Sh Usamah bin Al-Khayyat – 09 Muharram 1434

All praise be to Allah! We praise Him, seek His assistance and guidance, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Him from the evils of our own souls and from our wicked deeds. Whoever Allah guides no one can misguide and whoever He misguides no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, Who has no partners. I also bear witness that our Prophet, Muhammad, is His servant and Messenger. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, and Companions.

Servants of Allah!

The Prophet of guidance (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) prescribed for the nation the fasting of this great blessed day, in gratitude to Allah, be He exalted, for the blessings of saving Moses (Peace be upon Him) and the believers who were with him, drowning Pharaoh and his troops, highlighting the strong rapport amongst the prophets ‒peace be upon them‒ and making clear to them that their religion is one though their divine laws are different.

The two Sheikhs, Al Bukhari and Muslim, narrated in Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari on the authority of Al Bukhari ‒may Allah bless his soul‒ that Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) said: “The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) came to Madinah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Ashura’. He said, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is a good day, it is the day when Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemies, so Musa fasted on this day.’ He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said, ‘We are more entitled to Musa than you,’ so he fasted on that day and commanded the Muslims to do the same.”

Imam Muslim ‒may Allah bless his soul‒ reported: “This is a great day, on which Allah saved Musa and his people, and drowned Pharaoh and his followers, so Musa fasted on this day.”

Tabarani ‒may Allah bless his soul‒ reported that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said “We are more entitled to follow Musa than you.”

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) talked about the great merits of fasting this day and said: “For fasting the day of ‘Ashura’, I hope that Allah will accept it as expiation for the year that went before” [Narrated by Muslim in his “Sahih” in a report narrated by Abu Qatada al-Ansari (RA)]

It is a Sunnah, O Servants of Allah, in fasting the Day of Ashura to fast the day before it; Muslim narrated in his Sahih that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) had said: “If I live till the next (year), I would definitely observe fasting on the 9th.”

O Servants of Allah! All Bidahs (heresies) concerning this Day have to be avoided including performing special acts of worship the night before ‘Ashura such as invoking a special prayer called “Ashura’ prayer” and believing that whoever reads it shall not die in the current year; reciting a surah from Qur’ān in which Prophet Musa is mentioned in the dawn prayer of ‘Ashura’ Day; gathering on that day with the purpose of remembering and supplicating Allah and commemorating the death of Al-Hussein (RA) on pulpits; believing that aloes wood on the Day of ‘Ashura’ is a ruqya (Quranic recitation over a patient) wherein magic, envy and grouch are repelled; in addition to believing in whatever Allah prohibited, whatever His Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) never permitted or whatever any of his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) avoided.

The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) warned against innovating in Allah’s religion and said “He who makes innovation in our affairs for no valid reason commits sin, and this is rejected.” [Narrated by Al Bukhari and Muslim in Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari in a report by Aisha, the Mother of the Believers, may Allah be pleased with her.]

As reported by Muslim ‒may Allah bless his soul‒ the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said: “any deed in our affairs other than what we have commanded is rejected.”

Fear Allah, O Servants of Allah! And make certain you achieve this great merit by fasting this great Day, observing Sunnah in it, following the guidance of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) and avoiding to make innovation in whatever was not permitted by Allah on this day and every other day, for there is much good in following our ancestors, and much evil in the innovations of those who came after.

Always remember that Allah () ordered you to send your salat and peace on the best of all creatures (Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam)) as He said in the Holy Qur’ān: “Allâh sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم ), and also His angels (ask Allâh to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم ), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islâmic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum).” [Al-Ahzāb: 56]

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace on Your servant and Messenger Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam)! O Allah! Be pleased with the four Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, with all of the family of the Prophet, his Companions, the tab’in, and those who follow them righteously until the Day of Resurrection! O Allah! Be pleased with us all, along with them, by Your Pardon, Generosity and Bounty, O You, the Most Generous and Bounteous of all!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! And protect Your Religion! Destroy the enemies of Your religion and all the despots and the corruptors! Unite the hearts of Muslims and unify them, set right their leaders and unite their word on Truth! O You, Lord of al-‘alamîn (the worlds)!

O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) and Your truthful believing servants!

O Allah! Grant us security in our homelands, set right our leaders and those responsible for our affairs, support with truth our Imam and leader, provide him with righteous retinue and guide him to do whatever you love and accept! O You, All-Hearing of our prayers! O Allah! Bestow upon him the blessing of perfect health! O You, Lord of al-‘alamîn (the worlds)! O Allah! Guide him, his Crown Prince and his brothers to do what is good for Islam and Muslims, for the country and for the people! O You, to Whom people shall return in the Day of Resurrection!

O Allah! Make better our religion which is our bond, and make better our Dunya (life in this world) which is the source of our living, and make better our Hereafter to which we are returning, and make life for us an increase of all that is good, and death a relief from every evil.

O Allah! Grant us a good ending in all of our affairs and save us from the humiliation of the worldly life and the punishment of the Hereafter!

O Allah! Make good their recompense and make great their reward for their great efforts in the service of the pilgrims of Your Holy House! O Allah! Grant them and everyone (civilian or military they may be) who lent a helping hand in the service of the pilgrims of Your Holy Mosque, grant them a great reward! O You, Lord of al-‘alamîn (the worlds)!

O Allah! We seek refuge in You against the vanishing of Your blessing, the change in the good health you granted us, the suddenness of Your vengeance, and all kinds of Your wrath! O Allah! We ask You of the good of what Your Servant and Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) has asked You! And we seek refuge in You against what Your Servant and Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) has sought refuge in You against! It is You (Alone) Whose help can be sought! And there is no strength or power except in Allah.

O Allah! Protect and grant victory to the Muslims in Syria, Gaza and the rest of Palestine, in Myanmar and everywhere O Lord of Alamin! O Allah! Grant them power and victory over their enemy! O Allah! Spare their blood! O Allah! Spare their blood! O Allah! Spare their blood! O Allah! Cure those of them who are injured! And make martyrs their dead!

O Allah! Cure those of us who are sick, have mercy on our dead, help us fulfill our hopes in accordance with what you please, and make our last deeds good ones.

O Allah! Protect us against Your enemies and ours in any way that pleases You, O Lord of Alamin! O Allah! Protect us against Your enemies and ours in any way that pleases You, O Lord of Alamin! O Allah! Protect us against Your enemies and ours in any way that pleases You, O Lord of Alamin! O Allah! We leave them to You (to deal with them) and seek refuge in You from their evils! O Allah! We leave them to You (to deal with them) and seek refuge in You from their evils!

“Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.”[Al-A’rāf: 23] “(They say): “Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the Bestower.”” [Âl-‘Imrân: 8] “… Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!” [Al-Baqarah: 201]

O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace on our Prophet, Muhammad, on his family and Companions. All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!