IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICIENT, THE MERCIFUL
BEING THE THIRD KHUTBAH FOR THE MONTH OF SAFAR, DATED 16TH SAFAR 1445AH (1ST SEPTEMBER, 2023CE)
TOPIC: THE VIRTUES OF TRAINING CHILDREN IN THIS WORLD AND THE HEREAFTER.
THE FIRST SERMON
All Praises belong to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, who sent His Messenger with guidance and the true religion to make it prevail over all religions, even if the polytheists hate it. The One Who commanded the believers to pay attention to and take care of their families and the training of their children, and He laid down a severe punishment for disregarding this great matter, and He said, Glory be to Him and Exalted He is: (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَّا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ) “O you who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.” (Al-Tahreem: 6). We praise Him, Glorified and Exalted He is, we thank Him we believe in Him and depend on, and put our trust in Him. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah. He has no partner. And I bear witness that our Master Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger. He delivered the message, he fulfilled the trust, he admonished the ummah, and Allah removed, through him, the confusion (of humanity), and he strived in the way of his Lord as he should until the Certainty (death) came to him. O Allah, may Your blessings and peace of 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 advise you and myself to fear Allah Almighty, secretly and openly, and know that piety is the desired purpose of all acts of worship and good deeds according to His saying, Glory be to Him: (يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ) “O people, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, so that you may attain piety” (Al-Baqarah: 21).
Dear Muslims! This is the third meeting in the month of Safar, and the topic of our sermon today revolves around: The Virtues of paying attention to the training of children, here and hereafter.
Brothers of Faith! Children are the future youth of the Islamic Ummah, and raising and training them is a great task in the religion, and this education is obligatory for every Muslim man and woman who believe in Allah Ta’alaa and the Last Day. Allah Ta’alaa said: (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَّا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ) “O you who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.” (Al-Tahreem: 6).
In the noble verse, there is a great admonition and a warning about the consequences of the Fire and its raging Hell and the great horrors that it contains. In the context of the noble verse, Imaam Ibn Katheer, may Allah Ta’alaa have mercy on him, said: “Qataada said: ‘You command them to obey Allah, Glorified He is, and to forbid them from disobeying Allah Ta’alaa and that you establish upon them the command of Allah, Glorified He is, and to help them with it.’” So, if you see a disobedience to Allah Ta’alaa, you rebuke them and deter them from it. This is what Al-Dahhak and Muqaatil said: It is the duty of a Muslim to educate his family, including his relatives, male and female servants, about what Allah Ta’alaa has made obligatory on them and what Allah Almighty has forbidden them from.” (Tafseer Ibn Katheer).
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has indeed explained the comprehensive understanding of the care and responsibility for discharging this trust and actually carrying it. On the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “All of you are a shepherd, and all of you are responsible for his flock. The Imaam is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The man is a shepherd of his household and is responsible for his flock, the woman is a shepherd in her husband’s house and is responsible for her flock, and the man is a shepherd of his father’s property and is responsible for his flock, so each of you is a shepherd and each of you will be held responsible for his flock” (Agreed upon). Therefore, the most important thing that is established concerning the training of children is the understanding of the Deen so that their worldly life and the hereafter will be upright and that they will enjoy righteousness and be happy with the result of this recommended training, and so that the Islamic Ummah will reap the results.
THE FRUITS OF RAISING CHILDREN:
First: The one who guides to goodness is like the one who does it:
One of the greatest fruits of raising children is enjoying the reward and benefit of guiding someone to goodness. On the authority of Anas ibn Maalik, may Allah Ta’alaa be pleased with him, he said: “A man came to the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) to give him a ride, but he did not have a ride to share with him, so he directed him to another, and he carried him. Then he came to the Prophet, (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and told him, and he said “The one who guides to goodness is like the one who does it” (Tirmidhiy).
On the authority of Jareer ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), said: “Whosoever introduces a good practice in Islam, there is for him its reward and the reward of those who act upon it after him without anything being diminished from their rewards. And whosoever introduces an evil practice in Islam, will shoulder its sin and the sins of all those who will act upon it, without diminishing in any way their burden.” (Muslim). Therefore, whoever is blessed with success, hopes for great reward, and has a noble goal, should invests in his afterlife by educating his children, and resolve to accompany his children in righteousness and piety. Every good thing that is taught to the children will be in the book and scale of deeds of the parents, by the Grace of Allah the Most Generous, and every praiseworthy quality that has been instilled in the children will be reaped by the parents.
Second: The supplication of a righteous child for the parents:
The greatest loss for a Muslim upon his death is the cessation of his good deeds, except for one who has a residual balance of continuing good deeds or a great fortune in spreading Islamic knowledge and what muslims benefit from, as well as the supplication of his righteous son. On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah Ta’alaa be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “If a person dies, his work ceases except for three things: A continuing enduring charity, or some knowledge that he benefited people from it, or a righteous son who prays for him.” (Muslim).
Whoever raises his children well to love Allah Ta’alaa, there is no doubt that Allah the Most Gracious will soften this righteous child for him so that he will be diligent in praying for him and increase his good deeds, and the residual credit of his good deeds in his record will not stop.
Third: The children’s supplication for forgiveness for their parents is a means of moving up in the ranks of Al-Jannah:
One of the great benefits of training the children is the children’s seeking forgiveness for their parents. The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) gave us the glad tidings of the virtue of this seeking of forgiveness. On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah Ta’alaa be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A man’s rank will be raised in Al-Jannah and he will say: How did I attain this?” It will be said: By your child asking for forgiveness for you.” (It was authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh Al-Jaami’: 1617). Therefore, whoever gives his children the knowledge of the Sharee’ah, instills morals in their them, and strives to teach them the virtue of seeking forgiveness, he will achieve the that result and will rise in the ranks of Al-Jannah by the Grace of Allah, the Forbearing, the Greatest, the Most-Generous.
Fourth: Good upbringing of girls is a means for entering Al-Jannah:
On the authority of the mother of the Believers, ‘Aaishah, may Allah Ta’alaa be pleased with her, she said: The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), said: “Whoever is tried with something from his daughters and is patient with them, they will be a shield for him from the Fire” (Tirmidhiy). And on the authority of Anas ibn Maalik, may Allah Ta’alaa be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever raises two or three daughters, or supports two or three sisters until he grows up, or dies from them; He and I were in Al-Jannah like these two (fingers). (And he pointed with his index finger and the one after it).” (It was authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh al-Targheeb: 1970). In the noble hadith, there is great encouragement on the importance of raising daughters and the great reward for it. Whoever wants to be with the leader of all creation (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) should train his daughters and sisters, and be kind to them by being gentle in speech and making them happy with every aspect of righteousness and benevolence.
Fifth: Raising children well is the greatest type of investment:
You should raise your children well, for it is the greatest type of investment. The safety and prosperity of societies is based on the safety of families that put forward for their society, good individuals who will positively develop the society in all areas. As it is said: Fruits are of the same nature as the tree, and as a person sows, so he reaps. Parents who are keen on raising their children well are like farmers who plant seeds that will grow and become trees and then bear fruit, so the farmers reap the fruits of what their hands have sown.
We ask Allah, the King of Kings, to grant us, our children, our families, and the Muslims, protection from the Fire of Hell. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. We pray and seek Peace on our beloved Messenger (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), his family and all his companions, and those who follow him in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
THE SECOND SERMON:
All praises are due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, who created death and life to test which of you is best in deed, and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving. Then prayers and peace be upon the best of the creation of Allah, our Master and leader, Muhammad, his family, companions, and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgment.
As to what follow,
O servants of Allah, among the truth that should not be underestimated is the remembrance of death at all times and periods. Death suffices as an admonition, and no creature is destined for perpetuality, and no existence is destined for permanence and eternity. And (Everyone on it will perish. But the face of your Lord will remain, the Possessor of majesty and honor) [Al-Rahman: 26-27]. It is astonishing, the death of one of the righteous in Ojo area, of Lagos State, Imam (Engr) Ali Garba, who passed away last Monday, 8/28/2023 at the dawn. He was alive on Sunday strong and active in obedience to his Lord and preoccupied with the affairs of his deen. He was in a meeting with scholars working from the morning on behalf of the Muslims until just before the evening. He prayed the Maghrib and Isha prayers and never felt any pain in his body. He slept as his usual daily habit in order to rest for the responsibilities of the next day, but did not know that the end was near. He woke up for the usual tahahud prayer, from where he started feeling the presence of the angel of death, and was taken to the hospital where he met his end to meet Creator, The One, The Powerful, The Giver of life, and The Taker of life. May Allah grant him expanse mercy, and admit him into Paradise in the companion of those Allah favour among the Prophets, the truthful ones, the matyrs, and the righteous, those are the good companions.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “These hearts rust as iron rusts.” It was said, O Messenger of Allah, what are its removers? He said: “Remembrance of death and recitation of the Qur’an.”
The hadith has guided on the treatment of this disease, which afflicts the most honorable of the organs of the body, by remembering that its end is to its Lord. And over there, secrets are tried, consciences are revealed, and every person is rewarded for what he did. If a person remembers that fate, he prepares for it, with what will save him before his Lord, Glory be to Him, for none will be saved except those who come to Allah with a sound heart, and who adhere to reading His revealed Book, which is His method that He has set for His servants to follow in their journey of living in the abode of trial. For whoever reads the Qur’an, reflects on its promises and threats, obeys its commands and prohibitions, desires the good that it urged, and flees from the evil that he warns against, abstains from what it despises, and desires what it venerates, will be guided by Allah and clarity from His command, by the grace of Allah, thus he will be happy in this world and praiseworthy in the hereafter.
I do not see happiness as gathering money = but the pious is the happy one.
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.