Two Lights Shining Bright
By Yaser Birjas | 2026-01-13T07:39:29.112746+00:00 | Topic: Iman
Khutbah - Muharram: Allah is With Me & He Will Guide Me
Opening
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh
Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem
Khutbah Al-Hajah (Opening Khutbah)
"O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him]."
Opening Prayer
In the name of Allah The gracious, the merciful. To him we belong and to him we shall return. We ask Allah جل وعلا in his infinite grace and boundless mercy to send an abundance of prayers and peace upon our beloved messenger Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. We as Allah سبحانه وتعالى to have mercy upon us as his humble servants. We ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to have mercy upon our parents. We ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to have mercy upon our children. We ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to have mercy upon our families and our communities. We ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to have mercy upon the ummah of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
May Allah's mercy envelop every single one of those who need God's mercy. And that is everyone. May Allah سبحانه وتعالى have mercy upon our deceased. Those who have passed. And those that we will surely catch up with. May Allah have mercy upon us when we arrive at the point that many in our history have already arrived at. And that is death. May Allah have mercy upon us in that moment. اللَّهُمَّ آمِينَ يَا رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
The New Islamic Year
Brothers and sisters, today we usher in a new Islamic year. A new year in the Islamic calendar. The year 1439 after Hijrah. It has been 1439 years since the Hijrah of our beloved messenger Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم from Mecca to Medina. 1439 years of believers who have been migrating in this earth trying to follow in the footsteps of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, trying to realize the kalima of لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
And although the Hijrah of the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is such a magnificent moment for us to reflect on, that's not what I will reflect on today. But today I want us to think about the significance of this idea of the new year and how Allah جل وعلا dictates for us time, place and space. That all of us, we are on our own migrations. We have our own lives that we're leading and that we're living every single day coming from all walks of life from every facet of society from all across the world.
But we all have lives that we're leading and all of these lives they converge at one point. And that is Allah جل وعلا. That the unifying factor that truly embodies what every single being on this earth exudes and that is being a creation of Allah and being a servant of Allah جل وعلا
The Sacred Nature of Time
When Allah speaks about months and years and time He teaches us this meaning because it's all destined by Allah. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
"Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them."
Allah says that verily the number of months in the year according to Allah are 12. Four of them are sacred. And these were all designated when Allah created the heavens and the earth. For us things are not arbitrary or left up to chance but rather Allah delineates, Allah dictates for us what will be. And so He tells us what the months are and He tells us how time should be and is to be governed.
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and this is why he says:
Allah is saying what I've given you is the upright religion, the upright way. I want you to pay attention. Allah is telling us when He's talking to us about the new year, when He's talking to us about months and He's talking about how the year progresses He's saying I am designating for you the right way.
And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم further elucidates this point. He makes this even clearer where he says:
(Sahih al-Bukhari 4662)
That verily time is coming full circle around just as when Allah created the heavens and the earth. That the year is twelve months. Four are sacred. Three of them are consecutive.
In the narrations it is the singular month of Rajab. Rajab is from the sacred months but it's not connected to the other three. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is teaching us a very distinct language that I want us to begin to understand. Is that there is a beginning point to all of this.
إِنَّ الزَّمَانَ قَدِ اسْتَدَارَ
Time is coming back to that singular moment, that essential moment when Allah chose to create the heavens and the earth by Allah's decree, His design, His will, His desire. And the first month in that year, in that, let's call it Divine year if you will, is شَهْرُ اللَّهِ الْمُحَرَّمُ
The Month of Muharram
I want you to pay attention brothers and sisters because we hear these words but we don't pay attention very often to the depth that is behind this language. The first month in our year in the Islamic calendar is known as الْمُحَرَّمُ - The Sacred. What is sacred about this beginning point? What is so sacred about this initial moment in the year of the believer?
It is the source of all that which is sacred on earth and that is Allah جل وعلا That Allah:
"He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing."
Allah is the first and Allah is the last. Allah is the beginning and Allah is the end. Allah is everything. And so for us the beginning of the year is a recommitment to the purely sacred and that is Allah جل وعلا
And that's why شَهْرُ الْمُحَرَّم and it's معرف بالأل - The Sacred. The month is known as... in the year that you have this possession where it is known as God's month, Allah's month. Of course all twelve of the months are Allah جل وعلا's but this one is specifically given the distinction of being known as شهر الله - The month of Allah.
Because if there's any resolution that we should have, you know we talk about this idea of a new year's resolution, if there's any resolution that should be made in this moment it is a recommitment to Allah. It is essentializing the idea of God in your life. That we are nothing without God and that God is everything. Allah is everything for us. There is no breath, there is no wealth, there is no time, there is no space, there is no structure, there is no family, there is no tree, there is no ocean without Allah جل وعلا.
The Story of Musa and Firaun
And that's what we're being brought back to full circle. And that's why the reference in the Quran and in
the sunnah is just as Allah created the heavens and the earth. When Allah created the heavens and the earth because they want us Allah and his messenger, they want us to go back to that initial point.
And so brothers and sisters in this sacred month known as الْمُحَرَّمُ there are so many incidents that happened in our past. So many events that occurred in the month of الْمُحَرَّمٌ. We could reflect on. But I want to talk about one. There were many. There was the غَزْوَةُ ذَاتِ السَّلَاسِلِ خَيْبَرٌ. There was the martyrdom of Al-Husayn in Karbala which is something that impacts not just the Shia but the Sunnah as well and this is something that I will talk about Insha'Allah in the coming khutbah.
But today I want to talk about one distinct moment in our history and something that is truly recognized in the month of محرّم. The reason why we fast the tenth day of مُحَرّم known as عاشوراء. And that is the day when Allah جل وعلا saved Musa and the Israelites from the Pharaoh, from Firaun.
The Lesson of Trust in Allah
And the reason why I want us to reflect on this particular moment is because just as the tides were rising during the time of Musa عليه السلام and the darkness was permeating so many corners, today I know many of us we feel that there are rising tides and we're looking for salvation. We're looking for safety. As we observe the hurricanes that are happening in the quote-unquote natural world. When we look at the tropical storms. When we look at the earthquakes that are devastating lands and truly our hearts go out to everyone who's been impacted by these tests from Allah:
"Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs."
But we see that and it's very overwhelming and we're trying to process the level of just earthquakes and the number of hurricanes and the number of tropical storms and those quote-unquote natural tides are rising. But then simultaneously we see that there are other types of tides that are rising in the world.
When we observe what's happening in Burma, the pain is still there. The hurt is still there. The refugees are still there. Not just in Burma, not just our Rohingya brothers and sisters but we see Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Iran, everywhere we've been speaking about, Iraq all of them and we've been speaking about it week after week and those continue to exist and those still continue to be sources of pain for us.
Let alone the personal challenges that we have in our own homes with our children, the fitna of religion today that so many of us we're seeing different challenges towards our own faith, abuses that are happening inside the community and without that is compelling us to question our belief in Allah and our commitment to the religion. And so the tides are rising.
And so the question is where is salvation? Where does one save themselves from all of this? And I believe that the story of Musa and the particular moment when he was saved by Allah gives us endless wisdom into how we should live in this migratory world that will surely come to an end when time comes to an
end because time itself will die. Allah is the one who never dies. He has always lived and he will never die. But everything will come to an end including time as we know.
The Challenge of Musa
Brothers and sisters, Allah made it responsible, He commissioned Musa عليه السلام to be the one who would have to bear witness in front of one of the most evil tyrants and oppressors that lived on this earth. And that is Firaun, the Pharaoh. And Allah made it even more challenging because Musa عليه السلام was brought up in that home, in the home of Firaun and the home of Asiya. And he was obligated by Allah to stand up against his adopted father to say that I reject what you are doing. I reject how you have oppressed and turned the Israelites into slave labor. I reject your belief that you are a god on earth when he said:
"[Pharaoh] said, "I am your most exalted lord."
He had to stand and he had to bear witness to someone who was so intimately close to him and to someone who at that time was truly larger than life. And so you can imagine for Sayyiduna Musa عليه السلام it was an uphill battle from minute one to fulfill God's command to live according to لا إلهَ إِلَّا الله. It was an uphill battle just like it is a challenge for us, perhaps not at the level of Sayyiduna Musa, to be committed.
But Musa عليه السلام he had his own challenges to stay committed to Allah. And so he stood and he bore witness and he spoke the truth. And as we all know he was categorically rejected. He spoke, he had to preach to his own people, the Israelites, to talk to Banu Israel and pull them out of the darkness of oppression which is hard work for people who were for such a long period of time under oppression and under tyranny. They've become not only physically enslaved but even intellectually enslaved.
So doing that da'wah was hard work. Then he had to communicate with the Egyptians to tell them that your leader is not good, to put it lightly, and to guide them and to show them the truth. Then he had to speak to the priestly class and the upper echelons of society and tell them the sahara, what the truth was and debate with them and talk with them. And then ultimately he had to confront Firaun.
When Allah commanded Sayyidina Musa and Harun:
"Go, both of you, to Pharaoh, for he has transgressed. And speak to him with gentle speech that perhaps he may be reminded or fear [Allah]."
Go to Firaun. He has truly gone overboard. He has transgressed. Tell him a subtle speech, a lenient speech but tell him the truth.
And he did that and he was rejected. And ultimately what it led to was Musa عليه السلام one night telling his people we have to leave, we can't stay here any longer. The threat is too great for us to stay here. And
so they left under the cover of darkness. Thousands and thousands of Israelites left with Musa (عليه السلام)
And when Firaun woke up and he found that his entire workforce was gone, because for him it was pure economics, it was pure slavery, Jabarut. He was a tyrant. He needed his workforce back and so he told his army, he gathered his army and said we have to go, kill Musa, get rid of a good percentage of them and then bring back the rest who will continue to serve us as we've been served for all this time.
At the Red Sea
And so Firaun went and of course Firaun and his army are riding and Musa (عليه السلام) and his people are walking. And when Sayyidina Musa (عليه السلام) and the Israelites got to the Red Sea, Firaun and his junood had caught up. And Allah describes this to us in the Quran where he says when the two groups saw each other, met each other and they're sitting at the banks of the Red Sea, it's basically for you, for anyone, it's a wall. There's no crossing the Red Sea.
The people of Moses they said:
"We are sure to be overtaken."
And (إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ) in the Arabic language is (لِلتَّوْكِيدِ إِنَّ وَلَامُ التَّوْكِيدِ). They are tools for emphasis. What the people of, what the Israelites said that verily we are caught. There's basically no way out of this. It was complete despair on their part. There is no hope. Firaun is behind us and the Red Sea is in front of us. What is there?
And I want you to pause and put this story and apply it to yourself. How often do we find ourselves using the same language? Where there is no hope. It's too hard. It's impossible, we're failed. We're dead, we're gone. I'm lost, my child's lost. This is lost. How often do we use that language? Don't allow this to be a moment where you're just listening to a story passively but try to think about it within the context of our own lives.
And so they decry we're gone, we're gonna be caught. It's over. What was the response? The unequivocal response of Musa (عليه السلام). He did not falter. He did not hesitate. His hand did not shake. His feet did not tremble. He said:
"No! My Lord is with me, He will guide me."
Absolutely not! Verily Allah is with me. Allah is with me. He was certain and he used himself unequivocal, powerful language with emphasis. (إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي). See three times. The linguist will tell you four points of emphasis. (إِنَّ وَ لِيَ وَ مَعِيَ وَ رَبِّي) my lord. It wasn't lord, it was my lord, he's with me.
How many of us use this language when thinking about the journey of our own lives? How many of us use this language when the tides have risen in a way where we feel there is no way out? How many of us
stand firmly and say no, Allah is with me and say that with pure conviction, with pure certainty? That is descriptive of a heart that is in beautiful and loving surrender to Allah (جل وعلا).
Because Musa he lived his life in that loving surrender. No matter what the obligation was, no matter what the ask was from Allah (جل وعلا), Musa said we hear and we obey, ya Allah. Musa taught his people, Musa said O my people:
"If you have believed in Allah, then rely upon Him, if you are Muslims."
Then upon him rely, he said it both. If you truly believe in Allah then upon him rely. If you true in that. Once again he says if you have truly surrendered.
Because if there is a question of whether or not we are going to rely on Allah, whether or not we truly trust that we should rely on Allah, then we have to question whether or not we have truly surrendered to Allah. If there are doubts, if there is hopelessness then we have to revisit. And this is what we are revisiting today in this month of Al-Muharram which is the beginning of the new year. Do we truly trust and believe in Allah if we are believers if we are people who surrender?
And so Musa (عليه السلام) said unequivocally, emphatically:
No, Allah is with me.
The Meaning of Divine Guidance
Now I want you to pause on this word that Musa (عليه السلام) chose to articulate when speaking about his relationship with Allah. He didn't say no, Allah is with me and Allah will get me. Allah will save me from this. He didn't say Allah will remove this from me. He said Allah will guide me.
What does that tell you? Think. What does that tell you about what Musa understood about Allah was that Ya Allah, I have surrendered to you. I don't know what is next. I don't know. But I know for certain that whatever it is it is your guidance and I trust it.
It didn't necessarily mean that Allah had to remove this hardship, meaning that they would be physically saved. It could possibly mean that Musa (عليه السلام) knew that if this was their end, meaning that they were to all be martyred, then that is hidayah. That is guidance.
See we have to break out of this idea that everything is governed by material things. That if I don't have money then Allah hates me. That if I have a disease then Allah hates me. That if I have, I've lost a loved one Allah hates me. No, that if there is oppression then Allah hates. That if there is a natural disaster then Allah hates. That's not the case. Allah is bigger than that. Allah operates in multiple realms, ones that we know and ones that we do not.
And so utter and true trust in Allah is to say Allah is with me and Allah will guide and we surrender our will to Allah.
The Miracle at the Red Sea
Musa was not complacent, he was not lazy. He was not apathetic, he was not in despair. He did everything he could do. He tried everything in his possible capacity to do and to save and to remove oppression in the physical realm, in the spiritual realm, he tried it all. And this is where he was, in front of the Red Sea.
And so as a lesson not only to the Israelites but to the entire ummah, people that will come after the Israelites and to the ummah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), Allah commanded for there to be a distinct miracle that happened in that moment. And the story of Musa, brothers and sisters, is a story that is our story. It is the most repeated story in the Qur'an, over 50 times it is referenced in the Qur'an. So that we, as followers of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and as followers of Musa (عليه السلام) and Isa (عليه السلام) to learn about.
And so Allah says:
"Then We inspired Moses, Strike the sea with your staff,"
We revealed to Musa to strike with your staff. Something so simple, something so quote on quote, insignificant. Although in the spiritual realm we don't speak in the language of material size as being significant or not, because Allah has proven to us in the entire history of this world that small things most often have greater impact than big things. Allah tells us:
"How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah."
How often was it the case that small groups of people succeeded over larger groups of people.
And so Allah is telling us by telling and commanding Musa to take something that is seemingly so insignificant like a staff:
اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْبَحْرَ
Hit with your simple staff the sea, hit it, hit the sea. And the sea parted. And every part, every wall of the sea turned into a tawd like a mountain, a sturdy mountain. And what's beautiful about the language of a tawd is to say it wasn't this like terrifying sea that was, you know, no, it was like a sturdy mountain. Sometimes you see the imagery of people in Hollywood who try to recreate this, they make it very terrifying. It was actually like a stable mountain on their sides walking on the bed:
رَحْمَةً بِهِمْ
As a mercy for Musa (عليه السلام) and his followers. And they crossed over. And Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) saved them:
"And We saved Moses and those with him, all of them," Allah says.
The Essential Declaration
Brothers and sisters, what you and I must reflect upon in these moments is if that we have any hope of having true salvation in this world then we have to be a people who are committed to this declaration:
Know Allah is with me and Allah will guide me.
We have to utter the words of Ibrahim (عليه السلام) where he said:
"Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds."
That verily my life, my death, my wealth, my actions, my rituals, everything is for Allah (رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ)
We have to center ourselves in that space. We have to make that truth essential in our lives because that is the only way out. There is no rahmah for a believer soul if it's not through Allah. If it's not with Allah. If I want to be saved as these tides are rising then I have to say (لا إله إلا الله). I have to come back to (شهر الْمُحَرَّمِ) sacred month, the month of Allah (شَهْرُ اللهِ) and say Ya Allah today I recommit myself to You. I declare unequivocally that I live for You Ya Allah. I declare unequivocally:
"To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth."
That everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah (جل وعلا). That we are going to commit ourselves to Allah the way that our pious predecessors did. Because when they did that Allah gave them salvation time after time after time and that is what is a certainty:
"If you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet."
Bringing victory to Allah and bringing victory to Allah means that you do what Allah asks you to do. And in this world, wallahi it's not that much. I know it's hard work but Allah has asked us to do a few things. That we pray five times a day. That we fast when we're supposed to fast in Ramadan. That we give our zakah. That we keep our halal, our money halal. That we stay away from illicit relationships. Allah is saying I'm asking of you a few things. Do them and I will surely bring victory to you and I will make your feet steadfast.
Examples of Divine Salvation
That's why Musa (عليه السلام) when the people said imagine just being in Musa's position as he being the one who led them out and standing in front of the Red Sea and all of these thousands of Israelites looking at him you brought us here we're gonna be killed, we're gonna be caught. But why was he so firm? What made his heart and his soul so sturdy and tranquil and confident? Only Allah can do that. Wallahi only Allah can do that.
If your child is someone who's at school and feels bullied and mocked because they wear the hijab or because their name is Muhammad or because they don't date, the only thing that's going to make their hearts firm and confident that what they're doing is what is right is if they have a love for Allah and his messenger in their heart. And the only way that love of Allah and his messenger are cultivated is if you love Allah and his messenger. But it's work. We can't mail it in. We can't just say we love. We have to show that we love. And when we show that we love Allah shows us how that he can save us.
He saved Musa (عليه السلام) and his people. And in Al-Muharram he also saved Nuh (عليه السلام). Imam Ahmed in his compendium of Ahadith he says that also Nuh (عليه السلام) was saved on the tenth day of Muharram just as Musa (عليه السلام) was saved on the tenth day.
When we look at Yunus (عليه السلام)
"There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers."
My God, we have oppressed ourselves, we have wronged ourselves. If you don't have mercy upon us we will be a true loser.
"So We responded to him and saved him from the distress."
Yunus (عليه السلام) declared when he was in the belly of the whale: Ya Allah I have wronged myself, I have made mistakes, it's my fault. Allah says we heard his call. (وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ). Just as Allah saved Nuh, just as Allah saved Musa, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) saved Yunus. Allah saved Nuh, Allah saved Musa, Allah saved Yunus.
Ibrahim (عليه السلام) entered into loving surrender. What happened?
"O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham."
Ibrahim (عليه السلام) loving surrender, Allah commands the fire be cool and peaceful upon Ibrahim.
The Daily Application
Brothers and sisters, the moral and the lesson of this khutbah is very simple. Every day we must say with certainty Allah is with me and Allah will guide. Promise yourself that that will be your new year's resolution. Allah is with me. Look at any problem you see in the world and no problem is bigger than
Allah because everything in this world is a creation of Allah. And so when you look at anything and you can think about any problem you see, you think Allah and you know Allah is bigger than that problem. Immediately. Because Allah is the one who has the power. Allah has the power of (كُنْ فَيَكُونُ - kun fayakunu) "be and it will be."
But the danger and I'll close with this, the danger brothers and sisters is to hear this, is to know this and to turn our backs on Allah. That is heedlessness and that is the greatest affliction, the greatest disease that can harm a person in this world is to be heedless of the truth of Allah, of the ultimate sacred.
The Warning from the Israelites
And that's why one of the grave mistakes of the Israelites who were the followers of Musa, who were with Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) when they saw the parting of the sea, imagine this, they saw the parting of the sea. They were walking on the bed of the Red Sea. They saw the sea wall, these mountains that were next to them. And they crossed over. And they watched as Firaun in his own arrogance because he was blind by his nafs. He just saw that the sea was parted but in his arrogance he said I'm still gonna follow. And that's when the nafs becomes your ilah. When the self becomes your lord you succumb to your nafs' desires and so in his mind I'm still gonna go. I'm gonna throw it all in because of ego, subhanallah.
He could have stayed at the banks and say well, if Musa has those kind of relationships then I'm not gonna touch that. I'm gonna go back and figure something else out. No, ego. Ego leads to halak. Ego, well, arrogance leads to destruction all the time. It's one of the disease of nations throughout history is arrogance. May Allah protect us from the evil of ourself.
They crossed over and they watched with their eyes as Firaun and his army drowned in the Red Sea. And Allah (سبحانه وتعالى - subhanahu wa ta'ala) says about Firaun:
Today we will preserve your body. And Firaun's body is preserved until today so that it would be for those who come after you an ayah, a sign. A sign of what happens when you're a tyrant on this earth, when you're a tyrant in your home, when you're abusive in your home, when you're abusive in the Muslim community, when you abuse innocent people, when you abuse your neighbors, when you abuse your friends when you abuse your children. Allah is saying Ya Firaun, you will stay here as a sign for all of the tyrants and all of the abusers and the oppressors that come after you.
I warn myself and all of you to ever be an oppressor, to ever be a tyrant, to ever be an abuser or to support an abuser, or to support a tyrant. May Allah forgive us and protect us.
But the followers of Musa they saw Firaun as he drowned. What did they ask for at that moment? As they were safe and they now entered into the Sinai Peninsula and they saw some people worshipping an idol and they turned to Musa and they said:
Make for us an idol the way they have an idol.
It is not the eyes that go blind but rather it is the heart that goes blind. That even when you are witnessing the most profound miracles, one of the most profound physical miracles in human history, the human being still has the capacity to turn their back on Allah.
And we today as we live in the 21st century we must never read that story or listen to that story and to laugh and mock and say how can people be so ignorant because brothers and sisters we are equally ignorant. We are equally a people who have the most magnificent miracle in our hand and that is the book of Allah. The greatest miracle to touch this earth far greater than the parting of the Red Sea is the Quran that I hold in my hand and we read this Quran and we still have doubts in Allah. We have to come back. We have to re-read the Quran. We have to re-assess our relationship with Allah and we have to go back to being in awe of Allah.
Conclusion and New Year's Resolution
And so if our new year's resolution is anything brothers and sisters it is a re-commitment to Allah. The essential truth of this kalm. Allah is the beginning. Allah is the end. Allah is the first and Allah is the last. I seek refuge in Allah from the evils of the self and the evils of the shaytan. May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى - subhanahu wa ta'ala) protect us from our self, protect us from the heedlessness.
Speaking about the month of Muharram, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gives us very distinct guidance and I want you to think about this guidance in light of what we just spoke about in terms of the spiritual dimensions of the month of Muharram. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says:
(Sahih Muslim 1163)
The best fasting, the greatest fast that is for the believer after the fast of the month of Ramadan is fasting in the month of Al-Muharram.
And the reason that is brothers and sisters is that reaffirming the meaning of Allah in our lives, reaffirming Allah in our lives, making essential Allah in our lives is not something we can just do through lip service. We can't just say it. We have to act it, we have to live it. We have to realize that our theology, our Iman is realized:
That is settled in the heart (مَا وَقَرَ فِي الْقَلْبِ وَصَدَّقَةُ الْعَمَلُ - al-imanu ma waqara fil qalbi wa sadaqahul amal) and what brings truth to that which is in the heart is the action. And so our new year's resolution is not just to say we are committed to Allah but to act in a way that we are committed to Allah and that's why the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) advises us to fast in abundance in this month because we have to show Allah in action that we love to worship Him. We love to be in loving surrender to Him.
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says in the same hadith:
(Sahih Muslim 1163)
The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the prayer of the night.
And so today we commit ourselves to fasting in this month of Muharram. Today we commit ourselves to salah every single day five times a day on time. That is our commitment to Allah that we know that salah is our silah, our connection to Him.
And one of the most beautiful fast that will be done in this month and inshallah we'll elaborate upon it more next week is the fasting of the day of Ashura, the tenth of Muharram which is a day where the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says one year of sinful behavior will be forgiven when you fast on that day.
(Sahih Muslim 1162)
May Allah (جل جلاله - jalla jalaluhu) make us amongst the saimin. May Allah (جل جلاله - jalla jalaluhu) make us amongst the qaimin. May Allah (جل جلاله - jalla jalaluhu) make us amongst the sajidin. May Allah (جل جلاله - jalla jalaluhu) make us amongst the people who fast and pray and prostrate. May Allah (جل جلاله - jalla jalaluhu) make us amongst the dhakirin, those who are in constant remembrance of Him. May Allah (جل جلاله - jalla jalaluhu) make us amongst those who remember Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in our hearts and in our homes every single day.
May Allah (جل جلاله - jalla jalaluhu) guide our hearts to righteousness, guide our hearts to (لا إلهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - la ilaha illallah muhammadun rasulullah). May Allah (جل جلاله - jalla jalaluhu) give us the confidence and the certainty of Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) where he said:
That verily Allah is with me and He will guide. Ya Allah we know certainly that You are with us and so we beg You to guide us. Ya Allah guide our hearts, guide our children's hearts, guide our husbands' and our wives' hearts, guide our parents' hearts, guide our cousins' hearts and our aunts' hearts and our uncles' and have mercy upon all of us and have mercy upon our deceased. Ya Allah ya kareem ya rahman wa ya raheem.
Closing Quranic Verse
Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving [help] to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded. And the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows what you do.