Bismillah

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help and forgiveness, and seek refuge in Him from the evil within ourselves and our bad deeds.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ

"By the One in Whose Hand is my soul,

إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ... فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا

One of you may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise until only a cubit remains between him and it, then what is decreed overtakes him, and he performs the deeds of the people of Hell and enters it.

وَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ ... فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا

And one of you may perform the deeds of the people of Hell until only a cubit remains between him and it, then what is decreed overtakes him, and he performs the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it."

This hadith teaches us that what matters most is not merely how we begin, but how we end.

1. The Importance of a Good Ending

Ramadan was not meant to change us for one month; it was meant to change our direction for life.

Some people worship Allah sincerely during Ramadan, then abandon the masjid, Qur'an, and good habits afterward. The lesson is clear:

What matters most is our final state.

At the same time, we should never despair of Allah's mercy.

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

"Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins."

2. A Warning Against Showing Off

This hadith reminds us not to be deceived by appearances.

A person may appear righteous, but Allah alone knows the reality of the heart. Therefore, we must focus on sincerity rather than recognition, praise, or public displays of worship.

Ask yourself:

• Am I worshipping Allah or seeking people's approval?
• Will I continue these deeds when no one is watching?

3. A Door of Hope

This hadith is also a message of hope.

A person may spend years in sin, then sincerely repent before death and attain Allah's mercy.

As long as we are alive, the door of tawbah remains open.

Allah says:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ

"Indeed, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves."

Real change begins with sincere faith, repentance, and effort.

4. The Importance of Taqwa

This hadith teaches us to remain mindful of Allah and never feel secure regarding our deeds.

Allah promises:

وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ جَنَّتَانِ

"And for the one who feared standing before his Lord, there are two gardens."

The believer leaves sins because Allah is watching and remains steadfast in good deeds even when no one else sees.

5. The Du'a We Must Hold Onto

After mentioning the rulings of fasting, Allah reminds us:

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

"And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I answer the call of the caller when he calls upon Me."

As Ramadan departs, we should frequently make the du'a:

يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ، ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ

"O Turner of the hearts, keep my heart firm upon Your religion."

And the du'a from Surah Aal-'Imran:

رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا

وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ

"Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from Yourself. Indeed, You are the Bestower."

أقول قولي هذا، وأستغفر الله لي ولكم فاستغفروه، إنه هو الغفور الرحيم.

Second Khutbah

Bismillah

الحمد لله وحده، والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده، وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين.

عباد الله،

The lesson of this hadith is simple:

• Never be deceived by your deeds.
• Never lose hope in Allah's mercy.
• Always ask Allah for steadfastness and a good ending.

Do not let your last day of Ramadan be your last day of obedience.

• Continue reading the Qur'an, even a little.
• Continue praying Tahajjud and Witr.
• Continue giving charity, even if small.
• Continue guarding your tongue and maintaining good habits.

Because we do not know:

• Will this be our last Ramadan?
• Will this be our last year?
• Will today be our final day?

We ask Allah to accept our fasting, prayers, charity, and all our good deeds.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ حُسْنَ الْخَاتِمَةِ

اللهم اجعل خير أعمالنا خواتمها، وخير أيامنا يوم نلقاك

تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ

O Allah, grant us a good ending, make the best of our deeds the last of them, and allow us to die as Muslims and join the righteous.

Ameen.