The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah Alhamdulillah, nahmaduhu wa nasta’eenuhu was nastaghfir Wa nauthu billahi min shururi anfusinaa wa min sayyiaati a’maalina May yahdillahu fa laa mudhilla lah Was may yudhlil fa laa haadiya lah Wa nashhadu allah ilaha illallah wahdahu laa shareeka lah wa nashhadu anna muhammadan abduhu wa rasulullah All praise and thanks is due to Allah. We praise Allah, we seek assistance and forgiveness from Allah. And we seek refuge in Allah from our lower selves and from the wrongs we commit. Whoever Allah guides no one can misguide, and whoever Allah leaves astray, no one can guide. And we bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but God, the One who is unique and has no partners. And we bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s servant and messenger.

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.” O You who believe, – Be conscious of Allah, with a true consciousness, and die not except as in a state of submission. Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.” O You who believe, – Be conscious of Allah, and speak a straightforward word. He will forgive your sins and repair your deeds. And whoever takes Allah and His prophet as a guide, has already achieved a mighty victory…

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah Today I’d like to deal with a topic that we all encounter, It’s the problem of Suffering. Some people argue, that if Allah is Love, if Allah is All Merciful, then why do people suffer? There are so many earthquakes, floods, volcanoes; there’s so much warfare, hunger and disease: Why do innocent men, women and children have to endure unspeakable hardship? Why do the real sinners seem to get away with their crimes? Sometimes we hear people say, “How can I believe in a Merciful and Loving God when He allows so much suffering?”

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah Some people take the existence of suffering as proof that God doesn’t exist, or if He does exist, then He doesn’t deserve to be worshipped, because He appears to be so unjust , How do we deal with such arguments? First of all, we must be clear that every human being, without exception, will at some time or other have to endure hardship, pain, and death.

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah “Kullun nafsin thaa ikatul mawt,” says the Holy Quran; “Every soul will taste Death.” The same Quran also poses the rhetorical question, in Sura Al Baqara [2:214]: “Or do you think that you will enter Heaven without being tested like those who were tested before you? They endured suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that even the Prophet and those of faith who were with him cried: ‘When will the help of Allah come?’ “Ala! Inna nasral-Laahi qareeb!” [2:214] Ah! Truly, Allah’s help is always near!”

Allah’s help is always near. It’s much nearer than we think Allah’s help is always near! It’s much nearer than we think! Allah wants us to really feel and experience our desperate need for Him. He wants us to persevere, patiently. He wants us to repose our complete trust in His mercy, so that we can set ourselves apart from those who disbelieve, those who stand against faith. How blessed we are, we who believe in the Lord of all the worlds, and who have absolute certainty, yaqeen, of our Day of meeting with Him! How miserable and lonely, how futile and pointless the life of those without faith, who live from day to day, without any hope and without longing for what lies beyond death! The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem! Tabaark al-lathee biyadihil mulk wahuwa alaa kulli shay-in qadeer! Al-lathee khalaqal mawta wal hayaata liyab’luwakum ay-yukum ahsanu ‘amalaa. Wahuwal ‘Azeezul Ghaf-fuur! “In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate! Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the Dominion; and He over all things has Power! He Who created Death and Life so that He may try which of you is best in deed, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Oft-forgiving!” [67:1-3]

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah Here is the key to what some people see as the “problem” of suffering. We know that suffering is a test for us, a test of our patience. We know that peace and prosperity is also a test, a test of our gratitude to Allah. Those who see suffering as a “problem” are really saying that they believe they have a right to a life of uninterrupted happiness, with no discomfort, no pain and no grief. But that’s not what this earthly life is all about! That’s what Allah promises us in akhira, not in dunya! We’re not there yet! We still have to earn the right to enter Allah’s garden!

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah Another point: When believers suffer hardship, they say, “Inna lil-laahi wa inna ilayhir-raaji-oon!” “From Allah do we come, and to Him is our return.” Believing Christians say, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Praise the Lord!” We can see how Believers in different faiths speak the same spiritual language. They accept the Divine Decree.

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah Allah does what He Wills, and His will is always, unfailingly good, however harsh it may appear to us on the surface. Our human perception is limited, like ants crawling over a carpet, we complain about the rough surface, the knots and the texture that make our journey difficult. But we cannot see the beauty of the carpet from above. We cannot see the beauty of Allah’s master plan, until we step outside our small, selfish worlds. Believers suffer, but they know their suffering is an expiation of their sins, and their patience and contentment brings them closer to Allah.

The Inner Circle But the non-believer suffers at a much deeper level. Friday Khutbah But the non-believer suffers at a much deeper level. Charles [Hassan] le Guy Eaton writes in his book, Islam and the Destiny of Man, [pp207]: “First there’s the pain and suffering itself. Then there’s the belief that it shouldn’t have happened at all. They suffer because something is wrong, then they suffer again because, now everything is wrong. At the end of this particular road is the abyss of despair, a grave sin for the Believing Muslim as it is for the Believing Catholic. A wound which might otherwise be cleaned and healed now becomes suppurated and poisons the bloodstream.”

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah It’s only when we try to generalize our suffering into a philosophical level, that we have a problem. When non-believers suffer, their lack of faith leads them to endless despair, and sometimes, even to suicide. Let us thank Allah for illuminating our hearts with the light of His guidance. Even if our faith, our iman is as small as a mustard seed; If we truly believe in Allah and we learn to rely on Him completely, then we are much richer and more blessed than the wealthiest non-Believer, whose wealth and happiness stand on shaky foundations.

The Inner Circle Barakallahu lee wa lakum fil quranil kareem Friday Khutbah Barakallahu lee wa lakum fil quranil kareem Wa nafa’nee wa iyyakum bil aayaati wa dhikril hakeem Innahu jawaadun malikun barrun rabbur ra’oofur raheem May Allah bless me and you through the guidance of this noble Quran And may it teachings and remembrances benefit me and you Truly Allah is the possessor of wealth, the sovereign, the all good, the one who has authority over us, the all-loving and all-merciful.

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah Sit between Khutbahs

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah The mystical poet, Jalaluddin Rumi says that “Suffering is a gift. In it is a hidden mercy.” Suffering teaches us patience, sabr, and it also teaches us Ridhaa, which is total reliance on Allah, and serene acceptance of whatever He has decreed. It teaches us to persevere, to work hard to seek Allah’s good pleasure, his Ridwaan. It teaches us humility, it teaches compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves.

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah Our beloved Prophet Muhammad sws said, “How fortunate is the Believer, he endures hardship, and it is good for him [it teaches patience]; then he enjoys relief from hardship, and it is good for him [it gives a chance to be grateful to Allah]. Indeed, the true Friends of Allah are always overflowing with gratitude, in good times and in hard times…

“He who knows himself, knows his Lord.” The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah There is really no ‘problem’ of suffering. The problem is our human ignorance. If we don’t know Allah, we won’t know His Plan. We won’t be able to accept His Decree. We won’t know our place in the vast cosmic scheme of things. We won’t know who we really are, why we’re here, where we’ve come from and where we’re going to, after our death. Prophet Muhammad, sws, often reminded us about the vital importance of self-knowledge. One saying that has been attributed to him, affirms that: “He who knows himself, knows his Lord.”

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah let us be truly grateful to Allah, that we have this wonderful gift of Iman, this gift of Faith, to illuminate our way through life’s challenges. In many places the Holy Quran reminds us, “Ala, inna awliya Allah, la khawfun alayhim wala hum yah-zanoon!” “Behold, on the Friends of Allah, there is no fear, and no grief.” [10:62] No fear and no grief, and yet, if you study the Friends of Allah, you’ll find that their lives were filled with incredible hardship, pain and endurance. The Friends of Allah taught us Ridha’, that wonderful and serene acceptance of Allah’s will.

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah If we can be islands of calm in the oceans of turbulence; if we can show others a kind and helpful manner, in the midst of life’s problems, we will truly hold high that noble legacy of the Prophets and the Awliya, the Friends of Allah. This is what our world needs today. Our friends and neighbours out there, are in dire need of spiritual guidance. They need a gentle helping hand to show them how to cope with natural and manmade calamities, how to keep their own pain and personal grief in perspective.

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah let us set a good example, let us inspire our communities with our serenity, our dignity and our strength that come out of true faith in Allah, and total reliance on His Mercy, His Rahma. إِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاء ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ “Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be reminded.” [16:90]

The Inner Circle Friday Khutbah Allahummansur man nasra deena Muhammad; Allahummansuril mujahideena fee qulli makaan; Allahumma Yassir wa laa tu’assir Allahumma tammim bil ghayr wa antal kareemu muyassir O Allah, assist those who assist the cause of Muhammad O Allah, assist all those who strive towards good in every place O Allah, make things easy for us and remove difficulty O Allah, complete us in Goodness, Truly You are the most noble of all those who provides assistance. Innallaha wa malaa’ikatahu yusolloona alan nabi… yaa ayyuhallatheena aamanu sollu alayhi wa sallimoo tasleema. Wa aakhiri da’waanaa anil hamdu lillahi rabbil aalameen Truly Allah and the Angels sends blessings and salutations on the Prophet Muhammad, O you who believe, send greetings and salutations upon him. And the final word is that all praise and thanks is due to Allah, the Authority over all creation. اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ 29:45 Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do. Let us stand for prayer!