Title of the Sermon: Protect Yourselves and Your Families from a Fire
Elements of the Sermon
1. The blessing of a righteous child.
2. The responsibility of parents towards their children.
3. The way to the righteousness of children.
All praise be to Allah, the Almighty, the Giver, who bestows upon whomever He wills among His servants the blessing of offspring as a favor and grace, and makes their righteousness a source of comfort and the closest of kin. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah exalt and send peace to him, his family, and his companions abundantly.
O servants of Allah, fear Allah as He should be feared, and be mindful of Him in private and in public:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
"O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims" (Alu-‘Imran: 102).
O servants of Allah:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "A man's rank is elevated in Paradise and he says: 'How is this?' It is said: 'By your child's seeking forgiveness for you.'" (Ibn Majah).
What a wonderful and delightful blessing it is for a believer to see the righteousness of his children! Children are a gift and favor from Allah: Allah, the Exalted, says:
وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ بَنِينَ وَحَفَدَةً وَرَزَقَكُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ أَفَبِالْبَاطِلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَتِ اللَّهِ هُمْ يَكْفُرُونَ
"Allah has made for you from your homes a place of rest and made for you from your spouses children and grandchildren and provided for you of the good things. Then in falsehood do they believe and in the favor of Allah they disbelieve" (An-Nahl: 72).
Yet, a righteous child is a blessing above blessings, a favor beyond favors, and a source of comfort that brings happiness in this world and the hereafter. Therefore, the supplication of the prophets and righteous people was to be granted good and righteous offspring. Here is Ibrahim, the Khalil, asking his Lord:
رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
"My Lord, grant me [a child] from among the righteous" (As-Saffat: 100).
And here is Zakariya (Zechariah) praying to Allah in his old age:
رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ
"My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication" (Alu-‘Imran: 38).
And the supplication of the servants of the Most Merciful:
رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ
"Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes" (Al-Furqan: 74).
A righteous child is the one who remembers his parents after their death by praying for them and seeking forgiveness for them, thus becoming an extension of their deeds and an ongoing source of rewards.
The Prophet (ﷺ said: "When a person dies, his deeds are cut off except for three: Ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who prays for him" (Muslim).
But, O servants of Allah, what is the way to achieve the righteousness of children?
First, we must recognize that parents bear a great responsibility towards their children, and the greatest of this responsibility is to ensure their righteousness and protect them from the punishment of Allah. Allah the Exalted says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ
"O you who believe, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded" (Al-Tahrim: 6).
That is, command them to obey Allah and forbid them from disobeying Him, teach them and discipline them. This responsibility is shared between both parents and cannot be solely placed on one without the other.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Each of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The leader of a people is a shepherd and is responsible for his people. A man is the shepherd of his household and is responsible for his flock. A woman is the shepherd of her husband’s home and his children and is responsible for them. A servant is the shepherd of his master’s wealth and is responsible for it. So, each of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock" (Bukhari and Muslim).
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Allah will ask every shepherd about his flock, whether he preserved it or neglected it, until He asks a man about his household" (Abu ‘Awana).
The essence of being a shepherd is to care for what one is responsible for, being a trustworthy guardian, committed to reforming and sincerely advising those under one’s care.
When the guardian understands this obligation and his responsibility, he must take four practical steps to achieve this great goal, hoping that Allah the Exalted will grant him righteous offspring and protect them from evil and corruption.
The first step: before marriage:
Choosing a good spouse is the first step to a pious family. The Prophet (ﷺ) advised men to choose a religious wife: "A woman is married for four things: for her wealth, her lineage, her beauty, and her religion. So choose the religious woman, or you will lose" (Bukhari and Muslim).
And he advised guardians to select a husband with good religion and character: "If someone with whose religion and character you are satisfied asks for your daughter’s hand in marriage, marry her to him. If you do not do so, there will be fitnah (temptation) on earth and widespread corruption" (Tirmidhi).
Indeed, the righteousness of the parents is crucial for the righteousness of their children because they are the first role models the children observe. If the children see righteousness, piety, and devotion in their parents, they will follow in their footsteps. The parents are the first to instill faith and virtues, or conversely, to obliterate the natural disposition and plant vice.
Did not our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Every child is born upon the natural disposition (Fitrah), but his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian"? (Bukhari and Muslim).
The second step: prayer and sincere supplication for the righteousness of the children:
Allah is the Guide, and the hearts of the servants are between His two fingers. The prayer of a parent for his child is accepted.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Three supplications are not rejected: the supplication of a father, the supplication of a fasting person, and the supplication of a traveler" (Tirmidhi).
Consider how Ibrahim prayed to his Lord:
وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَنْ نَعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ
"And keep me and my descendants away from worshipping idols" (Ibrahim: 35).
He also turned to his Lord in prayer saying:
رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ
"My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and [many] from my descendants. Our Lord, and accept my supplication" (Ibrahim: 40).
The Prophet (ﷺ) used to seek protection for Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn, and he said: "Indeed, your father (i.e., Ibrahim) used to seek refuge with Allah for Isma’il and Ishaq by reciting: 'I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from every devil and from poisonous pests and from every evil eye.'" (Bukhari).
The third step: instilling faith in the children before anything else. This is the foundation upon which the tree of virtues will grow and bear all good fruits.
Jundub ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We were with the Prophet (ﷺ) while we were young boys, so we learned faith before we learned the Quran. Then we learned the Quran, and it increased our faith" (Ibn Majah).
We must guide our children to Allah, inform them about His names and attributes, His actions, His perfection, majesty, beauty, His signs, the proofs of His Lordship, and His blessings and favors. Then the heart will be enlightened with the love, reverence, and fear of Allah.
O honorable parent, how many times have you spoken to your child about Allah, explaining that He is the true Sovereign who manages all affairs, decrees destinies, holds the power of life and death, benefit and harm, giving and withholding?
Here is the Prophet ﷺ advising Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was still a young boy, riding behind him on a mount, saying: “O young man, I will teach you some words: Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him before you. If you ask, ask Allah. If you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if the nation were to gather to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you except with what Allah has already written for you. And if they were to gather to harm you with something, they would not harm you except with what Allah has already written against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” (Tirmidhi).
Such blessed nurturing is what raises a generation that fears none but Allah.
Allah has narrated to us the advices of Luqman to his son, teaching him firstly about the right of Allah which is Tawheed (monotheism), and warning him against Shirk (associating partners with Allah) as it is a great injustice. Then he informed him about the vastness of Allah's knowledge and power, so that he would revere and fear Him and hope for His reward. He instructed him about acts of worship, foremost among them being the prayer. He advised him to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, to be patient with the harm in the path of Allah, and to be patient with Allah's decrees. He warned him against bad manners such as arrogance, pride, and boasting over Allah's servants, and commanded him to be moderate in his life, even in his voice.
The fourth step: starting with the obligations after faith. The most important obligation after the two testimonies of faith is prayer. Allah praised Isma’il (Ishmael) for this:
وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ وَكَانَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ مَرْضِيًّا
"And he used to enjoin on his people prayer and zakah and was to his Lord pleasing" (Maryam: 55).
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Command your children to pray when they are seven years old, and discipline them for it when they are ten years old and separate them in their beds" (Abu Dawud). This requires patience, perseverance, and seeking help from Allah, along with caution against despair. Allah the Exalted says:
وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا لَا نَسْأَلُكَ رِزْقًا نَحْنُ نَرْزُقُكَ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلتَّقْوَى
"And enjoin prayer upon your family [and people] and be steadfast therein. We ask you not for provision; We provide for you. And the [best] outcome is for [those of] righteousness" (Taha: 132).
May Allah bless me and you with the Great Quran, and benefit me and you with its verses and wise reminder. I seek forgiveness from Allah for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness. Indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Second Sermon
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and his companions. To proceed:
O servants of Allah:
The summer vacation has arrived, and while it is an opportunity to entertain the children with permissible activities, it is not an excuse to neglect them and let them drown in desires and immerse in forbidden things.
The world has become open, and the enemies of Islam are plotting against our children day and night to corrupt their beliefs with doubts and their religion and morals with desires. If the guardians do not monitor the content their children are exposed to, we will only harvest a generation with lost identity, devoid of virtue, accustomed to vice, and ignorant of honor and dignity.
Enroll your child in Quran circles, gatherings of goodness, and the company of the righteous.
Anticipate and look forward to the moment when you and your spouse will be adorned with the finest garments, one of which is better than the world and everything in it. You will ask: "For what reason were we adorned with this?" It will be said: "By your child taking the Quran." In another version: "By teaching your child the Quran." (Ahmad)
Our Lord, reform our offspring for us. Indeed, we have repented to You, and indeed we are of the Muslims.
O Allah, grant victory to Your weak servants and destroy the criminal Jews.
O Allah, grant us security in our homelands, reform our leaders and those in charge of our affairs, and place our authority in the hands of those who fear You, follow Your guidance, and seek Your pleasure.
O servants of Allah, remember Allah much and glorify Him morning and evening. The last of our supplications is that all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
