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, no one can misguide; and whoever He allows to stray, no one can guide.
I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partner. And I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon Muhammad, upon his family, his Companions, and all who follow them with excellence until the Last Day.
O believers, I advise myself and you to have taqwa of Allah-to be mindful of Him, to obey Him, and to protect ourselves from His displeasure. Allah says:
O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims in submission to Him.
Quran 3:102
O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.
Quran 4:1
O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. He will then amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.
Quran 33:70-71
First Khutbah
Servants of Allah, today we speak about a quality that many of us mention often, but that must become much more than a word on our tongues: gratitude. In Arabic, gratitude is called shukr. Shukr means recognizing a blessing as coming from Allah, praising Him for it, and using that blessing in a way that pleases Him.
Gratitude is not merely saying, Alhamdulillah, while the heart remains careless and the life remains unchanged. Gratitude is a way of seeing. It is a way of speaking. It is a way of living.
Allah says:
If you are grateful, I will surely increase you in favor; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.
Quran 14:7
This verse is a promise from our Lord. But we must understand it correctly. Allah's increase is not limited to more money, a larger home, a newer car, or an easier schedule. Sometimes Allah increases a blessing by placing barakah-lasting goodness-in what we already have. He may increase knowledge, contentment, health, faith, wisdom, or the ability to use what we possess for good. He may increase a blessing by protecting us from its harm. He may increase its reward in the Hereafter even when its worldly appearance is small.
A person may have little, yet sleep with a peaceful heart. Another may have much, yet live in constant fear of losing it. One may eat a simple meal with gratitude and receive reward; another may eat an abundant meal while complaining, wasting, and forgetting the One who provided it. The difference is not always in what is placed before us. The difference is in whether our hearts recognize the Giver.
Allah also says:
So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.
Quran 2:152
Notice how gratitude is connected to remembrance. A grateful person does not only remember Allah when something dramatic happens. He remembers Him while waking, working, eating, driving, studying, caring for a child, serving a parent, and returning home. He sees ordinary moments as gifts from an extraordinary Provider.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, taught us not to overlook the blessings that seem ordinary. He said:
Allah is pleased with a servant who eats a morsel and praises Him for it, or drinks a drink and praises Him for it.
Sahih Muslim 2734
A morsel. A drink. Something that many people consume without thought. Yet when a servant recognizes Allah in that moment and praises Him, Allah is pleased with him.
So ask yourself: When was the last time you thanked Allah for water that was safe to drink? For food that was available? For a body that carried you to this prayer? For eyes that allowed you to read? For ears that allowed you to hear the Quran? For a mind that can understand? For a door that closes behind you and gives you safety? For someone who cares whether you are well?
Allah says:
And Allah brought you out of the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and hearts that perhaps you would be grateful.
Quran 16:78
Before we could ask for anything, Allah gave us hearing. Before we could earn anything, Allah gave us sight. Before we could understand the world, Allah gave us hearts and minds. Every human ability is received before it is deserved. The first fact of our life is not what we achieved. It is what Allah gave.
Yet human beings often notice what is missing more quickly than what is present. We can receive ten gifts and spend the evening thinking about the one thing we wanted but did not receive. We can have health in most of our body and focus only on the pain in one place. We can have people who love us and become consumed by the person who ignored us. We can have a home, food, safety, and faith, but allow a screen to show us the lives of others until our own blessings look small.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, gave us a protection from this disease of comparison. He said:
Look at those who are below you and do not look at those who are above you, for it is more suitable that you would not belittle the favor of Allah bestowed upon you.
Sahih Muslim 2963
This does not mean that we ignore people who have greater needs, or that we stop improving ourselves. It means we do not let comparison turn Allah's gifts into insults. There will always be someone with more money, more beauty, more recognition, more followers, more opportunities, or fewer visible problems. If your eyes are always fixed upward at what others possess, your heart may become blind to what Allah has already placed in your hands.
Gratitude changes the way we use our eyes. Instead of using them to stare at what Allah has not given us, we use them to notice a parent growing older, a child needing attention, a neighbor needing help, and a verse of the Quran waiting to guide us.
Gratitude changes the way we use our tongues. Instead of making every conversation a list of complaints, we praise Allah and speak words that bring people closer to goodness. Instead of treating kindness as an obligation, we thank the people through whom Allah helped us.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
He who does not thank people does not thank Allah.
Jami at-Tirmidhi 1954
Some people say, I am grateful to Allah, but they never thank their spouse, their parents, their teachers, their employees, their friends, or anyone who has served them. That is not the completeness of gratitude. Allah is the true source of every blessing, but He often delivers His blessings through people. A sincere thank you is not weakness. It is worship when it comes from a heart that recognizes Allah's favor.
Gratitude also changes the way we use our hands, our time, our wealth, and our abilities. Allah says about the family of Dawud:
Work, O family of David, in gratitude. And few of My servants are grateful.
Quran 34:13
Allah did not say only, Speak gratitude. He said, Work in gratitude. Use what you have received. If Allah has given you wealth, let some of it reach someone in need. If Allah has given you knowledge, teach with humility. If Allah has given you strength, serve someone who is weak. If Allah has given you time, do not spend all of it in distraction. If Allah has given you a voice, use it to defend truth without cruelty and to comfort without arrogance.
A blessing becomes gratitude when it leads us nearer to Allah. Otherwise, the blessing may become a test that we failed.
Consider the blessing of the phone in your hand. It can help you contact family, learn beneficial knowledge, give charity, and listen to Quran. It can also steal hours, expose the eyes to what is forbidden, and make the heart restless through endless comparison. The phone itself is not gratitude or ingratitude. What matters is how you use what Allah placed in your hand.
Consider the blessing of income. Gratitude means earning lawfully, fulfilling obligations, avoiding waste, giving charity, and not allowing money to make the heart proud. Consider the blessing of family. Gratitude means patience with their weaknesses, attention to their needs, forgiveness when possible, and refusing to treat strangers with more courtesy than the people who live with us. Consider the blessing of health. Gratitude means caring for the body and using energy in obedience, not assuming that strength will remain forever.
And gratitude does not mean that a believer never feels pain. It does not mean that a grieving person must pretend not to grieve. It does not mean that someone facing illness, injustice, loneliness, or financial hardship is forbidden from asking Allah for relief. The prophets and righteous servants turned to Allah with their pain. Gratitude means that even while we hurt, we do not forget who Allah is. We do not accuse Him of injustice. We continue to ask Him, worship Him, and hope in Him.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affair is all good, and this applies to no one but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is grateful for it and that is good for him; and if something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him.
Sahih Muslim 2999
Ease calls for gratitude. Hardship calls for patience. Neither response is wasted when the believer turns to Allah. A person may be crying and still be grateful. A person may be frightened and still have faith. A person may say, My Lord, this is difficult for me, while also saying, My Lord, I know that You are wise, merciful, and worthy of worship.
Look at the example of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, described how he would stand in prayer at night until his feet became swollen. When she asked why he did this even though Allah had forgiven his past and future sins, he replied:
Should I not be a grateful servant?
Sahih al-Bukhari 4837; Sahih Muslim 2820
He did not view worship as a burden from which forgiveness had freed him. He viewed worship as a response to forgiveness. The more he knew Allah's mercy, the more he worshipped. The more he understood Allah's gifts, the more humble he became.
This is important for us, because sometimes we think gratitude is an emotion that appears when life goes our way. But gratitude is also a decision. You decide to pray even when you feel distracted. You decide to say thank you even when your pride resists it. You decide to share even when you want to keep everything. You decide to return to Allah after sin instead of allowing shame to push you farther away.
Perhaps someone here has recognized that he has been ungrateful. Perhaps a blessing was used for disobedience. Perhaps time was wasted, prayers were neglected, parents were hurt, a spouse was taken for granted, wealth was spent carelessly, or the tongue became accustomed to complaint. Do not let that recognition become despair. Let it become repentance.
Allah says:
O My servants who have transgressed against themselves by sinning, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
Quran 39:53
Repentance is itself a blessing. To feel regret is a blessing. To be able to return to prayer is a blessing. To apologize is a blessing. To repair what we damaged is a blessing. The door is open while we are alive. Do not wait for a perfect heart before turning back to Allah. Turn back to Allah, and ask Him to make the heart sound.
Servants of Allah, let us examine our gratitude honestly. Are we grateful only when we receive what we wanted? Do we thank Allah for guidance as seriously as we thank Him for money? Do we praise Him with the tongue while using the body in disobedience? Do our families feel our gratitude, or do they hear only criticism from us? Do the blessings in our homes lead us to worship, generosity, and mercy?
Let us leave this first khutbah with a clear intention: to notice Allah's gifts, praise Him for them, thank people through whom He helps us, and use our blessings in obedience. Let us seek Allah's forgiveness for the times we were heedless, wasteful, proud, or ungrateful. Seek Allah's forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. I seek Allah's forgiveness for myself and for you.
All praise belongs to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partner. And I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. O Allah, send Your peace and blessings upon Muhammad, his family, his Companions, and all who follow his guidance.
Servants of Allah, have taqwa of Allah. Be mindful of Him in private and in public. Remember that every blessing is a trust, every moment is recorded, and every act of gratitude can bring us nearer to our Lord.
Second Khutbah
Our message today is simple: gratitude must change the way we live. It should change what we notice, what we say, what we consume, how we treat people, and how we worship. Do not wait for a major event before saying Alhamdulillah. The greatest gifts are often the ones we stop noticing: faith, breath, family, safety, food, time, and the opportunity to repent.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
Whoever among you wakes up secure in his dwelling, healthy in his body, and has his food for the day, it is as if he has been given the whole world.
Jami at-Tirmidhi 2346
So let us make gratitude practical during the coming week. Not a slogan, not a passing feeling, but a small discipline repeated until the heart changes.
Three actions for the coming week
- Begin each day by naming specific blessings. Before the day carries you into messages and demands, pause and mention at least three gifts Allah has given you. Praise Him for them, and ask yourself how you will use one of them well that day.
- Thank one person sincerely each day. Thank a parent, spouse, child, colleague, teacher, neighbor, or friend. Be specific. Recognize the good they did, and remember that thanking people is part of thanking Allah.
- Turn one blessing into one act of obedience. Use your time for prayer or Quran, use your wealth for charity, use your strength to serve, use your knowledge to benefit, or use your influence to reconcile people. Choose one action and keep it for the whole week.
May Allah make us among those who are grateful in ease, patient in hardship, quick to repent after sin, and humble when blessings increase.
O Allah, forgive us our sins, our shortcomings, our heedlessness, and our ingratitude. Forgive the believing men and believing women, the living among them and the deceased. Have mercy on those who have returned to You, and raise their ranks among the righteous.
O Allah, guide us to the straight path and keep us firm upon it. Make faith beloved to us and beautify it in our hearts. Make disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience hateful to us. Do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from Yourself.
O Allah, make us grateful servants. Help us to remember Your blessings, speak Your praise, and use what You have given us in ways that please You. Put blessing in our time, our health, our families, our work, our homes, and our provision. Protect us from wastefulness, pride, envy, constant complaint, and forgetting You.
O Allah, bless our parents and reward them for their sacrifices. Have mercy on those who are alive and forgive those who have died. Protect our spouses, children, families, and young people. Guide our youth, protect their faith and character, give them righteous companionship, and make them a source of goodness for their families and communities.
O Allah, cure the sick among us with a complete cure. Relieve the distressed, comfort the lonely, strengthen the weak, and give patience and healing to those who are grieving. Help those burdened by debt, poverty, unemployment, displacement, or hardship. Open for them lawful doors of relief and provide for them from where they do not expect.
O Allah, protect the oppressed everywhere. Bring them safety, justice, dignity, and relief. Restrain those who commit ظلم and guide them away from wrongdoing. Grant wisdom, courage, and lawful means to those who work to protect the vulnerable, without allowing us to become unjust ourselves.
O Allah, guide those entrusted with leadership to justice, wisdom, honesty, mercy, and accountability. Help them serve people rather than exploit them. Unite us upon truth and righteousness. Remove hatred, arrogance, and needless division from our hearts, and make us people who cooperate in goodness and speak with fairness.
O Allah, accept our prayer, our fasting, our charity, our remembrance, our repentance, and every act of worship. Accept what is sincere and correct what is deficient. Protect us from the trials that mislead the heart, from the temptations we see and those we do not see, from despair, hypocrisy, arrogance, and a bad end.
O Allah, grant us good in this life and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. Admit us into Paradise by Your mercy, with the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. You are the best of protectors and the best of helpers.
O Allah, send Your peace and blessings upon Muhammad, upon his family and Companions, and upon all who follow them in righteousness.
Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.
Quran 16:90
Establish the prayer.