IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
THE THIRD SERMON FOR THE MONTH OF SAFAR, DATED 25/2/1446 AH – 30/8/2024 CE
THE FIRST SERMON
TOPIC: THE DANGERS OF SINS AND DISOBEDIENCE IN THE SOCIETY
All praises are due to Allah, who forgives sins, conceals faults, and relieves hardships. He extends His hand in the night for the sinner of the day to repent, and He extends His hand during the day for the sinner of the night to repent and return. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and the misdeeds of our actions. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can mislead, and whomsoever He misleads, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. Allah sent him as a mercy to the worlds, and through him, hearts were illuminated, minds were enlightened, and blind eyes, deaf ears, and sealed hearts were opened. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his family, and his companions, abundantly until the Day of Judgment.
As to what fallows,
Indeed, obedience to Allah- O servants of Allah- is adherence and following, while disobedience is opposition and innovation. The worst of matters are the newly invented practices, sins, and evils, with the most severe being the calamities of desires and doubts. So, fear Allah in what He has commanded, and refrain from what He has forbidden and deterred.
(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.” (Al- Imran: 102)
Servants of Allah, Allah Almighty has commanded His servants to obey Him and warned them against disobedience to Him. He has made clear in His Book the punishment and torment that befell those who openly committed sins. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also warned against the consequences of sins and their dangers to both the individual and society.
Indeed, we are living in a time where people have become negligent regarding sins and disobedience. Among Muslims, there are those who openly commit sins and disobedience as if nothing had happened. Among them are those who belittle sins and persist in disobedience to the All-Knowing. You see them attending, spreading, and inviting others to places of immorality and debauchery, openly defying Allah with sins and transgressions. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against the consequences of openly committing sins, saying: “All of my Ummah (community) will be forgiven except those who sin openly.”
In the light of this warning, our sermon this week shall revolve around “The Dangers of Sins and Disobedience in the Society.”
Dear Servants of Allah, esteemed listeners! Indeed, Allah Almighty created mankind and endowed them with intellect and speech. He addressed them with His laws, taught them expression, sent messengers with clear signs, and revealed to them the Book and the balance. He ordained death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. He created mankind to obey Him, which leads to His pleasure, and warned them against disobedience, which leads to His wrath:(فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ * وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ) “So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it” (Az-Zalzalah: 7-8).
He made this world a place of work and trial, destined it for destruction, and made the Hereafter a place of reckoning and reward, destined for permanence and eternity. Whoever does good, it is for his own soul, and whoever does evil, it is against it. He has prepared for the righteous, gardens beneath which rivers flow, where they will abide forever, containing things that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and what has not crossed the mind of any human.
He has prepared for the disbelievers and rebellious sinners the Fire of Hell: (لَا تُبْقِي وَلَا تَذَرُ * لَوَّاحَةٌ لِلْبَشَرِ) “It spares not and leaves nothing; it scorches the skin” (Al-Muddathir: 28-29). (…لَابِثِينَ فِيهَا أَحْقَابًا * لَا يَذُوقُونَ فِيهَا بَرْدًا وَلَا شَرَابًا * إِلَّا حَمِيمًا وَغَسَّاقًا * جَزَاءً وِفَاقًا) “…wherein they will remain for ages. They will not taste therein any coolness or drink except scalding water and purulent fluid, an appropriate recompense” (An-Naba: 23-26).
O Muslims, dear listeners! Indeed, sins and disobedience have severe consequences and harmful effects on both the individual and the society. In this sermon, I will remind us of some of these effects, hoping they will awaken the wise and remind the heedless:
Firstly: They cause various forms of corruption on earth—in water, air, crops, fruits, and other aspects of life. Allah Almighty says: (ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُمْ بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ) “Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness]” (Ar-Rum: 41). Ibn Jarir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “By what the hands of people have earned” refers to their sins. Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “O Muhajirun, there are five things with which you will be tested, and I seek refuge with Allah lest you live to see them…” One of which he mentioned was: “Immorality does not spread among a people to such an extent that they commit it openly, but plagues and diseases that were never known among their predecessors will spread among them.” In the Musnad, it is reported from Umm Salamah: “When sins become widespread in my Ummah, Allah will envelop them in punishment from Him.”
Secondly: They are among the causes that bring about Allah’s wrath and His punishment, such as devastating earthquakes, violent storms, destructive wars, and deadly diseases. Sins take away blessings and bring about calamities. Allah Almighty says: (وَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَنْ كَثِيرٍ) “And whatever strikes you of disaster, it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much” (Ash-Shura: 30). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There will be people among my Ummah who will drink alcohol, calling it by another name, and musical instruments will be played for them and female singers. Allah will cause the earth to swallow them up, and He will turn them into monkeys and pigs…” We ask Allah for forgiveness and well-being for both the public and the private.
Thirdly: Every sinner against Allah and His Messenger, at the individual level, faces humiliation in both this world and the Hereafter. This is because the sinner has severed his connection with the Mighty and the Exalter and has disobeyed the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Humiliation is inevitable for those who persist in sin. Sulaiman al-Taymi said, “A man may commit a sin, and in the morning, its humiliation will be upon him.” From the hadith of Ibn Umar, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “And disgrace and lowliness are cast upon those who disobey my command, and whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) would say when he saw the disobedient and those of status strutting arrogantly on their mules and horses, “Even if the mules carry them with pride, and the horses prance beneath them, the humiliation of disobedience never leaves their hearts. Allah has decreed that whoever disobeys Him shall be humiliated.” So, as we have said, disobedience brings humiliation in this world and humiliation in the Hereafter. Allah has spoken the truth: (وَتَرَى الظَّالِمِينَ لَمَّا رَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ يَقُولُونَ هَلْ إِلَى مَرَدٍّ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ * وَتَرَاهُمْ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا خَاشِعِينَ مِنَ الذُّلِّ يَنْظُرُونَ مِنْ طَرْفٍ خَفِيٍّ وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ الْخَاسِرِينَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَأَهْلِيهِمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَلَا إِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ فِي عَذَابٍ مُقِيمٍ) “And you will see the wrongdoers when they see the punishment saying, ‘Is there any way of return?’ And you will see them exposed to it, humbled from humiliation, looking with a covert glance. And those who believed will say, ‘Indeed, the losers are the ones who lost themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection.’ Unquestionably, the wrongdoers are in an enduring punishment” (Ash-Shura: 44-45).
Fourthly: Among the harms of sins and disobedience is that they are a cause of deprivation of sustenance. Sustenance, as you know, comes from the All-Knowing Provider, and the more a Muslim obeys his Lord, the more He blesses and increases his provision. Just as faith, obedience, and seeking forgiveness are legitimate causes for the blessings in sustenance, sins and wrongdoings erase the blessings of life and provision. It is mentioned in the traditions: “A servant may be deprived of sustenance because of a sin he commits.” Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Indeed, a sin darkens the face, causes darkness in the grave, weakens the body, reduces sustenance, and instills hatred in the hearts of people.” And even more truthful is the statement of Allah, the Most High: (وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ آمِنَةً مُطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ اللَّهِ فَأَذَاقَهَا اللَّهُ لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ) “And Allah presents an example of a city that was safe and secure, its provision coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied the favors of Allah. So, Allah made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing” (An-Nahl: 112). And Allah says about the people of Saba: (لَقَدْ كَانَ لِسَبَإٍ فِي مَسْكَنِهِمْ آيَةٌ جَنَّتَانِ عَنْ يَمِينٍ وَشِمَالٍ كُلُوا مِنْ رِزْقِ رَبِّكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لَهُ بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ وَرَبٌّ غَفُورٌ * فَأَعْرَضُوا فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ الْعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلْنَاهُمْ بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ ذَوَاتَيْ أُكُلٍ خَمْطٍ وَأَثْلٍ وَشَيْءٍ مِنْ سِدْرٍ قَلِيلٍ) “There was for [the tribe of] Saba in their dwelling place a sign: two [fields of] gardens on the right and on the left. ‘[You were told], ‘Eat from the provisions of your Lord and be grateful to Him. A good land [have you], and a forgiving Lord.’ But they turned away [from Him], so We sent upon them the flood of the dam, and We replaced their two [fields of] gardens with gardens of bitter fruit, tamarisks, and something of sparse lote trees” (Saba: 15-17).
May Allah benefit you and me with guidance and following the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I say this and seek forgiveness from Allah for myself and for you, and for all Muslims from every sin, so seek His forgiveness and repent to Him. Indeed, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
THE SECOND SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, the bringer of glad tidings and the warner, and upon his family and all his companions.
As to what follows,
Servants of Allah, fear Allah, your Lord, and be wary of His punishment by refraining from disobedience and opposing His commands. Take heed of His words, exalted be He, where He says: (وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لاَ تُصِيبَنَّ الّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكٌمْ خَاصَةً،وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللهَ شَدِيدُ العِقَاب) “And fear a trial which will not strike those who have wronged among you exclusively, and know that Allah is severe in penalty” (Al-Anfal: 25).
Among the harmful effects and consequences of sins, O servants of Allah, is the continuous turmoil and lack of security in our society, leading to the daily loss of innocent lives. For example, consider the case of Dr. Ghaniyah, who was kidnapped eight months ago while she was still nursing her child. This has led to a situation where medical doctors embark on a warning strike in protest over the matter. As a result of this action, many patients may suffer due to the lack of care in hospitals.
Dear servants of Allah, do not weaken in seeking out those who have wronged, and do not despair or grieve, for you are the superior if you are indeed believers. This is a promise from Allah. Therefore, we must stand with our oppressed brothers who are still in need.
Dua: O Allah, show us the truth as truth and grant us the strength to follow it. O Allah, show us the falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability to avoid it. O Allah, make faith beloved to us, and adorn it in our hearts, and make us detest disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience, and make us among the rightly guided. O Allah, honor Islam and the Muslims. O Allah, honor Islam and the Muslims. Grant victory to Your monotheistic servants. O Allah, make this country and all Muslim lands safe and secure. O Allah, be with the oppressed in the Ghouta of Sham. O Allah, be with the oppressed in the Ghouta. O Allah, protect their blood, cover their weaknesses, and calm their fears. O Allah, replace their fear with security and their weakness with victory. O Allah, they are oppressed, so grant them Your victory. O Allah, give them victory over those who have wronged them, O Mighty, O Strong. O Allah, send Your peace and blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent peace and blessings upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.