Improving Your Taqwa (with Sign Language) - Shaykh Abdul Hadi

Khutbah Opening

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

The Importance of Taqwa

Brothers and sisters, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned many times in the Qur'an al-Majid about taqwa, and we have to spend our whole life as a muttaqi till the last moment of our life. As Allah says in Surah Al-Imran, verse 102:

O you who believe, fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as He should be feared, and do not die except as a Muslim. This means we have to live as a Muslim, because we don't know when we are going to die. So we have to spend our whole life appropriately, because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not accept but only those who are righteous, muttaqi, and practicing. As Allah says in Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse 27:

So wherever we are and in whatever situation we are in, we need to be muttaqi, because nothing will be accepted without taqwa. And what is taqwa? It has a key role in our ibadah, in our daily life, in our a'mal, in our practical things. Taqwa is piety, righteousness, and to train ourselves to refrain from the prohibited things according to Islamic Shari'a, and to do all those acts which are required by Islamic Shari'a.

In the month of Ramadan we trained ourselves to be muttaqi — this was the purpose of fasting, that you may be muttaqi because of fasting. So we used to practice during the month of Ramadan more; we trained ourselves to control our desires. And this should continue after Ramadan too. We should not stop now, because taqwa is not something seasonal — that we became free after that particular time to do as we like. No, we have to be muttaqi wherever we go, wherever we are, in whichever month we are in. In Ramadan or Shawwal, we have to be muttaqi.

Even after Ramadan, we want to entitle ourselves to Jannah, to Paradise. But remember that Jannah is for those who are muttaqi and have the fear of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This practice requires our continuous efforts.

The Words of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal

A great alim, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahullah ta'ala — someone asked him, "When are we going to be relaxed?" We have to consider his answer. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: "When we put our first step in Paradise — in Jannah." Because in dunya, in this world, there is no relaxation for a Muslim. We have to try hard to gain the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, to be entitled for Jannah.

Practical Steps to Increase Taqwa

We have to do things which help us become muttaqi. For example, doing dhikr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So whenever we are, wherever we are — like if you are driving, you can remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala during this. If you are working at home, or our sisters who are busy in the kitchen, they can do dhikr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Wherever we are — walking, driving — you can do dhikr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And the recitation of Qur'an al-Majid — mashAllah, during the month of Ramadan we used to recite the Qur'an al-Majid; this should be carried on now after Ramadan. But we have to remember one point here: some brothers, emotionally, when they start reading the Qur'an, may be reading two to three juz in one go, and then after two weeks they don't touch the Qur'an al-Majid. This is not appropriate. The proper method of reading the Qur'an is a portion every day — like 10 minutes, 15 minutes — but there should be regularity. During the month of Ramadan there was regularity in salat and in trying to keep away from prohibited things according to Islamic Shari'a.

The Danger of Bad Company

Nowadays we face another serious problem related to friends and society. This is very serious, my brothers and sisters. According to a hadith, a man can be recognized by his friends and his society. If you want to understand the background of a particular person, then look at his friends and society. Because according to a hadith, Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam says: a person will be recognized because of his friends and society, and a person will be influenced by his society — either positively or negatively.

The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam described this with the example of a perfume seller and a blacksmith. If you spend a few minutes with the perfume seller in his shop, even if you don't purchase anything from him, you will catch the good smell because you spent a few minutes in his shop. Likewise, if you spend some time with a blacksmith at his furnace, you will be recognized because of the smell and smoke you catch.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2101; Sahih Muslim, Book 45, Hadith 148)

As a result of wrong selection of friends, many of our children are directly or indirectly affected, and they adopt things which are not appropriate for them, for their parents, for their masajid, or for their local community. But there are some friends and environments that can help positively as well — to encourage them to learn the deen, to focus on ibadah, and to choose ways to please Allah. MashAllah, because of good friendship, some brothers used to come to the masjid because of their friends, and because of good selection of friends, some brothers have changed their lives and have now become a role model for others.

We are very close to the summer holidays now. So as parents, as guardians, as a khatib, as an imam, as a responsible person of the society and community — it is our collective responsibility to take extra care in relation to our children, our family members, teenagers and adults equally. Sometimes our respected sisters, knowingly or unknowingly, make friends who are not serious about their deen, who are not serious about their 'aqeedah, who are not serious about the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. As a result, the whole family suffers the consequences, and even our family and matrimonial life is affected because of this wrong selection. And then later on, separation and divorce — can you imagine? The divorce percentage is rapidly going up in the Muslim community. Why? If you think deeply about the reasons, you will find that wrong selection of friends is also one of the major reasons for this.

So we have to be careful about whom we choose as our friends. Are they those who will guide us towards Jannah, Paradise? Or are they those who will lead us to the Fire of Hell? May Allah protect us all from the Hellfire. You are a responsible person — you need to set proper targets and spend good time with your family members. Otherwise, they will set up their own goals, their own targets, and this can become an embarrassment to you and your family at a later stage.

There are many incidents and accidents going on — if you read newspapers, watch TV, you can be a witness to how, because of wrong friendship, people are now doing things which are not appropriate. One of the fitna of these days is the internet and social media. Many engage themselves in this and are vulnerable to many problems, and they can be used by the wrong people — especially innocent children who don't see where they are heading, and they lose their moral values, respect, and chastity. So we have to be careful about this.

You should not blindly trust anyone. You must be vigilant and must follow Islamic Shari'a, the teaching of the Qur'an and Sunnah of Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Otherwise in our society, in our community, as a tradition and as a culture, people are making excuses: "He is our neighbour," "He is our family friend," "He is our cousin, so there is no restriction, he can come, he can visit our children, our female children." They don't observe Islamic adab, which is not appropriate for a mu'min. If you read the Qur'an al-Majid — Surah An-Nur, Surah Al-Ahzab — if you read the ahadith, you will find these things in detail. So you respect all, but you have to be careful and you have to be a follower of the teachings of the Qur'an al-Majid regarding this.

A Warning About Losing Iman

Especially, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said: do righteous good deeds and be hasty in doing good deeds before being surrounded by fitna. And a time will come — be careful in this hadith, which is in Sahih Muslim — a time will come when a person will be a mu'min at night, but wake up as a non-Muslim. Or he will wake up in the morning as a mu'min, and before nightfall he will change to a non-Muslim. One of the reasons for this quick changing is that he will sell his iman, his deen, to gain some material benefit in this world. So for him, iman, 'aqeedah, and deen will become cheaper than material benefit. This is very serious — deen will be cheaper than dunya.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 213)

Taqwa in Hajj

So we need to be muttaqi in our salat, in our sawm, and in our daily life — including Hajj, which many brothers and sisters are now preparing for. The most important thing during the entire journey of Hajj is also taqwa. If you read Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 197, Allah says:

"And take provision, but the best provision is taqwa." This is a special advice for pilgrims. Those brothers and sisters who are trying to go for Hajj — they have to take taqwa with them.

Those who are thinking about going for Hajj and those who are yet to decide — we need to know that Hajj is an obligatory pillar of Islam for all brothers and sisters — men and women — for whoever has istita'a (the ability). If you read Surah Al-Imran, verse 97, Allah says: he who has the ability to travel there, Hajj will be obligatory upon him. And Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam says in Sahih Muslim:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 15, Hadith 3257)

"O people, indeed Allah has made it obligatory upon you, so perform it as soon as you can." The benefit is that you will be performing an obligatory act of worship. And secondly, he who performs hajj mabrur — Jannah will be guaranteed for him. And this guarantee is from Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, who does not speak from his own desires — only from the wahy of Allah. So in other words, this guarantee for Jannah is from Allah.

As Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam says: any person who performs Hajj by avoiding all types of sins will return back from this journey like a newborn baby — free from all sins. A great scholar said that not only will Allah forgive your mistakes because of Hajj, but He will also grant you a place in Jannah. But how will we get this? How will we be entitled to this Jannah? Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam says:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 15, Hadith 3138)

"Take your rituals of Hajj from me." So in other words, Hajj cannot be performed according to your own understanding or desires. Hajj is ibadah. This is not like a journey for holidays, a picnic, or an outing — no. This is a journey for ibadah, and ibadah should be according to the Sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. You cannot perform ibadah according to your own understanding, just as with salat and sawm — we cannot do them according to our own understanding, but we have to follow Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

Therefore, whoever intends to go to Hajj, they should prepare fully and properly. The best provision for this journey is taqwa. For this taqwa, we need preparation by analysing our practical life relating to huququllah — the rights of Allah — as well as huququl 'ibad — the rights of people — and by giving up ongoing sins and wrong things. So we make ourselves free from these types of things before travelling for Hajj.

But unfortunately, we have our own concept of preparation — such as discussion about journey packages, accommodation, food facilities, how many clothes and many other belongings. Although these things are all important perhaps, the most important thing is our own preparation for taqwa and learning the rituals of Hajj, which we miss out. As a result, many brothers and sisters who spend their time, money, efforts, and energy travelling there don't even know basic things relating to Umrah or Hajj. Even they don't know how to do tawaf, how to perform Umrah. After spending so much energy, money, and efforts travelling for this holy journey, they don't know how to perform it, because we don't have the concept of proper preparation — and as well, they don't bother about their activities there, whether they are according to Islamic Shari'a or not.

The Example of Mujahid and Abdullah ibn Umar

Another point relating to this that we have to consider: to whom we are travelling — the friends we will accompany — will they be those who help and encourage you for ibadah and good deeds? Or are they those who are lazy in ibadah and have a bad influence on you? Before travelling, you have to consider this point as well, because you are travelling to get reward from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

A famous Mujahid said that one year he was with the companion Abdullah ibn Umar — he is a very famous companion — to perform Hajj. Mujahid said that his intention was to help this Sahabi and to serve him. But he realised during the journey that the Sahabi was helping and serving him more than what he was helping him. So before travelling, we have to consider this.

Many of our respected brothers and sisters are travelling for Hajj, but they don't care about the rituals of Hajj. They are travelling for Hajj, but they don't know about the Sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa alihi wasallam. So, my brothers, we have to be muttaqi during the journey of Hajj. And those who are not travelling — we have to be muttaqi wherever we are, because we have trained during the month of Ramadan for this taqwa, and we should not stop now after Ramadan.

Understanding the Qur'an

Towards the Qur'an al-Majid — not only the recitation of Qur'an — we need to understand the teachings of the Qur'an also, because in our community this is also another problem. Many brothers and sisters have a contradiction and conflict between their practical life and the teachings of the Qur'an al-Majid. The Qur'an says to do something — we don't. The Qur'an al-Majid says don't do something — but we are doing this, with many excuses. So we need to understand the teachings of the Qur'an al-Majid, because the Qur'an was revealed as a book of guidance, the Qur'an was revealed as a book of criteria. The Qur'an al-Majid provides us clear evidence to differentiate between tawhid and shirk, between right and wrong. So we have to understand the teachings of the Qur'an al-Majid as well.

Tawhid and Istighfar: The Cure for All Shortcomings

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us tawfiq and ability for understanding and following the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah of Rasulullah. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us tawfiq and ability that if any person realises the shortcomings in his words, his practice, his situation, and his earnings, then he should focus on two things: tawhid — firm iman in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — and istighfar — seeking forgiveness from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Because in these two things — tawhid and istighfar, strong iman and seeking forgiveness — there is a cure, as long as one is serious and honest.

The Story of Hasan al-Basri

Hasan al-Basri rahimahullah ta'ala — the famous tabi'i — a person came to him complaining about a shortage of rain and problems. He said: do istighfar, seek forgiveness. A lady came; she had no children. He said: go and do istighfar, seek forgiveness. A third person came; he was poor. And again he said: do istighfar. Then some people around him said: three different people came, their problems were different, and your solution was the same for everyone — you are saying to everyone, "Do istighfar, do istighfar, do istighfar." What do you mean by this? He said: if you read the Qur'an al-Majid, chapter 71, Surah Nuh, verses 10 to 12, then you will say the same thing as I said — because of istighfar, because of seeking forgiveness from Allah, Allah will bless you, Allah will provide you good family life, as well as He will give you everything. As Allah says in Surah Nuh, verses 10–12:

So we have to focus on istighfar wherever we are. We have to do istighfar regularly, as Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam used to do. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept from us, grant us tawfiq, and make us among the muttaqin. Ameen.