Do Good Don't Wait by Shaykh Ammar AlShukry

Do Good, Don't Wait

All praise is due to Allah. We seek His guidance and His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of ourselves and the whispering of our desires. Whom Allah guides, no one can misguide, and whom He allows to be misled, no one can guide.

And I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah alone, having no partners, and that Muhammad ﷺ is His slave and His messenger and His perfect worshipper.

Allah says in the Quran:

O you who believe, fear Allah as He deserves to be feared, and do not die except in a state of Islam.

O mankind, fear your Lord who created you from a single soul, and produced from that soul its mate, and made from their combination many men and women. So fear your Lord whom you ask each other by, and by the ties of kinship. Verily Allah is ever watchful over you.

O you who believe, fear Allah and say that which is correct. He will correct for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His messenger, then they are indeed victorious.

Racing Towards the Forgiveness of Allah

To proceed — Allah says:

Allah says: race to the forgiveness of your Lord and a paradise that is equal to the expansiveness of the heavens and the earth, that has been prepared for the people of taqwa.

Allah describes a certain speed setting here. And that speed setting is to race — سَارِعُوا. Interestingly enough, the ulama mention a number of speed settings that they understood from the Quran.

When it comes to the speed through which a person is to seek the dunya, Allah says:

Allah is the one who made for you this earth subservient. So He says: walk in its pathways and eat from His provision. When it comes to the seeking of the dunya, the speed setting is that of walking.

And when it comes to the dhikr of Allah, He says:

On the day of Friday, when the call is made for the salah, then hasten to the remembrance of Allah. It's a higher speed setting when it comes to the remembrance of Allah — you pick up the pace and you hasten.

And then when it comes to Jannah, in the verse that I started with, Allah says: وَسَارِعُوا — race. In any case, I wanted to speak briefly in this khutbah about an energy that we are taught to have when it comes to the worship of Allah. And that is to take advantage of every moment, to take advantage of every day.

Hasten to Good Deeds Before Fitnah

Rasulullah ﷺ says, in the hadith reported by Muslim, the hadith of Abu Hurairah:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 118)

He says: hasten to do good deeds before fitnah — trials — touch down, that will be like the portions of a dark night. A person will wake up a believer and they will go to sleep a disbeliever. And they will go to sleep a believer and they will wake up a disbeliever. They will sell their religion for a portion, a presentation of this world.

And so the Prophet ﷺ says: hasten to do good deeds. Do good deeds now while you can, before fitnah touches down — that will be dark, it will be confusing, like a dark night in which a person will wake up a believer and won't check out before they go to sleep a disbeliever. They go to sleep a believer and they wake up a disbeliever. They sell their religion for a portion of this world.

That selling of their religion for a portion of this world can be for many reasons. It could be through doubts, it could be through desires, it could be out of fear, protection, security. It could be for many reasons. And the Prophet ﷺ says: do good deeds while you can. Do good deeds while you're safe. Do good deeds while you're healthy. Do good deeds while you're secure. Invest in a relationship with Allah while everything is good.

Know Allah in the Good Times

In another hadith — the famous hadith of Ibn Abbas reported by al-Tirmidhi — Rasulullah ﷺ says:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2516)

Preserve the commandments of Allah and Allah will preserve you. Preserve the commandments of Allah and you will find Allah with you.

And in another variation:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2516)

Know Allah during the good times and Allah will know you in the bad times, in the difficult times. Know Allah when life is going good. Invest in a relationship with Allah when life is going good, so that when your world flips upside down — and everybody in their life will have moments where they're flipped upside down, because Allah promises that of every individual — He says:

Do people think that they will be left alone saying, "we believe," and they won't be tested? Everybody's going to be tested. But when those tests come, there are going to be those who have a relationship with Allah from before — and so they are protected and they are preserved — and there are those who won't have that relationship and so they have no protection and they're not preserved. Rasulullah ﷺ tells us to invest in that relationship now, to take advantage of today — tomorrow is not promised.

The Prophet's ﷺ Urgency in Doing Good

And you see how the Prophet ﷺ took advantage of every moment. There's an amazing hadith — Uqba ibn al-Harith, reported by al-Bukhari — he says that he prayed Asr with Rasulullah ﷺ in Madinah:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1221)

Rasulullah ﷺ made the salam after the Asr prayer and then got up quickly — literally jumping over people's shoulders. People are still sitting down. The Prophet ﷺ is jumping over people's shoulders until he goes into one of his houses. The people were startled by how quickly he had gotten up. What's going on? Is there an emergency? And so the Prophet ﷺ goes into the house of one of his wives and then comes back out, and he sees everybody's faces are still startled.

And so he says: "There was some gold — gold of sadaqah — that I had in my house. I just remembered it. And I hated —" in another narration it says, فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أُبَيِّتَهُ — "I hated for it to spend the night." It's Asr time, it's about to be Maghrib, and the day is going to be over. So the Prophet ﷺ immediately went into his house and commanded for it to be distributed. He hated that sadaqah in his possession — that it spend an extra night without being distributed.

The Prophet ﷺ is showing us firsthand the urgency of doing good deeds when you can take advantage of it. If somebody gives you money for sadaqah and says, "Can you please give this out to people?" — you don't keep it in your bank account for a week when you can distribute it today. Take advantage of it today.

Is there sadaqah that you can distribute today? Is there a debt that you owe to somebody that you haven't paid back, and it's in your account but you just haven't gotten around to writing the cheque? Rasulullah ﷺ says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2400; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1564)

The delay in repayment by someone who has the funds is oppression. You're oppressing that person by not paying them back if you have the funds to do it. Is there somebody that you should be paying? Someone whose services you use and you just haven't gotten around to paying them? The urgency of doing good deeds — the Prophet ﷺ is showing us himself taking advantage of every moment.

Aisha's Account of the Prophet's ﷺ Urgency with Sadaqah

In another hadith, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) mentions that the Prophet ﷺ had commanded the distribution of sadaqah — it was like six gold coins, something you would consider to be very insignificant. And the Prophet ﷺ was being taken care of by Aisha, and he would faint. Then he would come back and command her to distribute the sadaqah. Then he would faint again. And she went through the process of caring for him until he became better.

And then he asked her: "Did you distribute the sadaqah?" And she said, "No, O Messenger of Allah. I was so engaged in taking care of you that I forgot about it." And so the Prophet ﷺ commanded for the sadaqah to be brought to him. And he held the gold coins in his hand and said:

"What does Muhammad think his Lord is going to do with him if he meets Allah with this charity in his hand and he hasn't distributed it?"

Rasulullah ﷺ — the urgency that he's showcasing to us — and realizing that good expectation in Allah is not that a person be lackadaisical with the commands. But that good expectation in Allah is that you seek His reward by striving sincerely to Him.

The Sahabi Who Threw His Dates

Jabir ibn Abdullah — a hadith reported by Bukhari and Muslim — showcases the urgency that not just the Prophet ﷺ had, but the sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) had with good deeds. An amazing hadith — Jabir ibn Abdullah says that on the day of Uhud, a man said to Rasulullah ﷺ:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2817; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1899)

"If I'm killed, where am I going to be?" The Prophet ﷺ said: فِي الْجَنَّةِ — "In Jannah." So Jabir says:

He said the man had some dates in his hand. And when the Prophet ﷺ said الْجَنَّة, the man threw the dates that were in his hands, and he immediately proceeded to the battlefield until he was killed. He didn't even wait to eat the dates that he had in his hand. He didn't even pass them to anybody else. Immediately he cast them. Race towards Jannah. Race towards Jannah that is equal to the expansiveness of the dunya and the akhirah.

Is there a salah that you can pray today? Is there Quran that you can read? Don't delay it. Surah al-Kahf — how many times in our lives have we heard about reading Surah al-Kahf on a Friday? Read it today. Is there salah upon the Prophet ﷺ that it's Jum'ah time and you still haven't sent? Take advantage of it. Take advantage of this life that you have.

Two Rak'ahs and the People of the Graves

One time the Prophet ﷺ was walking by a grave. And he looked at his companions. And he said: "Two rak'ahs that any one of you can pray, not thinking anything of it, is more beloved to this person than your entire dunya." Two rak'ahs right now, you're alive. If you pray two rak'ahs, you would not think it's a big deal. But yet for the people who are in the graves, that is more beloved to them than the world and everything in it.

The Blessings of This Day

Allah has gifted us a beautiful day — and that is today. Rasulullah ﷺ says in a hadith reported by al-Tirmidhi, the hadith of Salman: whoever wakes up in the morning safe in their dwelling, healthy in their body, and has their provision for that day — it is as if the entire world is rolled out for them.

The first blessing in this hadith: you woke up. There are billions of people who would trade places with you right now — the fact that you're alive. And then healthy in your body. Safe in your dwelling. Allah — when He describes the blessings of Quraysh, He says:

The One who gave them security from their fear. And you have enough for today. It is as if you have the entire world rolled out for you.

Seven Things That Hover Over Us

And then finally, Rasulullah ﷺ in a profound hadith says — these are seven things that hover around every single one of us. At any point in time, we are susceptible to them:

Number one — poverty. People will do all sorts of things when they're poor. Rasulullah ﷺ says: invest in doing good deeds when you have sustenance, when you're protected, when you're مستور — when you have sustenance, you're able to worship Allah comfortably. But when people are poor, they do all sorts of things that they otherwise would not do.

Rasulullah ﷺ tells the story in the hadith reported by al-Tirmidhi, the hadith of Ibn Umar, of a man from Bani Israel called al-Kifl. And this man, al-Kifl — the Prophet ﷺ said he did not stay away from committing any sin. Every sin was up for grabs for this guy. He did everything.

And so on one occasion, there was a woman who was in need. She came and approached him and needed to borrow money. But this guy is a wicked guy, and so he's not going to give her money from the goodness of his heart. He rather agrees on the condition that she gives him access to her.

And so the Prophet ﷺ said that when al-Kifl was in position, the woman cried. And al-Kifl said to her, "What's the matter? Am I forcing you?" She said, "No, this was our agreement. But I never did this before." What caused her to be in that position? Poverty. And al-Kifl, he got up and he left the money with her. And he said: I'm never going to commit sin against Allah. He did a general repentance. I'm never going to sin against Allah ever again. And he died that night.

Rasulullah ﷺ said, and on the next day it was written on his door:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2496)

Allah has forgiven al-Kifl. But the point here is not al-Kifl. The point is the woman. What caused her to be in that predicament? It was poverty. Rasulullah ﷺ used to seek refuge in Allah from poverty that would make a person forget their obligations and the rules that Allah has placed.

Number two — are you waiting for wealth that will make you arrogant and transgressive? غِنًى مُطْغِيًا. There is a level of wealth that everybody has that may cause them to be transgressive. That limit is different for different people. But wealth can be corruptive. And the Prophet ﷺ used to seek refuge in Allah from wealth that is corruptive. Allah says:

That a person becomes transgressive when they think that they're independent. And few things make a person feel more independent than wealth.

Number three — أَوْ مَرَضًا مُفْسِدًا — illness that will corrupt you. It corrupts your body. It corrupts your limbs. You're not able to worship at the level that you were able to before. You're not able to act. You're not able to carry yourself. You're not able to do the things that you were able to do before.

Number four — أَوْ هَرَمًا مُفَنِّدًا — old age that will make a person lose their full consciousness and faculties.

Number five — أَوْ مَوْتًا مُجْهِزًا — sudden death. What are you delaying good deeds for? Are you safe from sudden death? How many people go to sleep and don't wake up? How many young people do we hear about in our communities passing away? Life is not promised for anybody.

Number six — أَوِ الدَّجَّالُ فَشَرُّ غَائِبٍ يُنْتَظَرُ — or the Dajjal will emerge. And what an evil thing it is that is awaited.

Number seven — أَوِ السَّاعَةُ فَالسَّاعَةُ أَدْهَى وَأَمَرُّ — or the Day of Judgment itself. And the Day of Judgment is even more disastrous and even more bitter.

The lesson here is the Prophet ﷺ saying: don't wait for any of these things. If you're healthy, you're alive, if you have the opportunity to do good deeds — then don't delay them.

The Best Charity

On the topic of charity — I'll end with this. Rasulullah ﷺ was asked in the hadith of Anas — a man came to him and said:

"Which charity is the most rewardable?" And the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1419; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1032)

He says: that you give charity while you are healthy and stingy — where you are fearing poverty and where you're hoping for wealth. You don't wait until you're about to die and then you say, "So and so, I'm giving this much, and so and so, I'm giving this much," and they're going to get it anyway.

The point is that a person gives sadaqah when they are healthy and when they are stingy. Stingy meaning: I can invest this money, I can donate this money here, or I can invest this money in my business — the power of compounding, and all of these financial advisors saying that if you donate this money at 20 years old and it compounds over the rest of your life, it'll be greater than what you donate at 30, and at 40, and at 50 — or you invest, and I have so much that I can still do, and I still need to get married, and I still need to buy a house, and I still need to save for this and save for that.

The Prophet ﷺ says: when you can give, give in that moment. And I wish that in our fundraisers — and don't worry, there's no fundraiser attached to this; we can talk about sadaqah without a fundraiser — I wish that in our fundraisers we would even talk about the age of people who are donating. Because the Prophet ﷺ says: the best is when you are healthy, and when you still have your life ahead of you, and when you're still looking to build that life — not when you delay.

Du'a

We ask Allah to allow us to hear the speech and to follow the best of it. We ask Allah to make the best of our days our last days, and the best of our moments the day that we meet Him, and that He makes every today that we experience a day that we come closer to Him.

We ask Allah to accept from us our actions and our fasting and our charity in the month of Ramadan, and that Allah allows us to experience many Ramadans until we meet Him. We ask Allah to make this a blessed month, to make this a month in which we have fasts that are accepted, that Allah grants us the ability to fast the six days of Shawwal, that Allah brings peace and prosperity to our brothers and sisters in Palestine, that Allah removes from them their difficulty, that Allah heals their injuries.

We ask You, O Allah — You are the Protector — protect their blood and protect their wealth. And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His Prophet ﷺ, his family, and his companions.