Repentance & taqwaFrom the masjid's own video, Jan 3, 2026.

Repentance begins before you stop sinning

“When you sin, you still call on Allah.”

The khateeb, at 12:00

In one sentence

Because Allah loves His servants' return and is At-Tawwab, believers should never let ongoing sin or addiction sever their connection with Him; they should repent by turning to Him now and keep taking steps back.

The khutbah in 5 steps

  1. Opens with praise, testimony, and the question of how to repent while burdened by many sins.
  2. Explains Allah as At-Tawwab and warns that shame can make sins seem too large for hope.
  3. Uses the lost-camel hadith and addiction anecdotes to show repentance begins during struggle, not after perfection.
  4. Presents Imam al-Ghazali's three elements of tawbah: knowledge, remorseful condition, and action maintaining connection.
  5. Reframes repentance as standing at Allah's door and closes with prayer for forgiveness, freedom from addiction, and hope.
Try this week
Call on Allah immediately during a struggle instead of waiting to become free from the sin.
Acknowledge that the action is wrong and feel remorse and humility before Allah.
Keep a living connection with Allah through continued prayer, supplication, and movement toward the masjid or religious learning.
Do not interpret Allah's mercy as permission to continue sinning.
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“The problem is that they are making their sins so big that it is blocking them from Allah”
Masjid Sadar · Parlin, NJ
Play from 3:14
“Tawbah is not wait until you stop sinning That is when you sin You still call on Allah”
Masjid Sadar · Parlin, NJ
Play from 12:00
“Don't think your sin is too huge for Allah To open up for you Because Allah is a Tawbah”
Masjid Sadar · Parlin, NJ
Play from 21:11
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

Today's message is that no sin should convince us to stop turning to Allah. The khateeb explained that tawbah begins while a person is still struggling, through calling on Allah, feeling remorse, and taking actions that preserve the connection. Allah loves when people return to Him, and Shaytan tries to make our sins feel too large for hope. We should seek Allah's help honestly and keep returning, while not treating this hope as permission to continue sinning.

  1. What could you say to Allah when you feel stuck in a wrong habit?
  2. What small action can help you stay connected to Allah this week?
  3. How can hope help us change without treating forgiveness as permission to keep doing wrong?