Contemplation

https://www.khutbah.info/contemplation/ All praise is due to Allah the Almighty. Owner of Sovereignty, And the Creator of all creation,  and the Ruler of all affairs, Ever-living and does not die, All-sustaining and does not sleep. The Controller of the hearts. Knowledgeable of what is in the chests. He says to something: ”Be and it is” We praise Him with a praise befitting of Him. He has absolute perfection in his names and attributes. He has endless wisdom in His actions and decrees. And I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship aside from Allah alone having no associates or partners. He made the worship of the heart the soul of the worships. And he made the physical movements its body. And He made the worship of the heart superior over the worship of the body.

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ ,نَحْمَدُهُ  ,وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ  وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ ,  وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا  ,مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ  فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ ,  وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ ,  وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ   وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ    

Verily, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Him from the evils of our selves. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide. Whoever He misguides, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.

 يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ – آل عمران:102 

Al Imran 102 : O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.

Oh people:

All praise is due to Allah the Almighty. Owner of Sovereignty, And the Creator of all creation,  and the Ruler of all affairs, Ever-living and does not die, All-sustaining and does not sleep. The Controller of the hearts. Knowledgeable of what is in the chests. He says to something: ”Be and it is” We praise Him with a praise befitting of Him. He has absolute perfection in his names and attributes. He has endless wisdom in His actions and decrees. And I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship aside from Allah alone having no associates or partners. He made the worship of the heart the soul of the worships. And he made the physical movements its body. And He made the worship of the heart superior over the worship of the body.

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَذِكْرَى لِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ  ق: 37

Qaf (50) 37: Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind].

And Mohammad, His messenger and His Prophet used to contemplate a lot about the highest heavens. He would turn his face towards the sky to see the greatness of Allah in His creation. And would see His signs in the universe. Such that his heart would be humbled. And his tears would flow. And he would direct himself wholly to Allah the Exalted venerating His remembrance while standing bowing, and prostrating to the point that his feet would crack from the length of his ﷺ  prayer. 

Allah made the Ihsan (perfection in goodness) the highest level of the religion. And it is above Iman (faith) and Islam. Because the Ihsan takes one to the station of yaqeen (conviction). To the point that the strength of his conviction is as if he sees Allah the Exalted. And the place of the yaqeen (conviction) is the heart. And its ladder is contemplation. The more that a servant contemplates the Quranic verses and contemplates the signs within the universe the more that his yaqeen (conviction) increases. And to the extent that he neglects the worship of contemplation and pondering, his yaqeen (conviction) weakens. Then his Iman (faith) weakens. To the point that the worships are simply bodily movements. And he does not feel it in his heart. Although worship is the basis for anchoring the Iman (faith), increasing yaqeen (conviction) and affecting the person performing it.  For this reason, the prayer deterred from the indecency and bad conduct. And when the Quranic verses were recited it increased the Iman (faith):

There are very many Quranic verses that invite to contemplation and reflection. It directs the reciter of the Quran to areas of reflection that will help him increase Iman (faith) and obtain yaqeen (conviction) and reform the heart. And the verses command contemplation of the signs of Allah the Almighty in the universe and His actions. And His power in administering His creation. And these Quranic verses were addressed to the believers and disbelievers.

As far as the believer, he is commanded to contemplate the signs in the universe and the Lordly actions to increase in Iman (faith) and acquire yaqeen (conviction) and the heart reaching the level of Ihsan (perfection in goodness) in having servitude of Allah and being watchful of Him. Allah the Exalted said in describing the contemplation of this group:

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآَيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الأَلْبَابِ * الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَى جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ   آل عمران:190-191

Al Imran 190-191: (190) Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding  (191) Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth. 

This contemplation of theirs increased them in yaqeen (conviction) and Iman (faith) in Allah the Exalted to the point that they remember Him in all situations…standing, sitting and resting and they turn in supplication saying:   

رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ  آل عمران:191

Al Imran (3) 191: You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.

But the disbelievers were invited to this type of contemplation to obtain Iman and abandon the disbelief in Allah the Exalted. For this reason Allah said regarding the disbelievers of Quraish: 

أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوا مَا بِصَاحِبِهِمْ مِنْ جِنَّةٍ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ * أَوَلَمْ يَنْظُرُوا فِي مَلَكُوتِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا خَلَقَ اللهُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ وَأَنْ عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ  الأعراف: 184-185

Al Araf (7) 184-185: (184) Then do they not give thought? There is in their companion [i.e., Muḥammad ()] no madness. He is not but a clear warner.(185) Do they not look into the realm of the heavens and the earth and everything that Allah has created and [think] that perhaps their appointed time has come near? So in what statement [i.e., message] hereafter will they believe? 

And how many disbelievers entered into Islam because of this type of contemplation ?! And how many hearts were moved from denial to Iman (faith)?! And many western scholars who entered Islam were lead to Islam by this type of contemplation. And Jubayr bin Muyt3em  (   جُبَيْرُ بْنُ مُطْعِمٍ  ) (may Allah be pleased with him) heard the Prophet ﷺ reciting: 

أَمْ خُلِقُوا مِنْ غَيْرِ شَيْءٍ أَمْ هُمُ الخَالِقُونَ   الطُّور: 35

At Tur (52) 35: Or were they created by nothing, or were they the creators [of themselves]?

It was as if his heart was going to fly from this rational proof that establishes the signs of creation. And his contemplation of it directed him to Iman (faith). 

And just as Allah the Exalted invited the people to contemplating about His signs in the universe, He invited us likewise to contemplate about his religious decrees. As evidence of his justice, mercy, and wisdom. And engaging in the worship of being grateful for His Divine Laws. And hastening to implementing and acting on it. And from this type: Allah concluded the verse giving the ruling on intoxicants and gambling by saying:

كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللهُ لَكُمُ الآَيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ  البقرة: 219

Al Baqarah (2) 219:Thus Allah makes clear to you the verses [of revelation] that you might give thought

And he concluded the verses describing the rulings of the divorced women by saying:

كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ  البقرة: 242

Al Baqarah (2) 242:  Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses [i.e., laws] that you might use reason.

And our Lord the Most High commanded us to contemplate His favors that He bestowed upon us to increase our gratitude of Him. As Allah the Exalted said: 

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ * وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِلْعَالِمِينَ * وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ مَنَامُكُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَابْتِغَاؤُكُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ * وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَيُحْيِي بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ   الروم: 21 – 24

Ar Room ( 30 ) 21-24: (21) And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought. (22) And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge. (23) And of His signs is your sleep by night and day and your seeking of His bounty. Indeed in that are signs for a people who listen. (24) And of His signs is [that] He shows you the lightning [causing] fear and aspiration, and He sends down rain from the sky by which He brings to life the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed in that are signs for a people who use reason.

Whoever reflects upon Allah’s favor finds that in everything is Allah’s favor. And in every moment is a favor. And there are so many kinds of favors. And he does not wane in praising and thanking Allah the Exalted. And the one who does not contemplate Allah’s favors upon him diminishes in gratitude, and increases in discontentment and is not satisfied with his Lord the Exalted. 

أَقُولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ  لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ  إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

I say what you have heard and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and you from every sin. So seek forgives from Him, Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Second Khutbah

الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ,  وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ  , وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَاْ إِلَهَ إِلَّاْ اَللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَاْشَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدَاً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ

All praise is to Allah, and peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.

Oh Muslims:

Contemplating the blessings and favors of Allah increases the love of Him. And moves the tongue in praise and gratitude. And motivates the limbs to perform deeds out of bashfulness before Allah. Omar bin Abdelaziz (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: 

Talking about the remembrance of Allah is good, and contemplating Allah’s favors is the best worship.

And Abu Sulayman AdDaraneyu (أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيُّ  ) (may Allah have mercy upon him) said:  

Indeed I do not go leave my home except in everything that I cast my glance upon I see Allah’s favor upon me. And I find a lesson in it.

Indeed humility is the soul of the worships and its core. And if the humility is missing from the worship the person performing it is not affected. And contemplation is the guaranteed way to humility and tasting the sweetness of the worship. And worship with humility is better than many deeds without humility. Ibn Abbas (may Allah ne pleased with him) said: 

To brief units of prayer with contemplation are better that praying at night with a heedless heart. 

هُوَ الَّذِي يُرِيكُمْ آَيَاتِهِ وَيُنَزِّلُ لَكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ رِزْقًا وَمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ إِلَّا مَنْ يُنِيبُ   غافر: 13

Ghafer (40 ) 13:  It is He who shows you His signs and sends down to you from the sky, provision. But none will remember except he who turns back [in repentance].

هَذَا وَصَلُّوا وَسَلِّمُوا عَلَى نَبِيِّكُم كَمَا أَمَرَكُمْ بِذلِكَ رَبُّكُمْ , فَقَالَ

I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon your Prophet as your Lord commanded:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

Al Ahzaab (33) 56: Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace.

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنا فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنا فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنا فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لنا فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنا شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ

O Allah, guide us with those whom You have guided, grant us well-being among those You have granted well-being, be an ally to us along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless what You have bestowed upon us, and save us from the evil of what You have decreed.  For verily You decree and none can decree over You. He whom You support can never be humiliated. Glory is to You, our Lord, You are Blessed and Exalted.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا سَأَلَكَ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا عَاذَ بِهِ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ كُلَّ قَضَاءٍ قَضَيْتَهُ لَنا خَيْرًا

O Allah, We ask You for all that is good, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we seek refuge with You from all evil, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we ask You for the good that Your servant and Prophet has asked You for, and we seek refuge with You from the evil from which Your servant and Prophet sought refuge. O Allah, we ask You for Paradise and for that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed, and we seek refuge in You from Hell and from that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed. And we ask You to make every decree that You decree concerning us good

 عِبَادَ اللّهِ  إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ  يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

Servants of Allah. Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded. 

اُذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ واشْكُرُوهُ يَزِدْكُمْ واسْتَغْفِرُوهُ يَغْفِرْ لكُمْ واتّقُوهُ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ مَخْرَجًا   وَأَقِمِ الصّلَاة

Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favors – He will increase you therein.  And seek forgiveness from Him – He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him – He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.  

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