Khutbah: Easter 2006

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway Univ. of London/ 14th April 2006.

“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-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…

My respected Brothers and Sisters,

This weekend, Christians around the world will be celebrating Easter, commemorating what they believe to be the death of Jesus, Nabi Esa. Last Tuesday, we Muslims observed Mawlid-al-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad sws. So in the same week one faith remembers the birth of its Prophet and another faith remembers the death of its leader. Both Christianity and Islam today are facing great challenges. At the local and national level, there are serious problems. Rising alcohol and drug abuse, along with antisocial behaviour, record numbers of teenage pregnancies, abortions and failed marriages are tearing at the fabric of society. At the international level, world poverty, disease, natural disasters, endless wars and a critical shortage of clean drinking water, will keep all faith communities continuously engaged in humanitarian good works. But, in addition to these challenges, the causes and the consequences of international terror have made the world  a much more dangerous place and our faith communities must work harder to restrain the extremists. These extremists are the militants who kill innocent people by blowing up trains and buildings. They are also the militants in smart suits, in the White House and no. 10 Downing Street, who may even now be planning to bomb another Muslim country. Both our beloved Prophets Jesus and Muhammad, may Allah's blessings be on both of them, they would be horrified to see what some of their followers are doing today, in their holy names.  

But my dear Brothers and Sisters, if we are people of true faith, then we should never despair. In difficult times, we say, "Hasbunal-Laah, wa neya'mal wakeel," "Allah is sufficient for us. He is our best Guardian." We must continue to work tirelessly to fulfil our duties as believers in One God, to serve him with love and devotion till the end of our days. When the leaders of powerful nations tell us that they invade other countries because God called on them to do so, we should all be rather concerned. These leaders also claim to be people of faith. However, when people of faith disagree on something, we Muslims say, "Wa kafaa bil-Laahi shaheedaa" meaning, "And enough is Allah for a witness."

 Allah knows who the True in faith really are, and who are the hypocrites who invoke His name to justify their actions. In the very early verses of Sura Al Baqara [verse 11] we read, ....

"Wa ithaa qeela lahum, laa tuf sidoo fil ardi, Qaaloo innamaa nahnu muslihoon"

 “And when it is said to them, make no mischief on earth, they say, Why, we are only ones that put things right...”

"Alaa inna hum, humul mufsidoona, walaa kin laa yash-'oroon."

"Surely, they are the ones who make mischief, but they do not realize it"

 Respected brothers and sisters, How should we commemorate our beloved Prophet Muhammad's birthday? Perhaps we can begin by reflecting on who he was and what he achieved. Here was a man, with no literate skills and no formal education, who single-handedly transformed a band of crude Bedouin tribesmen into the leaders of a world civilisation. More importantly, he restored belief in One God, after centuries of deviation and innovation, and he established a spiritual empire that 14 centuries later, is still the fastest growing faith and embraces the hearts of one fifth of the human family. The many dimensions of Muhammad's life is a vast topic that several khutbahs will not be enough to cover. In the short time we have today, we can only focus on a few essential points.

 The earthly life of Prophet Muhammad had 2 main parts: the first 40 years and the last 23 years. The first part was his life was before that fateful meeting with Gabriel, Archangel Jibreel, who called him to deliver God's message. The last part of his life corresponded to the revelations of the Holy Quran over 23 years, leading up to his death.

 Even as a young man, Muhammad sws was already known as 'Al Ameen,' the Trustworthy, because of his exceptional good character. Long before his turbulent years as Allah's last Prophet, khaataman Nabiy-yeen, 'The Seal of the Prophets' his honesty and personal integrity was so well established that his employer, the Lady Khadeejah, offered her hand in marriage.

 So, even if we forget everything else about this part of Prophet Muhammad's life, we must remember just two things: His Good Character and his merciful and generous heart. Good Character, a merciful and generous heart. Later on in the Hadith literature we find one of his best known quotations:

 "I have been sent to teach good character."

The Holy Quran confirms this in Sura Al-Ahzaab, we read in verse 21:

"Laqad' kaana lakum fee Rasoolil-laahi uswatun hasanah..."

"You have, indeed, in the Messenger of Allah, a beautiful pattern of conduct, for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah." and again in Sura Al Anbiya/The Prophets 21:107 we read:

"Wamaa arsal naaka ilLaa Rahmatal lil Aalameen"

"And we have not sent you, [O Muhammad] but as a Mercy for all creatures."

 Brothers and sisters, these two elements, good character and mercy to all creatures, these are the basic elements of Prophet Muhammad’s sws personality. If you compared all the biographies that were ever written about anyone, Muhammad’s life is probably the most minutely observed, keenly studied and passionately emulated role model in history. And if there is one common thread that weaves its way through every book and Hadith commentary on his life, you will find that it concerns his good character and his generous nature to all people and all creatures of God. Let's take 3 examples:

A woman used to leave rubbish on the Prophet's doorstep every morning. One morning there was no rubbish, so the Prophet sws went to her house to investigate. She was not well, and the Prophet comforted her and made duah for her recovery.

On another occasion, a man entered the mosque and urinated there. The Companions were very angry and grabbed hold of him, but the Prophet stopped them and told them just to pour clean water over the area and to let him go gently. Because of the Prophets patience and forbearance, these people later accepted Islam.

And who can forget Taif? The whole town of Taif drove Prophet Muhammad away with stones, insults and abuse. He was injured and the blood flowed. Angel Gabriel, Jibreel, offered to punish them by destroying the whole town. But our beloved Prophet Muhammad sws said, "No, I am not the prophet of Revenge, I am the prophet of Mercy. Leave them alone. Maybe their children will one day accept Islam." And he was right. The people of Taif are today all Muslims. These examples from the Muhammad's own life show us how we should deal with insults and abuse. We should not retaliate in kind. We should not be burning flags and embassies. We who follow Prophet Muhammad sws must show the world something nobler, and more inspiring than violence and revenge.

 The second part of Prophet Muhammad’s life cover his 23 years as God’s final Messenger. During these years the Holy Quran was revealed, and recorded, as a written text, and as a recitation, on the lips of Muslims who commit the sacred words to memory. In addition to the written and recited words of Allah, during his lifetime Prophet Muhammad was himself, a living testimony of the Qurán translated into action. He was the Quran made visible in human form. We Muslims therefore have a threefold blessing from Allah. We can read the Quran ourselves, we can hear it recited by others, and we can experience the Quran as a living reality by studying the life of Prophet Muhammad and applying his examples to our own lives today.

 Towards the end of his life, Prophet Muhammad made the pilgrimage and on the plain of Arafat, on the Mount of Mercy, Jabal Rahma, he delivered his final khutbah. Here he reminded the Muslims that his life was coming to an end, but if they held on to 2 things they would never go astray: one is the Book of Allah, the Holy Quran, and the other is the Sunnah, the living example of His Prophet. To this day, 1,400 years later, the essence of Islam has been preserved in those 2 sources, and they will remain so utterly central to our Muslim identity and experience until the end of time. Insha-Allah. Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen.

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."

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

What is the best birthday present that we can give our beloved Prophet Muhammad? You know, every time we pray in Salaah, we invoke Allah's greetings of peace and blessings on him, as we’ve just done.

This is what we do every day, at least 5 times each day. So, what else can we do, to make this Mawlid very special as a Birthday present?

Here’s a thought. Throughout the Holy Quran, Allah encourages us to discover His Ayaat, His signs around us when we take time to reflect, to ponder, to think and consider.  Perhaps we can take time to study the life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad sws, and constantly ask ourselves, how can this noble example be applied to our situations today? How can we bring the "Uswatul Hasanah" the "perfect example" into the challenges we face in our own lives?

Perhaps the best birthday present we can give Prophet Muhammad this Mawlid is to make a renewed commitment to study his life carefully, and strive hard to bring something of his noble character, of his merciful and generous nature into our difficult and challenging times here at the beginning of the 21st Century.

Prophet Muhammad sws was not a man of theory, but a man of action. All the wisdom of Quran and Hadith is absolutely of no value unless someone studies it and lives by it. We Muslims must make it work, as our Prophet did. Islam must become a living reality in our lives, in our neighbourhoods. It was never meant to be an academic curiosity, fit only for the dusty bookshelves in libraries and museums.

The Holy Qurán describes the followers of Muhammad as the “best community sent forth for mankind. You enjoin what is right and you forbid what is wrong, and you believe in Alláh.

Kuntum khaira ummatin ukh-rijat lin-naasi ta’ muroona bil ma’roof, watan hauna ‘anil munkari watu’ minoona billaah”.

You and I must therefore go out into our neighbourhoods and communities, to help put right things that are wrong. We must work to make our neighbourhoods safer. We must help to fight crime, delinquency, alcohol and drug abuse. We must raise money to provide clean water and medicines to millions who are dying needlessly abroad. We must help to raise awareness amongst our neighbours and fellow citizens of this beautiful country, that it's not enough for us to live the good life, while others have to suffer the consequences. We must engage ourselves more in improving the environment for everyone. We must invest our funds ethically, avoiding businesses that profit from human suffering, gambling and alcohol. We must weigh up the global consequences of our actions. And most importantly, we must urge our elected leaders to uphold justice and the rule of law, at home and abroad. The obscenities of Abu Graib an Guantanamo and the reckless imperial adventures must stop. If the threat of international terror is ever going to be removed, it must begin by governments being even-handed and just at home and abroad. When missiles and artillery shells are pounding on defenceless people in Gaza, all faith communities must urge our leaders to stand up for justice. Christians, Jews and Muslims have much to ponder over this Easter weekend.

As we said earlier, we have our work set out before us, locally and globally. The message of Islam through the living example of Prophet Muhammad offers a way out of this darkness for everyone. You and I have the responsibility and the honour of taking that message to those who need it. We can preach and teach, but the best way to honour our beloved prophet sws will be to set our own personal example of his good character and his generous heart.

May Alláh, the Glorified and Exalted, help us to fulfil this noble cause. May Allah help us to study his Holy Book and the life of His final Prophet, so that our lives can become illuminated by that divine light that leads to His Garden, al-Jannatul Firdaws.

“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 Rabikal Rabbil 'izzati  'Ammaa yasifoon, wasalaamun 'alal Mursaleen, wal Hamdu lil-Laahi Rabbil Aalameen."

Ameen.                   Aqeemus salaah!

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