Can I Be Saved? - Shaykh Yousaf Jahangir

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

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

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْكَلَامِ كَلَامُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهُدَى هُدَى نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ، ثُمَّ أَمَّا بَعْدُ.

The Old Man Who Came to the Prophet ﷺ

The noble companion Abdurrahman ibn Jubair tells us of a truly amazing incident that took place with him and a group of sahaba that were with him around the Prophet ﷺ. He says a man came to them from the desert, and he starts to describe the state of this man.

He says in this hadith:

He describes him as being very old, being weak, being in a bad condition — he is at the decline of life, in a decrepit state. He continues and says:

This old man, his eyelids had drooped down over his eyes from the weariness and dejection of life. He continues and says:

This man is so weak he is leaning on a walking stick — he cannot walk without it. And it is important we reflect over this description of this old man, because unfortunately this is the state of many of our souls. This is how our souls feel when we commit many sins and wrongdoings.

Abdurrahman ibn Jubair continues, and he says: he sees the group of sahaba around the Prophet ﷺ, and with his weakness, his old age, and leaning on this walking stick, he brushes past every one of the companions up until he is face to face with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. This man is so overwhelmed, and he is in such need of help and guidance, that he does not even greet the Prophet ﷺ. He does not care that this is a public affair.

He gets face to face with the Prophet ﷺ, and ask yourself — if that was you in this situation, you had one chance to ask the Prophet ﷺ for one thing, what would that guidance be?

Can I Be Saved?

This man said to the Prophet ﷺ: imagine if there was a man who has committed every form of sin and wrongdoing. Imagine this man — he has not left any sin, not major, not minor, except that he has committed it. He continues: if this man's sins, transgressions, and wrongdoings were spread across every person on this planet, the sins would destroy them all. SubhanAllah.

Then he asks his question — a very simple yet powerful question: does this man have any chance of being forgiven?

What is he really asking? He is asking: can I be saved? Is there any chance for my salvation? On my side there are many sins and many transgressions — but what is lying on the other side of the equation? How is Allah going to deal with me?

This man is clearly troubled by his sins and the state that his soul is in. He is showing his need to be saved. He is an old man — a life full of regret, a life full of trouble. And many of us can relate to the state of this man. Many of us are too tired from the quagmire of sins — this toxic cycle that many of us are living in — feeling like we are stuck, feeling like we are being held down, being sick and tired of wandering along heedlessly in this dunya.

And this, my brothers and sisters, is the nature of sins — they cause us trouble and regret and sorrow and misery. And the nature of Allah's obedience is that it brings us happiness and blessings and contentment in this life.

The Prophet's ﷺ Answer

What does the Prophet ﷺ answer and respond to this man? He says: "Have you accepted Islam?"

Notice the miracle of the wording of the Prophet ﷺ. He does not say to him: are you a Muslim? He does not say to him: do you have a Muslim name, were you raised in a Muslim family, do you have a Muslim heritage or culture? He says: have you accepted Islam?

The man says he accepts Islam. He says: I accept, and I acknowledge, and I bear testimony that only Allah deserves to be worshipped in existence, and that you, O Muhammad ﷺ, are His Prophet and Messenger.

The Prophet ﷺ continues to advise this man and he says: do good deeds and leave off your sins immediately. If you do so, Allah will change your bad deeds into good deeds.

This man is amazed at this and he says: what about my major sins and my major transgressions? The Prophet ﷺ said: even your major sins and even your major transgressions, Allah will forgive you and turn them into good deeds.

Abdurrahman ibn Jubair, the companion narrating this hadith, says: this man is now full of life, and he says Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! and he repeats it up until he walks away from the group of sahaba and he is out of sight. SubhanAllah.

He comes to the Prophet ﷺ and he is defeated — at the end of his life, barely able to stand upright — and this is a reflection of many of our souls in a decrepit state, unfortunately. But once he finds revelation and the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ, he is excited. He has found a new purpose in life. He is invigorated, and he walks away with this energy. The guidance that he has found is more valuable to him than anything in this dunya.

Allah's Mercy — Never Lose Hope

Allah tells us about the nature of His mercy in the Quran:

Tell My servants that have wronged themselves and transgressed against their own souls: do not despair in Allah's mercy. Do not lose hope in Allah's mercy. Because Allah forgives every form and type of sin. Because Allah — He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

So never think that your sin is greater than Allah's mercy, because that is a trick of the Shaytan.

Allah also tells us in the Quran:

O you who believe — respond to Allah when His guidance comes to you. Respond to Allah and His Messenger when they are calling you to that which is going to give you a true meaning to life.

The Four Pieces of Advice

When this man came to the Prophet ﷺ, he was advised with four things.

1. Accept Allah and His Rights Over You

The first thing was: have you accepted Allah? Have you accepted His rights over you? The importance of His worship and servitude. Have you understood the blessings and the happiness you are going to gain when you worship Allah? Have you understood how He is going to make a way out for every difficulty you are facing when you prioritize His worship?

2. Accept the Prophet ﷺ as Your Ultimate Role Model

The second thing was: have you accepted the Prophet ﷺ as your ultimate role model and guide? The standard that you carry yourself to — every difficulty, any hardship, any situation in life you are going through — the standard that you have is Muhammad Rasulullah ﷺ. That is what you hold yourself accountable to. His guidance.

3. Do Good Deeds — Now

The third thing the Prophet ﷺ told this man: do good deeds. He did not say this time next month we are going to be in Ramadan. He did not say we are in the blessed month of Sha'ban. He did not say wait until next Hajj, next Ramadan, next month, next week, or wait until tomorrow — because the reality is there is no tomorrow. There is no tomorrow. Do good deeds now.

4. Leave Off Your Sins — Now

The fourth thing the Prophet ﷺ advised this man with was: leave off your sins. Leave them off now. You leave something for Allah's sake and you see how Allah is going to replace that with something a million times better.

These were the four things that gave this man life, that changed this man's life. He was with the Prophet ﷺ for a number of moments — he was in a difficult situation — and these four pieces of advice changed this man's life.

May Allah change our lives through the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ also. May Allah have mercy upon us and forgive us for our sins.

Du'a — Closing Supplication

We ask Allah to guide us to His straight path. O Allah, beautify your deen to us, the love of your worship to us, and save us from anything that is going to deter us and take us away from your worship.

O Allah, let us see this Ramadan coming. Let us be from those that make the most of this month — those that attain your forgiveness and are freed from the fire of hell. O Allah, let this Ramadan be the best one that we see. May we change our lives to get closer to you.

O Allah, have mercy upon our parents who have passed away, and preserve those that are living. O Allah, favour us and honour us to be the blessings in our parents' lives.

O Allah, have mercy upon all of our ummah and particularly those who are suffering. O Allah, ease the affairs of the people in Turkey and Syria. O Allah, cure their sick. O Allah, cure their wounded, aid those that are in need, and have mercy upon the deceased.