Khutbah: Remembering 7/7

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway Univ. of London/ 7th July 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,

Today is the 1^st Anniversary of the London Bombings. It is a time for us to reflect on those terrible events last year. Firstly we must think about the victims, their families and all those who will carry the emotional scars for the rest of their lives. We must pray that Allah will give strength to all those who have suffered from this cruel and senseless killing. There can be no excuses and we Muslims know that Islam utterly forbids acts of indiscriminate terror. In Sura Al Ma-ida, [ch5:32], The Holy Qur'án says,

 “… if anyone kills a  human being, unless it be [in legalized punishment] for murder or for spreading corruption on earth, it shall be as though that person had slain the whole of humanity; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though one had saved the lives of all humanity”.

The survivors of this criminal massacre of innocent civilians must be assured that the vast majority of Muslims utterly deplore such actions. Those who commit mass murder in the name of Islam are criminals and nothing else. We should not allow the dignity and honour of Islam to be violated in this way. We should not remain silent when atrocities are done in the name of Islam.

 Brothers and Sisters: if you study the Quran and Sunnah, and the lives of the Righteous Caliphs, you will not find a single precedent to justify mass murder. Caliph Abu Bakr set out the rules of war which Muslim armies have followed for centuries: “Do not kill civilians, women and children, the elderly and sick; do not kill livestock or cut down trees or burn crops or poison water supplies; Do not harm monks or priests or rabbis and do not violate churches or synagogues…” the list goes on… Islam set out history’s first rules for the ethical conduct of war, centuries before the Geneva conventions and the War Crimes Tribunal.

 The whole idea of ‘collateral damage’ i.e. innocent civilians caught in the crossfire is foreign to Islam. We see it on TV every day in Gaza and the West Bank. But those who terrorise whole populations with armies, navies and air forces are not our morality teachers. We must never depart from the high standard of Justice that Allah has decreed for us. The daily death toll in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine fuels anger and resentment. But this gives no one the right to commit acts of terror against innocent people. The Holy Quran is very explicit on this matter:

 In Sura Al Maida, [ch5v8] Allah says: “ O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others towards you, make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just; that is next to piety; and fear Allah; for Allah is well acquainted with what you do.”

 This is a very important verse. It sets the limits, wudood, of Allah, and when we step beyond those limits we are on dangerous ground, inviting Allah’s anger instead of His Blessing.

 Brothers and sisters, our Prime Minister has again urged the Muslim community to put its house in order. He implies that we as a community are solely responsible the events of 7/7. This is not a helpful attitude. His denial of personal responsibility flies in the face of reason and common sense. This morning’s Guardian tells of an official Police Report that concludes British foreign policy in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine HAS had an influence on the security situation in this country. Tony Blair must be honest and take some responsibility as well. The only way we can begin to understand why it all happened, is after a full, fair and public enquiry. This is what many of the victims’ relatives have asked for, and this is what must be done. In the USA the Bush administration has stifled all debate about the attacks on the World Trade Centre by smearing its critics as being un-American and unpatriotic. This has led to much confusion and many conspiracy theories. We should not let this happen here. Muslims cannot deny that we have some hotheads and crazies in our midst. But you find them in every community. What we will not accept is the collective blame for the cowardly acts of 7/7. Only a full public inquiry will explore what contributing factors led to the London bombings last year. We need an honest debate, even if it causes some embarrassment in high places. We must do what is needed to avoid further atrocities. Muslim minorities everywhere are suffering the effects of increased fear and suspicion. The Forest Gate shooting is just one recent example. We must all contact our local MPs, and lobby for a full enquiry. This will help to restore trust in our political process, and the police.

  Muslims have reason to be concerned. There is now a real danger that we may see more acts of terror and the spiral can spin out of control.

 Were the bombers acting alone or under orders? If so, who controlled them? Will we ever know the truth? Allah alone knows who the mysterious puppet masters are, what their main agenda is, and where the real blame lies. We should not speculate, as we could be utterly wrong. When there is so much confusion, we must step back and say,

 “Allahu ‘aalam. Wa kafaa bil-Laahi shaheedaa..”  Allah knows best. And enough is Allah as a witness.

 Allah commands us to ‘speak a straightforward word’ [wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa] So let us make this clear. Keeping Britain safe from terrorists cannot be the Muslim community’s responsibility alone. Our politicians must do their bit as well. New legislation outlawing incitement to religious hatred has been a positive step. Islamophobia must become just as unacceptable as Anti-Semitism. But foreign policy in the Middle East is a disaster, and threatens whatever goodwill the British government has earned from the Muslim community. If we are to make any progress, the blame game must stop. We have a collective responsibility to make Britain safe for everyone. We need to address problems faced by young Muslims squarely and urgently: Low educational achievement, social exclusion and alienation, unemployment. Muslim graduates are 3 times more likely to be unemployed than other graduates. Prejudice and Islamophobia in the workplace must stop. Why should Muslims have to change their names on their CV’s just to make sure they get a job interview? The list goes on and on….

It requires a combined effort of the Muslim community, the government, the media, employers, private and public bodies to put things right. Our young people must be convinced that they have a stake in society and that peaceful non-violent methods are the right way to bring change. May Allah help us all.

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."

My respected brothers and sisters, we are indeed going through a period of trial and tribulation. Things may even get a lot worse, before they get better. But we must remember that Allah always has everything firmly under His control.

On this point, the last verse of Sura 36 [Yaseen] reminds us:

“Fa subhaanal lathee biyadihee malakootu kulli shay-in wa ilayhi turja-oon.”

“Glory to Allah, in Whose hand lies the dominion of all things, and to Him we will all return.”

This confirms that despite appearances, history, the world and the universe are all in safe Hands. It is again stated in the opening verses of Sura Mulk [ch 67]:

“Bismil-laahir Rahmaanir-Raheem. Tabaarakal lathee biyadihil Mulku wahuwa alaa kulli shay-in qadeer. Al-lathee khalaqal mawta wal hayaata liyab-luwakum ayyukum ahsanu ‘amalaa. Wahuwal ‘Azeezul Ghafoor.”

“In the name of God, the Merciful and Compassionate.

1. Blessed be He in Whose hands is Dominion; and He has Power over all things;-

2. He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving;-

Brothers and Sisters, we must remain steadfast, put our trust in Allah, sincerely and passionately pray for His mercy and His guidance. “Hasbunal-Laah, wa neya’mal wakeel, Neya’mal Mawlaa wa neya’mal Naseer”  Allah is sufficient for us. He is the best Disposer of affairs. He is the best Protector and the best Helper.

In the meantime, we must engage more with our neighbours in the wider community. Most of them know very little about us and our faith. Thanks to the sensational media, what little they know is mostly distorted and wrong. There is no balance. We have a duty towards Allah, and a duty towards ourselves, to ‘demystify’ Islam and to show our neighbours who we are and what our beautiful deen stands for. We must invite them into our homes and open our mosques. My wife and I regularly meet groups of visitors at Stoke Poges mosque in Slough, where we show them around and introduce Islam with questions and answers. Recently I had a group of 8 Anglican priests there.  It’s surprising how much you can do in just one hour. This was the first time the priests had entered a mosque. They really enjoyed discussing faith with Muslims, asking questions and they were pleasantly surprised to see how close Islam is to their own faith. Brothers and Sisters, it’s only a small start, but it’s very important. In these days of distortions, lies and Islamophobia, we need remove fear and suspicion through dialogue. With Allah’s help, we can turn fear and hatred into respect and friendship. The Holy Qur'an reminds us, in: [Sura An-Nahl,16:125]

   “Od’ ‘U ilaa sabeeli Rabbika bil hikmati, wal mow ‘idatil hasanah..”

   “Invite to the Way of your Lord, with wisdom and beautiful preaching…”

 Allah will hold us all accountable for how well we shared His message with those around us. We have to study our faith more deeply, put our knowledge into action, and share it with our neighbours. Then we must invite our neighbours to help us persuade our political and business leaders to uphold justice at home and abroad, not only for Muslims but for all people everywhere. These are important practical ways to make this country safe for everyone.

 Let us pray to Allah, to help us during this period of trial and tribulation, to remain steadfast, patient and to bring serenity, Sakina, to our hearts. O Allah, bring strength, comfort and serenity to victims of violence. O Allah guide our young people especially, to express their anger and frustration in creative, effective, peaceful and law abiding ways. Help us to remove the fear and hatred of Islam from our neighbours. Help us to persuade the governments in Britain and the USA that their foreign policies are doomed to failure and needless suffering for everyone, including their own citizens, and they need to make a courageous change of direction. O Allah, help those who suffer violence and injustice, to find a peaceful end to their suffering.

Ameen.                   Aqeemus salaah!

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