Accountability
Arshad Gamiet
10-minute khutbah:
Royal
Holloway College/Univ. of London /UK. 4th
April 2003.
“As-salámu 'alaikum wa rahmatul láhi
wa barakátuh!”
[Wait for adhán]
“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.
My respected
Brothers and Sisters in Islam,
We are
all gathered here today to attend the Jum’ah prayers. But I am sure that our
thoughts are many miles away, where the people of Iraq are suffering the most
unspeakable horrors of modern warfare. Whether the Iraqis support their own
government or not, whether they welcome the so-called ‘liberators’ on their
soil or not, every man, woman and child, young and old, is caught between a rock
and a hard place. Their situation seems to deteriorate with every passing hour.
What can we do or say, at this distance that can help them, or bring comfort to
them, or make any difference at all?
Sura Al
Ahzaab 33:71 we read:
“Yaa
ay-yuhal latheena aamanutaqul-laha wa quooloo qowlan sadeedaa. Yus-lih-lakum
a’maalakum wayagh-fir lakum thunoo-bakum, waman-yuti’illaaha warasoolah
faqad’ faaza fouzan atheemaa.”
“O
you who believe! Have the consciousness of Allah, and speak a straightforward
word. He will repair your deeds, He will forgive your sins, and whoever obeys
Allah and His messenger, has surely gained the highest achievement.”
Have the
consciousness of Alláh, taqwa’, and
speak a straightforward word…. We should not hesitate, or be ambiguous. We
should not have any fear of the consequences of speaking truthfully. Sometimes,
people feel intimidated by others, so they say with their tongues what they do
not feel in their hearts. We Muslims are grateful to our host community, for
allowing us to live peacefully in Britain. But we also have a duty as Muslims,
and as fellow-citizens of this great country, to be truthful. We should not be
expected to ingratiate ourselves to the extent that we avoid telling the truth
about our concerns. Allah orders us to be truthful, even if it puts us into some
difficulty. We must also be calm, persuasive and dignified at all times. We do
not resort to abusive language, or violence, to impose our views on others
The Holy Qur'an
reminds us, in: [Sura An-Nahl,16:125]
“Od’
‘U ilaa sabeeli Rabbika bil hikmati, wal mow ‘idatil hasanah..”
The USA
and Britain have picked the wrong war, and the wrong victims. Instead of
addressing the glaring injustice of Palestinian dispossession, and the war
crimes of the Israeli government, a whole nation is being brutalised, allegedly
because the USA wants to remove just one man. Until recently, Britain had a
position of honour and respect in Muslim world… as an enlightened nation,
punching well above its weight in world affairs, with outward-looking,
farsighted policies. Today Britain is seen as little more than the 52nd
State of the USA, Israel being the 51st. Our prime minister, until
recently, was admired for his perspicacity and wisdom in international affairs.
What went wrong? How did Britain align itself with the cowboys in the white
house? Did we miss the plot somewhere? Or are we just naive? I still find it
hard to believe that our prime minister does not realize what a monumental
blunder he has made. Why are British troops involved in the deadly, cynical game
of bombing power stations and water treatment plants in Basra, then handing out
bottled water to traumatised, thirsty Iraqis in front of the TV cameras?
Someone
described Britain today as the 2nd most despised nation on earth. How
did we get ourselves into this mess? Tony Blair will certainly have to account
for his foolish gamble. And account he will, if not at the next election,
certainly on the day when every soul will have to account for itself.
Sura Al-'Imran
ch3:v31. “Beware of the Day
when every soul shall find itself confronted with all the good it has done and
all the evil it has done. It will wish there were a great distance between it
and that evil. And ALLAH cautions you against HIS punishment. And ALLAH is Most
Compassionate to HIS servants.”
The
Presidents and Prime Ministers will all be held accountable for their actions,
at their level. We will be held accountable by Allah swt for our actions, within
our sphere of influence. You and I will not be held individually responsible for
the freedom of Palestine or Kashmir, nor will Allah expect us, individually to
guarantee the safety of the Iraqis or the Chechens. But Allah will hold us
directly responsible for those matters over which we had full control: like our
own lives, our families, our businesses and communities. We will also be
accountable for the many small but significant things we can do, to help a
greater cause; like raising funds, sharing our time, energy and wealth in
humanitarian work and addressing injustice at home and abroad. The greater the
power and influence we have, the greater will be our responsibility and
accountability to Alláh. This is the inescapable fate of every human being. We
think we can do as
we please during our lifetime, but one day, it will be pay-back time.
“Alhamdu
lillahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen. Was-salaatu was-salaamu alaa Khairil mursaleen.
Muhammadin-nabeey-yil Ummiy-yee, wa-‘alaa aalihee, wasah-bihee, aj-ma’een.
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.
Ammaa
ba’ad:
Innalláha
wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi
wasalli mú tas leema.
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.
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.”
O
Alláh! Send your greetings upon Muhammad and his family,
just as you sent your greetings on Ibraheem, and his family. O Alláh,
send you blessings on Muhammad and his family, just as you blessed Ibraheem and
his family. In both worlds, you are praiseworthy and exalted.
Second Khutbah:
Sub’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual
theem.
Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Islám,
At times
like this, when we all feel so hurt and so helpless, and we may wonder, why we
suffer such pain and humiliation, we can find comfort and inspiration in the
words of The Holy Qur'an.
In Sura
Al-Baqara v 114, we read:
“Do
you think that you will enter heaven without being tested like those who
passed away before you ? Poverty
and afflictions befell them and they were violently shaken until the Messenger
and those who believe along with him said, `When will the help of ALLAH come ?'
Yea, surely the help of ALLAH is ever near.”
In Sura
Al-Imran, verse 26, we read these beautiful, awe-inspiring words, describing
Alláh’s all-encompassing Power and Authority:
Bismillaahir
Rahmaanir Raheem! “Qulillaah humma, Maalikal mulki tu’til mulka man tashaa;
Wa tanzi’ul Mulka min man tashaa’; Wa tu-izzu man tashaa’, Wa tuzillu man
tashaa’, Biyadikal khair, Innaka ‘alaa kulli shay-in qadeer! …
Say, `O
ALLAH, owner of Sovereignty, You give Sovereignty to whom You will; and You take
Sovereignty from who You will. You exalt whom you will and You bring low whom
You will. In Your hand is all good.
Truly, You have power over all things.”
Then the
next verse continues, in the same evocative and poetic way:
“Toolijul
laila fin-nahaari, wa toolijun nahaara fil-lail. Wa tukh rijul hayya minal
mayyiti, watukh rijul mayyiya minal hayy. Watar zuqu man tashaa’ bi ghairi
hisaab.”
“You
cause the night to pass into the day and You cause the day pass into the night.
And You bring the living out of the dead and bring the dead out of the living.
And You give sustenance to whom you will, without measure.”
In these
beautiful and eloquent verses, we are reminded that all Power belongs to Alláh,
all Honour belongs to Him, and He dispenses His grace, and His punishment, and
his honour, on whom he pleases.
These
words are extremely reassuring. It is most important for us to know, and to
believe sincerely, that every matter is in the hands of Alláh. There is no need
to despair, there is no need to feel helpless. Everything that comes our way, is
merely part of the ongoing test, and that is really what our life on earth is
all about.
I would
like to end today’s khutbah with 2 well-known Hadith, that further support
this message of hope in times of hardship and distress.
Abu al-'Abbas
'Abdullah bin 'Abbas, radiyallahu anhuma, reported: One day I was behind the
Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, and he said to me:
"O
young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice] : Be mindful of Allah, and
Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of
you. If you (have need to) ask, ask of Allah; and if you seek help, seek help
from Allah. Know that even if the Nation (or the whole community) were to gather
together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you with anything
except that which Allah has already recorded for you, and that if they gather
together to harm you with something, they would not be able to harm you with
anything except that which Allah has already recorded against you. The pens have
been lifted and the pages have dried."
[Al-Tirmidhi
relates this and says: It is a good, genuine Hadith]
In a version
other than that of al-Tirmidhi it reads:
"..Be
mindful of Allah, you will find Him before you. Remember Allah in prosperity and
He will recognise you in adversity. Know that what missed you could not have hit
you; what hit you could not have missed you. And know that victory comes with
patience, relief comes with affliction, and ease comes with hardship."
O Alláh,
in these difficult times, help us to maintain hope. Help us to keep our
integrity. Help us to stand up for truth when lies and falsehood are shamelessly
on display. Help us to convince our non-Muslim fellow citizens that Britain has
nothing to gain from a sinister war against Islám. O Alláh, help those who are
suffering injustice and oppression everywhere, from Iraq and Palestine to
Chechnya, Kashmir and beyond, and relieve their suffering.
Ameen!
Aqeemus salaah!