Balance worship with lawful worldly needs
“Honoring Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala but also honoring the lawful ways that Allah jallahu ala has allowed us to balance between the deen and the dunya.”
Allah commands believers to balance deen and dunya, especially during Hajj and Eid al-Adha, by benefiting lawfully from trade and sacrificial animals while keeping intention sincerely for Him.
The khutbah in 7 steps
- Theme: honoring Allah while balancing deen and dunya, via the ayah on benefiting from livestock before sacrifice
- Intention determines validity: Hajj done purely for money may not count; hadith on hijrah for dunya or a woman
- Allah eased the believers' anxiety about trading during the Hajj season: no sin in seeking His bounty
- Rebuke of false asceticism: take provisions for the journey, but the best provision is taqwa (Surah Al-Baqarah)
- Surah Al-Hajj: every ummah was given rites to remember Allah; sacrificial animals are symbols of Allah with good in them
- Eid al-Adha is upon us: prepare the udhiyah, learn the rulings of valid sacrificial animals
- Distribution of the sacrifice (third for self, third as gift, third in charity) and closing du'a
In the khateeb's words
“Honoring Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala but also honoring the lawful ways that Allah jallahu ala has allowed us to balance between the deen and the dunya.”
“Benefit from it. Ride upon it. And eat from it. Build them as well. And then when you get to the ancient house that's your time to do your alhiyah.”
“There's no sin upon you in earning some blessings from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.”
“Learn the rulings of the animals that you can slaughter.”
For the dinner table
Today the shaykh taught us that Islam is a religion of balance, Allah doesn't ask us to abandon the world to worship Him. The early Muslims worried that selling their goods during Hajj season would spoil their intention, so Allah revealed that there is no sin in earning while on the journey, as long as the heart's focus stays on Him. He also reminded us that real reliance on Allah isn't refusing to pack food and water, we prepare our means, but the best provision of all is taqwa, being mindful of Allah. He warned that intentions matter most: a person who travels or migrates only for money or worldly gain gets only what they chased. Finally, with Eid al-Adha near, he encouraged everyone who plans to offer a sacrifice to start now, learn the rulings, prepare the animal, and remember to share it: a third for your family, a third as gifts, and a third for charity.
- What's one 'worldly' thing you do, school, sports, a hobby, that you could turn into an act of worship just by fixing your intention?
- The best provision is taqwa, what do you think it means to 'pack' taqwa for a trip or a big day?
- If you had to split something you love into thirds, one for you, one as a gift, one for charity, what would you pick and who would get the charity third?
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