Dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, I greet you today with the greeting of Paradise, “as-Salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu”.

First Khutbah – Main Points

اقترب للناس حسابهم و هم في غفلة معرضون

“The Reckoning is ever drawing closer to Mankind, yet they are woefully heedless of it, turning away.” [Q: 21: 1]

Last week, I opened the khutbah with a reading from suwrah al-Anbiyā’ in which Allah states the coming of the Hour. And while this coming of the Hour encompasses both the iterations of it: the Big Hour or the demise of the world [الساعة الكبيرة], or our individual hours: [الساعة الصغيرة].  Attached to this coming of the Hour is the account of all we have done in our live [or not done for that matter].  This is similar to what Allah says in suwrah al-Infatar:

علمت نفس ما قدمت و أخرت

“Every soul will know what it has put forward and what it held back.” [Q: 82: 5]

How do we react to advice when we’re given it from those we know?  What about advice from Allah of His Messenger [s]?  Are we as quick and eager to alter our character, our awareness as much as we think we are?  A case in point is the imagination that many Muslims have, thinking that we would have loved to have been with the Prophet [s] during his lifetime.  What we do not realize is this: we would have learned and been told a great many things about our character that we may have found hard to swallow.  And like it or not, we would have to imbibe this for there would have been no other arbiter to take one’s case to in the face of the Messenger critiquing your character. (continue reading here…)