Title of the Sermon: "Indeed, there has come to you from Allah a light"
Elements of the Sermon:
1. The connection between fasting and the Quran.
2. Why Allah revealed the Quran.
3. Why the Quran is the guidance.
4. To what the Quran guides us.
5. Who is guided by the Quran.
All praise is due to Allah, who has sent down the Quran as a light and guidance, and prescribed fasting as a means of purification and piety. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah exalt him and send peace to him, his family, and his companions, abundantly.
As for what follows,
Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, with the true fear due to Him, and be mindful of Him in private and in secret,
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."
O servants of Allah,
When the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, migrated to Abyssinia, where the Negus, a just king, ruled in such a way that no one was wronged under his reign, they found themselves in a good abode and in the best of company. However, the disbelievers of Quraysh sent a delegation with gifts to the Negus, attempting to persuade him to hand over the companions so they could tempt them away from their religion. But the Negus was just and refused to do so until he heard from the companions about Islam and the religion for which they had left their people.
Ja'far bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up and spoke about Islam, saying:
"O King, we were a people of ignorance, worshipping idols, consuming animals not slaughtered, committing obscenities, severing family ties, and treating neighbors with enmity. The strong among us would devour the weak. Until Allah sent us a Messenger from among us, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and chastity we knew. He called us to worship Allah alone, to renounce the stones and idols we and our ancestors worshipped besides Him. He commanded us to speak the truth, to fulfill the trust, to maintain the ties of kinship, to be good to neighbors, to abstain from prohibited things and bloodshed. He forbade us from obscenities, false testimony, consuming the wealth of orphans, and slandering chaste women. He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not associate anything with Him, and he commanded us to pray, to give Zakat, and to fast." So, he recited to us the revelation that came to him from Allah, unlike anything else, and we believed him and knew that what he came with was the truth from Allah, the Almighty. So, we followed him, at which our people harmed us. Then the Negus asked: "Do you have with you anything that has been revealed to him that you can read to me?" Ja'far said: "Yes," and he recited Surah Maryam. When he recited it, the Negus wept until his beard became wet, and his bishops wept until their scriptures became wet. The Negus said: "Verily, this and what Moses came with are from the same source." (Narrated by al-Bayhaqi)
Reflect on Ja'far's words, "So, he recited to us the revelation that came to him from Allah, unlike anything else, and we believed him and knew that what he came with was the truth from Allah, the Almighty."
It is the Quran that demolished the fortresses of ignorance and dispelled the darkness with the light of Allah.
Ramadan has come to you, which our Lord described, saying:
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ
"The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion." [Al-Baqarah: 185]
In the month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world turn to the Book of Allah, in recitation, listening, and study, as if the universe is transformed anew.
O servants of Allah,
Why did Allah reveal the Quran? Allah has answered this question, saying:
كِتَابٌ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ لِتُخْرِجَ النَّاسَ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ
"A Book which We have revealed unto you, in order that you might lead mankind out of the depths of darkness into light - by the permission of their Lord - to the Path of the All-Mighty, the Praiseworthy." [Ibrahim: 1].
Allah revealed the Quran as guidance for people, to bring them out of darkness into light, guiding them to Himself, to truth and justice, and to the straight path.
The jinn were amazed when they heard it and said:
إِنَّا سَمِعْنَا قُرْآنًا عَجَبًا * يَهْدِي إِلَى الرُّشْدِ فَآمَنَّا بِهِ
"Indeed, we have heard an amazing Quran. It guides to the right course, and we have believed in it" [Al-Jinn: 1-2]
And they said:
إِنَّا سَمِعْنَا كِتَابًا أُنْزِلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مُوسَى مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقِّ وَإِلَى طَرِيقٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
"Indeed, we have heard a Book revealed after Moses, confirming what was before it, guiding to the truth and to a straight path" [Al-Ahqaf: 30].
And why is the Quran guidance? Because it is the word of Allah, from Him, revealed with His knowledge, wisdom, and mercy. Allah Almighty says:
لَكِنِ اللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ إِلَيْكَ أَنْزَلَهُ بِعِلْمِهِ
"But Allah bears witness to that which He has revealed to you. He has sent it down with His knowledge" [An-Nisa: 166].
And because it is a Book made perfect in wisdom, there is no frivolity in it, nor error, nor deviation, nor contradiction. Allah said:
كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ آيَاتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِنْ لَدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ
"[This is] a Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from [one who is] Wise and Acquainted." [Hud: 1]
And He says:
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَابَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ عِوَجًا * قَيِّمًا
"Praise be to Allah, who has sent to His servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. [He has made it] straight" [Al-Kahf: 1-2].
And because it is the Book of truth, falsehood cannot come at it from before it or from behind it, everything in it - its stories, laws, judgments, and narratives - is the truth. Allah says:
وَبِالْحَقِّ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ وَبِالْحَقِّ نَزَلَ
"And with the truth We have sent it down, and with the truth it has descended" [Al-Isra: 105].
And He, the Exalted, says:
وَإِنَّهُ لَكِتَابٌ عَزِيزٌ * لَا يَأْتِيهِ الْبَاطِلُ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلَا مِنْ خَلْفِهِ تَنْزِيلٌ مِنْ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٍ
"Indeed, it is a noble Book. Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from a Wise, Praiseworthy [One]" [Fussilat: 41-42].
And because it is light and criterion, a light that dispels all darkness and a criterion between truth and falsehood.
Allah says:
قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُبِينٌ * يَهْدِي بِهِ اللَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلَامِ وَيُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
"There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book. By which Allah guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace and brings them out from darknesses into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path" [Al-Ma'idah: 15-16].
And because it is a book that confirms truth and justice, without deceit, forgery, injustice, or oppression. He Almighty says:
وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ
"And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can alter His words" [Al-An'am: 115].
And because it is the spirit and life, there is no life for the servants except by it; any place devoid of the Quran is dead. Allah says:
وَكَذَلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ رُوحًا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا مَا كُنْتَ تَدْرِي مَا الْكِتَابُ وَلَا الْإِيمَانُ وَلَكِنْ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُورًا نَهْدِي بِهِ مَنْ نَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
"And thus We have inspired to you a Spirit of Our command. You did not know what the Book or faith was, but We have made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants. And indeed, you guide to a straight path" [Ash-Shura: 52].
But to what does the Quran guide you? It guides you to your Lord and your God whom you worship, showing you the way to Him, establishing undeniable proofs of His Lordship and Divinity, guiding you to His Oneness and the perfection of His names, attributes, and actions, reminding you of His favors, promising His gifts, and warning of His punishments.
It tells you about His kingdom, His greatness, His knowledge and loftiness, His pardon and mercy, His wisdom and power, His hearing and sight, His provision for all creatures, and His management of the affairs of the earth and the heavens.
It tells you about the false deities people have taken besides Him and clearly demonstrates their falsehood with decisive evidence, thereby establishing the argument against all His creation that He is the True God and all else is false.
It guides you to the religion of Islam, which He has chosen, completed, and perfected, about its ease and beauty, its completeness and comprehensiveness, its justice and the precision of its legislations.
It speaks of His messengers, whom He sent to His creation, the signs with which He supported them, their call and the purpose of their sending, their struggle and patience.
It talks about the people of faith, their characteristics, morals, beautiful deeds, and the good end they will have in this world and the Hereafter. It speaks of the disbelievers, the corruption of their hearts, their arrogance, and their following of desires, their traits, the reasons for their misguidance, and the ill fate awaiting them in this world and the Hereafter.
It informs you about how and why people have differed, and what the true and just judgment among them is regarding all they have differed over.
It introduces you to yourself, O human, your human characteristics, talks about the diseases of your soul, and how to purify and cleanse it.
It even addresses those existential questions and thoughts that swirl within your soul, providing comprehensive and satisfying answers.
It acquaints you with your origin, with your father Adam and his story, how we came to this earth, why it was created, and what comes after death.
It describes the scenes of the Day of Judgment, its events, the presentation and reckoning, the weighing and the questioning.
It describes to you Paradise in the most complete and beautiful manner, describing its rivers, trees, fruits, furnishings, and even its cups. It describes its inhabitants, their faces, attire, adornments, their food and drink, their spouses, and their servants.
And it describes to you Hell, its punishment and inferno, its Zaqqum and boiling water, lets you hear its hissing, and warns you of its flames.
It introduces you to your enemy, the accursed Satan, his entrances, his steps, and teaches you how to escape from his deceit and whisperings.
It narrates to you the best of stories, informs you about those who came before and their conditions—all of them, the conditions of the tyrants and oppressors and what their end was, the conditions of the oppressed and how He supported them against their enemy, the conditions of the deniers and how He gave them respite and then destroyed them, the conditions of those who schemed against His law and how He transformed them, the state of those who turned away from natural disposition and how He annihilated them.
It tells you about Jesus, peace be upon him, his mother, his birth, and that he is a servant of Allah and His messenger.
It speaks of Allah's creations that glorify Him with praise, about other nations among His creation.
It gives you insight into this universe, the heavens and the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the winds, the clouds, the rain, thunder, lightning, vegetation, and trees, and that they are signs pointing to their Creator, Exalted be He.
It speaks of the world of angels, their characteristics, some of their names, and their conditions.
It reveals to you many truths where the true was confused with the false, and answers questions that puzzled minds about the reality of death, hidden evils, about some of His great wisdom in the disparity of provision, the descent of trials, and the respite of the oppressors.
With this Quran, you see the truth as a clear light, and you see falsehood vanishing away.
May Allah bless me and you with the great Quran and benefit me and you with the verses and the wise remembrance within it, and I seek Allah's forgiveness for me and for you, so seek His forgiveness; indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
The second sermon:
Praise be to Allah, and may Allah exalt and send peace to the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and those who follow him.
O servants of Allah,
Allah Almighty says:
وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ
"And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims." [An-Nahl: 89]
Indeed, the Quran guides you on how to establish your life on what is most upright and just, without neglect or forgetting anything. Allah says:
إِنَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ يَهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ
"Indeed, this Quran guides to that which is most upright" [Al-Isra: 9]
All aspects of life - economic, political, social, and familial - have been clearly explained by Allah in the best manner. Isn't the longest verse about the rulings on debts? Didn't Allah reveal verses that regulate transactions and relationships, even including seeking permission to enter homes?
It is the supreme system of ethics and values. You find in it the command to be good to parents, relatives, orphans, the needy, the wayfarer, those who ask, women, and the weak, even to the unborn and nursing babies.
It calls to noble morals and forbids indecencies and all evils.
Brothers in Islam,
The Quran is guidance for those who believe in it and then follow up faith with action; they are the people of the Quran.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "The Quran and those who acted according to it will be brought on the Day of Resurrection." (Reported by Muslim)
The Quran was not revealed except to be a way of life, a beacon for thought, and a system of values.
Allah says:
إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ لِتَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِمَا أَرَاكَ اللَّهُ
"Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book in truth, that you might judge between the people by that which Allah has shown you" [an-Nisa: 105]
Allah has guaranteed guidance and a good life for those who follow the guidance of the Quran and warned those who turn away from it of misguidance and misery.
He, the Exalted, says:
فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ مِنِّي هُدًى فَمَنِ اتَّبَعَ هُدَايَ فَلَا يَضِلُّ وَلَا يَشْقَى * وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنْكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَى * قَالَ رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِي أَعْمَى وَقَدْ كُنْتُ بَصِيرًا * قَالَ كَذَلِكَ أَتَتْكَ آيَاتُنَا فَنَسِيتَهَا وَكَذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ تُنْسَى
"And if there should come to you guidance from Me - then whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray [in the world] nor suffer [in the Hereafter]]. And whoever turns away from My remembrance - indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind." He will say, "My Lord, why have you raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?" [Allah] will say, "Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot them; and thus today you will be forgotten." [Taha: 123-126]
O Allah, make us among the people of the Quran who believed in it, referred to it for judgment, walked by its light, thus entered Paradise, and attained Your satisfaction.
O Allah, guide our leader to what You love and are pleased with, lead him by the forelock 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 mornings and the evenings, and our last call is that all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
