Inna al-hamda lillah. We praise Allah, we seek His help, we seek His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and from our bad deeds. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide; and whoever Allah allows to stray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala nabiyyina Muhammad, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'in. O Allah, send Your peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions.
Servants of Allah, I counsel myself and you with taqwa of Allah: to be mindful of Him, to fear displeasing Him, and to obey Him with love and hope.
O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims.
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 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
Amma ba'd: To proceed.
First Khutbah
My dear brothers and sisters, today we speak about a disease that can live inside a praying person, a fasting person, a person who gives charity, a person who knows Quran, a person who attends the masjid. It can hide behind religious language. It can hide behind success. It can hide behind pain. It is the disease of pride: kibr, arrogant pride.
And we speak also about its cure: tawadu, humility. Not humiliation. Not weakness. Not allowing people to abuse you. Humility means knowing your true place before Allah, accepting the truth when it comes, and treating Allah's creation with mercy and fairness.
Pride is a strange prison. It promises dignity, but it makes a person fragile. One correction breaks him. One ignored message burns inside him. One person being praised makes him feel threatened. Pride says: I must always be right. I must always be seen. I must always be above. Humility, by Allah's permission, is freedom. A humble person can learn. A humble person can apologize. A humble person can be corrected without collapsing. A humble person can serve without needing applause, because he knows that Allah sees.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, gave us a definition that leaves no room for confusion. A man asked about loving beautiful clothes and beautiful shoes. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not condemn beauty, cleanliness, or dignity. He said:
Indeed, Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on people.
Sahih Muslim 91
So pride is not wearing nice clothes. Pride is not doing your work with excellence. Pride is not having confidence in a skill Allah gave you. Pride is two things: rejecting the truth and looking down on people.
Rejecting the truth. Sometimes the truth comes from someone younger than us. Sometimes from a spouse. Sometimes from a child. Sometimes from someone we do not like. Sometimes from a person who has fewer degrees, less money, or less Islamic knowledge. Pride does not ask, Is this true? Pride asks, Who said it to me? How dare they? Do they know who I am?
Looking down on people. That is when the heart secretly says: I am better than him. My family is better. My race is better. My nationality is better. My education is better. My religious practice is better. My past is cleaner. My masjid group is more guided. My opinion is more intelligent. Pride may never say these words out loud, but the heart may bow to them.
Allah shows us the danger of pride in the story of Iblis. When Allah commanded the angels to prostrate to Adam, Iblis refused.
And when We said to the angels, Prostrate before Adam; so they prostrated, except for Iblees. He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers.
Quran 2:34
What was his argument?
He said, I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.
Quran 7:12
My dear brothers and sisters, listen carefully: Iblis did not deny that Allah existed. He did not deny that Allah created him. He did not deny that Allah gave the command. His disease was that he saw himself as too great to submit. He measured worth by his own false scale: fire over clay. And he said the sentence that destroys hearts: I am better.
How many homes are wounded by that sentence, even when it is not spoken? I am better, so I do not need to apologize. I am better, so I do not need to listen. I am better, so my anger is justified. I am better, so I can mock. I am better, so I can cut people off without justice. I am better, so the rules are for others.
Allah warns us with words that are simple enough for a child and deep enough to reform a scholar:
And do not turn your cheek in contempt toward people and do not walk through the earth exultantly. Indeed, Allah does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful.
Quran 31:18
And do not walk upon the earth exultantly. Indeed, you will never tear the earth apart, and you will never reach the mountains in height.
Quran 17:37
SubhanAllah. Allah brings us back to size. You may walk with your head high, but you will not tear the earth. You may feel tall in front of people, but you will not reach the mountains. You and I entered this world helpless. We could not feed ourselves, clean ourselves, or even turn ourselves over. We will leave this world wrapped in cloth, carried by others, lowered into the earth. Between that beginning and that ending, what is there to be arrogant about?
Every blessing we use to feel superior is on loan. Your health is on loan. Your intelligence is on loan. Your beauty is on loan. Your passport is on loan. Your salary is on loan. Your memory of Quran is on loan. Your children are a trust. Your position is a test. Your religious practice is a mercy from Allah, not a weapon to crush people.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
No one who has an atom's weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.
Sahih Muslim 91
This hadith should shake us, but it should not make us despair. It is a warning from the doctor of hearts, our beloved Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. A warning is mercy when it wakes us up before the meeting with Allah.
Ask yourself, not your neighbor: Where does pride appear in me?
Does it appear at home, where I am polite outside but harsh inside? Does it appear in marriage, when I can say many words except: I was wrong? Does it appear with parents, when their advice irritates me because I am grown now? Does it appear with children, when I demand respect but do not show patience? Does it appear in the masjid, when I only greet certain people? Does it appear online, when I speak with a cruelty I would be ashamed to show face to face? Does it appear when someone recites differently, dresses differently, or struggles with sins different from mine?
One of the ugliest tricks of pride is that it compares our strengths to other people's weaknesses. It says: Look how much better you are. But humility says: Allah covered my faults. Allah guided me to whatever good I have. If He left me to myself for even a moment, where would I be?
Humility does not mean we pretend falsehood is truth. Humility does not mean we accept oppression. Humility does not mean we abandon excellence or let people violate our rights. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was the most humble of creation, and he was also the most courageous in truth. Humility is not lowering the truth. Humility is lowering the ego before the truth.
Look at the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He is the leader of the children of Adam. He is the one whose name is mentioned with honor across the earth. Yet in his home, Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, described his ordinary life:
He used to be in the service of his family, and when the time for prayer came, he would go out to the prayer.
Sahih al-Bukhari 676
The greatest man to walk the earth served his family. He did not see helping at home as beneath him. He did not see mercy as weakness. He did not need to be served in order to feel important. His honor came from Allah.
This is the freedom of humility. You are free from constantly proving yourself. You are free from needing to win every argument. You are free from the slavery of image. You are free to say: I do not know. You are free to say: May Allah reward you for correcting me. You are free to say: Forgive me. You are free to sit with the poor, honor the overlooked, learn from the young, and give credit to others. You are free because your worth is not built on people clapping for you. Your worth is in being a servant of Allah.
Allah says:
That home of the Hereafter We assign to those who do not desire exaltedness upon the earth or corruption. And the best outcome is for the righteous.
Quran 28:83
The home of the Hereafter is for those who do not desire to be high over people. Not those who have no responsibilities. Not those who have no leadership. A person may be a parent, teacher, manager, scholar, elder, or community leader and still be humble. The issue is not whether people respect you. The issue is whether your heart craves being above them.
Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, taught us:
Allah has revealed to me that you should be humble, so that no one boasts over another and no one transgresses against another.
Sahih Muslim 2865
Notice the connection: boasting leads to transgression. When I see myself as above you, it becomes easier to hurt you. Easier to ignore your rights. Easier to speak about you. Easier to underpay you. Easier to mock your accent. Easier to dismiss your pain. But when I remember that you are a servant of Allah, and I am a servant of Allah, my tongue becomes more careful and my heart becomes softer.
And if anyone fears that humility will make them small, listen to the promise of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him:
Charity does not decrease wealth. Allah does not increase a servant who forgives except in honor. And no one humbles himself for Allah except that Allah raises him.
Sahih Muslim 2588
No one humbles himself for Allah except that Allah raises him. Not necessarily in the way your ego demands. Not necessarily with fame, followers, money, or titles. Allah may raise you by purifying your heart. Allah may raise you by making you beloved to the righteous. Allah may raise you by accepting your dua. Allah may raise you on the Day when worldly status means nothing.
So how do we begin treating this disease?
First: when truth comes, pause before defending yourself. Say in your heart: If this is true, O Allah, help me accept it. The nafs, the lower self, loves instant defense. Humility creates a space between being corrected and reacting.
Second: practice honoring people who cannot benefit you. Greet the cleaner. Respect the worker. Listen to the elderly. Be gentle with the convert. Make room for the child. Do not measure human beings by what they can do for your status.
Third: serve in hidden ways. Pride suffocates when it is not fed. Clean something without announcing it. Help at home without reminding everyone. Give charity without needing your name attached. Send a message of appreciation and do not wait for praise back.
Fourth: remember death. The grave is a great teacher. In the grave, brands, titles, arguments, followers, and applause do not enter with us. What enters is iman and deeds. What matters is a heart that met Allah with surrender.
Fifth: repent quickly. If you rejected truth, go back to it. If you belittled someone, seek forgiveness from Allah and, when appropriate, from the person. If you used religious knowledge to feel superior, turn that knowledge into fear of Allah and service to people.
My dear brothers and sisters, none of us is safe by our own strength. The one who says, I have no pride, may be the one most in need of checking. But the door of Allah is open. The One who exposes a disease to you is the One who can cure it. The One who shows you a fault is inviting you to return. Do not despair. Bring your heart to Allah and say: O Allah, purify my heart from arrogance. Make me small in my own eyes and honorable with You.
May Allah make us people who accept the truth, people who honor His servants, people who are humble for His sake. I say these words of mine, and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and for you, so seek His forgiveness. Indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Alhamdu lillahi rabbil alamin. All praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds. We praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner, and we bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala Sayyidina Muhammad, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'in.
Servants of Allah, have taqwa of Allah in private and in public. Know that the nobility Allah honors is not the nobility of race, wealth, age, tribe, nationality, or appearance. Allah says:
Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Aware.
Quran 49:13
Second Khutbah
Brothers and sisters, the central message today is simple: pride is rejecting the truth and looking down on people. Humility is accepting the truth and honoring people as servants of Allah. Pride is a prison. Humility is freedom.
The arrogant heart is always tired. It has to protect an image. It has to answer every criticism. It has to be noticed. It has to be first. The humble heart is not empty of pain, but it is lighter. It can return to Allah. It can repair relationships. It can grow.
Allah describes the servants of the Most Merciful with a beautiful sign:
And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them harshly, they say words of peace.
Quran 25:63
They walk easily. Not with arrogance. Not with the need to dominate every room. And when harshness comes, they are not controlled by it. They respond with dignity.
For this coming week, let us not leave this khutbah as an emotion only. Let us take three actions, small enough to do and serious enough to change us by Allah's permission.
First: accept one correction without arguing. If someone gives you sincere advice, pause. Say: JazakAllahu khayran. I will think about it. If the advice is true, act on it. If it is mistaken, respond later with gentleness. Train the heart not to panic when corrected.
Second: do one hidden act of service. Serve your family, your masjid, your neighbor, or a person in need without announcing it. Make the intention: O Allah, I am doing this to weaken my ego and seek Your pleasure.
Third: make a nightly pride audit. Before sleeping, ask: Did I reject any truth today? Did I look down on anyone today? Did I speak to anyone as if they were beneath me? Then make istighfar, seek forgiveness, and ask Allah to purify your heart.
These actions are not complicated. But if done sincerely, they can break a chain inside the soul. A home can change when one person becomes humble. A marriage can breathe again when one person apologizes. A community can heal when people stop competing for importance and start competing in pleasing Allah.
O Allah, make us humble without humiliation, strong without arrogance, confident without vanity, and gentle without weakness.
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala nabiyyina Muhammad, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'in. O Allah, send Your peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, upon his family, his companions, and all who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
O Allah, forgive the believing men and believing women, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the living among them and the deceased. O Allah, forgive our sins, conceal our faults, purify our hearts, and remove from us arrogance, envy, showing off, and hardness of heart.
O Allah, guide us and keep us steadfast. O Turner of the hearts, keep our hearts firm upon Your religion. O Allah, show us truth as truth and grant us the ability to follow it, and show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability to avoid it.
O Allah, rectify our families. Place mercy between spouses, obedience and compassion between parents and children, and iman in the hearts of our youth. Protect our children from misguidance, despair, harmful desires, and harmful company. Make our homes places of prayer, Quran, modesty, kindness, and peace.
O Allah, heal our sick, have mercy on our dead, relieve those in distress, comfort the grieving, provide for those in need, and settle the debts of those burdened by debt. O Allah, make a way out for everyone facing hardship, anxiety, loneliness, or fear.
O Allah, help the oppressed everywhere. Protect the vulnerable, feed the hungry, shelter the displaced, and replace fear with safety. O Allah, bring justice with mercy, and do not make us heedless of the suffering of others.
O Allah, grant our leaders and the leaders of the Muslims justice, wisdom, humility, and fear of You. Guide them to what protects life, faith, dignity, families, and the common good. Protect us from corruption, oppression, and division.
O Allah, unite our hearts upon truth. Remove hatred from our chests. Make us people of Quran and Sunnah, people of prayer and repentance, people who advise one another with mercy and accept advice with humility.
O Allah, accept our worship, our prayers, our fasting, our charity, our repentance, and our duas. Protect us from trials, those that are apparent and those that are hidden. Protect us from the trial of wealth, poverty, fame, obscurity, health, illness, life, death, and the trial of the grave.
Our Lord, give us in this life good and in the Hereafter good, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from Yourself. Indeed, You are the Bestower.
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.