Allah says, subhanahu ta’ala:
“Today I have completed your practice of worship (Deen), I have completed My blessing upon you and I have accepted Islam as a practice of worship with pleasure.” (Maida, 3)
This verse was revealed on the day of ‘Arafah during the Hajj of Farewell, after which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) lived for about 80 days.
Allah tells us that he lacks nothing, nor does he have anything to spare.
It is complete and clear.
The Deen of Islam encompasses everything necessary for us to live in this world in accordance with Allah’s commands and thus achieve and fulfill the purpose of our existence, which is to worship Him.
Allah in His great mercy has transmitted to us, through the Qur’an and the Sunnah, the actions and behaviour of our Messenger, salla Allaah alayhi wa sallam, all aspects of Islam, so that we should not turn to other sources to know how to act in any situation in which we find ourselves.
Our Deen encompasses everything, both the internal, the Imam, what we believe, what we fear certainty of the unity of Allah, the decree, the unseen, the Day of Judgment, etc., and the external, Islam.
The external consists of both the aspects of ibadat, acts of worship such as wudoo, salat, fasting, hajj, and all their obligatory and recommended elements, such as those of mua’malat, transactions between us whether commercial or otherwise, dealing with people, with our families, our parents, and all kinds of contracts.
“And I have completed My blessing upon you.”
This is because Allah has perfected Islam for us and has guided us to Him by the straight and clearly defined path.
Islam is the greatest blessing we can receive from our Lord, and He grants it to whom He wills.
“And I have accepted Islam as a practice of worship (Deen) with pleasure.”
Islam came to abrogate the previous religions, facilitating the way of living according to what pleases Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad, salla Allah alaihi wa sallam, is the last messenger, and Islam the last divine message.
Allah has perfected and chosen this way of living, of acting, of worshipping Him as the best and with which He is satisfied.
It also says:
“The Deen before Allah is Islam.” (Ali Imran, 19)
The Deen that Allah accepts is the Deen of Islam.
So rejoice in the mercy and favor of Allah, for He has guided us and made us part of this Ummah, without even asking for it and only by His mercy, for it is not our merit.
Allah says in the Qur’an of the people who praise Allah in the Garden saying:
“Praise be to Allah who has led us to this because if He had not guided, we would never have been guided.” (A’raaf, 43)
And in another verse it says, tabaraka wa ta’ala:
“Say: with the favor of Allah and His mercy they may rejoice.” (Yunus, 58)
Muslims, be thankful for the favour of Allah, who has chosen you and guided you on the path that pleases Him, has placed love for Him and His Messenger in your hearts and has enabled you to know the character of Our Messenger so that we may imitate Him.
Praise be to Allah for the gift of Islam, and that is enough as a gift.
Allah says, subahanahu wa ta’ala:
“O you who believe! Enter Islam completely.” (Baqara, 208)
Ibn Kathir says in his tafseer: Allah commands those who believe in Him and His Messenger to abide by all the commandments of Islam, to abide by all of them and to stop acts of disobedience as far as they are able.
Mujahid says: it means, do all the actions and aspects of the Birr.
Allah commands us to fully enter Islam.
That is, that we accept everything and comply with obligations and move away from prohibitions.
As mentioned in the first verse, the Deen is complete, therefore, if we enter the Deen completely, we will not lack anything, we will have all the knowledge, all the resources to carry out our existence in the best possible way.
We have to be aware of this and seek knowledge in the Qur’an and Sunnah for all aspects of our life, knowing that it is not only better, but also easier and more pleasurable, as it will be in harmony with the purpose of our existence.
Islam is therefore not limited to acts of worship, but also covers transactions and relationships between us, so we should not restrict it to our homes, but know that it carries a social responsibility and that as Muslims we must be aware and, in our desire to please Allah, we must do our best to see these aspects of the Deen established in our lives.
We ask Allah to allow us to enter Islam completely and to make it easy for us to establish the Deen in our environment and to make us useful to those around us.
As we saw in the first Khutba, the Deen of Islam is complete, and Allaah has favored us all by guiding us towards the Deen.
And he commands us to enter completely into his Deen. He also says, in His mercy:
“Fear Allah as much as you can.” (Taghabun, 16)
Therefore, it is part of our responsibility to strive to incorporate all aspects of the Deen into our lives.
This is done inevitably by following the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, salla Allaah ‘alayhi wa sallam, imitating Him and obeying Him.
Allah says:
“Verily in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful example for one who has hope in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah very much.” (Ahzab, 21)
In all their actions, their behaviour, their qualities, their generosity, their kindness, their courage, their patience, their determination, their justice, their truthfulness, their discrimination, there are examples that we must copy and from which we must learn.
For he represents everything that comes with being a Muslim, so when Sayyidatina ‘Asiha, Radiallahu ‘anha, was asked about his character, he said: “His character was the Qur’an.”
And Allah says in Surah al-Qalam:
“Verily you possess a magnanimous character.” (Qalam, 4)
So we see that if we keep the commandments and strive in the way of Allah, and faithfully emulate and follow His Messenger ( salla Allaah ‘alayhi wa sallam), this will cause certain qualities in our character.
If we are sincere in our Islam and our Imam and our love for the Messenger, it will be inevitable that the character traits of which the Messenger is such a clear example will emerge.
He said, salla Allaah ‘alayhi wa sallam:
“I have not been sent except to perfect good qualities of character.”
So, we must keep in mind that our purpose and highest aspiration is to fulfill what Allah requires of us and to embody and cultivate in us these qualities of character to which Allah and His Messenger call us.
The Messenger of Allaah, salla Allaah ‘alaihi wa sallam, described Birr (which can be translated as ‘virtue’, and which encompasses all aspects of noble conduct) as good character.
He said, salla Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam:
” Birr is good character.”
In the same way, good character is a sign of the Imam. The Messenger said:
“The Believer with the most complete imam is the one who has the best character. And the best of you is the one who is best with his women.”
The Prophet was asked what is the main cause of the people entering the Garden and he replied:
“Fear of Allah and good character.”
Sayyidatuna Asiha, radia Allahu ‘anha, said: I heard the Prophet say:
“The believer can attain by his good character the degree of one who fasts (during the day) and prays (during the night).”
Not only will we complete our Imam and achieve closeness to the people, strengthening the social fabric and ties among Muslims, but it will also bring us closer to Allah and His Messenger.
He said:
“The most beloved of Allah’s slaves by Him is the one who has the best character.”
And he also said,
“Verily of the dearest of you to me, and those who will be nearest to me on the last day, they have the best character.”
Muslims, we should strive to acquire good character by being generous to our families and those around us, providing help and service to Muslims, being loyal and just, truthful in our words, sincere in our actions and honest in our transactions, trustworthy, patient and kind, merciful and steadfast.
If Allah wills this, it will be cause for His help.
As He says:
“If you help Allah, He will help you.” (Muhammad, 7)
We will be on the right path, following the Sunnah of the Messenger and the bonds of brotherhood between us will be strengthened.
This is of tremendous importance.
Another consequence will be that we will be worthy representatives of Islam, examples that people will see in us and attract them to the Deen.
We will be models and spotlights in this time.
The people around us, our neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances, will recognize qualities in Muslims that are increasingly scarce in this society, and one of the most effective ways to counteract the credibility of Islam.
We ask Allah to give us a nobility of character and to grant us the qualities that are most dear to Him and to make examples for us and to draw people to His Deen through us.
Khutba of 24 April 2015, Seville Hafith Abdellah Castiñeira