2014-09-05 - Friday Prayer - Sheikh Khalil Abdul Rashid

The Adhan

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Come to prayer. Come to prayer.
Come to success. Come to success.
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.

Opening Praise

Alhamdulillah. We praise Him, we seek His help, we seek His guidance, we believe in Him, and we put our trust in Him. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the evils of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, none can misguide him, and whom He sends astray, none can guide him. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, there is no partner to Him.

The Hadith: Four Blessed Character Traits

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2485; also recorded in Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1334)

"O people — spread peace and salam; and feed others, share your food, give to those who are hungry and those who are needy; and keep good relations, connect with those family members that you have, those relatives, distant and near; and perform voluntary prayers at the time when other people are sleeping — if you do these things, you will enter Jannah with safety and security."

Entering Jannah with Ease

It's one thing to enter Jannah after having a tough time crossing the Sirat. It's one thing to enter Jannah after having a tough time dealing with your accountability and standing in front of Allah تبارك وتعالى. And it's quite another thing to enter Jannah بِسَلَامٍ — with ease, comfort, lightness, security and safety. No stress.

Blessed Contagions of the Believer

The Prophet ﷺ emphasized a few character traits that are really important to the believer. And he ﷺ commanded the believers to display certain character traits that he wanted to be contagious in his ummah. There are certain things that are private, that you should keep to yourself. And then there are other positive contagions that he ﷺ wanted to be shared and to be spread. And these blessed contagions, these blessed character traits, are such that they perfect and complete the iman of the believer.

And the very first of those is the spread of the salam. Abdullah ibn Umar رضي الله تعالى عنه — he used to go to the marketplace, the suq, first thing in the morning. And one of the children of another sahaba…