Khutbah of Friday 14 February 2003
At the Great Jumeira Mosque. Dubai.
by: Shaykh Fouad Ghazi Al-Imam.

Imam Khattib of the Great Jumeira Mosque. Dubai (summarised and translated to English by Abdalhaseeb Castiñeira) In the name of Allah most Gracious most Merciful.

Alhamdulilah, may thanks be to Allah, the Beneficent. Whoever relies upon Him He is sufficient for him., Success is only by Him.

I give witness that there is not God but Allah and Muhammad is his slave and Messenger (Pbuh) who was sent as a mercy to all the universe, as a bearer of good news and luminous lamp.

One common goal that all human beings strive for in this life is happiness. To some this happiness is a big house, investment and property, large income or whatever means of wellbeing and security one can conceive as a source of happiness.

To some people this happiness is perceived as a gift from Allah, which He gives to whomever he chooses. They think that this happiness is a result of Allah’s satisfaction and acceptance. This is a mistake and not the truth according to the Qur’an. Wealth, wellbeing and comforts are sometimes trials from Allah to test His slaves.

In the Qur’an, Fa ammal insan idha mabtalu rabbu fa akramahu wa naamahu fayaqulu rabbi akraman. wa amma idha mabtalahu fa qadara alaihi rizqahu fa yaqulu rabbi ahanini. kalla, ba la tukrimunal yateema wa la tahudduna ala ta’am al miskeen wa ta’akuluna at-turatha aklan lama watuhibuna al mala hubban jamma. Kalla. (Surat Al Fajr, 89,15-22)

As for man, when his Lord tests him by honouring him and favouring him he says "My Lord has honoured me!" But then when he tests him by restricting his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me!" No indeed! You do not honour orphans nor do you urge the feeding of the poor; you devour inheritance with voracious appetites and you have an insatiable love of wealth. (surat 89 The Dawn)

The gift of Allah in this life is one not a sign or a proof of Allah being satisfied. Poverty and difficulties are not a sign of Allah’s anger. Health, illness; wealth and poverty are all trials from Allah.

Wanabluakum bil shari wal khairi, fitnah wa ilaihi yarjiun. (We give you trial in calamity and goodness and to Him you will return.)

Happiness is only achieved by realising the real purpose of one’s creation. We were created for one reason only " wa ma khalaqtu al insa wa jinna illa liya’abudun."
"I have not created the humans the Jinn except to worship Me.
We do not ask you for provision We are the providers."

Obedience, submission and recognition of Allah, are the purposes of life. And this is not restricted rituals of worship like prayer or fasting of Ramadhan. It is worshipping in the sense of dedicating one’s life and one’s purpose in every aspect and dimension of everyday life, in business, in travel, with one’s family, in serving Allah, to draw near to Him and to achieve His satisfaction.

And this worship always implies giving out from one’s, wealth, from one’s food, from one’s energy and attention. Happiness in not attained except by giving without expecting repayment.

On the other hand greed and selfishness are cause of disgrace. The Messenger of Allah said: "Disgraced is the slave of the dinar and dirham" meaning the one who is attached to money.

On the other hand the rule to measure one’s relationship to others is in the saying of the Prophet: "No one is a real believer until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself".

Coming back to the ayat: when provision is restricted, becomes little, man says: My Lord has forsaken me. No! You have not taken care of the orphan and have not fed the poor.

Orphans in the Qur’an are mentioned many times, encouraging their treatment be one of kindness and goodness. Depriving the orphans of their wealth is a great crime. There are terrible warnings about this in the Qur’an. The Prophet (pbuh) says: " The one who takes care of an orphan and me are like this in paradise", and he joined his index finger and middle finger together.

Anas the servant of the Prophet said: "The best house is the one with an orphan in it who is being treated well. The worst house is the one which has a badly treated orphan in it".

Equally, taking care of the poor is neglected. People think that poor is only the one begging and bereft. Poor people are described in the Qur’an as those people who think they are not in need because they do not dare to importunate others by asking. It is feeding the one that does not ask and the one who has been left without means and without a chance of earning an income.

Wa ta’akuluna turatha aklan lamma. ( You devour inheritance with voracious appetites) This is a warning against greed and all forms of corrupt earnings or distrust, cheating, riba and bribery.

Abu Bakr As Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, was served some food and he ate a morsel from it. He asked the servant from where he got the food and the servant told him that he got it from non-believers. Abu Bakr vomited the mouthful of food that he had eaten and said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah say that the one with a mouthful of illegal earnings will enter the fire."

In the Qur’an there are warnings against traders who do wrong. Those who accept every illigal and fraudulent means in order to just make gain.

" Those who buy the pact of Allah with a cheap price will have no place in the hereafter, nor will Allah speak to them nor will He look at them on the Day of Judgement, nor will they be purified and they will receive a severe punishment."

The prophet says: " Son of Adam cries, My wealth, my wealth! But he only really possesses the food which he eats and which he feeds others with, the cloths with which he dresses himself and the wealth that he spends in charity."