04: Eid al-Adha 2024 | Prayer & Khutbah - Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

Eid al-Adha 2024 — Prayer & Khutbah

Speaker: Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

First Khutbah

Opening Recitation — Surah Al-A'la

Opening Recitation — Surah Al-Ghashiyah

Opening Praise

الْحَمْدُ 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 وَصَفِيُّهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَخَلِيلُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

The Meaning of Allahu Akbar

My beloved brothers and sisters, I start by praising Allah and glorifying Him and mentioning His name and saying Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. Indeed, Allah is greater. Allah is greater. Allah is the greatest. There is nothing greater than Allah.

I want to reflect upon this statement that we have been repeating all day and the last ten days — this statement of Allahu Akbar — and what it really means for us. When we keep repeating this statement, that there is nothing greater than Allah, that there is nothing more majestic than Allah, that there is nothing that has greater magnitude and importance and is more powerful than Allah — that means when it comes to our priorities in life, nothing comes before Allah. When it comes to what we do, Allah always comes first.

That means that when we are worried, we know Allah is there for us. It means that when we sin, we know Allah is the most forgiving — that there is no sin greater than the forgiveness of Allah. There is no problem greater than Allah's might. There is no sickness He cannot cure. There is no helplessness He cannot help. Allah is the greatest, and that aqeedah and that belief and that mentality is what truly signifies what it means to be a Muslim — that you know that there is nothing greater than Allah.

This statement Allahu Akbar is so important — we start our salah with Allahu Akbar. It is so important we start the adhan with Allahu Akbar. It is so important that when a child is born, the first thing they hear is Allahu Akbar. It is so important that throughout Hajj we are repeating Allahu Akbar. It is so important that leading up to the Eid prayer we've been repeating Allahu Akbar.

My brothers and sisters, if we truly believe this — and if we truly mean this — then that means it should reflect in our lives. If truly Allah is the greatest, and He is, then that means that His law and the values that He instilled in us are greater than anything else that is out there. It means that what Allah wants comes before everything and anything. It means that today and every single day, in your heart and in your mind, Allah comes first. Allahu Akbar — we should say it, but we should also mean it.

My brothers and sisters, it is such a beautiful dhikr to believe in and to say. It truly signifies Islam. The whole world, when they hear Allahu Akbar, they know it's a Muslim saying it, because we are the ones that truly believe and we are the ones that truly repeat this statement over and over again. There is nobody, there is no one, there is nothing greater than Allah.

We Glorify Allah in Gratitude for His Guidance

That is part of how and why we celebrate. Allah says in the Qur'an:

So that you may glorify Allah for what He guided you to, and because He guided you — so we say Allahu Akbar in gratitude because Allah guided us.

And Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, in the beginning of Islam and in the beginning of his prophethood, one of the first things he was commanded was:

And mention your Lord's name and glorify your Lord — say Allahu Akbar. So my brothers and sisters, my first message to all of you is: say this statement often and live by this statement. Indeed there is no one greater than Allah. Allahu Akbar.

Why Are We Celebrating Today?

My brothers and sisters, another point I want to highlight today is: why are we celebrating? Why are we celebrating today? It is Eid al-Adha. Na'am, Hajj is about to be completed, alhamdulillah. Na'am. But the biggest reason and cause for our celebration is that yesterday was the single greatest day to have ever been throughout the ummah — the Day of Arafah.

Why is it the greatest day? It is the worst day for the shaitan and the greatest day for the believers, because Allah frees from the Fire more people on the Day of Arafah than any other day. And the following day is a day of celebration. Here we are celebrating the fact that so many were showered with Allah's mercy yesterday, that so many were forgiven yesterday, that so many were standing in Arafah yesterday. This today is the celebration of not just Yawm al-Arafah but all of Dhul Hijjah, which were the greatest days in the year. We celebrate occasions of worship, and our occasions of joy are directly connected to the occasions of worship that Allah provides us.

To summarize: my brothers and sisters, Allahu Akbar — Allah is the greatest. There is nothing greater than Allah. Any problem that you feel like you're going through, any stress that you have, any issues — remember, Allah is greater and can solve these issues if you go back to Him. Any sin that has burdened you — remember, Allah is greater and He can shower you with His mercy and forgiveness. BarakAllahu feekum. In the second segment I'll speak more about some advice as it relates to today, Yawm al-Eid.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا لِي وَلَكُمْ

Second Khutbah — Living the Sunnah on Eid and Every Day

My brothers and sisters, بَعْدَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ — today is the day of Eid, and I have one message for all of you: live by the sunnah today and every other day.

Ensure that your day of Eid is filled with ibadah. Greet each other with the greetings of Islam and send peace to each other and make du'a for each other. Visit your family members and see it as an act of worship. Raise the mention of Allah often and remember Him. Seek forgiveness. Come to the prayers. And remember — part of how you know your ibadah is accepted is that you continue doing ibadah.

Do Not Undo Your Good Deeds

Do not be like the one Allah spoke about in the Qur'an. There was a lady in Mecca — an old lady in Mecca — and she used to tailor clothes, and she would weave the yarn, and when she was done she would undo it again, and then she would do that again and undo it again. In other words, Allah says:

Do not be like the one who will undo their work. In other words, do not undo the good work you've done in Dhul Hijjah. Do not undo the good work you've done on the Day of Arafah. Do not undo it by falling into sin.

My brothers and sisters, dress in the way Allah told you to dress and behave in the way Allah told you to behave, and try and find as many occasions of worship as you can.

Spread Love, Gifts, and Greetings

As you are joyful, as you are happy, give each other gifts and you will love each other, like the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said:

(Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, Hadith 594; also reported in Musnad Ahmad)

Give each other gifts and you will love each other. And spread the love. Spread the greetings. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 54)

Spread the greetings. Call your family members that you haven't spoken to for a very long time. Use this as an opportunity to do Silat ar-Rahim — to tie the ties of kinship — and call people you haven't called, visit the ones that you haven't visited, come together, spread the love. Spread the love to your children, give them gifts. And remember: we are celebrating occasions of worship and the mercy of Allah.

Closing Du'a

I ask Allah to accept all your ibadah from you, to forgive all of your sins, and to allow you to see many more days of worship, many more Ramadans, and many more Dhul Hijjahs.