By Sheikh Husein ibn Abdul-Aziz al-Sheikh – 29 Rajab 1437

His Eminence Sheikh Husein ibn Abdul-Aziz al-Sheikh, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday Khutbah entitled, “Surat Al-‘Asr: Guidelines and Lessons,” in which he talked about Surat Al-‘Asr (‘the Time’), which contains valuable directions and important recommendations for every Muslim, and shows the clear, immutable way that Muslims should follow. He further explained what every Muslim, ruler or ruled, must do regarding the issues pertaining to the Muslim Ummah in order to help it recover from its stumble and to stand up against its enemies and the conspiracies they scheme against Islam and Muslims.

Praise be to Allah, the Protector of the righteous. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partner, and Who has made the good end for the pious. I also bear witness that our master and prophet, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger, who was sent as a mercy to all the worlds. O Allah! Bestow Your prayers, peace, and blessings upon him and upon his family and Companions until the Day of Judgement.

Now then, O Muslims!
I advise you and advise myself to fear Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, and to obey Him; for doing so is the road to real happiness, success, and achievement. Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, says: “And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) fears Allah, and keeps his duty (to Him), such are the successful.” (An-Nur: 52)

Fellow Muslims!

The Muslim Ummah is facing a variety of challenges and suffering various adversities and great hardships. The religion of Islam, which is the source of our glory, the cause of our success, the basis of our improvement, and the origin of our happiness in the hereafter and the present world, has laid down for us superb foundations to govern our lives, improve our condition, preserve our communities, unite our ranks, bring our hearts together, and give us victory over our enemies. Such foundations are contained in Surat Al-‘Asr, in which Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, says:

“By Al-‘Asr (the time). Verily, man is in loss, except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth [i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma‘ruf ) which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar) which Allah has forbidden], and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah’s Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad).” (Al-‘Asr: 1-3)

This is one of the great surahs in the Book of Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him. Once members of this Ummah act on its teachings, they will be led to the right guidance and will attain success. This surah includes the means of salvation and the foundations of peace in this world and in the hereafter. Talking about one of the periods of Muslim glory and honour, Imam al-Shafi‘i said, “Were people to reflect on this surah, it would suffice for them.”

This noble surah shows us the clear way, in whose light the Muslim society, with its various strata and numerous responsibilities, should conduct its affairs. It draws for the Muslims the road to salvation and righteousness and the means of happiness and success. This clear way requires establishing the principle of worshiping Allah, the One, adhering to His Law, acting in such a way as to gain His good pleasure, and shunning anything which may bring down His anger, wrath, and punishment. It requires members of the Muslim community to urge one another to hold on to the truth, righteousness, and piety. It obliges them to cooperate with one another to disseminate justice, goodness, and righteousness and promote ideal virtues and lofty values in their lives.

Fellow Muslims!

Based on these superb guidelines, all Muslims are required to urge one another to good and guidance, and to help one another in righteousness and piety in their religious and worldly affairs, in compliance with the order of Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, Who says: “Help one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety) …” (Al-Ma’idah: 2)

Muslims should seek guidance and righteousness in their communities by acting on the advice of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who said, “Religion is sincerity,” three times. The Companions said, “To whom, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “To Allah, His Book, and His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk” (Reported by Muslim). Therefore, there is no good in a community whose members do not advise one another and do not engage in dialogue and discussions in order to improve their condition, please their Lord, and attain happiness in their worldly lives and in the hereafter. It is for this reason that when some of the Prophet’s companions met, while still learning in the school of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, they would recite Surat Al-‘Asr to one another and would solemnly promise one another to act on the teachings it contains. Jarir ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I pledged to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, to establish the prayer, pay the Zakat, and give sincere advice to every Muslim.”

This is the sincere, purposeful and balanced kind of advice, which is wise in its style and method and which takes account of the factors of time and place. It is also consistent with the goals of Islam in adopting the course of leniency, gentleness, compassion, and kindness. This advice is far removed from verbal and physical violence and from boastful words and statements, and steers clear of anything that stirs sedition or brings evil upon society – all according to the rules, fundamentals, and criteria of Sahri‘ah.

Brothers in Islam!
The guidelines of this approach require the subjects to support and cooperate with their ruler, with a view to achieving good in this life and in the hereafter. This can be done by offering sincere advice and prayers, and willingness to do all that leads to unity and agreement among Muslims, brings their hearts together, and creates love and affection among them. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The best of your rulers are those whom you love and who love you, who invoke Allah’s blessings upon you and whom you invoke His blessings upon” (Reported by Muslim). On his part, the ruler should adopt the practice of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, regarding what he should do when offered advice.

Brothers in Islam!
The approach outlined by this surah requires that members of society, particularly writers and media people, should respect the position of Shari‘ah scholars, acknowledge their favours, protect their rights, and keep them safe from malicious writings and biased statements which aim to destroy the religion and shake its fundamentals. Indeed, one of the purposes of aiming poisoned arrows at scholars of Islam is to cause damage to this religion and its immutable principles and fundamentals.

Servants of Allah!
In the context of the approach of urging one another to hold on to the truth, the Ummah’s youth should avoid independent opinions based on individual reasoning that pave the way for the enemies to launch hostilities and give them a pretext to realise their objectives. Therefore, O young men, no matter how good your intentions may be, let your deeds be righteous, sincere, and compliant with the approach of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The basic principle that must be taken into account is that anything that serves to destabilise society and shake its unity is a precious gift that is offered to the enemies, who respect neither kinship nor covenant with Muslims. Indeed, blocking the means to such evil is one of the fundamentals of the Shari‘ah.

Brothers in Islam!
Muslim societies, including both the rulers and the ruled, must realise the objectives that Allah has set for them; namely, applying the Shari‘ah, adhering to this religion, helping one another in righteousness and piety, and showing total keenness to obey Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, and comply with His orders as well as the orders of His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, in all matters, under all conditions, and in all aspects of life. Muslims should also be proud of their religion and should uphold their immutable fundamentals and stand united in the face of every aggression and offense launched by the enemies of Muslims to destroy their religion and ruin their lives.

Fellow Muslims!
Muslims are brothers in religion. They are distinguished by their good intentions towards one another and are characterised by thinking well of Muslims and having good expectations of them. Allah, Glorified be He, says: “Why then, did not the believers, men and women, when you heard it (the slander) think good of their own people …” (An-Nur: 12)

Thus, not everyone who utilises the wrong style in giving advice is spiteful, as portrayed by some ill-intentioned media. Similarly, not everyone who gives advice in a Muslim society is truthful; for those who are ill-intentioned or who follow their evil desires are certainly misguided. The Muslim society is a highly-refined society whose members should settle issues among themselves through justice, equality, impartiality, and sincerity in order to reach the truth by well-intentioned words and honest advice. This should be achieved through a dialogue that is based on correcting inferences, revealing facts, distinguishing between right and wrong, and differentiating what is beneficial from what is harmful, according to scholarly Islamic methods and sound logical rules. As for insulting one another with offensive words and wading into others’ intentions, this is contrary to the way of Islam, and was not acknowledged by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.

In this age, in which Muslims witness successive calamities befalling them, Muslims should realize that their enemies are waging two kinds of war against them, one declared and the other hidden, in which they use selective criteria, deceptive arguments, and sugar-coated words that hide deadly poison inside. Nothing can confront these fierce wars except holding on to Islam. Read and consider carefully, O Muslims, what Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, says when He talks about the enemies of Islam:

“… They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse. Indeed We have made plain to you the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses) if you understand.” (Al ‘Imran: 118)

Would Muslims not understand? Would they not consider things carefully, even after the recurrent and successive trials that have befallen their land and threatened their religion and their life?!

Muslims should stand in the face of such violent adversities by adhering to Islam and being proud of it, by showing keenness on obeying the All-Knowing King, by applying the Islamic Shari‘ah in all aspects of life, by calling to Islam, and by rejecting the destructive claims and the dazzling words which seek to do harm to both their religion and their life and sow the seeds of rampant evil and disastrous mischief in Muslim societies.

May Allah guide us all to what He loves and accepts!

I have said this, and I ask forgiveness of Allah for myself, for you, and for all Muslims, for any sin we have committed. Ask Allah for forgiveness. He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.