Sermon: Consoling People and Mending Their Hearts

Sermon: Consoling People and Mending Their Broken Hearts The First Sermon Praise and commendation... To proceed: I advise you and myself — O people — to fear Allah; for it is the provision of the believers and the gate of tranquility in both abodes: "O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will give you twice of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful" [Al-Hadid: 28]. O servants of Allah, knowing the Beautiful Names of Allah and His Exalted Attributes calls one to worship Him, love Him, fear Him, and magnify and revere Him. And according to the servant's knowledge of the Names of Allah and His Attributes is his faith and his striving in His worship. And the Most High, the Most Exalted has praised His Exalted Self with what He is worthy of from the Attributes of perfection and majesty, and He said, Exalted is He who speaks, in His Infallible Book: "He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the King, the Most Holy, the Peace, the Giver of Security, the Guardian, the Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Exalted is Allah above what they associate with Him" [Al-Hashr: 23]. So He is the Compeller to whom necks have submitted and faces have bowed, and to Him belongs the majesty in the heavens and the earth. He does not benefit from the obedience of the obedient, nor is He harmed by the disobedience of the disobedient. He crushed the arrogance of the arrogant with His power, and subdued the rebellious tyrants with His greatness. And in Sunan Ibn Majah with a sound chain, from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, while on the pulpit saying: "The Compeller will take His heavens and His earth with His hand — and He grasped His hand and kept grasping and extending it — then He will say: I am the Compeller, I am the King. Where are the Compellers? Where are the arrogant?" O servants of Allah, and just as the Name "Al-Jabbar" (the Compeller) contains the Attribute of elevation and strength, so too does it contain the Attribute of compassion and mercy. And in Sunan al-Tirmidhi with a sound chain, from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to say between the two prostrations: "O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, mend me, guide me, and provide for me." So Allah, Exalted is His Majesty, mends the poor with wealth, the weak with strength, and those whose hearts are broken by removing their brokenness and instilling relief and tranquility in them. And from the gentleness and generosity of the Compeller, He, Blessed and Exalted is He, descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the remaining night has passed; and He says: "Who calls upon Me that I may respond to him? Who asks Me that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness that I may forgive him?" So He mends the brokenhearted, heals the afflicted, cures the sick, relieves the distressed, answers the supplicant, gives to the asker, relieves the distressed, removes sorrow, and dispels worry and grief. And this indicates — O servants of Allah — that mending broken hearts is among the great gates of goodness and the noble benefits of righteousness. It fills the gaps, wipes the tear, and restores to the broken souls their hope and radiance in facing the hardships and sorrows of life. Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said, clarifying the value of consolation and mending broken hearts: "Consolation through service, consolation through advice and guidance, consolation through supplication and seeking forgiveness, consolation through feeling their pain and being grieved for them, rejoicing in their joy and being grieved by their grief and pained by their pain. And according to the degree of faith is the consolation; the weaker the faith, the weaker the consolation, and the stronger it is, the stronger it becomes"; end of quote. The truth — O servants of Allah — is that religion is not limited to the servant's relationship with his Lord, of prayers and alms and fasting and pilgrimage and Umrah... Religion is dealing, religion is giving, religion is bestowing, religion is nobility and character, religion is empathy and alliance. Ibrahim ibn Adham said: "Consolation is among the character of the believers." And in the hadith: "Whoever is in the need of his brother, Allah will be in his need"; [narrated by Muslim]. And know — O servants of Allah — that consolation and mending broken hearts and doing good to people, and uplifting their spirits, and fulfilling their needs, begets the love of Allah, the Most High, and begets the love of creation, and spreads the spirit of brotherhood among the believers, and strengthens the relationships among Muslims. And among the manifestations of consolation in the life of the Muslim: consoling the people of calamities and the bereaved: by offering condolences and standing by their side and alleviating their pain. And consoling the sick and the afflicted: by visiting them and making supplication for them and bringing joy to their hearts. And consoling the indebted and the financially distressed: by making things easy for them or reducing some of their debts. He, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever relieves a believer of a distress from the distresses of this world, Allah will relieve him of a distress from the distresses of the Day of Resurrection. And whoever makes things easy for one who is in difficulty, Allah will make things easy for him in this world and the Hereafter." And consoling the widows and orphans: by caring for them and taking responsibility for them; for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The one who looks after a widow and a poor person is like a mujahid in the cause of Allah, or like one who fasts during the day and prays during the night." And among consolation is also: the wife consoling her husband, and the husband consoling his wife. So this is Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her and grant her satisfaction, who was the best wife, comforting her husband in times of anxiety, reassuring her husband in times of loneliness, consoling her husband in times of sadness and pain; when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, returned to her from the Cave of Hira with his heart trembling, Khadijah said to him: "No, be glad! By Allah, Allah will never humiliate you, for by Allah, you maintain kinship ties, you speak the truth, you bear burdens, you provide for the destitute, you honor the guest, and you assist in the causes of truth"; [agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim]. And among consolation, O servants of Allah, is helping the needy, the poor, and the orphans, and standing by their side. For the highest rank of consolation is for a person to be generous with his wealth and to console others with his food and drink when need befalls them. He, the Most High and Exalted, said: "And they give food, in spite of their love for it, to the poor and the orphan and the captive. We feed you only for the countenance of Allah; we desire from you no reward and no gratitude" [Al-Insan: 8, 9]. For wealth is a fleeting shadow, and food is a perishing blessing, but the lasting impact with Allah is what you offered to a hungry hand or a parched lip. That is the trade that never fails. So blessed is the one who made his worldly life a farm for his Hereafter, in which he planted consolation, cooperation, and empathy. For the believer is in a dwelling of deeds, and the Hereafter is a dwelling of recompense. He, the Most High and Exalted, said: "And the Hereafter is better for he who fears Allah" [An-Nisa: 77]. And He, the Most High, said: "And the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believe and guard themselves" [Yusuf: 57]. And He, the Exalted, said: "And the abode of the Hereafter is better for those who guard themselves. Then will you not reason?" [Yusuf: 109]. And He said: "And the Hereafter is better and more enduring" [Al-A'la: 17]. May Allah bless you and me... The Second Sermon Praise be to Allah for His goodness, and gratitude to Him for His guidance and His favors... O servants of Allah, and included in mending hearts is cheerfulness and congratulation, and shaking hands and embracing, and being easygoing and gentle, being soft in manner, being patient with the complaints of the weak, and overlooking the slips of the brothers, sharing in their joy and happiness, or in their weeping and sorrow. So this is Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who recalled, during the incident of the slander, a woman from the Ansar who shared in her grief with tears that had the greatest impact and consolation. So in the two Sahihs, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "And I wept for two nights and a day, my tears not drying, and I did not apply kohl nor sleep, until I thought that weeping would burst my liver. So while my parents were sitting with me and I was weeping, a woman from the Ansar asked permission to enter upon me, so I gave her permission, and she sat and wept with me"; meaning: and she shared in her affliction by weeping with her. And so is the state of many of the ways of mending hearts. In them, a sincere smile suffices, or a compassionate word, or an apology for a mistake, or a supplication. O servants of Allah, fear Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, and let your families have the greatest share and portion of mending hearts, especially the parents and the wife and the children, and the eldest sister and the rest of the relatives. So mend the hearts, and share with the brothers in feelings, and remember that it is a noble act of worship for which the Mighty One rewards with great rewards. So in Sahih Muslim, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Indeed Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, says on the Day of Resurrection: O son of Adam, I fell ill and you did not visit Me. He said: O my Lord, how could I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He said: Did you not know that My servant so-and-so fell ill and you did not visit him? Did you not know that had you visited him, you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you did not feed Me. He said: O my Lord, how could I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He said: Did you not know that My servant so-and-so asked you for food and you did not feed him? Did you not know that had you fed him, you would have found that with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you for water and you did not give Me drink. He said: O my Lord, how could I give You drink when You are the Lord of the worlds? He said: My servant so-and-so asked you for water and you did not give him drink. Did you not know that had you given him drink, you would have found that with Me." O Allah, guide us to the best of morals; none guides to the best of them except You, and turn away from us the worst of them; none turns away the worst of them except You...

خطبة: مواساة الناس وجبر خواطرهم الخطبة الأولى الحمد والثناء... أما بعد: فأوصيكم ونفسي ـ أيها الناس ـ بتقوى الله؛ فهي زاد المؤمنين، وباب الطمأنينة في الدارين: ﴿ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴾ [الحديد: 28]. عباد الله، إن التعرف على أسماء الله الحسنى وصفاته العُلا يدعو إلى عبادته، ومحبته وخشيته، وتعظيمه وإجلاله، وبـحسب معرفة العبد بأسماء الله وصفاته يكون إيمانه واجتهاده في عبادته. ​ولقد أثنى العلي الأعلى على ذاته العلية، بما هو أهله من صفات الكمال والجلال، فقال جل من قائل في محكم كتابه: ﴿ هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ ﴾ [الحشر: 23]. فهو الجبار الذي خضعت له الرقاب، وعنت له الوجوه، فله الكبرياء في السماوات والأرض، لا ينتفع بطاعة المطيعين، ولا يتضرر بعصيان العاصين، دكَّ نخوة المتكبرين بقدرته، وقهر مَرَدة الجبابرة بعظمته، وفي سنن ابن ماجه بإسناد صحيح، عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أنه قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو على المنبر يقول: «يأخذ الجبار سماواته وأراضيه بيده- وقبض يده فجعل يقبضها ويبسطها- ثم يقول: أنا الجبار، أنا الملك، أين الجبارون؟ أين المتكبرون؟». عباد الله، وكما أن اسم الجبار فيه صفة علو وقوة، فهو كذلك فيه صفة رأفة ورحمة، وفي سنن الترمذي بسند صحيح عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقول بين السجدتين: «اللهم اغفر لي وارحمني واجبرني واهدني وارزقني». فالله جل جلاله يـجبر الفقير بالغِنى، والضعيف بالقوة، والمنكسرة قلوبهم بإزالة كسرها، وإحلال الفرج والطمأنينة فيها، ومن لطف الجبار وكرمه يَنزل تبارك وتعالى كل ليلة إلى السماء الدنيا، حين يبقى ثلث الليل الآخر؛ فيقول: "مَن يَدْعُونِي فأسْتَجِيبَ له؟ مَن يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ؟ مَن يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فأغْفِرَ له؟"، فيجبر كسيرًا، ويعافي مُبتلًى، ويشفي مريضًا، ويغيث ملهوفًا، ويجيب داعيًا، ويعطي سائلًا، ويُفرِّج كربًا، ويزيل حزنًا، ويكشف همًّا وغمًّا. وهذا يدل ـ عباد الله ـ على أن جبر الخواطر من أبواب الخير العظيمة، ومنافع البر الكريمة، تسد الخلل، وتمسح الدمعة، وتعيد للنفوس المنكسرة أملها وإشراقها في مواجهة لَأْواء الحياة وأكدارها. قال ابن القيم رحمه الله موضحًا قيمة المواساة وجبر الخواطر: "مواساة بالخدمة، ومواساة بالنصيحة والإرشاد، ومواساة بالدعاء والاستغفار، ومواساة بالتوجع لهم، والتألم لهم، يفرح لفرحهم ويحزن لحزنهم ويتوجع بوجعهم، وعلى قدر الإيمان تكون المواساة، فكلما ضعف الإيمان ضعفت المواساة، وكلما قوي قويت"؛ ا هـ. الحقيقة ـ عباد الله ـ أن الدين لا يقتصر على علاقة العبد بربه، من صلوات وزكوات وصيام وحج وعمرة... الدين معاملة، والدين بذل، والدين عطاء، والدين سمو وأخلاق، والدين تعاطف وتحالف، قال إبراهيم بن أدهم: "المواساة من أخلاق المؤمنين"، وفي الحديث: «من كان في حاجة أخيه كان الله في حاجته» ؛ [رواه مسلم]. ولتعلموا ـ عباد الله ـ أن المواساة وجبر الخواطر والإحسان إلى الناس، ورفع معنوياتهم، وقضاء حاجاتهم، يورث محبة الله تعالى ويورث محبة الخلق، وتشيع روح الأخوة بين المؤمنين، وتقوى العلاقات بين المسلمين. ​ومن مظاهر المواساة في حياة المسلم: مواساة أهل المصائب والمحزونين: بتعزيتهم والوقوف بجانبهم وتخفيف آلامهم. ومواساة المرضى والمبتلين: بعيادتهم والدعاء لهم وإدخال السرور على قلوبهم. ومواساة المدينين والمعسرين: بالتيسير عليهم أو وضع شيء من ديونهم، قال صلى الله عليه وسلم: «من نفَّس عن مؤمن كُرْبةً من كرب الدنيا، نفَّس الله عنه كُرْبةً من كُرَب يوم القيامة، ومن يسَّر على مُعسِر، يسَّر الله عليه في الدنيا والآخرة». ومواساة الأرامل والأيتام: بالرعاية والكفالة؛ حيث يقول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: «الساعي على الأرملة والمسكين، كالمجاهد في سبيل الله، أو كالذي يصوم النهار ويقوم الليل». ومن المواساة أيضًا: مواساة الزوجة لزوجها، والزوج لزوجته، فهذه خديجة رضي الله عنها وأرضاها كانت نعم الزوجة المؤنسة لزوجها ساعة القلق، المطمئنة لزوجها ساعة الوحشة، المواسية لزوجها ساعة الحزن والألم؛ عندما عاد إليها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من غار حراء يرجف فؤاده قالت له خديجة: "كلا أبشر! فوالله لا يخزيك الله أبدًا، فوالله إنك لَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، وتَصدُقُ الحديثَ، وتَحمِلُ الكَلَّ، وتُكسِبُ المعدومَ، وتَقري الضَّيفَ، وتُعينُ على نَوائِبِ الحقِّ"؛ [متفق عليه]. ومن المواساة ـ عباد الله ـ: مساعدة المحتاجين والفقراء واليتامى والوقوف بجانبهم، فإن أعلى مراتب المواساة أن يجود المرء بماله، ويواسي غيره بطعامه وشرابه حين تعصف بهم الحاجة، قال جل وعلا: ﴿ وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا * إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا ﴾ [الإنسان: 8، 9]. ​فالمال ظل زائل، والطعام نعمة فانية، ولكن الأثر الباقي عند الله هو ما قدمته ليد جائعة أو شفة ذابلة، فتلك هي التجارة التي لا تبور. فطوبى لمن جعل دنياه مزرعةً لآخرته، جعل فيها المواساة والتعاون والتعاطف، فالمؤمن في دار عمل، والآخرة دار جزاء، قال جل وعلا: ﴿ وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِمَنِ اتَّقَى ﴾ [النساء: 77]، وقال تعالى: ﴿ وَلَأَجْرُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ ﴾ [يوسف: 57]، وقال سبحانه: ﴿ وَلَدَارُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ﴾ [يوسف: 109]، وقال: ﴿ وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى ﴾ [الأعلى: 17]، بارك الله لي ولكم... الخطبة الثانية الحمد لله على إحسانه، والشكر له على توفيقه وامتنانه...​ ​ عباد الله، ويدخل في جبر الخواطر البشاشة والتهنئة، والمصافحة والمعانقة، وأن تكون سهلًا هينًا، لين الجانب، تصبر على أنات الضعفاء، وأن تتغاضى عن زلَّات الإخوان، أن تشاركهم في سرور وفرح، أو في بكاء وترح، فهذه عائشة رضي الله عنها، تذكرت في حادثة الإفك، امرأة من الأنصار شاركتها في حزنها بدمعات كان لها أعظم الأثر والمواساة، ففي الصحيحين، قالت عائشة رضي الله عنها: "وقد بكيت ليلتين ويومًا، لا يرقأ لي دمع، ولا أكتحل بنوم، حتى إني لأظن أن البكاء فالق كبدي، فبينا أبواي جالسان عندي وأنا أبكي فاستأذنت عليَّ امرأة من الأنصار فأذنت لها فجلست تبكي معي"؛ أي: واستها في محنتها بالبكاء معها، وهكذا حال كثير من أساليب جبر الخواطر، يكفي فيها ابتسامة صادقة، أو كلمة حانية، أو اعتذار عن خطأ أو دعاء. عباد الله، اتقوا الله عز وجل، وليكن لأهليكم من جبر القلوب أوفر الحظ والنصيب، وخاصةً الوالدين والزوجة والأبناء، والأخت الكبرى وبقية القرابات، فاجبروا الخواطر، وشاركوا الإخوان في المشاعر، وتذكَّروا أنها عبادة جليلة، يـُجازي عليها الجبَّار بأجور عظيمة، ففي صحيح مسلم قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: «إن الله عز وجل يقول يوم القيامة: يا بن آدم، مرضت فلم تَعُدْني، قال: يا رب، كيف أعودك وأنت رب العالمين؟! قال: أما علمت أن عبدي فلانًا مرض فلم تعده؟ أما علمت أنك لو عُدْتَه لوجدتني عنده؟ يا بن آدم، استطعمتك فلم تُطعمني، قال: يا رب، وكيف أطعمك وأنت رب العالمين؟! قال: أما علمت أنه استطعمك عبدي فلان، فلم تطعمه؟ أما علمت أنك لو أطعمته لوجدت ذلك عندي، يا بن آدم، استسقيتك فلم تسقني، قال: يا رب، كيف أسقيك وأنت رب العالمين؟! قال: استسقاك عبدي فلان فلم تسقه، أما إنك لو سقيته وجدت ذلك عندي». ​اللهم اهدنا لأحسن الأخلاق لا يهدي لأحسنها إلا أنت، واصرف عنا سيئها لا يصرف عنا سيئها إلا أنت...