My dear respected brothers and sisters! The purpose of today’s khutba is to remind myself and you not to forget our ultimate objective, and that is to seek the pleasure of Allah (SWT) in everything we do. The pleasure of Allah is an objective that is superior to all other objectives and by attaining it one attains the highest of degrees that a believer can ever accomplish. The verse 119 in Surat al-Ma’idah tells us:
قَالَ اللَّهُ هَذَا يَوْمُ يَنْفَعُ الصَّادِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
“Allah will say, This is the Day when the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness. They shall forever dwell in gardens through which rivers flow. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. That is the great success.” (al-Ma’idah, 5:119)
A hadith tells us: “Allah will say to the people of Paradise, ‘O residents of Paradise!’ They will respond, ‘Here we are, our Lord, and all good is in Your Hands.’ He will ask them, ‘Are you now pleased?’ They will answer, ‘Why should we not be pleased our Lord when You have given us such bounties that You have not given to any of Your other creation?’ He will then say to them, ‘Shall I not bestow upon you something even better than that?’ They will inquire, ‘O our Lord! What else could be better than that?’ He will say, ‘I bestow upon you My pleasure and shall never thereafter be displeased with you.’”
The pleasure of Allah is amongst the greatest goals that one can ever seek to achieve. For this reason, all the prophets and messengers of Allah strived to attain the pleasure of their Lord. The Qur’an mentions Musa (AS) as saying:
وَعَجِلْتُ إِلَيْكَ رَبِّ لِتَرْضَىٰ
“And I rushed to You, my Lord, so that You might be pleased.” (Ta Ha, 20:84)
In another instance, the Qur’an tells about Suleiman (AS) supplicating to his Lord.
رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ
“My Lord! Inspire me to be thankful for the blessings You have granted me and my parents, and to do good deeds that please You.” (an-Naml, 27:119)
So, how can we attain the pleasure of Allah and draw nearer to Him? In pursuit of this noble objective, one needs to take a number of actions. The first one is to sincerely adhere to the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Allah says,
قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُبِينٌ () يَهْدِي بِهِ اللَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلَامِ وَيُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
“…There certainly has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book by which Allah guides those who seek His pleasure to the ways of peace, and brings them out from darknesses into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path.” (al-Ma’idah: 15-16).
The sincere Muslim seeks to earn the pleasure of Allah in everything he does. Since it is Allah Who created man, provided him his sustenance and all other blessings, and Who promised him eternal life in the hereafter, it would be an act of ingratitude for him to seek the pleasure of others at the cost of displeasing Allah, or the gratification of his own self as his primary aim. According to a hadith narrated by Tirmidhi and others, “Whoever seeks the pleasure of Allah at the risk of displeasing the people; Allah will take care of him and protect him from them. But whoever seeks the pleasure of the people at the risk of angering Allah, Allah will cause people to be displeased with him.”
Praising the companions of the Prophet (SAW) – the Sahaba who worked diligently towards practicing the Islamic way of life, Allah said,
تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا
“You see them bowing and prostrating themselves, seeking Allah’s bounty and pleasure.” (al-Fath, 48:29)
In fact, Allah had granted the first generation of this Ummah – the generation of the Sahabah, success in the earth and domination when they submitted their souls to the teaching of Islam, and adopted it as a basis for their unity and solidarity. Then they proceeded to practice it and implement it in their lives through a collective organized movement. This is the path to their domination and success.
Actually, there are two choices a man can make. He can either establish his life on Allah’s good pleasure, and thus earn the reward of His Paradise, or choose the path that leads to Hell. This is clearly expressed in verse 109 of Surat al-Tawbah.
أَفَمَنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَى تَقْوَى مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٍ خَيْرٌ أَمْ مَنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَى شَفَا جُرُفٍ هَارٍ فَانْهَارَ بِهِ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ
“Who is better: someone who founds his building on taqwa of Allah and His good pleasure, or someone who founds his building on the edge of a cliff which is about to crumble, so that it collapses with him into the fire of Hell? Allah does not guide wrong doers.”(Surat at-Tawbah, 9:109)
The values praised in the Qur’an are those that are founded on achieving Allah’s pleasure. For example, self-sacrifice, which is pleasing to Allah, is valid only if the person does not expect anything for it in return except Allah’s good pleasure. Highlighting this aspect of the believers, the Qur’an says in verses 8 and 9 of Surat al-Insan,
وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا () إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا
“They give food, despite their love for it, to the poor and orphans and captives, (saying): “We feed you only out of desire for the pleasure of Allah. We do not want any repayment from you or any thanks.” (Surat al-Insan, 76:8-9)
The greatest honor and gratification man can ever attain is Allah’s good pleasure. Allah’s good pleasure is not only earned solely by performing certain acts of worship at definite times. It is also earned by conducting oneself correctly throughout one’s lifetime. Believers are told to enter into Islam completely and whole-heartedly.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً
“O you who believe, enter into Islam completely.” (al-Baqarah, 2:208)
A believer’s entire life must be oriented towards seeking the pleasure of Allah.
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
“Say: My prayer and my sacrifice, my living and my dying, are for Allah alone, the Lord of all the worlds.” (Surat al-An’am, 6:162)
Islam is a holistic way of life that directs the Muslims towards a great purpose, namely the pleasure of Allah. Seeking the pleasure of Allah should be our sole priority in life. May Allah guide us to that which pleases Him.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! What do we do to give this life its due share while seeking Allah’s pleasure at the same time? We do have to give this life its due share. We have to live it; we cannot escape from it, nor can we ignore the challenges it poses. Moreover, Islam does not expect us to withdraw ourselves from the world. Allah tells us in the Qur’an:
وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آَتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآَخِرَةَ وَلَا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
“Seek the abode of the Next World with what Allah has given you, without forgetting your portion of this world. And do good as Allah has been good to you. And do not seek to cause corruption in the earth, for Allah does not like those who spread corruption.“(al-Qasas, 28:77).
We see from the life of the Prophet (SAW) that he was an active and successful merchant before being chosen as a prophet. During his life of prophethood, he had family and dealt with worldly affairs like any fully-engaged human being. He is an excellent example for the rich and poor, for young and old, for rulers and ruled, for the most intelligent as well as the most common people. He was exemplary as a teacher, preacher, imam, leader, statesman and judge, commander of the armies as well as a husband, a father, a grandfather, a businessman, a neighbor, and a friend. We, too, are supposed to lead life, utilizing all the resources Allah Most Gracious has bestowed on us. Accordingly, we need to educate ourselves in worldly matters and to use that knowledge to lead a good life and also to help prevent injustices and exploitation of humanity at large.
The life and example of the Prophet (SAW) should make it clear as to how we should engage ourselves in the activities of this life. No one should withdraw from life and forget his responsibilities.
How can we strike the right balance? The obligation to live this life while providing for ourselves and our families effectively and by ensuring that we are not violating others’ rights may create conflicts that must be managed accordingly. We ought to adopt attitudes where our actions strike the right balance between any competing and conflicting situations. We need to remind ourselves that by respecting the divine rulings of the lawful and the unlawful, we can lead a life where we can make the most of this life while our hearts are always conscious of, and devoted to, Allah and the hereafter.
Let’s remember that when we live our lives according to what Islam teaches us, we not only live fulfilling lives, we also please Allah (SWT). However, while living this life, nothing should divert us from our real purpose of life. The desire to attain the pleasure and favor of Allah (SWT) should supersede all other considerations.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ
“Those who believe and do good deeds are the best of creation.”(Surat al-Bayyinah, 98:7)
This implies that they are superior to all creatures of Allah, even to the angels, for the angels do not have the power to disobey, and these people adopt Allah’s obedience in spite of having the power to disobey Him.
جَزَاؤُهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ رَبَّهُ
“Allah has a reward in store for them: gardens of eternity, through which rivers flow; they will dwell therein forever. Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him. That is for those who fear their Lord.” (Surat al-Bayyinah, 98:8)
It is the fear of Allah’s displeasure, and the fear of the consequences of His disobedience which alone can act as a strong deterrent to restrain one from deviation. In this life, a person who is conscious of Allah and who fears displeasing Allah will have this reward reserved for him with Allah. May Allah make us among them. Allahumma Ameen.
