Love for Allah transforms the heart
“To gain love for Allah you have to know Allah.”
Deep, sincere love for Allah is the transformative force that turns ordinary people into saints, and it must be cultivated through repentance, knowledge of Allah, Quran reflection, and avoiding sin.
The khutbah in 8 steps
- Opening call to taqwa and the goal of dying as a Muslim, with self-assessment for the Day of Judgment (Surah al-Hashr)
- Recap of last week's khutbah on repentance (Fudayl ibn Iyyad) as the first step; repentance recharges a decaying heart
- The bedouin's hadith: he prepared little but loved Allah and His Messenger, 'you will be with whom you love'
- Story of Umar ibn al-Khattab: Quran penetrates his heart and transforms him from would-be assassin to just khalifa
- Story of Mus'ab ibn Umayr: gave up luxury, first ambassador of Islam, martyred at Uhud with barely a shroud
- Surah Aal-Imran 3:92, give from what you love: Abu Talha's garden, Abdullah ibn Umar's fish
- Abu Bakr at Tabuk gives his entire life savings; public fundraising as a motivator
- Conclusion: love of Allah is gained through knowing Him (names/attributes), pondering the Quran, and refraining from sin
In the khateeb's words
“sadaqa but i love Allah and His messenger but however i have something in my heart it's called love”
“give from that what you love because giving someone something that you don't love is very easy”
“for your family he goes i left them Allah and His messenger say no much as i gave up from that day”
“and of course there's no time in order to gain love for Allah you have to know Allah”
For the dinner table
Today the khateeb spoke about the kind of love that changes a person forever, the love of Allah. He reminded us that Friday is a renewal of our iman, and that repentance is the first step to living a life centered on Allah, because our hearts' batteries are always draining and need constant recharging. He told how the Prophet comforted a simple Bedouin man who had few deeds but sincere love, promising him, 'you will be with whom you love.' He shared how Umar ibn al-Khattab was transformed by hearing the Quran, and how Musab ibn Umair gave up a life of luxury, wealth, and even his family's approval because love for Allah had entered his heart. The khateeb closed by teaching that to love Allah we must know Him, through His names, through reading the Quran with reflection, and by staying away from sins that darken the heart, and he asked Allah to grant us all a love that truly transforms us.
- The Bedouin man had almost no big deeds but loved Allah and His Messenger, what do you think made the Prophet smile at his answer?
- Musab gave up the nicest clothes and richest life in Makkah for Islam, what's something you love that would be really hard to give up for Allah?
- The khateeb said we grow our love for Allah by learning His names and reading the Quran, which name of Allah do you know, and what does it mean to you?
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