Jumu'ah Khutbah - Shaykh Abdul Hadi

Opening Khutbah — Hamd & Praise

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، أَرْسَلَهُ بِالْحَقِّ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا.

Taqwa Verses

Amma ba'd — for indeed the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ, and the worst of matters are those newly invented, and every newly invented matter is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

Lessons from Ramadan: Ikhlas and Unity

Brothers and sisters, during the month of Ramadan, we have learned many things, especially about a'mal-e-saliha — righteous good deeds. But mainly we learn about sincerity in our action, ikhlas, because we all believe that without sincerity, without ikhlas, our action will not be beneficial. And every person who fasted has experienced this.

For example, they may eat and drink while pretending to be fasting, but they will not do this. As everyone knows, if they do not fulfill the condition of fasting — sawm — then their fast will be rejected and will be considered null and void. They do not get any reward because of that. So ikhlas is essential in our a'mal.

Secondly, we learn about unity, which is important in our personal life as well as collectively. Whether the issues are local or related to the ummah, it is important to be united. So we would start our fasting, for example, together at home or in the masjid. This itself is a spiritual example in our practical life, how to unite ourselves.

We know that Allah's help does not come because of expectations or ambitions only, but rather Allah's help comes if we believe in Allah's tawhid and follow His awamir — commands — as Allah is saying in Surah Muhammad, verse 7:

O you who believe, if you help Allah — meaning if you practise Allah's deen — He will help you and make your foothold firm.

Sometimes the problems we face could be a result of a test and trial from Allah, to see who remains on the straight path even in hardship. As Allah is saying in Surah al-Baqarah, verse 155 — glad tidings for those who remain patient, sabr:

The Role of the Masjid in Muslim Life

And now, especially regarding Masjid al-Aqsa, many brothers are asking a few questions. What is the link between us and Masjid al-Aqsa? Or what is the role of the masjid itself in the Muslim community?

The masjid is very, very important in our practical life, as it is not only a place of worship — ibadah — but also like a central platform for a true believer. We cannot pray at home if there is any need, but we lose out on a central platform in our life if there is no masjid.

That is the reason when the Prophet ﷺ migrated from Makkah al-Mukarramah to Madinah al-Munawwarah — the Hijrah — and there were many issues and challenges that had to be addressed, the Prophet ﷺ focused on two things especially.

Firstly, the Islamic brotherhood — al-ukhuwwah al-islamiyyah — between the migrants coming from Makkah al-Mukarramah and the local residents of Madinah al-Munawwarah, between the Muhajireen and the Ansar. And secondly, the construction of Masjid al-Nabawi. So we can understand the importance of Islamic brotherhood and the significant role of the masjid.

The Three Sacred Masajid and the Sanctity of Masjid al-Aqsa

Although each and every masjid is very, very important for a believer, however, there are three most sacred masajid: Masjid al-Haram in Makkah al-Mukarramah, Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah al-Munawwarah, and Masjid al-Aqsa in Bayt al-Maqdis.

Masjid al-Aqsa is the first qibla of the Muslims, and it is one of the three masajid to which one may travel purposely to pray and gain extra reward. Otherwise, all masajid — regardless of location, whether in Birmingham, Islamabad, Delhi, or wherever — will yield the same reward. This exception applies only to these three masajid: Masjid al-Haram, Masjid al-Nabawi, and Masjid al-Aqsa.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1189; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1397)

If we pray in Masjid al-Aqsa, according to an authentic hadith, this will be considered better than 250 salat as compared to any other masjid — except Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Nabawi.

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1407 — with variant narrations regarding the number)

And if anyone travels to pray in Masjid al-Aqsa, we hope that he will return free from his sins — as the Prophet ﷺ said in Sunan Ibn Majah — like a newborn baby, he will come back from Masjid al-Aqsa.

And there is another point: in the unique journey of the Prophet ﷺ, when he was taken up to the heavens, Masjid al-Aqsa was the first station of our Prophet ﷺ in his unique journey of al-Mi'raj. As Allah says in Surah al-Isra, verse 1:

The Messenger of Allah was taken by Allah on a night from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa, which We have blessed around, to show him of Our signs. He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.

Also, Masjid al-Aqsa has been blessed by many Prophets of Allah who came to cover this area. As Muslims, we believe in all the Prophets of Allah, and therefore we have to respect all of them. With this, we can understand the importance of Masjid al-Aqsa.

It is not an emotional thing, or merely an issue of a piece of land — as perhaps some are thinking. Rather, this is a part of our iman and belief, and our spiritual attachment with Masjid al-Aqsa.

Responding with Wisdom, Steadfastness, and Tawba

Aggression — zulm — is not acceptable upon any person, regardless of who he is. And especially in such important places, any wrong action, any aggression, any zulm towards the people there will be felt by all Muslims worldwide.

So Allah is saying in Surah Al Imran, verse 200, that to the believers: be steadfast and stand firmly in your faith, and hold the rope of Allah with taqwa, so you may attain true success:

So just as we think about material sources to remove any calamity, any problem, any pandemic, we have to also focus on spiritual sources as well — like tawbah, dhikr of Allah, and du'a. The combination between material sources and spiritual sources is essential.

Brothers, we should not be emotional when dealing with such issues. Rather, we should be wise in our action so that we can make a better impact and help those who are suffering. We should be wise in our action and we should be sincere — mukhlis — and united for the cause, rather than making this an issue of personal attachment.

May Allah bring peace and prosperity in every place, especially in Masjid al-Aqsa and the people of Bayt al-Maqdis. May Allah give us tawfiq and the ability for understanding and teaching the Quran and the Sunnah of Nabi ﷺ, and following what is best.

Du'a — Closing Supplication

سُبْحَانَ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ الْعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ۝ وَسَلَامٌ عَلَى الْمُرْسَلِينَ ۝ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ