https://www.khutbah.info/compassion-and-comforting/ In the midst of life and its hardships, and the scramble of people to gather the debris of this worldly life and chase its scraps, people are most in need of coming together rather than drifting apart, of cooperating rather than failing each other, and supporting one another rather than abandoning and betraying. In these times, people desperately need to come closer together putting morals before interests, and money and actions before words. People are in dire need of hearts knowing and loving each other before being overrun by language, land, race, or color.
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:
In the midst of life and its hardships, and the scramble of people to gather the debris of this worldly life and chase its scraps, people are most in need of coming together rather than drifting apart, of cooperating rather than failing each other, and supporting one another rather than abandoning and betraying.
In these times, people desperately need to come closer together putting morals before interests, and money and actions before words. People are in dire need of hearts knowing and loving each other before being overrun by language, land, race, or color.
In clearer terms, we urgently need that if someone sneezes in the East, his brother in the West blesses him, and if the poor fall ill, the wealthy visit them, and if the weak are wronged, the strong rise to support them.
This is compassion, sought by every community that realizes its value, and thus they cling firmly to it, the foundation of their unity, making them a single entity that never disintegrates.
Compassion is a noble emotional sentiment that reflects the purity of the character of the one embodying it. Any society containing this sentiment rightfully deserves to be one body, alternating sympathy, love, and compassion. And such a society is safe from the calamities and selfishness that would otherwise tear it into scattered pieces. This is what the Chosen One ﷺ meant by saying:
مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ مَثَلُ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى
The example of the believers in their mutual affection, mercy, and compassion is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever. [Bukhari 6011 and Muslim 2586a].
Without knowing compassion, the concept of being one body cannot be realized within the Ummah. Just as the Ummah cannot reach a level of dignity, empowerment, and success if its members rejoice while others cry over losing what others are rejoicing over, if they are full while their neighbors are hungry, if they are satisfied while their relatives are thirsty, if they are clothed while their partners in religion are unclothed. The Truthful and Trustworthy ﷺ said:
لَيْسَ الْمُؤْمِنُ الَّذِي يَشْبَعُ وَجَارُهُ جَائِعٌ
He is not a believer who is full while his neighbor goes hungry. [Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 112, Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)]
One may ask, how can a Muslim have compassion when they do not have the money to help?
The answer to this question is that it is a gross mistake to limit the concept of compassion to the financial aspect or the ability to afford it. Rather, it is a heartfelt sentiment before it is translated into money and an emotional feeling before it extends to actions.
Moreover, there are forms of compassion that do not require money. Checking up on an orphan costs nothing, following funeral processions costs nothing, visiting the sick costs nothing, smiling in the face of your Muslim brother costs nothing, comforting the afflicted costs nothing. And there are many other forms of compassion that require a living, empathetic heart towards others. Allah Almighty said:
وَاعْبُدُواْ اللّهَ وَلاَ تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِ شَيْئاً وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَاناً وَبِذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْجَارِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْجَارِ الْجُنُبِ وَالصَّاحِبِ بِالجَنبِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ مُخْتَالاً فَخُوراً)-النساء 36
An-Nisa (4) 36: Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful.
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
ليس مِن نفسِ ابنِ آدَمَ إلَّا عليها صدقةٌ في كلِّ يومٍ طلَعَت فيه الشَّمسُ قيل يا رسولَ اللهِ ومِن أينَ لنا صدقةٌ نتصدَّقُ بها ؟ فقال إنَّ أبوابَ الخيرِ لكثيرةٌ: التَّسبيحُ والتَّحميدُ والتَّكبيرُ والتَّهليلُ والأمرُ بالمعروفِ والنَّهيُ عنِ المنكَرِ وتُميطُ الأذى عن الطَّريقِ وتُسمِعُ الأصَمَّ وتَهدي الأعمى وتدُلُّ المستدِلَّ على حاجتِه وتسعى بشدَّةِ ساقَيْكَ مع اللَّهفانِ المستغيثِ وتحمِلُ بشدَّةِ ذراعَيْكَ مع الضَّعيفِ فهذا كلُّه صدقةٌ منك على نفسِك
There is no soul from the children of Adam except that a charity is due upon it every day that the sun rises. It was asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, from where do we give charity if we do not possess anything?’ He replied, Indeed, the doors to goodness are many, glorifying Allah, praising Him, magnifying Him, saying “There is no rightly worshipped deity except Allah,” enjoining good, forbidding evil, removing harm from the road, interpreting for the deaf, guiding the blind, guiding the one who asks to what they need, and you strive with the strength of your legs to help the anxious one who is crying out for help, and with the strength of your arms to lift with the weak, for this is all charity from you to yourself. [Sahih Ibn Hibban 3377, Grade: Sahih]
O believers, it is astonishing that in the Ummah of mercy, there are those who have obliterated the concept of compassion from their dictionaries, to the point that their hearts have died. So they do not groan for the suffering, nor ache for the crying, nor show kindness to the miserable. Their hearts have hardened, and they have become calloused.
Meanwhile, it is obligatory for the Muslim Ummah not to magnify this worldly life and its gold and silver, and to not neglect orphans, so as not to be enslaved by distorted understandings of wealth, life, and empathy towards others. For such behavior is capable of making the rich hoard wealth, and the poor hoard enmity. Then the strong will not take the hand of the weak, and the capable will not support the needy. Then the weak and needy will be lost amidst the chaos, and crushed under the feet of cruelty and abhorrent negligence.
A community in such a state cannot overcome its adversary because it has failed to overcome its own desires and whims. Allah Almighty said:
بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا * وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى-الأعلى 16- 17
Al-A’la (87) 16-17: (16) But you prefer the worldly life, (17) while the Hereafter is better and more enduring.
The Prophet ﷺ asked his companions one day:
مَنْ أَصْبَحَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ صَائِمًا ” . قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا . قَالَ ” فَمَنْ تَبِعَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ جَنَازَةً ” . قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا . قَالَ ” فَمَنْ أَطْعَمَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مِسْكِينًا ” . قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا . قَالَ ” فَمَنْ عَادَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مَرِيضًا ” . قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” مَا اجْتَمَعْنَ فِي امْرِئٍ إِلاَّ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ
Who among you is fasting today?’ Abu Bakr said, I am. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked, Who among you followed a funeral procession today? Abu Bakr said, I did. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked, Who among you fed a needy person today? Abu Bakr said, I did. The Prophet ﷺ asked, Who among you visited a sick person today? Abu Bakr said, I did. Then the Prophet ﷺ said, These (qualities) are not combined in a person except that he enters Paradise. [ Muslim 1028b]
So let us hasten to elevate the concept of compassion through guidance, encouragement, and by setting an example through voluntary and charitable work, individually and collectively, through endowments, wills, and charities. So that this worldly life is in our hands, but not in our hearts. And let us always remember that the One Almighty Who granted us a smile is capable of taking it away, and the One who gave us wealth is capable of not blessing it. Allah Almighty said:
وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ-آل عمران 185
Al-Imran (3) 185: And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.
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:
O servants of Allah, know that Allah the Almighty created man into hardship, and they strive throughout their lives until they meet their Lord. Whoever lives will not be free from tribulation, and it is rare for one to be free from shocks.
Therefore, the character of compassion is the best helper in these calamities, to stop tears and ward off grief, to reinforce the structure of society, to mend its faults, and increase the bond of its unity and solidarity.
Through their lives, people are not free from grievances, as it is one of the characteristics of life and living. But hardships requires noble people who sympathize, console and share the pain.
Oh afflicted ones, you are commanded to place your trust in Allah, Lord of the worlds; for He – glorified be He – is the Lord of Compassion, the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. Perhaps He Almighty took from you in order to give to you, and withheld something from you to protect you from the harm of what He withheld from you.
If it is not this or that, then it is an elevation in ranks and expiation for sins. And whoever was unable to console and comfort you with their wealth will not be stingy in comforting you with their words, or feeling your pain in their heart. Such that you feel that you are not alone in your sorrow, and that there are those who weep for your crying and are saddened by your sadness.
When you feel the loneliness of not having support, know that the outcomes of patience are sweeter than honey. Allah Almighty said:
إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ-الزمر 10
Az-Zumar (39) 10: Only those who are patient shall receive their rewards in full, without reckoning.
Some of the Ansar asked the Prophet ﷺ and then he gave them, then they asked him again and he gave them, until he had nothing left. He said:
مَا يَكُونُ عِنْدِي مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلَنْ أَدَّخِرَهُ عَنْكُمْ وَمَنْ يَسْتَعْفِفْ يُعِفَّهُ اللَّهُ وَمَنْ يَسْتَغْنِ يُغْنِهِ اللَّهُ وَمَنْ يَتَصَبَّرْ يُصَبِّرْهُ اللَّهُ وَمَا أُعْطِيَ أَحَدٌ عَطَاءً هُوَ خَيْرٌ وَأَوْسَعُ مِنَ الصَّبْرِ
Whatever good I have, I will not keep it from you, and whoever seeks chastity, Allah will keep him chaste, and whoever seeks sufficiency, Allah will suffice him, and whoever strives to be patient, Allah will make him patient. No one has been given a blessing better and more encompassing than patience. [Bukhari 1469, Muslim 1053a]
May Allah Almighty soften our hearts and make us among the compassionate. Indeed Allah is All Hearing, Answering.
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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