IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
THE FIRST SERMON FOR THE MONTH OF MUHARRAM, 6/1/1446 AH (12/7/2024 CE)
TOPIC: REPENTANCE TO ALLAH AND THE VIRTUE OF FASTING ON ASHURA
THE FIRST SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds, the Forgiver of sins, the Accepter of repentance, the Severe in punishment, the Owner of abundance. He who says in His clear revelation: (وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ) “O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance” [Al-Tahrim: 8], and He, the Almighty, also says: “And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed” [Al-Noor: 31]. We praise Him, Glorified and Exalted, and we thank Him, seek His help and guidance, believe in Him, and rely on Him. We seek refuge in Him from the evils of our souls and from the consequences of our misdeeds. Whoever Allah guides, none can mislead, and whoever He allows to stray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. O Allah, send Your blessings and peace upon him and upon his family and companions, and all who follow his path, adopt his way, and adhere to his guidance until the Day of Judgment.
As to what follows:
O servants of Allah, I advise you and myself to fear Allah both secretly and openly, as it is the ultimate goal of all acts of worship and obedience and avoiding all prohibitions, as He, the Exalted, says: “O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous” [Al-Baqarah: 21].
Brothers in faith, this is the first meet in the new Hijri year, and in the month of Allah, Muharram. We are in dire need to return to Allah and flee to Him with sincere repentance for His sake, renewing our covenants with our Lord, Glorified and Exalted, in a new year and a new month. Therefore, we focus today’s sermon on repentance to Allah and the virtue of fasting on Ashura.
Honorable Muslims, it is obligatory upon all disbelievers among the jinns, humans, Christians, Jews, communists, and other forms of disbelievers to enter into the religion of Allah, adhere to Islam, and repent from their disbelief and misguidance before death comes.
Every Muslim must repent to Allah for their misdeeds and sins. Allah, the Exalted, says: (قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ يَنتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُمْ مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ) “Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease, their past will be forgiven” [Al-Anfal: 38]. Everyone must repent to Allah, and Allah, the Exalted, is generous and merciful, accepting the repentance of His servants, as He says: (وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَعْفُوا عَنِ السَّيِّئَاتِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ) “And it is He who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons misdeeds, and He knows what you do” [Al-Shura: 25].
The sinner must return to Allah, regret his past sins, and resolve not to return to them, thus Allah will forgive him.
The reality of repentance includes three matters:
The first matter: To show regret and grieve over one’s past sins, such as fornication, alcohol consumption, disobedience to parents, usury, consuming the wealth of orphans, or other forms of sins.
The second matter: One must cease these sins, abandon them, and be wary of them.
The third matter: One must have a sincere determination not to return to these sins.
There is a fourth condition, which applies to all deeds, and that is the intention to be solely for Allah. One must repent solely for the sake of Allah, because Allah say: (: تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ ) “Repent to Allah” [Al-Tahrim: 8], intending to seek His pleasure, fearing His punishment. One must regret the past, resolve not to return, and cease these sins out of fear of Allah, reverence for Him, and in sincerity to Him. This factor of sincerity as well applies to all acts of worship, including prayer, fasting, charity, and so on.
To ensure the completion of repentance and ensure its continuity, one must keep the company of righteous people and avoid the evil ones who lead to sins. This is part of the ways that helps maintain the repentance.
To ensure its continuity and perfection, one must also avoid bad companions he used to associate with in order to avoid their evil, and strive to keep the company of the righteous to benefit from them and receive their support in doing good.
Part of ensuring its perfection, one must remove the traces of their sins. If one has tools for amusement, such should be removed, alcohol should be discarded; cigarettes should be destroyed. Similarly, any traces and remnants of sins should be removed to prevent the devil from dragging one back to them.
Do not despair or lose hope. Allah, the Exalted, says: (قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ) “Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful” [Az-Zumar: 53]. This verse applies to those who repent, as all scholars agree. Allah forbade us from despairing. He said: “Do not despair,” meaning: do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah. A believer does not lose hope or despair, but hastens to repent, having good expectations of his Lord, the Exalted. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin.” If you repent from sin with regret, cessation, and determination not to return, it will be erased if done for Allah.
If you commit a sin after repentance, you will be held accountable for the latest sin only. The previous sins will be erased by sincere repentance. However, if the repentance is merely verbal while you remain inwardly committed to the sin, such repentance is invalid and ineffective. True repentance requires a heart free from persistence in sin, with the body and limbs abstaining from it. You must cease the sin, regret it, and resolve not to return to it. This is true repentance. If the devil tempts you and you return to the sin, you will be accountable for the new sin, but if you repent again, Allah will accept your repentance. Every time a Muslim returns to repentance, Allah will accept it. Do not despair or lose hope. Allah says: (وَلا تَيْئَسُوا مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ ) “And do not despair of the mercy of Allah” [Yusuf: 87].
And it is recommended for the repentant to follow up their repentance with good deeds and to increase in righteous acts. This helps the repentance to become firm, grow, and be perfected. Moreover, it leads to the transformation of their bad deeds into good deeds. If repentance is followed by good deeds, Allah will replace their bad deeds with good ones. Allah says, after mentioning idolatry, murder, and fornication: (وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا) “And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated, except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful” [Al-Furqan: 68-70]. This is a blessing from Allah, the Exalted, that if a servant sincerely repents and follows it with good deeds, Allah will replace their bad deeds with good ones, along with erasing the sin. The sins will be erased, and for each bad deed, a good deed will be given instead, due to one’s sincere faith and righteous deeds thereafter. This is from His grace, generosity, and kindness. Allah also says: (وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِمَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَى) “But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance” [Taha: 82].
THE SECOND SERMON:
All praises are due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, who has blessed us with the virtues of good deeds during the seasons of blessings, virtues, and acts of obedience. We praise Him, thank Him, and repent to Him. We send peace and blessings upon the best of creation, our master and beloved Muhammad, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
As to what follws,
O servants of Allah, we are in the month of Allah, Muharram, one of the four sacred months, and one of the three months that contain ten esteemed days, like the last ten days of Ramadan and the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. The third are the first ten days of the month of Allah, Muharram. The righteous predecessors used to honor these blessed seasons.
The Virtue and Reward of Fasting on the Day of Ashura:
Fasting on the Day of Ashura expiates the sins of the previous year, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Fasting the day of Arafah, I hope from Allah, expiates for the sins of the year before and the year after, and fasting the day of Ashura, I hope from Allah, expiates for the sins of the year before.” (Narrated by Muslim, 1162). This is from Allah’s favor upon us, that He grants us the expiation of sins for an entire year by fasting one day. Allah is the Possessor of great bounty.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to seek out fasting on the Day of Ashura because of its great virtue. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I never saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) so keen to fast any day and give it priority over any other than this day, the Day of Ashura, and this month, meaning the month of Ramadan.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 1867).
The meaning of “keen to fast” is that he aimed to fast it to attain its reward and desired it.
The Reason the Prophet (peace be upon him) Fasted on the Day of Ashura
As for the reason why the Prophet (peace be upon him) fasted on the Day of Ashura and encouraged people to fast on this day, it is narrated by Al-Bukhari (1865) from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) who said: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Medina and saw the Jews fasting on the Day of Ashura. He said: ‘What is this?’ They said: ‘This is a righteous day, this is the day when Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy, so Musa fasted on this day.’ He said: ‘I am more entitled to Musa than you,’ so he fasted on that day and commanded (the Muslims) to fast on that day.”
In another narration by Muslim: “This is a great day. Allah saved Musa and his people, and drowned Fir’aun and his people (on this day).”
Finally, we would conclude our talk today by remembering our brothers, the mujahideen, the steadfast ones, and the oppressed in Gaza. Today, Friday, is the 280th day of the aggression on Gaza. The occupation continues to bombard areas in the strip, and UN experts have said that famine has spread throughout the Gaza Strip, adding that the death of children due to malnutrition and dehydration confirms this. On Tuesday, 3rd of Muharram, 1446 AH (9th of July, 2024), Saraya Al-Quds stated: “The enemy in the West Bank is unable to confront our fighters, so they resort to vandalizing properties.” Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for Hamas, said: “We are still fighting in Gaza without external support, and our people remain steadfast without food or medicine.” O Allah, grant them victory and do not grant victory against them, direct their shots, and stabilize their steps. Let them be victorious, and do not let the Jews in Gaza raise a flag or achieve any goal.
Supplication:
O Allah, O Living, O Self-Sustaining, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor, whoever tightens restrictions on Your servants and prevents Your mosques from being prayed in or Your name from being mentioned, fill their hearts with fear, fill their souls with panic, and make the earth narrow upon them despite its vastness. Make their own selves narrow upon them, and let them taste disgrace and humiliation in this world. Hasten their failure and loss, and make them a lesson for those who have insight. Spread Your mercy upon the honorable and the noble who are unjustly imprisoned, hasten their relief, improve their release, expand their provision, increase their faith, and strengthen their certainty. Cut off every hand that extends evil towards them, and return them safe and victorious. Send peace and blessings upon our master Muhammad, his family, his companions, and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.