As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!

”
“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

Al hamdu lillahi nahmaduhu wanasta’eenahu, wanastagh-firuhu, wanatoobu ilayhi, wana’oothu

Billaahi min shuroori an-fusinaa, wamin sayyi aati a’maalinaa. May- Yahdillahu fa huwal
muhtad, wa may- yudlill falan tajidaa lahu waliyan murshida. Wa ash-hadu an Laa ilaaha ill-
Alláh, wahdahoo laa shareeka lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhoo warasooluh”

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from
Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds.
Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will
find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any
partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee

wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

“O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, with correct awareness, and die not except as
Muslims.”

“Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum

a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza
fawzan atheemaa.”

“O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, and speak a straightforward word. He will forgive
your sins and repair your deeds. And whoever takes Allah and His Prophet as a guide, has
already achieved a mighty victory.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

“O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single
person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless
men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and
(show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.”`

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

At this very moment, millions of our brothers and sisters are about to complete the rituals of the
Hajj, the most important journey in their lives. In this short khutbah I want to sum up a few key
lessons for us all to remember about this momentous event. Hajj, the Pilgrimage to Makka, is an
epic journey, a journey of a lifetime: It is also the summation of the dramatic story of our Faith,
Islam.

It’s a journey that reminds us about our primordial human nature: Fitra. Fitra is our natural state,
the way Allah made us. We were born innocent and pure, but we are infinitely distractible. It’s
our human forgetfulness that leads us to sinful and shameful deeds.
But Hajj is also about Redemption, divine Mercy and Forgiveness. Hajj teaches us about
sacrifice, about loving Allah more than anyone on anything else, just like Nabi Ibrahim, alayhis
salaam, did. Prophet Abraham peace and blessings on him, was ready to sacrifice his own
beloved son, Ismail alayhis salaam, and earned himself the honourable title of khaleel-Allah, the
Friend of Allah.

Hajj takes us on a journey back through time, retelling the moral and spiritual history of
humanity. We visit the Kaaba, the first place of worship, built before the first church, or temple,
or synagogue. Here we find ourselves at the Baytul-Laah, the House of Allah. It is the home of
Monotheism, the cradle of Tawheed,of Divine Unity. Here we walk around the geographical
centre of Islam, the Kaaba, centre of our Islamic universe.
Our tawaaf symbolises effort, action, in a constant, circular motion, centred round a fixed and
immovable idea of Unity: Tawheed. Unity of belief, Unity of purpose, amidst a diversity of
opinions and different starting points. The great plain of Arafat becomes the stage for a dramatic
role-play of the very beginning and the very end: Long before time and space existed, long
before the ‘big bang’ 14 billion years ago, Allah created your soul and my soul and the souls of
every human being that ever was and ever will be. Then He asked them to testify according to
themselves, by declaring the First Shahaadah, the First Covenant. This was in the state of
metaphysical or pre-Eternal Time. When Allah addressed the assembled gathering of human
Souls, he asked them:

“Alasta bi Rabbikum?” “Am I not Your Lord?”

and they all answered together in one thunderous voice,

“Balaa shahidna”

“Yes, indeed, You are! we testify to this, so that we have no excuse on the Day of Judgement to
say that we were not aware of this covenant.” [Sura Ar’af 7:172]

The great gathering on Arafat is also a dress rehearsal for the Day of Judgement, Yawmul qiy-
yaamah. This is how the entire human race will one day stand before Allah, awaiting the Final
Judgement. In our simple ihram clothes, we cannot distinguish anyone’s wealth and social status.
No one can see who’s rich and who’s poor; the president, the billionaire, the taxi driver and the
farmer all look exactly alike, just like Allah sees us. Allah is only concerned with who is best in
their deeds. Who is best in their moral and ethical behaviour… this is what hayaat-ad-dunya, this
earthly life, should really be all about: Preparing ourselves for the eternal life after death.

We come to Jabal Rahma: the Mount of Mercy, a low hill rising above the plain of
‘Arafat. Jabal Rahma signifies the central theme of atonement, forgiveness after we’ve
acknowledged our sins and pleaded for Allah’s mercy. Here we follow the Adamic role model.
Here we stand not simply as Muslims or Believers. Here we stand as Bani Adam, descendants of
Adam and Eve. Here is where the first human beings sought forgiveness and this is where Allah
forgave them:
“Rabbana zhalamna an fusina wa il-lam tagh-fir lana wa tar hamna lana koona minal
khaasireen!” [7:23]

This is the same prayer of Nabi Adam, alayhis salaam, Adam and Eve, Allah’s peace and
blessings on them both:

“Our Lord! We have truly wronged our own souls, and if You do not forgive us, we will truly be
among the losers!”

Nabi Adam’s epic spiritual journey began from a state of fitra, primordial innocence, purity, and
went through human forgetfulness and distraction to commit Sin. But Allah also gave him the
ability to recognise his mistake, to regret, to be filled with remorse and to plead for forgiveness,
and finally to earn redemption. All this is graphically, vividly recalled on the Hajj. Brothers and
sisters, if you have not yet undertaken this blessed journey, make your intention, your niyyat, to
do so, inshAllah, ASAP, as soon as possible.

Hajj is truly a journey of a lifetime. Hajj takes us not only on a journey tracing the spiritual
history of Islam, it also symbolises the inward journey each and every one of us must undertake,
to find our own centre, in the Kaaba of our heart. What desires, what emotions and passions are
still circling, making tawaaf around our spiritual heart? The qalb is the locus of our personality.
This is our real driving force. Let’s make sure that it is surrounded by loving thoughts of
Remembrance of our most Beloved, Allah. It is only when we Remember Allah with love and
gratitude that our hearts will ever find lasting peace and contentment.

“Al-latheena ‘aamanu, watat-ma-innul quloobuhum, bi dhikril-Laah. Alaa bi dhikril-Laahi tat-

ma-innul quloob” [Sura al-Ra’d, 28]

“Those who Believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the Remembrance of Allah; for truly,
in the Remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.”

Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli
mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala
Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa
ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.

Second Khutbah:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem
Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

Respected brothers and sisters,

We say we love Allah more than we love anyone or anything else. Do we really mean it? Do we
really love Allah more than we love our families, more than our parents and children, more than
our selfish egos? Really? Where’s the evidence? If we really love someone, there’s evidence.
There’s phone calls, love poems, text messages and emails. Where’s the evidence of our love for
Allah? Where’s the evidence that we’re constantly seeking His smiling Face, in our prayers, in
our Dhikr, and in our lifelong good works?

Prophet Abraham, Nabi Ebrahim, alayhis salaam, had a dream in which he was offering his son
Ismail as a sacrifice to Allah. He told his son about the dream, and both father and son, being so
devoted to Allah, they both agreed and prepared to follow Allah’s will. But just as the sharpened
knife was about to pierce the jugular vein, Allah put a sheep in Ismail’s place. Both father and
son proved their love and obedience to Allah. They passed the acid test of sincerity, ikhlaas.

Let us not forget the powerful message here. It’s easy to say, I love Islam, I love Allah and
Prophet Muhammad sws. Talk is cheap, but where’s the evidence?. Let us show that we truly
love Allah, by coming forward to help with our money, our time and our talent to serve others, to
make our neighbourhood, our city and our country a better place, a safer place for everyone. This
is the real proof of love for Allah. Serve His creation. Be an agent of His mercy. Do good, as
Prophet Muhammad (sws) advised.

“Spread Peace, feed the poor, pray a small part of the night and you will enter Paradise.”
[Hadith]
Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal
munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

“Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He
forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be
reminded.”

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the
deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!