Sheikh Dr.

Abdul-Bari al-Thubaiti

25-8-1436 (12-6-2015G)

Aspects and Signs of Goodness

His Eminence Sheikh Abdul-Bari ibn Awwad al-Thubaiti, may Allah preserve him,
delivered the Friday khutbah entitled, Aspects and Signs of Goodness, in which he talked
about goodness and doing good deeds, showing the signs and aspects of goodness and
moral excellence that Muslims should observe. He provided textual evidence to this effect
from the Great Quran and the traditions of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him.

Part One
Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, Who has bestowed upon His servants
successive virtues and good. I praise Him, Glorified be He, and thank Him, when I stand,
sit down, and walk. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners
and Whose miraculous creation is overwhelmingly obvious. I also bear witness that our
master and prophet, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger. Whoever follows his
guidance will never be touched by harm or evil. May Allah bestow His peace and blessings
upon him and upon his family and Companions, who truly deserve it.
Now then,
I advise you and advise myself to fear Allah.
Goodness is a comprehensive word that encompasses all that benefits man, and all
good lies in the Hand of Allah, the Possessor of the kingdom. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

Say (O Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him): O

Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to
whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You
will, and You endue with honour whom You will, and You
humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily,
You are Able to do all things. (Al Imran: 26)
If it were not for the help of Allah, Exalted be He, none of His servants would be
able to do any good or even know the way to it.

Doing good deeds is the task of the Prophets and the trait of the successful. Allah,
Exalted be He, says:
And We made them leaders, guiding (mankind) by Our
Command, and We inspired in them the doing of good
deeds, performing Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and the giving
of Zakat and of Us (Alone) they were worshippers. (AlAnbiya: 73)
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to supplicate Allah saying, O
Allah, I ask You to help me to do good deeds and to avoid evil deeds.
Doing good leads to uprightness at the level of the individual and society. Allah,
Exalted be He, says:
O you who believe! Bow down, and prostrate yourselves,
and worship your Lord and do good that you may be
successful. (Al-Hajj: 77)
A believer never disdains any good deed, no matter how little or small it may be.
Allah, Exalted be He, says:
So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom
(or a small ant), shall see it. (Az-Zalzalah: 7)
We, the Muslim Ummah, are the best people ever brought forth for mankind,
though this is by no means attributed to ethnic or racial reasons. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real
followers of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be
upon him, and his Sunnah] are the best of peoples ever
raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic
Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid AlMunkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has
forbidden), and you believe in Allah. (Al Imran: 110)
Such excellence is attributed to the practice of enjoining good and forbidding evil.
If these two aspects were abandoned and if knowledge and action thereof were neglected,
misguidance would become rife, ignorance would be rampant, and both lands and people
would be doomed to destruction.
Excellence is a quality that a believer has under all circumstances as long as his
faith is perfect and complete. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him,
said, How wonderful the case of a believer is! There is good for him in everything
and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude
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to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently
and that is good for him.
A Muslim can acquire this quality by learning and teaching the Quran. The
Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, The best among you are
those who learn the Qur'an and teach it. Such words urge a Muslim to encourage his
children, whether boys or girls, to learn the Quran by enrolling them on Quran study
session and bringing them up to love Allahs Book and draw guidance from its fountain,
for it is the source of all good and the means to attain happiness in this life and in the
hereafter.
A Muslim also acquires excellence by seeking religious knowledge and doing his
best to obtain a sound understanding of it. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be
upon him, said, When Allah wills good for someone, He grants him sound
understanding of religion.
This quality can also be acquired by honouring and respecting the sacred things of
Allah. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
That (Manasik prescribed duties of Hajj is the obligation that
mankind owes to Allah), and whoever honours the sacred things of
Allah, then that is better for him with his Lord (Al-Hajj: 30)
The sacred things of Allah, Glorified be He, are His rights which we ought to
observe and our duties towards the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, which we
ought to perform. Part of honouring the sacred things of Allah with regard to times is to
honour and respect the month of Ramadan. Another sign is not to belittle minor sins. The
Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, Beware of minor sins, for
they continue to pile up on a man until they destroy him.
Excellence is also associated with strong believers. The Messenger of Allah, peace
and blessings be upon him, said, A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah
than a weak believer, although there is good in both of them.
Good manners, servants of Allah, are also a sign of such excellence. The Prophet,
peace and blessings be upon him, said, The best among you are those who have the
best manners and those who are easy-going. That is, they are friendly and kindhearted whose companions are never harmed by them.
Among the signs of excellence is to pay back ones debts honourably. Abu
Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him, owed somebody a camel of a certain age. When he came to demand it back, the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, Give him (his due). When the people
searched for a camel of that age, they found none, but found a camel that was one year
older. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, Give it to him. On that, the
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man remarked, You have paid me in full. May Allah pay you in full. The Prophet, peace
and blessings be upon him, said, The best among you are those who pay the rights
of others handsomely.
One of the acts of goodness, servants of Allah, is to benefit people and serve them.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, The best of people are
those who benefit people the most. This entails benefiting all people without exception
and includes bringing happiness and joy to Muslims by visiting them, giving them gifts,
showing generosity to their children, and alleviating their hardships.
One sign of the excellence of the righteous is that people expect good from them
and are safe from their evil. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him,
said, The best of you are those whose good is hoped for and whose evil people
are safe from. And the worst of you are those whose good is not hoped for and
whose evil people are not safe from.
Another sign of excellence is to have a clean, pure heart and a truthful tongue.
Allah, Exalted be He, says:
And when the matter (preparation for Jihad) is resolved
on, then if they had been true to Allah, it would have been
better for them. (Muhammad: 21)
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was once asked, Who
is the best among people? He, said, The one who has a pure clean heart, and a
truthful tongue. This quality requires a vehement struggle to cleanse it from whims of
oppression, grudges, and envy.
Hastening to do good deeds and avoiding slacking off on them are among the traits
of the righteous. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
For every nation there is a direction to which they face (in
their prayers). So hasten towards all that is good (AlBaqarah: 148)
Having wisdom and prudence is a sign of excellence among the righteous. Allah,
Exalted be He, says:
He grants Hikmah to whom He pleases, and he, to whom
Hikmah is granted, is indeed granted abundant good. But
none remember (will receive admonition) except men of
understanding. (Al-Baqarah: 269)
The quality of excellence may be acquired by loving good and demonstrating
sincerity in seeking it. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

 If Allah knows any good in your hearts, He will give you

something better than what has been taken from you (AlAnfal: 70)
The amount of good that one may be granted is commensurate with the amount of
truthfulness of ones intention.
Excellence may be acquired by turning to Allah. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
If then they repent, it will be better for them (At-Taubah:
74)
It may also be acquired by guiding others to the ways and opportunities of doing
acts of goodness. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, He
who guides (others) to an act of goodness will have a reward similar to that of its
doer.
It can also be acquired by dealing justly with people. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
And give full measure when you measure, and weigh with
a balance that is straight. That is good (advantageous) and
better in the end. (Al-Isra: 35)
This quality can also be acquired through giving charity. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
but if you remit it by way of charity, that is better for
you if you did but know. (Al-Baqarah: 280)
One of the signs of excellence is attaining old age while ones record is full of good
deeds. Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, asked,
Shall I tell you about the best among you? They said, Certainly, O Messenger of
Allah. He said, Those who live the longest while they still display the best of
manners.
For men, excellence is reflected in the way a man treats his family. Aishah, may
Allah be pleased with her, narrated that The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be
upon him, said, The best among you are those who treat their families the best,
and I am the best among you in treating my family.
As for women, excellence lies in preserving chastity. Allah, Glorified be He, says:
But to refrain (i.e. not to discard their outer clothing) is
better for them (An-Nur: 60)
Purity is the emblem of chastity, which is confirmed by keeping away from
lewdness, removing the veil, immorality, and deviance.
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One aspect of being among the best regarding rulers is their subjects love for them,
the messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, The best of your rulers
are those whom you love and who love you, who invoke Allahs blessings upon
you and who you invoke His blessings upon. And the worst of your rulers are those
whom you hate and who hate you, whom you curse and who curse you.
The blessed month of Ramadan, whose approach is imminent, whose crescent is
soon to appear, and whose light is about to fill the world is one of the best opportunities to
increase ones share of good deeds. It cleans the heart from the impurities of this present
world, rids the soul of the distractions of this life, and restores purity to the conscience
amidst the trials with which we are surrounded. It is the season of doing good deeds. In it
is a night that is better than one thousand months:
Therein descend the angels and the Ruh [Jibril (Gabriel)]
by Allah's Permission with all Decrees! (All that night) there
is Peace (and Goodness from Allah to His believing slaves)
until the appearance of dawn. (Al-Qadr: 4-5)
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, says concerning this
month, Whoever fasts Ramadan out of sincere faith and in the hope of Allahs
reward will have all his past sins forgiven. He also said, Whoever offers the
voluntary night prayers in Ramadan with sincere faith and hoping to attain Allahs
rewards will have all his past sins forgiven. He also said, The performance of one
umrah in Ramadan is equal to the performance of hajj, (or he said is equal to the
performance of hajj with me) in reward.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was most generous in Ramadan,
and he was more generous than the free-blowing wind that comes with all good.
May Allah bless you and me with the Great Quran and make us benefit from its
verses and wise words. I have said what you have heard and I ask forgiveness of Allah for
myself, for you, and for all Muslims for any sin we have committed. Ask Allah for
forgiveness. He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Part Two
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
the Only Owner of the Day of Recompense. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah
alone, Who has no partners, the God of those who preceded us and those who are yet to
come; and I bear witness that our master and prophet, Muhammad, is His servant and
messenger, the ally of the pious. May Allah bestow His peace and blessings upon him and
upon all his family and Companions.
Now then,
I advise you and advise myself to fear Allah.
O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has
ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden)
as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and
remember Him always], and die not except in a state of
Islam [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allah)]. (Al
Imran: 102)
Another aspect of being among the best is reflected in the acts of the heroic fighters
who guard the borders and fight the enemy and repel it, remaining steadfast thanks to their
strong will, and powerful because of their resolution, full of hope, and indeed confidence,
that victory is imminent.
Ramadan is the month of heroic feats and it is emblematic of the signs of power
and victory. Throughout history, Ramadan has always been associated with events that
changed the course of history. A number of battles took place in this blessed month, such
as the Battle of Badr, the Victorious Return to Makkah, the Battle of Yarmuk, the Battle of
al-Qadisiyyah, the Battle of Hittin, and the Battle of Ain Jalut, among many others.
The fearless heroes watch over the borders to protect their religion, honour, and
land. They aim to exterminate the offenders, to defeat the oppressors and their supporters,
and to destroy the dens of treachery and betrayal. Their heroic feats will go down in history
and will have a great reward in the hereafter. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings
be upon him, said:
Guarding the frontiers in the cause of Allah for one single day is
better than the world and all that it contains; a place in Paradise as
small as that occupied by the whip of one of you is better than the
world and all that it contains; and a morning's or an evening's journey
which a person travels in Allah's cause is better than the world and
all that it contains.

He also said:
Guarding the frontiers for one day and one night is better than
fasting a whole month and performing voluntary prayer during its
nights, and if such a guard dies [while performing his duty], his deeds
will continue increasing in reward [until the Day of Judgement], his
sustenance will continue [in Paradise], and he will be saved from the
trials of the grave.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, The actions of every
person come to a halt with his death except the one who dies guarding the frontiers
in the cause of Allah, for his deeds will go increasing until the Day of Resurrection
and he will be saved from the trials of the grave.
Servants of Allah! Ask Allah to bestow His blessings on the Messenger of
Guidance, as Allah has ordered you to do so in His Book. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy)
on the Prophet (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him)) and also His angels (ask Allah to bless and forgive
him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to
bless) him (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him)), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic
way of greeting (salutation, i.e. As-Salamu Alaikum). (AlAhzab: 56)
O Allah! Bestow Your peace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as
You bestowed Your peace upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim; You are AllPraiseworthy, All-Glorious; and bestow Your blessings upon Muhammad and the family
of Muhammad, as You bestowed Your blessings upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim;
You are All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious. O Allah! Be pleased with the four Rightly-Guided
Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, along with the Prophets family and
honourable Companions, and also be pleased with us together with them, by Your
forgiveness, generosity, and kindness, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!
O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims. O Allah! Grant power and
glory to Islam and Muslims. O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims,
humiliate disbelief and the disbelievers, and destroy, O Allah, Your enemies the enemies
of the religion. O Allah! Make this country of ours as well as all Muslim countries safe and
secure.
O Allah! Make whoever harbours evil intentions towards us and towards Islam and
Muslims preoccupied with his own problems and make his plotting the cause of his own
destruction, O All-Hearer of Supplication!
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O Allah! Grant victory to those who are guarding the frontiers and fighting in Your
cause to make Your word reign supreme everywhere. O Allah! Grant them Your support
and make them successful, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Send down calmness and
tranquillity upon them, make their feet stand firm, guide their shots, and support them, O
Most Merciful of all the merciful! O Allah! Gather them round the word of truth, O Lord
of the Worlds!
O Allah! Be their Helper, Supporter, and Protector! O All-Mighty! O Most
Glorious! By Your Mercy, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!
O Allah! We ask You for guidance, piety, chastity, and freedom from want. O
Allah! We ask You to be pleased with us and to admit us into Paradise, and we seek refuge
in You from Your wrath and from Hellfire.
O Allah! Make good for us our religion which safeguards our affairs, make good
for us this world in which we live, and make good for us the hereafter which will be our
eternal abode. Make our life an increase for us in all goodness and our death a respite for
us from all evil, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Be with us and not against us, render us victorious and not defeated, plan
for us and not against us, guide us and lead us to guidance, and grant us victory over those
who have oppressed us.
O Allah! Make us among those who remember You and praise You, who are
humble to You, and who often implore You and return to You in repentance.
O Allah! Accept our repentance, forgive our sins, approve our cause, guide our
tongues to say the truth, and purify our hearts from envy.
O Allah! Make us live to witness the month of Ramadan. O Allah! Make us live to
witness Ramadan and make us live through the whole of the month while we are in good
health and safety and while we have faith in You. O Lord of the World! Make us live to
witness Ramadan while we are in good health and safety and while we have faith in You.
O Allah! Help us to fast and stand in prayer in it, by Your Mercy, O Most Merciful of all
the merciful!
O Allah! Guide our imam and ruler to what You love and accept. O Allah! Lead
him to Your guidance and make his deeds pleasing to You, by Your Mercy, O Most
Merciful of all the merciful!
O Allah! Have mercy on our dead, cure the sick among us, release our prisoners,
relieve our distress, and grant us victory, O Lord of the Worlds!

... Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us

not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly
be of the losers. (Al-Araf: 23)
... Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have
preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred
against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed
full of kindness, Most Merciful. (Al-Hashr:10)
... Our Lord! Give us that which is good in this world and
that which is good in the Hereafter, and save us from the
torment of Hellfire! (Al-Baqarah: 201)
Verily, Allah enjoins Al-Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping
none but Allah Alone Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan
[i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allah, totally
for Allahs sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal
ways) of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in
a perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all
that Allah has ordered you to give them, e.g. wealth,
visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help), and
forbids Al-Fahsha (i.e. all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts,
disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false
witness, to kill a life without right), and Al-Munkar (i.e. all
that is prohibited by Islamic law: polytheism of every kind,
disbelief and every kind of evil deeds), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all
kinds of oppression). He admonishes you, that you may take
heed. (An-Nahl: 90)
Remember Allah and He will remember you. Thank Him for His favours and He
will give you more. Verily, remembrance of Allah is greater than all, and Allah knows
what you do.

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