Jumu'ah Khutbah - Qari Zakaullah Saleem

Khutbah Opening

أَمَّا بَعْد، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the accursed Satan — from his humiliation, his blasphemy, and his whispers.

The Virtues of Ramadan

The month of Ramadan — the best month of the year, the month of the mercy and blessings of Allah — about which the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says: when the very first night of this month comes, Allah opens the gates of paradise — the gates of Jannah — and none of the gates of paradise is left closed. And the doors of hell, the doors of fire and Jahannam, are closed and none of the gates and doors of hell is left open. The rebellious jinns and shayateen are chained. And a caller calls throughout this month saying: "O seeker of goodness, move forward — increase your good deeds in this month! And O seeker of evil — stop, reduce committing the sins, stop disobeying Allah." And Allah lets free many people during the nights and the days of this month. This call is called throughout the month of Ramadan. This is the virtue and the blessing of this month.

The Warning of Jibreel

At the same time, we find another hadith of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ in which the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, along with Sayyidul Malaika Jibreel عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ, cursed the person who does not take care of this month — the month of Ramadan comes and goes and it does not leave any impact on his life, it does not change his routine.

Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ once was climbing the stairs of the Minbar and he said Ameen three times. The companions of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ asked: "O Messenger of Allah, we heard you saying something that you are not used to say — what is the reason for saying Ameen three times?" Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: "Jibreel عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ said: 'O Muhammad, the one in front of whom your name is mentioned and he does not send Salah upon you — may Allah curse that person and may Allah remove that person from His mercy.'" When Jibreel made this du'a against that stingy person who does not say Salah upon the mentioning of the name of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, the Prophet said Ameen.

Then Jibreel عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ said again: "The one who finds his parents in old age — both of them or one of them — and he does not treat them well, he does not take care of them, he does not serve them — may that person enter the hellfire, may Allah curse that person and may Allah remove that person from His mercy." And the Prophet said Ameen.

Then the third time, Jibreel عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ said: "The one who witnesses the month of Ramadan — the month of Ramadan comes and goes — and he does not get his sins forgiven by Allah by performing good deeds and asking for forgiveness, and because of his negligence — may Allah curse that person and may Allah remove that person from His mercy." And the Prophet said Ameen.

(Sahih al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3545; also reported by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak)

Are We Ready for Ramadan?

My dear brothers and sisters, are we ready for the month of Ramadan? Have we made any plan for the month of Ramadan? If not, then this is the time to think about making the plan for the month of Ramadan. Our lifestyle, our routine should completely change during the month of Ramadan, because the month of Ramadan is not an ordinary month. This is the month which is the best of the year, the most virtuous month of the year. Allah is going to open the gates of paradise and Allah is going to close all the gates of hellfire.

We need to make a plan for the month of Ramadan. We need to think about the good deeds that we should be performing during the month of Ramadan. Let me highlight some of the most important deeds that we need to focus on during the month of Ramadan.

The Five Key Deeds of Ramadan

1. Salah — The Prayer

The first and the most important of good deeds that needs to be performed in the month of Ramadan — you might be thinking "fast" — no. After the tawhid of Allah, after having correct aqeedah and the right understanding of the tawhid of Allah, the most important thing is salah. During the month of Ramadan, the fast comes after salah, because salah is the most important pillar of our deen after the shahadatain — after the testimony of faith, the testimony of the tawhid of Allah and the risalah and the prophethood of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

Why do I say salah? Because this is what Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said. On the Day of Judgement, the very first thing that you will be questioned about and held accountable for is salah — not the fast, not zakat, not hajj and umrah, not giving sadaqah, not good akhlaq and good manners. All of these good deeds come after salah.

My dear brothers and sisters, we need to take care of salah. Unfortunately, the majority of Muslims nowadays have a misunderstanding and misconception about the fast. Therefore we find that the majority of Muslims — if not the majority, we can say most of them — do fast in the month of Ramadan, but at the same time they neglect the salah; they are not regular in their five daily prayers.

And Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says the very first thing that you will be questioned about on the Day of Judgement will be salah — not the fast. The one who established the salah has established the whole deen, and the one who ruins the salah has ruined his whole deen. If you are successful in the matter of salah on the Day of Judgement, then Allah will look at your fast, your zakat, your hajj, your umrah, and other good deeds. But if you fail to prove that you are regular in your five daily prayers and that you have established the salah — if you fail to prove this — then your fast, your zakat, your hajj is not going to benefit you at all.

Therefore the most important thing that we need to focus on during the month of Ramadan is our salah. And let me say — we find many Muslim brothers, males upon whom attending the masjid and praying in jama'ah (congregation) is wajib — subhanAllah — we find many brothers after eating the suhoor they don't come to the masjid, rather they stay within the house, and some of them don't even pray Fajr.

My dear brothers and sisters, we need to understand the importance of salah. We cannot say that fasting, giving charity, and performing umrah during the month of Ramadan is sufficient — no. If you don't take care of salah, all of your good deeds will be null and void. You have to take care of salah first and foremost.

The prayer which the Prophet said makes a difference between a believer and a hypocrite — the heaviest prayer on the hypocrite is the prayer of Isha and Fajr. This is a criterion for you and me — I can judge myself and you can judge yourself on this. Is the prayer of Isha and Fajr heavy on us or not? If it is heavy, then worry about it. Nifaq (hypocrisy) is in the heart. And if the prayer of Isha and Fajr is done in congregation, then Alhamdulillah — this is a sign of faith.

2. Fasting — Its True Purpose

The second important act of worship that we need to perform during the month of Ramadan is the fast. And again, fasting during the month of Ramadan does not only mean abandoning eating, drinking, and fulfilling your lawful desires. Rather, the purpose of fasting during the month of Ramadan is to train yourself to refrain from disobedience of Allah — during the month of Ramadan and even after the month of Ramadan. And this is what Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah:

O you who have believed, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it was prescribed upon those before you — the purpose is not to keep you hungry, the purpose is not to make you suffer from hunger and thirst — rather, so that you may gain taqwa and the fear of Allah within your heart.

And we should remember: if by fasting during the month of Ramadan we fail to gain the taqwa and the fear of Allah within our hearts, then we have to be worried about our fast — maybe our fast is not going to be accepted by Allah. This is the main purpose of fasting during the month of Ramadan. That's why Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1690; also reported by Ahmad and al-Darimi)

There are many people who fast during the month of Ramadan, but out of their fast they don't get any reward — they don't get anything other than hunger and thirst. They stay hungry and thirsty throughout the day but they don't get any reward. Why? Because while they are fasting, they are lying, they are backbiting, they are cheating, they are dealing with haram, they are dealing with riba (interest), while they are fasting they are committing major sins.

Therefore Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says in a hadith that Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has reported:

Whoever does not abandon false statement during the month of Ramadan and acting upon false statements — Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says فَلَيْسَ لِلَّهِ حَاجَةٌ فِي أَنْ يَدَعَ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ — Allah is not in need of that person abandoning their eating and drinking. Allah does not want you to suffer from hunger and thirst; rather, Allah wants you to gain His taqwa and His fear within your heart.

3. The Quran — The Month of the Book of Allah

The third thing that we need to focus on during the month of Ramadan is the Book of Allah. Ramadan is the month of the Quran:

Allah says: the month of Ramadan is the month in which Allah has revealed the Quran, the best of His books. We need to strengthen our link and attach ourselves with the Book of Allah.

My dear brothers and sisters, we need to make our routine — we need to spare some time for the Book of Allah. And we need to leave all the excuses. Please don't make excuses that you don't have enough time, that you are too busy with your job, with your work, with your business. During the month of Ramadan, spare some time for the Book of Allah. This is one of the rights of the Quran upon me and you — that we read and recite the Book of Allah. Otherwise, on the Day of Judgement, Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ will be complaining against you in the court of Allah:

And the Messenger of Allah will say on the Day of Judgement: "O my Lord, these are my people who have abandoned the Quran." And one of the signs of leaving the Quran is to abandon the reading and recitation of the Quran.

You need to spend some time and commit yourself to reading Quran during the month of Ramadan. And please don't make the excuse that you are not able to read the Quran because you haven't learnt it. You should aim to start learning during the month of Ramadan. If you haven't learnt throughout your life, you should make a plan to start learning the Book of Allah within this month, so that you can continue your learning after the month of Ramadan.

Women say that there is a lot of work at home, that they have to shop for Eid, they have to prepare clothes for the children, they have to prepare food, they have to prepare for sehri — they don't get time for Allah's Quran. My brothers and sisters, what is the benefit of eating, what is the benefit of Eid, that keeps you away from Allah's Quran? Take out time for Allah's Quran.

4. Infaq fi Sabeelillah — Spending in the Way of Allah

The fourth important thing that we need to focus on during the month of Ramadan is infaq fi sabeelillah — spending in the way of Allah, giving out charity, giving sadaqah, spending our wealth — our beloved wealth — in the way of Allah Dhul Jalal Wal Ikram. Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, despite already being the most generous, used to increase his spending in the way of Allah during the month of Ramadan.

We need to remember the most vulnerable members of this ummah — the children, women — and if you can, please pay some money to sponsor the education, the food, and the clothing of an orphan, so that you can be with the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ in Jannah. As Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says: "Myself and the one who takes care of the orphan will be like these two fingers in Jannah."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6005)

5. Qiyam al-Layl — The Night Prayer

The fifth most important matter related to the month of Ramadan is the night prayer — Taraweeh, Qiyamul Layl. Though the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ used to pray the night prayer throughout the year, he used to increase the length of his Qiyam during the month of Ramadan — rather than increasing the number of raka'at.

This is very important, my dear brothers and sisters. When we find within ourselves a shawq and jazba to pray during the nights of the month of Ramadan, we try to increase the raka'at of the Qiyam. Whereas we find in the hadith that Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ did not pray more than eleven raka'at during the month of Ramadan and outside of Ramadan. This is what has been reported in Sahih al-Bukhari by our mother Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), when one of the companions of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ asked her about the night prayer of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ during the month of Ramadan. Our mother Aisha said: Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ would not increase — would not pray more than eleven raka'at — within the month of Ramadan and outside Ramadan.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1147; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 738)

So my dear brothers and sisters, just think — just decide for yourself: do you want to perform worship and ibadah more than the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ did? No, we cannot. Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ used to increase the length of his Qiyam during the month of Ramadan to the extent that in the last ten nights of Ramadan, Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ used to stay awake the whole night. And sometimes he used to spend the whole night in Qiyam. But again — he did not increase the number of raka'at; rather, he increased the length of his Qiyam.

On one occasion, the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ recited five ajza' — Surah Al-Baqarah, Surah Aal-Imran, and Surah Al-Nisa — in a single raka'ah during the night prayer.

If you want to get more reward, if you are serious about increasing your ibadah and your worship during the nights of Ramadan, then please increase the length of your Qiyam rather than increasing the number of raka'at. And we should know the hadith of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ — that if we keep ourselves within the Sunnah of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, it will prove our love for him, as Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: "The one who loves my Sunnah loves me." So we need to love the Sunnah of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

Closing Du'a

I ask Allah to give us tawfiq to increase our good deeds during the month of Ramadan. May Allah give us tawfiq to ask for His forgiveness during the month of Ramadan, so that Allah sets us free from the hellfire during the month of Ramadan.

The month of Ramadan is very near to us. First of all, we should pray to Allah that He lets us see that month and live to witness it again — because none of us knows whether we will be alive for the next three or four days, or even after Ramadan. None of us knows. We should pray to Allah that He gives us tawfiq so that Ramadan comes in our lives and we truly appreciate it.

May Allah not make us from those cursed and unfortunate people whose month of Ramadan comes and goes and they cannot get their sins forgiven. May Allah make us from those whom He sets free from the fire of hell. Ameen.