Friday Khutbah of Masjid Otsuka

August Friday 11. 2023

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-Hasyr

“O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow – and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.”  (S.59  V.18)

The Prophet SAW said: “The people of Paradise are three – and amongst them he mentioned – a contented man who refrains from what is unlawful.” [Muslim]   So, contentment with the halal and abstinence from the haram is a path by which one journeys to Paradise. This is because it forbids the soul from its ephemeral desires, and prevents the soul from that which is not permissible for it. Allah the Exalted says in the Qur’an in Surah an-Naziyat:

“But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from [unlawful] inclination,”  “then indeed, Paradise will be [his] refuge.”  (S.79  V.40—41)

The Messenger of Allah SAW used to supplicate and seek this from Allah, so he would say: “O Allah, I ask You for guidance, piety, self-control and self-sufficiency.” [Muslim]   And he SAW commanded us to embody such abstinence and enjoined and exhorted us to gain it. Heraclius asked Abu Sufyan about the Messenger of Allah SAW, Heraclius said: “What does he command you towards?” Abu Sufyan responded by saying to Heraclius: “He commands us to pray, tell the truth, chastity, and uphold the ties of kinship.” [Muslim and Bukhari]   So, such abstinence and self-control is a religious obligation and a moral principle, representing behavior that helps build strong societies and civilizations. For through it the people’s spiritual difficulties and societal problems become alleviated, allowing for virtue to be preserved and spread in their communities. This is achieved through the believer controlling his desires, and seeking the help of Allah in this. From amongst the most important forms of abstinence is that a person abstains from the wealth of another. The Prophet SAW said: “Whoever abstains from seeking the wealth of others, Allah will provide for him. And whoever is self-sufficient, Allah will free him from need from all besides.” [Muslim and Bukhari]   The Prophet SAW praised a group from the Sahaba with regards to their self-sufficiency and their not seeking help from others. Allah says in the Qur’an in Surah ar-Baqarah:

“…An ignorant [person] would think them self-sufficient because of their restraint, but you will know them by their [characteristic] sign. They do not ask people persistently [or at all]. …”  (S.2  V.273)

From such restraint and abstention is the returning of rights to the people to whom it belongs, and returning trusts to their people. The Prophet SAW said: “Four attributes if they are with you, then you need not worry about what you missed in this world: The fulfilling of trusts, truthfulness in speech, goodly character and restraint with food.” [Ahmad]

And a man came to the Prophet SAW and said: “O Prophet of Allah! Teach me an action which will enable me to enter Paradise. So, the Prophet SAW said: “Restrain your tongue from everything except what is good.” [Al-Adab Al-Mufrad]　　So the believer who hopes for entering Paradise should refrain his tongue from the haram and not speak anything but good, and distance himself from uttering that which offends. The Prophet SAW said: “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe.” [al-Nasa’i]

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! Bless us with Baraka in all of our affairs and make us blessed wheresoever we be.

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

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

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

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