary scenario — where there is an individual:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1015)

A person who is on a long journey — أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ — his hair is completely disheveled, he's full of dust from head to toe. يَمُدُّ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ — he's stretching his hands to the sky. In other words, he's in that condition — the most pitiful of conditions that anyone would have mercy upon. His du'a should so readily be accepted. But what's happening? Rasulullah ﷺ says: his clothing is haram, his earnings are haram, his food is haram. How many of us are not particular about eating halal food, we're consuming haram food. Our interactions with one another, our dealings with one another are haram. Our investments are haram. We're not seeking out the proper teachings. We are raising our hands to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, crying in du'a, collectively making du'a. فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لِذَلِكَ — Rasulullah ﷺ is saying: how in the world is that person's du'a going to get accepted? He's engaged in so much sin from head to toe.

What istighfar are we doing in our lives, if any? Every single one of us has some sort of sin. كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ خَطَّاءٌ — Something that Rasulullah ﷺ didn't need to do, but still teaching his ummah — he taught us: say أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ at least a hundred times a day. Let us bring that into our regimen, into our lives.

The Third Form of Dhikr: Tasbihat

Another thing that we can do is tasbihat — saying سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ — some sort of praise to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. One thing that Rasulullah ﷺ once mentioned to the Sahabah radhiyallahu anhum — it's so beautiful. He mentioned:

There are two words — khafifatani alal lisan — they are so light on the tongue. In other words, so easy to say. But yet at the same time — thaqilatani fil mizan — they are very heavy, they will be very weighty on the Day of Judgment, on the scales. And they are extremely beloved to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Imagine the Sahabah — this is where the subject and predicate have been switched; the subject comes at the end — imagine the state of the Sahabah. Rasulullah ﷺ is telling them: there are two words, they are very very easy to say, they are very very very rewarding, they are extremely beloved to Allah. If we were like the Sahabah radhiyallahu anhum, we would be wondering: Ya Rasulullah, what are these words? The entire time — what is it? What is it? At the very end, Rasulullah ﷺ says:

In another hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ mentioned that every time we recite this, one tree is grown for us in Jannah. In another hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ says:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2695)

To recite سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ is more beloved to me than anything the sun has ever touched — in other words, more beloved than this entire world and whatever it contains.

So let us examine our lives. And if we are not engaged in any of these actions, let us start connecting ourselves to these actions — ultimately increasing our condition of life and increasing our connection with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Then our own lives will be so much better, so much full of contentment and peace and comfort. We will see the help of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala raining down upon the ummah.

We can reflect on the ayah where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Think for a second. Allah says: if you all help the deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, He will help you. Again, back to the same discussion — how can we expect any help from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to come if we are living such lives completely cut off from Him?

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: who can be more oppressive than that group of individuals who is reminded about the different injunctions, the different rulings of the deen — and then he just ignores it.

Closing Du'a

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us lives full of contentment, full of peace, full of mercy. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the ability to recite the Qur'an in abundance, to take His name in abundance, to make salawat upon Rasulullah ﷺ in abundance.

JazakumAllahu khayran. All the brothers can stand. And inshallah, please fill all the gaps in the front before starting your sunnah.

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Announcements

Please pass the donation boxes. Nabi ﷺ has mentioned charity given on the day of Jumu'ah is greater than any other day.

Inshallah, keep in mind — mark the date for our benefit dinner on Saturday. It will be taking place on Saturday, October 18th at 5:30pm at Shalimar Banquets. You can purchase tickets online at masjiddeas.org.

MashAllah, we have many different programs. We are starting a new series every Monday night with Mufti Abdul Mudeen, hafidhullah. He'll be sharing his various different experiences and different insights throughout his travels, different perspectives on current events as well. The community will have a chance to ask various different questions and engage in an open, interactive discussion. This will be taking place inshallah every Monday after Isha at 8pm, starting inshallah Monday, October 6th.

We will also continue our Tuesday Tafsir programs with Mufti Muslihuddin, hafidhullah, and our Thursday programs on the Shama'il — the different characteristics of Rasulullah ﷺ — in Urdu on Thursdays. We also have our weekly team Fajr, which will be taking place tomorrow inshallah. Fajr is at 6:15am. We also have various different sisters' part-time programs, such as Riyad al-Salihin, Hifz, and Tafsir programs on Wednesdays. Further information can be found online.

We also have another announcement regarding CAIR Chicago. They will be having a banquet dinner on October 5th. You can visit their website to purchase tickets.

Du'a Requests

There are various different du'a requests. We have one of our volunteers, Anwar Bhai, who is in the ER for some heart issues that he has been having since he returned from Umrah. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant him complete shifa. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant him aafiyah.

We also are requesting du'a and shifa for Sister Razia Pathan, wife of Dr. Amanullah Pathan, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for stage 4 colon cancer. Another sister has been diagnosed with a serious heart condition linked to a genetic disorder. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant all of them complete shifa.

Let us all also make du'a for all of our brothers and sisters that are suffering throughout the world.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala rid them of their oppressors. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala liberate them and grant them perpetual aafiyah. Ameen.