High Aspirations- Br Semir Said

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, ask for His help, and ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our actions. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him, and whomsoever He leads astray, none can guide him.

And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

O you who have believed, fear your Lord Who created you from one soul and He created from it His wife, and He spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah in Whom you ask for mercy. Verily, Allah watches over you.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say the right word. Your deeds will be corrected, and He will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great triumph.

As for what follows — the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. And the worst of all affairs are their innovations. Verily, every innovation is a creation, and every such creation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. May Allah protect me and you from it.

The State of the Ummah Before the Prophet

My dear brothers and sisters, before Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, was sent to mankind, the state of the Ummah was a disaster. They lived in complete darkness. The time of Jahiliyyah was a time of complete darkness — complete chaos, where they would kill one another and go to war against one another for silly and petty things.

But then Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, sent down Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. And by the will of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, things were changed. And then Allah reveals:

"You are the best of nations who were sent to mankind."

High Aspirations — The Secret of the Sahaba

Now how did Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, do this? What did he teach the Sahaba? What did he instil in them so that they, by the will of Allah, were able to turn this Ummah from complete darkness to being the leaders of the world? How were they able to conquer the world and spread the deen from east to west?

Without doubt, it was their tawheed of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala — their surrender and their submission to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. But also — their high aspirations.

Because these were people who understood what it means to be a Muslim. They understood what it means to surrender to the will of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, to be a servant of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. They understood the words of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, when He says:

"Say: Indeed, my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death is for Allah, Lord of the worlds."

This, my brothers and sisters, is how they were able to transform the state of the Ummah. These were people who did not settle with petty things or with simple worldly desires. No. They aimed for the top. They were trying to be the best at everything they did.

The Example of Umar and Abu Bakr

Just to give some examples — this is how my brothers and sisters, Umar, for example, in the hadith, he mentions that he donated half his wealth. Not half his salary — half of his wealth. So he gathered everything that he owned and split it in half. And he gave one half in the cause of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. And when asked what he left behind, he said, "I left behind like it" — the other half, which he left for himself and for his family.

And this is why Abu Bakr, radiallahu anhu, was able to go even further — he donated his whole wealth. Everything that he owned. And when he was asked what he left for his family, he said, "I left for them Allah and His Prophet." Because they understood what it means to give your life for Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. They understood the ayah that we mentioned previously.

And to name one more example — Abu Bakr, radiallahu anhu, very soon after he became a Muslim, thanks to Allah first and foremost, but then also thanks to his da'wah — half of the ten who were promised paradise became Muslim through him. About five of the people from the ten who were promised paradise by Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, became Muslim thanks to Abu Bakr, radiallahu anhu.

Because the companions and the Sahaba of Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, and our salaf — they understood the aim and the vision that Rasulullah had and that this deen came with. They understood the ahadith of Rasulullah.

Ask for Al-Firdaws

Rasulullah said: "If you were to ask Allah, then ask Him for al-Firdaws." Don't just ask for paradise. Don't settle with only "O Allah, give me paradise." No. Ask Him for the highest place in paradise. He is teaching us that we should always aim for the top in everything that we do — be it in the deen or things of the dunya, of course, if it is according to the Sharia.

And our salaf understood the words of Allah where He says:

"And hasten and compete with one another towards the forgiveness of your Lord."

Rabi'ah ibn Ka'ab al-Aslami

A sahabi — a very young sahabi — known as Rabi'ah ibn Ka'ab al-Aslami was helping Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, with his wudu. And so Rasulullah said to him, "Ask me, O Rabi'ah" — meaning, ask me for anything.

And bear in mind, my brothers and sisters, this is a young boy. He's very young. And he says, "Give me a few moments, let me think." He thinks, and then he comes back to Rasulullah and says:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Hadith 990)

"I ask you, O Rasulullah, for your companionship in paradise."

He did not just ask for paradise. He didn't ask for forgiveness — even though that is a very good thing. But he knew and he understood. So he asked for the highest place in paradise, and not just the highest place in paradise but also the companionship of Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him. Because he knew there is no higher place than the place of Rasulullah in paradise.

Abu al-Dahdah and the Palm Tree in Paradise

Another sahabi, known as Abu al-Dahdah, was very rich. He owned a garden, very famous in Medina. And there was an orphan who had inherited a piece of land — he wanted to enclose that land with a wall, but there was a tree belonging to his neighbour that blocked him, so he couldn't complete the wall. He asked his neighbour to sell it to him, but the man refused.

The matter reached Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him. Rasulullah asked the man to sell the tree to the boy. The man refused. And Rasulullah said to him, "Sell him the tree, and I promise you a palm tree in paradise." Abu al-Dahdah was present and heard this promise — but the man still refused.

So Abu al-Dahdah came to Rasulullah and asked, "Ya Rasulullah! If I were to buy that tree for this young boy, do I receive the same reward? Do I get a palm tree in paradise?" Rasulullah said, "Yes, you do."

Abu al-Dahdah approached the man and said, "You know who I am?" The man said, "Yes — who doesn't know you? The owner of the amazing garden." And so Abu al-Dahdah said to him, "Give me that palm tree, and I'll give you my garden."

For what, my brothers and sisters? For one palm tree in paradise. And so the man sold him the tree in exchange for the entire garden. Abu al-Dahdah went home and said to his wife who was inside, "Come out — because this does not belong to us anymore." And he said to her, "I have sold it to Allah and His Prophet." And she said, "What an amazing transaction! A successful transaction!"

This is our salaf, my brothers and sisters. This is how they understood the teaching of Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him. These were people who took advantage of the opportunities that were put before them. Abu al-Dahdah saw this one chance and he took it straight away. He didn't wait. He didn't think, "Let me count it down first and see if it works out." No. He took that chance straight away.

Ukasha ibn Mihsan — Seize the Moment

Another example. A sahabi known as Ukasha ibn Mihsan. He was sitting in a gathering and Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, mentioned that there would be people who will enter paradise with no judgment. Ukasha stood up immediately and asked, "Ya Rasulullah! Ask Allah that I am one of them." And Rasulullah said, "You are one of them."

Another man saw his chance and stood up — "Ya Rasulullah! Ask Allah that I am one of them." And Rasulullah said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5811; Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 376)

"Ukasha got there before you."

That was it. The doors were closed. Ukasha got there before you. There was one chance, and Ukasha took it straight away. He didn't wait. This is how Rasulullah taught his Sahaba — take the chances, take the opportunities that Allah puts before you. Take advantage of them.

The Elevated Status of the Sahaba

This is how our Sahaba reached the levels that they reached. This is how they reached the statuses that they reached.

Bilal, radiallahu anhu — in his lifetime, he was told by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he heard his footsteps in paradise. He heard his footsteps in paradise — while Bilal was still alive. He was being told he would be in paradise.

And this is why Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, another sahabi, radiallahu anhu — it is narrated in the hadith that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said that the throne of Allah shook at the death of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. The throne of Allah shook at his death.

These are our salaf, my brothers and sisters. These are the people that we should look up to and have as our role models. These are the students of Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him.

And of course, we can mention many examples. We've mentioned previously Abu Bakr, radiallahu anhu — the best friend of Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him. This is how he reached the levels that he reached — because of his devotion and his submission to the will of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is how Rasulullah was able to say to Abu Bakr, "I hope that all the gates of paradise are open for you." Now we know there are gates in paradise for specific actions — there is the door for fasting and so on and so forth. And Rasulullah turned to Abu Bakr and said, "I hope that all the doors of paradise are open for you."

These, my brothers and sisters, are our salaf. We ask Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, to grant us the ability and the tawfiq to take advantage of the opportunities and the chances that are put before us.

I say what you hear and I ask Allah for forgiveness for me and for you and for the rest of the Muslims from every sin. So ask His forgiveness. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Second Khutbah — Preparing for Ramadan

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And peace and blessings be upon the most honoured of the prophets and the master of the messengers — our Prophet Muhammad — and upon his family and his companions and those who followed his path and were guided by his guidance until the Day of Judgment.

My dear brothers and sisters, there is not long left until the month of Ramadan — the month of opportunities, the month of forgiveness, the month of reciting Quran, the month in which Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, saves people from hellfire every single day.

Now, does that mean that in order for us to attain forgiveness from Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, we have to wait for Ramadan? No. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, gives us chances before Ramadan, in Ramadan, and outside of Ramadan — many, many opportunities and chances. And there are many ways in which we can prepare ourselves from now in order to make sure that we are one of those who are forgiven during Ramadan.

The Last Third of the Night

To mention a few examples — the hadith mentions that every night, in the last third of every single night — in Ramadan and outside of Ramadan — every single night, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, in a way most befitting to Him, descends to the lowest heaven and asks:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1145; Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 1656)

"Is there anyone who wants to ask something, and I will give him? Is there anyone who wants to ask for forgiveness, and I will forgive him?"

Every night, my brothers and sisters — in the last third of every single night — Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, asks these questions. Now, I want us all to ask ourselves: where are we during this time? What are we doing during this time? Let us all — including myself — ask ourselves this question.

Between the Adhan and the Iqamah

Another chance He gives us — between the adhan and the iqamah. It is narrated that Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, accepts the du'a between the adhan and the iqamah. Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, mentions in the hadith that it will be accepted. Are we taking advantage of this chance in which we can make any du'a, and Allah has promised that He will accept? Again — what are we doing, my brothers and sisters, during this time?

The Special Hour on Friday

And also, on Friday — during the day, there is a time in which the du'a is accepted. There is a time in which du'a is accepted by Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. Again, an opportunity. Again, a chance where we can gain the forgiveness and the mercy of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Voluntary Fasting Before Ramadan

And in order for us to prepare for Ramadan — now we know it's going to be during the summer days, it's going to be long hours of fasting — there are ways for us to prepare from now. We can fast Mondays and Thursdays. We can fast Ayyam al-Bid — the white days: the 13th, 14th, and 15th of every month. Opportunities, my brothers and sisters. These are ways and chances that we can take in order to make sure that this Ramadan is the best Ramadan that we can have.

This May Be Our Last Ramadan

Now we might not even reach Ramadan. There are people who were with us last Ramadan and they are not with us now. We have no guarantee that we will reach Ramadan. So let us start from now, my brothers and sisters, to prepare for Ramadan — so that maybe Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, rewards us for the intention. At least for the intention.

So let us start, my brothers and sisters, from now. Let us make the intention and begin to prepare ourselves for the month of Ramadan — to make sure that this Ramadan is the best Ramadan we have ever had. Because we don't know: even if we do reach this Ramadan, we have no guarantee that we will reach the next. We have no guarantee, my brothers and sisters, that we will reach next Ramadan.

So this might be our last chance. So let us make sure, my brothers and sisters, that it is the best that we have ever had — and that we take this chance and this opportunity and take advantage of it to the best of our ability.

Closing Du'a

May Allah bless Muhammad and his family. May Allah bless Ibrahim and his family.

O servants of Allah — Allah commands justice, goodness, and giving to those close to Him. He forbids immorality, evil, and transgression. He warns you so that you may remember. Remember Allah, the Great, and He will remember you. And be thankful for His blessings — that increases you. And the remembrance of Allah is greater.