Praise be to Allah, The Almighty, The One who is not described with the attributes of the creations. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and I bear witness that our beloved Master and Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is his most beloved creation and Messenger, may Allah raise his rank and his kind relatives and companions, and protect his nation from that which he feared for them.

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, know may Allah have mercy upon you that the duty of raising one’s children is among the greatest responsibilities and of highest priorities. The kids are in the trust of their parents, and they are susceptible to everything they are subjected to. They are like an empty glass with no content, if that glass is filled with goodness and that child grows up practising what is good, then he will be the winner and successful. But if that glass is filled with evil and wrongdoing, and that child gets used to practising that evil, then he will the loser on the day of judgement.

Brothers and sisters, our Khutbah today is about Islamic customs (^adat) and modesty (haya’) which are very critical aspects when raising our kids. Ensure that you raise them on matters that are beneficial to them in this life and in the Hereafter. Ensure that you teach them to avoid immoral practices and manners. Allah says in the Qur’an:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءامَنُوا قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ

Which means: [Oh Believers protect yourselves and your family from the tortures of Hellfire, which is fueled by people and stones.]

The safe path that protects a person and his family from Hellfire is the path of learning and applying the correct Islamic knowledge, i.e. learning and applying what Allah made obligatory upon us and avoiding what Allah ordered us to avoid. Many fathers have ignored the duty of teaching their kids the essentials of belief to the point where the kids grow up with a corrupt belief, a corrupt creed, such as having doubt in the existence of Allah, or believing that Allah sits on the Throne and has a shape and size similar to His creation, or that He is a light that shines, may Allah grant us protection against such beliefs. Such are the beliefs that, if children acquire while growing up and die past puberty believing in, will lead them to an everlasting torture in Hellfire.

For these reasons dear brothers, I remind myself and you of the Islamic customs such as the gatherings for Islamic knowledge, and of the manners of the Prophet peace be upon him such as modesty for both males and females along with the avoidance of misguided practices of immorality and indecency.

My dear brothers, keep your tongue busy talking to others about the customs of our righteous forefathers and those of the companions of our dear Prophet, and their exemplary practices and conducts. Modesty is the path that leads the person to avoid evildoing and sin and to avoid the example of those whom practices and deeds have led them astray.

It is mentioned in a Hadith narrated by Abu Sa^id Al-Khudriy, that the Prophet, peace be upon him may Allah have mercy on him, had more haya’ (modest shyness) than a virgin in the privacy of her home. If he saw something he disliked it would immediately show on his face.

Since the customs and manners of the honoured Prophet peace be upon him are the best of customs, follow them in all aspects of your life, be it your words, your deeds or your qualities.

In the well known book Riyadus-Salihin for Imam an-Nawawiyy, modesty and shyness (al-haya’) as defined by some Muslim scholars is a conduct granted to those who avoid immoral deeds.

Also, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said in regards to the women:

 >>المرأةُ عورةٌ فإذا خرجت استشرفَها الشيطانُ ، وأقربُ ما تكونُ المرأةُ إلى وجهِ ربها إذا كانت في قعر بيتها <<

When the woman leaves her home, the Shaytan takes a special interest in leading men astray through them. Meaning the Shaytan strives to try and deceive men through the beauty of women by making the men look at them with desire, commit adultery and so on. This means that females need to ensure modesty in their dresses and conduct when they leave the home. And the closest the woman will be to the obedience of Her Creator if she was in her own home. Meaning it is preferred for the woman to remain at home more often and to not leave only when necessary.

Our dear Muslim brothers, abide by Islam and by its customs and conducts and be watchful over your children’s actions and be careful in their upbringing to ensure that they are raised in an environment where the practices of modesty, decency and ethics of our beloved Prophet sallallahu ^alayhi wasallam are applied.

Brothers in Islam; only countable days remain from the blessed month of Ramadan. Glad tidings are given to the one who wisely employs his time during this grand blessed month through performing good deeds and seeking the blessings of Ramadan particularly in such ways as attending the circles of knowledge given after Tarawih where one learns how to differentiate between halal (the permissible) and haram (the prohibitions). The knowledge of Islam brings life to the hearts, therefore do not deprive yourselves from the great bounties found in such blessed gatherings even after Ramadan. Where the hearts of those who acquire the knowledge of Islam are filled with life, the hearts of the ignorant one is dead and easily susceptible to most of the evil doings such as blasphemy, major and minor sins.

O Allah, keep us steadfast on attending the circles of knowledge, to teach it and seek it during and past the blessed month of Ramadan. We humbly ask Allah to grant us a safe admission into Paradise and guide us to the deeds and sayings which lead us to it. Amin