Khutbah: Muslim by Choice.

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London /UK.  23^rd September 2005.

“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 take Allah and His prophet as a guide, has already achieved a mighty victory…

My respected Brothers and Sisters,

Last week Brother Essam gave us an inspiring khutbah about the ethics of disagreement in Islam. He showed us how we can appreciate different points of view without conflict or injury. This is a very important topic and I believe we can all benefit by remembering and applying his advice in our daily lives.

Today, I want to draw attention to the our newest brothers and sisters, who have risked so much, and who have endured and are still enduring so much in order to be part of our global Muslim family. Something very peculiar is happening these days. In the wake of 9/ll and 7/7, a growing number of people are entering Islam as their religion of choice. Some are from the most educated and privileged classes, and some are US soldiers on active duty abroad. In spite of all the difficulties and risks, all the negative media coverage and Islamophobia, more and more people are choosing Islam as their spiritual home. These people have carefully considered the pros and cons, and they are aware that their choice involves possible hardship, but still they find the courage and strength of conviction to follow their hearts. Each of these individuals has a unique and compelling story to tell. I believe that we who were born into Muslim families can learn a great deal about the power and beauty of Islam, when we listen to our newest brothers and sisters telling us about their journey of faith.

By the way, new Muslims prefer to be called reverts rather than converts, because, they are simply returning to their natural state in which they were born. According to the well-known Hadith, narrated by Sahih Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad sws said: “Every child is born in a state of Fitra, i.e. Every child is born a Muslim. Only its parents will raise it as a Jew, a Christian or a Polytheist.”

[testimonies: see footnote 1]  I will give just a few quick examples of what some new Muslims had to say about their spiritual journey to Islam. Perhaps we can learn something to help strengthen our own Faith....

Brother and sisters, I was deeply moved by this story. Who knows whether this dying Italian father may have taken shahadah in the last few seconds of his life? Allah alone knows. And truly, Allah works in wonderful and mysterious ways. For example, [note 2] a South Korean Platoon Commander took shahadah before leaving for Iraq. Then his whole platoon of 37 soldiers did the same! I can tell you so many fascinating stories of how people came to Islam. Unfortunately, time is short, and this khutbah must finish on time.

If you listen carefully to our newest brothers and sisters, you will find that all their unique and diverse threads of experience have a special quality that connects them. Using different words and describing different starting points and circumstances, they all tell us about something of a homecoming.  It is really about returning to a natural state.

Brothers and sisters, there is a perfectly good reason why intelligent and enquiring minds should be attracted to Islam. The reason is quite clear. Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, Who created the heavens and the earth, has from the very beginning, prepared the soul of every human being, to recognise its Creator. When our souls were created, we were all programmed to recognise Allah as our Lord. It’s right there, etched onto our circuit boards, hardwired to the silicon chips of our soul.  Let us consider what the Holy Qur'an tells us about the nature of the Ruh, the human soul, and its relationship to its Creator. We read in Sura Al-Ar’af verse 172:

"And remember when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed and made them testify as to themselves saying : 'Am I not your Lord?' They say : 'Yes! Indeed, You are!.' Lest they say on the Day of Judgement : 'Truly, we have been unaware of this."

Brothers and sisters, this is a tremendously important verse. It tells us that worshipping our Lord is a natural inclination of the human soul. It is unnatural to be in a state of disbelief. The distraction of the material world is what corrupts the human soul and leads to disbelief. Therefore, when people say that they find Islam so easy, so familiar, so natural, it is because they have ‘reverted’ from distraction and confusion, to their primeval state, their original state, which is to recognise and worship their Creator.

“Al-latheena aamanu, watat-ma-innu quloobuhum, be thikrullah. Alaa bithikrillaahi tat-ma-innul quloob.”

 “Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the Remembrance of Alláh; for without doubt, in the Remembrance of Alláh do hearts find satisfaction.” Sura Al Ra’d;13:28

Secondly, we learn from this verse, that on the Day of Judgement, every human soul will have to answer the question: Who is your Lord? It will not be a trick question, but a perfectly logical one. It will simply refer us back to a covenant, a binding contract, a promise, which our ruh, our soul has made at the very beginning, at a time before Time and at a place beyond eternity. Your soul and my soul, and the soul of every human being that ever was and ever will be, from the time of Prophet Adam right up to the last human being before Yawm-al-Qiyaamah, the Day of Reckoning, will have to answer that question. Who is your Lord? Now we can understand why people find the message of Islam so familiar. Even if they were raised as Christians or Jews, it does not matter. When someone discovers Islam, something stirs within the innermost depths of the soul. It is a kind of recognition, a flickering memory from the dim and distant past. The more they learn about Islam, the more their awakened soul is aroused and compelled to find its Maker. The human soul will never rest until if finds Alláh. Therefore, when someone takes Shahadah, and says, La ilaha il-lal-laah!  There is no god but Allah! Then that person’s soul finds peace and serenity. It has reconnected and re-confirmed its primeval Covenant that it made at the very beginning of the human story.

Our newest Brothers and sisters are really blessed by Allah. All their past sins are forgiven and they are again as innocent as newborn babes.

. “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,

I ask those of us who were born into Muslim families: Are we Muslims by choice, or by chance? Do we follow Islam out of a deep personal conviction, or simply by habits, copied from our parents? Is Islam an inheritance we never question, and we never examine closely? Have we made clear and considered decisions about our future, or are we happy just to let things drift along? We must answer these questions truthfully so that we can enjoy the full richness of a life based on iman and taqwa, faith and Allah-awareness.

We must understand that Islam is not simply one of a range of lifestyle options we can choose from a catalogue or supermarket. Out there in the wider world already we are being classified as moderates and militants, jihadis, ‘progressive Muslims’ and suchlike. Others are trying to reformulate Islam into something that fits their own agenda. Soon we might hear about semi-skimmed Islam, diet Islam and fat-free Islam. Personally, I prefer the original flavour, the whole-hearted version. Remember, what the Qur'an says:

“O You who Believe, enter into Islam whole-heartedly, and follow not the steps of Shaytaan, for he is to you an avowed enemy….” [athuw-wum mubeen]

Islam does not require new ways of inventing itself in order to gain more followers. This is not a numbers game. It is about the quality of individual Believers. It is about transforming human beings from what we are to what Alláh wants us to be. “Fee ahsani taqweem,’’ the Holy Qur'an describes the pinnacle human perfection. There’s no need for diet Islam or semi-skimmed Islam, and we must beware of any newly-invented forms of our noble Faith. “Wa kullun bid’atin dalaalah, wa kullun dalaala fin naar.”  And every newly-invented matter [in the faith] is an innovation, and every innovation leads to the Fire.” He Who has the Power and Wisdom to create the heavens and the earth, has perfected Islam for us and chosen it as our way of living. How can anyone possibly improve on that?

We Muslims ought to show by example that Islam is not be feared, but welcomed. Our trustworthy and generous nature should illuminate our homes and be like a beacon of light to our neighbours in the wider community. It is said that Faith, Iman, does not enter a heart without beautifying it. As our faith increases, so our character should improve, and so our neighbourhoods should benefit. Real Believers add value to their environment.

We, who were born into Muslim families, need to search our hearts and souls so that we too can be Muslims by choice and not merely by chance. Like our new Brothers and sisters, we, too, must feel the deep joy and serenity of fulfilling the Covenant when our Ruh, our soul recognises its Creator.

Some practical points. Our new brothers and sisters need help and guidance. There is such a bewildering confusion of groups and subgroups out there, each trying to elbow its way above the rest. We have Salafis, Sufis, Wahabis, Deobandis, Brehelwis, Ahle this and Ahle that. Let’s keep Islam simple. At least 17 times every day, we ask Allah, “Ihdi nas siraatal Mustaqeem,”  “Show us the straight way.” Don’t let us confuse ourselves and our new brothers and sisters. Let us remember just two important qualities of our Holy Prophet Muhammad sws. He was trustworthy; Al-Ameen, and he had a most generous heart. Let us, then, be truthful, trustworthy and generous towards one another…  [I thank the generous brothers who bring me books and CD’s to help me improve my khutbahs].

We also need to help new Muslim find jobs, homes, and suitable husbands and wives. This is the practical side of following Prophet Muhammad sws.

Muslims deserve generosity from each other not only in material things, but more especially in accepting diversity of opinions. This readiness to accommodate different opinions was eloquently explained in last week’s khutbah by Br Essam Mahgoub. Let’s be more forgiving of each other’s faults. Let’s not criticise, condemn and complain. Be and let be. Live and let live. Let Allah be the judge in matters we dispute. In the meantime, let us smile and embrace one another and celebrate our differences as yet another Sign, another Ayaat, of Allah’s infinite creativity. 

 "Rabbana la tu'akhizna in-nasina aw akh-ta'na. Rab-bana wa la tahmil 'alayna isran kama hamaltahu 'ala-lladhina min qablina, Rab-bana wa la tuhammilna ma la taqata lana bih, wa-'fu 'anna wa 'ghfirlana warhamna anta Maulana fansurna 'alal-qawmil kafirin."

“O Alláh, condemn us not if we fall into error, Our Lord, lay not on us a burden like that which you laid on those before us, Our Lord, lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear; Blot out our sins, grant us forgiveness, have mercy on us; You are our protector; Help us against those who stand against faith.”

Ameen.                   Aqeemus salaah!

Brothers and sisters, some of you have requested that we keep the khutbah short so that you can return to work and to lectures on time. Insh-Allah we will try to finish the Khutbah at the latest by 1:45 and Salaatul Jum’uah by 1:50. I shall try to keep my khutbahs short, and I will kindly request my fellow khateebs to do the same. Thank you.

 Your feedback will help us to improve our khutbahs. Please let us have your comments and suggestions., by writing to : mail@khutbahbank.org.uk  Jazakallah Khairan!

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Footnotes:

1. “The Times” UK 7^th January 2000. “Allah came knocking at my heart.”

Your feedback will help us to improve our khutbahs. Please let us have your comments and suggestions., by writing to : mail@khutbahbank.org.uk  Jazakallah Khairan!

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