IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
THE THIRD KHUTBAH FOR THE MONTH OF SHAWWAL – DATED 20/10/1446 AH (18/4/2025)
TOPIC: THE NECESSITY OF FAITH IN ALLAH, RELIANCE UPON HIM, AND SEEKING HIS ASSISTANCE
THE FIRST SERMON
All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, seek His forgiveness, and repent to Him. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the misdeeds of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide; and whomever He allows to go astray, none can guide.
I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without any partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant, His messenger, His chosen one, His intimate friend, the trustee of His revelation, and the conveyor of His law to mankind. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his family, and all his companions in abundance.
To proceed: O servants of Allah! I advise you and myself to fear Allah, for whoever fears Allah, He will protect him and guide him to the best of matters in both his religion and worldly affairs.
Today, we speak about the necessity of faith in Allah, reliance upon Him, and seeking His assistance—a subject of immense benefit, great importance, and profound impact. The servant needs it in times of ease and difficulty, and in all situations. Many verses of the Qur’an and numerous hadiths point to its virtue. Whoever adheres to it, Allah protects him, supports him, provides for him, and suffices him.
O servants of Allah! Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book “Madarij al-Salikin” that tawakkul (reliance on Allah) is a spiritual state composed of several components, and true tawakkul cannot be realized without them:
First: Knowing Allah and His attributes—His power, sufficiency, eternal control, the fact that all matters end up with His knowledge, and everything emanates from His will and power. This knowledge is the first step a servant places his foot upon in the station of tawakkul.
Second: Taking the means, for Allah the Almighty has made a cause for everything.
Third: Firmness of the heart in the station of tawheed (pure monotheism). The more sincere and sound one’s tawheed is, the more sound his tawakkul will be. That the servant believes that Allah alone is capable of fulfilling his needs and desires, and that everything that befalls him is through Allah’s planning and will.
In this regard, Allah Almighty says:
وَلِلَّهِ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُ الْأَمْرُ كُلُّهُ فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ ۚ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
“And to Allah belongs the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. And to Him will be returned the matter, all of it, so worship Him and rely upon Him. And your Lord is not unaware of that which you do.” [Surah Hud, 11:123]
Fourth: That the heart truly depends upon Allah, leans on Him, and finds tranquility with Him—not becoming attached to the outward causes, but rather depending upon the One who manages all affairs and causes all means.
Fifth: Having good expectations of Allah the Almighty. The more positively you think of your Lord and hope in Him, the stronger your reliance on Him becomes. You must believe that Allah’s planning for you is better than your own planning for yourself. You must be certain that Allah will bring about what the servant relies upon Him for, if he is sincere in his intention and attaches his heart to his Creator and Master.
In this regard, Allah the Almighty says:
﴿ وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ ﴾
“And whoever relies upon Allah – then He is sufficient for him.” [Surah At-Talaq, 65:3]
Sixth: Submitting the heart completely to Allah and drawing all motives of the soul toward Him.
Seventh: Delegating (تفويض)—and this is the essence, core, and reality of tawakkul. It means handing over all matters to Allah, presenting them to Him willingly and by choice, not merely out of compulsion or helplessness.
Allah, the Exalted, says on the tongue of His Prophet Shu’ayb (peace be upon him):
﴿ وَمَا تَوْفِيقِي إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ ﴾
“And my success is not but through Allah. Upon Him I have relied, and to Him I return.” [Surah Hud, 11:88]
Eighth: Contentment (الرضا)—and this is the fruit of tawakkul. Whoever relies upon Allah in truth will be pleased with whatever his Trustee (Allah) does for him.
The Need for Reliance Upon Allah and Depending on Him
Tawakkul arises from the servant’s knowledge that all affairs are in Allah’s hand, and that all creatures—human and jinn, strong and weak, rich and poor—are in Allah’s grip and under His control and management. All of creation is in need of Allah, utterly dependent upon Him. Allah alone is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy.
If you are weak, rely on Allah, for He is the Strong. If you are poor, rely on Allah, for He is the Rich.
If you are humiliated, rely on Allah, for He is the Mighty. No matter what your condition is, rely on Allah, for He is the best Guardian and the best Helper, and He is the Trustee over all things.
How impoverished and weak is man, were it not for Allah’s care, support, and mercy!
The Creator is Allah, the Provider is Allah, the Manager of all affairs is Allah.
Allah, Exalted is He, is the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all that exists. He never neglects any affair or ceases to manage. He is the Almighty who is never defeated, the All-Powerful who is never subdued.
Whoever seeks His refuge will never be disgraced. Whoever turns to Him for safety will never be lost.
He is the Wise, who puts everything in its proper place. He is the Merciful—more merciful to His believing servant than a mother is to her child.
The verses of tawakkul in the Qur’an often come paired with these names and attributes of Allah. For example:
﴿ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لاَ يَمُوتُ ﴾
“And rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die.” [Surah Al-Furqan, 25:58]
﴿ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ﴾
“And whoever relies upon Allah – then indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.” [Surah Al-Anfal, 8:49]
﴿ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْعَزِيزِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴾
“And rely upon the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.” [Surah Ash-Shu’ara, 26:217]
﴿ رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلاً ﴾
“Lord of the east and the west – there is no deity except Him – so take Him as Disposer of your affairs.” [Surah Al-Muzzammil, 73:9]
Whoever takes Allah as his Guardian and Trustee is relieved from the worries and burdens of life and is granted honor, mercy, and divine success.
So attach your heart to Allah so that He may guide you. Seek His refuge so He may protect you.
Call upon Him so He may respond to you. Ask from Him so He may give to you. Humble yourself before Him so He may answer you. Seek His help so He may aid you. Raise your needs to Him so He may suffice you.
THE SECOND SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon the noblest of Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions altogether.
To proceed: What has occurred in Gaza is not pure evil; rather, it contains much good that is recognized by those whose insight Allah has illuminated with faith. Allah the Exalted says:
﴿ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَكُمْ وَعَسَى أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ وَعَسَى أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾
“Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.”
[Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:216]
Whoever has followed the events, their developments, and has seen what happened to the people of Gaza—alongside the resulting statements, declarations, fatwas, and demonstrations—will clearly perceive the difference between studying matters of faith and creed theoretically in mosques and classroomsand applying their requirements in the fields of jihad and on the ground.
There, convictions are tested, the impact of certainty on the soul is revealed, and Allah grants firmness to those He wills good for, among the sincere who trust Him well, and He guides them to act in accordance with the demands of faith and piety.
The core of this matter is the correct creed. Whoever clings to it—through knowledge and evidence—is closest to embodying it in action. Thus, Allah grants the people at the frontlines the combination of both virtues: sound belief and righteous action.
Among the values that have clearly manifested—whether for the people of Gaza or for other sincere believers—are:
- Belief in Divine Decree (Qadr),
- Sincere turning to Allah and reliance upon Him,
- The meanings of faith-based brotherhood,
- Good assumption of Allah,
- And certainty in Allah’s promise and victory.
In contrast, there are those who fell into trial, blemished their Tawheed (monotheism), or even nullified their faith by supporting the disbelievers against the Muslims, violating the creed of loyalty and disavowal (al-walaa’ wa al-baraa’), and harboring evil thoughts about Allah.
O noble servants of Allah,
Prophetic traditions in the authentic Sunnah have foretold what would happen in Gaza, as part of the signs of the end times. Unfortunately, many are unaware of these narrations, or they have been hidden from them, though they belong among the narrations of the Last Days.
And before this, there is an important historical note: Gaza, up until the year 1947, was considered part of Greater Asqalan (عسقلان الكبرى). It is even narrated that Imam Al-Shafi‘i (رحمه الله) sometimes said, “I am from Gaza,” and at other times said, “I am from Asqalan.” (referred to as Ashkelon today)
Narrated from Abū ‘Iqāl, from Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Asqalan is one of the two brides. From it, seventy thousand will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment without being held accountable.”
(Musnad Aḥmad – Hadith 13356)
In another narration by Aḥmad:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Asqalan is one of the two brides. Seventy thousand will be resurrected from it on the Day of Judgment without reckoning. And fifty thousand martyrs will be raised from it as delegations to Allah ﷻ. There will be rows of martyrs, their heads in their hands, with blood pouring from their jugular veins, saying: ‘Our Lord, grant us what You promised us through Your Messengers. Indeed, You do not break promises.’
Allah will say: ‘My servants have spoken the truth. Wash them in the River of Al-Bayḍā’.’ They will emerge from it pure and white, then roam in Paradise wherever they wish.”
(Musnad Aḥmad – Hadith 16665)
The chain of narration includes Abū ‘Iqāl (Hilāl ibn Zayd ibn Yasār) whom Ibn Ḥibbān graded trustworthy, though most scholars consider him weak. The rest of the narrators are reliable, though there is some difference of opinion regarding Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Ayyāsh.
This narration, whether in full or in essence, reflects a high status for the people of Asqalan—a region historically tied to Gaza. Up to 1947, Gaza was considered part of Greater Asqalan. With this in mind, what is happening now in Gaza the Honorable (Ghazzah al-‘Izzah) can be viewed through this prophetic lens.
This is why such meanings must be clarified. The events of Gaza have become a practical test—passed by those whom Allah willed good for, and failed by those whom He did not. Allah says:
﴿ أَلَا فِي الْفِتْنَةِ سَقَطُوا ﴾
“Unquestionably, they have fallen into trial…” [Surah At-Tawbah, 9:49]
Supplication (Du‘ā’):
O Allah, grant them victory through the support You promised to Your oppressed servants everywhere.
O Allah, grant victory to our oppressed brothers in Palestine and the people of Gaza with the support that never ceases. O Allah, they are wronged, so grant them a mighty and decisive victory. O Allah, grant us safety in our lands, protect our Mujāhidīn brothers wherever they are, be with them and not against them,
and relieve the distress of those imprisoned among them through Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.