INVALUABLE SERMONS OF AS-SIDEEQ
Abu Bakr was known for his eloquence and oratory. He used to address the Faithful every week on Fridays. His Khutbahs and speeches were the specimen of masterly eloquence; every word thereof vibrated with superb faith and appealed directly to the heart. All his sermons and addresses have not been preserved. Only a few of his sermons and addresses have come down to us, and these classical addresses which are veritable gems of literature evoke our admiration.
Al-Haakim and AI-Bayhaqyy report on the authority of ‘ Abdullaah Ibn Hakeem, who narrates: Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, gave us a Khutbah one day. He praised Almighty Allah, and thanked Him as He deserves, then said: “I commend you to be conscious and mindful of Allah, to praise Him as He deserves, and to strike a balance between hope (in what He has) and fear (of His Punishment), for Allah praised Prophet Zakariyya (Zechariah) and the his household and said:
“They used to call on us with love And reverence, and humble themselves before us.” (Al-Anbiaa’: 90)
Therefore, know, O servants of Allah, that the Lord holds your lives as a pledge for what is due to Him; He has taken your covenants regarding this, and has purchased of you what is little and perishable in exchange for what is eternal and abundant. And this is the Book of Allah among you; its light cannot be extinguished, nor its wonders end. So, seek you illumination from its light, and judge your affairs according to His Book, and seek light from it for the “Day of Darkness”. Verily He has created you solely for I lis worship and has appointed for you guardian angels, who are honorable and write down your deeds, and know all that which you do. And you should know, O servants of Allah, that you proceed and draw nigh to an appointed time, the knowledge of which is absolutely concealed from you.
So if you meet your end before fulfilling and discharging Allah’s duties and obligations, then do so, though you will never be able to do so except with the Will of Allah. You should vie with one another in fulfilling and discharging your duties and obligations till your appointed times are completed, lest they (the appointed times) cast you upon the evilest of your works, and verily there are some who have made over the obligations of their appointed times to serve others, and have taken no heed of themselves. Therefore, I warn you to be like them. Then make haste and flee, for behind you is a nimble pursuer, swift of deed (i.e. death).
Yahya Ibn Katheer reports that Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say in his Khutbahs: ‘’Where arc now the comely, beautiful people of good countenance, exulting in their youth? Where are now the monarchs who built cities and entrenched them round about? Where are now those who used to win battles with crushing defeats? Verily their pillars were overthrown when fortune betrayed them, and they went down into the darkness of graves. Make haste, flee, flee!” (Reported by Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya, Ahmad, and Abu Na’eem)
Moosa Ibn ‘Uqbah reports that Abu Bakr As-Sidceq once gave the following Khutbah: “All praise and thanks are due to Almighty Allah. 1 praise Him, seek His Help, and beseech Him to honor us after death; your term and mine have drawn nigh. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, with Whom there is no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. He sent him with the truth, to give glad tidings (to those who believe) and warn (those who disbelieve), that it may give admonition to any (who are) alive, and that the charge may be proved against those who reject (the Truth).Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has succeeded, and whoever disobeys them has gone astray in error which is clear. 1 advice you to be conscious and mindful of Almighty Allah, and to hold fast to His Command which He has revealed to you and guided you thereof. One of the fundamental things in Islam after the Word of Faith7, is hearing and obeying the orders of those whom Almighty Allah has put in charge of us. He who obeys Allah and those who enjoin good and forbid evil, has succeeded and carried out what is due on them. Beware of following vain desire, for verily he prospers who is protected from vain desire, greed and anger; and beware you of pride, for what pride belongs to him who is created out of dust, to dust he returns, and whom the worms devour after death, who is alive today, and tomorrow may be dead.
Therefore act uprightly from day to day and hour to hour. Beware of the curse of the oppressed, and prepare yourself for death. Be patient because every work is accomplished through patience. Be you careful, for carefulness is profitable. Do (good deeds) for Allah accepts good deeds. Refrain from doing things Allah has warned he will punish those who do them, and vie you with one another in hastening to do the things Allah has promised to have mercy on those who do them. Take heed and understand what I am saying. Be conscious and take care, for Allah has declared to you things for which He destroyed those nations that preceded you, and informed you of things through which He delivered those who preceded you.
Verily Allah has made it clear to you in His Book what is lawful and what is prohibited, the works He likes and those He dislikes. I spare no effort in maintaining your well-being, and Allah is the only Helper; there is no power or strength but through Him. Know that so long as you are sincere to your Lord in any work, you will be obedient to Him, your good luck will be preserved, and you will prosper. And regard what you do voluntary for the sake of your religion as supererogatory acts, to expiate your past sins.
Give out charitable donations even when you are poor- stricken. O Servants of Allah, think of your brethren and companions who have passed away. They are now recompensed according to the deeds they did in their lives; some enjoy bliss and others doomed to misery after death.
Verily, Allah has no partner, and between Him and any of His creatures there is no mediator that can bestow good upon them or avert from them evil save in His worship and obedience to His Commands, for verily there is no good after which comes Hell-Fire, and no evil after which comes Heaven. This is my speech to you. and I seek Allah’s Forgiveness for you and me. Send peace and blessings upon your Prophet , peace and blessings be upon him. And may Allah’s Peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
(Source: Biographies of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.)
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