Echo of platforms | By Sheikh Khaled Al-Hamoudi | Sermon (30) | May God Almighty laugh

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:03 Echoes from the pulpit.

0:06 Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, laughs.

0:09 A sermon by the honorable Sheikh

0:12 Khalid Ibn 'Abdullah al-Humudi,

0:14 may Allah preserve him.

0:16 “Praise be to Allah Who hath revealed the Scripture unto His slave, and hath not placed therein any crookedness,” (18:1)

0:21 He manifested the truth through the Truth,

0:24 and He disgraced the confederates.

0:26 He sent down water from the sky,

0:28 from which come trees and drink.

0:31 We praise Him, Blessed and Exalted is He,

0:35 and we ask Him for safety from the torment and the severity of the reckoning.

0:39 And I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah alone, with no partner,

0:46 the Almighty, the Bestower.

0:48 The King above all kings and the Lord of lords,

0:54 the Judge, the Just.

0:57 The Day when the shin shall be laid bare and lineages shall be set aside.

1:02 “The Forgiver of sin, the Accepter of repentance, the Stern in punishment, the Bountiful. There is no Allah save Him. Unto Him is the journeying.” (40:3)

1:06 He created mankind from Adam, and created Adam from dust.

1:12 He created death and life to test us,

1:16 and to Him is the final return.

1:20 And I bear witness that our master, our Prophet, and our beloved, Muhammad, is the servant of Allah and His Messenger,

1:27 His chosen one and His intimate friend.

1:29 His creation is the Qur'an, his opinion is correct,

1:34 and his speech is the decisive word.

1:37 The role model for nations and the pinnacle of aspirations,

1:42 the pearl of those brought near and the beloved.

1:46 He rode the camel, slept on a reed mat,

1:50 mended his own sandals, and patched his clothes.

1:54 He illuminated the world with his Sunnah,

1:58 and saved the Ummah through his intercession,

2:02 and with his own hand, he filled the cups for the believers from his Basin.

2:07 What can mouths utter in your praise?

2:11 When Allah, Glorified is He, has praised you.

2:15 O best of those whose beauty filled existence,

2:19 and whose fragrance is like pure musk.

2:24 Our blessings continue throughout the ages,

2:28 upon you, O best of creation.

2:32 May Allah send blessings.

2:34 May Allah bless you as long as the tongues of creation

2:38 speak throughout the passage of time.

2:42 O Allah, send peace, blessings, and increase

2:45 upon Your servant, Your Messenger, Your Prophet, and Your beloved, Muhammad,

2:50 and upon his family and his Companions,

2:53 and grant him abundant peace until the Day of Judgment.

2:57 Now then, servants of Allah,

2:59 I advise you and myself to fear Allah.

3:02 O you who have believed, fear Allah

3:05 as He ought to be feared.

3:07 “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)

3:11 O community of believers,

3:13 our topic today

3:16 is a refined hadith,

3:19 delicate and sparkling.

3:22 Our topic today

3:24 is beautiful, for the beauty of what we shall discuss.

3:28 Our topic today

3:30 contains beauty, majesty, and perfection,

3:35 in a manner befitting what we shall discuss.

3:38 We shall speak, O servants of Allah,

3:41 about an attribute of the attributes of Allah, Glorified is He in His highness.

3:45 Our topic is the attribute of laughter

3:49 for our Lord, Glorified is He.

3:51 It is wondrous.

3:52 Does our Lord laugh?

3:54 Yes.

3:55 For laughter is an attribute established for Allah,

3:59 Glorified is He in His highness,

4:01 in a manner that befits His Essence,

4:04 and befits His majesty.

4:06 Without asking how (takyif),

4:08 without likening Him to creation (tamthil), and without metaphorical distortion (ta'wil).

4:11 There is nothing like unto Him,

4:13 and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.

4:16 He is described by it in a way of perfection,

4:20 beauty, and majesty.

4:22 He does not resemble in that

4:25 any of His creation.

4:27 Therefore, O servants of Allah,

4:29 we shall speak today specifically

4:32 about some of the reasons

4:34 that are, by the permission of Allah,

4:37 a cause for the laughter of the Lord, the Exalted,

4:40 for His believing servant.

4:42 The first of these reasons

4:44 is altruism (ithar), O servants of Allah.

4:47 Altruism.

4:48 The people of altruism among the believers in this world,

4:51 Allah laughs for them

4:53 because of their deeds,

4:56 as mentioned in the story

4:58 which al-Bukhari recorded in his Sahih,

5:01 and which was narrated by Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

5:04 regarding the guest of the Messenger of Allah,

5:06 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

5:09 who did not find with his wives

5:11 anything to host him with.

5:13 So a man from the Ansar hosted him,

5:16 and he was not in a better state than the Messenger of Allah,

5:20 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

5:22 He found nothing but the food for his children,

5:26 so he asked his wife

5:28 to put them to sleep,

5:29 and to extinguish the lamp,

5:31 so that the guest could eat alone.

5:34 When the man reached the morning

5:36 and went to the Messenger of Allah,

5:38 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

5:41 the Prophet,

5:43 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to him:

5:45 "Allah laughed tonight,"

5:48 or "He marveled at your deeds."

5:50 Then the word of Allah was revealed:

5:52 "And they give preference over themselves..."

5:55 “Those who entered the city and the faith before them love those who flee unto them for refuge, and find in their breasts no need for that which hath been given them, but prefer (the fugitives) above themselves though poverty become their lot. And whoso is saved from his own avarice - such are they who are successful.” (59:9)

5:57 "...and whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul,

5:59 it is they who are the successful."

6:02 And altruism, O servants of Allah,

6:04 which makes the Lord, the Exalted, laugh,

6:07 is not limited to feeding a guest,

6:10 but extends to all spheres

6:14 of life.

6:15 For altruism is the highest rank of generosity and bounty,

6:19 and the highest rank of happiness

6:21 and peace of mind.

6:23 It is a proof of faith,

6:25 and altruism elevates the value of its possessor.

6:29 Altruism does not dwell

6:32 except in the heart of every pious, pure person.

6:35 So adorn yourselves with altruism

6:37 in all your lives,

6:39 so that Allah may be pleased with you

6:41 and laugh for you.

6:43 Among the reasons also

6:45 is not despairing or losing hope in the mercy of Allah.

6:48 So do not despair of the mercy of Allah,

6:51 no matter how numerous your sins,

6:54 and how great your acts of disobedience.

6:56 Turn to Him

6:57 with a broken soul,

6:59 with a humble soul.

7:01 Turn to Him

7:02 with sincerity and devotion,

7:04 for He will rejoice in you,

7:06 and He will laugh for you.

7:07 Do not let that elderly Bedouin woman

7:10 be wiser than you,

7:12 who asked

7:14 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both.

7:17 She said:

7:18 "O Ibn 'Abbas,

7:19 who will hold us to account on the Day of Resurrection?"

7:22 He said to her:

7:23 "Allah, the Almighty and Majestic."

7:26 She said:

7:27 "We have succeeded, by the Lord of the Ka'bah!"

7:29 He said to her:

7:30 "Why?"

7:31 She said:

7:32 "Because the Generous One

7:33 does not scrutinize the account."

7:36 And among the reasons also, O servants of Allah,

7:39 as we mentioned

7:40 in the hadith mentioned by our mother,

7:43 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,

7:45 she said:

7:46 The Messenger of Allah,

7:48 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

7:50 "Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,

7:52 laughs at the despair of His servants

7:55 and their hopelessness, and their nearness to Him."

7:58 I said, "O Messenger of Allah,

8:00 may my father and mother be sacrificed for you,

8:02 does our Lord laugh?"

8:04 He said, "Yes, by Him in Whose hand is my soul,

8:07 He indeed laughs."

8:09 She said, "I then said:

8:10 'Then we shall never be deprived of good from Him if He laughs.'"

8:15 The hadith

8:16 was classified as hasan (good) by al-Albani in al-Silsilah al-Sahihah,

8:19 and was classified as hasan by Shaykh al-Islam,

8:22 and Ibn al-Qayyim defended it strongly.

8:25 And among the reasons also, O servants of Allah,

8:28 is what Abu al-Darda' mentioned

8:31 regarding night prayer and jihad.

8:34 Abu al-Darda',

8:36 may Allah be pleased with him, said:

8:37 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

8:40 "Three,

8:41 and listen, O servants of Allah,

8:43 to these three golden qualities

8:46 that make Allah, Glorified is He in His highness, laugh:

8:50 three

8:51 whom Allah loves,

8:52 and laughs for,

8:54 and rejoices in:

8:56 the one who, when a group is defeated,

8:58 fights behind them with his own soul for the sake of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.

9:02 So either he is killed,

9:04 or he is granted victory,

9:06 or Allah grants him victory and suffices him.

9:09 He says:

9:10 "Look at this servant of Mine,

9:12 how he has endured for My sake, restraining his own self.

9:15 He has a beautiful wife,

9:18 and a soft, comfortable bed,

9:21 yet he rises in the night and says,

9:23 'He abandons his desires,

9:25 and remembers Me, though he could have slept if he wished.'

9:28 And the one who, when traveling,

9:31 is with a group of companions,

9:33 and they stay up late,

9:34 then they fall into a deep sleep,

9:35 yet he rises in the early hours of the dawn, in times of hardship and ease."

9:39 This hadith was classified as hasan by Al-Albani

9:41 in *Sahih al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*.

9:44 So, congratulations to those who perform the night prayer.

9:46 You find their faces radiant,

9:50 because they have been in private with the Light of the Most Merciful,

9:53 and He has bestowed light upon them.

9:56 Among the causes also

9:58 is steadfastness,

9:59 and not turning back.

10:01 From the deeds

10:02 that make the Lord laugh at His servant

10:05 is his steadfastness in obedience,

10:07 and righteous action,

10:09 and striving in His path,

10:11 and working to establish His religion,

10:14 and not turning back from that,

10:16 no matter what the obstacles are,

10:18 and no matter what the impediments are,

10:21 and no matter what the distractions are,

10:23 and no matter what the temptations are,

10:25 until he meets his Lord,

10:27 while he is upon that state,

10:29 neither changing nor altering.

10:31 For on the authority of Nu'aym al-Ghatfani,

10:33 the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

10:38 "The martyrs who fight in the path of Allah

10:42 in the front line,

10:44 and do not turn their faces away

10:46 until they are killed,

10:48 they shall meet,"

10:50 or he said, "They shall gather in the chambers,

10:52 in the high chambers of Paradise,

10:55 and your Lord shall laugh at them."

10:57 Indeed, Allah the Exalted,

10:59 when He laughs at His believing servant,

11:02 there is no reckoning for him.

11:04 A sahih hadith,

11:05 authenticated by Al-Albani.

11:07 And listen, O servants of Allah,

11:09 listen to the account of the last person to enter Paradise,

11:14 how the Lord, Glory be to Him, laughs at him,

11:17 how the Creator, Glory be to Him, laughs.

11:20 He (peace be upon him) said:

11:23 "The last one to enter Paradise

11:25 is a man who walks at one moment,

11:28 and stumbles at another,

11:30 and the Fire lashes him at another.

11:32 When he passes it,

11:34 he turns toward it

11:36 and says,

11:37 'Blessed is He who has saved me from you!

11:39 Allah has given me something

11:42 that He has not given to anyone among the first and the last.'

11:45 Then a tree is raised for him,

11:47 and he says, 'O my Lord,

11:49 bring me near to this tree,

11:51 so that I may seek shade in its shadow,

11:53 and drink from its water.'

11:55 Allah says,

11:57 'O son of Adam, perhaps

11:59 if I give it to you,

12:01 you will ask Me for something else?'

12:03 He says, 'No, O Lord,'

12:05 and he makes a covenant with Him

12:06 that he will not ask Him for anything else.

12:08 And his Lord excuses him,

12:10 because he sees

12:12 what he has no patience to endure.

12:14 So He brings him near to it,

12:16 and he seeks shade in its shadow,

12:18 and drinks from its water.

12:20 Then a tree is raised for him,

12:22 which is better than the first,

12:24 and he says, 'O Lord,

12:26 let me seek shade in its shadow,

12:28 I will not ask You for anything else.'

12:30 He says, 'O son of Adam,

12:32 did you not make a covenant with Me

12:34 that you would not ask Me for anything else?'

12:36 He says, 'Perhaps,

12:38 if I bring you near to it,

12:40 you will ask Me for something else.'

12:42 So he makes a covenant with Him

12:43 that he will not ask Him for anything else.

12:45 And his Lord excuses him,

12:47 because he sees

12:49 what he has no patience to endure.

12:51 So He brings him near to it,

12:53 and he seeks shade in its shadow.

12:55 Then a tree is raised for him

12:57 at the gate of Paradise,

12:59 which is better than the first.

13:01 He says, 'My Lord,

13:03 bring me near to this one,

13:05 so that I may seek shade in its shadow,

13:07 and drink from its water,

13:09 I will not ask You for anything else.'

13:11 He says, 'O son of Adam,

13:13 did you not make a covenant with Me

13:15 that you would not ask Me for anything else?'

13:17 He says, 'Yes, O Lord, this one,

13:19 I will not ask You for anything else.'

13:21 And his Lord excuses him,

13:23 because he sees

13:25 what he has no patience to endure.

13:27 So He brings him near to it.

13:29 When He brings him near to it,

13:31 he hears the voices of the people of Paradise,

13:33 and he says, 'O Lord,

13:35 O Lord, admit me into it.'

13:37 He says, 'O son of Adam,

13:39 what will satisfy you from Me?'

13:41 Meaning, what will finally put an end to your requests?

13:43 What do you want?

13:45 When will you stop asking?

13:47 'What will satisfy you from Me?

13:49 That I be pleased with you,

13:52 and give you the like of it along with it?'

13:54 He says, 'O Lord,

13:56 are You mocking me,

13:58 while You are the Lord of the worlds?'

14:00 Then Ibn Mas'ud laughed,

14:02 and said, 'Will you not ask me

14:04 why I am laughing?'

14:06 They said, 'Why are you laughing?'

14:08 He said, 'Just like this,

14:10 the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) laughed.'

14:12 They said, 'Why are you laughing,

14:14 O Messenger of Allah?'

14:16 He said, 'At the laughter of the Lord of the worlds,

14:18 when He said,

14:20 "While You are the Lord of the worlds."'

14:22 Then He says,

14:23 'I am not mocking you,

14:26 but I am able to do whatever I will.'"

14:29 Narrated by Muslim.

14:31 So offer the price, O servant of Allah,

14:33 offer the price,

14:35 to win this great good.

14:37 He, Glory be to Him, said:

14:39 “Allah promiseth to the believers, men and women, Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide - blessed dwellings in Gardens of Eden. And - greater (far)! - acceptance from Allah. That is the supreme triumph.” (9:72)

14:45 "Gardens beneath which rivers flow,

14:48 abiding therein forever,

14:50 and pleasant dwellings in gardens of Eden."

14:54 “Allah promiseth to the believers, men and women, Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide - blessed dwellings in Gardens of Eden. And - greater (far)! - acceptance from Allah. That is the supreme triumph.” (9:72)

14:58 "That is the great success."

15:00 We ask Allah that we attain this great success,

15:04 and that He be pleased with us,

15:06 and laugh for us.

15:07 Indeed, He is capable of all things,

15:09 and worthy of answering.

15:11 I say what you hear,

15:13 and I ask Allah for forgiveness for myself and for you,

15:14 so seek His forgiveness,

15:15 and how successful are those who seek forgiveness!

15:23 Praise be to Allah,

15:26 and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,

15:28 and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,

15:30 may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

15:33 To proceed, O servants of Allah,

15:36 by Allah,

15:38 and by Allah, and by Allah,

15:40 how happy is the one at whom Allah laughs!

15:43 That is why the Companions used to search for the deeds

15:47 that make Him, Glory be to Him, laugh,

15:49 so they would perform them to attain this honor,

15:52 and this high status with their Creator.

15:56 So let us follow their path,

15:58 and let us hold fast to their way,

16:00 and let us work with diligence and sincerity

16:02 to make our Lord laugh at us,

16:04 for we shall never lose out from a Lord who laughs.

16:08 The methodology is clear,

16:10 and the path is manifest,

16:12 and the latter part of this Ummah will not be rectified

16:14 except by that which rectified its first part.

16:17 O Allah, rectify the conditions of the Muslims,

16:19 O Allah, rectify the conditions of the Muslims,

16:22 O Allah, rectify the conditions of the Muslims,

16:24 and rectify the corruption of our hearts,

16:26 and guide us to the paths of peace,

16:28 and keep us away from trials, both apparent and hidden.

16:32 O Allah, forgive our sins,

16:34 and bestow upon us abundant gifts,

16:36 and grant us a life of contentment.

16:38 O Allah, O Hearer of supplication,

16:41 and O Possessor of grace and bounty,

16:43 Do not deprive us of Your bounty due to our lack of gratitude.

16:46 Do not forsake us due to our lack of patience.

16:49 Do not withhold the best of what You have because of the worst of what we have.

16:52 For You are the Generous, the Merciful.

16:54 Whose mercy encompasses all things.

16:57 O Allah, grant us success in every deed.

16:59 That multiplies our good deeds for us.

17:01 And wipes away our sins.

17:03 And raises our ranks.

17:05 And removes our worries and distresses.

17:07 O Allah, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor.

17:10 O Allah, favor us with righteous deeds.

17:13 Through which You will be pleased with us.

17:16 O Allah, grant us.

17:17 O Allah, grant us, our parents, and our families.

17:20 And those we love, the Gardens of Eternity.

17:23 And turn away from us every corruptor, envious person, and hater.

17:27 O Allah, we love You.

17:29 So do not withhold Your grace from us because of our sins.

17:32 Grant us Your love.

17:34 And the love of those who love You.

17:35 And the love of every deed that brings us closer to Your love.

17:38 O Allah, grant us security in our homes and dwellings.

17:41 Reform and protect those in authority.

17:44 Expand our chests.

17:46 And illuminate our graves after we depart this world.

17:49 O Almighty, O Forgiving.

17:51 O Allah, just as You have gathered us upon these carpets.

17:54 Gather us beneath Your Throne.

17:56 As brothers who love one another.

17:58 Upon thrones, facing one another.

18:00 O Allah, rectify our intentions and our offspring.

18:03 O Allah, rectify our intentions and our offspring.

18:06 O Allah, we ask You for Your pleasure and Paradise.

18:09 And we seek refuge in You from Your wrath and from the Fire.

18:12 O Allah, grant victory to our soldiers at the borders.

18:14 And grant victory to our oppressed brothers everywhere.

18:17 Upon every land and beneath every sky.

18:20 O Allah, give us what we have wished for.

18:22 And even more than we have wished for, of the good of this world and the Hereafter.

18:26 Our Lord, we have called upon You as You have commanded us.

18:29 So answer us as You have promised us.

18:31 “Glorified be thy Lord, the Lord of Majesty, from that which they attribute (unto Him)” (37:180)

18:34 And peace be upon the messengers.

18:35 And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

Echo of platforms | By Sheikh Khaled Al-Hamoudi | Sermon (30) | May God Almighty laugh

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