In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Echoes from the Pulpit.
He purchased Paradise twice.
A sermon by the honorable Sheikh,
Khalid Ibn ‘Abdullah al-Hammudi, may Allah preserve him.
Praise be to Allah, the Abaser and the Exalter.
Praise be to Allah, by whose remembrance sorrows and pains vanish.
Praise be to Allah in every state and circumstance.
Praise be to Allah, by whose blessings righteous deeds are perfected.
Praise be to Allah for the vast mercies He has sent down.
Praise be to Allah, the Creator of the earth and the heavens.
Praise be to Allah, for His blessings upon us are immense.
And His bounties upon us are profound.
O Lord, to You be praise until You are pleased.
And to You be praise when You are pleased.
And to You be praise after You are pleased.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner.
The Reliever of distress.
The Forgiver of slips.
The Hearer of all voices.
The Answerer of all supplications.
If you call upon a generous person, he says, "Yes."
How much more so with Allah, the Possessor of bounty and generosity?
So extend your hand to Him, for it will never return empty.
For you have asked the One who created you from nothingness.
And I bear witness that our master, our Prophet, and our beloved, Muhammad, is the servant of Allah and His Messenger.
His chosen one and His intimate friend.
The one with the most radiant face.
And the most luminous forehead.
The possessor of the Fount to be visited.
And the Praiseworthy Station.
And the upheld banner.
And the possessor of generosity and grace.
The fragrance spreads when Muhammad is mentioned.
The light shines, and the darkness dissipates.
May the peace of Allah be upon you, O fountain of guidance,
As long as a bird flies in the sky and sings.
He is the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad.
When "Muhammad" is spoken, my heart melts.
Increase your prayers upon the Beloved,
That Allah may remove my worries, provide for me, and forgive my sins.
O Allah, send prayers, peace, increase, and blessings
Upon Your servant, Messenger, Prophet, and beloved, Muhammad,
And upon his family and his Companions,
And whoever is guided by his guidance,
And follows his Sunnah, and treads his path,
And walks in his footsteps, and grant him abundant peace until the Day of Judgment.
Now then, servants of Allah,
I advise you and myself to fear Allah.
“O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah with right observance, and die not save as those who have surrendered (unto Him)” (3:102)
“O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah with right observance, and die not save as those who have surrendered (unto Him)” (3:102)
O community of believers,
O you who are beloved for the sake of Allah,
Our topic on this blessed day
Is about a man whose biography is a jewel,
And whose life is a beacon.
Pious, pure, knowledgeable, and not unknown.
A man extraordinary in his generosity,
Extraordinary in his modesty,
Extraordinary in his forbearance,
Extraordinary in his knowledge.
He was among the wealthy and the affluent.
He was among the people of goodness and giving,
Of spending, charity, and almsgiving.
And among the people of fasting, standing in prayer,
And worship.
Say whatever you wish of good about this man,
And it is enough
That he purchased Paradise twice.
Who, I wonder, is that wealthy man?
The pious, pure, rich, and successful one.
How did he achieve that?
And at whose hands was the contract made?
Is there a price for Paradise?
And can we follow in his footsteps?
This blessed and fortunate man of goodness.
As for that truly great man,
He is the most modest of the Ummah of Muhammad,
Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He is the one of whom the angels are shy.
He is the companion of our Prophet and beloved in Paradise.
That is
‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan, may Allah be pleased with him.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said of him:
"O Allah, I am pleased with ‘Uthman, so be pleased with him."
He is one of the ten promised Paradise.
And the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said of him:
"‘Uthman is in Paradise."
And the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"May Allah have mercy on you, O ‘Uthman;
You have not taken from the world,
Nor has it taken from you."
When the beloved Muhammad,
Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
And his Companions settled in the home of the Hijrah,
Medina,
They suffered hardship
From a lack of water.
There was
A well of fresh, sweet-tasting water,
Owned by a Jew,
Known as the Well of Rumah.
So the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever digs the Well of Rumah,
For him is Paradise."
And in another narration, he said:
"Whoever buys the Well of Rumah,
For him is Paradise."
And here, longing crept
Into the heart of ‘Uthman for Paradise.
He had no desire other than that.
He stepped forward
To attain this great gain.
He bargained with the owner
To sell it to him, and he sold it.
He asked him to sell half of it,
And he bought the half
For 12,000 dirhams.
Then he bought the other half,
And the water flowed for the people of Medina
Without a price to be paid or demanded.
He sought its reward from Allah.
And ‘Uthman succeeded,
May Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction.
His soul was at peace,
For he did not see himself
As having done a favor to any Muslim.
He had no more right to the well
Than the poorest of the Muslims.
This was the first purchase.
As for the second purchase,
It was in the ninth year of the Hijrah.
The news reached the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Of the intention of the Roman Emperor
To invade the Arabian Peninsula,
To kill the religion
And annihilate the Muslims.
So the noble Prophet,
Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, called out,
Calling the Muslims to Jihad.
And because of the distance,
The Prophet specified for them,
He specified their destination so they could prepare.
Their destination was Tabuk.
And the Muslims
Were suffering from drought and famine,
And the heat of the sun was scorching.
The desert expanse
Was the only path for the journey.
Where could one turn from it?
The believing souls responded,
The ranks gathered,
And everyone brought what their soul could offer
Of wealth and equipment.
Hands of charity were extended
From the young and the old,
From the men and the women.
Even Abu Bakr,
May Allah be pleased with him,
Gave all of his wealth.
And ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
Offered half of his wealth.
But the matter was immense,
And these donations
Were not enough for the entire army.
These thousands of people,
And the gathered crowds,
Were in need
Of provisions and equipment.
And how far away was Tabuk?
The people were in hardship,
To the point that the army was called
The Army of Hardship.
And the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, looked out,
With his truthful, loyal gaze,
The kind and merciful,
The gaze of the blessed,
The gaze of the seasoned,
Conscious leader,
Upon the crowds of Muslims
Who had sold to Allah
Their most precious possessions,
And came responding
To the call of Jihad.
And the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Who will equip these,
And Allah will forgive him?"
And longing blossomed
In the heart of ‘Uthman for the second time,
May Allah be pleased with him,
In his heart like a clear light.
For who is there
Who does not want the forgiveness of sins?
And who is there who does not want to enter
Paradise, and have hardship
Turn into ease, and have distress
Relieved, and the narrow path widened?
And the clouds of
Tranquility and happiness rain down
Upon the souls of the soldiers of faith,
By the grace of Allah,
and then by the grace of 'Uthman, the bow
is always in need
of the archer, and the arrow
is in need of the one who shoots it.
Horses are in need of
the rider, and the problem
is in need of a lawful solution.
The word is in need
of the tongue, and the Ummah
on that day,
and indeed every day, is in need
of a wealthy person of means,
generous like 'Uthman,
and of a great leader
like Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him.
Thus, the time of hardship found
its generous 'Uthman.
'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, provided
for the Army of Hardship
nine hundred
and forty camels,
and sixty horses,
completing the thousand,
as Ibn Shihab says.
He brought ten thousand dinars,
pouring them out before the leader,
the beloved Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He equipped the Army of Hardship,
he equipped the Army of Hardship
in its entirety.
Indeed, he even equipped ten of the reciters
at his own expense.
He equipped the entire army,
until they were not left
in need of a halter
or a hobble.
So much so that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Nothing 'Uthman does after today
will harm him."
O Allah, be pleased with 'Uthman,
for I am pleased with him.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, says:
'Uthman
Ibn 'Affan
bought from the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
he bought Paradise twice:
when he dug the well of Rumah,
and when he equipped the Army of Hardship.
You are like a pampered traveler,
walking slowly,
yet arriving first.
O people,
the generosity of 'Uthman
did not stop
at this limit.
His giving, his sacrifice,
and his spending in the way of Allah
filled the ledgers.
And here is
the hand of 'Uthmanic generosity
beckoning us
to follow his footsteps
and walk upon his path.
We all possess wealth,
and even if it is little,
sacrificing oneself, even with a small amount,
is required. So fear the Fire,
even if by half a date.
Fear the Fire, O servants of Allah,
even if by half a date.
And send forth for yourselves;
whatever good you send forth for yourselves,
you will find it with Allah,
it is better
and greater in reward.
And seek the forgiveness of Allah,
for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
May Allah bless me and you
through the Great Qur'an,
and benefit me and you with the verses
and the Wise Reminder contained within it.
I say what you hear and I ask Allah's forgiveness for me and for you,
so seek His forgiveness,
and how successful are those who seek forgiveness.
All praise is due to Allah for His beneficence,
and I thank Him for His guidance and grace.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
and I bear witness that Muhammad
is the Messenger of Allah,
may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
To proceed:
O servants of Allah,
here is 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him,
announcing to the world
the true function of wealth
and its most noble role.
He used it to race toward a profitable trade
with Allah.
That 'Uthmanic generosity,
that 'Uthmanic generosity
which has no equal,
removes from our accounts
the panting pursuit of the material life.
Yes,
it reminds us that wealth is the wealth of Allah,
even if it is contained
within our safes,
and our bank accounts are filled with it.
So, O servants of Allah, shall we reach
the level of awareness
that it was never for the servant
to be the true owner?
It is necessary, O servants,
O servants of Allah,
that we strengthen faith in our hearts.
Yes, we are in a time
where people have rushed to accumulate wealth,
and they have flown,
and alas, they have turned and circled.
Let us not forget, O people,
that we are in need of
our wealth in the Hereafter
more intensely than our need
for it in this world,
and more intensely than the need of 'Uthman
for his wealth.
For 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him,
was among the foremost to embrace Islam,
the third of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
He met Allah while fasting,
as he used to spend most of his days
since he embraced Islam
fasting, and most of his
nights in prayer.
And when his hand was struck,
and he felt the pain of the blow,
he said, "By Allah, this is
the first hand
to hold the pen
and write the verses of the Qur'an."
'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him,
met his Lord as a martyr.
He was struck while he was reading the Qur'an.
When he became certain of departing this world
and meeting his Lord,
he held the Mushaf to his chest.
O honorable ones,
we are in need
of our wealth in the Hereafter,
tomorrow.
We will be dispersed,
and our families in corners,
and everyone digging the earth,
their path is into their grave.
The father in a grave, the son
in a grave, the mother in a grave,
the brother in a grave,
and the sister in a grave.
Are you not in need
of the smallest amount of reward
in that grave?
Are we not, O servants of Allah,
in need of our wealth
when our limbs are torn apart,
and the night and the day unite against us,
and we forget our acquaintances?
'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him,
bought Paradise from the Messenger of Allah
twice.
O servant of Allah, you have bought Paradise.
Do not forget that you have wealth;
calculate from it a portion
that is permanent for Allah,
which increases and does not decrease:
support for building a mosque,
or sponsoring an orphan,
or comforting a poor person,
or clothing the naked,
or feeding the hungry,
or kindness to relatives,
or answering a beggar.
Overcome selfishness,
and defeat the devil.
"No man gives out
anything in charity
without having to untie from it
the jaws of seventy
devils."
Narrated by Ahmad and authenticated by
al-Albani in al-Sahihah.
O servants of Allah, the point is
that the devils
whisper to the servant
not to give charity. So if
the servant gives charity, this is
A proof of faith,
and sincerity, and uprightness.
May He grant us success in every righteous deed
that He loves and is pleased with.
This is so.
And send prayers and salutations upon the best of Allah’s creation,
Muhammad Ibn 'Abdullah,
the unlettered Prophet,
the striver and the generous spender,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
For Allah has said:
Indeed, Allah and His angels
send blessings upon the Prophet;
O you who have believed,
“Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation.” (33:56)
And he, peace be upon him, said:
Whoever sends one prayer upon me,
Allah will send ten prayers upon him by it.
O Allah, send prayers, salutations, increase, and blessings
upon Your servant and Messenger,
and Your Prophet, Muhammad,
and upon all his family and Companions.
And be pleased, O Allah, with Your Caliphs,
the Rightly-Guided,
the four rightly-directed ones:
Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman,
and 'Ali, and with all the rest of
the Companions, one and all,
and be pleased with us along with them, by Your generosity,
O Most Generous of the generous.
O Allah, grant victory to Islam and the Muslims,
and bring low polytheism and the polytheists,
and destroy Your enemies, the enemies of the religion.
O Allah, grant us security in our homelands,
and rectify our leaders
and those in authority over us.
O Allah, forgive our sins,
conceal our faults,
and accept our repentance.
And let our final deeds be the most righteous, O our Master.
O Allah, grant us hearts that are humble,
hearts that are tranquil,
and hearts that are sound,
for none shall be saved except he who comes to Allah with a sound heart.
O Allah, grant us a heart worthy of meeting You.
O Allah, grant us a heart worthy of meeting You.
O Allah, make our final abode pleasant,
and make our end the best.
O Allah, make us among those who sought refuge in You and whom You sheltered,
who fled to You and whom You accepted,
who feared You and whom You secured,
who relied upon You and whom You sufficed,
and who asked of You and whom You gave.
O Allah, guide us to the best of character,
for none guides to the best of it except You,
and turn away from us its evil,
for none turns away its evil except You.
O Allah, place us in Your protection, Your safety, and Your guarantee.
Preserve us with Your preservation and encompass us with Your care.
Turn away from us the evil of the wicked,
and the plots of the treacherous,
and the evil of the night and day visitors,
except for a visitor who comes with good, O Most Merciful.
O Allah, grant victory to our soldiers at the borders.
O Allah, heal their sick,
treat their wounded,
and accept their martyrs.
And grant victory to our oppressed brothers everywhere.
O Allah, rectify the state of the Muslims.
O Allah, rectify the state of the Muslims.
O Allah, rectify the state of the Muslims.
O Allah, just as You have gathered us on this carpet,
gather us beneath Your Throne,
as loving brothers,
upon thrones, facing one another.
O Allah, relieve the distressed,
remove the anguish of the sorrowful,
and settle the debts of the indebted.
Heal our sick and the sick of the Muslims.
Have mercy on our dead and the dead of the Muslims,
by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
“Glorified be thy Lord, the Lord of Majesty, from that which they attribute (unto Him)” (37:180)
And peace be upon the messengers,
and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.