All praises belong to Allah, the One Who said in His Glorious Revelation: . (Al-Anaam:68). We praise Him, Glorified and Exalted He is. We seek his assistance and forgiveness and we repent unto Him. We seek refuge with Him from the evils of our soul and the evils of our bad conduct.
Whoever Allah has guided is the one that is indeed guided and nobody can lead such astray. And whoever is led astray, then for such, there is no helper/protector that can guide him. I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone. He has no partner or associate.
I testify also that Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) is His slave and Messenger. May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be on him, his household and all his companions.
All praises belong to Allah, we praise Him, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Him from the evils of our soul and the evils of our bad conduct. Whoever Allah has guided is the one that is indeed guided and nobody can lead such astray. And whoever is led astray, then for such, there is no helper/protector that can guide him. I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone. He has no partner or associate. I testify also that Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) is His slave and Messenger.
“Oh you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].”
“Oh mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, watchful.”
“Oh you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.”
Verily, the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (Sallahu alayhi wasallam). The worst of affairs are the innovated ones. And every innovation leads astray. And every going astray is (ended) in the Fire.
Oh Muslims! We do not mention the journey of Al-Israa wal-Mi’iraaj (the night Journey and Ascension of the Prophet) except so that we may take lessons from it. The journey is over but the lessons and footprints persist. The discussion about Al-Aqsa Mosque has come before in the last sermon, where we learnt the connection between it and the Sacred Mosque in this event of Al-Israa wal-Mi’iraaj. Today, in-shaa Allah, our talk will be about an act of worship that was mandated on this journey. Why is it mandated? What is its importance? What is its position among other obligations? Our sermon is about taking care of the five daily obligatory salaat.
Servants of Allah! Salaat is the first act of worship that Allah made obligatory on our Prophet Muhammad, (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). It was made mandatory in the most honorable and most exalted place. When Allah wanted to complete his Favours on His servant and Messenger, Muhammad (may Allah grant him Blessings and Peace), and to demonstrate His Favour on him, He – Subhaanau wa-Ta’alah – made him travel from the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) to the Al-Aqsa Mosque that has a blessed environment, then He raised him to Himself and brought him close. He, the Almighty, then revealed to him what was revealed, …and the heart did not deny what it saw.
He, the Most Exalted, gave him (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) what was good until he was pleased, then He made the five daily salaat mandatory on him and his Ummah. It was (initially) fifty obligatory salaat in one day and night, but it became five in the actual performance, and fifty in reward. And it is the last thing with which the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be him) admonished his Ummah while he was on his death-bed when he said: “the salaat…the salaat, and what your right hands possess.”
Servants of Allah! The salaat is an obligatory act of worship for every Muslim, rich or poor, healthy or sick, male or female, at home or while traveling, in security or in fear. It is the succor of the eyes of the believers, and the path of the pious. Indeed, it was before-hand the succour of the eyes of the leader of the Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, the most excellent Blessings and the purest Peace be upon him.
Oh servants of Allah! Salaat is the second cornerstone and pillar of the Deen. Whoever abandons it has gone out of the religion. Salaat is the religion. Allah Ta’alah said: “[Adhere to it], turning in repentance to Him, and fear Him and establish prayer and do not be of those who associate others with Allah (Ar-Ruum:31).”
Ibn Hajar (May Allah ne merciful unto him) said: “This verse is one of what is pointed as evidence by those who sees anyone that abandons salaat as a kaafir, given what it’s understanding brings. And it is one of the greatest things mentioned in the Quraan about the virtue of salaat” And he (may Allah grant him Blessings and Peace) said: “The covenant between us and between them (separating us) is salaat. Whoever abandons it has disbelieved”. And he s (may Allah grant him Blessings and Peace) said: “Want is between man and polytheism and disbelief is to leave the salaat”. The companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah grant him Blessings and Peace), did not consider leaving any of the good deeds other than salaat as disbelief. And Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “There is no fprtune in Islam for one who abandons salaat”.
And he (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “And whoever is negligent in his salaat, he would be negligent in anything else. And for this reason, it is the first thing that a servant will be asked about on the Day of Resurrectoon. If it is accepted the rest of the deeds would be accepted, and if it is rejected, the rest of his work wouldbe rejected.
Allah Ta’alah has commanded you to establish and be mindful of the salaat, and your Prophet, (may Allah grant him Blessings and Peace) has urged you to do so. He said: “Whoever guards his prayers will have light, proof, and salvation on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever does not guard his prayers will not have light, nor proof, nor salvation. On the Day of Resurrection, he will be with Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman, and Ubay ibn Khalaf.”. Allah the Almighty, the Exalted, has promised those negligent in salaat with evil (consequence). He, the Almighty said: “But there came after them successors [ie later generations] who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil”, that is, they will suffer loss and evil, and severe, painful punishment.
The obligation of salaat has not been waived such as to be abandoned, not while sick, not in situation of fear, rather the obligation remains do even in the most critical conditions, and most severe situations of panic and fighting: “Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle [asr] prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient. And if you fear [an enemy, then pray] on foot or riding. But when you are secure, then remember Allah [in prayer], as He has taught you that which you did not [previously] know (Al-Baqarah: 238-239).
Allah is the greatest! while on foot on on a ride, facing the qiblah or not, you make gestures asuch as you can. Allah commands to pray in congregation even in a state of fear. As for the sick and the incapacitated, let him pray standing, and if he is not able, then he should sit, and if he is not able, then on his side laying down. If he is unable to meet any of the conditions like purification, covering the body or facing the Qiblah, then he should pray without purification, without covering and without facing the Qiblah. Some people say: ‘my clothes are not appropriate’, so he delays the salaat and combines all the five salaat at night. This is not permissible, and it is a big danger. Nay, salaat is not waived in any situation as long as a person is obviously conscious and in his senses.
Salaat, my brethren, is the most mentioned obligation in the Quran, and if it is mentioned alongside other obligations, it is precedes them. Allah does not accept the fasting, Hajj, charity and Jihaad or any deeds from those who abandons salaat, until he performs it. It is the beginning and end of all good. The muslim begins with prayer during the day and ends his day with it. He starts it with glorification of Allah, and ends it by tasleem on the servants of Allah.
And part of neglecting salaat is delaying it beyond its time. Allah, Ta’alah said: Woe to the worshipers* who are negligent about their salaat. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) said: “They are the ones who delay it beyond its times. Oh servants of Allah! The warning has been related concerning the reality of one who leaves one salaat: He (may Allah grant him Blessings and Peace) said: prayers and peace be upon him, said: Whoever neglects the Asr prayer has voided his deeds. (Bukhaariy).
May Allah bless me and you in the Quraan, and benefit us with the verses and exhortation in it. I say all these words and I seek Allah’s forgiveness for me, you and the rest of the muslims for every. Seek his forgiveness, verily He is the oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
THE SECOND KHUTBAH
All praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon His faithful Messenger. Thereafter, Dear Servants of Allah, in our last sermon – when talking about the virtues of the month of Sha’ban – we talked about the Prophets keenness- peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, for the obedience of his Lord in the month, despite being forgiven any of his former and later sins. The companions too were like. When they were invited to any act of obedience, they compete in compliance just as if this verse is inscribed in their hearts: “And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous” (Al-Imran: 133)
Servants of Allah, Seize the opportunity of these days and the ages before you grow white hairs and become weak. Abu Ishaq says As-Sabee’iyy- one of the scholars of hadith -he was close to ninety years of age: “O young men, Seize the opportunity- meaning: of your strength and your youthfulness- rarely will a night bass by me except that I read one thousand verses in it, I read suratul baqarah in one rak’ah, and I would observe fasting in the sacred months, and three days of each month, and Mondays and Thursdays.”
This is work for those who wish for Allah and the Hereafter. This is the truth, O you who hope for Allah and His pleasure. This is piety O you who hope for salvation.
Striving in the month of Shaaban facilitates striving in Ramadan, it is like planting whereby the trunk gets stronger untill the month of harvest, the month of Ramadan begin. The Muslim reaps what was sown.
Ibn Rajab said: “The fasting in Shaaban is like a drill for Ramadan fasting, lest he enters the fast of Ramadan with hardship and difficulty, but he may practice fasting and get used to it, and found sweetness of fasting and joy by fasting Shaaban before it and he commences the fasting of Ramadan with strength and vigor.
Thus when Shaaban is been made as a preface to Ramadan with what has been prescribed including, fasting, reading the Quran, to get preparedness to receive Ramadan, and the souls exercise with that to obey The Merciful Lord.
▪︎ BEING THE FIRST SERMON FOR THE MONTH OF SHAABAAN DATED 5TH SHAABAAN 1442 AH (19TH MARCH, 2021 CE)
