2014-12-19 - Brother Monzer Taleb

Announcements Before the Khutbah

Take care of our children, take care of the way we park our cars. يعني, subhanAllah, these things are given. We've been praying Jumu'ah at least for 30 years now, or more. We should have this now.

So please, take care of your children in the back, and bring them forward, and come forward, and close all the gaps, because I know we're gonna have a lot of people coming today, insha'Allah. Jazakumullah khairan.

Our Common Humanity

Brothers and sisters in Islam, Allah reminds us in the Quran, in so many places, about our humanity, about how human we are, about how Allah created us to establish the earth, not to destroy it. Allah gave us the message to go forward, and to make a change in the life of humanity. He said:

O people, We have created you from a single male and female, and We made you into nations and tribes, so you may know one another. The truest and most close to Allah, and the best of you, is decided by Allah alone. It's not because of your ethnicity, it's not because of your tribe, it's not because of your country, or your family, or your lineage — it is because of taqwa, and fearing Allah.

Announcement: Rally for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui

Now saying that, I want to start with this. You have heard of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. She is in a federal medical facility here in the Dallas area, sentenced to 86 years, for a crime that I wanted to go and search for. A lady that is not more than 90 pounds right now, in the prison. And someone has to stand up for her right.

I'm saying this as an announcement also: tomorrow, Saturday, December 20th, at 12pm to 4pm, a rally for human rights supporters will happen here in Dallas. Sponsored by MASA, by MNFA, by the Council of Masajid in our area. To convey our concern and support to our Muslim sister. To demand that she be examined to determine physical and psychological injury. To demand that her human rights be respected as a political prisoner. To demand that her liberation be met with conditions of confidence. To be treated humanely, and allowed the same visitation rights and protection as every other female prisoner.

What can we do? From Irving Masjid, from Richardson Masjid, buses will depart at 12pm, noon, and return at 4:30pm. Please be there — it's free. Jazakallah khairan.

And why am I announcing this? Because of the ayah I recited in the beginning — that we care for humanity, it doesn't matter where she is from. It doesn't matter her ethnicity and background. We stand with those who we believe are oppressed. I believe that. If you believe that, then be there tomorrow at 12 o'clock at Irving Masjid or Richardson Masjid.

Announcement: Supporting Salam Academy

The second announcement is very important also. Today is a special day for me because we are helping a school — Salam Academy. You will see them outside, waiting for your support, needing the support. Why? Because we are lacking Islamic education. What is happening around the world — even Muslims committing atrocities in the name of Islam — is because people are losing confidence and they are losing their knowledge. They don't even have knowledge of Islam, and yet they carry the name of Islam and do atrocities in its name.

Islamic leadership — we have lost that. Human resources, finances, all of that. Brothers and sisters, we need our children to be raised in an Islamic environment. We need our children to be knowledgeable so they don't go to the other extremes. We need to raise them to face all kinds of ignorance and challenges that are facing the ummah. To be loyal to Allah, to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. To be loyal to the ummah, standing up for the truth, standing up for the rights of humanity. For these children, young men and women, we have to support them. Whatever you can give today, brothers and sisters — they are outside waiting for our support.

The Story of the Sons of Adam

Two brothers lived in harmony. One of them gave a sacrifice, and the other gave another sacrifice. But Allah accepted one of them and not the other. You know what I'm talking about — the sons of Adam. Qabil and Habil. They were close to each other. One was accepted, and the other was not.

Allah in this story explains the issue, the problem, the conflict, the revolution, and the aftermath of the whole problem — and how these people handled themselves. But nowadays we see the same atrocities from those who call themselves believers, from those who call themselves Muslims. And we don't agree with that. And Allah told us — We will not accept it from them.

The minute that happened, jealousy and hatred and animosity started growing in the heart of humans. When a human being goes to that level, he will become worse than an animal. When he said, "I will fight you, I will hate you, I will break up with you" — no, Allah said: because when a person does not have knowledge, without knowledge, what do you do? When you have power without mercy and justice, you will destroy the world. And that is exactly what is happening around the world.

He said, "I won't kill you." Now look at the answer of the believer. Allah said, from the Quran:

"If you extend your hand to kill me, I will not extend my hand to kill you. I fear Allah, the Lord of all worlds." Can you do it? Yes, you can. But the thing that's holding me back is the fear of Allah. I want you to be among the people of hellfire if you do such a thing.

Then his nafs, his soul inside, was telling him — what are you waiting for? Go and find these children. Those innocent children. Whether they are in Pakistan, or they are in Syria, or they are in Egypt, or in Somalia, or in Iraq, or Afghanistan, or anywhere else. Find them. Those who are powerless, those who are weak, those who are vulnerable, those who claim to study to learn. It doesn't matter what is their agenda — that does not give you the choice and the power to go and kill innocent children or innocent people. It doesn't matter. Islam did not teach us that.

When the heart is full of hate, the soul does not see anymore. And then the worst of it — when he killed his brother. He killed his brother and he didn't know what to do with the body, because that was the first person ever killed on the face of the earth. No one had been killed before that.

Allah sent a crow — not an angel — to show him how to bury. Because he does not deserve an angel. He deserves an animal to show him what an animal does for another animal. Because what he had done was at that level. Allah could have sent a dream. He could have sent an angel — but He wanted to send an animal to tell him: when you did something like this, you are not better than this animal. And believe it or not, this animal is even better than you — better than what you have done, the atrocities.

"And he became of those who regret." The scholars say — he was not regretting the killing of his brother. He regretted because he didn't know what to do with the body. Can you imagine? When a person is full of hatred, they don't see anymore. They only see: I have to finish that person.

The Sanctity of a Single Soul

Because of that, Allah is saying: because of that, We have written upon the people of Israel — whoever kills a soul, one person. Not a hundred and forty-six. Not one million children in Iraq. Or the same thing in Syria. Or Afghanistan. He said: one soul. Not only killing, but establishing mischief on earth, destroying things, creating corruption on the earth — as if you have killed all of humanity. When you kill one person, that person has killed all of humanity. And when you give life to a soul, it is as if you have given life to all human beings.

The scholars of Islam say: when a human being has so much knowledge and taqwa, he will be higher than the highest of the angels. And when he becomes ignorant and deceived, and does not bring Allah into his actions — he is worse, even less than a dog.

Allah said that the fuel of the fire in the hereafter is not only rocks — He said even humans. And the scholars said: We put the humans and the rocks at the same level — meaning these humans are equal to rocks, or even worse.

Are there not some rocks from which rivers come out — to feed people and humans? لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ.

The Crime of Killing Children

What's worse than just killing? Killing children. And the one who started this was Fir'aun — لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ. Fir'aun started this sunnah sayyi'ah — this evil practice — of killing children.

Allah is mentioning this to Bani Israel — reminding them of how Fir'aun and his people did atrocities against them, made them taste the torture. He used to slaughter the infants while their mothers were holding them — to bring the pain — to grab the child from the hand of the mother, slaughter him, and return him to the mother to see it. That's what is happening around us.

In another ayah, He said:

You know, these people who do these atrocities are worse than Fir'aun. You ask me why? Because Fir'aun said: I kill the male children but I save the women. But these people have killed men, women, and children — anybody on their way — to satisfy their nafs. And the strange part is that they were ordered to do that. Who ordered you? Who gave that permission to you? To kill innocent people?

Even Musa, peace be upon him — when Fir'aun found him in the hands of his wife Asiya, he said: bring me that son of Israel. He doesn't look like us Egyptians. But his wife had the power — she told him:

"Do not kill him. I want him to be my son."

When the female child who was buried alive will come on Yawmul Qiyamah — and those innocent children will come on Yawmul Qiyamah to Allah — and they will ask. They will ask those who killed them: "Ya Allah, I am going to ask them — why did you kill me?" And they will have to answer to Allah.

Then Allah said:

Whoever kills a believer deliberately — his recompense is Hell, for eternity. And Allah has placed His wrath upon him, and has cursed him, and has prepared for him a severe punishment. When the people ask why so much wrath from Allah? The scholars say: because he did not remember the mercy of Allah when he was there alone with his weapon, shooting people in front of him, seeing them with his own eyes, as he was striking them down, killing them, seeing their blood, knowing what kind of feeling they had — all their families were killed, all their tribes were killed, all their children were killed.

Is this how you treat them? Allah said:

Do not kill your children out of poverty. What kind of aqeedah is this? What kind of Islam? What kind of deen? What belief gives you the ability to kill someone else, to take the life of another person? If it is not the belief — if it is a political statement, "you kill us, we will kill you" — then there is nothing good after that. They are all the same. It doesn't matter what is their belief, background, or history. Killing children — why? Where is the soul? Where is the mind? Where is the understanding of Islam?

He killed his own brother. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him — even when he was going for a fight, he used to tell them: Do not touch women. Do not touch children. Do not even touch a tree. Do not kill someone in their prayers. Fight those who are fighting you.

Indeed, Allah does not love the transgressors.

We ask Allah for forgiveness, righteousness, and reformation. We ask Allah to give us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and to save us from the torment of hell.

Second Part of the Khutbah: Justice and Balance

Brothers and sisters, the ayah you recite every Friday before you finish the khutbah — but everybody remembers: Allah ordered justice. And He left it open. He did not leave it only for the Muslims. Because if justice is not established on earth — by Muslims or non-Muslims, by humanity — then corruption will take over.

Allah said that He has raised the heaven by His power, by His knowledge. And He put the balance for humanity to judge by it, to uphold it. Do not transgress in the balance. Do not take the rights of people. Stand up for the truth of Allah. Stand up for the rights of Allah. And bear witness in a true way. Do not let the hatred of others make you transgress. Do not let the hatred of others change your mind about them.

The Prophet's Mercy at the Conquest of Mecca

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him — what he received from the people of Quraish — the day he conquered Mecca, he stood right there by the Ka'bah, and he looked at the people of Quraish, and he told them: "What do you think I should do to you today? You have killed so many of us. You have tortured so many of us. You have taken our livelihoods. You have driven me and my people away from this beautiful land. What should we do?" And he said:

(Narrated by Ibn Hisham in As-Sirah An-Nabawiyyah; also referenced in related narrations in Sunan al-Bayhaqi)

"Go, for you are the freed ones." You have the power to do whatever you want, and you have the character to be merciful, and the justice to be just with people.

Fear Allah and Make a Change

Fear Allah. When we are applying the rules of Allah without taqwa, without salah, without knowledge — what is going to happen to us? They should be among you when it happens, and he is calling the ummah. They call upon goodness. Make a difference in your decisions in your life. Make a change in your life. Make a change in your community.

Don't just say that this is the person in charge, or that person in charge, and "I am really busy with my life, I am busy with my work, I am bringing food on the table." When tomorrow we wake up and there will be no food on the table, and there will be no children around us — then we ask the question: why is this happening to me? It is because of us. It is because of us. We are not moving. We are not doing anything. We can make a change. We can educate our children.

Do not leave them ignorant and tell them: learning secular subjects, math and physics, will make them smart. But there is a sense of limitation with us. At the end of the day — I was listening to someone in the school, and he said — when we go to the grave, the angels are not going to ask us: what kind of degree do you have? What kind of bachelor's degree do you have? How many years of experience do you have? They will ask you about things that we learned when we were six years old.

The Hadith of Intentions

Brothers and sisters, I'm not saying leave all of that. If you open the book of Al-Qanun by Ibn Sina, and the books of medicine by Ibn Wajid, and you read the first page — you know what they say? First they say Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'Alamin. And the second thing they say is the hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1907)

"Deeds are only by their intentions, and every person will have only what he intended. So whoever emigrated to Allah and His Messenger, his emigration was to Allah and His Messenger. And whoever emigrated for the world or for a woman to marry, his emigration was to whatever he emigrated for."

This is the hadith of intention — and people wrote this hadith at the beginning of their books of medicine, math, logic, and algorithm. Why? Because they wanted to connect. اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْأَكْرَمِ — "Read in the name of your Lord, the Most Generous." If you read without the name of Allah, then all this knowledge will perish and go away. We are knowledge-less. That is why, brothers and sisters, if we are not supporting our institutions, our masajid, our Islamic schools — even if we don't have our children in Islamic schools, even if our children are going to a different school, even if we feel we have lost our children — you still have children around you to take care of.

Closing Du'a

Brothers and sisters, I ask Allah to give us the ability to stand for the truth. I ask Allah to give us the ability to stand for justice and adl. I ask Allah to make us among those who teach our children the deen and Islam. I ask Allah to give us the ability to make a change in our lives and the lives of the people around us. I ask Allah to give us the ability to stand for the truth.