Eid Al-Adha 2008 Khutbah (sermon)

Eid Al-Adha 2008 Khutbah (Sermon)

Opening Takbirat

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ كَثِيرًا اللهُ أَكْبَرُ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَشُكْرٌ لِلَّهِ وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ

Khutbah Introduction

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى وَنَشْكُرُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ

فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى أَفْضَلِ خَلْقِ اللَّهِ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا وَحَبِيبِنَا مُخْتَارِ اللهِ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الَّذِي صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ اللَّهُ

سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى وَمَلَائِكَتُهُ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ الْقُرْآنَ وَخَلَقَ الْإِنْسَانَ وَعَلَّمَهُ الْبَيَانَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ أُوصِيكُمْ وَأُوصِي نَفْسِي بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ فِي السِّرِّ وَالْعَلَانِيَةِ

My advice to all of you and my advice to myself is to have taqwa of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala openly and secretly.

The Greatest Day with Allah

Today, alhamdulillah, we're here celebrating the Eid Al-Adha, which is Al-Eid Al-Kabir. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said in a hadith that Imam Abu Dawud radhi allahu anhu relates: أَعْظَمُ الْأَيَّامِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى يَوْمُ النَّحْرِ - "The greatest day amongst the days with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the day of Nahr" (Sunan Abu Dawud 1765). And in a hadith in Abu Dawud also, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: يَوْمُ الْحَجَّ الْأَكْبَرِ يَوْمُ النَّحْرِ - "The day of the great Hajj, the great pilgrimage, is the day of Nahr" (Sunan Abu Dawud 1945(.

Following the Path of Ibrahim

This is the day in which we celebrate Ibrahim alayhi salam. Allah revealed to you to follow the millah, the way, the path of Sayyidina Ibrahim. We are the people of Ibrahim. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam came - the Quran says he was not an innovator, he did not bring a new message. He was renewing the ancient path of Sayyidina Ibrahim alayhi salam, our father Ibrahim alayhi salam.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says about him that he came to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with a sound heart: (إِذْ جَاءَ رَبَّهُ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ - "When he came to his Lord with a sound heart" (Quran 37:84). Ibrahim alayhi salam came to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with a sound heart.

Ibrahim's Recognition of Truth in His Youth

From the time he was a young boy, he recognized the falsehoods of the society he lived in. This is for our youth - they should know this - that Ibrahim, as a young boy, saw through the illusions that were operative in his society. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says about when he saw them worshiping their idols, he said: (أَتَعْبُدُونَ مَا تَنْحِتُونَ وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ - "Do you worship what you yourselves have carved, while Allah has created you and what you do?" (Quran 37:95-96). He created your actions, He gave you the ability to act.

So Ibrahim alayhi salam saw through the false idolatry of his time. And Muslims in every age, the people of submission - whether they were Christian or Jew at their time, whoever they are, and now we believe that it's the people of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam - they're people that are told to see through the illusions of the time they live in, to not be fooled by the time, to not be fooled by what people put their priorities in.

Where Does Allah Stand in Your Life?

Ibrahim alayhi salam says: If you want to know where you stand with God, look where God stands with you. If you want to know where you stand with God, look where God stands with you. Where have you put Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala on your list of priorities? Because Ibrahim said: (قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ - "Say: Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds" (Quran 6:162).

Ibrahim alayhi salam puts Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as his priority : (إِنِّي ذَاهِبٌ إِلَى رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ - "I am going to my Lord, and He will guide me" (Quran 37:99). I am going to my Lord and He will guide me. And then he asked Allah : رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ - "My Lord, grant me [a child] from among the righteous" (Quran 37:100(.

The Glad Tidings of a Forebearing Youth

فَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِغُلَامٍ حَلِيمٍ - "So We gave him glad tidings of a forbearing youth" (Quran 37:101), which is the essence of the character of Ibrahim and of our beloved Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He's Ibn Ismail, he's the son of Ismail, in the dominant opinion. The Muslims differed, our ulama differed whether the son was Ismail or Ishaq, and it's a valid difference, but the dominant opinion is it was Ismail alayhi salam. But it should never be a contention with the Jews who claimed that it was Ishaq, because many of the sahaba thought that it was also Ishaq.

The Great Sacrifice

Ibrahim alayhi salam asked Allah to give him a child, and Allah gave him Ismail alayhi salam. And then he said, when he reached his full power and strength: (فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى - "I have had a vision that I'm to sacrifice you, tell me what you think" (Quran 37:102).

This differs from the biblical narrative, where in the biblical narrative Isaac is not told. He's just told they're going to sacrifice a ram, and Ibrahim, when he asked Ibrahim where the ram is, he says it will be there. But in

our narrative, he asked the child. And in one riwayah he was seven years old, in another he was twelve, but the point is he was a young boy, and Ibrahim is asking him: tell me what you think.

(قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ - Ismail said to him: "My father, do what you're told, do what you're told. You will find me, if Allah wills, amongst those who show patience" (Quran 37:102). This is an extraordinary story of submission.

The Moment of Complete Submission

(فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِينِ - "When they entered into that state of submission and he put him down on his side" (Quran 37:103) and was ready to sacrifice him. In a riwayah, he actually - the knife went down but it didn't cut his throat. When he was in that absolute - the two of them were in a complete state of submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala - Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: وَنَادَيْنَاهُ أَن يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا - "Then We called them and We said: O Ibrahim, you believed the vision that you saw, you believed the vision that you saw" (Quran 37:104-105).

(إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ - "And like this We reward the people of ihsan, the people of ihsan" (Quran 37:105). And so Ibrahim alayhi salam is then given a replacement. He said - Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ الْمُبِينُ - "This is the clear and manifest tribulation" (Quran 37:106). No greater tribulation than this, and no one after Ibrahim will ever be asked to make a sacrifice of that magnitude. No one, no one until the end of time, no one will be asked to make a sacrifice of that magnitude. But that is the magnitude of the sacrifice of the man who is our exemplar.

The Milla of Ibrahim and Our Prophet

This is the milla of Ibrahim alayhi salam and our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam who gave up everything. The son of Ibrahim who gave up everything - he gave his position up, he gave his aristocratic position amongst his people, he gave everything up for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He gave his wealth up, he expended all of his wealth for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. His wife Khadija alayha salam expended all of her wealth for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

He was persecuted, he was spit on, he was scoffed, he was mocked, he was laughed at, he had animal entrails thrown on him, lies were told about him - all of these things. And still he was absolutely patient. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not only patient, he was grateful.

Ibrahim: An Ummah in Himself

Ibrahim alayhi salam, our exemplar - Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says about Ibrahim : (إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً قَانِنَّا لِلَّهِ - "Ibrahim was an ummah, qanitan in obedience to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, in obedience to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala" (Quran 16:120).

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

In obedience to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. حَنِيفًا وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ - "He was a hanif, inclining naturally towards his Lord, towards the truth" (Quran 16:120). He had natural inclinations towards the truth. And then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: شَاكِرًا لِأَنْعُمِهِ اجْتَبَاهُ وَهَدَاهُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ - "He was grateful for the blessings that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala had given him. Allah chose him, Allah guided him" (Quran 16:121).

This is our exemplar, Ibrahim alayhi salam.

A Call to Self-Reflection

My question to myself and all of you: Where is Allah in your lives? Where is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in your lives? What are you willing to sacrifice for the deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

This day should be a day in which you turn back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. I'm going to assume all of you are praying, but if there's somebody in here not praying, commit today, from this day forward, don't miss a prayer. My prayer is for the sake of God. You don't pray for your parents - you pray for them as dua - but your salah is not for your parents. Your salah is not for your masjid. Your prayer is not for anybody other than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

If you're not praying, then pray. There's people that come to the Eid who don't pray during the rest of the year, so this is a time for you to renew your covenant with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is the way of Ibrahim alayhi salam. This is the ancient path.

The Worldly Illusion

This is a path that this society and all societies around the world are turning their back on. People are becoming completely immersed in worldly things. Everything is about pleasure, everything is about luxury. Luxury is not the goal in life. The people closest to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala on Yom Qiyamah and in the akhira are the people who left the dunya for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And this doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the things that you have, but it's all for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You don't pursue the worldly things for the sake of pleasure - you pursue them for the sake of the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala - by providing for your family, by taking care of their needs, by supporting the community, by giving out charity, by thinking of other people.

A Time of Economic Crisis

And I want to take this opportunity: there's economic crises, there's people that have lost their jobs, there's 300,000 Americans losing their jobs every month. And this crisis, according to many of these prognosticators, say that it's going to get worse, it's not going to get better. It's still the same Lord.

We don't worship the Lord of prosperity. We worship the Lord of prosperity and hardship. In hard times and in easy times, we worship the same Lord. You should be as close to God in easy times. In fact, you should be more

afraid. The sahaba were more afraid during easy times than hard times, because they knew that hard times would always follow easy times, but easy times would always follow hard times.

So when they were in hard times, they were in anticipation of relief. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: (انْتِظَارُ الْفَرَجِ مِنَ الْعِبَادَةِ - "To wait for the opening from God is a type of worship" (Musnad Ahmad). When you're expecting good things from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, so you have to expect good things from your Lord.

The People of Optimism

All of the naysayers out there, all of the people that are scaring people - that's the way of Iblees. We're the people of optimism. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam loved optimism. He was an optimistic person. He never looked on the dark side, he never looked at the bleakness of the situation. He always knew that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala was with him. And this is the difference between the people of hope and the people of despair.

(لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ - "Do not despair from the grace of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Do not despair from the grace of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala" (Quran 39:53).

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

The Vast Mercy of Allah

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's rahmah is vast. His rahmah is so vast that if it opened up for us, we would be completely insane. If we could see the reality of the rahmah of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in this world, we would lose our minds. The veiling that Allah has given us is a blessing from Allah. It is a rahmah that we're veiled in the dunya from the realities, because people that have too many unveilings end up walking around on the streets talking to themselves.

Alhamdulillah for the blessing of Islam. You should be grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It's a blessing to be a Muslim in any time - whether you are a Muslim with Hud, whether you're a Muslim with Salih, whether you are a Muslim with Shuaib, with Musa, whether you are a Muslim with Jesus - all of these times it was a good time to be a Muslim. But this is the best time to be a Muslim.

The Best Time to Be a Muslim

This is the best time to be a Muslim because you are a Muslim in the time of Sayyiduna Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He is the illuminating lamp. If you follow the Prophet, you will never go astray, you will never go astray. But you have to find out who your prophet is. You have to learn about him, you have to teach your children to love your prophet. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam - the more you learn about him, the more overwhelmed you get by his blessing.

What the Prophet Loved

(حُبِّبَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ دُنْيَاكُمْ ثَلَاثُ: النِّسَاءُ وَالطَّيبُ وَجُعِلَتْ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِي فِي الصَّلَاةِ - "I was made to love three things in this world" (Sahih Muslim 1472). The Prophet said: "My love from this world was made from the love of women." The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam - this is in no way to be understood in a sensual sense. The Prophet loved the mercy of women, he loved the charity of women, he loved the easiness of women, he loved the selflessness of women. He loved those qualities that the women have that this religion elevated.

The Prophet's Treatment of Children

Before the Prophet Muhammad, the Arabs didn't know how to treat their children with kindness and love. The men wouldn't kiss their children. The Arabs were gruff people. They were people that saw to kiss a child was beneath them.

When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam kissed the child and Al-Aqra' ibn Habis said: "Do you kiss children?" He said: "Yes, I kiss children in front of other men, in front of other men." And he said to him: "I have ten children, I've never kissed one of them." He said: (مَنْ لَا يَرْحَمْ لَا يُرْحَمْ - "I have nothing in my religion for a man who has no mercy in his heart" (Sahih Bukhari 5997, Sahih Muslim 2318). This religion is about rahmah.

Honoring Women

The Prophet elevated the women. We have to elevate our women, we have to elevate our women, honor our women. No one honors women except honorable people, and no one degrades them except violent, contemptible people.

The Blessed Day of Eid

This is a blessed day. It's the day of Eid.

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said there are times of eating, drinking more than normally. They were people that had a lot of hunger in their society, but during the Eid they would expend, they would sacrifice.

It's a good sunnah to sacrifice today for yourself and for your children, and the women also to sacrifice. It's a good sunnah to do it after the prayer. The four days of Eid are blessed days. To remind all of you that it's the sunnah to do the takbir - الله أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ - after the prayer until the fourth day. According to Imam Malik, the Fajr prayer of the fourth day is the last prayer that you do that. Abu Hanif and Imam Shafi say to the Asr prayer.

The Sacred Nature of Blood and Property

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in his khutbah on the day of Nahr said: "Do you know which day this

is?" And then we were silent until we thought that the Prophet was going to change the name of the day. And the Prophet said: "Isn't this the day of Nahr?" They knew the day, but when the Prophet asked a question, don't put out what you think you know in the presence of the Messenger of Allah or God.

So the Prophet said, then he asked: "Which month is this?" And they said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." And he was silent until they thought he would change the name. And then he said: "Isn't this Dhul Hijjah?" And they said: "Yes, this is Dhul Hijjah."

And then he said: "Which city are we in?" And they said - look at the iman of these people - they knew they were in Mecca, but if the Prophet's asking which city are you in, they're not going to answer because they don't know. It might be a different city now. And so he said: "Isn't this the sacred city, the sanctuary?"

So the Prophet said: (إِنَّ دِمَاءَكُمْ وَأَمْوَالَكُمْ حَرَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ كَحُرْمَةِ يَوْمِكُمْ هَذَا فِي شَهْرِكُمْ هَذَا فِي بَلَدِكُمْ هَذَا - This, from this day forward, your blood amongst you, your property is sacred, it's sacred like the sanctity of this day, in this month, in this city, until the day you meet your Lord" (Sahih Bukhari 1739, Sahih Muslim 1679).

And then he said: "Have I not delivered this message?" And they said: "Yes." And he said: "O Allah, bear witness that I delivered this message."

The Responsibility to Convey the Message

And then he said: فَلْيُبَلِّغُ الشَّاهِدُ الْغَائِبَ - "Let the one present tell the one absent. Let the one present tell the one absent" (Sahih Bukhari 105). Muslims have a responsibility to tell people, and we have forgotten this responsibility.

And I'll tell you something: You think there's enemies of Islam out there? You think they're forever enemies? The Prophet said the people that hate this religion most become its strongest defenders once they enter into it. The people that hate this religion the most have the most zeal for it once they come into it. So if you think you see people out there that hate this religion, you should know that if they get the message, if Allah opens their hearts, they become the best defenders of this religion. So don't despair of people - good people or bad people - don't despair of people.

All of Creation Belongs to Allah

This is Allah's creation. These are all - these people walking around here - they have every permission to be here. God brought them into the world, and only God's authority can take them out of the world. Blood and property are sacred. Blood and property are sacred. This is our teaching. It's a universal teaching.

The blood of all these people in this country, in our estimation, in our religion's teaching, is sacred. And no one can shed that blood unless they have absolute authority from the government. Nobody. This is the beauty of our religion. Their property is sacred. You can't steal from them, whether it's a corporation or whether it's an individual. Property is sacred, and you should take those things seriously.

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