IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICIENT, THE MERCIFUL
BEING THE SECOND KHUTBAH FOR THE MONTH OF DHUL-HIJJAH, DATED 12TH DHUL-HIJJAH 1444AH (30TH JUNE, 2023CE)
EID-UL ADHA: LESSONS AND EXHORTATIONS
FIRST KHUTBAH
All Praises belong to Allah, Lord of the worlds, who made us part of the religion of our father Ibrahim, and He said: “..the religion of your father Ibrahim” (Al-Hajj: 78), and He made Ibrahim a ummah, obedient to Him: “Verily, Ibrahim (Abraham) was an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation, obedient to Allah, Hanifa (i.e. to worship none but Allah), and he was not one of those who were Al-Mushrikun (polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and those who joined partners with Allah).” [An-Nahl: 120] We praise Him, Glory be to Him, we thank him, and believe in Him, and we depend on him. I testify that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone. He has no partner. And I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, who says in his honorable hadith: “I am the (result of the) invocation made to Allah from my father Ibrahim and the good news `Isa delivered. When my mother was pregnant with me, she had a dream in which she saw a light emanating from her that radiated the palaces of Basra in Ash-Sham.” (Narrated by Ibn Ishaaq). O Allah! bless and grant peace to him and his family and companions and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgment.
Thereafter…
Servants of Allah! I enjoin you and myself to fear AllahAlmighty, outwardly and inwardly, in accordance with His saying: “O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak right words. He will rectify your deeds for you and forgive you your sins, and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he has won a great victory.” (Al-Ahzaab: 70-71).
Brothers in faith! This is the second meeting of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, and in the last sermon we talked about the etiquette of Eidul-Adha in the second sermon, and today, inshaa-Allah, we will talk about: Eidul-Adha: The lessons and the takeaways.
- Eidul-Adha is about the fact that Islaam is the religion of our father Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and our Prophet (may blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “It is the religion of your father Ibrahim (Abraham) (Islamic Monotheism). It is He (Allah) Who has named you Muslims both before and in this (the Quran), that the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind! So perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), give Zakat and hold fast to Allah [i.e. have confidence in Allah, and depend upon Him in all your affairs] He is your Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.), what an Excellent Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.) and what an Excellent Helper!” (Al-Hajj: 78). “Then, We have inspired you (O Muhammad SAW saying): “Follow the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) Hanifa (Islamic Monotheism – to worship none but Allah) and he was not of the Mushrikun (polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers, etc.).” (An-Nahl: 123).
- The prophets and messengers, even if time passed between them, their mission is the same: that is the call to the Oneness of Allah and belief in the Messengers and the Resurrection, and to the principles of morals and virtues.
- Patience in obedience to Allah Almighty is one of the lessons learned from Eidul-Adha: The wisdom in Ibrahim’s consultation with his son, when he said: “So see what you see”: so that his son would be aware and informed about what is happening, to show him his patience in obedience to Allah, so that he will be the comfort of the eye for Ibrahim – and patience has a high status with Allah – and so that the son may obtain the great reward in the Hereafter, and good praise in this world. So, Ismaeel said: “You will find me, inshaa-Allah, among the patient ones.”
- Complete submission to the command of Allah- Glory be to Him. The words of Allah, Glofied He is: “When they both submitted”, that is, submission to Allah’s command, is evidence that both the father and son were on the same page and same level of submission and trusting the command of Allah Ta’alaa.
- As a result of this incident, Allah Ta’alaa enumerated a number of things about Ibrahim, peace be upon him, as follows:
“Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the Will of Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (or on the side of his forehead for slaughtering); And We called out to him: “O Abraham! You have fulfilled the dream (vision)!” Verily! Thus do We reward the Muhsinun (good-doers). Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice (i.e. a ram); And We left for him (a goodly remembrance) among generations (to come) in later times. Salamun (peace) be upon Ibrahim (Abraham)! Thus indeed do We reward the Muhsinun (good-doers). Verily, he was one of Our believing slaves. And We gave him the glad tidings of Ishaque (Isaac) a Prophet from the righteous. We blessed him and Ishaque (Isaac), and of their progeny are (some) that do right, and some that plainly wrong themselves.” (As-Saffat: 103-113). There are five blessings mentioned here: They are: 1- His good reward: “Indeed, so do We reward the doers of good”, that is, We reward them with deliverance from hardships in this world and the Hereafter. 2. The great ransom by means of a ram. 3. Good praise of both father and son across many ummah, and peace from Allah. 4- His glad tidings of the birth of another son. 5. Allah made many of the prophets of the Children of Israel and other prophets to be from his descendants and the descendants of Ishaaq and Ismaeel.
- Islam prescribed the sacrifice (udhiyah) in order for a person to be generous to his family, to be generous to his loved ones and neighbours, and to be generous to the poor Muslims. Thus, the udhiyah should be divided into three parts: one-third for himself and his family, and one-third to be given as gifts to his neighbors and friends, and a third for the poor. And if more than a third is given to the poor, then it is good. And it is not only for the poor muslims, rather the kindness and tolerance of Islaam include Muslims and non-Muslims. Abu Dawud and Al-Tirmidhi narrated that a sheep was slaughtered for Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-Aas for his family, and when he came he said: Did you give some as gift to our Jewish neighbor? I heard the Messenger of Allah- may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him – say: “Jibreel kept advising me about the neighbor until I thought that the neighbour would inherit me.” (Al-Tirmidhi). That is, the neighbor would inherit from the neighbour, just as the relative inherits from the relative.
- The answering of supplications: Most of the pillars of the Hajj are evidence that Allah answers prayers: in response to the call of our father Ibrahim: “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka’bah at Makkah); in order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), so fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allah) provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks.” (Ibrahim: 37). And the Almighty said: “And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) and (his son) Isma’il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka’bah at Makkah), (saying), “Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. “Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manaasik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage – Hajj and ‘Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.” (Al-Baqarah: 127-128).
- The religion of Islam is the religion of renewed hope every time: Regardless of how old Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was, he never despaired of the Mercy of his Lord and never ceased to supplicate to Him for righteous offspring until Allahendowed him with Ismaeel and then Ishaaq: Allah Ta’alaa said on the tongue of Ibrahim, peace be upon him: “My Lord! Grant me (offspring) from the righteous. So We gave him the glad tidings of a forbearing boy.” (Al-Saffat: 100-101). It is said that Ismaeel (peace be upon him) as born when Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was 86 years old Ishaaq (peace be upon him) was born when he was 99 years old.
- The recommendation of Takbeer, Tahleel and Tahmeed during Eid is an indication of the fact that Allahis greater than money and wealth, Allah is greater than prestige and lineage, Allah is greater than enjoyment and desires. And that Islam is the religion of monotheism and praise. It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Amr from the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), he said: “There are no days greater in the sight of Allah and that good deeds are more beloved to Him in them than these ten days, so increase in them the Tahleel and the Takbeer and the Tahmeed.” (Ahmed). And Al-Bukhari said: “Ibn Umar and Abu Hurairah used to go out to the market during the ten days, saying the Takbeer, and the people are saying the Takbeer with their Takbeer.” And Allah Ta’alaa described Ibrahim, peace be upon him, that he was: grateful for Allah’s blessings upon him. The Almighty said: “Verily, Ibrahim (Abraham) was an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation, obedient to Allah, Hanifa (i.e. to worship none but Allah), and he was not one of those who were Al-Mushrikun (polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and those who joined partners with Allah). (He was) thankful for His (Allah’s) Graces. He (Allah) chose him (as an intimate friend) and guided him to a Straight Path (Islamic Monotheism, neither Judaism nor Christianity).” (An-Nahl: 120-121). He was thankful for all the blessings of Allah, even if they were few. But rather they are many. This is as Allah Ta’alaa say: “And of Ibrahim (Abraham) who fulfilled (or conveyed) all that (what Allah ordered him to do or convey)” (Al-Najm 53/ 37). That is, he fulfilled all that Allah Ta’laa commanded him to do. This calls out all those who deny the blessings of Allah, such as the Quraysh and others.
10- One of the lessons of Eidul-Adha is sincerity and sacrifice: Our leader Ibrahim, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Say that my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are for Allah. (162) He has no partner, and with that I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims” (Al-An’am: 162-163).
I say this, I ask forgiveness from Allah, the All-Knowing, for me and for you, so seek His forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance, for He is the the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.
THE SECOND KHUTBAH
All praise are due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon the most honorable of the prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.
Thereafter, O servants of Allah, it is advisable at this present moment to mention some of the virtues of the days of al-Tashreeq because we are at the heart of these days. Today we are in the second of the three days of al-Tashreeq. The remembrance of Allah Almighty is one of the best and greatest acts of worship. In fact, Muadh bin Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, regarded it as the best act of worship entirely, when he said: “The son o Adam will not do a deed that is most saving for him from the punishment of Allah than the remembrance of Allah Almighty. They said, O Abu Abd al-Rahman, not even jihad for the sake of Allah? He said: Not even jihad, unless he who strikes with his sword until it breaks, because Allah Almighty says in His Book (and the remembrance of Allah is greater),