[Friday Sermon] Going Back To Allah In Repentance Before Ramadan

By Imam Murtadha Gusau

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Accepting of Repentance, the Especially Merciful, the Bountiful, the Generous. He pours His sustenance upon His creation. And accepts repentance from His servants. We praise him for His guidance and we are grateful to Him for what he has given and bestowed.

Dear brothers and sisters! Allah Almighty said:

“And it is He [i.e., Allah] who is [the only] Allah in the heaven, and on the earth [the only] Allah. And He is the Wise, the Knowing. And blessed is He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them and with whom is knowledge of the Hour and to whom you will be returned.” [Qur’an, 43: 84-85]

Respected brothers and sisters! Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) remembered Allah Almighty at all times. And each day, he used to repent to Allah and ask for His forgiveness one hundred times. For his knowledge that Allah Almighty loves the repentance of His servants and accepts it from them and rewards them for it.

Dear servants of Allah! Be conscious of Allah Almighty and obey Him, and welcome the Noble Month of Ramadan by renewing the repentance and abandoning disobedience and purifying the heart from rancour and freeing oneself for obedience. For Ramadan is days that pass by and go. And the obedient shall profit and the disobedient shall lose. And take heed from those who have left us (died). And last Ramadan they were with us. They used to be among us fasting and praying. Then they became under layers of earth that is a barrier between them and performing righteous deeds. So let us work with that destiny in mind. For the appointed time is near. And the torment of Allah is severe. Allah Almighty said:

“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” [Qur’an, 2:183]

Our Lord – Exalted is His Majesty, blessed is His name, and Exalted is His Nobleness – is more merciful on us than our fathers and our mothers and all of the people. And he does not like to punish and torment His servants even if His wisdom and will necessitate that. For Allah approves Iman (faith) and gratitude. And dislikes disbelief and disobedience. Allah Almighty said:

“If you disbelieve – indeed, Allah is Free from need of you. And He does not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are grateful, He approves [i.e., likes] it for you.” [Qur’an, 39:7]

And Allah Almighty does not punish and torment the grateful believers, because tormenting His creation does benefit Him at all. Allah Almighty said:

“What would Allah do with [i.e., gain from] your punishment if you are grateful and believe? And ever is Allah Appreciative and Knowing.” [Qur’an, 4:147]

Therefore, Allah, glory be to Him, rejoices at the repentance of His servants, and calls them to it, encourages them to it, wants it from them, and loves it for them. Allah Almighty said:

“Allah wants to accept your repentance.” [Qur’an, 4:27]

So has everyone who read this verse asked why Allah wants to accept our repentance?

Allah wants to accept our repentance so that He does not punish or torment us. And to recompense us for our repentance with the greatest reward and to elevate us by it to the greatest levels and positions. He wants to accept our repentance even though our repentance does not benefit Him at all. Rather the benefit of that or harm of not doing so returns to us. With that Allah the Gloried wants to accept our repentance.

Al-Barrah Bin Azib reported that Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) said:

“What do you say of the joy of a man whose mount has escaped, it drags its reins on a barren land where there is neither food nor drink, and on it is his food and drink, so he searched for it until it became difficult for him, then it passed by a tree trunk and its reins got caught, and he found it stuck to the tree? We said: Extremely (delighted) oh Messenger of Allah. Then the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: by Allah, Allah is more delighted at the repentance of His servant than the man with (finding) his mount.” [Muslim]

Allah wants repentance for us for our salvation, our happiness, and our triumph. So will our Lord call us to something that He wants from us, and in His hand is our sustenance, our life, and our death? And to Him is our return and our destiny. And He is the one in Whose Hands is our benefit and our harm, our happiness and our misery. All of these are gifts from the Most Merciful, and He bestowed them on us when He Most Glorified wants to accept our repentance. For if it were not for His revelations we would not know about repentance and its method. And if it were not for the innate disposition, that He placed in us, to worship Him and have servitude to Him, we would have been too arrogant to repent. And had it not been that He opened the doors of repentance for us and instructed us to it and softened our hearts, we would not have repented. Then He the Glorified crowned all of that by accepting our repentance no matter how big and large the crime and the number of sins. Allah Almighty said:

“And it is He who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons misdeeds, and He knows what you do.” [Qur’an, 42:25]

And in His will, Glory be to Him, repentance of His servants protects them from punishments for the sins and transgressions. And from the reduction of goodness and removal of blessings. And from the onslaught of fear, hunger, worry, grief and other effects of sins. For it is a call from Him, Glory be to Him, to safeguard people’s security and sustenance through repentance; Because if the evil stop their wickedness, the causes of torment will be removed.

However, the Shaitan and his helpers have another aim. Allah Almighty said:

“But those who follow [their] passions want you to digress [into] a great deviation.” [Qur’an, 4:27]

Their will is represented by turning away from the way of repentance and persisting on the sin and arrogance from accepting the truth. They want diversion from us. But it is a diversion to where?

It is a diversion from Allah and His religion and His straight path to whims, desires and lusts that storm within the heart and destroy people and devastate societies. That results in destruction in this world and torment in the hereafter.

Indeed the people of desire have a path other than the path of Allah Almighty. And a way other than His way. And a religion other than His religion. It is the religion of whims and lusts. The religion of disorder and animalistic license. The religion of dissolution and loss.

And they are not satisfied with a small diversion. For that does not please them. What they want is a major digression in which correct understanding is turned upside down. And innate dispositions dissolved. And societies changed. They want to eradicate and reject the acceptable. Allah Almighty said:

“But those who follow [their] passions want you to digress [into] a great deviation.”

A great deviation that changes the makeup of society. And turns it on its head upside down. To the point that someone who returns to it after having left for some time does not recognise it all. And he does not know that this is his society because of the great deviation through which it went.

Indeed this great verse:

“Allah wants to accept your repentance, but those who follow [their] passions want you to digress [into] a great deviation.”

Is a verse that the believer must ponder at all times.

“And reminds himself of it, as well as his family and his believing brothers; because it describes with precision and clearly uncovers the aims of those devoted to their lusts.”

Dear brothers and sisters! We will soon start fasting. So do we understand what our Lord Most Exalted wants of us so that He forgives us, accepts our repentance and is pleased with us, and what those following their lusts want for us and our families of great deviation?!

So do we obey our Creator and Sustainer and Provider, or do we obey people who deviate from the path of guidance and embraced temptations, and are incapable of righteousness and repentance and they wish for all the people to fail in repentance just as they have failed.

Respected Muslims! Be conscious of Allah Almighty and obey Him for you are going to welcome the Noble Month of Ramadan, the month of Taqwah (consciousness of Allah). And there is no Taqwah (consciousness of Allah) without repentance. So let us repent to Allah before this Noble Month of Ramadan. Because Allah wants to accept our repentance and He wants us to repent. And so that we attain His pardoning, forgiveness, salvation from the fire. And we triumph with Lailatul-Qadr and with the highest levels of paradise (Jannah) and glancing at the Lord Most Majestic and attaining His pleasure and closeness to Him. For whoever attains that, has truly achieved a great triumph.

O Allah, You are Forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive us. Oh Allah return us to you in the most beautiful way. Oh Allah, rectify our hearts. Indeed, You are All Hearing, Answering.

Dear brothers and sisters! Please, we sincerely seek your financial support, we need your help, we need your assistance, your donation and your contribution on the preparation in this coming blessed and Noble Month of Ramadan and Sallah period for the continuation of taking care of our orphans, widows and the students under our care. Your support is highly needed for Allah’s sake.

Respected servants of Allah! As usual, we sincerely solicit for your kind and sincere contribution towards the Ramadan preparation for our orphans, widows and students; and the development of our schools and Islamic Center financially, materially and morally.

Our aim and objective always is to have a standard Islamic center and Arabic/Islamic schools for orphans and less privileged Muslims children.

And if you want to pay your Zakah our great Islamic center is waiting for your kind and merciful gesture. Sincerely, your donation will help distribute Ramadan foods, etc for our orphans.

Remember, the Month of Ramadan will not be the same without our families, but unfortunately this is not a privilege enjoyed by everyone. This is the reason we’re steadfast in planning to provide Ramadan and Sallah feedings for the orphans, widows and students under our care!

We planned to distribute food packages that worth amount up to 4000 widows and 3000 orphans In Shaa Allah, this year.

And your contribution is highly waiting as usual. May Allah rewards all your efforts and your good deeds, ameen.

Remember, Allah Almighty says:

“If you support the course of Allah, He will support you.” [Qur’an, 47: 7]

And the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:

“Whoever relieves his Muslim brother of a hardship from the hardships of this world, Allah shall relieve him of a hardship from the hardships of the Day of Judgement. And whoever makes things easy for a person in difficulty, Allah will ease for him in this world and the Next. Allah is forever aiding a servant so long as he is in the aid of his Muslim brother.”

And he (Peace be upon him) said:

“Every act of goodness is considered as Sadaqah.” [Bukhari]

Here is our Account details:

Account no. – 0048647196

Account name – Murtala Muhammed

GTBank

For more enquiries contact, Imam Murtadha Muhammad, the director and Imam Of the Center: 08038289761.

To donate food items, etc, contact the following Numbers: 08038289761, 08056557477

Jazakumullah Khairan as you kindly contribute.

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

“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.” [Qur’an, 33:56]

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.

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.

Dear 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.

Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favours – 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.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation; may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels, bless him and give him peace and security―and his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly and sincerely until the establishment of the Hour.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today Friday, Sha’aban 24, 1444 AH (March 17, 2023).