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'Eid Al Fitr sermon خطبة عيد الفطر by Muhammad bin Saalih al-'Uthaimeen Summary 1) The necessity of being conscious of Allaah. 2) Gratitude due to Allaah for the favor of Siam (fasting) and Qiam (night prayer). 3) The virtue of fasting six days from Shawaal, and misconceptions related to fasting these days. 4) How the huge gathering of people attending Salaatul 'Eid, reminds us of another larger gathering on the Day of Judgment, and the things we should do in preparation for that Day. 5) Sunnah of the 'Eid, and reminding that its not of the Sunnah to visit the graves. 6) An advice to women to fear Allah, and to fulfill husband's and children's rights, and a warning against going out while applying makeup and displaying their charms. (Repeating seven successive Takbirs then saying): "Allaahu Akbar Allahu Akbar La Ilaha Illa Allaah, Allaahu Akbar Allaahu Akbar Wa Lillahil-Hamd" (Allaah is the Greatest, Allaah is the Greatest, there is no deity worthy of worship but Allaah, Allaah is the Greatest, Allaah is the Greatest, to Allaah all praise is due). Praise be to Allaah, the Assembler of the multitudes again and again, the Eliminator of nations and armies, the One Who will gather mankind together against a Day about which there is no doubt, for Allaah never fails in His promise. I testify that Muhammad is Allaah's servant and Messenger, who is favored by Allaah above all mankind. May Allaah bless him, his family, his Companions and those who follow them on the proper path until the Resurrection Day! O people! Fear Allaah, and give thanks to Him on account of the great favors He has endowed upon you, including the completion of fasting and voluntary night prayers, which are the greatest of all favors! Ask Allaah to accept your deeds and to overlook your mistakes, for He is the Most Generous of all those who show generosity and the Most Benevolent of those who show benevolence. It was related that the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam said: "He who observed the fast of Ramadan and then followed it with six (days of fasting) in the month of Shawwaal would be as if he had fasted the whole year." This is elaborated thus: The fasting of the month of Ramadan equals fasting for ten months, and fasting in the first six days of the month of Shawwaal is equal to two months, making up twelve months, i.e. one year. As for fasting for one day following the day of 'Eid, and calling that day "Yaum As-Sabr" (the Day of Patience) it is not a valid practice. All days that one fasts are days of patience, as one observes self-control and prevents his soul from all that is forbidden during fasting. Some people think that one who fasts during the first six days in the month of Shawwaal will be obliged to fast on these days every year. However, this view is incorrect since such type of fasting is a supererogatory practice that one may observe in one year and give up in another. In all cases, it is preferable to observe fast during the first six days of the month of Shawwaal in order to obtain the reward of fasting. O people! Let your assemblage today remind you of the Day of Resurrection, when you will be raised from your graves to meet your Lord for reckoning, barefooted, naked, with eyes staring fixedly in horror. Allaah said, which means: "The Day you shall see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling, and every pregnant one will drop her load, and you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet they will not be drunken, but severe will be the Torment of Allah". (Al-Hajj: 2). "That Day shall a man flee from his brother, And from his mother and his father, And from his wife and his children. Every man, that Day, will have enough to make him careless of others." ('Abas: 34-37).
The Day when the records of deeds will be distributed to the right and to the left. Allaah has said, the meaning of which is: "Then, as for him who will be given his record in his right hand. He surely will receive an easy reckoning. And will return to his family in joy! But whosoever is given his record behind his back. He will invoke (his) destruction. And shall enter a blazing Fire, and be made to taste its burning." (Al-Inshiqaaq: 7-12). The Day when the scales of justice will be set up. Allaah said, which means: "Then, those whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, -- these, they are the successful. And those whose scales (of good deeds) are light, -- they are those who lose their own selves, in Hell will they abide. The Fire will burn their faces, and therein they will grin, with displaced lips (disfigured) . Were not My Verses (this Qur'an) recited to you, and then you used to deny them?"(Al-Mu'minoon: 102-105). The Day when the Siraat (a bridge) will be laid across Hell and people will cross it in a manner that fits their deeds. Those who used to be fast in doing good deeds, will cross it quickly, but those who used to slacken and linger about when called to perform acts of obedience will cross the Siraat in a similar manner, a fitting recompense for them. So strive together as in a race towards all that is good, O Muslims! Be prepared for that day so that you may prosper! According to the Prophet's conduct, it is preferable for one who has attended the 'Eid Prayer to return home using a different route from the one that he took going to the place of prayer.. It has become a custom that people shake hands with each other and exchange congratulations on the occasion of the 'Eid, which is a good practice that brings about friendliness and eliminates hatred and enmity. As for going to graveyards on the day of 'Eid, I do not know a basis or an authentic legal reference on which this practice is founded. Going to graveyards is permitted at all times, but there is no legal reference that provides for going to graveyards on the day of 'Eid specifically. Before the end of the sermon, I would like to direct a sermon to women, since the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam used to preach them on the day of 'Eid, just as he would address men. O women! You should fear Allaah regarding your souls, observe the limits set by Allaah, observe your duties towards your husbands and children. The righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in the husband's absence what Allaah would have them guard. O women! Do not be dazzled by women who go shopping and attend public places while applying perfume and exposing parts of their bodies, including their hands and faces, or those who cover their faces with a transparent cover that reveals what is beneath it. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam said: "Two are the types of the denizens of Hell whom I did not see:. women who would be dressed but appear to be naked, who would be inclined (to evil) and make men incline towards it. Their heads would be like the humps of the Bukht camel inclined to one side. They will not enter Paradise and they will not smell its odor whereas its odor can be smelt from such and such distance (i.e. very far)." If you walk around in marketplaces, you should be quiet, careful not to raise your voices and avoid the gatherings of men. Do not permit your daughters to wear garments that are disapproved of, or behave or dress in a way that imitates men. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam cursed effeminate men and those women who assume the similitude and manners of men. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam addressed women saying: I saw that the majority of the inhabitants of Hell were women because you keep on cursing and are ungrateful towards your husbands. O Allaah! Your servants have come to this place, seeking Your reward and bounty, and fearing Your punishment. O Allaah fulfill our wish and make us secure against that which we fear and gather us on the word of truth; make smooth for us the path of bliss and save us from the path of misery; forgive us in the worldly life and in the Hereafter, for Thou art the Most Generous and Most Bounteous. *** Alahumma infa`ni bima `allamtani wa `allamni ma yanfa`uni! OH ALLAH! Make useful for me what You taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me! (Aameen) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hadith_Series/message/4160 |
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