living islam _ islamic tradition

Hadith Twenty-Six

His Sermon in the First Jum`a He Prayed in
al-Madina al-Munawwara

Ibn Jarir al-Tabari said:

Yunus ibn `Abd al-A`la said: Ibn Wahb told us: From
Sa`id ibn `Abd al-Rahman al-Jamhi: News reached the
latter that in the Prophet's khutba in the
first Jum`a that he prayed in al-Madina, among the
Banu Salim ibn `Amr ibn `Awf , he said:

"Praise and glory to Allah!
I praise and glorify Him,
I seek His help and forgiveness,
I seek His guidance,
I believe in Him and do not deny Him,
and I take as my enemy those who deny Him.

I bear witness that there is no God except Allah
alone without partner,
and that Muhammad is His worshipper and Messenger
whom He sent with right guidance and the true
Religion,
with light and admonition,
after an interval of time without Messengers,
in which knowledge had waned,
misguidance had spread among people,
time had become short,
the Hour had dawned, and the end is near.

Whoever obeys Allah and His Prophet has followed
right,
and whoever disobeys them has gone astray,
wasted his opportunity, and truly gone far into
misguidance.

I call upon you to fear Allah!
Truly the best to which a Muslim can call another
Muslim
is that he urges him to seek the hereafter
and command him to fear Allah.

Beware, therefore, when {Allah bids you beware
of Him} (3:28).
There is no better faithful advice than this.
There is no better admonition than this.
Truly it is a safeguard (taqwâ) for anyone that heeds
it
in true Godwariness (wajal) and devout fear.
Truly it is trusty help toward what you seek of the
hereafter.

Whoever sets aright what lies between himself and
Allah 
in matters both private and public,
intending nothing thereby other than Allah's
countenance:
it will be for him a reminder in his worldly existence
and provision for him after death,
when a human being finds himself depending solely
upon the deeds he has sent forth,
and whatever else, he {will long that there
might be
a mighty space of distance between it and that (evil).
Allah bids you beware of Him.
And Allah is full of pity for (His) bondmen}
(3:30).

By the One Whose Word is true
and Who discharged His promise:
it shall not be otherwise than what I have described!
For He says - Exalted and Almighty:
{The sentence that comes from Me cannot be
changed,
and I am in no wise a tyrant unto the slaves}
(50:29).

Beware Allah in your worldly matters
as well as your otherworldly ones,
in secret and openly.
For whoever fears Allah, He shall absolve him of his
evils
and grant him a great reward.
Whoever fears Allah has achieved a huge victory.
Truly fear of Allah protects one from what He detests.
It protects one from His punishment.
It protects one from His wrath.
Truly fear of Allah makes one illustrious
and raises one's rank.

Take your share but do not fall short regarding
Allah's side.
Allah has taught you His book
and made plain for you the way to Him,
so as to make known (li ya`lama) those who are
truthful
and to make known the liars.

Therefore, excel in goodness
just as Allah has excelled in goodness toward you.
Take His enemies for your enemies.
{And strive for Allah
with the endeavor which is His right.
He has chosen you}
{and has named you Muslims} (22:78)
{that he who perished might perish by a clear
proof and he who survived might survive by a clear
proof} (8:42).

And {There is no strength save in Allah}
(18:39)
so remember and mention Allah abundantly
and work for what comes after death!
Whoever sets aright what lies between himself and
Allah,
Allah shall give him sufficiency
in what lies between himself and humankind.

That is because Allah  pronounces judgment on
mankind
while they do not pronounce judgment against Him;
and He owns rights over them
while they own no right over Him.

Allah is greatest!
And there is no change nor power
but with Allah the Exalted, the Almighty!"

The hadith master Ibn Kathir said: "This is how Ibn
Jarir narrated it, and there is omission of the
Companion (irsâl) in its chain of transmission."Then
he went on to say: "Al-Bayhaqi said: `Chapter of the
First Sermon Delivered by Allah's Messenger
when he arrived in al-Madina.'"Then Ibn Kathir
mentioned al-Bayhaqi's chain to Abu Salama ibn `Abd
al-Rahman ibn `Awf who said: "This was the first
sermon delivered by Allah's Messenger when he
first took up residence in it. He glorified Allah and
praised Him as becomes Him then he said:

To proceed: O people!
Send forth [good deeds] for your own sakes.
You know full well - by Allah! -
that one of you may be struck down (layus`aqanna)
whereupon he shall surely leave his sheep without
shepherd.
Then his Lord shall surely say to him
- without any translator nor doorkeeper
between him and his Lord:
'Did my Messenger not come to you
and convey [My message] to you?
Did I not provide you with property and favor you?
What, then, did you send forth for yourself?'
The servant will then look right and left
but he will not find anything.
He will look in front of him and see nothing but
Hell-Fire.

Therefore, whoever among you is able
to protect his face from the Fire,
even with half a date, let him do so.
And if he does not find half a date,
then with a good word.
For through that good word his good deed
shall be repaid tenfold and up to seven hundredfold.

Peace be upon you and upon Allah's Messenger,
and Allah's mercy and His blessings."

Then Allah's Messenger spoke another time and
said:

Truly the best discourse is Allah's Book!
He has achieved success,
he in whose heart Allah adorned it,
entering him into Islam after unbelief,
whereupon he chose it above the speech of all mankind.
Truly it is the most beautiful speech and the most
eloquent.

Love those whom Allah loves!
Love Allah with all your hearts!
Do not grow weary of Allah's discourse and
remembrance!
Let not your hearts harden against it!

For whoever chooses Allah and prefers Him,
He has named it His favored one among all deeds,
His favored one among all worshippers,
and the most becoming of all speech,
above all that mankind was ever given,
both the licit and the unlawul.

Therefore, worship Allah
and do not worship anything together with Him!
Fear Him as He ought to be feared!
Confirm to Allah whatever righteous word
you say with your mouths!
Love one another with Allah's spirit among yourselves!

Truly Allah hates that His covenant be broken.

Peace upon you all, and Allah's Mercy, and His
blessings.