IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
BEING THE FIRST SERMON FOR THE MONTH OF ṢAFAR
DATE: 7/2/1447 AH (1/8/2025 CE)
TOPIC: INCREASING IN THE REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH AND GRATITUDE
IS AN UNENDING BLESSING
THE FIRST SERMON
All praise is due to Allah for His benevolence, and thanks to Him for His guidance and grace. He, the Exalted, says in His decisive revelation:
﴿فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ﴾
“So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.” (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:152)
We praise Him, glorified and exalted be He. We thank Him, we believe in Him, and rely upon Him. We seek refuge in Him from the evil within ourselves and the consequences of our misdeeds. Whoever Allah guides, none can mislead; and whoever He allows to go astray, there is no guide for him.
I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner — a declaration exalting His Majesty — and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, the one who called to His pleasure. May Allah send blessings and peace upon him, his family, and his companions, abundantly and constantly.
To Proceed:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ﴾
“O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].” (Surat Aal ‘Imran, 3:102)
Indeed, the most truthful speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The worst matters are newly invented ones [in religion]; every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance leads to the Fire. May Allah protect me and you from innovations and deviations.
O Believers: This is the first gathering of the new Hijri lunar month of Ṣafar 1447 AH, and today’s sermon centers on: “Increasing in the Remembrance of Allah and Gratitude is an Unending Blessing.”
O servants of Allah, Allah Almighty has commanded the believers to remember Him and has promised them the best of rewards for doing so — namely, that He will remember those who remember Him among the higher assembly [of angels].
He says: ﴿فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ﴾
“So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.” (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:152)
Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:
“Remember Me through obedience, and I will remember you with My forgiveness.”
Said ibn Jubayr said:
“Remember Me during ease and blessings, and I will remember you during hardship and affliction.”
This is clarified in the verse:
﴿فَلَوْلَا أَنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُسَبِّحِينَ لَلَبِثَ فِي بَطْنِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ﴾
“And had he not been of those who exalt Allah, he would have remained in its belly until the Day they are resurrected.”(Surat as-Ṣāffāt, 37:143–144)
Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (may Allah have mercy on him) said about the verse: (“So remember Me; I will remember you”) —
“Remember Me with what I have obligated upon you, and I will remember you by fulfilling what I have promised you.”
It is sufficient honor and nobility for the one who remembers Allah that Allah Himself remembers them and praises them among the inhabitants of the highest heavens.
In the agreed-upon ḥadīth (by al-Bukhārī and Muslim), Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Allah Almighty says: ‘I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me to himself, I remember him to Myself; and if he remembers Me in an assembly, I remember him in an assembly better than it. If he comes near to Me a handspan, I come near to him an arm’s length. If he comes near to Me an arm’s length, I come near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him in haste.’”
O Honorable Believers: One may ask: “How do we show gratitude to Allah?”
Listen to the Answer, as mentioned by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir, ʿAbdullah ibn Wahb reported from Hisham ibn Saʿd, from Zayd ibn Aslam, that Moses (peace be upon him) said:
“O my Lord, how can I truly thank You?”
His Lord replied:
“Remember Me and do not forget Me. If you remember Me, you have shown gratitude to Me. But if you forget Me, you have been ungrateful to Me.”
Allah, Exalted is He, remembers those who remember Him, increases those who are grateful, and punishes those who are ungrateful for His blessings — as stated by al-Hasan al-Basri and others.
There is a profound meaning in Allah’s saying:
﴿اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ﴾
“Fear Allah as He should be feared.” (Surah Āl ʿImrān, 3:102)
One of the righteous predecessors explained this by saying:
“It means that He is to be obeyed and not disobeyed, remembered and not forgotten, and thanked and not denied.”
O Noble Muslims, What Is True Remembrance (Dhikr)?
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn (may Allah have mercy on him) answered in his tafsir:
“True remembrance of Allah is remembrance of the heart.”
How does one remember Him with the heart?
By turning sincerely to Allah (inābah), relying upon Him (tawakkul), hoping in Him, fearing Him, maintaining consciousness of His love and His greatness, and other such acts of the heart.
O Servants of Allah, when the believer remembers Allah, Allah remembers them with mercy.
But when a disbeliever or oppressor remembers Allah without embracing Islam or affirming His oneness, then Allah remembers them with punishment.
Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported:
“Allah revealed to David (peace be upon him): Say to the oppressors: Do not remember Me. Truly, it is a right upon Me to remember whoever remembers Me. And My remembrance of them is that I curse them.”
What Is True Gratitude (Shukr)?
Gratitude is shown through:
- The heart: by acknowledging and affirming Allah’s blessings.
- The tongue: through praise and verbal expressions of thanks.
- The limbs: by obeying Allah and submitting to His commands.
So thank Allah by obeying Him, and do not be ungrateful to Him by disobeying Him.
For whoever obeys Allah has thanked Him, and whoever disobeys Him has been ungrateful.
Allah prioritized remembrance before gratitude in the verse:
﴿فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ﴾
“So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.” (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:152)
This is because remembrance involves being engaged with Allah Himself, whereas gratitude involves being engaged with His blessings.
Engagement with the Giver is more virtuous than engagement with the gift.
His words: ﴿وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ﴾ “And do not deny Me”
serve as emphasis for the command:
﴿وَاشْكُرُوا لِي﴾ “Be grateful to Me.”
This is a warning to this nation, so that it does not fall into what befell previous nations — those who once lived in security and comfort, but then denied Allah’s blessings, so:
﴿فَأَذَاقَهَا اللَّهُ لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ﴾
“So Allah made them taste the garment of hunger and fear because of what they used to do.”
(Surah al-Naḥl, 16:112)
O Beloved Ones in Allah, in Musnad Aḥmad and al-Tirmidhī, it is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said to Muʿādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him):
“By Allah, I love you. So do not forget to say after every prayer: ‘O Allah, help me to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You in the best manner.’”
Also, al-Ṭabarānī in al-Awsaṭ and al-Bayhaqī in Shuʿab al-Īmān reported from Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever is granted four things has been granted four corresponding rewards — and their explanation is in the Book of Allah:
- Whoever gives remembrance (dhikr), Allah gives him His remembrance, for Allah says:
﴿فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ﴾
‘So remember Me; I will remember you.’ (al-Baqarah 2:152) - Whoever gives supplication (duʿā’), is given response, for Allah says:
﴿ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ﴾
‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you.’ (Ghāfir 40:60) - Whoever gives thanks (shukr), is given increase, for Allah says:
﴿لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ﴾
‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you.’ (Ibrāhīm 14:7) - Whoever gives seeking forgiveness (istighfār), is given forgiveness, for Allah says:
﴿اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا﴾
‘Seek forgiveness from your Lord — indeed, He is ever Forgiving.’ (Nūḥ 71:10)
So, send blessings and peace upon the one whom Allah has commanded you to bless and send peace upon. I say these words of mine, and I ask forgiveness from Allah the Almighty for me and for you. So seek His forgiveness and repent to Him — indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
THE SECOND SERMON:
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, the One who says in His noble Book:
﴿إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًا (15) وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًا (16) فَمَهِّلِ الْكَافِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًا﴾
“Indeed, they are planning a plan, but I am planning a plan. So allow time for the disbelievers; leave them awhile.” (Surat al-Ṭāriq, 86:15–17)
We praise Him, Exalted is He, thank Him, believe in Him, and place our trust in Him. We send prayers and peace upon the best of creation, our master and guide Muhammad ﷺ, and upon his family and companions with abundant and complete blessings.
To proceed:
O servants of Allah, let us seize this golden opportunity to call upon our Muslim brothers across the East and the West — especially the scholars, leaders, and the general public of the Ummah, as well as the free people of the world — to pay close attention to the schemes of these enemies: the Israeli occupation and their global allies. Let everyone fulfill their duty to the best of their ability. Allah knows best the capacities of every Muslim.
Listen to the shameless and blatant statement from one of Israel’s ministers:
An Israeli Minister Calls for Abandoning Captives in Gaza:
The Israeli Minister of Heritage, Amichai Eliyahu, called for complete occupation of the Gaza Strip and abandoning the captives held by Palestinian factions — a statement that sparked widespread controversy in Israel.
Eliyahu said:
“The captives should be treated as prisoners of war, and we should deal with them only after military victory.”
He added in an interview on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, with a local radio station:
“I’m not calling for settlements with fences in Gaza, but for building a large city. Gaza should be Jewish. My stance is that we must occupy Gaza.”
It is worth noting that Eliyahu previously called for wiping Gaza off the map, stating:
“We are erasing evil… All of Gaza will be Jewish,”
and in November 2023, he did not rule out “dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza.”
Reuters reported that the handover of Israeli captives was conducted in a civilized and humane manner.
Furious Reactions:
Families of the captives in Israel responded, saying Eliyahu’s statement:
“crossed even the low threshold he had set for himself.”
Their statement added:
“Eliyahu represents a serious moral and ethical failure… He does not represent the will of the people, who demand the return of all the abductees and an end to the fighting.”
They also said:
“Anyone who talks in such a manner about captives who have been rotting in Hamas’ death tunnels for 663 days only weakens Israel and strengthens Hamas.”
The statement noted that:
“Prisoners of war are soldiers captured by the army of another state. However, the 50 men and women abducted were kidnapped from within the sovereign territory of the State of Israel — in the largest security failure since the state’s founding.”
The Families’ Leadership Committee claimed in their statement:
“80% of the public supports a deal that leads to the release of all the abductees.”
O Brothers in Faith, we firmly believe with conviction that everything this criminal — an enemy of Allah — has said is nothing more than delusional dreams that will never come true by the power of Allah Almighty, and a goal that shall never be attained, by the will of Allah.
However, O noble Muslims, we must do our part, and leave the outcome to Allah.
Allah the Most High has said:
﴿كُلَّمَا أَوْقَدُوا نَارًا لِلْحَرْبِ أَطْفَأَهَا اللَّهُ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ﴾
“Every time they kindle the fire of war, Allah extinguishes it. They strive to spread corruption throughout the land, but Allah does not like the corrupters.” (Surah al-Mā’idah, 5:64)
And He said:
﴿كَمْ مِنْ فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةً كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ﴾
“How many a small group has overcome a large group by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the steadfast.” (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:249)
And He also said:
﴿الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ ﴾
﴿فَانْقَلَبُوا بِنِعْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ وَاتَّبَعُوا رِضْوَانَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَظِيمٍ﴾
“Those to whom people said: ‘Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.’ But it [only] increased them in faith, and they said: ‘Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.’
So they returned with favor from Allah and bounty, no harm having touched them. And they pursued the pleasure of Allah, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.” (Surah Āl ʿImrān, 3:173–174)
Supplication (Duʿā’)
O Allah, forgive our sins, our mistakes, and our transgressions against ourselves. You are most aware of our sins, and no one forgives sins except You.
O Allah, grant us a good end, and make us among the people of Paradise, and save us from the Fire — by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
O Allah, honor Islam and the Muslims, and humiliate disbelief and the disbelievers.
O Allah, we repel their harm with Your protection, and we seek refuge in You from their evil.
O Allah, unite the hearts of the Muslims upon the truth.
O Allah, grant the Palestinian people victory, honor, dominance, strength, awe, and strike fear into the hearts of their enemies and our enemies.
O Allah, heal their wounded and free their captives.
O Allah, lift the siege from them, relieve their distress, and remove their suffering.
O Allah, grant victory to their fighters by Your power and through Your armies, O Lord of the worlds.
O Allah, grant us safety in our homelands, reform our leaders, and guide them to what You love and are pleased with.
O Allah, forgive our dead and the dead among the Muslims, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds.