5:08 in every moment we do…5:55 many of us we think…9:53 everyone sees them as…
Character & conductFrom the masjid's own video, Jul 10, 2026.

Allah values faithful effort over results

ISCJ · Ismail Bowers

“In every moment we do our best, we give the best that we can, whether that's in deen or dunya.”

The khateeb, at 5:08

Watch the khutbahFamily kit
In one sentence

Allah values and loves itqan, doing each act and responsibility with excellence and sincerity, so true success depends on faithful effort rather than visible worldly results.

The khutbah in 5 steps

  1. A Moroccan scholar identifies beauty, kindness, and excellence as three roots of love.
  2. Itqan means performing every task and moment well, emphasizing quality over quantity.
  3. Surah al-Mulk and a hadith connect excellent deeds with Allah’s love.
  4. The Prophet’s correction of a rushed prayer illustrates completeness, calm, and presence.
  5. Business examples distinguish faithful effort as success from dishonest wealth as failure.
Try this week
Perform each act of worship with focused effort rather than rushing to finish.
In salah, recite attentively, complete the bowing and standing fully, and pause with tum’aninah.
Ask which acts of worship you do well and deliberately improve them.
In business and daily work, avoid cheating, lying, and manipulation while taking appropriate steps.
Judge success by faithful effort before Allah, not only by worldly outcomes.
Sources the khateeb cited
Surah 67Used to argue that Allah tests people by the quality of their deeds, not simply their number.
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“in every moment we do our best we give the best that we can whether that's in deen or dunya”
ISCJ · Monmouth Junction, NJ
Play from 5:08
“many of us we think it's about number what Allah cares about is quality not quantity necessarily”
ISCJ · Monmouth Junction, NJ
Play from 5:55
“everyone sees them as successful but are they truly successful or are they a failure they are a failure”
ISCJ · Monmouth Junction, NJ
Play from 9:53
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

The khateeb shared a scholar's teaching that people love beauty, kindness, and excellence in what someone does. He focused on itqan, which means doing things well, and reminded us that Allah loves this care and effort. Excellence means giving our best in each moment, with attention to the quality of our actions rather than simply how many we do. In prayer, he encouraged us to slow down, complete the movements, and pause instead of rushing to finish. He also explained that an honest business owner whose business fails can still have succeeded before Allah by acting properly. We can bring this same care and honesty into our worship, schoolwork, jobs, and everyday responsibilities.

  1. Who do you admire for doing something well, and what could you learn from them?
  2. What is one thing you could do with more care tomorrow?
  3. When something goes wrong despite your best effort, what could still make that effort valuable?
Where it was given

The masjid

Islamic Society of Central Jersey4145 Route 1 South, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852Jumu'ah Jummah at 12:00 PM, 1:10 PM & 3:15 PMKhateebIsmail BowersMore khutbahsArchiveAll khutbahs at ISCJ40 khutbahs
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