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Human beings come to the world and leave it:
Dear brother, we come into this world knowing nothing whatsoever. Allah the Almighty says:
(And Allah has brought you out from the wombs of your msh3er while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allah)
We leave this world after living for a long time knowing very little and being ignorant of a lot of things. Man is between the state of fresh blooming arrival and weak waning departure. Man exerts a lot of efforts and faces many problems while trying to attain a clear vision, for all deeds and actions depend on the vision he has. If the vision is correct, the deed becomes correct, and the good rightful deed leads its doer to happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. On the other hand, if the vision is incorrect, the deed becomes accordingly incorrect, and it causes misery to man in this world and the Hereafter. Hence, where does heroism lie? It lies in the ability to have a correct vision, for vision precedes actions. How does the thief see the theft he commits? He sees it as a deed that makes him gain a lot of money without paying any effort totally disregarding the fact that he will be held accountable and will be sent to jail. As for the one who commits homicide, what does he see? He sees that his murder will grant him great victory, while few days later he will be hanged. Where, does the problem of those people lie? It lies in the vision, because when have a correct vision transformed into a correct deed, you will be safe and happy in the worldly life and the Hereafter, but if this vision is incorrect, your deeds will be corrupt, oppressing and sinful causing you misery in the worldly life and the Hereafter. This is why the esteemed Companion Huzayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, once said:
((The people used to ask the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, about the good, and I used to ask him about the evil out of fear that it would reach me.))
Why does our reality contradict Allah's Promises?
I intended to deliver this Khutbah before Ramadan in order pinpoint the mistakes in Muslims' daily life and the reason behind having Allah's Promises unfulfilled, although Allah the Almighty says:
(Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them)
[An-Nur: 55]
The bitter truth is much better than the comforting illusions, so by Your Lord, are we, Muslims, nowadays granted succession in the earth? By Allah, we are not:
(and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion)
Is Islam granted the authority to be practised, or is there a Third World War being waged against it?
(And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear)
Are Muslims safe and secure or are there 5 Islamic countries occupied? Our reality stands in stark contrast with the promises of Allah, so we should know where the fault lies. Consider the situation of someone whose car stops because the engine suddenly breaks down, what should he do? Is it better for him to bemoan his luck, accuse himself of being ill fortuned and scream or to just open the engine cover and figure out the problem? The scientific and civilized stance towards such a problem and the ones we as Muslims face is to look for the mistakes and try to solve them, instead of lamenting our situation or believing that we are defeated, we are fought by the whole world, Islam is rejected and we are controlled by other nations. Allah's Laws and Rules are fixed and unchangeable. Thus, if there is something wrong, try to solve it and things will be the way you wish.
(So no change will you find in Allah's Sunnah (way of dealing), and no turning off will you find in Allah's Sunnah (way of dealing))
Terminating the universe is easier to Allah not fulfilling His promises to true Muslims:
I always say that terminating the universe is easier to Allah than keeping His promises to you unfulfilled:
(Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear)
Dear brother, we are in desperate need of acting upon the Divine Revelation:
((O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it… so let him who finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself))
Let him who finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself. The question is: Where does the fault lie, what is the sin that causes so and so problem? You should look for the cause of every problem, Allah the Almighty says:
(and whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart [to the true Faith with certainty, i.e. what has befallen him was already written for him by Allah from the Qadar (Divine Preordainments)])
Light to the eye is akin to the revelation to the mind:
Dear brother, does the eye have any value if there is no light that mediates between it and the object? If you ask a blind man and someone who can see to sit in a room and you switch the light off, both of them become equal in their inability to see. Hence, the eye needs light. Similarly, the mind needs Revelation. Light to the eye is akin to the revelation to the mind. Without Revelation, the following happens:
(Verily, he thought and plotted* So let him be cursed! How he plotted! * And once more let him be cursed, how he plotted!* Then he thought* Then he frowned and he looked in a bad tempered way* Then he turned back and was proud* Then he said: "This is nothing but magic from that of old* "This is nothing but the word of a human being!"* I will cast him into Hell-fire* And what will make you know exactly what Hell-fire is?* It spares not (any sinner), nor does it leave (anything unburnt)!)
[Al-Muddathir: 18-28]
Whoever uses his mind without considering the Divine Revelation is like the one who uses his eyes in darkness; both of them are useless.
The reason for being the best of peoples is enjoining Al-Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar
The first point I would like to discuss in this blessed gathering is the following Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
(You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind)
The meaning is that ever since the Prophet, peace be upon him, was sent to you, you have become the best of peoples, but what makes you the best? Allah the Almighty says:
(you enjoin Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden), and you believe in Allah.)
((The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "How will it be for you when you stop enjoining Al-Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar?" The Companions asked inquisitively, "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Yes, and worse than that is going to happen." The Companions asked again, "What can be worse than that, O Messenger of Allah." The Messenger, peace be upon him, replied, "How will it be for you when you enjoin Al-Munkar and forbid Al-Ma'ruf." The Companions asked, "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Yes, but worse than that." The Companions asked, "What is worse than that, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger, peace be upon him, said, "How will it be for you when you perceive Al-Ma'ruf as Munkar and Al-Munkar as Ma'ruf?"))
We live in an era when the believer's heart almost melts because of the horrible things he sees, and he cannot change anything. Keep in mind that whatever the West says is mere lies. An 85 year old journalist, who was a contemporary of eight American presidents, was dismissed by the White House, because she stated that the Jews should return back to their homelands. Where is freedom of expression?
We live in an era when the believer's heart almost melts from the awful crimes he sees, but he is unable to do anything. A million people were killed in an eastern neighboring country, a million people have become disabled and 5 million people have become homeless. Everything was destroyed and robbed in that country. This is what he West called the "Constructive Chaos", but what kind of construction is this? We live in an era when charlatanry prevails. It was narrated in some As7adeth that in the end times, the one-eyed Dajjal (anti-Christ) will appear, and some scholars think that he is one-eyed because he cares solely for his own interests and ignores the ones of other people, and that he cares about his own dignity, but he is not concerned about the dignity of other people.
I would like to mention a piece of news which I repeated frequently. An American President visited the Middle East intending to pay four visits to different places according his remarkable visit agenda. He was supposed to visit Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Damascus and the fourth place was the house an Israeli captive's family. There are 11,880 Palestinian captives in the Israeli prisons. Yet, he did not think about paying visits to their families.
He who does not disbelieve in Taghut will not believe in Allah:
Dear brother, let me tell you a word from the heart: If we do not disbelieve in Taghut, we will not believe in Allah. We have to disbelieve the tyrants of the earth who steal off people's riches, tyrannize them, wage destructive wars against them and commit genocides. Yet, those tyrants appear the media claiming that they came (invaded other countries) to establish freedom. Form what are we supposed to be freed?
Dear brother, the West is the one-eyed Dajjal, who says untrue things, reverses reality and sees things with one eye. As if the Prophet, peace be upon him, was calling the late Westerner the one-eyed Dajjal. You can notice that such a description suits the West if you recall their statements which were issued in the aftermath of the Gaza War wherein 1500 women and children were killed with state of the art weaponry; Apache and F16. In that war, houses were demolished, and protected unarmed people have been under siege. What heroism it is when the enemy used lethal weapons against unarmed people! These weapons should be used in a war between two armies who have weapons of equal level. The European countries held a meeting in Sharm Ash-Sheikh in order to take a decision, which is the strangest ever; they wanted to prevent the smuggling of weapons to resistance forces. 1500 women and children were killed with advanced weapons, but no comment was made or condemnation was declared. If we do not disbelieve in Taghut, we will not believe in Allah. Allah the Almighty says:
(Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break)
Dear brother, we are discussing the imbalance (Muslims suffer from); the absence of awareness is a symptom of imbalance, loss of Islamic identity is a sign of imbalance, losing the path to Allah is imbalance, failing to find means is imbalance. All these factors are part of the main problem; loss of identity, absence of awareness, having unclear goals, loss of the means and so forth. This is the flawed imbalance that Muslims suffer from. I am not talking about one country, but rather I mean Muslims in the Muslim World.
The Ummmah is moderate, so once Muslims deviate, they will lose their excellence:
I should remind you of the Ayah, in which the Jews and the Christians say:
(And (both) the Jews and the Christians say: "We are the children of Allah and His loved ones")
[Al-Ma'idah': 18]
Allah does not accept their allegation to which He replies:
(Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created)
Even if Muslims use the same rhetoric, and they boasted about being the followers of Muhammad, peace be upon him, the Master of mankind and the much-loved Prophet by Allah, and being the Ummah of the Divine Revelation, the Divine Response will be, "Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created." I am not in favor of emotional, comforting or demagogic rhetoric; I would rather say the bitter truth that awakens the minds and stirs the hearts. Unless we are provoked by the bitter truth, leaving behind the comforting illusions, we will never achieve any progress.
The reason for being the best of peoples is enjoining Al-Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar. Someone's female nephew may visit him dressing indecently and exposing her beauty. Yet, he welcomes her, asks her about her father's wellbeing, praises her young age and asks her about her studies, but he never thinks about drawing her attention to the fact that the way she is dressed does not befit the Muslim woman. Verily, when we no longer enjoin Al-Ma'ruf and forbid Al-r, we lose that which makes us the best of peoples:
(You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden), and you believe in Allah)
Dear brother, if we claim that we are the best of peoples, the Divine Reply will be:
(Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created)
We are the Ummah of moderation; perfection, equability truth, virtue and balance. Moderation is power, but if we deviate one step to the right or to the left, to east or to west or to north or to south, we will be extremists not moderate people, and so we will lose our excellence.
People's classification is not approved by Allah:
Let me tell you something, Allah the Almighty says:
(Truly! This, your Ummah [Sharia or religion (Islamic Monotheism)] is one religion.)
What have we done? We have divided ourselves into groups, sects, schools of thought and other classifications for which Allah has sent down no authority. He the Almighty says:
(By the night as it envelops* And by the day as it appears in brightness * And by Him Who created male and female* Certainly, your efforts and deeds are diverse (different in aims and purposes))
Pay attention to this Ayah:
(As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him* And believes in Al-Husna)
This man believes that he is created for Paradise, he avoids disobeying Allah and he builds his life upon giving. Thus, the Divine Reply is the following:
(We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness) * But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient * And gives the lie to Al-Husna)
Unlike the above mentioned man, this one does not believe in Paradise, all he seeks is the worldly life, he builds his life upon taking and he does harm to Allah's creations. Allah the Almighty says:
(We will make smooth for him the path for evil * And what will his wealth benefit him when he goes down (in destruction))
Some shortcomings in our life:
Dear brother, let me mention some shortcomings in our life: The absence of moderation, extremism, lack of unity, fragmentation, abstaining from enjoining Al-Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar and negligence. These are some drawbacks which, as Muslims, we suffer from. I would like to mention one more drawback, which is neglecting the value of time. According to a precise scientific study which was done in one of the Western universities, the Muslim citizen in the Islamic countries works for 17 minutes only, whereas the citizen in the powerful countries works for 8 hours. The work which is accomplished in 17 minutes only can never be as perfect as the one accomplished in 8 hours. The former work is useless, for the employee who tries to accomplish it does nothing. This is a serious problem:
(And say (O Muhammad, peace be upon him) "Do deeds! Allah will see your deeds, and (so will) His Messenger and the believers)
We accomplish no achievements; what we have in our departments is arrogance, exchanging accusations, subjective classification of the employees, superiority to other employees and selecting some employees to do certain jobs (those employees are not qualified enough for the jobs they are assigned to do), while ignoring the qualified employees. Other nations have done stunning achievements, and as they finished with these achievements, they have imposed their culture and pornography on us. These satellite dishes are merely a war of a different kind; it is a war to destroy our religion. I always say that the greater the number of the many dishes we have on rooftops, the fewer the dishes on the table become, the cheaper women's body is, the more expensive meat become and the less ashamed we are, the less the rate of rainfall is. Allah the Almighty says:
(Read)
Other nations consider us the "Read Ummah", but someone commented on that saying, "Today we have become the Ummah of dancing not reading." I visited an Islamic country in Africa, and some people there said to me that their television screens showcase dancing and singing for 24 hours daily. Furthermore, 86 million calls were made in order to choose two female singers. What concerns people? Singing! Even after the fall of Baghdad, 64 million calls were made in an Islamic country. This Ummah will never achieve triumph unless it returns back to its religion, values and principles. Thus, the main problem as some people analyzed is that the West used to force us to do whatever they want using the hard power, but now they are forcing us to fulfill their wishes using the soft power (women).
By Allah, there are pornographic satellite channels that were dedicated specifically to North Africa for free. In my scientific view point, these channels are meant to corrupt their religion. We are facing wars of various kinds; there is a cultural war, a military war and a media war.
Innovating in religion instead of in the worldly life is a shortcoming:
One of our shortcomings is innovating in religion instead of making innovations in the worldly life. Islam is tawqeefi [It is not permissible to worship Allah, may He be exalted, through any act of worship unless this act of worship is proven in the Shar'i texts (Qur'an and Sunnah) to be an act of worship that was prescribed by Allah.], so no addition or omission is acceptable because it is from Allah the Almighty. It is the religion of Allah the Most Great, so no modification, addition or deletion is allowed. We are supposed to apply our religion and to innovate in the worldly life. In other words, we should be innovative in finding solutions to our problems, such as youth (unemployment, inability to get married and so on), housing and industrialization, etc… We imitate the West in our daily life, and we innovate in our religion, while we should do exactly the opposite; We should imitate (the Prophets, peace be upon them) and follow (Allah's Orders), and we should innovate in the worldly matters. Allah the Almighty says:
(Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed)
The test is not to make the difference between the successful people and the failed ones, but rather it is intended to rank the successful people only. You are supposed to succeed:
(and Allah teaches you)
He teaches you through the universe, the Prophets, peace be upon them, the Divine Revelation, the scholars and the incidents that happens to you in your daily life. In fact, He teaches you through countless things, so why are you not watchful of Allah?
Man's value is estimated according to the job he performs perfectly:
I would like to discuss the following point: Man's value is estimated according to the job he performs perfectly. Our Master, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, once said, "When I see a good-looking man I admire him, but when I know that he is jobless, I disrespect him." Your value in Allah's Sight is estimated according to the good deeds you do.
We become ecstatic if a Muslim sacrifices his life for the sake of shaking the enemy, and such news brings us contentment and relief. However, Our Ummah is in dire need of those who live for her sake as much as her need of those who die for her sake. What a young man is prevented from choosing to study at a faculty through which he can serve, empower and safeguard his Ummah? Thus, we should live for the sake of this Ummah, for it is not enough to be righteous. It was reported in the relic:
((Almighty Allah sent some angels to destroy the people of a particular town. When the angels reached there, they found a worshiper engrossed in worship. The angels said, "O our Lord! Your particular slave is busy in worship, how can we send punishment on this town?" The reply came, "Start with this man, because he has never been angry for Our Sake and never behaved curtly with the sinners."))
When you say, "This matter does not concern me" or "Well, it is not my business", then the above-mentioned Hadith refers to the situation you are in.. Enjoining Al-Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar is an Islamic duty (it is obligatory) obligation. Therefore:
(And your Lord would never destroy the towns wrongfully, while their people were right-doers)
Allah Almighty does not say "while their people were righteous", but He says, "while their people were right-doers". The right-doer is not destroyed, while the righteous man is destroyed because he his righteousness is for his own benefit, not for the benefit of other people.
Work is an exceedingly elevated value:
Dear brother, work is an extremely elevated value. The Prophet, peace be upon him, held Ibn Mas'oud's rough hand and raised it saying:
((This is the hand that Allah and His Prophet love.))
In another Hadith, he, peace be upon him, said:
((If the Qiyamah (the Day of Judgment) has just begun and anyone of you has a seedling in his hand and it is possible to implant it before the Hour is established, he should plant it.))
If the Hour arrives, while you have a seedling in your hand, then plant it. Is there a more accurate or eloquent indication of the obligatory nature of work than this one? Our Master Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, once visited a town, and he noticed that most of its economic activities are controlled by non-Muslims, so he rebuked and reprimanded the Muslims vehemently. They said, "Allah has employed them for our sake." He replied 1400 years ago, saying, "How will it be for you if you become their slaves?"
In fact, the great Khalifah realized 1400 years ago that the producer is strong and that the consumer is weak. Manufacturing the engine of an airplane costs 5 million dollars, and if we multiply this number by 50, it becomes 250 million, so the cost of four engines is a billion. How many tons of wheat, cotton and barely are produced in our country? The profits of the production of your agricultural crops are paid for having the airplane. They steal our money, when they sell us their products and when they buy from us our raw material. They buy our wool and sell it back to us as high-quality fabric 1750 times more than the original price. We should work and exert effort; every young man among you should do the jobs through which he can serve his Ummah: The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
((O Allah, I seek refuge in You from incapacity, laziness, old age, miserliness and cowardice, and I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave, and from the trials of life and death.))
Accordingly, dear brother:
((A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak believer))
It is because the strong believer has a wide variety of choices to perform good deeds.
I say my words, and I ask the Forgiveness of Allah, the Most Great, for me and for you. Dear brother, ask His Forgiveness, so that you will be forgiven, as those who are forgiven will be the successful ones.* * *
The Second Sermon:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah; the Protector of the righteous. And I bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad, peace and upon him, is His Servant and Messenger, the one with noble morals. May Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, his Folks and Companions.
Man should understand Qada' and Qadar according to Sunnah:
Dear brother, I believe that the following Hadith is extremely important:
((The Prophet, peace be upon him, gave a decision between two men, and the one against whom the decision was given turned away and said, "Allah suffices me, for He is the best disposer of affairs." The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Allah blames for falling short, but apply intelligence, and when the matter gets the better of you, say; Allah suffices me, for He is the best disposer of affairs))
When a student does not studies, and so he fails in the exam, he says, "This is Allah's Qada' and Qadar (theDivine Preordainment and Decree, and it is out of my hand." These words are nonsense. When are you supposed to say Allah suffices me, for He is the best disposer of affairs? When you exert all your efforts and study hard, but one day before the exam, you suffer from a terrible disease that prevents you from attending the exam, so in this case you can say, "Allah suffices me, for He is the best disposer of affairs." Hence, saying these words before studying and making use of the available means is considered lying and charlatanry. Get yourself accustomed to thinking about things scientifically. Accordingly, if your son gets seriously ill because of your negligence, you should not consider this Allah's Decree. It is your fault, so stop using Allah's Qada' and Qadar a pretext to justify your faults. The evidence is found in the following Ayah:
(Verily! Those who brought forth the slander (against 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) the wife of the Prophet, peace be upon him) are a group among you. Consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you)
The slander incident was good for Muslims; believing in this manifests the true Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah). Will he who had the greater share of the slandering be exempted from being called to account?
(and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be a great torment)
You cannot exploit Qada' and Qadar to justify your mistakes or to cover up your defects. You should understand Qada' and Qadar correctly just as the Prophet, peace be upon him, recommended.
Muslims should support one another to preserve their safety and existence:
Dear brother,
(and do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength depart)
The West has put us all in one basket. Thus, in order to preserve our safety and existence, we should all support one another. I believe that whatever controversial issue arises between Muslims nowadays is considered a crime against the Ummah. We should look for whatever issue that brings us together, the common grounds and the things we agree upon, not the differences:
(("Nations are about to call each other against you as eaters call each other to their bowl. One man said, "Is it because we are few at that time?" He said, "No, you are a lot at that time, but you are scum as the scum of a flood. Allah will remove fearing from you from the chests of your enemies, and Allah will throw weakness into your hearts." One man said, "O Messenger of Allah! What is the weakness you mean?" He, peace be upon him, said, "Loving this worldly life and hating death."))
Supplication:
O Allah, we beseech You to show us the way of righteousness together with those to whom You showed it; and to give us good health together with those whom You have healed; and to be our Protector, as You are of those whom You protect; and to bless what You have bestowed on us; and to save us from the affliction that You have decreed –for You rule with justice and You are never judged; and he whom You protect shall never be humiliated, and he whom You make Your enemy shall never be elevated, blessed and dignified are You. We thank You for what You have decreed, we ask You for Forgiveness for our sins and we repent to You.
O Allah, please lead us to the good deeds, for no one leads to them but You; please lead us to the good conduct, for no one leads to it but You; please make us do well in the Deen, which is our dignity, make us do well in our worldly life, in which we dwell and grant us safety on the Day of Judgment for it is our Final Destination. O Allah, please supply our life with all good things and make our death a rest from every evil.
O our Master, Lord of the Worlds, please make us desire what You have made lawful and reject what You have made unlawful, make us by Your benevolence independent of all sh3er and make our obedience to You turn us away from our disobedience.
O Allah, by Your Benevolence and Mercy, raise high the word of truth and this Deen, grant triumph to Islam, dignify Muslims and grant triumph to Muslims all over the world, O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah, show us Your Omnipotence against Your enemies, You are the Most Generous.
