Dear Brothers and Sisters!

How we can gain Allah’s approval has been revealed to us in the Quran. The minimum condition for gaining Allah’s approval is to avoid haram. It is a necessity of being a believer to stay away from what Allah (swt) has forbidden and to be content with what he allows. Allah (swt) mentions the following in Surah Al-Baqarah: “O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.”[1] From this, we understand that a believer is responsible for everything they consume. What you eat and drink must be halal and clean.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

We should not forget that the test of humanity regarding sin began with eating from the forbidden tree. Allah (swt) said to Adam (as) and his wife: “And We said, “O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.” Allah (swt) informs us that Adam (as) and his wife were expelled from Paradise after they ate from the tree forbidden by Allah (swt). By doing so, they exceeded the limits set by Allah (swt). As Adam (a.s.)’s test has shown us, human beings can only feed the body entrusted to them with food permitted by Allah (swt). The Prophet (saw) mentioned [the case] of a man who, having journeyed far, is scruffy and dusty, and who spreads out his hands [in supplication] to the sky saying “O Lord! O Lord!,” while his food is haram, his drink is haram, his clothing is haram, and he has been nourished with haram, so how can [his supplication] be answered?”[2]

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Leading a halal life means surrendering to the limits set by Allah (swt). This surrender strengthens the bond between us and our creator, and crossing the borders damages the bond. Believers should show importance to this bond to live a halal life. As a matter of fact, our beloved Prophet (saw) said, “Halal is clear; haram is also clear. Between the two, however, there are some doubtful things that most people do not know. Whoever avoids doubtful things will protect his religion and chastity. Whoever falls into doubtful things, he has fallen into haram…”[3] Therefore, it is a requirement of Taqwa to avoid anything that we are not sure about whether it is halal or haram, as Allah (swt) loves those who are pious.

Dear Jama’ah!

When it comes to halal living, only eating and drinking should not come to mind. The ways in which we earn our wealth and how we spend the blessings given to us are just as important. The religion of Islam teaches us the importance of earning through halal means and that living in this way is necessary for peace in the world and the hereafter. It is well known that there are people who resort to fraudulent and illegal means to earn more money. However, the religion of Islam advises us to be truthful and honest in all areas of life. Respecting people’s rights, being honest and avoiding waste are of Islamic moral values.

Maintaining a halal life means avoiding Israf. Israf basically means being wasteful or extravagant. Just as inconsistency in nutrition causes diseases in the body, excessiveness in our spending and savings causes spiritual diseases. We should avoid being extravagant, especially to places we go for holidays, we should aim to take a holiday by observing halal and haram. While there is so much hunger, poverty and waste in the world, the duty of us believers, who have been sent to the earth as leaders, is to turn our earnings into goodness through our spendings.

May Allah (swt) allow us to stay on the straight path and make us all among those who lead a halal life. Ameen.

[1] Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:168

[2] Müslim, Zekât 65

[3] Müslim, Müsâkât, 107

Khutba – Living a Halal Life