Earning the Pleasure of Allah (SWT) - Shaykh Hafeezullah Khan

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِهِ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْهِ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا وَمَوْلَانَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

The Purpose of Fasting: Achieving Taqwa

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, it is a blessing and mercy of Allah that he has given us some specific days and months in which we can have our previous sins forgiven and become among the beloved servants of Allah. Among these days is the blessed month of Ramadan, which will be welcoming us soon, inshallah.

With regards to the obligation of fasting in the month of Ramadan, Allah says in Surah al-Baqarah:

O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become al-muttaqun — the pious.

In this verse, Allah has not only said that fasting is obligatory for us, but also tells us the reason for that. The purpose is that we gain taqwa from this. So what is taqwa?

Dear brothers and sisters, taqwa is piety and fear of Allah. It is to shield yourself from Allah's wrath by rushing to do what he ordered you and by strictly avoiding what he has prohibited.

In this regard, it is the duty of a believer that when he hears a command of Allah, he immediately acts upon it. Because deen is the name of obedience. Whatever action has been commanded for a certain time, then doing it at that prescribed time will be considered a good deed. Likewise, refraining from what is forbidden at a certain time will also be a good deed. Otherwise, any action which is basically a good deed is considered as disobedience if it does not contain the desire of obedience of Allah and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

For example, according to the Quran and Sunnah, if a traveler suffers by fasting and it causes him harm, then he should miss the fast while traveling. The Prophet ﷺ once saw a man suffering while on a journey. He asked, "What is wrong with this person?" and found that he was fasting. So Muhammad ﷺ said that fasting while traveling in such a condition is not considered a good deed. In another hadith, Muhammad ﷺ said that those who fast in this situation are being disobedient.

So brothers and sisters, this hadith indicates that the most important thing is the obedience of Allah and his messenger ﷺ. Otherwise the same fasting, instead of being an act of reward, will become an act of sin, because it will not contain the obedience of Allah and his Prophet ﷺ — but rather will be obedience of our desires.

The Virtue of Hastening to Break the Fast (Iftar)

Likewise, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said in a hadith from Sahih Bukhari and Muslim that people will stay on goodness as long as they rush to do iftar. In another hadith, Muhammad ﷺ said that Allah says: "Among my most beloved servants are those who rush to do iftar."

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 700 — "The most beloved of my servants to me are those who hasten the most in breaking their fast.")

So the beloved person in the sight of Allah is he who rushes to do iftar. This also shows the obedience of Allah and his messenger — that as soon as Allah has commanded you to stop eating at the time of sehri, you stop, and as soon as Allah commands you, you rush to do iftar and break your fast. So if someone delays his iftar, he is obeying his own desires rather than the commands of Allah.

So in actual fact, that is the whole purpose of fasting — and that is what we call taqwa. Whether we understand it or not, whether we wish to do it or not, but we still do whatever Allah and his Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has commanded. By doing this we can achieve taqwa — the fear of Allah. And he who follows this will be called the muttaqi in the sight of Allah.

The Rewards of Taqwa

He who gains taqwa will get the highest reward from Allah. For example, Allah will forgive all his sins, and the muttaqi will die in a state of Iman because he always remembers Allah, thanks him, and obeys him. As Allah says:

And Allah will make a way out for him from any problems:

And not only this, but Allah has promised to be with those who have fear of him:

Truly, Allah is with those who fear him. And what else can we want if Allah is with us? Allah also says that Allah is the wali — the helper and protector — of the al-muttaqun:

So brothers and sisters, these are the things which we aim to gain from fasting, and that is why fasting has been made obligatory for us.

How to Welcome the Month of Ramadan

Now we clearly know the purpose of our fasting. How sincere we are in trying to achieve this target in the month of Ramadan — we can assess by how we welcome this blessed month.

In our daily life we receive different kinds of guests, and we make preparation in advance to welcome them according to their status and standard. Alhamdulillah, Ramadan is such a great guest which brings us good news of Jannah, the gift of forgiveness, and the blessing of Allah. So we should prepare to welcome it wholeheartedly and take full benefit from it.

1. Make Du'a for the Coming of Ramadan

We have to make du'a that Allah gives us the opportunity to live through this month and gives us the health and strength to fast and worship properly during it. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to make du'a upon the coming of this month, saying:

"O Allah, bless us this month with peace and security, and with Islam and Iman, and enable us to do deeds which please you."

2. Thank Allah for the Opportunity

Thank Allah for giving us the opportunity to be in this month. Although there are many blessings of Allah upon us, the greatest is the ability to do good deeds in this life, save ourselves from the Hellfire, and be among the people of Jannah. And what better than the month of Ramadan to increase our good deeds?

3. Express Happiness at the Coming of Ramadan

We have to express our happiness upon the coming of this month. This is the month when Muhammad ﷺ used to give his companions glad tidings, saying:

(Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 2106; Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 8991 — "The month of Ramadan has come to you again — a blessed month in which Allah has made fasting obligatory upon you. In it the doors of Jannah are opened and the doors of Hell are closed, and the Shayatin are chained. In it there is a night which is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its good is truly deprived.")

4. Repent and Cleanse the Heart Before Ramadan

We should receive this blessed month by doing tawbah — repentance. Because unless we cleanse our hearts from sins, we will not be attracted to doing good deeds. We will see that even in Ramadan, lots of people find it difficult to go towards good deeds, and that is because they have not cleansed the dirt of their sins, which can be done through tawbah.

Some people are very careless in the matter of their weaknesses and sins. They give no importance to doing tawbah. They should know — as Imam Ibn al-Qayyim says in a very beautiful quotation — that sins need to be burned either with pain and regret in this world, or with the fire of Hell in the Hereafter. Now it is up to us where we want to burn our sins — in this world or the Hereafter.

Sincerity and the Sunnah in Worship

Likewise, every act should always be based on sincerity and in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, especially in this coming month of Ramadan. Whatever good deed we do, we should be careful and first check our intention — otherwise Ramadan will come and go and we will remain empty-handed.

If you want to correct your intention, then in relation to Ramadan, we should remember the hadith from Sahih Bukhari and Muslim where Muhammad ﷺ says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 38; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 760 — "Whoever fasts in Ramadan with Iman and Ihtisab, all his previous sins will be forgiven.")

Two things are mentioned here. Number one is Iman — meaning you are fasting because it is the command of Allah. Number two is Ihtisab — meaning you want its reward only from Allah. That should be your intention in every good deed that we do in this month.

The Importance of Hidden Good Deeds

As a sign of sincerity in our good deeds — especially in the month of Ramadan — is that we try to hide our deeds, to hide our good actions. Every one of us should try to gather such good deeds in our account which only Allah is aware of and which are not apparent to the people. Muhammad ﷺ says in a beautiful hadith: "Those of you who want to save some hidden good deeds, he should do so."

So brothers and sisters, let us ask ourselves: which of our worship is hidden from others? How many tears do we shed in the middle of the night while asking for Allah's forgiveness? And how much do we hide our sadaqat and helping others? If we have this, then we should save these hidden good deeds for the day when we will be the most needy for them. These are the good deeds which will quench our thirst on the Day of Judgment and will keep our feet steadfast at the time when many will become weak.

Don't be among those who pray at night, spend in the way of Allah, etc., but then one way or another mention these good deeds in front of others and hence waste their rewards. If you don't have such hidden good deeds, then make a promise to yourself today that we will start in this month to gather a treasure of such hidden good deeds which will benefit us on the Day of Judgment.

Acting According to the Sunnah — The Correct Intention for Fasting

Make sure every action and deed is according to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. For example, having the right intention in worship is very important for its acceptance, but we should make intention the way we have been taught by the Prophet ﷺ.

It is common among people with regards to intending to fast that they say in Arabic:

وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ نَوَيْتُ — which means "I intend to fast tomorrow."

You will see this du'a printed on most timetables. However, this du'a is not proven from the Quran, or from the hadith, or from any Imam. And if you look at its meaning, your fasting becomes useless anyhow — because at the time of Fajr you are reading this du'a saying you are going to fast tomorrow. So what about the fast of today? Are you missing that out? So we should avoid such made-up du'as. Intention is linked to the heart, and we make intention in our heart before Fajr that we are going to fast today.

Nafl Prayers, Taraweeh, and Qiyamul Layl

In addition to the obligatory prayers, we should try to add nafl prayers to our worship and make a habit of it. This can best be practiced in this coming month of Ramadan, as it feels easier to do good deeds in this month. In this regard, we should give importance to attending Taraweeh with the intention of getting reward from Allah. As Muhammad ﷺ says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 37; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 759 — "Whoever prays in the night of Ramadan with Iman and seeking reward from Allah, all his past sins will be forgiven.")

Brothers and sisters, we should try to stay in Taraweeh till the end, as Muhammad ﷺ says:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 1375; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 806 — "Whoever stands in prayer with the Imam until he finishes, it will be written for him as a whole night's worship.")

In another hadith, Muhammad ﷺ says that the best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night worship. And the Prophet ﷺ also says:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2485; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3251 — "O people! Spread peace, feed the people, maintain kinship, and pray in the night while people sleep — and you will enter Paradise without difficulty.")

So where the Prophet ﷺ has mentioned Qiyamul Layl — the night prayer — as a means of entering Jannah, we should also concentrate on the other actions mentioned in this hadith. They too will easily lead us into Jannah, and it is easier to fulfill these things during this coming month of Ramadan.

Spreading Salaam and Reconciling with Family

For example, spreading salaam — if we look at this from a different angle, it means that in this month you should reconcile with the people whom you have issues with and forget your differences. Muhammad ﷺ says in Bukhari and Muslim:

So how many of us are going through this situation where we don't get along with our siblings, our relatives, and even with our parents? We should take benefit from this month — and especially make up with our parents, try to look after them as much as you can, make them happy, don't get angry with whatever they say. And if you please your parents, Allah will be pleased with you.

Muhammad ﷺ says:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1899 — "The pleasure of Allah is in the pleasure of the father, and the anger of Allah is in the anger of the father.")

Likewise the mother, whose status is three times higher than the father. But it is a strange thing that we try to please Allah in this month and we don't use the right methods to please him.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Second Khutbah — A Recap of Key Points

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى سَيِّدِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ

Dear brothers and sisters, I am sure that what we have said and heard today will benefit us in this blessed month of Ramadan. But still I wish to recap some points briefly.

Number one: While fasting in the month of Ramadan, it is important that we remember the purpose behind it — and that is to achieve taqwa, the fear of Allah. If we do anything without a purpose in mind, then it becomes meaningless.

Number two: The deen is the obedience of Allah and his messenger ﷺ, and this is required from every Muslim in every aspect of our life. This is what we train for in this coming month of Ramadan — for example, completing sehri at the last moment, rushing to do iftar, knowing about the fasting rules for the ill and for travellers, etc. This is what makes us have the fear of Allah and become muttaqi.

And whoever Allah blesses with having taqwa and gaining this target, then according to the Holy Quran, he will always have Allah's support and help with him. Allah will be his protector and helper. He will always gain success, he will find a way to come out of his problems, and Allah will make matters easy for him in this world and the Hereafter.

So if we want to gain the benefit of Ramadan and achieve its purpose, then we need to remember:

• We should make du'a for good deeds and good health to perform them in this coming month of Ramadan.
• We should thank Allah that he has given us the opportunity to be in this blessed month.
• We should express happiness for the coming of this month, because Allah has opened the doors of Heaven because of it.
• Before the start of this month we should repent — do tawbah — and make our hearts clean from the dirt of our bad deeds, because hearts that are covered in the dirt of bad deeds are not attracted towards good deeds.
• Before doing any action, it should contain sincerity and be according to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
• Try to hide your good deeds — those known only between you and your Lord.
• In order to make all your worship in accordance with the way of the Sunnah, gain knowledge by attending study circles, especially in this month.
• While trying to please Allah, make your siblings and relatives happy with you — especially your parents. Remember that Allah is happy when your parents are happy.

Well brothers and sisters, Ramadan is the month of the Quran — so we need to strengthen our link with the Quran. These are some of the things which we need to remember in order to benefit from Ramadan.