Spirituality includes restraint, service, and honesty
“If you can get right how to deal with money as a Muslim, that is spirituality.”
True spirituality is not limited to worship in sacred places; sincere restraint from sin, service to parents and elders, and scrupulous financial honesty can earn Allah’s help in hardship.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- The Quran and Sunnah teach through stories, including unnamed ordinary people.
- Three travelers trapped in a cave seek Allah’s help through sincere deeds.
- The first man’s restraint from sin demonstrates the value of avoiding haram.
- The second man’s service to his parents highlights care for elders.
- The third man’s financial honesty shows that ethical transactions are spirituality.
- The khutbah applies these lessons to digital temptation, loneliness, business, and hardship.
In the khateeb's words
“Staying away from a sin is more valuable than a great amount of optional good deeds.”
“It's the fact that in his heart he wanted to serve his parents. And even if it wasn't mandatory, he said, I'm going to do it because I love my parents.”
“Because his point was that spirituality as we know it, if you can get right how to deal with money as a Muslim, that is spirituality.”
For the dinner table
The khutbah teaches that spirituality is not only found in the masjid or during special religious seasons. Allah may value sincere choices made in ordinary life, such as refusing temptation, serving our parents, and dealing honestly with money. The story of three men trapped in a cave shows how sincere deeds can become a means of relief during hardship. We should look for ways to protect ourselves from wrongdoing, care for older people, and make sure nobody is treated unfairly in our financial dealings. These everyday choices can be acts of worship when they are done sincerely for Allah.
- What is one temptation on a phone or screen that we can learn to resist?
- What does being honest with money look like at school, work, or home?
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