Summer Heat Reminds Us of the Fire to Come Masjid An Nabawi Friday Sermon 31 July 2026 (17 Safar 1448)
At the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Sheikh Salah Al-Budair used today’s Friday sermon to talk about the summer heat and what it should teach us.
He started with a simple point. Allah sees what is in every heart. One day, everyone will stand before Him and answer for their deeds. That day is coming, whether we are ready or not.
The Heat as a Warning
Sheikh Al-Budair said the hot, “flaming” days of summer are more than weather. They are a warning. The heat of Hell, he said, is far worse than anything we feel on Earth: hotter and deeper.
He backed this up with a well-known hadith. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that Hell once complained to Allah about its own heat, saying one part of it was consuming another. Allah allowed it two “breaths” each year, one in winter, one in summer. The worst heat we feel in summer, and the worst cold we feel in winter, come from those two breaths.
This matches what the Quran says in Surah At-Tawbah: “Say, ‘The fire of Hell is more intense in heat, if only they understood.’” (Quran 9:81)
Turn Back Before It’s Too Late
Sheikh Al-Budair used this heat to make a bigger point. He told the congregation to flee the Fire not by running from the sun, but by leaving sin behind and turning back to Allah.
Life does not last, he said. Health fades. Death comes closer every day. And on the Day of Judgment, each person will reap exactly what they planted in this life. Good deeds bring good results. Bad deeds bring bad ones. There is no shortcut and no do-over.
The Best Deed of the Season: Giving Water
Then the sermon turned to something practical: giving water to people who need it.
Sheikh Al-Budair said no act carries more hope of reward right now than handing a cup of water to someone thirsty, or helping someone cool down after too much sun.
He pointed to a hadith qudsi, a saying in which Allah speaks directly, to show how much this matters. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will say to a person: “O son of Adam, I asked you for water, and you did not give it to Me.” Confused, the person will ask how they could give water to the Lord of all the worlds. Allah will answer: a servant of Mine was thirsty, and you did not help him. Had you given him water, you would have found that reward with Me.
The same hadith carries this warning twice more, once about visiting the sick, and once about feeding the hungry. Each time, the lesson is the same: what we do for the people around us, Allah counts as done for Him.
Also read: “Raise Them Right” Masjid An Nabawi Friday Sermon 24 July 2026 (10 Safar 1448)
Small Acts, Real Mercy
Sheikh Al-Budair gave the congregation clear, doable ways to earn this reward during the hot months:
- Check on people without air conditioning. Many families still don’t have a way to cool their homes. Look for them.
- Hand out water in public. Streets, markets, and mosques are full of people who could use a cold drink.
- Build something that lasts. Dig a well. Set up a water cooler where people can refill for free.
- Remember it’s not just for people. The Prophet ة said that anyone who provides water that helps any living creature a person, a bird, even a wild animal will be rewarded by Allah on the Day of Resurrection.
Closing Prayers
Sheikh Al-Budair ended the sermon with prayers for the Muslim community. He asked Allah to:
- Protect and bless Muslim lands everywhere.
- Guide the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince.
- Heal the sick and show mercy to those who have passed away.
- Support the people of Palestine, heal their wounds, and bring them victory soon.
He closed with a simple thought: we all look for shade from the sun. But the shade that matters most is the mercy of Allah, and we reach it through repentance and kindness to others.
This sermon and Friday prayer were delivered today at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina by Sheikh Salah Al-Budair.
