Short Khutbah:
Trading Gemstones for Gravel
Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway Univ. of London/ 28th 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,
Would you trade gemstones for gravel? Would you give up diamonds in return for stone pebbles? I’m sure you would not. No one in his right mind would do this. No one would deliberately exchange something of great value for something valueless. But this is exactly what we are doing when we choose the fleeting pleasures of life over the eternal happiness of the life to come. We should know that life is only a test and a preparation for what comes after death. The real losers are those who prefer to satisfy al-nafsul ammaarah, their lower self, their inclination towards material things, to satisfy greed and vanity, instead of striving to please Allah, the Glorified and Exalted. This is what we are doing when we forget our priorities, when we become distracted by the false promises of this world, and we forget Allah swt. The Holy Qur'an admonishes those who prefer the superficial pleasures of this world, over the eternal happiness of the life to come, in the last verses of Sura 87, Al-A’alaa: [Melodiously] Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem!
“Bal tu' thiroonal hayaatad dunyaa/Wal aakhiraru khairu wa ab'qaa/"inna haa thaa lafis suhufil oolaa/suhufee Ibraaheema wa Moosaa."
“Behold, you prefer the life of this world/when the life to come is better and longer lasting/And this was taught in the earliest [Revelations], the books of Abraham and Moses."
Let us consider what this means.
The great scholar and jurist of Muslim Spain, Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi, tells us that those who prefer the pleasures of this life and who disregard the life to come, are like people who exchange gemstones for gravel. He uses quite vivid language, and although his writing is nearly 1000 years old, it’s as fresh and relevant as if he wrote it today. I will read you the last part of his excellent discourse, which has a rather long title:
“The Treatment to be given to Souls, and the Reform of Vicious Characters.” This title can be summed up simply as “How to dispel anxiety.”
Ibn Hazm says:
“Do not use your energy except for a cause more noble than yourself. Such a cause cannot be found except in serving [Almighty] Allah alone: to preach the truth, to defend womanhood, to repel humiliation, which your Creator has not imposed upon you, and to help the oppressed. Anyone who uses his energy for the sake of the vanities of the world is like someone who exchanges gemstones for gravel.
There is no nobility in anyone who lacks faith. The wise man knows that the only
fitting reward for his soul is a place in Paradise.” [repeat last sentence]
Brothers and sisters, these are very wise words from Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi, written more than 900 years ago, and still relevant today. Ibn Hazm spoke fluent Arabic, Hebrew, Latin and Greek. He loved to debate religion and moral philosophy with Christians and Jews. He is an excellent example of the kind of Muslim scholar that we need today: One whose knowledge is vast and deep, and one whom Allah has blessed with hikma’ Wisdom. Let us reflect on Ibn Hazm’s wise words, and let us enjoy all the wholesome blessings this life has to offer. But let us also be critically aware that all life’s pleasures will pass. And the life to come should be our main concern.
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.”
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."
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,
Allah has created you and me, and every other living creature, for a purpose. As He says in His Holy Book, “Laqad khalaqnal jinni wal insi liya’bodoon…” meaning, “I have not created Jinn and Mankind, for any other reason except to worship Me.”
Worship is the only reason why we are here, why we are alive. As we’ve learned in previous khutbahs, worship comes in 2 modes, formal and informal. Our formal worship is in prayer, Salaah, in fasting, in charity: Zakaat and Hajj, all the formal practices of Islam. Informal worship is more challenging, it’s much more difficult. This is when we have to remember Allah while we are in the middle of a business transaction, while we are studying for an exam, or while we are dealing with our friends, family or strangers. It’s much more difficult to be aware of Allah informally, when we’re in the market place, chasing a profit, than to remember Allah in the mosque during our prayers. But the true believer tries to reach that state of spiritual excellence known as ‘ihsaan’ in Arabic, which means ‘excellence.’ In this state, you are so mindful of Allah’s ever-watchful presence, that you seek Allah’s pleasure during every waking moment, in every thought, every word and every action. A true Believer’s spiritual attitude is like a high-speed broadband internet connection, it’s always-on, 24/7. This is the state of heart and mind that we must all try to achieve.
When we begin the prayers, we say these words from The Holy Qur'an, words taught to us by Prophet Abraham: [S.6:79]
“Innee waj jahtu waj hiya lil lathee fataras samaa waati wal arda haneefan Musliman wamaa ana minal mushrikeen. Innas salaatee wanusukee wamahiyaaya wama ma’tee lil-laahi Rabbil ‘aalameen. La shareekala wabithaalika umirtu wa ana minal Muslimeen.”
“I have set my face, firmly and truly, to Him, Who created the heavens and the earth. No partners has He, and I am not one of those who ascribe partners to Him. 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 the first among those who submit to him [the Muslims].
Brothers and sisters, if we think hard about the meaning of these words, man, this is heavy stuff! This is not to be taken lightly! At least 17 times each day, we are saying these words…. “My prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death is for Allah…” Do we really mean it, seriously? If we really mean what we say in our prayers, and if we really act on that meaning, then this verse alone must completely transform our lives.
But we human beings are also forgetful The Holy Qur'an tells us that we are creatures of haste: Ghulikal Insaanu min ‘ajal. [Ch.21:37].Allah created us this way. We are by nature hasty and forgetful. And for this very reason, we are required to pray 5 times daily, and to recite Zikr, calling Allah into Remembrance at any time between our prayers, day and night. Only through constant Remembrance of Allah will we fulfil our purpose in life. Salaat and Zikr both help us to cultivate a healthy detachment from worldly things, because, when we neglect our prayers and we neglect the remembrance of Allah, we become too attached to worldly things. One well known duah asks Allah to give us the best of this life and the best of the life to come, and to save us from hell fire.
“Rabbana aatina fid dunya hasanatan, wafil aakhirati hasanatan, wa qeena athaaban naar!”
Muslims are not expected to live like monks in a monastery, high up in the mountains away from the mainstream society. That’s too easy. It’s easy to be virtuous when you are surrounded by good people and you are far removed from temptations. But when you are surrounded by the sinners and the temptations of life, it’s another matter. It’s more difficult, and more rewarding, to live within all the distractions and difficulties of this world, and yet to maintain your integrity and keep your focus on your Creator on whom you depend entirely. That is, to live a balanced life in a way that pleases Allah and inspires other people to be like you. If we can continue to do this, day in and day out, without backsliding, and if we can constantly polish and refine our hearts and minds, then we will find our way easily towards the ‘siraatul-mustaqeem. This is the ‘straight path’ that leads us to Allah’s pleasure, as we constantly pray for in Sura Al-Fatiha. “Ihdinas siraatal mustaqeem…” Show us the straight path.
Brothers and sisters, Allah has given us life, and He has decreed that we should live in this period of history. We could have lived in another time and another place, but for reasons known to Him only, He put us here, and he gave us now. Wherever we find ourselves, we must do His bidding. We must beautify and illuminate the space around us, starting within our hearts and working outwards. We must become like beacons of light in the darkness. In a chaotic and dangerous world, we must live lives of balance and harmony, with body, mind and spirit completely integrated. Our lifestyle should be an inspiration to others. Let our salaat and zikr keep us constantly focussed so that we can be among those who have earned our place in Allah’s garden, Al Jannatul fidaws. Let us make sure that we are not among those unfortunate misguided souls who will exchange their gemstones for gravel.
“Rabbana la tuzigh quloobanaa, ba’da ith haday tanaa, wa hablana milla dunkha Rahma. Innaka antal wah-haab.”
“O my Lord, do not let our hearts deviate, now that we have been guided to the Truth, but grant us mercy from your very presence, for You are the Grantor of bounties without measure.”
Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!
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