Jumu'ah Khutbah (with Sign Language) - Shaykh Abdul Hadi

Opening Praise and Testimony

Praise be to Allah. We praise Him, we ask His help and we ask His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the evils of our deeds.

Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. And whosoever He sends 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 His Messenger. He has sent him with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. As for what follows, the best hadith is the Book of Allah.

And the best guide is the guide of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. And the worst of all affairs are its innovations. And every innovation is a creation. And every creation is a misguidance. And every misguidance is in the Fire.

Praise be to Allah.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak the truth. He will correct your deeds and forgive your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has attained a great success.

Taqwa After Ramadan

Brothers and sisters, Praise be to Allah. We have just completed Ramadan — the month of blessing, the month of extra reward, the month of training for Taqwa. To establish and improve our Taqwa, we used to do many righteous good deeds during the month of Ramadan especially — such as extra Nawafil during the day time, as well as Salatul Layl during the night time, and Zikr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, recitation of Quran-e-Majeed, giving charity and Sadaqat for poor and needy people. All these things are rewardable.

But shall we stop this now? No. Because Taqwa is not something to be done as a seasonal thing, after which we are free to do whatever we like. No. We are Muslim during the month of Ramadan, as well as after Ramadan — in the Masjid, in the market, in family life, in social life. We have to be followers of the Quran and Sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, regardless of the time, event, and circumstances.

As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in Surah Al-Imran, verse 102:

O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as a Muslim.

And we don't know when we are going to die, or in which circumstances we are going to die. Because this is something relating to Ilmul Ghayb — only Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows about this.

According to this verse of the Quran, the message is that we have to prepare for death — because we don't know when we are going to die. And how are we going to prepare? By following Shariah. By following the teaching of the Quran and Sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam. By remaining as a Muttaqi, practicing.

Because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says again in Surah Al-Imran, verse 133:

Hasten to the forgiveness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and to Jannah, which is prepared for the Muttaqeen.

Obviously, we need to get the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and to make ourselves entitled for Jannah, Paradise. But Jannah is for those who are Muttaqi. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala only accepts from those who are Muttaqeen. As Allah says in Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse 27:

Indeed, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala only accepts from the righteous people — from those who are Muttaqi.

Taqwa has a key role in our Ibadah, in our daily life. Wherever we are, whatever circumstances we are in — sad or happy — we have to be Muttaqi. Because nothing will be accepted without this Taqwa. This should be our situation until the last day of our life.

As Allah says in Surah Al-Hijr, verse 99:

And worship your Lord until the certainty of death comes to you.

And if we remain Muttaqi, we will get extra benefit and bonus from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. As in Surah At-Talaq, verse 2, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

These are all benefits for those who remain as a Muttaqi.

What is Taqwa?

So if Taqwa has such importance in our life, let us discuss what Taqwa itself is. Taqwa is not something relating especially to our appearance or our lifestyle. No. Taqwa is something relating to our heart and minds. Taqwa — piety, righteousness — is to train ourselves to refrain from all that which has been prohibited by Islamic Shariah, and to do whatever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala asks us and whatever Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said. There are do's and don'ts according to Islamic Shariah. As a sign of a Muttaqi, whatever Allah says to do, we have to do it. And whatever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says don't, we have to abstain from it.

So we need to remain Muttaqi after Ramadan as we used to practice during the month of Ramadan. We trained ourselves to control our desires during hot summer days, long fasting days, and after spending long time during short nights in Salatul Layl. For what reason? To please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And we have to remain on this.

As Allah says in Surah Taha, verse 82:

Continuation is essential. Not that after Ramadan we are free — we can go, we can do whatever we like. No, this is not acceptable. Even after Ramadan, we have to do things which help us to be Muttaqi.

Maintaining Good Deeds After Ramadan

Such as Zikr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Dua. During the month of Ramadan, we used to ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala day and night. Do you think now there is no need for dua? We are in need to ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And all of the Muslim Ummah are also in need to ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So make dua after Ramadan as well.

In the month of Ramadan, we used to ask forgiveness from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Do you think now we have to stop this? No, we have to carry on — asking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's mercy, blessing, and forgiveness upon us all.

And in the month of Ramadan, we used to recite Quran Majid. After Ramadan as well, we need to read Quran Majid.

And also regularity in Salat, in prayer. For brothers — males — they have to come to pray in Jamaat, in congregation. Not that after Ramadan you stop coming to the Masjid. No. We have to try to come to pray with Jamaat.

But unfortunately, some of our respected brothers — they used to come to the Masjid to pray during Ramadan, but after Ramadan they are cut off from the Masjid and they don't want to come to attend congregation, which is not acceptable. Because Salat is obligatory upon every believer — male and female. We have to pray five times daily. And for brothers, if they don't have any genuine reason, they have to come to Jamaat. They have to pray with congregation.

And keeping away from haram and prohibited things — such as lying, backbiting, earning haram, spending valuable time in useless things. Utilize your time. We are going to be asked by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala about our time. As a Muslim, we don't have time to waste. We have to make use of it in a positive way.

The Issue of Islamic Inheritance (Miraath)

And regarding maal — money, earning, and sources of income — one important point relating to our wealth is the issue of inheritance — Miraath, Tariqah. After the death of someone, who will be entitled and for how much will he be entitled?

My brothers and sisters, this is one of the grey areas in our practical life. Many brothers and sisters don't bother to follow the Shariah in the distribution of wealth after the death of someone — maybe for cultural reasons, family tradition, greed, or wrong desires. But we are not ready — illa mashAllah — to act according to Islamic Shariah after someone's death.

Alhamdulillah, the Shariah has been completed by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Himself. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has ordered the people how to distribute wealth after someone's death. If we read the beginning of Surah An-Nisa, in great detail, there are many authentic ahadith to explain how to distribute, who will get, and how much they will be entitled to.

And before that, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned that this is an amr — a hukm, a command of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And at the end of these verses, Allah also said that these are all Hudoodullah — the limits and boundaries set up by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Furthermore, it is mentioned that he who obeys Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will be entitled for Jannah, Paradise, and he who disobeys will be punished in the Hell Fire.

If we stop for a while here and think about all these points, it will be clear that in the distribution of wealth after someone's death, we are bound to follow Islamic Shariah. You cannot give as you like, and no one is entitled to take as he wants. We have to be within the Shariah. This is a matter of Paradise or Hell Fire. To make ourselves entitled for Paradise, we have to follow this.

But unfortunately, a large majority of Muslims in our community — their practical life is not appropriate or acceptable according to Islamic Shariah. Some very common mistakes are made in the distribution of wealth. For example, giving to male children and ignoring females. Or those who are older and more powerful in the family trying to get a share more than their rights. Or ignoring the widow altogether. Or a widow taking everything without bothering about others and their shares.

Because of some wrong practices from Jahiliyyah, family members have even been killed. Can you believe this? Close family members are not ready to follow the Shariah. They are killing each other — for what? For a plot, for a property, for wealth. Who will get? How much? And then they are ready to even kill their own brothers or sisters. And this is an ongoing problem in our community, unfortunately.

Why? Because we are not ready to practice the Shariah in this matter. We are not ready to give to those who are entitled according to Islamic Shariah.

Writing a Proper Will (Wasiyyat)

And in the UK, there is no doubt about the importance of this inheritance. We can follow the Islamic law of inheritance together with British law — but how? By writing a proper will. And your will shall be respected by British law at the same time as you are following Islamic Shariah. But this requires preparing a proper will, writing a proper will. Very few brothers and sisters write their wills — the large majority don't bother to write one.

So we all need to write a will, regardless of the amount of your property. And there is another mistake — people saying that only the residential house will be distributed, but all other properties and plots they are not ready to give. Or some insist on cash money only — but what about gold, silver, jewelry? They are not ready to distribute those according to Islamic Shariah. All of this is because of ignorance and greed.

So we have to be careful in Wasiyyat and in Miraath.

Understanding and Acting on the Quran

And in the month of Ramadan, we used to read Quran-e-Majeed. Now, we should not stop reading Quran-e-Majeed. Rather, we have to focus on the teaching of the Quran and the understanding of the Quran.

The Quran was revealed as a book of guidance for all mankind, regardless of colour, language, or geographical background. The Quran is like instructions given by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — who is the Creator — for a better life. To be Muttaqi, to be a follower, to be a true believer. The Quran was revealed to take us from the darkness of Jahiliyyah to the light of Islam. So we need to understand the teaching of the Quran and try to implement whatever we are reading from Quran-e-Majeed.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept our deeds, forgive our mistakes, and give us tawfiq and the ability to understand, teach, and follow the Quran and Sunnah.

Brothers and sisters, this Quran was revealed as a criterion — a Furqan — to differentiate between right and wrong, true and false, the lovable and the unlovable. In order to gain the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and all these benefits, we need to understand the teaching of Quran-e-Majeed.

No doubt, in the recitation of the Quran there is a great reward. But the Quran was revealed as a book of guidance. Therefore, we need to understand this guidance — the message of the Quran — to implement it upon ourselves. Because this is not a book of information or a book of literature generally, but a book of guidance to read and practice.

We have to train ourselves to be Muttaqi. So let us be Muttaqi — because in the month of Ramadan we have trained ourselves to be Muttaqi. Now let us remain as Muttaqi by following righteous good deeds. Let us be practicing — by controlling our desires and remaining within the Islamic framework.

Closing Reminder

Indeed, Allah orders justice, good conduct, and giving to relatives, and forbids immorality, wrongdoing, and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.

So remember Allah — He will remember you. And supplicate to Him — He will respond to you. And the remembrance of Allah, the Most High, is the most exalted, the most worthy, and the greatest.