Jummuah Khutbah - Sh Yaser Birjas (7/4/2014)

The Story of the Man Who Killed One Hundred

This man was guided to supposedly the most knowledgeable person who should give him the answer to his problem. This man was not so knowledgeable after all. When this man told him what he did, he said, "99 people are looking for repentance — Allah will never accept your repentance." Now having been deprived of ultimate hope, what did he do? He killed the man. That seed of evil was still there, lurking in his heart. So he did it, and he killed this man — he made it 100.

But then what's next? That didn't bring him peace. He didn't feel good about it. But inside he knew whatever answer he got was wrong. There had to be hope somewhere. So he asked again about the most knowledgeable person — someone who is more knowledgeable than this man. And he was guided to that other man.

He goes to this scholar and asks him, "I have done so and so — I've killed 100 people right now. Is there any tawbah for me? Can I repent? Can I have that inner peace?" So he told him confidently, "Who's going to stop you from repenting to Allah? Of course tawbah is always open. However, take my advice — wherever you live, that's a very bad neighborhood. You better leave from that town and go somewhere else. There's a small town, so and so — it has nice, good people, righteous people who are worshipping Allah. Why don't you make a journey and move from that area to that other location, and worship Allah with those people."

SubhanAllah, this man immediately took that advice and prepared himself for departure. Carrying all this burden and all this pain, he walked the distance between the two cities. And in between, in the middle, Allah took his life.

The angels came arguing about him. The angels of torment said, "He killed 100 people — what good did he do?" The angels of mercy said, "But he was coming to Allah — that's enough. He was so sincere about it, and that was enough." Then another angel came in between and reconciled between them, saying, "Why don't you measure the distance between the two cities?" And they found out that he was closer to the city where he was going. In another narration, Allah made the land shrink to make him closer — so he would be counted among the people who are forgiven, and he would enter al-Jannah.

For what? For the good intention. And for what? For making the effort and taking the first few steps — going back to Allah.

Ramadan: The Month of Return

Isn't that what we need today, jama'ah, in this month of Ramadan? Last week we started the month of Ramadan, and we know we all come with a lot of baggage with us. Each and every one of us has his own things. You don't have to disclose that to anybody — but you should disclose that to Allah. You should reflect. You should raise your hands. And you should ask Allah for forgiveness for whatever you've done. Regardless.

I once had a message from a brother. He asked: "When I fast the month of Ramadan — because the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, says when you fast Ramadan, you kaffir al-dhunub — fasting expiates the sins. And also making qiyam al-layl and the taraweeh would expiate the sins. Does that mean all my sins?" The answer is: of course it's supposed to be your sins, if you come sincere to Allah — including major sins. So that's between you and Allah. It depends how sincere your repentance was, and it depends on what kind of sin was committed. If it was against other human beings, you're going to have to also reconcile with these people. But eventually, if you come back to Allah sincerely, Allah will forgive you.

This is an opportunity right now for all of us to come clean with Allah. And by the end of the month of Ramadan, we'll be among those whom Allah promised to free from Jahannam, from the fire of Hell.

The Mukaffarat al-Dhunub — Acts That Expiate Sins

What I want to share with you are some of the mukaffarat al-dhunub — what the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, prescribed for us as acts that will help you expiate the sins, acts that will help you erase these sins, and acts that will help you make your tawbah sincere and genuine. Acts that will help you take the first few steps to return back to Allah. These are acts that you usually do on a daily basis, but with focus and intention — and asking Allah every time you do that good deed to forgive you.

1. Al-Tawbah al-Sadiqah — Sincere Repentance

The first thing you're going to need is al-tawbah al-sadiqah. When you come to Allah, He needs to see that sincerity in the heart. When you come and say, "Ya Rabb, I ask Your forgiveness. Ya Rabb, I apologize. Ya Rabb, I messed up" — you mean it. When you say, "Ya Rabb, I need Your mercy" — you mean it. "Ya Allah, forgive me for what I've done. Ya Rabb, I've done so and so. Ya Allah, forgive me for this." You come clean with Allah.

With humans, they might not forgive you. They might even be shocked with what you've done, like the first man in this story. But Allah — nothing is too great in front of Allah. Whatever sin you've committed, when it comes to the mercy of Allah, it is nothing. But you need to go and pursue that mercy from Allah.

The Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said:

Whoever repents to Allah anytime before the sun rises from the west — meaning before the Day of Judgment — Allah will accept his tawbah. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2703)

So the first thing you need to focus on is reflecting on the meaning of your tawbah. How can you make your tawbah correct? There are three conditions:

First — Al-Iqla': Quit whatever you're repenting from. That's the first rule of success. If you already know that you're in trouble, what is the first thing you need to do? Stop doing that same thing. Stop perpetuating the problem. Is it watching things on the internet? Do something about it. Is it going to wrong places? Just stay out of that place. Hanging out with the wrong crowd? Change that crowd. Whatever is required — you need to quit first. You don't say "I repent" while you're still doing it.

Second — Al-Nadam: Regret what you've done. It's not like you're quitting and then every now and then you feel the "good old days." You don't remember these as good old days. Never ever remember them as good times. Instead, these are moments that would make you cry when you remember yourself in those positions — when you remember what you've done against this person, that person, or against Allah. Your tears should flow to show that you are truly remorseful for what you've done.

Third — Al-'Azm 'ala 'Adam al-Ruju': Have the firm determination that you will never return back to that sin. If you repent to Allah, do not put the clock of that previous life behind the door "just in case — if it doesn't work out, I didn't lose much." No. You need to quit, you need to regret, and you need to make sure you would never come back to that act.

Now, if that sin was committed against another human being, you should — as much as you can — find that person, reconcile, and seek forgiveness from them as well. If you couldn't find them, that's between you and Allah.

2. Making Thorough Wudu' for Every Salah

Alhamdulillah, in Ramadan we go back to Allah and do a lot of good deeds. One of these is the salah. So we pray the five daily prayers regularly. Why don't you add one quality — make wudu' for every single salah. A fresh wudu' for every single salah. It doesn't take much of your time — thirty seconds, one minute, mashAllah, your wudu' is done. But when you do it, do it calmly, quietly, nicely, without wasting water.

The Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said:

Whoever makes wudu' and makes it perfectly, the sins will come out of his body — from every limb — until they come out from underneath his fingernails. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 245)

With the water flowing down from your face as you wash it, the sins will come out. The sins committed by the eyes will come out. When you wipe over your ears, the sins that came through the ears will also come out. The hands, the legs, and so on. So the sins will come out. That's an opportunity to do it at least five times a day — and if you can do it more, bismillah, why not?

3. Maintaining the Five Daily Prayers

The Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, mentioned the five daily prayers as mukaffirat — expiators of sins. He said:

The five daily prayers destroy the sins between them, as long as you avoid the major ones. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 233)

Whatever minor little sins we do on a daily basis — we are full of these things, Allahumma asta'in — hopefully Allah will erase these for us between every single salah and the next.

4. Tasbeeh and Adhkar After the Salah

What else can you do to expiate sins and make your tawbah sincere? Do your tasbeeh, your adhkar, your dhikr after the salah — SubhanAllah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times, Allahu Akbar 33 times — and then conclude with:

The Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said about whoever does that after every single fard salah:

That the sins will be forgiven even if they were like the foam on the surface of the sea. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 597)

Have you seen the surging waves in the ocean — how when they come close to the shore they fill with foam? SubhanAllah, even if there was that much, it would be forgiven, as long as you maintain that. Remember — when you do it, do it consciously. It shouldn't become something mechanical where you don't even understand or pay attention to what you're saying. Do it consciously, as you glorify Allah and seek His forgiveness.

5. Frequent Visits to the Masjid

Today you're off — so why don't you come for Salatul Asr? Why don't you come for Salatul Maghrib, pray, and then go back and have your iftar with the family? Add an extra salah in the masjid. For suhoor, you're most likely up at five o'clock, so why not come and pray Salatul Fajr at the masjid? The Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said:

"Shall I guide you to what Allah uses to erase sins and elevate ranks?" They said, "Of course, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "Making thorough wudu' even when it is difficult, and walking frequently to the masajid." (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 251)

Walking frequently to the masjid — coming over and over again to every single salah as much as you can. The Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, says: as you walk to the masjid, you get one hasanah — one rank raised high for you — and one sayyiah — one bad deed erased. Imagine when you do that five times a day. Imagine how much you gain, inshAllah, by something you usually do on a regular basis.

6. Siyam al-Ramadan — Fasting Ramadan

Alhamdulillah — this is now the month of Ramadan. We are finishing almost the first week. Siyam al-Ramadan is the number one thing. When you do it, do it right. The Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said:

Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and hope for reward, Allah will forgive them their sins. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 38; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 760)

Some of us fast only because we have to. Some of us because it's the culture or the tradition. Some of us fast because it's just awkward not to fast since everybody's fasting. That's not enough. When you do it, do it with joy and happiness. Do it because you want to do it for the sake of Allah. This is what grants you that forgiveness.

7. Qiyam al-Layl — Night Prayers

Whether you pray the taraweeh in the masjid or at home, you still get that reward fulfilled for you. Even if you had dinner with some friends at home and could not come to the masjid for taraweeh — that doesn't mean you don't pray together in that house, or that you don't pray alone at home. Just do your night prayers during the month of Ramadan. The Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said:

Whoever prays qiyam of Ramadan out of faith and hope for reward, Allah will forgive their sins. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 37; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 759)

8. Laylat al-Qadr — The Night of Power

One single night that is exclusive for the month of Ramadan:

Better than the worship of one thousand months. Imagine an extra lifetime being added to your life in just one single night. If you can take your days off during the last ten nights of Ramadan, you should do that. If you can take that vacation to make a spiritual retreat for yourself and your family, you should. It's one single night — and if you catch the ibadah right during that night, I hope Allah would add to you the reward of worshipping one thousand months. That's a great deal, and it's an opportunity for these sins to be forgiven.

9. Ittiba' al-Sayyi'ah bil-Hasanah — Following Every Sin with a Good Deed

In the process of doing what I just described, we are humans after all. And when I say human, it means we are not designed with that angelic perfection — we are going to make mistakes. We're prone to error. Even as we made the commitment with Allah that we would never go back to that thing, there are weak moments in our lives. And as a result, we might err and make mistakes again.

So what's the solution? To quit? Give up? "Oh, I've tried that many times. It never worked for me. I feel hypocritical." That's the shaytan now thinking for you. You don't allow the shaytan to take you that route. Instead, keep insisting. How? Ittiba' al-sayyi'ah bil-hasanah — follow every sin with something good. Hopefully that will erase it. Allah says:

Good deeds erase the sins committed before them. And the Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said in a hadith recorded by Imam Muslim and Imam Ahmad:

Follow every bad deed with a good deed, and it will erase it. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1987; Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 21392)

If you do something wrong, immediately seek Allah's forgiveness. Don't premeditate the sin and plan the tawbah for afterwards — no. But if it just happens, then you need to return back to Allah and ask for His forgiveness, and follow every sayyi'ah with a good deed and it will erase it for you.

10. Praying Two Rak'ahs After Sinning

Sometimes we say, "I did something really, really big — I don't think just saying astaghfirullah will be enough for what I've done." The Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said in a hadith narrated by 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him:

Whoever commits a sin, then makes a thorough wudu' as for salah, then stands and prays two rak'ahs, and seeks Allah's forgiveness — Allah will forgive him that sin. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 1521; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 406)

Imagine doing this consciously — consciously acknowledging your sin, coming back to Allah, making that thorough wudu' which is itself an expiation of sin, and then praying those two rak'ahs which is also another expiation of sin. When you do all of that consciously, Allah will forgive you that sin.

As you can see, these things we do on a daily basis — we come to the masjid, we pray our salah, we make our wudu', we do our dhikr, we seek Allah's forgiveness, we maintain these acts on a regular basis. There are so many ways by which you can have your sins forgiven. And this is the best opportunity.

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.

11. Sadaqah — Giving in Charity

One last point I would like to share with you regarding these acts of ibadah that will help us get forgiveness at the end of this month — and hopefully on every single day and evening of this month of Ramadan, we will become among those who are freed from Jahannam. Allahumma ameen.

One of these things is sadaqah — giving in charity. The Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said in a hadith in Sunan al-Tirmidhi:

Charity extinguishes sin just as water extinguishes fire. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2616)

Imagine if you would like to put a fire out — what do you do? You pour water over it. Imagine if you've done something wrong — what can you do? You ransom yourself. You ransom yourself for a good cause.

I know that you are all blessed with many opportunities and requests for fundraising and many legitimate causes, alhamdulillah. The choice is yours — but give. Give for the sake of Allah for every single cause. Don't deprive yourself of the khayr. Don't deprive yourself and your families from that khayr. Don't make this feel like an obligation — no one forces you to give. Take this as an opportunity.

This is the month of Ramadan — I'm glad that opportunities to give are very frequent. So every time someone asks, just give. Even if it's $5, $10, $100 — as much as you can, just give. Because these are doors of opportunities opening to you every single day in the month of Ramadan. Don't let this opportunity slip away. Because after Ramadan, it's not as frequent, and the reminders become less and less.

Teach your kids the habits of giving in the month of Ramadan. If you want to give something, put it in their hand and ask them to place it in the box or give it to the person collecting. Teach your children the acts of generosity. This is an opportunity.

Du'a for the Ummah

The khutbah is a du'a — so when you make du'a, Allah will send angels to say ameen. And when you ask for other people, Allah sends these angels to say ameen for you as well.

Now in the situation we see in the Muslim world right now — specifically what's happening in Gaza and Palestine, what's happening in Iraq, what's happening for the Rohingya, and in other places in the Muslim world — they definitely need your support and your du'a. So remember them. May Allah give them help and assistance. May Allah alleviate the sufferings of these people. And may Allah alleviate our sufferings in this dunya and the akhirah.

May Allah forgive us all our sins. May Allah make us among those who listen to this speech and follow the best of it. May Allah forgive us all our sins in this dunya, and may we meet in Jannah in the akhirah.