Surah Kahf Recitation & Jumu'ah Khutbah | Qari Sulaiman Mahmood | 5/30

Recitation of Surah Al-Kahf

The khutbah opened with the recitation of the concluding passages of Surah Al-Kahf, covering the story of Al-Khidr and Musa (the ship, the boy, and the wall), the story of Dhul-Qarnayn, the mention of Gog and Magog (Ya'juj and Ma'juj), and the closing ayat of the surah.

Say: If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would surely 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 human being like you. It is revealed to me that your God is one God. So whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him do righteous deeds, and let him not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord.

The Call of Ibrahim — Responding to the Invitation of Allah

Respected brothers, elders, mothers and sisters. When Ibrahim (peace be upon him) completed the construction of the Ka'bah, Allah instructed him:

O Ibrahim, call out to the people. Call them, invite them to come and to perform Hajj of the house of Allah Ta'ala. People will come on foot and they will come on every type of conveyance — on camels, on horses, and in our times, cars, buses, trains, planes. Every type of conveyance. From all parts of the world — from the east to the west, from the north to the south.

When Ibrahim (peace be upon him) heard this, he was surprised. He said:

"Ya Allah, I am standing here in Mecca" — it was in the Mecca that we know today, where you have livestream and microphones and whatnot, but there was nothing, no one in sight. بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ — a barren desert, just the mountains around. He said, "Ya Allah, how will my voice reach these people? How am I supposed to call out to them?"

Allah responded to him:

"O Ibrahim, your duty, your responsibility is just to make the announcement. I will convey your message to all of mankind." So Ibrahim (peace be upon him) made the call:

"O people, Allah Ta'ala has made Hajj mandatory upon you, so perform Hajj."

The narration in Fath al-Bari of Hafidh Ibn Hajar makes mention of it:

(Fath al-Bari, commentary of Sahih al-Bukhari, by Hafidh Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani)

Every believer, every individual who is destined to perform Hajj till the Day of Qiyamah — at that time they responded to the call of Ibrahim (peace be upon him): لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ. Hence, every person that goes for Hajj up until the present day, and every individual that will go for Hajj till the Day of Qiyamah, they are all responding to the call of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).

Every single year, Allah has a guest list — certain selected individuals that He invites to His house. Anyone who is on that guest list, nobody — no government, no officials, no police — can stop them from coming to the house of Allah. And anyone who is not on that guest list, regardless of how much wealth they have, regardless of how much fame or prominence they have, they will never be able to reach the house of Allah. Anyone who goes needs an invitation from Allah.

Remember in 2022, the first year after Covid, when Hujjaj were able to go from our country — it was the first year that they started the online process as well. There was a family who had booked their package, they paid for it, they got their visa, everything was in order. They showed up to the airport on time, checked in, passed security. When they got to the gate, they were told, "Sorry, you will not be able to board the flight." And they were turned away at the last second.

That same year, I remember I was sitting with a group of Hujjaj, and various individuals were giving their stories about how they were able to select a package, how they were able to make it through. Everyone had their own story to tell. And there was one brother who was sitting there — when his turn came, he said in a very casual way, "As for me, I never even intended to perform Hajj." Everyone else had been planning for weeks and months in advance. He said, "I wasn't even planning to go for Hajj. Last Friday, I was at my local masjid, the imam was speaking about Hajj, and I thought — you know what, I've never gone for Hajj, why don't I just try? So I went online, I booked a package, and here, one week later, I'm sitting here, on my way for Hajj."

What does it show you? It shows you that the call has to come from Allah Ta'ala. No one can go on their own. Every Hujjaj only goes if Allah calls him, if Allah Ta'ala invites him. So we make du'a that Allah allows us to go, to visit His house, and to perform Hajj time and again. Ameen, ya Rabbal Alameen.

Hajj Without a Visa — Actions That Earn the Reward of Hajj

At the same time, now that we are here this year and were not able to go for Hajj, I want to share with you a very beautiful article that one of my teachers, Mawlana Muhammad Abbas Umar, had written, titled Hajj Without a Visa. He's not talking about performing an illegal Hajj — that will get you in trouble, that will get you arrested. What he is talking about is various actions that a person can perform, and by means of them he will get the reward as if he has performed Hajj. So these are various actions which come in the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Insha'Allah, briefly in the time that we have, let's look at a few of these. We'll start with the most difficult of them, and then slowly we'll mention those actions which are a little bit easier.

1. 'Umrah in the Month of Ramadan

The first action that he mentions is the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him), when he said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1863; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1256)

A person who goes for Umrah during the month of Ramadan, in addition to the reward that he will get for performing the Umrah, he will also get the reward of having performed a Hajj — and not just any type of Hajj. He will get the reward as if he performed Hajj side by side with the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is a very difficult thing; it's not easy for a person to go for Umrah, and more so in the month of Ramadan — but hence the reward is also equally great.

2. Remaining in the Masjid After Fajr Until Ishraq

The second action, which is a little bit easier — the narration of Tirmidhi. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 586)

A person who comes to the masjid for Salatul Fajr, remains in remembrance of Allah until sunrise, and then — around 10–15 minutes after sunrise — performs two rak'ahs of salah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) guaranteed this individual that he will get the reward of performing a Hajj and an Umrah. And then, thrice he said: تَامَّةً تَامَّةً تَامَّةً — a complete Hajj, a complete Umrah. A complete Hajj, a complete Umrah. A complete Hajj, a complete Umrah.

This is also difficult, especially nowadays — Fajr is very early, 4:45 AM here — and it's a time when most of us are still very tired, we have to go back, we want to get some rest before we have to go to school, before we have to go to work. But at least, maybe once a week, or at least now that we're in the 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah, if at least one day we can try and take this challenge up — then insha'Allah after Fajr, we remain in the masjid until 10–15 minutes after sunrise, the Ishraq time, perform two rak'ahs, and insha'Allah we can get the reward of having performed a Hajj.

3. Performing Wudu at Home and Coming to the Masjid for Jama'ah

The third action — this is a little bit easier. The narration of Abu Dawud. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 558)

A person who performs wudu at home, and then comes and performs his salah with jama'ah in the masjid, will get the reward like the reward of every person who performed Hajj. This is a very simple, very easy thing for us to do. Alhamdulillah, many of us are in the habit of coming for salah with jama'ah, and if we're not, then this can be a motivation for us. And if at times we feel lazy — you know what, let me just perform my salah at home — let us remind ourselves of this hadith, that if I take that extra effort and come to the masjid, insha'Allah I will get the reward of a person who performed Hajj.

I shared the other day the beautiful verse of the Urdu poet when he said:

He said, "O Iqbal, you are so lazy, you can't even get up from your bedding and walk to the masjid. How are you going to stand up on the Day of Qiyamah and walk from your grave into Jannah?" SubhanAllah.

4. Coming to the Masjid to Learn or Teach Something Beneficial

The fourth action — the narration of al-Tabarani. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

(al-Tabarani, al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; also referenced in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat)

A person who comes to the masjid with the intention of either learning something or teaching something beneficial — either he's learning something or he's teaching something — then he too will get the reward of someone who has performed a complete Hajj. Alhamdulillah, here at Darussalam, after almost every salah you have some khatirah, some program or the other. So if we can just add this to our intention when we're coming to the masjid — we also make this niyyah that yes, I want to perform my salah in the masjid, but I also want to learn something from the various khatirats which happen after Fajr, after Dhuhr, after Maghrib — if we add that to our niyyah, then insha'Allah we'll get this added reward of having performed a Hajj.

5. Saying SubhanAllah 100 Times in the Morning and Evening

The fifth action — and now this is even easier. The narration of Tirmidhi. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3471)

A person who says SubhanAllah a hundred times in the morning, or says SubhanAllah a hundred times in the evening. How long does it take to say SubhanAllah? SubhanAllah, SubhanAllah, SubhanAllah, SubhanAllah. Literally one second for SubhanAllah. In a hundred seconds — less than two minutes — you can finish saying SubhanAllah a hundred times. One who says SubhanAllah a hundred times in the morning, or a hundred times in the evening, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that he will get the reward of someone who performed one hundred Hajj — not one, one hundred Hajj — just for saying SubhanAllah a hundred times in the morning and a hundred times in the evening.

6. Serving One's Parents (An Obligation with the Reward of Hajj)

So those were all nawafil — all optional actions that we mentioned. I want to mention one other that Mawlana Muhammad Abbas Umar mentions in his article. He mentions 10–15 different actions, but I just want to highlight one of them, which is an obligation. So these ones were all nawafil. This next one is something which is actually an obligation upon us — but despite that, the kindness of Allah Ta'ala is such that if we do it, Allah Ta'ala will give us the reward of having performed Hajj. And what is that?

The narration of Abu Ya'la and al-Tabarani. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says:

(Musnad Abu Ya'la; al-Tabarani, al-Mu'jam al-Awsat)

A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "I want to go out in the path of Allah, but I don't have the means to do so." So the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him, "Are any of your parents still alive?" He said, "Yes, my mother is still alive." The Prophet (peace be upon him) told him, "Go and tire yourself out in the khidmah, in the service of your mother. If you do so, then you will get the reward of a person who performed Hajj, a person who performed Umrah, and a person who went out in the path of Allah Ta'ala" — all three of them.

Eid time is coming up. It's a time when many of us will be with our families. Those of us who still have the good fortune of having our parents alive and around, let us make it a point to make them happy, to put a smile on their faces, to do whatever khidmah we can do for them. Insha'Allah, by doing so, Allah Ta'ala will give us the reward of having performed a Hajj.

So these were a few actions. Anyone who is interested can look up the article afterwards — Hajj Without a Visa by Mawlana Muhammad Abbas Umar — and read the rest of the actions that he mentions there. Beautiful, small actions that we find in hadith, by means of which we can get the reward of having performed Hajj.

Important Disclaimer

One important disclaimer: this doesn't mean that a person's fard has been taken care of. It's not that Hajj is compulsory upon somebody and they say, "You know what, let me just say SubhanAllah a hundred times in the morning and a hundred times in the evening, and now I don't have to go for Hajj." No, it doesn't work that way. You will get the reward as if you've performed a Hajj. But if Hajj is mandatory upon you, then you still have to go, and you still have to perform the Hajj. These actions do not suffice on behalf of that.

The example is like somebody who recites قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ. We know it is تَعْدِلُ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآنِ — it is equivalent to reciting a third of the Quran. But definitely a person who actually recites the entire Quran, his reward will be far greater — for every letter he will get the reward, and that will be multiplied by ten. But a person who merely recites قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ thrice will get the base reward, but the multiplication and the addition he will not get. So likewise, a person who does these actions will get the reward of performing Hajj, but the actual fard Hajj which is mandatory upon a person — if they have the means — will not be sufficed by these actions. So that's the important disclaimer that I wanted to mention.

I'm concluding here. Insha'Allah, may Allah grant us the tawfiq to implement these actions in our lives. And may Allah allow us to go for Hajj in the future. Ameen, ya Rabbal Alameen.

Masa'il of Udhiyah (Qurbani)

I was asked to briefly go over a few masa'il pertaining to udhiyah. As you know, the days of udhiyah — of sacrifice — are coming up. They begin on the morning of the 10th, which is the day of Eid, and it continues all the way up until the sunset of the 12th. During this time, if a person has the nisab amount — which is approximately $9,000 if you take the gold nisab — if at any point during this time you have that amount, then you have to give the udhiyah, you have to sacrifice an animal.

Let's say a person has $8,000 on the 10th, on the day of Eid. But then on the 11th, somebody gives him a $1,000 check — now he has $9,000 — then udhiyah will still be binding upon him, still be wajib upon him. In terms of giving for the children, that is not necessary, you don't have to give it on behalf of your children — though there is ikhtilaf — but the mufta bihi, the preferred opinion, is that you don't have to. Likewise, a person who doesn't have the nisab amount is not required to give udhiyah, but is still welcome to. If he only has $6,000 or $7,000 and he wants to give udhiyah, then that is still permissible and still something which is encouraged.

The Prophet (peace be upon him), when the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) asked him, "Ma hadhihi al-adahi?" — "What is this udhiyah, what is this sacrifice all about?" — he said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3127)

"This is the sunnah, this is the practice of Ibrahim (peace be upon him)." Remember when he was going to slaughter Ismail (peace be upon him) —

Then Allah Ta'ala sent down a ram, and he slaughtered that instead. So that practice of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is something which Allah Ta'ala has allowed to continue up until the present day, even in our shari'ah, even in our religion.

The Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) then asked, "Fa ma lana feeha, ya Rasulallah?" — "What will we get if we perform the udhiyah?" So the Prophet (peace be upon him) told them:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3127)

"For every strand of hair that is on the animal that you sacrifice, you will get a good deed, you will get a hasanah." So when you look for an animal, make sure you look for one that is nice and fat, nice and hairy — you'll get more meat, and you'll also get more hasanat, insha'Allah.

But on a serious note, if qurbani — if udhiyah — is wajib upon us and we have not yet made arrangements for it, let us take the opportunity today, when we go home, to make sure we sort that out. If you can do it locally, then you can do it locally. If you want to do tawkil of it, if you want to give it abroad, to one of the countries abroad through a reliable organization, then that is also permissible.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) very strongly warned:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3123; Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 8273)

"A person who has the means of giving udhiyah but fails to do so, then he shouldn't even come close to our musalla, to our masjid." So let us ensure that we take care of this as soon as we can — preferably today, insha'Allah, before we forget. May Allah grant us the tawfiq and the understanding. Ameen, ya Rabbal Alameen.

Announcements

Please pass the donation boxes from left to right and please donate generously. Sadaqah given on the day of Jumu'ah is greater in reward than any other day.

Fundraising Announcement: The Islamic Center of McLean County in Bloomington has built the only masjid with full services and a full-time imam. They took a qard-e-hasana for $360,000 to complete the masjid, and the loan needs to be repaid. Please donate generously, as it will be a sadaqah jariyah going towards the masjid. Volunteers are at the archway entrance — anyone who is interested in donating can meet the volunteers as you leave.

Eid al-Adha will be on Friday, June 6th, insha'Allah. Fajr iqamah will be at 4:45 AM. The first Eid address will begin at 5:00 AM, and salah will be offered at 5:30 AM. The second address will start at 9:00 AM, and salah will be at 9:30 AM.

Our Arafah program will be held on Tuesday, June 3rd, immediately after Salatul Maghrib, insha'Allah.

Please join us for the fifth annual khatam of Sahih al-Bukhari, which will be taking place Sunday, June 22nd, after Dhuhr salah — Dhuhr iqamah being at 1:30 PM.

Weekly Programs: The Team Fajr program will happen tomorrow, insha'Allah, after Salatul Fajr at 4:45 AM. Tuesday Tafsir will continue next week — we'll be covering Surah al-Fajr, insha'Allah. The Thursday salawat, as well as the Urdu Seerah dars, takes place every Thursday after Salatul Maghrib. Everyone is kindly requested to join these programs.

The Sisters' Bi-weekly Program — Seerah and Salawat — the next session will be on June 1st, from 12:00 PM to 1:45 PM. The weekly Sisters' Urdu Tafsir is on a pause right now; insha'Allah it will continue at a later date.

The World Ijtema will be taking place June 27th, 28th, and 29th, at the Rosemount Convention Center. Everyone is kindly requested to join.

Du'a Requests

Please make du'a for Brother Saeed Madani — he is scheduled for brain surgery tomorrow. Please make du'a for Brother Asad Mirza — he is in hospital. Please make du'a for his shifa. And please make du'a for the Muslims who are suffering across the globe.

We make du'a that Allah grant shifa kamilah to all those who are sick in the ummah. And may Allah grant all the marhumeen Jannatul Firdaws. Ameen, ya Rabbal Alameen.