Imam Abdur-Rahmaan Ali

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you all. Always remember who you are and how Allah has brought you into this world. The Prophet ﷺ said, "This world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever." What does that mean? It means that we are here for a purpose far greater than fleeting pleasures. Our true purpose is to worship Allah, to seek His pleasure, and to strive for the hereafter. Let every step you take today be a step toward that eternal goal. Stay focused, stay humble, and remember: your ultimate success lies in pleasing Allah.

Dear brothers and sisters, Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. Today, I want to remind us of an essential aspect of our conduct as we approach the masjid. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught us that when we enter the house of Allah, we should come in a state of cleanliness, with a pleasant fragrance. He himself, peace be upon him, used to apply perfume and present himself in the best manner. Cleanliness is half of our faith, and when we come to the masjid, we must reflect that purity—physically, mentally, and spiritually. So let us ensure we are clean, that we wear fresh clothes, and that we bring a scent of goodness, so our hearts are ready to focus on Allah, and so we bring beauty into this sacred space. May Allah grant us purity in our actions and keep us close to Him.

Holding grudges in Islam
My dear brothers and sisters,
Islam is a religion of mercy, love, and unity. Yet today, something very common has become normal — not speaking to our own brothers for days, weeks, even years… over small issues.
The Qur'an teaches us to stay united, and our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave us a clear warning:
“It is not permissible for a Muslim to boycott his brother for more than three days. When they meet, they turn away from each other, and the best of them is the one who starts with Salaam.”
(Reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
SubhanAllah… not even more than three days. And look at the beauty of Islam — the better person is not the one who “wins” the argument, but the one who takes the first step to fix things.
Ask yourself:
Is your ego worth losing the love of your brother?
Is that argument worth standing before Allah with a hard heart?
Life is short. We don’t know if we’ll even see tomorrow. So forgive, let go, and reconnect before it’s too late.
Because a heart that holds grudges cannot be at peace…
But a heart that forgives — that is a heart close to Allah.

Arrogance is a disease of the القلب (heart) that can quietly destroy a person’s character, relationships, and ultimately their hereafter. In a world where people compete for status, wealth, and recognition, it becomes easy to fall into pride without even realizing it.
Our beloved Prophet ﷺ, Prophet Muhammad, warned us very clearly about this خطر (danger). He said:
“Whoever has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will not enter Paradise.”