Highlands Ranch Islamic Association

08/29/2026

Friday, August 28th, 2026: Jummah Khutbah

Alhamdulillah, Allah سبحانہ وتعالى gathered us once again for the blessed Jummah Khutbah and prayer at the HRIA Musallah. MashaAllah, our dear Shaykh Dr. Ahmed Samir delivered a powerful and thought-provoking reminder about preparing ourselves for the Akhirah and making Jannah the ultimate goal of our lives. We carefully make plans for our dunya our education, careers, finances, homes, families, and retirement but how often do we stop and ask ourselves: “What is my plan for Jannah?” Allah سبحانہ وتعالى reminds us: “But you prefer the worldly life, while the Hereafter is better and more lasting.” (Surah Al-A‘la 87:16–17). The reminder was not that we should abandon the dunya, but that we should use everything Allah has given us in this dunya as a means of reaching our eternal home.

The Khutbah beautifully explained that the dunya is not our enemy; it is the road, while the Akhirah is our destination. Allah سبحانہ وتعالى tells us: “But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter, and do not forget your share of the world.” (Surah Al-Qasas 28:77). Our homes, careers, wealth, relationships, talents, and time can all become part of our preparation for Jannah when they are used in ways pleasing to Allah سبحانہ وتعالى. Rasulullah ﷺ also taught us that when the Hereafter becomes our greatest concern, Allah places richness in our hearts and gathers our affairs for us. But when the dunya becomes our greatest concern, our hearts become scattered and remain unsatisfied. The goal is not to leave the dunya it is to make sure the dunya serves our journey toward the Akhirah.

A beautiful example was shared from the life of Rabi‘ah ibn Ka‘b al-Aslami رضي الله عنه, who served Rasulullah ﷺ. When the Prophet ﷺ gave him the opportunity to ask for something, Rabi‘ah did not ask for wealth, property, status, or worldly success. Instead, he said: “I ask to be your companion in Jannah.” When Rasulullah ﷺ asked whether he wanted anything else, he replied that this was all he wanted. The Prophet ﷺ then gave him a practical path toward that goal: “Then help me in this by making abundant prostration.” (Sahih Muslim). Rabi‘ah رضي الله عنه did not simply hope for Jannah he knew his destination and attached a concrete action to it. His example teaches us that preparing for Jannah requires more than good intentions; it requires consistent worship, sincere repentance, good character, righteous deeds, and daily choices that bring us closer to Allah سبحانہ وتعالى.

The Khutbah left us with an important question to carry home: If Jannah is truly our goal, what are we doing every day to prepare for it? Just as we make plans, set goals, and measure our progress for worldly success, we should have a plan for our eternal success as well. Perhaps it begins with protecting our five daily prayers, increasing our sujood, reading Qur’an every day, giving regular charity, improving our character, seeking forgiveness, repairing relationships, or leaving behind a sin for the sake of Allah سبحانہ وتعالى. Even one small but consistent action can become part of our personal plan for Jannah. May Allah سبحانہ وتعالى make the Akhirah our greatest concern, place contentment and richness in our hearts, bless our dunya as a means of reaching Him, and gather us with Rasulullah ﷺ and our loved ones in Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen. 🤲

08/25/2026

فَجَاءَ مُحَمَّدٌ سِرَاجًا مُنِيرًا
فَصَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ كَثِيرًا كَثِيرًا

*محمد ﷺ روشن چراغ بن کر تشریف لائے،
لہٰذا ان پر بہت زیادہ درود و سلام بھیجو*

“Muhammad ﷺ came as a radiant, illuminating lamp;
so send abundant blessings and salutations upon him—again and again.”

08/25/2026

08/22/2026

Friday, August 21st, 2026: Jummah Khutbah

Alhamdulillah, Allah سبحانہ وتعالى gathered us once again for the blessed Jummah Khutbah and prayer at the HRIA Musallah. MashaAllah, our dear Brother Sheikh Syed Ahmed delivered a beautiful and heartfelt reminder as we are in the blessed month of Rabi‘ al-Awwal, the month in which our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born. His birth was among the greatest blessings Allah سبحانہ وتعالى bestowed upon this Ummah, as Allah sent him ﷺ as a mercy to all the worlds. This month is a beautiful opportunity for us to strengthen our connection with Rasulullah ﷺ by learning about his life, his character, and his Sunnah—and through loving him ﷺ, strengthening our connection with Allah سبحانہ وتعالى.

The Khutbah reminded us of the extraordinary love that surrounded Rasulullah ﷺ. The Sahabah loved him more than their wealth, families, and even their own lives. Sayyidina Umar رضي الله عنه told the Prophet ﷺ that he loved him more than everything except himself. The Prophet ﷺ taught him that true faith requires loving Rasulullah ﷺ even more than oneself, and Umar رضي الله عنه immediately affirmed that love. At Uhud, an Ansari woman who had lost members of her own family was concerned first about the safety of Rasulullah ﷺ, and upon seeing him safe, her grief became easier to bear. Even creation displayed love for him ﷺ—the tree trunk upon which he used to lean cried when he moved to the new mimbar, until the Prophet ﷺ embraced and comforted it.

Most beautifully, Rasulullah ﷺ also expressed his love and longing for us—the believers who would come after him without ever seeing him. He ﷺ spoke with longing about those who would believe in him despite never having met him. This should make us ask ourselves: How much do we long to meet Rasulullah ﷺ? How are we preparing for the day when we hope to see him, receive his intercession, and be gathered in his company? Our love cannot remain only something we say; it must become visible in our priorities, our character, our worship, and the way we live.

We can increase this love by learning something about the Seerah of Rasulullah ﷺ every day, because the more we know him, the more we will love him. We can strengthen it by becoming attached to the Holy Qur’an, because his ﷺ character was the Qur’an; by sending abundant salawat upon him; and by bringing his Sunnah back into our daily lives—even if we begin with just one small Sunnah. May Allah سبحانہ وتعالى fill our hearts and the hearts of our children with sincere love for Rasulullah ﷺ, allow us to follow his beautiful example, increase us in salawat upon him, and grant us the honor of being gathered with him ﷺ in Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen. 🤲

08/14/2026

Friday, August 14th, 2026: Jummah Khutbah

Alhamdulillah, Allah سبحانہ وتعالى gathered us once again for the blessed Jummah Khutbah and prayer at the HRIA Musallah. MashaAllah, our Dear Shaykh Sohaib Kauser delivered a beautiful reminder about the life, character, and example of our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, whom Allah سبحانہ وتعالى sent as a mercy to all the worlds.

The Shaykh reminded us how the Prophet ﷺ brought people from ignorance to knowledge, injustice to justice, and cruelty to mercy. Through his beautiful character, he ﷺ taught us compassion, truthfulness, patience, forgiveness, humility, and kindness toward our families, neighbors, the poor, the weak, and even animals.

A powerful message from today’s Khutbah was that our love for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ should not remain only in our words, but should be reflected in how we live our lives. We show our love by following his Sunnah, improving our prayers and character, being honest and forgiving, treating others with kindness, and teaching our children his Seerah so that his beautiful example remains alive in our homes.

May Allah سبحانہ وتعالى fill our hearts with true love for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, help us follow his Sunnah, beautify our character, and guide us in raising our children upon his example. May Allah سبحانہ وتعالى gather us among his followers on the Day of Judgment and grant us Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen 🤲

08/07/2026

Friday, August 7th, 2026: Jummah Khutbah

Alhamdulillah, Allah سبحانہ وتعالى gathered us once again for the blessed Jummah Khutbah and prayer at the HRIA Musallah.

MashaAllah, our Dear Shaykh Tamer delivered a beautiful and powerful reminder today about planning and preparing for the Akhirah (Afterlife).

The Shaykh reminded us that just as we carefully plan for our education, careers, families, finances, and future in this dunya, we must ask ourselves an even more important question: What are we doing to prepare for our eternal future?

This dunya is temporary, but the Akhirah is everlasting. Every prayer we offer, every act of kindness, every charity we give, every person we forgive, and every good deed we sincerely perform for the sake of Allah سبحانہ وتعالى is an investment in our Akhirah.

The Shaykh encouraged us to regularly reflect on our lives, strengthen our relationship with Allah سبحانہ وتعالى, seek His forgiveness, and make conscious choices that will benefit us when we return to Him.

May Allah سبحانہ وتعالى help us use our time in this dunya wisely, keep our hearts attached to Him, accept our good deeds, forgive our shortcomings, and make us among those who successfully prepare for the Akhirah.

May Allah سبحانہ وتعالى grant us Jannatul Firdaus and reunite us there with our loved ones. Ameen 🤲

07/13/2026

One of the righteous was asked about trials, are they a punishment from God, an expiation for sin, or an elevation in rank?

He answered: if it strikes you and you become angry, it is a punishment;

if it strikes you and you are patient, it is an expiation;

and if it strikes you and you are content, it is an elevation.

O Allah, grant us patience and contentment when trials come.

06/24/2026

Ashura

Thursday, June 25th marks one of the most blessed, virtuous and significant day of the year, Ashura, that is 10th of Al-Muharram.
From the teachings of our beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ it is strongly recommended to fast on this day which expiates the sins (minor) of the previous year.

One of the most tragic events in Islamic History, that is of Karbala and the martyrdom of Syedna Hussain also occurred on this day.

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Husain is from me, and I am from Husain. Allah loves whoever loves Husain. Husain is a Sibt among the Asbat.”
[Timizi, Ibn Maajah, Musnad Ahmad]

It is important to learn about the family of the Prophet and inculcate the love of them in ourselves and in our children.

The Prophet ﷺ taught us that if someone spends generously on their family on the Day of Ashura, Allah will treat them with generosity for the rest of the year (Bayhaqi).
One of the great Muhaditheen Sufyan bin Uyaynah said, “We tried this for fifty years and all that we saw was good.”

Habib Umar bin Hafiz said: “The purpose of this is that you show extra compassion to them. This is then a means of protecting your family from the forces of corruption that attempt to encroach from all sides. This does not just mean buying them food. You need to show them the compassion of Muhammad ﷺ through his teachings. Show them that the Prophet has taught you to laugh with them and to make sure they are well. He has taught you that it hurts you to see them suffer in any way in this life or the next. Let them experience the compassion of his teachings and show them that after 1,400 years his teachings are alive in your home.