His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Humaid  – May Allah protect him –  delivered this Friday’s khutbah entitled “Winter: Propriety and Provisions” in which he spoke about how Allah (To Whom belong Might and Majesty) keeps days, months, years and eras in constant alternation. He reminded people of Allah’s blessing of winter time which He bestowed on His servants. The Sheikh further explained that Allah (May He be extolled) has granted us innumerable favours associated with winter, and he motivated his audience to draw maximum benefit from this season through performing as many good deeds as possible and taking advantage of the various bounties with which winter is replete. He did not forget to draw people’s attention to the need for being aware of the conditions our brothers and sisters in faith are experiencing this winter, starting from the premise that the entire Ummah is like one and the same body; that is, they feel pain when they see that their brothers and sisters in the four corners of the globe are suffering.

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, the sole designer of all states of affairs and the decider of time limits for all creation. There is no divinity save Him, the Great and the Sublime. Glory and gratitude are due to Him. He is very generous and is no miser; He is forgiving and is no hasty. He has absolute power and command over the whole existence. The heavens and the earth, along with every creature that exists therein, are praising Him ceaselessly day and night.
 
I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone with no associate. He is unique in perfection, grandeur, and awe; and I bear witness that our Master and Prophet Muhammad is Allah’s Servant and Messenger. He enjoys a privileged status and is endowed with immaculate traits. May Allah’s bounteous Sal?t (Graces, Honours, Mercy) and Peace be upon him, his chaste and virtuous family, his Companions, the best of all companions and of the noblest family ever, his t?bi’?n (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salât and Peace be upon him] after his death), and all those who follow them righteously till the Day of Judgement.

Now then,

I enjoin you and myself  – O People –  to observe Taqwa (fear of violating Allah’s commands). So, observe Taqwa vis-à-vis Allah  – May Allah have mercy on you –  as your Lord multiplies His blessings for those who express gratitude to Him and offers special mention for those who remember Him. He never lets down whoever beseeches Him and He offers recompense in exchange for gracious deeds and words. In return for evil acts, He proffers pardon and clemency. Therefore, proceed to express regret for your evil deeds in order to redeem your past, remedy for your current situation by means of good acts, and mend your future with sincere expectations and limitless optimism.
 
May Allah bestow His grace on those who learn lessons from contemplation, engage in deep reflections in silent moments, say ‘To Allah we indeed belong and unto Him we indeed shall return’ and keep their patience in times of affliction, behave modestly when they acquire knowledge, excel when they perform a given job, and gives generously whenever the needy ask him. They act in accordance with divine revelation and are wary about procrastination and justification: "They (are those who) fulfil (their) vows, and they fear a Day whose evil will be wide-spreading" "7" "And they give food, in spite of their love for it (or for the love of Him), to Miskin (poor), the orphan, and the captive""8""(Saying): "We feed you seeking Allâh's Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you""9" ""Verily, We fear from our Lord a Day, hard and distressful, that will make the faces look horrible (from extreme dislikeness to it)."" "10" [Al-Ins?n: 7-10]
 
O Muslims!

Nights, days, seasons, and years belong to Allah and succeed in accordance with His perfect laws. They keep alternating to signpost time for the dwellers of the herein. Glory be to Allah Who makes time elapse and ages pass over! To Him belong decisive will, perfect wisdom, and prevalent message. He who is endowed with insightful heart and alert faith will surely grasp the message behind the very design of Allah’s days and signs in His universe and creation: "Allâh causes the night and the day to succeed each other (i.e. if the day is gone, the night comes, and if the night is gone, the day comes, and so on). Truly, in these things is indeed a lesson for those who have insight." [Al-N?r: 44]; "And He it is Who has put the night and the day in succession, for such who desires to remember or desires to show his gratitude." [Al-Furq?n: 62]

O Brothers and Sisters!

Among the golden rules to be observed by the followers of our wise religion, including the tradition inherited from our righteous predecessors (assalaf ass?lih), is the connection to be made between, on the one hand, the variance of life affairs as they fare through elapsing time and, on the other hand, the whole scene in the hereafter and the consequences of our deeds. This association serves as a reminder, a lesson, and a preparation for believers.

O Servants of Allah!

One of the focal points of meditation and reflection on the lessons to be learnt is the diversity and alternation of seasons: summer and winter, spring and autumn, heat and chill, rain and drought. Here are sample meditations on the winter season with its two alternating phases of day and night, and its chilly and rainy weather. Let us contemplate how our righteous predecessors meditated and wherefrom drew benefits.
 
Ibn Mas’?d [May Allah be pleased with him] used to say, “Welcome to winter, during which divine blessings abound (rain), night time stretches to allow for night prayer, and daytime shortens to facilitate fasting.” In the same vein, Al-Hasan  – may Allah have mercy on his soul –  said, “The best season of the year for the believer is winter: its long nights help him perform night prayer and its short days make fasting easy for him.” Even more, Imam Ahmed reported the hadith narrated by Abu Saeed Al-Khudri [May Allah be pleased with him] where Prophet Muhammad [May Allah’s Salât and Peace be upon him] says, “Winter is the Spring of the believer.” Al-Baihaqi added: “Its nights are long so he can perform night prayer, and its days are short so he can fast them.” Al-Haithami proved that its chain of narrators is good. (not translated)

Imam Al-Tirmithi narrated in his Sunan (a collection of Hadiths) as reported by Amer ibn Mas’?d that the Prophet [May Allah’s Salât and Peace be upon him] said: “Fasting in winter time is like cold spoils of war.” This is a hadith established in multiple sources. In this respect, Omar [May Allah be pleased with him] says, “Winter is indeed the spoils of victory for worshippers.” Al-Hafidh Ibn Rajab  – may Allah have mercy on his soul –  clarifies that further as follows: “The reason why winter is called the spring of the believer is that the latter would find ample time for quenching his thirst in obeisance to Allah, satiating his longing for further acts of worship, and engaging his heart in a pleasurable tour of the garden of pious deeds.” They are indeed cold spoils of victory gained without combat, fatigue, or exhaustion. Its beneficiary can gain it spontaneously without much contrivance and blissfully without any weariness.

During the prolonged night time in winter, the believer enjoys sound sleep and enough rest after fatigue. He can equally benefit from night time to perform night prayer. Pious and night worshippers experience frequent interludes filled with recital of godly meditations and prayers; persevering worshippers engage in ecstatic moments of secret supplication to Allah, exposing their need for divine assistance, expressing their total dependence on their Lord (the Self-Sufficient), and mentioning their evil deeds before the Munificent, the Merciful (May He be extolled in His Supreme Glory). With the advent of winter, Ubaid Ibn Omeir used to say, “O people of the Qur’?n! Your night time has stretched so that you can recite Qur’?n; so go on with your  Qur’?n recital; and your daytime has shortened so that you can fast; therefore, go on with your fasting.”  

O Beloved Brothers and Sisters!

There is a big difference between those who experience delight in reciting the Holy Qur’?n and remembering Allah, on the one hand, and those who sit up all night, oblivious of Allah and engulfed in mundane errands as if they totally forgot Doomsday, on the other hand.

How different they are indeed! There are people who spend their night in prostration and long prayers; they occasionally fall into a gentle slumber and soon wake up to keep asking for divine pardon by dawn: "Is one who is obedient to Allâh, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)?…" [Al-Zumar: 9]; they remember, in winter, the hot wind of the Hellfire: "… "Our Lord! Avert from us the torment of Hell. Verily! Its torment is ever an inseparable, permanent punishment."?Evil indeed it (Hell) is as an abode and as a place to dwell." [Al-Furq?n: 65-66]

How different this group is from those who are engulfed in oblivion and ensnared by the fatal habit of vainly sitting up long nights! They engage in destructive and unending chit-chat throughout the night, swallowed up by prohibited activities, including listening, reading, and viewing illicit materials. How regretful and remorseful they will soon feel!

Brothers and sisters in the worship of Allah!   
 
  Among the lessons to be learnt by believers and the ample opportunities to be exploited, we find the piece of advice Omar Al-Far?q (Ibn Al-Kha???b) gave to his son when he said to him, “… and properly perform wudh? (ablution for prayer) on a chilly day.” This is because the act of performing wudh? properly to reach the areas of one’s body which are sensitive to cold water is one of the causes of expiating sins and elevating ranks. Abu Hurairah [May Allah be pleased with him] narrated the hadîth in which Prophet Muhammad [May Allah’s Salât and Peace be upon him] said, “Don’t you want me to guide you to what expiates sins and elevates ranks?” The Companions said, “Yes, we do, O Messenger of Allah!” So, he replied, “Performing wudh? until water covers mak?rih (i.e. the parts of one’s body that are sensitive to cold water), multiplying steps to reach mosques, and awaiting the following prayer after performing the preceding one. That is indeed similar to guarding Muslim frontiers; that is indeed similar to guarding Muslim frontiers!” [Narrated by Imam Muslim]  
 
In an attributed hadith , Prophet Muhammad [May Allah’s Salât and Peace be upon him] was reported to have said, “Three reasons of expiating sins”; then he mentioned among them “Performing wudh? properly in biting cold”. Performing wudh? properly means its completion as prescribed by religion despite severe weather and bodily pain, notwithstanding the ensuing hardships associated with it.

However, it is important to know  – may Allah have mercy on you –  that there is no harm in performing wudh? with warm water, and then drying up one’s body organs after completing wudh?. It is even permissible to resort to tayammum (i.e. substitute for wudh?, by using clean sand or stone in the absence of water, in case of health risk or emergency) if you fear health risks due to severe cold. This is indeed a graceful favour bestowed on us by Allah to facilitate our worship rites.

In the same vein, we find the letters sent in winter time by Omar Ibn Al-Kha???b [May Allah be pleased with him] to his local governors and tax-leviers. He used to say to them, “We are witnessing the advent of winter. Knowing that it is one of your enemies, so be on your guard against its perils: put on woollen clothes, shoes, and socks. Wear woollen underwear and heavy garments, for cold is a swift enemy whose entry is expeditious but whose exit is quite tardy.”  

Allah has bestowed on people such a convenience for keeping warm as clothing, in addition to other conveniences. Allah (May He be glorified) said: "And the cattle, He has created them for you; in them there is warmth (warm clothing), and numerous benefits, and of them you eat." [Al-Na?l: 5]. Notice how Allah mentioned warmth exclusively in the verse above although it is simply one of the “numerous benefits” Allah has endowed His creatures with. Allah also said: "… and of their wool, fur, and hair (sheep wool, camel fur, and goat hair), a furnishing and articles of convenience (e.g. carpets, blankets, etc.), a comfort for a while." [Al-Na?l: 80]
    
Servants of Allah, it might be pertinent here to point out that some people use fire as a source of domestic heating, in addition to utilising other domestic appliances for keeping warm. This represents in itself a divine blessing aiming at facilitating life conditions. However, your Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salât and Peace be upon him) advises you to extinguish fire before going to bed. In the authentic hadîth reported by both Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari, it is narrated that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salât and Peace be upon him) said, “This fire is surely an enemy of yours; so, before going to sleep extinguish it (for your protection).” The Prophet’s advice is only a reminder that fire might cause suffocation or lead to incendiary accidents.  
 
Servants of Allah,

Worthy of consideration and remembering is what our Prophet (May Allah’s Salât and Peace be upon him) used to say to his Companions during times of excessive heat or cold. In the two Sahihs , Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (May Allah’s Salât and Peace be upon him) said: “The Fire said to the Lord: O Lord! Some parts of mine have consumed the others, so allow me to exhale (in order to find some relief from this congestion). It was granted permission to take two exhalations, one during the winter and the other during the summer”. The Prophet (May Allah’s Salât and Peace be upon him) then said: “so whatever you perceive in the form of intense cold is from the exhalation of Hell. And whatever you perceive in the form of extreme heat is from the exhalation of Hell.”

Therefore –may Allah bless you– whatever bitter cold we experience in this life is but an allusion to the intense cold of Hell prompting fear, prudence and readiness on our part. Allah (To Whom belongs Might and Majesty) says in reference to the bliss enjoyed by paradise dwellers: "Reclining therein on raised thrones, they will see there neither the excessive heat of the sun, nor the excessive bitter cold, (as in Paradise there is no sun and no moon)." [Al-Ins?n: 13]

Qat?dah said: “Allah knew that extreme heat and cold are harmful, so He has put in place measures to protect them (His servants) against their harm. This in itself engenders impetus for them towards undertaking hard work and tahajjud  for this life in its entirety is but a parable of the Hereafter.”

With respect to Hell dwellers, Allah (May He be extolled) said: "This is so! Then let them taste it, a boiling fluid and dirty wound discharges." [S?d: 57]. He Almighty also said "Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor any drink (24). Except boiling water, and dirty wound discharges." [Al-Naba: 24-25] May Allah Almighty protect us from all of this!

Now then –may Allah bless you– Allah (May He be extolled) has made of your Herein a source from which you draw lessons and of the fluctuations of your lives exhortations. Almost every situation or event we come across in our lives carries within it an occasion to call to account our own selves and an opportunity to undertake obedience and get ready for the Day of Judgment.

O Servants of Allah!

In winter, nights are long, so do not shorten them by oversleeping them, and the doors for doing good are wide open. Therefore, take the initiative to alleviate your wrongdoings. While on his death bed, Mu?dh (May Allah be pleased with him) cried and said: “I’m crying in remembrance of those dry and scorching times, late winter night praying, and those times I used to squeeze in among the ulama (religious scholars) in circles of dhikr (remembrance of Almighty Allah).”

We seek refuge in Allah against the accursed Satan; in the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate: "(It is a great Grace and Protection from Allah), for the taming of the Quraish, 2. (And with all those Allah's Grace and Protections for their taming, We cause) the (Quraish) caravans to set forth safe in winter (to the south), and in summer (to the north without any fear), 3. So let them worship (Allah) the Lord of this House (the Ka'bah in Makkah). 4. (He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear." [Quraish: 1-4]
 
May Allah benefit me and you with the great Qur’?n and with the guidance of Prophet Mohammed [May Allah’s Salât and Peace be upon him]! I say this and ask Allah to forgive you and me and all the Muslims! So ask Him for forgiveness; He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful!