IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICIENT, THE MERCIFUL
BEING THE FIFTH KHUTBAH FOR THE MONTH OF SAFAR, DATED 30TH SAFAR 1445AH (15TH SEPTEMBER, 2023CE)
TOPIC: EARLY MARRIAGE: PEACE AND SECURITY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE SOCIETY.
THE FIRST SERMON
All Praises belong to Allah. We praise Him, Glory be to Him. We give thanks to Him, and believe in Him, and we put our trust in Him. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that our Master Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, his family, his companions, and those who follow them in kindness until the Day of Judgment.
Thereafter…
O servants of Allah! I enjoin you and myself to fear Allah Almighty, that you fear Allah in what He commands and prohibits, because by His fear you will attain bliss and salvation from Hell, according to the Almighty’s saying: (يَا أَيُّهَا الّذينَ ءَامَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ) “O you who believe! Fear Allah as you should fear Him, and do not die except as Muslims” (Aal-Imraan: 102).
Brothers in Faith! The topic of our sermon today revolves around: Early marriage: security for the individual and the society. Among what Allah Ta’alaa has commanded is early marriage because it protects one’s chastity and cleanses the society from immorality. Therefore, Allah Ta’alaa commanded everyone who is concerned in the matter to make the path to marriage easy: (وَأَنكِحُوا الأَيَامَى مِنْكُمْ وَالصَّالِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَائِكُمْ إِنْ يَكُونُوا فُقَرَاءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ) “And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Salihun (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allah is All-Sufficent for His creatures’ needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people).” (An-Nur: 32). The Noble Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) directed the youth to this goodness is in his saying: “O young men, those of you who can afford to should marry; it restrains the gaze and fortifies one’s chastity” (Bukhari and Muslim).
If early marriage helps to lower the gaze, protect chastity, purify the society from immoral acts, protect it from zinaa (adultery and fornication), and increase the size of the Ummah and strengthens it, then delaying it may remove all these benefits and undermine them, as young people may fall into immorality, especially in these times when there is a lot of justification for it and the means have become easy.
Indeed, let us fear Allah – O Muslims – and let us strive to make marriage easy and early. It preserves the morals of the youth and awakens their sense of responsibility. It is better for the health of the couple in general and for the wife in particular. No one should be deceived by what they say that early marriage preoccupies one from attaining academic achievement or distracts from study. What is correct, that is evidenced by reality, is that marriage leads to peace of mind, tranquility of the heart, an undisturbed conscience, comfort of the eye, and it brings about serenity of the mind, purity of thought, and safety from anxiety, which are things that help to increase achievement.
Let us beware of what they say that early marriage burdens the young man with the burden of maintenance on his wife and children. This is a form of weak conviction and trust in the Creator, the Sustainer, the Powerful and the Strong. Rather, marriage brings sustenance and blessing. Since it is obedience to Allah and His Messenger, and every act of obedience is good and a blessing. He (Peace abd Blessings of Allah be upon him said: “There are three for whom it is a right upon Allah to help them…” And he mentioned among them “…the one who gets married in order to protect his/her chastity.” (Tirmidhi)
This is how Islaam calls to marriage, and the early muslims responded to this call, making it easy and simple. Marriage matters were among the easiest for them, but people after that, and in this our time particularly, made difficult what Allah has made easy, and hardened what Allah had relaxed. They put pressure on themselves, but Allah did not put pressure on them, so much that we see bachelorhood among young men, and spinsterhood among ladies. We see a young man who has reached the age of thirty and has not married, and we see a girl who has reached the age of thirty and has not married, and perhaps she might not get married even later than that, in which case people say: She missed the train.
Why is all this so? By Allah, we created the problem. The problem came from the obstacles we placed in the way of marriage – obstacles caused by people’s distance from the etiquette of the Sharee’ah, abandoning the Sunnah of the Prophet , and preoccupation with side, marginal matters, which have nothing to do with the success of the marriage, sooner or later, but rather, that may actually be the reason for its failure. From excessiveness in dowries and marriage supplies demanded from husbands, expensive clothing and jewelry, extravagance in banquets and food, ostentatious invitations and parties, and false social impressions and show-offs.
May Allah have mercy on anyone who got married early and followed the Sunnah with regards to it, and chose well and made it easy, and was humble and not arrogant. He (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “If he comes to you anyone whose character and religion you are pleased with, then marry your daughter to him. If you do not, there will be fitnah on earth and widespread corruption.” And he (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The world is an enjoyment, and the best of its enjoyment is a righteous woman.” He (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “People marry women for four reasons: for her money, for her lineage, for her beauty, and for her religion. So stick to the one that has religion, so your hands may be blessed.” And he (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Indeed, among the blessings of a woman is making her engagement easy, and making her dowry easy and making her ties of kinship easy.”
Then there are some young men whose marriage is delayed because he sets in his dream an image of an ideal woman whom he wants as his wife, characterized with all beauty and perfection, and this does not exist in life. We rarely find absolute perfection in life. One woman would have beauty, another would have money, and another has lineage. As for everything being present in her, this rarely happens, and so is the case with men, so there is no need for these fantasies and exaggerations.
Servants of Allah! The responsibility of marrying the single young people is upon us – all of us that are muslims. The responsibility of fathers and mothers, those in control among relatives, then the muslim community and the rulers of people in the land. The provision for the marriage of single young people among poor muslims should be provided by the muslim treasury. This is what some governors in northern Nigeria do by holding mass marriage for single people and supplying its obligations, in response to what Allah Ta’alaa has commanded in His Glorious Book: (وَأَنكِحُوا الأَيَامَى مِنْكُمْ وَالصَّالِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَائِكُمْ إِنْ يَكُونُوا فُقَرَاءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ) “And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Salihun (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allah is All-Sufficent for His creatures’ needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people).” (An-Nuur: 32). The responsibility also lies with the single people themselves, to review their considerations and dreams, to be realistic, and to give priority to religious and moral considerations over others. Goodness is all goodness in religion. We ask Allah Ta’alaa to guide us to what He loves and is pleased with. Indeed He Hears, He is Near, and He Answers.
THE SECOND SERMON
All Praises are due to Allah, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, sent by His Lord as a mercy to the world. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, his family, companions and those who follow his guidance until the Day of Judgment.
O people: Allah Almighty is capable of destroying His creation in the blink of an eye, but He pardons and shows mercy, He grants respite and extends, and warns and gives excuses. Allah, the Almighty says concerning the polytheists: (وَإِنَّا عَلَى أَنْ نُرِيَكَ مَا نَعِدُهُمْ لَقَادِرُونَ) “And indeed, We are Able to show you what We have promised them.” [Al-Mu’minun: 95], and Allah Almighty says regarding the hypocrites. (وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللهُ لَذَهَبَ بِسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَارِهِمْ إِنَّ اللهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ) “And if Allāh had willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. Indeed, Allāh is over all things competent.” [Al-Baqarah: 20]
Dear Servants of Allah, this year an earthquake occurred in Turkey and Syria and the death toll exceeded 50,000, and last Friday, a great earthquake also occurred, which struck Morocco, bringing down its buildings, tearing apart its lands, and destroying people – in thousands – the number of which no one knows except Allah the Almighty, except for those who were under the rubbles and buildings, and many people were displaced as a result of its impacts. Glory be to Him who has decreed this for them, and Glory be to Him who intimidates His servants and warns them with warnings and signs. (وَمَا نُرْسِلُ بِالآيَاتِ إِلا تَخْوِيفًا) “And We send not the signs except as a warning” [Al-Isra: 59].
Then, after this sad event, the Libya was struck by a devastating hurricane on Monday this week, which caused the collapse of two dams and water flowed to places that were already flooded. Thousands were killed and thousands more are still missing due to the floods! There is no power but with Allah!!!
Dear Servants of Allah, the abundance of earthquakes and killings is evidence that the Hour is near. As in the hadith of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: The Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, said: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The Hour (Last Day) will not be established until (religious) knowledge will be taken away (by the death of religious learned men), earthquakes will be very frequent, time will pass quickly, afflictions will appear, murders will increase and money will overflow amongst you.” (See Hadith No. 85 Vol 1).” Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.
All of these have occurred – and are still occurring – as seen physically in the east and west of the globe, and its increasing every day, and those experts on earthquakes and hurricanes mention the statistics that the occurrence are increasing, and that their occurrence in the last century is more than their occurrence in the previous centuries.
Earthquakes and hurricanes produce the death of people, destruction of homes and cities, and causing change in the situation on earth. Their occurrence may cause fires, and whoever survives from the destruction, would be vulnerable to severe psychological crises, due to panic and fear, and seeing destructions and death before his eyes, especially that of children and women. One of the weaknesses of man – and his entirety is weakness – is that animals and birds sense earthquakes and hurricanes before they occur, as such they (animals and birds) flee from that locations and some of them that are held in the cages get agitated, but humans do not perceive them until they strike them. Glory be to Him who inspired the non-living things that could not cerebrate! How weak and incapable is man and he built civilizations, the cities, and ascended into space, dived into the depths of the oceans, discovered the atom, built the airplane and he ravaged on the earth like the tyrants! How incapable he is before the soldier of Allah, the Almighty. (وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلا هُوَ) “And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him.” [Al-Muddaththir: 31]
The most severe earthquake is when it occurs while people are asleep, safe and unaware, and it strikes them without them perceiving it. Whoever’s body is saved, his mind will not be spared from the shock and the suddenness. Allah, the Exalted has commanded His servants to adhere to His religion, establish His law, and refrain from disobeying Him before torment and destruction befall them and they are heedless of Him. (وَاتَّبِعُوا أَحْسَنَ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَكُمُ العَذَابُ بَغْتَةً وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ) “And follow the best of what has been sent down to you from your Lord before the torment comes upon you suddenly while you do not perceive” [Al-Zumar: 55]
Verily Allah, the Exalted has power over mankind even if they fortify themselves with their fortresses and take precautions for each event in a way that suits it, their fortresses will not avail them of anything against Allah, the Exalted. And the torment of Allah the Almighty descends in the blink of an eye, and neither the eagerness of the keenest, nor the wariness of the wary can ward it off, and then everything comes to an end. The blessings that people have long hoped for will disappear, and they will be tried in the most precious things they have including family, children, and money.
How many were the rich people struck by hurricane or earthquake, which took away their wealth, thus they began to beg those whom they spend on previously! We seek refuge in Allah the Almighty from calamities, and we ask Him for forgiveness, well-being, and lasting well-being in the religion, this world, and the hereafter. So be careful, servants of Allah, and consider what happened to others before it reaches you. For your Lord has power over you, and is jealous that His prohibitions be violated among you. He grants respite and does not neglect, and He delays and does not forget. (قُلْ هُوَ القَادِرُ عَلَى أَنْ يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابًا مِنْ فَوْقِكُمْ أَوْ مِنْ تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِكُمْ أَوْ يَلْبِسَكُمْ شِيَعًا وَيُذِيقَ بَعْضَكُمْ بَأْسَ بَعْضٍ انْظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ الآيَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَفْقَهُونَ) “Say, ‘He is capable of sending down upon you a torment from above you or from under your feet, or to divide you into factions and to make one of you taste the violence of one another.’ See. How do We explain the verses that they may understand? (Al-An’am: 65)
May Allah bless you and I with the Holy Qur’an.
Dua:
Oh Allah, grant us security in our homelands, grant the best among us leadership over us, support our leaders with truth, and grant us security and stability in our country. And fix the conditions of Muslims everywhere. Oh Allah, grant us security in the countries and the homes, and defend us from temptation and evil, and correct the rulers of our affairs for us, and answer our supplication, for You are the Hearer of supplication. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon the Prophet, his family and companions.