Eid to Fitr 2016 Khutba

Muslims, I urge you to have Taqwa from Allah, for Taqwa is what unites our hearts and what will give us a high position in the Hereafter.

“You who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die without being subdued.”

Servants of Allah, rejoice for today.
Rejoice and rejoice that you have completed the month of fasting.
Rejoice and rejoice, for today is a blessed day, a day full of light and baraka.
Today we receive Allah’s favor and mercy after we have fulfilled the fast and Qiyam of the noble month of Ramadan:

“Say: ‘Let them rejoice with Allah’s favor and His mercy, it is better than what they gather’ [Yunus, 58].

Today we celebrate that we have finished the month of fasting, the month in which Allah promises to forgive the faults of the one who has fasted with sincerity and hope, the month in which Allah has given us His mercy, His forgiveness and the liberation from Fire; the month in which we have lived a night that is better than a thousand months.
Remember the promise that Allah has made to the sincere fasting.
Remember that Allah opens for them one of the gates of the Garden, the gate of Ar-Rayyan, which, when all the fasting people have entered, will be closed without anyone else entering.
Let us rejoice, then, and sincerely ask Allah on this day to make us one of those who enter through that gate.
Enjoy and rejoice today.
Enjoy cleansing your hearts of the grudges and clashes that may occur between you.
Enjoy spreading the greeting among your brothers.
Enjoy strengthening your bonds.
Enjoy feeding people.
Rejoice in the joy and courage of this day.
Rejoice and spread the good news because today we are celebrating that, thanks to our sincere fasting, we hope to have the joy of meeting Allah, subnahahu wa ta’ala, on the Day of Resurrection, as the Messenger SAWS said:

“The fasting person has two joys: one when he breaks the fast and the other when he meets his Lord.”

Servants of Allah, the day of Eid is a day of celebration.
It is a day of festivity and rejoicing.
It is a gift that Allah gives us, and like every gift we receive from Him, it demands our thanks.
Today is a holiday, but it is not a day to forget Allah.
Today is a day of rejoicing, but it is not a day to give ourselves unchecked to our passions or appetites.
Today is a day when, more than ever, we must remember the good, favor and mercy that Allah has towards us.
Today we remember Allah and thank Him for all the good He has given us and continues to give us without ceasing; and we do it by strengthening our ties, the bonds with our relatives and siblings.
We do this by removing hatred and envy from our hearts.
We do it by solving the problems, confrontations and disputes that we have with our brothers, because it is useless for us to keep that in our hearts; it only serves to make it harden more and more in our chest, and that is not what Allah wants for us.
And know that this day is for that; That is part of the meaning and importance of today.
It is a day to unite, and never to separate.
Know that the happy one is not the one who comes to this day and to this place in beautiful and perfumed clothes, nor the one who fills his stomach with drink and food. The one who is truly happy on this day is the one to whom Allah has accepted his fast and qiyam, the one whose sins Allah has forgiven, the one who has given zakat and purified himself, the one who has prayed this prayer as the consummation of his fast.
The truly happy one is the one who returns from the musallah with Allah’s favor and His generosity.
Every day when we obey Allaah is for us a day of Eid.
Every day when we turn away from what Allah has forbidden us is a day of celebration for us.
Obey Allah, and you will be among the happy; fear Allah, and you will be among those who succeed; Be ye of the thankful, and Allah shall give you even more, and for you the gates of the Garden shall be opened.
O Allah, we ask Thee, by our sincerity, to bring us into the Garden.
Servants of Allah, the Messenger of Allah, SAWS, said:

“You are all in care of something and you are all responsible for what is in your care.
The imam is the guardian and responsible for what is in his care; man is guardian within his family, responsible for what is in his care; the woman is a guardian in her husband’s house and responsible for what is in her care” .

Muslims!
You are responsible for your families, be fair to them.
To be a good example for them in generosity, justice and mercy.
To be a good example to them in obedience to Allah and His Messenger.
The best way to teach and transmit is through example.
So, if you want the best for your women and your families, be a good example for them.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“The best of you is the one who treats his family best, and I am the best with my family.”

And in another narration:

“The best of you is the one who treats his wives best, and I am the best with my wives.”

Follow the example of the Prophet, May peace be with him, to be an example for your families and your women.
This will increase His love for you and give you homes where Allah will bring down His sakinah and give you a righteous offspring, Insha Allah.
And make sure you fulfill your obligations before you claim your rights.
Muslims!
Fulfill your obligations.
Stay firm in your path, be aware of what your path is.
Be aware of what your role is and what you have to do.
Remember at all times the world in which we live and the situation in which we are.
And if you act sincerely, giving yourselves to what you believe in, serving Allah and your ummah, then your wives will admire you and follow you, support you and you will find in them firm companions.
Muslim!
Fear Allah.
Be aware of what Allah wants from you; remember that Allah has commanded you to follow your husbands in all that is right and beneficial; and that is what pleases Allah.
When the man is an example of generosity, justice and good treatment of his family, his women and his community, and the woman follows her husband in what is recognized, this strengthens the family and the community.
Muslim!
Be faithful keepers of your husbands’ secrets and do not divulge them.
To be guardians of your home.
Strive to fulfill your obligations before claiming your rights.
Allah announces to you the Garden if you do your part.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“If a woman prays five times a day, fasts for a month, protects her parts and obeys her husband, it will be said to her: ‘Enter through the gate of the Garden that you wish.'”

Marriage is the basis of the family, and the family the basis of society. Allah says in the Qur’an:

They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them.
(2:187)

Let us try, then, to be the most beautiful and noble garment with which to cover each other.
O Allah, we ask You to put love and mercy among us, to make our marriages strong, and so that we can strengthen our community and our society.
Hafith Luqan Nieto