You can interrupt harmful habits
“What I do also does to me.”
Because repeated choices shape and can damage the soul, believers should deliberately interrupt automated desires through repentance, self-restraint, prayer, and disciplined habits while remembering that return to Allah remains possible.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Uses Surah Ash-Shams to present purification of the soul as the path to success.
- Explains that sin harms the sinner, accumulating spiritual darkness that repentance can erase.
- Connects technology and automation to habit formation and the shaping of desire.
- Emphasizes jihad al-akbar: resisting the nafs, guarding speech and gaze, and accepting personal agency.
- Presents prayer, charity, fasting, and difficult commitments as ways to interrupt harmful patterns.
- Closes with hope in repentance and prayers for afflicted communities worldwide.
In the khateeb's words
“The Qur'an teaches me that what I do also does to me. It's not a one-way street. It's not that I'm just doing and there is nothing that is being done to me.”
“Find a way to purify your life, purify your mind, purify your body, purify your heart. Purify your circle of friends, your circle of association.”
“That way you start to train your nafs. You start to train your soul not to take the easy way out, not to take the convenient way out.”
For the dinner table
This khutbah reminded us that our choices shape our souls: doing good benefits us inside, while harmful habits can damage our hearts. We can always turn back to Allah, ask forgiveness, and begin changing our direction. The words we repeat matter too, so we can practice speaking with kindness and avoid searching for other people’s faults. Prayer, charity, and fasting help us pause and make thoughtful choices instead of simply following every urge. Technology can be useful, and choosing a worthwhile challenge can also help us learn patience and train ourselves to keep going when something becomes difficult.
- What small good habit would you like us to practice together this week?
- What kind words has someone said to you that you still remember?
- What difficult thing would you like to learn, and how could we help you stick with it?
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