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Why this Sha'aban is so Important | Khutbah
In a world of information overload and desensitization, the sin of Ghafla (heedlessness) is prominent. The month of Sha’aban is a month in which the Prophet ﷺ said this is most likely to happen. With Gaza in the background, how do we identify this particular spiritual disease and remedy it?
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. We begin by praising Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for him. And we bear witness that Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is his final messenger. We ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon him, the prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him, and those that follow in his blessed path until the Day of Judgment, and we ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahumma ameen. Dear brothers and sisters, we are in a month right now that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam described in a very specific way. He said about this month of Sha'ban that it is a month that people become heedless in regards to. And I wanted to spend some time with just the word that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned in describing this month because it is a word that describes a condition that is far greater than this month, but especially speaks to the moment of Sha'ban this year. I know that a lot of people are not feeling like Ramadan. I know that the general sentiment is not what it usually is a month before Ramadan, where we're usually talking about Ramadan prep. Most of us are prepping for the worst that seems to be coming in Rafah. I know that many people's hearts are not feeling the same way, that our attention span is not the same way. But this is a condition that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned about Sha'ban, a condition of ghafla. And it's especially true in regards to the condition of people today, this Sha'ban in particular. And I would argue that while this Sha'ban might not feel as important and this Ramadan feels very different, this might actually be the most important Sha'ban that we have ever had. Why? Because if you identify that condition of ghafla, and you're able to fight it, then inshallah ta'ala it opens you up to greater possibilities of worship,
a greater connection to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, and a greater connection to your ummah. But what is ghafla in the first place? What is this condition that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is talking about? Many times we talk about sin as coming out of desire. There are sins that emanate out of shahwa. There are sins that emanate out of desire. And then there are sins that emanate out of pride. And usually when you talk about the sins that emanate out of desire, they are the sins in which we waste ourselves away, in that which Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala specifically told us to keep away from. Sins out of pride tend to manifest themselves in zulm, in actually harming others, because you tend to violate the sanctity of people that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala has told you to not violate. But then there are sins that emanate out of ghafla, and ghafla is a spectrum of heedlessness. The lowest of it, and the one that the ulama say that the believer has to identify quickly and remedy, is indifference. Indifference. What does it mean to be indifferent to the world around you, or indifferent to the news around you? Well, first and foremost, think about the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and the society that he was sent to. How many people do you think heard the message of Islam, heard the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam preaching, and said to themselves, you know what, this isn't really that important to me right now. This seems to be an affair that belongs to Quraysh, that belongs to some of the elites and the nobles, that concerns the pilgrimage and some of the structure of Meccan society. But it really doesn't bother me or concern me as an individual. Meaning, they simply did not even bother with the inquiry while the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was in their midst. And you would be surprised to know that this actually was the majority of people in Mecca. It kind of flips the whole seerah lens for you when you think of it that way.
The majority of people just didn't care enough to get involved. And how do we know that? By the sheer amount of numbers that embraced Islam and Fatih Mecca and the conquest of Mecca. The sheer amount of people that were present in Mecca that day. How many persecuted the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam? You could name the majority of them, and it was usually a familiar few. How many followed the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam? A hundred or so in those early days? How many just observed and remained in a state of ghaflah? A state of indifference? The majority said, you know what, they'll settle this affair amongst themselves. And at that point, when I have to make a decision, when it is right at my door, then I'll make a decision. Because that's the condition of most people. And then maybe that ghaflah gets a little bit more disturbed when you see some of the torture that's happening. Right? Where, wait a minute, now they're pulling the slaves into the streets. They're dragging them. They're beating their own brothers, their own cousins, torturing their own sisters. This is disturbing me a little bit more. But you know what? At the end of the day, even that became commonplace in Mecca. It became normalized. Where in the beginning, Abu Jahl tested the limits, the Firaun tested the limits, and eventually becomes normalized. And most people will say, you know what, that's not my brother. That's not my sister. That's not my tribe. I can still just be a regular Meccan and go to the store and purchase and attend the festivals and away from all the politics of the hajj, enjoy the pilgrimage season, and I'm okay. That's ghaflah. And that's why the majority of the times that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala uses the word ghaflah, wa antum ghafiloon, is actually in Meccan society. Because it is a more appropriate diagnosis of Meccan society at the time. You know what it reminds me of today when you have some prominent people that'll be asked about Palestine.
What do you have to say about Palestine? Oh, I haven't looked into that. I really don't know about all that. I don't care. When they say silence and complicity is complicity, you better believe silence is complicity when over 30,000 people have been killed. Yes, silence is absolute complicity. What do you mean? I really don't know about all those kids. And I can't diagnose all of that. You know, it's too much for me to get involved with. It's too complicated. Palestine's not here at the end of the day. That's a lot of people around you, by the way. A lot of people around you that drive around, they see the protests, they see the news, they flip and say, you know what, I'm just getting home from work today. And I just want to watch something that's going to be entertaining. I'm really not that interested in that. And you know who knows that ghaflah better than anyone else? The Israeli government. Why do you think in the most watched sporting event in America, hundreds of millions of people are tuned in to men who are paid thousands and millions of dollars in full pads who have their names on their jerseys? While Israel carries out the most brutal assault on Gaza to date, matching the time of kickoff, knowing that most people are not going to bother inquiring why there is an image that's popping up on their social media feed of a young girl that's dangling without her legs and brutalized over a wall. That's ghaflah. It is sinful for you to look at that and say, not my business, or too bad, or let me move on because I don't know how to reconcile with this or reason with this. Allah Azawajal connects that to forgetfulness of him, forgetfulness of them, and forgetfulness of yourself. That's ghaflah, a state of ghaflah. It's indifference.
And subhanAllah, the ulama mentioned that ghaflah is the predecessor to dalalah, to going astray, because if you're indifferent to everything, then essentially the most attractive pull is the one that's going to pull you in the next direction. And so I don't really think too much about things. I don't really ponder too much about things. I don't really ask that many questions about what's happening in the world around me. I'm not really that concerned. I'll get concerned when it's right on my doorstep. I'll get concerned when it is in my community. I'll get concerned when it's in my family. That's ghaflah. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala usually describes al-ghaflah, he associates it with the ghaflah of the life that is to come. لقد كنت في غفلة من هذا فكشفنا عنك غطاءك فبصرك اليوم حديد. You were heedless in regards to this death of yours. You were told. Someone came to you and said, a hereafter awaits you. Someone came to you and told you that there is something you need to be preparing for that demands your attention now in the moment that you are in. And you kept putting it off. فبصرك اليوم حديد. And Allah pulled the cover. And now your ghaflah is gone. Your indifference to what happens in the hereafter is gone. Why? Because it's right in front of you. The angels are literally at your doorstep. The kafan is there. They're ready to pull you into the next step of this. And now you better inquire about who the angels are and where you're going and who Allah is and who this prophet is and what happens in the grave. You literally are shown a picture of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Who is this man? من هذا الذي بعث فيكم? Who is he? SubhanAllah. May Allah Azawajal give us thabat, give us firmness in that moment. You didn't inquire. Most people are indifferent. لقد كنت في غفلة من هذا فكشفنا عنك غطاءك فبصرك اليوم حديد. آتى أمر الله. The affair of Allah has come.
اقترب للناس حسابهم وهم في غفلة معرضون. The hour is fast approaching and people remain in ghaflah, in heedlessness, indifference, turning away from it. I just don't care enough to inquire. I just don't care enough to look into it. Now, subhanAllah, with our Lord, subhanAllah, Allah Azawajal mentions how he is not forgetful, nor indifference, not to the past, nor to the present. And so the scholars mentioned وما كان ربك نسيئا. Your Lord does not forget, meaning your Lord will not forget what preceded. On the Day of Judgment, you better believe it all comes back. Everything that we have done, may Allah protect us, comes back. وما كان ربك نسيئا. Your Lord has not forgotten. Time doesn't pass on and Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala stops seeing or Allah Azawajal removes it from the register like we forget after 10, 15, 20 years or something else came that was greater in that place and it got lost. وما كان ربك نسيئا. What does Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala say about the oppressors? Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala mentions ولا تحسبن الله غافلا عما يعمل الظالمون. Don't think Allah is indifferent, heedless about what the oppressors are doing right now. Don't think Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala doesn't see it in the moment and don't think that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is not taking interest in it and don't think that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is not in control of it. Allah Azawajal sees it and he's paying attention to it, but he has a plan that we can't see that unfolds in the future. We don't know it, but Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is never ghafil. Allah is never indifferent to his khalq, to his creation. He's never indifferent to the affairs of the world, never indifferent to the affairs of his slaves Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And so ghafla is not like al-nisyan, which is to forget. As the scholars say that nisyan, and we're called al-insan because we're naturally forgetful.
Nisyan is an affair of the mind. Ghafla is an affair of the heart. That is that your heart becomes so attached to other things that aren't as important that you forget what's actually important. Ghafla is a forgetfulness of the heart and Allah does not accept the du'a min qalbin ghafil, from a heart that is indifferent. That's not present. Your heart's somewhere else while you're making du'a to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. So it's a forgetfulness of the heart. How does this all tie back to sha'ban in particular, dear brothers and sisters? Ramadan is coming up. Ramadan is a chance for us to personally develop ourselves, to collectively develop ourselves, to connect ourselves to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in a way that naturally not only tunes us into him and to the world around us, but grants us an understanding, a fiqh in the heart, an understanding in the heart that pushes us to another level of our ibadah, to another level of our worship. And if you don't do dhikr of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, if you don't remember Allah, you're not going to generate taqwa. You're not going to generate the shield of God-consciousness if you don't remember God in the first place. And if you are indifferent to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and the world around you and what's happening to people around you and what's happening to your brothers and sisters, or you're even trying to numb yourself and come to terms with it, just unfolding in the background. You know what? We just got to get back to our day-to-day. Enough is enough, right? If you are in that state, then what does Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala describe the condition of the heart as? It's very powerful, and I want you to sit with this, bi'idh min Allahi ta'ala. Allah Azza wa Jal doesn't describe it as a heart that simply stops beating. Allah describes it as a hardened heart, qaswat al-qalb.
The heart becomes hard. You know, we always ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, Ya muqallibal qulub, thabbit qalbi ala deenik, O turner of hearts, make my heart firm on your path. We ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala for the khashya of the qalb, the awe and the fear and the humility of the heart to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in our hearts. We ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to protect us from hard hearts. And what softens the heart? The remembrance of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and the remembrance of those people, encountering them, putting your hands through the pages of a mushaf from now in this month of Sha'ban, not waiting for Ramadan when everybody else is holding a Qur'an around you, putting your fingers, your hands through the pages of the mushaf right now and starting to read your Qur'an right now in a month that people are not paying attention. And then the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, accompanying the orphan, caressing the hair of an orphan, being present with those people as much as possible. Those are the things that soften your heart. Put your hands there so that your heart is there. Let your tongue not be heedless so that your heart does not become heedless. Let your attention be focused so that your intention does not become corrupted. This is the month where you generate the focus so that when Ramadan comes around, the moment that we see that hilal, the moment that we recite the first night in Taraweeh, the moment that we make our first intention, we have already cleared the distraction and focused ourselves and removed the heedlessness, removed the indifference to say, Ya Allah, this is a Ramadan in which we are coming to you with our hearts broken in more ways than one. Ya Allah, we're coming to you with hearts broken in more ways than one. Ya Allah, here is my heart and I'm asking you to mend it for me. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala allow us to meet Ramadan with hearts that are in the right condition, hearts that are attentive.
May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala increase us in the deeds in shaaban that prepare our hearts properly for Ramadan. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala never make us amongst those whose hearts become hardened so that we oppress others without even thinking about what we are doing or that we ignore the oppression of our brothers and sisters without even considering their plight. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala alleviate the plight of our brothers and sisters in Gaza. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala protect them in Rafah. May Allah protect them in every single place that they are in. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala descend upon them tranquility. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala make firm their feet. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala make firm their hearts. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala allow them to be granted victory over their oppressor. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in this month where He never ever on any day loses sight of us. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala show us a miracle in regards to our brothers and sisters over their enemies. And may Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala purify our hearts and put our hearts in focus upon that which is important to our journey towards Him. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala make us amongst those that seek His pleasure day and night every day of the year and that pay attention to His creation day and night every day of the year seeking that which is pleasing to Him. Allahumma ameen. Your brothers and sisters I remind you of course now and always to increase in the actions that soften the heart especially before Ramadan so that you meet Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala with your heart in the best of states. We ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala for protection for our hearts and for protection for our ummah.
Allahumma nansur ikhwan al-mustad'afina fi ghazza Allahumma nansur ikhwan al-mustad'afina fi ghazza Allahumma alayka bi aduwika wa aduwihim Allahumma alayka bi aduwika wa aduwihim Allahumma alayka bi aduwika wa aduwihim Allahumma arina fihim aja'iba qudratik ya azizu ya jabbar Ibadullah anallahi ya'muru bil-adli wal-ihsan wa ita'idil-qurba wa yanha'an al-fahsha'i wal-munkari wal-baghi Ya'idukum la'alakum tathakkarun fathkuru Allah yadhkurukum wa shukroohu ala ni'ma yazid lakum wala dhikru Allahi akbar wallahu ya'lamu ma tasna'oon wa aqeem al-salat you
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