38- The best of people are those who are the most beneficial to people

38- The best of people are those who are the most beneficial to people

The First Khutbah
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، أَمَرَ بِبَذْلِ الْخَيْرِ لِلنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا وَنَبِيَّنَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولُهُ، فَاللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ.
أُوصِيكُمْ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ وَنَفْسِي بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ، قَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ: (وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى)
All Praise be to Allah, the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds, Who ordered us to grant what is good and wholesome to all people. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah Alone, Who has no partner, and I bear witness that our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, is the Servant and Messenger of Allah. O Allah, send blessings, salutations and benedictions on our Master and Prophet, his family, all of his Companions, as well as those who followed thereafter.

As to what follows: I counsel you, O Servants of Allah, and myself to have Taqwā of Allah (i.e. reverential consciousness and self-restraining fear of Allah).

Allah Almighty says:
(وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى)
[Q5:2] (… Help one another in righteousness and piety …)

O Servants of Allah: Allah Most High has related to us in His Book that makes manifest (the truth) some of the stories of the Messengers (may Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon them), in order that we may extrapolate from them values which we establish in our midst and lessons from which we benefit in our lives.

Allah Almighty says:
(لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ)
[Q12:111] (There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding ….)

One such story is the story of Allah’s Prophet, Musa (may Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him) in which Allah Most High says:
(وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَاءَ مَدْيَنَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِنَ النَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِنْ دُونِهِمُ امْرَأَتَيْنِ تَذُودَانِ قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُمَا قَالَتَا لَا نَسْقِي حَتَّى يُصْدِرَ الرِّعَاءُ وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ* فَسَقَى لَهُمَا)
[Q28:23-24] (And when he came to the well of Madyan, he found there a crowd of people watering [their flocks], and he found aside from them two women driving back [their flocks]. He said, "What is your circumstance?" They said, "We do not water until the shepherds dispatch [their flocks]; and our father is an old man." So he watered [their flocks] for them; …)

In this story, the value of hastening to do good is manifested and extending a helping hand towards others, for Musa (may Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him) hastened to expend his energy and effort and help others. This teaches us that we should hasten towards benefitting others and assisting the poor and needy. The Prophet (may Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him) says:
«خَيْرُ النَّاسِ أَنْفَعُهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ»
(The best of people is he who is the most beneficial to people) [Narrated by al-Tabarani in the al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat]
That is to say, the best of Allah’s servants is he who is enabled and guided towards benefitting His creation, through a blessing that he renders to them or through a harm that he repels from them.

Today we appreciate the huge efforts and great assistance that the various government bodies and authorities provide in this country, and they serve as our role model. We inquire into the wellbeing of others, and offer help and assistance to them. We hasten to get involved in community participation and volunteer work and provide whatever we can in terms of various forms of cooperation and collaboration for the sake of our country, desiring thereby Allah’s Good Pleasure and seeking His Aid.

We ask Allah Most High to make us of those who are beneficial to His creation, hasten to perform good and who will triumphant with His Approval and Good Pleasure.

I say these words of mine while I seek Allah’s Forgiveness for me and for you, so seek His Forgiveness, for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Second Khutbah
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ حَقَّ حَمْدِهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا وَنَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى مَنْ تَبِعَ هَدْيَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ.
All Praise be to Allah, as He should be praised. Peace and Blessings be upon our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and upon those who come after him and follow his guidance.

O Worshippers: Indeed, benefitting others and striving to satisfy their needs and see to their overall wellbeing is greatly valued and highly rewarded act, which our Prophet (may Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him) has called us towards and urged us to perform, for he said:
«أَحَبُّ النَّاسِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَنْفَعُهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ، وَأَحَبُّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى سُرُورٌ تُدْخِلُهُ عَلَى مُسْلِمٍ، أَوْ تَكْشِفُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً، أَوْ تَقْضِي عَنْهُ دَيْنًا، أَوْ تَطْرُدُ عَنْهُ جُوعًا، وَلَأَنْ أَمْشِيَ مَعَ أَخِي فِي حَاجَةٍ؛ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَعْتَكِفَ فِي هَذَا الْمَسْجِدِ -يَعْنِي مَسْجِدَ الْمَدِينَةِ- شَهْرًا»
(The most beloved of people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to people. The most beloved of deeds to Allah are to make a Muslim happy, or to remove one of his hardships, or to settle his debt, or to satisfy his hunger. That I walk with a brother in seeing to a need is more beloved to me than that I seclude myself in this mosque (i.e. the Mosque of Madinah) for a month. …) [Narrated by al-Tabarani in the al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir)

And with this, let us send our peace and blessings upon our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, his family and all of his companions. O Allah we ask You Forgiveness and the Causes of Your Forgiveness and we ask You for Health and Continued Wellbeing. We seek refuge and protection in You from all illnesses, pains and bad diseases. O Allah remove from us this pandemic, and cure us from every disease, and bestow the blessing of healing and good health upon the sick, O You Whom nothing on earth and in heaven can render powerless.