Repentance & taqwaFrom the masjid's own video, Oct 10, 2026.

True sweetness comes from faith

“If you truly love Allah and His Messenger, it's because you know them well.”

The khateeb, at 4:57

In one sentence

We should pursue the lasting sweetness of faith by knowing and loving Allah and His Messenger, loving people for spiritual reasons, and disciplining harmful worldly desires.

The khutbah in 6 steps

  1. Gratitude and servitude frame Jumu'ah as responding to Allah's call.
  2. The sermon asks what sweetness listeners pursue and critiques sugar-heavy commercial culture.
  3. A hadith defines sweetness of faith through love of Allah and His Messenger, spiritually grounded love for others, and rejection of faithlessness.
  4. Surah al-Qiyamah shifts attention from immediate desires to death, resurrection, and judgment.
  5. Excess added sugar illustrates how normalized pleasures can harm the body, while alternatives and limits are suggested.
  6. The khutbah closes by presenting divine limits as protection and urging surrender of selfish desire to Allah's will.
Try this week
Reflect on what gives you fulfillment and identify attachments that displace Allah and the Hereafter.
Read and reflect on the Quran, study authentic hadith, and read at least one new seerah book each year.
Build relationships at the mosque across ethnic and social backgrounds for a spiritual purpose.
Reduce added sugar and sugary drinks, and consider less-sugary alternatives such as organic monk fruit or allulose.
Maintain prayer and other acts of worship, and reject desires that conflict with Allah's guidance.
Sources the khateeb cited
Surah 62The command to leave worldly business and come to Allah's remembrance frames the congregation and gratitude.
Surah 75Used to emphasize death, resurrection, judgment, and the danger of prioritizing immediate worldly desire.
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“you cannot cause harm to yourself or others if you look in the books of jurisprudence this hadith is seen as an overarching representative principle”
Pillars · University City, NC
Play from 2:41
“there are three qualities that whoever has these three qualities will taste the sweetness of faith”
Pillars · University City, NC
Play from 3:53
“if you truly love Allah and His messenger it's because you know them well it's because they occupy a big place in your heart and then what it means to be loving them affects what you do in your life”
Pillars · University City, NC
Play from 4:57
“all of religion is preserving and protecting those things in this life where desires can cause harm where there is a struggle with evil in the self and in the community”
Pillars · University City, NC
Play from 20:05
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

The khutbah asks us to notice what kinds of sweetness we chase in life. Real sweetness comes from faith: knowing and loving Allah and His Messenger, loving people for good spiritual reasons, and disliking a life of heedlessness. The speaker uses excessive sugar as an example of a pleasure that can harm us when consumed without discipline. Allah's guidance is meant to protect our bodies, families, minds, wealth, and faith. We should choose what benefits us in this life and the Hereafter.

  1. What is one thing that gives you quick pleasure but may not be good for you?
  2. How can learning more about the Prophet help us make better choices?
  3. What is one healthy or spiritual habit our family could practice this week?