Part One
Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, Who is Free from all needs from His
creation. He does not benefit by the obedience of those who obey Him, nor is He harmed
by the disobedience of those who disobey Him. Whoever does good deeds will win the
reward reserved for the good-doers, and whoever commits sins is among the losers and
will not do the least harm to Allah; and Allah will reward the grateful. I praise my Lord
and thank Him for His innumerable favours. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah
alone, Who has no partners, the Lord of all creation. I also bear witness that our prophet
and master, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger, whom Allah sent with guidance
and the religion of truth to be a mercy to the worlds. O Allah! Bestow Your prayers,
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peace, and blessings on Your servant, messenger, and khalil (close friend) Muhammad
and on his family and pious Companions.
O Muslims!
Fear Allah by performing the acts of obedience that are pleasing to Him and
abandoning the forbidden acts that bring about His wrath.
Servants of Allah!
Know that a Muslim’s honour lies in his servitude to his Lord, Might and Majesty
be to Him. A Muslim’s strength lies in having trust in his Lord, his richness lies in
continuously supplicating Allah, Exalted be He, to grant him all his needs, and his true
success lies in performing his prayers well. His good ending is attained by fear of the
Lord of the Worlds, his happiness and satisfaction are achieved by being kind to his
parents, keeping the ties of kinship, and doing good to others. His heart finds rest by
frequently remembering the Benefactor, Glorified and Exalted be He.
Stability and straightness in all man’s affairs are achieved by following the lawful
means and avoiding the unlawful ones, entrusting all matters to the Creator, the Regulator
of the All Things, Glorified and Exalted be He, and performing all acts on time, without
delay or laziness. Conversely, loss and disappointment occur to the servant when he is
content with this worldly life, forgets about the hereafter, and turns away from serving
the Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
Verily, those who hope not for their meeting with Us, but are
pleased and satisfied with the life of the present world, and those
who are heedless of Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons,
signs, revelations, etc.). Those, their abode will be the Fire, because
of what they used to earn. (Yunus: 7-8)
Allah, Exalted be He, also says:
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And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the Ayat
(proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of his
Lord, then he turns aside therefrom? Verily, We shall exact
retribution from the Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists,
sinners). (As-Sajdah: 22)
We can draw lessons from previous nations and generations, whom Allah,
Exalted be He, endowed with long lives, and who had rivers flowing beneath them, built
palaces, founded cities, enjoyed strong bodies, hearing, and eyesight, and were
established on the earth and given means to its control by Allah. However, their power
and prosperity availed them nothing, and their wealth and children failed to protect them.
Allah, Exalted be He, says:
And indeed We had firmly established them with that wherewith
We have not established you (O Quraish)! And We had assigned
them the (faculties of) hearing (ears), seeing (eyes), and hearts, but
their hearing (ears), seeing (eyes), and their hearts availed them
nothing since they used to deny the Ayat (Allah’s Prophets and their
Prophethood, proofs, evidences, verses, signs, revelations, etc.) of
Allah, and they were completely encircled by that which they used
to mock at! (Al-Ahqaf: 26)
The happy ones are those who learn lessons from others, and the wretched ones
are those who serve as lessons for others. Allah, Exalted be he, says:
… Let not then this (worldly) present life deceive you, nor let the
chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah. (Luqman: 33)
So prepare yourselves for meeting Allah by doing all the good deeds that you can
do, and let none of you be deceived by this worldly life and have vain hopes in it. Allah,
Exalted be He, says:
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Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners
with Allah), he says: “My Lord! Send me back, so that I may do good
in that which I have left behind!” No! It is but a word that he
speaks, and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when
they will be resurrected. (Al-Mu’minun: 99-100)
Know that all good lies in worshipping Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him,
alone, without associating any partners with Him, in accordance with the Sunnah of His
Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, with purity of faith and love for Allah,
Exalted be He, and with love for His Messenger, peace and blessings be to him. No one
will attain the pleasure of Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, be admitted to His
Paradise, or be happy in this life and in the afterlife, except by worshipping Allah,
Blessed and Exalted be He.
Those who are morally accountable for their deeds were only created for
worshipping Allah. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they
should worship Me. (Adh-Dhariyat: 56)
Because Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, is pleased with worship, and because
worship brings many benefits to the morally accountable and is a source of innumerable
blessings and bountiful goodness in this life and the hereafter, Allah commands us to
perform acts of worship at night and during the day, both the obligatory ones and the
recommended ones, whether they are restricted (e.g. by a certain time, place, or reason)
or not restricted, so that the foremost ones may worship Allah in abundance and the
negligent ones may have the opportunity to join the company of the worshippers.
Perfect worship means true love for the Lord of the Worlds and complete
submission and humility to the One Who alone deserves to be worshipped, Exalted be
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He, in addition to following the guidance of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him.
It is because of the mercy of Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, on His
servants, His kindness towards them, and His all-encompassing generosity and
munificence, that He has prescribed acts of worship to all the morally accountable so that
they may get closer to Him and be rewarded for that. He has shown them the blessed
times for worship, such as the times of prayers and other acts of worship, in which the
reward or worship is multiplied so that they may increase their share of good deeds. Had
He not shown them such blessed times, they would not have known about them. Allah,
Exalted be He, says:
… and teaching you that which you used not to know. (Al-
Baqarah: 151)
Allah, Exalted be He, also says:
… And when you are in safety, offer the Salat (prayer) in the
manner He has taught you, which you knew not (before). (Al-
Baqarah: 239)
When Allah prescribes an act of worship, he calls upon the morally accountable to
perform it so that they may get closer to Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him. If some of
them are unable to perform such an act, Allah opens the door for them to other acts of
obedience of the same type as those acts that they have missed, so that the servants may
attain the honour of obedience to Allah and the reward of getting closer to Him.
For instance, if anyone lost his parents before he grew up, he is permitted to pray
for them, give to charity and perform hajj on their behalf, maintain the ties of their
kinship, and honour their friends. If anyone lost his parents after he grew up, he should
also continue to honour them by performing such acts.
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Abu Usaid As-Sa’idi, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “A man once said,
‘O Messenger of Allah! Is there any act of dutifulness which I can do for my parents
after their death?’ The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, replied, ‘Yes, by
praying for them, asking Allah to forgive them, fulfilling their pledges after their
death, maintaining the ties of kinship which cannot be maintained except through
them, and honouring their friends’” (Reported by Abu-Dawud).
The maternal aunt holds the same status as that of the mother. Abdullah ibn Umar,
may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said, “A man said to the Prophet, peace
and blessings be upon him, ‘O Messenger of Allah! I have committed a grave sin.
How can I repent of it?’ He replied, ‘Is your mother still alive?’ He said, ‘No.’ He
further asked, ‘Do you have a maternal aunt?’ The man said, ‘Yes.” He said, ‘Then
treat her with kindness’” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi).
If one does not have enough money to give in charity, he should engage in manual
labour to benefit himself and spend in charity from the money he earns. Sa’id ibn Abi
Burdah narrated on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, that the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Every Muslim must give charity.” It
was said, “What if he cannot find [anything to give]?” He said, “He should work
with his hands and benefit himself and give in charity [from what he earns].” It was
said, “What if he cannot do that?” He said, “Let him help someone who is in
desperate need.” It was said, “What if he cannot do that?” He said, “Let him refrain
from doing evil, for that is an act of charity” (Reported by Muslim).
The Prophet, Peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “Whoever prays Fajr
(Dawn prayer) in congregation and then sits in his place remembering Allah until
the sun rises, then prays two Rak’ah, will have a reward equal to that of a person
who has performed a perfect hajj and umrah”.
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How great the favours of the Lord of the Worlds to His servants are! How
numerous the doors to good deeds are! And how magnificent the reward for good deeds
is!
O Muslims!
Act in sincerity and purity of faith, and follow the guidance of the Prophet, peace
be upon him. Do not turn away from any good deed however small it may be, and do not
belittle any sin however minor it may appear, for it will be recorded against you and you
will be called to account for it.
O Muslims!
Beware of committing innovations in religion, for they destroy your religion,
render your good deeds vain or at least diminish the reward for righteous deeds. Allah,
Exalted be He, says:
O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger
(Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) and render not vain
your deeds. (Muhammad: 33)
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said regarding those who
introduce innovations in religion and those who will be driven away from his Cistern on
the Day of Judgment, “Away with him who changes [the religion] after me” (Reported
by Al-Bukhari).
You must also, O Muslims, beware of committing forbidden deeds, keep away
from them, and abhor them, for they harden the heart, heighten hypocrisy, and make
those who turn away from Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, doomed to eternal misery.
They also nourish hypocrisy and are one of the causes of a bad ending. Allah, Exalted be
He, says:
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Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up the
prayers (i.e. made their prayers to be lost, either by not offering
them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in
their proper fixed times] and have followed lusts. So they will be
thrown in Ghayy (Hell). Except those who repent and believe (in the
Oneness of Allah and His Messenger Muhammad, peace and
blessings be upon him), and work righteousness. Such will enter
Paradise and they will not be wronged in aught. (Maryam: 59-60)
The word ghayy in the verse (glossed above as Hell) is the name of a dreadful, extremely
hot valley in Hell.
Be keen, O Muslims, on hastening to do good deeds, to be among those who are
promised the highest degrees in Paradise. Beware of delaying good deeds, for fear of
being punished by not joining the company of the successful or by entering Hell along
with those who enter it. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Some men
continue to fall behind [in doing good deeds] until Allah puts them behind.” Another
version of this hadith reads, “Some men continue to fall behind until Allah puts them
behind in Hell.” Allah, Exalted be He, says:
And the foremost ones [(in Islamic Faith of Monotheism and in
performing righteous deeds) in the life of this world on the very
first call for to embrace Islam,] will be the foremost (in Paradise).
These will be those nearest (to Allah), in the Gardens of Delight
(Paradise). A multitude of those (foremost) will be from the first
generations (who embraced Islam). And a few of those (foremost)
will be from the later generations. (Al-Waqi’ah: 10-14)
May Allah bless you and me with the Great Qur’an and make us benefit from its
verses and wise words. I have said what you have heard and I ask forgiveness of Allah
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for myself, for you, and for all Muslims for any sin we have committed. Ask Allah for
forgiveness. He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
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Part Two
Praise be to Allah, Whose authority is infinite and Whose evidence is compelling.
Whatever Allah wills will certainly come to pass. I bear witness that there is no god
worthy of worship but Allah alone, Who has no partners, the Most Merciful, the Most
Beneficent; and I bear witness that our prophet and master Muhammad is His servant and
messenger, who was supported by the miracle of the Qur’an. O Allah! Bestow Your
prayers, peace and blessings upon Your servant and messenger Muhammad and upon his
family and his faithful and righteous Companions.
Servants of Allah!
Fear Allah, Exalted be He, by loving and obeying Him, and do not expose
yourselves to His wrath by disobeying Him.
Servants of Allah!
Help one another in upholding the truth and be brothers in Islam. Allah, Exalted
be He, says:
The believers, men and women, are Auliya’ (helpers, supporters,
friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on the people) AlMa’ruf
(i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do),
and forbid (people) from AlMunkar
(i.e. polytheism and disbelief of
all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they perform AsSalat
(IqamatasSalat)
and give the Zakat, and obey Allah and His
Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah will have His
Mercy on them. Surely Allah is AllMighty,
AllWise.
(At-Tawbah:
71)
Fellow Muslims!
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Offer sincere advice to your brothers regularly, for this is a sign that you wish
them all good, honour, and strength. Advice is of great importance in Islam. Abu Tamim
Ad-Dari, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and
blessings be upon him, said, ‘Religion is sincere advice’ three times. We asked ‘For
whom, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘For the sake of Allah, His Book, and His
Messenger, and for the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk’” (Reported by
Muslim).
The duties of the Muslim towards his Muslim brothers include taking care of their
affairs, paying them their due rights, praying for them, being keen on doing what benefits
them, and protecting them from harm and offence. The Prophet, peace and blessings be
upon him, said, “Whoever does not respect the elders, show compassion to the young,
enjoin good, and forbid evil, is not one of us.” The Prophet, peace and blessings be
upon him, also said, “A believer to a believer is like the bricks of a building which
support each other.”
Servants of Allah!
Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the
Prophet (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)) and also
His angels (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe!
Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him)), and (you should) greet (salute) him with
the Islamic way of greeting (salutation, i.e. AsSalamu
‘Alaikum).
(Al-Ahzab: 56)
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If a person asks Allah to
send blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon him ten times over.”
Therefore, ask Allah to bestow His peace and blessings on the master of those
who preceded us and those who are yet to come, and the Imam of Messengers.
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O Allah! Bestow Your peace upon Muhammad and his family, as You bestowed
Your peace on Ibrahim and his family; You are All-Praiseworthy and All-Glorious. O
Allah! Bestow Your blessings upon Muhammad and his family, as You bestowed Your
blessings on Ibrahim and his family; You are All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious.
O Allah! Be pleased with all the Prophet’s Companions and the Rightly-Guided
Caliphs and leading imams, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and all Your Prophet’s
other Companions, and be pleased with the contemporaries of the Companions after the
death of the Prophet (Tabi’un) and with those who follow them in righteousness until the
Day of Judgment. O Allah! Be pleased with us along with them, by Your grace,
generosity, and mercy, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!
O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims. O Allah! Grant power and
glory to Islam and Muslims and subdue disbelief and the disbelievers. O Allah! Grant
power and glory to Islam and Muslims and subdue polytheism and the polytheists, O
Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion and Your Book. O Allah! Grant victory to
Your religion, Your Book, and the Sunnah of Your Prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him. O Allah! Grant victory to the Sunnah of Your Prophet, Muhammad, peace and
blessings be upon him, at all times and in all places, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Root out innovations in religion. O Allah! Root out innovations in
religion. O Allah! Subdue innovations in religion, as they are contrary to the religion of
our master and prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. You are Powerful
over all things.
O Allah! We ask You to help us follow the guidance and practice of the Prophet
and help us hold fast to his Sunnah. You are Powerful over all things, O Lord of the
Worlds!
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O Allah! Show us the truth as it really is and help us follow it, and show
falsehood as it really is and help us avoid it. O Allah! Do not make them confusing to us
for fear that we might go astray.
O Allah! Protect us from the evil within ourselves and from our wrong deeds. O
Allah! Protect us from the evil of all evil-doers, O You Lord of the Worlds! O Allah!
Protect us from the evil of all evil-doers; You are Powerful over all things.
O Allah! Forgive us the sins that we have committed and the sins that we may
commit in the future; forgive us the sins that we have committed in secret and the sins
that we have committed in public; and forgive what You know better than we do. You are
the Expediter and the Delayer. There is no god but You.
O Allah! We ask you for Paradise and for every word or deed that brings us closer
to it, and seek refuge in You from Hellfire and from every word or deed that brings us
closer to it.
O Allah! Grant us safety in our homelands and make good our rulers. O Allah!
Guide our ruler, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do what You love and
accept. O Allah! Lead him to Your Guidance and let him do what pleases You, O Lord of
the Worlds! O Allah! Help him do what is good, You are Powerful over all things. O
Allah! Guide the Crown Prince to do what You love and accept. O Allah! Lead him to
Your guidance and let him do what pleases You, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Protect our countries from every evil and harm. You are Powerful over
all things.
O Allah! Make the Muslims’ tasks easy for them. O Allah! We ask you to protect
Islam and Muslims at all times and in all places, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Give
support to Muslims. You are Powerful over all things.
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O Allah! Provide food for the hungry among them, provide clothes for the
unclothed among them, and provide shelter for the homeless among them. O Allah!
Dispel their fears and conceal their weaknesses, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Make
their provision easy for them. You are Powerful over all things. O Allah! Grant them
victory over those who have oppressed them, transgressed against them, and tyrannized
them.
O Allah! We ask You, O Owner of Majesty and Honour, to protect them from the
evil of those who oppress them and transgress against them. O Allah! We ask You, O
Owner of Majesty and Honour, to take revenge on those who have driven them out of
their homes, oppressed them, destroyed their homes, and cast fear into their hearts. O
Allah! Take revenge on them. You are Powerful over all things.
O Allah! Show kindness to Muslims, O Lord of the Worlds! You are Powerful
over all things.
Our Lord! Give us that which is good in this world and that which
is good in the Hereafter, and save us from the torment of Hellfire!
(Al-Baqarah: 201)
Servants of Allah!
Verily, Allah enjoins AlAdl
(i.e. justice and worshipping none but
Allah Alone –Islamic Monotheism) and AlIhsan
[i.e. to be patient
in performing your duties to Allah, totally for Allah’s sake and in
accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) in a perfect manner], and giving (help) to
kith and kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered you to give them, e.g.,
wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help, etc.):
and forbids AlFahsha’
(i.e all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts,
disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false
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witness, to kill a life without right, etc.), and AlMunkar
(i.e. all that
is prohibited by Islamic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and
every kind of evil deeds, etc.), and AlBaghy
(i.e. all kinds of
oppression), He admonishes you, that you may take heed.) And fulfil
the Covenant of Allah (Bai’a: pledge for Islam) when you have
covenanted, and break not the oaths after you have confirmed them,
and indeed you have appointed Allah your surety. Verily! Allah
knows what you do. (An-Nahl: 90-91)
Remember Allah, the Great, the Sublime, and He will remember you. Thank Him
for His favours and He will give you more. Verily, remembrance of Allah is greater than
all, and Allah knows what you do.
