Repentance & taqwaFrom the masjid's own video, Oct 24, 2026.

Avoiding sin matters more than extra worship

“Staying away from sins is more valuable, is more needed, is more appreciated by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.”

The khateeb, at 3:26

In one sentence

A peaceful and spiritually rich life begins by avoiding sin, preserving voluntary worship, guarding speech and testimony, and being content with Allah's provision.

The khutbah in 6 steps

  1. Revisits the first advice: avoiding forbidden acts and major sins is central to worship.
  2. Clarifies that voluntary prayers remain valuable and can compensate for deficiencies in obligatory worship.
  3. Warns against unnoticed sins, especially backbiting and gossip.
  4. Explains that unsupported character certificates can become false testimony.
  5. Introduces the second advice: contentment with whatever Allah has given.
  6. Uses Quranic teaching to explain human interdependence and closes by previewing further advice.
Try this week
Prioritize leaving forbidden acts and major sins, even when voluntary worship is limited.
Pray two or four voluntary rak'ahs before sleep or at least once every 24 hours.
Avoid backbiting unless there is a genuine need such as protecting people from harm or giving truthful testimony.
Do not request or provide character claims beyond what someone is genuinely known to have done.
Practice contentment with Allah's provision and reduce complaints.
Sources the khateeb cited
Jami` at-TirmidhiFrames the five prophetic advices, including avoiding forbidden acts and being content with Allah's allocation.
Jami` at-TirmidhiTeaches that prayer is assessed first and voluntary worship can address deficiencies in obligatory acts.
Quran 33:21Recited at the close to present the Prophet as an excellent example.
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“staying away from sins is more valuable, is more needed, is more appreciated by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.”
Muhammadi Masjid · Elmont, NY
Play from 3:26
“So at least at least me and you should before going to sleep or once in every 24 hours, at least pray two rakat or four rakat nafil.”
Muhammadi Masjid · Elmont, NY
Play from 7:26
“Islam doesn't allow this. This is considered backbiting. This is something that is very normal in nowadays life.”
Muhammadi Masjid · Elmont, NY
Play from 11:46
“whatever Allah has given you be content with it you will become the richest of the people”
Muhammadi Masjid · Elmont, NY
Play from 19:13
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

The khutbah revisited the advice to stay away from forbidden acts and major sins, explaining that leaving sin may be more valuable than adding voluntary worship. It also clarified that nafl prayers still matter and can help cover deficiencies in obligatory worship, so listeners were urged to pray two or four extra rak'ahs regularly. The speaker warned that backbiting and false testimony can happen unnoticed, while truthful warnings, legal testimony, and learning history may be legitimate when there is a real need. He then introduced the next advice: be content with what Allah has given you, because contentment is true wealth. The message invites us to protect our speech, be honest about what we know, and practice gratitude this week.

  1. What is one extra prayer or good habit you could keep this week?
  2. How can we stop a conversation from turning into gossip?
  3. What does being content with what Allah gave us look like at home?