When Will We Wake Up? (with British Sign Language) - Ustadh Abu Taymiyyah

Khutbah Opening

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him, and whomsoever He leads astray, none can guide him.

I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. He is alone and has no partner. I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

O you who have believed, fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul, and created from it a wife, and spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah, in Whom you ask for help and mercy. Verily, Allah is ever watching over you.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say the right words. He will amend your deeds for you, and forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great triumph.

When Will We Wake Up?

My beloved brothers and sisters, approximately 10 days before we enter into the month of Ramadan — year in, year out — we receive reminders one after the other, in order to take heed, in order to wake up.

Yesterday, I received two messages around the same time. One of them was a good friend of mine called Sohel, who was showing me all of the orders that people were taking before the month of Ramadan. And at the same time, I saw a couple of tweets. And I'm going to read out the tweets, so that we can perhaps draw a comparison.

The tweet stated: They — who's they? The Palestinians — were gathered together for humanitarian aid, only to be targeted and shot by the Israeli army. This wasn't an aerial bombardment, but rather a ground-level assassination. How many were killed? 104. Innocent civilians. This is what's happening, my brothers and my sisters.

There are our brothers and sisters, not just in Palestine, who are going through a lot. While we are extremely fortunate. We are advantaged. Preparing how we are going to embrace and welcome the month of Ramadan. In this message, my brothers and my sisters, it stated: chicken and mixed vegetable rolls — if you want 100, you pay £55; if you want 50, £35. Meat kebab, 2 kilograms of lamb karahi and whatever else. This is us in comparison to them.

Think about it for a moment, my brothers and my sisters. What has happened throughout the years? How many reminders do we need, year in, year out, in order to wake up and to take heed?

The People of the Hellfire Beg for Another Chance

So I want to dwell a little bit on the statement of Allah. When Allah tells us about those who, after they have been thrown into the hellfire, are begging for another chance. What did Allah say? It will be said to them: you had too many opportunities. You had many years to take heed, to make change, to wake up from your deep sleep.

Ali ibn Abi Talib would say: the people are fast asleep. When they pass away, they are placed 8 feet down into the ground — that's when they begin to take heed. But it's a little too late now. When they are struck with death, the angel of death rips your soul out of your body. He begins to beg Allah: "O Allah, take me back. Give me another chance so I can pray, so I can do this, I can do that."

Ibn al-Jawzi, رحمه الله, would say: if it was said to the people in the grave, "make a wish" — what do you think their wish would be, my brothers and my sisters? They would begin to wish for just one more day in the month of Ramadan.

The Warners That We Ignore

It is then said: didn't the nadheer come to you? If you translate literally what a nadheer means, it means the warner. Those warnings — didn't they come to you? Abdullah ibn Abbas and others said this warning was the white hairs that began to appear on your face. The white hairs that began to appear on your face. Others mentioned the death of your relatives — the death of your relatives that began to pass away around us. We bury them, we wash the deceased, we carry them on our shoulders. But then, my brothers and my sisters, we act like this reminder is for someone else. We live a life as if we are guaranteed to reach the month of Ramadan.

High-Profile Reminders Before Ramadan

Over the years, my brothers and my sisters, I would write down some of the high-profile incidents that would take place in and around the month of Ramadan. Many, many years ago, I was sitting in the gathering of our Shaykh, Shaykh Abdul Razzaq al-Badr, in the Prophet ﷺ's masjid. And the Shaykh told us a story.

He said he received a message where one of his African students was going to be performing all of these da'wah programs — this lecture here, that lecture there — and this was before the month of Ramadan. And it made the Shaykh very happy. We are in the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ. However, my brothers and my sisters, as he was hoping to acquire all of this reward in the month of Ramadan, he passed away. And this really, really struck me, my brothers and my sisters, because I had a schedule as well — of all the programs I was going to be carrying out in the month of Ramadan and outside the month of Ramadan. It left me to tears, my brothers and my sisters. We plan, we want — but how many a time does it actually turn out to be the way that we want it?

Some of you have heard of Muhammad Ali — Cassius Clay. June the 3rd, 2016. It was a couple of days before the month of Ramadan, my brothers and my sisters. He was the undisputed world champion, the boxer, between 1974 and 1978. Also considered the world's greatest ever boxer — he used to be referred to as "The Greatest." But the greatest boxer, my brothers and my sisters, wasn't in control of his fate. Just before the month of Ramadan, he passes away.

I'm sure some of us also remember our brother, Ali Banat, who became known as the one who was gifted with cancer. A young man, a multimillionaire, who passed away just before the month of Ramadan. We have been affected by the coronavirus. Everyone here either has been affected or knows someone that was affected. The last couple of Ramadans, my brothers and my sisters, we remember exactly how it was. Weren't these reminders for us to wake up from?

You remember also, my brothers and my sisters, the Ukrainian war that was taking place — not in Africa, not in the Middle East, but round the corner from here, in Europe. How many of us, my brothers and my sisters, thought to themselves that maybe next year it could be us? But again, these reminders that we hear about year in, year out — how many of us actually take heed?

The Dream of Talha ibn Ubaidillah: The Value of Reaching Ramadan

My beloved brothers and sisters, do you know what it means to reach the month of Ramadan? Just to be able to reach it.

Talha ibn Ubaidillah saw a dream. In this dream were two individuals who embraced Islam at the exact same time. One of them, my brothers and my sisters, was killed as a martyr. And we know the reward of being killed as a martyr on the battlefield.

His wound on Yawm al-Qiyamah will appear as blood, but it will carry the scent of musk. And the verses and narrations that speak about the virtue of dying in the way of Allah are many.

So this companion died as a martyr. And then there was another companion who lived for another year. In the dream, as Talha ibn Ubaidillah was standing in front of the gates of Al-Jannah, one of the gatekeepers came out and took the one who had lived an extra year — not the martyr, but the one who lived an extra year. And this confused Talha ibn Ubaidillah. You'd expect the one who died in the way of Allah to be entered into Al-Jannah first. But that wasn't the case. And then the gatekeeper came and took the martyr. Talha ibn Ubaidillah was hoping he would be next, but it was told to him: "Your time hasn't arrived yet."

He woke up from his dream and began to tell everybody. And then he reached the Messenger ﷺ. The Messenger ﷺ then said to them:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3925; also reported in Musnad Ahmad)

"Didn't he live for an extra year?" They said, "Yes." "And he managed to reach Ramadan and fasted it?" They said, "Yes." "And he prostrated all of these prostrations throughout the year?" They said, "Yes." Then he ﷺ said: "The difference between those two — the martyr and the one who lived an extra year — is the distance between the heavens and the earth." Just for being able to reach the next Ramadan and doing those acts of worship.

The Wish of the People of the Grave

What did Ibn al-Jawzi say? He swore by Allah:

If it was said to the people of the grave, "make a wish," they will wish for an extra day in the month of Ramadan.

Many years ago I reflected on this and I was trying to understand the why. Until I came across the statement of Ibrahim al-Nakha'i, who said:

To fast one day in the month of Ramadan is better than a thousand days outside of Ramadan. And just one tasbihah — سُبْحَانَ اللهِ — is better than a thousand tasbihat outside of Ramadan.

My beloved brothers and sisters, I say what you hear and I seek forgiveness from Allah for myself and for you and for all the Muslims. Indeed He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Second Part of the Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, the chosen and selected one.

My beloved brothers and sisters, another Ramadan, another opportunity. It is a lifeline that Allah is throwing out. It is an opportunity that we must take advantage of. Like I mentioned at the beginning — how many reminders do we need in order for us to wake up?

Could Our Sins Be Affecting Our Brothers and Sisters?

How do you feel, my brothers and my sisters, if I said that some of our brothers and sisters — whether in Palestine, whether in Syria, whether in Sudan, and everywhere else where our brothers and sisters are suffering — perhaps they are suffering because of something that we have done? Because of a sin that we have fallen into. Where did I get this from?

All of us are smart enough to know the incident that happened in the Battle of Uhud. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ placed 50 of his companions on that mountain, the mountain of Rumat. And he placed Abdullah ibn Jubayr in charge of them. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Don't get off this mountain — even if you see eagles snatching them off the battleground. Don't get off. Stay where you are."

But when they saw the war booty, they began to dispute with one another. And it is mentioned in Surah Ali Imran:

Allah says: you disobeyed Allah after He showed you that which you love. You are shown a blessing and then you disobey Allah. This is the worst type, or one of the worst types, of disobedience — when you are blessed, you disobey Allah. Upon being blessed with these ni'mah, these bounties. And that happens a lot. And you know better, my brothers and my sisters.

What happened? Because of something that they had done, the Messenger ﷺ's helmet was smashed, his face was gashed, and his tooth was crushed. Because of a sin that they fell into, my brothers and my sisters. What does that show us? The companions were right there on the battlefield, and it still ended up affecting them. Because of something that we do, it could end up affecting them.

So Allah gives us this opportunity to be able to get ready, to enter into the month of Ramadan, to do all of these acts of worship. And then we end up wasting it.

What Are We Doing on the Greatest Nights of the Year?

You know, my brothers and my sisters, the month of Ramadan is a month that can get you into Al-Jannah — and can also get you into the hellfire. The hadith of when the Messenger ﷺ walked up to the minbar and said, "Ameen, Ameen, Ameen." So they asked him: "Why did you say Ameen three times?" One of those Ameens was:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3545; also in Sahih Ibn Hibban)

Jibreel made a du'a and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said Ameen to it. One of those du'as was: he managed to reach Ramadan, he did not take advantage of it, and because of that he was entered into the hellfire.

My brothers and my sisters, to be a bit more frank — what happens on Coventry Road, it's become a chanrat. On the most glorious nights of the year, all that intermingling that takes place — he's trying to catch her eye, she's trying to catch his eye, dressing to impress. Wallahi, in Leicester, we would hear crazy stories, and I would feel embarrassed to even verify that information. Last year, we were hearing all this craziness taking place. People looking to stab one another on the greatest nights of the year, my brothers and my sisters. Blasting music, revving cars, making so much noise. Is this really being thankful to Allah?

The Example of Abu Sahba

Now compare this to someone called Abu Sahba. His wife Mu'adha — by the way, he was a tabi'i, from the students of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud and Ibn Abbas, and his wife used to study with Aisha, رضي الله تعالى عنها — she says: Abu Sahba would pray so much, and the only way he was able to get to his bed was zahfan — crawling to his bedside, my brothers and my sisters.

It is the month when we are meant to be exhausting ourselves, because we might never ever get this opportunity again. And then we are wasting it, my brothers and my sisters. Knives are being taken out — looking to take a life on the greatest nights of the year.

And in this year you have that which is taking place around the world. Do we feel good about it?

Du'a

Our Lord, grant us from our wives and our progeny a pleasing sight, and make us leaders for the righteous.

Our Lord, remove from us the punishment of hell, for its punishment is a lasting torment. It is an evil settlement and residence.

Our Lord, bring us good in this world, and good in the hereafter, and save us from the punishment of hell.

O Allah, grant victory to our brothers who are weak everywhere. O Allah, grant victory to our brothers in Palestine, and in Syria, and in Sudan, and in other places. Our Lord, bring us good in this world, and good in the hereafter, and save us from the punishment of hell.

And may Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.

Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him. I bear witness that there is no god but You. I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You.