The greatest evil is within us
“Oh Allah, protect me from me.”
The greatest evil threatening a believer is not shaitan or the envy and evil eye of others, but the evil within one's own self, so believers must take accountability, repent like Yunus, and daily seek refuge from their own hearts, tongues, eyes, ears, and desires.
The khutbah in 7 steps
- Protection from shaitan: seeking refuge when angry and changing posture (stand, sit, lie down)
- The evil of others: the evil eye is real; distinguishing permissible jealousy from sinful envy
- Prophetic remedies for the evil eye: supplicating 'barak Allahu feek', using the envier's wudu water, and discretion about blessings
- The third and most dangerous evil: the evil within, warned about in khutbatul haja every Friday
- The story of Yunus: accountability, his dua in the whale, and Allah flipping his situation
- The companion's advice: seek refuge from the evil of your heart, tongue, hearing, sight, and desires
- Abu Bakr's morning-and-evening dua (in Bukhari) as a daily practice, and closing call to own one's faults
In the khateeb's words
“Because envy is, I am jealous of you, but I also want you to lose what you have.”
“How many of you have ever sat for a moment and said, Oh Allah, protect me from me. I bet you none of you.”
“Own your mistake. Look at the story of Yunus. Acknowledge your shortcomings and wait and watch as Allah s.w.t. flips whatever challenge you are going through and puts you at the top.”
“If Abu Bakr is saying this dua every day, how much more are we in need of this supplication? Wallahi, we are in need of it more than Abu Bakr.”
For the dinner table
Today the khateeb taught that there are three kinds of evil we face: the whispers of shaitan, the envy and evil eye of other people, and, most dangerous of all, the evil inside ourselves. He explained that jealousy is a normal feeling, but envy, wanting others to lose their blessings, is something we must seek Allah's protection from, and when we admire what someone has we should pray for blessing on them. The big surprise was that every Friday sermon opens with a prayer asking Allah to protect us from our own evil, yet most of us never think about it. He told the story of Prophet Yunus, who was swallowed by a great fish and only found relief after admitting his mistake and saying there is no god but You, glory to You, I was wrong. Like Abu Bakr, who asked for a prayer to repeat every morning and evening, we should make a daily habit of asking Allah to protect us from the evil of our own hearts, tongues, eyes, and ears. When something goes wrong, instead of blaming others, we should own our mistakes and trust Allah to turn things around.
- What's the difference between being jealous of a friend's new bike and being envious of it?
- When you make a mistake, is it easy or hard for you to say 'it's my fault' like Prophet Yunus did?
- What is one small good habit you could do every morning and evening like Abu Bakr?
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