Something of Heaven [continued and concluded]
Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway Univ. of London/ 7th December 2007.
“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, honoured guests and visitors,
Last Friday, I spoke about the human soul. The spirit, the soul, is that little piece of heaven, the breath of God, the breath of Allah that was inspired into our bodies. In our busy lives we pay so much attention to the needs of the body and the mind. Sometimes we forget about the needs of the soul, that timeless, space-less link with eternity that lives within us. The soul is the most important part of our personality. It’s the part that makes us truly ‘human’. Without it, our bodies are just so much flesh and blood and bone. Without our moral consciousness, we are no different from the wild beasts that roam the earth, foraging for food, for sex and shelter. Our human essence lies in our ability to tame those animal instincts, to transcend our selfish egos and to reach out and helps others. True faith teaches us to love others more than we love ourselves.
Nabi Isa, Prophet Jesus said, “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.” Six centuries later, Prophet Muhammad sws said, “A believer is not truly a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” In another well known Hadith, he said, “A Muslim is he from whose tongue and hands, other Muslims are safe. A Mu’min, a true Believer, is he in whom all of mankind has a sanctuary, a safe haven for life and property.”
Just think about it. At the most basic level, we Muslims should not harm each other. But that’s not enough. If we want to become true Believers, we must become custodians, trustees; we must take good care of every other human being. Indeed, we must care for every living creature, within our trust. Life and property, everyone’s life and everyone’s property, must always be safe in our hands. This is what our beloved Prophet Muhammad sws taught us. What a big responsibility! What a high standard of conduct we Muslims must aspire to!
And you know, my dear Brothers and Sisters, this is precisely what the noble and illustrious followers of the Prophet did. Look to the history of the Four Righteous Caliphs, look to the history of Muslim Spain, India and Ottoman Turkey and you will find that for the most part, all races and all religions were safe there. Everyone prospered under the protection of Islam. The intolerance and violence we see today is not part of the Prophetic Sunnah, it’s not part of our noble heritage. And even when Muslims are the victims of injustice, we should not commit injustice to others. We should not let our oppressors become our teachers and role models. We should take advice from the Holy Quran:
“Laqad kana lakum Rasoolul-laahi uswatul hasanah…”
“You have indeed, in the Messenger of Allah, a beautiful pattern of conduct.”
As we engage with other people and as we face the ups and downs of life, we should always keep our sense of balance. Body, mind and soul must be in a state of equilibrium. The Arabic word is sakina. This is only possible when there is serenity and peace at the very centre of our being. It’s a gift from Allah, a reward for showing total reliance on Him. Purifying our soul, cleansing our heart is a lifelong process. The goal is to attain nearness to Allah, to become a friend of Allah. If we fail to purify our heart and soul with constant good thoughts, words and actions, there is a danger we’ll become a friend of the other guy. We could become friends of Satan, Shaytaan. We could become lovers of dirt and degradation, pursuing empty pleasures and corrupting ourselves and everyone around us. Sura Al Fajr says of the human soul:
“Wan nafsiw wama sow waahaa”
“By the Soul and the order and proportion given to it,”
“Qad af laha mun zak kaa haa, “Truly he succeeds that purifies it.”
Waqad’ khaaba man das-saahaa..” “And he fails who corrupts it.”
Brothers and sisters, at the end of our life’s journey, we all want to be winners, not losers. In His Holy Book, Allah reminds us that no one shall enter His garden except those with a sound heart. “Qalbun saleem”.
This is what the poet Jalaluddin Rumi describes as a polished mirror. Our good deeds will keep this mirror shining, unblemished, so that when we return to Allah and He looks down into our hearts, He will recognise His own reflection.
The same poet, Rumi, warns us of the dangers of procrastination, putting off our good deeds until later. We forget that time flies. We may not have another chance. He says that when we sit in a boat on a fast-flowing river, the trees on the riverbank seem to be racing past at breathtaking speed. But really, those trees are standing still. Their roots are firmly anchored to the earth. It is we who are speeding on towards our Destiny, towards our meeting point with Allah….
Brothers and sisters, let us act now, do all those good deeds now, while we still have time. Let’s cherish that little bit of heaven within us, purify our hearts, polish the mirror of our soul and return it to its Maker in factory perfect condition.
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, honoured guests,
Over the next few days, millions of Muslims from all over the world will converge on Makkah. This is the season for Hajj, the Pilgrimage. Makka will expand like the womb of a pregnant mother, and for a few memorable days it will host more than 4 million people. Pilgrims will follow in the footsteps of Prophet Abraham, peace and blessings on him, who built the Kaaba, the world’s first place of worship there, long before any church, temple or synagogue was built. They will also follow the footsteps of his wife, Hagar, who ran between the hills of Safa and Marwa to find water for their son, Isma-il. They will remember Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, when Allah ordered him to sacrifice what he loved most. The highlight of the Hajj will be on the day of wuqoof. Elsewhere around the world, more than a billion Muslims will be celebrating Eidul Adha on that day, but the pilgrims will all stand on the huge plain of Arafat. They will be following the footsteps of Adam and Eve. Here on Arafat, on a small hill called Jabal Rahma, the Mount of Mercy, Prophet Adam and his wife supplicated and pleaded with Allah to forgive them for their sins. Here on this same piece of real estate, every pilgrim will recite the same prayer that Adam recited, full of passion, full of humility and with tears of contrition streaming down their faces:
“Rabbana thalamna an fusana, wa il-lam tagh-fir lana watar-ham-na lana kuna minal khaasireen.” Sura 7:23
“Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls; if You do not forgive us and bestow Your Mercy on us, we will be surely be among the losers.”
Dear Brothers and Sisters, right here on the plain of Arafat, the first man and first woman sought forgiveness for the first act of disobedience, the original sin. This is were Allah showed us that His Mercy is greater than His Anger. Adam and Eve were forgiven. In the same way, every Muslim since time immemorial has sought forgiveness, in the same way and in the same place as Adam and Eve did. And so it will be until the end of time.
“Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls…”
Look at the choice of words. Adam could have said, “Our Lord, we have wronged You..” but he said, “we have wronged our own souls.” This clearly implies that sin is not only a transgression against God, against Allah, but it’s an own-goal, an injury that we inflict upon ourselves. If we leave our sins without repentance, they will not be forgiven and we face the punishment of hellfire. To repent, to admit our faults and to surrender ourselves to God’s mercy, is really to invite His forgiveness. Remember that forgiveness is not something that will visit us, uninvited. The Holy Quran describes Allah as Al-Ghafoorur-Raheem, ‘The Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Allahumma innaka ghafuwwun tuhubul afwa fa’fu’annaa.
“O Allah You are Most Forgiving. You love to forgive. Please forgive me!”
If our pilgrimage is successful, and if Allah accepts our pleas for Mercy and forgiveness, then we become like newborn babies. Islam teaches that all our sins are wiped away. We have a clean slate, a new beginning. This is the main objective of the pilgrimage: to get us one more chance.
During the days of pilgrimage we are dressed in 2 sheets of white cloth, just like burial shrouds. This reminds us of death. We have set aside all our designer clothes, our fine shoes and jewellery, all the trappings of wealth and status. We cannot tell the difference between a millionaire and a taxi driver, a State President and a window cleaner. When we see those millions of pilgrims all dressed in the same, simple manner, then we exactly know how Allah sees us all, with no pretentions, all equal in status except for our good deeds and our generosity to one another.
Let us pray that all pilgrims will have a successful Hajj this year. We pray that Allah will allow them safe passage to Makka, and safe journey back home.
Last year, I had the privilege of doing the Hajj with my wife and eldest daughter. For those of us who still aspire to make this great journey of a lifetime, let us pray that Allah will, in the near future, invite you to His Blessed House, insh-Allah, Ameen.
Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:
InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Quran 16:90),
"Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be reminded."
Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].
“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, do do not reject faith.”
wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].
“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”
Ameen. Aqeemus salaah!
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