Friday Khutbah - Palestine, Ibrahim AS & Hajj

Opening Khutbah

All gratitude belongs to Allah. We thank Him, we seek His help and we seek His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides, none can lead astray. And whoever has been led astray due to their own intentions, none can guide but Allah. I testify that there is none worthy of my worship, my love, my fear, my affection, my attention but Allah, and that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is His last and His final messenger.

The Fires of the World — A Burning in Our Hearts

If you look to the west of this country, to the west of Canada, to a small city by the name of Yukon, you will smell the smell of smoke as it slowly billows in the air — a whole forest of trees burning down, a wildfire spreading from the west, taking over towns, over villages, over entire forestry. Thousands of people having to flock and leave their homes. The reports we hear from people in Yukon is that all of a sudden they have no access to ATMs, no access to their mobile phones, no wifi, no supplies. And stranded in that desperate moment, every human being realises that there is a greater purpose to why we are here.

As some people see the wildfire spreading from one part of this country, many of us look to the scenes in other parts of the world — the scenes in Palestine, to the scenes in Burma, to the scenes where there are Muslims suffering — and we feel a wildfire in our hearts. A burning sensation, an agony, a pain, a frustration that fills the room. We ask the question to ourselves: why are we weak? Why can't we do anything about it? How long is it going on for? We seek help, but more than anything else we seek solace. When will the pain end?

As we approach the Hajj season and as we remember the role of Ibrahim alayhis salam, he centres us — he brings us back to the core, back to the centre, back to the source of where it all began. In this brief khutbah I want to take some lessons from the life of the Prophet Ibrahim alayhis salam to help us in our collective pain, in our frustration over all the fires that we see in the world.

Ibrahim AS — The Young Man Who Stood Up

The Prophet Ibrahim alayhis salam — his journey does not begin as a 40-year-old man, as it was for our Prophet, or as it was for Musa, or as it was for other messengers. No. His journey as a Prophet actually begins as a young boy — the day in which he crushes the idols in his city. And they come and they discover what's most dear to them: their idols, their way of life, their ideology, shattered on the ground. They say, "We heard that there was a young boy called Ibrahim who might have done this." A young boy? A young boy with that kind of confidence? A young boy with that kind of clarity? A young boy with that kind of conviction? Who is this young boy? Oh, it is none other than Ibrahim alayhis salam.

Desperate times call for the young to step up — call for the young to get off their bums, get off their console games, get off their Netflix series, and to take some responsibility in the world around us. More often than not, today we see the phenomenon of the man-child: somebody who's been to university, 28 years old, but plays PlayStation all day. Everything in their life has been already prepared and made easy for them. This person is supposed to be an adult, supposed to take responsibility, supposed to stand up to injustice, supposed to volunteer at the local masjid, help in the family, help in the home. But no — we have a generation of people who have been coddled into being children even while they are adults.

Ibrahim alayhis salam teaches us that it is the young people that make the ripples in society, and that if the young people don't stand up and don't use their energy and their wealth and their influence and their power and their intelligence to speak, to act, to stand up against an injustice, then nothing will happen.

Certainty, Clarity, and Dialogue

Ibrahim alayhis salam not only crushes the idols — he also explains to his people. When Allah describes the way he would engage with the non-Muslims around him, Allah says:

"I gave Ibrahim deep certainty — he was sure about his beliefs, 100% certain." And then he goes and he starts to discuss with his people:

As the night fell, he looked up at the sky and pointed at a star and asked his people, "Do you think that could be God?" But when the day set in, that star disappeared, and he said to his people, "Guys, do you think God can disappear and appear?" He starts to ask them questions. He starts to make them think. He starts to question their assumptions. He doesn't go straight for crushing the idols — he begins with the dialogue, with the discussion, and he opens their mind to the idea that they might be wrong.

This is the young man who teaches us that if the young people in any given society do not have certainty, do not have clarity, do not have confidence, then you can say goodbye to that society and their values.

Playing the Long Game — Strategic Thinking

This Ibrahim alayhis salam — the young man, the very same young boy who challenges his people, who discusses with his people, who breaks the idols — he is the same man who later on becomes a father. And as a father, his sole focus is: how do I nurture the leaders of the next generation?

Often as Muslims we are very reactive. I remember when there was a certain law that was introduced into a particular country and Muslims were out on the roads with pitchforks and sticks, shouting, screaming, protesting. But that law was entered into the legal system four years ago. Where were we then? When it's too late and all has been said and done and things have been implemented, then we wake up. Well, it was too late. Where were we four years ago? Where were we in the legal discussions, in the strategic discussions? Where was our influence, our wealth, our power when the time called for it? Now it's too late. The pitchfork is not going to save us.

This is my message to young people here — and there are some people here who are in their 60s but they are young at heart. This is my message to all of us. The Prophet ﷺ informed us:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 17495; also recorded by al-Bazzar)

Allah is amazed — just imagine, Allah is amazed — at a young person who is not distracted and tempted by the distractions and the temptations of the world. Allah is amazed. You gave up your work, your family, your leisure, your pleasure to come to the masjid — Allah is amazed. And it is only when those people who are often distracted, who are often frivolous, who are often tempted — it is only when they give up what they hold dear and they sacrifice their time, they pick up responsibility, they learn, they study, they gain wealth, they gain influence — it is only that generation that will save us.

As Muslims we should be strategic. We should play the long game. We should look at the future — the next 100 years, the next 200 years. Before Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi liberated Palestine, he had a very intelligent mentor: Nooruddin Zengi. 50 years before Palestine was liberated, this man, this wise old man, was already planning 100 years ahead. Where is that thinking? The thinking of Ibrahim alayhis salam.

I say this and I ask Allah for forgiveness for me and for you, so that the one who asks for forgiveness may win.

Second Khutbah

Praise be to Allah for His blessings and thanks to Him for His favour and His comfort. Praise be to Allah for His greatness, and peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and upon his family and upon his companions, and peace and blessings be upon him abundantly until the Day of Judgment.

Ibrahim AS in the Desert — A Vision Beyond Survival

Imagine just for a moment — just for one moment — imagine that you find yourself in the middle of a barren desert. As far as the eye can see: sand dunes, dust, flies, lizards, but no humans, no rain, no fertile land, no factories, no shopping centres. Barren desert. The days pass by. Your throat gets dry. You start to see lakes and water around you but they're not there. Your hunger — the pain starts to eat you up from the inside. And you lift your hands to Allah. What do you ask Allah?

For the vast majority of us, if we were stuck on a desert island after days of hunger and thirst and fear and loneliness, we would say: "Oh Allah, get me out of here! Oh Allah, just send me some grapes — just drop them from the heavens, please! Food, oh Allah! Drink! Shelter! Just get me out of here!"

The same man — the Prophet Ibrahim alayhis salam — he too one day finds himself in the middle of a desert, in the middle of a barren desert, leaving his wife and leaving his child behind. And as he walks away from this no-man's land, he raises his hands. But what does he ask Allah?

"Oh Allah, I have left my family in the middle of a no-man's land, with no fertile land, nothing for them — but I left them next to what is going to be Your house." Now, what is he going to ask Allah? Food? Shelter? Water? A roof? No. The first thing Ibrahim asks Allah:

"Oh Allah, I don't care if they are hungry — but make sure they pray Salah." Oh Allah, let there be a community that gathers around them. Third — oh Allah, give them food so they are grateful to You.

Survival was not his first priority. It was not his second priority. It was his third priority. Oh Allah, let them pray. Let them be people who understand that their connection to You is the most important thing. And oh Allah, let there be a community around them, because together they will be strong. And then — ya Allah — make sure they eat some food at some point as well.

When Muslims migrated to various western countries — whether it was Australia, whether it was Canada, whether it was the US — the first thing that was built was the halal meat shop, because everybody had to eat meat. The masjid came later. And probably 60 years later, someone thought we might as well have an Islamic school. Our priorities are very different from the priorities of the Prophet Ibrahim.

The Prophet Ibrahim is preparing a generation of leaders — a generation who are going to be the generation to stand up against oppression, a whole generation of people who will be those people, the kinds of people that can liberate Muslims from oppression. But it all starts with the vision.

The Visionary Du'a in the Desert

Now imagine: he stood in the middle of this desert and he is saying, "Oh Allah, I put them next to Your house." Is there a house at the moment? There is no Ka'bah. There is just a line in the sand where the Ka'bah should be. Ibrahim alayhis salam returns years later to build the Ka'bah, but already he is making du'a for it. Because Ibrahim is a visionary — he is always thinking two generations ahead. What are my grandchildren going to need at this point?

And he is raising his hands to Allah, saying: "Oh Allah, let me be of those who establish prayer, and my future generations." One of the patterns in the du'a of Ibrahim is this idea — he is always concerned about the people who are going to come three generations after him. What are they going to be like? What are their challenges going to be? What are they going to prioritise? Have I set up this place for them, or have I left them to fail?

In 1937, a large group — thousands — of the Lebanese community migrated to a part of the United States of America. Three generations later, from amongst 30,000 migrants, not a single one of them remained a Muslim. Where was the planning? We do financial planning, strategic planning, we plan our week, we plan our day — but we don't plan for the next generation. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala not make us of those, and may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect our future generations.

Ibrahim AS as a Father — The Secret of Parenting

What is the secret of Ibrahim as a father? In the first khutbah we talked about young people — how they need to step up, how they need to be Abrahamic. But what was Ibrahim alayhis salam like as a father, as a parent?

Most of us — and I speak as a father of three children, may Allah protect all of them and all of your children as well — we think as fathers that our role is to put the bread on the table, and we take pride in this. We are the breadwinners. We go and we sweat and we come home and there's food on the table. But by the time we came home, our kids are fast asleep. Our roles become functional. We see them once every couple of days. Every time we see our children, we're so tired and exhausted we're already in a bad mood. Our children grow up distant from us.

This same Prophet Ibrahim alayhis salam — he returns back to Mecca after years and years and years, and this little baby Ismail is now a young man. And it is at this point Ibrahim alayhis salam is commanded to start building the Ka'bah. Now, we know that Ibrahim alayhis salam was a giant compared to our frame and size and height and weight. We know that if Ibrahim alayhis salam was told to build a Ka'bah, he doesn't need an assistant — he can build the thing himself.

But as he starts to build the blocks that will be the future house of Allah, block by block, there's a little kid standing next to him. What's the little kid doing? How is he going to help build the Ka'bah? Is he a specialist in construction? Does he have some skills? No! But why is he there? Because Ibrahim alayhis salam's parenting skill was that wherever he went, he would drag this young boy along with him. "If I'm going to sweat, my son, you're going to sweat with me. If I'm going to bleed for the sake of Allah, you're going to bleed with me. If I'm going to tire for the sake of Allah, you better tire with me." He did things together with his children.

Ismail was with him. And now he starts teaching his son how to make du'a: "Raise your hands, my son" — because it doesn't matter how many bricks he put down on the ground, Allah can reject our deed if we did not have sincerity. "Raise your hands, my son. Ask Allah to accept my efforts and your efforts."

He walks with Ismail, he builds with Ismail. And when Allah commands him to slaughter his own very son, his son is ready:

"My father, do as you are commanded." Now tell me something — just for a moment — what would make a child say to their own parent, "If Allah commanded you to slit my throat, I'm ready"? Is this child insane? Has this child lost the plot? Of course not. What's the secret?

We tell our own children, "Go pray." They say, "Later." And this parent — Ibrahim — is telling his child, "Allah commanded me to slaughter you." And he says, "I'm ready." What did we miss? Was there a secret? Was there a recipe in the cookbook we didn't read? There is. The secret is that children do not learn by listening — they learn by watching and imitating.

Every time Allah commands Ibrahim alayhis salam, Ibrahim alayhis salam says, "It's done." Allah says, "Leave your wife and child in the desert." Done. "Go and do this." It's done. "Oh Allah, You command and I execute — no questions asked." Imagine a young child seeing his father — every time Allah says do this, he says it's done. That child starts to build the mindset: "When Allah says, I follow." Simple. One day, his father says to him, "O my son, I see in my dream that I am slaughtering you. So see what you think, my son." And he says, "Father, I'm ready. Allah said, and we do."

May Allah grant all of us children like Ismail alayhis salam, and may Allah make us parents like Ibrahim alayhis salam.

Children Learn by Watching

One time, a very long time ago, I was giving a talk like this with a camera in the middle of a hall, and there was one gentleman who was organising the event. Every time he walked in front of the camera, he would duck his head so he doesn't come in the camera frame. After five minutes, a two-year-old boy walked past the camera and he ducked his head as he walked past the camera frame. The kid was about four meters below the camera! Why did he duck his head? Because he was watching. He was watching the adult.

If we are thinking today as people who live in the west — from one side you have pornography, the other side you have Netflix, the other side you have atheism — so many challenges: whether it's gangs, whether it's drugs. So many challenges face the next generation. The greatest thing we can give the next generation is to be their role models — to walk the talk, to practise what we preach, to be what we instruct them, to leave little room for doubt in their minds.

And then to follow in the steps of Ibrahim alayhis salam — to make du'a for the next generation. When was the last time we made du'a for our children in sujood? When was the last time we lifted our hands and said, "Make my child the next Salahuddin"? Say ameen. When did we do that? Did we think that it was going to happen from our own efforts? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the Doer.

We see that every day and we remember it every day.

Conclusion — Two Lessons from Ibrahim AS

In conclusion, as we summarise this khutbah, and as our hearts burn for our brothers and sisters suffering in all parts of the world but especially in Palestine, we remember from our father Ibrahim alayhis salam two big lessons.

The first lesson — for those who are young, who are growing into adulthood, who still have the strength and energy, who have the adrenaline — that if you don't stand up and you don't take responsibility and you don't speak and teach and engage and dialogue against injustice, then we have failed.

And for those of us who are parents, Ibrahim alayhis salam teaches us the second lesson: to play the long game, to have a long-term strategy, to think about the next three generations — how are we going to equip them, how are we going to prepare them, to make du'a for them, to build with them. You can't build the Ka'bah with your child — that's fine. Build a Lego masjid with them at least. But do things with them. Let them watch you, let them see you, let them bond with you. Because there will come a time when that child disconnects from the home — when that child matures, marries, moves out — but let their heart still be attached to their parent, because that might be the only door they have to return to Allah.

Closing Du'a

O Allah, forgive us our sins and save us from our evil, and take us with the righteous. O Allah, protect us and protect our parents. O Allah, have mercy on them as they raised us when we were young. O Allah, we ask You for healing after the trial and relief after hardship, O Most Merciful. O Allah, support Islam and Muslims. O Allah, support the weak in Palestine. O Allah, be their guardian and helper. O Allah, support and aid, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, forgive us our sins — all of them, all of them: small and big, what we know of them and what we don't know of them. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.

And stand up for your prayer — may Allah have mercy on you.