His Eminence Sheikh Hussein ibn Abdul-Aziz Al-Sheikh, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday Khutbah entitled, “The New Year and the Struggle of the Muslim Nation”, in which he talked about the new year, noting that Muslims in many countries have witnessed great events and intense sufferings during the past year. He reminded the audience of the necessity of drawing lessons and morals from such events and called on them to be watchful and bring themselves to account, stressing that this alone is the road to success and happiness in both this life and in the hereafter.

All praise and thanks are Allah’s, to Whom belong all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. His are all praise and thanks in the hereafter, and He is the All-Wise, the Well-Acquainted with all things. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, the Most High, the Most Great, and I bear witness that our prophet, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger, who delivered the message, honoured the mission, advised the nation, and strove hard in the cause of Allah, as is His due. O Allah! Bestow Your peace, prayers, and blessings upon him, his Family, and his Companions.

O Muslims!
I advise you and advise myself to fear Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, for if one fears Allah, He will make a way for him to get out of every difficulty and bring him relief from every hardship.  

"And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. . ." (At-Talaq: 2-3)

O Muslims!
Years and months pass one after the other. Our lives come to an end at an appointed term, for Allah has set an appointed term for everything. The coming of a new year and the passing of another year provide great opportunities for us to contemplate and draw lessons and morals from life.

The truly successful and happy are those who, at the turn of different periods of time, pause to seriously call themselves to account and reflect upon their past deeds. A believer always needs to call himself to account and assess the course of his life. Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon his soul, said, “The death of the heart is caused by failing to bring oneself to account and giving free rein to the whims of one’s lower self.”

Brothers in Islam!
Success and salvation lie in bringing oneself to account, desisting from committing sins and evil deeds, and striving hard to do good deeds and righteous acts. Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He, says:

"O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for tomorrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Acquainted with what you do" (Al-Hashr:18)

The lives of the righteous predecessors remind us that we should call ourselves to account and be watchful of ourselves at all times. Al-Hasan Al-Basri, may Allah have mercy upon his soul, said, “A servant will remain safe as long as he keeps advising himself and calling himself to account.”

Muslim Brother!
As you bid farewell to a passing year and receive a new one, remember that your success and salvation lie in being watchful of yourself all the time and calling yourself to account. It is such self-reckoning that keeps you away from sins and evil deeds and prompt you to carry out Allah’ commandments and to hasten to do acts of obedience to Him.

Fellow Muslim! Do not be among those who hope for rewards in the Hereafter without acting for it and keep postponing repentance in the hope that they will live longer.

"Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) to be affected by Allah’s Reminder (this Qur’an), and that which has been revealed of the truth, lest they become as those who received the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] before (i.e. Jews and Christians), and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And many of them were Fasiqun (the rebellious, the disobedient to Allah)." (Al-Hadid: 16)

Brothers in Islam!
Life is but hours, days, and years. The truly successful believers are those who increase their acts of righteousness and piety and continuously strive hard to attain eternal success in the hereafter. Indeed, the pious only get more pious and righteous as years go by. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The best of you are those whose life is long and whose deeds are good” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as hasan sahih (good and authentic)).

Be careful, fellow Muslims, not to squander your lives or let years go by in vain. Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He, reminds you of His favours upon you. He says:

". . . Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it? And the warner came to you . . ." (Fatir: 37)

As An-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “Abdullah ibn Abbas and other Muslim scholars said that this verse means, ‘Have We not let you live long enough to reach the age of sixty?’” Al-Bukhari reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah has given enough excuse to a person whom He has let live until the age of sixty.” Commenting on this hadith, An-Nawawi says, “This means that Allah has given all excuses to such a person as He has let him live that long.”

Fellow Muslims!
As a year passes and a new one starts, there is a reminder for us that this life is always changing. Its hopes are false, its enjoyment is constantly disturbed, and its apparent serenity is rather cloudy. Man is at risk in this worldly life since it provides him with either an ephemeral blessing or a sudden, unexpected misfortune; its delights are a test, its new objects wear away, its power comes to an end, its days are numbered, and the terms set in it are fixed. It is but a passing shadow and a deceptive mirage. It is just like a sleeper’s dream or a transient shadow. We seek Allah’s assistance and we truly rely on Him. Allah says:

"O my people! Truly, this life of the world is nothing but a (quick passing) enjoyment, and verily, the Hereafter that is the home that will remain forever." (Ghafir: 39)

He also says:
"And put forward to them the example of the life of this world; it is like the water (rain) which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it, and becomes fresh and green. But (later) it becomes dry and broken pieces, which the winds scatter. And Allah is Able to do everything." (Al-Kahf: 45)

Blessed are those who do not let this life distract them from preparing for their eternal abode. Blessed are those who are not deluded by its glitter, misleading mirage, ornaments, and adornments and who prepare for the Day of Certain Departure.

Servants of Allah!
Real success can only be attained by those who make this world a passage to the hereafter and an arena for competing to do good deeds. Muslim reported in his Sahih that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The life of the world is sweet and green (i.e. alluring), and Allah has made you generations succeeding one another in order to see how you act. So beware of the temptations of this life and the temptations of women. The first trial for the Children of Israel was that of women.”

Fellow Muslims!
Our current year has almost gone by, with only a few days left in it. Therefore, Muslims have to stop and remember that in this year they have witnessed a great deal of horrendous trials and dreadful calamities, whose details are not hidden from anyone. Will Muslims, rulers and ruled, politicians, leaders and peoples, realize that safety and security can only be achieved by adhering to the principles of Islam and the facts of the Qur’an and holding fast to the rope of the Most Beneficent?

The Muslim nation will never attain power, glory, and honour and will never occupy a remarkable position in this world unless its members sincerely act, in real life, on the teachings of Islam in its entirety, as a set of beliefs and legislation, in terms of knowledge and the implementation of such knowledge, and as a basis for government and judgement.

The Muslim nation, while suffering countless calamities known only to Allah, will not be relieved from its distress and sufferings, improve its condition, achieve its goals, and attain glory, might, and victory unless its members translate Islam, which was brought by our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, into reality and in all aspects of life – in politics, in economy, in society, and in dealings and personal conduct.

"“. . . Then if there comes to you guidance from Me, then whoever follows My Guidance he shall neither go astray, nor shall be distressed. But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur’an nor acts on its teachings) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.”" (Ta-Ha: 123-124)

Muslims have been subject to many serious attacks and challenges that have intensified their distress and crises. They are now, as they have always been, in dire need of the necessary remedy, which is the most urgent of all needs. The remedy that we need to be reminded of and which should be mentioned at each conference and meeting is to have faith in Allah and His Messenger, put our trust in Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, rely upon Him alone, seek His assistance alone, and arm ourselves with the Islamic creed. Indeed, doing so is the sole guarantee for the moral uprightness of individuals and the stability of societies.

Whenever this serves as the criterion in matters of knowledge and acting on the dictates of such knowledge, in loyalty to the believers and disavowal of the disbelievers, and in love and hate for the sake of Allah, the Muslim nation will certainly achieve success, victory, glory, and power. Whenever this is the case and whenever Islam is this nation’s motto in times of anger and in times of satisfaction and is the way it adopts in education and reform, Muslims will have the upper hand in all fields, their conditions will improve, and they will attain happiness in this life and in the Hereafter.

Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, has guaranteed that He will defend us when we fulfil the necessary condition:
"Truly, Allah defends those who believe . . ." (Al-Hajj: 38)

O Muslim Nation!
We have had enough of being deceived by the enemies who only intend evil against Muslims and are keen to tear apart their unity and sow dissension among them. Has Allah not warned us against them? Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, says:

"They wish that you reject Faith, as they have rejected Faith, and thus that you all become equal (like one another). . ." (An-Nisa: 89)

He also says:
". . .They desire to harm you severely . . ." (Al-Imran : 118)

Therefore, fear Allah, O followers of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him!

Respect the sanctity of human blood and honour the ordinances of Allah; for shedding the blood of a Muslim is far more odious in the sight of Allah than the destruction of the whole world. Keep your countries safe and safeguard your resources. Maintain your unity, as trials bring forth nothing but evil and destruction:

"And fear the Fitnah (affliction and trial, etc.) which affects not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong (but it may afflict all the good and the bad people), and know that Allah is Severe in punishment." (Al-Anfal: 25)

O Muslim Nation!
You are a nation to whom the Prophet of Mercy was sent as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner! How can you split into factions while the Book of your Lord (The Quran) is in your hands and the commandments of the infallible Prophet are available to you? How have you ended up in such a deplorable condition which is by no means pleasing to your Lord? Allah says in His Book:

". . . And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another) . . ." (An-Nisa’: 29)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “Do not revert to disbelief after me, by striking the necks of one another.”

This worldly life, with all its delights, is nothing compared to the hereafter. Therefore, let religion dominate over your worldly life and let reconciliation and agreement replace enmity and discord. Show mercy to one another. Display compassion to your fellow Muslims. Engage in dialogue and try to reach reconciliation. Give precedence to the common good, and avoid anything that is bound to cause corruption and evil that will only lead the nation to an unknown abyss whose dire consequences are known to Allah alone.

"The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic religion). So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear Allah . . ." (Al-Hujurat: 10)
May Allah bless you and me with what you have heard. This I say and I ask forgiveness of Allah for myself, for you, and for all Muslims, for any sin we have committed. Ask Allah for forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving and the Most Merciful.