Worship Allah through excellence and service
“I am going to do the best possible thing that I can do for you, not because I want to be recognized, but because Ya Allah, that's what you want.”
True worship is ihsan, striving to please Allah through excellence, mercy, and selfless service, especially during hardship, rather than merely completing religious obligations.
The khutbah in 5 steps
- Reaffirms the shahadah and sending blessings upon the Prophet.
- Introduces ihsan through Hadith Jibreel and Quranic descriptions of life as a test of the best deeds.
- Explains ihsan as worshipping Allah as though seeing Him, illustrated by a companion’s added praise in prayer.
- Shows how the Prophet’s response after Ta’if placed Allah’s pleasure above personal suffering and retaliation.
- Applies ihsan to family, illness, work, relationships, and small daily acts of private worship before closing with supplication.
In the khateeb's words
“Allah, what do you want? Allah, is this going to make you happy? Okay, I'm going to do that.”
“The world is the world. The tests are the tests. But Allah, you are singular. And you are my maqsid. You are my goal. And your joy is what I want. And your happiness is what I want.”
“This is to say to Allah, Ya Allah, I am going to do the best possible thing that I can do for you, not because I want to be recognized, but because Ya Allah, that's what you want.”
“You've given me an illness I'm going to deal with this illness in the best way that I can.”
For the dinner table
Ihsan means worshipping Allah with excellence, as though we see Him, while remembering that He sees us. It is more than completing required prayers and duties; it is wanting to please Allah through the quality of everything we do. The khutbah showed this through the Prophet’s mercy after Ta’if, Abu Bakr’s forgiveness and secret service, and a companion who added beautiful praise in prayer. We are encouraged to practice ihsan in family care, illness, work, relationships, and kindness to people around us. Even five quiet minutes of worship each day can become a path toward a deeper relationship with Allah.
- What is one small good deed you could do secretly this week?
- How can we show ihsan when something difficult happens?
- What might Allah want from us in our family?
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