Part One
Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, Who has given faith taste and sweetness. I
praise Him, Glorified be He, and I thank Him, for He has promised to increase bounties
for whoever thanks Him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no
partners, and Who says in the Qur’an:
For those who have done good is the best (reward, i.e.
Paradise) and even more (i.e. having the honour of
glancing at the Countenance of Allah) … (Yunus: 26)
I also bear witness that our master and prophet, Muhammad, is His servant and
messenger, who showed his Ummah the ways of misguidance as well as the path of
happiness. May Allah bestow His peace and blessings upon him and upon his family and
Companions, who were foremost in virtue and good deeds.
Now then,
I advise you and advise myself to fear Allah. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has
ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden)
as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him,
and remember Him always], and die not except in a state
of Islam [as Muslims (with complete submission to
Allah)]. (Al ‘Imran: 102)
Al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that he
heard Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, say, “He has found the
taste of faith who is content with Allah as his Lord, with Islam as his religion, and
with Muhammad as a prophet and as a messenger [of Allah].”
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Whoever is content with Allah as his Lord certainly loves Him, puts his trust in
Him, seeks His help, and is sure that Allah alone, Glorified be He, is sufficient for him;
he does not resort to anyone else, for anyone other than Allah is weak and helpless. He
for whom Allah is not sufficient will not find anything sufficient, while he who is content
with Allah gains all that is good. Whoever seeks sufficiency with Allah alone will not
stand in need of anything, and whoever seeks power and glory with Allah will never be
humiliated for any reason whatsoever. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
Is not Allah Sufficient for His slave? ... (Az-Zumar: 36).
Whoever is content with Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as a messenger
of Allah definitely takes him as his example, leader, and guide and devotes himself to
studying his life and following in his footsteps. Finally, whoever is content with Islam as
his religion is fully convinced of it; he follows whatever it prescribes and avoids
whatever it prohibits.
There is sweetness in faith that none can taste except for those who are deserving
of it. If faith enters the heart and its delight mixes with it completely, this will engender
pleasure in the heart, fill one’s life with joy, and give one comfort and contentment.
Those who feel the sweetness of faith delight in performing the acts of worship, endure
hardships to attain Allah’s good pleasure, strive hard in His cause, and sacrifice
everything for His sake. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
Say: “In the Bounty of Allah, and in His Mercy (i.e. Islam
and the Quran); – therein let them rejoice.” That is better
than what (the wealth) they amass. (Yunus: 58)
When the sweetness of faith firmly settles in a believer’s heart, it makes him
attached to Allah, Glorified be He, at all times and under all circumstances, in all his acts
and at any hour of the day and night. It makes him always aware of the presence of his
Creator, Originator, and Supporter. It is for this reason that Allah’s Messenger, peace and
blessings be upon him, commanded us often to say, “I am content with Allah as my
Lord, with Islam as my religion, and with Muhammad, peace and blessings be
upon him, as my prophet.”
Abstaining from sins for the sake of Allah brings forth a feeling of sweetness to
the heart which is felt by those who do that out of fear of Allah and out of humility before
Him. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The furtive
glance (at women) is one of the poisoned arrows of Iblis (Satan); therefore, Allah,
Might and Majesty be to him, will reward anyone who lowers his gaze out of fear
of Allah with faith whose sweetness he will find in his heart.”
Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace
and blessings be upon him, said, “There are three qualities that whoever possesses
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will taste the sweetness of faith: that Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him
than all else, that he loves a person only for the sake of Allah, and that he hates
to revert to disbelief just as he hates to be thrown into the fire.”
The sweetness of faith requires a dear price and at the same time has blessed
effects. Its price is that Allah and His Messenger should be dearer to a believer than all
else. This implies that the Qur’an, the Book of Allah, and the Sunnah of His Messenger
should be dearer to a believer than anything else. When there is any conflict within the
believer between his own narrow interests and the teachings of the religion, the believer
should give precedence to the teachings of the religion and the good pleasure of Allah
and should choose obedience to Allah and His Messenger rather than the desires and
whims of the lower self. In this way, Allah, Exalted be He, becomes more beloved to the
believer than anyone else, and only then will his soul be always attached to His. Loving
the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, means that a Muslim must not receive
any commands except from the Prophet’s guidance and that he must not follow a path
other than his, such that he does not find within himself any resistance against the
decisions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and such that he comes to
observe the same good manners as the Prophet’s, peace and blessings be upon him, such
as generosity, altruism, forbearance, and modesty.
The price for the sweetness of faith is that a believer should love a person only for
the sake of Allah. This means that the believer should establish his relations with others
on the basis of faith alone. Thus he should love and support the believers, even if they are
weak and poor, and hate those who disobey Allah or associate partners with Him, even if
they are powerful and wealthy. Our love for others for the sake of Allah is only true when
it does not increase when they are bounteous to us and does not decrease when they turn
away from us. This hadith deepens the notion of brotherhood in Islamic faith, which can
only be sincere when it is cherished purely for the sake of Allah and when it is intended
to attain His good pleasure. The sweetness of true brotherhood in Islam can only be tasted
when it is coupled with fear of Allah. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
Friends on that Day will be foes one to another except Al-
Muttaqun (pious). (Az-Zukhruf: 67)
Another requirement for tasting the sweetness of faith is that a believer should
hate to revert to disbelief just as he hates to be thrown into the fire. The Qur’an tells us
that a man may worship Allah in a state of doubt, standing, as it were, on the edge of
belief. If good befalls him, he is content with it, but if trials and afflictions befall him, he
reverts to disbelief, thus losing both this world and the hereafter. Such a man believes in
Allah as long as life smiles on him, but if he is less fortunate, he abandons belief and
returns to his former ways. Contrary to this, a true believer is never affected by the
changing fortunes of life. He is always steadfast and always insists on doing good deeds,
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whether he is desirous of doing them or not, whether he is rich or poor, and whether he is
healthy or sick.
This type of pleasure has been described by those who have tasted the sweetness
of faith. One of them said, “I experience times when I say, ‘If the people of Paradise have
this feeling, then they are in great bliss.’” Another said, “Indeed, there is a paradise in this
world that whoever fails to enter will not enter the Paradise of the hereafter.” Yet another
one said:
“Faith produces joy and pleasure in the heart. Whoever does not feel it
either lacks faith altogether or has only weak faith, and he belongs to the
category of people about whom Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, says,
The bedouins say, “We believe.” Say, “You believe not but
you only say, ‘We have surrendered (in Islam)’, for Faith
has not yet entered your hearts” ... (Al-Hujurat: 14).”
Among those who have tasted the sweetness of faith is Khubaib ibn ‘Adiyy, may
Allah be pleased with him. It was said to him, just when he was about to be crucified,
“Would you like Muhammad to be in your place while you sit safe and sound in the
comfort of your family?” He replied, “By Allah! I would not at all like to be sitting in the
comfort of my home and family enjoying the safety and pleasures of this life if Allah’s
Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, was hurt by a thorn”
When a Muslim woman, who tasted the sweetness of faith, was informed that the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was killed in the Battle of Uhud, she rushed to
the battlefield only to find that her father, her brother, her son, and her husband had all
been killed. Despite this, she asked, “How is Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be
upon him?” When she saw him still alive, she felt reassured and said to him, “O
Messenger of Allah! All misfortunes are insignificant as long as you are safe and sound.”
He who tastes the sweetness of faith will never abandon his religion even if he is
torn to pieces. The disbelievers of Makkah placed a heavy rock on Bilal ibn Rabah’s
chest, may Allah be pleased with him, in order to force him to revert to disbelief, but he
endured this suffering, saying, “Allah is the One! Allah is the One! He is the Only God!
He is As-Samad (the Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need)!”
Heraclius, the Roman emperor, who was a contemporary of the Prophet, peace
and blessings be upon him, once asked Abu Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him,
“Has anyone of his [the Prophet’s, peace and blessings be upon him] followers reverted
to disbelief out of displeasure with his religion?” He said, “No.” Heraclius then said,
“Such is true faith when its sweetness mixes with the heart.”
When a Muslim tastes the sweetness of faith, he turns into a new person whose
life has a different character built upon giving. He feels happy with what he gives and not
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with what he gets and he offers good to others. One of the signs of tasting the sweetness
of faith is for the servant to believe from the bottom of his heart that all provisions come
solely from Allah, that no one can prevent a servant from getting what Allah has
bestowed upon him, and that no soul will die until it has fully received its provision and
completed its appointed term. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
Whoever works righteousness – whether male or female –
while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism)
verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with
respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall
pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of
what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter). (Al-
Nahl: 97)
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,
the Most Great, for myself and for you. Ask Allah for forgiveness. He is the Oft-
Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
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Part Two
Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, Who has favoured us with the blessing of
Islam. I praise Him, Glorified be He, and thank Him as He duly should be thanked. I bear
witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, the Bestower of virtues
and favours; and I bear witness that our master and prophet, Muhammad, is His servant
and messenger, the best of all those who have performed prayers, hajj, and voluntary
night prayers. May Allah bestow His peace and blessings upon him and upon his family
and Companions, the prominent leaders of this Ummah.
O Muslims!
I advise you and advise myself to fear Allah.
The sweetness of faith, servants of Allah, adds pleasure to the acts of worship. A
devout believer once said, “All the delights of the world provide only one type of
pleasure which soon fades away, except the worship of Allah, which results in three types
of pleasure: the pleasure you feel while performing it, the pleasure you feel when you
remember performing it, and the pleasure you will have when you are rewarded for it.”
There is pleasure in the prayer when performed with all solemnity and with a fully
attentive heart. In this way, the Muslim will find in prayers the comfort of his eyes, the
pleasure of his soul, the delight of his heart, and the source of peace and tranquillity in
this world. He will then always remain in discomfort until he engages in prayers again. It
is for this reason that the Imam of the Pious, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be
upon him, used to say to Bilal ibn Rabah, the caller to prayers, may Allah be pleased with
him, “O Bilal! Give us comfort by it [i.e. by the call to commence prayer
(iqamah)].”
Performing the voluntary night prayers occupied a great position and engendered
incomparable pleasure in the hearts of the Prophets’ Companions and the righteous
predecessors. One of them once said, “By Allah, were it not for the voluntary night
prayers, I would not like to live in this world. By Allah, those who spend the night in
voluntary prayers to Allah find more pleasure than those who spend their time in
amusements and distractions.” The righteous predecessors also found their utmost
pleasure in fasting, and so do the righteous people of all times. As for hajj, the pleasure it
gives prompts people to travel long distances and bear countless hardships, out of longing
for the Ancient House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah). There is enormous pleasure in reciting
words of remembrance of Allah. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
... Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find
rest. (Ar-Ra‘d: 28)
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In addition, there is great pleasure in reading and reciting the Qur’an. Uthman ibn ‘Affan,
may Allah be pleased with him, said, “If your hearts were purer, they would never feel
they had enough of Allah’s words, Might and Majesty be to Him.” Allah, Exalted be He,
says:
And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with
the necessary effort due for it (i.e. do righteous deeds of
Allah’s Obedience) while he is a believer (in the Oneness of
Allah – Islamic Monotheism) – then such are the ones
whose striving shall be appreciated (thanked and rewarded
by Allah). (Al-Isra’: 19)
O Servants of Allah!
Ask Allah to bestow His blessings on the Messenger of Guidance, as Allah has
ordered you to do so in His Book. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
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. As-Salamu ‘Alaikum). (Al-
Ahzab: 56)
O Allah! Bestow Your peace upon Muhammad, his wives, and his offspring as
You bestowed Your peace upon Ibrahim, and bestow Your blessings upon Muhammad,
his wives, and his offspring, as You bestowed Your blessings upon Ibrahim; You are All-
Praiseworthy, All-Glorious. O Allah! Be pleased with the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs,
Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, along with their families and the Prophet’s
honourable Companions, and also be pleased with us together with them, by Your
forgiveness, generosity, and benevolence, 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. O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims,
subdue disbelief and the disbelievers, and destroy Your enemies – the enemies of Your
religion. O Allah! Make this country of ours as well as all other Muslim countries safe
and secure.
O Allah! Make whoever harbours evil intentions towards us and towards Islam
and Muslims preoccupied with his own problems and make his plotting the cause of his
own destruction, O All-Hearer of Supplication! O Allah! Make whoever harbours evil
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intentions towards us and towards Islam and Muslims preoccupied with his own
problems and make his plotting the cause of his own destruction, O All-Hearer of
Supplication! O Allah! Make whoever harbours evil intentions towards us and towards
Islam and Muslims preoccupied with his own problems and make his plotting the cause
of his own destruction, O All-Hearer of Supplication!
O Allah! Grant victory and deliverance to the oppressed among Muslims
everywhere. O Allah! They are hungry, so feed them; they are on foot so provide mounts
for them; they are naked so clothe them; and they are oppressed, so grant them victory. O
Allah! They are oppressed, so grant them victory. O Allah! They are oppressed, so grant
them victory.
O Allah! Bring Muslims’ hearts together, unite their rows, and gather them
around the word of truth, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Revealer of the Book, Controller and Dominator of the clouds, Defeater
of the Confederates, defeat Your enemies – the enemies of Your religion, and grant
Muslims victory over them, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! We ask You for Paradise and every word or deed that brings us closer to
it, and seek refuge in You from Hellfire and every word or deed that brings us closer to it.
O Allah! Make good for us our religion, which safeguards our affairs, make good
for us this world in which we live, and make good for us the hereafter, which will be our
eternal abode. Make our life an increase for us in all goodness and our death a respite for
us from all evil, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! We ask You for guidance, piety, chastity, and freedom from want. O
Allah! We ask You for the ways to good, the outcomes of good, the beginnings of good,
and the ends of good, and we ask You for all good, open and hidden. We ask You for the
highest ranks of Paradise, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Lavish upon us some of Your blessings, mercy, grace, and provision. O
Allah! We seek refuge in You from the withdrawal of Your favours, the passing of the
health and well-being You have given us, the suddenness of Your punishment, and all
that which displeases You.
O Allah! We ask You for steadfastness in obeying Your commands, for
determination in following the right path, for benefit from every good deed, for success in
attaining Paradise, and for deliverance from Hellfire.
O Allah! Be with us and not against us, render us victorious and not defeated,
plan for us and not against us, guide us and lead us to guidance, and grant us victory over
those who have oppressed us.
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O Allah! Make us among those who remember You and praise You, who are
humble to You, and who often implore You and return to You in repentance.
O Allah! Accept our repentance, forgive our sins, approve our cause, guide our
tongues to say the truth, and purify our hearts from envy.
O Allah! Grant safety to the pilgrims of Your Sacred House. O Allah! Protect
them from all evils and sins. O Allah! Help them to return safe and sound to their homes,
fully rewarded and with their deeds accepted, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Accept their pilgrimage, approve their endeavour, forgive their sins, and
reward them for their righteous deeds, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!
O Allah! Relieve our distress, alleviate our suffering, and have mercy on our
dead, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!
O Allah! We ask You, O Allah, Who are the One, As-Samad (the Self-Sufficient
Master, Whom all creatures need), Who beget not, nor were begotten, and unto Whom
there is none co-equal or comparable! O Allah! Send down rain upon us. O Allah! Send
down rain upon us. O Allah! Send down rain upon us. O Allah! Let the rain bring forth
mercy with it and let it not cause torment, affliction, destruction, or flooding. O Allah!
Let the rain bring forth mercy with it and let it not cause torment, affliction, destruction,
or flooding. O Allah! Let the rain bring forth mercy with it and let it not cause torment,
affliction, destruction, or flooding, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!
O Allah! Guide our leader and ruler to what You love and accept. O Allah! Lead
him to Your guidance and make his deeds pleasing to You, O Lord of the Worlds! O
Allah! Guide his two Deputies to what You love and accept, O Most Merciful of all the
merciful!
O Allah! Guide all Muslim rulers to act according to Your Book and to rule
according to Your Shari‘ah, O Lord of the Worlds!
... Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have
preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred
against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed
full of kindness, Most Merciful. (Al-Hashr: 10)
... 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)
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... 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 the Fire! (Al-Baqarah: 201)
Verily, Allah enjoins Al-‘Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping
none but Allah Alone – Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan
[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), and forbids Al-Fahsha’ (i.e. all evil deeds, e.g. illegal
sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell
lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right), and
Al-Munkar (i.e. all that is prohibited by Islamic law:
polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil
deeds), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression), He
admonishes you, that you may take heed. (An-Nahl: 90)
Remember Allah 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.
