2014-10-31 - Friday Prayer - Wasif Ali Khan (2nd prayer)

Friday Khutbah: Wisdom from the Story of Musa and Khidr

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, we ask His help and we ask His forgiveness and we believe in Him and we put our trust in Him and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, none can misguide him, and whom He misguides, none can guide him. And we bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and we bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

As for what follows: the truth of the hadith is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, and the worst of things are its innovations, and every innovation is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is a misguidance, and every misguidance leads to the Fire.

The Blessings of Surah Al-Kahf

Allah says in the Holy Qur'an — and I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan:

The Prophet has numerous hadiths that speak to the blessings of Surah Al-Kahf. The person who recites this surah every Friday has an illuminating light emanating from his face. The person who memorizes the first ten or the last ten ayat will be saved from the greatest of trials — the trial of Dajjal.

And when we read this surah, Friday after Friday, we find that there are four major stories mentioned in it. It begins with the story of the People of the Cave — those young, courageous youngsters who went and sought refuge in the cave. Then we read the story of the two gardeners: one of them Allah had blessed greatly, but because of these blessings he was in a state of delusion. Then we move on and we read from the story of Musa and Khidr, alayhima as-salam.

In this khutbah I would like to share some benefits and wisdoms that are embedded within this beautiful story that is mentioned in Surah Al-Kahf — a story that we read every Friday.

The Humility of Musa, Alayhis Salam

As we know, Musa alayhis salam was speaking to his nation. He was giving them a khutbah, he was giving them a sermon, and one of the congregants got up and asked Musa a question: he said, "Who is the most knowledgeable person?" So Musa alayhis salam responded and said, "I am. I am the most knowledgeable person."

Now this was not an arrogant reply — this was an honest assumption from Musa alayhis salam. Because you have to understand: Musa alayhis salam is one of the ulul 'azm — he is one of the mighty messengers that Allah has sent. Musa alayhis salam is the one that Allah is giving direct revelation to. Musa alayhis salam is the one that is on top of the mountain, speaking to Allah directly. So when he is asked who is the most knowledgeable person, he looks around and says "I am" — an honest assumption.

But right there and then Allah sent Jibreel down to reprimand Musa alayhis salam. He said: how could you say something without having full knowledge of it? And now you see the response of Musa alayhis salam — it is a response of humility. This is what you call being humble. He didn't say, "Well, I speak to Allah..." — no. When he was told that he made a mistake, he showed his humility. He said: I would like to know who this person is that has knowledge that I don't. I would like to travel and learn from this person.

And we know that this person he travels to learn from is Khidr alayhis salam. The Qur'an does not name him as Khidr explicitly, but we know from Hadith that this is Khidr alayhis salam. And contrary to popular belief that Khidr is some mystical figure that flies around with secret knowledge — no. Khidr alayhis salam, as we know from the strong opinions — and we'll see this proven in the ayat — is a prophet of Allah. He was sent at the same time as Musa alayhis salam, but to different people with a different message, and he had some knowledge that Musa did not have, and vice versa.

So Musa alayhis salam, out of his humility, wanted to go and learn from this person. He meets Khidr and says: can I follow you around? Can I be your intern for a couple of days? I'd like to learn from you, I'd like to know the knowledge that Allah has given you.

Now Khidr alayhis salam is a professional teacher, a seasoned teacher. He says: you won't be able to endure patience throughout this journey — I don't think you're up for the challenge. And he said: how can you have patience over something that you have no experience with? You're going to see some really amazing things and you're going to want to ask questions. But there is one condition: you can come along if you don't ask any questions.

So Musa alayhis salam replies and says: I'm going to try to have as much patience as possible.

The Three Events of the Journey

First Event: The Ship

So they set off on this journey, and the Qur'an records this journey for us:

They go on this journey and they want to cross a body of water, but they have no money with them. So they go to some fishermen and ask: would you lend us a ride? We have no way of compensating you, but we'll make du'a for you — can you give us a ride? And these fishermen were generous people, so they say: okay, we'll give you a ride.

So they board the ship and they are on their way. And as the fishermen are on the upper deck casting their nets and trying to catch some fish, Khidr alayhis salam sneaks into the hull of the ship. He goes down to the lower deck and he pokes a hole — not humongous, but enough for the water to come in — yet not enough to drown the people. They get to the shore safely.

Now as the fishermen find out what has happened, Musa and Khidr disappear. Musa alayhis salam had seen what happened, and he says: how could you do something like this? These people were generous to us — they were lending us a favor — and in return how could you be so evil to them? How could you take advantage of them? This is wrong!

And we learn here that the character of Musa alayhis salam was very strong — he could not see any type of injustice. Now what does Khidr say? He says: didn't I tell you? Didn't I tell you you won't be able to have patience?

But Musa alayhis salam says: please don't hold me accountable for what I forgot. This was a genuine mistake — I wasn't able to be patient; what I saw was too much for me. Give me another chance.

Second Event: The Child

So they go on. This episode has just ended and Musa alayhis salam is still recuperating from what happened, and now he sees some children playing by the water on the beach. Khidr walks up to one of the children, takes him, and kills the child.

Musa alayhis salam remembers: I am not supposed to ask any questions — that was the condition. But the character of Musa alayhis salam, like I just mentioned, is that he cannot see injustice. He says: how could he just kill an innocent soul — on top of that, a little boy?! How could he do such a thing? This is absurd, this is ridiculous!

And this itself shows us that Khidr alayhis salam was actually a prophet, because no one can take anyone's life unless it is a direct order from Allah. No one is allowed to do that. So he was a prophet from Allah — and we see that clearly here.

Musa was so taken aback, and even though he had just made a promise that he would not ask any questions, what happens is just too much — he can't hold himself back. He asks. And Khidr alayhis salam of course replies, this time with even more emphasis: I told you that you were not able to have patience when it came to this.

Now Musa alayhis salam replies: give me one more chance. Basically what he is saying is: three strikes and I'm out. And on this, the Prophet alayhis salam commented and said: may Allah have mercy on the soul of Musa alayhis salam — if he had been a bit more patient, he would have seen some amazing and wondrous things. But you know, we are creatures of impatience — it is hard for us to be patient, especially in these types of situations.

Third Event: The Wall

So Khidr alayhis salam agrees and they go on. They are passing through a town. It has been a long day; they have no money and they are getting hungry. There was a custom of that time — and this is actually a custom of the Muslims until this day — that if there are travellers going through a town, they have the right to be fed. Some bread, some water, some little things — they have a right over the townspeople.

So they ask the townspeople: can we have some food? Can you be hospitable to us? We are travelling and we have no money. But these townspeople were very evil, very stingy people. They say: no, we are not going to feed you anything. And they begin pelting them and cursing them and driving them away.

Now as they are leaving the town, they come across a wall that is about to fall. And Khidr goes and repairs that wall. Musa, who is tired and hungry from the long day, makes a comment: if you wanted to, you could have at least gotten some compensation through this handyman job you're doing here.

Khidr says: I've had enough. This is three strikes and you're out. This is the parting point between me and you. But he says: I am going to tell you the interpretation, the reasons, the wisdoms, and the benefits behind the things that just occurred.

The Wisdoms Behind the Three Events

And before he gives us these wisdoms, we are shown that the Qur'an is supposed to play a role in our lives — where we go to the Qur'an again and again on a daily and weekly basis and learn from these wisdoms, because these are lifelong lessons. These are the lessons that we need to inculcate in our own attitude, in our own character, and in the character of our children. Because this is what keeps us as positive and good human beings.

Wisdom of the Ship: Trust Allah When Calamity Strikes

He says: as for the ship — I hacked into the ship and made a big hole in it. Why? Because there was an evil, tyrannical king on the other side of the shore who was confiscating all the ships. Perhaps there was a war and he was building a navy, seizing every ship in his path. And he said: I made this hole — it was a small damage, but it was big enough that the king looked at it and said, "This is damaged, I don't want this one."

Now I want you to put yourselves in the shoes of the fishermen. You are giving someone a lift, helping someone out, and then something goes wrong — may Allah protect all of us. What goes through our heads? We become frustrated. These fishermen — perhaps they were frustrated. They are helping someone and now this happens to them. They might have been so frustrated. But when they get to the shore and they see the ships of their neighbors, their family members, their friends — all being confiscated by the king — and then the king comes to their ship and says, "I don't want this one"...

SubhanAllah — their frustration changes into Alhamdulillah. This happened to us — Alhamdulillah.

You and I — human beings — are very short-sighted, very narrow-minded. We can only see one step ahead of us, where Allah sees the infinite future in front of us. SubhanAllah. Perhaps a little damage, a little calamity caused to us, saved us from a bigger calamity that may have been destined for us. And why did this blessing come to them? Because they were generous. As Khidr tells us, these fishermen were masakin — they were poor people — and yet they were generous with whatever they had. All they had was the ship, and they were generous with it by giving someone a ride.

Now if you want Allah to take care of you, to put barakah in your life, barakah in your wealth, barakah in your family, barakah in all the blessings Allah has given you — how do you do that? You be generous with what Allah has blessed you with. And Allah will bless you even more. Allah will take care of you, and Allah will take care of those assets that He has given you.

Wisdom of the Child: A Blessing in Disguise for the Parents

Then he moves on and gives us the benefit regarding the boy:

He says: as for the child that was killed — his parents were mu'mineen, they were true believers. But we feared that the child they were raising would grow up to be rebellious and a disbeliever. So Allah decided to take this child away and substitute him with another child who would grow up to be a mu'min like his parents.

Now let's try to put ourselves in the situation of these parents. The worst thing that can happen to a parent is that their child is hurt, or in extreme circumstances, killed — may Allah protect us all. When something like this happens, how sad must these parents be — a child just playing on the seashore, killed by some person who comes and decides to take his life.

But what is the benefit here? Allah decided to take away this child because he was going to be rebellious and a disbeliever, and Allah decided to substitute that child with another who would grow up to be a mu'min — just like his parents. SubhanAllah. A painful death of a young, small child is easier than a child who grows up rebellious and who disbelieves. Because a parent knows: if a child disbelieves, that is punishment for an eternity. SubhanAllah. So this was a blessing in disguise for these parents as well.

Wisdom of the Wall: Allah Delays the Response for a Reason

And as for the wall — this wall belonged to two young orphans. Their father had passed away, and what the father had done was bury some treasure beneath this wall — treasure kept for his family. And Khidr alayhis salam rebuilt this wall. Why? Because if the wall were to collapse and the treasure were to be exposed, the townspeople — who didn't spare even a glass of water — would never let these helpless orphans and their mother keep those treasures. So he rebuilt the wall so that when the children grew strong in their youth, yastaakhrijaa kanzahuma — they could take out this treasure and enjoy it.

Now let's put ourselves in the shoes of that mother. What do you think she is going through? She is making du'a again and again to Allah: "Ya Allah, where is the wealth that my husband left? Help me find this wealth." She is making du'a. She is desperate. She is waiting for the answer. But little does she know that her du'a has already been answered. Allah already answered her du'a — but He delayed the response. Why? Because the delayed response is the best response.

Because if the du'a had been answered at that moment, what would have happened? The wealth would have been taken away, seized by these evil people. SubhanAllah. So Allah delayed the response so that the children could be strong enough to protect it. And subhanAllah — think about it: is wealth needed more when children are younger, or when they are older and starting their own families? When they are older, of course. SubhanAllah. So it was a better time for this du'a to be answered.

So Allah lingered on the du'a — He didn't respond right away — because it was better suited for that later time. SubhanAllah. Again, we see that human beings are very hasty. We want it right now, we can't wait. But we don't understand that there is a greater wisdom that Allah has placed for us.

The Lesson: The Believer's Response to Calamity

For the believer, anytime we are afflicted with a calamity, we need to have a positive attitude. We need to be thankful to Allah that it wasn't worse. We need to turn back to Allah. The Prophet alayhis salam said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 55, Hadith 2999)

"The affair of the believer is strange — and it is for no one else except the believer. If any good thing happens to him, he is thankful to Allah. And if any calamity afflicts him, he is patient — and through that, it is better for him."

For anything that happens to us in this life — whatever it may be — we find from the first story that it was an affliction of materialism, basically a loss of wealth, a loss of materialistic things. In the second story we find a loss of a family member. And in the third story we find the calamity of a du'a not being answered right away.

All of these different things happen to us in different situations and scenarios in life. But our response needs to be a response of optimism — that you are thankful to Allah, that Allah will see you through, that Allah has better plans for you.

So we ask Allah to make us amongst those who are optimistic, to make us amongst those who — when afflicted with any hardship — turn to Allah and are endured with the best of patience. And I say this and I ask Allah to forgive me and you.

Du'a

O Allah, I am a caller — so protect me. O Allah, do not let there be among us on this day a sinner except that You forgive him, nor one burdened except that You relieve him, nor one in debt except that You repay it for him, nor one imprisoned except that You release him.

O Allah, protect us and our brothers who have preceded us with faith, and do not place in our hearts any rancor toward those who have believed. Our Lord, You are Most Kind, Most Merciful.

Allah says in the Glorious Qur'an that Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, send blessings upon him and salute him with all respect.