Jummah Khutbah: Blessings of Allah

The Blessings of Allah: Recognition, Gratitude, and Preservation

My humble salutations upon the Chosen One, Muhammad, his companions, his family members, and those who follow their footsteps until the Day of Resurrection. Respected brothers and sisters, I greet you with the greeting of Islam. السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

Indeed, it's a great blessing of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that Allah azza wa jal has given you and I the ability and the opportunity to be in the house of Allah on this blessed day of Jum'ah. This is indeed a blessing of Almighty Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Every individual, when he or she wakes up in the morning, immediately there are multiple blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that are continuously upon this individual without him or her realizing.

Every single day we enjoy so many great blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in our lives. In fact, our coming to Jum'ah itself is a blessing of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Having the facility to provide us with comfort through which we can worship Allah in ease and we can worship Allah in tranquility and peace — this is a blessing of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Because if you were to look around the world, there are people who have been deprived of many blessings, but still they are able to thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for those blessings. Allah azza wa jal mentions in the Qur'an:

Every blessing that you receive is from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Every blessing that you receive in your life is coming from Allah azza wa jal.

And every single day in our life, we are using these great blessings and ni'mah of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and they shower upon us. Because blessings are a source of preservation — if you didn't have blessings, then you would be going through difficulties and punishments.

The Greatest Blessing: The Prophet ﷺ

The greatest blessing that this ummah was given was the existence of Rasulullah ﷺ. That's the greatest blessing Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given to this ummah — that the Prophet ﷺ came and taught us how to appreciate Allah for His greatness, how to be thankful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for the blessings He has given us.

Blessings Require Maintenance

Now, a blessing itself requires some maintenance in our lives. When you are given a ni'mah from Allah, it's not that you just use it the way you want or you utilize it the way you like and then you move on and look for another blessing. There is no such thing as use and abuse and move on.

If you are utilizing the blessing of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, then it comes with a little maintenance of that blessing. The first and foremost thing is to thank Allah, is to do shukr to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — that, O Allah, You are the one that has given me this blessing. You are the one who has provided me with this blessing. Anything that you have is a blessing.

A person complains: "I don't have this and I don't have such a thing. People are living a luxury life and I'm still going through difficulties and struggles of my life. So there is nothing that I can actually thank for."

My brothers and sisters, if a person is alive, that's a blessing of Allah. If you are able to take a breath — the Prophet ﷺ said: the person who wakes up in the morning and he has only three things, he is the king of this world.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 2346; also referenced in Musnad Ahmad)

A person wakes up in the morning: he is secure in his family — there is no threat to him or his family. He is not worried that someone is going to come and attack him or attack his family. He has security.

مُعَافًى فِي جَسَدِهِ — he doesn't have any major illness. He is able to walk around, he is able to do his things.

عِنْدَهُ قُوتُ يَوْمِهِ — and he only has enough food that can sustain him for that day only. He only has one day's provision. His bank balance is not full such that he is not worried about the next five years of his life — that even if, God forbid, he was to lose his job, he could still survive for another couple of years without going bankrupt. He doesn't have those fears. He only acknowledges that that day Allah azza wa jal is going to provide for him.

The Prophet ﷺ said: this person is the king of this world. He is the king of this world who only owns one day's provision. Imagine those people who have that security in their life — that they don't have to go through much difficulty. What type of blessing they are in, in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and how many of the blessings of Allah are being showered upon these individuals.

So my brothers and sisters, this is a blessing of Allah. Allah has given us ni'mah. Just look around us. Appreciate. When we talk about negative things in our lives, we lack appreciation. Everything Allah has given — let's try to understand and thank Allah azza wa jal.

The Three Ways of Shukr (Gratitude)

So shukr is a way of preserving the blessing of Allah azza wa jal. Now shukr is found in three ways:

1. Acknowledgement of the Heart

The first is to acknowledge that this is a blessing of Allah. This is the blessing of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — Allah is the one who gave it to me. I didn't earn it, I didn't get it, I wasn't deserving of it, but Allah gave it to me. If I am in a position, Allah gave me that position. If Allah has given me the ability to do certain things in my life and to help certain people in my life, this is the blessing of Allah that Allah gave me the opportunity to do it. If Allah wouldn't have given me this opportunity, I would not be able to help other people.

So: acknowledgement — O Allah, I appreciate that You have given me this ni'mah. And I know it's coming from You, O Allah, because I don't have ability. You are the one that has given me this. So Allah, I thank You for it.

2. Gratitude of the Tongue

The second is to thank Allah by your tongue — by your speech, by the way you talk with people, by the way you actually speak — that Allah is the one that has given me this ni'mah. Allah azza wa jal mentions in the Qur'an:

Whichever blessing Allah has given you, mention it. Alhamdulillah, Allah has given.

There are two ways of mentioning things. A person boasts about what he has — "Masha'Allah, look brother, I have a Maserati." And another way is, a brother says, "O Masha'Allah, brother, you have a Maserati." And he replies, "Yes, Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me this Maserati. Yes, Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me this Ferrari. Yes, Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me a big house." Whenever someone acknowledges your beauty or your greatness or whatever you have, immediately take it away from yourself and attribute it to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is a sign that Allah will keep you in that ni'mah.

Because the minute you develop the understanding of — "Yes, because I earned it. I worked for it. I have done this for it, I have done that for it. This is how smart I played. It was on sale, or the market was going down and I grabbed it at the right moment. And the stocks went up and I made double money out of it" — that's not the way to appreciate the blessing. Because when you start to boast about things that Allah has given you and keep it to yourself, saying "I am the one who has done this," then eventually the downfall starts, brothers and sisters. It's a very bitter truth, but unfortunately this is what happens. You start losing everything in your life — you lose your health, you lose your blessings, you have many medical issues, your children have gone astray.

This is why — build the habit inside you that whenever anyone looks at a blessing that has been given to you by Allah, say: Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me this.

3. Gratitude of the Limbs (Action)

And number three is الشُّكْرُ بِالْجَوَارِحِ — to thank Allah by your action, by the way you use that blessing. When you have done the first thing and acknowledged that Allah has given you this — whatever that is — and it applies to everyone, even a person who owns very little, because every blessing is a blessing of Allah azza wa jal — and after you have acknowledged it and mentioned that you appreciate Allah by your own tongue, then you go to the third category: utilizing that blessing of Allah azza wa jal towards the means that are pleasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That is the true way that a person would be able to acknowledge.

Jabir ibn Abdullah radiyallahu anhu mentions that he went to meet Ali ibn Abi Talib radiyallahu anhu and they were talking about certain things, and in the middle of the conversation the topic of blessings came up. So on that, Ali radiyallahu anhu said to Jabir radiyallahu anhu:

"How beautiful are the luxuries of this world when they are given to an individual who knows how to use them. How beautiful are the things of this world when given to an individual who knows how to use them — إِذَا أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ مَنْ نَالَهَا."

And how are you supposed to use it? The person who does not help others with the blessing that Allah has given him — then he has decided to turn his back while the blessings were coming his way. When a person decides, "I am not going to help with the blessing Allah has given me," he has turned his back toward the blessing of Allah and said to Allah: "O Allah, I don't want more. In fact, take away what You have given me."

And then Ali radiyallahu anhu told Jabir:

"Be fearful, O Jabir, of what if Allah takes it away today? Because the one who knows how to give knows how to take it away also. He is the one that has given and He has the ability to take it away."

So O Jabir, understand: if you do not appreciate the blessing of Allah by utilizing it for the purpose that Allah has given you that blessing, then eventually what is going to happen is He is going to take it away. So use the blessing of Allah for the things that Allah azza wa jal has made permissible. And if anyone comes to you in destitution, with need — help them out. Any opportunity Allah gives you, help them out. Whatever great things Allah azza wa jal has given you, go ahead and do it. It doesn't have to be money only — it can be your ability. Whatever Allah has given you, in whatever way you can help other people, don't confine your help to only your friends or the people that you love. Make it general for all of humanity.

Because the Prophet ﷺ was:

Allah azza wa jal says: "We have not sent you except as a mercy for all the worlds" — all of humanity. Because the one who is giving — فَإِنَّ ذَا الْعَرْشِ جَزِيلُ الْعَطَاءِ — Allah azza wa jal is the one who knows how to give you more and more so you can use it for the benefit of humanity. And each time you give, He returns to you in double, and triple, and multiple times. So this is the third part — appreciating the blessing of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with our actions and our abilities.

Three Means of Preserving Allah's Blessings

So we have talked about the first means of preserving your blessing — which is shukr — and the three components of shukr: acknowledgement of the heart, gratitude of the tongue, and gratitude through action.

Second Means: Istighfar (Seeking Forgiveness)

The second point in the preservation of blessing is istighfar — asking Allah for forgiveness — because istighfar removes any type of deficiency that has come in utilizing the blessing of Allah. Allah azza wa jal says in the Qur'an — when the people of Makkah demanded and asked — Surah al-Anfal, ayah 32 and 33:

When the people who denied the truth said: "O Allah, if this Prophet is true and has come from You, then send down upon us stones from the sky, or bring us a painful punishment" — they were challenging, that we are going to go against this Prophet, so send us Your punishment.

What did Allah say in reply? Look at the mercy of Allah — وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ — and this is a salvation for the entire ummah until the Day of Judgment: "Allah will never punish them as long as you, as a blessing, are found amongst them." You are there — We are not going to punish them because you are the greatest blessing of Allah. And then: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ — and when Allah takes you away, then Allah will not punish them as long as they do istighfar, as long as they are seeking forgiveness for the sins that they have committed or for the wrongdoings that they have committed. So istighfar is a great way of keeping the blessing of Allah.

Third Means: Du'a (Supplication)

Rasulullah ﷺ told Mu'adh ibn Jabal — as reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim — "O Mu'adh, I love you, and because I love you I am going to give you a gift. Make sure you take care of this gift, because this is the sign of my love." And what is that gift that Rasul ﷺ gave to Mu'adh radiyallahu anhu?

"O Mu'adh, make sure that after every obligatory salah, you recite this du'a:"

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1522; also Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

"O Allah, help me, assist me in remembering You, in thanking You, and in doing the best of ibadah for You."

So the preservation of ni'mah is by three sources: shukr, istighfar, and du'a.

The second du'a — Abu Hurairah radiyallahu anhu mentioned, in Musnad Ahmad, that among the great du'as of the Prophet ﷺ was:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2739; also Musnad Ahmad)

"O Allah, I seek Your protection from my blessings fading away from my life — the blessings that You have given me shading away from my life — I seek Your protection against that. And تَحَوُّلِ عَافِيَتِكَ — and Your aafiyah, Your greatness that has been found in my life through which I am protected from all types of illness — that being changed or going somewhere else. Any calamity that befalls upon me without my being prepared for it. And in any way that You are displeased with me — O Allah, I don't want that in my life."

So these are the du'as of the Prophet ﷺ that he himself used to supplicate. This is another good way to preserve the blessing of Allah in our life.

Closing

If we do these three steps, my brothers and sisters, we will see how beautiful the ni'mah of Allah becomes. And in every pessimistic situation you will be optimistic. In every negative situation you will always have positivity in your life.

May Allah grant us the understanding. May Allah make us among those people who are appreciating and thanking Allah for His great ni'mah. May Allah protect us all. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive those of our loved ones who have passed from this world. We ask Allah azza wa jal to elevate them to the highest place in Jannah. For our loved ones who are ill, we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to give them cure. O Allah, all the people that are going through whatever type of difficulties around the universe — O Allah, help them, remove their difficulty, bring ease and happiness upon them. Ameen, ya Rabbal 'Alameen.

Second Khutbah

Alhamdulillah. We praise Him, we seek His help, we seek His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our own souls. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide. And whomsoever Allah leaves astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone without any partner, and I bear witness that our master and our leader, Muhammad, is His servant and His Messenger, may Allah send blessings and peace upon him, upon his family, his companions, and grant them abundant peace.

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The most merciful of my ummah to my ummah is Abu Bakr. The most stringent in the matters of Allah is Umar. The most modest is Uthman. The best in recitation is Ubayy ibn Ka'b. The most knowledgeable in matters of halal and haram is Mu'adh ibn Jabal. And for every ummah there is a trustee, and the trustee of this ummah is Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah." May Allah's pleasure be upon all of them.

Remember Allah, the Most High, the Most Great — He will remember you. Remember Allah, the Most High, the Most Great — He will remember you.