AL-ISTIQAAMAH

CONSTISTENCY IN STAYING UPRIGHT AND STEADFAST

Sermon given by Sheikh Usama Khayyat

All praise is due to Allah Subhana wa ta?ala, who ordered us to be balanced in spending. I praise Allah Subhana wa ta?ala and I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except him. Allah Subhana wa ta?ala made marriage from one of his signs and he made it a great blessing upon mankind. I bear witness that Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, is his servant and final messenger sent to mankind. He is the one who ordered mankind to declare their marriages and he also prohibited them from being extravagant in their spending on such occasions. May Allah?s Subhana wa ta?ala?s peace and blessings be upon Muhammad SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam and upon his companions.

Fear Allah and prepare yourself to seek his provisions to help you on the day of judgement. Hold onto the word of Allah Subhana wa ta?ala for indeed Allah Subhana wa ta?ala is your (mowla) protector and how good a protector he is. Oh believers, indeed celebrate the blessings of Allah Subhana wa ta?ala. Have gratitude to Allah Subhana wa ta?ala and praise him for these blessings.

And to enjoy all of these blessings which have been spoken about in our noble shariah. And Allah Subhana wa ta?ala has clarified the wisdom behind these blessings. Therefore, from the blessings of marriage, shariah has ordered us to establish the Walima or this ceremony by which of marriage, to show our gratitude towards Allah Subhana wa ta?ala.

The messenger SallAllahu alaihi wa sallam said that declare this nikah so it is known to the people. Also it has been reported in sahih Muslim and Bukhari that Abdur Rahman Ibn Awf may Allah be pleased with him, Marriage during the reign of prophet Muhammad SalAllahu alahi wa sallam said have the Walima even if it means just sacrificing one sheep. This shows the importance of the Walima. Despite all of that, you will find that many practises go against the practises of the shariah by adding to the celebrations. You will find the people go to extravagance when it comes to the wedding in spending great amounts of money on food, wedding halls etc which all go beyond the means of what is absolutely necessary. And then you find some who even wish to be extravagant even though they are people in the world who are suffering from poverty and they are going through great difficult days. Also you find some people extravagent in buying for the women, they spend great amounts of money in buying wedding clothes, jewellery etc to the extent that you find that they compete against one another in buying the most expensive wedding clothes.

With regards to women, they feel they want to be uniqu e in purchasing their dress even though it means spending ridiculous amounts of money. This makes us realise that people have forgotten the wisdom behind all these blessings and they have forgotten the one who has bestowed all these blessings on them. It is mentioned in a hadith reported by Ibn Hadan, that the Messenger SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam said that the best marriages are those which are most simple, those that lead to the facilitation of marriages. So that is the best form of marriage. And then in another hadith it mentions that one companion spent a great amount of money on his marriage and the process that is embedded as if he carved silver out of a mountain. So this shows that we find in the Shariah that there is a Prohibition of being extravagant. Allah Subhana wa ta?ala says oh children of Adam, adorn yourself in every place of pray and eat and drink but do not be extravagant and do not spend lavishly for Allah Subhana wa ta?ala does not like extravagance.

Likewise, we find other texts in the Quran and sunnah that prohibits this extravagance. For example in a Hadith quoted in the Musnaad of Ahmad Prophet muhammad SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam said eat and drink and wear clothes and give in charity but do not spend with pride and arrogance. Likewise in another hadith in Sahih Muslim noted by Abu Hurairah, the Messenger SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam said indeed Allah Subhana wa ta?ala likes three things but hates three things. As for those three things He likes, He likes you to worship none but Him and you don?t associate Shirk and He also likes that you unite together for the sake of Allah Subhana wa ta?ala and He hates that you report unnecessary statements from people, asking too many questions and wasting wealth.

So the question is how do we prevent ourselves from falling into such extravagance? Firstly we must remember that those blessings that Allah Subhana wa ta?ala has displayed upon us. We must thank Allah Subhana wa ta?ala by means of which He has shown us so we must show Allah Subhana wa ta?ala by being grateful to Him. And the best way of doing that is by adhering to the Sunnah of the Prophet SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam and that you study and look to the way that he was in terms of spending his wealth. And we find all of these event in the books of Seerah and also books of hadith. How the Prophet SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam was when it came to spending his wealth. For indeed his guidance is the best guidance that we can adhere to.

The best way that we can attain any good in this world and in the hereafter and therefore it is no surprise that Allah Subhana wa ta?ala made the prophet Muhammad SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam an exemplary example for us . As Allah Subhana wa ta?ala says in the Quran that indeed you will find in Muhammad SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam, the best of examples for those who wish for Allah Subhana wa ta?ala, and who wish for the goodness in the Hereafter.

Likewise we must also be connected with the Scholars and the people of knowledge and those who call to Islam, for they will guide us as to how we should spend our wealth in a way which is pleasing to Allah Subhana wa ta?ala. And this is one of the most effective ways in which we will be able to attain the correct knowledge and correct perspective as to how we should deal with our wealth. And as believers, we should be examples in ourselves for other people. The Prophet SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam mentioned in Sahih Muslim, whoever who introduces or revives a good deed in Islam, then he will have the reward of doing it and also have the reward of those who did that action as well. And whoever introduces an evil action into this religion, then he will have the sin of that and the sin of those who committed that act, for they heard it from him.

So we ask Allah Subhana wa ta?ala to make us of those upon the Quran and to act upon the Sunnah of the Prophet SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam. And we ask You to make us upon your servants who hear your statement and obey. Indeed they are the people of intellect. May Allah Subhana wa ta?ala make us benefit from the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam.

2ND KHUTBAH

All prays is due to Allah Subhana wa ta?ala, we thank Him, we seek refuge in Allah Subhana wa ta?ala from the evil of ourselves and from the evil of our deeds. Whoever Allah Subhana wa ta?ala guides none can lead him astray and whoever misguides Allah Subhana wa ta?ala none can guide him. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah Subhana wa ta?ala and I bear witness that His Prophet and Messenger and slave Muhammad SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam is the final messenger sent to mankind.

Since the religion of Islam is a balanced religion that does not go to extremes, then it is therefore no surprise that we find the Shariah and Islam that prohibits the vice of extravagance in our spending. Allah Subhana wa ta?ala says, oh children of Adam, adorn yourself at every place of pray and eat and drink but do not spend extravagantly and lavishly for Allah Subhana wa ta?ala does not like those who spend in such a way. Allah Subhana wa ta?ala has also said, and give those who are close to you in charity and give to the wayfarer and do not be extravagant in your spending, for indeed those who do so, they are the brothers of the devils.

And likewise Allah Subhana wa ta?ala says do not attach to your neck, meaning that do not be stingy. And likewise do not extend your hand completely, rather you should be balanced and in between that. And the people who adhere to being balanced in the way they spend, will receive blessings in their wealth and they will purify their wealth.

We ask Allah Subhana wa ta?ala to send peace and blessings on the Prophet SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam and as Allah Subhana wa ta?ala says Allah and his Angels give prayers on the Messenger SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam. Oh you who believe, give your blessings on the Prophet SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam. May Allah Subhana wa ta?ala also be pleased with the four rightly guided Khalifs Abu Bakar, Umar, Uthman and Ali and the rest of his Companions. And also those that follow them in righteousness until the day of resurrections. Allah Subhana wa ta?ala give strength and victory to the Muslims and give strength and victory to Islam. And protect the territories of the Muslims and protect them from the mischief of the evil doers. and unite the ranks of the believer and rectify the state of the rulers of the Ummah.
Oh Allah, give victory to the religion and to the Sunnah of prophet Muhammad SalAllahu alaihi wa sallam and to give victory to your pious servants and to those who strive in your way. And rectify the state of our rulers, and make them rule by the Quran and the Sunnah. Oh Allah Subhana wa ta?ala, protect the land of the Muslims and protect them from the harms of the evil doers. Oh Allah, protect us from our enemies and your enemies. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil. Oh Allah, make our affairs end in a good way, and save us from the punishment of the hereafter. And Oh Allah, rectify our religion for us which is a means by which we protect our affairs and save us and rectify our Akhira for us and increase in good and make for us a rest from all forms of evil. And save us, oh Allah, from the destruction.

Oh Allah, we ask you for the success of doing good deeds and save us from the evils. Oh Allah, cure those who are ill from among us and have mercy on all those who have passed away. Oh Allah, we have wronged ourselves and if you do not forgive us and have mercy on us, then we will be of the losers. Oh Allah, we seek refuge in you from the removal of your mercy and to be certainly punished with a calamity. Oh Allah, give us the good in this life and the hereafter and save us from the punishment of the hereafter. May Allah?s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah Subhana wa ta?ala and all thanks is to Allah Subhana wa ta?ala.

AND ALLAH KNOWS BEST