IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICIENT, THE MERCIFUL
BEING THE SECOND KHUTBAH FOR THE MONTH OF MUHARRAM, DATED 10TH MUHARRAM 1445AH (28TH JULY, 2023CE)
TOPIC: THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SINS IN SOCIETY
THE FIRST SERMON
All praises are due to Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the Forgiver of shortcomings. His knowledge encompasses all things, and He is the All-knowing, the All- Aware. I bear witness that there is no god in existence but Him, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant, His Messenger, and His Chosen One. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his family, his companions, and whoever tread on their path until the Day of Judgment.
To proceed, O people, fear Allah the Most High as He should be feared, and always and forever feel that Allah is watching over you, and beware of sins in secret and in public. (وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ ): “And fear a day when you will be returned to Allah, then every soul will be paid in full for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged” (Al-Baqara: 281)
Dear Servants of Allah, Allah Almighty commanded His servants to obey Him, and He warned them against disobeying Him, He explained what the punishment that befell those that openly declare their sins in His Book. The messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) warned of the consequences of sins and misdeeds and their danger to the individual and the community.
We have come in an age when some have been lenient with sins and transgressions, and some among the Muslim children have become part of those who openly declare sins and disobedience as if nothing had happened. Among them are those who underestimate sins and got addicted to disobedience to Allah, the All-Knower of the Unseen. So you see him attends, spreads and calls to places of debauchery and indecency, and show effrontery to Allah God with disobedience and iniquity. The Messenger of Allah ( Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) warned against the consequence of openly committing sins, he said: “Every one of my followers will be forgiven except those who expose (openly) their wrongdoings. ” (Agreed upon). Based on this the topic for our sermon today is on the harmful effects of sins in the society.
Dear Servants of Allah, honorable listeners, fear Allah and know that sins and disobedience have severe harm and a bad consequence for the individual and society, and perhaps in this sermon we will remind ourselves of part of the effects of sins, perhaps this will awaken the wise and remind the inattentive.
First: It causes all kinds of corruption in the land. In the water, atmosphere, crops, fruits and other matters of life, the Almighty said: (ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُمْ بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ) “Corruption has spread on land and sea as a result of what people’s hands have done, so that Allah may cause them to taste ˹the consequences of˺ some of their deeds and perhaps they might return ˹to the Right Path˺.” (Al-Rum: 41). Ibn Jarir – may Allah have mercy on him – says: “as a result of what people’s hands have done,” meaning: by the sins committed by the people. On the authority of Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) He said: He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) 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: … and he mentioned among them: … “Immorality never appears among a people to such an extent that they commit it openly, but plagues and diseases that were never known among the predecessors will spread among them.”
And in the Musnad, among the hadith of Umm Salamah: “If disobedience appears in my nation, Allah will cover them with punishment from Him.” (Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah)
Secondly: It is one of the causes of Allah’s wrath and the solution of His punishment. Such as the occurrence of destructive earthquakes, hurricanes, devastating wars, and deadly diseases, displacing favours and causing evil consequences. Almighty said: (ومَا أَصَابَكُمْ مِن مصيبة فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَنْ كَثِيرٍ) “Whatever affliction befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed. And He pardons much” (Al-Shura: 30)
And the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: “People among my nation will drink wine, calling it by another name, and musical instruments will be played for them and singing girls (will sing for them). Allah will cause the earth to swallow them up, and will turn them into monkeys and pigs.”
Third: The disobedient to Allah and His Messenger will be humiliated in this world and the Hereafter. Because he severed his relationship with Allah, the Mighty, Who grants honour, and he disobeyed the command of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), so humiliation is inevitable for whoever disobeyed and persisted in sins. Sulaiman al-Taymi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “A man commits a sin, and his humiliation becomes apparent upon him,” Al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When he saw the disobedient and the people of prestige strutting on top of mules and horses, he (may Allah have mercy on him) would say: “They, even if the mules charged them, and the horses carried them, for the humiliation of disobedience does not depart from their hearts. For disobedience – as we said – is humiliation in this world and humiliation in the Hereafter, and Allah spoke the truth when He says: “And whoever Allah leaves to stray will have no guide after Him. You will see the wrongdoers, when they face the torment, pleading, “Is there any way back ˹to the world˺?” And you will see them exposed to the Fire, fully humbled out of disgrace, stealing glances ˹at it˺….” (Al-Shura: 44). -45)
Fourth: Sins and transgressions are a cause of deprivation of sustenance, for sustenance – as you know – is from the All-Knowing Provider, and is commensurate with the Muslim’s obedience to it. His Lord – Glory be to Him – to the extent that He provides for him and blesses him in his provision, just as faith, obedience and seeking forgiveness are causes of blessing of livelihood; For disobedience and misdeeds nullify the blessings of life and livelihood, and it is mentioned in the tradition: “A servant is deprived of sustenance because of his sin. It is necessary.” And Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: “Verily, a bad deed causes a blackness of the face, darkness in the grave, weakness in the body, and weakness in the body. lack of sustenance, and hatred in the hearts of people.” And more truthful than that is the saying of the Truth – may He be glorified and exalted: (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 sets forth the example of a society which was safe and at ease, receiving its provision in abundance from all directions. But its people met Allah’s favours with ingratitude, so Allah made them taste the clutches of hunger and fear for their misdeeds.” (An-Nahl: 112)
Fifth: Sins breed one another and sow the like of it. Some of the predecessors said, “Indeed, part of the punishment for an evil deed is evil after it, and part of the reward for a good deed is the deed after it.” And let the intelligent person know that those addicted to lusts are brought to a state in which they do not enjoy, and despite that they are unable to leave it because it has become with them. Like the life from which they have no need.” (Rawdat al-Muhibbeen Ibn al-Qayyim)
Dear Servants of Allah, dear listeners! Beware of disobedience, small and large, for it wipes out the blessings of religion and the world, and there is no less blessing in his life and religion. E and his world are those who disobeyed God, may He be glorified in His exaltedness, and the blessing is not erased from the earth except by the disobedience of creation, so avoid places of similarity. and desires, and beware of forums whose owners are promoters of disobedience and misdeeds, and repent To your Lord, Glory be to Him, and seek His forgiveness for what has gone before among you in the past days; Happy is he who alerts and repents, and miserable is he who is heedless and persists in sin.
THE SECOND SERMON
All praises are due to Allah. We praise Him, we seek His help, forgiveness and we repent unto Him. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and the evils of our deeds. He whom Allah guides no one could mislead him, and he who He misleads no one can guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger; May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, his family and all his companions.
As to what follows,
Dear servants of Allah, it is worthwhile for us at this present time to talk on the issue of the another sudden increase in the price of PMS. Last Tuesday, the leadership of NNPCL announced the sudden increase from N515 to between N568 and N617 per litre, after the initial increase from N189 to N515, which led to an exponential increase in the prices of goods and services across the states and regions of our beloved country. Some few days back, the new government removed fuel subsidy and left the issue of determining oil prices purely to market forces.
If we are convinced of that it is necessary to remove the fuel subsidies, especially because of the corruption that has existed in the oil sector over the past years, then the government must take the initiative to look for various economic strategies to mitigate the harmful effects on the masses in their livelihood, there should be price control, especially for oil – which has become a necessity in this instance- and provide support (subsidies) in various sectors.
Dear Servants of Allah, the Qur’an has guided us through the story of the Prophet of Allah, Yusuf, peace be upon him, on applying economic strategy at different situations: The Almighty said:
(يُوسُفُ أَيُّهَا الصِّدِّيقُ أَفْتِنا فِي سَبْعِ بَقَراتٍ سِمانٍ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجافٌ وَسَبْعِ سُنْبُلاتٍ خُضْرٍ وَأُخَرَ يابِساتٍ لَعَلِّي أَرْجِعُ إِلَى النَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ (46) قالَ تَزْرَعُونَ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ دَأَباً فَما حَصَدْتُمْ فَذَرُوهُ فِي سُنْبُلِهِ إِلَاّ قَلِيلاً مِمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ (47) ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِ ذلِكَ سَبْعٌ شِدادٌ يَأْكُلْنَ ما قَدَّمْتُمْ لَهُنَّ إِلَاّ قَلِيلاً مِمَّا تُحْصِنُونَ (48) ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِ ذلِكَ عامٌ فِيهِ يُغاثُ النَّاسُ وَفِيهِ يَعْصِرُونَ (49)) “˹
He said,˺ “Joseph, O man of truth! Interpret for us ˹the dream of˺ seven fat cows eaten up by seven skinny ones; and seven green ears of grain and ˹seven˺ others dry, so that I may return to the people and let them know.” Joseph replied, “You will plant ˹grain˺ for seven consecutive years, leaving in the ear whatever you will harvest, except for the little you will eat. Then after that will come seven years of great hardship which will consume whatever you have saved, except the little you will store ˹for seed˺. Then after that will come a year in which people will receive abundant rain and they will press ˹oil and wine˺.” (Yusuf 46-49)
Al-Zuhaili said: In summary: Yusuf, peace be upon him, interpreted fat cows and green ears of grain as fertile years, and the skinny cows and dried ears of grain as barren years. Thereafter he gave them the good news of the advent of a year in which there will be abundant rain, and the country will be flooded, and people will press products (like oil and wine) that they used to press normally during this period … This news is about the unseen future provided through revelation from Allah and His inspiration, and not just an expression of dreams. It was a glad tiding that came to pass in the fifteenth year after the interpretation of the vision with the coming of A blessed, fertile year, abundant in goodness, abundant in blessings, informed as a revelation.
Thus, we could conclude that change in policy does not bear fruit immediately, but rather slowly with the passage of time accompanied with extreme patience and endurance, sincere supplication to Allah, reliance, deep faith and pure trust in Allah, the Exalted and Hisways in life. Some experts have set between six months and two years as the minimum time to expect fruitful outcome and benefits of change in policies.
We also recommend that such a very hard and heated reality cannot be resolved by mere demonstrations or workers’ strikes, knowing that the current government is still young in position of steering affairs of the country, as it is just two months old.
We as well recommend to the people and all citizens the need to reduce expenditures and increase sources of revenues. This is a golden rule in coping with harsh conditions. It was reported in a narration that during the khilafah of Umar ibn al-Khattab – may Allah be pleased with him – people came to him and said: “We hereby complain to you about the high cost of meat, control the price for us. He replied: “You make the price cheaper” They said: “We are complaining about the high price of the meat with the butchers, while we are the ones in need (of it) but you are saying: “You make the price cheaper”. So they said: “Do we own it so that we can lower the price? How can we lower the price when it’s not in our possession? He replied with his wonderful statement: “Neglect it (eating meat) to them.” That is, leave the expensive one and replace it with something that is lower in price, and the truth is that the reins are in your hands!
Narrated Jabir, he said: Umar saw a meat hanging in my hand, and he said: What is this, Jabir? I said: I wished for meat, so I bought it. And he said: “Is it every time you wish for something you buy, O Jabir? Are you not afraid of this verse: (أَذْهَبْتُمْ طَيِّبَاتِكُمْ فِي حَيَاتِكُمْ الدُّنْيَا وَاسْتَمْتَعْتُمْ بِها) “You exhausted your pleasures during your worldly life and enjoyed them.” (Al-Ahqaf: 20) (Ibn Muflih: Al-Adab Al-Shariah: 3/341) (i.e: Your pleasures here refers to your pleasure, your youth, and your strength, and you enjoyed them, so you have nothing left)
Be aware that the problem of high inflation has solutions in the Shari’ah of Allah, the Almighty, including: raising the conscience to piety and observance, avoiding sins, understanding the culture of relating with high inflation, seeking lots of forgiveness and supplication, social welfarism and the payment of zakat and charity, maintaining good ties of kinship, learning contentment and satisfaction with what Allah has decreed, and maintaining moderation and rejecting luxury and extravagance, related to that is concern for seeking barakah in wealth before concern for abundance, resisting monopoly and exploitation. We hereby point out that after the removal of the fuel subsidy, some greedy persons tended to monopolize and raised the prices of their commodities, blaming fuel subsidy removal, out of their desire to create hardship for people! To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return!!