Friday Sermon- (942):s1- The night of Al-Qadr-s2- I'tikaf
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest. Oh, Allah, w e know nothing but w hat You teach us. You are the All- Know er, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us w hat is good for us, and benefit us from w hat You taught us, and increase our know ledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep aw ay from them. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and know ledge, and from the muddy shallow s of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity.
First Khutba:
The Night of al-Qadr:
Dear brothers, the subject of today's khutba is the Night of al-Qadr. I w ill not discuss the details of the texts (ayaat and ahadith) about it, but I w ill, insha-Allah, offer some reflections related to w hat should be believed about this Night. Allah the Almighty says:
"No just estimate have they made of Allah, such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth w ill be but His Handful, and the heavens w ill be rolled up in His Right Hand."
(Az-Zumar, 39:67)
As regards the meaning of this ayah, w hich is related to the sense of the w ord 'qadr' (estimate), scholars of the principles of jurisprudence said that it is contradictory in its opposition; i.e. given that Allah the Almighty says that His servants, some or most of them, have not made a just estimate of Him, such as is due to Him, this means w e should make the fair estimate of Him. Actually, this meaning show s the big difference w hich exists betw een a w orshipper and a scholar.
The difference between a scholar and a worshipper
Dear brothers, the w orshipper complies w ith Allah's commands, but on account of his not having made a just estimate of Allah, such as is due to Him, he may have a fragile resistance to sins; he may lose, at the smallest pressure or temptation, his uprightness, his firmness in the Path of Allah, w hich w ill keep him aw ay from the acts of w orship. Actually, although it w as reasonably easy for the w orshipper to be firm a hundred years ago, now adays, at the time of grow ing desires and temptations, of pressures, of the alteration of moral values; at the time w hen people enjoin w hat is bad and forbid w hat is good; w hen there are w omen w ho are dressed yet appear to be naked, and incline tow ards men and try to seduce them; w hen the one w ho clings to his deen is as the one w ho holds an ember; w hen a child becomes a cause of w rath; the rain makes you hot; mean people are so many and noble men are very few ; w hen the traitor is trusted w hile the loyal one is mistrusted and the innocent is accused; w hen the believer's heart melts w ith sorrow at seeing w rongdoing, yet he cannot change anything –if he keeps silent, they w ill violate his rights; and if he speaks they w ill kill him; w hen people w ho enjoin good and forbid w rong are treated unjustly and w hen good is deemed bad and bad is deemed good, at such a time rather than devotional compliance w hat becomes badly needed is accurate know ledge. In fact, devotional compliance cannot resist pressures, nor w ithstand ambiguity or desires, so w e are in desperate need of know ledge w ith certainty based on know ing Allah the Almighty. Dear brothers, w hen Man certainly and surely believes in the Hereafter, this w ill reflect upon all his standards (of good and bad). How ever, if such is not the case, that means he w ill not hold on firmly to Allah's Commands. Dear brothers, w hen Islam has turned into mere formal acts of w orship, a framew ork, an inherited behavior, a habit; a framew ork rather than content; w hen w e profess our Islam and act according to other people's w ays; w hen the w estern values fill our ears and eyes; When w e imitate non-Muslims in everything; w hen w e sacrifice our ow n Islamic w ay, w hich came to us from Allah, in order to imitate the pow erful and please them; at such a difficult time, w hen the believer's heart melts w ith sorrow ; there arises an overw helming need for know ledge; of course, the kind of know ledge that emanates from acts of w orship rather than leads to hollow acts of w orship, devoid of w hat is certain know ledge. Dear brothers, w e read in the noble ahadith:
"The preference of a scholar over a w orshipper is like that of the full moon over the planets."
[Reported by Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi, with good isnad]
And in another hadith:
"… is like the preference of myself over all of you."
[Authentic hadith, reported by Tirmidhi]
What a huge distance betw een the Prophet's station and that of a negligent believer! Dear brothers: It is easier for Shaytan to seduce a thousand w orshippers (w ho have no Islamic know ledge) than to seduce one scholar. I repeat once again: At a time w hich is full of ambiguities, delusions, nonsense, (atheistic) thoughts, and insults to Islam, to the Noble Qur'an, to the Revelation, and to the Prophet of this nation; w hen everything you read or see in this life induces you to w rongdoing; at such a time w e are in desperate need of the Night of al-Qadr.
The meaning of al-Qadr:
The meaning of al-Qadr (estimate) is to make a just estimate of Allah, such as is due to Him; to know His Lordship and His Divinity, to declare that there is only One God, to believe that there is no one w ith pow er over the Universe except Allah, and His Hand (His Pow er) is above everything. And to believe that:
"And it w as not you w ho threw, when you threw , but Allah threw ."
(Al- Anfal, 8: 17)
And that:
"It is He Who is God in heaven and God on earth."
(Az-Zukhruf, 43: 84)
And that: "What Allah out of His Mercy bestow s on mankind none can w ithhold; w hat He w ithholds, none can grant, apart from Him.."
(Fatir, 35: 2)
This difficult time the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, described in his hadith in the follow ing w ay: Anas ibn Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
"There w ill come a time when the one w ho clings to his deen w ill be as someone w ho holds an ember."
[Hadith hasan, reported by al-Tirmidhi]
Verily, at the times of pressure, of threats; w hen the disbelievers are pow erful (and practice their pow er over Muslims), arrogant, proud and haughty; at such a difficult time, a critical need for the Night of al-Qadr arises –for making a just estimate of Allah, such as is due to Him. So let us sacrifice everything –from w hat is most valueless to the most precious things, ourselves included, for His Pleasure. At this difficult time all of us should rush to reinforce this deen, its principles, its values, and the patterns of Islamic behavior.
Better than a thousand months:
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty says:
"The night of al-qadr is better than a thousand months."
(Al-Qadr, 97: 3)
The best explanation of the commentators about it is that if you have w orshiped Allah for more than eighty years, w hich is more or less the longest lifep for a human being, because death generally occurs betw een the age of sixty or seventy; so if you have been performing hollow acts of w orship for eighty years, and then for only one minute in Ramadan you make a just estimate of Allah, such as is due to Him, it is better than all those previous eighty years.
Faith is a barrier to sinning:
Dear brothers, w e should take a thoughtful pause to reflect upon the Words of Allah the Almighty:
"O you w ho believe! Remember Allah w ith much remembrance."
(Al-Ahzab, 33: 41)
Commentators explain: The matter is related to remembering Allah w ith much remembrance since hypocrites do not remember Allah but a little. So it requires remembering Allah a lot, as w hen Allah the Almighty says in this ayah:
"This w as he that w ould not believe in Allah Most High."
(Al-Haqqah, 69: 33) The crucial factor is to believe in the Greatness of Allah, in His Oneness and in His Perfection, not only to believe in Allah as the Creator. Verily, Iblis (Shaytan) believed in Allah as the Creator. He said:
"You created me… "
(Al-Araf, 7: 12)
And he believed in Him as the Lord w hen he said:
"O My Lord… "
(Al-Hijr, 15: 36)
And he believed in His Might w hen he said:
"By Your Might…"
(Saad,38: 82)
And he believed in the Hereafter w hen he said:
"Give me then respite till the Day the (dead) are raised."
(Al-Hijr, 15: 36)
He believed in all of that despite of his being Iblis. So, w hat is important is not to say that Allah has created the heavens and the earth, because even idol w orshippers admitted that this Universe has a Creator, and they claimed that they w orshipped idols hoping they w ould bring them closer to Allah. Thus, w e must have the kind of faith that keeps us aw ay from disobeying Allah. It w as narrated in a hadith that w hoever says sincerely that there is no god but Allah, w ill enter Paradise. They asked: "How does one say it sincerely?" The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "When it keeps one aw ay from w hat Allah has prohibited." So make this an accurate measure of your faith. In other w ords, does your faith lead you to obeying Allah? And does it prevent you from disobeying Him? Verily, do not consider how small your sin is, but consider Whom you dare to disobey.
The link between knowledge and fear (of Allah):
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty says:
"Those truly fear Allah, among His servants, w ho have know ledge."
(Fatir, 35: 28)
Scholars of the Arabic language said that the w ord "only" in Arabic is a restrictive and limiting particle, w hich gives the meaning: Only those w ho have know ledge, and no one else apart from them, fear Allah as is His due. So, if you w ant to fear Allah and obey Him, you should know Him perfectly w ell. Dear brothers, how do w e deduce from the Noble Qur'an the w ay to get to know Allah? From the same ayah w hich is related to the Night of al-Qadr:
"No just estimate have they made of Allah, such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth w ill be but His Handful, and the heavens w ill be rolled up in His Right Hand."
(Az-Zumar, 39:67) The requirements of the ayaat related to the Universe:
Here is a scientific brief overview as evidence and the proof: The nearest incandescent star to us outside the Milky Way and outside the solar system is four light-years aw ay from us, w hich means that if w e w anted to travel to that star by a vehicle, it w ould take fifty million years, this is the nearest one. What about the polestar w hich is four thousand light-years aw ay, the Andromeda w hich is about tw o billion light-years aw ay, and a new ly discovered galaxy w hich is tw enty billion light-years aw ay? How long it w ould take to reach those? You recite the follow ing ayah of the Noble Qur'an w hich w as revealed by Allah the Almighty:
"So I sw ear by the Setting of the Stars."
(Al-Waqiah, 56: 75)
And then you grasp the meaning of the follow ing one:
"And that indeed is a mighty adjuration, if you but knew ."
(Al-Waqiah, 56: 76)
Dear brothers, w ould you be able to accept that the one thousand and three hundred ayaat in the Noble Qur'an related to the universe are meaningless? Is not it obvious that the ayah that contains Allah's order requires obedience? And the ayah that contains prohibition requires refraining, and the one that talk about some scenes of the Day of Judgment requires fear? Then w hat do ayaat related to the Universe require? They require contemplation:
"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed Signs for men of understanding; those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying dow n on their sides."
(Al Imran, 3: 191-190)
Is there a fourth situation? You can only be standing or sitting or lying:
"And contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth."
(Al Imran, 3: 191)
The verb "contemplate" is in the present tense (the present tense in Arabic has a rhetorical meaning of continuation, w hich means "they alw ays do that"). The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said about an ayah similar to that one:
"Woe unto those who read it and do not contemplate it."
[Hadith hasan, reported by Ibn Hibban]
The Night of al-Qadr implies to get to know Allah, to make a just estimate of Him, such as is due to Him, and to know w hat aw aits us if w e obey or disobey Him. These are some reflections related to w hat should be believed about the Night of al-Qadr:
Glorification, fear and love: It has been transmitted to us that: A servant of Allah's said: "O My Lord, w hom of Your servants do you love most so that I can love him due to Your Love?" He said: " I love most the pious-hearted, the one w ith immaculate behavior, w ho does not harm anybody, w ho loves Me and loves w hoever loves Me, and makes My servants love Me." He said: "O My Lord! You know that I love You, and I love w hoever loves You, but how could I make Your servants love You?" He said: "Remind them of My Greatness, My Graces and My Attributes. Remind them of My Greatness so that they glorify Me; remind them of My Graces so that they love Me; and remind them of My Attributes so that they fear me." Thus, there must be in the heart of the believer glorification of Allah, together w ith loving and fearing Him:
"And whosoever holds in honour the Symbols of Allah, such (honour) should come truly from piety of heart."
(Al-Hajj, 22: 32)
Merits of the Night of al-Qadr:
Dear brothers, Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased w ith him, reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
"Whoever prays at night during Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and in the hope of rew ard, all his previous sins w ill be forgiven."
[Authentic hadith reported by al-Bukhari]
And the Mother of Believers Aisha, may Allah be pleased w ith her, transmitted:
"I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, if I happen to spot the Night of Qadr, how should I supplicate?' He said: 'Say: O Allah, You are All-Forgiving, All-Generous, and You love forgiveness, so forgive me.' "
[Reported by Tirmidhi, with good isnad]
Knowledge and contemplation are two ways to know Allah:
The w ay to know Allah is to contemplate the w onders of Creation in the heavens and the earth. If w e w ant to go into some details –the first ayah w hich w as revealed to the heart of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, w hen he w as in the cave of Hira w as:
" Read!"
(Al-'Alaq, 96: 1)
Which means: Seek know ledge. Allah the Almighty represents know ledge by its key feature –reading, w hich is a very broad concept. You can read (contemplate) the Universe because it is a silent Qur'an (it show s the Greatness of its Creator); you can read the Noble Qur'an because it is a speaking Universe (through its ayaat related to the Universe); and you can read the Sunnah extracted from the life of the Prophet because he w as the Qur'an w alking (his conduct w as entirely w hat the Qur'an ordered us to do). So "Read" means: Learn. Unless you seek know ledge, you are not a human being. Nothing confirms your humanity more than fulfilling the exalted need of seeking know ledge, w hile the low er needs, such as food, drink and sex, are common for human beings and other creatures. Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased w ith him, transmitted that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
"Let the slave of dinar and dirham and of khamisa (i.e. money and luxurious clothes) perish as he is pleased if these things are given to him, and if not, he is displeased. Let such a person perish and fall headlong, and if he is pierced w ith a thorn, let him not find anyone to take it out for him."
[Authentic hadith reported by Al-Bukhari]
On the other hand, the slave of Allah w ill be pleased. Verily, w hen do you obey Allah? When do you fear Him, hope for His Rew ard, trust in Him, commit your affair to Him, pay no attention to the threats of the pow erful; never give up, despair or humble yourself before others? This happens w hen you know Him perfectly w ell:
"Among the believers are men w ho have been true to their Covenant w ith Allah; of them some have fulfilled their obligations and some of them are still w aiting, but they have never changed (their determination) in the least."
(Al-Ahzab, 33: 23)
So the basis of the deen of Islam is to know Allah the Almighty. It has been transmitted to us:
"O Son of Adam! Seek Me and you w ill find Me; if that happens, it is as if you have found everything, w hile if you miss Me, it is as if you have missed everything, and I shall make you love Me more than anything else."
Conditions of reading and contemplation:
Dear brothers, the first w ord of the Noble Qur'an w hich w as revealed to the heart of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, w as "Read", w hich means: learn, contemplate the Creation of the heavens and the earth, consider the Noble Qur'an w ith care, consider the actions of Allah the Almighty, think deeply about the life of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his sayings. Read! But in Islam, know ledge should lead you to faith. Thus, it is restricted by faith; it excludes reading nonsense, about the art of ballet, for example, or the art of sedition among people. In fact, the number of books printed in the English language each day is such that they could not be read in tw o hundred years. So w hat should you read? You must select w hat is the best for you. Imagine that you enter a library in w hich there are a million books, but there is only one book of benefit to you for the test w hich you are going to have in a few days' time. Your future, your marriage, the purchase of your house and the stability of your life depend on this test and your graduation. Is it reasonable to read any other book? Actually, people are capable of reading anything. They can read, for example, an 800-page-long story w hich can be summarized in one single w ord: Love. Despite that, they still read it. Allah the Almighty says:
"Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists)."
(Al-'Alaq, 96: 1)
You must read employing your sense of faith; your reading should lead you to genuine belief in Allah, and your belief in Allah should be follow ed by obedience to Him and righteous deeds. "Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists)."
(Al-'Alaq, 96: 1)
You might say you do not have a telescope in your house, or a microscope, or scientific encyclopedias; you do not have the means for contemplating the Universe. Allah the Almighty says:
"Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists); has created man out of a leech-like clot."
(Al-'Alaq, 96: 1-2)
Then, think about yourself. Think about how your son w as a drop of insignificant fluid, and then he became a w ell-proportioned human being. Is not this w ithin your hearing and your sight, easily available for reflection? Think about your five senses, your body systems, your organs, your speech, your discourse, your food and your drink, and consider from w hat you w ere created.
"He is created from a drop emitted, proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs.."
(Al-Tariq, 86:6-7)
"Then let man look at his food (and how We provide it)."
(Abasa, 80: 24)
Allah does not lay on you a burden greater than w hat you have strength to bear. He does not order you to be an astronaut, or a scientist in a space agency; nor to carry out autopsies at a mortuary. Just think about your body:
"And also in your ow n selves. Will you not then see?"
(Adh-Dhariyat, 51: 21)
Kinds of reading in Surat al-'Alaq:
Allah the Almighty says:
"Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists); has created man out of a leech-like clot."
(Al-'Alaq, 96: 1-2)
He joined here by means of a conjunction the particular (the creation of man) w ith the general (the creation of all that exists). The first reading is: Read in order to believe in Allah. Read in order to believe in Allah, and obey Him. Read in order to believe in Allah, obey Him, and get closer to Him by means of righteous deeds. The second reading is:
"Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists); has created man out of a leech-like clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous."
(Al-'Alaq, 96:2-3) Allah grants you the grace of existence, and provision; He provides you w ith food and drink, w ife and children, skills through w hich you earn money, human feelings deposited in your heart for those around you, and makes others feel affection for you. Verily, Allah provides you w ith everything:
"Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists)."
(Al-'Alaq, 96: 1)
This is the reading through the sense of faith:
"He has created man out of a leech-like clot."
(Al-'Alaq, 96: 2)
The w ay is to start w ith yourself:
"Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous."
(Al-'Alaq, 96: 3)
Cognitive subjection and honouring subjection:
You should know for certain that Allah the Almighty has subjected to you all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth; it is all as a favour and kindness from Him.
"And has subjected to you all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; it is all as a favour and kindness from Him."
(Al-Jathiyah, 45: 13)
The one w ho is subjected to Him is better than the one w ho is subjected to other than Him. You are the first creature, you accepted to bear Trust w hen Allah the Almighty offered it to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man undertook to bear it. So you are the first creature w ith regard to the rank not to the time of creation. You undertook to bear it and w anted to be the first creature w hen Trust w as offered to you in the w orld of eternity, and you accepted it. You w anted to come to this w orld, and believe in Allah, and to get close to Him by righteous deeds –in exchange for Paradise w hich is as w ide as the heavens and the earth. So, Allah the Almighty granted you the grace of existence, provision, guidance and reason:
"And has subjected to you all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; it is all as a favour and kindness from Him."
(Al-Jathiyah, 45: 13)
There are two subjections: cognitive and honouring
I w ould like to further clarify this point to you. If you w ere in dire need of a very useful complex electrical device w hich has many advantages and a friend of yours came to you and offered you this device, w hich he himself has invented, as a gift, w hat w ould you feel? Tw o complementary feelings w ould be aroused in you: the feeling of appreciation because of this device, so advantageous, and the feeling of love, because it w as a gift. So, Allah the Almighty, to Whom belongs the loftiest similitude, subjects to you the Universe to make you know Him through His Creation, w hich is the cognitive subjection, and to honour you, w hich is the honouring subjection. What should you do in return for the cognitive subjection? You should believe in Him. And w hat should you do in return for the honouring one? You should obey and thank Him. Thus, if you believe in Allah and thank him, you achieve the aim of your existence, and w hen that happens all treatments from Allah w ill come to an end (all trials that Allah sends to you to purify you from your sins and to bring you closer to Him). Thus, Allah the Almighty says:
"Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him?"
(Al-Nisa, 4: 147)
When you believe in Allah and thank Him, you have adopted the right attitude w ith regard to the cognitive and honouring subjection. So the second reading is for thanking Allah and know ing Him, w hile the first reading is for seeking know ledge and believing in Allah. Thus, your reading should be restricted to these goals:
"Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists); has created man out of a leech-like clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. He Who taught (the use of) the Pen."
(Al-'Alaq, 96:1-4)
The blessings of eloquent speech, writing and translation:
Have you ever paid attention to this incomparable grace? Allah the Almighty says:
"The Most Beneficent! It is He Who has taught the Qur'an. He has created man. He has taught him an intelligent speech (and power of expression and explanation)."
(Ar-Rahman, 55: 1-4)
Allah has given you a very exquisite means of communication –speech. You may express your ideas, feelings, needs, thoughts, and hopes, and you may also familiarize yourself w ith other people's ideas, feelings, emotions, w ishes, and thoughts through language. Therefore, language is the most exquisite means of communication betw een the members of our species. For example, if the security of a state requires imposing a curfew , it w ill issue a declaration consisting of just a few w ords, and consequently, you w ill find no one in the streets. How did the state communicate w ith its citizens? Through language. Thus, language characterizes Man:
"The Most Beneficent! It is He Who has taught the Qur'an. He has created man. He has taught him an intelligent speech (and power of expression and explanation)."
(Ar-Rahman, 55: 1-4)
But the bounty of Allah has no limits –there is, furthermore, w riting and also reading. In other w ords, a pen makes a w riter and a book makes a reader w hich means you can communicate w ith someone you w ill never meet personally, and that happens through his book; like w hen you read a book w hose author died a thousand years ago, in this w ay you meet different generations.
How do culture and knowledge circulate among people? It is through the pen: "He Who taught (the use of) the Pen."
(Al-'Alaq, 96: 4)
If w e add translation to the pen, know ledge gets spread among all people, and that is w hat happens at conferences, w hen people of different nationalities meet and understand each other through interpreters, so they can get acquainted w ith other people's cultures:
"Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. He Who taught (the use of) the Pen."
(Al-'Alaq, 96:3-4)
The third reading is the reading through Revelation:
"Has taught man that w hich he knew not."
(Al-'Alaq, 96: 5)
There are thousands, or even millions of topics you can get familiar w ith by means of your mind, but w hat about the distant past, the distant future, w hat happens after death? What about the Creator of the heavens and the earth? What about His Beautiful Names and His Attributes? Your mind cannot find out about those issues, so Allah informs you about them through Revelation:
"Has taught man that w hich he knew not."
(Al-'Alaq, 96: 5)
"You w ere not w ith them, w hen they cast lots w ith their pens as to w hich of them should be charged w ith the care of Maryam (Mary); nor were you with them when they disputed."
(Al Imran, 3: 44)
So, dear brothers, w e have discussed three kinds of reading: reading for seeking know ledge and believing in Allah; reading for thanking Him and know ing Him; and reading through Revelation in order to submit to Allah. The fourth reading: We seek refuge w ith Allah from the fourth reading, w hich is the reading of non-Muslims and the arrogant kafirun:
"Nay, but man does transgress all bounds, in that he looks upon himself as self-sufficient."
(Al-'Alaq, 96:6-7)
It is w hen Man learns how to destroy, w hen he invents biological and chemical w eapons, w hen he conquers w hole nations to build his glory on the ruins of others, and feels pride at the expense of their humiliation, and feels secure at the expense of their fear, and builds his w ealth at the expense of their poverty. So, pow erful people acquire strength on account of their know ledge. Actually, they w ould not be strong w ithout this know ledge. We seek refuge in Allah from the fourth reading. Allah provides us w ith the description of people w ho read in this w ay: they do not read to thank Allah and know Him, and they do not read through Revelation in order to submit to Allah. Instead, they read to humiliate other human beings. The Ad (people) and the fourth reading: Dear brothers, w ith regard to the 'Ad:
"Did you not see how your Lord dealt w ith the 'Ad (people)? Who w ere tall like lofty pillars? The like of w hich w ere not created in (all) the land?" (Al-Fajr, 89: 6-8)
They excelled in various fields; w hat w e could call in modern terminology agriculture, industry, construction, military, media, and monetary affairs...
"The like of w hich w ere not created in (all) the land?"
(Al-Fajr, 89: 8)
"Do you build a landmark on every high place to amuse yourselves? And you get for yourselves palaces as if you w ill live therein forever."
(Ash-Shu'ara, 26:128-129)
Thus, they achieved incomparable superiority in construction.
"And w hen you strike, you strike as tyrants?"
(Ash-Shu'ara, 26:130)
And they achieved absolute superiority in military pow er, like w hen the pow erful now adays can kill everybody (in a specific place) w ithout destroying their buildings, and they act in this w ay against an Islamic country. So, the 'Ad achieved military, construction and scientific superiority.
"… though they w ere intelligent."
(Al-Ankabut, 29: 38)
Dear brothers, w henever Allah talks about destroying a people, He mentions that He had destroyed before peoples mightier than them, except w hen He talks about the 'Ad. He says:
"See they not that Allah, Who created them, w as mightier in strength than them?"
(Fussilat, 41: 15)
Which means that no one, except Allah, w as mightier than them:
"Nay! Verily, man does transgress all bounds, in that he looks upon himself as self-sufficient."
(Al-'Alaq, 96:6-7)
He has considered himself self-sufficient due to his strength, so he has become tyrannical, violent and oppressive. He has forgotten his origin and his end, and he has forgotten the Pow erful One, the Most High One. Dear brothers, this is arrogance:
"And they said: "Who is mightier than us in strength?"
(Fussilat, 41:15)
So, they achieved excellence in various fields –in construction, in military strength, and in science, and they behaved w ith absolute arrogance.
The fate of the 'Ad and people like them:
Dear brothers, how did Allah the Almighty deal w ith them? "And as for 'Ad, they were destroyed by a furious violent w ind, w hich Allah imposed on them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so that you could see men lying overthrow n (destroyed), as if they w ere hollow trunks of date-palms! Do you see any remnants of them?"
(Al-Haqqah, 69:6-8)
You can see w hat a hurricane is capable of. The last one cost a hundred billion dollars; it caused the destruction of homes and the displacement of one million people. Dear brothers, there is a slight hint here. Allah the Almighty says:
"And that it is He Who destroyed the former 'Ad (people)."
(An-Najm, 53: 50)
We may understand from this ayah, it is just a possibility, that in modern times there are another 'Ad. Dear brothers, seek know ledge, but for the sake of Allah; for thanking and know ing Him; and for gaining know ledge through Revelation in order to submit to Allah. Do not seek know ledge for tyranny, because this is one of the unbelievers' characteristics:
"Nay! Verily, man does transgress all bounds, in that he looks upon himself as self-sufficient."
(Al-'Alaq, 96:6-7)
Finally:
Dear brothers, call yourselves to account before you are called to account, and w eigh your deeds before they are w eighed against you, and know that the Angel of Death has passed over us to reach others, and w ill pass over others to reach us, se let us be cautious. It is the clever one w ho condemns himself, and w orks tow ards w hat is after death; and the incapable is the one w ho follow s his desires, and then expects to be rew arded by Allah. * * *
The Second khutba:
Praise be to Allah, and I bear w itness that there is no god but Allah, the Protector of righteous people; and I bear w itness that Prophet Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, w hose character is exalted. O Allah! Bless sayyidina Muhammad and grant him peace, and to all of his Family and his Companions.
Al-I'tikaaf:
Dear brothers, to complete the benefit of this talk w e should take a brief look at al-i'tikaaf. Actually, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did i'tikaaf for several nights in the cave of Hira. What w as he doing there? It is obvious, w ithout going to too much trouble, or making a lot of effort at research and study, that he w as contemplating the w onders of the Creation of the heavens and the earth, invoking Allah, supplicating Him, seeking His forgiveness, making invocation in secret, declaring being a monotheist, glorifying Him, and declaring that there is no other god but Him. If a Muslim cannot do i'tikaaf for consecutive days, he can do it on separate days. If you sit alone every day, recite some ayaat of the Noble Qur'an, remember Allah the Almighty secretly till tears fill up your eyes, invoke Allah, seek His forgiveness, and turn to Him in repentance, then this w orship seclusion in order to be w ith Allah has a great effect (on your faith). It has been transmitted to us:
"O Musa, w ould not you like Me to stay w ith you?" He said: "How could that happen, O My Lord?" He said: "Do not you know that I am w ith whom remembers Me, and w henever My servant seeks Me, he w ill find Me, I am the Companion of those who remember Me."
Dear brothers, i'tikaaf can be practised in Ramadan and also after Ramadan; w hen you make w orship seclusion for the sake of Allah for a little time, reciting the Noble Quran, asking the Self-Sufficient and the Judge in secret, contemplating, remembering Allah, reciting the Noble Qur'an or making supplications to Allah –this is w orship seclusion for the sake of Allah. Thus, dear brothers, w e can start this w orship seclusion in Ramadan and continue to do it throughout the w hole year.
Invocation
O Allah! Guide us together w ith those You have guided, and protect us together w ith those You have protected, and be our Tutor as You are of those for w hom You have become their Tutor, and bless us w ith w hat You have bestow ed on us. You alw ays judge w ith truth w hile You cannot be judged; and he w hom You protect shall never be humiliated, and he w hom You turn into an enemy shall never be honoured. Blessed and dignified are You! And all the praise is for You for w hat you have decreed! We ask Your forgiveness and w e repent to You. O Allah! Guide us to the good deeds for no one guides to them but You; and guide us to the good conduct for no one guides to it but You. O Allah! Make us do w ell in our deen, w hich protects our affairs, and make us do w ell in our deen, w hich is our w ay of life, and grant us safety on the Day of Judgment for it is our final destination. Make our lives in this w orld righteous, and make our death the rest from everything that is evil. O Allah, our Master, the Lord of all Worlds! Make me prefer everything You made law ful to everything You made unlaw ful, and let Your Mercy make me independent of all others, and make me obedient to You, and turn me aw ay from disobedience. O Allah! Do not put us to the test of Your trials, and do not unveiled our faults to the others. Do not make us forget Your Remembrance, O Lord of the Worlds! Bless w hat remains of the month of Ramadhan, and help us fast in this month and be aw ake for w orship; and help us low er our gaze and guard our tongue. Make us enter the Garden in peace, and free us from the dependence on others in the month of Ramadhan.
Translation : Rana Saraqbi Auditing : Nayat Roszko