Eid Khutbah Trusting Allah When Nothing Makes Sense

Eid Khutbah: Trusting Allah When Nothing Makes Sense

Opening

"As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh"

"wa rasuluhu wa safiyyuhu wa khaliluhu, adda al-amanata wa ballagha ar-risalata wa nasaha lil-ummah, wa kashafa al-ghummah, wa tarakana 'ala al-mahabbati al-bayda', layluha ka nahariha, la yazighu 'anha illa halik"

"fa 'alayhi afdal as-salati wa atamm at-taslim 'ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man istanna bi sunnatihi ila yawm ad-din"

"Allahumma ij'alna minhum wa min alladhina amanu wa 'amilu as-salihat wa tawasaw bil-haqq wa tawasaw bis-sabr, amin ya rabb al-'alamin"

Opening Taqwa Reminders

"Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu ittaqu Allaha haqqa tuqatihi wa la tamutunna illa wa antum muslimun"

"Ya ayyuhan-nasu ittaqoo rabbakumul-lazee khalaqakum min nafsin wahidatin wa khalaqa minha zawjaha wa batha minhuma rijalan katheeran wa nisa'an wat-taqullaha lazee tasa'aloona bihi wal-arhama innallaha kana 'alaykum raqeebaa"

"Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu ittaqu Allaha wa qulu qawlan sadidan yuslih lakum a'malakum wa yaghfir lakum dhunubakum wa man yuti' Allaha wa rasulahu faqad faza fawzan 'azima"

"Thumma amma ba'd"

Main Khutbah

Opening Praise and Context

We begin by praising Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for what he has guided us to, thanking him for what he has allowed us to do despite these circumstances, and praising him first and foremost for sending us guidance through Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم as he did the prophets and the messengers before. We ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم upon all of the prophets and messengers that came before, his family and companions that served alongside of him, those that follow in their blessed path until the day of judgment, Allahumma ameen.

The Purpose of Eid

And we are here as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has commanded us after Ramadan

"wa li tukmirul 'iddata wa li tukabbirullah 'ala ma hadakum"

- "that you complete the period of fasting in Ramadan, and you declare Allah's greatness for that which he has guided you to."

And I didn't forget which Eid it was. This Eid continues off from last Eid, because this season of worship continues after last season of worship, when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allowed us to complete the period of Ramadan and that Eid, and gain a greater respect and devotion towards that which he has guided us towards, a greater appreciation, shukr, gratitude, for giving us a sense of purpose in the midst of things that often don't make sense.

The Greatness of Allah

We say الله أَكْبَرُ (Allahu akbar) - "Allah is greater, God is greater than all that is around us, than all of our uncertainty, than all of our sadness, than all of our circumstances, than all of those who oppress, than all of those things that make sense and don't make sense, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is greater than all of that."

And within two months of that period finishing, the second Eid is in such close proximity, where we spend the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah saying

"(Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, la ilaha illa Allah, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, wa lillahi al-hamd)"

- declaring the greatness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, declaring our devotion to that which he has guided us to and our gratitude to him for it, there is a realization that takes place.

The Story of Ibrahim, Hajar, and Ismail

But this Eid revolves around a story, and it's not just the story of Ibrahim عليه السلام, it's the story of Ibrahim and Ismail and Hajar, the story of Ibrahim, Hajar and Ismail, it's the story of a blessed family that understood the incredible power that comes through having true, pure trust in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the midst of all things. And this Eid, we don't just mimic the sacrifice of Ibrahim عليه السلام, we seek to find the tawakkul, the trust of Ibrahim عليه السلام

And I wanted to talk about this family through the lens of an ayah that we recite. And I want us to connect this also to what we left off of with Ramadan and in the COVID-19 era, it's all felt like the same thing anyway, right? We're just going to the next month, the next day, the next week, and we're chugging along.

The Purpose of Taqwa

When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that as you finish Ramadan, you come to a place where you say

"(Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar)"

, and you feel a great sense of the greatness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that minimizes everything else around you. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also says the purpose of that fasting was what?

"(la'allakum tattaqun)"

- "so that you gain taqwa, you become more mindful of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala."

Because the more mindful of Allah you become, the more grateful to Him you will inevitably become. The greater His greatness will be in your sight when you become more mindful of Him.

The Central Verse: Trust in Allah

And so there's one ayah I want you to look at the story of Ibrahim, Hajar, and Ismail through for a moment, and then we look at our own story through it:

"Wa man yattaqi Allaha yaj'al lahu makhrajan wa yarzuqhu min haythu la yahtasib wa man yatawakkal 'ala Allahi fahuwa hasbuhu"

"First and foremost, whoever is conscious, mindful of Allah, Allah will make a way out for them. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will provide for them from places that they would have never imagined. And if you have trust in Allah, then He is enough for you. He is sufficient for you."

Applying the Verse to Each Family Member

And I want you to think about each one of them through the lens of this ayah before you think about it for yourself. And one of the incredible things about the story of Ibrahim, Hajar, and Ismail was that what gave them comfort in all of their situations and their affairs was not that Hajar could look out the corner of her eye and say, "well, there are two holes over there, and if I run between them and shout loud enough, maybe someone will hear me."

"There looks like there could be a well that could one day be constructed over here. I think I heard that some people live close over there." That's not what gave Hajar comfort. It wasn't the water out of the corner of her eye or Ibrahim as he was walking away from them or Ismail.

Ismail was not looking for the quickest exit if his father decides to actually proceed with the sacrifice. What was giving them all a sense of contentment was what? Allah's commands.

The Source of Their Comfort

Allah never commands us to do something except that Allah intends good for us. Allah never commands us to do something except that Allah intends good for us. And the closer we are to the command of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, even when it becomes the most difficult to apply those commands, the more blessing we're going to find in our lives.

And so the answer of Ibrahim عليه السلام was Allah tells him

"(aslim)"

- "Submit" - he's the one receiving divine revelation.

"(aslim li rabbi al-'alamin)"

- "Allah told me to do it, I'm going to do it and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will take care of me."

The answer of Hajar that gave her comfort was not, "are you going to come back and check on us in a few months? Is something going to happen? Did Allah tell you that someone's going to come take care of us?" The comfort of Hajar was, "did Allah command you to do it? If so, Allah's not going to abandon us, we'll be fine."

Her comfort was that the command of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala came with blessing. And the comfort of Ismail عليه السلام was what?

"(Ya abati ifal ma tu'mar)"

. Subhanallah, he didn't say to his father, "do what you saw in the dream."

He said to his father, "do as you have been commanded to do." Because if Allah commanded you to do it, only good will come through it. Each one of them found comfort in the same thing.

The Source of True Tawakkul

Not the circumstances, not that they could see the makhraja or where the rizq would come from, not that they could see the way out or the way the sustenance would come. But they found comfort in knowing that Allah commanded it and Allah would not command something except that Allah would bring about good in their lives. That's where they found it.

And that's where they got their contentment from. And dear brothers and sisters, when do we find true tawakkul in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? It's when we can't see the makhraja, we can't see the exit, and we can't see where the rizq will come from, where the sustenance is going to come from. We have no clue and we have to submit ourselves because nothing is making sense.

The circumstances don't make sense. Everything is uncertain. When is this going to end? How am I going to do this? How is this going to come? I will remain dedicated and clinging towards that which I've been commanded to do and I know that goodness will come as a result of that.

Allah Will Not Leave Us in Destruction

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will not leave me in a place of destruction as a result of that. And you see that with each and every single one of them, their comfort came from that. Their comfort came from that. Hajar had no idea, and by the way, you can go through the story of the verse with each one of them. But I want you to think, as Ibrahim عليه السلام was walking away from Hajar and Ismail, what was the conversation that he was having with Allah like? As Hajar would wait as the sun became hotter and her child became thirstier, what was the dua that was going on between her and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? As Ismail عليه السلام was being walked to the place of his sacrifice, what was the dua between him and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

Ibrahim's Past Experience with Trust

And then on top of that, dear brothers and sisters, Ibrahim عليه السلام as he is about to sacrifice his son, he too has been sacrificed by his father but he was sacrificed for false purposes and towards false gods and out of a sense of lowliness. He knows what it's like.

As Ibrahim عليه السلام was walking away from Hajar, he knows what it's like to have people turn their backs on you. But with Ibrahim عليه السلام he wasn't acting out of a lowly place or for lowly aims nor was he saddened because he didn't trust the one whom he was acting for. He knew that Allah took care of him when he was thrown into the fire and Allah would take care of Ismail عليه السلام and Allah would take care of Hajar عليه السلام.

The Sufficiency of Allah

And that's why the end of this verse is so beautiful:

"wa man yatawakkal 'ala Allahi fahuwa hasbuhu"

"Whoever has true trust in Allah, Allah is sufficient for them." They actually don't need to know where the exit is and they don't need to know where the rizq is going to come from. They're comforted with that, they're contented with that idea that Allah is going to be enough for me anyway.

And what was the first du'a of Ibrahim عليه السلام thrown into the fire that would keep him sustained through the heat of life:

"(hasbuna Allah wa ni'ma al-wakil)"

- "Allah is enough for me."

The Unexpected Ways Allah Provides

Go through the ayah with each one of them.

"(wa man yattaqi Allah yaj'al lahu makhrajan)"

- The makhraja, Jibreel عليه السلام coming, striking the water. She never thought the Zamzam would come from the ground that way.

She never thought a tribe would come and settle, a people would come and settle around her because of that. She could not have written her own story. Ismail could not have written his own story that he would be the ancestor of