O my Lord,
by Your grace,
be my strength
and illumine my sight
and what is in my heart
and be the purpose of
my life and my death.
Fill me with Your love
and grant me such love
that it is surpassed
by none after me.
O my Lord,
accept my prayers,
grant me my wishes,
cleanse me, protect me,
draw me close to Yourself;
guide me,
help me and enable me to do good,
purify me,
illumine my soul,
make me entirely Yours
and become entirely mine.
Importance of Fighting for the Cause of Allah
In an era filled with confusion and disorder,
it is essential to remember that the noblest struggle for a sincere believing
Muslim is against his own Nafs, against his own ego and passions – such
a Nafs that seeks to divert him from the path of Allah. The Holy Prophet
Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said after an expedition: “We have returned from the
lesser Jihad to the greater Jihad” (Bayhaqi); that is, the struggle against
oneself, against desires that lead to disorder/ chaos (fitna).
Allah tells us in the Qur’an: “And as for the one who fears to stand before his Lord and restrains his soul from passions, Paradise will be his refuge.” (An-Nazi’at 79: 41-42). This shows that the first duty is inner discipline, that is, to set a barrier against temptation and arrogance.
Self-confidence, that is, when a believer
believes in his own abilities, remains a necessary condition to progress in
life. Without self-confidence, a person remains paralysed by fear and
uncertainty. But Islam teaches that self-confidence must always be accompanied
by the awareness that all strength and success come only by Allah’s permission.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “The strong one is not the one who
overcomes others by his strength, but the strong one is the one who controls
himself when he is angry.” (Bukhari, Muslim). This shows that true
self-confidence is not found in physical strength, but in self-control, inner
discipline, and in entrusting ourselves – all of us – entirely to Allah.
Trust in parents and in one’s surroundings also
has great value. That environment must be worthy of trust. A society rests upon
mutual trust; without trust, there is neither stability nor respect. In Islam,
respect and trust towards parents remain a sacred obligation. Allah says in the
Qur’an: “And We have enjoined upon man to treat
his parents well.” (Al-Ankabut 29: 9).
But human trust, despite its importance, remains limited; absolute trust, the one that never disappoints, is trust in Allah.
Truth v/s Falsehood
Today is a day of rejoicing for all Muslims who
believe in Allah and obey Him; for after a month of fasting (Roza/ Siyaam),
with its privations, Allah has granted us a day of Eid – a day of rejoicing, a
day of thanksgiving for the favours and blessings that Allah has bestowed upon
all Muslims across the world, whether materially rich or poor. But Allah does
not look at the material possessions of a believer; He looks at his sincerity,
and the one who is truly rich is the one who has succeeded in gaining Allah’s
forgiveness and His abundant blessings. Allah has shown through the month of
Ramadan, especially this year – a year of intense trials – that when Muslims
across the world unite in favour of the truth, His help comes in a glorious
manner.
Thus, the Qur’anic verse I recited at the beginning of my Khutba (Sermon) is a clear declaration that when the truth comes – when it manifests, when it shows its power – then falsehood must capitulate, must disappear; for one day, come what may, and without any doubt, all falsehood will meet its end. That falsehood will be crushed. Allah does not descend physically, but He manifests Himself in extraordinary ways, in the constancy of the prayers and supplications of sincere Muslims, and especially in the supplications of His Chosen One of that particular time [and for our times, the Chosen One of this era].