https://www.khutbah.info/the-blessing-of-guidance/ Indeed, the greatest blessing and the most significant of Allah’s favors upon humankind is His guidance of whom He wills to this upright religion, the religion of Islam, the religion of Allah Almighty, which He Almighty has chosen for His servants as their religion. This is the utmost blessing and the ultimate bestowal. Allah says in highlighting this blessing and explaining its great status, that it is His favor upon whom He wills of His servants. Allah Almighty says:
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:
Indeed, the greatest blessing and the most significant of Allah’s favors upon humankind is His guidance of whom He wills to this upright religion, the religion of Islam, the religion of Allah Almighty, which He Almighty has chosen for His servants as their religion. This is the utmost blessing and the ultimate bestowal.
Allah says in highlighting this blessing and explaining its great status, that it is His favor upon whom He wills of His servants. Allah Almighty says:
يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا قُلْ لَا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلَامَكُمْ بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ-الحجرات 17
Al-Hujurat (49) 17: They consider it a favor to you that they have accepted Islām. Say, “Do not consider your Islām a favor to me. Rather, Allāh has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if you should be truthful.
And He Almighty says:
وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ-النور 21
Al-Hujurat (49) 7: But Allāh has endeared to you the faith and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance and disobedience. Those are the [rightly] guided.
And He Almighty says:
وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَى مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ-النور 21
An-Nur (24) 21: And if not for the favor of Allāh upon you and His mercy, not one of you would have been pure, ever, but Allāh purifies whom He wills, and Allāh is Hearing and Knowing.
And the verses in this regard are many.
This blessing, the blessing of Islam, which is the greatest of blessings, is of great significance and immense value because Islam is the religion of Allah Almighty, which He has chosen for His servants as their religion and will accept no religion from them other than it. He Almighty says:
إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللهِ الْإِسْلَامُ-آل عمران 19
Aal Imran (3) 19: Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allāh is Islām.
And Allah Almighty says:
وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينَاً فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ-آل عمران 85
Aal Imran (3) 85: And whoever desires other than Islām as religion – never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.
And Allah Almighty says:
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينَاً-المائدة 3
Al-Ma’idah (5) 3: This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islām as religion.
And Allah Almighty says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً-البقرة 208
Al-Baqarah (2) 208: O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely [and perfectly].
Whoever Allah Almighty has honored and blessed with this religion must recognize the value of this blessing and safeguard and maintain it. And they must protect it from anything that may diminish or contradict it, by refraining from the forbidden, sins and misdeeds.
One of the greatest duties of the people of this faith is to know Islam, its details, its ordainments, and its reality. For knowing Islam and its reality, its ordainments and details in light of what is stated in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ is the greatest aid in preserving one’s faith.
Islam is a set of beliefs that fill the heart with faith in Allah Almighty and faith in everything that Allah Exalted commanded His servants to believe:
قُلْ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَى وَعِيسَى وَالنَّبِيُّونَ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ-آل عمران 84
Aal Imran (3) 84: Say, We have believed in Allāh and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants [al-Asbāṭ], and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [submitting] to Him.
Islam, in its comprehensive and general sense, includes the religious beliefs that inhabit hearts, such as belief in Allah Almighty, belief in His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the Divine Will and Decree, both its good and its evil. In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, a man asked the Prophetﷺ:
فأَيُّ الإسلامِ أَفضَلُ؟ قال الإيمانُ. قال وما الإيمانُ؟ قال تؤْمِنَ باللهِ وملائكتِه وكتُبِه ورُسُلِه والبَعثِ بعْدَ المَوتِ
Which Islam is best? He said: “Faith.” The man asked: “And what is faith?” He said: “To believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and to believe in resurrection after death.” [Musad Imam Ahmad 17027, Grade: Sahih (Arnaout)]
Islam is built upon pure acts of obedience and great acts of worship that a person performs to draw closer to Allah Almighty, surrendering and submitting to Him, and showing humility to His Majesty, glorified be He.
The greatest acts of obedience in Islam are the five pillars of Islam, which the Prophet ﷺ explained in numerous hadiths, including the hadith of Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, where the Prophet ﷺ said:
بُنِيَ الإسْلَامُ علَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أنْ لا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وأنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسولُ اللَّهِ، وإقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ، وإيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، والحَجِّ، وصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
Islam is built upon five: Testifying that nothing is worthy of worship other than Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakat, Hajj, and fasting Ramadan. [Bukhari 8, Muslim 6]
Islam is righteousness, both outwardly and inwardly. Inwardly, a Muslim submits their heart to Allah Almighty with humility before their Lord, glorified be He. Outwardly, the limbs of a Muslim submit and obey Allah, following His commands.
In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, with an authentic chain of transmission, it is narrated from Bahz bin Hakim, from his father, from his grandfather, who related that when he asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about Islam, he ﷺ responded:
أن تُسْلِمْ قلبك لله، وأن تولي وجهك إلى الله، وأن تصلي الصلاة المكتوبة، وتؤدي الزكاة المفروضة
To submit your heart to Allah, to direct your face towards Allah, to perform the obligatory prayers, and to give the obligatory zakat. [Ahmad 20022, Grade: Hassan]
Thus, the Prophet ﷺ explained the meaning of Islam as the combination of internal righteousness through the submission of the heart to Allah, and external righteousness through the obedience of the limbs and maintaining the worship of Allah, glorified be He.
Islam is solidarity among Muslims, cooperation, communication, compassion and brotherhood. Allah Almighty says:
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ -الحجرات 10
Al-Hujurat (49) 10: The believers are but brothers.
In the hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:
اَلْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو اَلْمُسْلِمِ لَا يَظْلِمُهُ, وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ وَلَا يَحْقِرُهُ
A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He does not wrong, desert or despise him. [Muslim 2564]
In another hadith, a man asked the Prophet ﷺ:
أيُّ الإسْلَامِ خَيْرٌ، قالَ: تُطْعِمُ الطَّعَامَ، وتَقْرَأُ السَّلَامَ علَى مَن عَرَفْتَ ومَن لَمْ تَعْرِفْ
Which Islam is best?” He said: “To feed the hungry and to greet those you know and those you do not know. [Al-Bukhari 12 and Muslim 39]
Islam is about elevating aspirations, strengthening resolve, and engaging in matters of significance, while staying away from everything that does not concern a person in their religious or worldly affairs. For it is narrated in a hadith from the Prophet ﷺ that he said:
مِن حُسْنِ إسْلامِ المَرْءِ تَرْكُه ما لا يَعْنيه
From the perfection of one’s Islam is his leaving that which does not concern him. [Tirmidhi 2317, Grade: Sahih]
Thus we find that this great faith refines beliefs, purifies actions, enhances behavior, and elevates to the highest matters. Therefore, it is incumbent upon Muslims to strive with all their might to fill their time by realizing this faith, and protecting and safeguarding it.
O Allah, protect us with Islam while standing, protect us with Islam while sitting, protect us with Islam while lying down and do not let enemies or the envious gloat over us, O Lord of the worlds.
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:
Al-Hakim narrated in his Mustadrak, from Abdullah bin Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to supplicate:
اللَّهُمَّ احْفَظْنِي بِالْإِسْلَامِ قَائِمًا وَاحْفَظْنِي بِالْإِسْلَامِ قَاعِدًا وَاحْفَظْنِي بِالْإِسْلَامِ رَاقِدًا وَلَا تُشْمِتْ بِي عَدُوًّا وَلا حَاسِدًا، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ كُلِّ خَيْرٍ خَزَائِنُهُ بِيَدِكَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ خَزَائِنُهُ بِيَدِكَ
O Allah, protect me with Islam while standing, protect me with Islam while sitting, protect me with Islam while lying down and Do not let enemies or the envious gloat over me. O Allah, I ask You for every good whose stores are in Your Hand, and I seek refuge in You from every evil whose stores are in Your Hand. [Al Hakem 1924, Sahih Al Jami’ 1260, Grade: Hassan (Albani)]
This is one of the most comprehensive and greatest supplications because whoever is safeguarded by Islam while standing, sitting, and lying down, their worldly life and hereafter are secure, and they will succeed in both this world and the next, and will attain happiness that will never end. Therefore, we must adhere to this supplication and be steadfast upon Islam, practicing it, calling to it, and adhering to it. There is nothing better than being characterized by these qualities. Allah, the Exalted, says:
وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِمَّنْ دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ-القصص 33
Fussilat (41) 33: And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allāh and does righteousness and says, Indeed, I am of the Muslims.
O Allah, let us live as Muslims and die as believers. O Allah, adorn us with the adornment of faith. 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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