KhutbahBank » Short khutbah

Don’t judge others too harshly

Editors — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:00:35 +0000

To hear this audio khutbah, click here:

The TEXT of the khutbah follows:

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

Al hamdu lillahi nahmaduhu wanasta’eenahu, wanastagh-firuhu, wanatoobu ilayhi, wana’oothu Billaahi min shuroori an-fusinaa, wamin sayyi aati a’maalinaa. May- Yahdillahu fa huwal muhtad, wa may- yudlill falan tajidaa lahu waliyan murshida. Wa ash-hadu an Laa ilaaha ill-Alláh, wahdahoo laa shareeka lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhoo warasooluh”¬

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, is truly guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – be aware of Allah, with correct awareness, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, and speak a straightforward word. He will forgive your sins and repair your deeds. And whoever takes Allah and His Prophet as a guide, has already achieved a mighty victory.

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;? Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Last Friday our khutbah dealt with Prophet Muhammad’s encounter with some remarkable Christians in the early days of his mission. We reminded ourselves that, despite many centuries of rivalry and conflict, there’s always been a deep spiritual connection Christians and Muslims,

The trouble is that most people don’t handle complexity so easily. We like to keep things simple, sometimes too simple. We like to put things in neat little boxes, good and bad, right and wrong. We like to categorise other people as friends or enemies, good people or bad people. It’s much harder to appreciate the subtle and many faceted aspects of human nature.

Today’s khutbah is about how we can try to deal with complexity.

A person may have one or two bad habits, but that doesn’t necessarily make for a completely bad person. It’s so easy to oversimplify things and to end up with a completely wrong and distorted conclusion. Someone may have been rude or angry with us for a few moments, and we might judge that person by just that one brief encounter. We may forget the 99% of good things that person does at other times.

Let’s consider our own behaviour. We may think of ourselves good Muslims, public spirited, ever willing to help others with a smile. But on some rare occasions we might behave completely out of character. In some exceptional moments of anger, fear, frustration or temptation, we might do things that we later regret. We might slip from our normal high standards and fall into behaviour that, afterwards, we might feel deeply ashamed of. Would it be right for people to judge us on the basis of those momentary lapses? Wouldn’t we all expect some fairness, some balance and perspective? Wouldn’t we want our judges to overlook our brief lapses and to consider the many, many good deeds we do for most of the time?

The truth is that every human being has at least the potential to be extremely good, and extremely bad. It’s the repetition of good or bad deeds that grows into habits, and those habits shape our character. Our character ultimately decides our destiny. Whether we arrive at a high place in Allah’s Garden, or whether we suffer the endless pain in that hotter place down below, that is for Allah alone to decide. Allah is the best of judges.

Sura Al-Teen reminds us in these eloquent words:

“By the Fig and the Olive, (1) And the Mount of Sinai, (2) And this City of security? (3) We have indeed created man in the best of moulds, (4) Then do We abase him (to be) the lowest of the low? (5) Except those who believe and do righteous deeds: for they shall have a reward unfailing. (6) Then what can, after this, contradict you; as to the Judgment (to come)? (7) Is Allah not the wisest of Judges? (8)”

Brothers and sisters, Sura Al-Teen reminds us that Allah created us in the very best of forms, the most excellent of all His creation. Then it warns us that unless we have faith in Him, and do good deeds, we risk falling to the lowest of the low. Only Iman and ‘amilus saalihaat, only faith and good actions can save us from a very bad ending. That’s the key. The reward from Allah never fails, and never ends. Only Allah has the complete picture. Only Allah can judge with absolute fairness and justice.

We should all humbly admit our human limitations. When in doubt about someone’s behaviour, always give it the best interpretation. Surely, you would like others to give you the benefit of any doubt. So, why not do the same to them? Treat people as if you expect good from them. It’s human nature to try to live up to someone’s high expectations, when they think highly of us. Allah thinks highly of us. He expects us to be good to others. So let’s try to live up to Allah’s expectations. Let’s not disappoint Him.

“Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim.Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Allah and His angels send greetings on Prophet Muhammad, O you who believe, send greetings on him, and salute him with a worthy salutation! O Allah, send peace on Muhammad and his family, just as you sent peace on Abraham and his family. O Allah, send blessings on Muhammad and his family, just as you sent blessings on Abraham and his family. In both worlds, You are Praiseworthy and Exalted.

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

A well-known Scholar tells this story. Once on a journey, his caravan was attacked by some robbers. The robbers quickly seized all their possessions then started eating their food. But he noticed that their leader wasn’t eating. The gang leader just stood by, watching his men. So, the scholar walked up to him and asked why he wasn’t eating with his men. “Because I’m fasting,” said the leader. “You’re fasting, and you rob people? What a contradiction!” “Yes,” came the reply. “I may be a robber and I may be full of sins, but I still want to keep a door open to Allah.”

Just think about that, brothers and sisters, in the midst of his sinful behaviour, this leader of a gang of thieves still fasts while he robs people. He keeps a door open to Allah!

Years later, the Sheikh tells us that he was making tawaaf around the Kaaba, when he recognised the same man again, this time gang leader is also making tawaaf. As he moved closer, he heard the man making the most passionate and heartfelt duah for mercy and forgiveness… such a beautiful duah that he had never heard before!

What do we learn from this, my dear sisters and brothers? We learn that no matter how low we may have fallen in our behaviour, we must always keep open a door to Allah. Continue to pray and continue to fast, even when you’ve done something wrong. Pray and fast especially when you’ve done something wrong. Shaytaan will tell you that it’s hypocrisy, that only good people pray and fast. Shaytaan will tell you that it’s too late, you’re too bad, you’ve had too many chances, you’ve done too many sins and there’s no hope for you. But ignore him. Allah is ready to forgive a mountain of sins with an even bigger mountain of forgiveness. We must never despair of Allah’s capacity to forgive.

Never despair of Allah’s mercy. He forgives anything except that we should associate partners with him.

Those who’ve read the seerah literature will remember the story of the Abyssinian slave, Wahshy ibn Harb who was responsible for killing the Prophet’s uncle, Hamza, in the battle of Uhud. This caused Prophet Muhammad indescribable pain and grief. Yet such was our noble Prophet’s character, that he later sent several messages to Wahshy ibn Harb inviting him to Islam. Each time the man refused, knowing what pain and suffering he must have caused the Prophet. Wahshi feared that his sins were unforgivable. Finally, rasool-Allah-sws sent him this verse from the Sura Al Zumar v 53:

“O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (Quran 39:53)

Remember, dear sisters and brothers, Islam offers a message of hope, not despair. Prophet Muhammad loved optimism, not pessimism. In the midst of all the darkness, fear and danger, there is Allah’s guiding light. Find it, grasp it and be guided by it.

My dear sisters and brothers,

What can we take away from our khutbah today? Don’t judge people by one or two faults. Think good of others, think good of yourself and constantly keep a door open to Allah. Keep up your prayers and fasting. And do good deeds, often, even if only small ones.

Let’s do something easy, simple and practical. I have a suggestion that almost anyone can do on a regular basis, where the results can be huge in relation to the effort.

Next time you go to the supermarket to buy your groceries, buy some extra bread, cheese and butter or margarine. Take these extra items to your local charity that feeds homeless people. There are charities for the hungry and homeless in every city. Make sure you are wearing a Hijab or a kufiyya/prayer cap, anything that distinguishes you as a Muslim. This is important. You’re doing this charity not to show off for yourself. You’re doing it for Allah and His Prophet sws. You want people to see that Muslims care about the poor and hungry. You don’t have to identify yourself personally. Don’t give anyone your name. It’s enough that people can see you as a Muslim feeding the poor.

Try doing this regularly: once a week, if you can afford it, or even just once a month.

You are following Prophet Muhammad’s advice to “feed the hungry” and you want people to see that this is a Muslim who is feeding the hungry, not just anybody. It’s important that people out there associate Muslims with something good. Allah knows, the media are doing a pretty good job of constantly associating us with bad news! This I believe is a very easy, simple and effective way of bringing immediate benefit to some of the poorest and most vulnerable people around us. That’s the main priority. As a by-product, it helps us to promote a better image of the Muslim community. Always remember why you are doing this. You’re doing this out of love and gratitude to Allah and His Prophet, not for yourself. You’re not doing it to massage your own ego.

Sadaqa (voluntary charity) is such an important principle. Prophet Muhammad advised us to give generously in charity. Everyone can give something, even the poor can give, even if it is just a date or half a date. It’s the principle of giving that matters most. Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that giving is only for the rich, and that we don’t have enough to give. If you think this way, then you really are poor! Poverty of the heart is the worst kind of poverty…. it suggests that you don’t trust Allah to provide for you. Give, and don’t fear that you won’t have enough for yourself. Allah will provide. When you give generously, even though your resources are modest, you’re showing Allah that you trust Him. Read Sura Talaq verses 2-3:

“Wamay-yattaqil laaha yaj’al-lahu makhraja. Wayar-zuqu min haythu la yahtasibu, wamay yatawakkal ‘alal-Laahi fahuwa hasbuhu, innal-Laaha baalighu amrihee qad’ja’alal-Laahu likulli shay-in qadaraa.”

“And for those who fear Allah, He always prepares a way out (2) And He provides for them from (sources) they never could imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish His purpose: truly, Allah has appointed a due proportion for all things.”

If you like, you can make a niyyah (intention) that this is for the benefit of some relative or friend who is sick, or it’s for your forthcoming exams, or for any other good reason. Allah will put barakah, blessings into your life and He will make easy and bearable whatever seems too difficult.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

“Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be reminded.”

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah

Christians and Muslims: The Other Story

Editors — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:31:37 +0000

Christians and Muslims: the other story

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/16^th March 2012

(to listen to this khutbah, or to download the audio version, please click here)

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

Al hamdu lillahi nahmaduhu wanasta’eenahu, wanastagh-firuhu, wanatoobu ilayhi, wana’oothu Billaahi min shuroori an-fusinaa, wamin sayyi aati a’maalinaa. May- Yahdillahu fa huwal muhtad, wa may- yudlill falan tajidaa lahu waliyan murshida. Wa ash-hadu an Laa ilaaha ill-Alláh, wahdahoo laa shareeka lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhoo warasooluh”

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – be aware of Allah, with correct awareness, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

In the verse I just quoted, the Holy Quran reminds us that we are all descended from common ancestors, we are all children of Adam and Eve, peace be on them. Yet there are still people who forget this, and who treat others with unbelievable hatred and contempt. In recent days, some Christians have been burning Qurans and some Muslims have been bombing churches and committing acts of mindless terror. They claim they are defending their religion and serving God. But each group is equally misguided. They’re just massaging their own bruised egos. Senseless violence between followers of one great religion and another has nothing to do with real faith.

Wars between Crusaders and Caliphates tell us more about the political rivalry for wealth and power between two civilizations. It tells us nothing about the spiritual connection that has always existed, very strongly, between believing Christians and believing Muslims.

In today’s khutbah I want to focus on this topic. Let’s look at three remarkable Christians to illustrate the intimate connection between the followers of Jesus and Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be on both of them. We can learn some important lessons from their stories.

They are Bahira, Waraqa and Najashi, the king, the Negus of Abyssinia.

Let’s begin with Bahira the Monk. As we know, Prophet Muhammad was an orphan. His father died before he was born, and his mother died just a few years later. So he was left in the care of his uncle Abu Talib. One day Abu Talib decided to take him along with a caravan to Syria. Along this route was a monastery. Bahira, a Christian monk lived there.

As the caravan approached, Bahira noticed a small cloud was shading it from the sun, in an otherwise cloudless sky. When the caravan stopped by a tree, the cloud also stopped. This tree, by the way, is still alive, subhanallah! It’s still there. It’s the only tree, in fact the only vegetation of any kind, for more than 100 miles in any direction, between Jordan and Syria. This tree stands all alone in the empty desert, the last living sahaba, the last living entity still connected with our beloved Prophet, sws

Bahira invited the travellers to a meal, and after examining the boy Muhammad closely he recognised the mark of prophet-hood on his back. He advised Abu Talib to take good care of him, because his own people would seek to harm him.

Our story goes fast-forward to a mountain cave near Makka and Muhammad is now a man of 40. He often comes here to meditate, but tonight, one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, a strange thing happens. Suddenly, the Angel Gabriel appears, and hugs Muhammad in a tight embrace, almost squeezing the life out of him, commanding him to read. He protests: I cannot read! I’m illiterate! But again and again he is commanded: Read! Until the first verses of the Holy Quran come forth from his lips:

“Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem! Iqra! Bismi Rabbikal lathee khalaq! Khalaqal insaana min ‘alaq. Iqra wa rabbukal akram; Al-lathee ‘al lama bil qalam, ‘alamal insaana ma lam ya’alam”

In the name of Allah, the All- Merciful, the All-Compassionate.
READ! In the name of thy Lord Who created, (1) Created man from a clot of blood. (2) Read: And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous, (3) Who teaches by the pen, (4) Teaches man that which he knew not

This was the beginning of Muhammad’s assignment as God’s last Prophet. Gripped by fear and dread, he rushed home to his wife, Khadija, pleading, “Cover me, cover me!” He feared that he was losing his mind. But Khadija reassured him, saying “You always maintain family ties, always feed the poor and you stand by the downtrodden. Allah would never humiliate you or forsake you.” And where do you think she took him to find advice and consolation? To the rich and powerful, the grandees of Makka? No! She was rich and powerful herself. But she took him to her cousin, Waraqa, a poor man in failing health who was a Christian. He was old and losing his sight, but he reassured Muhammad that this event was foretold in earlier scripture. “If I lived long enough I would stand by you, even when your people turn against you,” said Waraqa. “Will my people turn against me?” asked Prophet Muhammad. Waraqa replied: “Never has a prophet brought what your will bring without his people turning against him.”

We are reminded here, that Abraham, Noah, Moses and Jesus all met with ingratitude and violent rebellion from their own people, the very people who needed to be saved from themselves. Doesn’t that sound familiar? People of faith are always resisted by their own people who prefer to worship the false idols of power, greed and vanity.

Here’s another example of a great Christian of the time,The king, the Negus of Abyssinia, who protected a small group of Muslims from persecution from their own tribe, the Qureish of Makka.

As soon as Prophet Muhammad started preaching his message, he made enemies, lethal enemies. He called on people to worship the One God of Abraham and Moses and Jesus, not the many idols, 360 idols of wood and stone adorning the kaaba. This was bad for business. Imagine someone preaching against capitalism and consumerism in Trafalgar Square! Not quite the same earth-shaking message, but imagine! Prophet Muhammad urged people to stop burying alive their baby daughters, for the strong to stop oppressing the weak, for the tribes to stop genocidal warfare. He was calling for change, radical change, and his enemies, sensing a threat to their power and authority, started torturing and killing his followers.

Islam was now in mortal danger.

So as a precaution, Prophet Muhammad sent a small group to Abyssinia/ Ethiopia. “There you will find a just and tolerant Christian ruler who will protect you,” he assured them. These were the world’s first Muslim Asylum seekers, given protection by a Christian king in Africa, 1,400 years ago! Today, Good Christians in Britain and Europe are still following this noble tradition, taking care of asylum seekers who fear persecution in their own countries!

What about Muslim hospitality towards Christians?

While he was the Governor of Madinah, Prophet Muhammad received a delegation of Christians from Najran in Southern Arabia. When it was time to pray, they had no place to pray, so he invited them into his mosque and allowed them to pray in there.

My dear brothers and sisters! How many of us Muslims will do that today? How many mosques anywhere in the Muslim world, will offer their Christian neighbours that courtesy exemplified by our own Prophet?

Here at Royal Holloway University, in a few weeks time when students write their exams, we’ll have to do our Friday prayers in another hall. For years, we’ve used the Jurgens Centre at exam time. The Jurgens Centre belongs to the local Catholic Church. Remember that. We Muslims do our Friday prayers in a hall owned by the Catholic Church. 1400 years after the Najran Christians prayed in Prophet Muhammad’s mosque, Christians in Englefield Green are returning the favour!

When believers of any faith treat believers of another faith with kindness and respect, they are also showing a courtesy to God, to Allah.

My dear sisters and brothers, let’s remember the Golden Rule, the Ethic of Reciprocity: Nabi Isa, Jesus saidl “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” 600 years later, Prophet Muhammad expressed the same message in different words. He said that we are not believers until we desire for others what we desire for ourselves.

“Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim.Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Allah and His angels send greetings on Prophet Muhammad, O you who believe, send greetings on him, and salute him with a worthy salutation! O Allah, send peace on Muhammad and his family, just as you sent peace on Abraham and his family. O Allah, send blessings on Muhammad and his family, just as you sent blessings on Abraham and his family. In both worlds, You are Praiseworthy and Exalted.

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

The Islamic Calendar, the Hegira, began when Prophet Muhammad evaded assassination in Makka and migrated to Madinah. Jews, Christians and Muslims welcomed him as their new leader. They eagerly awaited his first speech, his first sermon, khutbah. It was short, eloquent, and powerful.

He summed up the entire teaching of Islam in one short sentence:

“Spread salaam (peace), feed the hungry; pray for a part of the night and you will enter paradise.” (Hadith)

That’s all… That’s what Islam is all about: Spreading peace between people, feeding the poor, thanking our generous Provider every night, and hoping for his good pleasure.

A few years ago my wife and I visited the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. In the middle of the Sinai desert we found Mount Sinai, where Moses received the 10 Commandments. At the foot of the mountain is the ancient St Catherine’s Monastery. We were amazed to find a mosque inside this monastery. We were also amazed to find that local Muslim Arabs have been coming to the monastery every day, for over 1,400 years, to knead the dough and bake the bread there, side by side, with Coptic Christian monks.

But the monks showed us something even more amazing. High up on a wall is a gold-framed Charter of Privileges to the Christians. It is written in Arabic, and it is signed by Prophet Muhammad, with the seal of his ring imprinted in red wax. The one we read was a copy, as the original Charter is in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul. It reads:

This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them.
Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.
The Muslims are to fight for them.
If a female Christian is married to a Muslim it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.
Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).

This charter of privileges has been honoured and faithfully applied by many Muslim regimes throughout the centuries. Imagine that! Despite wars between Crusaders and Caliphates, Christians were safe here, making bread and breaking bread with local Muslims. There’s a powerful message for our troubled world today.

Those who ‘spoil God’s Covenant’ and disobey clear instructions from Prophet Muhammad will have to answer to Almighty Allah. Let us therefore show respect and love for fellow believers among the ‘People of the earlier Scriptures.’ This is what Allah commands us to do, and for more than 14 centuries, Prophet Muhammad’s letter has reminded us of this Covenant.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah

Why Allah sent Prophets and Messengers

Editors — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:31:41 +0000

Khutbah on Prophets and Messengers

Be as kind as Muhammad sws

Editors — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:04:20 +0000

by Ali Joheri

courtesy of www.islamicity.com

The Prophet Muhammad taught love, kindness and compassion to his people, and was seen to be the most loving, kind, and compassionate of all of them. The Quran mentions his kind and gentle behavior in these words: “O Messenger of Allah! It is a great Mercy of God that you are gentle and kind towards them; for, had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would all have broken away from you” (Quran 3:159).

There are many instances that show his kindness and gentleness, especially to the weak and the poor. Anas, who was his helper, said: “I served Allah’s Messenger for ten years and he never said to me, ‘Shame’ or ‘Why did you do such-and-such a thing?’ or ‘Why did you not do such-and-such a thing?’” (Bukhari, 2038).

Once he said to his wife: “0 ‘A’ishah! Never turn away any needy man from your door empty-handed. 0 ‘A’ishah! Love the poor; bring them near to you and God will bring you near to Him on the Day of Resurrection”. He also went much further on to say: “Seek me among your weak ones, for you are given provision, or you are given help only by reason of the presence of your weak ones”. (Rahman, Encyclopedia of Seerah, VOL. VIII, p. 151) God Almighty is Kind, and the Prophet imitated Allah’s example in its perfection by showing kindness to his servants and all creatures without any regard for their beliefs, color or nationality. The Prophet said: “God is kind and likes kindness in all things” (Bukhari, 6601).

His heart ached within him at the corrupt state of his fellow-Meccans and their rejection of One God. The Holy Quran testifies to it in these words: “0 Muhammad, you will, perhaps, consume yourself with grief because the people do not believe” (Quran 26:3). In Surah Kahf, we read: “Well, 0 Muhammad, it may be that you will kill yourself for their sake out of sorrow if they do not believe in this Message.” (Quran 18:6). And Surah Fatir says: “So let not your life be consumed in grief for their sake.” (Quran 35:8).

He took a great interest in the welfare of all people and had great compassion for people in trouble. The Prophet Muhammad imitated the attributes of God par excellence and translated them into practice in the highest form possible for man. Kindness is an attribute of Allah, which has no limits. It is extensive and encompasses all things and all beings without discrimination. Likewise was the kindness of the Prophet. He extended it to all beings, both animate and inanimate and benefited all without measure. The Quranic words for the Prophet’s kindness, ra’ufun rahirn (Quran 9:128) are very intensive and comprehensive in meaning and convey the true nature and extent of the Prophet’s kindness to people. The Prophet said: “One of the finest acts of kindness is for a man to treat his fathers’ friends in a kindly way after he has departed” (Abu dawud, 5123)

The issue of treating friends well was also extended to include relations: “He who wishes to have his provision enlarged and his term of life prolonged should treat his relatives well” (Bukhari, 5985). He emphasized on this matter because he deeply held the view that “Only kindness prolongs life, and a person is deprived of provisions for the faults he commits” (Ibn Majah). Bahz b. Hakim, on his father’s authority, said that his grandfather told him that he had asked Allah’s Messenger to whom he should show kindness and that the Prophet had replied: “Your mother.” He asked who came next and he replied: “Your mother.” He asked who came next and he replied for the third time: “Your mother.” He again asked who came next and he replied: “Your father, then your relatives in order of relationship” (Abu dawud, 5120). He dwelled on the issue of treating orphans humanely as he stated that “The best house among the Muslims is one which contains an orphan who is well treated, and the worst house among the Muslims is one which contains an orphan who is badly treated” (Ibn Majah, 3679). This means that the Prophet cautioned his followers against general maltreatment of anyone regardless of his status. By extending good treatment from friends to relatives and now to neighbors, Prophet Muhammad was intent in making all humans interdependent as he emphasized in the following words: “All creatures are Allah’s dependants, and those dearest to God are the ones who treat His dependants kindly” (Rahman, VOL VIII, p. 154). He emphasized the kind treatment of women again and again in his speeches:

Treat women kindly, since they are your helpers; . . . you have your rights upon your wives and they have their rights upon you. Your right is that they shall not allow anyone you dislike to enter your bed or your home, and their right is that you should treat them well. (from the Farewell Sermon of the Prophet)

Once a number of women complained to the Prophet’s wives about their ill-treatment by their husbands. On hearing of this, the Prophet said: “Such persons among you are not good persons.” (Abu Dawud, 1834). This condemnation by the Prophet himself was an indication that no one will be accepted before God who, while on earth, decided to be unkind to women. Another person said to the Prophet: “0 Messenger of Allah! My relatives are such that although I cooperate with them, they cut me off; I am kind to them but they ill treat me.” The Prophet said this in reply: “So long as you continue as you are, God will always help you and He will protect you against their mischief” (Muslim, 4640). This was not only a way of bringing comfort to the mind of the worried person but one of the communicative techniques of the Prophet to assure who ever found himself in that situation to look up to God to be consoled and protected. So it was pointless to preach vengeance to this kind of people suffering from this similar fate. Indeed, Prophet Muhammad was nothing short of a competent counselor.

He was always counseling people to be goodhearted regardless of their sex, age or gender. Once Asma bint Abu Bakr’s mother, who was still an unbeliever, came to see her in Madinah. She told this to the Prophet and said: “My mother has come to see me and she is expecting something from me. May I oblige her?” The Prophet said: “Yes, be kind to your mother” (Muslim, 2195). This attitude of the Prophet was equally extended to Zainab as-Saqafia, the wife of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud and an Ansari woman. She went to see the Prophet and to inquire whether it would be a charity if they spent something on their husbands and on the orphans under their care. The Prophet said: “They will get a two-fold reward, one for kindness towards their relatives and the other for charity” (Bukhari, 1466).

There are many Ahadith concerning his kindness to animals, birds and insects: “God prescribed kindness towards everything; so when you slaughter any animal, slaughter it well; when you sacrifice, make your sacrifice good. And let everyone sharpen his weapon and make it easy for his sacrificed animal” (Muslim, 5055). He made this kind of statement to demonstrate his love for both humans and animals. In essence, Prophet Muhammad was equally showing his followers that he too is feels pain.

Source: Prophet Muhammad Leadership

Education

Editors — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:53:22 +0000

By Ihsaan Bassier, a high-school student

(This khutbah is reproduced with the kind permission of the Main Road Mosque, Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa) 13th January 2012.

One of the most important distinctions between humans and animals is the human ability to reason and the human capacity for innovation. Therefore, as the New Year begins – some of us grudgingly into yet another year of school, some for the umpteenth time into a job, and others at a loss as to the future – I’d like to reflect on the importance of that human ability and capacity: which we call knowledge, from a contemporary Islamic perspective.
Before I deal with my topic directly, I would like to provide a context for my reflections.

Knowledge over the past decade has been revolutionised, in primarily three ways. Firstly, with practically omnipotent internet, constant media coverage and vibrant social networks, access to information is simply a button away. Secondly, there is immense emphasis on the value of knowledge, through patronage by governments, markets and every imaginable institution. And then, thirdly, NGOs, technology and globalisation have created abundant opportunities to spread this knowledge.

When considering the enormity of these three changes, we realize that we are in arguably the most capable and adept position historically.

With this context in mind, I suggest two duties that we should be mindful of as Muslims. One is from a personal perspective and the other from a social one.

On a personal level, there is absolutely no excuse for ignorance and bigotry.

With such widespread access to information, we are easily exposed to a spectrum of opinions and viewpoints. Yet, whenever something that we perceive to be cardinal to our beliefs is challenged, we throw up retaliatory mental fortresses.

We need to each ask ourselves what our responses are when we are challenged with alternative arguments, perhaps regarding the validity of one or other hadith, or our religious justification of women’s status, or our eating habits and the concept of halal or permissible food. Too often, we tend to dismiss the contrary views and interpretations of others without stepping back for a serious moment’s introspection.

Denying the possibility that something may contain truth, however absurd, is arrogance or kibr and is regarded by Islam as one of the worst sins.

However, the duty to engage extends beyond having a passive open mind-set. We should use our knowledge to actively challenge and engage others in constructive debate and discussion. This is especially important in circumstances where we may be witness to the perpetration of an injustice.

Justice, for me, is the most important principle of Islam: it is the ultimate goal of everything we do. This is affirmed by the weekly Qur’anic benediction from Surah al-Nahl, chapter 16, verse 90, we conclude with at the end of every jum`uah wherein we are commanded to enact justice and to stop oppression.

“Allah commands justice, the doing of good,

and giving generously towards one’s family.

He forbids indecency, manifest evil, and oppression.

He exhorts you so that you may be mindful.”

Often, though, I find that when I witness an injustice I hesitate to step in, questioning the appropriateness of the timing or fearing a negative response.

We need to remember that upholding justice is difficult, but it is a duty incumbent on the conscientious Muslim. It takes courage and great wisdom.

An inspiring example of the use of knowledge to stand up for justice is recorded in the following story from the khilaphate of Sayyidina `Umar.

It is reported that `Umar, the second Rightly- Guided Caliph, was once standing on the pulpit delivering a khutbah, severely reprimanding the people and ordering them not to set excessive amounts of dower (mahr) at the time of marriage. A woman who was attending the jumuàh service on hearing `Umar’s sermon got up and objected by saying, “O `Umar, you have no right to intervene in a matter on which Allah the All-Mighty has already decreed in Quran.` Then she proceeded to quote verse 20 of Surah-al-Nisa, chapter of 4 of the Glorious Qur’an:

وَإِنْ أَرَدْتُمُ اسْتِبْدَالَ زَوْجٍ مَكَانَ زَوْجٍ وَآَتَيْتُمْ إِحْدَاهُنَّ قِنْطَارًا فَلَا تَأْخُذُوا مِنْهُ شَيْئًا أَتَأْخُذُونَهُ بُهْتَانًا وَإِثْمًا مُبِينًا

“If you intend to replace one wife by another and you have given one of them a Qintar (of gold, i.e., a great amount as Mahr bridal money), take not the least bit of it back; would you take it wrongfully without a right and (with) a manifest sin?” (V.4:20)

After being reminded of this Quranic verse, `Umar withdrew his order, saying,

“I am in the wrong and a woman is correct.”

In the most public of forums (the masjid), under the judgemental gaze of a patriarchal community and against the most revered of sources, a woman cast aside her fears and stood up for justice. That is something we should all strive towards.

The second duty that we should be mindful of as conscientious Muslims is that it is incumbent on those who have knowledge, to share and spread this knowledge.

The information society of today makes the spreading of knowledge so much easier than before. The Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) is reported to have said :

“The best charity is that of one who learns knowledge and later teaches it to another.”

Giving someone knowledge empowers them in every facet of their lives.

Let us all make a habit of regularly sharing our skills, insha-Allah

I began this Khutbah by quoting a verse from the Qur’an:
هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ

“Say: ‘Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?

It is those who are endowed with understanding that receive admonition.’”
May we all realise the importance of knowledge and make the decision to spread it.

May we take full advantage of our opportunities and circumstance, so that we may ultimately use it to benefit our community.

Second Khutbah

Apparently I am at a stage in which I can offer advice, what with having experienced a whole 11 years of school. I’m a bit nerdish, so can’t speak for most. But, for those at school, here are a few suggestions:

Firstly, this period is the easiest in which to create your future.

While most follow the mundane setwork, those who pursue a passion or grab at opportunities stand out. There are so many companies and competitions that throw thousands of rands at every glimmer of promise in the most obscure of fields.

Your talent doesn’t need to be conventional at all – explore the so called weird, interesting ideas and hobbies. So pick a speciality. Get really good at it. Own it. And be curious about it.

Secondly, get your timing right. Come exam-time, study like it’s an obsession.

But otherwise, focus on that speciality area or your personal hobbies. Take up a sport or instrument, join a society.

We have so many opportunities – to learn, to influence and to create change.

We can walk right into the headmaster’s office at any moment, if only we had the guts to do so.

We all want to leave an impression beyond our scuffed textbooks: Even our most creative visions just need a bit of time. Take that time to develop yourself and your school into what you want.

Lastly, from what I’ve heard, this is the best period of our lives.

University allows zero respite, and work is hell. So enjoy these years. There’s plenty of time for enough crazy teenage fun, as well as productive hobbies and schoolwork.

Please join in me in a supplication to our All-Knowing God:

May this year, for those at school and otherwise, be productive and full of success.

May we always be cognizant of our duties as Muslims while pursuing our endeavours.

And may we be gifted with a thirst for some of those endeavours to be Spiritually aimed.

(Rabbana zidna ilma)
O God, increase us in knowledge.

رَبَّنَا آَتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآَخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

“Our Lord, grant us goodness in this life,

as well as goodness in the hereafter,

and protect us from the torment of fire

http://www.cmrm.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=629:khutbah-january-13-2012-ihsaan-bassier&catid=46:khutab&Itemid=778

Christians need protection, not persecution

Editors — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:05:33 +0000

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

There has been an appalling rise in violence against Christians in some Muslim countries. Churches have been set on fire, some Christians have been accused of blasphemy and some have been attacked in the most brutal manner. This violence must stop. It is cruel, inhumane, unjust and it is totally against the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad sws. If you look to our prophetic role model, you will see that he not only treated followers of the earlier scriptures, the ahle kitaab, [people of the Book] with the utmost respect, but he also urged his followers to do the same. Prophet Muhammad sws guaranteed the protection of other religions under Muslim rule. In a well known Hadith he said that anyone who kills a dhimmi, that is, a non-Muslim living in a Muslim land, he will not even smell the fragrance of paradise. The bigot and the zealot are deluded, believing they are doing a service to Islam by harming others, when in fact they do the work of Shaitaan. The true believer, the servant of the All Merciful, suffers from no such delusions. The true believer knows that Allah chooses to guide whom He pleases, and He leaves to stray whom He pleases. The true believer enjoys inner peace, emotional maturity and spiritual generosity. The true believer respects others, cares for others’ wellbeing. The true believer is the one in whom all of mankind will find a sanctuary, a safe haven, for their lives and property. In another hadith Prophet Muhammad said that

“A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hands other Muslims are safe. A Mu’min (true believer) is one in whom all mankind has a sanctuary for life and property”

Let us then try to be servants of the All Merciful. Let us follow the true path of the Prophetic Sunnah, and stay away from the crooked path of Shaitaan, who will constantly urge us to harm others in the name of Islam.

Prophet Muhammad had so much respect for Christians that he once offered a delegation from Najran to do their prayers in his mosque! How many of us Muslims today will follow that Sunnah? How many mosques anywhere in the Muslim world will allow Christians to pray there? Yet there are so many good examples of Christians showing Muslims kindness and hospitality. So many Jumu’ah prayers would not be possible, here and elsewhere, without the help of a local church or church hall. Right here at Royal Holloway University, we often use the Jurgens Centre, which belongs to the local Catholic Church. They have never refused us a Jumuah, or Eid prayer, whenever the hall was available. Should we then not at least speak out firmly against any injustice that is done to Christians in Muslim lands? I hope that Muslims everywhere will do their best to stop violence against Christians and other faith communities. We should utterly condemn any atrocities committed in the name of Islam, and we should offer no excuses for these criminal acts.

We must remember that when we protect people of other faiths we are not just doing an optional act of generosity or demonstrating so called ‘religious tolerance’ on our part. It’s really an Islamic duty, a clear imperative supported by the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah.

Let us examine what the Quran has to say about respecting Christians and followers of the Jewish faith:

“La ikraha fid deen”

“Let there be no compulsion in matters of faith.” Al Baqara (2:256)

“Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allāh and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve.” Al Baqara [2:62]

“And do not argue with the People of the Book unless it be in a way that is better, except with those of them who do wrong. But say, ‘We believe in the Revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you. Our God and your God is One; and it is to Him we submit (in Islam).’” Al Ankaboot (29:46)

“Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loves those who are just.” Quran Al Mumtahina 60:08

“Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

During the early years of Prophet Muhammad’s preaching in Makka, the Muslims suffered so much hatred and violence that a delegation was sent to Ethiopia. These were Islam’s first asylum seekers. They were welcomed by a just and generous Christian king, the Negus of Abyssinia who took care of them at a time when Islam faced mortal danger. Differences in faith did not matter. The king later became a Muslim.

An amazing document still exists today, signed by the Prophet’s own hand. This document is known as the ‘Charter of Privileges to the Christians’ and a facsimile is held in St Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai desert, in Egypt. The original document is in the Topkapi Museum, in Istanbul.

Here is a translation of the Charter of Privileges:

This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them.
Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.
The Muslims are to fight for them.
If a female Christian is married to a Muslim it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.
Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).

This charter of privileges has been honoured and faithfully applied by many Muslim regimes throughout the centuries. Those who ‘spoil God’s Covenant’ and disobey clear instructions from Prophet Muhammad will have to answer to Almighty Allah. Let us therefore show respect and love for fellow believers among the ‘People of the earlier Scriptures.’ This is what Allah commands us to do, and for more than 14 centuries, Prophet Muhammad’s letter has reminded us all of this Covenant.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah

This Friday khutbah was authored and delivered by Arshad Gamiet at the Royal Holloway University of London on 3rd Dec 2010

You are like a royal falcon

Editors — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:45:25 +0000

Khutbah

You are a Royal Falcon

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/Date 2011

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, with correct awareness, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Our human personality has two parts, a body and a spirit. The body as we know, comprises blood, flesh and bone that’s made of elements from the periodic table, the carbon, magnesium, calcium and iron; the solids, gases ond liquids of the earth. It’s therefore natural that our bodies are attracted to the earth, and we need food and water, earthly substance, for our good health and survival.

Our soul, our ruuh, on the other hand, is not made of earthly matter. It’s not from this world. It’s a little piece of heaven, a part of eternity, it’s the ‘breath of God, ’ something of Allah’s spirit that was inspired into us a few weeks before we were born. It’s not attracted to earthly things. It longs to be connected to heaven. Our soul, our ruuh, longs for Allah,

You and I are therefore constantly under the influence of two powerful magnetic forces. Our bodies are drawn to the earth and our souls long for heaven. Throughout our lives, we are tugged up and down, struggling to keep the balance. This is our human condition. This is how Allah made us.

When we lose the balance, that’s when things go wrong. We usually lose the balance in favour of dunya. Because we can’t see the soul, we sometimes forget it’s there. In fact, many people who have long forgotten or given up the spiritual dimension of life, seem to think that there is no spiritual life. They think that this earthly life is all that matters. Allah is well aware of this corrosive influence that material things have on the life of His servants, so he advises us in His noble Book. Read Sura Al-‘Imran 2:14:

“Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: Women and sons; Heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world’s life; but in nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (To return to),

The Quran was of course revealed over 1400 years ago so it speaks of horses and cattle instead cars, computers, gadgets and gizmos.

“Bal tu’ thiroonal hayaat ad dunya, wal aakhiratu khairu wa ab’qaa…”

“Behold, you love the life of this world. But the life to come is much more beautiful, and longer lasting…” Sura Al-Aalaa 87:16

The Holy Quran gently reminds us here, that we should not be distracted by the material things we see around us every day. What Allah provides in such great abundance is there for our sustenance, but we should take only what we need. We should remember that life is short. We came here with nothing. We leave here with nothing except for our record of deeds, good and bad. Don’t let the attractions of this world entrap our hearts so that we forget Allah and we forget our Day of meeting with Him.

The great mystical poet, Jalaaluddin Rumi, tells the story of a royal falcon that was caught by an old woman, The woman saw its long talons and huge wings, It didn’t look like her chickens, pigeons and canaries. So she took her scissors and clipped the falcon’s wings and talons. No longer able to fly, it was now was now a prisoner of the old woman.

Rumi tells us that this is how we behave when we act on poor knowledge. We damage the Fitra, the natural order of things around us, thinking that we are making improvements. We must follow the advice of Rasool-Allah sws who said:

“Seek knowledge, from the cradle to the grave. Seek knowledge, even unto China.”

If we act on sound knowledge, we can improve things without disturbing the natural order that Allah has set up. But there is another message in this beautiful story of the falcon and the old woman. How did the falcon fall under her control? Falcons have very keen eyesight. Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad tells us that in Rumi’s poem, we are like royal falcons, spreading our wings and able to soar through the heavens. This old woman represents the dunya, the life of this world. From a far distance, she looks like a beautiful maiden. She is very seductive. We are attracted to her by instinct, and by the time we realise our mistake it’s too late. She has clipped our talons and wings, and we cannot escape. This is how the life of this world entraps us, and corrupts our very soul.

Brothers and sisters, there’s a powerful message here. You and I are royal falcons. Our souls were created to soar like a majestic birds through the heavens and to find our place beside the throne of the King. Our place is with Allah, to live constantly in His Presence.

Remember the Hadith of Gabriel, Jibreel, alayhis salaam, when he asked Prophet Muhammad sws: what is ihsaan? What is excellence? And the answer came: “To worship Allah as if you can see Him; knowing that, even if you cannot see Him, surely, He sees you!”

Brothers and sisters, this is what Islam is all about. We mustn’t allow ourselves to be deceived by the attractions of this world. As Rumi would have said, Don’t allow yourself to be seduced by an old woman disguised as a young virgin. The life of this world can be very deceptive. What comes after this life is much more worthwhile and it endures forever.

“Bal tu’ thiroonal hayaat ad dunya, wal aakhiratu khairu wa ab’qaa…”

One thousand years ago Ibn Hazm al Andalusi wrote that whoever trades the dunya for the akhira is like someone who exchanges gemstones for gravel.

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

In Sura Al-Hadid (57;20) Allah warns us:

“Know ye (all), that the life of this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, (your) riches and children. Here is a parable: How rain and the growth which it brings forth, delight (the hearts of) the gardeners; soon it withers; you will see it grow yellow; then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But in the life to come is a severe punishment (for those who do wrong). And Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (His ridwaan) (for Allah’s devoted servants).. And what is the life of this world, but goods and chattels of deception?”

Let us keep things in perspective, my dear sisters and brothers. Allah has placed the whole world at our service, so that we can serve Him better. The world is not here for us to worship it’s many gifts. We should only take what we need, and we should use the rest for helping others, out of love and gratitude to our Generous Provider. That’s all.

Remember Jalaaluddin Rumi’s words. We are royal falcons. Beware the grip of the old woman, the life of this world, the dunya that seeks to trap us in her cage, to clip our talons and wings. We belong to the King, and our gaze must be fixed firmly on Him.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.” Ameen. Aqeemus salaah

Don’t spread rumours

Editors — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:02:23 +0000

Reflections on the Hajj

Editors — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:11:42 +0000

Short Khutbah

Reflections on the Hajj

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/Date 4 Nov 2011

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

“O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, with correct awareness, and die not except as Muslims.”

“Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

“O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, and speak a straightforward word. He will forgive your sins and repair your deeds. And whoever takes Allah and His Prophet as a guide, has already achieved a mighty victory.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

“O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.”`

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

At this very moment, millions of our brothers and sisters are about to complete the rituals of the Hajj, the most important journey in their lives. In this short khutbah I want to sum up a few key lessons for us all to remember about this momentous event. Hajj, the Pilgrimage to Makka, is an epic journey, a journey of a lifetime: It is also the summation of the dramatic story of our Faith, Islam.

It’s a journey that reminds us about our primordial human nature: Fitra. Fitra is our natural state, the way Allah made us. We were born innocent and pure, but we are infinitely distractible. It’s our human forgetfulness that leads us to sinful and shameful deeds.

But Hajj is also about Redemption, divine Mercy and Forgiveness. Hajj teaches us about sacrifice, about loving Allah more than anyone on anything else, just like Nabi Ibrahim, alayhis salaam, did. Prophet Abraham peace and blessings on him, was ready to sacrifice his own beloved son, Ismail alayhis salaam, and earned himself the honourable title of khaleel-Allah, the Friend of Allah.

Hajj takes us on a journey back through time, retelling the moral and spiritual history of humanity. We visit the Kaaba, the first place of worship, built before the first church, or temple, or synagogue. Here we find ourselves at the Baytul-Laah, the House of Allah. It is the home of Monotheism, the cradle of Tawheed,of Divine Unity. Here we walk around the geographical centre of Islam, the Kaaba, centre of our Islamic universe.

Our tawaaf symbolises effort, action, in a constant, circular motion, centred round a fixed and immovable idea of Unity: Tawheed. Unity of belief, Unity of purpose, amidst a diversity of opinions and different starting points. The great plain of Arafat becomes the stage for a dramatic role-play of the very beginning and the very end: Long before time and space existed, long before the ‘big bang’ 14 billion years ago, Allah created your soul and my soul and the souls of every human being that ever was and ever will be. Then He asked them to testify according to themselves, by declaring the First Shahaadah, the First Covenant. This was in the state of metaphysical or pre-Eternal Time. When Allah addressed the assembled gathering of human Souls, he asked them:

“Alasta bi Rabbikum?” “Am I not Your Lord?”

and they all answered together in one thunderous voice,

“Balaa shahidna”

“Yes, indeed, You are! we testify to this, so that we have no excuse on the Day of Judgement to say that we were not aware of this covenant.” [Sura Ar’af 7:172]

The great gathering on Arafat is also a dress rehearsal for the Day of Judgement, Yawmul qiy-yaamah. This is how the entire human race will one day stand before Allah, awaiting the Final Judgement. In our simple ihram clothes, we cannot distinguish anyone’s wealth and social status. No one can see who’s rich and who’s poor; the president, the billionaire, the taxi driver and the farmer all look exactly alike, just like Allah sees us. Allah is only concerned with who is best in their deeds. Who is best in their moral and ethical behaviour… this is what hayaat-ad-dunya, this earthly life, should really be all about: Preparing ourselves for the eternal life after death.

We come to Jabal Rahma: the Mount of Mercy, a low hill rising above the plain of ‘Arafat. Jabal Rahma signifies the central theme of atonement, forgiveness after we’ve acknowledged our sins and pleaded for Allah’s mercy. Here we follow the Adamic role model. Here we stand not simply as Muslims or Believers. Here we stand as Bani Adam, descendants of Adam and Eve. Here is where the first human beings sought forgiveness and this is where Allah forgave them:

“Rabbana zhalamna an fusina wa il-lam tagh-fir lana wa tar hamna lana koona minal khaasireen!” [7:23]

This is the same prayer of Nabi Adam, alayhis salaam, Adam and Eve, Allah’s peace and blessings on them both:

“Our Lord! We have truly wronged our own souls, and if You do not forgive us, we will truly be among the losers!”

Nabi Adam’s epic spiritual journey began from a state of fitra, primordial innocence, purity, and went through human forgetfulness and distraction to commit Sin. But Allah also gave him the ability to recognise his mistake, to regret, to be filled with remorse and to plead for forgiveness, and finally to earn redemption. All this is graphically, vividly recalled on the Hajj. Brothers and sisters, if you have not yet undertaken this blessed journey, make your intention, your niyyat, to do so, inshAllah, ASAP, as soon as possible.

Hajj is truly a journey of a lifetime. Hajj takes us not only on a journey tracing the spiritual history of Islam, it also symbolises the inward journey each and every one of us must undertake, to find our own centre, in the Kaaba of our heart. What desires, what emotions and passions are still circling, making tawaaf around our spiritual heart? The qalb is the locus of our personality. This is our real driving force. Let’s make sure that it is surrounded by loving thoughts of Remembrance of our most Beloved, Allah. It is only when we Remember Allah with love and gratitude that our hearts will ever find lasting peace and contentment.

“Al-latheena ‘aamanu, watat-ma-innul quloobuhum, bi dhikril-Laah. Alaa bi dhikril-Laahi tat-ma-innul quloob” [Sura al-Ra’d, 28]

“Those who Believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the Remembrance of Allah; for truly, in the Remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.”

Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.

Second Khutbah:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

Respected brothers and sisters,

We say we love Allah more than we love anyone or anything else. Do we really mean it? Do we really love Allah more than we love our families, more than our parents and children, more than our selfish egos? Really? Where’s the evidence? If we really love someone, there’s evidence. There’s phone calls, love poems, text messages and emails. Where’s the evidence of our love for Allah? Where’s the evidence that we’re constantly seeking His smiling Face, in our prayers, in our Dhikr, and in our lifelong good works?

Prophet Abraham, Nabi Ebrahim, alayhis salaam, had a dream in which he was offering his son Ismail as a sacrifice to Allah. He told his son about the dream, and both father and son, being so devoted to Allah, they both agreed and prepared to follow Allah’s will. But just as the sharpened knife was about to pierce the jugular vein, Allah put a sheep in Ismail’s place. Both father and son proved their love and obedience to Allah. They passed the acid test of sincerity, ikhlaas.

Let us not forget the powerful message here. It’s easy to say, I love Islam, I love Allah and Prophet Muhammad sws. Talk is cheap, but where’s the evidence?. Let us show that we truly love Allah, by coming forward to help with our money, our time and our talent to serve others, to make our neighbourhood, our city and our country a better place, a safer place for everyone. This is the real proof of love for Allah. Serve His creation. Be an agent of His mercy. Do good, as Prophet Muhammad (sws) advised.

“Spread Peace, feed the poor, pray a small part of the night and you will enter Paradise.” [Hadith]

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!

Keep good relations with relatives

Editors — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:46:43 +0000

Arson, Looting and Muslims

Editors — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:11:51 +0000

“We should always entertain the hope, the possibility that our worst enemies today could become our beloved brothers and sisters tomorrow…”

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/Date 19 August 2011

(You can listen to this khutbah here: )

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sal-lal-laahu ‘alayhi wa sal-lam, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Yaa ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, with correct awareness, and die not except as Muslims.

Yaa ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

In recent days, we’ve seen horrific scenes of arson, looting and mayhem on the streets of Britain. But out of the same chaos and confusion there has emerged some extraordinary examples of courage, generosity and wisdom. The mass media, which has become so accustomed to presenting Muslims in a bad light, could not ignore the huge public admiration for 2 Muslims in particular.

There was the Malaysian student who arrived in London only a month ago. He was attacked by thugs, left with a broken jaw and his belongings stolen by those very same people who pretended to help him. Despite his painful ordeal that was filmed and shared around the world, he wasn’t bitter, his admiration for this country was undiminished and he certainly didn’t want to go home yet. Interviewed in his hospital bed, he just said he felt very ‘sorry’ for his attackers, who were “so young,” He wasn’t thinking of himself, of his own pain. He wasn’t feeling sorry for himself. He didn’t wish his attackers any harm. This gentleness and generosity of spirit touched the hearts of millions. Within a few days, Facebook and Twitter raised £20,000 to help him fly his mother over to see him.

Meanwhile in Birmingham a very serious racial conflict was defused by a grieving father. Some of you may have followed this story. Tariq Jahan’s son was killed along with 2 brothers who were defending their property from rioters. A car was deliberately driven over them, killing all three. Muslims were very angry, and if Tariq Jahan gave way to his emotions at this crucial time then who knows what terrible violence would have followed. Anger and revenge between black and Asian neighbours was near breaking point. But Tariq Jahan is no ordinary man. He must have learnt from Prophet Muhammad’s sws advice:

“Do not become angry. Do not become angry. Do not become angry.” (Hadith)

In a time of unspeakable grief, he knew that his reaction would have far reaching consequences, immediately and in the long term, here and elsewhere. So this is what he said:

“Blacks, Asians, whites — we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? Why are we doing this? I’ve just lost my son. Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home — please!”

This heartfelt plea from a grieving father took everyone by surprise, especially people who feed on a diet of bad news about Muslims. Thousands responded on the internet and in newspapers. One person wrote: “I used to hate Muslims, but this grieving father’s words were so dignified, so persuasive and generous hearted, it moved me to tears. Now I’m ashamed of my hatred for them. I shall never hate Muslims again.”

Brothers and sisters, these words are as inspiring as they are humbling. They show us in a simple, practical way what we can achieve by not giving way to our anger, by not seeking revenge. Indeed, when we accept all the pain and loss that we suffer, simply as another test from Allah, then we are truly following the Straight Way, the siraat al mustaqeem.

What can we learn from the momentous events that swept Britain last week? Here are a few suggestions:

Don’t just give way to your anger in a crisis. It may be human to do so, but a real Muslim follows the Prophetic Sunnah, like Tariq Jehan did. Don’t get angry, don’t lash out. That only massages your bruised ego, your lower nafs. Do turn to your inner core, your pure heart, your qalb saleem, that you’ve trained so hard. Remember that Allah loves those who are patient and who persevere in times of hardship and distress. We know this from reading the Holy Quran in : Sura Al Baqara 2:153-6

“Ya ay yuhal latheena aamanus ta’eenu bis sabari was salaah. Innal laaha ma’as saabireen.”

“O you who believe! Seek help with patient perseverance and prayer; for Allah is with those who patiently persevere…”

Then the following verses continue:

“And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: ‘They are dead.’ No, they are living, although you cannot perceive them.”

Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits of your hard work, but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere,

Who say, when they are afflicted with a calamity: “Inna lil laahi wa inna ilayhir raaji oon! To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return”

“Ulaa ika ‘alayhim salawaatun min Rabbikum, wa Rahmah, wa ulaa ika humul muhtadoon.”

“They are those on whome [descend] blessings from Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance.”

Brothers and sisters, if you ponder over these verses, you might think that they were written especially for the grieving families in Birmingham. But such is the majesty and beauty of Allah’s Book, revealed over 14 centuries ago, that its guidance and its healing and mercy will nourish the souls of Believers everywhere and always, until the end of time. SubhaanAllah!

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

When we restrain our anger, when we wrestle with our lower nafs and we throw ourselves at the feet of Allah’s Mercy, some amazing things happen. The reward for showing our utter reliance on Allah has many unexpected consequences. One of the most surprising reports I read last week (UK Sunday Times 14^th August 2011) was that the racist (EDL) English Defence League’s leader was so moved by Tariq Jehan’s dignified example that he was going to ask all his members at their next meeting to hold a minute’s silence out of respect. Imagine that! At the beginning of the riots, reports were circulating that the EDL was planning arson attacks on mosques. We don’t know whether this is true or not. But a few days later, there’s a newspaper report that the EDL leader wants his followers to show some respect for the fallen Muslims in Birmingham. Allahu ‘alam! Allah knows best! Let us also remind ourselves that no matter how dire the situation, Allah can intervene in ways that we could never have hoped. Allah can change a heart from hatred to love in an instant. Allah has the key to all our hearts. Sura Al Anfal 8:24 reminds us that “Allah comes between a man and his heart…”

There are many who hate Muslims and who wish us harm. We should of course take sensible precautions to defend ourselves. But we should never forget that our enemies could one day become our brothers and sisters in faith. Never forget that Khaled ibn Walid, who bitterly fought the Muslims in the Battle of Badr, became the most famous military commander after Allah came between him and his heart. He conquered the Roman and Persian armies for Islam. Don’t forget Amr ibn al As, who led the Quraish delegation to Abyssinia. He tried unsuccessfully to persuade the King Najashi to return the first Muslim asylum seekers and to hand them over to their oppressors. Soon afterwards, Allah came between Amr and his heart. Amr conquered Egypt for Islam and built the fist mosque on the African continent in Al Fustat. And who can forget Sayyidna Omar, who hated Prophet Muhammad so bitterly that he unsheathed his sword and set out to kill our Nabi. But Allah came between him and his heart, and when he heard his sister reciting the opening verses of Sura Ta-Ha, his hard heart melted and this big, fearsome warrior was moved to tears. He actually took shahadah in front of Prophet Muhammad, still holding his sword in his hand, the same sword that was meant to kill our beloved Prophet!

What does all this mean, brothers and sisters? We all plan, but Allah is the best of planners. Don’t ever think that things out there are really as bad as they seem. Things could be a lot worse. Allah is completely in control of his entire creation. Slowly but surely, in ways we cannot always appreciate, Allah is fulfilling His Plan. We should never despair of Allah’s Mercy. Who knows… perhaps next Ramadan, some of those gangsters, rioters and former members of the EDL will be praying alongside us as our new brothers, for the taraweeh prayers! Who knows? Anything is possible for Allah. He has the key to unlock any heart! We should always entertain the hope, the possibility that our worst enemies today could become our beloved brothers and sisters tomorrow. This reminder is clearly given in Sura Al ‘Imran 3:103:

“Wa’tasimu bi hablil laahi jamee-aah…”

“And hold fast, all together, by the Rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and do not be divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, you became brothers; and you were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. This is how Allah makes His Signs clear to you: That you may be guided.”

My dear sisters and brothers, as we enter the last 10 days of Ramadan, the days of ‘freedom from hellfire,’ and the nights of laylatul Qadr, the Night of Power, let us reflect on the momentous events in our community. This is a crucial time for Muslims. There is some danger but there is also immense potential for good. This is no time for bruised egos, for settling old scores or for racial and tribal vendettas. Islam is too noble for such behaviour. Let us reach out to those who used to hate us and who now have doubts, so that we can share with them Allah’s beautiful message. The world is watching us. Let us become living examples of discipline, self control, humanity, mercy and Allah’s love. Let us pray that our three martyrs from Birmingham would not have died in vain. Let their example, and their fathers’ dignity at a time of unspeakable pain and grief, be an inspiration to Muslims and their neighbours all around the world. Great things happen in Ramadan. O Allah, let the tragedy in Birmingham become the key that unlocks the hearts of Islam-haters everywhere, so that their breasts can be opened Islam. Ameen!

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah

Empowering New Muslims

Editors — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:42:56 +0000

Khutbah

Empowering New Muslims

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/Date 2010

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, with correct awareness, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Every day, more and more people are taking Shahaadah. Some reports say that Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion. These studies don’t tell us how many actually stay Muslim for more than a year, or how many leave Islam feeling somewhat disillusioned.

What can we who are born into Islam, do to help those who have chosen Islam as their faith? What can we do to empower new Muslims? How can remove the obstacles from their path to Allah? How can we facilitate our new brothers and sisters’ journey to become full and productive members of the Ummah?

Firstly, let’s not rush things. Too often we try to be too helpful. You can’t teach someone in a few days, what took you a lifetime to learn. You have to do things step by step, Priorities first. Allah urges us in Sura 16:125:

“Ud’oo ila sabeeli Rabbiki, wa mow-‘idatul hasanah…”

“Invite (others) to the Way of your Lord, with wisdom and beautiful speech.” The key here is wisdom, and beautiful speech…

What does this mean in practice? Here are some of my thoughts, based on my own humble observations and experience:

Keep things simple. Islam is not a complicated religion with confusing dogmas and practices. The kalima shahadah can literally be summarised on the 5 fingers of one hand. It’s putting those universal principles into practice that’s the hard part. And the most important thing to remember is there’s a big difference between Islam and Culture. Islam and our ethnic, national or tribal culture is not one and the same thing.
Islam is a universal set of moral and ethical principles that fit into every time and place. Muslim cultures reflect ethnic, geographical and historical influences at different times and places. Don’t confuse the two. For example, forced marriages, the oppression of women, so-called ‘honour killings’ have nothing to do with Islam. These are pre-Islamic tribal practices that Islam came to destroy. Don’t impose your own cultural excess baggage on your new brother or sister.
New Muslims want to know how best to serve Allah within their own capacity and limitations. Make it easy, keep it simple. Our new sisters and brothers can keep their original names. They shouldn’t alienate their family and friends. On the contrary, ties of blood and friendship must strengthen and rise to a higher, more meaningful level, illuminated by love of Allah.
A word about our dress code. There’s no such thing as ‘Islamic’ clothing. Any modest, clean, attractive, unostentatious clothing will do. Again, don’t confuse Islam with Muslim cultures. Becoming a Muslim is not like coming to a fancy-dress party. Tell them it’s perfectly halaal for them to continue to wear their usual Western clothing, as long as the clothes aren’t showy or provocative. Ethnic dress code is an option, not an obligation. Remember that. To dress yourself up like a wannabe Arab or wannabe Pakistani doesn’t make you a better Muslim..
A good Muslim personality is constructed from the inside, not from the outside. It begins with the right attitude, the right disposition of the heart… When the attitude is right and the qalb, the spiritual heart is sound, everything else, including the Hijabs, niqabs, burqas, beards, thobes and turbans may (or may not) take care of themselves later… Let’s always keep our sense of perspective, and remember our priorities.
From cultural baggage to ideological baggage. Don’t try to make new Muslims into loyal Salafis or Sufis. Don’t try to turn them into pukka Deobandis, Barelwis, Wahhabis, Hisbut Tahriris, Militant Jihadis or Tablighi Jamaatis, Shia-hating Sunnis or Sunni-hating Shias. Islam a simple, universal faith with an inclusive ethos. Diversity is celebrated and not feared. Being a Muslim means to be at peace with oneself and one’s Creator, to be at peace with all of Allah’s creation both inwardly and outwardly.
Sow an action, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character, sow a character and reap a destiny. Remind yourself and your new Muslim sister and brother, that Prophet Muhammad (sws) preferred small, repeated acts of kindness to the grand gestures that are done occasionally. Grand gestures are often just for show. Small, repeated good deeds build real sound character and help to polish the heart, cleaning it and removing moral and spiritual pollution.
Teach your new Muslim sister and brother to be inclusive, not exclusive. Don’t become judgemental. Allah is the best of judges. He alone knows the secrets of all hearts. Urge new Muslims to be merciful, with themselves and with others. Allah is Ar-Rahmaan, The All-Merciful, first and foremost. His last Prophet (sws) was sent as a Mercy to all the Worlds: “Wa maa arsal naaka il-laa Rahma tul-lil-Aalameen, (We have not sent you [O Muhammad] but as a Mercy to all the Worlds.”
Any manifestation of Islam that lacks mercy becomes a serious danger, as Allah warns us in Sura 43: Al Zukhruf, The Inner Apartments: “And whoever turns himself away from the remembrance (dhikr) of al-Rahman (The Compassionate), We appoint for him a shaitan (a satan), so he becomes his close companion (and associate). And most surely they (the satans) turn them away from the path, though they (the people) persistently imagine that they are rightly guided….” (Qur’an 43:36-37)…” Let us all try to become the friends, the awliyaa of Allah, not the awliyaa of Shaitaan.
This leads to the next point: If anyone became ‘Muslim’ in order to ‘wage a war on the kufaar’ they’ve made the wrong decision and you can’t help them at all. They’ve come to Islam for the wrong reason, or they’ve come to the wrong religion. Tell them that the world is like it is because of human failings, brought on by ignorance of Allah’s message or in defiance of Allah’s will. Yet everything happens with Allah’s permission. We can only put things right with hard work, justice tempered with mercy, and at all times showing patient perseverance, “Innal-laaha ma’as saabireen.” Allah is with those who patiently persevere. Whatever we do, we have to work strictly within the moral and ethical limits decreed by the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah. We’ve heard the saying, “Desperate times calls for desperate measures.” This reaction belongs to the realm of secularists and Hollywood movies, not for God-fearing Muslims. Islam is not a religion for desperados. A Muslim who relies totally on Allah will be rewarded by a heart filled with ridhaa’, a serene acceptance of whatever Allah has decreed, good or bad. When we cultivate a sense of utter reliance on Allah, we will realize with absolute certainty, yaqeen, that Allah’s help is always near. “Innal-laaha nasral-laahi Qareeb.” In time, this inward struggle will be rewarded with sakeena, a deep sense of inner peace, serenity, confident that despite the chaotic and confusing appearance of the world outside, we must remain calm on the inside. Allah is in complete control. Sakina is the prize for trusting Allah completely.

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

We are talking about empowering new Muslims. One final point I’d like to discuss is about Da’wah: calling others to Islam. There are many individuals and groups up and down the country feverishly working on this project.

One of my main worries about the current pervasive enthusiasm for da’wah is that some Muslims get carried away and they apply too much pressure on people to ‘take the Shahaadah’ too soon. We sometimes forget that it’s Allah who guides people, we cannot guide. At the beginning of the khutbah we hear that “Those whom Allah guides, no one can lead astray, and those whom Allah leaves to stray, no one can guide.” We also know that “Those whom Allah loves, He opens their heart to Islam.” We mustn’t mislead ourselves into thinking that the pressure is on us to pressurise others into Islam. Islam isn’t about numbers. It’s about quality, the quality and calibre of individual Muslims. That’s what really matters. That’s where the real work awaits us.

None of Allah’s Prophets used emotional blackmail or clever marketing tricks to find followers. They simply conveyed the Divine Message, and left Allah to do the rest. We should do the same. The results are not in our hands, and we should give people time to reflect on what we have told them about Islam. The Shahadah is too important to be treated lightly. Becoming a Muslim is a big responsibility. When we do the work of Allah, let’s make things easy. Be truthful, be generous and above all, be patient.

There are some practical lessons for new Muslims, like Tahaarah (Cleanliness), good manners and behaviour (Adab), how and when to do the prayers, fasting, paying Zakaat and so on. These topics need to be taught gradually and simply.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.” Ameen. Aqeemus salaah

Know and Resist Shaytaan

Editors — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:01:35 +0000

"Let Allah find you where He expects to see you; Let Allah not find you where He does not expect to see you..."

Gabriel’s Advice

Editors — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:13:08 +0000

Essence and Presence

Editors — Fri, 20 May 2011 19:00:37 +0000

"Some people have a good outward appearance but lack inner substance. Others have a solid inner core but appear rather dull on the outside. We should develop sound inward and outward dimensions of our personality..."

Four Steps to Heaven

Editors — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:11:58 +0000

"Spread peace, feed the poor, keep families together, pray for part of the night and you will enter paradise..."

Lessons from North Africa

Editors — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:35:06 +0000

Arshad Gamiet / Royal Holloway University of London/1st April 2011

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.`

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

What can we learn from the momentous events that are now unfolding across North Africa and the Middle East? The full impact of what is happening there has yet to be assessed. In the meantime, some important lessons are emerging: Firstly, our rulers should serve their people; People should not be expected to serve their rulers. Sadly, some Muslim rulers see themselves as modern Pharaohs, running their countries like a greedy family business. They have modest beginnings and end up as multi-billionaires, This is absolutely wrong. If you read the Quran and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, you will see what an enormous responsibility lies on the shoulders of a ruler.

The Quran does not tell us in detail what a Halal government should look like: whether it should be a monarchy, a republic or a parliamentary democracy. After the death of Prophet Muhammad sws his pious Companions, the sahaaba, established a system of leadership known as the Caliphate. The leader or Caliph was responsible for the well being of all Muslims all over the world, as well as for the wellbeing of non-Muslims who live in Muslim lands. The Caliph has to be elected, and has to refer to the Quran and the prophetic examples for guidance. He has no right to appoint his own family as his successors. Muslim rulers should remember that they are there to serve the greater good of human society, not to serve their own personal whims and caprices. They must always guarantee freedom and justice for everyone.

At the end of every khutbah we hear these words: “Innal-laaha ya’muru bil ‘adl” “Allah commands justice…” It’s not an option or an afterthought. Justice is imperative: it’s the absolutely irreducible minimum, non-negotiable element of society. A civilized human society is built on Justice. Later the Quran also says:

“Obey Allah, and obey His Messenger, and those charged with authority over you.”[Quran chapter 4:v53]

Hence first Caliph, Sayiddna Abu Bakr, when he was appointed Ameerul Mu’mineen, Commander of the Faithful, he famously declared:

“O Muslims, follow me as long as I follow Allah and His Prophet. If I should deviate from that, I no longer have any right to your obedience.”

Leadership is all about accountability. A Muslim leader is accountable not only to those he leads, but also to Allah. It is with Allah’s permission that we achieve anything. We must realise that He will hold us to account. The 2^nd Caliph, Sayyidna Omar, gave this wise advice:

“Take account of yourself, before you are brought to account.” Caliph Omar was so diligent in his responsibilities. He once said that while he was ruling in Madinah, he was so worried that if a donkey trips and injures itself in Baghdad because of a pothole in the road, Allah will hold him accountable for negligence. Imagine that! How many leaders, Muslim or otherwise, could match Sayyidna Omar’s sense of responsibility? No wonder he and the other 3 original Caliphs will always be known as the Khilaafat ar-raashidun, the rightly-guided Caliphate.

In Islam, good rulers never seek power and authority. A good ruler is someone who is chosen by his people, and who accepts it humbly and reluctantly. The worst rulers are those who crave power, who are too eager to get the top job. They usually want to rule for the wrong reasons.

Another clear lesson from the events in North Africa: Allah’s decree is swift and decisive. In human terms we sometimes feel we are waiting almost to the point of despair, for relief from oppression. The Egyptians and Libyans have waited for 30-40 years, ruled by tyrants using brute force, and the end of their suffering is not yet clearly in sight. But Allah is fully in control over every detail in His creation. If we endure the test that Allah has presented before us, if we show determination, untiring effort, patience and reliance on His Mercy, then He will reward us. That we must believe for certain.

“Or do you think that you will enter Heaven without being tested like those who were tested before you? They endured suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that even the Prophet and those of faith who were with him cried: ‘When will the help of Allah come?’ Ah! Truly, Allah’s help is always near!”

“Ala! Inna nasral-Laahi qareeb!” (Quran 2:214)

Never forget that Allah is constantly watchful over His creation, and that nothing escapes his attention, even our most secret, unspoken thoughts. “’Aalimul ghayb wash-shahaadah,” He knows all things, both secret and open, and everything is perfectly under His control, under His authority. People rise from obscurity to power and fame by Allah’s permission, and they fall from power and grace into humiliation, by Allah’s permission. His decree is irresistible, His power is absolute, yet, Allah’s intentions for His creation are always, unfailingly good. Read Sura Al-Imraan, verses 26-29:

“Qulil-laah humma maalikal mulki tu’til mulka man-tashaa’u watanzi-ul mulka mim-man-tashaa’, Wa tu’izzu man-tashaa’ watuzillu man-tashaa’ Biyadikal khair. Innaka ‘alaa kulli shay-in qadeer! [Sura Al-‘Imraan 3:27]

“Say: ‘O Allah, Sovereign of all dominion, You grant dominion to whom You will and take dominion away from whom You will. You exalt whom You will and abase whom You will. In Your hand is all that is good. You are able to do all things”. (Al-Imran, Verse 26)…”

We Muslims must have faith that ultimately everything is safe in Allah’s loving care. When Allah decrees a thing, he only has to say:

“Kun! Faya kuun..” Be! And it is!

Once people have broken through the fear barrier, nothing can stop them. When people no longer fear injury or death, they become a force to be reckoned with. Victor Hugo wrote, a hundred years ago, that: “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” Today in North Africa and the Middle East, Freedom is the idea. The desire for freedom can defeat the mightiest armies. Let us pray that our brothers and sisters, who have suffered so hard for so long, will soon enjoy the freedoms that we in this country enjoy and sometimes take for granted. Ameen.

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

We are all leaders of one kind or another. In our families, in our business or workplace, in our sports and social circles, we are called upon to lead others at some time in our lives. How do we exercise that authority, so that we promote the greater good, in a way that pleases Allah? We have seen clearly on the news these days, how bad things can get when leaders lose sight of their role as servants of their people, and they delude themselves into thinking that by some divine right, they have become the masters, to be served by others.

If we always hold ourselves to account, if we constantly monitor our inward state, the state of the heart, we can keep our greed, our ego and vanity, our lower passions in check. No person is born evil. The path from innocence to evil is a slippery one that begins with a little forgetfulness and distraction.

Only Dhikr, constant, loving, passionate remembrance of Allah is what polishes the heart and keeps it free of evil inclinations. Dhikr removes the rust of forgetfulness and distraction that can lead us to do wrong. That’s the secret. That’s the way we keep our hearts pure. That’s how we can prevent ourselves from sliding down the slippery slope that leads us away from Allah’s protecting Mercy and Grace. That’s what ultimately will protect us from hellfire: Dhikr, remembering Allah.

A scholar once said that the jihad-al-nafs, the struggle for inward purification, is what takes the spearhead out of the hands of a madman. That metaphor of course applied to bygone times. Nowadays we could say that constant Dhikr is what takes the gun or the bomb out of the hands of a madman. Without this crucial inward struggle, as leaders we risk simply becoming fools, tyrants and mass murderers.

Let us all remember Prophet Muhammad’s advice to his soldiers when they returned from a battle:

“You have now returned from the lesser Jihad. Now you must battle with the greater Jihad.”

He was of course, referring to the battle with one’s own demons, deep within our hearts: the battle to subdue our own greed, our envy, anger, lust and all the inclinations of the lower nafs, the nafs-al-ammara bis sow. That’s the nafs that inclines towards evil.

If the Muslim world of the future to be spared the corruption and tyranny we have seen for so long, then we must prepare ourselves for a different kind of leadership. Who knows, perhaps a future Muslim leader may well be right here today amongst us in this Jumuah! Allah alone knows! Let us therefore be prepared. Let us also remember that:

Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves, (i.e. what is withing their hearts). (Sura Al Anfaal 8:53)

And, ultimately, no one shall enter Allah’s garden, except those with a sound heart, qalb saleem. Let us constantly purify our hearts, by remembering Allah constantly, lovingly, in Dhikr.

Let us take our leadership roles seriously, whether we lead a student group, a family, a big business or a nation. Big or small, we are all Caliphs, trustees of whatever Allah has placed in our trust. We must hold ourselves accountable, before we are brought to account.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen.

One World

Editors — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:10:51 +0000

One World

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/4th March 2011

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Royal Holloway is participating in One World Week. This week promotes the idea of mutual respect and appreciation of people from different cultures and ethnicities. Our khutbah today will briefly touch on this theme. It’s a big topic and we only have about 20 minutes.

Muslims are probably more aware than most people of how dangerously polarized the world has become. High technology and global economics has broken down national barriers. The wide world has shrunken to a global village, but it has also thrown people into a crisis of identity. Now that we’re all Europeans, for example, some of us aren’t quite sure if we’re still British, or Welsh or Scottish or English, and in which order of priority? What’s more important? What comes first? And, does it really matter? Politicians in shaky alliances are looking for easy support by stoking these deep rooted fears, targeting immigrants, Muslims and other people of colour. Racism and xenophobia often go hand in hand. People are hated just because they are different. Older Jewish people who remember Germany in the 1930s will know that the distance between hating others and throwing them into a holocaust of gas chambers is a very short road.

Unscrupulous politicians, helped by unprincipled journalists, may win a few more votes at the next election but they risk creating a dangerously fragmented society that might take generations to heal. This I know from personal experience. I grew up in South Africa under the evil Apartheid system. The brutality of legalised racism took a few short years to implement, but the damage is still with us.

What does Islam have to say on the subject? I will take just two examples, one from the Holy Quran, and the other from the life of Prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be on him.

There is a very beautiful verse in Sura Al Hujuraat, which sums up Islam’s view on multiculturalism in a poetic and succinct way. It says:

“O Mankind, We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may know (and respect) each other, not that you should despise one another. Truly the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah are those who are foremost in good deeds.”

(Quran 49:13).

Note the Quran does not say, O Muslims, or O Arabs, or O Pakistanis or O British people. It says, O Mankind, O Human beings!. It addresses us as a species, the human family. It reminds us that we have descended from common parents, Adam and Eve, the primordial human ancestors. Our differences of culture, race and language are superficial. They are there simply to let us wonder in sheer amazement at God’s infinite artistry and creativity. Our differences must be celebrated, enjoyed. They are not an excuse for Pride or arrogance. All over Europe and even here in Britain we face serious problems of violent xenophobia and racism, where differences are exploited to promote fear and hate. We Muslims have become the main targets of this destructive process.

Islam stresses our common humanity, and appeals to our higher instincts of love, truth and justice.

The Prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be on him, was the living Quran. His life example illustrated how people of different backgrounds can live peacefully together. In the last days of his life, he delivered a sermon, his final sermon, in which he set out Islam’s own view of human rights. This is an extract from his sermon:

“O People, your life and property is a sacred trust. Remember that you will indeed appear before God and answer for your actions… “

“O people, your wives have rights over you and you have rights over them. Treat them well and be kind to them for they are your partners and helpers….”

“All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab. A white person has no superiority over a black person, nor does a black person have any superiority over a white person, except by God-consciousness and good actions…”

“Know that every Muslim is a brother and sister to every other Muslim . You are now one brotherhood, one family of believers. ..”

This sermon is Islam’s declaration of Human Rights, delivered in 7^th Century Arabia. Nothing comparable was produced until the United Nations Declaration of Human rights in 1948…. over 1,300 years later!

We Muslims are very fortunate, to have such clear guidance from our primary sources, the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah, on this crucial way in which people should regard human diversity.

Despite our many superficial differences, beneath the skin we are all basically the same. Did you know that if the whitest Caucasian patient lies desperately in need of a blood transfusion in hospital, his family, his friends and neighbours might be powerless to help him if they had the wrong blood type? Yet this very same white patient could be saved by the blood of the blackest African on the planet, if their blood types matched! Amazing! Our physical differences are only skin deep! We are more deeply and closely connected to one another than we think!

Imagine that you’re standing beside a flooded river. The strong current is sweeping down and you hear someone shouting for help, desperately struggling and reaching out to you. You have a rope and a lifebelt lying at your feet. What do you do? Do you first ask him whether he’s Muslim, Jewish, British, Christian, whether he’s a legal or illegal immigrant? For God’s sake, NO! You don’t ask questions. You just throw him a lifeline. You save a life! That could be you or one of your loved ones waiting to be saved! No time for silly questions, just throw the rope and save a life!

That’s really how the Holy Quran addresses its readers. It’s a lifeline to misguided humanity. On some matters it says, O Believers (Ya ay yuhal latheena aamanu!), but on really crucial matters, it addresses all people, all humankind, saying “Ya ay yuhan-naas,” or “Ya Bani Aadam!” O Mankind! O Children of Adam!

For example, in the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

“Yaa ay yuhan-naasut-taqoo Rabbukumul lathee khalaqakum min nafseew waahidah…”

So, really, we should see the message of Islam as a kind of lifeline, a firm handhold for people to hold onto, who would otherwise be swept away by the powerful currents of distraction and heedlessness. Islam came to save human beings from themselves. Left without divine guidance, we are prone to self-indulgence, and ever conflicting, expanding areas of self-interest. Islam is not some cultural heirloom to be preserved in a library or museum. It is a gift from Allah, to be lived and share with everyone. Islam offers us a way of living beautifully, virtuously, serving others out of love and gratitude to the One who created us all.

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

We have to make a very important distinction. On the one hand, we have Islam, a universal belief system applicable to all times and places, based on high moral and ethical values, and on the other hand we have the Muslims, who comprise many cultures, languages and traditions which predate the Islamic era. Forced marriages, so-called ‘honour killings’ and the poor treatment of women in some Muslim societies have nothing at all to do with Islam. These are pre-Islamic practices that are totally forbidden to Muslims.

It’s very important to make this clear distinction between what Islam teaches and what some Muslims do, that their religion forbids. Please don’t judge Islam by the worst things that Muslims do. In the same way we shouldn’t judge any faith by the misbehaviour of some of its followers.

We Muslims have a big challenge. We have to put our own cultural house in order. We have to get rid of the cultural baggage that undermines our faith and gives Islam a bad name. We have to treat our womenfolk with respect and we must honour all our obligations. Once we have unravelled the tangled web of our misguided tribal traditions from true Islam, we can help others to understand how Islam works through our own beautiful living example.

Many people in the West are attracted to Islam. Despite all the prejudice and Islamophobia, many curious, educated and articulate men and women are discovering, or rather, re-discovering Islam. Large numbers of new Muslims take Shahaadah every day, and over 70% of them are women! Imagine that, in spite of all the vicious propaganda that says Islam oppresses women, for every new brother that joins our family, there are 2 new sisters! Allahu Akbar! Allah is Great! There’s definitely some food for thought!

Itha jaa anasral-Laahi wal fat-h, wara aytan naasa yad khuloona fee deenil laahi afwaa jaa. Fasab bih, bihamdi Rabbika wastagh fir innahu kaanat taw-waabaa.

“When God’s help arrives and victory (is achieved), and when you see people entering God’s way of life in crowds, glorify your Lord and seek His forgiveness.”

Sura al-Nasr

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah.

Prophet Muhammad: a perfect role model

Editors — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:14:51 +0000

Akhlaaq – Manners in Islam

Editors — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:42:53 +0000

Adam and Eve: a (very) human story

Editors — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 13:40:26 +0000

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/Date 2010

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.`

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

The story of Adam and Eve, Nabi Adam and Hawwa is not just another ‘Tale of the Ancients’ in the Holy Quran. It’s a vitally important story about our human condition, a story that confirms primordial innocence, human frailty, regret, and remorse; the struggle for redemption, forgiveness and Divine Mercy. It’s not just the story of two people who gave birth to the human race after disobeying their Creator. It’s the story of every human being that ever was, is and ever will be. It’s your story and my story. It’s the story of our origin and our destiny, where we’ve come from and where we’re going to. The story of Adam and Eve deserves reflection. And after reflection, it deserves action, good actions that bring us nearer to Allah.

What does the story tell us? According to the Holy Quran, Allah said to the angels that He was going to create an Ambassador, a Vice-Regent, a khaleefah, on earth. That’s the first lesson. We human beings are not just the alpha-predators of the natural world, at the top of the food chain. We’re not just here to feed and breed like the wild beasts of the earth. Our lives have a greater meaning than that. We have been given a noble garment: We have been appointed as Trustees, caretakers, ambassadors of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. When the angels asked whether Allah was going to create a creature that would create mischief and shed blood, the reply was:

“…Qaala ilaa a’lamu maa laa ta’lamoon.”

“I know what you do not know!” [Quran 2:30]

Adam would tell the angels the Names of Things, i.e. the knowledge inspired by Allah, knowledge withheld from the angels. Further Allah commanded that the angels bow down to Adam. From this we learn that in our purest human form, serving Allah alone, we can be higher in status than the angels.

We’ve all heard about Iblis, how he refused to bow, because he was proud and he said: “Ana khairun min!” “I am better than he is, I am made of smokeless fire, and he is made of dust, mud moulded into shape!”

Another lesson: We must avoid vanity and pride, that leads us to think we are better than someone else. If we ever hear those words in our heads, “I am better than him or her,” remember where they came from. Remember that Iblis was the first one in history to show the pride that comes before the fall. Don’t let us follow the footsteps of Shaytaan. He is “aduw-wum mubeen,” an avowed enemy.

Even so, Adam and Eve forgot. They were distracted, and they forgot to keep up their guard against the whisperings of Shaytaan. “Yuwas wisufee sudoorin naas,” The one who whispers into the hearts of people. “Minal jinnati wan naas.”

We too, have to keep a constant vigil on the promptings of our own lower self, the lower nafs, the nafs al ammara bis sow: The nafs that is inclined towards evil. This is where we are most vulnerable to Shaytaan’s influence. As human beings and as bani Adam, children of Adam, we cannot escape our fate. We cannot escape the trials and tribulations of life that Allah has decreed for us.

The good news is that as long as we nurture and strengthen our iman, our faith in Allah, as long as we hold fast to the rope which Allah stretches out for us, we can inshAllah, pass the test. We can triumph over adversity and we can truly deserve the noble status that confers us as khaleefahs.

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

To summarise:

We are children of Adam and Eve, appointed as Allah’s ambassadors over all His creation.

The story of Adam and Eve is also our own story. We too, were born innocent, free from sin. We too, allow ourselves to be distracted, to become disobedient, to stray from siraatul mustaqeem, the straight path. We also will fall into sinful behaviour. And like Adam and Eve, we will recognise our mistakes. If we are true Believers, we will acknowledge our faults honestly, and seek forgiveness. Nabi Adam taught us how to begin this process with this wonderful prayer, a very short but powerful prayer that every pilgrim recits during the Hajj and on Arafat:

“Rabbanaa thalamnaa anfusanaa wa il-lam tagh firlanaa watarhamnaa lanakoonan-naa minal khaasireen.”

“O My Lord! We have truly wronged our own souls, and if You do not forgive us, we will be among the losers.”

Like every other Prophet of Allah, Nabi Adam was a teacher. We have many important lessons to learn from him. Our journey from birth to death, from innocence to distraction, forgetfulness, sin, regret, remorse, seeing and finding Allah’s forgiveness and mercy, these are the Adamic lessons of life. Every human being is destined to learn from these lessons. Sadly, not every human being will try to mend their sinful ways. Not everyone will beg forgiveness and plea for Allah’s mercy. These are the losers. A-oothu bil-Laah! Let us not be amongst them!

Above all, the story of Adam and Eve has a happy ending. It’s the story of hope, of Mercy rising above despair. It’s the story of humility destroying pride and elevating the human spirit to celestial heights. Let us travel through life, ever hopeful of Allah’s mercy, fearing His anger, and being grateful for His love by serving His creatures with gentle, loving care.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah

Understanding Jihad

Editors — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:04:13 +0000

Day of Judgement preparations

Editors — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:16:40 +0000

This khutbah emphasises our prepartation of meeting Allah. Worldly concerns obscure us form the need to purify our hearts and to prepare the Soul for its journey home to its origins.

Abraham and his family: Archetypal Monotheists

Editors — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:23:07 +0000

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/November 2010

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.`

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

As the Hajj season approaches, let us consider the story of Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar and their son, Ismail (may Allah send peace and blessings on them). This amazing family left us a great legacy that is the foundation of the Hajj. Their story is relevant for all Muslims for all times, and there’s a particular resonance for us today, as we shall see.

Nabi Ibrahim’s father was a devout mushrik, an idol worshipper. Despite all his son’s efforts, the father adamantly refused to stop worshipping idols. When he died he was still in denial of Allah. Nabi Ibrahim, the Friend of Allah, the quintessential monotheist, the Patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, could not save his father. We, too, must accept that we have no real power to influence others, not even our own parents, to accept Islam. Allah chooses to guide whom He pleases.

“May- Yahdillahu fa huwal muhtad, wa may- yudlill falan tajidaa lahu waliyan murshida.” [sura al-Kahf 18:17]

“Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is truly guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him.”

Our duty is only to share what Allah teaches, without pressure, without clever tricks. Allah is not in need of any of His creatures. We need Him.

Prophet Ibrahim destroyed the idols that his people worshipped, except for one. When the people asked him who did it, he pointed to the remaining idol. They told him the idol couldn’t have done it, so he asked them how is it that they worship something that can neither harm them nor help them! It couldn’t even defend itself from being destroyed! But such is the arrogance of misguided people, that logic and wisdom is wasted on them. Instead of using their God-given reason and logic, they resorted to violence. They tried to burn Prophet Abraham to death. He, on the other hand, was completely calm and unafraid, relying on Allah, and reposing his trust in Allah at all times. Allah commanded the fire to be cool, and thus Ibrahim alayhis salaam, survived.

When He and his wife, Hagar arrived in the desolate valley of Bakka, she repeated asked him why they had come there. He said nothing. Then, when she asked, is it Allah’s wish? He confirmed that it was indeed so. She immediately accepted this, without complaining. Both husband and wife knew that no matter how dire the situation, they were always safe in Allah’s hands.

“Biyadikal khair, innaka ala kulli shay-in qadeer.”

“In His Hand is all Good. Allah has power over all things.” [Sura 3:26]

Later, left alone with a hungry and thirsty infant child, she rushed from hilltop to hilltop in search of water, between Al Safa and Al Marwah. We commemorate this event during the Hajj, in Rami and Sa’i. She ran in desperation, she made the effort, and her effort and her pleading for help from Allah was well rewarded. The water came, in limitless abundance, like Allah’s mercy pouring out to his devoted servants. The Archangel Gabriel, Jibreel alayhis salaam, caused the well of Zamzam to gush pure, clean water from below baby Ismail’s feet, and for thousands of years, day in, day out, 24/7, it still flows today, refreshing and purifying millions of pilgrims. Let us think of Zamzam as Allah’s mercy overflowing, waiting to quench our spiritual thirst, our quest for meaning, our quest for nearness to Allah.

When Allah ordered Nabi Ibrahim to sacrifice what he loved most, both he and Ismail knew what that meant. Neither father nor son had the slightest hesitation. They fully understood what ‘sami’na wa ata’na’ means ‘we hear, and we obey.’ No questions, no lame excuses. Just do it!

At the crucial moment when the sharp-bladed knife touched the jugular vein, Allah caused another miracle: A ram, a sheep, appeared where Ismail patiently awaited his fate. Ismail’s life was spared. Prophet Abraham’s trial was over. Allah wanted to show us, and all generations to come until the end of time, what it means to love Allah, what it means to obey his every command.

Today we still remember that willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice. Our Qurbani might be a small symbolic gesture, but the lesson is timeless, and awesome.

As the Holy Quran reminds us, it is not the meat that reaches Allah, it is the taqwa, the piety, the awe-inspired reverence, filled with love, fear and hope.

How many of us will be ready to make this kind of sacrifice? How many of us will be willing to devote our most beloved to Allah? Our wealth, our families, our possessions seem so important to us. But where does Allah fit into our scheme of priorities? Do we really love Allah as much as we should? Is our greatest love reserved for Allah, or do we have more love for what He has created? Here’s some food for thought, my dear brothers and sisters.

“Innas salaatee wanusukee wamahiyaaya, wama ma’tee lil-Laahi Rabbil Aalalmeen. La shareekala wabithaalika umirtu, wa ana aw-walil Muslimeen”

“Surely, my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death is for Allah, Lord of all the Worlds. No partner has He, and I am first among the Muslims” [Sura 6:162]

This beautiful declaration was one of Nabi Ibrahim’s wonderful gifts to us. Every time we recite this prayer, at least 17 times a day, we re-dedicate our lives to Allah’s service. We remind our forgetful and infinitely distractible human nature, where our true priorities lie.

Let us remember with gratitude the awesome debt we owe Nabi Ibrahim and his family. We acknowledge this debt every time we pray, asking Allah to send peace and blessings on Nabi Muhammad and his family, just as he sent peace and blessings on Nabi Ibrahim and his family:

“Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

The Holy Quran reminds us to follow Prophet Abraham, who associated no partners with Allah, and whose way is described as the haneef way. What is the haneef way? Haneef means, to turn away from idol worship, to make no associations with Allah, to incline towards goodness, to be orthodox, to be a primordially upright person. This is the way of Nabi Ibrahim, and all those who worshipped Allah, even during the time of ignorance, the time of Jahiliyya.

Let us, during these momentous days of Dhul Hijja, remember Prophet Abraham, remember who he was and what he lived and died for. His great legacy is still with us today: Love Allah more than anyone or anything else, be willing to sacrifice anything in Allah’s cause, and strive your whole life to be a primordially upright person. Try to be a loyal friend, a loving wife or husband, an exemplary parent, a loving son or daughter, a helpful neighbour and a good, law abiding citizen. This is the haneef way,the way of Prophet Abraham and his family, the millata Ibraheema.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Aqeemus salaah!

Burning Qurans

Editors — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:27:21 +0000

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/ 10 Sep 2010

“We Muslims complain that Islam is being blamed for the actions of a few violent political extremists. How can we then blame all Danish people for the actions of a few cartoonists and their newspaper? How can we blame all Americans for the actions of a few neocons and a deluded preacher? It’s hypocritical! Where is our wisdom?…”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.`

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

The priest in Florida, who threatens to burn Qurans on September 11, reminds us that Muslims in the West, especially in the USA, are going through a rather difficult time. In recent years, Muslims have become fair game for bigots, warmongers, and all kinds of nasty people. From cartoon controversies to the illegal invasion and occupation of Muslim lands and seizure of energy resources, we appear to be easy targets. But this is by no means a new situation. We’ve encountered, and survived, much worse dangers in the past: The Mongol invasions of Genghis Khan, the Spanish Inquisition, and more recently, the genocide in the Balkans during the breakup of Yugoslavia, for example. Throughout history, Islam has had its enemies, and so it will be until the end of time. But the Holy Quran has reassuring words in Sura As-Saff ch.61 v8:

“….. their intention is to extinguish Allah’s light by blowing on it with their mouths, but Allah will perfect the revelation of His Light, even if the unbelievers may detest it…”

And again, :

“The unbelievers plot and plan, and Allah also plans, and Allah is the best of planners.”

We are living through a time of trial and tribulation: fitna. This is quite normal, to be expected. Life is a trial, a test. We must not panic and we must not respond to this kind of provocation in a way that brings our noble religion into disrepute. We must ask, how would our beloved Prophet Muhammad sws have reacted? Could we imaging him throwing temper tantrums, burning flags and hurling abuse at his enemies? No, of course not. Bruised egos and mob violence has nothing at all to do with the Prophetic sunnah. Even in the most dangerous times, Prophet Muhammad was the model of dignity and noble conduct. When the people of Taif drove him out of the city with such violence that he suffered physical injury, bleeding and with a broken tooth, he restrained the Angel of Mountains who offered to destroy Taif in an earthquake: “I am the Messenger of Mercy, not Revenge,” he pleaded, “Perhaps their children will one day accept Islam.” He was absolutely right. In time, all the people of Taif accepted Islam, despite their previous hatred and hostility.

Who can forget Sayyidna Omar ibn al Khattab’s conversion? With sword unsheathed, mind set on killing the Prophet of Islam, he made his way past his sister’s house where he heard the Quran being recited. In a moment of sheer magic, Allah came between Omar and his heart. As the Quran so eloquently declares: “Allah does come between a man and his heart.” ”Those whom Allah chooses to guide, no one can lead astray. Those whom Allah leaves to stray, no one can guide.” Sayyidna Omar was so deeply moved by the words of Allah’s Noble Book, that his hard heart softened. His emotions were stirred, and soon his hatred had turned to love. Such is Allah’s power, irresistible, able to soften the hardest hearts. With his sword still in his hand, Omar went to find Prophet Muhammad so that he could embrace him and declare his shahadah.

Truly, Allah holds the key to my heart and your heart. Who knows, perhaps the priest who burns Qurans today might become your Muslim brother tomorrow, or perhaps his children or grandchildren will? Allah alone knows. Look what happened to Abu Sufyan, Amr ibn al As, and Khaled bin Walid, amongst many others. They were sworn enemies of the Muslims who took up arms and tried to crush Islam in its infancy. But Allah had other plans. Allah is the best of planners. Allah urges us not to despair and not to become desperate, not to take matters into our own hands and to behave in an unseemly manner. Those who do so follow the whisperings of Shaytaan, who urges us to act beneath ourselves. Allah urges us to hold fast to His rope, His way that He has decreed for us.

“Wa’tasimu bihablil-Laahi jamee’aah …”

“And hold fast, all together, to the rope which Allah (stretches out for you) and do not be divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love so that by His grace you became brothers; and you were on the brink of the pit of fire and He saved you from it. This is how Allah makes his signs clear to you: that you may be guided.”[sura Al Imran 3:103]

Our own behaviour must be absolutely above reproach. Television news reports say that the priest admits that he hasn’t even read the Quran, but he still wants to burn it. What more proof do we need that the man is just deluded? Does it make sense for Muslims to behave foolishly in return? Surely we are above this kind of stupidity? Are we? Really?

What should we do? The answer is quite simple. Keep calm, don’t stoop to the same foolish behaviour. Do take this opportunity to tell people what the Quran really is all about. There may be a few other fools who will burn Qurans and hope to stir up a riot amongst the Muslims. But there are many more sensible people who will be horrified by such actions, and who will wonder what the Quran really has to say. Your job, and my job, is to satisfy this natural curiosity by sharing the message of Islam with those who will listen. And believe me, there are millions of decent, fair-minded people out there, who are becoming tired of the lies and propaganda from Islam-haters. Allah expects every Muslim to do his and her duty. Tell others, show others, who we are and what we believe. Be honest, be truthful and sincere. No lies, no spin, no propaganda. Islam doesn’t need fancy marketing campaigns, spin doctors or media makeovers. We don’t have to manipulate public opinion. Live Islam, be good to others, and trust Allah.

Don’t panic. Allah has everything well under control. History is safe in His Hands.

“..biyadikal khair. Innaka Alaa kulli shay-in qadeer.”

“…in His Hand is all Good. Allah has power over all things.”

Brothers and sisters, let’s not be distracted by the actions of foolish people. If we really love Allah and His Prophet sws, let us keep our priorities focussed, carry on serving others generously out of love and gratitude to Allah, and Allah will help us find a way out of our difficulty, in ways we could never have imagined.

Wamay-yat-taqil-laha yaj’al-lahu makhrajaa, wayar zuq’hu min khaythu la yahtasib, wamay-yatawak-kal ‘alal-Laahi fahuwa hasbu. Innal-laaha baalighu amri. Qad’ ja-alal-Laahu likulli shay-in qad’raa [Sura Talaq 65:2-3]

“And for those who have taqwa, [i.e. those who regard Allah with an awesome mixture of love and fear and hope], Allah [always] prepares a way out for them [from their difficulty], and He provides for them from [sources] they could never imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is Allah for him. For Allah will surely accomplish His purpose.”

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

In the wake of the Danish cartoon controversy, some Muslims went into a blind panic and started burning Danish flags, boycotting all Danish products, holding the Danish government, Danish companies and the Danish people responsible for a silly cartoonist and his newspaper. How silly can we Muslims get? We ignore the fact that the Danish people, and their government have often been in the forefront of human rights campaigns. In my own country of birth, they supported the anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa when many western governments did the opposite.

We Muslims complain that Islam, and the entire Muslim world is being blamed for the actions of a few violent political extremists. How can we then blame all Danish people for the actions of a few cartoonists and their newspaper? How can we blame all Americans for the actions of a few neocons and crazy preachers? It’s hypocritical! Where is our wisdom? Where is our sense of fairness and proportion? We cannot blame all Americans for the actions of a few bigots and Islam-haters. Let’s not forget that other America, the America of Malcolm X, of Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King and Rachel Corrie [who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer while she tried to save a Palestinian home from being destroyed].

Our work in sharing the beautiful message of Islam is far too important to get us distracted by a few sensation-seekers.

As this holy month of Ramadan passes, let us ask Allah to help us keep our sense of balance, of justice and to rely on Allah to guide in our efforts to uphold His beautiful religion. Ameen.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

“Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be reminded.”

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah

Reason and Rhetoric in the Quran

Editors — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:13:11 +0000

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/Date 2010

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.`

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In a previous khutbah we looked at some examples of Metaphors and Parables in the Holy Qur’an. Today we will explore another powerful instrument of speech: the use of reason and rhetoric, which is deployed constantly throughout Allah’s Sacred Book. Here are some examples:

“Are the blind equal to those who can see? Or are the depths of darkness equal with Light? Or do they assign to Allah partners who have created [anything] as He has created, so that the creation seemed to them to be similar?” [Sura Al Ra’d 13:16]

“Qulil-Laahu Khaaliqu kulli-shay-in, wahuwal Waahidul-Qah-haar.”

“Say: Allah is the Creator of all things. He is The One, The Supreme and Irresistible.”

Again, further on towards the end of Sura Al Ra’d we read in verse 33:

“Is then He Who stands over every soul [and knows] all that it does, [like anyone else]? And yet they ascribe partners to Allah. Say: “But name them. Is it that you will inform Allah of something that He does not know on earth, or is it [just] a show of words?”” [Sura Ar-Ra’d 13:33]

And in Sura Az-Zumar 29:39: another example of reason and rhetoric:

“Allah sets forth an example: A man who serves many masters, all at odds with one another, and a man who serves just one master: are they the same?”

In Sura Yasin [ch36:v.77] another example:

“Awalam yaral insaanu an-na khalaq-nahu min nutfatin wa itha huwa haseemun mubeen…”

“Does Man not see that We created him from sperm? Yet, behold! He stands forth as an open adversary…”

In the next two verses [78-79] the Quran poses a rhetorical question that those without faith, puffed up with pride and arrogance, ask contemptuously:

“Wadaraba lanaa mathalan-wanasee khalqa, Qaala ma yuh-yil ithaama wahiya rameem.”

“And he makes comparisons for us, and he forg.ets his own [humble] origin and creation: He says: Who can give life to dry, decomposed bones?”

The answer comes in the Quran’s elegant, eloquent and irrefutable way:

“Qul yuh-yee hal-lathee an-sha-ahaa aw-wala marra, wahuwa bikulli khalaqin ‘aleem!”

“Say, He will give them life, Who created them for the first time! For He is well versed in every type of creation.”

These examples I have quoted show us that Allah’s Noble Book addresses its readers as sentient, articulate and rational human beings. We are not treated like cattle or sheep. Allah gave us the faculty of reason. He gave us the ability to weigh things up, to make considered judgements. Then, he presents us with a convincing argument and invites us to be the judge. He could have told us simply to believe so and so, without any supporting arguments. But no, Allah wants us to be utterly convinced, deep down, in our heart and soul, that what He revealed in the Quran is the Truth, and that the truth can stand up to any scrutiny.

Truth and falsehood are not the same. The one endures, the other perishes. When Prophet Muhammad sws re-entered Makka, he pronounced those timeless words:

“Wa qul jaa al haq, wa zahaqal baatil. Inna baatilan kaana zahooqaa[n]”

“And say: Truth has come, and falsehood has perished, because falsehood is by its nature, perishable.”

Brothers and sisters, that’s a good thought to consider. Why do we concern ourselves so much with the perishable pleasures of life? We should certainly enjoy what Allah has given us, but not too much. Our lives must not be centred around the pursuit of pleasures, leaving no time and space for our spiritual development. Life’s pleasures are a gift from Allah, and we must not deny His gifts. But always keep in mind that material things won’t last, our physical enjoyments won’t last, our life on earth won’t last. When we realize this, then we will become acutely aware of the preparations we must make for Aakhira, the life after our physical death. This is the Real Life that will last forever.

“Bal tu’ thiroonal hayaat ad-dunyaa, wal aakhiratu khairoo wa ab’qaa.”

“Behold, you enjoy the life of this world, but the life to come is more beautiful and longer lasting…” [Sura Al A’laa ch.87.v16-17]

Repeatedly, throughout the Sacred Text, there are invitations to use our reason and to consider, to compare and to weigh things up. The Holy Quran constantly appeals to our better judgement; it constantly invites us to reflect and to see the wisdom of Allah’s Divine Guidance.

Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.

Second Khutbah:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My brothers and sisters,

There are many more examples of the Holy Quran’s powerful use of Reason and Rhetoric. In today’s khutbah we have time only for a few examples.

In Sura Ar-Rahman, the All-Merciful, we find a constant refrain:

“Fa bi ay-yi aa-laa i-Rabbi huma tukath-thibaan?”

“Then which of the favours of your Lord will you two deny?”

The ‘two’ here refers to the human beings and the Jinn. As we know, there are beings that exist beyond the threshold of human perception, and there are both good and bad jinni. Shaytan is the leader of the rebellious jinni.

The All-Merciful therefore invites us to consider His overflowing generosity. He asks us repeatedly, which one of His favours would we deny? This rhetorical question is asked 31 times in the Sura’s 78 verses, and towards the end, we reach the punch-line, the rhetorical climax:

“Hal-jazaa-u ilal-ihsaani ilal-ihsaan?”

“Is there any reward for Good, other than Good?”

A simple, logical question with an equally simple, logical answer, delivered with such brevity, clarity and beauty.

The Holy Quran uses both rhetoric and reason in a powerful way. It addresses us, the readers, not as passive consumers of information, but as critical and sentient human beings. It engages both our intellect and our innate sense of balance, fairness, reason, logic and beauty, which are gifts from Allah. So, not only does Allah ennoble us with this great intellectual gift, but He also deploys numerous tools to tease, challenge and stimulate our minds and hearts. This allows us to engage His divine message in an active, dynamic way.

Clearly the Holy Quran is a masterpiece of both style and substance. While we admire the use of so many tools of language, like metaphor and parable, rhyme, reason and rhetoric, we must never lose sight of the substance. The Holy Quran can be admired for many things, but it is first and foremost a Book of Guidance for human beings, “hudal lin-naas,”, it’s a vital road map to navigate our way through life so that we can please Allah, and reach that safe home which is Al-Jannah, His Eternal Garden. That’s the main agenda. We should never lose sight of the main goal.

My dear sisters and brothers, we must read and reflect on this wonderful gift from Allah, which is His Word, His noble Book, Al Qur’an. We must not just read it like parrots, without engaging our minds, our intellect. We must read and reflect deeply, so that it’s divine wisdom can penetrate our hearts, and marinate in our marrowbones. Allah’s Word has the power to change our behaviour and improve our conditions.

The Quran invokes our God-given faculties of reason, of common sense, and our aesthetic sensitivities, our natural yearning for beauty and harmony. The Quran is instructive, but it’s not a dreary Do-it-yourself manual. The Quran is poetic but it’s not just a book of vacuous poetry. No human mind is capable of matching the Quran’s eloquence, and for 14 centuries its challenge, in Sura Al Baqara, [2:23] has not been beaten:

“And if your are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Surah like it, and call your witnesses of helpers besides Allah, if your [doubts] are true.”

The Holy Quran is its own miracle, standing by itself unchallenged in 14 centuries and will certainly keep its promise until the end of time. Allah’s Word is pre-eminently The Book of Divine Guidance, valid for all times and all places, inviting us to explore its depths and to find the gems of wisdom that will light up our own journey through the darkness of our own lives.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

“Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be reminded.”

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!

World Cup: Goals for life

Editors — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:39:35 +0000

Khutbah

Goals For Life

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/18 June 2010

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.`

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Football fever is all around us these days. And those who know the game will tell you that it’s all about scoring goals. Our khutbah today is also about scoring goals, but goals of a different kind.

Let’s think about the goals we all strive for throughout life — our lifetime goals. Each one of us is likely to have some burning ambition, some clear objective or ideal that drives us forward each day. It may be a work related deadline, a forthcoming exam or a karate grading session, or we may be working towards a particular career that we want to pursue after leaving university.

Consciously or subconsciously, we all have short-, medium-, and long-term goals that we hope to achieve before our life is over. The difference from soccer is that in real life no one knows when the final whistle will blow. No one knows just how, when, and where their life will end. When we line up for our congregational prayers the Imam often reminds to live each day as if it is our last day and to pray every prayer as if it is our last prayer. We must therefore be totally focused and sincere in what we do.

In order to achieve any goal, there is nearly always an economic dimension. We need money to get things done. No matter how noble or generous we want to be, we still need some degree of financial independence for ourselves in order to get what we want. This is simply in the nature of things. We may not want to be wealthy just for own sake, to show off and live a flashy lifestyle; rather, in order to be more effective in society, we must be able to stand on our own feet financially.

Therefore, we need to work to earn money to do what we would like to do. The danger is that the means can sometimes become the end in itself. How many young people have not set out in life with high ideals of making the world a better place for all, only to be distracted along the way? How many of us simply become consumers, buying the latest gadgets and fashionable clothes, enjoying the material pleasures of life and forgetting that their life really does have a higher and nobler purpose?

Many people work hard, get rich, and look back with a sense of pride in what they have achieved. It’s only human nature. The pride we feel drives us to more effort, producing more wealth and more pride, and so on. But worldly success is meaningless if we do not aspire to a higher and nobler objective. Thus, Allah reminds us in the Holy Quran:

“Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: Women and sons; heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world’s life; but in nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (to return to).” (Sura Al `Imran 3:14)

We shouldn’t feel guilty about making a success in this world. Allah wants us to enjoy the fruits of our hard work. He wants us to work hard and to enjoy a nice car and a nice home in a nice neighbourhood. But this should be the by-product of worship, not the main agenda. We should not love material things so much as to distract us from worshiping Him. Some religions teach that in order to grow spiritually, you must deny yourself the pleasures of this world. You may have to spend time in a monastery or become an ascetic. Islam teaches life fulfilment, not life denial. Islam teaches that the body and the spirit should live in harmony, not in conflict. In our daily prayers, we supplicate Allah saying,

“Rabbana aatina fid-dunya hasanatan, wafil aakhirati hasanatan, waqina athaaban-naar.”

“Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the torment of the Fire.“

We have to get the balance right, between our work, family, home, community and our leisure time. Many of our parents came to Britain from other places in order to find work and a better life. We must make sure that our parents’ migration to Britain was not just for a better life for themselves and their children. We must make sure that our presence in this beautiful country will be a benefit to everyone who lives here.

Our country has many social problems related to financial debt, juvenile delinquency, failed marriages, and drug and alcohol abuse. We can and we should be working to put things right. Even if the reasons for our parents’ migration were mainly economic, we can extend that purpose to include good citizenship and being good and inspiring role models of what Islam can offer the modern world. That should be our intention. One hadith, narrated by `Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), says the following:

“Actions are judged by their intention and everyone shall have only what he intended. Therefore, those who migrate for Allah and His Messenger, their migration was for Allah and His Messenger; and those whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, their migration will be judged for their intentions.”

My dear sisters and brothers, let us today dedicate ourselves to the service of Allah. Whether our parents came here to study, to work, to run a business, to seek political asylum, or to enjoy a better life in general, let us make sure that our daily concerns focus not only on improving ourselves, but also improving our neighbourhood, our country and our natural environment. This will bring us nearer to Allah. Let us, in our spiritual life, make the hijrah, the migration, from what pleases us to what pleases Allah. It means, in essence, that we must aim to rise above selfishness, vanity and self-indulgence. We must fulfil the noble purpose that Allah has decreed for us, which is to be His ambassadors on earth.

Let’s try to make our goals in life well-balanced and pleasing to Allah. Allah told His angels that He created us so that we can be His ambassadors on earth. Remember, we are all ambassadors of Islam. As young students, your immediate goal is to do well at university so that you can do well in life generally. All the time, remember that you are being observed by others, and your behaviour is how people will judge all Muslims. You represent Islam. It’s a big responsibility, but it’s also an opportunity to show how beautiful Islam is.

“Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The fourth Caliph, Sayyidna Ali once said, that the most eloquent way of showing gratitude to Allah is to serve His creation. God is not impressed by our lip service. He’s not impressed with how many prayers and how many acts of formal devotion we can offer. He’s much more interested in our good actions. He wants to see our love and gratitude made visible. We must bring benefit to our wider community if we really love Allah.

Allah is described in the Holy Qur’an as “Ar-Rahmaan,” the One Who is most merciful. Prophet Muhammad (sws) is described as “Rahmatul-lil-Aalameen,” the one who came as a Mercy to all the nations. We Muslims say we worship Allah and we follow the example of His last Prophet. Shouldn’t we therefore be merciful to others? Shouldn’t we be agents of mercy, angels of mercy? Let us look at ourselves honestly, and ask? What have I done today, that promotes Allah’s mercy to His creation? Have I today, removed something from the burdens of human misery? Have I today, added something to the sum total of human happiness? This is what it means to be a Muslim, to worship Allah and follow the example of His messenger.

There are many ways in which we can be more proactive. We should be at the forefront of community work, regenerating poor neighbourhoods and leading the campaigns against drug and alcohol abuse. We should be good examples of strong family life that promotes an active community service. Here at Royal Holloway our community has been helping the students and the university for over 20 years. Come forward and join us. We need you.

Allah loves all His creation, not only those who call themselves Muslims. Taking good care of all Allah’s creatures is a way of showing courtesy to Him. The World Cup will come and go, but let’s remember the biggest goal of all: Earning Allah’s good pleasure, by showing respect and generosity to all His creatures.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

“Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be reminded.”

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah

Islam and Patriotism

Editors — Sun, 30 May 2010 00:20:52 +0000

Royal Holloway University of London/11th June 2010

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.`

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today’s khutbah is about Patriotism: love for one’s country. Is it wrong to love one’s country? Should we love our country more than we love Justice, or God? Should our love for country blind us to what’s right and what’s wrong? In our mass media there are frequent questions as to whether we Muslims can be trusted, whether we are loyal to this country or whether our loyalties lie elsewhere. Living under constant suspicion is not acceptable. We have a duty set out clearly what Islam has to say about Patriotism so that we can remove unfounded fears and phobias about our presence here in Britain, in Europe and the West generally.

But first we must question those who question our patriotism. There’s always a reason why people frame such questions. What is their agenda? Before we give a hasty answer, we must understand why the question is being asked.

The English poet, Ben Johnson wrote: “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.” By this he meant that when leaders no longer command any moral authority, when they can no longer justify their views by rational argument, by moral and ethical criteria, they resort to rousing calls for patriotism. It is sometimes a last desperate attempt to justify immoral and unethical actions by making a crude appeal to the emotions of the public. What does Islam say?

The Holy Quran urges Muslims to

‘enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong’ and it describes the Believers as

“…the best of people, those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and who have faith in Allah.” [sura 3:110]

“Ta’ muroona bil ma’roof, watan hawna ‘anil munkar, wa tu’minoona bil-Laah.”

This has nothing to do with your emotions, your nationality, your race, your political party, or whether you are rich or poor, Christian, Jewish or Muslim. It’s a simple matter of right and wrong. Which side are you on, the side of good or evil? Do you work for God or against God? In the USA there is a motto: “One Nation under God.” It’s very important to understand clearly what God stands for, and what the Nation stands for. The two are not always on the same side! During the American Civil War, one General turned to Abraham Lincoln and said: “Don’t worry, Mr President, God is on our side!” The President replied: “What really worries me is: Are we on God’s side?” A very important difference…

Muslims in the USA, Canada, Europe and elsewhere in the ‘West’ should not be forced to make a false choice. Loyalty to a country should never be a simple matter of ‘my country right or wrong’. That’s basically immoral, unethical and ultimately disloyal and un-patriotic. The most loyal thing a citizen can do is to speak out when things are going the wrong way. When politicians wage unjust wars it is our duty to speak out. We must be witnesses to fair dealing. We must be just, not only when it’s easy, but also when it’s unpopular and risky. We must always be fair and just, even to our enemies.

“O ye who believe! stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others towards you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to Piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do“. Sura 5:8 al-Maa’ida.

Allah commands justice. It’s not an option. It’s an obligation. We must be critical, inwardly and outwardly. Jihad-al-nafs, the lifelong struggle against the lower Self, makes us constantly self-critical and self-purifying. We must also critically analyse what our political leaders are up to, and what they do in our name. This is our right and our responsibility as citizens. Beware of the politician who tells you that to make us feel safe over here, we have to make life unbearable for someone else over there. Patriotism is no excuse for foreign invasions, driven by Big Oil and the arms industry. Invading other countries does not make us safer. We must remind our governments to be even handed and consistent where human rights are concerned, at home and abroad. The lives of Iraqis, Afghans and Palestinians are just as valuable as British or American lives. No one life has more value than any other. We are all God’s creatures.

Muslims are called upon to the highest of callings… to follow in the footsteps of the Prophets, to be witnesses to fair dealing, even if it be against our families and our own interests. We are called on to wear a noble garment: Ambassadors of Allah, Khaleefatul-Laah. trustees and caretakers of planet earth. This most honourable of titles carries a heavy responsibility. There is no place of narrow national, tribal or secular loyalties. Yes, we may be Arab or Pakistani by birth, British, European or American by nationality and Muslim by faith. There’s absolutely no problem, no contradiction in that. But our first loyalty is to Allah, creator of the heavens and the earth. This means upholding the truth and being faithful to our conscience. This should make us the most patriotic of all citizens, not simply blind followers of capricious politicians.

As Allah has said:

“Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just” [Sura 60:8, al-Mum'tahina]

Sometimes, the most patriotic thing to do is to tell your leaders that they are wrong. Muhammad Ali, the boxer, did so when he refused to fight in Vietnam. He was called all sorts of nasty names. His patriotism was questioned, but later his stand was vindicated and he became an international hero. Nelson Mandela fought the unjust laws of the Apartheid regime in South Africa. He paid for that by spending 27 years in prison. He was accused him of being a traitor, being un-patriotic and un-South African. But today most South Africans treat him like their saviour, and his struggle inspires people who love justice and fair dealing, all over the world.

Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.

Second Khutbah:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

Muslims who live in the West should be brave, honest and truthful. We must ‘speak truth to power’ and not feel that our citizenship and our loyalty is compromised in doing so. A nation that encourages healthy debate and self-criticism, holding its rulers to account, is a healthy nation. It’s not just a human right to speak the truth to power. It’s an Islamic duty. It’s a sacred responsibility.

Prophet Muhammad sws once declared that:

“The best jihad is to speak a word of truth in the court of an unjust ruler”

Muslims are reminded to put wrong things right with their hands, and if they cannot do that, they must speak out against it, and if they are too weak to do so, then they must at the very least, hate the injustice in their hearts.

Allahu a’lam. And Allah knows best.

One thing we must be absolutely clear. Suicide bombing and other acts of indiscriminate violence have no precedent in the prophetic sunnah. This is not the way to address injustices; it is not the way of our noble and illustrious predecessors. While we deplore injustice and oppression, Islam also provides a moral and ethical compass for our actions. As citizens we have a duty to awaken the moral and ethical consciousness of our fellow citizens. We Muslims also have a duty to keep our neighbourhoods safe. Prophet Muhammad (sws) declared that

“A Muslim is he from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe, and a true Believer is one in whom all of mankind has a sanctuary for life and property.”

We should be a safe pair of hands, trustees, caretakers of other people and their possessions. We must never give our neighbours any reason for fear or suspicion. In many ways the western countries we live in offer us far more freedom, hospitality and personal security than we find in many Muslim majority countries. Let’s never forget that!

We are not allowed to undermine the security or integrity of the countries we live in. We must earn the trust of our neighbours. We are obliged to remind our fellow citizens, and our governments, to be consistent on human rights issues, and to be even handed with people living inside and outside our national borders. This is the only way we can earn respect and promote world peace in a lasting way for the future.

Dear Sisters and brothers,

Let us pray to Allah and ask for His divine Mercy and intervention. O Allah, help us to become worthy and valued citizens of every land where Muslims live. Help us to earn the respect and affection of our neighbours, through our adab, our good conduct and through our service to society which we render out of love and gratitude to You.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

“Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be reminded.”

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!

Safe Landings

Editors — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:36:04 +0000

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.`

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

It has taken a cloud of volcanic ash to remind us how exposed we are, how vulnerable we are to the awesome forces of nature. Our sense of vulnerability is heightened when we travel. Travel has become a part of modern life. We’re always travelling. We travel from home to work, to study, to visit our relatives. We travel from town to town and from country to country, by road, by rail, sea and air. We almost take it for granted, that when we set out on a journey, we’ll get there safely. But there’s no guarantee. Accidents do happen. Bad weather, volcanic eruptions, human error and mechanical failure: things happen, and within seconds a routine journey can end in disaster.

The recent air crash that killed the Polish president and his entire entourage is just one example. Some people think that safe travel is only a matter of technology. Those who have no faith background depend entirely on technology and luck, but Muslims know that there’s no such thing as ‘luck.’ There is only Allah’s Decree, Destiny or Foreordainment, His Qadaa’ and Qadr. That is why we always say, insha-Allah, “if it pleases Allah.” We recognise that everything is under His control, and nothing happens in the heavens or the earth without His permission. We mortal human beings rely utterly on Allah’s mercy. No one but Allah can guarantee a safe journey. Only Allah can ensure that our trip to the supermarket and our flight to distant lands will bring us safely to our destination. Sura An-‘Am reminds us [ch 6:v63]

“Say: “who is it that delivers you from the dark recesses of land and sea, when you call upon Him in humility and silent terror: `if He only delivers us from these (dangers), (we vow) we shall truly show our gratitude’?” (63) Say: “It is Allah that delivers you from these and all (other) distresses: and yet ye worship false gods!”

Believers know that. They know that even the shortest routine journey can be fraught with hidden dangers.

While other people hope for a safe arrival, the true believer knows that only Allah can guarantee our safety. That is why our beloved Prophet Muhammad sws recommended specific prayers for the traveller. There are many prayers for travelling, and this is one of my personal favourites:

“Rabbee anzilnee manzilan mubarakan wa anta khairul-munzileen.”

“O My Lord! Cause me to land at a blessed landing place, and you are the Best of those to deliver safe landings”. [sura al-mu’minoon 23:29]

This was the prayer of Noah, Nabi Nooh, as the floodwaters rose up around the Ark which Allah ordered him to build. The Ark as we know enabled its passengers to survive the terrible flood. Eventually, when the flood subsided it came to rest at a safe landfall.

Modern transport is much faster and in some ways safer than the methods used by our ancestors. They had no satnav systems, no airbags, no ambulances or air-sea rescue teams in case of an emergency. They had to be in good health, physically, mentally and spiritually, to endure the rigors of travel. Distances we cover in a few hours today, took them several months of hardship and patience.

Times change, but our helplessness and vulnerability does not change. We still rely utterly on Allah’s mercy, not on luck. We human beings are by nature forgetful, insaan, and our Noble Quran helps us to remember how much we depend on our generous Lord and Educator. That’s why it teaches us this lovely prayer:

“Rabbee anzilnee manzilan mubarakan wa anta khairul-munzileen.”

“O My Lord! Cause me to land at a blessed landing place, and you are the Best of those to deliver safe landings”. [sura al-mu’minoon 23:29]

“Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

We’re constantly on the move, on a journey, not just from one place to another in the physical world, but also from one state to another, in the spiritual world.

When we were born, our soul, our Ruuh has travelled from the realm of eternity into the world of time and space. It accompanies our body on this journey through life, and when we die, our Soul will separate from the body and travel again, back to eternity, back to Allah, back to the timeless and space-less dimension whence it began. Soob’haanal-Laah!

Our whole life is a journey, a most important journey. From our birth to our death, to our re-awakening in that eternal realm that awaits us all beyond the barzagh, the curtain of our physical death, this is the greatest of all journeys. This is the only chance we have, while body and soul are still connected as one personality. This is the only chance we have to live a successful life as our Lord, Creator and Sustainer has decreed. We must purify the soul, we must remove all the moral pollution, the greed, envy, anger, jealousy, arrogance and lust that drags the soul downward toward destruction. This is clear in Sura Al Shams ch91:v7-10

“Wa nafsiw-wama sow-waa haa. Fa-al hamahaa fujoorahaa wataq’waahaa. Qad’aflaha man zak-kaahaa. Waqad’ khaaba man das-saahaa…”

“By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it; [7] and its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right; [8] Truly the successful ones purify it, [9] and the failures corrupt it…”

My dear Sisters and Brothers, the whole purpose of our journey through life is to be among the successful ones who have purified their soul and who return to Allah with a “qalb saleeem,” a “sound heart.”

“Al Jannah firdaws.” An elevated place in Allah’s Garden: that is our destination; that’s where we all want to be. Every wise person would want to arrive at this safest of all landing places. Al Jannah firdaws, that will be our reward for all the hardship, sacrifice, service to others out of love and gratitude to Allah. That’s the real prize. But if we lose, heaven forbid it, if we miss the opportunity, we might just find ourselves in the company of that nasty fellow downstairs, the one with the horns and the spiky tail, who whispers seductive and misleading ideas into our hearts, and who in the end will have led us to hellfire. Wa A-oothubil-Laah!

We should think, say and do all the right things, day by day, hour by hour, that will bring us to that blessed landing place, to Allah’s Ridwaan, His good pleasure.

As we journey through life, we should imagine that we are actually on a fast flowing river, racing to meet our destiny. Every moment, we’re being drawn, irresistibly, towards Allah.

“Inna lil-Laahi wa inna ilayhir raaji-oon.”

“From Allah have we come, and to Him, surely, we will return.” [Sura Al Baqara ch2:v156]

Dear Sisters and brothers, it’s not enough that we should desire for ourselves only to have a safe landing place. We should have that same desire for our families, for our wider communities and indeed for every human being. Prophet Muhammad (sws) said that a Believer is not a Believer until he desires for his brother whatever he desires for himself. Even if we don’t think of it that way, we’re all in the same ‘boat’ together. Planet earth is like a leaky boat, and we will ultimately either sink together or float together.

Imagine you’re standing on a riverbank where the torrent is rushing past. You hear a shout and you see someone struggling in the floodwater, reaching out to you for help. There’s a rope lying at your feet. You only have seconds to throw the rope and save him. He’s calling desperately for help. What do you do? Do you first ask him: Are you a Muslim? Are you a Christian or Jewish? Does it matter whether he’s a Sufi or a Salafi, or a Deobandi, Barehelwi or Wahhabi? Heavens, no, he’s just another human being like you, desperately needing help! You don’t have to think about it. Seeing any human being in distress should evoke a primeval, instinctive response. Throw the rope! Save a life! The Holy Quran assures us that to save one human life is like saving all mankind!

In a way, we’re all like that man in the floodwater, struggling to keep ourselves safe, out of debt, out of danger, out of the clutches of Shaitaan and hellfire. Allah reaches out to us, as He declares in His Noble Book:

“Wa’tasimu bi hablil-laahi jamee-aa…..”

“And hold fast, all together, to the rope which Allah (stretches out for you) and do not be divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love so that by His grace you became brothers; and you were on the brink of the pit of fire and He saved you from it. This is how Allah makes his signs clear to you: that you may be guided.”

[sura Al Imran 3:103]

The key is to hold fast, all together, despite our differences, despite our race or language or social status. Allah wants us to look deeper than the superficial things that divide us He wants us to recognise our common humanity, to recognise that we are all part of His wonderful Plan. When we do this, when we all hold fast to Allah’s rope, we will deserve a safe landing place in His garden.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah

The Future of Islam

Editors — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:48:53 +0000

All praise be to Allah who favoured us with the blessing of Islam and Iman. I bear witness that none is worthy of worship except the One true God of the universe, Who sent his Prophet (pbuh) with the religion of truth. Peace and blessings upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), his family, friends and all those who follow him.

Oh Muslims! I urge myself first and all of you to be ever God-concious. Allah has decreed by His divine majesty that Islam will prevail and supercede every religion, ideology and man-made ism. Thus it is that Islam will be the dominant religion in the world.

This divine promise was made at the time when the believers were a mere handful, faced with persecution and execution, and the future of Islam looked bleak. Today, 14 centuries later, the Muslim population world-wide stands at approximately 1.3 billion believers.

This rapid growth of Islam is causing great concern to the enemies of truth. Today, our khutbah focuses on a very interesting report on the “World’s changing demographics.” (Please keep in mind that this is a non-muslim report)

“The world is changing…. Europe as we know it today will cease to exist…. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world today. This is primarily due to two factors; 1).The growing Islamic fertility rate. (2). Muslim immigration.

At present in France there are more churches than mosques. In the year 2027, one in five Frenchmen will be Muslim. In 39 years, France will be an Islamic republic.
In the last 30 years in Great Britain, the Muslim population grew from 89,000 to 2.5 million. There are over 1,000 mosques, of which many were former churches.
In 15 years from now, more than half the population in Netherlands will be Islamic.
Russia has over 23 million Muslims. Soon 40% of the Russian army will be Muslim.
The German Government has secretly stated with great concern: “Germany will become a Muslim state in the year 2050.”
There are 52 million Muslims throughout Europe. In five to ten years, Islam will be the dominant religion in the world.
In 1970, in the U.S.A, the Muslim population stood at 100,000. In the year 2008, the Muslim Population now stands at 9 million (scary?)
The Catholic Church has recently reported that Islam has just surpassed their membership numbers.

The world is changing….its time to awake and evangelize the Muslim world…this is a call to action…” ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU )

Oh Muslims. Can you now understand why there is so much Islamophobia today ? The enemies of Islam have become constipated and great effort is made to stem the growing tide Islam. Notorious Televangelists are championing the Israeli Zionist cause. Millions of dollars are spent to set in motion their propaganda machines to demonize the image of Islam and Muslims. Two leading Christian Missionaries, Harry Morin and Phil Parshall, conducted seminars to help Christians understand the difficulties and possibilities of evangelism in Muslim communities. They ask, what does God see when He looks at Muslim people?

“Terrorism, fanatical fundamentalism, suicide bombings, black-veiled women, holy wars, Arab sheiks- these are a few of the common words and images that come to the mind of most Westerners. But did you ever wonder what God see when He looks at Muslims?

God sees hungry hearts that are bound by the fear of evil spirits and haunted by the uncertainty of eternity. God sees a growing swell of young people in third-world poverty, frustrated by unemployment, and hatefully resentful of the luxuries of the extravagant West…. Acclaimed Historians insisted there was no need to be concerned about Islam. They said it was a barbaric and rigid religion that was born in the desert and that would die in the desert. They assured the Christian world that in time, Islam would simply fade away in the glory and splendor of Western civilization. But the night of ignorance has passed and we have woken up to the reality that Islam is now the fastest growing religion in many parts of the world and embraces a global community of 1.2 billion people. We have recently been shaken out of our disillusionment to realize that Islam is here to stay, and that it is a dynamic force that must be reckoned with.” ( http://www.cmmequip.org )

Oh Muslims…awake from your slumber and throw off the yoke of complacency. Grab hold of the rope of Allah and be saved from the tidal waves of greed and love for this temporary world. The entire world today is groping in the darkness of immorality, promiscuity and godlessness. The world needs Islam.

Annually, on the 16 June, we commemorate National Youth Day. Let it be made crystal clear to our youth that their place is not in the discos and dens of vice. Don’t destroy your precious lives with drugs, gangsterism and Satanist activities.

Our beloved Prophet (pbuh) said: “One of the categories of people who will stand in the shade of Allah’s divine protection on judgment day, will be the youth who committed their lives in the obedience of Allah.

Oh young men and daughters! Take control of your lives and steer your destiny in the path of Allah. Now is the time to nurture your sense of responsibility as the fathers and mothers of tomorrow. We need you to become dynamic future leaders and to preach and live Islam with peace, justice and love for all. Let us collectively make ourselves part of the unfolding of the divine plan that Islam will be the dominant religion of the world. Let the world know that Islam needs no terrorism, suicide bombings or conquests. Islam means Peace, and peace is what the world is desperately in need of.

Allah says in His Glorious Qur’an. “Verily, the religion with Allah is Islam.”

Praise be to Allah and salutations on all the revered prophets of Allah. Jumu’ah Mubarak.

Metaphors and Parables in the Quran

Editors — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:33:06 +0000

Metaphors and parables in the Noble Quran

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/2010

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

“O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.”

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The more we read the Holy Qur’an the more we can wonder at its construction, its use of language. It has a unique ability to fire up the human imagination and to deliver ideas into our hearts and minds in a powerful way. Over the last 14 hundred years scholars, experts in Arabic language and literature have marvelled at the way the Holy Qur’an sets the standard for communication, by informing, instructing and inspiring its readers. The Quran has become the ideal standard by which the power of written and the spoken word can be measured. This amazing book is of course not the product of a human mind or human imagination. This is the very Word of Allah: the Revealed Word of the Most High, transmitted through the archangel Gabriel, Jibreel, alahis salaam, and made audible and intelligible to us by the noblest of all creation, the seal of all the Prophets, khaataman nabiy-yeen, Prophet Muhammad (sws).

Often when Allah wants to explain an important idea, He uses a powerful figure of speech, a story or a metaphor that lingers in the memory and helps us to take hold of the message and fix it firmly into our hearts. There are many examples in the Holy Qur’an but we have time only to consider a few.

One example is the importance of remembering that every good thing that comes to us comes from Allah, and every bad thing comes to us comes from our own lower nafs, when we pervert or do harm to our own soul, through our own bad thoughts and actions. If Allah were to simply make a statement in a bland way we may not remember the message. But he uses powerful imagery. He tells us a story, for example, a parable of the two men arguing in Sura Kahf. One is filled with pride and arrogance over his beautiful garden and he tries to humiliate his poorer neighbour. So to teach him a lesson, Allah destroys it overnight. The poor man then reminds him that he forgot to say,

“Ma sha Allah, la kuw-wata il-La bil-Lah!” (18:39)

“This is the Will of Allah, there is no power and no strength except from Allah.”

Muslims have been so impressed by the power of this parable, this simple story. To make sure we don’t become like the unfortunate man who was puffed up with pride, we’ve placed reminders about this story all around us. I’ve seen the Arabic words “Ma-Sha-Allah” beautifully inscribed on the marbelled walls of palatial homes and humbler dwellings, carefully and lovingly painted by hand on busses, trucks and scooter taxis from Karachi to Cairo and from Chittagong to Kuala Lumpur. No believing Muslim wants to invite a nasty fate by forgetting his utter reliance on Allah’s generosity and mercy.

Another parable or metaphor that the Holy Qur’an uses, is the the way Allah separates truth from falsehood, by separating what is good for us from what is evil. There is a beautiful verse in Sura Ra’d (ch 13.v 17) which describes the way rain falls and the floodwaters carry a scum that rises to the surface, just like metal ore heated in a furnace produces a scum that rises to the top.

“He sends water down from the sky, and the channels flow, each according to its measure; but the torrent bears away the foam that mounts up to the surface. Even so, from that [ore] they heat in the furnace to make ornaments or utensils there is a scum likewise. This is how Allah uses parables to explain Truth and Falsehood; for the scum disappears like froth cast out; while that which is for the good of mankind remains on earth. This is how Allah explains with parables.”

This powerful metaphor reminds us that all the hardship and suffering that we endure is simply Allah’s way of burning off the impurities in our character so that our hearts can be refined and purified. The famous poet Jalaluddin Rumi wrote, ‘Suffering is a Gift: in it is a hidden Mercy.’ Allah mercifully cleans out our hearts for us so that we can be ready for al-Jannah, because, as the Holy Qur’an reminds us, no one will enter Allah’s Garden except those with a sound heart [qalbun saleem] [sura 26:v89]

Brothers and sisters, let us cultivate a daily habit of reading the Quran, reading and pondering over its meaning, even if it’s just a few verses. We must read it every day, and we must consider our day incomplete unless we’ve spent at least a few minutes with Allah’s Noble Book, reading it with understanding, reading it with love, devotion, consideration, tafakkur, contemplation and reflection. This is the way we can light up our lives through the darkness of human ignorance around us.

Second Khutbah:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My brothers and sisters,

One more example, perhaps the best example, of the beautiful use of language, of metaphor in the Holy Qur’an is in Sura Nur, verse 36. This is the famous verse of Light:

“Allahun nurus-sama waati wal ard…”

“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the East nor of the West, whose Oil is almost luminous, although fire barely touched it: Light upon Light! Allah does guide whom He pleases to His Light. Allah does set forth Parables for men: and Allah knows all things.”

36 Such a light shines in houses which Allah has permitted to be raised to honour; for the celebration in them of His name: in such houses, is He glorified in the mornings and in the evenings (again and again)

37 By people who are not distracted by trade nor business, from Remembering Allah nor from regular Prayer nor from the doing regular acts of Charity: their (only) fear is for the Day when hearts and eyes will be transformed (in a world completely new)

That Allah may reward them according to the best of their deeds and add even more for them out of His Grace: for Allah does provide for those whom He chooses, without measure.”

Brothers and sisters, these beautiful words have inspired people and moved them to tears, over the centuries. Truth and beauty are aspects of the same divine Reality. The truth and beauty of the Holy Qur’an will continue to inspire its readers until the end of time. But Allah’s Book is more than an inspired and inspiring literary classic. The Holy Qur’an is more than just the greatest work of literature in any language. It’s much more than a collection of amazing stories, metaphors and parables. It’s pre-eminently THE book of divine Wisdom, the Criterion between right and wrong, the radiant guiding light for us to navigate our way through the treacherous waters of life. Let’s honour this Greatest of all Books by reading it, living by its advice, heeding its warnings and sharing it’s eternal truth and beauty with others.

When we die, the Holy Qur’an will either be a witness for us, pleading our case to save us from the fire, or we will stand condemned by it, for our negligence, for our disregard. Which one will it be? That’s for us to decide: it’s our choice, it’s our call.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!

False Choices: Are you British, European, American or Muslim?

Editors — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:59:38 +0000

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.`

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Muslims in Britain are often asked, “Do you consider yourself British or Muslim?” In other parts of Europe, the question is, are you European or Muslim? And, across the Atlantic, “Are you American or Muslim, Canadian or Muslim?” And so on. The question presupposes that one’s identity and one’s loyalty can only fit into one category. It also betrays the questioner’s anxiety as to where we Muslims belong. Before we hasten to answer this question, we need to examine its assumptions critically. It’s and either/or question, and it assumes that being Muslim and being British or French or German or American/Canadian/Australian are mutually exclusive identities. It’s like asking, are you a husband, or a father, or a son? Obviously, one can be all these, without any conflict or contradictions. The question itself is absurd. So, don’t answer this question as if you accept its wrong assumptions. The simple truth is that one can be a good Muslim and be a loyal British citizen, or European or American citizen without any problems.

The problem arises when we define our meanings narrowly and exclusively.

What exactly does it mean to be British, or whatever?

If one defines ‘British’ as being white, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant [W.A.S.P. for short] then clearly we brown skinned colonial cousins won’t ever fit that description. It’s racially and religiously exclusive. Who is ‘British’ has to be redefined. It must include all those who may have been born elsewhere but who have made Britain their home and who are entitled to a British passport. Being British is someone who strives to promote the wellbeing of everyone who lives in this country, and who is sensitive to the needs of people beyond our shores, someone who believes that ‘fair play’ applies not only to cricket but to life generally This is a more inclusive and acceptable definition of British-ness. We Muslims can certainly accept this definition and strive to fulfil it, because we find in it a resonance with our own Islamic ethos.

To be a Muslim is to be a follower of a universal faith, to believe in One God and to believe in all His prophets. ‘Muslim’ is not a national identity. It’s a belief identity. A Muslim can be Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Egyptian by birth, British by nationality and at the same time be an obedient son, a loving father, a devoted husband as well as a helpful neighbour and a loyal and upright citizen. One can be all this at the same time, with absolutely no contradictions. The contradictions only exist in someone else’s mind.

“O mankind, I have created you from a single pair of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may know and respect one another and not despise one another…”[Sura Hujuraat ch 49 verse13]

To know and to respect other people of different cultures, languages and ethnicity is a moral and spiritual imperative, decreed by Allah. Knowing and respecting the diversity of Allah’s creation is something we must share with others. We must teach them and reassure them that diversity should not become a source of fear and loathing, but a source of wonder and admiration. It is one of the Ayaat, one of the Signs of Allah.

We must understand that in these fast-changing times, people feel uncertain and insecure about their own national identity. Some are no longer sure if they are British, English, Scottish, Welsh or European. What comes first? Does it really matter? Aren’t we first human beings, homo sapiens? Bani Adam? KhaleefatullAh?..trustees and custodians of planet Earth? We Muslims must understand this, and we must reassure our friends and neighbours in the wider community that they have nothing to fear from our presence in their midst. We have to do this by earning their respect and trust. By doing so, we will simply be following the “uswatul hasanah,” the grand exemplar, the perfect role-model of Prophet Muhammad (sws).

Let’s not forget that even before he was called upon by Allah to fulfil the most honoured role as “khaataman-nabiy-yeen,” the Last of the Prophets, he had, in the first 40 years of his life earned the title of “Al-ameen,” The Trustworthy.

Let us then work hard to earn that same reputation amongst our friends and neighbours in the wider community. We must always be truthful and trustworthy. Let us follow our beloved Prophet Muhammad (sws)’s example. There’s no quick fix here. It’s a long and serious process, a lifestyle and lifetime commitment. It will take lots of hard work over many years. But this is what it means to be a true Muslim. We who worship the Lord of Mercy and who follow the Mercy to all the Nations,

(Wa ma arsal naaka illa Rahmatal lil ‘aalameen)

We will have to show others the beauty of Islam, bit by bit, day by day, through our practical living example, through big and small acts of kindness, generosity and mercy. We will have to join others in improving our neighbourhoods, reducing crime, drug abuse and social exclusion. Every Muslim must be involved in at least one activity that promotes social cohesion, human welfare and good citizenship. It’s a long road ahead, but this is what Allah has decreed for us, and at the end of this road, inshAllah, awaits the Ridwaan, the Good Pleasure of our Lord.

innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.

Second Khutbah:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We’ve all heard about Islamic Relief. It’s one of the biggest Muslim charities, helping anyone in need, all over the world. How many of us actually know how this big international charity began?

During Ramadan I attended an Iftar dinner hosted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I heard Dr Hani Al Banna, the founder and CEO, tell us how it started 25 years ago. It was in Cairo, Egypt, where his young nephew came to him and said, “Uncle, here’s my pocket money. I don’t really need anything for myself. Please use it to help the poor people.” He handed over one Egyptian Pound [about 20p]. Dr Al Banna was deeply moved by this young boy’s generosity, giving his whole week’s pocket money to the poor. So he started Islamic Relief with that sum, just 20p. Today it’s an international relief agency that raises millions to provide help and support to the poorest and most vulnerable people on earth.

Let us take this as an example. Even the smallest good deed, driven by love and gratitude to Allah, can be magnified a million times over. Allah’s mercy and blessings are limitless. Sura Al Baqara reminds us of a grain of corn that sprouts seven ears, each carrying a hundred grains. Allah multiplies His rewards many times over. We should never take Allah’s loving mercy for granted.

Let us reflect on Allah’s living and loving generosity towards us. Let us show Him our gratitude, by serving His most vulnerable servants.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!

Backbiting

Arshad Gamiet — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:13:00 +0000

Al-Qur’an: Allah’s gift to mankind

Arshad Gamiet — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:58:11 +0000

Lessons from the Hijra

Editors — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:30:40 +0000

Prophet Muhammad (sws) was not only an inspiring leader; he also knew how to organise his material and human resources to the best advantage...

Hajj Reflections 2009

Editors — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:12:08 +0000

Short Khutbah

Hajj Reflections 2009

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/Date 13 Nov 2009

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

“O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.”

“Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

“O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.”`

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Brother Essam gave a very inspiring khutbah this morning after the Eid Prayers. I want to sum up a few key lessons for us all to remember about the Hajj, in this short khutbah. Hajj, the Pilgrimage to Makka, is an epic journey, a journey of a lifetime: It is also the summation of the dramatic story of our Faith. It is a journey that reminds us about our primordial human nature: Fitra, innocence, purity, about human forgetfulness that leads us to sinful and shameful deeds. But it’s also about Redemption, divine Mercy and Forgiveness. Haj teaches us about sacrifice, about loving Allah more than anyone on anything else, just like Nabi Ibrahim, alayhis salaam, did. Prophet Abraham peace and blessings on him, was ready to sacrifice his own beloved son, Ismail alayhis salaam, and earned himself the honourable title of khaleel-Allah, the Friend of Allah. Hajj takes us on a journey back through time, retelling the moral and spiritual history of humanity. We visit the Kaaba, the first place of worship, built before the first church, or temple, or synagogue. Here we find ourselves at the Baytul-Laah, the House of Allah. It is the home of Monotheism, the cradle of Tawheed, of Divine Unity. Here we walk around the geographical centre of Islam, the Kaaba, centre of our Islamic universe. Our tawaaf symbolises effort, action, in a constant, circular motion, centred round a fixed and immovable idea of Unity: Tawheed. Unity of belief, Unity of purpose, amidst a diversity of opinions and different starting points. The great plain of Arafat becomes the stage for a dramatic role-play of the very beginning and the very end: Long before time and space existed, long before the ‘big bang’ 14 billion years ago, Allah created your soul and my soul and the souls of every human being that ever was and ever will be. Then He asked them to testify according to themselves, by declaring the First Shahaadah, the First Covenant. This was in the state of metaphysical or pre-Eternal Time. When Allah addressed the assembled gathering of human Souls, he asked them:

“Alasta bi Rabbikum?” “Am I not Your Lord?”

and they all answered together in one thunderous voice,

“Balaa”

“Yes, indeed, You are! we testify to this, so that we have no excuse on the Day of Judgement to say that we were not aware of this covenant.” [Sura Ar’af 7:172]

Arafat is also a dress rehearsal for the Day of Judgement, Yawmul qiy-yaamah. In our simple ihram clothes, we cannot distinguish anyone’s wealth and social status. No one can see who’s rich and who’s poor; the president, the billionaire, the taxi driver and the farmer all look exactly alike, just like Allah sees us. Allah is only concerned with who is best in their deeds. Who is best in their moral and ethical behaviour…

“Rabbana zhalamna an fusina wa il-lam tagh-fir lana wa tar hamna lana koona minal khaasireen!” [7:23]

This is the same prayer of Nabi Adam, alayhis salaam, Adam and Eve, Allah’s peace and blessings on them both:

“Our Lord! We have truly wronged our own souls, and if You do not forgive us, we will truly be among the losers!”

Hajj is truly a journey of a lifetime. Hajj takes us not only on a journey tracing the spiritual history of Islam, it also symbolises the journey each and every one of us must undertake, to find our own centre, in the Kaaba of our heart. What desires, what emotions and passions are circling, making tawaaf around our spiritual heart? The qalb is the locus of our personality. Let’s make sure that it is surrounded by loving thoughts of Remembrance of our most Beloved, Allah. It is only when we Remember Allah with love and gratitude that our hearts will ever find lasting peace and contentment.

“Al-latheena ‘aamanu, watat-ma-innul quloobuhum, bi dhikril-Laah. Alaa bi dhikril-Laahi tat-ma-innul quloob” [Sura al-Ra’d, 28]

“Those who Believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the Remembrance of Allah; for truly, in the Remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.”

Second Khutbah:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My brothers and sisters,

We say we love Allah more than we love anyone or anything else. Do we really mean it? Do we really love Allah more than our families, more than our parents and children, more than our selfish egos? Where’s the evidence? If we really love someone, there’s evidence. There’s phone calls, love poems, text messages and emails. Where’s the evidence of our love for Allah? Where’s the evidence that we’re constantly seeking His smiling Face, in our prayers, in our Dhikr, and in our lifelong good works?

Prophet Abraham, Nabi Ebrahim, alayhis salaam, had a dream in which he was offering his son Ismail as a sacrifice to Allah. He told his son about the dream, and both father and son were so devoted to Allah, they both agreed and prepared to follow Allah’s will. But just as the sharpened knife was about to pierce the jugular vein, Allah spared father and son of the ultimate sacrifice, so that they passed the test of sincerity, ikhlaas.

“Spread Peace, feed the poor, pray a small part of the night and you will enter Paradise.” [Hadith]

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!

Hypocrisy or Sincerity? The future of Islam in America

Arshad Gamiet — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:41:32 +0000

Khutba delivered in the Milwaukee Islamic Da’wa Center on July 17, 2009 By Dr Waheeduddin Ahmed

[I delivered the khutba extempore; so the following transcript is not verbatim]

Hamd wa Thana.

Allah (T) said: Inna khalaqnakum min zakarin wa untha wa Ja’lnakum shu’ban wa qabaila li ta’arafu. Inna akramakum I’ndAllahi atqakum.

Indeed We created you from one male and a female and made you peoples and tribes so that you may identify each other. Indeed the best among you are the God-fearing.

I discussed this verse in one of my previous khutbas. However, this verse is so profound that each time I read it, I find in it new dimensions of meaning and implications. Therefore, once again this is the opener for today’s discussion.

As can be seen this verse has three parts:

Part 1: Inna khalaqnakum min zakarin wa untha (We created you from one male and a female). This signifies the biological unity of man. We are all one species of creation, with commonality of anatomy and physiology. People, from the aborigines of Australia to the Nordic people of Scandinavia can interbreed. Also, we have a common ancestry, having descended from one pair of human beings

Secondary differences of color and physique are due to the different habitats that we found ourselves in: the climate etc. Our habitats have formed our habits.

We also have individual differences, which help us to tell one person from another. The greatest miracle of creation is that over the past tens and thousands of years of human history, no two individuals have been identical and this principle will hold for all the future generations. Thus our color, our complexion, our size, our sex, the shape of our nose and eyes and many others are the elements in our individual identity. This is how we know each other.

Part II: Wa ja’alnakum shu’ooban wa Qabai’la li ta’arafu: (and made you peoples and tribes so that you may identify each other).

Whereas the first part was concerned with biology and anthropology, the second part is to do with the sociology. Human beings are social animals. No man is an island. They need to live in association with each other for safety and protection from the hazards of the environment and for the division of labor. Thus they become peoples and tribes (shu’oob and qaba’el) as the necessity demands. Their different habitats bestow upon them different characteristics and habits. They become distinctive as groups of people. These distinctions give them different group identities. These distinctions however are only the composites of personal identification. It is natural to ask when two people meet in Hajj: What is your name and where are you from brother? This is Ta’arruf and has no social significance other than that.

Part III: Inna akramakum i’nd-Allahi atqakum: (Indeed the best of you in the eyes of Allah are those who are God-fearing).

Having declassified human beings from their compartments of race, genealogy, nationality etc, Allah (T) then reclassifies them into different grades according to their piety. Recall Rasoolullah’s signature speech in his final Hajj… This was the revolution, which dwarfs the French and the Bolshevik revolutions in the universality of its message. Your race, genealogy, your wealth, your social status do not make you superior to any other human being. Your degrees: Ph.D. and M.D. do not upgrade you if they do not provide you with a higher degree of humanism. If they do not make you a better person, they are simply tools for the exploitation of other human beings. Islam knocked down the slave master, dragged him into dirt and elevated the slave to the status of a commander. Read the story of Bilal and Umayyah, the history of Mamluk of Egypt and the Ghulaman dynasty of India. The Urdu poet Iqbal has depicted this revolution beautifully in the following verses:

Ek hi saf men khade hogaey Mahmood O Ayaz

Na koi banda raha aur na koi bandanawaz.

Banda O sahib O muhtaj O ghani ek huve

Teri sarkar meN paNhche to subhi ek huve.

Mahmoud* and Ayaz * stood in one line, shoulder to shoulder

No one a master, no one a slave.

The slave and the master, the poor and the rich together

When came to Thy rule, they were one forever.

* The reference here is to Sultan Mahmood of Ghazni (the great Mujahid and conqurer) and his slave Ayaz.

In the Aftermath of the Revolution:

This was the voice, which rose from the desert of Arabia. Hundreds, then thousands, then millions harkened to the message. We took this message from Asia to Africa and to Europe. This was the message that we brought to America. Simple people, the oppressed and those, disillusioned with the prevalent hypocrisy in Christianity were attracted to it, like the early Sahaba of the Prophet. Masjids arose in almost every city in America. Once, Br. Ayyub and I went to a synagogue in the city to give a lecture on Islam. They asked Br.Ayyub: what it was that brought him to Islam. (Br.Ayyub is an African-American) He answered that it was the message of brotherhood and equality, which had attracted him to Islam.

Islam and the Future Generations of Muslims in America:

If I was giving this khutba in a masjid in Amman, Cairo, Delhi, Lahore or Mogadishu, the audience would be elated and congratulating each other on the good fortune of being born as Muslims. Because of the homogeneity of race and culture, their perspective would be pure and simple. Their congregations would be mostly uniracial and monocultural. The situation in America is, however, unique. All the continents of the world are represented in our communities. It is as though Allah (T) has, for the first time, provided the Muslim Ummah a test for the practice of the principle that has been propagated in the literature and in our rhetoric. The question we must ask ourselves now is whether we are passing the test. Honestly, you cannot put your hand on your chest and say: Yes we are.

The Responsibility of the Leadership:

The masses are like herds. Muslims are generally easygoing all over the world. The hassles and the difficulties of their daily lives do not give them a chance to sit down and review their conduct using ideality as a criterion. They entrust this task to their scholars and their leaders.

We have immigrants from the Indian subcontinent, who have inherited cultural Islam. Their ritualism does not permit them to understand the letter and the spirit of the Quran. They are misfits in the land, where Islam is pristine. They also come from a land, where prejudices based on caste, class and color affect every walk of life. The leadership is muted in dealing with this problem.

The pioneers of the Islamic work in America were people of vision and of ideals. They worked hard selflessly to start us our communities and built us our masajid. Islam was their criterion and the integrity of the Ummah was their motto. Some of them did it, knowing very well that they or their children would not be the beneficiaries of their work as they were only transient in this country. They are now gone and gone with them is the idealism. The present crop of leadership is highly professional but is lacking in idealism. We now have masjid mangers and department mangers but where do we go to look for Islamic leadership?

Our communities are now divided between the Elite and the non-Elite. The Elite are looking for company among the non-Muslim Elite, looking for “respectability” and prestige. Interfaith dialogue is a priority but not the dialogue with fellow Muslims.

They are so busy in their pursuits that they do not even have time to turn their heads and look at the other segment of the society, which is looking at them in utter dismay and wondering whether this was the Islam they were introduced to by the pioneers.

Early on cracks developed between Black America and Muslim America, because of the attitudes of some people among us. This has now become a gap, which is widening. Soon it will be unbridgeable. This is now being followed by the disillusionment of Muslims, who happen to be black. This is the biggest tragedy of our time. We are leaving a terrible legacy for the future generations. They will read the verse that we discussed before, then look out and see the reality in stark contrast to the fiction in their hands. For non-Muslims it will be a bonanza. With clear proof they will be able to point out the “the Grand Islamic Hypocrisy” which is unveiling in America.

If we want to avoid this catastrophe, we have to act now. If we are able to stop this slide into ignominy and build the only real multiracial Islamic community in the world, we will have perfected the practice of the Message. We are standing at a crossroads. One road leads to disaster and the other to glory. Now, which one do we take?.

Adab [etiqette] towards Allah

Arshad Gamiet — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:22:31 +0000

Continuing Thoughts on Building the Correct Adab Towards Allah

February 13^th, 2009 – University of Pennsylvania

المقدمة

إن الحمد لله نحمده و نستعينه و نستغفروه و عليه نتوكل

و نعوذ به من شرور أنفسنا و من سيئات أعمالنا

فمن يهده الله فلا مضلل له, و من يضلله فلا هادي له

و نشهد أن لا إله إلا الله, وحده لا شريك له, رب الأرباب و مسبب الأسباب, فاطر السماوات السبع و خالق كل شئ

و نشهد أن نبينا و إمامنا و أميرنا محمد ابن عبد الله, أبي القاسم, عبده و رسوله, خطم الأنباء و أشرف المرسلين

صلى الله عليه و على آله و أزواجه و أصحابه و أنصاره و ذرياته و سلم

إن لله و ملائكته يصلون على النبي, يا أيها الذين آمنوا صلوا عليه و سلموا تسليما, و بعد

Surely, all praise is due to God, we praise Him, we seek His Aid, we ask for His forgiveness and upon Him do we rely solely. We seek protection in Him from the evil that resides within all of us as well as from the mischief of our own actions.

As for the one that God chooses to guide, there is no misguider for him – and for the one that God misguides, there is no guidance for him.

We bear witness that there is no god but God, known as Allah in the Arabic language, completely alone and without peer or partner, Lord of lords, Causer of all causation, the Fashioner of the Seven Heavens and the Creator of all that is.

We also bear witness that out Prophet, our Imam, our leader, Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, father of al-Qasim, is His slave and messenger – the seal of the Prophets and most noble of the Messengers. May God abundantly send peace and prayers upon him and on his noble family, his wives, his Companions, his helpers, and his progeny. “Surely, God and His Angels abundantly send peace and prayers upon the Prophet – therefore O’ you who believe! Lavish peace and prayers upon him frequently.

As for what follows,

The main topics of this khutbah will pick up on the last khutbah, which focused on looking at the psychology of the human being as Allah as laid out in His Book:

و لو يعجل الله للناس الشر استعجالهم بالخير لقضي عليهم أجلهم – سورة يوسف 10

“And if God were to answer mankind in the same manner for their evil requests as they wish he would hasten on the good, they would be totally annihilated.” [Yunus: 11]

Man often gets impatient when he feels he is under duress. But if God were to answer all of our requests equally, we would be finished. Therefore, God answers based on His Wisdom and judgment of what is really best. This is also a test – as we saw in suwrah al-Baqarah,

أم حسبتم أن تدخلوا الجنة و لما ياتكم مثل الذين خلوا من قبلكم مستهم البأساء و الضراء و زلزلوا حتى يقول الرسول و الذين آمنوا معه متى نصر الله

“Do you think that you shall waltz into the Paradise without such trials as those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with poverty and disease and they were shaken such that the Messenger and those who believed that were with him cried out, ‘When will the Help of God come?’” [al-Baqarah: 214]

As we summarized, being tested is a part of life and how we react to those tests, who we react to God for being tested will determine the results of our test. This is all said to help understand and inculcate the proper adab or etiquette towards God.

To look further into this issue, this issue of being honest to God, we must work on recognizing God, first and foremost, as an authority figure. We are conditioned in our various societies to recognize authority – one can even say this is a sunnah of Allah as it relates to the human beings’ primordial condition [fitrah]. We recognize our parents, our teachers, law enforcement officers as authority figures and we obey them. These signs [ayaat] should be no different to us than the signs that God has put in His Creation to call man to His attention:

هو الذي جعل الشمس ضياء و القمر نورا و قدره منازل لتعلموا عدد السنين و الحساب ما خلق الله ذلك إلا بالحق نفصل اللآيات لقوم يعلمون

إن افي اختلاف الليل النهار و ما خلق الله في السماوات والأرض لأيات لقوم يتقون

“It is He who has made the sun a shining spectacle and the Moon a light, having measured out for them appointed stages so you might come to know the number of years and how to account for time. And God created this in nothing else but pure Truth. Such do We explain the signs to people who have knowledge.” [Yunus: 5]

“Without a doubt, the variances in Night and Day and whatever God creates in the Heavens and in the earth are signs for a people that have taqwa.”

So we can recognize the authority of God by looking at His Creation. When we understand our proper relation with him, we may desist from petty bargaining with One-Who-Has-Everything.

· One of the many theories on the meaning of the word “Allah” in the Arabic language is that it is derived from the أداة التعريف or the definite article [ال] and the possessive له meaning “for him”. Combined, this comes to take on the meaning of “all of which belongs to him”

· ال+ له = الله

But we should not think that being tested only happens in a “negative” context. Indeed, Allah shows us that we are also tested in what is good:

و إذا أذقنا الناس رحمة من بعد ضراء مستهم إذا لهم مكر في آياتنا, قل الله أسرع مكرا, إن رسلنا يكتبون ما تعملون

“And when We have made mankind to taste some of Our mercy after a calamity has come upon them, Witness!, they take to plotting against Our Signs! Say [Prophet Muhammad], surely Allah is swifter in planning. Always are our messengers writing what it is you do!” [Yunus: 21]

It is pointless to try and barter with One Who Has It All. God is clearly showing His Superiority over man and thus counsels us to behave with that knowledge in hand.

We live in an age where many believe themselves to be self-made and self-sufficient people. Imam ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him, gives us some sound words of advice:

من ظن أنه بدون الجهد يصل فهو متمن – و من ظن أنه ببذل الجهد يصل فهو مستغن

“For the one that thinks that he will achieve his goal without effort is a wishful thinker – and for the one that thinks that he shall, by the expending of effort, be successful, is presumptuous.”

Being honest with God has many sides and facets for the human being to analyze and reflect upon. We mustn’t delude ourselves – we need God! And there are so many people out here in our society that need Allah, yet they may not know it.

May Allah make us of the people of sincerity.

The Parable of the Boat

We will see in the below verse how man is always cruising along, happy when the world’s “going his way” but then as soon as he is hit from an unseen vantage point, he cries out:

هو الذي يسيركم في البر البحر – حتى إذا كنتم في الفلك و جرين بهم بريح طيبة و فرحوبها – جائتها ريح عاصف و جاءهم الموج من كل مكان و ظنوا أنهم أحيط بهم – دعوا الله مخلصين له الدين لئن أنجيتنا من هذه لنكونن من الشاكرين

“It is He who makes it easy for you to travel by land or sea – such that you can even travel by boat with a favorable wind and thus they rejoice – then an ill wind turns their way and the waves crash in upon them from all sides and then they think they are overwhelmed – they cry out with all sincerity of the moment to Allah, pleading: ‘If you save us from this catastrophe, we pledge to be from amongst the most thankful of servants’.” [Yunus: 22]

Again – when man needs God [and when does he not need him?], he cries out in anguish, attempting to barter his pitiful obeisance to the One Who Owns Everything. Leave off gainless bargaining and begin a way of showing your obedience and love and respect to your Creator by improving your character – being thankful when your ni’mah is in abundance, not cursing your rizq when it is in short supply, and bearing hardship with patience and understanding. And a final word on good character, a hadith related to us from Imam Ibn Hanbal in his Musnab, through Imam al-Ghazali’s Ihya’:

أثقل ما يوضع في الميزان يوم القيامة تقوى الله و حسن الخلق

“The heaviest thing to be weighed on the Scale on the Day of Judgment will be taqwa of God [for now, we will term this God-consciousness] and goodness of character.”

We ask Allah to make us from amongst the people of good character and forgive us our sins.

When Allah gives or removes Barakah [blessings]

Editors — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:40:09 +0000

All thanks and praises belong to Allah, Creator, Nourisher and Sustainer of the universe. We beseech Allah to bestow His eternal blessings on our illustrious Master, Nabi Muhammad (pbuh).

Oh Muslims, I urge you and myself first to be ever God-conscious and to construct our lives in the shadow of divine obedience.

On Wednesday (22 April 2009), the eyes of the world focused on our beloved country, South Africa. Approximately 23 million people have registered to vote in the National elections on that day. Hence millions voted and millions abstained from voting, based on their democratic right as South African citizens.

I want to state categorically that our khutbah today by no means intends to enter the arena of debate on this hot issue. Rather, I urge you that we remain steadfast and continue the struggle for justice, which is paramount. The struggle for justice is a lifelong struggle. We have many issues and challenges facing us on the pathway of life.

Global recession is on everyone’s tongue. And yes, it is a real fear. Thousands of people have lost their jobs and breadwinners panic and battle daily to feed their families. A major internet engine company retrenched 7000 (seven thousand) employees. Look at the horror situation unfolding in Dubai. The construction of Skyscrapers and buildings have come to a halt, standing half complete, Thousands of cars are abandoned daily as expatriates are fleeing the country, fearing prison, due to high debts. This glittering city that rose from the desert sand dunes and referred to as “the capital of bling” has been hard hit by the global recession. Hence this fear is real. But are we only concerned because it is affecting our stomachs and our standard of living? The world has already fallen into the abyss of a spiritual and moral recession. Where was that global concern then? However, we need to rise to this challenge with the realization that we have a recourse. Though the present economic crisis seems bleak and we face certain destruction, yet it is not too late. Our recourse is to turn to Allah, who is closer to us than our jugular vein. The road to success is beautifully taught to us in the supreme guidance of Al-Qur’an and Sunnah.

I would like to share with you the beautiful story told by Nabi Muhammad (pbuh) as documented in the books of Bukhari and Muslim.

“One day three people were on travel. Suddenly they were overtaken by a storm and they seeked refuge in a cave. An avalanche occurred and a massive rock blocked the mouth of the cave. The men knew they are faced with certain death, as their combined strength could not even move this rock an inch. They realized their only recourse is to pray very sincerely and ask Allah to help them.

The first one prayed and said. Oh Allah. I have two elderly parents. Every evening when I return from my day’s work, I first serve and feed them before I see to my wife and children. One evening when I returned, my parents were fast asleep as I came later than usual. I feared to disturb their precious sleep and stood with the milk in my hand till dawn. Meanwhile, my kids were crying, but I could not feed them before I have not fed my beloved old parents. Oh Allah, if I did it seeking your divine pleasure only, then please help us. Miraculously the rock moved some inches.

The second one prayed. Oh Allah, I had a very beautiful female cousin whom I loved and desired very passionately. One day she was in dire straits and I offered her financial aid on condition that she must have sexual intercourse with me. She consented. But as I was about to commence this evil act of zina, she said to me. “Fear Allah”. I immediately withdrew. I left her and did not demand the money back from her. Oh Allah, if I did it seeking your divine pleasure only, then help us. Miraculously the rock moved some inches. The third person then prayed and said. Oh Allah. One day I hired some labourers and then paid them their due. One of them left without his wages. I then used his money to buy some sheep and goats, and with the lapse of time, it increased in bounds. One day he came back to collect his due wages and I said to him. All these goats and sheep are yours. He first thought I was joking, but I assured him that this was all his investment. He happily took everything and left. Oh Allah, if I acted justly seeking your divine pleasure only, then please help us in this desperate situation. Miraculously the rock moved enough for the three of them to emerge safely from the cave”

The profound lesson we learn from here is that as these three persons were saved by Allah from certain ruin, likewise, we need to turn to our beloved creator. We have experienced an avalanche of spiritual and moral recession. The global economic recession is the result of our state of godlessness and promiscuity. Nabi Muhammad (pbuh) said.

“Before Judgment Day, Allah will take the barakah (divine blessings) out of this Earth.” Already we can see our homes and lives void of barakah. Where is the time when we had little money and belongings, but we could feed up to ten and twelve in a family. Now we have pigeon pair families, earning thousands of rands, but we are up to our necks in debt.

So I urge you, Oh Muslims, not to become fragmented and indulge in petty debates. Let us rise up as a dynamic Ummah and contribute to the success and prosperity of our beloved country. We need to fearlessly tell this government to turn the country around , from godlessness towards godliness. Divorcing God from our political chambers of power will only take this country to destruction. Politicians alone cannot run this country, as they need the guidance and directives of Ulama and religious leaders.

Positive change starts with every individual which will result into a positive nation.

Allah says in His Glorious Book, Al-Qur’an

“Allah will never change the condition of a people, unless they change what is within and around them.”

Jumu’ah Mubarak.

Earning Allah’s Barakah [blessings]

Arshad Gamiet — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:05:55 +0000

Earning Allah’s Barakah

By Sheikh Abduragmaan Alexander

Khutbah No.14

All thanks and praises belong to Allah, Creator, Nourisher and Sustainer of the universe. We beseech Allah to bestow His eternal blessings on our illustrious Master, Nabi Muhammad (pbuh).

Oh Muslims, I urge you and myself first to be ever God-conscious and to construct our lives in the shade of divine obedience.

Global recession is on everyone’s tongue. And yes, it is a real fear. Thousands of people have lost their jobs and breadwinners panic and battle daily to feed their families. A major internet search engine company retrenched 7000 (seven thousand) employees. Look at the horror situation unfolding in Dubai. The construction of Skyscrapers and buildings have come to a halt, standing half complete, Thousands of cars are abandoned daily as expatriates are fleeing the country, fearing prison, due to high debts. This glittering city that rose from the desert sand dunes and referred to as “the capital of bling” has been hard hit by the global recession. Hence this fear is real. But are we only concerned because it is affecting our stomachs and our standard of living? The world has already fallen into the abyss of a spiritual and moral recession. Where was that global concern then? However, we need to rise to this challenge with the realization that we have a recourse. Though the present economic crisis seems bleak and we face certain destruction, yet it is not too late. Our recourse is to turn to Allah, who is closer to us than our jugular vein. The road to success is beautifully taught to us in the supreme guidance of Al-Qur’an and Sunnah.

I would like to share with you the beautiful story told by Nabi Muhammad (pbuh) as documented in the books of Bukhari and Muslim.

“One day three people were on travel. Suddenly they were overtaken by a storm and they seeked refuge in a cave. An avalanche occurred and a massive rock blocked the mouth of the cave. The men knew they are faced with certain death, as their combined strength could not even move this rock an inch. They realized their only recourse is to pray very sincerely and ask Allah to help them.

The first one prayed and said. Oh Allah. I have two elderly parents. Every evening when I return from my day’s work, I first serve and feed them before I see to my wife and children. One evening when I returned, my parents were fast asleep as I came later than usual. I feared to disturb their precious sleep and stood with the milk in my hand till dawn. Meanwhile, my kids were crying, but I could not feed them before I have not fed my beloved old parents. Oh Allah, if I did it seeking your divine pleasure only, then please help us. Miraculously the rock moved some inches.

The second one prayed. Oh Allah, I had a very beautiful female cousin whom I loved and desired very passionately. One day she was in dire straits and I offered her financial aid on condition that she must have sexual intercourse with me. She consented. But as I was about to commence this evil act of zina, she said to me. “Fear Allah”. I immediately withdrew. I left her and did not demand the money back from her. Oh Allah, if I did it seeking your divine pleasure only, then help us. Miraculously the rock moved some inches. The third person then prayed and said. Oh Allah. One day I hired some labourers and then paid them their due. One of them left without his wages. I then used his money to buy some sheep and goats, and with the lapse of time, it increased in bounds. One day he came back to collect his due wages and I said to him. All these goats and sheep are yours. He first thought I was joking, but I assured him that this was all his investment. He happily took everything and left. Oh Allah, if I acted justly seeking your divine pleasure only, then please help us in this desperate situation. Miraculously the rock moved enough for the three of them to emerge safely from the cave”

Already we can see our homes and lives void of barakah. Where is the time when we had little money and belongings, but we could feed up to ten and twelve in a family? Now we have much smaller families and we earn huge incomes, but we are up to our necks in debt…

“Before Judgment Day, Allah will take the barakah (divine blessings) out of this Earth.”

Positive change starts with every individual which will result into a positive nation.

Allah says in His Glorious Book, Al-Qur’an

“Allah will never change the condition of a people, unless they change what is within and around them.”

Jumu’ah Mubarak.

The “Problem” of Suffering

KhutbahBank — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:02:13 +0000

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem.

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, and speak a straightforward word. He will forgive your sins and repair your deeds. And whoever takes Allah and His prophet as a guide, has already achieved a mighty victory…

My Dear Brothers and Sisters, our recent khutbahs have dealt with many aspects of the Hajj, and no doubt our Eid khutbah on Monday will re-confirm the legacy of love and sacrifice that Prophet Abraham a.s. taught us.

Today I’d like to deal with a topic that we all encounter, whenever we discuss natural disasters and personal grief with our friends and neighbours outside the Muslim community. It’s the “problem,” as they see it, of Suffering. Some people argue, that if God is Love, if Allah is All Merciful, then why do people suffer? There are so many earthquakes, floods, volcanoes; there’s so much warfare, hunger and disease: Why do innocent men, women and children have to endure unspeakable hardship? Why do the real sinners seem to get away with their crimes? Sometimes we hear people say, “How can I believe in a Merciful and Loving God when He allows so much suffering?” These people take the existence of suffering as proof that God doesn’t exist, or if He does exist, then He doesn’t deserve to be worshipped, because He appears to be so unjust [wa a-oothu bil-Laah!] How do we deal with such arguments?

First of all, we must be clear that every human being, without exception, will at some time or other have to endure hardship, pain, and death.

“Kullun nafsin thaa ikatul mawt,” says the Holy Quran; “Every soul will taste Death.” The same Quran also poses the rhetorical question, in Sura Al Baqara [2:214]:

أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُواْ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْاْ مِن قَبْلِكُم مَّسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَاء وَالضَّرَّاء وَزُلْزِلُواْ حَتَّى يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ مَعَهُ مَتَى نَصْرُ اللّهِ أَلا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللّهِ قَرِيبٌ

“Or do you think that you will enter Heaven without being tested like those who were tested before you? They endured suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that even the Prophet and those of faith who were with him cried: ‘When will the help of Allah come?’ Ah! Truly, Allah’s help is always near!”

“Ala! Inna nasral-Laahi qareeb!” [2:214]

Allah’s help is always near! It’s much nearer than we think! Allah wants us to really feel and experience our desperate need for Him. He wants us to persevere, patiently. He wants us to repose our complete trust in His mercy, so that we can set ourselves apart from those who disbelieve, those who stand against faith. How blessed we are, we who believe in the Lord of all the worlds, and who have absolute certainty, yaqeen, of our Day of meeting with Him! How miserable and lonely, how futile and pointless the life of those without faith, who live from day to day, without any hope and without longing for what lies beyond death!

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem! Tabaark al-lathee biyadihil mulk wahuwa alaa kulli shay-in qadeer! Al-lathee khalaqal mawta wal hayaata liyab’luwakum ay-yukum ahsanu ‘amalaa. Wahuwal ‘Azeezul Ghaf-fuur!

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate! Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the Dominion; and He over all things has Power! He Who created Death and Life so that He may try which of you is best in deed, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Oft-forgiving!” [67:1-3]

Brothers and sisters, here is the key to what some people see as the “problem” of suffering. We know that suffering is a test for us, a test of our patience. We know that peace and prosperity is also a test, a test of our gratitude to Allah. Those who see suffering as a “problem” are really saying that they believe they have a right to a life of uninterrupted happiness, with no discomfort, no pain and no grief. But that’s not what this earthly life is all about! That’s what Allah promises us in akhira, not in dunya! We’re not there yet! We still have to earn the right to enter Allah’s garden!

Another point: When believers suffer hardship, they say, “Inna lil-laahi wa inna ilayhir-raaji-oon!” “From Allah do we come, and to Him is our return.” Believing Christians say, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Praise the Lord!” You can see how Believers in different faiths speak the same spiritual language. They accept the Divine Decree. Allah does what He Wills, and His will is always, unfailingly good, however harsh it may appear to us on the surface. Our human perception is limited, like ants crawling over a carpet, we complain about the rough surface, the knots and the texture that make our journey difficult. But we cannot see the beauty of the carpet from above. We cannot see the beauty of Allah’s master plan, until we step outside our small, selfish worlds. Believers suffer, but they know their suffering is an expiation of their sins, and their patience and contentment brings them closer to Allah.

But the non-believer suffers at a much deeper level. Charles [Hassan] le Guy Eaton writes in his book, Islam and the Destiny of Man, [pp207]: “First there’s the pain and suffering itself. Then there’s the belief that it shouldn’t have happened at all. They suffer because something is wrong, then they suffer again because, now everything is wrong. At the end of this particular road is the abyss of despair, a grave sin for the Believing Muslim as it is for the Believing Catholic. A wound which might otherwise be cleaned and healed now becomes suppurated and poisons the bloodstream.”

It’s only when we try to generalize our suffering into a philosophical level, that we have a problem. When non-believers suffer, their lack of faith leads them to endless despair, and sometimes, even to suicide.

Let us thank Allah for illuminating our hearts with the light of His guidance. Even if our faith, our iman is as small as a mustard seed; If we truly believe in Allah and we learn to rely on Him completely, then we are much richer and more blessed than the wealthiest non-Believer, whose wealth and happiness stand on shaky foundations. Alhamdu lil-laah, Praise to Allah!

Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen. Was-salaatu was-salaamu alaa Khairil mursaleen. Muhammadin-nabeey-yil Ummiy-yee, wa-‘alaa aalihee, wasah-bihee, aj-ma’een.

Ammaa ba’ad:

Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, wa alaa áli Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Part Two:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem.

“All glory is for Allah, and all praise is for Allah; There is no power and no strength except with Allah.”

Brothers and Sisters,

The mystical poet, Jalaluddin Rumi says that “Suffering is a gift. In it is a hidden mercy.” Suffering teaches us patience, sabr, and it also teaches us Ridhaa, which is total reliance on Allah, and serene acceptance of whatever He has decreed. It teaches us to persevere, to work hard to seek Allah’s good pleasure, his Ridwaan. It teaches us humility, it teaches compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad sws said, “How fortunate is the Believer, he endures hardship, and it is good for him [it teaches patience]; then he enjoys relief from hardship, and it is good for him [it gives a chance to be grateful to Allah]. Indeed, the true Friends of Allah are always overflowing with gratitude, in good times and in hard times…

There is really no ‘problem’ of suffering. The problem is our human ignorance. If we don’t know Allah, we won’t know His Plan. We won’t be able to accept His Decree. We won’t know our place in the vast cosmic scheme of things. We won’t know who we really are, why we’re here, where we’ve come from and where we’re going to, after our death. Prophet Muhammad, sws, often reminded us about the vital importance of self-knowledge. One saying that has been attributed to him, affirms that:

“He who knows himself, knows his Lord.”

Brothers and Sisters let us be truly grateful to Allah, that we have this wonderful gift of Iman, this gift of Faith, to illuminate our way through life’s challenges.

In many places the Holy Quran reminds us,

“Ala, inna awliya Allah, la khawfun alayhim wala hum yah-zanoon!”

“Behold, on the Friends of Allah, there is no fear, and no grief.” [10:62]

No fear and no grief, and yet, if you study the Friends of Allah, you’ll find that their lives were filled with incredible hardship, pain and endurance. The Friends of Allah taught us Ridha’, that wonderful and serene acceptance of Allah’s will. If we can be islands of calm in the oceans of turbulence; if we can show others a kind and helpful manner, in the midst of life’s problems, we will truly hold high that noble legacy of the Prophets and the Awliya, the Friends of Allah.

This is what our world needs today. Our friends and neighbours out there, are in dire need of spiritual guidance. They need a gentle helping hand to show them how to cope with natural and manmade calamities, how to keep their own pain and personal grief in perspective. Brothers and Sisters, let us set a good example, let us inspire our communities with our serenity, our dignity and our strength that come out of true faith in Allah, and total reliance on His Mercy, His Rahma.

To conclude our khutbah:

إِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاء ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!

God’s Greatest Gift: Good Guidance

KhutbahBank — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:27:21 +0000

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem.

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

My Dear Brothers and Sisters

Good guidance is God’s greatest gift. We cannot do without His guidance. Our lives will be absolutely bereft of any meaning, unless we acknowledge Allah and worship Him as He alone deserves to be worshipped. We can do without wealth and without good health and many other things. Although life would then be quite challenging, As long as we have right guidance, we would know where we came from and where we’re going to when we die. As Muslims, we are so very lucky because we don’t even have to hunt and search for the right guidance. In our Holy Quran and the life of our Prophet Muhammad sws we find all the guidance we need to be successful.

Every time we recite Sura Fatiha, we begin by thanking and praising and glorifying Allah, not because he needs praise and glory, but because we are so forgetful, we need to remind ourselves of Allah’s greatness and irresistible power:

Alhamdu lil-laahi Rabbil aalameen. Ar-Rahmanir Raheem. Maaliki yawmid-Deen.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of All the worlds. The Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. King of the Day of Judgement.

The next line defines of relations with Allah:

Iy-ya kana’budu wa iy-ya kanas ta’een.

You [alone] do we worship and from You [alone] do we seek for help.

Then we come to the crux of the matter, the real core of Sura Al Fatiha:

“Ihdi nas Siraatal Mustaqeem!” “Guide us to the straight path!”

Siraatal latheena an ‘amta ‘alayhim, ghairil maghthoobi alayhim, waladd dhal-leen. Ameen.

“The path of those with whom you are pleased, not the path of those who make you angry, nor of those who go astray. Ameen”

Brothers and Sisters, Allah’s guidance is the greatest gift we can ever hope for. Pleading for it is the essence of Sura Al Fatiha, the first Sura of the Holy Quran. In the next Sura, Al Baqara, we read in the opening lines:

Alif, Laam-Meem. Thaalikal kitaabu la rayba fee, Hudan lil mut-taqeem.

A.L.M. This Book, there is no doubt in it, is a Guide to those who have Taqwa, [those who regard Allah with an awe-inspired sense of love, fear and hope].

So, the first Sura teaches us how to ask for Allah’s guidance, and, moments later, in the very beginning of the next Sura we are promised that Divine Guidance within the Holy Quran itself. But the Holy Scripture needs to be interpreted to us. It needs to be made visible within the human context of time, place and circumstance. So, the Holy Quran again tells us that, “Truly in the Messenger of Allah, we have the finest of examples,” Uswatul hasanah.

Allah’s guidance covers the whole spectrum of life, from personal cleanliness to inheritance laws and dealing justly with non-Muslims. Brothers and Sisters, never hesitate to ask Allah for help, even for the smallest thing. For many years, I made the big mistake of thinking that I shouldn’t bother Allah to ask him for silly, small things, only for the big important things. I imagined that He’s too busy to care about little things. Then, one day I realized that my attitude was completely wrong. By thinking he’s too busy, I had fallen into the dangerous trap of attributing human weaknesses to Allah. He’s never too busy. He keeps the planets in their orbits while feeding an ant under a black rock on a dark night in the middle of the desert. He’s cares for everything from the biggest to the smallest. And he never gets tired. As we read in Ayatul kursi, the verse of the Throne:

La ta’ khuthuhu sinatun wa la nawm. Slumber does not overtake Him, nor sleep

Wa la ya oothuhu hivthuhuma Guarding and preserving the whole cosmos does not cause Him any fatigue.”

So if you need anything, big or small, ask Allah.

We often forget that Allah alone can help us overcome the many problems we encounter in our daily lives. The secret is to keep Allah in mind, constantly, so that when any difficulty arises, we can address it confident in the knowledge that Allah is aware of our situation. We should never face any problem on our own; Allah is with us and He inspires and authorises the solution.

I remember reading a story about a young man who was keen to be a spiritual leader. But his Shaykh said to him, “Before you can hope to be a leader, you must answer this correctly. Imagine you are walking through the fields, when suddenly you are attacked by several sheepdogs at once. What will you do?” The man replied, “I will grab a stick or some stones to throw at them, and defend myself. His teacher smiled and said, “That’s not the answer. You may hold off one or two dogs, but the others will get you. You cannot defend yourself against so many attacking you all at once. The wise answer is to call on the shepherd, call the dogs’ master, and ask him for help. He’ll call the dogs away and they will leave you unharmed.”

Brothers and Sisters, this is of course a deeply philosophical story with many layers of meaning. The dogs are the problems we face in life, every day. The Shepherd is Allah. Don’t try to defend yourself without Allah. You cannot win. Take Allah into your confidence. Make Him part of your life, part of every waking and sleeping moment. Allah loves it when we seek his help in big and small matters. This is another dimension of Taqwa, being constantly mindful of Allah, filling our hearts with a sense of love fear and hope. We love Allah, we fear His punishment and we are ever hopeful of His forgiveness and Mercy.

At the beginning of this khutbah, we heard that, May- Yahdillahu fa huwal muhtad, wa may- yudlill falan tajidaa lahu waliyan murshida. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is certainly guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. The key word here is guidance. Think about it. We have many blessings from Allah. We enjoy good health, we live in comfortable homes. We have a good education. We value the love of family and friends. Health, wealth and happiness; we also have Allah’s guidance, through His sacred book, the Holy Quran and the life example of Prophet Muhammad sws. Which of these blessings is the most important? Which of Allah’s blessings are indispensible? Brothers and Sisters, without our health, with wealth or material happiness life would be challenging indeed. But Allah’s guidance would help us to endure hardship, to make suffering bearable. However, if we had no divine guidance, no matter how healthy or wealthy we were, we would be spiritually bankrupt and our lives would be empty of meaning.

Let us be truly thankful to Allah that we enjoy the great blessing of His guidance. We have no excuses. We have only to apply that guidance to our lives and to be good role models to others. That’s all. Let us pray that Allah accept our humble perhaps faltering, but essentially sincere efforts to follow His guidance, His Holy Quran, and His beloved Prophet Muhammad sws.

Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen. Was-salaatu was-salaamu alaa Khairil mursaleen. Muhammadin-nabeey-yil Ummiy-yee, wa-‘alaa aalihee, wasah-bihee, aj-ma’een.

Ammaa ba’ad:

Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, wa alaa áli Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Part Two:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem.

“All glory is for Allah, and all praise is for Allah; There is no power and no strength except with Allah.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

There’s a saying that goes, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” You cannot appreciate something by just looking at it, admiring it but failing to experience it properly. Islam is no exception. There are many people, who admire Islamic art, study Islamic History, write beautiful books and give wonderful lectures about Islamic civilization, but they are not Muslim, and their hearts haven’t been opened to Islam. If they regard their extensive knowledge purely as a professional career, an intellectual exercise, it won’t be enough for their salvation. On the day of Judgement, Allah will not be impressed by our academic knowledge. He’ll want to know how we applied our knowledge to worship him and serve His creation. Therefore, a simple uneducated person, who loves and lives for Allah with a full heart, is really more successful than someone who may have acquired Ph.D’s and written scholarly books, but whose knowledge has not brought him closer to Allah.

The poet Jalaluddin Rumi asks: “Are you only going to admire the jug, or are you actually going to drink the water?” Brothers and Sisters, to make good use of God’s greatest gift, His divine guidance, we must know it in order to live it completely, wholeheartedly. Our thirst for spiritual knowledge will never be quenched by only admiring the jug. We must drink the water of Islam.

Allah says “And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his heart to Islam.” Brothers and Sisters, we have Allah’s guidance before us. Let’s take it up and live by it wholeheartedly. This is the way to appreciate Allah’s greatest gift.

Let us conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!

Worship with Understanding

KhutbahBank — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 15:46:50 +0000

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem.

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

My respected brothers and sisters,

Our worldwide family of Islam, the Muslim Ummah, is over one billion strong. How many of us speak Arabic as our mother-tongue? Do you know? Can you guess? The answer is less than 20%. To be precise, it’s 18%. That means that the vast majority of Muslims, 82% including you and me, are non-Arabic speakers. We must make a special effort to understand what we read in the Quran and what we recite in salaah, du’ah and dhikr.

Brothers and Sisters, I hope no-one will take offence, and I mean no disrespect to anyone. But I have to say that too many of us do not appreciate the importance of understanding the meaning of our salaah, our du’ah and dhikr. We’re quite satisfied to recite without knowing the meaning, without caring to learn the translations. I’m sure Allah swt enjoys listening to us reciting His holy Words with such tremendous passion, with meticulous pronunciation of every haraf in [tajweed]. But, how much more will Allah swt not appreciate our efforts, if we actually knew what we are saying? Imagine, we are speaking to Allah in the most elegant language of the Quran, our lips are moving and creating the most beautiful sounds, but our thoughts and our feelings are disconnected because we don’t really feel the full impact of what we are saying. We don’t really understand. And sadly, many of us make no real effort to understand. If only we could memorise a few short suras in our own language. If only we could think about the meanings when we recite the Arabic, then we could put meaning and feeling into those beautiful and soul-stirring words. If we did this regularly and systematically, then the true power and influence of Allah’s sacred words will touch our hearts. And when this happens, it will change us, it will transform us from what we are to what Allah wants us to become.

Brothers and Sisters, if we can allow Allah’s words to polish our hearts and improve our actions, then I guarantee you, Allah will enable us to put right many of the problems we see around us in our community and in our wider society. It must begin within ourselves, as Allah will not change our condition until we change what is within ourselves. Let us make a start, by learning the meaning and reciting with feeling, passionate feeling, our salaah, du’ah and dhikr.

I must admit, I was a big man in my 20’s when I first understood the meaning of the words that we say several times a day when we pray:

“Innas salaatee, wanusukee, wamahiyaaya wamamaatee, lil Laahi Rabbil aalameen”

“Truly, all my prayers, my sacrifice, my life and my death is for Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.”

When I realised the meaning of those words, I thought, Wow! That’s heavy stuff! I never knew that I was taking on such a huge responsiblility every time I made my salaah! I was actually promising and re-affirming that all my prayers, my sacrifice, my life and my death belong to Allah! These words cannot be taken lightly. It’s a complete, lifelong commitment and it affects everything we say and do. And you know, the more we think of the meaning, the more our salaah our du’ah and dhikr will change our lives for the better. Imagine if we really understood every du’ah and every dhikr and we reflected deeply on the meanings. This understanding will generate a complete transformation in the way we think and feel about ourselves and our responsibilities to others. True faith, true iman, does not enter someone’s heart without improving it, without beautifying it. So, if we want our lives to be improved, to be beautified, than we can begin by learning the meanings of all that we recite in Arabic with so much skill and elegance.

If you want proof of this power of Allah’s words to transform human beings from half savages to leaders of great civilisations, then look to the history of every people before their contact with Islam, and afterwards. This is what happened to the sahaaba so many years ago, and to all the awliyah-Allah, the Friends of Allah, throughout the ages. They understood every word of their salaah, du’ah and dhikr, so that they could put meaning and feeling into their worship. They could be absolutely sincere to Allah swt. Unless we know what we’re saying, feeling and doing, our efforts will lack complete sincerity.

So, for those of us who do not speak Arabic, let us make a sincere effort to memorise the meanings of our salaah, du’ah and dhikr. Let us think and reflect on these meanings so that our hearts can be moved and our behaviour improved. This will bring us closer to Allah swt. Thinking, reflecting and contemplating the words of Allah is highly recommended in the Holy Quran. Those who do so are referred to as “yatafak-karoon” or, people of understanding.

These inspiring and soul-stirring words come from the last verses of Sura Al-‘Imraan:

“Inna fi khalqis samáwáti wal ardi wakhtilá fil laili wan nahári la’áyátil lil’úlil albáb.

Allatheena yath-kurúnalláha qiyámaw wa qu’údaw wa ‘alá junúbihim wayata fakkarúna fí khalqis samáwáti wal ard, Rabbaná má khaqta háthá bátilan. Subhánaka faqiná athában nár.

190 “Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day there are indeed Signs for men of understanding.

191 Men who celebrate the praises of Allah standing sitting and lying down on their sides and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth (with the thought): “Our Lord! not in vain have You created (all) this! Glory to You! give us salvation from the penalty of the fire.”

In Islam people who think and reflect are highly valued above those who simply follow without thinking, without reflection and therefore without insight into the deeper meanings of life. [Check Malik Badri’s book] “Contemplation is worth much more than xxx nights of prayer….”

All praise is due to Alláh, the Lord of all the Worlds; may the greetings and peace be upon the best messenger, Muhammad, the unlettered prophet; and upon his family and upon all of his companions. Amma ba’ad, And, after this,

Behold, Alláh and his angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Ask for blessings on him, and salute him with a worthy greeting.

O Alláh! Send your greetings upon Muhammad and his family, just as you sent your greetings on Abraham, and his family. O Alláh, send your blessings on Muhammad and his family, just as you blessed Abraham and his family. In both worlds, you are praiseworthy and exalted.”

Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen. Was-salaatu was-salaamu alaa Khairil mursaleen. Muhammadin-nabeey-yil Ummiy-yee, wa-‘alaa aalihee, wasah-bihee, aj-ma’een.

Ammaa ba’ad:

Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, wa alaa áli Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Part Two:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem.

“All glory is for Allah, and all praise is for Allah; There is no power and no strength except with Allah.”

Brothers and Sisters, let us through a deeper understanding of our faith become those whom Allah calls, yatafak-karoon, ‘people who contemplate,’ people who reflect, people who understand.

I ask Allah to give us all some of his divine wisdom, hikma, so that we have a light to illuminate our way through the confusion in the world out there. May Allah help us and all our future generations to know and love the beautiful Way of Islam. May we all hold fast to the rope that Allah extends for us. May we all set a good example for others, a justly balanced community, ummatan wasatan, and a witness to the nations [Quran 2:143]

Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-knowing [2:127]

Rabbana taqabbal minna innaka antas Sameeaul Aleem

O my Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous [25:74]

Rabbana Hablana min azwaajina wadhurriy-yatina, qurrata ‘ayioni wa-jalna lil-muttaqeena Imaama

Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brethren who came before us into the Faith, and leave not, in our hearts, rancour (or sense of injury) against those who have believed. [59:10]

Rabbana-ghfir lana wa li ‘ikhwani nalladhina sabaquna bil imani wa la taj’al fi qulubina ghillal-lilladhina amanu

Our Lord! Thou art indeed Full of Kindness, Most Merciful. [59:10]

Rabbana innaka Ra’ufur Rahim

Our Lord! In Thee do we trust, and to Thee do we turn in repentance: to Thee is (our) Final Goal [60:4]

Rabbana ‘alayka tawakkalna wa-ilayka anabna wa-ilaykal masir

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!

Surviving the Freedom

KhutbahBank — Fri, 25 May 2007 18:03:34 +0000

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem.

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

My respected Brothers and Sisters,

I recently visited South Africa, where Muslims have lived as a tiny minority, [less than 5%] for over 300 years. For the first 150 years, Islam was a banned religion in that country, and if you were caught trying to convert others to Islam, you faced the death penalty. Even when Islam was legally recognised, Muslims were still treated as second class citizens. For the next 150 years, they could not vote until Nelson Mandela was freed from prison in 1989, and became State President of a non-racial South Africa. Three centuries of hardship produces a certain calibre of Muslim. When you are treated unjustly, when your faith is in danger, and when you have no legal protection for your human rights, then you really seek Allah’s help, and you are drawn closer to your God.

Now that South Africa is free, there are other challenges. Muslims have survived the oppression, but are they surviving the freedom? The answer is far from clear. There are simply so many distractions and opportunities for Shaytaan to do his work. There is a huge difference between the rich and the poor, and the gap widens by the day. Crime, gambling and financial debt along with the breakdown of family life, drug and alcohol abuse, have become serious problems over there. Does this sound familiar? It’s a problem over here also. Brothers and Sisters, these are worldwide problems of modern life. These are the challenges we all face, inside and outside the Muslim communities. We say that here in the West, we are free. But free for what? We may be politically free to think and speak and write and vote as we please. But are we really free from crime? Are we free from financial debt? And, most importantly, are we free from the burning desire to have those things that distract our attention from Allah, swt? Are we free from the misguidance of Shaytaan, from greed, envy, and the love of material things? These are questions we must answer.

Has our political freedom made us better Muslims? Have we come closer to Allah than our forefathers were? If Prophet Muhammad sws were to visit Britain today, would he be proud to see the condition of his followers here? Brothers and Sisters, many of us have suffered hardship just to get here to Britain; but the bigger challenge remains: now that we are here, can we survive the freedom without damaging our faith and our moral values?

Here in Britain as in South Africa and elsewhere in the West, the success of Muslims in politics, business and the professions is well known. Muslims in private and public life are making a big contribution to their country’s progress. For the small numbers that we represent, we are punching well above our weight. But there are some worrying tendencies. We’ve become so materialistic. Our lives are centred on trivial and silly things. We must have that new car, those designer clothes and all the latest gizmos and gadgets. Some of us really believe those adverts that promise so much pleasure, but they deliver so little lasting happiness.

With pressures from all sides, inside and outside, how can we ensure that we and our children and grandchildren will hold fast to Allah’s rope, and stay united? How can we survive the freedom and prosperity even better than we survived the difficulties in our countries of birth?

———————–00000———————–

Brothers and Sisters, there’s something about human nature we must understand. We human beings are not evil by nature, but we are forgetful, and our forgetfulness can lead us to do wrong. Allah made us that way. We are easily distractible, and we only remember Allah with effort and practice. We remember Allah mostly when we are in danger, when fear grips our hearts. That’s why they say there are no atheists on a sinking ship, or a plane that’s making an emergency landing. Even atheists and agnostics quickly find God when death stares them in the face. But when the plane lands safely, or the lifeboats rescue the survivors from the sea, how many of us truly turn to Allah in gratitude? In Sura An ‘aam v [6:63] Allah swt asks us a beautiful rhetorical question:

“Say: Who is it that delivers you from the dark recesses of land and sea, when you call upon Allah in humility and silent terror, saying: If only Allah would deliver us safely from these dangers, we vow we shall truly show our gratitude.”

Most people are ungrateful, and they forget the Hand of Mercy that reached out to save them from disaster.

Brothers and sisters, we must thank Allah swt for helping us to keep our Iman and Taqwa intact for all these years. We are politically free, but we must still keep Iman and Taqwa even stronger, to avoid the temptations of shaitaan. We must work hard to ensure that we leave our children a good legacy on which they can build. But life has become so cosy and safe for us and some of us don’t think we need Allah’s help as much as we did before.

We must not be seduced by the attractions of this life, the attractions of dunya, and forget what’s even better, waiting for us in the akhira, in the life to come. In the last verses of Sura Al-A’la:

“Bal tu’ thiroonal hayaatad dunya. Wal aakhiratu khairu wa ab’qaa!”

“Behold, you prefer the life of this world, when the life to come is better for you, and more enduring.”

“Inna ha thaa lafis suhufil oolaaa; suhufee Ebraheema wa Moosa”

“This has been explained in the earlier Books; the books of Abraham and Moses.”

Brothers and Sisters, Allah does not want us to be like monks in a monastery, to turn away from His favours that He bestows on us from this world. In Sura Al Rahmaan He constantly asks us the rhetorical question:

“Fa bi ayyi aalaa-i-Rabbihumaa tukath thibaan?”

“Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?”

Allah swt does not want us to deny His favours. He wants us only to put them in their proper place. He wants us to enjoy his favours without forgetting Him. He is he Main Agenda. His favours are only the bonuses. The material benefits of this world, the nice car, the big house, the clever gadgets we play with, these are only the by-products of our Ibaadah, of worshipping Allah swt. They should come incidentally, not intentionally. It’s not the main agenda. The main agenda is to remember Allah at every moment, with love and gratitude. When we put Allah first, at all times, then he sends us all these comforts and conveniences both as a test for gratitude and as a bonus. So let us not be distracted by the bonuses, the by products of worship, and forget the main agenda. Let us be Allah-aware at all times.

Behold, Alláh and his angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Ask for blessings on him, and salute him with a worthy greeting.

Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen. Was-salaatu was-salaamu alaa Khairil mursaleen. Muhammadin-nabeey-yil Ummiy-yee, wa-‘alaa aalihee, wasah-bihee, aj-ma’een.

Ammaa ba’ad:

Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, wa alaa áli Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Part Two:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem.

“All glory is for Allah, and all praise is for Allah; There is no power and no strength except with Allah.”

My respected brothers and sisters,

The Holy Quran reminds us, “Wa thikrul-Laahi Akbar,” “And Remembrance of Allah is the greatest thing in life,”. It’s not just good enough to remember Allah in the Masjid or when we’re making salaah at home or when we make du’ah. We must keep ourselves in that state of Allah-awareness all the time, 24/7. Our connection with our Lord must be like one of those broadband internet connections that’s always on, always connected. We shouldn’t be like old dial-up modems that sometimes work, but mostly give problems. Our spiritual life should influence all our worldly affairs. Our Salaah, du’ah and dhikr must not be disconnected from our family relations, our business affairs or social life. This is wrong. When we put our heads down in prayer, we are especially close to Allah swt. When we worship sincerely, then He is closer to us than our jugular vein. We should try to keep this mindset, this state of intimacy with Allah swt beyond our prayer time, and let it guide us through our many dealings at work, at leasure and in our own homes. This is especially important when we deal with other people. Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t back-bite. Allah’s watching us, 24/7.

If we can remember Allah in good times and bad, in illness and health, in youth and old age, day and night, winter and summer, Allah will remember us also, and He will shower his blessings, His barakah, on all our actions. I’d like to share one of my favourite Hadith to illustrate this point:

“Remember Allah in times of ease, and He will recognise you in times of distress. What hit you could not have missed you. What missed you could not have hit you. Remember that victory comes with patience, relief comes with affliction, and ease comes after hardship.”

“Fa innama al usri yusraa; Innama al usri yusraa.”

After every hardship comes relief, truly, after every hardship comes relief.

Let us keep ourselves focussed, heart and soul, on remembrance of Allah. Let our busy lives never detract from this remembrance. Let every thought and every action become blessed with the barakah of Allah. In a recent newspaper article, a western journalist defined Barakah as a unique quality of being blessed and being the channel of blessings at the same time. May Allah give us this special quality of barakah, to be blessed and to pass His blessings through us to others. May Allah through his ever wondrous and mysterious ways, illuminate our lives so that we can be a light for ourselves, our families and for our wider communities. May we not only survive the freedom of western society with our faith intact, but may Allah increase that faith constantly.

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!

End of Ramadhan 2006

KhutbahBank — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 10:25:10 +0000

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem.

Al hamdu lillahi nahmaduhu wanasta’eenahu, wanastagh-firuhu, wanatoobu ilayhi, wana’oothu Billaahi min shuroori an-fusinaa, wamin sayyi aati a’maalinaa. May- Yahdillahu fa huwal muhtad, wa may- yudlill falan tajidaa lahu waliyan murshida. Wa ash-hadu an Laa ilaaha ill-Allah, wahdahoo laa shareeka lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhoo warasooluh”

All Praise is due to Allah, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allah, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, sws, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

“Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem! Inna anzalna hu fee laylatil Qadr. Wamaa ad’raaka maa laylatul Qadr. Laylatul Qadri khairun-minal fe-shahr. Tanaz-zalul malaa-ikatu, war-ruuhu fee-haa bi-ithni Rab-bihim min kulli amrin, Salaamun hiya hat-taa mat’la-il fajr.”

“We sent it down on the Night of Glory. What will explain to you what the Night of Glory is? The Night of Glory is better than a thousand months; on that night the angels and the Spirit descend again and again with their Lord’s permission on every task; [there is peace that night] until the break of dawn.” [Sura 97]

My respected Brothers and Sisters,

By the Grace of Allah, we are near the end of Ramadhan and we completing the last ten days. We are told that the Night of Glory, Laylatul Qadr, falls on the 21st, 23rd, 25th 27th or 29th night. Most likely it is the 27th night but Allah knows best. This is the night in which Allah, the glorified and exalted, Rabbul Jalaal wal ikraam, the Lord of the Majesty and Honour, sent down His Archangel Gabriel, Jibreel alayis-salaam, to our earthly realm of time and space. The time was during the last ten nights of Ramadan in the year 610 and the place was in a cave on Jabal Nur, the Mountain of Light, near Makka. Here Jibreel took Muhammad sws, the son of Abdullah, in a tight embrace, and commanded him to “Read.” Muhammad sws protested that he could not read, he was unschooled in reading and writing, but Jibreel persisted, and slowly, with great effort, the first majestic words of the Holy Qur’an rolled from Muhammad’s lips:

“Iqra! Bismi Rabbikal lathee khalaq! Khalaqal insaana min ‘alaq. Iqra! Wa Rabbukal akram. Al-lathee ‘al-lama bil qalam. ‘Al-lamal insaana maa lam ya’lam”.

“Read” in the Name of your Lord who created: He created man from a clinging form. Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One, who taught by [means of] the pen, who taught man that which he did not know.”

Over the next 23 years, through pain, suffering and ultimate victory of truth over falsehood, the Words of Allah emerged from the timeless space-less realm of eternity, and entered into our earthly domain. These sacred words illuminated the spiritual darkness of Arabia in the 7th Century, and its irresistible light has shone down the ages. We must never forget what the world was like at the time. The superpowers Rome and Persia were at war. Arabia and sunken back to idol worship. There were some Jews and Christians, but their scriptures were no longer the same revelations brought by Prophets Moses and Jesus. Through human error and human tampering, adding their own gospels, the Divine Word had been compromised. The pure monotheism taught by those great prophets, Moses and Jesus, was all but lost. It was time to put matters right. Allah’s answer was to send a ‘perspicacious Book,’ a Furqaan, a Criterion, to measure right from wrong, to distinguish truth from falsehood. The Holy Quran has reconstructed the pure original message of Divine Unity, the message of Tawheed, which was taught by all the Prophets. Those who describe Islam as a new religion are mistaken. Islam means peaceful submission to the One Who created everything. This is the oldest, not the newest revealed Religion. The religion of One God, Tawheed, Divine Unity, is the same religion of all the Prophets from Adam through Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Prophet Muhammad sws himself said that he did not come to teach a new message, only to confirm and complete the message of earlier Prophets. The Holy Quran also confirms this with the last verse that was revealed at Arafat, during the Prophet Muhammad sws last Hajj:

“This day have I perfected your religion for you, and completed my favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” [S.5:v3]

My dear Brothers and Sisters, 1400 years ago Prophet Muhammad sws faced an uphill task against vested interests of his time. You must remember that the Kaaba had 360 idols around it. Pilgrims came there to worship those idols and this made the guardians of the Kaaba, the Quraish tribe, very wealthy. Muhammad’s message of One God was not welcomed. Just like Moses, Prophet Musa’s message angered Pharaoh, Ramses II. So today also, the message of Islam is a threat to the Pharaohs and Emperors of the modern age. This message says that everything belongs to God, and we human beings are the trustees, the Ambassadors of God. We have to care for everything in our environment as a sacred trust. We cannot just abuse and exploit the earth as if there is no tomorrow. This is the message of Islam. This is the message of Lailatul Qadr, the Night of Power, the Night of Glory. We who are the heirs, the inheritors of the Prophets, must carry this message forward: Worship no one but One God, serve your fellow human beings and care for our common living environment with love and devotion to the One who Created us all, until the end of your days.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds; may the greetings and peace be upon the best messenger, Muhammad, the unlettered prophet; and upon his family and upon all of his companions.

Amma ba’ad, And, after this,

Behold, Allah and his angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Ask for blessings on him, and salute him with a worthy greeting.

O Allah! Send your greetings upon Muhammad and his family, just as you sent your greetings on Abraham, and his family. O Allah, send your blessings on Muhammad and his family, just as you blessed Abraham and his family. In both worlds, you are praiseworthy and exalted.”

Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen. Was-salaatu was-salaamu alaa Khairil mursaleen. Muhammadin-nabeey-yil Ummiy-yee, wa-‘alaa aalihee, wasah-bihee, aj-ma’een.

Ammaa ba’ad:

InnAllaha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, wa alaa áli Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Part Two:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem.

“All glory is for Allah, and all praise is for Allah; There is no power and no strength except with Allah.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

How can you and I get the most benefit from Ramadhan, and Lailatul Qadr, the Night of Glory? Here are some suggestions:

Firstly, let us not just forget fasting until next year. Let us do all the good things of Ramadhan throughout the year, to keep us spiritually healthy and focussed.
It is a recommended Sunnah to fast for 6 days of Shawwal and some people also fast on every Monday and Thursday throughout the year. This is a wonderful habit, because it keeps us connected to the spirit of Ramadhan. It keeps us connected to Allah’s blessings and it keeps us self disciplined. It keeps us away from excessive eating and drinking. It moderates our behaviour. Prophet Muhammad said, the worst thing a man can fill is his stomach. We should fill one third with food, one third with water, and one third we should leave empty. This is very wise. We only recently discovered that it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain that it’s full. So that’s why we overeat. During those crucial 20 minutes we continue to see, smell and taste all those goodies on the table, and our brain thinks we’re still hungry but the stomach has already said: Stop! Enough! But we can’t hear our stomachs. Let us take Prophet Muhammad sws advice and moderate our eating. It will help us to moderate everything else.
A very important suggestion for non-Arabic speakers. I think that most of us here do not speak Arabic as a first language. Let’s really work hard to understand every prayer and every supplication, in Arabic and English. This is so important. Arabic is the language of the Quran and it’s the lingua franca, the common language of the Muslim world. We must say our prayers in Arabic, because, when we travel to any part of this planet, we can join any Muslim group in India or Brazil or Nigeria or Outer Mongolia. When we hear the adhaan it’s the same words we hear everywhere on earth. Isn’t Islam wonderful? Isn’t it wonderful to be part of this global family? Imagine! we can lead the prayers or follow the prayers anywhere on the planet, with no problems. But remember that only 18% of the world Muslim population is Arabic. The vast majority, 88% of us are non-Arabs who must make a special effort to understand our prayers properly in our mother tongue. If you took a random sample, you will find that many of us non-Arab Muslims do not even understand the meaning of our prayers. We learn the words in Arabic, like parrots but we seldom care to learn the meanings. This is wrong. Do you think that Allah will be impressed if you can recite His Holy Book with such beautiful and melodious tones, but your mind is disconnected, because you haven’t bothered to learn the meaning of what you say? Brothers and Sisters, lets resolve today to start learning the meanings of our prayers, and our supplications, Salaah and Du’ah, so that we can put meaning and feeling into our communication with Allah. While our lips are saying the words in Arabic, our hearts and minds must recite the translation in English. This will help us to engage with our Creator with meaning and feeling, in other words, with sincerity. In the final analysis, Allah is not impressed with our outward actions, but with the intention in our hearts. Allah deserves nothing less from us, but to be sincere to Him.

O Allah, help us to purify ourselves in body, mind, heart and spirit. Help us to seek and find your good pleasure, and O Allah, remember us in the company of your beloved friends.

“O Allah, do not let our hearts deviate from the Truth now that we have been guided , but grant us Mercy from Your very Presence, for You are the Grantor of bounties without measure.”

Rabbana laa tuzigh quloobanaa, ba’da ith hadaytanaa wahablanaa milla dunka Rahma. Innaka antal wah-haab.

My Lord, help me to perfect my prayer, and of my descendants, Our Lord, accept this prayer….

Rabbi ja’alni muqeemus salaati, wamin dur-riy-yati, Rabbanaa wata qabbal du’aah…

My Lord, forgive me, and my parents, and all Believers until the Day of Reckoning..

Rabbigh firlee wali waali dayya, walil Mu’mineena yawma yaqoomul hisaab…

Glory to Allah, Lord of Majesty and Honour, and Peace on the Prophets, and Praise to Allah, Lord of all creation!

“Soob’ haanaka Rabika Rabbil-‘’izzati ‘Ammaa yasifoon, wasalaamun ‘alal Mursaleen, wal Hamdu lil-Laahi Rabbil Aalameen.”

Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!

Ramadan

KhutbahBank — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 13:52:45 +0000

“As-salámu ‘alaikum wa rahmatul láhi wa barakátuh!”

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem.

Al hamdu lillahi nahmaduhu wanasta’eenahu, wanastagh-firuhu, wanatoobu ilayhi, wana’oothu Billaahi min shuroori an-fusinaa, wamin sayyi aati a’maalinaa. May- Yahdillahu fa huwal muhtad, wa may- yudlill falan tajidaa lahu waliyan murshida. Wa ash-hadu an Laa ilaaha ill-Allah, wahdahoo laa shareeka lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhoo warasooluh”

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Fear Allah, as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

My respected Brothers and Sisters,

We have come to the end of the first week of Ramadhan. This khutbah is a short reminder about the Holy Month. Why do we fast? What do we expect to gain from fasting? And, how can we make the best of Ramadhan? What should we do to get the maximum benefit?

“O You who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may learn self-restraint.” [2:183]

Those of us who are fasting, enjoy the satisfaction that we are giving up our delicious food and drink, our leisure and amusement so that we can please our Lord and Sustainer. Allah tells us in His Holy Book, all our other duties concern the poor, the needy, our families and ourselves, but Fasting is for Allah alone, and He rewards whom He pleases. We must always bear in mind the purpose of our fasting. It’s not only to stay hungry and thirsty. It’s to be conscious of Allah at all times. Fasting teaches us to tame our lower passions, al-nafs-al-ammara-bis-sow. This is the lower self that clings to the earth, and drags us towards all the hateful and shameful actions, envy, greed, sexual lust, jealousy, anger, hatred, revenge…

Fasting helps us to be disciplined. It helps us to strengthen our conscience, the higher self, which in Arabic is called al-nafs-al-law-waamah. This is the self-reproaching nafs, this is the higher self that constantly blames itself and seeks to put right all the errors and sins of the lower self. Throughout our lives we struggle with this great Jihad, of trying to control our desires and passions, so that our thoughts, our words and our actions are only good and pleasing to Allah. Once the Muslims returned from a battle, and Prophet Muhammad sws said to them, You have completed the lesser Jihad, now you must engage with the greater Jihad, which is the struggle to control and purify your self.

I pray that every one of us here will use this Ramadan as an opportunity to fight this most important of all struggles, the Greater Jihad of taking control of our lives, control of our lower passions and desires. This struggle to cultivate self-discipline is not only for Ramadan. It’s a lifelong struggle. Shaitan will constantly

offer temptations and make our evil nature seem pleasing to us. But we must be on guard, and we must remember what pleases Allah. We must say, A-oothu bil-laahi minash shaytaanir rajeem: I take refuge in Allah from Shaytaan, the Cursed One. We must constantly keep in mind that Allah will hold us to account for our actions. We do not want to be among the losers, the ones whose end is hellfire, Jahannam, wal A-oothu bil-Laah! We want to be among the winners, the ones who will enter paradise. We want to spend our lives, purifying our thoughts and words and actions, so that when we die we have a purified heart and soul. We want our Ruh, our soul to be as pure and unblemished as the day when we were born. The last verses of Sura Al Fajr, are indeed the words we would all like to hear from Allah, when we die and return to Him:

“Ya ay-yuhan nafs-al-Mut’mainnah! Irji-ee Rabbikee raadiyatan-mar’diyyah! Fad-khulee fee ‘ibaadee, wad’ khulee jannatee”

“O Purified Soul, well pleased with yourself, and well-pleasing to Me, enter you among my devotees, enter you my garden.”

Ramadan is also a time for us to remember those who are fasting every day of their lives, not by choice, not because they want to fast, but because of poverty. They simply don’t have enough to eat or drink. We who enjoy clean drinking water, hot meals every day and a warm comfortable home, we must remember that we are very fortunate to have these blessings. Ramadhan is a time to remember others less fortunate. It’s a time to show Compassion and Mercy. You know, every time a Muslim begins an important action, he says the Basmallah: Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem! He says: I begin this action in the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate!

Dear Brothers and sisters, how many times a day do we say these words? Surely it must have some effect on our behaviour, if we are conscious of the meaning. Surely compassion and mercy must flow from our words and actions. In time our whole character should be infused with Allah’s mercy and compassion. This is one of the big lessons of Ramadhan. And that is why it is important for us to pay our Zakat during this month. Zakat is the 2.5% of unused wealth that goes to the poor and needy. Let us try to remember these important lessons of Ramadan.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds; may the greetings and peace be upon the best messenger, Muhammad, the unlettered prophet; and upon his family and upon all of his companions. Amma ba’ad, And, after this,

Behold, Allah and his angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Ask for blessings on him, and salute him with a worthy greeting.

Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen. Was-salaatu was-salaamu alaa Khairil mursaleen. Muhammadin-nabeey-yil Ummiy-yee, wa-‘alaa aalihee, wasah-bihee, aj-ma’een.

Ammaa ba’ad:

Part Two:

Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem.

“All glory is for Allah, and all praise is for Allah; There is no power and no strength except with Allah.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Many of us think that Ramadan is a time to ‘go slow’ and to avoid exerting ourselves. Some of us, if we had the opportunity, we would want to sleep all day until iftar. This is completely wrong. Ramadan is not a time for hibernation. That’s for the polar bears and grizzly bears in the cold north American winter. It’s not for Muslims!

Ramadan is the time we should be busy reading and understanding the Quran, studying our faith and trying to improve our knowledge and our character. It’s a time of spiritual renewal and revival.

Many important events took place in Ramadan:

The Holy Quran was revealed in Ramadan.
The Battle of Badr took place in Ramadan.
Makka was conquered in a bloodless battle by Prophet Muhammad sws during Ramadan.
Tariq bin Ziyad conquered Spain during Ramadan. The list goes on and on…

So remember, Ramadan is not an excuse for laziness. It is a time for improving ourselves, improving our mind and body and spirit. We must welcome Ramadan like a long lost friend.

May Allah accept our fasting which we do only for His sake. We do not fast just to lose weight or to show off to others, how religious we are. We fast because we love Allah, and we want to please Him. We owe Him so much. Fasting is a very small thing that HE asks us to do, only for Him.

May Allah spread His richest blessings on us, and on all those who fast during Ramadhan, purely out of love for Him. May He help us to purify ourselves, by forgiving our sins and may He join us in the company of His friends, the awliyaa Allah.