https://www.khutbah.info/the-best-nights-of-the-year/ Be conscious of Allah and obey Him. Attach your hearts to Him, and increase your supplications to Him, and draw nearer to Him through righteous deeds. For you are living in a time during which the bestowals of Allah Almighty are abundant, and His mercies are descending. Therefore, hasten to seek the bestowals of your Lord in the masjeds, and seek them in the last third of the night, and purify your insides and outsides. For during these nights, you stand in the presence of the King of Kings, standing before Him while He, glorified is He, is between you and your place of prayer. You call on to Him through your recitation and supplication, and nothing stands between you and attaining His rewards except acceptance. So, cling on to His door, take the means to draw nearer to Him, and persist in your supplications. For succeeding in this regard is the eternal triumph that cannot be equaled by any worldly success, no matter how great.
إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ ,نَحْمَدُهُ ,وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ , وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا ,مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ , وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ , وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Verily, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Him from the evils of our selves. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide. Whoever He misguides, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ – آل عمران:102
Al Imran 102 : O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.
Oh people:
Be conscious of Allah and obey Him. Attach your hearts to Him, and increase your supplications to Him, and draw nearer to Him through righteous deeds. For you are living in a time during which the bestowals of Allah Almighty are abundant, and His mercies are descending. Therefore, hasten to seek the bestowals of your Lord in the masjeds, and seek them in the last third of the night, and purify your insides and outsides. For during these nights, you stand in the presence of the King of Kings, standing before Him while He, glorified is He, is between you and your place of prayer. You call on to Him through your recitation and supplication, and nothing stands between you and attaining His rewards except acceptance. So, cling on to His door, take the means to draw nearer to Him, and persist in your supplications. For succeeding in this regard is the eternal triumph that cannot be equaled by any worldly success, no matter how great.
فَمَنْ زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ
Āli ‘Imrān (3) 185: So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.
These blessed nights are truly deserving of being called the nights of hope, as they are nights in which the faithful hope for forgiveness, mercy, and salvation from the Hellfire. They hope to attain the Night of Decree and observe it with faith and anticipation. For worshipping on that night is better than the worship of a thousand months.
Indeed, it is hope in the promise of Allah, Exalted be He, revealed in the Noble Quran and detailed by the Prophet ﷺ in several Hadiths regarding the blessed last ten nights and Laylat al-Qadr. Allah promised immense rewards beyond imagination during these limited nights. It is only hoped for by the believer, and only the loser is deprived of it.
Hope is a word that pierces the hearts and captivates the souls. Hope motivates hearts toward the Beloved Almighty. It brings the heart closer to experiencing the kindness of the Lord, beholding Majesty through the eyes of beauty, rejoicing in the generosity of Allah, and delighting in observing His benevolence, Glory be to Him. It signifies complete trust in Allah’s promise. But hope without righteous deeds, accompanied by laziness in acts of obedience and transgression in forbidden acts, is merely wishful thinking and delusion. On the Day of Resurrection, it will be said to those who held such false hopes:
وَغَرَّتْكُمُ الْأَمَانِيُّ حَتَّىٰ جَاءَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ وَغَرَّكُمْ بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ
Al-Hadid (57) 14: And wishful thinking deluded you until there came the command of Allāh. And the Deceiver [i.e., Satan] deceived you concerning Allāh.
Sa’id ibn Jubair (may Allah have mercy on him) said that this refers to someone who commits sins while merely wishing for forgiveness.
The people of true hope are people of humility and worship. They continuously examine their hearts, purify their souls with righteous deeds, and remain steadfast upon obedience to their Lord. Their hearts delight in the Quran, their skins shiver from reverential awe, and their eyes shed tears from humility. They constantly observe Allah’s favors in all their affairs and perceive their own shortcomings in fulfilling His rights, regardless of how many good deeds they perform. Gratitude is their consistent habit, and seeking forgiveness is their companion. Their tongues never cease from expressing gratitude and remembrance of Allah.
Reflect, on how Allah described the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), for they were people of genuine hope, affirming their hope through both their words and actions:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أُوْلَئِكَ يَرْجُونَ رَحْمَةَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Al-Baqarah (2) 218: Indeed, those who have believed and those who have emigrated and fought in the cause of Allāh – those expect the mercy of Allāh. And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
Regarding the hope of those who pray at night, Allah Almighty says:
أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِداً وَقَائِماً يَحْذَرُ الآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ
Az-Zumar (39) 9: Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]?
And concerning their supplication, Allah Almighty says:
تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا
As-Sajdah (32) 16: Their sides part [i.e., they arise] from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration.
Thus, their night prayers are full of hope, and their supplications are full of hope. They did not rely on hope without action, nor did they act without hope.
Reflect on the hope of Prophet Ya’qūb regarding Prophet Yūsuf, peace be upon both of them. Ya’qūb lost him as a child in circumstances that would typically spell doom. His eyes became blind from the intensity of his grief and constant crying. Yet, he never ceased, for a moment, hoping in Allah to reunite him with his son, to the point that his sons rebuked him, saying:
تَاللَّهِ تَفْتَأُ تَذْكُرُ يُوسُفَ حَتَّىٰ تَكُونَ حَرَضًا أَوْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْهَالِكِينَ
Yusuf (12) 85: By Allāh, you will not cease remembering Joseph until you become fatally ill or become of those who perish.
Yet his response was that of one who hopes in Allah beyond what is hoped from the created:
قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
Yusuf (12) 86: He said, “I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allāh, and I know from Allāh that which you do not know.
Indeed, it was an immense hope in Allah for which Ya’qūb was rewarded in this worldly life with the reunion with his beloved son, the restoration of his eyesight, the unification of his family the removal of any bad feelings towards another. Moreover, they gained worldly honor and elevation through the high rank and position attained by Yusuf (peace be upon him). Yet, the reward of the Hereafter is greater and everlasting.
How greatly we are in need, during these nights of hope, of a hope similar to the hope of Ya’qūb, peace be upon him !
If one of us were to hope to meet the greatest kings of this world, and to be in their company alone, and to converse with him privately, and to attain his greatest rewards, they would abstain from food and sleep out of extreme joy. They would count the days and minutes in anticipation of meeting the king and conversing with him. In these blessed nights, our Lord has promised a special and unique opportunity to convene with Him, unlike any other nights of the year—with rewards incomparable to those of any other nights.
We earnestly hope that our Lord grants us the blessings of these precious nights, the blessings of fasting during their days, the blessings of praying at night, and especially the blessings of Laylat al-Qadr. Indeed, our Prophet ﷺ informed us:
مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ. وَمَنْ قَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ. وَمَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and seeking reward from Allah, their past sins will be forgiven. Whoever prays at night during Ramadan with faith and seeking reward, their past sins will be forgiven. Whoever prays at night during Laylat al-Qadr with faith and seeking reward, their past sins will be forgiven. [Bukhjari and Muslim, Mishkat al-Masabih 1958]
Moreover, Allah has people whom He frees from the Fire every night of Ramadan. So what about its last blessed ten nights?!
Our Prophet ﷺ also informed us that our Lord, Glorious and Exalted is He, descends in the last third of the night and says:
مَنْ يَدْعُونِي فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ مَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ
Who calls upon Me, so I may respond to him? Who asks Me, so I may give him? Who seeks forgiveness from Me, so I may forgive him? [Bukhari 7494]
So how about during the nights among which is hidden the best night of the entire year?!
This immense generosity from our Most Generous Lord in this month of generosity demands our hearts be filled with sincere hope in Him. Therefore, engage in night prayers while hoping in Him, recite His Book while hoping in Him, seek His forgiveness while hoping in Him, ask Him while hoping in Him, and supplicate to Him while hoping in Him—for indeed your Lord is Bountiful, Generous, Kind, and Merciful. He, Glory be to Him, is more merciful to you than you are to yourselves. Allah says:
مَا يَفْتَحِ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ رَحْمَةٍ فَلَا مُمْسِكَ لَهَا وَمَا يُمْسِكْ فَلَا مُرْسِلَ لَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
Fatir (35) verse 2: Whatever Allāh grants to people of mercy – none can withhold it; and whatever He withholds – none can release it thereafter. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
أَقُولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
I say what you have heard and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and you from every sin. So seek forgives from Him, Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Second Khutbah
الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ , وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَاْ إِلَهَ إِلَّاْ اَللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَاْشَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدَاً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ
All praise is to Allah, and peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
Oh Muslims:
Ramadan has begun to bid farewell, and what remains of it will pass as quickly as the blink of an eye or even faster. To those of understanding, its passing resembles a fleeting shadow, shortening rapidly after having had lengthened, receding after proceeding. What remains of this month is the final stretch, and at its conclusion lies the prize, and the award is Paradise.
Indeed, horsemen increase their speed towards the finish line, and the successful are those who realize that a good ending erases the shortcomings of the beginning. And perhaps the blessing of a deed is hidden in its conclusion, for deeds are judged by their endings. How many a person smelled the fragrance of success at the end of their life!
So be conscious of Allah, and take a breath, O those fasting and praying at night, before the choking of the throat, that is death, submit yourselves willingly to Allah before you are forcibly driven toward Him.
Allah says:
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُعْرَضُونَ لَا تَخْفَى مِنْكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ
Al-Haqqah (69) 18: That Day, you will be exhibited [for judgement]; not hidden among you is anything concealed.
There is nothing between any one of us and Paradise or Hell except for their appointed term. A destination that decreases by each passing moment. Indeed, life is short, no matter how long it may seem.
May Allah have mercy upon the one who hastens to repent and overcome their desires. For their appointed time is concealed from them and their false hopes deceive them. Between the appointed time and hopes stands only the devil, who adorns sins to entice them into committing them and gives them false hope for repentance, making them delay it continually.
Allah says:
يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا
An-Nis (4) 120: He [i.e., Satan] promises them and arouses desire in them. But Satan does not promise them except delusion.
Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said:
Allah invited to His forgiveness even those who claimed that Uzayr was the son of Allah, those who claimed that Allah was poor, those who claimed that Allah’s hand was restrained, and those who claimed that Allah is the third of three. Allah says to all of these people:
أَفَلَا يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Al-Ma’idah (5) 74: So will they not repent to Allāh and seek His forgiveness? And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
Allah also clearly addresses the believers:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِي اللَّهُ النَّبِيَّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ
At-Tahrim (66) 8: O you who have believed, repent to Allāh with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allāh will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him.
O Allah, attach our hearts to You. O Allah, assist us in doing what pleases You and keep us away from what displeases You. O Allah, accept our deeds, forgive our sins, and overlook our shortcomings. Indeed Allah is All Hearing, Answering.
هَذَا وَصَلُّوا وَسَلِّمُوا عَلَى نَبِيِّكُم كَمَا أَمَرَكُمْ بِذلِكَ رَبُّكُمْ , فَقَالَ
I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon your Prophet as your Lord commanded:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Al Ahzaab (33) 56: Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace.
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنا فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنا فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنا فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لنا فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنا شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
O Allah, guide us with those whom You have guided, grant us well-being among those You have granted well-being, be an ally to us along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless what You have bestowed upon us, and save us from the evil of what You have decreed. For verily You decree and none can decree over You. He whom You support can never be humiliated. Glory is to You, our Lord, You are Blessed and Exalted.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا سَأَلَكَ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا عَاذَ بِهِ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ كُلَّ قَضَاءٍ قَضَيْتَهُ لَنا خَيْرًا
O Allah, We ask You for all that is good, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we seek refuge with You from all evil, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we ask You for the good that Your servant and Prophet has asked You for, and we seek refuge with You from the evil from which Your servant and Prophet sought refuge. O Allah, we ask You for Paradise and for that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed, and we seek refuge in You from Hell and from that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed. And we ask You to make every decree that You decree concerning us good
عِبَادَ اللّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
Servants of Allah. Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.
اُذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ واشْكُرُوهُ يَزِدْكُمْ واسْتَغْفِرُوهُ يَغْفِرْ لكُمْ واتّقُوهُ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ مَخْرَجًا وَأَقِمِ الصّلَاة
Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favors – He will increase you therein. And seek forgiveness from Him – He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him – He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.
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