إجازة الأستاذ أحمد لبن مدير المنتدى بقراءة الإمام عاصم الكوفي

A New Year: Pause for Self- Accountability

Khutbah Topic
His Eminence the Khatib Saleh ibn Abdullah ibn Humaid –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah titled “A NewYear: Pause for Self-Accountability” in which hespoke about a (Hijri) year (1438) which has elapsed and another (1439) which has come. After explaining that believers are bound to pause for self-accountability, he reminded Muslims of death and its stupefying agonies, and asserted that it is the best of all preachers. In the second half of the khutbah, he cited the numerous blessings Allah, the Almighty, has bestowed upon the people of this country, the most significant of which are the blessings of tawheed (monotheism), the joining of forces, security and peace. Finally, the Sheikh reminded his congregation that they should be thankful to Allah for all that.

Part One
Praise be to Allah! Praise be to AllahWhoisunique in glory, might, and supremacy! To Him alone belong dominion, the management of the universe, and eternity. He subdued His creatures by decreeing mortality on all of them. I praise Him –May He be glorified! He encourages His creatures by bestowing on them successive and bounteous blessings and at the same time warns them againstHis revenge (if they deviate from the RightPath) by inflicting on them irreversible retribution.

I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no partner. To Him is gratitude in the herein and the hereafter. I also bear witness that our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, is the Servant and Messenger of Allah Who supported him with clear evidence and overwhelming proofs. May Allah send His profuse and unrestricted Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace, and Blessingupon him, his Family, his Companions –whose merits resemble the brilliance of stars and the magnitude of orbiting planets‒ the tabi'in (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salatand Peace be upon him‒ after his death), and all those who righteously follow in their footsteps!

Now then,
I do exhort you ‒O people‒ as well as myself to observe taqwa(fear) of Allah. So, fear Allah –May He have mercy on you− and hold yourselves accountable for your own deeds. He who engages in self-accountability would be known for his nightly worship while others are sleeping, fasting the day while others enjoy food and beverages, piety while others are implicated in dubious deeds, silence while others verboselychatter(about trivial matters), and fear of Allah while others are distracted (by mundane affairs). Such a person would constantly watchhistongue and weep for having committed sins.

In fact, fear of Allah is by itself knowledge; self-conceit is by itself ignorance; avoiding sin is better than seeking repentance; and many a transient desire may entail lifelong grief:
"Whosoever does righteous good deed it is for (the benefit of) his ownself, and whosoever does evil, it is against his ownself, and your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves." [Fussilat: 46]

O servants of Allah!
    On the occasion of bidding the elapsing (Hijri) year farewell and welcoming the New Year, one is strongly advised to pause for self-accountability, sincere meditation, and drawing lessons from the past. For, whoever calls himself to account in his worldly life will haveeased uphis accountability(before his Lord) in the hereafter, and whoever ignores self-accountability will permanently feelregret and be displeased by his final destiny (after death).

Dear beloved brothers andsisters!
    The best reminder and the greatestpreacher is the remembrance of ‘the demolisher of pleasures’ and the severer of the dear ones and friends. May Allah protect you! Properforthe one whose end is death, whose couch is the grave, whoseappointed timeis Doomsday, and whosefinal destination iseither Paradise or Hell; proper for him to focus his thoughts but on his destiny and to watch but his ownend.For, the grave will be theabode, and the inside of the earth will betheresting place.

    What is needed then is reflecting on the instant of death, preparing oneself for it, and paying attention to it. This is because every inevitable event is to be perceived as imminentand every unexpected one is perceived as remote.

O servant of Allah!Do not turn a blind eye to your demise, for one might not be able to inhale after exhaling. You are the adversary of death and the captive of hopes, and (remember that) death troops do not wait.

O servant of Allah! If someone keeps remembering death as duly required, it will teach him self-control in matters of pleasure and induce him to abstain from raisingfalse hopes.

Imam Qortobi –May Allah bless his soul− said: “Stagnant souls and distracted hearts require lengthy exhortatory talks and ornamented words by preachers; otherwise Allah’s Words: "Everyone shall taste death..." [Al Imran: 185]would be enough for listeners and observers.”

O servants of Allah!Remembering death leads to caution when dealing with evanescent worldly life and turning to the eternal abode (in the hereafter). Remembering death subdues the despondency of those inflicted with distress, relieves their suffering, and shortens their period of dejection. Kaab –May Allah bless his soul‒ says: “He who knows the truth about death will find it easier to endure worldly afflictions and worries.” On the other hand, death would prevent those endowed with influence and affluence from being induced to surrender to self-conceit and ease of life.

    Al-Imam al-Nassa’i and others narrated from the hadith reported by Omar ibn al-Khattab and Abu Huraira –May Allah be pleased with both of them− that the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salatand Peace be upon him and his Family− said: “Keep on remembering ‘the demolisher of pleasures.’”‘

We asked: O Messenger of Allah! What is ‘the demolisher of pleasures’?’ “Death,” he replied.” In the same vein, Yazeed al-Raqashi –May Allah bless his soul− said: “O people! Why don’t you cry? How can a person keep on living if he knows that death is chasing after him, the grave is his home, dust is his bed, worms are his closefriends, and afterwards he will face the Greatest Terror (i.e. The Resurrection Day); then, he will be led either to Paradise or to Hell?”

Remembering death –May Allah forgive my sins and yours− is conducive to prompt repentance, a feeling of contentment, and enthusiasm in worship. By contrast, forgetting death engenders procrastination about repentance, discontentment with one’s subsistence level, and laziness in worship. So, do reflect on death ‒May Allah have mercy on you! Reflect on death, its agonies, and its bitter taste. How true a promise death is and how just a ruler! Death engenders grief, causes tears to overflow, separates companions, and intercepts aspirations.

In his comment on Almighty Allah’s Words "Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving;" [Al-Mulk: 2], Al-Suddi –May Allah bless his soul− says: “Who among you remembers death most, has made preparations to face it, and shows most fear and caution vis-à-vis it?”

O beloved brothers and sisters!
    The most effective and sincere method of remembering death is the beneficial type of remembrance that makes the heart tender. Indeed, the most effective and earnest method is when someone remembers his friends who have already departed this life; when he remembers their positions, conditions, actions, and ambitions and how dust has erased their traces and dismantled their organs. Husbands/Wives have been widowed or got remarried; children have been orphaned; property has been divided (among the inheritors); their seating places are now vacant; thereis no signofthem; they left their close friends behind; they lost all sort of contact with this world; their legacy collapsed into oblivion; they are nolonger in their homes. The lucky one is he who draws lessons from what happened to others!

O Muslims!
    Death hasitsownagonies, distress, and throes. When our Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salatand Peace be upon him– was in a stateofagony, he said: “There is no deity except Allah!Indeed, death has its own agonies.”

Allah –Glorified be He– says:
"And the stupor of death will come in truth:

"This is what you have been avoiding!" [Qaf: 19]

He –Sublime be He– also says:
"... And if you could but see when the Zâlimûn(polytheists and wrong¬doers, etc.) are in the agonies of death, while the angels are stretching forth their hands (saying): "Deliver your souls! This day you shall be recompensed with the torment of degradation because of what you used to utter against Allâh other than the truth. And you used to reject His Ayât(proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) with disrespect!" [Al-An’am: 93]

Belief is not accepted (by Allah) when death comes, and repentance is of no avail at the ‘gargling’ phase of death.

He –Sublime be He– also says:
"Allâh accepts only the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and foolishness and repent soon afterwards; it is they to whom Allâh will forgive and Allâh is Ever All¬Knower, All¬Wise.And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: "Now I repent;" nor of those who die while they are disbelievers..." [Al-Nisaa: 17-18]

When death becomes imminent, man wishes to return to the worldly life. If he is a disbeliever, he aspires to becomeaMuslim, and if he happens to be a disobedient person, he aspires to repent.

He –Sublime be He– also says:
"Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allâh), he says:

"My Lord! Send me back,"So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!" No! It is but a word that he speaks,..." [Al-Mu’menoon: 99-100]

When the Prophet –May Allah’s Salatand Peace be upon him– said:

“Whoever loves to meet Allah, then Allah would love to meet him, andwhoever hates to meet Allah, then Allah would hate to meet Him,” Aisha, or someone else among his wives –May Allah be pleased with them all− said: “We actually hate death.” He –May Allah’s Salatand Peace be upon him– said: “It is not like that! In fact, when the believer is on his deathbed, he will be given propitious signs of Allah’s satisfaction and grace. Thus, he would like nothing more than what is ahead of him. He has loved the encounter with Allah; Allah has, in return, loved the encounter with him. By contrast, when the disbeliever lies on his deathbed, he will be shown heralds of Allah’s torment and punishment for him. Thus, he would hate nothing more than what is ahead of him. He has hated the encounter with Allah; Allah has, in return, hated the encounter with him.” [Narrated by Imam Bukhari]

In this connection, the funeral procession of a pious person would say: “Move forward with me! Move forward with me!However, the funeral procession of a non-righteous (vicious) person would say: “Woe to it(i.e. funeral or dead person’s corpse)!Where are you taking it? Its voice is audible to all creatures except humans. If humans could hear it, they would loseconsciousness.”[Narrated by Imam Bukhari]

O servants of Allah!
What happens to the person in his deathbed is invisible to us; however, wecan only see its effects.

Allah –Glorified be He− says:
"Then why do you not (intervene) when (the soul of a dying person) reaches the throat? And you at the moment are looking on,But We (i.e. Our angels who take the soul) are nearer to him than you, but you see not, [Tafsir At-Tabarî, Vol.27, Page 209] Then why do you not, if you are exempt from the reckoning and recompense (punishment, etc.)Bring back the soul (to its body), if you are truthful?" [Al-Waqi’ah: 83-87]

According to a group of exegetes, angels descend from the heavens when the believers are in a stare ofagony:
"... on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): "Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised! We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter..." [Fussilat: 30-31]

As to the disbelievers‒I seek refuge with Allah‒ they are described by Allah –to Whom belong MightandMajesty− as follows:
"And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve (at death), they smite their faces and their backs, (saying): "Taste the punishment of the blazing Fire." [Al-Anfal: 50]

Al-Hafiz ibn al-Jawzi –May Allah bless his soul− says:

“One of the most curious things is when the person dying regains consciousness. He indescribably regains full consciousness, experiences extreme anxiety, regrets his past lifetime, and wishes he would be allowed extra lifespan to make up for the time he has wasted, shows sincere inclination to repentance that echoes his certitude about death, and is almost killing himself with remorse before his due time.”

Now then, O servants of Allah!
Death is inevitable:
"Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will abide forever." [Al-Rahman: 26-27]

Death times are preordained, one’s lifetime is limited, and livelihood is allocated in advance. Therefore, Allah will never speed up any event before its predetermined advent, nor will He postpone anything beyond its pre-set time limit. We seek refuge with Allah from the torment of hellfire and the torment of the grave.

Therefore, beware –May Allah protect you− of having your lifetime as a proof against you and your lifespan turn into sorrow. Death never responds to the cries of the avid, the regret of those departing life, the wishes of the desirous, and the fear of the fearful.

Beware, indeed, that your fear of death be a consequence of your concern about life.

I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan:
"Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing)." [Al Imran: 185]

May Allah grant you and me the benefit of His Book and the guidance of His Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him! I say this and I pray Allah to forgivemysins and wrongdoings, yours and those of all Muslims. Therefore, do pray Him for forgiveness, as He is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.

A New Year: Pause for Self- Accountability 2013_110

Part Two
Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, the Almighty, the Ever-Beneficent! I praise and thank Him‒Exalted be He! He is the Ever-Living, and all that exists is doomed to perish. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, with no partner. He is the OnlySovereign, Manager, and absolute Ruler(of the universe). I also bear witness that our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, is the Servant and Messenger of Allah; he is the seal of all prophets and his religion is the truest of all. May Allah’s Salat, Peace and Blessing be upon him, his Family, Companions and those who follow him in righteousness!

Now then, O Muslims!
Part of the pauses forself-accountability, and part of reflecting on the consequences of one’s deeds and learning lessons from the past is fearing illusive seditions –Allah forbid!Such seditions creepin under honey-coatedtitles or adorned masks thus serving as vehicles for evil doers, and a source of enticement for gulliblepeople.

These potentialities of perversion and misguidance that call for our attention and reflection include certain states of inadvertency and the effects thereof. The greatest of such effects is taking for granted the blessings and graces of Allah, the desire to exchange what is good for what is bad. Have you experienced –afterthe grace of Islam– a blessing greater than that of security, affluent living, and unity?!

The Holy Qur’an mentioned a wondrous example depicting the affluent life styles of certain peoples.

He‒Glorified be He‒ said:
"Indeed there was for Saba’ (Sheba) a sign in their dwelling-place - two gardens on the right hand and on the left; (and it was said to them:) "Eat of the provision of your Lord, and be grateful to Him." A fair land and an Oft-Forgiving Lord!" [Saba’: 15]

They grew dissatisfied with these abundant graces and felt bored with them; they turned to their Lord with this queer request:
"But they said: "Our Lord! Make the stages between our journey longer," and they wronged themselves …" [Saba’: 19]

We seek refuge with Allah against the state of perversion superseding that of rectitude.

Such people insisted on experiencing the life of destruction, laceration, woe, punishment, division, dispersion, loss and torment.

Imam Ibn Jarir ‒May Allah bless his soul‒ said:

"Those people disregarded the graces of Allah, despised his blessings, and wronged themselves." In response, the retribution was:
"… We made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all totally." [Saba’: 19]

How similar the situation is today when you see inadvertent individuals, or hateful enemies calling for public demonstrations or gatherings, as if they knew not –or maybe they did– that this is but an infested quagmire in which people would drown; a quagmire teeming with epidemics and diseases where the doors for displacement and evil are wide open.

Where are the minds of those who are calling for the destruction of their own homes?!Then, theywill find themselves lying on the earth, covering themselves with the sky, and sleeping in the open!

Would a sane person be willing to strip himself of his clothes to expose his disgrace and show people his defectiveness?! Would a rational being seek to deny the blessings of Allah, thus prompting His retribution and revenge?!

Such calls are motivated by causingmischief and mutiny against the congregation and the leadership.This is by no means allowed in our religion.

Nobody in hisrightmind would seek to destroy his own house, tear up his homeland, disperse his family, and imperil his own life and honour.

Thedisloyal may never come up with a decent ideology.The untruthful may never protect the homeland. The hypocrite would concede when in fear or when he is motivated by greed.He would break off when feeling secure and gratified; he would give in to his ambitions and act accordingly. Such people have all lost their sense of acuity; they plunge in self-contradiction without knowing it.

However, the good-natured, those with righteous minds who are grateful towards Allah for His blessings and who seek to avoid sedition would adhere to the provisions of the pristine Islamic canonical law pervading the Holy Book and the Sunnah and highlighting the obligation to maintain consensus and renounce division and perdition in order to achieve unity and uproot the evil of sedition.

In this blessed country, the land of the Two Holy Mosques, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we are endowed by our Lord with such great blessings, graces, and majestic gifts. We ask Him‒Exalted be He‒ by His graciousness and generosity to perpetuate such blessings, make them perfect and preserve them. The most important of such blessings is that of tawheed (monotheism): believing in the oneness of Allah and worshipping Him in the best way possible. It is also important in this regard to acknowledge the blessings of national unity and consensus, security, affluence, loyalty to the leadership, the availability of religious awareness and scholars, and the grace of living in the vicinity of the holy sites and the Two Holy Mosques.

We enjoy such great blessings at a time of great strife, suffering, killing, displacement, destruction and devastation. They are not very far away from you, those who have tasted the scourge of seditions and the tragedies of dissension. May Allah restore their security, unite them on the truth, and help them return to their homes!

Keeping together one’s homeland and maintaining loyalty towards the leadership is a religious obligation.

"O you who believe! Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority." [Al-Nisa’: 59]

The Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “Stick to the group of Muslims and their Imam (ruler).”

It is the obligation of each and every one of you –in the context of self-accountability– to strive in order to protect yourselves and your families from these seditions by feeling the need to understand the teachings of our righteous predecessors, adhere to the principles of Ahl Al-Sunnah WalJama’ah(Adherents to the Sunnah and the Muslim community) concerning your duty to obey your leadership, supplicate Allah to grant us success, righteousness and reform, to recommend one another to the truth and to patience and exchange good advice among you.

You have to know –thankAllah‒ that our wise scholars have been proven right all along. You have witnessed their strong and solid positions throughout the past events in the region. The exhortations and fatwas (advisory religious opinions) they issued bore but truthfulness and good; others, who turned a deaf ear to them, reaped nothing but failure and relapse.

Therefore, do observe taqwa of Allah –May Allah bless you! See for yourselves and draw lessons. Think about those who preceded you: what they did, where and how they ended up.

Strangest of all is witnessing delight in vanity and oblivion in amusement. Therefore, do seek to set right your course of action so that your Lord may protect you, and beware not to trade in your hereafter with your herein.

Now, do ask Allahto send HisSalatand Peace upon the Given Mercyand the Granted Blessing Allah bestowed on you:

your Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, as Your Lord commanded you to do so in His Wise Book where He so truthfully and graciously said: "Allâh sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and also His angels (ask Allâh to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât[1] on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islâmic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum." [Al-Ahzab: 56]

O Allah! Send Your Salat, Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger, our Prophet, Master, and Beloved, Muhammad,the beloved and the Chosen One,upon his virtuous and immaculate Family and his Wives, the Mothers of the Believers!

O Allah! We seek Your satisfaction with the four Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, and Ali, the Prophet’s Companions, the tabi’in and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement! O Allah! We seek Your Satisfaction with us,alongwith them, as You are Most Forgiving, Most Generous, and Most Beneficent!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims, and fail polytheism and polytheists! O Allah! Let down tyrants and infidels and all other enemies of Islam!

O Allah! Grant us security in our homelands! O Allah! Grant us security in our homelands, and set right our Imams and leaders! O Allah! Entrust our government to those who fear You and seek Your satisfaction! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Grant our Imam and Leader a success of Your own! Honour him with Your obedience and make Your Word the uppermost through him! Make him an asset to Islam and Muslims! Guide him, his Crown Prince, his brothers and his aides to do what You love and what pleases You, and lead them to righteousness and piety!

O Allah! Help the Muslim leaders to abide by Your Book and to follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet, Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him! Make them a mercyto Your faithful servants, and unite them on the grounds of righteousness and truth! O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Spare their blood! O Allah! Unite them on the grounds of truth, right guidance and the Sunnah! O Allah! Entrust their government to the best among them and protect them from the evil doers! O Allah! Spread security, justice and prosperity around them and protect them against all forms of evil and seditions, those that are apparent and those that are concealed!

O Allah! Whoever intends to do any evil against us, our religion, our homeland, our Ummah, our security, our leaders,our ulema, the righteous and benevolent among us, our security men and armed forces, or our unity and accord, O Allah, make him preoccupied with himself! Let his plotting return against him, and make his destruction in his planning, O You, the All-Strong, the Almighty!

O Allah! Grant victory to our soldiers who are stationed on the borders! O Allah! Grant them success and victory, be with them, strengthen their resolve, make them steadfast and grant them victory against those oppressing them! O Allah! Bless the souls of the martyrs and cure the sick and the injured among them! O Allah! Preserve for them their families and children, as You are the All-Hearer of supplication!

O Allah, the Protector of believers, the Supporter of the defenceless! Grant victory to our defenceless and oppressed brothers and sisters in Palestine, Burma, Central Africa, Libya, Iraq, Yemen, and Syria! O Allah! They have been afflicted with a severe case of misery and distress, so grant them victory and take charge of their affairs! O Allah! Lift off the affliction and misery befalling them, grant them speedy relief, draw them closer at heart, and unite them! O Allah! Grant them an aid, a fighting power and a triumph of Your own!

O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors and those who sympathise and side with them! O Allah! Disperse their gathering, scatter their crowds, and tear them apart! O Allah! Make their plotting to their own detriment, O Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Do punish the usurpers among the Jews, O Allah! Do punish the Zionist usurpers and occupiers among the Jews, for You are capable of so doing! O Allah! Give them a taste of Your sturdiness that is so inevitably destined to strike the offenders! O Allah! We pray You to drive them off to their own detriment, and we seek refuge in You from their evils!

O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, relieve our distress and the afflicted among us, cure those who are sick and bless the souls of those who are dead among us!!

"Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers." [Al-A'raf: 23]

"… Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Al-Baqarah: 201]

O servants of Allah!
"Verily, Allâh enjoins Al-‘Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allâh Alone - Islâmic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsân ient in performing your duties to Allâh, totally for Allâh’s sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet [color=#00cc00]صلى الله عليه وسلم in a perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and kin[1] (i.e. all that Allâh has ordered you to give them e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help), and forbids Al-Fahshâ’ (i.e all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right), and Al-Munkar (i.e all that is prohibited by Islâmic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression). He admonishes you, that you may take heed." [Al-Nahl: 90]

So, remember Allah and He shall remember you, and be grateful to Him for His blessings and He shall give you more of them.

"… and the remembering (praising) of (you by) Allâh (in front of the angels) is greater indeed [than your remembering (praising) of Allâh in prayers. And Allâh knows what you do." [Al-‘Ankaboot: 45]
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» The Year of Grief
» The Hijry Year
» The Invasion of Tabuk in Rajab, in the Year 9 A.H.
» A New Year.. 3 Ways Lead to Forgiveness
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