Bushmead 19 July 2pm.
الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهده الله فلا مضل له، ومن يضلل فلا هادي له. وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله.
أما بعد، فإن أصدق الحديث كتاب الله، وخير الهدي هدي محمد ﷺ، وشر الأمور محدثاتها، وكل محدثة بدعة، وكل بدعة ضلالة، وكل ضلالة في النار.
All praise belongs to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and from the consequences of our deeds. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide; and whoever He allows to go astray, none can guide.
I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without any partner, and I bear witness that our authority, our beloved, our master Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger.
To proceed:
Indeed, the truest speech is the Book of Allah, the best guidance is the guidance of Muḥammad ﷺ, and the worst of matters are those newly introduced. Every newly introduced matter is an innovation, every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.
Servants of Allah,
I advise myself and you to have taqwā or consciousness of Allah, for taqwā or consciousness of Allah is the provision of this life and the next.
Allah says in Surah Az-Zumar:
قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
“Say: Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” (Surah az-Zumar, 39:9)
And Allah also says in Surah Mujadila:
يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجَاتٍ
“Allah will raise those who believe among you and those who have been given knowledge by many degrees.” (Suratul Mujadila,58:11)
Dear brothers,
One of the greatest blessings Allah gives a person is beneficial knowledge. Wealth can disappear. Strength fades. Beauty diminishes. Status comes and goes. But beneficial knowledge remains with a person, guides them throughout life, and continues to benefit others long after they have passed away.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ highlighted this beautifully in a famous narration of Abū Dardāʾ (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu), reported in Abu Dāwūd, Tirmidhī, ibn Mājah, Ahmad etc. and this hadith has has a beautiful story behind it:
“A man from Madinah came to Abu Dardāʾ when he was in Damascus. So he said: ‘What brings you O my nephew?’ He replied: ‘A hadith reached me which you have narrated from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).’ He said: ‘You did not come for some need?’ He said: ‘No.’ He said: ‘Did you come for trade?’ He said: ‘No, I did not come except to seek this Hadith.’ So he said: ‘Indeed, I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say:”
“Whoever takes a path upon which he seeks knowledge, then Allah makes a path to Paradise easy for him. And indeed the angels lower their wings in approval to the one seeking knowledge. Indeed forgiveness is sought for the knowledgeable one by whomever is in the heavens and whomever is in the earth, even the fish in the waters. And superiority of the scholar over the worshiper is like the superiority of the moon over the rest of the celestial bodies. Indeed the scholars are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets do not leave behind Dinar or Dirham. The only legacy of the scholars is knowledge, so whoever takes from it, then he has indeed taken an abundant share.”
This ḥadīth reminds us that seeking knowledge is not merely an academic exercise. It is an act of worship.
Notice how every part of this ḥadīth speaks of honour:
- Allah eases the path to Paradise.
- The angels honour the student.
- The whole creation makes duʿāʾ for them.
- The scholars inherit the legacy of the Prophets.
The Prophet ﷺ did not say the Prophets left behind wealth, kingdoms or property. Their true inheritance was knowledge, knowledge that guides people to Allah and knowledge that benefits people.
Brothers,
Islam was built upon knowledge. The very first revelation was:
“Read in the name of your Lord who created.” (Qurʾān 96:1)
Before prayer came knowledge.
Before fasting came knowledge.
Before zakāh came knowledge.
Before daʿwah came knowledge.
Without knowledge, sincere intentions can lead to mistakes and be a source of misguidance. With knowledge, even small actions become accepted acts of worship.
But we must remember that not every type of knowledge benefits. The Prophet ﷺ used to make the duʿāʾ (in Sunan Ibn Majah, Sahih):
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا، وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا، وَعَمَلًا مُتَقَبَّلًا
“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, good provision, and accepted deeds.”
Beneficial knowledge of Islam is that which increases our faith, improves our character, brings us closer to Allah or brings worldly benefit to us and others.
Knowledge without action will become an argument against us on the Day of Judgement.
So let each of us ask ourselves:
- Am I learning my religion?
- Do I understand the Qur’an I recite?
- Do I know the rulings of my daily worship and my interactions?
- Am I teaching my children their dīn?
- Am I acting upon what I already know?
Dear brothers,
Today we have access to more knowledge than any previous generation. We have many Qur’ans at home and in our mosques, we have dozens of different translations, we have access to books, lectures and classes at our fingertips. Yet access to or passive reception of knowledge is not the same as benefitting from knowledge. To benefit from knowledge requires actual study, not mere passive reception, and not what is widespread today infotainment when we think we are learning from short form videos, WhatsApp messages and tidbits of information that we get exposed to everyday.
There is another important point that many people misunderstand today. We often hear knowledge divided into “religious knowledge” or also called “deeni knowledge” or “sacred knowledge” and they contrast it to “secular knowledge.” But this was not how classical scholars divided the different branches of knowledge.
In classical Muslim times knowledge was divided into (1) beneficial knowledge (al-ʿilm al-nāfiʿ) and (2) non-beneficial knowledge (al-ʿilm ghayr al-nāfiʿ). It was not divided into “deeni” and “secular”!
This distinction comes directly from the Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ used to supplicate:
“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, and I seek refuge in You from knowledge that does not benefit.”
Notice that he did not seek refuge from worldly knowledge. Rather, he sought refuge from knowledge that brings no benefit.
Beneficial knowledge is every type of knowledge that brings us closer to Allah or benefits us. Of course, the knowledge of the Qur’an, Sunnah, and our religion is the greatest and most noble form of beneficial knowledge. But Islam also tremendously values knowledge that serves humanity, such as medicine, engineering, agriculture, mathematics, education, economics, history, geography, arts, and technology, when they are pursued with the right intention and used to serve people rather than harm them.
This is why many of the greatest Muslim scholars were also physicians, judges, merchants, people of certain crafts, astronomers, mathematicians, architects, heads of treasuries, philosophers, scientists and so on. They did not see a contradiction between studying the Book of Allah and studying the creation of Allah. Both point us towards the greatness of our Lord.
On the other hand, any knowledge that promotes oppression, corruption, deception, immorality, no matter how sophisticated or profitable it may appear, comes under non-beneficial knowledge
أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين، فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرحيم.
I say these words of mine, and I seek forgiveness from Allah for myself, for you, and for all Muslims. So seek His forgiveness; indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”
Second Khuṭbah
الحمد لله رب العالمين، والصلاة والسلام على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين.
Dear brothers,
How do we know we are benefitting from knowledge of Islam. The short answer is that must lead to consciousness of Allah, improvement in our character or a source of benefit of some kind. If this isn’t happening, then we are not benefitting from or making good use of knowledge.
One important observation we see today when it comes to knowledge about Islam is that many people learn about the Qur’an, Sunnah, hadith, fiqh, sirah, theology etc. and they then use it to:
- Not overcome sectarianism but become more embroiled in it. This is wrong.
- They don’t try to understand differences of perspective but become more embroiled in polemics like issues of kalam which are never going to be resolved. This is wrong.
- They project religion for political power and identity politics. This is wrong.
- They use religion or knowledge that they have gained about Islam to create an “us and them” culture in the UK, and almost always refuse to see the implication of why all Prophets were sent from among their own people, among their own Qawm. Again, this is wrong.
As we draw this khutbah to a close, I would like to say that as believers our level of religious literacy, that is, understanding of how Islam works is very poor. We don’t know some of the most basics aspects of Islam. For example, we don’t really know what Shari’ah means, we don’t’ we don’t know the difference between Sunnah and hadith is so we often quote hadith as if it’s the Sunnah and as if it is ahkam or law, we don’t know the different types of hadith such marfu’ or different classifications of hadith based on a missing link such as mursal hadith. We don’t know that there is a strong source of understanding of the Sunnah and ahkam or law in the athar – traditions of the Companions, and the Followers, and so on. We have very little understanding of principles of fiqh and qawa’id. We don’t know the concept of maṣlaḥah and public good. Yet our religion is built on understanding these basic things.
If the foundations of the sources of our religion are not known to us, how are we ever to properly be Muslim to Allah, or to be moral and ethical stewards in this dunya, and so on. We need to know how to engage guidance. Because of our lack of religious literacy, it is true that often whatever anyone says we accept unquestioningly and we cannot critically examine if it’s the truth that it claims to be. One scholar said, learn religion so that you know how to live by it and who lives by it.
Having heard all of this, what actions can we all take to start increasing our knowledge of Islam.
One practical lesson we can all take today is to make knowledge part of our daily lives.
Spend five or ten minutes each day reading the Qur’an with its meanings.
Attend local masjid classes regularly.
Enrol into a long-term structured study programme.
Learning isn’t just about listening, it is about writing down, making notes, reading books, asking questions, writing essays, and finally it is about practicing what we learn.
Read the life of the Prophet ﷺ.
Teach your children one āyah, one ḥadīth or one duʿāʾ every week.
Remember that learning does not stop with old age. The Companions continued seeking knowledge until the end of their lives.
Finally, remember that the greatest sign that Allah wants good for a person is that He grants them understanding of His religion. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whomever Allah intends good for, He grants him understanding of the religion.”
May Allah make us among those who seek beneficial knowledge, act upon it, teach it to others, and inherit the legacy of the Prophets.
ربنا آتنا في الدنيا حسنة وفي الآخرة حسنة وقنا عذاب النار.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
إن الله يأمر بالعدل والإحسان وإيتاء ذي القربى وينهى عن الفحشاء والمنكر والبغي يعظكم لعلكم تذكرون.
وأقم الصلاة.
O Allah, we ask You for beneficial knowledge, wholesome provision, and deeds that are accepted.
O Allah, teach us that which benefits us, enable us to benefit from what You have taught us, and increase us in knowledge.
O Allah, rectify our sons and our daughters, and make the Glorious Qurʾān the spring of our hearts, the light of our chests, the remover of our sorrows, and the reliever of our worries and distress.
Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
May Allah send His blessings, peace, and abundant grace upon our Prophet Muḥammad, and upon his family and all of his Companions.
Indeed, Allah commands justice, excellence, and generosity towards relatives, and He forbids immorality, wrongdoing, and transgression. He admonishes you so that you may take heed.
Establish the prayer.