Al Masjid Al Nabawy (the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah) in Medina
Skeikh: `Abdul-Muhsin Al Qasim
The first sermon
All praise be to Allah, we praise Him and seek His Help and Guidance. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and the evils of our actions, whom Allah guides no one can mislead him and whoever has been misled no one can guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone who has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send peace and blessings upon him, his family, and his Companions.
O servants of Allah, fear Allah as should because by piety degrees are raised and slips are pardoned.
O Muslims, Allah created His Creation in this life, destined for them fates, and fixed for each one of them a lifetime. Allah makes the night turns away, morning breaks, create people, and takes away the life of others. Life is going on with its laws and people come and go, some people are obedient and some are disobedient, some are believers, whereas others are not. The summer holiday has come and combined between its sides wisdoms, lessons, and events. Some people were miserable during the summer holiday, whereas others were happy. A person wishes that his day would go fast to take away with it his worry and distress while another wishes that his day lasts for a long time to enjoy his joy and happiness. There are lessons in the passing of days and the varied conditions; matters show up to increase the admonition and the lesson for the heedful people and warn the ignorant against unawareness.
It was said to Ar-Rabi`: How are you today? He said: We became weak and sinful, eat our provisions, and wait for our death.
The change of time, days, and occasions should be times for accountability. A person should be truthful with himself because the people shall stand before their Lord and all of them shall be held accountable before Allah: The messengers and their nations. "Then surely, We shall question those (people) to whom it (the Book) was sent and verily, We shall question the Messengers." [Surat Al A`raf: 6].
The truthful people shall be accountable too "That He may ask the truthful (Allâh's Messengers and His Prophets) about their truth (i.e. the conveyance of Allâh's Message that which they were charged with)." [Surat Al Ahzab: 8].
The people who were given blessings shall be accountable for them "Then on that Day you shall be asked about the delights (you indulged in, in this world)!" [Surat At-Takathur: 8].
Days are passing by fast, ages end, and the day and night drawing near every distant matter and bringing every promise. The speed of the passing days reminds a heedful person of how short his life is and how near death is. `Umar ibn Al Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: (Reckon yourself in prosperity before the accountability of the Day of harshness because the one who reckons himself in prosperity shall be content and happy and whoever is distracted by his life and whims shall be regretful and loser).
O Muslims, these are pages from holiday that were forgotten by worldly affairs, the Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "Everyone starts his day and is a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or bringing about its ruin."
Some people spend holiday in drawing near to Allah and in pursuit of knowledge because they know that knowledge leads its seeker to happiness: Little knowledge benefits its seeker, and its much amount raises the degree of its seeker. Therefore, they exerted efforts in its pursuit, did not pay attention to the difficulty they encountered in preserving it, and forgot about sluggishness and laziness. As a result, they achieved more virtues, encircled by the beauty of obedience and the lights of worship, and they preferred the everlasting to the perishable and those are the pious and the masters of people in the Hereafter. "Allâh will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. And Allâh is Well-Acquainted with what you do." [Surat Al Mujadalah: 11].
Of those who seek the ways of goodness and the gardens of Paradise are those who call to Allah with insight, wisdom, and good advice, abide by the Glorious Qur'an and the Sunnah, command with good, forbid of evil, advise the Muslim rulers, preserve the trust of Allah, and seek to reconcile between people so that his righteous action shall be support for him in this life and reserve for him after death. Those people have gained all glory, good, and safety for himself and for his religion. Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted) says: "And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it (i.e. do righteous deeds of Allâh's Obedience) while he is a believer (in the Oneness of Allâh Islâmic Monotheism) then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, (thanked and rewarded by Allâh)." [Surat Al Isra': 19].
On the other hand, a group of people opened his eyes, and darkened their hearts with dreams with which they lived in fancy and asked from them the impossible. They spent their lifetimes in regret and sorrow. Such people did not enjoy the holiday because it ended before it could start, they neither took provision from the world nor their degrees were raised in the Hereafter.
Other people returned from their holidays in the Month of Al Muharram (the first month in the Islamic calendar) from countries that are dangerous for the creed and morals, thus those people are deceived and lost because some of them have contaminated their creed and loyalty and spent their monies in forbidden and deniable acts. Some of them indulged in more oppression when they took with them their women and children who were raised on the natural disposition to make them taste some of their misfortune and to make their souls belittle sins and deniable acts that destroy chivalry and virtue. Those countries are full of seditions and the places of vice are everywhere. The Prophet (peace be upon him) prohibited people from looking forward to seditions and indulging into them, but those people take their families and children to them; so they wasted the trust and neglected the guardianship. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "They will bear their own burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection, and also of the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge. Evil indeed is that which they shall bear!" [Surat An-Nahl: 25].
It is not proper to meet the grace of money, good health, and children with denial and disavowal. It is hopeful that the parents should seek the reformation of their family, not to put them in the places of seditions nor to expose their hearts to darkness and deviation at the smallest problem or straying at the first sedition.
The people of knowledge said: Doubts and desires are the origin of the corruption and sadness of a person in his living and in the Hereafter.
Some of them may put away shyness because of the deniable and prohibited matters which their organs committed and reveal the cover of Allah away from him, exhort the hearers to these sins, beautify them, and praise them before others, and accordingly their guilts increase.
Verily, boasting of sins is a sign for the death of the heart and the corruption of the natural disposition. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "All the sins of my followers will be forgiven except those of the Mujahirin (those who commit a sin openly or disclose their sins to the people)." [Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim].
O Muslims, no sin overcomes a grace but takes it away, nor it possesses a heart but corrupted and ruined it by removing the existing blessings and preventing the coming graces. So, be keen to reckon yourself and beware of desires, Satanic insinuations, and the bad end. The words and looks are counted against you, so admonish yourself for negligence, praise Allah that He granted you space in lifetime, and rush to a sincere repentance because Allah gladdens with the penitence of repentant. Furthermore, beware of procrastination because the one who uses procrastination and wishes shall not do anything in his life.
Of the recommendations of Luqman: "O my son, do not delay repentance because death comes suddenly, so the happy one is the one who prepared himself before his death."
Wahb ibn Munbih says: Whoever puts his desires under his feet, Satan shall be afraid of his shadow. So, benefit from time, disagree your whims, reckon yourself, repent of your sins, get ready to death, because departure from the world has become near. Whoever fears Allah and do righteous deeds in the rest of his life, his past sins shall be forgiven and whoever does not do righteous deeds, he shall be punished for the past and the coming, days are means and breathes are footsteps. I seek refuge in Allah against the cursed Satan: "On the Day when every person will be confronted with all the good he has done, and all the evil he has done, he will wish that there were a great distance between him and his evil. And Allâh warns you against Himself (His punishment) and Allâh is full of kindness to (His) slaves." [Surat Al `Imran: 30].
May Allah bless the Glorious Qur'an for you and me, and benefit you and me from its Ayahs. These were my words to you and I seek Allah's Forgiveness for you, me, and all Muslims from every sin, so seek His Forgiveness for He is the Most Merciful, the Oft-Forgiving.
The second sermon
Praise be to Allah for His Benevolence, for granting us success, and for His Favors. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Alone who has no partner. I bear witness that our master Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send peace and blessings upon him, his family, and his Companions.
Dear Muslims, sciences differ in excellence according to the difference of their objectives, as they differ in greatness and status according to the difference of resources. The most beneficial sciences for humans is the sciences which add happiness to the heart and causes relief in the chest. These sciences are the ones taken from the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him), and acquired knowledge such as knowledge guides its owner to guidance or prevents him from doing evils. Moreover, if these sciences maintain intellectuals and manners and were encompassed by the instructions of religion and the strong tie of creed, actions shall be righteous. Let it be known that knowledge is not attainable but after hardship and difficulty and whoever does not observe patience for learning will taste ignorance for the rest of his lifetime. So, a person should have a good intention, be sincere in seeking knowledge, and spreading it whether by a teacher or a learner. All people should have the qualities of the Pious Predecessors who spread knowledge for its own sake and to exhort people to act accordingly. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "Be you Rabbâniyyûn (learned men of religion who practise what they know and also preach others), because you are teaching the Book, and you are studying it." [Surat Al `Imran: 79].
A teacher should be honest and just when cultivating a person. Keenness and follow-up which the parents do to their children in their learning process is praised, and directing them in choosing their friends is more obligatory. Rearing children on faith, piety, and righteous work is a great responsibility that you shall be accountable for, so do it as you are told and beware of negligence because you shall be accountable for your actions and retribution shall be according to actions. Let it be known that Allah commanded you with sending peace and blessing on the Prophet when He said in the Qur'an: "Allâh sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad peace be upon him), and also His angels (ask Allâh to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad peace be upon him), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islâmic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salâmu 'Alaikum)." [Surat Al Ahzab: 56].
O Allah, send Your Peace and Blessings on our Prophet Muhammad and be pleased with the Rightly-Guided Caliphs who died on the truth: Abu Bakr, `Umar, `Uthman, and `Ali, and be pleased also with all the Companions and include us with them by Your Generosity, O the Most bountiful!
O Allah, make Islam and Muslims glorious, humiliate polytheism and polytheists, destroy the enemies of Islam, and make this country safe and secure and all Muslim countries. O Allah, guide our Imam and leader to success, make his actions solely for Your Sake, and guide all Muslim rulers to act according to Your Book and arbitrating Your Shari`ah, O Possessor of majesty and honor! O our Lord, we have wronged ourselves and if You do not forgive us and bestow mercy upon us, we shall be among the losers.
O Allah, guide Muslim youth and women, and turn away the apparent and hidden seditions from them. O Allah, we ask You to grant us success and happiness in this world and in the Hereafter, O Allah, guide us to what is right, guide us to the truth, and turn away seditions from us!
O servants of Allah, "Verily, Allâh enjoins Al-'Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allâh Alone Islâmic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsân [i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allâh, totally for Allâh's sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet peace be upon him in a perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allâh has ordered you to give them e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help), and forbids Al-Fahshâ' (i.e. all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right), and Al-Munkar (i.e. all that is prohibited by Islâmic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression). He admonishes you, that you may take heed." [Surat An-Nahl: 90].
So, remember Allah, the Ever-Magnificent so that He may remember you and thank Him for His Favors and Graces to increase them for you, verily, mentioning Allah is the greatest of all things and Allah knows what you do.
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