Your Ticket to Jannah - Shaykh Ahsan Hanif

Khutbah Opening

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى 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 صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا

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

The Mindset of the Companions: Seeking Jannah in Every Moment

When we look at the lives of the companions of our Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ — رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ — one thing that stands out, one thing that is amazing concerning this whole group and body of people, is the way that each and every single day that Allah would bless them to have life, they would look for a way towards Jannah. They would look for opportunities — any opportunity that would come through the course of the day and in their path — that would bring them that one step closer to Jannah.

They may well be just going around their daily business, sitting with the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ on one occasion, or doing their daily chores — but if they saw that there was something that came in front of them that would bring them closer to Jannah, they would grab that opportunity, they would take hold of that opportunity. And that's because this is the way in which the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ nurtured his companions رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ. This is the way that he taught them to think and the mindset that he told them to have.

As we go through the course of our day and you come across something — a situation arises, an opportunity presents itself — and you know that it's something which is pleasing to Allah, it is possibly a means and a path and a way to come closer to Jannah. The companions would be people who would grab that opportunity, they would take that opportunity. The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ told them to think in this way.

The Elderly Woman of Bani Israel

What is collected in the Sahih of Ibn Hibban on the authority of Ibn Musa al-Ash'ari رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ — a hadith over which the scholars of hadith differed regarding its authenticity — that the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was once traveling and he passed by a Bedouin man and stayed with him. That Bedouin man gave him hospitality, he welcomed him, he honored the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. So as the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was leaving, he said to the Bedouin man — the Bedouin who lives in the desert, far from Medina — he said to him: if you ever come to Medina, come and I would like to repay your kindness. Because if someone did a favor to the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, he liked to repay that favor — he would do good towards those who showed goodness towards him. So: if you come to Medina, seek me out and I will give you something in return.

After some time had passed, that man eventually came to Medina and came to the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ whilst he was sitting with his companions. The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ welcomed him and honored him and said to him: ask me what you want — what do you need? The man, being a simple man, a man who lives in the desert, doesn't have much to own, doesn't have much that he can possess. He said: O Messenger of Allah, I want a camel that I can ride and I want goats — or sheep — that I can use for myself and my family. The man is asking what he needs. He's asking for the needs of himself and his family. He's looking at his situation and his dynamics and he's making a request.

The Prophet said to him صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: are you unable to be like the elderly woman of Bani Israel? The companion said: O Messenger of Allah, and who was the elderly woman of Bani Israel? The Prophet said صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: that when the Prophet of Allah, Musa عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام, was leaving Egypt — running away from Pharaoh and his armies — he wanted to go and see the grave of Yusuf عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام. But no one knew the location of that grave except for one elderly woman from Bani Israel. It had been knowledge passed down from generation to generation, century upon century — only one person knew that location.

So the Prophet of Allah, Musa عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام, went to the elderly woman and said to her: take me to the grave of Yusuf عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام. But she refused. She said: no — I will only do so if you give me something in return. Because she understands that she has an opportunity. This is the point that the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ is making: can you not be like the elderly woman of Bani Israel? She has an opportunity: I won't tell you until you give me something in return. He said: and what do you want in return? She said: that I should be your companion in Jannah.

The narration says that Musa عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام felt shy and embarrassed, because that's not something for him to give — he can't give Jannah, he's not the one who chooses who goes into Paradise. But Allah revealed to him: give her what she asked for. So he gave her what she asked for — he said that Allah has granted you Jannah with me — and then she told him the location of the grave.

The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ is telling his companions — and by extension, me and you — this is how we should think. Each and every single day we should remember the old woman from Bani Israel. The elderly lady didn't have anything left in this life, didn't have anything that she wanted, but she understood that there is an opportunity that had presented itself. So she took hold of that opportunity. She wasn't shy, she wasn't embarrassed when it came to seeking out Allah's reward and His Jannah. And that's how the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ told his companions to be.

Abu Bakr and the Gates of Jannah

We have multiple narrations across the Sunnah, across the books of hadith, where you see companions actively seeking that opportunity to get to Jannah — when that opportunity would present itself, they would grab it by both hands.

In the hadith of Abu Hurairah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ, collected in Sunan al-Nasa'i, the Prophet told us صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: whosoever gives a pair of something in the path of Allah will be called from the gates of Jannah, and it will be said: O slave of Allah, this is goodness for you. And Jannah has many gates — so the people of prayer on Yawm al-Qiyamah will be called to enter into Jannah from the gate of prayer, and whosoever was from the people of Jihad will be called to enter into Jannah from the gate of Jihad, and whosoever was from the people of Sadaqah and charity will be called on Yawm al-Qiyamah to enter into Jannah from the gate of charity, and whosoever is from the people of fasting will be called to enter from the gate of Rayyan into Jannah.

Those gates, O Messenger of Allah, are for those specific people — the people of Salah from the gate of Salah, the people of fasting from the gate of Rayyan, and so on. But is there anyone on that day, O Messenger of Allah, that will be called to enter into Jannah from all of its gates? He saw an opportunity — is there anyone who will be called to enter into Jannah from all of those gates, O Messenger of Allah? And the Prophet said to him صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: and I hope that you, Abu Bakr, will be from amongst those people.

That is a glad tiding — it is a promise from the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ that Abu Bakr is in Jannah. He saw his opportunity and he took that opportunity.

Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b: Companionship in Jannah

In another narration — Sahih Muslim — on the authority of the companion Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b al-Aslami رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ, he said: I used to spend the night serving the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. That is the short narration in Sahih Muslim, but in other narrations he goes into detail. He says he was from the poor companions — from Ahl al-Suffah, the homeless companions who would live and sleep in the masjid of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. He didn't own a home, didn't have money, didn't have a wife or children, didn't have any family.

But his circumstances, despite their difficulty, didn't stop him from seeking out opportunity for reward — just as for many of us in this month of Ramadan, we're finding it difficult. We have families and we have jobs and we have chores and we have responsibilities, and on top of all of that we have to find time for ibadah in this month of Ramadan. Difficult circumstances — not the most comforting of times and experiences. Lack of sleep, no food, no drink, irritation and so on. However, the companions wouldn't allow those things to deter them from their goal of seeking Jannah.

He would spend the whole day — Rabi'ah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ — from the morning until the evening serving the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. If he needed wudu, he would go and bring his water. If he needed his shoes, he would carry his shoes and bring them to him صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. And at night, when the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ would go home to rest and sleep, he would stand outside of his door — just in case during the night the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ had some need. In the narration he says: until I would even hear the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ as he is lying upon his bed, about to sleep, making dhikr of Allah — saying سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ — and then he would fall asleep.

The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ wanted to acknowledge his favor, acknowledge his service, reward him for what he had spent time doing — serving the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. So he said to him one day: sal — ask me, ask me what you need. This man is poor, doesn't have anything, doesn't have a family, doesn't have a wife. He can ask the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ for many things. But he says in the longer narration: I knew that whatever I asked for in this dunya would be temporary and fleeting. So I said: O Messenger of Allah, I want your companionship in Jannah.

The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was surprised. In the narration of Sahih Muslim, he said to him: do you want something else? Think again — you are a poor man, you don't have a house, you don't have a family, you can ask me for any of those things. In the longer narration, the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said to him: O Rabi'ah, did anyone ask you to say this? Rabi'ah said: no, O Messenger of Allah — but I thought long and hard and I knew that whatever I asked you from this dunya would be temporary and fleeting, so I wanted to ask you for something that would be lasting, something that would benefit me. So I want your companionship in Jannah. So the Prophet said to him صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: then help me by prostrating often, by praying often.

The companions — if they see their opportunity — the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ is asking them: what do you want? They don't think short term, they don't think about the short-term gain. They don't look at today or tomorrow or next week or even next year. The companions are looking at eternity. They are looking at the hereafter. They are looking at what will benefit them in the next life — the life for which there is no end. This is how the companions were.

The 70,000 and the Story of 'Ukasha

In the hadith of Abu Hurairah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ, collected in Sahih al-Bukhari, our Prophet said صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: from my ummah, they will enter into Jannah — into paradise — a group that will number 70,000. Their faces will be illuminated like the full moon. In another narration, the Prophet said صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ concerning these 70,000 people that they will enter into Jannah without any accounting and without any punishment.

Imagine to be from amongst those people — that on Yawm al-Qiyamah, you don't have to answer for any of your actions, don't have to account for any of your words or your deeds, are not judged by Allah, and there is no punishment for you — but you enter into Jannah. There is not a single person who hears the hadith except that we think: may Allah make us from amongst those people. May Allah make us and our parents and our spouses and our children from those 70,000 — no judgment, no accounting, no punishment.

So when the companion 'Ukasha رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ heard this, he stood up and he said: ya Rasulallah, O Messenger of Allah, make dua that Allah makes me from amongst those people. He saw an opportunity. There are other companions around, there are other people listening to the same narration — but he saw an opportunity. So he stood up and he took hold of the opportunity. That is his ticket to Jannah: O Messenger of Allah, make dua that Allah makes me from amongst those people. So the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ made dua for him. Another man from the Ansar also stood up and said: ya Rasulallah, O Messenger of Allah, make dua for me as well that Allah makes me from them. But the Prophet said to him صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: 'Ukasha beat you to it.

The companions were eager. When they would see an opportunity, they wouldn't let it go. As we go through our day, there are so many opportunities that arise, so many things that take place — and if we were to only think in terms of: is this beneficial for me, not only now but more importantly later on, on Yawm al-Qiyamah? If that's the way that we lived and we thought and we went through our daily routine, we would look and take hold of those opportunities to get closer to Jannah.

Abu Dahdah and the Tree in Jannah

In the hadith of Anas رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ, collected in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, a man came to the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and said: O Messenger of Allah, I have a neighbor who has a date palm tree, and my wall is leaning on his date palm tree. So I asked him to give me the date palm tree so that I can keep my wall standing upon it. This man was a poor man — didn't have the money to rebuild his wall, didn't have anything to strengthen his wall with — but the tree belonging to his neighbor is supporting his wall. So I asked him to give it to me so that he doesn't chop it down or take it away.

The Prophet said to him صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:

Give it to this man, and in return you will have a tree in Jannah.
(Musnad Imam Ahmad)

But the man refused. He said: no — it's my property, I don't want to give it to him. He is being offered by the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ a tree in Jannah in its place — and he said no.

But as this discussion was taking place, there was a companion by the name of Abu Dahdah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ. After this discussion had finished, he went to the man who owned the date palm tree and said to him: give it to me, and in return you can take my entire orchard. In some narrations it is said that Abu Dahdah's orchard had 600 trees within it — from the most prosperous gardens in the city of Medina. Give me the tree, for my orchard. So the man gave it to him — why wouldn't he? He gave him the whole orchard in return for his garden.

Abu Dahdah came to the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and said: O Messenger of Allah, I have sold my orchard for that tree and now I give the tree to you to give to that man who came to you to ask for it. The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: how many strong, fruitful trees will Abu Dahdah have in Jannah! That was one tree — for it he gets one tree in Jannah. Abu Dahdah gave 600 — how many strong, fruitful trees will he have in Jannah!

Abu Dahdah then went to his garden — his orchard where his family and his children live — and he called out. He didn't even step inside the garden. He called to his wife and said: I've sold the tree, gave it to the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, in return for its like in Jannah. And his wife said to him: what an amazing transaction.

The Woman of Jannah: A Lesson in Patient Opportunity

On the authority of 'Ata رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى — from the famous and illustrious students of Abdullah ibn 'Abbas رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا — and what is collected in Sahih al-Bukhari, he says that Abdullah ibn 'Abbas رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا said to me one day: shall I not show you a woman from the people of Jannah? Before your eyes, as you walk and live and see — a woman from the people of Jannah? So I said: yes, O Ibn 'Abbas. He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

This Abyssinian woman that you see walking before you — she came to the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and said: O Messenger of Allah, I am overcome by convulsions and fits — I have epilepsy — and when I have my fits and my convulsions, I expose parts of my body in public because of that. So ask Allah to cure me.

The Prophet said to her صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:

If you wish, be patient and in return Allah will give to you Jannah. And if you wish, I will make dua for you and Allah will cure you.
(Sahih al-Bukhari)

Now, anyone here who has been seriously ill — or anyone here who knows someone who has been seriously ill — knows how difficult that situation is. Knows how difficult and painful it is, even for you as a member of that family or a friend to witness what they're going through. But perhaps that is their ticket and their opportunity to Jannah. All of those gates of Jannah are not the same, and all of these companions that I'm narrating to you didn't take the same action and the same path towards Jannah. But the opportunity that presented itself to them was unique to them — and they took hold of that opportunity.

She said: O Messenger of Allah, I will be patient — but ask Allah that He doesn't expose me when I go through my convulsions and fits. So the Prophet made dua for her.

Opportunities that arise, things that happen — and you're given a choice. And there is always a choice that will bring you closer to Allah and closer to the gates of Jannah. The companions of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ were people who would recognize those opportunities. They would see them all around them each and every single day, and when they would see those opportunities, they would grasp them.

Hudhaifa and the Night of Ahzab

And sometimes those opportunities don't come along willingly. Sometimes it's something that you just find yourself in that situation. Sometimes it's something which you didn't plan — like many of us in this month of Ramadan. We didn't plan anything. Many of those people who made long lists and objectives and goals and daily routines — Ramadan came upon us as it comes upon us each and every single year. But now that Ramadan is here, it is an opportunity. Even for those of us that didn't really plan — for those of us that still don't have a game plan — for those of us who go through each and every single day in a mundane routine and don't really know what we're focusing on — it is that one action, that one thing, that one deed that you do that may be your ticket to Jannah. Don't lose and squander that opportunity.

In the hadith of Hudhaifa رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ, he said that in the Battle of Ahzab — the Battle of the Confederates — when all of the different armies had gathered around Medina and laid siege to the city in order to attack the Muslims and destroy them, a night came upon them that was extremely windy. The sand blew and sandstorms raged around Medina. So the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ came out to his companions and said: is there not from amongst you a single person who will go and bring me the news of our enemies, and in return you will be my companion on the Day of Judgment?

Hudhaifa رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: no one responded. Not a single person said anything. It's dangerous — one man going into the confederate army camp, there are thousands of them. It's dusty, you can't even see where you're going. It's windy. No one volunteered. The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said a second time: is there not from amongst you a man who will go and bring me the news of those people, and you will be my companion on the Day of Judgment? No one responded the second time. The third time he said the same thing, and when no one responded, he said to Hudhaifa: stand up, Hudhaifa, and go.

Hudhaifa said رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: so I had no choice — I couldn't say no, he chose me by name. But he has the reward of Jannah — even though it's not something he was prepared or willing to do, he was placed in that situation. So Hudhaifa رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ went to the army camps, took their news, and brought it back to the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. In return, he has the companionship of our Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ on Yawm al-Qiyamah.

Ramadan: The Greatest Opportunity

The month of Ramadan is a month of opportunity. The month of Ramadan is a time when we can excel in good deeds. The companions, when they would see opportunities that are far smaller, far less in degree than this month of mercy and forgiveness of Ramadan, would hold that opportunity, would take it — because they don't know if they will get another one. That is the month of Ramadan. We should be like the elderly woman of Bani Israel. We should be like the companions of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ — that when we see an opportunity to come closer towards the gates of Jannah, we run towards that opportunity that is given before us.

Our Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, in the hadith collected in al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, narrated by Abu Hurairah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ, said: when the first night of Ramadan comes upon us, the devils are chained and the gates of hell are closed — shut tight, not a single gate remains open — and the gates of Jannah are opened wide, not a single gate from amongst them remains closed. And every single night a caller calls out and says: O the one who wants good, come forward! And O the one who wants evil, stay back! And every single night in Ramadan, Allah frees and emancipates people from the fire of hell — and that is each and every single night of Ramadan.

The opportunity of Ramadan is that Allah will forgive all of your sins. The opportunity of Ramadan is that Allah will free you from the fire of hell. The opportunity of Ramadan is that Allah will grant you Jannah. In this month of Ramadan, the Prophet told us صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ — in the hadith of Abu Hurairah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ collected in Ibn Hibban — that when he stood on the minbar and said Ameen three times, and the companions said: O Messenger of Allah, why did you say Ameen? He told them that Jibreel عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام came and made three duas and commanded him to say Ameen to each and every single one of them. From those three duas:

Whosoever witnesses the month of Ramadan and does not have their sins forgiven and enters the fire of hell — then may Allah distance them from His mercy. Say Ameen. So the Prophet said Ameen.
(Sahih Ibn Hibban)

This is the month in which Allah has given us so much scope for reward — from the fasting to the prayer, to the recitation of the Quran, to giving sadaqah, to looking after the poor and the needy, to making dua. Each and every single one of us — despite our dynamics and our responsibilities and our chores — can find one or two acts of worship that we can excel in, one or two acts of worship that we find it easier to perform. And perhaps that is our gate towards Jannah.

Don't squander this opportunity of Ramadan. It is — as Allah says in the Quran — limited days. Nearly a week has already passed, and before you know it, the other three will also go.

Closing Du'a

May Allah make us from amongst those people who in this month of Ramadan take full grasp of this opportunity. May Allah free us and our parents and our families from the fire of hell. May Allah grant us the highest levels of Jannah. May Allah forgive us for all of our sins — that which we know and that which we don't know. And may Allah make this blessed month a month of mercy and a month of forgiveness, a month in which Islam and the Muslims are strengthened and honoured.