What's Your Plan for 2026? - Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

Opening — Khutbah al-Haajah

In Allah and in Islam, I urge you and myself to have taqwa of Allah and ihsan, for indeed Allah is with those who have taqwa and those who are of the muhsineen.

My beloved brothers and sisters, I start — like always — by praising Allah جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ and sending blessings and salutations upon our beloved messenger Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

Acknowledging the New Year — Gregorian and Hijri

Alhamdulillah, Allah has blessed us by giving us another year. If we look at it from the Gregorian perspective — and we are allowed to look at it from this perspective because this is our lived reality — our lived reality is that most of you, if you are asked what year it is, you will not say the year 1447. You will say the year 2026. The reality of the matter is, if I ask most of you and most Muslims today what month we are in, they will say January. They will not say Rajab. And this is the lived experience and reality of people that live in the world today. The reason being is the Hijri Islamic calendar — which is far more important to us — is not something that is really regularly something you are reminded of or that you are aware of, and this is a problem that must be fixed.

But it doesn't change the fact that everyone does feel a new year has started. And with new years come promises, resolutions, reflections, wishes of change, etc. And there is nothing wrong with that. As Muslims, we ought to reflect over time — constantly, all the time. We are meant to think about what we have done in the past, and we are meant to think about what we are going to do in the future.

But before I reflect over that — inshallah together — I do want to make this point very clear: it is not right that you do not know you are in the month of Rajab, which is among the sacred months of Allah, among the most sacred months of Allah. You are in it and you are not aware of it. This is a problem. This is a problem that we are only two months — if not less — out of Ramadan. We have Rajab, we have Sha'ban, and Ramadan will start.

It is important that you think about this. It is important that you reflect over this. It is important that your behavior changes from month to month based on what is happening. If you were in Muharram, you should be fasting more, because that is the month the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ would fast the most. If you are in a sacred month, you should be a lot more aware of your actions, your deeds, and your worship — because good deeds are amplified, and bad deeds are worse in sacred months than they are outside of them. If you are in Sha'ban, which is the month before Ramadan — which is coming soon — this is when you need to look at: are there any fasts I need to make up? Especially for our sisters. This is when our deeds — our yearly account — will be taken to Allah. You need to be aware of this.

And I have said this many times and I will keep saying this, because as long as you are not aware of this, it shows that there is a huge part of your faith missing. Including, my brothers and sisters — when our children reach the age of Islamic adulthood where they are responsible for their ibadah, their actions and their worship — it is actually calculated with the lunar calendar, not with the Gregorian calendar. And this is actually very important because there is a slight difference there in age. You have to prioritize and understand: my deen operates on this calendar, the Hijri one.

What's Your Plan for 2026?

That being said, alhamdulillah, Allah has blessed us and we are here, and yes it is 2026 if you go by the regular or the Gregorian calendar, and that is a new year. People make resolutions. Usually you will find the memberships for the gym increase — gyms make the most money in the month of January because everyone wants to become fit, everyone wants to make a change in their lives. Now that's all fine and that's great. But what are your plans for your spiritual change?

We don't have memberships for the masajid, but I hope that if we did, then they would increase as well. What are your plans? And this is my question — I have it to myself and to all of you — what are your plans for this year?

Are you planning on performing an Umrah? And if so, are you saving for it? Perhaps you are planning to do better in your worship this year than you did last year. For you to do that, you have to be able to order yourself and ask yourself:

• How was my ibadah last year?
• How much sadaqa did I give last year? Can you put a rough number to it? Can you increase it this year? Do you think it was enough?
• How often did I repent last year? Can I repent more?
• How often did I keep the ties of kinship? Could I perhaps this year commit to visiting more family members, or more often?
• How often did I spend time in the masjid?
• How much did I learn? How many more surahs did I memorize or learn how to recite?
• Did I attend a class? Did I finish a book? Did I learn something of my deen? Did I do an Islamic course?
• How many Jumu'ahs did I miss — if I missed any?
• How many salats did I miss — if I missed any?
• How was my qiyam? How many nights did I do qiyam? How many did I not?

We have to ask ourselves these questions, my brothers and sisters. It is only by asking these questions that we can improve. And by asking these questions, it is not meant to be all doom and gloom — that you look back and you think to yourself: khalas, I am done for, I have not done enough. That's not what I want, and that's not what the Sharia wants from us. But we are meant to look back, and then seek Allah's forgiveness for our shortcomings. May Allah forgive us all.

Seek Allah's forgiveness for your shortcomings and your sins. Repent sincerely to Allah. And then look forward — with hope, with zeal, with passion: "I am going to do this and I am going to do that." At least have the intention, because the intention itself — Allah rewards you for it. Have the intention that you are going to do a lot more khair this year. Make the intention that you are going to increase the good deeds you were doing before — not just increase them in quantity but also in quality.

That you are going to say: "I am going to dedicate myself to learn more adhkar, or to read my adhkar more often. That I am not going to forget my dhikr when I am out and about. I am going to keep my wudu more often. I am going to pray more sunnahs. I am going to dedicate a day in my week where I spend more time in the masjid." Different people will have different deeds that come more naturally to them.

Now, the baseline that none of us should ever have shortcomings in is the wajibat — the obligations. They are non-negotiable. They are non-negotiable. Do your obligations. Your five daily prayers. Your zakat — pay your zakat, and pay whatever you haven't paid. Fear Allah in this regard. You will meet Allah. You don't know how long you have left.

Every Day Is Precious — Remember Death

Every day that goes by is a day you are never going to get back. Every week that goes by is not coming back. We can never go back to 2025. Whatever has been written has been written — sins and good deeds. So it's time for us to really focus and think about this.

Think about what you have put forward for tomorrow. Tomorrow is literally tomorrow, because each one of us — we don't know when we are going to die. So assume every day is your last day, because one of those days will be your last. Assume every day could be your last day.

This is why the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ used to say: when you are praying, pray as if someone told you this was your last Salah. Imagine someone told you this Jumu'ah is your last Jumu'ah — how focused would you be? How much would you stay in the masjid? Imagine someone told you that the last Ramadan was your last Ramadan and you are not going to reach the next one — all of a sudden that Ramadan becomes so much more important. One of these will be your last, and you don't control that.

This is why one of the greatest helpers to rectify our affairs and our situations, my brothers and sisters, is Zikrul Mawt — it is to remember death. As our Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

"Often mention the destroyer of pleasures" — i.e., death. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2307; Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 1824)

Often mention death. Remind yourself that every day is an opportunity. Every day is an opportunity — don't let it go to waste. Use it as an opportunity to give charity. Use it as an opportunity to worship. Use it as an opportunity to repent. Use it as an opportunity to put something for yourself in your account in the Hereafter.

I say this and ask forgiveness — for me and for you — for every sin. So ask forgiveness. He is the Most Forgiving and Most Merciful.

Preparing for Ramadan

My beloved brothers and sisters, I was reflecting over the time Allah has given us — that you not only appreciate the time Allah has given you, and the health Allah has given you, and the opportunity Allah has given you, but that you utilize it in the best way possible. Specifically right now: Ramadan is approaching, and it needs to be in your mind. The greatest month — Ramadan — is approaching. And you want Ramadan to arrive while you have good momentum, while your iman is high. Start early. Too often Ramadan arrives and the first few weeks you are still trying to get into the sense of more worship, more ibadah. Start now.

Start with what? Start by asking Allah to allow you to reach it. Start by asking Allah to allow you to reach it. Start by asking Allah to allow you not only to reach it, but that while you are in Ramadan you are among those that are forgiven and benefit from it. Ramadan — wallahi — few more Fridays and we're right there. May Allah allow us to reach it.

Now, what else can you do to prepare yourself properly for Ramadan?

• Number one: If there is any qada — any fasting you have not done that you have missed — start fasting now.
• Number two: Get into the habit of fasting now. Fast Mondays and Thursdays. Fast the white days. Start getting into the habit of fasting.
• Number three: Recite the Quran. Familiarize yourself with the Book of Allah. Don't be among those that only recite the Quran in the month of Ramadan. The Book of Allah — on the Day of Judgment — will come, and it will either be there for you or against you. Be someone that recites the Book of Allah regularly.

Let that be some of the changes you make this year. Not only that you become someone that recites the Quran regularly, but someone that understands the Book of Allah. Someone that commits to understanding the Quran — so that when Ramadan arrives, you have something to look forward to, something to build upon, a foundation. Too often we say Ramadan will be the foundation, and then Ramadan comes and after that we go back to the dunya and we wait until the next Ramadan. This is not how the Muslim lives.

May Allah forgive our shortcomings. Don't forget — you are in a sacred month. Utilize this time to do more ibadah, more worship, and get close to Allah. Repent to Allah often.

Repent to Allah, O believers, so that you may be successful. Your success is in tawbah. Your success is in tawbah. Repent to Allah.

Closing Du'a

May Allah forgive our shortcomings and our sins. May Allah bless us. May Allah give us many more years filled with ibadah.

Time is only useful and beneficial if it is filled with worship. Time is only useful and beneficial when it is filled with worship. May Allah fill our days with worship and with connection to Him, and with good deeds and no sin. May Allah fill our days with worship and with connection to Him, and with good deeds and no sin. May Allah fill our days with worship and with connection to Him.