FRIDAY KHUTBA of TOKYO CAMII “FAITH ENJOINS RIGHTEOUS DEEDS AND GOOD MORALS”

“FAITH ENJOINS RIGHTEOUS DEEDS AND GOOD MORALS”

Dear Muslims!
Faith is the most fundamental requirement for attaining the pleasure of our Almighty Lord (swt) and eternal salvation. Faith is the wholehearted belief in the existence and oneness of Allah, His prophets, His angels, His books, the Last Day, and that qada (decree) and qadar (destiny) are controlled by Him.
Righteous deeds are the indicators of faith and its reflection in life. Doing righteous deeds means honoring the covenant of servitude to Allah that we have made out of faith, and to surrender and submit ourselves to Allah with all our being. Allah the Almighty (swt) has mentioned faith and righteous deeds together in the Holy Qur’an, and has given the following good news to those who beautify their faith with righteous deeds: “As for those who believe and do good, We certainly never deny the reward of those who are best in deeds.”¹

Dear Muslims!
What perfects our faith is good morals, which is the most fundamental characteristic of a believer. Good morals are the greatest legacy, after revelations, that prophets leave to their ummahs. Embracing moral virtues and avoiding bad behavior is an indispensable responsibility for the believer. In one of his hadiths, the Messenger of Allah (saw) says, “The most complete of the believers in faith are those with best character among them.”²

Dear Muslims!
Our Lord the Almighty states in the following verse that the believers who will come before Him (swt) with faith and righteous deeds will be greatly rewarded: “But whoever comes to Him as a believer, having done good, they will have the highest ranks.”³ So, as we approach Ramadan, let us make these months an occasion for beautiful beginnings. Let us quit our acts that are incompatible with our faith. Let us hold ourselves to account before we pass away from this world. Let us crown our faith with righteous deeds and good morals.

I would like to conclude this Friday’s khutbah with the following invocation from our Prophet (saw): “O Allah! I ask You to grant me strong faith that is equipped with good deeds, and help me do deeds that will lead me to eternal salvation.”⁴

[1] Kahf, 18/30.
[2] Abu Dawud, Sunnah, 15.
[3] Ta-Ha, 20/75.
[4] Ibn Hanbal, II, 321.

FRIDAY KHUTBA of TOKYO CAMII “FAITH ENJOINS RIGHTEOUS DEEDS AND GOOD MORALS”(PDF)