KHUTBAH : ~NOURISHING THE SOUL~

Blessed congregation of Muslims,

I would like to remind myself, and, all my brothers in Islam, to remain steadfast in our Taqwa to Allah s.w.t. To remain steadfast in our Taqwa to Allah by doing all that He commands. To remain steadfast in our Taqwa to Allah by staying away from all that He forbids.

As we strive and work hard to increase our wealth, let us not forget one thing in our lives. One thing that is so important. One thing that has so much importance. One thing that is eternal. That will be with us forever. What is this thing? It is our soul. Our whole being revolves around our soul. It was with us before we were born. With us when we are alive on this earth. And with us even after we die. It will be with us in the graves and with us when we meet Allah. Our soul is the seat of our iman. It is the throne of our taqwa. It is the stronghold of our faith. If our soul is strong and good, our whole personality will orientate towards goodness.

No matter how rich we are; no matter how healthy we are; if our soul is not strong; if our soul is not developed; if our soul is sick, we will still mirror a personality and behaviour that is rotten. No matter how famous a personality we are in this world, if our soul is dead, then there will be no place for us in Jannah, the Paradise ever eternal. Hence, our soul, the strength of our soul - These are crucial elements in our lives that we need to consciously develop. Indeed, our soul is far more important than our bodies.

Let us take an analogy my brothers. Clasp one hand. Crunch and clutch your hand in your palm as tightly as you can. Feel the strength and tension in your muscles. This is the strength that your body can offer. Now imagine that is your soul. Is your soul as strong as that clasp of your hand. Or is it like water that seeps through your fingers?

Everyday in our lives, we treat our bodies with lavish and care. Everyday, we lavish our bodies with clothes that are beautiful, soft and costly. We wash our bodies with soap so that it will be clean. We spray our bodies with perfume so that it will smell good. We exercise so that our bodies will be healthy. But. Do we do this to our soul? Have we nourished our soul? Do we bathe our souls so that it will be clean? Do we perfume our souls so that it will smell with the fragrance of purity. Or do we clothe our soul with coverings that are torn and spoilt? What indeed would be a clothing that is good for our soul? Listen to what Allah commands in surah Al-'Araf ayat 26 which says: Meaning: O children of Adam! Surely we have sent down to you clothes to cover your bodies and clothes that decorate and taqwa is surely the best of coverings. These are the signs of Allah that they may remember.

My dear brothers,

Taqwa is the best of clothing for our soul. Taqwa is the clothing that we should cover our souls with. And each member of our congregation is reminded to strengthen their Taqwa to Allah. Isn't it time now for us to give our all to be Taqwa to Allah?

My dear brothers,

most of us are dissatisfied with the wealth that we have. We want to experience a better life. We want to feel the comforts of life. We yearn to have it easy. We yearn to have more wealth. For wealth, it is said, is a key to a comfortable life. This is not against Islam. In fact, Islam wants its ummah to be an ummah that is strong. An ummah strong in all aspects of life - economic, physical, social and political. Everything. So seek wealth. Work for progress. Be a community that is wealthy not a community that is poor. Because. Poverty can lead a person astray. Poverty can lead a person to disobey and forget his Creator. Poverty can lead a person to become a kafir. The Messenger of Allah had said this in a hadith: Which means: Poverty can bring someone to a state of kufr.

But. At the same time. Whilst building our financial resources. Let us not forget our souls. Our soul needs to smell and feel the fragrance of Iman. It needs to be bathed with knowledge. It needs to be exercised with frequent good deeds to remain healthy. These three things: Iman, knowledge and good deeds. These are the three ammunition that is needed for a healthy soul. Iman, ilm and amal, these are the seeds of a clean, healthy and fragrant soul. They are strongly interlinked. A person's iman is not complete if he doesn't lace it with good deeds. And a person will not persevere in his good deeds if he doesn't feel the joy of doing good. And the joy of doing good comes when you have knowledge and conviction of its benefits.

Dear blessed Friday congregation,

A person's good deeds reflect the iman in his soul. A rotten behaviour or the lack of good deeds, is a reflection of the lack of iman in a person's soul. So. Someone who consistently does good deeds and displays a behaviour that is honourable, a high likelihood is that he also has an iman that is high. His soul is strong. It is filled with taqwa and iman and belief in Allah. Our iman can rise and fall. Our iman can increase and decrease. What then are the characteristics of someone with iman? Listen to Allah's commands in surah At-Taubah, ayat 112:

Which means: Those who like to repent, who are conscientious in doing good deeds, who praise Allah, who like to fast, who regularly bow and prostrate to Allah, who invite others to goodness and forbid disobedience, and those who observe Allah's laws. And so, give good news to those who are pious mukmins.

These are the characteristics of people who have iman in their souls. They frequently seek forgiveness from Allah. They frequently repent for all the sins they have committed. They engage in dzikir to remember Allah. They strive to fast for Allah. And they not only do the wajib fasts but also the sunnah fasts. They look forward to the time when they can do their solat. They fulfil amar ma'ruf nahi munkar. And they guard the laws of Allah. Let us measure ourselves. Do we measure up to these characteristics of a person with iman? How do we measure up to being a mukmin?

Dear blessed congregation of Muslims,

If you have enjoyed eating a certain food, you will surely want to eat it again and again. Likewise. A person who starts doing some good deeds will feel the joy of that good deed. When a person begins to feel the joy of his deeds and worship, he will always want to do these deeds and acts of worship. And my brothers, there is nothing in this world, nothing, that can give us the joy and peace equal to the joy and peace we get from our acts of worship to Allah. The joys of this world can quickly make us feel satiated. It can make us feel bored when we have the same thing day after day after day.

Imagine if you were to eat the same food day after day after day. No matter how much you first enjoyed it, after some time, you will get bored with it. Indeed you will lose your interest in it. You will lose the joy that you once found in it. That is how temporary the joys in this world are.

But, the joy of religious worship is a gift from Allah. A person who finds joy in his religious worship will never lose interest or feel bored with it. No matter how much he does it. Because Allah will bring us closer to him. The more we engage in religious worship to Allah, the closer He will bring us to Him. And the stronger we will feel for the worship that we have performed. The stronger is the joy that we feel for our ibadat and our good deeds. Rasulullah has once said that one of the signs in which a person's worship has been accepted by Allah is when he finds joy and a keenness to always perform that act of religious worship.

Let us reflect upon this for a while. What is the one deed? What is one act of religious worship that we truly love to do? That we simply look forward to doing? That we find true joy in doing? Is it our solat? Is it to fast? Is it to give in charity? Is it to read the Quran? Is it to study the laws of Allah? Is it to engage in dzikir? We must have one form of religious practice that we will consistently perform and which we enjoy doing. Indeed, it is the saddest thing to find if we do not even have 1 single deed that we enjoy doing. Not one single good deed for us to find joy in. It means that we have not been sincere in even in a single deed. It means that there is not one single deed that we have performed that has been accepted by Allah. Each of these deeds will be like specks of dust blown away into oblivion by the winds, wal 'iyadzubillah min dzalik.

My dear brothers in Islam,

Everyone has their own preference for the kinds of good deeds that they like to perform. Find one that fits you. Find one form of religious worship that you can be consistent in. And when you find it, nurture it. Strive hard to do it regularly. As an example, if you enjoy performing the witir prayers, then do it every night. Persevere and persist in doing this act of religious worship. Because, surely, an act of worship, no matter how small, but if consistently done, is better than an act of worship that is heavy and difficult to do but is only done once in a while. The Messenger of Allah had said in a hadith:

"The most favoured deeds by Allah is one that is consistent although small."