Khutbahs
51 / 221
When Your True Colors Show | Khutbah
In divorce, the dissolution of a business relationship, a dispute between friends, or in retaliation, the true test of the character of a believer is often in hard times.
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Dear brothers and sisters, I began this khutbah with three calls to taqwa, to be mindful of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And one of the things that we say is, أُوصِيكُمْ وَنَفْسِي بِتَقْوَ اللَّهِ Because our Prophet ﷺ taught us that what you tell other people to do, you tell yourself first. And so as the khateeb, as the speaker invites you to taqwa, the speaker also should invite his or herself to taqwa as well. And when I speak about in this khutbah, in terms of taqwa, everything that we speak about is framed in the mindfulness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in some capacity, in some regard. And every single person in this Jum'ah and every person who is listening has something to benefit from taqwa, whether they are in a state of power or they're being persecuted. When you are a zalim, when you are a wrongdoer, there is a way to remind yourself of the taqwa of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And when you are the one who is being wronged, there is a call to taqwa. Because taqwa, the mindfulness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, particularly one that stops you from wronging, stops you from transgressing in your position, is a constant in your life. It is a constant in your relationship with Allah. كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامَ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَىٰ لَذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ Fasting is to make you more mindful of Allah. So that first and foremost you don't transgress with His blessings upon His boundaries. That's the first function of taqwa between you and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And then taqwa shows up between you and the people as well. Every single time the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam sets up a new relationship, whether that is in the capacity of a marriage or otherwise, it begins, Bismillah, it begins in the name of Allah and with the invocation of, اتقوا الله Be mindful of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
It is the most important constant. Now just like in our dealings with Allah, our faith often shows in adversity, our true sense of faith shows in adversity as it pertains to Allah, our true sense of character as it pertains to people also shows in adversity. And in Islam, deen and khuluq, religion and character are entirely intertwined. And so as it pertains to our relationship with Allah and as it pertains to our relationship with people, our faith and character really show themselves for good or for bad in hardship. And subhanallah, when you look at the breakdown of relationships, both in the family sense and in the community sense, both in the business sense and in the personal sense, you start to see that the principles that we claim throughout our lives suddenly dissipate in our sense of revenge, our sense of anger, our sense of wanting to claim as much as we can in this world and to get as much as we can in this world and everything goes out the window. What am I talking about here? When the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentions the signs of a hypocrite, one hadith mentions three, one hadith mentions four. One hadith says when he speaks he lies, when he makes a promise he breaks the promise, wa idha tumina khan and when he is entrusted then he will violate that trust. Speaks lies, breaks a promise and at the same time that person cannot be trusted with any type of amanah. In another hadith the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam added wa idha ha sama fajar and when that person argues they transgress. Now this is probably the most misunderstood aspect of this hadith as it pertains to all of this.
Why? Because fujur, when you hear that hadith, you think of a person yelling. They get into an argument and they raise their voices. But that's not always what fujur is. In fact, fujur is often silent. Fujur is transgression and transgression in the scales of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la in the capacity of a dispute. And so for example, it is fujur to ignore your brother for three days or your sister for three days. It's fujur, it's silent, you're not saying anything, but that is wa idha ha sama fajar, they boycott each other or they boycott one another over their arguments. That is a sense of fujur. It's not loud, but it is deadly and it falls into that hadith. That's why some of the ulema, by the way, they mention that the reason why the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentions the fourth one in one narration and not in the other is because lying when speaking is fujur. Breaking a promise is fujur, it's transgression. Breaking a trust, violating a trust is fujur. And so, idha ha sama fajar is actually simply the thread between all three of these things. That when dispute arises or something happens, fajar. They exit out of the boundaries of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and fujur is the opposite of taqwa. Allah says, fa alhamaha fujuraha wa taqwaha. Fujur is to transgress. Taqwa is to restrain. Restrain yourself from the disobedience of Allah or violate the boundaries of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. So, al-fujur means al-khuruj'an ta'at'illah. It means to exit out of the obedience of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, cross the boundaries that were set by God in any relationship including the relationship between you and Him. Al-fajr is someone who steps out of bounds with their Lord in their faith.
Al-fajr in their personal dealings is someone who crosses the boundaries in dispute. And that is a deficiency in character. And faith and character are one. And Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la when we start to frame everything as a taqwa deficiency or a need for taqwa. Then we have to start thinking about everything that we do before we get to the problems. Taqwa necessitates that you are always observing the sight of God upon you whether other people are watching you or not. That you are observing God's standard whether other people are holding you to that standard or not. That you are accountable whether there are other people in your life that are capable of enforcing accountability on you or not. You have taqwa. Okay, so taqwa in marriage means what? I will observe the boundaries of marriage whether my spouse can see me or not. Whether I think that my phone is going to be seen or my email is going to be seen or not. Whether there is a camera or not. Whether there is an in-law present or not. Whether there is a power dynamic or not. I am always first and foremost putting Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la first in how I deal with my spouse. Ittaqoo Allaha feen shaa'ikum. Be mindful of Allah with your spouses. Fear Allah in regards to your spouses. Sometimes people operate in sin under the cover of secrecy. And so when there is violence that takes place, physical or verbal abuse from husband to wife or wife to husband. And there is no one else that is aware of it. Fajr, a person continues to transgress because they have secrecy. And so that is a problem. That is a taqwa deficiency. Infidelity is a taqwa deficiency. When someone starts to engage in haram communications. And SubhanAllah as we said a few months ago, you know with all the death that has been taking place in the community.
If your phone is handed over to your spouse, are you afraid or not? Taqoo Allah. Allah reads your communications. Allah is aware of them. Putting Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la first. And then comes what? When the bad things happen. Falak happens. Divorce happens. And SubhanAllah look at the verses over and over and over again. Embedding taqwa in divorce. Ya ayyuhal nabi, idha talaqtumun nisaa, fatalliqoo hunna li iddatihim, wa ahsul idda, wattaqoo Allaha rabbakum. The first thing the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam is commanded. That when you carry out a divorce, make sure that you initiate it at the right time. There is a sunnah to when you initiate a divorce. And make sure you observe the idda properly. And fear Allah. Wattaqoo Allaha rabbakum. You both have the same Lord that you will be accountable to. And you will never see the sunnah less applied than in divorce. It's so sad in our communities. It is so sad. All of a sudden the religious and the secular, it all goes out the window. What sunnah? I'm going to cite the text as it can benefit me. But what sunnah? What observance of Allah and His Messenger SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam? And how does it start off with after that? La tukhrijoo hunna min buyootihunna wala yakhrujna illa an ya'teena bi fahisha tin mubayyinah. Don't kick them out of their houses, your spouses out of their houses. Nor leave your house. There is an idda period to be observed. Unless there is a fear of your safety. That idda is there for a reason. I can't tell you how many times we're facing issues in our community, times in our community, where right away the talaf is uttered and then forget about the idda. Two people that practice Islam, two people that pray. And a husband tells his wife, don't come home. A wife disappears, a husband disappears. There is an idda. Don't you dare kick the other person out of their rightful home. Nor leave your place. There is a process to be established here and to be observed here.
Unless there is a fear of safety or there is shamelessness, fahisha, a major transgression that has taken place. Wa tilka hududullah. That's the boundary of Allah that's been set on you. You don't get to reason your way out of it. Wa tilka hududullah, wa man yata'dda hududullah faqad lalama nafsa. And whoever crosses, transgresses the boundary of Allah, you've wronged yourself. You might have hurt the other person. SubhanAllah. The types of mazalim. May Allah protect us from wronging or being wronged in these ways, in these divorces. A'udhu billah. Kicking people out of their homes, changing locks, not coming back. I mean it's unbelievable what takes place. Like when is the idda to be observed? And Allah is saying what? You crossed the boundary of Allah, you have wronged yourself. La tadree la'allallaha yuhdithu ba'da thalika amra. And you don't know what Allah is going to pave as a result of you observing what He has put as a process for you. But again, ittaqullah. Later on Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions in the forgiveness. And after divorces to take place. Where people then start to, right, it's lawyer up and get as much as you can. What does Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala say? Wa an ta'fu akrabu littaqwa. You know what? Be a person that forgives. Be a person that overlooks. Be a person that says I understand we can make an arrangement. Try your best to be that person that is understanding and forgiving. Don't weaponize. Wa an ta'fu akrabu littaqwa. Be a person who's forgiving, who's overlooking, who's pardoning, who's reasonable, who's gracious, graceful. Akrabu littaqwa. That's closer to taqwa. Wa la tansawul fadla baynakum. Don't forget the good times that you had amongst yourselves. Inna Allaha bima ta'maluna baseer. Allah sees you. What is that speaking about? As al-Qurtoobi rahimahullah said. That when two people get a divorce and then they slander one another. And they try to hinder the path to marriage for the other person afterwards.
So put out nasty things in the community. Right? Start making suggestions and hints. Why? So that you can make that person miserable because you feel like they've made you miserable. Where's the taqwa in that? Inna Allaha bima ta'maluna baseer. Allah sees you. To take more than your haq is fujoor. To take more than your right is fujoor. Sometimes people, you know, find themselves in a favorable situation. Outside of the boundaries of Allah and His Messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam. And they take more than what's allotted to them. That is fujoor. It's not screaming and cursing and yelling. But that is fujoor. That is hududullah. That is being crossed. Using your children as pawns in a divorce. Taqwa problem. Taqwa problem. Subhanallah. In the vengeance of all of this, in this situation. Where a husband and a wife pit their children against one another. Manipulate. Where's your fear of Allah? That's going to come back to bite you. It'll bite you with your children and bite you with yourself. It's taqwallah. Your children are not pawns. Your children need help. Right? They need that compassion, that care, that love. They need understanding. But a person is just trying to do what? As much as I can get out of this. Fujoor. Take as much as I can. Hurt as much as I can. Wield as much as I can. Execute as much as I can. Of pain on the other person. And then that feeds into our business relationships. Feeds into our money. How many families have been destroyed? Over plots of land and dirham, dinar and dollar. Subhanallah. An extra plot of land, an extra dirham, an extra dinar. And the Prophet ﷺ said, مَنْ اِقْطَطَعَ شِبْرًا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ ظُلْمًا تَوَّقَهُ اللَّهُ إِيَّاهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ سَبْعِ أَرَضِينِ نَسْلَ اللَّهَ الْعَافِيَةِ The Prophet ﷺ said, whoever takes just this much, an extra piece of land that doesn't belong to them, Allah ﷻ will wrap seven earths on their neck that they carry on the Day of Judgment. That's your burden.
That extra dollar that you take in dispute, that extra land that you take in dispute, that extra share of business that you take in dispute, be careful. Because if you're taking more than what belongs to you, you will see it on the Day of Judgment and it won't be pretty. Be careful. وَأَن تَعْفُوا أَقْرَبُوا لِلتَّقْوَى And if you can be on the safe side and be on the cautious side, that's closer to taqwa. Say, you know what? This part is disputed, I'll give up the part that's disputed. Because I don't want to see it on the Day of Judgment on my neck. As a dollar or a piece of land or a percentage that I stole, I'm going to observe taqwa because I fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. I'll take the short end of the stick for the greater reward. I'll do that. I'm not going to engage in this. But people fight and claw to get more, more, more, more. There's no taqwa in that. Where's the fear of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? And as I said, dear brothers and sisters, in conclusion, even in retaliation, even in retaliation, there's taqwa. This is how we are calibrated. If you don't like it, you have a problem with the Quran. This is how we're calibrated. Even when we are mazloom, when we are wronged, we don't have the right to become wrongdoers as a result of that. To harm because we've been harmed. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, المستبان, those that curse one another. People get into an argument, a fight. ما قال فعل الباد The person who started it, the person who said the initial curse, is the one who bears the sin. ما لم يعتد المظلوم As long as the one who is wrong does not increase in retaliation, does not transgress in retaliation. The wrongdoing is on the one who initiated, as long as you don't respond in that way. Listen to this hadith. Abu Hurairah radiallahu ta'ala says, قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إن من أكبر الكبار استطالت المرء في عرض رجل مسلم بغير حق that one of the greatest sins in the sight of Allah is that a person attacks the reputation
of their brother or sister in Islam without right. One of the greatest kabair, up there with zina and riba and everything. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, there is no greater riba, there is riba, interest and usury in the reputation, the way you speak of the reputation of your brother or sister. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, it's one of the most grievous ways. Then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, ومن الكبائر السبتان بالسبة And you know what else is a major sin? To respond to one curse with two curses. Yes, there is taqwa and retaliation too. To not transgress in retaliation as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, وإن عقبتم فعاقبوا من مثل ما عقبتم به ولا إن صبرتم له خيراً للصابرين And so if you take your retaliation, we are a religion that sets up the scales of justice and then promotes the virtue of forgiveness. We don't see a contradiction between justice and forgiveness. So you have the right, take back your rights, but only take back to the extent that you deserve, to the extent that is due to you. And you know what, even then, ولا إن صبرتم If at that point you're graceful, forgiving, patient, له خيراً للصابرين Allah will be the one who rewards you on the day of judgment. Dear brothers and sisters, when you are wronged, when you are wronged, do not do anything to compromise the help of Allah on your side. Do not do anything to make the angels flee from you and to let Allah lift his help and support from you. By taking matters into your own hands and becoming vengeful and trying to hurt the person in ways that are permitted and prohibited just to get your payback. Allah does not let things go to waste. You get the short end of the stick in this life, then we have a systematic problem where we have to try to stop that. But you will get the appropriate reward on the day of judgment. I end with a saying from Fudail radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhum. Fudail ibn Ayyad rahimahullah ta'ala. He said,
إذا أتاك رجل يشكو إليك رجلا If someone comes to you complaining about another person, فقل يا أخي اعف عنه فإن العفو أقرب للتقوى Then say to him, oh my brother, pardon, overlook, forgive. That's closer to the taqwa of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That's closer to your mindfulness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. فإن قال لا يحتمل قلب العفو ولكن أنتصر كما أمرني الله عز وجل And if that person says, my heart does not allow me to forgive, so I'm going to take my revenge or I'm going to retaliate, the way that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has written down for me or allowed for me. قل فإن كنت تحسن تنتصر مثلا بمثل So then show ihsan in that and do not transgress by going beyond what is owed to you. وإلا فرجع إلى باب العفو فإن باب العفو أوسع فإنه من عفى وأصلح فأجره على الله He said, but if you think about it and you come back, come back to the door of forgiveness because the door of forgiveness is more expansive. And when a person forgives and overlooks, then their ajr is with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The reward is with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That's on the day of judgment. Your ajr, your payment will be with God. But on top of that, he said, وصاحب العفو ينام الليل على فراشه وصاحب الانتصار يقلب الأمور Man, that's so powerful. He said, and the person who knows how to forgive, they sleep comfortably at night. They sleep in their bed comfortably. They put their head on their pillow and they say, alhamdulillah. My ajr is with Allah. I'm not going to become the wrongdoer as a response of the wrongdoer to me. I'll seek it from God. But the one who plots and tries to say, how do I get my revenge? How do I retaliate? How do I do this? They're just turning, tossing and turning all night long in their bed, trying to plot and plan and they never have any peace in this world,
nor do they have the reward in the hereafter. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us a people of taqwa. A people of taqwa when we are in power and a people of taqwa when we are persecuted. A people of taqwa when we are dealing with Allah and a people of taqwa when we are dealing with each other. A people of taqwa with our families and a people of taqwa with our communities. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us taqwa in all of our affairs and then spring from that taqwa the beauty of Islam. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us his ihsan and then grant us in response to that ihsan, his ihsan, his excellence. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala let that ihsan be Jannatul Firdaus in the companionship of our Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. Who was wronged more than any of us but who always excelled in virtue and hence excelled in his station. May Allah grant us that station and may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us his reward. May Allah grant us his sakinah, his tranquility in this life and in the next. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive us for our shortcomings. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala not allow us to die amongst the zalimeen, to die amongst the wrongdoers and the transgressors, but instead make us amongst those who are patient and who receive his reward. Allahumma ameen. Aqoolu qawli hadha wa istaghfiru ala alaikum wa risala al muslimeen, faistaghfiru inna huwa alghafurur raheem. Alhamdulillah, salatu wassalamu ala rasoolillahi wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala. Allahumma ghufril al mu'mineen wa al mu'inat wa al muslimeen wa al muslimat, al ahya'i minhum wa al amwad. Innaka samee'un qareebun wujeebu al da'wat. Allahumma ghufril lana wa arhamna wa a'fu a'na wa la tu'addibna. Rabbana dhalamna anfusana wa in lam takhfir lana wa tarhamna. Lanakunnanna minal khasireen. La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inna kunna minal dhalimeen. Allahumma ghufril walideena, rabbir hamhuma kama rabbuna sigara. Rabbana hablana min azwajina wa dhuriyatina qurratu a'ayun wa ja'alna lil muttaqina imama. Allahumma aslih ahwala ikhwanan mankoobina fee kulli makan. Allahumma aslih ahwala ikhwanan mankoobina fee kulli makan. Allahumma usri ikhwanan mustada'afina fee mashariqil ardi wa magharibiha. Allahumma ahlikil dhalimeen wa abid dhalimeen wa akhrijna wa ikhwanan min baynihim salimeen.
Ibadullahi allahi ya'mru bil adli wal ihsan wa ita'idil qurba wa yanha'an al fahsha'i wa al munkari wa al baghi. Ya'idukum la'allakum tadhakurun. Fathkuru Allahi yadhkurukum wa shukroohu wa al ni'ma'i yazid lakum. Wa la dhikrullahi akbar. Wallahi ya'lamu ma tasma'oon wa aqeem al salam.
Welcome back!
Bookmark content
Download resources easily
Manage your donations
Track your spiritual growth
1 items
1 items
1 items
25 items
50 items
9 items
