Sheikh Saleh ibn Abdullah ibn Humaid – 12 Rabee Ath-Thaani 1437

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Abdullah ibn Humaid –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday Khutbah titled “The Necessity of Showing Gratitude for Almighty Allah’s Blessings” in which he spoke about the blessings of Almighty Allah bestowed on His servants and the necessity of being thankful for them, especially the blessing of security and stability which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is enjoying. He cautioned his congregation against the denial of such blessings as it may eventually lead to their cessation and incur Allah’s punishment.

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, Most High in His Omnipotence, the Incontestable Coercer and the One Who Commands with no partner. I praise Him –May He be extolled‒ thank Him, repent unto Him, ask His forgiveness and beseech Him to help me to duly worship Him, remember Him and thank Him! I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, with unshakable belief in His fate and divine decree, whether good or bad, agreeable or disagreeable, and I bear witness that our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, is the Servant and Messenger of Allah whom He aided with His soldiers and granted him victory. May Allah send His profuse and eternal Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his family and Companions who truly fought in the cause of Allah and raised high the banners of religion in His seas and lands and upon the tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death) as long as lightening kept flashing and the clouds kept raining until the end of time.

Now then,

I exhort you –O People– as well as myself to observe Taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah). Observe taqwa –May Allah have mercy on you– and fear the day when you have to return to Allah. A believer has two things to dread: a life span that has elapsed and he does not know what Allah will do with it, and another one that still lies ahead and he does not know what Allah has decreed for it.

A wise and a resolute person is the one who takes provision from his Herein to his Hereafter, taking advantage of his youth before his old age, of his good health before his sickness, and his leisure before his preoccupation. He is the one who aspires to bring hearts together, as being out of sight does not necessarily mean being out of mind, and not all unions are necessarily ones of love and friendliness. Tolerance and apology are exemplary morals of great people.

This means purity of the heart, immaculacy of the secret thoughts, and sublimity of the souls. Modesty elevates men; reticence safeguards against errors, and bashfulness is part of faith. Trees are known by their fruit.

‘The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allâh ordered the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly), then verily! he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend. But none is granted it (the above quality) except those who are patient, and none is granted it except the owner of the great portion (of the happiness in the Hereafter i.e. Paradise and in this world of a high moral character). And if an evil whisper from Shaitân (Satan) tries to turn you away (O Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) (from doing good, etc.), then seek refuge in Allâh. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.’ [Fussilat: 34-36]

O brothers and sisters in Islam!

Allah has set for us examples to learn from and sent us prophets to give us warning and save us from going astray.

‘And Allâh puts forward the example of a township (Makkah), that dwelt secure and well content; its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it (its people) denied the Favours of Allâh (with ungratefulness). So Allâh made it taste the extreme of hunger (famine) and fear, because of that (evil, i.e. denying Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) which they (its people) used to do.’ [Al-Nahl: 112]

O Muslims!

Success is conducive to taqwa and thankfulness is the way to rectitude. Allah will leave him to himself unaided whoever ignores, underestimates, or denies His blessings. He will allure him with these blessings till He destroys him with them, deprives him of them, or replaces them with trials. About certain people, Allah ‒Sublime be He‒ says: “Eat of the provision of your Lord, and be grateful to Him, a fair land and an Oft­Forgiving Lord’ [Saba’:15]

Then, admonishing them, He says: ‘But they turned away (from the obedience of Allâh), so We sent against them Sail Al­’Arim (flood released from the dam)’ [Saba’: 16]

O Servants of Allah!

Nothing preserves Allah’s blessings like worshipping Him, and nothing retrieves missing blessings or serves as a way to bring over more of them like thanking Him and obeying Him. In an irrevocable, divine rule, Allah ‒Sublime be He‒ says: ‘And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: “If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allâh), I will give you more (of My Blessings), but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily! My Punishment is indeed severe”‘ [Ibrahim: 7]

This rule is the safeguard for the retention of blessings. It is the everlasting way for plenty and bliss. I therefore warn you ‒May Allah have mercy on you! Beware of denial, ingratitude and carelessness. Allah Almighty says: “Eat of the provision of your Lord, and be grateful to Him …’ [Saba’: 15]

Beware of dissatisfaction which is coupled with aversion and discontent: ‘But they turned away (from the obedience of Allâh), so We sent against them Sail Al­’Arim (flood released from the dam) …’ [Saba’: 16]

This being said –O servants of Allah– we cannot but notice audio-visual blogs of ridicule, foolhardiness and negligence splashed on the social media and the manifestations of thriftiness, vanity, and snobbery which might be construed as indicators that such people are ungrateful for Allah’s blessings and that they are seized by inadvertence.

In their comments and chitchats, bloggers commit all sorts of transgressions, blowing trifle things out of all proportion, belittling significant issues, trying to find fault with people, telling hundreds of lies and causing a lot of agitation particularly when this blessed country and this good society are concerned.
O servants of Allah!

Responsibility, gratitude, fear and caution require contemplation, reflection and meditation. Do not kill yourselves; do not tear apart your society; do not deny your Lord’s blessings; do not shake your country’s stability with destructive reactions and tweets.

Keep your self-control; hold on to the sublime principles and values. In the present circumstances, the light of cohesion must prevail over the darkness of dissention; priority must be given to manifestations of gratitude, wise expenditure and rationalized consumption.

Dear brothers and sisters in faith!

How nice it is for a society to criticise itself and take itself to task! Just like states and governments, peoples and societies may also be criticised. Regrettably, modern culture has made easier the criticism of governments. However, it proves powerless or unable when it comes to criticising its society or itself, or when it comes to thinking over its courses of action and modes of behaviour.

Dear brothers and sisters in faith!

In the context of gratitude and examination of conscience, listen carefully to this wonderful hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim –May Allah bless their souls– reporting on the authority of Abu Hurairah –May Allah be pleased with him‒ that the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “Three (types of people) will not be addressed or praised by Allah on Doomsday but will receive painful torture …” Among them, he mentioned “a man who swore allegiance to an imam (leader) just for a worldly interest: if the imam gave him what he wanted, he would be loyal to him, otherwise he wouldn’t.”

What strong threats this hadith embraces to those who pin their loyalty to, obedience of and contentedness with their respective imams on material gains. If such threats are directed to the one who displays discontent, how about the one who couples his discontent with inciting agitation, fomenting sedition and denying Allah’s blessings?

If such threats are based on an individual form of behaviour, then what about if they target the whole society’s behaviour?

Dear brothers and sisters in faith!

Any call, word, comment or blog that engenders rancour, breeds dissent, or sectarianism is indeed a jahiliyah (pre-Islamic) call.
Gratitude and acknowledgment of Allah’s blessings make it incumbent on everybody to show respect for the government, which seeks to maintain security and stability, fight terrorism with might and determination and annihilate all those who entertain subversive ideas aiming to undermine people’s security and welfare.

How nice it is for the rational and the insightful who show gratitude and fear retribution to compare, on the one hand, what the State is doing for the sake of maintaining the Ummah’s glory and defending its religion and sanctities with the attempts to undermine its might and status and, on the other hand, with the manifestations, by some of us, of features of extravagance in foodstuffs, beverages and attire that suggest vanity, exaggeration and snobbery.

Such manifestations make us apprehensive of the cessation of these blessings, the spread of diseases, and the suddenness of Allah’s retribution and wrath. It is enough to mention this prevalent security enjoyed by both citizens and residents on the personal, familial, domestic and commercial levels in urban and rural areas all over the country.

Our religious obligation, our rational thought and wisdom and our sense of gratitude make it incumbent on us to show further solidarity with our leadership and more manifestations of satisfaction, obedience and gratitude. It is incumbent on us to implore Allah to grant all of our armed forces, regardless of their ranks, those who are stationed on the borders and those who are not, success, resolve, and victory.

O Muslim Ummah!

Observers must have come to realize that the ‘decisive storms’ and the ‘banners of hope’ are the ones that embody the Ummah’s ultimate interests. Thank Allah, the ‘Decisive Storm’ has revealed that this State has been able to build within decades human capabilities, national cadres, and brave men in various fields and specializations. It has been a project of building a deeply-rooted and powerful state that would be able to stand against the greed of the greedy and the dreams of the dreamy, and to prevent those who plan to tear apart this entity into divided and warring mini-states, as they are trying to do in some neighbouring countries.

Dear brothers and sisters in faith!

This blessed State is a big one and is ‒thanks to Allah‒ rich; it is also capable ‒by the will of Allah‒ of protecting itself and its people. It has its own qualified people and leading personalities. This blessed State is leading a fierce war against the enemies of this Ummah and of Islam; it is also running successfully a Gulf, Arab, and Islamic coalition, thanks to Allah and thanks to its credibility and friendly reception. It is running it bravely, with proper politics, a strong economy, and a powerful budget which ‒thanks to Allah‒ was not affected by the current conditions and the recent developments.

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah! From calamities we can draw moral lessons, know friends from foes, the strong from the weak, and the feeble from the powerful.

O Servants of Allah!

True blessing, after preserving one’s faith, is the blessing of good health and security, a life of plenty and opulence which the people of this country are enjoying ‒thank Allah‒ but which other people are missing, especially in some neighbouring countries. We pray Allah to relief their grief, unite their word, protect them, bring them together and safeguard their countries.

This country ‒thank Allah‒ is rich and powerful. It seeks to rationalize spending and its effectiveness, not to reduce or curtail it. For development is continuing, projects are going on along with financial and economic reforms, with a vision for the future, and the will to establish a supervising role.

O Brothers and Sisters in faith!

There is nothing that guarantees security ‒Allah willing‒ except the strong relation between the state and the people, which is based on hearing and obeying, advice, contentment, thankfulness, acknowledgment of Allah’s abundant blessings, and avoidance of extravagance and flaunting.

Yes indeed, preserving faith, the dignity of the Ummah, and establishing unity deserve every price. The Riyal (money) is saved and increased by men. Rather, our lives and blood, let alone dirhams and dinars, are not enough sacrifice for the preservation of faith and the dignity of the Ummah.

Now then ‒ May Allah protect you!

Beware lest the price paid be the loss of faith (religion), safety of the homeland, its security, and unity, and the waste of its wealth and resources. Remember the great wisdom which says: “Many a day may make you cry, but when it passes and another day comes, you cry over it.”

Do not give a chance to the spiteful, the biased, the desolate, those lying in wait, and the plotters from among those who hunt others’ mistakes and overlook their accomplishments. Do not give a chance to all those malevolent people to cause damage to this blessed unity, this prosperous life, and this stability.

Send many messages of thankfulness to Allah and many tweets of contentment. Remember the blessings, trust, pledge of allegiance, and unity! Give charity and do good because Allah loves the benevolent and rewards the charitable.

Remember that protecting the state does not contradict with asking for and looking forward to the best; however, a true reformer is one who is not moved by his personal interests. He is not pleased with his thirst for revenge; neither is he the one who seeks to target the fixed principles of the state, its identity, and the constituent factors of its power and steadfastness.

Reformation cannot be achieved by breaking bones, and it is not true criticism when a man seeks to prove his own son to be utterly useless. He who is deprived of justice is indeed deprived of Taqwa.

Many are those who claim to love their countries while, in fact, they do what would destroy it. On the other hand, others are burning inside silently for their countries without making the least ado. After all, a sane person would not destroy his own house just because he is angry with his brother.

Oh Allah! Praise be to You until You are content! Oh Allah! Praise be to You until You are content! Praise be to You when You are content! Praise be to You after You are content! O Allah! We seek refuge in You from the disappearance of Your blessings, the change in the good health You granted us, the suddenness of Your punishment, and all kinds of Your wrath!

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan: “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka’bah at Makkah); in order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), so fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allâh) provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks” [Ibrahim: 37]

May Allah make the Great Qur’an and the guidance of Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– beneficial to me and to you! I say this, and I ask Allah to forgive me and you, so ask Him for forgiveness as He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!