Jummah Khutbah: The challenge of Renewing Your Faith

The Challenge of Renewing Your Faith

My dear brothers and sisters, we live in a time when it's becoming harder and harder and harder to stay a believer. The fitna are so many, the trials are so great, and people are getting exhausted.

It hasn't been like this before. I remember 10–15 years ago — as an imam for almost over 20 years right now — I haven't had that many demands for questions and sessions to meet with people to discuss the matters of faith. Most people back in the day, they were concerned about: am I praying correctly or not? Did I pay my zakah or not? How do I divide my inheritance? Am I doing this right or wrong? People were concerned about practicing their faith.

Today, they're concerned about having faith or not. It's becoming harder and harder and harder to remain a believer in terms of fitna and trials like ours. So the fact to stay a believer is a blessing from Allah.

It's a struggle, no doubt about it, but it's no secret. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned that in the Qur'an, and the messenger, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in many ahadith mentioned that this will be the case. It's a matter of struggle until we meet our Lord.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

"You continue to worship your Lord until you face your certainty." And that certainty is the certainty of death. Until then, you're going to always be struggling with that certainty.

Iman Wears Out — So Renew It

It's a matter of struggle. In the hadith of Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As, radiyallahu ta'ala anhu, Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, says:

(Reported by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, on the authority of Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As)

That al-iman wears out from the heart, just like the design on your clothes, just like the color of your clothes is fading out — iman starts fading out from the heart as much. كَمَا يَخْلَقُ الثَّوْبُ. Then he says, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: so always ask Allah azza wa jal to help you renew your faith in your heart.

How often do we ask Allah azza wa jal this? How often do you ask Allah at the beginning of the day, and at the end of the day: Ya Allah, strengthen my iman. Ya Allah, renew faith in my heart. Ya Allah, as the hearts keep flipping up and down, Ya Allah, keep my heart confirmed of this faith and your iman.

How often do we say that? Wallahi, it is not easy today to stay a believer. It's a huge fitna. Allahumma nasta'in.

And that's why to renew our faith is a skill that we need to acquire, that we need to hold on to. Although, technically speaking and statistically speaking, subhanAllah, Muslims — among all people of different faith groups — register and have the highest level of satisfaction when it comes to life.

In a recent study that just came out, printed in the American Psychological Association Journal, speaking about the effect of oneness — the oneness with Allah, the oneness with the Divine, having this kind of connection in a spiritual realm — it has the highest level of satisfaction. Muslims have the highest level of satisfaction when it comes to life.

That's great news collectively, as a group. But as an individual today, we have so much struggle. And the demand — the emails, the requests from people asking the same thing over and over again — is alarming.

Especially among the young ones — those who haven't experienced perhaps an ideal, or at least a reasonable, spiritual life in their upbringing. They grew up in a time when Islam was under attack. They grew up in a time when Islam was always on the news, in a negative way. They didn't grow up like many people who practiced their faith and deen in peace and tranquility. They saw the beauty of our iman, our deen, our practice of our deen. Our younger generation haven't seen that. So their point of reference is not as strong as their parents' and grandparents' when it comes to the practice of the faith and the deen.

So they're struggling. And to renew the faith is a big struggle we're all going through.

Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, says in the hadith that there will be a time when fitna and trials are going to fall upon you like complete darkness — meaning in the darkness of the night you cannot see your way through. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam spoke about these times. He said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 186)

"A person in the morning is a strong believer; by the end of the day they have lost their faith. And the opposite — sometimes at night you are a strong believer but by the time you wake up in the morning you have lost it." He says: يَبِيعُ دِينَهُ بِعَرَضٍ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٍ — "He will trade his faith for a trivial portion of this dunya." That's not worth it. But it is fitna. These are tests and trials, and we have to go through them whether we like it or not.

Ways to Renew Your Faith

My dear brothers and sisters, when it comes to renewing our faith, there are certain ways of doing that, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has shown us the way in the Qur'an and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in the Sunnah. I would like to share with you a few things, insha'Allah.

1. Knowledge — The Foundation of Faith

The first thing I want you to understand is that a lot of it has to do with how much you know about your faith. A lot of people grew up in a Muslim community, Muslim society, Muslim families, and they practiced it — so they know it inside and out. Others don't have that same privilege and barely know the basics from Sunday school or from the occasional Jummah they attended.

Some people had a great beginning, but then stopped learning. And that is the one thing you must never stop doing. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala did not command the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in the Qur'an to ask for any increase in anything except knowledge. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala ordered His messenger Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and said to him:

"Say: My Lord, increase me in knowledge." He did not ask him to ask for an increase in provision or in lifetime. No. The only thing of such importance is to seek knowledge and increase in it. Because knowledge is power. The more you know, the more certain you become — that is the certainty of knowledge.

We talked about this in the previous khutbah when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam spoke about al-Ihsan — the excellent level of practice of our faith and deen. He said: "You worship Allah as if you see Him." What does that mean? As if you have the certainty of sight. And if you couldn't reach that level of certainty, then you worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knowing that He sees you — which means you have the certainty of knowledge.

Knowledge is very important for us to have that peace and tranquility we're looking for when it comes to renewing and affirming our faith and our iman. That is the first step we should work on. We should learn more. Look for opportunities. Our lifestyle in America unfortunately is unhealthy — it doesn't support that. When you go out to work from 7 o'clock in the morning, and you come back by 5 or 6 o'clock, what is left for you? Nothing much. By the time the weekend starts you're too exhausted to do anything other than catch up on family issues. The life is not healthy. But you're going to have to make time for seeking that knowledge — if not on an individual level, then collectively, by attending programs and halaqat.

2. Practice What You Know

The second thing I want you to understand: even though you say alhamdulillah, I have my faith — my faith is in my heart and it's alhamdulillah solid — may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make it stronger. But I hope it's the right one. You see, Allah azza wa jal even demands from the believers to seek more faith and iman.

"O you who believe, have faith in Allah." What does that mean? Even though He described them as believers, He says: have faith — meaning have more faith. Which means, according to the tafsir: practice what you know. If you're a believer, then why aren't you doing what you're supposed to be doing? Yes, I have the knowledge — but am I working on it? That's where we have our main issues. We sometimes fall short on practicing a lot of what we know, and in that process, the knowledge that you don't practice goes away.

Our ulama said: knowledge always calls upon action. If action doesn't respond to it, the knowledge goes away. If you don't practice something, you lose that skill. If you don't practice that knowledge, you are going to lose it and forget about it.

Practical Steps to Renew Iman

My dear brothers and sisters, I have a few things to share, insha'Allah wa ta'ala, in regards to how we can renew our faith and our iman. Things you probably already know. But: remind, for the reminder benefits the believer.

Pondering and Reflecting on Allah's Creation

The first thing that we're missing in our life today, in such a very busy lifestyle — that should help us renew our faith and our iman — is pondering and reflecting on the creation of Allah. Just pause. Stop it. You're running too fast in this life. You're rushing. You're going 100 miles per hour. Just slow down. Enjoy the sight through the window. Make a stop. Watch that beautiful lake out there. Observe the sunrise and the sunset. We live right now, as we come closer to summer and spring, in some of the most beautiful colors in the sky. Are you paying attention to this? Doesn't it amaze you sometimes how the moon changes in terms of its size and shape and color during different seasons? These things have been out there for all these years — but we're busy. We're not paying attention to them.

Allah says in Surah Ali 'Imran:

"Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, there are signs — there are signs, miracles — for those who have reason and intellect, those who reflect and think." Then He continues and says: who are they? Those in a constant state of worship. They remember Allah azza wa jal as they get up and walk, and as they sit down and rest, and on their side even before they go to sleep. Day and night, constantly in remembrance of Allah. What do they reflect over? They keep reflecting on the creation of the heavens and the earth, and they are just amazed by that beautiful creation.

It amazes me sometimes how far people can go to show us the magnificent creation of Allah azza wa jal on a big screen — the new documentaries about planet earth, the Blue Planet, showing you the creation of Allah in HD. Unbelievable things we've never seen so close before. But these things have existed for thousands of years, and we're not paying attention to them. And today we just watch it on the screen and say, "Wow, this is amazing." Are we reflecting on this beyond just the amazement part? That's what the ayah is speaking about.

They reflect: This is truly the creation of Allah azza wa jal. That is not trivial. It was not created for trivial purposes. سُبْحَانَكَ — We praise You, Allah, far above creating anything in vain. And then they say — they know that this is the Day they're going to be standing before their Lord, and they seek Allah's protection from ending up in the fire of Hell. May Allah protect us from it.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commands us in many other ayahs to reflect on this beautiful, magnificent creation. He says:

"And among His signs and miracles is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variation of your tongues" — the languages that you speak. Isn't that magnificent and amazing? We come from the same pair, Adam and Eve, just the same couple — and how all these tongues and all these languages suddenly appeared on earth? But that is divine design. It is a divine design from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala so that we get to know each other. And your colors — same thing. We come from the same man and woman and have different shades and different colors. "Indeed, in that are signs for those who have knowledge." It goes back again to having that knowledge.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is telling us:

The seven heavens and the earth always praise Allah azza wa jal, and everything that is therein — this entire magnificent creation praises the name of the Lord subhanahu wa ta'ala. But you don't understand their praise. Just because we can't hear it doesn't mean it is not praising Allah azza wa jal. That is a magnificent creation.

Allah azza wa jal is saying: look at yourself. Isn't that enough of a sign for you? Look at the creation of man from the inside out — the body, the anatomy of the body, the functionality of everything, these beautiful senses by which you live your life. These are unbelievable and amazing. And every now and then we have a new study revealing something about one of the creations of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in our own body, and how it functions is unbelievable. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is telling us: don't look far away. Look closer. Your body is enough evidence for you to understand that this cannot be a trivial matter, that this cannot be a creation that came about by itself. It is a magnificent creation of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And once you come to this realization, you should understand that the One who did that deserves your praise and your worship. And once you have that praise and worship, your iman is renewed and strengthened. No matter how difficult things become along the way, you still have that connection with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Worship Allah — On His Terms

My dear brothers and sisters, after you have this beautiful realization of this creation, comes your action item. Now that I know this is all amazing — it is the creation of Allah azza wa jal — put it into practice. And what is the first thing to do? What Allah has ordered you. It's not a secret. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala was asking us to worship Him:

"That I have not created the jinn and mankind but to worship Me." And He mentioned it clearly. It is not for you to figure out what Allah needs from you in this universe. He is telling you why He created you. The Qur'an is an open book exam — the questions are there and the answers are there as well. He says you shall be tried and tested. You want to be saved? Just stay with Me. Worship Me. But how? On His terms, not your terms. That's why many people struggle today. A lot of our young men and women want to be believers — but on their own terms. But this is the way to safety. This is our way to safety.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is making it clear to us in the Qur'an and the Sunnah:

Alif Lam Meem. This is the Book. There is no doubt in it whatsoever. Guidance for the righteous ones. So the book is open for you to find your way. Allah is telling us: go back to the book and find your way to Me. And what are the qualities Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has shared with us that will give us this guidance?

The first: those who truly believe in the unseen. We don't see Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, but we believe in Him. I don't see the angels, but I know they exist. I don't see Jannah and Jahannam, but I know they exist and there will be a day when we are all going to be back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. I believe in that. And the stronger my belief is, the more peace and tranquility I will feel in my heart. And the less and less I move away from my faith and iman, the less the attachment to this principle becomes — and it gets scarier.

Establish the Salah

And then Allah says, after believing in the unseen: وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ — "And they establish Salah." So the second thing you need to work on is establishing Salah. How do you affirm and confirm your faith and your reflection over this magnificent creation? As-Salah. That simple. I know we all know that it is important. But do you even know that the importance of Salah is almost equivalent to the establishment of your faith itself?

Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, says in the hadith:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2621; Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 463; graded Sahih)

"The covenant that establishes the connection between us and them — and that separates the believers from the non-believers — is As-Salah. Whoever abandons it completely has left faith." So for those young brothers and sisters, and even the adults of our time right now, who say mashallah they have their iman in their heart but they don't practice their Salah at all — how are you going to find that peace? Maybe today you're finding it because of your age and because you think you're in control. But as we get older, as we start losing control of our health and our economy, losing our job — that's when people start realizing life is not as rosy as they thought it would be. That's when people start coming back to the subject of faith.

Which is why, subhanAllah, it is very commonly known that once people hit 45, closer to 50, they start becoming more spiritual, more religious — because that's when they realize they are not going to live longer than they've already lived. That's when they go through an emotional phase: Was it worth it? All that I've done — was it something worth it for me? If they were content with what they achieved, they move on with confidence. But if not, that's when they start becoming shaky and confused. You don't want to come to that phase in life when you don't have a strong faith in your heart, jama'ah. Strengthen that iman with the establishment of as-Salah.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is telling us that as-Salah is important — because that's where you find your strength and power:

"Seek assistance and help through Salah and through patience." The answer is there. You're having troubles? You're struggling? You need help? Find it in Salah. Okay, but I've been doing this for the past 10–15 years. Well, are you doing it right? That's the first question. And if you are doing it right, alhamdulillah — are you connecting with Allah azza wa jal in your Salah?

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

"Successful are the believers — those who, when they pray, they pray with khushu', with concentration and focus." That means: those when they pray, they connect with Allah azza wa jal. A lot of people pray but their mind is wandering all over the place. You've been communicating but you never connected with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You have to have that strong connection. Allah did not praise them for being believers. Allah did not praise them just for praying. He praised them because when they prayed, they connected — khashi'un. So my Salah is indeed the key for me to stay strong. But am I doing it right? Am I doing it regularly? Am I doing it with focus and connection with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

Ramadan — The Time to Reboot

Ramadan is coming up, insha'Allah, very soon. That is the time to reboot the system. It's a time when everybody presses the button and resets. Alhamdulillah, you have the energy to make extra Salah. Alhamdulillah, you have the energy to have more focus on your ibadah. You have the energy to pause, slow down, and make time for the masjid, make time for the Qur'an, make time for dhikr. It's a blessing. Wallahi, Ramadan is a ni'mah — a blessing — especially in times of hardship and difficulty. This is the time when you start eagerly waiting for Ramadan to come. But until then, you are in Sha'ban. And Sha'ban is a warm-up for Ramadan. Whatever you plan to do in Ramadan, make sure to start doing it in the month of Sha'ban.

Second Part of the Khutbah

Alhamdulillahi rabbil 'alamin. My dear brothers and sisters, in times of difficulties, the challenge of renewing our faith once again is to re-practice. And one thing I would like to mention very quickly before insha'Allah Ramadan starts — is the Qur'an.

The Qur'an — Healing for the Heart

I know we all know how valuable the Qur'an is, especially when Ramadan starts. But do you understand that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is telling us that the solution to your agonies, your pain, your worries, your uncertainty, your anxiety — lies there in the Qur'an? Allah azza wa jal says:

"That We indeed send down to you, O Muhammad, in the Qur'an, revelation that is healing and mercy — healing and mercy for the believers." Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also says:

"O mankind, there has come to you a reminder from your Lord, and a healing for that which is in the hearts." Whatever you go through, there is healing for it there in the Qur'an. How often do we connect with the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? That is a question, and the answer is left for you. Do you have a daily portion with the Qur'an? Do you do it once a year? Once a month? How often? That is a question you need to answer yourself, because wallahi, the answers to all these agonies are mentioned there in the Qur'an, in the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. We have the knowledge, but we need to practice.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us among those who listen to the speech and follow the best of it. Ya Rabbal 'alamin.

Du'a

"O Allah, teach us what benefits us, and benefit us with what You have taught us. Indeed, You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. O Allah, grant our souls their piety and purify them — You are the best of those who purify; You are their Guardian and Master. O Allah, send Your peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions. And be pleased, O Allah, with the rightly-guided Caliphs — Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali — and with all the companions, and all those who followed them in goodness."