Taqwa grows when worship shapes your day
“Let's choose let's choose to plan our dhikr throughout our day.”
Taqwa grows when believers intentionally organize their time around Allah by following the Islamic calendar, practicing focused i'tikaf, and planning dhikr and sacred fasts in daily life.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Reaffirms the shahada and invites listeners to remember when they consciously embraced it.
- Reclaims Muharram and the Islamic calendar as worship and an exercise in surrendering control to Allah.
- Explains i'tikaf as focused worship in the masjid, increasing prayer, Qur'an, dua, and dhikr while reducing distractions.
- Urges listeners to schedule dhikr around work and other responsibilities rather than treating remembrance as optional.
- Illustrates persistent heart-dhikr through an Uzbek grandfather's story under Soviet oppression.
- Concludes with Ashura fasting guidance, recommending the 10th of Muharram plus the 9th or 11th.
In the khateeb's words
“The actual natural state of the believer is that yufawudu ilallah, they leave their affairs to Allah, yufawudu umorahum ilallah, they leave their affairs to Allah.”
“It is a form of worship for us to consider what day has Allah commanded for it to be today. It is not a theoretical idea. It is a worship to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.”
“Because the one who says, I'm too busy with these other good things to remember Allah has lost the plot.”
“Many of us our challenge isn't that we're forced into manual labor it's that we just have too much choice on our hands. So let's choose let's choose to plan our dhikr throughout our day.”
For the dinner table
The khateeb reminded us that taqwa means carrying awareness of Allah into ordinary time. He encouraged families to follow the Islamic calendar, prepare for Ashura, and use Friday to renew the shahada and send blessings on the Prophet. In the masjid, he described i'tikaf as setting aside distractions for prayer, Qur'an, dua, and dhikr, while limiting unnecessary conversation and socializing. He also urged us to plan small moments of dhikr during work and family responsibilities, trusting that remembering Allah can keep our hearts connected even in difficult circumstances.
- What Islamic date should our family learn to recognize and prepare for?
- When could we plan dhikr into tomorrow's routine?
- What would help us focus better when we enter the masjid?
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