Title of the Sermon: Allah Takes Care of the Righteous
Elements of the Sermon:
The state of the corrupt and their ultimate fate.
Righteousness as a condition for inheriting the earth.
The standard of righteousness.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, who takes care of the righteous with His mercy, and destroys the corrupt with His dignity. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the leader of the reformers with his words and life. May Allah bless him, his family, his companions, and those who follow his Sunnah.
O servants of Allah, fear Allah with true piety and observe Him in secret and in public, as Allah says:
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 die not except in a state of Islam."
Servants of Allah:
Ubayy ibn Ka'b, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "When the Prophet ﷺ and his companions arrived in Medina and were sheltered by the Ansar, the Arabs opposed them unanimously. They lived in constant vigilance, never sleeping without their arms and never waking without them. They wondered if they would ever live in peace, fearing none but Allah, the Almighty. Then Allah revealed:
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا وَمَنْ كَفَرَ بعد ذَلِك فَأُولَئِك هم الْفَاسِقُونَ
"And Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will certainly grant them succession to the earth, as He granted it to those before them; and that He will establish in authority their religion, the one which He has chosen for them, and that He will change their state, after the fear in which they lived, to one of security and peace."
Servants of Allah:
Allah, the King of the heavens and the earth, bequeaths it to whom He wills among His servants. He alone has the creation and the command. He has decreed, and His decree is unchangeable and unfailing, as He said:
وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِي الزَّبُورِ مِنْ بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِيَ الصَّالِحُونَ
"And We have already written in the book [of Psalms] after the [previous] reminder that the land is inherited by My righteous servants."
A familiar scene, repeated throughout time. Pharaoh stood among his people, surrounded by his soldiers, threatening the children of Israel, saying:
سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْيِي نِسَاءَهُمْ وَإِنَّا فَوْقَهُمْ قَاهِرُونَ
"We will kill their sons and spare their women; for we have overpowering dominion over them."
And Moses, peace be upon him, stood among his people, saying:
اسْتَعِينُوا بِاللَّهِ وَاصْبِرُوا إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لِلَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
"Seek help from Allah and be patient; the earth belongs to Allah. He grants it as a heritage to whom He wills of His servants, and the outcome is for the righteous."
Allah decreed that the corrupt shall not prevail on earth. Falsehood may have its moment, but it is ultimately vanishing and losing, followed by the era of truth, which always prevails. Pharaoh was the most corrupt, a tyrant worshipped besides Allah, shedding blood, and spreading corruption. Allah said:
إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ عَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهْلَهَا شِيَعًا يَسْتَضْعِفُ طَائِفَةً مِنْهُمْ يُذَبِّحُ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيِي نِسَاءَهُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ * وَنُرِيدُ أَنْ نَمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوَارِثِينَ * وَنُمَكِّنَ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنُرِيَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ وَجُنُودَهُمَا مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَحْذَرُونَ
"Indeed, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and divided its people into factions, oppressing a group among them, slaughtering their sons and sparing their women. Indeed, he was of the corruptors. We wanted to favor those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors, and establish them in the land, and show Pharaoh and Haman and their troops what they feared."
Years passed, and trials befell the believers, but Allah established them with their certainty and patience, and destroyed Pharaoh and those with him for their denial and arrogance. Allah said:
فَانْتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَكَانُوا عَنْهَا غَافِلِينَ * وَأَوْرَثْنَا الْقَوْمَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يُسْتَضْعَفُونَ مَشَارِقَ الْأَرْضِ وَمَغَارِبَهَا الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ الْحُسْنَى عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا وَدَمَّرْنَا مَا كَانَ يَصْنَعُ فِرْعَوْنُ وَقَوْمُهُ وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْرِشُونَ
"So, We took retribution from them, and We drowned them in the sea because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them. And We caused the people who were considered weak to inherit the east and west of the land which We had blessed. And the word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of their patience, and We destroyed what Pharaoh and his people produced and what they had built."
The command was not exclusive to Pharaoh. Before and after him, nations that were tyrannical, ungrateful, and corrupt were destroyed by Allah. O servant of Allah!
هل تُحِسُّ مِنْهُم مِنْ أحَدٍ أو تَسْمَعُ لَهُمْ رِكْزًا
"Do you perceive any of them or hear a whisper of them?"
How many nations and civilizations were there on earth? Where are they today?
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ * إِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ * الَّتِي لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِي الْبِلَادِ * وَثَمُودَ الَّذِينَ جَابُوا الصَّخْرَ بِالْوَادِ * وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِي الْأَوْتَادِ * الَّذِينَ طَغَوْا فِي الْبِلَادِ * فَأَكْثَرُوا فِيهَا الْفَسَادَ * فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ * إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ
"Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with 'Aad, Iram of the pillars, the likes of which were not created in the lands, and Thamud, who carved out the rocks in the valley, and Pharaoh, owner of the stakes, who tyrannized in the lands and increased therein the corruption. So, your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment. Indeed, your Lord is in observation."
Today, how the world suffers from criminals and corruptors who disbelieve in Allah, obstruct His way, kill His servants, and fill the earth with injustice and oppression, while raising the banner of reform. Have you not seen what they did in Gaza and its people? They killed more than thirty thousand, wounded twice as many, most of them women and children, committed two thousand massacres, dropped thousands of bombs, and spread corruption and destruction among humans, animals, and structures.
The inheritance of the earth was never and will never be for those who disbelieve in the great Allah. It is not for the corrupt on earth, nor for the cursed and the wrathful, the outcasts, and the corrupt in nature. Their aim is to have a moment of dominance, during which Allah purifies His servants, but the ultimate outcome is for the righteous.
The Persians and the Romans filled the earth with tyranny and corruption, and the Arabs were in a state of ignorance in beliefs and morals, until the earth was filled with injustice and darkness. Then Allah sent His believing and righteous servants, and the earth shone with justice and light.
Indeed, it is the law of inheriting the earth, and then the paradise of the Merciful: that only the righteous shall inherit it. The righteous, whom Allah takes under His care in this world and the hereafter, as He, the Exalted, says:
إِنَّ وَلِيِّيَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الْكِتَابَ وَهُوَ يَتَوَلَّى الصَّالِحِينَ
"Indeed, my protector is Allah, who has sent down the Book; and He is an ally to the righteous."
Therefore, the last prayer of Joseph, the truthful, peace be upon him, was:
تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ
"Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous."
We greet them every day in our Tashahhud, saying, "Peace be upon us and upon Allah's righteous servants." This prayer then reaches every righteous servant of Allah in the heavens and the earth, as the Prophet ﷺ informed us in the agreed-upon hadith. But who are the righteous, and what is the standard of righteousness? Allah says:
َالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَنُدْخِلَنَّهُمْ فِي الصَّالِحِينَ
"And those who believe and do righteous deeds, We will surely admit them among the righteous."
There are two conditions here: faith and good deeds. The righteous is the one whose creed and deeds are sound, who performs good deeds and avoids the reprehensible. Righteousness is a comprehensive term that includes the soundness of belief and action, ethics and values, intention and will, governance and leadership, and religion and worldly affairs. Allah described them, saying:
يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ * يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَيُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَأُولَئِكَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
"They recite the verses of Allah during periods of the night and prostrate in prayer. They believe in Allah and the Last Day, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and hasten to good deeds. And those are among the righteous."
The sought-after righteousness is complete submission to Allah's legislation in all aspects of life without picking and choosing. One is righteous in his mosque, home, and work. Righteous in his buying and selling, not consuming usury or bribery, not legitimizing deceit and fraud. Righteous in his judgment and litigation, adhering to the rulings of the Sharia, satisfied only with the judgment of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
Righteous in his thinking and methodology, his reference being the Quran and authentic Sunnah. Righteous with his spouse and children, establishing his home and educating his children as Allah loves. He has rectified his religion and worldly affairs, trusting in his Lord and Master, taking every means, far from weakness and frailty, purifying himself with those of hands and sight. His faith in Allah and His fear drive him, as He, the Exalted, said:
وَلَنُسْكِنَنَّكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامِي وَخَافَ وَعِيدِ
"And We will surely settle you in the land after them. This is for those who fear My position and fear My threat."
If you are astonished, then astonishing is the state of those who expressed sorrow over Gaza, pained by the remains of children and the screams of women, yet they have not changed their reality, nor have the events improved their condition yet. Those who still turn away from Allah's legislation, adjudicating by other than Allah, allying with disbelievers, aiding oppressors, consuming usury, indulging in indecencies, deceiving in their trade and purchases, do they consider themselves among the righteous?
That person who neglected the trust of Allah, failing to educate his child, entrusting him to Western schools to become a distorted creature without identity, not recognizing good or denouncing evil except what is imbued from the misguided
Western thoughts, can he be considered among the righteous? And that poor woman who shed tears for the widows and children of Gaza, yet still defies the Lord of the Worlds with immodesty, seclusion, and mixing, or that wife who was deceived by Western feminism, rebelling against Allah's decrees, neglecting her home and children, can she be considered a righteous woman?
Righteousness is a comprehensive approach because it is the way of Allah, through which the goodness of this world and the hereafter is achieved. As it is said:
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ * لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
"Say, 'Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. He has no partner. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims.'"
May Allah bless me and you with the great Quran, and benefit me and you with the verses and the wise reminder, and I seek forgiveness of Allah for me and for you, so seek His forgiveness, for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
Second sermon:
Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and those who ally with him. As for what follows:
O servants of Allah:
There is a great difference between a pious believer and a wretched sinner, between the righteous and the corrupt. Allah does not make the end of those who obey Him like the end of those who disobey Him, nor is the outcome of a righteous, reforming fighter like that of a corrupt, destructive aggressor.
Here is Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, describing the mujahideen in Qadisiyyah, saying, "At night, they hummed with the recitation of the Qur'an like the humming of bees. They were lions during the day, unlike any other lions, and none who passed away among them was superior to those who remained, except by the virtue of martyrdom."
And Abdullah ibn Zubair, may Allah be pleased with both, describes the mujahideen in the conquest of Africa, saying, "We spent the night with a buzz like that of bees for the Muslims, while the polytheists spent it in their amusements and wines. When morning came, we advanced towards each other, and Allah poured His patience upon us and sent down His victory." This is how outcomes diverge, and destinies differ. Allah says:
أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ كَالْمُفْسِدِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الْمُتَّقِينَ كَالْفُجَّارِ
"Or should We treat those who believe and do righteous deeds like corruptors in the land? Or should We treat the pious like the wicked?"
The path of righteousness begins with faith and the Quran, which reforms hearts and souls, and carries the betterment of this life and the hereafter.
O Allah, rectify for us our religion, which is the safeguard of our affairs, rectify for us our worldly life in which is our livelihood, and rectify for us our Hereafter to which is our return.
O Allah, deal with the corrupting Jews in the land, scatter their group, divide their assembly, and grant us victory over them with Your power, O Mighty, O Majestic.
O Allah, guide the leader of our affairs to what You love and are pleased with, and lead him to righteousness and piety. Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
O servants of Allah: Remember Allah with much remembrance, and glorify Him in the morning and the evening. Our last call is that all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
