Khutbah: A good time to be Muslim

By Arshad Gamiet

Jurgens Centre, Englefield Green, Surrey, UK. 3^rd March 2017

 “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, peace and blessings on him, 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, – Be aware of Allah, with correct awareness, an awe-inspired awareness, 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.

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

“O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.”

 

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

“May you live in interesting times,” is said to be a Chinese curse. I don’t have to remind you that nowadays, we Muslims are certainly living in interesting times, very interesting times indeed. For example, there are a few misguided Muslims out there, misquoting the Quran to try to justify their indiscriminate violence against innocent people. They do this to promote their political aims. Then we also have some misguided non-Muslims who actually use this abuse and betrayal of Islam as an excuse to blame Islam and to punish all Muslims. They also have their political agenda. So you see the extremists on both sides misuse Islam and millions of innocent Muslims around the world have to suffer the consequences!

These consequences can be deadly. Within a few short days of the Muslim travel ban in the USA, 6 men were shot dead while praying in a Canadian mosque.   On the whole, Canadians are not as gun crazy as their neighbours across the border. Americans are amongst the most heavily armed people on the planet. And there are enough crazies amongst them who are looking for any excuse to start killing Muslims. It doesn’t take much to light the fuse. We should all take sensible precautions. We who live in the West should avoid confrontations that can escalate. Placate, don’t escalate. Don’t retaliate. Follow Allah’s advice and answer abuse with something better, or just walk away. That’s the Islamic way. We must all pray and ask Allah to protect our brothers and sisters wherever they are. Allah is always fully in control of His entire creation. We know that this very big challenge will pass. Every tyrant, every unjust regime will fall. Big and small, rich and poor, every ruler will be brought to account. We must take comfort from Sura Al Imran 3:26….

“Qulil-laahumma Maalikal mulki tu’til mulka mantashaa, watanzi-ul mulka mim-man tashaa, wa tu’izzu mantashaa, wa tuzillu mantashaa. Biyadikal khair. Innaka ala kulli shay in qadeer.”

“O Allah! Lord of Power(and Sovereignty) You give power to whom You please, and you strip off power from whom You please. You honour whom You please, and You bring low whom You please. In Your Hand is all good. Truly, You have power over all things.”

Dear sisters and brothers, these are indeed very comforting words for us. It’s only in a crisis that you find out what you’re made of, and who your true friends are. Those who’ve watched the news, will be heartened to see thousands of ordinary people, inside the USA and around the world, who have come out to support the Muslims and welcome the refugees. Rabbi Allen Maller, who writes articles for our website, Khutbahbank tells me that number of Jewish Rabbis in the USA have pledged to register themselves as Muslims if the US government decides to start a Muslim Register. There are many non-Muslims who uphold justice, who support the Palestinians and who will defend us from harm. At times like this, Allah sorts out the true from the false, the haqq from the baatil. This is really a time of fitna, a time of sorting out.

My dear sisters and brothers! Do not be disheartened. Do not be depressed or angry. Smile! Allah loves you! According to a Hadith (from Anas ibn Malik, narrated by Al Tirmidhi), Rasool Allah said:

“Those whom Allah loves, he puts them through tests and trials.”

My dear brothers and sisters, this is a good time to be a Muslim. This is the best of times to be a Muslim. Now we can show what we’re made of. Now we can prove our sincerity to Allah, by patiently persevering with the challenges that life throws at us. Now we can show the world that Islam is a beautiful, noble and inspiring way of life. We Muslims walk in the giant footsteps of Nabi Muhammad sws, and his great predecessors.

Nothing lasts forever. These hard times will pass. Allah promises us that after hardship, comes ease. Surely after every hardship comes ease.

“Fa inna ma’al usri yusra. Inna ma’al usri yusra!”

Let’s remember that the enemies of Islam will plot and plan, but Allah also plans, and Allah is the best of planners.

“Wa-Laahul khairul maakireen.” (Quran Sura Al Anfal 8:30)

And when Allah’s tests and trials are over, and the true Believers enjoy relief, peace and justice, then you will see people entering Islam in huge numbers. This isn’t just my wishful thinking. This is Allah’s promise, and Allah never breaks His promise. We saw this when Nabi Muhammad entered Makka after many years of exile and hardship. Many of the enemies of Islam became exemplary Muslims. If it could happen to the great leaders of Islam like Omar ibn Al Khattab, Amr ibn Al As and Khalid bin Walid, it could happen to anyone. Don’t be surprised if one day the Muslim haters or their children enter Islam and stand shoulder to shoulder with us in our Salaat. That’s entirely within Allah’s power. Allah has the power to do as He pleases. “Innal Laaha ‘ala kulli shay in qadeer.”

In Sura Al Nasr, Allah reassures the Believers, those who patiently persevere through all periods of distress and panic:

“Itha jaa anasral-Laahi wal fat-h. Wara aytan naasa yad-khuloona fee deenil-Laahi afwaa jaa. Fasab-bih bihamdi Rabbika was tagh fir, innahoo kaana taw-wabaa.”

“When comes the Help of Allah, and Victory, and you see the people entering Allah’s religion in crowds, celebrate the praises of your Lord, and pray for His forgiveness: for He is oft-returning (in Grace and Mercy).

Dear sisters and brothers, I don’t know if this will happen in my lifetime. But surely our children or our grandchildren will celebrate the day when Allah gives relief to those who are suffering injustice. Surely Allah will bring all tyrants to account. Let us be positive and forever optimistic. Let us patiently persevere, spreading the Good Word of Islam to our fellow Muslims and to our many friends and neighbours in the wider community.

“Innal laaha ma’as saabireen.” (Sura Al Baqara 2:153)

“surely Allah is with those who patiently persevere.”

“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, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

 (Second Khutbah):

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

 Glory to Allah!  Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

 My dear sisters and brothers,

The Victorian English poet Rudyard Kipling wrote: “IF you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, and blaming it on you….” Dear Sisters and Brothers, many of you will know this poem. It’s famous. I had to memorise it as a schoolboy. We Muslims will surely have to keep our heads now that others are losing theirs, and blaming it on us. We must learn to remain calm, stay focussed, and be quietly determined. This is Allah’s big test for us. We must inwardly and outwardly absorb and radiate those great Islamic virtues of Sakina and Ridhaa. With Sakina, we must become inwardly calm, composed with tranquillity of heart. We must develop utter reliance on Allah, and with the quality of Ridhaa, we will have a serene acceptance of whatever Allah sends our way. We must accept Allah’s Qadaa’ and Qadr: His Decree and our Destiny. We know that everything that happens comes with Allah’s permission. All this is already written in a Preserved Tablet, Al lawhim mahfoozh.

Believers joyfully accept Allah’s Decree. It takes effort, self-discipline and daily practice. In time, we can develop a more resilient character, so that no calamity causes us to panic into kneejerk reaction that displeases Allah. The world is watching us. We have many friends out there who will stand by us and defend us. We must at all times show grace under pressure. We must exude forbearance and nobility, like our great leaders, the Prophets of Allah, the Witnesses and the Doers of Good, the shuhadaa and the saliheen.

We ask Allah today, to use us, you and me, to become His role models, His good ambassadors of Islam, during these difficult times. We ask Allah to let others see, through our living examples, the humility, the nobility of His beloved last Messenger, Muhammad sws. We ask Allah to help us complete our Islam, to strengthen our Iman and to beautify our Ihsaan. Say “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. (Sura 16:90), Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152]. wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“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.” Allah says:      “and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.” “and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”        

Ameen.    Aqeemus salaah