IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST MERCIFUL, THE MOST COMPASSIONATE.
THE FIRST SERMON FOR THE MONTH OF SAFAR, DATED 18/2/1446 AH – 23/8/2024 CE
TOPIC: THE GRACE OF ALLAH AND THE VASTNESS OF HIS FORGIVENESS AND MERCY
THE FIRST SERMON:
All praise is due to Allah, who made the praise an opener to His remembrance, and gratitude a cause for an increase in His bounty. All praise is due to Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, who taught the Qur’an, created man, and taught him eloquence. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone without any partner. He revealed the Qur’an as guidance for mankind and as clear proofs of guidance and criterion. I bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, His chosen one, His beloved, the best of His creation, and the trustworthy one on His revelation. Allah sent him as a mercy to the worlds and as a proof against all mankind. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his pure family, his illustrious companions, and may He grant abundant peace.
As to what follows:
Honorable servants of Allah! Allah is characterized by mercy; He is merciful in His actions and compassionate in His essence. He has decreed and written mercy upon Himself for His servants, as He says: (وَإِذَا جَاءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنْكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ) “And when those who believe in Our verses come to you, say: ‘Peace be upon you. Your Lord has decreed upon Himself mercy: that any of you who does wrong out of ignorance and then repents after that and corrects himself—indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.” [Al-An’am: 54]
So that the servants may remain hopeful in Allah’s mercy, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, brought us glad tidings, saying: “When Allah created the creation, He wrote in His Book which is with Him over His Throne: ‘My mercy prevails over My wrath.” We have a reprieve from Allah and a respite. Allah awaits His servant to repent and return, and then he will find Allah as the Forgiver of sins, the Concealer of faults, loving the sinner after he repents and accepting his excuse, whether the sin is great or small. Therefore, our sermon today revolves around THE GRACE OF ALLAH, AND THE VASTNESS OF HIS FORGIVENESS AND MERCY.
Dear Muslims, Allah, the Almighty, commanded His Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to inform the entire world that He is Forgiving and Merciful. Allah says: (نَبِّئْ عِبَادِي أَنِّي أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ) “Inform My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful.” [Al-Hijr: 49]. Moreover, our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He, calls upon all sinners who have excessively committed sins and transgressions against themselves with a special call not to despair of His mercy. He addresses them with “O My servants,” to soften their hearts and soothe their souls. Allah says: (قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ 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]
Honorable listeners, many people have misunderstood the meaning of Allah’s mercy, and therefore they have continued in their sins under the pretext that Allah will forgive all sins. However, they are unaware that Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, has set conditions for attaining His mercy, as He says: (وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِآيَاتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ * الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الأُمِّيَّ) “But My mercy encompasses all things. So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakat and those who believe in Our verses. Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet.” [Al-A’raf: 156-157]
Servants of Allah, know that it is out of His mercy that He sent the messengers, revealed the scriptures, and made things easy for His servants. He sent among them Muhammad, peace be upon him, who taught us to be out of ignorance, guided us away from misguidance, and through His mercy, made known to us His names, attributes, and actions, so that we would recognize Him as our Lord and Master.
Among His mercy, Glorified and Exalted is He, is that He made religious obligations easy for us. Even the simplest deeds can earn us His mercy. Did Allah not forgive a prostitute for giving water to a dog that was on the verge of death from thirst? Did Allah not admit a man to Paradise because he removed a thorny branch from the path of the people? He has provided us with means of atonement to forgive our sins, and guided us to simple prayers and praises, which, when uttered, can heavily weigh our scales and lead to the forgiveness of our sins, even if they are as vast as the foam of the sea.
He commanded us to ask Him so that He may grant us, and He has given us the greatest gifts even without us asking. He has bestowed upon us His visible and hidden blessings and has not left us hopeless from His mercy.
Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Allah said: O son of Adam, as long as you call upon Me and have hope in Me, I will forgive you for what you have done and I will not mind. O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky and then you sought My forgiveness, I would forgive you and I will not mind. O son of Adam, if you were to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and then you met Me without associating anything with Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.”
Servants of Allah, Allah’s mercy is attracted by obeying Him and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, and by adhering to the commands of Islam: (وَأَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ) “And obey Allah and the Messenger that you may obtain mercy.” [Al Imran: 132] The means of attaining Allah’s mercy also include establishing prayer, giving zakat, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: (وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاء بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاَةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ اللّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ أُوْلَئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ اللّهُ إِنَّ اللّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ) “The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those—Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.” [At-Tawbah: 71]
So who is more generous and kind than Allah? He stretches out His hand during the night so that the sinner of the day may repent, and He stretches out His hand during the day so that the sinner of the night may repent, until the sun rises from the west. Who is more merciful than Allah, the Exalted?
Have you not seen, O servants of Allah, how the one who killed a hundred souls was accepted by Allah and forgiven because he turned to Allah, seeking to repent? So Allah hastened to grant him repentance and acceptance.
And among His mercy, Glorified and Exalted is He, to His servants on the Day of Resurrection is what was narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: “Allah will bring the believer close and place upon him His covering and conceal him. Then He will say, ‘Do you recognize such-and-such sin? Do you recognize such-and-such sin?’ The believer will say, ‘Yes, O Lord.’ Then, when he confesses his sins and thinks he is doomed, Allah will say, ‘I concealed them for you in the world, and I forgive them for you today,’ then he will be given his book of good deeds. As for the disbelievers and hypocrites, the witnesses will say, ‘These are the ones who lied against their Lord. Unquestionably, the curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari). We ask Allah, the Exalted, to forgive us and show us mercy with a mercy that makes us needless of the mercy of anyone else.
THE SECOND SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, the Forgiving, the Merciful, who says in His clear revelation: (أَهُمْ يَقْسِمُونَ رَحْمَةَ رَبِّكَ نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُم مَّعِيشَتَهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ لِيَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُهُم بَعْضًا سُخْرِيًّا وَرَحْمَتُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ) “Do they distribute the mercy of your Lord? It is We who have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world and have raised some of them above others in degrees [of rank], that they may make use of one another for service. But the mercy of your Lord is better than whatever they accumulate.” [Az-Zukhruf: 32]
Servants of Allah! Among the deeds that bring down mercy in this world and the Hereafter are showing mercy to the weak and those in need, aiding the distressed, supporting the orphan, caring for the widow, fulfilling the needs of the destitute, and showing compassion to the poor. Abdullah ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with them both, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth, and the One above the heavens will have mercy upon you.” And in the two Sahihs from the hadith of Jarir ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Allah does not show mercy to those who do not show mercy to others.”
What is happening today in the realm of economic challenges, where the rich dominate the poor and the strong overpower the weak, demands that we show mercy to one another. A living example from the life of the Prophet illustrates his mercy towards the Ummah, even towards those who opposed him, to the extent that Allah named him “kind and merciful”: “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.” (At-Tawbah: 128) This is how he nurtured his noble companions, who would give others preference over themselves even if they were in need. They were all merciful among themselves; you would see them bowing and prostrating, seeking Allah’s grace and pleasure. So, what about us who claim to follow them?
Dear servants of Allah, there is a strong connection between the topic we are discussing and the issue of Palestine. Your brothers in Gaza, the land of honour and steadfastness, and all of Palestine are in dire need of various forms of mercy and assistance, as their situation remains under the fire attacks of the Zionist army. They have been evacuated once again from what remains of their cities, indicating the expansion of ground operations by the army. Thousands of martyrs, thousands of wounded, and thousands more are missing. Orphaned children cry in the streets without shelter, home, food, or medicine! Therefore, dear servants of Allah, strive and hasten to help them, may Allah have mercy on you. Make them happy so you may find happiness in both worlds, and do not forget them in your prayers day and night.
I say these words, seeking Allah’s forgiveness for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Dua (Supplication): O Allah, we ask You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor, to relieve the hardships of the Muslims in Gaza. O Allah, remove the distress, hardships, and calamities from the Muslims in Gaza and all other Muslim lands, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, grant them victory over those who wrong them, for You are capable of all things, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor. O Allah, protect our country, O Allah, protect our country from all evil and harm, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, forgive us and our parents, O Allah, forgive our deceased and the deceased of the Muslims, and illuminate their graves, O Most Merciful of the merciful. And may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent peace and blessings upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, indeed You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.