Friday Khutbah of Masjid Otsuka

September, Friday 01. 2023

In the name of Allah Most Gracious and Most Merciful

All praise is due to Allah Who sent down the Qur’an with which He guided us to the straight path. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, having no partners, and Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

O servants of Allah! Allah says in the Qur’an in Surah al-Ahzab and an-Nisaa:

“O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice.”  “…And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.”  (S. 33  V.70–71)

“And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah,…”  (S.4  V.103)

When you finish your prayers, then hasten towards the remembrance of Allah with your tongue and your hearts, to alleviate any shortcomings and to complete its reward. Indeed the times straight after the prayers are times of immense grace for making remembrance of Allah, it is expected that these times are ones of acceptance and the means by which the believer attains unto whatsoever he is hopeful of. Thawban said: the Prophet SAW used to say EstaghfurAllah three times. This was a process of asking Allah for His redemptive love concerning any sense of lack therein, for every person falls short of what is Allah’s true due in the prayer, concerning what may come upon him from distracting thoughts and concerns.

This is why the Istighfar (the process of seeking forgiveness) was set as a powerful example by the Prophet SAW. The Prophet SAW followed this by glorifying the Lord, describing His transcendence by stating: O Allah: You are Peace and all Peace comes from You. How blessed You are, O Possessor of Glory and Honour. [Muslim]    From that which is recommended for the believer after the obligatory prayers is to repeat phrases from the ‘al-Baqiyaat al-Salihaa’ (literally meaning ‘enduring righteousness’). These are phrases that believers are encouraged to say, being: SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaaha illa Allah and Allahu Akbar. So whoever makes remembrance of Allah with any of these phrases thirty-three times and then ends his remembrance with the phrase La ilaha illa Allah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahu al-mulk, wa lahu al-Hamd, wa huwa ala kulli shay’in qadir will find that Allah will not disappoint him nor cause to waste his reward. The Prophet SAW said: There are phrases of remembrance following the prayer, the one who repeats them will never be deprived of the reward. [Muslim]    Even if one were to suffice with just ten sayings of SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah and Allahu Akbar; and were to persist upon it after every prayer. From that which increases the reward of the believer after every prayer, is the recitation of the Muawidhat, namely:  Surah al-Ikhlaas, Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Naas. It is narrated on Uqbah ibn Amr who states that the Prophet SAW ordered him to recite the Muawidhat after every prayer.

Allah says in the Qur’an in Surah as-Sharah:

“So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship].”  “And to your Lord direct [your] longing.”  (S.94  V.7—8)

So if a person finishes his prayer, he should direct his longing towards Allah, as well as his needs. This was the way of the Prophet SAW, he used to be proficient in his supplication at this blessed time. And in this regard he was followed by his companions. So when the Prophet SAW was asked “Which supplication is heard (i.e. more likely to be answered)?”  He SAW responded by saying: (During) the last part of the night, and at the end of the obligatory prayers. [Tirmidhi]   And The Prophet SAW whenever

he used to give his salaams after the prayer used to say: “O Allah, forgive me my former and latter sins, what I have kept secret and what I have done openly, and what I have done in extravagance; and what You know better than I. You are the Advancer, the Delayer, there is no god but You.”  [Muslim]

May the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon prophet Muhammad SAW, his family and all of his Companions. May Allah be pleased with the Rightly Guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and all those who will follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.

O Allah! Accept our prayers and all our ibada and also all our good deeds for the sake of Your pleasure.

O Allah! Guide us to the right path and accept all our worships

O Allah! Accept all our good deeds and forgive our sins.

O Allah! Accept all of us Dawah worker in Japan

O Allah! Give rizq in abundance to all Muslims in Japan

Oh Allah! Grant safety and security to everyone here in Japan as well as all over the world. Aamin ya Rabbil Aalamin.