Mrs Thatcher’s Funeral

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway University of London/19 April /2013

(To hear the audio version of this khutbah, please click here): AG Thatchers Death

For the text version, please read further:

“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,

Two days ago Britain’s ex-Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, was laid to rest with much pomp and ceremony. This is of course not the way ordinary people are buried. The average citizen has a much humbler experience, and our Muslim burials are quite simple and low-key by comparison.

Regardless of the grandeur or simplicity we attach to that final journey we must all make to the grave, one thing is certain. When we die, we leave our earthly status and we return to our maker, willingly or unwillingly, ready or not. At death we are all equal. “Death is the ultimate democracy,” says one writer. In death, no-one’s wealth or status confers any advantage over others. 400 years ago, James Shirley wrote a poem entitled “Death the leveller.” His poem ends with these words,

“Only the actions of the just

Smell sweet and blossom in their dust.”

The Holy Quran speaks of death in many places. Here it reminds us in a very short verse:

“Kullun nafsin thaa ikatul mawt.”

“Every soul will have a taste of death.” [Sura Al-Imran 3:185]

We are also reminded that

“Wherever you are, death will find you, even if you are in towers built strong and high.” [Quran 4:78]

With the inevitability of death in mind, Islam teaches us to go through life as strangers, as travellers passing through. This life is not all that there is. It’s not our final destination.

“Inna lil Laahi wa inna ilayhir raaji oon.”

“From Allah do we come, and to Him do we return.” [Sura Al Baqara 2:156]

Our origin is from Allah and our destiny is to return to Him. We must hope and pray that our return will be a happy reunion with our Lord.

(Say: Ameen!)

Yesterday as I sat in the airport lounge in Cape Town, waiting for my flight to Heathrow, I couldn’t help thinking: This experience is really a metaphor of our earthly life. The airport is like our life on earth, it’s not our destination, only a place to prepare for the last leg of our journey home: home to the eternal life, akhira, home to Allah!

Every human being, old and young, rich and poor, we are already in Allah’s departure lounge. From the moment we were born, we’re waiting for our flight to be called. We don’t know whether our departure gate will lead to that blissfully happy place, al-Jannah firdaws, to that great furnace which the Quran describes as one “whose fuel is men and stones.” (Q.2:26)

When our flight finally takes off, our ruuh, our soul will then bid farewell to the body and soar like a celestial bird through the heavenly spheres as it returns to Allah.

The All-Merciful has given us life, and the All-Merciful will reclaim that gift of life however and whenever He pleases.

We should therefore gratefully enjoy the life of this world, but with a good measure of detachment. This isn’t our final destination. We weren’t made for dunya. Our bodies are from the earth but our ruuh, our soul is from heaven: timeless, space-less. Therefore, while our bodies crave earth-bound pleasures, our soul yearns for something higher, nobler. We must nurture this instinct towards goodness, love, justice, truth and beauty. We must worship Allah with love. Be like a lover, anticipating, longing to be re-united with his Beloved. Don’t be deceived by Shaitaan, who sets his traps for us. The attractions of this life can beguile us, but Allah promises us something better, if only we would trust Him.

“Bal tu’ thiroonal hayaat ad dunya, wal aakhiratul khairul wa ab’qaa”

“Behold, you prefer the life of this world, when the life hereafter is much better, and lasts forever.” [sura al-Alaa ch:v]

Let us ask Allah to help us remove the veils from our eyes, so that we see things for what they really are. We do not only want to have a superficial view of the world (In Arabic: basar). May Allah grant us deep insight (baseerah) so that we can have the wisdom, the heavenly wisdom to understand things with the penetrating inward sight of the heart. May Allah help us to purify our spiritual heart so that we can return to him with a sound heart (qalb saleem). Ameen.

“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,

Let us always remember our death, how suddenly it can appear. Right now, I can’t even be sure, 100%, that I’ll still be here for Asr or Maghrib prayers! No one knows that. No one can guarantee that. There is no way of delaying our death beyond the time Allah has decreed for us. Let us therefore remember that our life on earth is so fragile, so tenuous. We should expect to die at any time. We have to prepare for death even while we enjoy the peak of health, in the noonday of our youth.

Kings and Queens, Presidents and Prime Ministers also die just like common folk do. Allah makes no distinctions between rich and poor, high-born or humble. Allah will hold each and every one of us to account, whether our responsibility was to run a country or to run a kebab shop down the road. We will all be held to account. When Allah gives us wealth, power and authority, we should remember where it came from, and to whom we owe thanks. We should use it to serve Allah, to benefit those in real need. Rulers often forget that they are not the masters, but the servants and guardians of their people. When they forget this, they abuse their power and behave like Pharaohs. In recent years we’ve seen how some of them have come to a rather sticky end.

Let this be a lesson for us also. We are all kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers in our own homes. Let us take our God-given responsibility seriously. Let’s learn to tame our whimsical and capricious ego, our lower nafs, otherwise our ego becomes king. And when the nafs becomes king, then tyranny and injustice will surely follow.

The Quran also reminds us:

“No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and in which land it will die.”

None of us knows how and when our life will end. Whether we leave this world with pomp and ceremony watched by the world’s media networks, or whether we are buried quietly by a handful of friends and family, we cannot escape the fate that Allah has decreed for every one of us.

My dear sisters and brothers: no matter where we started from, no matter where we were born, how we grew up and how we spent most of our youth, let us work, hope and pray for a good ending. It’s much more important to have a good ending, even if you had a poor beginning. Rather have a bad beginning and a good ending, than to start off well and end very badly. Also, remember: there’s no point in brooding too much about the past, the mistakes we’ve made and the lost opportunities. Allah is Al-Ghafurur-Raheem, the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Some people can be so consumed with guilt over their past sins, that they become emotionally paralysed. They really believe they’re so bad, they’re beyond redemption. They really believe there’s no hope for them and that Allah will never forgive them. This is not just a big mistake. Despair is a grave sin in Islam. Allah is capable of forgiving anything, except “shirk” [i.e. associating partners Him]. For anything else, we can still seek forgiveness, and make amends, but we can’t change the past. However, we can make the future better, by turning to Allah. Let us strive hard so that our last days are pleasing to Him. We all want a good ending. Let us pray that all our children, grandchildren and the future generations will also have a good ending on the siraat al mustaqueem, the Straight Path leading to Al Jannah. 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),

“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, and 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