Dear Brothers and Sisters!

In order to better manage time, man has divided time into days, weeks, months and years. And this system as we know is called a calendar. Many civilisations in human history have developed various calendars. We are experiencing the first day of the year 2021 of the Gregorian calendar, which is one of the most widely used calendars today. Of course, there is no difference between the first and the last day of a calendar year. As a result, the sun will rise from the same place, set from the same place, and the day will begin and end in the same way. However, as Muslims, we can use this time period to plan our lives and direct it accordingly. For example, we can set ourselves new goals and see these time frames as a starting point for new things.

Dear Jama’ah!

Allah (swt) says in the Quran, “So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship].”[1] This means, a Muslim cannot be lazy or passive. The primary purpose of a Muslim is to be a servant to whom Allah (swt) is pleased with and arrange their lives according to this. Rasulullah (saw) said, “The creation are the dependents of Allah and the most beloved of the creation to Allah are those who are the most caring to their dependents.”[2] Through this hadeeth we see that we must be beneficial to the people in this world. We should aim to be servants that stand out with exemplary ethics, hardworking attributes and be the ones who make an effort to gain halal sustenance bestowed by Allah (swt). We must set ourselves new goals and always reflect on our past. Rasulullah (saw) has said, “A wise man is the one who calls himself to account and does noble deeds to benefit him after death.”[3] To control the Nafs is possible by keeping it under control through taking it into account. “Have I become a better Muslim and a more beneficial person for humanity in the past 365 days I have left behind? What did I aim for, what have I achieved?” We must ask ourselves these questions to take into account what we have done for the year. Taking one’s soul into accounting is a control mechanism. If a person does not take their Nafs into account, they will be enslaved by it and will follow the desires of the Nafs. This is why self-criticism is essential to perfect our servitude towards Allah (swt).

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Leaving another year behind, we see how quick time goes by. So, let us make good use of the time Allah (swt) has blessed us with and keep ourselves busy with useful things. It is a known fact that too much unnecessary time is wasted especially on channels such as social media. At the end of each day, if we take note of how many hours of the 24 hours we spend on certain things, only then can we realise where our time goes. If we have the belief in the hereafter as a Muslim, shouldn’t we make the preparations for that day right now?

Let us end the Khutba with this powerful hadeeth of Rasulullah (saw): “The feet of a servant will not move on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked about four matters: his lifetime and how he used it, his youth and how he exhausted it, his wealth and how he earned it and spent it, and his knowledge and how he acted upon it…”[4]

[1] Surah Ash-Sharh, 94:7
[2] Taberânî: El-Mu’cem El-Kebîr, 10/86, H.No: 10033
[3] Tirmizî, Sıfatu’l-Kıyâme, 25
[4] Tirmizî, Sıfatu’l-Kıyâme, 1