IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
THE FOURTH KHUTBAH FOR THE MONTH OF MUḤARRAM
DATE: 23RD MUHARRAM 1447 AH (18TH JULY, 2025 CE)
TOPIC: THE VIRTUE OF PATIENCE IN FACING CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES
THE FIRST SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, Who says in His Noble Book:
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ ﴿١٥٥﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌۭ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ ﴿١٥٦﴾ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَٰتٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌۭ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ
“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient—those who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.’ It is those upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:155–157)
We praise Him, the Exalted, thank Him, believe in Him, and put our trust in Him. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide; and whoever He allows to go astray, none can guide.
I testify that there is no god but Allah, alone with no partner, and I testify that Muḥammad is His servant and messenger. He conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust, advised the Ummah, and Allah removed through him the distress. He strove in the path of his Lord most rightfully.
O Allah, send Your peace and blessings upon him, his family, his companions, and all those who follow his path and hold firmly to his Sunnah until the Day of Judgment.
As to what follows,
Dear servants of Allah! I enjoin you and myself to have Taqwa (God-consciousness) of Allah Almighty — both in secret and in open — for it is the ultimate goal of all commandments and prohibitions, in accordance with the saying of Allah:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous.” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:21)
Dear Brothers in Faith, this is the fourth meeting in the blessed month of Allah, al-Muḥarram. The subject of today’s khutbah revolves around: “The Virtue of Patience in Facing Contemporary Challenges.”
Dear brothers in Islam, patience is a necessity of life. Every human being inevitably needs patience to pursue a livelihood and endure its hardships. Allah created man to strive and struggle through the difficulties and pains of life.
Whoever reflects on the lives of successful individuals will see that they only attained their goals and dreams through patience, diligence, hard work, and perseverance. One of the greatest fruits a Muslim reaps from patience and endurance is the expiation of sins, forgiveness of errors, removal of misdeeds, and entry into Paradise.
What helps a Muslim to be patient and bear tribulation is to contemplate the reward of the patient, and what Allah has prepared for them in the gardens of bliss and eternal honor.
The Status of Patience in the Qur’an and Sunnah:
Patience is one of the most emphasized moral virtues in the Qur’an, appearing in both Makkan and Madinan verses. It is the most frequently mentioned character trait in the Qur’ān.
Imam al-Ghazālī says in his book “al-Ṣabr wa al-Shukr” from the Quarter of Salvation in Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn,
“Allah mentioned patience in more than seventy places in the Qur’an.”
Similarly, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim quotes from Imam Aḥmad in Madarij al-Sālikīn:
“Patience is mentioned in the Qur’an nearly ninety times, and we do not know of any other concept Allah repeated as much as patience.”
The Qur’an places special importance on patience due to its immense spiritual, ethical, and practical value. Patience is not a secondary or complementary virtue; rather, it is a fundamental necessity for human success — materially and spiritually, individually and collectively.
No religion can triumph, and no worldly endeavor can succeed without patience. It is as essential for worldly success as it is for eternal salvation. As Shaykh Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī states in “al-Ṣabr fī al-Qurʾān”,
“There is no success in the world, and no salvation in the Hereafter, except through patience.” (p. 7–12)
This is because all noble character traits revolve around and originate from patience. It is an honorable quality that helps a person endure the daily challenges of life. Indeed, no human life is free from tests, crises, and difficulties. And if this is the case for all people, then the believers are the ones most in need of patience because they are frequently subjected to trials, harm, and tribulations. Allah Almighty says:
﴿الم أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ﴾ [العنكبوت: 1-3]
“Alif, Lam, Meem. Do the people think that they will be left to say, ‘We believe’ and they will not be tested? But We have certainly tested those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.”[Surah Al-‘Ankabūt, 29:1–3]
He also says:
﴿أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُمْ مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ مَسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَاءُ وَالضَّرَّاءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا حَتَّى يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ مَتَى نَصْرُ اللَّهِ أَلَا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ﴾ [البقرة: 214]
“Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were afflicted by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, ‘When is the help of Allah?’ Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near.” [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:214]
And He emphasizes further:
﴿لَتُبْلَوُنَّ فِي أَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا أَذًى كَثِيرًا وَإِنْ تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ﴾ [آل عمران: 186]
“You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves. And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allah much abuse. But if you are patient and fear Allah – indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of determination.” [Surah Āl ʿImrān, 3:186]
(Nada Abu Ahmad, Virtues of Patience in the Noble Qur’an, Alukah Website, 2023)
And the Truth—Blessed and Exalted is He—has linked patience with the various stations of faith, the pillars of Islam, its values, and noble ideals. He paired it with prayer:
﴿وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ﴾ [البقرة: 45]
“And seek help through patience and prayer.”[Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:45]
He paired it with righteous deeds in general:
﴿إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ﴾ [هود: 11]
“Except for those who were patient and did righteous deeds.” [Surah Hūd, 11:11]
And He made it a companion of piety:
﴿إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ﴾ [يوسف: 90]
“Indeed, he who fears Allah and is patient…” [Surah Yūsuf, 12:90]
And a companion of gratitude:
﴿إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ﴾ [لقمان: 31]
“Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful.” [Surah Luqmān, 31:31]
And a companion of truth:
﴿وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ﴾ [العصر: 3]
“And enjoin each other to truth and enjoin each other to patience.” [Surah Al-ʿAsr, 103:3]
And a companion of mercy:
﴿وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ﴾ [البلد: 17]
“And enjoin each other to patience and enjoin each other to compassion.” [Surah Al-Balad, 90:17]
And a companion of certainty:
﴿لَمَّا صَبَرُوا وَكَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ﴾ [السجدة: 24]
“…when they were patient and [when] they were certain of Our signs.” [Surah As-Sajdah, 32:24]
And a companion of trust in Allah:
﴿نِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ﴾ [العنكبوت: 58-59]
“How excellent is the reward of the workers – those who are patient and upon their Lord rely.” [Surah Al-ʿAnkabūt, 29:58–59]
And a companion of glorification and seeking forgiveness:
﴿فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْبِكَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ﴾ [غافر: 55]
“So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And ask forgiveness for your sin and exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning.” [Surah Ghāfir, 40:55]
He also associated it with striving in His cause:
﴿وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتَّى نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ مِنْكُمْ وَالصَّابِرِينَ﴾
“And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you and the patient ones…”
And He made the reward for the patient ones the best of what they used to do:
﴿وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾ [النحل: 96]
“And We will surely reward those who were patient with the best of what they used to do.” [Surah An-Naḥl, 16:96]
This is but a small glimpse into the vast virtues of patience. Were it not for the concern of prolonging this discourse, we could have continued to elaborate on these merits and lofty stations.
(Virtue of Patience, IslamQA.info, 2006)
Patience in the Impeccable Sunnah:
Our role model in this lofty trait and great fortress is our noble Messenger and honored exemplar—may peace and blessings be upon him. He endured and remained patient in order to guide people to the truth. He found sweetness in bitterness and ease in hardship. He bore many types of trials and numerous kinds of suffering. His Lord described him as being of great character.
Here is a fragrant collection of sayings from the Prophet ﷺ about the virtue of patience and the patient:
On the authority of Abu Sa‘id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever strives to be patient, Allah will grant him patience. And no one is given a gift better and more extensive than patience.” [Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim]
On the Virtue of Patience and the Reward of the Patient Ones
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whomever Allah intends good for, He afflicts him with trials.” — [Narrated by al-Bukhari and Malik]
ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“No calamity befalls a believer but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it—even a thorn which pricks him.” — [Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The Reward of the Patient and the Importance of Patience in Our Time
Allah the Almighty has promised immense rewards and many glad tidings to His patient servants. Among these glad tidings is His statement in the Qur’an:
﴿أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ﴾
“They are those upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is they who are the [rightly] guided.”— [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:157]
Here, Allah has promised them His mercy, forgiveness, and special attention. The plural form “blessings” is used to indicate abundance. He also promised to remove the effects of their affliction or compensate them with something better, and to guide them in both worldly and spiritual matters. Furthermore, Allah multiplies the reward of the patient person, and on the Day of Resurrection, He gives them glad tidings of Paradise without measure, as He says:
﴿إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى ٱلصَّـٰبِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ﴾
“Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account.” — [Surah Az-Zumar, 39:10]
Patience results in the companionship of Allah Himself. A man once came to the Prophet ﷺ asking him about faith, and he replied: “Patience and tolerance.”
Allah also supports the patient with His victory, and patience is a sign of sincerity and true servitude. Whoever is patient during trials and avoids sinful temptations is truly deserving of Allah’s mercy and praise. Patience with hardships and worldly desires is a means to enter Paradise and avoid Hellfire.
The Prophet ﷺ clarified that a believer is always in a state of goodness:
“Wondrous is the affair of the believer! All of his affairs are good—and this is only for the believer. If something good happens to him, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If something harmful befalls him, he is patient, and that is good for him.” — [Narrated by Muslim]
Those who are patient will attain success and salvation, as Allah says:
﴿إِنِّي جَزَيْتُهُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ بِمَا صَبَرُوٓا۟ أَنَّهُمْ هُمُ ٱلْفَآئِزُونَ﴾
“Indeed, I have rewarded them this Day for their patience—they are truly the successful.” [Surah Al-Mu’minun, 23:111]
Being content and submissive to Allah is among the signs of true patience, and it leads to a softened, rightly-guided heart.
Paradise has a price, and it is a noble commodity. There is no escape from paying that price, which has always been paid by the callers to truth before us and must be paid by those who follow them. That price is patience during poverty and affliction affecting wealth, sickness that affects the body, and trials that shake the soul—until the tribulation reaches a level where the Messenger and those who believed with him cry out:
﴿مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِۗ﴾
“When will the help of Allah come?” [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:214]
(Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Sabiq, p. 15)
Thus, the patient one will have a good ending in this world and the Hereafter—or Paradise and honor in the Hereafter—if he remains patient in obeying Allah, avoiding sin, and enduring the trials of poverty, hunger, illness, and the like, as Allah says:
﴿لَّيْسَ ٱلْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ وَٱلْمَغْرِبِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلْبِرَّ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ… وَٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ فِى ٱلْبَأْسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَحِينَ ٱلْبَأْسِ ۗ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُتَّقُونَ﴾
“Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets… and those who are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is they who are the righteous.” [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:177]
Both patience and God-consciousness always lead to a praiseworthy outcome. Allah says regarding the believers facing their enemies:
﴿وَإِن تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا۟ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْـًۭٔا ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌۭ﴾
“And if you are patient and fear Allah, their plot will not harm you at all. Indeed, Allah is encompassing of what they do.” [Surah Aal ʿImran, 3:120]
(Ibn Baz, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 6/470)
THE SECOND SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds, Who says in His noble Book:
﴿كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ فَمَنْ زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ﴾ [آل عمران: 185]
“Every soul shall taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Paradise has indeed triumphed. For the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment.” [Āl ʿImrān: 185]
We praise Him, glorify Him, believe in Him, and rely upon Him. We send peace and blessings upon the best of His creation, our master and leader Muhammad ﷺ, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As to what follows,
O servants of Allah! Death is a cup that every soul shall drink from—willingly or unwillingly. Death is the eternal reality from which there is no escape, and it is inevitable for every living being—except for the Lord of the worlds, the Ever-Living who never dies. It marks the transition from the life of this world to the life of the Hereafter; it is the end of one stage and the beginning of another.
In Islam, death is seen as a passage from the temporary abode to the eternal one, from the abode of deeds to the abode of recompense.
Dear brothers in faith, it is no longer news to Nigerians that the former president of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari — may Allah have abundant mercy on him — has passed away. Also, the king of the land of Ijebu, Alhaji Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebu Kingdom, has also passed away. Their deaths hold deep lessons for those of sound hearts.
President Buhari’s achievements extended beyond his two-term democratic presidency. He was a disciplined military leader, a statesman who embodied integrity and quiet dignity. He was known for his firm commitment to fighting corruption, his focus on infrastructural development, and his unwavering service to national security, among many other accomplishments. But despite all the praise, he was still a human being who erred and was correct at times. We ask Allah the Exalted to forgive his mistakes and shower him with immense mercy and to admit him into the vastness of Paradise among those upon whom You have bestowed Your grace.
And in a shocking coincidence, on the very same day that President Buhari passed away, the Emir of Ijebu Land, Oba Adetona, also departed from this world. He was a monarch whose reign of 65 years transformed the face of Ijebu land through cultural revival, community development, and educational advancement. Among his notable legacies was the establishment of the “Oba Sikiru Adetona Professorial Chair in Governance” at Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ogun State.
What amazed many is that despite his revered royal status in Yoruba land, he did not associate partners with Allah. In his will, he instructed that he should be buried in accordance with Islamic law.
In 2020, His Majesty spearheaded a legislative effort that led to the introduction of the State Traditional Rulers (Installation and Burial Rites) Bill 2020, sponsored in the Ogun State House of Assembly. The bill was specifically intended to empower traditional rulers to be buried in accordance with their personal religious beliefs. In line with this legal precedent, some polytheists who came to his funeral in their idolatrous attire were expelled from the ceremony — thus he established a noble example for changing evil in society.
We recommend performing Ṣalāt al-Ghāʾib (the absentee funeral prayer) for both of them after Jumuʿah, based on one of the scholarly opinions — such as that of the Shāfiʿī school and the apparent view of Imām Aḥmad — especially when the deceased holds a prominent status in Islam, like the Negus (al-Najāshī), or is a just and righteous ruler or a scholar of truth and caller to guidance. Though the Ḥanafīs and Mālikīs view it as not legislated, we pray:
O Allah, forgive them both, have mercy on them, pardon them, and grant them high ranks in Paradise among the righteous.
Supplication:
O Allah! Forgive our sins, our transgressions, and our excesses against ourselves. You are most aware of our sins, and none forgives sins except You. O Allah! Grant us a good ending and make us among the dwellers of Paradise. Save us from the Fire by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful. O Allah! Elevate Islam and the Muslims, and debase disbelief and the disbelievers. O Allah! We seek Your protection against their plots and evils. O Allah! Unite the hearts of Muslims upon the truth.
O Allah! Grant the Palestinian people victory, honor, dominance, strength, awe, and terror in the hearts of their and our enemies. O Allah! Heal their wounded, release their captives, and lift the siege upon them.
O Allah! Remove their distress and uncover their hardship. O Allah! Grant victory to their mujahideen with Your power and with Your angels, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah! Grant us safety in our homelands and rectify our leaders and rulers. Grant them success in that which pleases You. O Allah! Forgive our deceased and the deceased among the Muslims, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds.