Repent now before death arrives
“Hijrah is the effort to repent from sins and mistakes and seek refuge in the boundless mercy and forgiveness of our Lord.”
Since death, the grave, and the Day of Judgment can arrive without warning, believers must urgently repent, do righteous deeds, give charity, and undertake a personal 'hijrah' from sin and bad character toward obedience to Allah, especially as the Hijri New Year begins.
The khutbah in 8 steps
- Board Noah's ark: honor parents and take warning from creation before it is too late
- Long life is a mercy only for those who use it well; the elderly still lost in gossip and greed will wish they had died young
- Retirement is a divine opportunity to turn to Quran, dhikr, and afterlife investment
- Do not gossip about the khateeb behind his back, cowards talk from behind, believers ask face to face
- Surah Yasin 45: fear what is before you and behind you so you may receive mercy, fear of Allah is a beautiful, protective thing
- Leave a good legacy behind: Ibrahim's dua to be remembered well, versus the legacy of stinginess and shoddy work
- Surah Yasin 46-47: the heedless turn away from every sign and refuse to give from what Allah provided
- Prepare for death now: the hadith of the seven things to hurry before, and the Hijri New Year as a personal migration from sin to virtue
In the khateeb's words
“Arkadan kim konuşur? Korkaklar konuşur. Korkaklar. Korkadan. Nifak çıkarır. Mümin arkadan konuşmaz.”
“Hijrah is the effort to repent from sins and mistakes and seek refuge in the boundless mercy and forgiveness of our Lord.”
“A Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe, and a muhajir is the one who abandons what Allah has forbidden.”
For the dinner table
Today's khutbah reminded us that life is short and death can come suddenly, so we should not waste the years Allah gives us. The khateeb said long life and even retirement are gifts, chances to read Quran, make dhikr, help the poor, and prepare for the hereafter. He warned that believers speak to each other honestly and face to face, not behind each other's backs. In the second part, for the Hijri New Year, he explained that real hijrah is not moving to a new city but moving away from sin, from arrogance to humility, from gossip to truthfulness, from haram to halal. The Prophet taught that a true muhajir is the one who abandons what Allah has forbidden. So the whole family was invited to hurry toward good deeds before it is too late.
- If you knew your time was short, what is one good thing you would start doing this week?
- What is one 'hijrah', one bad habit you could migrate away from, this new year?
- Who is a friend that would tell you the truth when you mess up?
The masjid
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