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There shall be no compulsion in religion the right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces the devil and believes in Allah has grasped the strongest bond; one that never breaks. Allah is Hearer, Omniscient2:256
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Text khutbah
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Burning Qurans |
Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/ 10 Sep 2010
“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, 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. 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.” “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, 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:
Ameen. Aqeemus salaah Tags Arshad Gamiet Audio khutbah Author Beliefs and Practices of Islam Building Good Character Current Affairs and Politics History of Islam Inspiring 'Feel Good' Khutbahs Khutbah Short khutbah Text khutbah |
Reason and Rhetoric in the Quran
“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, engaging our intellect and our innate sense of balance, fairness, reason, logic and beauty…”
Tags Arshad Gamiet Inspiring 'Feel Good' Khutbahs Khutbah Knowing Allah Short khutbah Text khutbah
World Cup: Goals for life |
Khutbah Goals For Life
Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/18 June 2010 “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, 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. 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:
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,
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:
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.
Second Khutbah:
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:
Ameen. Aqeemus salaah Tags Arshad Gamiet Audio khutbah Author Building Good Character Current Affairs and Politics Inspiring 'Feel Good' Khutbahs Khutbah Short khutbah Text khutbah |
Islam and Patriotism
“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…”
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Safe Landings
“We’re constantly 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…”
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Giving and taking criticism
“Being able to give criticism, being able to take criticism and being able to act on that criticism is what Islam is all about. So it’s not just about talking, it’s about doing. Islam is dynamic; it’s no use just making fancy speeches and not acting upon what we say…”
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