Interconnection between
Tongue, Heart, and Limbs
His Eminence Sheikh Osama Bin Abdullah Khayyat ‒may Allah protect him‒
delivered this week’s Friday Khutbah titled “Interconnection between Tongue, Heart,
and Limbs” in which he spoke about a person's tongue, heart, and deeds by referring
to some verses quoted from the Holy Qur’ān And of mankind there is he
whose speech may please you … [Al-Baǭara: 204]. He warned the believers
against such a conduct and depicted in detail the major personality traits
characterising these violators of Allah’s commands.
Part One
Praise be to Allah Who perfected the Religion for us, completed his favours upon
us and privileged us by sending us the Master of the Messengers. I praise Him () for
we eternally owe Him gratitude. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of
worship save Allah, the unquestionably self-evident Sovereign and the All-True; I
bear witness that our Master and Prophet Muhammad () is Allah’s Servant and
Messenger sent as mercy to the entire universe. O Allah! Bestow Your Salat (Graces,
Honours, and Mercy) upon Your Servant and Messenger Muhammad (), and be
pleased with his family, all his Companions, the tabi'în (the contemporaries of the
Companions of the Prophet ‒‒ after his death), and on all those who righteously
followed them till the Day of Judgement.
Servants of Allah! Fear Allah and remember that you are going to meet Him and
stand before Him: The Day when man shall remember what he strove
for. [Al-Naziât: 35]
O Muslims! While there are amongst people those who sacrifice their own lives to
win Allah’s satisfaction (thus proving that they are pure-hearted, sincere in speech,
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devout in action, committed to the pursuit of good deeds, and good-intentioned in all
their activities). Conversely, there are others who seek to impress their interlocutors
by using eloquent discourse which delights them and appeals to their senses,—
especially when they unfailingly resort to swearing by Allah that they are being
sincere in their speech, claiming that their inner feelings correspond to their outer
verbal expression. Nonetheless, their deeds fail to conform to their speech, disproving
their claim.
This category of people exists in all nations and in every epoch of history. Their
extremely negative impact on, and imminent threat to, society is proportionate to the
degree of rhetorical expertise in a given community. Thus, if they succeed in
fascinating individuals or small groups with their spellbinding rhetoric in a given era,
they will manage to deceive the entire nation with their rhetorical manoeuvres in
subsequent eras.
In this particular respect, the Holy Quran unequivocally and extensively exposed
the (deceitful) nature of these people. Through portraying their distinctive traits, it
stressed the idea that pure verbal declarations of intention remain pointless,
unreliable, and groundless if not reinforced by actions. Allah () says: And of
mankind there is he whose speech may please you (O Muhammad
صلى لله علیھ وسلم ), in this worldly life, and he calls Allâh to witness as to
that which is in his heart, yet he is the most quarrelsome of the
opponents 204 And when he turns away (from you "O
Muhammad " صلى لله علیھ وسلم "), his effort in the land is to make
mischief therein and to destroy the crops and the cattle, and Allâh
likes not mischief 205And when it is said to him, "Fear Allâh",
he is led by arrogance to (more) crime. So enough for him is Hell,
and worst indeed is that place to rest!. 206 [Al-Baǭara: 204-206]
Servants of Allah! The first sign which betrays the hideous nature of these people
and proves their insincerity ‒voiced in their sugar-coated lies and artificial rhetoric‒
resides in their aggressive obstinacy, persistence in quarrelsome argument, and
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conflict with anybody who sympathises with them. These people, as some scholars
pointed out, “are only experts in worldly talk aimed at fascinating and deceiving the
audience, claiming that their hearts are in concord with Allah and that they are
guileless.”
Allah () has unequivocally described them when portraying the salient features
of their conduct. Not only do they refrain from performing prayer (five times a day),
abstain from paying zakât (i.e. mandatory alms-giving), consume alcoholic beverages,
rush to obscenity and all types of immorality, and exploit illegal money, but also
consider themselves more pious and virtuous than the believers who devoutly observe
taqwa. They claim that despite their amiable façade, the inner souls of such devout
people are corrupt by erroneous beliefs.
However, the laws of Allah’s governing His universe and His right guidance
revealed in His Book have demonstrated that the sincerity of faith and the pureheartedness
of loyal worshippers are at the roots of good deeds and sincere, useful
speech.
The second sign is that these people are actively and resolutely involved in
wrongdoing through committing highway robberies, terrifying travellers, terrorising
Muslims or waging wars against them, inducing conflicts and stirring dormant
disputes, fomenting mutual antagonism, hatred, and hostility, severing whatever bond
Allah commanded to be firmly established, shedding blood remorselessly, plundering
and slandering.
All such evil deeds forebode the lift of abundant favours from the earth, the
dissipation of farming and cattle resources, and the annihilation of the fundaments of
life. This is why Allah does not approve of all such acts. He abhors all evildoers
however eloquent their speech might be, for the evil nature of their deeds testifies to
the malevolence of their hearts and the fallacy of their pretentions.
O servants of Allah! Another feature proving the corrupt nature of these people is
their resistance to truth and repugnance towards advice. Whenever they are advised to
remember Allah and fear His punishment, they feel astounded and therefore overreact
furiously. They suddenly fall prey to Satan’s enticement to persist in wrongdoing and
to maintain their ill-founded position, which prevents them from regaining their state
of rationality.
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That is the very essence of arrogance which Prophet Muhammad (), the
Messenger of right guidance, iteratively explained and warned against in his Hadîth
reported by Imam Muslim is his Saĥîĥ Book ‒the wording is his‒ and by Abu Dawud
and Al-Tirmidhi in their Sunan Books on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Mass’ud ()
who reported that the Messenger of Allah () had said, “No one whose heart
contains an ounce of arrogance will enter Paradise.” A man then remarked,
“Everybody would like to wear good-looking clothes and attractive shoes.” Prophet
Muhammad () replied, “Allah is the epitome of beauty and therefore likes beauty;
arrogance is rejection of truth and disdain of people.”
Thus, the arrogant person combines two evils: his systematic pursuit of sin as well
as his superiority complex over whoever advises him to reform and mend his ways in
an attempt to help him regain moral rectitude and to save him from an otherwise fatal
destiny. His arrogance may induce him into committing further evils. Some scholars
say, “Every corrupter is inclined to consider as repulsive whoever advises him to be
righteous and encourages him to fear Allah, for he considers the adviser’s act a kind
of slanderous vilification deliberately addressed against his person in public so that
people would concentrate on the evils which he strives to hide with his spellbinding
rhetoric and fascinating eloquence.”
The corruptors’ hatred of righteousness and its advocates may be so vicious that
they would find them so unbearable and feel so resentful of them. They would go as
far as trying to harm them even when they are not subjugated to their adjuration; they
consider their consistent appeals to uphold good and forbid evil a good-enough
endeavor to lay bare their ill intentions and practices and to set off their vile
deceptions. Therefore, not only do corruptors detest advocates of goodness and hate
even the mention of their names, but also seek to expose their mistakes and pitfalls in
order to demean them and damage their reputation. However, they would resort to
fabrications, distortions and misinterpretations where verity and truth fail them.
No wonder then that Allah has threatened such people with serious retribution,
severe and everlasting pain in Hellfire on the Day of Judgment.
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Fear Allah –O servants of Allah– and beware of charming words that are not
endorsed by good deeds, or claims, slogans, approaches and perspectives that are not
substantiated by truthful and conclusive evidence.
May Allah benefit you and me with the guidance of His Book and the Sunnah of
His Prophet ()! This is said, I ask Allah, the Almighty, the Exalted to forgive my
sins, yours and those of all Muslims; He is truly Oft-Forgiving!
Part Two
All praise be to Allah! We praise Him, seek His assistance and guidance, and ask
for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Him from the evils of our own souls and from
our wicked deeds. Whomever Allah guides may never be misguided and whomever
He misguides may never be guided. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of
worship but Allah, Who has no partners. I also bear witness that our Prophet,
Muhammad () is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah’s peace and blessings be
upon him, his family, and Companions!
Servants of Allah!
The words of Allah () depicting this very class of individuals who can lay the
charm addressing other people bear evidence that appearances no matter how affable
they may be would neither be blessed nor accepted by Allah () until their possessors
engage good deeds and intentions. Verily, Allah () does not look at the appearances
and words of His servants, but rather at their intentions and deeds. In a Hadith
narrated by Abu Hurairah () on the authority of Muslim (May Allah bless his soul),
the Messenger of Allah () said, "Allah does not look at your bodily features, nor at
your material wealth but He looks at your hearts and deeds."
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The words of Allah and His Messenger are intended to urge us to judge people by
their deeds and reputations and to warn us against deceptive rhetoric that is void of
any substance (in terms of validating deeds).
Ask Allah to send His Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy) and Peace on the Seal
of the Messengers, the Imam of the Pious, and the Mercy upon the Worlds for you
were commanded to do so in Allah’s Clear Book (the Qur’ān): Allâh sends His
Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet
(Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ), and also His angels (ask Allâh to bless
and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât[1] on (ask
Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ), and (you should)
greet (salute) him with the Islâmic way of greeting (salutation i.e.
As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum. [AlAhzab: 56]
O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy) and Peace on Your
servant and Messenger, Muhammad. O Allah! Be pleased with his Four Caliphs: Abu
Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, with all his family, his Companions, the tabi'in, and
those who follow them righteously until the Day of Resurrection! O Allah! We
implore You to be pleased with us all, along with them, by Your Pardon, Generosity
and Bounty, O You, the Most Generous and Bounteous of all!
O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and
Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! And protect the unity of Your
Religion! Destroy the enemies of Your religion and all despots and corrupters! Unite
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the hearts of Muslims and unify them, guide their leaders and unite their word on the
Truth, O You, Lord of al-'ālamîn (the Worlds)!
O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet
Muhammad () and Your truthful believing servants!
O Allah! Grant us security in our homelands, make good our leaders and those
responsible for our affairs, support with truth our Imam and leader, provide him with
righteous retinue and guide him to do whatever you love and accept! O You, All-
Hearing of our prayers! O Allah! Guide him, his Crown Prince and his brothers to do
what is good for Islam, for the country and for the people! O You to Whom people
shall return in the Day of Resurrection!
O Allah! Make good all our last deeds (just before we die)! Save us from the
disgrace of this Worldly life and the punishment of the Hereafter!
O Allah! Make better our religion which is our bond, and make better our Dunya
(life in this world) which is the source of our living, and make better our Hereafter to
which we are returning, and make life an increase of everything good, and death a
relief from every evil!
O Allah! We seek refuge in You against the disappearance of Your blessing, the
change in the good health you granted us, the suddenness of Your vengeance, and all
kinds of Your wrath!
O Allah! We ask You to guide us to do good deeds, forsake reprehensible actions
and love the needy! O Allah! We ask You to forgive us and have mercy upon us! O
Allah! If You want to send an affliction on a nation, please make us die before your
affliction was sent!
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O Allah! Cure those of us who are sick! O Allah! Bless the souls of those of us
who are dead! O Allah! Fulfill our hopes in accordance with Your pleasure and make
our last deeds good ones!
O Allah! Protect the Muslims in all of their countries, unite them at heart, and
protect them against the evil of fitnahs1! O Allah! Protect us and all Muslims from the
evil of fitnahs, those of them which are apparent and those which are concealed, O
Lord of al-'ālamîn (the Worlds)!
Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You
have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the
Bestower. [Âl ‘Imrân: 8]
Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not,
and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the
losers. [Al-A’raf: 23]
O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your Cause wherever they may
be! O Allah! Grant victory to Muslims in Syria, Palestine and Burma! O Allah! Grant
them victory and protect them against Your enemies and theirs! O Allah! Cure those
who are sick among them and accept their dead as martyrs, O You, Lord of al-'ālamîn
(the Worlds)! Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and
1 Fitnahs ( فتن ), plural of fitnah ( فتنة ), is an Arabic word with connotations of sedition, affliction, trial,
secession, upheaval, and chaos. It is widely used in Arabic daily language as an adjective which refers
to "causing problems between people" or attempting to create a chaotic situation that tests one's
faith. The exact translation of this word is often ambiguous for non-Arabic speakers. The word fitnah
also has several similarities with the idea of tribulation in Christian belief.
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in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment
of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah: 201]
And may Allah have His peace and blessings on His Servant and Messenger, our
Prophet Muhammad and on his family and all his Companions, and praise be to Allah,
the Lord of al-'ālamîn!
