Life's blessings are a test from Allah
“Whatever comes out of your mouth has to be something true, something sweet, something great, something excellent, something wonderful.”
Life in this dunya is a test for which Allah will question every blessing, so believers should adopt Prophet Dawud's dua: ask Allah for a truthful tongue, a humble heart, a patient body, and a supportive spouse, and seek refuge from a disrespectful child, a distressing spouse, misused wealth, and a malicious neighbor.
The khutbah in 8 steps
- Opening with standard khutbah praise, taqwa verses, and the hadith that Allah looks at hearts and deeds, not appearances
- Allah created death and life as a test and will question us about hearing, sight, and the heart
- Continuity with last week's khutbah: the danger of the tongue and the command to speak good or stay silent
- Dawud's dua, part 1: asking for a truthful tongue (lisānan ṣādiqan), illustrated by the hadith of the body parts deferring to the tongue
- Asking for a humble heart connected to Allah (qalban khāshiʿan)
- Asking for a patient body (badanan ṣābiran), since Allah is with the patient
- Asking for a wife who helps in deen, dunya, and akhira
- The four refuges: an insolent son (with Nuh's son as proof), a wife who ages you early, wealth heirs spend in haram, and a neighbor who hides your good and broadcasts your faults
In the khateeb's words
“a truthful tongue whatever you say whatever comes out of your mouth has to be something true something sweet something great something excellent something wonderful”
“if you are going right we will all be right if you are fine we will all be okay”
“Allah made a promise that those who are patient Allah will give them reward unexpectedly that they don't even expect”
For the dinner table
Today the khateeb continued a beautiful dua of Prophet Dawud (as), who asked Allah for four things and sought protection from four things. He asked for a truthful tongue, reminding us of the Prophet's teaching: if you have something good to say, say it, and if not, it is better to stay quiet, starting with our own families. He asked for a heart that stays connected to Allah, because a disconnected heart is a lost one. He asked for a patient body, and Allah promises the patient a reward beyond anything they expect. And he asked for a spouse who helps in both deen and dunya, while seeking protection from a child who disrespects his parents, wealth that is misused after we die, and a neighbor who hides our good and spreads our faults. The khateeb reminded us that this whole life is a test, and Allah will ask us about our hearing, our sight, and our hearts.
- If your tongue is the 'leader' of your whole body, what is one thing you could say, or not say, tomorrow that would lead it well?
- What is one thing that helps your heart feel connected to Allah, and one thing that pulls it away?
- Which of the four things Dawud (as) asked for would you want most, and why?
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