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Let Allah See Your Energy and Effort | Khutbah by Dr. Omar Suleiman
Are you feeling bored, distracted, or emotionally flat in your worship? Explore why believers sometimes feel disconnected or weary in their salah, duʿāʾ, and dhikr, and how to revive sincerity and spiritual energy. This khutbah also offers a deep and practical explanation of the profound hadith: “Allah does not tire until you tire,” clarifying its meaning and what it teaches us about consistency, balance, and Divine mercy.
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings.
We begin by praising Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for Him. And we bear witness that Muhammad (ﷺ) 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. Allahumma ameen.
Are you bored with Allah? Are you tired of the Qur'an?
Do you find yourself losing interest quickly when you listen to a lecture or when you start to read a book or when you start to watch something that's Islamic and find that what is inside of you is actually nourished when you move on to something else?
Do you find that speaking about other than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala comes easier to you than speaking about Allah 'azza wa jal? Imam Ahmad rahimahullah ta'ala, he says that Imam al-Hasan al-Basri rahimahullah ta'ala,
wajada qawman yatajadaloon. He saw a group of young men that were talking and they were arguing with one another.
faqala wallahi ma ha'ula'i illa qawmun mallu al-'ibadata wa wajadu al-kalama ahwana 'alayhim min al-'amali wa qalla wara'uhum fatakallamu.
He said that I swear by Allah that these are not but a people who became bored with their worship of Allah. The word is mallu.
They became bored with their worship of Allah and because they became bored of their worship with Allah,
they found it easy to talk about everything else and they lost their sense of wara', their sense of a barrier between that which is pleasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and that which is displeasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
fatakallamu and so they found themselves in a situation to speak. This is a very difficult conversation to have with yourself. How bored do you get when you begin with 'ibadah?
How quickly do you want to finish your wird? Finish the page that you are reading from the Qur'an? If you even pick up the Qur'an to read it, how quickly do you want the lecture to finish?
How quickly do you want the halaqah or maybe the khutbah to be over so that you can get back to everything else that you were doing? How quickly do you want to speed through it?
And many times when we talk about hal al-'ibad, the state of the slaves of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and their consistency in worship,
we speak about it in terms of worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in hardship and ease. In hardship and ease because wa min an-nasi man ya'budu Allaha 'ala harf. There are people that worship Allah on an edge.
If things are good, they worship Allah. If things are bad, then they forsake that relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
But pay attention to the first words of 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit (رضي الله عنه) when he mentions the bay'ah to the Prophet (ﷺ) when he came to Medina. The pledge to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he came to Medina.
Qala (رضي الله عنه),
Amazing words that he chooses. We took a bay'ah with the Prophet (ﷺ) to hear and obey in good times and in bad times. What we usually talk about in terms of consistency with 'ibadah. But then he said,
When we feel energetic and when we feel tired. That's an incredible usage of words. Because if you only worship Allah when you feel like it, you will spiritually be bankrupt. The same way that if you say I'll only work when I feel like it.
I'll only go to my job when I feel like it. I'll only do this when I feel like it. Sometimes even if you don't feel like it, you still do it because that is how you grow your nafs. The same way that you grow your body with exercise, right?
You sometimes will lift weights. You'll sometimes work out even when you don't feel like it because the goal is something you deeply aspire to. So just because you have an off day doesn't mean that you ever become disconnected from the ultimate goal.
Likewise, the bay'ah they took to the Prophet (ﷺ). Ya Rasulullah, we will be there with you at Salat al-Fajr every day. No matter what battle you call us to. No matter what infaq, what spending you call us to. No matter when you tell us to fast.
No matter what you tell us to remember Allah with. We will be there and we will show up in the masjid of the Prophet (ﷺ). Every single time you call us to what it is.
And the deen was not a deen of predictability as the seerah was unfolding. Allah 'azza wa jal was legislating in real time. Now you no longer pray Salat al-Dhuhr and 'Asr and 'Isha with two rak'ahs.
Allah just made them four rak'ahs. Now Ramadan has become mandatory upon you. You have to fast the whole month of Ramadan. Now you can't give fidyah. You can't give something in place of fasting if you can still fast.
If you're healthy and capable, you have to do that. Now the mushrikeen are attacking from this direction. You have to stand up and go there. It was a religion that was coming down in real time. And they had in their minds whatever we are asked to do,
Rasulullah (ﷺ) will find us with energy and ready to do whatever it is that is ahead of us. And so it created a beautiful culture in the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ).
'A'ishah (رضي الله عنها), she says, anna al-nabiya (ﷺ),
These small elements of context are actually important. She said that the Prophet (ﷺ) had a mat that he used to pray on at night. And then during the daytime, he would fold it up and he would use it as his couch.
He would use it as his daytime sitting. The simplicity of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Imagine walking into the hujurat of the Prophet (ﷺ).
And the same mat that he sits on during the day is the same mat that he prays on at night (ﷺ). So she says, That,
That the people started to rush the house of the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was praying his qiyam at night. And they started to pray behind his door until it became many of them. So the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
fa inna Allaha la yamallu hatta tamalluhu wa inna ahabba al-a'mali ila Allahi ma dama wa in qall. The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
Oh people, take of these deeds what you are capable of doing. Allah will not tire of your worship until you tire of worshipping Him.
And the most beloved of deeds to Allah are the consistent ones, even if they're small. This is not what Allah wants from you, but look at the spirit. Can you imagine Allah 'azza wa jal looking at the sahabah crowding the door of the Prophet (ﷺ),
trying to keep up with his qiyam, trying to pray like he prayed? And as Hudhayfah (رضي الله عنه) said, That I had a bad thought when I prayed qiyam with the Prophet (ﷺ), to forsake him in his sujud because it was too long.
It was too long, even on Hudhayfah (رضي الله عنه). And the Prophet (ﷺ) is saying, inna Allaha la yamallu hatta tamallu. Allah will not become tired of your worship until you become tired of your worship.
And there are so many narrations of the same type. There's one narration where the Prophet (ﷺ) comes out to the masjid, and he finds that there is a rope that is hanging in the masjid, and Zaynab (رضي الله عنها), when he asks, What is this for?
They say, This is for Zaynab, Umm al-Mu'mineen, that she hangs on to this in her qiyam. When she starts to get sleepy, she holds on to it. And the Prophet (ﷺ) says, Take it away. inna Allaha la yamallu hatta tamallu. He uses the same expression (ﷺ).
Allah will not tire of your worship until you tire of your worship. Jabir (رضي الله عنه) has another narration. That marra al-nabiya (ﷺ), the Prophet (ﷺ) walked, and wara'a rajul, rajul yusalli.
He saw a man that was praying in the middle of the day, and he moved past him (ﷺ), and he came back later on, and he saw him in the same place, exhausted. And the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him,
inna Allaha la yamallu hatta tamallu. Look, this is not the point of worship, to push yourself to that point, to where you don't even know what you're saying anymore, to where you're physically just exhausting yourself, to a point where you no longer can bear.
'A'ishah (رضي الله عنها), she says, There was a woman that visited me one day in my house. And the Prophet (ﷺ) entered the house. fa qala man hiya? Who is she?
qalat fulanah la tanam. So and so, and she doesn't sleep at night. And she mentioned the salah, fadhakarat min salatiha. She mentioned that she prays all night. And the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
No, don't praise that. inna Allaha la yamallu hatta tamallu. Allah will not tire of you until you tire of Him. But wait a minute, doesn't this contradict the initial bay'ah?
That you're supposed to push yourself, whether you're energetic or whether you're tired. You see you are dealing with a Rabb. la ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm. Allah 'azza wa jal never tires. Allah 'azza wa jal never becomes drowsy.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala never loses sight of His 'ibad. And you're dealing with a Rabb who is Rahman and Rahim and Shakur. He loves to see you trying. And when the point of that 'ibadah is defeated
because you've gone too far, then the Prophet (ﷺ) says pull it back. But what's amazing about this expression of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is he used the exact same expression
with a person in the opposite situation. Who's the person in the opposite situation? Rajulun yashrabu al-khamr. A man who is drinking alcohol. And he would drink alcohol and then he would come and he say
Ya Rasulullah, if I repent to Allah, will Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive me? He said, yes. If I sin and I drink alcohol again, will He punish me? Yes. And then if I repent again, will He forgive me? Yes.
And then if I sin again, will He punish me? Yes. And then if I repent again, will He forgive me? Yes. Until the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him inna Allaha la yamallu. hatta tamallu.
la yamallu min al-maghfirah. hatta tamallu min al-istighfar. Allah will not tire of forgiving you until you tire of seeking forgiveness from Him. It's the opposite situation. One person who's exerting himself in tahajjud.
The other person who's struggling with a sin. The same message from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Allah 'azza wa jal never tires. That's actually the point. He never tires. But you have to push yourself.
And you have to exert yourself. And you have to show Him that you want Him. subhanahu wa ta'ala. Look at how Allah 'azza wa jal describes the munafiqeen.
wa idha qamu ila al-salati qamu kusala yura'una al-nas. Pay attention. wa idha qamu ila al-salati qamu kusala. When they get up to pray, they drag their feet. Lazy.
They don't want to pray. They don't want to pray. Clearly, their zahir, their external shows, they really don't feel like doing this. They're doing it just to get out of the way. yura'una al-nas.
And Allah 'azza wa jal says they're showing off to people. Which points to their batin, their internal state. That there is no sincerity inside of them. Ibn 'Abbas (رضي الله عنه) says, if there were no people, they would not pray.
Meaning they would not come to Salat al-Jumu'ah if they weren't afraid of people saying, Oh, did you hear so-and-so doesn't come to Jumu'ah anymore. And that's why Salat al-Fajr and Salat al-'Isha' was so hard for the hypocrites. Because no one saw you at Fajr and 'Isha'. There were no lights.
So you came to Dhuhr and 'Asr and maybe Maghrib to show that you were in the masjid, lazy, dragging your feet to get credit. But you didn't actually want to pray to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Subhanallah. al-farq bayna qamu kusala.
anna al-nabiya (ﷺ) yaqul, arihna biha ya Bilal. wathaba (ﷺ). The difference between a person who gets up lazy, dragging his feet and Ibn 'Abbas describing the Prophet (ﷺ), jumping out of his bed and saying
arihna biha ya Bilal, comfort us with the salah, oh Bilal. wathaba (ﷺ). ka'annahu la ya'rifuna. When the salah was called, it was like he didn't even know anybody. He immediately came desiring Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Allah 'azza wa jal says the external state tells you about the internal state. If you drag your feet to 'ibadah, only to get credit, if you do what you need to do just to get by,
something is very wrong inside of you. Now, does that mean that you're a hypocrite? No, it doesn't mean that you're a hypocrite in the full sense of the word. There are levels of hypocrisy. May Allah 'azza wa jal protect us from all of it. Allahumma ameen.
But there is something to take from this. We have to look to ourselves and we have to push ourselves in the very 'ibadah that make us tired until they no longer make us tired.
You know, if you go to a gym and you lift weights, it's extremely painful for the first month and then you start to actually enjoy it because you see the results. The pain is gone, but you see the results. Likewise, if a person says,
you know, I try to read the Qur'an, but I get tired. I try to listen to lectures, but I immediately go back to my favorite song. I try to go to the masjid more, but then the couch is too comfortable.
Do it until it's no longer uncomfortable and you can reap the sweetness of it. And do not be like a person who gets by by the bare minimum because eventually the bar of the bare minimum will fall
and Allah 'azza wa jal not only reads your body language, He sees the language of your heart and your soul. You think Allah 'azza wa jal can't tell when you're getting up lazy and just getting it out of the way? This is your Lord.
Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullah ta'ala said idha dakhala al-'abdu fi al-salati thumma intafata qala Allahu 'azza wa jal ya 'abdi ila khayrun minni When a person enters into salah and then he turns away spiritually,
Allah 'azza wa jal says to that person, Oh my slave, where to? To something better than Me? ila khayrun minni? Did you find something more worth your attention than Me? And dear brothers and sisters,
this is also an important lesson in tarbiyah with our children. Sometimes you don't have to pay your children to memorize the Qur'an. Sometimes you don't have to say, you know what? Read this and then you'll get to do this. Sometimes you don't have to say do this good deed
and then I'll give you some money or I'll take you out to your favorite place. You also have to teach them the intrinsic motivation of doing something to please Allah because it's good for you, because it's beautiful, because it nourishes your soul and it saves you in the hereafter.
Don't always put a dunyawi reward, a worldly reward. Because when you see that even with our young ones, that when they read the Qur'an, they're just getting through. But as soon as it's over, they get to what they really want to do
or you pull them to salah and it's like, but then once salah is over, they run to what they really want to do. It's natural that for children, they're going to be that way to an extent, but make the Qur'an more enjoyable to them by reflecting on it with them.
Make the salah more enjoyable to them by praising the reward of the salah for them, talking to them about the reward of the salah. Help them do charitable acts for the love of a charitable act. Find energy where other people find boredom and focus.
Increase your attention span, increase your heart span, increase your spirituality. The One who expanded the heart of the Prophet (ﷺ) can expand our hearts as well, can expand our minds as well.
He is the One who expands. He is the One who opens. May Allah 'azza wa jal open our hearts, open our minds, open our efforts towards that which is pleasing to Him so that we do not become bored or tired of the beauty that He's made available to us.
And there is nothing more beautiful than Him.
innaka samee'un qareebun mujeeb al-da'awat. Allahumma ighfir lana warhamna wa'fu 'anna wa la tu'adhibna. Rabbana zalamna anfusana wa in lam taghfir lana wa tarhamna. lanakoonanna min al-khasireen. Allahumma inna na'udhu bika min al-hammi wal-hazan.
wa na'udhu bika min al-'ajzi wal-kasal. wa na'udhu bika min al-jubni wal-bukhl. wa na'udhu bika min ghalabat al-dayni wa qahr al-rijal. Allahumma ighfir liwalidayna wa rabbir hamhuma kama rabbawna sighara. Rabbana hablana min azwajina wa dhurriyatina qurrata a'yun.
wa ij'alna lil-muttaqeena imama. Allahumma ansur ikhwanan al-mustad'afeena fi mashariqi al-ardi wa magharibha. Allahumma ansurhum fi Falasteen wa fi al-Sudan wa fi al-Yaman wa fi kulli makan. Allahumma alayka bi a'da'ika a'da' al-deen.
Allahumma arina fi al-dhalimeena 'aja'iba qudratik. Allahumma uqtulhum baddada. Allahumma uqtulhum. Allahumma zalzilhum. Allahumma ahliki al-dhalimeena bi al-dhalimeen. wa akhrijna wa ikhwanana min baynihim salimeen.
'ibadAllahi inna Allaha ya'muru bi al-'adli wal-ihsani wa ita'i dhi al-qurba wa yanha 'an al-fahsha'i wal-munkari wal-baghyi. ya'idhukum la'allakum tadhakkaroon. fadhkuru Allaha yadhkurkum washkuruhu 'ala ni'amihi yazidkum. wa ladhikru Allahi akbar. wallahu ya'lamu ma tasna'oon. wa aqeem al-salah.
