Creating a Positive Environment

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ ,نَحْمَدُهُ  ,وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ  وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ ,  وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا  ,مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ  فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ ,  وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ , وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ   وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُ

All praise is due to Allah. We praise him, we seek His help, we seek His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and our evil deeds. Whoever Allah guides, there is none to misguide him. Whoever Allah leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify there is no God but Allah alone, without any partners, and that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is His servant and His messenger.

قال الله عز وجل في القرآن الكريم

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

Allahu Azzawajal said in the Holy Qur’an, “O you who have faith, fear Allah as it is His right to be feared and do not die unless you are Muslims,”

وقال الله سبحانه وتعالى

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًۭا كَثِيرًۭا وَنِسَآءًۭ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ وَٱلْأَرْحَامَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًۭا

And Allahu Subhanahu wa ta’ala said, “Fear Allah, from whom you ask each other, and in your family ties, for Allah is ever watchful over you,”

وقال الله 

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُوا۟ قَوْلًۭا سَدِيدًۭا يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَـٰلَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا

And Allah said, “Fear Allah and speak words as befitting. He will amend your deeds for you and forgive your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His messenger has achieved a great triumph.”

وقال رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم

 إِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَأَحْسَنَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

 وَشَرُّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلُّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلُّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّار

And His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The truest word is the Book of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace be upon him. The most evil matters are those that are newly invented, for every newly invented matter is an bid’ah. Every bid’ah is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Hellfire.”

اَمّا بَعْد

My Brothers and Sisters in Islam.

For us Muslims who are living in a society where we are clearly a minority, the issue of choosing the right companions is essential for preserving our religion, our deen.

Befriending righteous and virtuous Muslims is an essential means of staying on the Straight Path. Seeking good companions and maintaining good relationships is a responsibility that each believer has to himself, his community, and to God. Seek companions who are seeking paradise in the hereafter and you will find it will strengthen your own resolve to achieve the same goals in the hereafter. Strong individuals are the core of a strong community, something that Muslims should always strive for.

It would be impossible not to be affected deeply in our character by those around us, since man is by nature, an imitator. Everyone is more or less influenced by the conduct, manners, and ideas of their friends and companions.

Sufyan ath Thawri (رحمه الله) says, “There is nothing that corrupts a person or rectifies him more than his companion”

Furthermore, in a hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) compares friendship to the likeness of a blacksmith and a perfume seller. If you were to go into a blacksmith’s shop you would come out smelling of dirty coal and hot steel, but simply by walking into the perfume shop, you would come out covered in different positive scents. (Sahih al Bukhari 2101)

All this points to the idea that we should be reflecting and evaluating where and with whom we surround ourselves.

Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “A man is upon the religion of his best friend, so let one of you look at whom he befriends.” (Abi Dawud 4833)

So do you want a friendship that is just halal? With friends that simply won’t encourage you to sin? While this of course a good step, we should aspire to be with people whose very state inspires us and reminds us of Allah. Someone who will remind you of love to keep you on the path toward where you want to be.

If you were to pause for a moment and evaluate your friendships, would you say that the people you surround yourself with are indicative of your character or of who you want to be?

We are all on a journey, continuously striving to become better people, constantly changing and learning. What better and easier way to do it than in the company of those with good character? So to what extent do you think you need to adapt your company to help you with this aspiration?

The people you surround yourself with, you become. If you subject yourself to people who are negative, it will affect you regardless of your strength as an individual. None of us are immune to a constant surrounding of negative energy or bad influence.

Realising we may not have the best friends for our deen can be a tough pill to swallow, but remember, if one leaves something for the sake of Allah SWT, He will grant you far better in replacement.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Verily, you will never leave anything for the sake of Allah Almighty but that Allah will replace it with something better for you.” (Musnad Ahmad 23074)

A person who has the ambition to please Allah should surround himself with people who have that same ambition. And to be intentional in finding those relationships, and not be shackled by previous friendships and relationships. You’ll see the difference in your heart, after being around someone who reminds you of Allah vs being around someone with no connection with their lord.

So what else does a good, or the best, friend look like?

True friendship is one where we pray for the success of our friends and wish only good for them. Friendship that is free of envy and jealousy and instead is replaced with support and good counsel for one another. A friend who doesn’t care about your hereafter is not really your friend.

A good friend though is one who accepts your shortcomings, but at the same time guides and supports you; who will love and forgive you for the sake of God. who accommodates your faults but corrects them where possible.

The historian Ibn Hazm (رحمه الله) says: “Anyone who cares about your friendship is willing to criticize you, while those who make light of your faults show they do not care.”

Imam ash Shafi’i (رحمه الله) says: "If you have a friend who helps you obey Allah, hold onto them."

Your friends should bring out the best in you. Good friends, who prioritise their relationship with God, will help us on the spiritual path. People who hold the same values and beliefs that we do. They remind you to pray, they help you to increase in knowledge and when you face difficulties they support you and help you to have Sabr. No one is perfect, and this is why it is important to be around people who want to improve themselves, and in the process will help you to improve yourself too. – Make friends with ones who are higher than you so that you progress - Ultimately, they will remind us of Allah during these tests and help us to rely on Him. They will make du’a for you.

With all this being said, we also shouldn’t forget though, that with all people we meet, it was Allah’s will that determined that we met them, and it is only because we met them that we’re able to grow and develop.

We also shouldn’t just abandon connections and spend time with non-muslims. The Prophet (ﷺ) maintained contacts with the non-Muslims of his time – and what better form of dawah than trying to follow and demonstrate the sunnah?

اقول قولي هذا واستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين فاستغفروه انه هو الغفور الرحيم

(I say this and ask forgiveness from God for me and for you and for the rest of the Muslims, so seek forgiveness from Him, for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful)

[Pause between first and second Khutbah]

بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰه , وَالحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ,  وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ , وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَاْ إِلَهَ إِلَّاْ اَللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَاْشَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدَاً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ

(In the name of Allah, praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon Allah’s Messenger, and I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship but Allah and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger)

Another thing that can get lost in the drive to create a positive environment For yourself is the need to be that positive environment for others. In fact, The first thing we should try to do is be that friend to others. If we find that we do not have religious people around us, then we should try to influence our environment. This does not mean being overbearing; rather, we should try to make our existing friendships more meaningful. Be the one who encourages others to pray and gain knowledge.

Allah says,

“And keep reminding, for reminding benefits the believers” (51:55)

So we can also initiate this environment rather than just seek it. We can start with something such as waking each other up for fajr or starting a book club by reading something about the Prophet (ﷺ). Actions like this will then attract righteous companions.

There are more ways we can make such connections though. You can give yourself the best chance for this by: engaging with any and all events run by the University Islamic Society; joining recitations, attending talks, and going to any of the local mosques. This effort on our part shows that we are serious about trying to follow the advice of the Prophet (ﷺ), and insha’Allah, Allah will reward that

Our relationships do not just have to be just with the living. You can build a connection with the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions – and those relationships may get you through the hard times, they may give the naseeha- the advice that you need when you can’t find any advisor amongst those living around you. Even reading the books and stories about their habits, ways and perspectives will rub off on you. And make the Qur’an your companion too and a part of your life. The Qur’an is like a friend in a way, the longer the friendship lasts the more you will know its secrets.

For those that do this and other righteous actions, they will also secure the friendship of Allah.

Allah says in the Qur’an,

“For them will be the Home of Peace with their Lord. And He will be their protecting friend because of what they used to do.” (6:127)

Always make du’a that you are guided towards good companionship and that Allah blesses not only you but also your friends with the best in this life and in the Hereafter!

May Allah allow us to be positively influenced by those that inspire us and those influence others. May Allah allow us to abandon anything that displeases him, anything that serves as a barrier between us and him, and may Allah overlook our shortcomings.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواتَسْلِيم

ٱللَّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ

رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةًۭ وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ حَسَنَةًۭ وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ 

اللهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلامَ وَالمُسْلِمِينَ 

وَأَذِلَّ الشِّرْكَ وَالمُشْرِكِينَ 

رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ  وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ 

 عِبَادَ اللّهِ  إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ  يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ 

اُذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ واشْكُرُوهُ يَزِدْكُمْ واسْتَغْفِرُوهُ يَغْفِرْ لكُمْ واتّقُوهُ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ مَخْرَج  

وَأَقِمِ الصّلَاة

[Time for Prayer]