Our Almighty Lord said in the following Verse: "And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous." [1]
And our Prophet (pbuh) was asked by a companion, "What most admits people to Paradise?" He (pbuh) said: "Piety, meaning the awareness of responsibility towards Allah, and good manners."[2]
Dear Believers!
Our Almighty Lord gave us two consecutives lives. The first one is the transient and ephemeral worldly life that needs to be transformed into gainings. The second one is the eternal and immortal life in the Hereafter. The worldly life is a challenging and finite path to the Hereafter. And the Hereafter is a life where we reap the harvest of our deeds, and receive a recompense for our work, without any reserve. There is sadness or joy for us in this life.
Those who strive to succeed in the exam of this world will attain Allah's approval and the place of eternal blessings, the Jannah. Those who fail in this exam will face regret and disappointment in the Hereafter.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Our Lord taught us the path that leads to His Jannah and saves from hell in the Qur'an al-Kareem, which is our guidance for life. And our Prophet (pbuh) showed us this path by exemplifying it. The end of this path is eternal salvation. The end of this path is endless peace. So let us have a look at the features of a Paradise Wayfarer today.
Dear Believers!
The way to Paradise is entered through faith. For eternal salvation is reached through faith. The first condition of being a believer is sincere faith in the existence and unity of Allah, His messengers, angels, books, the Last Day, and that divine fate and destiny are ordained by Allah. The believer (Mu'min) is the one who sincerely submits to Allah. The Mu'min is the one who holds on to his faith until his last breath. He does not lose devotion and submission despite various calamities.
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Worship and good deeds are the conditions to proceed on the path to Jannah. A devout prayer, sincere fast, hajj (pilgrimage), the Zakah, the sacrifice are part of worship, so is any good deed with the intention to gain Allah's approval also a worship. Doing good to the parents, to our partners and children, to our neighbours and relatives, to any living creature, is worship. Making life easier to each other, sharing our blessings and opportunities with our brothers, helping each other, are all of worship. Being the hand of the one who cannot hold, being the eye of the one who cannot see, the foot of the one who cannot walk, and the tongue of the one who cannot talk, is all about worship. In short, abstaining from evil and striving on the path of goodness is worship.
Dear Believers!
A condition for emerging on the path to Jannah is good manners - girding ourselves with sincerity towards our Lord, ourselves and our environment; never loosing truthfulness and direction; never breaking a promise, never betraying. For the Believer, who is described by the Messenger of Mercy (pbuh) as the "one from whose tongue and hand Muslims are safe", must not harm anyone. He must not waste and squander away his short life by harming the honor and dignity of a human, whom Allah created as a dignified creature, through his words, attitudes or behaviour. The believer's maxim is good manners according to the hadith "If you do not feel ashamed, then do whatever you like."[3]
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
I would like to end our Khutbah with the following invocation: "O Allah! Grant us Your paradise, and words and deeds that lead us to paradise. We seek refuge from the fires of hell, and deeds and behaviour that leads us to hell."[4]
Oh Allah! Do not give chance to those who aim at our homeland, our nation, unity, and livelihood!
Oh Our Lord! Shower your mercy and grace upon our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for our values! Grant quick recovery to our veterans! Let us be among those who live and keep alive those supreme values for which they sacrificed their lives and blood!
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[1] Ali 'Imran 3/133
[2] Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 29.
[3] Buhâri, Ahadith-ul Anbiya, 54
[4] Ibn Majah, Dua, 4
Prepared by General Directorate of Religious Services