In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
THE FIRST SERMON FOR THE MONTH OF MUHARRAM
DATE: 1/1/1447 AH (27TH JUNE, 2025)
TOPIC: THE IMPACT OF DHIKR AND DU‘Ā’ IN STRENGTHENING FAITH
THE FIRST SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, who commanded His servants to remember Him much and to call upon Him, and He promised to respond to their supplications. Indeed, remembrance (dhikr) and supplication (du‘ā’) are among the greatest means of strengthening one’s faith. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. O Allah, send Your peace, blessings, and salutations upon this noble Prophet, upon his pure family, and all of his noble companions.
To proceed:
I advise you, O servants of Allah, and myself, to fear Allah the Exalted and to remain steadfast in obedience to Him. Beware of disobeying His commands and prohibitions. Take heed from the words of Allah, the Exalted:
﴿يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَلۡتَنظُرۡ نَفۡسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتۡ لِغَدٍ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ﴾
“O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow—and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.” (Surah al-Ḥashr, 59:18)
O beloved Muslims, faith (Īmān) is the essence and foundation of this religion. It is the light that drives us to do good deeds and avoid evil. To strengthen this faith in our hearts, there are many ways, and among the greatest of them is dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and du‘ā’ (supplication). Due to their immense significance in religion and their impact on fortifying faith, today’s khutbah focuses on the theme:
“The Impact of Dhikr and Du‘ā’ in Strengthening Faith”
O noble servants of Allah, dhikr and du‘ā’ are among the greatest acts of worship that bring a servant closer to His Lord. They have a tremendous effect in affirming and reinforcing faith in the heart. Frequently remembering Allah fills the heart with tranquility and serenity. It increases a person’s willingness to obey and stay away from sin. Likewise, du‘ā’ is the weapon of the believer—he resorts to it in every moment of need. It is a means to repel hardship, remove calamity, and increase faith in the heart.
Dhikr plants the tree of faith in the heart, nourishes it, and helps it grow. The more a servant remembers Allah, the stronger his faith becomes. In remembrance lies success for the believer, protection from Allah’s punishment, and attainment of His pleasure and mercy. Allah the Most High said:
﴿يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱذۡكُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ ذِكۡرًا كَثِيراً﴾ ﴿وَسَبِّحُوهُ بُكۡرَةً وَأَصِيلًا﴾ ﴿هُوَ ٱلَّذِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتُهُۥ لِيُخۡرِجَكُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِۚ وَكَانَ بِٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ رَحِيماً﴾
“O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance. And exalt Him morning and afternoon. It is He who confers blessing upon you, and His angels [ask Him to do so] that He may bring you out from darknesses into the light. And ever is He, to the believers, Merciful.” (Surah al-Aḥzāb, 33:41–43)
There are many forms of dhikr:
Reading the Qur’an, saying tasbīḥ (subḥānallāh), taḥmīd (alḥamdulillāh), takbīr (Allāhu akbar), tahlīl (lā ilāha illa Allāh), seeking forgiveness (istighfār), and sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ.
The Noble Qur’an is the Word of Allah—the best and highest form of dhikr. Whoever recites it with reflection and understanding will increase in faith and certainty. Allah says:
﴿كِتَٰبٌ أَنزَلۡنَٰهُ إِلَيۡكَ مُبَٰرَكٌ لِّيَدَّبَّرُوٓاْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُوْلُواْ ٱلۡأَلۡبَٰبِ﴾
“[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.” (Surah Ṣād, 38:29)
Also, tasbīḥ, taḥmīd, takbīr, and tahlīl are supplications that purify the heart from impurities, remove the rust of heedlessness, and draw it closer to Allah. Through these and other forms of remembrance, the hearts of the believers find tranquility, as Allah said:
﴿ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَطۡمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِۗ أَلَا بِذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطۡمَئِنُّ ٱلۡقُلُوبُ﴾
“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” (Surah al-Ra‘d, 13:28)
O Muslims, As for du‘ā’ (supplication), it is the key to all good. It is the weapon of the believer, which never leaves his side. Through it, he turns to his Lord, humbles himself before Him, and asks Him for whatever he wishes from the good of this world and the Hereafter.
Du‘ā’ is a great act of worship, through which one expresses his need, humility, and dependence on Allah, the Exalted. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Du‘ā’ is worship.”
Then he recited the verse: ﴿وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِيٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ﴾
“And your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you.’ Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] humiliated.” (Surah Ghāfir, 40:60)(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi from al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr – a ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth)
Allah – Glorified and Exalted – does not reject the du‘ā’ of the one who calls upon Him, nor does He disappoint the one who turns to Him in hope. He is the Most Generous, whose generosity knows no bounds; the Giver, whose gifts are beyond count. He is more merciful to His servants than their own parents. He is the Gentle with His creation: ﴿ٱللَّهُ لَطِيفُۢ بِعِبَادِهِۦ يَرۡزُقُ مَن يَشَآءُۖ وَهُوَ ٱلۡقَوِيُّ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ﴾
“Allah is Gentle with His servants; He provides for whom He wills. And He is the Powerful, the Exalted in Might.” (Surah al-Shūrā, 42:19)
The believer must strengthen his faith by constantly engaging in du‘ā’ and dhikr in all situations. He may choose any wording of remembrance and supplication he wishes, but the most virtuous and complete are those found in the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah. Additionally, one should take advantage of the blessed times for du‘ā’, such as: during sujūd (prostration), in the last third of the night, after obligatory prayers, while fasting, and at the moment of breaking the fast.
I say what you hear, and I ask Allah’s forgiveness for myself, for you, and for all the Muslims for every sin. So seek His forgiveness. Indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
THE SECOND SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, who manages all affairs in the heavens and the earth, and who alternates the night and day—for in this is a lesson for those with insight. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone without partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his noble family, and his righteous companions.
To proceed: fear Allah – O Muslims – and be mindful of the Day on which you will return to Allah. He, the Exalted, says:
﴿وَٱتَّقُواْ يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ﴾
“And fear the Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be wronged.” (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:281)
O believers, every passing moment distances us from this world and brings us closer to the Hereafter. ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“The world has turned its back and is departing, and the Hereafter has approached and is coming. And each of them has children—so be among the children of the Hereafter, and do not be among the children of this world. For today is action without reckoning, and tomorrow is reckoning without action.”
It is also reported that ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“Take account of yourselves before you are brought to account, and weigh your deeds before they are weighed for you. And adorn yourselves for the Great Display, on the Day when you will be displayed and not a single secret of yours will be hidden.” (Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, 7/96)
A wise believer constantly holds himself to account: What have I done? How did I do it? For whom did I do it? And why did I do it?
He evaluates himself often, for he knows that today is for deeds without reckoning, and tomorrow is reckoning without deeds.
Whoever reckons with himself today, will have an easy reckoning tomorrow, and find it easy to act righteously. But whoever neglects self-accountability, his reckoning will be heavy on the Day of Judgment, and righteous deeds will be hard for him to perform in life.
Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“The people who will have the easiest reckoning on the Day of Judgment are those who held themselves accountable in the world. They would pause at their thoughts and deeds—if it was right, they carried on; if it was wrong, they refrained. The matter becomes heavy on the Day of Judgment for those who were reckless in the world, taking actions without reckoning. Then they find that Allah has counted every small and great deed against them.”
Then he recited: ﴿مَا لِهَـٰذَا ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحۡصَىٰهَا﴾
“What is [wrong] with this Book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?”
(Surah al-Kahf, 18:49)
Dear beloved brothers in Islam, in the past days, we witnessed a swift war launched by the Zionist entity against the Islamic Republic of Iran. It lasted for twelve days, but it was a strategic war that revealed the fragility of the enemy, the strength of the resistance, and opened a new chapter in the balance of the ongoing conflict. This war was not an isolated event, but rather a response to the Zionist crime at the Iranian consulate in Damascus, and a continuation of the blazing conflict in Gaza and Palestine since October 7, 2023, and even before that. It is one of the many episodes of confrontation between the axis of resistance and the enemies of Islam, and it has revealed important lessons, including:
First: Preparation is a religious obligation, not merely a military option: Allah the Most High says:
﴿وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُم مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍ﴾
“And prepare against them whatever you are able of power…” [Al-Anfal 8:60]
The Prophet ﷺ also said, as narrated from ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir: “And prepare for them whatever you are able of power; verily, power is in shooting (i.e., archery), verily, power is in shooting.” (Narrated by Muslim)
We witnessed the fruits of such preparation when Iranian missiles reached deep into occupied Palestine, terrifying the enemy, disabling its airspace, and breaking its false aura of invincibility. This is the same enemy that once claimed to be unbeatable. Allah the Most High has spoken the truth when He said:
﴿لَا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ جَمِيعًا إِلَّا فِي قُرًى مُّحَصَّنَةٍ أَوْ مِن وَرَاءِ جُدُرٍ﴾
“They will not fight you all except within fortified cities or from behind walls.”[Al-Hashr 59:14]
The Zionist entity has suffered immense, unprecedented losses—yet it conceals them from the public eye and the media.
When the Prophet ﷺ recited the verse: ﴿وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْا يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُمْ﴾
“And if you turn away, He will replace you with another people; then they will not be like you.” [Muhammad 47:38]
The companions asked: “O Messenger of Allah, who are these people whom, if we turn away, Allah will replace us with and they will not be like us?” The Prophet ﷺ placed his hand on the shoulder of Salman the Persian, may Allah be pleased with him, and said: “This man and his people. Even if the religion were at the Pleiades, men from among the Persians would attain it.” (Reported by Muslim ibn Khālid Al-Zinjī, with others narrating from him. Some scholars discussed the chain of narration.)
Today, the Iranians represent the true spiritual heirs of those praised Persians, whom the Prophet ﷺ foretold would uphold the religion.
Second: Gaza remains the compass — and this war came in its defense: Gaza is what ignited the battle; it is what pushed the entire Ummah into the field. The heroism of the fighters in Jenin, Khan Younis, and Rafah, and the steadfastness of our people in the Gaza Strip, are what awakened the free souls, exposed the traitors, and stirred the Ummah from its slumber. It was all in defense of innocent blood—blood that was shed by American missiles, Western weapons, and the silence of the Arab regimes.
This connects with the saying of Allah the Exalted: ﴿وَإِنِ اسْتَنصَرُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ فَعَلَيْكُمُ النَّصْرُ﴾
“But if they seek help from you in religion, then you must help them.”[Al-Anfal 8:72]
The true victory that the Ummah awaits is the day when Jerusalem (Al-Quds) is opened once again — by the help of Allah Almighty.
Third: Supporting the oppressed takes precedence over our internal disagreements:
No matter the theological or political differences between us and Iran, justice and Islam require us to stand with them in the face of the enemy of this Ummah — the enemy of Islam. What unites us is Islam and faith.
Allah the Almighty says: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ﴾
“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice.”[Al-Ma’idah 5:8]
It is an obligation upon the Ummah today to unite against the common enemy and to set aside sectarian differences when it comes to supporting al-Quds (Jerusalem) and Palestine. The Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims rejoiced at the victory of the Romans over the Persians. Allah the Exalted said:
غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ ﴿٢﴾ فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُمْ مِّنۢ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ ﴿٣﴾ فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ ۗ لِلَّهِ ٱلْأَمْرُ مِن قَبْلُ وَمِنۢ بَعْدُ ۚ وَيَوْمَئِذٍۢ يَفْرَحُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٤﴾ بِنَصْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ يَنصُرُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿٥﴾
“The Romans have been defeated (2) in the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will overcome (3) within a few years. To Allah belongs the command before and after. And that day the believers will rejoice (4) in the victory of Allah. He gives victory to whom He wills, and He is the Almighty, the Most Merciful.” — Surah Ar-Rum (30:2–5)
It is well known that a disbelieving occupier must be fought and killed because he is a hostile, aggressive enemy (ḥarbī ṣāʾil) [See: Ḥāshiyat ad-Dusūqī, 4/357]. The rights of the people of Palestine and Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) cannot be restored by them alone. Therefore, it becomes an obligation on the entire Ummah—despite the internal differences—to support and assist them. The Zionists have violated the sanctity of lives, honor, wealth, and land. Their crimes have multiplied, and their enmity has intensified. It is not permissible in Sharīʿah for the Ummah to neglect or squander its rights or forsake its sacred sites.
Our enemy makes no distinction between Sunni or Shia, Arab or non-Arab. They see all as a threat to their colonial project. If we are not present on the battlefield, then let us be present in the fields of du‘āʾ, support, awareness, and boycott. Let us raise our children with love for al-Masjid al-Aqṣā and the understanding of dignity and honor—not submission and defeat.
Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Everyone who believes in what was brought by Muhammad ﷺ is better than one who disbelieves in him, even if that believer has some innovations—whether the innovation of the Khawārij, the Shīʿa, the Murjiʾah, the Qadariyyah, or others—because the Jews and Christians are disbelievers with a disbelief that is universally known in Islam.” — Majmū‘ al-Fatāwā
Supplication: O Allah, make us among Your grateful, mindful servants.
O Allah, help us to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You well.
O Allah, endear faith to us and beautify it in our hearts, and make us hate disbelief, sin, and disobedience, and make us among the rightly guided.
O Allah, inspire us to remember You during the nights and the edges of the day.
O Allah, forgive our sins, our mistakes, and our excesses against ourselves.
You know our sins better than we do, and none forgives sins except You.
O Allah, grant us a good ending, make us among the people of Paradise, and save us from the Hellfire, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful. O Allah, honor Islam and the Muslims, and humiliate disbelief and the disbelievers.
O Allah, we seek Your protection against them and we seek refuge in You from their evils.
O Allah, unite the hearts of the Muslims upon the truth.
O Allah, grant the people of Palestine victory, dignity, dominance, strength, awe, and fear in the hearts of their enemies and ours.
O Allah, heal their wounded, release their prisoners, and lift their siege.
O Allah, relieve their suffering, remove their hardship, and grant victory to their warriors with Your strength and Your soldiers, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, grant us safety in our lands.
O Allah, rectify our leaders and guide them to that which You love and are pleased with.
O Allah, forgive our dead and the dead among the Muslims, O Most Merciful of the merciful and Lord of the worlds.