My Lord, I seek refuge in You from laziness

The First Sermon: All praise is due to Allah, who made this world a field for action, and who dislikes for us negligence and laziness. We bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, and we bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. May Allah’s peace, blessings, and grace be upon him, upon his family, his companions, and all who follow his way.   To proceed: I advise you, O servants of Allah, and I advise myself, to have taqwa of Allah. The Exalted, Glorious is He, says:   ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ مُحْسِنُونَ﴾. “Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of good).”     O believers: Do you know what extinguishes determination, kills motivation, creeps into the mind and paralyzes it, steals away one’s lifetime, restrains a person from striving, and prevents success in this world and the Hereafter? It is the disease of laziness, one that turns souls away from obedience to their Lord, robs nations of the efforts of their children, and blocks their prosperity and progress. Yes, that is laziness: the path to failure. Whoever persists in laziness, his hopes are dashed. Indeed, our Prophet ﷺ taught us to seek refuge in Allah from laziness, to clarify its danger, the severity of its harm, and to warn against its evil consequences. Among his supplications in the morning and evening: «اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ» “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from incapacity and laziness.”   Therefore, it is fitting for a believer to seek refuge in Allah from laziness every morning and evening, repeating the supplication of the Prophet Peace and blessings be upon him:     «رَبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْكَسَلِ» “My Lord, I seek refuge in You from laziness).”   A person should not make laziness an excuse that keeps him from working. Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to dislike that a man should say, “I am lazy.” (Musannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah) O servants of Allah: Islam is a religion that loves work and detests laziness. Did you not know that Allah the Exalted commanded His prophets to work, saying: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ﴾ “O messengers, eat from what is good and lawful, and do righteous deeds. Indeed, I am All-Knowing of what you do.”   And the Prophet ﷺ forbade dependence and laziness, saying: «‌اعْمَلُوا وَلَا تَتَّكِلُوا» “Work, and do not rely (idly on others).”   ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) once saw some people sitting idly in the mosque and asked them, “Who are you?” They replied, “We are those who put their trust in Allah.” He rebuked them and said: “None of you should sit back from seeking provision and then say, ‘O Allah, provide for me,’ while he knows that the sky does not rain down gold or silver.”       . إنَّ السَّمَاءَ ‌لَا ‌تُمْطِرُ ‌ذَهَبًا ‌وَلَا ‌فِضَّةً  So beware, O servant of Allah, of laziness. Avoid its causes and close off its paths and doors. And beware of keeping company with lazy people, for whoever sits with them is overcome by their heedlessness. The poet spoke the truth:   لَا ‌تَصْحَبِ ‌الْكَسْلَانَ فِي حَالَاتِهِ *** كَمْ صَالِحٍ بِفَسَادِ آخَرَ يَفْسُدُ Walk not with the idle in his way, for his company leads to decay. Rather, keep company with those who excel, for they know the path to success and will take you by the hand toward it. The Prophet ﷺ said: «الرَّجُلُ عَلَى دِينِ خَلِيلِهِ، فَلْيَنْظُرْ أَحَدُكُمْ مَنْ يُخَالِلُ». “A person follows the religion (way) of his close companion, so let each of you look to whom he takes as a close friend” ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾.     “O you who believe, obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you.”   I say these words of mine, and I seek Allah’s forgiveness for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness.     The Second Sermon:   All praise is due to Allah alone, and may prayers and peace be upon our prophet Muhammad after whom there is no prophet.   To proceed: O believers, indeed our upright religion loves to show vitality and activity in everything and hates to show laziness in anything. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) once saw a man who outwardly showed excessive asceticism, appearing lifeless and sluggish in his worship. He rebuked him and said: “Do not make our religion appear dead to us.” لَا تُمِتْ عَلَيْنَا دِينَنَا. And indeed, among the most dangerous forms of laziness is that a person becomes lazy in attending the prayer. For prayer is the measure of vitality, whoever performs it, “he wakes up energetic and in good spirits; otherwise, he wakes up in bad spirits and lazy” as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said. «أَصْبَحَ نَشِيطًا طَيِّبَ النَّفْسِ، وَإِلَّا أَصْبَحَ خَبِيثَ النَّفْسِ كَسْلَانَ»،   And among the forms of laziness are sluggishness in pursuing virtues, indifference toward voluntary good deeds, and a person’s neglect of fulfilling their duties toward the homeland, the family, and their work. The Prophet ﷺ said: «احْرِصْ عَلَى مَا يَنْفَعُكَ، وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْجَزْ» “Be keen on what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not give in to incapacity.” So be diligent, O servant of Allah, with your time. Life is limited, time is finite, and opportunities pass as swiftly as clouds. Only those who shake off hesitation and laziness and make each day a ladder toward tomorrow and a path to their advancement, can seize them. Be certain that whoever exerts sincere effort will achieve his goal.   O Allah, send Your blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Messengers, and upon his family, his companions, and those who follow them. Be pleased, O Allah, with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, and with all the noble Companions. O Allah, we seek refuge in You from incapacity, laziness, and lethargy in action. O Allah, Hearer of supplications and Answerer of hopes, grant us success and right guidance, righteous deeds, abundant provision, grateful hearts, and tongues that remember You. O Allah, make us believers through You, worshippers devoted to You, repentant and returning to You, avoidant of the causes of laziness and negligence, and dutiful to our parents. Have mercy upon them as they raised us when we were young, O Most Merciful of the merciful.   O Allah, protect the United Arab Emirates with Your divine protection, encompass it with Your care, and surround it with Your providence, O Lord of the Worlds.   O Allah, preserve with Your protection Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the President of the State; clothe him perpetually in the mantle of wisdom and sound judgment; and grant success to him, his Deputies, his brothers the Rulers of the Emirates, and his trustworthy Crown Prince, to all that You love and pleases You. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and all the other sheikhs of the Emirates who have passed away to Your mercy, and admit them, by Your grace, into the vastness of Your gardens. Encompass the martyrs of the homeland with Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy on all Muslims men and women, the living and the dead. O Allah, we thank and praise You for the bounty You have bestowed, for the goodness You have spread, and for the mercy You have extended. O Allah, increase us in rainfall, and make it a rain of mercy, beneficial and not harmful, refreshing and delightful, reviving the lands and bringing mercy to Your servants.   Servants of Allah: remember the Great and Majestic Allah, and He will remember you. Be grateful for His blessings, and He will increase you. And establish the prayer.