A Journey of Truth, Truthfulness and Affirmation of the Truth

The First Sermon: All praise is due to Allah, abundant praise for His great blessings. Glory be to Him, Who revealed to His Prophet: ﴿‌سُبْحَانَ ‌الَّذِي ‌أَسْرَى﴾ “Glory belongs to Him who took (His servant) on a night journey” and ascended him to the highest heavens, where he beheld ﴿مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِ الْكُبْرَى﴾ “some of the greatest signs of his Lord” [Qurʾān 53:18]. We bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, the Exalted, the Most High. We also bear witness that our master Muhammad is His Messenger and the most virtuous of His Prophets—may Allah’s peace, blessings, and mercy be upon him, his family, his companions, and all who follow his guidance. To proceed: I enjoin you, O servants of Allah, and myself, to fear Allah. As He, the Exalted, said: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ﴾ “O you who believe, fear Allah and be with those who are truthful O you who love your Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him): A significant occasion approaches us, momentous in its events and profound in its meanings. It carries abundant messages and lofty values—it is the journey of Isrāʾ and Miʿrāj, the journey of truth, truthfulness and affirmation of the truth. Allah immortalized its mention in Sūrah al-Najm (Qurʾān: Chapter 53), in which our Lord swore upon the truthfulness of His Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him): ﴿وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَى * مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى * وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى * إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى﴾ “By the star when it sets, your companion has not strayed nor has he erred, nor does he speak out of (his own) desire and accord. (Rather) it is nothing but a revelation revealed (to him).” This is to say: He does not speak and utter a single word out of his own desire and accord—far from it! Rather, he speaks only what he has been commanded, delivering it to people in full, without addition or omission. ﴿‌مَا ‌كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى﴾ “The heart did not lie about what it saw Indeed, this journey was a journey of truth and truthfulness (ṣidq), which the Arabs defined as the conformity of speech to reality. It was also the journey of the truthful one (al-ṣādiq) who is Muḥammad (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him), who informed his people about the Isrāʾ, saying: «لَمَّا كَانَ لَيْلَةُ أُسْرِيَ بِي، وَأَصْبَحْتُ بِمَكَّةَ، فَظِعْتُ بِأَمْرِي، وَعَرَفْتُ أَنَّ النَّاسَ مُكَذِّبِيَّ» On the night I was taken on the journey and I found myself in Makkah in the morning, I was alarmed by my situation, knowing that the people would disbelieve me. When he (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) conveyed the matter to them, they disbelieved him, despite being the most knowledgeable about his truthfulness. They said what they said, though he had lived among them for more than fifty years, and they had called him “al-Ṣādiq al-Amīn” (the Truthful, the Trustworthy). They uttered inappropriate things about him, even though he was the one with the noble status and exalted character. So who could disbelieve the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him), when Allah Himself bore witness to his truthfulness — ﴿وَمَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حَدِيثًا﴾ “And who is more truthful than Allah in statement?!”— saying about him: ﴿وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى﴾ “… nor does he speak out of (his own) desire and accord.” Truly, he (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is the truthful one whom Allah commanded us to respond to in obedience, saying: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ‌اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ﴾ “O you who believe, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.” Truly, he (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is the truthful one who swore to the truthfulness of what he utters and the certainty of what he speaks, saying: «وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ ‌مَا ‌خَرَجَ ‌مِنِّي ‌إِلَّا ‌حَقٌّ» By the One in Whose hand my soul is, nothing has come from me except the truth. Truly, he is the truthful one who taught us truthfulness, called us to it, and made truthfulness a condition of loving Allah and His Messenger, saying: «فَإِنْ أَحْبَبْتُمْ أَنْ يُحِبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ؛ فَأَدُّوا إِذَا ائْتُمِنْتُمْ، وَاصْدُقُوا إِذَا حَدَّثْتُمْ» If you want Allah and His Messenger to love you, then fulfill your trusts when entrusted and be truthful when you speak. Truly, he is the truthful one about whom those who saw him said: لَمَّا رَأَيْتُ وَجْهَهُ عَرَفْتُ أَنَّ وَجْهَهُ لَيْسَ بِوَجْهِ كَذَّابٍ When I saw his face, I knew that his face was not the face of a liar. Truly, he is the truthful one whom Allah sent as the final messenger to complete the mission of the truthful messengers, those whom Allah has made “for them a high rank of truthful speech﴿لَهُمْ ‌لِسَانَ ‌صِدْقٍ عَلِيًّا﴾. O you who believe and affirm the truthfulness of the Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him): When the deniers rushed to Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, Do you have any word for your companion? He claims to have been taken on a night journey tonight. He said: 'Did he really say that?' They replied: 'Yes.' He then spoke a truthful word that became firmly rooted like the towering steadfast mountains: “If he said that, then he has spoken the truth. I believe him and affirm his truthfulness in matters even more extraordinary than that. I believe him and affirm his truthfulness regarding the (divine) information from the heavens, which comes to him in the morning or the evening.” Allah the Almighty praised him for affirming the truthfulness of His Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him), saying: ﴿وَالَّذِي جَاءَ بِالصِّدْقِ وَصَدَّقَ بِهِ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ﴾ “And he who has brought the truth and [he who] affirmed it – those are the righteous.” The one who brought the truth is the Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him), and the one who affirmed it is Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Such was the way of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him)—they affirmed the truth of everything he conveyed. Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say whenever he narrated a ḥadīth from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him): حَدَّثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‌وَهُوَ ‌الصَّادِقُ ‌الْمَصْدُوقُ “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) told us, and he is the truthful one whose truth is affirmed (al-Ṣādiq al-Maṣdūq).” And we, too, believe in everything that has been authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him). We believe in it and have certain faith in it, we honor and revere it, we love and venerate it, we understand and act upon it, within the framework of the values of our noble religion. For love of the Sunnah of the Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is part of loving him, and affirming his truthfulness is part of affirming the truth of his message. O Allah, make us among those who have firm conviction in what You have revealed, who affirm the truth of Your Prophet, and who are adorned with the virtue of truthfulness. Grant us the power and ability (tawfīq) to act upon Your noble command: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾ “O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.” I say these words, and I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord. The Second Sermon: All praise is due to Allah, who has praised His truthful servants and rewarded them for their truthfulness with the gardens of bliss. Blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, the exemplar of the truthful, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow his guidance until the Day of Judgment. To proceed, O you who love of the Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him): The journey of Isrāʾ and Miʿrāj revealed profound meanings of truth, truthfulness and affirmation of the truth. How beautiful is the quality of truthfulness when we uphold it in our lives such that our souls are purified, and our hearts find tranquility. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him), the al-Ṣādiq al-Maṣdūq (the truthful one whose truth is affirmed), said: «إِنَّ الصِّدْقَ طُمَأْنِينَةٌ» “Indeed, truthfulness is tranquility.” A truthful person is never seen except with a tranquil heart, a pure soul, and a content conscience. Let us make the journey of Isrāʾ and Miʿrāj a journey of truth, truthfulness and affirmation of the truth—reflecting on our adherence to truthfulness in our dealings, with our children, in our stances, in our interactions, and even in our engagements on social media. The Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) witnessed a man whose mouth, nose, and eyes were torn from front to back. So he inquired about him, and it was said to him: «إِنَّهُ الرَّجُلُ يَغْدُو مِنْ بَيْتِهِ، فَيَكْذِبُ ‌الْكَذْبَةَ ‌تَبْلُغُ ‌الْآفَاقَ» “This is the man who leaves his house in the morning and tells a lie that spreads to the horizons (i.e. all over the world).” Often a single lie can lead the one who tells it to regret. Often a single lie can open doors of rumors against the one who tells it, and land him into problems. Therefore, adhere to truthfulness—yes, adhere to truthfulness—and you will succeed, for Allah Almighty has mentioned the truthful men and truthful women and promised them Gardens of Paradise, saying: ﴿أَعَدَّ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا﴾ “Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward.” O Allah, send peace and blessings upon our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, his family, companions, and followers. Be pleased with Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthman, and ʿAlī, and all the noble companions. O Allah, make us of those who have faith in You, worship You, turn to You in repentance, hold fast to truthfulness and dutiful to our parents, and have mercy on them as they raised us when we were young, O Most Merciful of the merciful. O Allah, grant the UAE continued stability, progress, and prosperity. Bestow well-being upon us, bless us in our provisions, our spouses, and our offspring. O Allah, guide the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, his deputies, his brothers, the rulers of the Emirates, and his loyal Crown Prince, to all that You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and the founding leaders, and admit them by Your grace into the vastness of Your Paradise. Include the martyrs of our homeland in Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy on the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, those who are alive and those who have passed away. O Allah, send us rain and do not make us among those who despair. O Allah, shower us with rain, O Allah, shower us with rain, O Allah, shower us with rain. ﴿‌رَبَّنَا ‌آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ﴾ “Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” Servants of Allah: Remember Allah, the Great and Glorious, and He will remember you, and thank Him for His blessings and He will increase you (in blessings). Establish the prayer.