True submission requires difficult obedience
“Submitting to the will of Allah, it's going to be toil and struggle.”
True submission to Allah requires Muslims to align both outward conduct and inward desires with His commands, leaving harmful habits and steadily pursuing difficult obedience, service, and guidance.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Defines Islam and being Muslim as submitting to Allah’s will, noting that all creation submits.
- Distinguishes outward compliance from inward acceptance of Allah’s commands.
- Uses the steep path to portray obedience as demanding and requiring haste.
- Applies the lesson to temptations, friendships, and persistent effort in the masjid.
- Connects the steep path with freeing others, feeding the hungry, and caring for orphaned relatives.
- Concludes that genuine faith aligns a believer’s desires with Islam and makes obedience easier.
In the khateeb's words
“We have to be on the steep path, and we can't just stand on the steep path because the steep path will eat us up if we're not moving and trying to make an effort on the steep path.”
“Submitting to the will of Allah, it's going to be toil and struggle.”
“So you submit, but not only you submit, but you're happy to submit or you see the benefit in submitting.”
For the dinner table
Today the khateeb spoke about submitting to Allah through both our actions and our hearts. He asked us to think about how quickly we act when we learn that something pleases Allah. He reminded us that someone may look fine on the outside while finding obedience difficult inside. He described a steep path that takes effort, including changing familiar habits, learning with our community, feeding hungry people, and caring for children who have lost parents. He encouraged us to grow toward finding joy in what pleases Allah, and he prayed that Allah would make that journey easier for us.
- What is one good thing you sometimes put off, and what would help you get started?
- How could we encourage someone who is trying to change a difficult habit?
- What could our family do this week to help someone who needs food or care?
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