Make closeness to Allah your life's goal
“Your job and my job is simply this, that you spend your life dedicated to the worship of Allah.”
Because humans are created to worship Allah, they should organize life around that purpose by fulfilling obligations first, adding voluntary devotion, and using trials to deepen closeness to Allah.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Uses academic advising, home-buying, and medical diagnosis to show that goals require clarity and guided processes.
- Defines worshipping Allah and seeking closeness to Him as humanity’s central purpose.
- Explains human dependence on Allah and frames trials as opportunities to strengthen faith.
- Uses a hadith qudsi to present obligatory duties as the first path toward becoming a wali of Allah.
- Expands obligations beyond ritual worship to family, employment, contracts, and other responsibilities.
- Encourages listeners to make becoming close to Allah a deliberate goal for themselves and their families.
In the khateeb's words
“Your job and my job is simply this, that you spend your life dedicated to the worship of Allah.”
“Trials will come. No problem. That's part of the life. That's part of what makes the nur of the mu'min, and the iman of the mu'min stronger.”
“obligations include all other types of responsibilities. If you are a father, you are responsible for your children.”
“Have we ever sat down and said, I want to become a waliya of Allah Ta'ala. I want to become close to Allah Ta'ala.”
For the dinner table
The khutbah begins by explaining that every meaningful journey needs a clear goal and a trustworthy process to reach it. It says our deepest human purpose is to worship Allah and grow close to Him, even while we carry family and work responsibilities. Difficulties are part of life, but they can strengthen a believer when they turn us toward more dua and humility. The speaker teaches that Allah’s required duties come first, followed by voluntary worship, and encourages families to make closeness to Allah a goal for themselves and their children.
- What is one responsibility you can carry out more faithfully this week?
- When has a difficult experience helped you become more patient or turn to Allah?
- What would it mean for our family to make closeness to Allah one of our goals?
The masjid
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