إن الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه, من يهده الله فلا مضل له ومن يضلل فلا هادي له, وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله
All Praise is due to Allah, We praise Him, and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils, and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allah, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah, the only one without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is His servant, and His messenger.
Brothers in Islam, Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) commands us to remember Him all the time, Allah the Exalted said:
“يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْراً كَثِيراً, وَسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلاً”
“O you who believe, Remember Allah with much remembrance. And glorify His Praises morning and afternoon.”
“فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَانْتَشِرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوا مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ “
“Then when the Salat (prayer) is ended, you may disperse through the land, and seek the Bounty of Allah (by working), and remember Allah much, that you may be successful.”
“إنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي الألْبَابِ الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللّهَ قِيَاماً وَقُعُوداً وَعَلَىَ جُنُوبِهِمْ”
“Verily, in the creation of the Heavens and the Earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides.”
فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ
“Therefore remember Me (by praying and glorifying). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless favours and bounties on you) and never be ungrateful to Me.”
Brothers in Islam, all acts of Ebadah (worshiping) are benefit those who perform them if they are performed in sincerity to Allah Alone, without associating others with Allah in worship, and without Riya’ (which is showing off and seeking fame).
Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) said:
فَاعْبُدِ اللَّهَ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ الدِّينَ, ألا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ
“So worship Allah (Alone) by doing religious deeds sincerely for the sake of Allah only. Surely, the religion (the worship and the obedience) is for Allah only.”
وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ, وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَذَلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ
“And they were commanded that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone, and perform As-Salat and give Zakat, and that is the right religion.”
فَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُصَلِّينَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ, الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ
“So woe to those who pray. But who delay their prayers (the do not do it in the stated fixed times). Those who do good deeds only to be seen of people, and withhold [simple] assistance.”
فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُوا لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا
“So whoever hopes for the Meeting with Allah, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of Allah”
In a Hadith Qudsi narrated by Imam Muslim, Allah the Exalted said:
أَنَا أَغْنَى الشُّرَكَاءِ عَنْ الشِّرْكِ مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا أَشْرَكَ فِيهِ مَعِي غَيْرِي تَرَكْتُهُ وَشِرْكَهُ
“I am the Most Rich from needing associates. Whoever performs a deed in which he associated others with Me in worship, 1 will discard him and his Shirk”
Notably, sincerity is not the only condition in accepting any act of worship; it is also necessary and obligatory to imitate the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in any act of worship. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ. رواه مسلم
“Whoever performs an act that does not conform to our matter (the Quran and the authentic Sunnah), then his act is rejected.” Narrated by Muslim.
Brothers in Islam, worshipping Allah is the first necessary requirement from the slaves, for it is Allah’s right that comes before any other right.
Allah the Exalted said:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
“And I (Allah) created not the Jinn and mankind except they should worship Me (alone)”.
يا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“O mankind, worship your Lord, Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqun”
وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا
“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents”
وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ
“And worship your Lord until death comes to you”
Brothers in Islam, he who does not worship Allah, certainly he will become Satan’s slave, just as Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) said:
“أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يٰبَنِيۤ ءَادَمَ أَن لاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ ٱلشَّيطَانَ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ, وَأَنِ ٱعْبُدُونِي هَـٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ”
“Did I not command you, O Sons of Adam that you should not worship Shaitan. Verily, he is a plain enemy to you. And that you should worship Me. That is the Straight Path.”
He who does not worship Allah, he worships his own lusts and desires.
أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَى سَمْعِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَجَعَلَ عَلَى بَصَرِهِ غِشَاوَةً فَمَنْ يَهْدِيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ اللَّهِ أَفَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ
“Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray despite his knowledge, and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart, and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allah? Then will you not be reminded?”
أقول ما تسمعون وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المؤمنين
I say this and ask Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) the Great and the Most Honored for forgiveness for me, you and all believers for every sin.
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الحمد لله رب العالمين، والعاقبة للمتقين، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وصحبه الطيبين الطاهرين.
Brothers in Islam, Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) says:
“مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الْآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ, وَمَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ نَصِيبٍ”
“Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter – We increase for him in his harvest. And whoever desires the harvest of this world – We give him thereof, but there is not for him in the Hereafter any share.”
مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا نُوَفِّ إِلَيْهِمْ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فِيهَا وَهُمْ فِيهَا لا يُبْخَسُونَ أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ
فِي الآخِرَةِ إِلا النَّارُ وَحَبِطَ مَا صَنَعُوا فِيهَا وَبَاطِلٌ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornments – We fully repay them for their deeds therein, and they therein will not be deprived. Those are the ones for whom there is not in the Hereafter but the Fire. And lost is what they did therein, and worthless is what they used to do.”
قال صلى الله عليه وسلم: فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَإِلَى رَسُولِهِ فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَإِلَى رَسُولِهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى دُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوِ امْرِأَةٍ يَنْكِحُهَا فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ. رواه البخاري ومسلم
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His messenger, his migration was for Allah and His messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated.”
عباد الله يقول الله سبحانه وتعالى: أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ
Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) said:
“Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are disobedient.”
May Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) direct us to the blessings of the Glorious Quran and Sunnah, and benefit us in whatever is in them, of the Ayat and Wise Dhikr.
سبحانك رب العزة عما يصفون وسلام على المرسلين والحمد لله رب العالمين