Hardship can draw you closer to Allah
“The difficulty that brings you closer to Allah is better for you than the blessing that makes you forget about Him.”
Because every person will return to Allah, believers should trust His wisdom and mercy in blessings and trials, respond with gratitude, patience, obedience, and solidarity with the oppressed, and prepare for the Hereafter.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Begins with death, life’s tests, and humanity’s inevitable return to Allah.
- Introduces prophetic guidance to die while thinking well of Allah.
- Reframes blessings and hardships through Allah’s wisdom, mercy, and reward.
- Connects hope in Allah with remembrance, obedience, gratitude, patience, and good deeds.
- Applies the message to suffering in Gaza and Sudan while urging solidarity and eternal perspective.
- Closes with supplications for steadfastness, forgiveness, goodness in both lives, and protection from Hellfire.
In the khateeb's words
“Good and bad is not defined by our happiness. Good and bad is defined by what brings us closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and what grants us more reward on the Day of Judgment.”
“the difficulty that brings you closer to Allah is better for you than the blessing that makes you forget about Him.”
“everyone in this life will disappoint you. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala never disappoints.”
For the dinner table
The khutbah reminds us that every person will return to Allah, and that life includes both blessings and tests. Allah gives and withholds with wisdom, even when we do not understand His choices immediately. We should think well of Allah, respond to blessings with gratitude, meet difficulties with patience, and keep obeying Him. We should also care about people suffering in places such as Gaza and Sudan and stand against injustice. Our hope is ultimately in Allah and in the everlasting reward of the Hereafter.
- When something does not go your way, how can you keep a good opinion of Allah?
- What is one small step you can take this week to move closer to Allah?
- How can our family support people who are suffering while staying hopeful?
The masjid
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