Importance and Authority of Sunnah – Jumuah Khutbah by Sheykh Abu Adnan

Jumuah Khutba given by: Sheykh Abu Adnan Mohammad

Narrated from memory by one of his students

Note: Day of Resurrection is not limited only to the events mentioned in this Khutbah, only those events are discussed that are the intended focus of the Khutbah. Ahadeeth references have been omitted here in this Khutbah article to avoid prolonging the Khutbah as all ahadeeth are commonly used by Ulema and either Saheeh or Hassan Saheeh.

I would like you to reflect with me on the day of judgement, Yaum al-Qayamah, the day whose duration equals to 50,000 years of this world. So Imagine with me you’re standing on this day in front of the Malik-e-Yaum uddin (The Master of the Day of Judgement), Allah subhana ta’ala. And as per the authentic hadeeth narrated by Ayesha (May Allah be pleased with her), you will be standing naked, barefooted and uncircumcised waiting for the day of judgement to start, the day where you will be interrogated for what you have done in the life given to you on the Earth. Giving you a parable, imagine you in this World, are interrogated by the policing authority of your country or you’re standing in a court, waiting for your turn, how your heart beats increase, how you feel butterflies in your stomach, how you have an insecure feeling of what is going to happen with you. So imagine now, here on the day of judgement you’re standing in front of the Rabbul Aalimeen, the Lord of the Worlds and your interrogation is yet to begin, with you having no idea when it would begin. so how all this would make you feel that day?

Another authentic hadeeth depicts (to the meaning) how people will be sinking in their sweat, some up to the ankles, some up to the knees, some up to the waist and some up to their half-faces (or nose) depending upon the sins they brought with them to hereafter from the earth. And What deeds you do in this world will reflect in hereafter.

And at the same time, near the Horizon Rahmatul Lil ‘Aalimeen (Mercy towards the mankind), the best creation who ever walked on this face of Earth, Sayyad ul Ambia, the messenger of Allah, the seal of prophethood, Muhammad (Sallallahu Alehe wassalam) will be present near the Cistern of Kauthar (Haud Al-Kauthar) waiting for his nation (Ummah) to come to him so he could serve them the drink.

Let me give you a brief description of this Haud Al-Kawthar. The Cistern (Haud) is (as big as) the distance of a month’s (journey) such as the distance between Madinah and Sana’ in Yemen. Its length and width are equal and its water is whiter than milk, sweeter than the honey and its scent is better than musk and Its drinking vessels are like the stars of the sky and whoever drinks from it will never thirst again. Its banks are made of gold and its bed is of pearls and rubies and its dust is the most fragrant (or pure) musk. The water of this cistern (haud) will come from the river of al-Kawthar which is in Paradise, flowing in two pipes into the Cistern (Haud). And in this River, are birds whose necks are like the necks of camels. Can you imagine the beauty of this River and the Haud?

The Haud is for the believers (Muslims) and disbelievers and Hypocrites will not be allowed going towards it.

The Prophet Sallallahu Alehe wassalam will see his Ummah coming to him. He will recognize them, and start giving them the drink. A group of them with the marks of prostration on their heads and the radiance/brightness emitting from their skins from hands and from ankles due to the Wudu (ablution) also start marching towards Prophet however the Angels of Allah will stop them. Rasool Allah saws will say to Angels why do you stop them, let them come to me, these are from my Ummah. And the angels will respond to him (to the meaning) You don’t know what they had done after you. What they had changed in your Deen that you’d left. and what they had changed from your Sunnah (by inventing new matters in the Deen). And Rasool Allah saws would say Woe to them, take them away from my sight. And they will be thrown in the hellfire.

You must have heard this famous hadeeth a number of times, however i would like to highlight few important points out of it.

My first addressee is Tarik As-Salat (one who has left the Salah (prayer) and no more considered as Musalli), how you’re going to face this situation? Do you think you have left the Prayer (Salah) and still will be served by Rasool Allah for a drink? You’re disqualified to be served this drink. If you think that even if you don’t pray, and how much a Maulwi (Islamic Cleric) reminds you and warns you of the dangers of leaving it, it is easy to get out of this by believing that it’s between you and Allah, then you’re highly mistaken and Shaytan has fooled you. After you implemen the pillars of Islam in your life, including the second pillar which is to Pray 5 times a day at the specified times prescribed by Shariah (Quran and Sunnah) of Islam, Yes after then It’s between you and Allah and Allah will judge your deeds accordingly to your intention.

Secondly, this point is for those who think Islam is confined only to the Masjid. You come into the Masjid, pray and then leave. and call it Islam. You fast in the Ramadan, and thats Islam only. You go to Hajj once in your life and that’s Islam only. You pay Zakat annually and thats Islam only. Yes, all these pillars are part of Islam BUT NOT THE ISLAM ONLY. Islam is much more than that.

Thirdly, today, it has been said to you Islam is not concerned with Politics or what is happening around the world. Islam is restricted to the Masjid only, to some charitable organizations and that’s it. If you’re on this opinion, then you’ve been deceived. If that was the case and Islam was always separated from Politics then how come Muslims for more than 1300 years Ruled the world from east to west? If there was no political guidelines given by Islam then how come Abu Bakar, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Umar bin Abdul Azeez, Muaviya and all our Salaf ruled the world? On which guidelines, Salahuddin Ayyubi, and Muhammad bin Fateh, brought changes in the geography of this world? Islam is not separated from politics, and Politics is an integral part of Islam.

And Last but not the least, another most important disease from which Ummah is suffering today: The Understanding of the word “Sunnah”. To you, it is any voluntarily act, like the 2 Sunnah after Maghrib or before Fajr, Or having a Miswak in your pocket or wearing a Thoub (dress). Nah, the word Sunnah as has been understood by early generations after Rasool Allah and all the Salaf later on is:

  • The Aqeedah (set of beliefs) conveyed to you by Rasool Allah swt via Quran and his authentic narrations
  • The rules, laws and authority of Allah swt by which you have to live by in this world
  • Your Muaamlaat with others Muslims and non Muslims, that Rasool Allah gave you
  • Your Ikhlaaq that Rasool Allah gave you
  • And to be restricted to the things that Rasool Allah gave you (in the matters of religion) and not to invent new matters in it that have no basis from the religion.
  • And to implement all of it to the best of your ability (with no duress) in your lives

Today it is inquired from the implementer of the Sunnah: Is this Sunnah you’re emphasizing on, is in Qur’an? Can you provide evidence from Quran? Is growing beard is in Quran and also where in Quran it says it is obligated?

And the modernists and rejectors of ahadeeth ask: Who was Bukhari? O! the one, who traveled the whole world and collected merely stories and narrations? How come you take hadeeth from him, he could be mistaken after all he was a human !!

Imam of Hadith, Al-Bukhari (May Allah be pleased with him) who traveled around the world for collection of ahadeeth, and analysed them with strict rules before recording them in his Sahih, to this group he is no more than Ibn Batuta, the famous traveler who traveled around the world and recorded events. May Allah safeguard us from this belief.

I would like to emphasize on the importance and authority on the Sunnah by giving this narration that both Muslim and Bukhari mentioned in their Sahihein. The narration explains when the great companion Abdullah ibn Masood said:

“Allah curses the one who tattoos, the one who asks to be tattooed, the one who plucks the eyebrows and the one who files her teeth in order to change the creation of Allah.” This statement reached Umm Yaqoob, who came to him and said, “It has come to me that you said such and such.” He answered her, “What is wrong with me if I curse what the Messenger of Allah has cursed and is to be found in the Book of Allah.” She told him, “I have read [the Quran] from cover to cover yet I did not find [in there what you have stated].” Abdullah told her, “If you have read it you would have found it there. Did you not read, ‘Verily, what the Messenger gives you, take; and what he forbids for you, abstain from’ [al-Hashr 7]?” She said, “Yes.” He replied, “He (the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)) forbade these things.” In this incident there is a Companion mentioning a ruling of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as a ruling of Allah. The lady, Umm Yaqoob, misunderstood Abdullah and thought that he was referring to a specific verse wherein the actions he stated were specifically mentioned. In Abdullah’s explanation he shows that what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prohibited has, in fact, the same status as something that Allah explicitly prohibited in the Quran. His proof was the seventh verse of soorah al-Hashr.

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, bear in mind that Living with Sunnah is a pride, that enables you and qualifies you to get this drink from the Haud of the the Messenger of Allah saws. It will not happen that you reject and being neglectful about Sunnah of him, and then expect him to serve you a drink from his own hand. Have you ever imagined being invited by any person of high reputation, a minister, or Prime Minister or a King of a state, with whom you have a cup of coffee? And then that King gives you more honor by making the Coffee from his own hands? You will drink it with much pride and will not even bother even if the Coffee tastes bad. Imagine Rasool Allah Saws, the master of the Prophets, will serve you a drink with his own hands? That much honor !! and you would like yourself to be deprived of this honor yet you seek every small honor in this world and struggle for it day and night?

Sunnah is to restrict yourself to what Rasool Allah saws brought with him. He said (to the meaning), i am leaving you on a clear path whose nights are as bright as the days. then question arises: How come then the Ummah today falling into traps day and night? Ummah is witnessing the trials and tribulations at its peak. And the plain answer is that it is because of rejecting the Sunnah, and filling in the vacuum by the innovations, the newly invented matters in the religion. Few trailors: You’ve left the authentic Zikr and have replaced it with Dancing (Raqs), whirling, and running in weird style. You call it Zikr. You invent your own Eids when Rasool Allah never celebrated more than two. In the matters of Faith (eeman), you don’t use your intellect (rationale) to lead you towards your Lord but you try to directly Judge and know your Lord (Allah swt) with your intellect. You worship your intellect to the extent where now intellect tells you which part of Aqeedah you have to take and which not to take.

And i will say to those who live by the Sunnah and implement it wholly to the best of their abilities: Yes it will be like holding a burning coal in your hand as prophet saws said, and glad tidings have been promised for you.

May Allah swt enable you and me to understand the Sunnah, to live by the Sunnah, and to die for the Sunnah.

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