Sometime in 2022 -

Such a beautiful and pleasant khutba today. I loved it. May Allah bless the khateeb, those present, and those absent. The imam focused on two things today.

1. Being grateful for God's blessings.

2. The qualities of the mutawaqqeen.

Being grateful for God's blessings.

"And He giveth you of all that ye ask for. But if ye count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them. Verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude"

Quran Majeed: 14:34. Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali.

This is a classic. But it bears repeating. And I for one am thankful for the imam to bring this topic up. One can easily forget the multitude of blessings Allah has showered upon us. From our eyes, ears, hearts, bodies, health, from our talents, qualities, abilities, and interests, from our families and friends and loved ones, to our faith in Allah and our love for the Prophet PBUH. Indeed, if we count the favours Allah has bestowed upon us, we would not be able to stop. The imam asked us - do you recall the last time you prayed two rakaat's to express your gratefulness to God? The last time you prostrated yourself?

We forget to be grateful. We forget to say thanks. And Allah says:

"And remember! your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): "If ye are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you; But if ye show ingratitude, truly My punishment is terrible indeed."

Quran Majeed: 14:7. Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali)

And the imam made a very interesting connection to a few other duas the Prophet used to pray.

"O Allah! Grant me well-being in my body. O Allah! Grant me well-being in my hearing. O Allah! Grant me well-being in my sight. There is no true god but You."

Abū Dāwūd. Retrieved: Yaqeen Institute, 2020

The imam shared that this was one of the Prophet's way of expressing thanks to Allah for some of the most crucial blessings Allah has provided us. And so should we! And Inshallah we will be increased in our blessings.

The qualities of the mutawaqqeen

This section was organized around the following ayat:

"It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing."

Quran Majeed: 2:177. Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali.

The ayat is remarkably direct and easy to understand. So, I won't go into too much detail. It was nice how the ayat tells us to spend on all these people. When did we last spend on such things out of love for Allah? May God give us taufeeq to do so.

The imam did say one extra thing interesting, though. And that was regarding the 'to fulfil the contracts which ye have made' aspect. And the imam said that is not just for our promises to one another, but is also for our promises to God. The Imam talked about how students wanting a certain grade may bargain with God. And he shared the story of the founder of the mosque, who when he wanted a specific blessing, promised God he would make a masjid if God blessed him in that specific manner. God did not do so in the timeline he had hoped for or expected. In fact, he was told he would not get that blessing by those in charge. However, he said to God: You are the best of deciders. I am sure you have decided for my benefit, as you always do. I will fulfill my promise -- I will construct this mosque. And he did so.

The same day construction started, he received a call, advising him that he would indeed get that blessing he was previously so anxious about, but had let go of.

This ties in to what my mom always said (yes, my mom, noted religious authority, at least in my home). She said you can't bargain with God. You can't be like, oh, if you do this, I'll do that. Instead, what you need to do is, do what you are promising to do first. And if it is pleasing to Allah SWT, then what you want will happen. But you can't bargain and say if this then that.

May Allah bless my mother and all our mothers for their love, wisdom, and sacrifices.

Conclusion

This was the first khutba in a while that made me sit up and take notice (I know, I know, normal every day khutbaas also have lots of wisdom I can use). I hope and pray this spark of gratitude burns brightly forever more in our hearts. Inshallah khair.