Oh Allah, Give us Good in this Life & the Next - 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 بَعْد، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْكَلَامِ كَلَامُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ، ثُمَّ أَمَّا بَعْد.

I start off by thanking Allah for blessing us with the hidayah and the guidance and the tawfiq and the opportunity to come and worship Him here today. My brothers and sisters, we know that du'a is one of the greatest acts of worship that we can perform. However, du'a is also one of the biggest blessings that Allah has bestowed upon us in this dunya.

The fact that we can call upon Allah and have a direct conversation with Him anytime that we need — to ask Him to help us, to ask for His guidance, to ask for His forgiveness, to ask for His strength against our weaknesses and insecurities, to ask Him whatever we want. And to Him belongs everything that is in the heavens and the earth. This is a great, great blessing.

Something which many of us have become accustomed to. One of the greatest ways for us to increase our iman is for us to look at the du'as in the Qur'an and the du'as in the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ — to understand them, to memorize them, to comprehend them, and then to worship Allah by using these du'as. And we learn this throughout the life of the Prophet ﷺ.

The Du'a — Rabbana Atina

A du'a that I'd like to take and focus on, and just spend a few thoughts pondering over, is a du'a which every single one of us is familiar with. And that is where Allah quotes the believers in Surah al-Baqarah, saying:

O our Lord, give us goodness in this life and give us goodness in the next life, and protect us from the fire of hell. A du'a which we have all heard before.

SubhanAllah, this du'a — not only do we find it in the Qur'an, not only is Allah praising the people that make this du'a in Surah al-Baqarah — we find it had a great impact on the Prophet ﷺ's personal ibadah, his personal relationship with Allah. This du'a had a great impact on that. And we learn this in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim.

The noble companion Anas ibn Malik tells us:

That this was from the most frequent du'as of the Prophet ﷺ — the most frequent du'as that he would use. And when the Sahaba, may Allah be pleased with them, when they saw the impact that this du'a had on the Prophet ﷺ, they too were heavily affected by this — up until this companion that narrates it, Anas ibn Malik. Every time he would make du'a, he would make this du'a part of it. Anytime he's asking Allah for something, he would say this du'a. And anytime somebody would ask him to come and make du'a for them, he would make this du'a for them.

And he would say: if Allah accepts this du'a, then He has given you goodness in all of its forms, in this life and the next.

So inshallah, today we have a du'a with us that we're going to be pondering and reflecting over, and we can walk away from this khutbah with a tool that we can use — an instrument that we can use to draw closer to Allah, to strengthen our relationship with Him, to increase in His remembrance — especially now that we are only a few days away from Dhul Hijjah entering upon us.

Two Perspectives of Mankind

When we look at the meaning of this du'a, Allah says:

Allah speaks about the perspectives of different people that we have as human beings and He says there are those people from mankind that all they are ever focused on is this dunya. They say, "O Allah, give us in this dunya" — and they pay no attention to the akhirah. May Allah protect us.

And from mankind are those that have the right perspective — they have that right balance. They say, "O Allah, give us goodness in this life and give us goodness in the next life, and protect us from the fire of hell." Each group will have that which they want. And Allah is swift in reckoning.

The Believer's Balance Between Dunya and Akhirah

One of the themes that we learn from this du'a, my brothers and sisters, is that the believer with correct iman has the right balance. He wants that hasana, that goodness in this life. He wants to live a halal life. He wants financial stability. He wants to be healthy. He wants to have a good family. He wants a secure job and career. We want crime-free areas. We want areas that are clean — something that we seem to be really struggling with. Allah al-musta'an.

However, the believer does not jeopardize his akhira for this dunya, because he knows Allah's pleasure comes before everything. And I'm not going to sacrifice Allah being pleased with me and sacrifice that blessing of guidance that He has bestowed upon me. I'm not going to sacrifice that to attain something from this dunya in a way which is displeasing to Allah.

And even when it comes to us through halal means, we understand this is an opportunity to draw closer to Allah — and not to start clinging to this dunya like there's no akhira. The believer understands that Allah has set guidance for us in everything that we do: how we attain this dunya, the attitude and the mentality that we have once we have it, how to spend it, and what this dunya actually means.

That hasana in this dunya is not just about money. It's about the mentality. Having good character. Having a positive influence on yourself, on your family, on your children, on your spouses, in your community. And anytime the shaytan comes to us and says, "Leave off Allah's guidance — there's another way, there's something better," we know this is just one of his tricks and his plots to send us astray — to end up in the pits of the fire of hell. Just the way he tried to send astray our forefather Adam by eating from that tree.

And the believer understands that whosoever gives precedence to something over Allah and sacrifices his relationship with Allah for something from this dunya, Allah will leave him to that. And that thing will be the cause of his misery. The barakah and the blessings will be taken away. It will go from a blessing and be turned into a punishment. Because we are here to dedicate our lives to Allah's worship. The believer takes every breath trying to draw closer to his Lord and prepare for his akhira.

The Hadith on Dunya and Akhirah as Priorities

The Prophet ﷺ tells us about the attitude and the balance that we're supposed to have. He says:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4105; graded Sahih by al-Albani)

Pay attention to this amazing hadith. Whosoever makes this dunya his be-all and his end-all — this is all he ever focuses on, he does not care about how it comes and he does not care about his akhira — Allah will scatter his affairs. Nothing will seem to come together. There'll be no blessings or any barakah in that. And Allah will place poverty between his eyes — meaning all he will see is poverty. He's never going to be satisfied and fulfilled, no matter what he attains, no matter how much Allah bestows upon him. He's going to want more and more and more. And nothing is going to come to him from this dunya except that which Allah has already decreed.

The Prophet ﷺ tells us in the same hadith about the opposite perspective — and whoever makes the akhira his intention, the akhira is his niya, that's his goal, but he has a balance whilst he is here — Allah will gather his affairs together, meaning He'll put blessing in those affairs, it'll become easy, he'll find contentment. And Allah will not just place wealth in his hands, but He will place wealth in his heart. So he is grateful and he is satisfied and he finds peace and tranquility regardless of how much he earns and what he attains from this dunya. And the dunya will come to him in a humble state — meaning it'll come to him easily. He will be amazed at how easy this dunya is coming to him, because the foundations are right. His relationship with Allah is correct. He understands the balance he is supposed to have.

The Story of Salim ibn Abdillah and Hisham ibn Abdul Malik

And if you want to know about the attitude and the mindset that the Salaf had for this dunya, then we look at the story of Salim ibn Abdillah. Salim ibn Abdillah — one of the great seven tabi'een, one of the great fuqaha' of Madinah from the tabi'een. His father was the noble companion Abdullah ibn Umar, whose father was the great khalifa of Islam, Umar ibn al-Khattab — may Allah be pleased with them all.

Salim ibn Abdillah is sitting one day in the haram in Mecca — may Allah reunite us there and enable us to go back and visit His sacred and blessed house, may He forgive us for our shortcomings and our mistakes. Salim ibn Abdillah is sitting in the haram and the khalifa of that time comes to him — the most powerful man at that time in the world. He hears that Salim ibn Abdillah is there. The khalifa Hisham ibn Abdul Malik comes to him and he is amazed that he has met this great scholar.

He says: "O Salim, is there something that I can give you from this dunya? You have dedicated your life to Allah's deen. Is there something that I can give you — an amount of wealth, a position, status, intercession?"

Salim responded: "How is it possible that I am sitting in the house of Allah and I am going to ask other than Him for something? How is that possible?"

Hisham was amazed at this answer. So he waits for him outside of the haram and says: "O Salim, now we have left the haram. Is there something that I can do for you — something from this dunya? An amount of wealth, position, status?" The most powerful man in the world at that time.

Salim asks him: "Is it something from this dunya or something from the akhirah?" Hisham responds: "Of course from this dunya — the akhirah belongs to Allah." Salim responds: "As for this dunya — it belongs to Allah and Allah alone. And I have not asked Him for this dunya because it is worthless to Him. How am I going to ask you?"

That was the attitude that the Salaf had — and the companions and their children and the next generations — towards this dunya. Now, that doesn't mean that we turn away from our dunya completely. It doesn't mean that. Like I mentioned, we want to have financial stability, we want to have a balance in our lives, we want to build something for ourselves, we want to live in crime-free areas. We want to deal with the problem of littering and rubbish — something that should make us feel ashamed, because these are areas where we are the majority. Something which should make us all feel ashamed. And subhanAllah, we think that we're going to alleviate the oppression in Palestine and the Uyghurs and all the other places, and we are still struggling in learning how to dispose of our litter. SubhanAllah. Shows you the state of where we are as a community and as an Ummah. May Allah forgive us and make easy the affairs of all those that are suffering.

The Meaning of Hasana

My brothers and sisters, one of the most important parts of this du'a is asking Allah for hasana. What does that word hasana actually mean? Hasana is a very subjective term. It's very comprehensive. It can mean many different things. It goes back down to any goodness that you have in your life, any goodness that you are looking for. It could be a job. It could be a cure for an illness — may Allah cure our sick. It could be being blessed with a righteous spouse. It could be being blessed with children. But most importantly, hasana is speaking about attaining Allah's pleasure in this life, so that we can also have it in the next life as well.

And when we as Muslims have our hearts set on something — I want this job, I want this car, I want this house, whatever it may be — and Allah does not give that to us, we are grateful to Allah for not giving us that. Because He has protected us from some evil which we are too ignorant to comprehend and understand. In His infinite wisdom and His infinite mercy, He has protected us from something which is going to cause us harm and misery, but we do not know. So when Allah replaces that with something better and He prevents us from going down that road, we are grateful to Allah. And we do not become like the shaytan and say, "Why? Why did you not give me this? I would have made it work. I would have done this. I would have done that." No. Allah knows and we do not know.

This is why when we want something we ask Allah: "O Allah, if it's good for me in this life and it's good for me in the next life, then place blessing in it and bless me with it. However, if it's going to cause me harm in this life and cause me harm in the next life, then replace it with something which is better." This is the attitude that we are to have in anything that we desire as Muslims.

So when it comes to the hasana of this dunya, it's speaking about many, many different things. As for the hasana in the akhira, then it's speaking about being in the highest parts of paradise, seeking Allah's pleasure and blessings in Jannah. But to attain that, we have to live a life of sacrifice and resilience against our whims and desires in this dunya. It's asking to be in the highest parts of paradise with the prophets and the messengers and the best of company.

Rizq — Sustenance of the Dunya and the Akhirah

My brothers and sisters, we know that rizq — sustenance — is important. However, rizq is of different types. The greatest form of rizq is our iman. That's the greatest blessing and sustenance you're ever going to attain in this dunya. And just ponder and reflect for a moment and ask yourself: how much effort am I making when it comes to attaining my rizq of this dunya? Rightfully so, we should all be making effort. But how does that compare with the effort I am making for my rizq of the akhira and my deen and my relationship with Allah? How do the two compare? How can I add more effort? What do I need to do to draw closer to Allah and realign my vision?

Especially now — over the weekend we're going to be entering the 10 most important days of the entire year: the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, which the Prophet ﷺ tells us that doing good deeds and getting closer to Allah is more beloved in these 10 days than any other time of the year. So it's a time where we all have to increase in our ibadah and our worship — just the way we did in the last 10 nights of Ramadan. We all have to make an extra effort in this time, my brothers and sisters.

I say this and ask Allah to forgive me and you and the rest of the Muslims. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Second Khutbah — The Connection Between This Du'a and Hajj

What is the connection between this du'a and Hajj? This du'a has a very important connection to Hajj and Dhul Hijjah because when Allah mentions it in the Qur'an, it is in the context of the verses of Hajj. This is also a du'a that we recite when we are making tawaf around the Ka'bah.

But something that I'd like to bring to your attention when speaking about this du'a — Allah says:

When you have finished performing Hajj and you have fulfilled your rites of Hajj, then increase in your remembrance of Allah like never before — more than you remember your forefathers or anything else in existence. This is a time to dedicate your time and energy and effort to Allah's remembrance.

If we look at what's happening here — the people have just finished Hajj. Their sins have been forgiven. The day of Arafah is finished. They are the closest to Allah. Born again. And Allah is saying: increase in your remembrance of Allah.

What do we learn from this? We learn that whenever we do a righteous deed, we are grateful to Allah. We are humbled. We are overwhelmed by the guidance. We are not proud. We are not arrogant. We don't look down on others. However, we do not feel complacent either. We do not say, "That's it — I've done a righteous deed, I don't need to add to that." No. Always add to a righteous deed that you're doing.

You've finished Hajj — then the dhikr starts. The takbirat. We've performed Jumu'ah now. We are grateful to Allah that He has honored us to worship Him in our community. However, that does not mean our deeds are finished for the day or even the week. No — it's time to do more righteous deeds. Pray your sunnah afterwards. Do your dhikr afterwards. Give something in sadaqah. That time of du'a being accepted — the last hour of Jumu'ah. As some have said: don't ever feel complacent after doing a righteous deed. Increase in that.

Closing Du'a

These are just some thoughts I wanted to share with you brothers and sisters here today. Surely Allah knows best. We ask Allah to give us goodness in this life and the next life, and to protect us from the fire of hell. We ask Allah to guide us and our families to His straight path. That He forgives us our sins and our shortcomings. That He enables us to go back and visit His house and to perform Hajj and Umrah many times. That He forgives us our sins. That He gives us His blessings in this life and the next life. And that He protects us from the fire of hell.