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Transcript of Khutbah on Salah by Yasir Qadhi

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salahBismillaah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem.

My Dear Brothers and sisters in Islam, when the Beloved Prophet of Allah Ibrahim ‘Alayhis Salaam was building the Ka’bah, the very first house of worship built on this earth, the very first house that would become the holiest place on this earth, He made a Du’a, in the middle of the desert, ONLY him and his son Ismail ‘Alayhis Salaam building the Ka’bah brick-by-brick understanding that this house that they are building shall become the sanctuary, a holy place for all Believers, building the house of Allah, What Du’a did they make? Imagine their feeling, imagine what they were undergoing carrying out this task that Allah had commanded them to do.

What was this Du’a? It is recorded in the Qur’an and one phrase in this Du’a is so important that every single Muslim needs to know it and learn about it. While they are building the Ka’bah, him and his son Isma’il, he says:

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Ibrahim ‘Alayhis Salaam says:  “O my Rabb make ME amongst those who establish the Salah, me and my children, Our Lord, and accept my supplication.” (Surah Ibrahim verse 40)

While he is building the Ka’bah that shall become the Qiblah for the Salaah, that shall become the direction that EVERY believer faces, when they pray, Ibrahim ‘Alayhis Salaam doesn’t say make the people who pray amongst me but he says, “Make ME amongst the people who pray.” As if the people who pray are higher than him even though we know that he is the leader of the people, him and the Prophet Muhammad sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam. But showing us the status of the people who pray, he says “O Allah make ME amongst those who pray and also make my children”.

SO IMPORTANT is the concept of Salah that while our Beloved Prophet Ibrahim ‘Alayhis Salaam is building the Ka’bah he makes a Du’a and he says “O Allah MAKE ME And my Children.” Not just the Prophet Ibrahim ‘Alayhis Salaam, ALL the Prophets of Allah, ALL of them, we learn the importance of Salah from their lives.

The Prophet Musa ‘Alayhis Salaam, the Kaleemullah, the one whom  Allah ‘Azza Wa Jall spoke with directly, when the Prophet Musa ‘Alayhis Salaam is lost in the valley of Madyan, wandering him and his wife in the middle of the night, cold and dark. He sees a light in the mountain, he thinks it is a fire so he tells his wife, “Let me go to this fire and perhaps get a brand with which we can see the way and warm ourselves”. He climbs the mountain and Lo and Behold! It is not a fire of men but it is the LIGHT of Allah ‘Azza Wa Jall speaking with him directly.

Allah spoke with the Prophet Musa ‘Alayhis Salaam DIRECTLY and that is why he is called Kaleemullah. What do you think Allah said to Musa ‘Alayhis Salaam, the VERY FIRST commandment that he gave to the Prophet Musa, He said:

I AM ALLAH, THERE IS NO DEITY WORTHY OF WORSHIP EXCEPT ME SO WORSHIP ME AND ESTABLISH THE SALAH TO REMEMBER ME. ” (Surah Taha, verse 14)

The FIRST Meeting, the Rules are laid out. FA’BUDNI, WORSHIP ME and ESTABLISH THE Prayer.

The Prophet ‘Iesa ‘Alayhis Salaam: his mother Maryam was known in Jerusalem to be from the most pious of women, her entire Dhikr, remembrance of Allah and her ‘Ibaadah was well known in the community. The most pious lady, she disappears for a few days, and then she comes forth back to the city carrying a baby in her hands.

O MARYAM WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS, YOU WERE NOT KNOWN FOR ANY EVIL, NOT EVEN YOUR PARENTS, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?

But Allah ‘Azza Wa Jall has told her “You’re not allowed to speak, SAY NOTHING FOR 3 DAYS.” What can she do? She points to the child saying, “It’s not from me, it’s from Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala, I can’t say anything but it is NOT what you think it to be” and so Allah ‘Azza Wa Jall Wills that a Miracle occurs, the likes of which mankind has NEVER seen.

The new born infant, barely a day old, NEW BORN INFANT SPEAKS FROM THE ARMS OF Maryam ‘Alayha-Salaam. What do you think this baby says? What do you think the infant Prophet ‘Iesa ‘Alayhis Salaam says?

‘Iesa ‘Alayhis Salaam says, “I am a servant of Allah, Allah has granted me the wisdom and given me the book, and He has made me a Prophet, and He has made me Blessed wheresoever I may be AND HE HAS COMMANDED THAT I PRAY AND GIVE CHARITY AS LONG AS I LIVE.” (Surah Maryam, verse 30 – 31)

He has COMMANDED THAT I PRAY AS LONG AS I LIVE. The baby ‘Iesa is speaking to us as an infant. Allah ‘Azza Wa Jall inspired him, Allah has commanded me to establish the Salah as long as I live.  How about the most Beloved Prophet of Allah, the Greatest human being to walk on the face of this earth – the  Prophet Muhammad Sal-Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, what do we learn from his Seerah, from his Blessed life about the importance of Prayer.

The  Prophet Muhammad’s sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam Seerah tells us about the importance of Prayer in MANY ways, suffices for this khutbah that I mention only one of them. Every single commandment of Islam, Allah ‘Azza Wa Jall revealed it to us in the Qur’an or through the Prophet’s statements. The Angel Jibril came down to the Prophet Sal-Allahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam with the commandment to recite the Qur’an, to fast the month of Ramadan, he told us to go for Hajj, he told us to avoid the major sins, ALL OF THIS IS IN THE QUR’AN.

So the Angel Jibril came down with verses and these verses are recited to this day. But there is one commandment, one pillar of Islam, that Allah Subhanhu Wa Ta’ala Wills that instead of sending down the angel to the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, He calls the Prophet up to Himself! So important was the command, so central was the message, that no angel came down but rather the Rasul was brought up. The Rasul sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was brought up so that Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala could speak to him directly, without any intermediaries, without an angel in the middle. On the blessed night of Israa wal mi’raaj.

When the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam went up the heavens with the angel Jibril, and then Jibril said, “I cannot go any further; you proceed forth alone ya Rasul Allah.” Even the angel Jibril, the holiest of all angels said “I cannot go any further, I do not have permission, you proceed.”
And so the Beloved Prophet Sal-Allaahu alayhi wa sallam Proceeded forth to a place where NO CREATED Being had ever been before. No created being, not even the angel Jibril. And then Allah ‘azza wa jall spoke with him directly, like He had spoken directly to Musa ‘Alayhis Salam but in this case it was more Blessed because it was NOT in the Mount Sinai but above the heavens.

What do you think Allah ‘Azza Wa Jall said? What was the commandment, what was the message? We all know the story.

The Prophet sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was told that he has to instruct his Ummah to PRAY 50 times a day. This was the message, this was the erason the messenger had to be brought up, why teh Raseul has a private audience with Allah jalla-jalaaluhu:  To tell us the importance of the salaah, to Illustrate the centrality of this pillar of Islam. No Angel comes down, no verses are revealed, the Prophet is brought up and he is told directly, “Tell your Ummah they need to pray 50 times a day.”

The  Prophet Muhammad sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, being the obedient slave that he is, takes the commandment and comes back down and meets the Prophet Musa ‘Alayhis Salaam in the 6th heaven. The Prophet Musa ‘Alayhis Salaam says, “What has Allah commanded you to say to your Ummah?” He said, “Allah has told me to tell my Ummah to pray 50 times a day.”

The Prophet Musa ‘Alayhis Salaam says “I have experienced mankind more than you have, I have more experience and wisdom at that stage, I have dealt with the Bani Israa’eel.” The Prophet Muhammad Sal-Allaahu alayhi wa sallam was in the beginning of his message so Musa ‘Alayhis Salaam said “I have more experience in this matter, your Ummah will never be able to pray 50 times a day, go back up to Allah and ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala to lower it, to make it easier and so begins a series of ascents and descents, of ups and downs, where the Prophet Sal-Allahu alayhi wa sallam goes up and asks for some slight concession, it goes down from 50 to 45, and then to 40, and then to 35, all the way down to 5. Up and Down the Prophet Sal-Allaahu alayhi wa sallam is going until Allah ‘Azza Wa Jall says “IT IS 5 AND YET IT IS 50.” They shall pray 5 but they shall get the rewadr of 50.

And so the Prophet  Sal-Allahu alayhi wa sallam was told to tell his Ummah to pray 5 times a day.  Now the question arises, “Why did Allah tell the Prophet Sal-Allahu alayhi wa sallam to pray 50 times a day when He knew that it will be brought down to 5?” Of course Allah knew, it is in the knowledge of Allah. Why go through this 50, 45; what is the Wisdom? Some of the Scholars have said that the wisdom behind this is to illustrate for us that there is NO Other Purpose for our life other than the Salah. It is as if Allah is saying, “I have only created you for the prayer.”

Imagine if we had to pray 50 times a day; that means every 15, 20 minutes we have to do wudhu, stand up and pray, and another 15 minutes later we’ll have to go and pray. Our whole life would be nothing but the prayer, exemplifying the verse in the Qur’an, showing it in action.

“I HAVE ONLY CREATED MAN AND JINN TO WORSHIP ME.” (Surah adh-Dhariyat, verse 56)

This is why you have been created, children of Adam! “I created you to worship Me.” And the best act of worship, and the most beloved act of worship, is the Salah.

And so it is as if Allah is telling us that this is why you are here. Now I know you couldn’t do 50, so I’m letting you do 5, but your purpose of creation is the worship of Allah. Remember that and never forget it.

This is one of the wisdom of why Allah legislated 50 and then brought it down to 5. O Muslims, the importance of the prayer cannot be overemphasized! So many are the aayaat, so many are the ahadeeth. Do you know, O Muslims, do you know that in the Qur’an, dozens of times, Allah commands us to pray? In fact, never  does Allah tell us to pray only, never does He say “SALLU!”; the command, “Pray O Muslims!” No, not even once in the Qur’an does Allah say “sallu” (meaning pray); rather, He commands us to do something more: “Wa Aqeemus-Salaah,” “Alladheena Yuqeemunas-Salah,” “Iqaamatis-Salah” is what Allah commands us to do, NOT just “sallu” which means just to pray.

Iqaamatus-salaah is a higher concept than just sallu. “Iqaamatus-salaah” means that you pray ir properly, at its time, fulfilling the conditions, understanding what you’re doing with khushoo’, contemplating the words of Allah, knowing the meanings of Allah’s words coming out of your mouth. Allah never commands us to just stand up and pray, He commands us to establish the prayer.  Perfect it, Do it Properly.

The importance of this Pillar of Islam, in the first year of the Prophet’s message, it was legislated before the prohibition of Alcohol, before the prohibition of interest, before Zina, before any other commandment was legislated. The Angel Jibril comes down and he instructs the Prophet Sal-Allahu alayhi wa sallam and teaches him how to prayer. In the first weeks of the Risalah, he is beginning to pray. This is how important the prayer is.

The prayer, O Muslims, the prayer! The Prophet Sal-Allahu alayhi wa sallam said that “The covenant that I have (meaning, with the Muslims) is the Prayer.”

Al-‘Ahdulladhee baynana wa banyahumus-salaah, faman tarakha fa qad kafar.” “The treaty, the contract that I have with the Muslims is the Prayer; whoever leaves it has committed Kufr.”

O Muslims when I write a treaty, when I write a contract with you and I put a condition in it and you go ahead and break that condition, what happens? The Contract Becomes Null and Void, the contract no longer holds, it dissolves. You have broken the treaty because I put a condition and you broke that condition. If you want the treaty, you have to do this, this, and this and then you come and disregard what I say, then there is no treaty, that contract between us is null and void.

So the Prophet Sal-Allahu alayhi wa sallam is saying, “If you want to have a relationship with me, you want to call yourself a follower of my Ummah, a believer in me, al-‘ahdulladhee baynana wa baynahumus-salaah, the condition in the treaty that I am putting upon them is salaah. Faman tarakha faqad kafar! Whoever leaves it, don’t call yourself Muslims anymore! He has committed kufr, left the fold of Islam.”

That is why many of the scholars of the past said that the Muslim who does not pray, is not a Muslim. There is no different of opinion, my brothers and sisters – that if a Muslim drinks, steals, fornicates, takes drugs, that person is still a Muslim even though he is evil and bad, he is still a Muslim. But there is a difference of opinion that if a Muslim does not pray, then some ‘Ulamaa say he has left the fold of Islam based upon this hadeeth. There is no other act that if you leave it, scholars say that you might be a kaafir or a non-Muslim, but for the prayer.  Yes, many ‘Ulamaa of the past said that because of tehse ahadeeth because of these verses, that the prayer is a hallmark, it is a sign of the Muslim.

O Muslims, Iblees, Shaytaan, was asked by Allah Subhanahu-Wa Ta’ala to make ONE Sajdah. And Shaytaan said “NO, I don’t have to do it.” He disobeyed this command and because of this arrogance, Shaytaan became who he became. Shaytaan believes in Allah, he believes in the Day of Judgement, he believes in Heaven and Hell, he has seen it with his own eyes, he even makes du’a to Allah – what did he say when he was kicked out of Jannah by Allah?  “QALA RABBI ANZHIRNI YAUMA-YUB’ATHOON.” Iblees  said, “O My Rabb!” Shaytaan believes in Allah as a RabbO MY RABB! ALLOW ME TO LIVE UNTIL THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT,” Iblees believes in the Day of Judgement, he had to make a Du’a to Allah.

IS IBLEES A MUSLIM!? OBVIOUSLY NOT! But why? Did he deny Allah? Did he reject the Prophet, did he say the Qur’an is fables and fabrication? Did he deny the day of judgement and heaven and hell? NO!!!! Iblees knows! He has seen it with his own eyes… but he refused to worship Allah. One sajdah! So then what do you think O Muslims is the case of the one who hears Hayya ‘alas-salaah, hayya ‘alal falaah? He who knows he has to pray 17 Rak’aat minimum a day, over 30 Sajdah’s and he says “I don’t have time – my classes, my labs, my work, my this and my that…”

So what do you think is his status O Muslims? O Muslims do you not realize that when the people of Jannah ask the people of Jahannam,

“What has caused you to enter Hell?” [Surah Mudaththir 42&43 below]

The 1st thing that the people of Hell-Fire say in reply is:

They said:  “We did not used to pray.” That is the first excuse that they give!

Do you not realize that the Rasul Sal-Allahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said that on the Day of Judgement the 1st thing that will be asked will be the prayer? If it is in order, then everything else will be in order; but if it is not in order, then everything else will be in disorder.

BREAK

O Muslims, what is the excuse that YOU have for not praying? We make time for everything – for our studies, for playing games, for watching the television, for the internet, we have time for everything YET when it comes to the prayer, we do not have time.  We do not create time for the very PURPOSE of OUR CREATION.

Some people say, “Oh, I do such and such a sin, until I stop it I will not pray, I don’t want to be a hypocrite.” “I have seen such and such a person who lies, drinks, and he prays; I don’t want to be like him, I want to be a pure Muslim.” Realize, O Brothers and sisters, that the solution to leaving off these sins is by praying! Allah says in the Qur’an:

“The Prayer Prohibits you from vulgarities, obscenities and other sins.” (Surah Ankabut, verse 45)

So in order to LEAVE these evil acts, you need to establish a relationship with Allah. And you do this through ESTABLISHING THE Prayer.
O Muslims, the importance of the prayer cannot be overemphasized. It comes right after saying La-Ilaha Ill-Allah, right after a person becomes a Muslim. Yet how many of us pray 5 times a day? How many of us adhere to this command of Allah? Don’t you know in the life of the Prophet Sal-Allahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam, even the Munafiqoon, the hypocrites prayed 5 times a day in the masjid. Allah said

And when they stand up for Salah, Prayer, they stand with laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not remember Allah but little. (Surah Nisa, verse 142)

Even the hypocrites had to pray during the time of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)! O Muslims, time is short, our lives will come to an end, no one knows when! Therefore we need to make a change right here and now. Not tomorrow, there is never a tomorrow. A person will say, “I will change next Ramadhaan, by the end of this month, after Hajj.” But death comes to that person first before he made that change. Right here and now, let every Muslim decide “O Allah! Help me to establish the prayer!” Let him make the du’a of Ibrahim alayhis-salaam,

Rabbi ij’alnee muqeem as-salaati wa min thurriyyati” – make me and my offspring amongst those who establish the prayer. (Surah Ibrahim, verse 40)

And Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala will you of a surety, but only if you show determination, only if you show sincerity. Take the first step to Allah, show that you want to pray and Allah will open the doors and make it easy for you to pray.

From now O Muslims! No excuses! From salaatul ‘Asr, let every Muslim promise himself and herself,  “I will make a change in my life.” And let me ask you just one thing, try it for one week, one week! Establish the prayer on time, and if you are able to pray in the Masjid, even better! If you live far from the masjid, at least in your house esatblish the salaah. And then see that one week of your life how you felt, the inner joy and the peace and the feeling of accomplishment – I have done something and I feel good. That feeling that you have, it will make you addicted to the Salah. It will make you addicted to the Salah.

Have you not seen O Muslims when you are around people who pray, when its time to pray, you find them fidgeting, nervous, looking at their watches, seeing where they can pray, they feel uncomfortable – why?! They want to just stand up in front of Allah and lower their heads to Allah, to feel that serenity and peace. They cannot live witout the prayer.Do you not feel jealous of that feeling? Do you not look at these people and their relationship with Allah? Well then, why don’t you change your life and be like them? What prevents you from doing so?
O MUSLIMS where there is a will there is a way. Find places of prayer, in your work places, in your homes, in your masajid. Take the time out, wherever you travel, travel with a prayer rug, have a compass with you, have a map and the schedule of the prayer timings. PLAN OUT YOUR DAY – if you’re going shopping, if you’re going here think, ‘Where will I be for Maghrib?, Where will I be for Dhuhr, Where will I be for Asr’. THINK. And when you plan it put very simply, just like you plan out your food and your water, just like you plan out your lives. Similarly, fit-in the prayer into your schedules. And if you are not praying 5 times a day, start with the Fara’id only, start with the obligatory, that is total of 17 raka’ahs in a day. Once you’ve mastered the fara’id move on to the sunan and extra acts of worship in prayer. But don’t just jump-in and start with everything in the prayer because you might find that difficult.

If you are not praying 5 times a day, start slowly with yourself and start with the 5 faraa’id. All you have to do is to stick with the faraa’id. That is the minimum and when you do it, then you will see the change for yourself, the change that happens in your life. It doesn’t take more than 5mins or 10 mins max of your time.

O Muslims, do not underestimate the prayer.  I leave you with just one incident in the life of the Prophet Sal-Allahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam that illustrates how he felt about the prayer, in the his house, on the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal in the 11th year of the hijrah – When he was in the last moments of his life in the arms of his wife ‘Aa-isha Radiy-Allahu ‘Anha, knowing that he only had a few seconds to live, knowing that he will now face the Angel of Death, knowing that the last words that he will say will be recorded as the last Wasiyya, the last Testament, as the last advice that h gave, Sal-Allahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam. What do you think he said in his last breath?

He said “As-salaah, as-salaah! Wat-taqullaha feema malakat aymaanukum.”

The last wasiyya that he gave, teh last thing that he’s thinking about to make sure his Ummah knows what to do: “As-salaah!” Which is translated as, “Guard the prayer, guard the prayer; and fear Allah with regards to what your right hands possess.” The last wasiyya that our Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said was to remind us to pray to Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala.

Du’a

I pray that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala makes us understand this simple yet important aspect of Islam, that He grants us the Tawfeeq to do so.

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18 Comments

18 Comments

  1. abu abdAllah Tariq Ahmed

    February 27, 2009 at 7:04 AM

    Jazak Allah khayr!

  2. ayesha

    February 27, 2009 at 10:16 AM

    Barak Allahu feek!!!!!!nice lecture……..it would be nice to have transcribed khutbahs every friday
    Jazakallahukhairan

  3. Ayesha Fatima

    February 27, 2009 at 10:23 AM

    Asak wr wb,

    Jazakumallahu khairaa for reminding us about the importance of salah.

    Khushoo` and Beautification of the Prayer
    People’s Levels Regarding Performance of the Prayer
    Author: Ibn al-Qayyim
    Source: Al-Waabil us-Sayyib (Eng. Trans. by Abu `Iyad as-Salafi)
    Article ID : IBD060005 [6051]

    Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said:

    And mankind, with regard to th eir performance of prayer are in five levels:

    The First: The level of the one who is negligent and wrongs his soul: He is the one who falls short in performing wudhoo properly, performing the prayer upon its time and within its specified limits, and in fulfilling its essential pillars.

    The Second: The one who guards his prayers upon their proper times and within their specified limits, fulfils their essential pillars and performs his wudhoo with care. However, his striving (in achieving the above) is wasted due whisperings in his prayer so he is taken away by thoughts and ideas.

    The Third: The one who guards his prayers within the specified limits, fulfils their essential pillars and strives with himself to repel the whisperings, thoughts and ideas. He is busy struggling against his enemy (Shaytaan) so that he does not steal from the prayer. On account of this he is engaged in (both) prayer and jihaad.

    The Fourth: The one who stands for the prayer , completes and perfects its due rights, its essential pillars, performs it within its specified limits and his heart becomes engrossed in safeguarding its rights and specified limits, so that nothing is wasted from it. His whole concern is directed towards its establishment, its completion and its perfection, as it should be. His heart is immersed in the prayer and in enslavement to his Lord the Exalted.

    The Fifth: The one who stands for the prayer like the one mentioned above. However, on top of this, he has taken and placed his heart in front of his Lord Azzawajall, looking towards Him with his heart with anticipation, (his heart) filled with His love and His might, as if he sees and witnesses Allaah. The whisperings, thoughts and ideas have vanished and the coverings which are between him and his Lord are raised. What is between this person and others with respect to the prayer, is superior and greater than what is between the heavens and the earth. This person is busy with his Lord Azzawajall, delighted with Him.

    The First type will be punished, the second type will be held to account, the third will have his sins and shortcomings expiated, the fourth will be rewarded and the fifth will be close to his Lord, because he will receive the portion of the one who makes his prayer the delight and pleasure of his eye. Whoever makes his prayer,the delight and pleasure of his eye, will have the nearness to his Lord Azzawajall made the delight and pleasure of his eye in the hereafter. He will also be made a pleasure to the eye in this world since whoever makes Allaah the pleasure of his eye in this world, every other eye will become delighted and pleased with him.

    salaam

  4. anon

    February 27, 2009 at 1:07 PM

    Jazak’Allah Khair for a really good read, especially also the comment by sister Ayesha from Ibn al-Qayyim’s (rahimullaah) book.

    I don’t suppose there’s any audio recording of the Khutbah as I’d love to show this to some of my cousins and family who don’t pray regularly.

  5. UmmeAmmaarah

    February 27, 2009 at 1:16 PM

    May Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’Ala make us steadfast in our deen, and may we ever be mindful of the purpose of our creation. This is another lovely article that will InshaAllah help us be steadfast, and help us answer our non-muslim brothers and sisters when they ask us – Why did Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’Ala want us to worship him?

    Why were we Created?
    Author: Bilâl Philips

    All praise is due to Allâh and may His peace and blessings be upon his last Messenger sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam and on all those who follow the path of righteousness until the last day.
    We have to answer the most fundamental question that every human being asks himself at some point in his or her lifetime. Not just Muslims, but every single human being.
    “Why was I created? Why am I here? What am I doing in this world? Why did God create me?”
    These questions, are questions which each and everyone of us reflects on at some point during their life. We have some answers, which are given generally, but usually these answers don’t satisfy us, they seem somewhat simplistic. We still wonder. “Why me? Why here?” I know all of you, generally speaking, in the back of your mind, you are saying “to worship Allâh, khallas (finish), what more is there to say? Why do we need to have a big long talk on why we were created, when we all know it is to worship Allâh?” But wait, if this is presented to a non-Muslim, the next logical question would be “why does Allâh want us to worship Him?” and then your stuck.
    It means, in our own minds it is not really clear to us. Why did Allâh create us to worship Him?
    The question, why did Allâh create us, for some people, and we have to deal with those people around us, who don’t consider there to be any purpose in man’s creation because he is just a product of evolution that the forces of nature have produced him, and just as we don’t have apes, dogs or cows thinking about why they are here, then we don’t really have to think about it either. Of course that being the basis of the philosophy of western society, that man is without purpose, then the whole issue of government, morality etc has no basis in Revelation, there is no guidance there. The product of this is of course the corruption that we are living in.
    For a Muslim, when we go in to this topic, we have to find our understanding in divine revelation and not human speculation. Because human speculation has no bounds, we can imagine all kinds of things, and is any of you have studied philosophy of religion, you can see how many opinions exist about the creation of man and existence. Because of the variety of philosophies, which are out there, no one can say this one is correct or that one is incorrect, because there is no guidance behind it. No divine revelation. It is only from divine revelation that we can determine the reality of our creation, because it is Allâh who has created us and he knows the purpose of our creation. We can hardly understand ourselves, much less try to understand the essence of things. So it is for Allâh to inform us through the revelation in the Qur’ân and the Sunnah which was brought by his last Messenger sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the Messengers before. Now if we are to look, initially into revelation, to determine why was man created, there is a deeper question that we should be asking before that. “Why did God create?” Before we even get to man, why did god create, because man is not the greatest act of creation that we should be so focused on why man. No, because Allâh says:
    “The creation of the Heavens and the Earth is indeed greater then the creation of mankind; yet, most of mankind know not.” [Sûrah Ghâfir, verse 57]

    Please paste a link instead of copy/pasting full articles. -Editor

  6. Zeyad

    February 27, 2009 at 1:41 PM

    BarakAllahu feek Sh Yasir for the powerful reminder.

  7. Ibn rajul

    February 27, 2009 at 9:34 PM

    Assalamu alaykum,

    There are so many articles and lectures that have this topic, of “Why are we created, or what is our purpose?” Allah says after the reason of our creation, He is not in need of us to feed Him. I understand Allah created us to worship Him, but why do we have to worship Allah?

  8. Abdul Vakil

    February 27, 2009 at 11:26 PM

    As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

    Ta’barak’Allah! Alhamdulillah! Earlier today before gearing for work I was listening to this very khutbah (downloaded from Jamattimes.com). And now the transcript I find is posted here. Jazakum’Allah ta’ala khairan. Barak’Allah feek wa fi amaan Allah.

  9. Atif

    February 27, 2009 at 11:35 PM

    Assalamu’alaykum,
    Does anyone have the audio for this speech?

    @ibn Rajul,
    I hope this video answers your question: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OKEef1_bV4

  10. anon

    February 28, 2009 at 12:28 PM

    I found the audio on youtube maybe for those who would rather listen or show it to others.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THAI2ztr8ZU

  11. Kaja Moinudeen

    February 28, 2009 at 1:07 PM

    Br.Ibnu Rajul,

    You might feel it is a simple statement.But Shykh Yasir’s statement “We worship Allah because he is the only one who is worthy of that worship”,has a profound meaning to it.He added to it telling about the perfect names and attributes which clearly tells us he is worthy of worship.

  12. @ Ibn Rajul

    February 28, 2009 at 7:50 PM

    As-salam `alaykum wa rahmatallah,
    Bismillah, was-salatu was-salam `ala Rasulillah
    In response to ibn Rajul’s question, “Why do we have to worship Allah?” :

    Firstly, even though He, the Almighty, the One who is Free of all Needs, does not need our worship, he has still commanded us to do it. We should know that when Allah commands us to do something; we do it straight away, no questions asked. Remember, in Surah Baqarah, verse 285: […] wa qawlu sami`na, wa ata`na […] <— Rough meaning: We hear and we obey.
    Really, Allah’s commandment should be enough for us.

    But sometimes our mind just doesn’t stop thinking Why, even though we shouldn’t question in matters where questioning might lead us astray rather than guide us.
    Thus, I’ve tried to offer an explanation below:
    Firstly, we know that a perfect prayer brings about very high rewards, right? That’s a benefit right there. Also, prayer is a means for humbling ones’ self. When we do sujuud to the Rabb al `alimeen, we need to get rid of all arrogance and show-off.
    Salah helps us really connect and supplicate to Allah, for example, the following verse in Surat al-Baqarah(45): And seek help in patience and prayer, for verily it is heavy, except to the humble. Also, we can use salah for our own benefit by supplicating and making du’a to Allah, and asking him for what we want; and who is a better provider than Allah? Moreover, in Surat-al-`ankabut, verse 18, Allah states, ‘Recite what has been sent down to you of the Book, and establish the prayer. Prayer forbids indecency and dishonor. The remembrance of Allah is greater, and Allah knows what you do. So we see that Salah helps us in staying away from evil, while also bringing us many benefits. Overall, we can basically say that it is for our own benefit. Allah has given us this blessing from Him, and we should utilize it so that it benefits us in the end.
    We need to believe and do good deeds in order to enter Jannah – and also receive the Mercy and Grace of Allah. And Salah is one of the best ways to earn ajr.

    That was just my humble opinion on the matter; if I’m wrong, can someone please correct me?

    As-salam `alakum wa rahmatallah

  13. Ayesha Fatima

    February 28, 2009 at 9:45 PM

    AsaK wr wb,

    Why do we have to worship Allah swt?

    Because Allah swt is the only one that is worthy of worship.Shaik Yasir Qadhi explained this beautifully in a lecture

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OKEef1_bV4

    Salaam.

  14. Kaja Moinudeen

    March 1, 2009 at 1:20 PM

    As-salam `alaykum wa rahmatallah,
    Bismillah, was-salatu was-salam `ala Rasulillah

    The transcript of the true happiness khutbah by Shaykh Yasir would help us understand why we need to to perform salaah and all other supplications to Allah.

    http://muslimmatters.org/2008/06/03/transcript-of-the-true-happiness-khutbah-by-yasir-qadhi/

    He summarizes the entire lecture with the Qura’anic verses

    Know and realize that only through the remembrance of Allah – the worship of Allah – do the hearts achieve tranquility” (13:28)

  15. ASC

    March 2, 2009 at 3:33 PM

    Jazak Allah Khayran…A beautiful Reminder and real eman booster. Thank you for posting. I would love to see more Khutbah Transcripts on MM.

  16. Pingback: Friday Khutbah (Sermons) : Salaah « Words of love.. words for love…

  17. Shafeen Mahmood

    January 14, 2015 at 4:42 AM

    As-salamu ‘Alaykum. Jazak Allah Khair I soooo wanted this transcribed. In Shaa Allah I’ll translate this piece in my native language Bangla and perhaps even make a dubbed Bangla video. This is soooo amazing Ma Shaa Allah.

  18. Mohamed Amin

    April 8, 2015 at 3:41 AM

    Mashaalah.Tabarakallah.What a nice speech.I will preach to my muslim brothers

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