nny-Vale Homes Muslim Community JUMAH KHUTBAH OF THE SUNNY-VALE HOMES CENTRAL MOSQUE 16th SHAWWAL, 1434 A.H (AUGUST 23, 2013): BY IMAM LUQMAN IWALEWA. FROM THE MINBAR SLIP OF THE TONGUE First Sermon I start today’s sermon in the name of Allah Whose Knowledge encompasses all things. He is Witness over all things. His Knowledge reaches what is disclosed and what is hidden, what is near and what is far away. I bear witness that there is none worthy to be worshiped except Allah, with Whom there is no associate. To Him belongs the Kingdom and to Him all praise is due; He is the best Protector and the Worthy of all praise. I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, the best of all servants of Allah. May Allah’s blessing be showered on him, his family, his Companions and those who will continue to follow his pattern of life till the end of time. Obedient servants of Allah, fear Allah, the Exalted, and preserve your tongues, for the results of tongue indulgence can lead to a person’s ruin. It was reported on the authority of Mu’adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: “I asked the Prophet (Salla Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam): Messenger of Allah, tell me of something which should cause me to be admitted to Paradise and will keep me away from the Fire. He answered: “You have asked about a matter of great importance but it is easy for one for whom Allah makes it easy. Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him. Observe Prayer, pay the Zakaah, observe the Fast of Ramadan and perform the Pilgrimage if you can afford the journey. Then he added: “Shall I inform you of the gates of goodness? The fast is a shield. Charity puts out sins as water puts out fire and also the Prayer in the middle of the night. Then he recited “Their limbs do forsake their beds of sleep, the while they call on their Lord, in Fear and Hope: and they spend (in charity) out of the sustenance which We have bestowed on them. Now no person knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden (in reserve) for them, as a reward for their (good) Deeds” (As-Sajdah: 16-17). Then he added: “Shall I tell you of the head of the matter and of its pillars and of its apex?” I said: “Certainly, Messenger of Allah.” He said: “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillars are Prayers and its apex is fighting in the cause of Allah (Jihad).” Then he asked: “Shall I tell you of that which controls all this?” I said: “Certainly, O Messenger of Allah.” Then he took hold of his tongue and said: “Keep this in control.” I said: “Shall we be called to account in respect of that which we say?” He answered: “May your mother lose you, will people not be thrown face down into Hell only on account of the harvest of their tongue.” Respected brothers and sisters in Islam, the harvest of tongue is the unlawful sayings, which are many, and among which there are sayings tantamount to disbelief. Mockery of Allah, His religion, His Book, His messengers, His signs, and His righteous servants as regards their modes of worship, all lead to disbelief in Allah and the exclusion out of the fold of faith. This mockery is one of the fruits of the tongue. Falsehood, backbiting, tale bearing, obscenity, reviling and cursing, are all forms of the fruits of the tongue. In a Hadith it was stated that Allah treats with displeasure a person who is given to loose and vulgar talk. Most people pay no attention to falsehood, as they do not derive a warning from the Prophet’s saying: “Falsehood leads to Al-Fujur (i.e. wickedness, evil-doing), and Al-Fujur (wickedness) leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar.” Certain persons may sometimes have unreliable guesswork, which they divulge among people carelessly, though their guess may defame other Muslims, thus incurring the sin of falsehood and transgression committed against their fellow Muslims. It is feared that such people will be included in the category concerning which the Prophet (Salla Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said: “A man may utter a word, in which he finds no faults, though it may cause him to fall down into the Hell for seventy years.” In Sahih Al-Bukhari, it was narrated on the authority of Samurah bin Jundub, in a part of the dream seen by the Prophet (Salla Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam): “Two angels came to him and, while they accompanied him, they passed by a person lying and another standing with an iron hook in his hand pushing it inside the mouth of the former till it reached the jawbone, and then tore off one side of his cheek, and then did the same with the other side; in the meantime the first side of his cheek became normal again and then he repeated the same operation again.” The two angels told the Prophet (Salla Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam): “He was a liar and who used to tell lies, and the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So, he will be punished like that till the Day of Resurrection.” Such are those who convey their baseless conjectures to people as if they were realities. Perhaps such conjectures may sow hatred among people and lead to the disintegration of society and dispersion of the team spirit, for nothing but illusions. Some people may propagate rumors that they hear from others, which if investigated, will turn out to be mere lies or versions of original reports distorted by exaggerations. However, a prudent believer should ascertain news and their sources before conveying them to others, in order to avoid committing falsehood. In a Sahih Hadith the Prophet (Salla Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said: “A man may utter a word without his being on a clear ground regarding it (i.e., without considering its being truthful or not or its being good or evil) which causes him to slip down into the Fire (in a depth) greater than the distance between east and west.” In another Hadith it was related that the Prophet (Salla Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said: “A person will be considered as committing a great sin if he relates all that he hears.” O Muslims! Restrain your tongues! Do not let them loose, bringing about your destruction. When you are about to utter a word, just remember Allah’s saying that which translates as: “Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready (to note it)” (Qaf: 18), and the Prophet’s saying: “Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day say something good, or better keep silent.” O People! Verily, you will be called to account for every word that you utter. So, be prepared for that critical time when you will confronted with the words that you uttered carelessly! O Muslim! Do not hasten to utter all that comes to your imagination or all that you heard, for your imagination or the report you heard may be far from the truth, in which case you will lose greatly. May Allah make the Holy Qur’an a blessing for you and I and protect us from slipping in erroneous words or deeds, for He is Most Bounteous, Most Generous! Second Sermon: Praise be to Allah, may His peace and blessing be on His Messenger and his households. Brothers and sisters in Islam, one of the ways by which people misuse the tongue is by revealing bedroom secrets. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned to the men and said, “Is there any man among you who, when he comes to his wife, he locks the door, throws his blanket over himself and conceals himself with the cover of Allaah?” They said, “Yes.” He said, “And does he sit after that and say, ‘I did such and such, and I did such and such?’” They remained silent. Then he turned to the women and said, “Is there anyone among you who speaks (of private marital matters)?” They remained silent. Then a buxom young girl sat up tall so that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would see her and hear her words, and said, “O Messenger of Allaah, (the men) speak and (the women) speak.” He said, “Do you know what the likeness of that is? The likeness of that is that of a female devil who meets a male devil in the street and he fulfils his desire with her when the people are looking on.” It is obligatory for both spouses to keep the secrets of the marriage, especially anything that has to do with their intimate relationship in bed. The wife is entrusted with the husband’s secrets and the husband is entrusted with the wife’s secrets. May Allah guide you and I to the best of manners and deeds and keep us away from the bad manners and deeds and guide us to His straightforward path, for He is Most Bounteous, Most Generous. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad (Salla Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam), his family and his Companions.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 05:16:45 +0000