Run toward worship, not worldly outcomes
“Am I working in a way where I'm trying to please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala or am I working in a way where I'm trying to please myself first?”
Believers should stop anxiously chasing worldly outcomes and instead prioritize Allah's commands, especially prayer and worship, trusting that Allah, who already sustains all creation, will provide for them.
The khutbah in 8 steps
- Opening on the Jumu'ah command to leave trade and run to the remembrance of Allah
- Parable of a man who stresses all night about road hazards but forgets to wear shoes
- Application: we obsess over uncontrollable outcomes and neglect what we are actually commanded to do
- Allah is the provider of every creature; our sustenance is already guaranteed
- We neglect worship while Allah still gives us breath, health, and provision
- What is not guaranteed is paradise and good deeds; those require our own effort
- Hadith qudsi: freeing the heart for worship brings richness; busyness and neglect bring poverty
- Practical self-check: run to obedience, recalculate if you easily fall into disobedience
In the khateeb's words
“how you and I should be coded how we should think about every single situation in our life”
“am I working in a way where I'm trying to please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala or am I working in a way where I'm trying to please myself first”
“when we don't wake up for Fajr but go to work at 8 a.m we're doing the same thing”
“the best want is not wanting anything at all because if you want something you have to worry about it”
For the dinner table
The khutbah reminded us that Jumu'ah is a chance to leave distractions and run toward the remembrance of Allah. Like the man who worried about the dangerous road but forgot his shoes, we should focus less on what we cannot control and more on preparing through obedience. Allah provides our sustenance, but prayer, dhikr, and seeking Jannah require our sincere effort. When we put Allah first, our other responsibilities can fall into their proper place. As a family, we can help one another prioritize salah patiently and consistently.
- What is one thing you can prepare for instead of worrying about it?
- How can our family make salah easier to prioritize this week?
- When can worship make someone feel rich even without having more money or things?
More on Prayer & worship
The remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is something very powerful.9:18ISCN · Corona, CA · Oct 24, 2026Knowing Allah makes worship joyful
Ali Khan Center · Suitland, MD · Oct 10, 2026Give the weekly prayer your full attention“Don't just time it so you get maybe five-minute kutbah and a five-minute salat, and you're out in 10 minutes.”
Don't set your floor at your peak time, like in Ramadan.19:52Al-Noor · Santa Clara, CA · Oct 24, 2026Build a sustainable spiritual floor