Khayra Ummatin
Ali Mollah MD
Inal
hamdilillahi Nahmadahu WA nasta'eenahu WA nastaghfiruhuu,
Wa
na'uzubillahi min shuroori anfusina WA min say'iaati a'maalina
Man
yahdihi Allahu fa la muddilla lah
Wa man yudlil fa la hadiyah lah
Wa
nashadu an-laa illaha ilallah wahdahu laa shareeka lahu
Wa
nashadu anna Muhammadan abduhu WA Rasuulahu
Amma
ba'd, Fa-uuzubillahi minashaytaanirajiim
Bismillah
Ar Rahman Ar Raheem
All
praise belongs to Allah, we praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We
seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our own souls and from our evil deeds.
Whomever Allah guides, none can lead astray, and whomever Allah leaves astray,
none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god except Allah alone, without
partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him) is His slave and Messenger.
“O
you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except as
Muslims.” Al Imran 3:102
“O
mankind! Be dutiful to
your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He
created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)]” Al Nisa 4:1
“O
you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the
truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your
sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (SAW)
he has indeed achieved a great achievement” Al Ahzaab 33:70-71
Alhumdolillah, it is a mercy from Allah swt that He made us
Muslims. It is an honor and a
blessing from the Lord, Most Merciful.
Allah swt mentions is Surah Al Imran 3:110
You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit
of) men, you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah.
Khayra Ummatin - the best of nations. Allah swt granted this honor to Muslims –
the honor of being the best of nations, the best of the community, and the best
group of people. Allah (swt) in this Ayah of Quran has outlined the position of
the Ummah that the Muslims are the best nation brought forward from mankind.
This Ummah is the best
Ummah. The distinction of this Ummah is the perception of the creator of the all
the worlds, Allah swt. It is the
perception of reality and the perception of the purpose of creation, which makes
this Ummah the best Ummah. This Ummah is the best as Allah swt blessed it with
the wisdom of the perfect Sharia.
It is the Ummah when
practiced as the Prophet Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam exemplified guarantees
happiness, comfort, and peace of mind in this Duniya and the eternal joy in the
Hereafter. History teaches us that in less than 50 years from the start of the
final divine revelation – Al-Quran- this Ummah dominated the majority of world
with justice, mercy and humility. In every city the Muslims entered, the slogan
they lifted high and preached was: “worship Allah that you have no god but
Him” “Ubud Ullaha Malakum Min Ilahin Ghairuh”
My brothers and
sisters in Islam, this Ummah is the owner of the best thoughts and achievement
in the world and the hereafter. This Ummah promotes goodness, justice and truth.
It is in concordance with every human nature.
In this Ayah there is no ambiguity, nothing vagueness. But rather a
clear simple statement that Muslims are the best of people, who do good and
forbid evil and believe in Allah. No
exceptions here, there is no time frame here- just Muslims, you and I included.
Khayra Ummatin – this includes us as well by virtue of being
Muslims, doing right and forbidding evil and believing in Allah. But can we
identify our deeds and ourselves with this Ayah. Can we internalize this
statement that we are the best of nations.
Are we carrying this responsibility of being witnesses to mankind as the best of
people?
Many
of us have forgotten ourselves, our purpose in life and our entity. We have
forgotten ourselves not only at an individual level but also collectively as an
Ummah. Allah swt created us
for one purpose – His Ubudiya. He created us so that we worship Him and Him
alone without partners.
He mentions in Surah
Zariyat -Ayah 51:56
And I (Allah) created not
the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).
Are we totally worshipping
Him alone or are we too caught up in this duniya, are we caught up in our
desires and passions, our work, our consumerism. The Quran reminds that the human being worships whoever or whatever
occupies his mind most of the time. Today
many of us can be identified by the professional degrees we hold, the work we
do, the race, culture and the nationality that we belong to and somewhere at the
bottom of the list, is that we are Muslims. My Brothers and Sisters in Islam we are Muslims first. And as
Muslims we not only carry the highest standards of morals and values but we have
a sense of responsibility – a responsibility towards all mankind as the best
of nations and people. Allah swt already has granted us the potential and the
power by instilling faith and giving us the mightiest words.
La Illaha Ilallah
Muhammedur Rasool Allah Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam
There is no god but Allah
and that Muhammed Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam is His messenger.
Brothers and Sisters
in faith it is time that we recognize who we are. From the moment the Qur‘an
was revealed to the Prophet
Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam, he started to
call to the way of Allah (swt). People started to come to him, to listen, and
become his companions. They believed in the ‘Aqeedah of Islam. Their belief /
their Iman was strong and pure and it was this belief that changed them to
become the best of mankind, with the best in thought, knowledge and continuous
action. Armed with their belief they started to struggle with Jahiliyyah /
ignorance. It was an intellectual, political and a spiritual struggle. Even
though they were only few in numbers, but they were strong, solid, and
determined, until Allah (swt) gave them victory.
They took Iman seriously and understood that Iman called them for action. It was
narrated that whenever an Ayah came, the Sahaabah took it, understood it, and
implemented it. Their way of life - Deen was based solely upon their belief and
they were truthful in holding firm to it. Yes, they endured pain, suffered humiliation and readily sacrificed everything
but did not compromise when it came to the practical implementation of Islam in
their everyday lives. That is how they understood and accepted Islam and how they
implemented it in their lives.
The question is how
are we implementing Islam in our lives? How much Aqeedah do we have? The
standards to be honored as the Khayra Ummatin have been laid out and we need to
determine and reflect on our actions in order to see how we meet those criteria.
When Muslims were
persecuted and oppressed in Mecca, the Prophet Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam
advised them to immigrate to Abyssinia where they were followed by the Quraysh
of that time. At the court of King Negus Ja'far
ibn abi Talib, then aged about 20 years old, spoke on behalf of the Muslims and
about the Muslims. Just reflect upon this portion of what Ja'far said to the
Negus and consider the maturity in his words and the profound understanding he
displayed which far exceeded his young age. He said:
"0 King! We have
been a people of ignorance worshipping idols, eating the flesh of dead animals,
committing abominations, neglecting our relatives and doing evil to our
neighbors. The strong, among us would oppress the weak. We were in
this state when Allah sent us a Messenger from among us whose descent and
sincerity, trustworthiness and honesty were known to us. He summoned us to
worship the One True God and to reject the stones and idols our fathers and we
had been worshipping in addition to Allah. He ordered us to be truthful of
speech, to fulfill all the duties that were entrusted to us, to care for our
relatives, to be kind to our neighbors, to refrain from unlawful food and
consumption of blood. He forbade us to engage in lewdness and lying, the
devouring of the money of the orphan and the defamation of married women.
He commanded us to worship the One God and to assign no partners unto Him, to
pray, to pay the purifying tax and to fast. We deem him truthful and we believed
him, and we accepted the message he brought from Allah".
So impressed and moved was
Negus with the Muslims and the descriptions of Muslims that he accepted Islam.
As Muslims of today do we share the same qualities as them?
Are we truthful in speech, are we kind to our neighbors, are we among
those who fulfill our duties, are we the Khayra Ummatin?
We need to realize who we
are and as Muslims we have a duty towards Islam and a duty towards this Ummah. It is a identical
duty. It is impossible to conceive of fulfilling ones duty to Islam
without the Ummah, or serving the Ummah without Islam.
By Ummah, I do not mean limiting our minds to the term community or even our
homelands. Just to do so would be shameful. Ummah means, and should
always mean, Muslims everywhere in the land of Islam.
Hence our nationality is Islam and our loyalty should always remain with Islam regardless of where we are
physically located.
Allah swt mentions in Surah
Hujurat 49:10
The
believers are naught else than brothers.
We are Muslims and we are
brothers, period. No nationalism, no racism, no color no creed, no culture, just
Brothers from the parentage of Adam and Eve.
It is related by Abu Moosa
Ashari (R.A.) that The Messenger of Allah Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam said,
"The connection between Muslims is like that of a strong building - one
part strengthens another." The Prophet Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam then
showed this by interlocking the fingers of one hand with those of the other
(that Muslims should remain united and combined - thereby strengthening one
another).
The Holy Prophet Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam urged the Ummah to form a fortress
by uniting, where each Muslim will be a "brick" on a “brick” in a
building – adding solidarity and support. He demonstrated by interlocking the
fingers of hands that the Muslims should remain together and blend into a single
body, not divided into petty sects – I am Arab, he is Pakistani, he is
Bangladeshi. Let not our diversity be our weakness but rather it should be our
strength, our diversity united under the banner of La
Illaha Ilallah Muhammedur Rasool Allah (SAW) and that is the only bond we must share.
We need to terminate and
break away from all patriotic, nationalistic, racial, geographical, or group
association that divide us but come forth as brothers whom Allah swt united us
as a Muslims.
As Muslims we are the Abd
of Allah swt. And as an Abd we have an individual and a communal sense of
responsibility. And we have no excuse for not being able to balance that, for we
have a perfect example in the Prophet Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam and His
companions. Look at the life of
Umar Ibn Al Khattaab Radi Allahu Anhu. He was known for the purity of his intention, his kindness and
interest in other's welfare. It is narrated that Umar Radi Allahu Anhu used to
walk out of his house secretly at night. One night Talha Radi Allahu Anhu saw
that and he followed him. He saw Umar Radi Allahu Anhu going to one house, and
after a while he came out and proceeded to another house before he returned to
his own house. In the morning, Talha Radi Allahu Anhu went to the same house and
knocked on the door to find a blind old woman who was handicapped and
debilitated. He asked her "Who is the man that visited you last
night?" She replied "He has been taking care of me for such a long
time now. He brings me whatever I need, and then he removes the dirt."
This was the standard set
by the Sahaabah when the light of Islam entered their hearts. Kindness, caring
and compassion was their everyday life but today our standards are lower –
there is nothing like unconditional mercy and compassion like what the Sahaabah
had. Today we seek personal gains before we chose to show our compassion – we
ask what’s there in it for us?
It is narrated that during the caliphate of Umar Radi Allahu
Anhu, his daughter Hafsa once said "O Commander of the believers! I wish
you would wear a garment less coarse than what you have, and accept to eat food
less plain that what you eat, for Allah has increased our revenues, and His
favors are plenty now!" Umar
Radi Allahu Anhu replied, " Do you not remember how Rasoolullah Sallallaahu
alayhi Wasallam and his companions lived, and how scarce was their personal
comfort?" Hafsa burst into tears. He added, "By Allah, if I can share
with them some of their hardships in the world, perhaps I could share with them
some of their comfort in the hereafter."
That was the essence of a Muslim serving Islam and the Ummah,
serving Allah swt the Creator and serving His creation. But today we don’t
share the same ideology of personal sacrifice
and have no social and communal commitments except in pleasures of this world.
Today many of us Muslims are becoming more content with insignificant worldly
success and less focused on serving the good of humanity. Personal comfort
and benefits have taken priority over the good of the Muslim Ummah. The
community that needs to take care of the welfare of the individual is lacking
and likewise the individual struggle to protect the community is lacking. Where
are our faiths, our purpose in life and our sacrifices?
The Quran reminds us in Surah Al Anam 6: 162
Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my
life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds:
Can we say this and internalize this statement deep within
our heart and soul. Search within ourselves to know how and where we stand in
terms of our faith, our purpose and our sacrifices.
Today, our minds are influenced and our hearts are sealed by
western ideologies and lifestyle. Our
eyes are veiled and we are oblivious to the reality, oblivious to our duties and
responsibilities, oblivious to who, we truly are. We are in a state of Ghafla
and painful is the condition of the Ummah.
We need to realize that we have a stronger ability to direct
our lives, shape the future of our children – as we have been given the
guidelines from Allah swt and in the example of the Prophet Sallallaahu Alayhi
Wasallam. The power and economic strength of nations should not be our guide in
the way we aught to live.
Brothers and Sisters in Islam, we need to internalize
who we are and our purpose in life. Yes
we have to fulfill our religious obligations yet Al-Islam is not a religion that
allows us to sit quietly in mosques while human beings suffer and the world
cries to establish justice. As Muslims we are to be those people who live
and establish excellent moral behavior, advance intellectually, and purify
spiritually but also serve as examples and witnesses for the other people of the
world.
A Muslim represents a good person, a person of truth,
of sincerity and of virtue. And as Muslim our life should be an open invitation
through which people see the beauty of Islam and find it an interesting code of
ethics and teachings to follow. This light of Islam needs to be shared.
Remember O Muslims, no new Prophet would come and no
new message would be sent. He, Most Exalted and Glorified, made this Ummah
of Muhammed Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam
to be the best Ummah no matter what difficulty it faced. So long as we
adhere to the truth of the Message (the Qur'an) and the example of the Messenger
(the Sunnah), we will continue to be the best of people even in our worst state.
Innalláha Wa
malaaikata yusallúna Alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi
wasalli mú Tas leema.
Alláhumma salli alá
Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim,
innaka hameedun majeed Alláhumma barik ala Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, Kama
barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Innaka hameedun majeed.
Second
Inal hamdilillahi Nahmadahu WA nasta'eenahu WA
nastaghfiruhuu,
Wa na'uzubillahi min shuroori anfusina WA min say'iaati a'maalina
Man yahdihi Allahu fa la muddilla lah
Wa man yudlil fa la hadiyah lah
Wa nashadu an-laa illaha ilallah wahdahu laa shareeka lahu
Wa nashadu anna Muhammadan abduhu WA Rasuulahu
Amma ba'd,
"You are the best community ever raised for mankind. You enjoin what is
right, forbid what is wrong and you believe in Allah."
The fulfillment of these three conditions is an essential requirement for
acquiring this honored status and by the same token if these conditions are
invalidate the superiority of this Ummah will invalidate. Doing what is right,
forbidding what is wrong and having faith in Allah. Therefore, any Muslim community, regardless of its race or
ethnic origin, wherever it exists and whatever its standard of development,
belongs to this noble group whom God describes as "the best community ever
raised for mankind", provided that it fulfills these three conditions.
There is nothing like the “Chosen People of GOD” in Islam. If we fulfill the
necessary conditions for being the best Ummah, Allah will help us establishing
this identity. But the Muslim world
seems to be distant from our Aqeedah and have fallen into the trap and
tribulations of despair, of grief and of turbulence. We seem to be like the most
defeated, the most ignorant, the most divided Ummah on earth.
What is stopping us from seeking this honor?
Allah swt mentions in Surah Raad 13:11
Verily! Allah will not change the condition of a people
as long as they don’t change their state.
Kuntum Khayra Ummatin:
Allah swt addresses us collectively as an Ummah. Hence this is a collective
responsibility that each of us needs to contribute towards. We need to
shoulder this responsibility at an individual level, at a leadership level and
at a community level. Enjoining what is good; forbidding what is evil, it
represents the responsibility in promoting and maintaining the true guidance of
Allah in all dimensions of our life. Let every one of us ask him or herself; I
am practicing that at my personal level? At the community level? At the
leadership level. The third of these conditions - the belief code. Are we
really, as Muslims adopting the true and pure beliefs that Rasool Allah
Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam taught us? Each
person here, each leader here and all of us need to answer for our selves, and
take account of our deeds and actions.
At an Individual
level:
It is imperative that
we have unwavering faith and a conduct evident by courage and consideration, and
absolute conviction in the message of Allah swt. Hence we should do what Allah
swt stated first in the noble Quran – Iqra.
Read. Read with the first
Hadith of Bukhari in mind, “action is by intention ”.
Then cultivate this as Sahaabah did - understand and implement the
message with inward conviction and outward action.
The Prophet Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam said:
“The most perfect believer is the most educated one in morality.”
Today, we are still
trapped by the worthless pleasures of this world; we are amused in the world of
entertainment, consumed by consumerism and lost in foolish desires. We are more
concerned about worldly pleasures rather than the world of Islam. We are more
concerned about the dirt in our houses! But, neglect the dirt created by our
nafs and desires? We are more concerned in the cleanliness of our homes! But we
neglect the purity of our Iman. We love to decorate our houses. But, abandon
decorating our minds with knowledge and wisdom?
We need to change
ourselves, change our behavior and adopt those that the Prophet Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam
and his akhlak. We must put knowledge and studies first before entertainment and
amusement. Especially, when the knowledge is Islamic knowledge. We should live
by the high standards shown by the Prophet Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam
and not adopt and imitate this Western civilization. And each one of us has to make a sincere endeavor.
Each one of us needs
to stand for truth and justice. Fulfilling our duties and imparting every thing
its proper due:
Fulfilling the rights Huquq
Allah – rights of
Allah, Huquq al-AIbad – rights of human beings and Huquq
alEshya – rights of things. And
we all know the rights due upon us but we need to act on it. Action is what is
needed from each one of us, dedication to Islam and service to this Ummah. No
matter how big or small a contribution we need to act, we need to contribute
with time, effort, knowledge, money and our lives. Then and then only can we
claim the honor of Khayra Ummatin, Allah willing.
Leadership Level
Today
the Ummah faces a crisis of leadership. But I wont go into talking about the
rulers of today or the dire need for the Khilafah, but leadership on the surface
level, on a community level - as the Prophet Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam said,
“Each of you is a leader. And each of you will be questioned as to the actions
of the people under your guidance”.
Our
leaders here and everywhere need to understand that leadership is an Amanah. It
is a trust that people place to do good – politically, spiritually and
religiously. It is a trust to hold the reins and direct the community towards
higher educational and social excellence. It carries the responsibility of
bringing religious duties into action.
Question yourselves as leaders about your actions, your
sincerity and your integrity.
A
Muslim
scholar, once said, if the leader sways from the right course by an inch, his
people will sway from it by a mile.
As a leader are you the role model for the community to
emulate? Or is your duty as leaders confined to preservation and protection of
the mosque and planning of EID prayers alone or do we carry the responsibility
of setting higher standards of increasing deen in our community and being the
guide and the genuine motivating force. No doubt that this is a challenge in the
environment we live in with all different social and political connotations but
that should deter our goals and let it not be a reason not to act. Any act
performed with sincerity for the sake of Allah swt and the genuine belief in it
will surely bring the desired effect, Allah willing.
But we need to act.
When we can set an environment that promotes Islamic
activities, that promotes Islamic values and mannerism, that promotes education
and Islamic mind-set, no matter how big or small, InshaAllah, Allah swt will
honor us as the Khayra Ummatin.
Community Level
We must not let any societal influence rob us of our
prayers, remove from us our Islamic culture, our economic system, our Islamic
educational system, our Islamic values, our minds from Allah, and deprive our
children of an Islamic future.
We have a responsibility to shoulder my Brothers and
Sisters as parents, as relatives, as neighbors and as Muslims.
Imam Shafee said, "I
never talked with someone but sincerely wished that Allah keep him, protect him
from sin and misdeed and guide him; and I never debated with someone but
sincerely wished that we would come upon truth, regardless of whether he or I
should be the one to think of it first."
That is sincere well wish for others.
That is the Islamic Adaab. Have we taught that to our children? Have we
inspired Islamic values and encouraged Islamic discipline in them. We need to
think.
We need to understand our position and worth and realize the
responsibility we hold and only then can we claim the honor of Khayra Ummatin,
Allah willing.
Allah swt mentions is Surah Al Imran 3:104
"Let there arise out of you an Ummah inviting to
all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They
are the ones who shall be successful."
May Allah swt make us among those that are successful and
those whom He chose to call His Khayra Ummatin.
Al hamdilillahi rabbil
alameen irRahman irRaheem, Malik al yawm ad-deen.
Wassalatu Wasallam ala
Sayyidina Muhammad bin Abdullah Khatamul Anbiya wal Mursaleen.
Allah Hummag firlil Muslimina wal Muslimaat, Wal Momineena
Wal Mominaat
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.