https://www.khutbah.info/welcoming-ramadan-with-repentance/ All praise is due to Allah, the Accepting of Repentance, the Especially Merciful, the Bountiful, the Generous. He pours His sustenance upon His creation. And accepts repentance from His servants. We praise him for His guidance and we are grateful to Him for what he has given and bestowed. Allah Almighty said: Az Zukhruf (43) 84-85: (84) And it is He [i.e., Allah] who is [the only] God in the heaven, and on the earth [the only] God. And He is the Wise, the Knowing. (85) And blessed is He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them and with whom is knowledge of the Hour and to whom you will be returned. Prophet Mohammad ﷺ remembered Allah Almighty at all times. And each day, he used to repent to Him and ask for His forgiveness one hundred times. For his knowledge that Allah Almighty loves the repentance of His servants and accepts it from them and rewards them for it. Be conscious of Allah Almighty and obey Him, and welcome the Noble Month by renewing the repentance and abandoning disobedience and purifying the heart from rancor and freeing oneself for obedience. For Ramadan is days that pass by and go. And the obedient shall profit and the disobedient shall lose. And take heed from those who have left us. And last Ramadan they were with us. They used to be among us fasting and praying. Then they became under layers of earth that is a barrier between them and performing righteous deeds. So let us work with that destiny in mind. For the appointed time is near. And the torment of Allah is severe. Allah Almighty said:
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:
All praise is due to Allah, the Accepting of Repentance, the Especially Merciful, the Bountiful, the Generous. He pours His sustenance upon His creation. And accepts repentance from His servants. We praise him for His guidance and we are grateful to Him for what he has given and bestowed. Allah Almighty said:
فِي السَّمَاءِ إِلَهٌ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَهٌ وَهُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْعَلِيمُ * وَتَبَارَكَ الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَعِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ-الزخرف: 84-85
Az Zukhruf (43) 84-85: (84) And it is He [i.e., Allah] who is [the only] God in the heaven, and on the earth [the only] God. And He is the Wise, the Knowing. (85) And blessed is He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them and with whom is knowledge of the Hour and to whom you will be returned.
Prophet Mohammad ﷺ remembered Allah Almighty at all times. And each day, he used to repent to Him and ask for His forgiveness one hundred times. For his knowledge that Allah Almighty loves the repentance of His servants and accepts it from them and rewards them for it.
Be conscious of Allah Almighty and obey Him, and welcome the Noble Month by renewing the repentance and abandoning disobedience and purifying the heart from rancor and freeing oneself for obedience. For Ramadan is days that pass by and go. And the obedient shall profit and the disobedient shall lose. And take heed from those who have left us. And last Ramadan they were with us. They used to be among us fasting and praying. Then they became under layers of earth that is a barrier between them and performing righteous deeds. So let us work with that destiny in mind. For the appointed time is near. And the torment of Allah is severe. Allah Almighty said:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ-البقرة: 183
Al Baqarah (2) 183: O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous –
Our Lord – Exalted is His Majesty, blessed is His name, and Exalted is His Nobleness – is more merciful on us than our fathers and our mothers and all of the people. And he does not like to torment His servants even if His wisdom and will necessitate that. For Allah approves Iman (faith) and gratitude. And dislikes disbelief and disobedience. Allah said:
إِنْ تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنْكُمْ وَلَا يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ وَإِنْ تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ-الزمر: 7
Az Zumar (39) 7: If you disbelieve – indeed, Allah is Free from need of you. And He does not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are grateful, He approves [i.e., likes] it for you;
And He does not torment the grateful believers, because tormenting His creation does benefit Him at all. Allah said:
مَا يَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابِكُمْ إِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ وَآمَنْتُمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ شَاكِرًا عَلِيمًا-النساء: 147
An Nisa (4) 147: What would Allah do with [i.e., gain from] your punishment if you are grateful and believe? And ever is Allah Appreciative and Knowing.
Therefore, He, glory be to Him, rejoices at the repentance of His servants, and calls them to it, encourages them to it, wants it from them, and loves it for them. Allah said:
وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ-النساء: 27
An Nisa (4) 27: Allah wants to accept your repentance.
So has everyone who read this verse asked why Allah wants to accept our repentance?
Allah wants to accept our repentance so that He does not torment us. And to recompense us for our repentance with the greatest reward and to elevate us by it to the greatest levels and stations. He wants to accept our repentance even though our repentance does not benefit Him at all. Rather the benefit of that or harm of not doing so returns to us. With that Allah the Gloried wants to accept our repentance.
Al-Bara’ bin ‘Azib reported that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said:
كيفَ تَقُولونَ بِفَرَحِ رَجُلٍ انْفَلَتَتْ منه رَاحِلَتُهُ، تَجُرُّ زِمَامَهَا بِأَرْضٍ قَفْرٍ ليسَ بِهَا طَعَامٌ وَلَا شَرَابٌ، وَعَلَيْهَا له طَعَامٌ وَشَرَابٌ، فَطَلَبَهَا حتَّى شَقَّ عليه، ثُمَّ مَرَّتْ بِجِذْلِ شَجَرَةٍ فَتَعَلَّقَ زِمَامُهَا، فَوَجَدَهَا مُتَعَلِّقَةً بِهِ؟ قُلْنَا: شَدِيدًا، يا رَسُولَ اللهِ، فَقالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عليه وَسَلَّمَ: أَما وَاللَّهِ، لَلَّهُ أَشَدُّ فَرَحًا بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ، مِنَ الرَّجُلِ بِرَاحِلَتِهِ
What do you say of the joy of a man whose mount has escaped, it drags its reins on a barren land where there is neither food nor drink, and on it is his food and drink, so he searched for it until it became difficult for him, then it passed by a tree trunk and its reins got caught, and he found it stuck to the tree? We said: Extremely (delighted) oh Messenger of Allah. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: by Allah, Allah is more delighted at the repentance of His servant than the man with (finding) his mount. [Muslim 2746]
Allah wants repentance for us our for our salvation, our happiness, and our triumph. So will our Lord call us to something that He wants from us, and in His hand is our sustenance, our life, and our death? And to Him is our return and our destiny. And He is the one in Whose Hands is our benefit and our harm, our happiness and our misery. All of these are gifts from the Most Merciful, and He bestowed them on us when He Most Glorified wants to accept our repentance. For if it were not for His revelations we would not know about repentance and its method. And if it were not for the innate disposition, that He placed in us, to worship Him and have servitude to Him, we would have been too arrogant to repent. And had it not been that He opened the doors of repentance for us and instructed us to it and softened our hearts, we would not have repented. Then He the Glorified crowned all of that by accepting our repentance no matter how big and large the crime and the number of sins.
Allah Almighty said:
وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَعْفُو عَنِ السَّيِّئَاتِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ-الشورى: 25
As Shurah (42) 25: And it is He who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons misdeeds, and He knows what you do.
And in His will, Glory be to Him, repentance of His servants protects them from punishments for the sins and transgressions. And from the reduction of goodness and removal of blessings. And from the onslaught of fear, hunger, worry, grief and other effects of sins. For it is a call from Him, Glory be to Him, to safeguard people’s security and sustenance through repentance; Because if the evil stop their wickedness, the causes of torment will be removed.
However, the shaytan and his helpers have another aim. Allah Almighty said:
وَيُرِيدُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الشَّهَوَاتِ أَنْ تَمِيلُوا مَيْلًا عَظِيمًا-النساء: 27
An Nisa (4) 27: But those who follow [their] passions want you to digress [into] a great deviation.
Their will is represented by turning away from the way of repentance and persisting on the sin and arrogance from accepting the truth. They want diversion from us. But it is a diversion to where?
It is a diversion from Allah and His religion and His straight path to whims, desires and lusts that storm within the heart and destroy people and devastate societies. That results in destruction in this world and torment in the hereafter.
Indeed the people of desire have a path other than the path of Allah Almighty. And a way other than His way. And a religion other than His religion. It is the religion of whims and lusts. The religion of disorder and animalistic license. The religion of dissolution and loss.
And they are not satisfied with a small diversion. For that does not please them. What they want is a major digression in which correct understanding is turned upside down. And innate dispositions dissolved. And societies changed. They want to eradicate and reject the acceptable. Allah said:
وَيُرِيدُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الشَّهَوَاتِ أَنْ تَمِيلُوا مَيْلًا عَظِيمًا
But those who follow [their] passions want you to digress [into] a great deviation
A great deviation that changes the makeup of society. And turns it on its head upside down. To the point that someone who returns to it after having left for some time does not recognize it all. And he does not know that this is his society because of the great deviation through which it went.
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:
Indeed this great verse:
وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الشَّهَوَاتِ أَنْ تَمِيلُوا مَيْلًا عَظِيمًا
Allah wants to accept your repentance, but those who follow [their] passions want you to digress [into] a great deviation.
Is a verse that the believer must ponder at all times.
And reminds himself of it, as well as his family and his believing brothers; because it describes with precision and clearly uncovers the aims of those devoted to their lusts.
We will soon start fasting. So do we understand what our Lord Most Exalted wants of us so that He forgives us, accepts our repentance and is pleased with us, and what those following their lusts want for us and our families of great deviation?!
So do we obey our Creator and Sustainer and Provider? Or do we obey people who deviate from the path of guidance and embraced temptations, and are incapable of righteousness and repentance and they wish for all the people to fail in repentance just as they have failed.
So be conscious of Allah Almighty and obey Him for you are going to welcome the month of Taqwa (consciousness of Allah). And there is no Taqwa (consciousness of Allah) without repentance. So let us repent to Allah before this Noble Month. Because Allah wants to accept our repentance and He wants us to repent. And so that we attain His pardoning, forgiveness, salvation from the fire. And we triumph with Laylat Al-Qadr and with the highest levels of paradise and glancing at the Lord Most Majestic and attaining His pleasure and closeness to Him. For whoever attains that, has truly achieved a great triumph.
O Allah, You are Forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive us. Oh Allah return us to you in the most beautiful way. Oh Allah, rectify our hearts. Indeed, You are 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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