Surah Al Qasas Part 3 | "What's the solution to Oppression?"

Surah Al-Qasas Part 3: What's the Solution to Oppression?

The khutbah opens with the following du'a:

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

Today we continued from the theme and the story which I said before, and I'll say again, is the most important story to understand as we go through the circumstances that we are going through today — the story of Musa and Firaun. The story that keeps repeating itself across history, across time, again and again.

In today's part of the story, it's a strange part of the story, because Musa (عليه السلام) — he leaves the place of conflict. He leaves the battlefield. This is the man who, 10–20 years from now, is going to free his people from oppression. It's very important to start thinking: those people who are oppressed, those Muslims who are struggling in any time, in any place — how do they prepare themselves for their freedom? What should they do while they are waiting? Because they shouldn't just be sitting around. What should they do to prepare themselves for the day Allah will give them the keys and say, "Here — I'm opening the door for you, go"?

Musa Leaves Egypt

Musa (عليه السلام) leaves Egypt after having killed somebody — by mistake, by error. He leaves Egypt and he doesn't know which way he's going. He has no idea. He has no food, no clothes. According to Abdullah ibn Abbas, he's living off leaves — leaves from trees and bush on the way, random things he can pick up on the way. And by the time he reaches Madyan, Abdullah ibn Abbas narrates his stomach is stuck to his back because of how hungry he is. He walks across the desert barefooted, his feet are burnt, he's ravished, he's hungry, he's exhausted. And he sits down under the shade of a tree.

This is a new city to him. He knows nobody, he has no connections, he has nobody, he has nothing. But as he arrives at the city and he reaches the center of the city, he sees a large group of people fighting in order to get water — large groups of men competing with each other to get water. And he sees, far on the side, two women under the shade of a tree, just waiting with their cattle.

The Quality of Standing Up When Something Is Wrong

If you and I were in this situation, or if most of us were in this situation, we would just sit and relax for a little while under the shade of the tree: "I'm tired, I'm exhausted, why should I stand up?" If you do that, you are one of those people that's going to make it harder to break free from the oppression.

If Musa (عليه السلام) is going to be the person to free the believers, to free Banu Israel, and to take them across the sea, he needs one very important quality: he needs to be able to stand up when he sees something wrong. This was always his quality. When he saw the two men fighting, he stood up. When he saw them fighting the next day, he got involved.

He cannot be a bystander — someone who just sits on the side and says, "9 to 5, I'm so busy, life routine, I'm a hamster on the hamster wheel, I'm running, I'm running, I'll just wait until I fall off and die and the next person comes instead of me. I don't have the mental power to go and help this person, volunteer there, volunteer my services — too much headache. Leave me, let them do their thing, I'll do my thing." He doesn't do that. He gets up.

The Appropriate Interaction

And then the second thing: how does he interact with women? You have people who are at two extremes — people say that any interaction with a woman is haram, and on the other hand you have people who say complete interaction of all kinds is perfectly fine. And Islam came with the middle. It came to regulate those interactions, but you can't remove them. No society can remove interaction between male and female, but it has to be moderated.

He comes to these women — in two words: "What's wrong?" The mercy in his heart could not let them stand aside waiting. Now, some young brothers today, if they saw two women on the side, they would have probably brought some business cards and said, "Look, here's my business card, I'll give you a hand — but give us a follow, give us a ring afterwards, send us a message." The relationship becomes more than it needs to be. He keeps his conversation limited to what he needs to talk to these women. What's wrong? Simple. Not, "What's your life story?" or "Really, that's where you're from? You know my story?" He keeps it very simple.

"We cannot feed our cattle until these guys leave, and we have no man with us — our father is an old man." Simply, he takes the two cattle, he feeds them, he returns them, and he disappears. He doesn't wait for his credit. He doesn't wait for some reward. He disappears under the shade of a tree.

The Du'a of Musa

And now Musa (عليه السلام) does what he keeps doing at every moment in his life — he talks to Allah. One of the most beautiful du'as of Musa. Remember this du'a in your time of need. Remember this du'a when you have nothing:

"Oh Allah, I am in need of whatever you have to give me." Our du'as are very specific: "I want to marry that person. I want that job. Give me that piece of clothing specifically." Musa (عليه السلام) is saying, "Allah, I have nothing. If you give me anything, I'll be happy. I need anything you have to give me — any job, any connection, any place to sleep. I'll be happy, just give me anything." But he knows Allah will give him better than what he deserves and better than what he expects.

Modesty and the Qualities to Look for in a Spouse

One of those women comes back walking, and Musa (عليه السلام) is noticing this — and this is one of the most important qualities to look for in a spouse: to have modesty, to have shyness, to have shame. She comes walking. According to many scholars of Tafsir, she comes walking covering her face with clothes that are loose, not showing her figure.

And Musa (عليه السلام), when she comes and she says to him, "My father wants to give you a reward for what you have done for us," Musa (عليه السلام) says, "I don't want any reward." But she says, "Come to meet my father." Musa (عليه السلام) says, "Okay, but on one condition — I will walk in front and you walk behind me. When you want me to turn right, throw a stone to the right. When you want me to turn left, throw a stone to the left."

This is a true gentleman. He doesn't want to walk behind a lady because it's not appropriate — he walks in front of her. He also has shyness, he also has modesty, he also has a sense of shame. Look at the appropriate interaction.

Musa Arrives at the Home of Prophet Shu'ayb

He walks back, and according to many scholars of Tafsir, including Al-Hassan Al-Basri, this woman's father is actually a prophet — the Prophet Shu'ayb (عليه السلام). He reaches and he tells him the story of what he has been through. Shu'ayb (عليه السلام) says, "Don't worry. Here, those people have no power. You've come to a safe haven."

The Priority of Education for the Oppressed

The oppressed people — one of the highest priorities they have to look after is education. The education, the development of the Muslims, of their people. Because this is the first thing that usually gets put to the side. Banu Israel are slaves. Banu Israel are oppressed. They don't have wealth, they don't have resources. "We're so busy, we just need to survive, we don't have time for this."

What Allah is teaching us: Allah took Musa out of Egypt for 10 years — for what? He puts him in the same house as another prophet for 10 years — why? To develop, to learn, to educate himself, to get the skills, to go out of the stressful place to a peaceful place. Madyan for Musa was a cave. Madyan for Musa was a haven. The Prophet also had his cave. The People of the Cave — the Sleepers of the Cave — in the Quran, we know: in order for you to develop the strength to stand up to oppression, you need time and space and the right people to help you develop. You need a cave.

Our children — they need to develop. They need their Islamic education, that holistic education that gives them the right mindset, the right ideas, the right values. We know what's out there. We know what schools teach our children, and we know that the education system is not ideal. We need to have alternatives. But most of us are too busy in the 9 to 5, too busy just surviving. We don't have time to set up these things. This is what we have to make du'a for.

So often we think about the short-term solution: "How can I fix the problems of the Ummah?" Relax. The solutions are not always quick. Sometimes the solution is slow, it takes time. Allah puts Musa in the school of Shu'ayb for 10 years. Sit in the school and learn for 10 years.

"If you stay in Egypt, you're going to every day get into a fight, get into a confrontation. Firaun is going to kill somebody, you're going to get angry. It's not a good place for you to develop and learn. This place is going to make you worse. I need to take you to a different place. You need a safe place to study under this Prophet Shu'ayb."

So too — and this is extremely important — in the long run, if the Muslims in any place in the world, in any time in history, if they are to stand up against oppression, the most important thing they need to make and manufacture: it's not clothes, it's not food, it's not cement, it's not building work, it's not buildings like this. The thing they need to manufacture is people. People who will be part of reforming society and making it better.

Producing the Musliheen — The Reformers

When Musa is in Egypt, this is one of the things that he is accused of when he comes and tries to intervene between two people: "Musa, you just want to be a tyrant, you don't want to be a reformer." This is what we need to generate in every generation — the people that are going to turn the tide, the people that are going to change the situation of the Muslims — a small group of people called the reformers.

The Prophet said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 270)

"Islam began as something strange and it will return as something strange as it began — but congratulations to a small group of people, the strangers." The Prophet's companions asked him who they are. They are the people who get up and change things when they see people have gone on the wrong path.

These are the young men and women we need to produce from our children. Our children need to become Musliheen. If 20, 30, 50, 60 years from now we want to see change in the Ummah, it starts with ourselves, it starts with our children. This is why memorization of the Quran, understanding the stories of the Prophets, understanding where they came from, understanding history, loving the companions of the Prophet — if we cannot instill these in our children, we have failed.

Sheikh Muhammad Ali has talked before about the topic of migration, about the topic of hijrah — should we stay, should we leave, what's a long-term strategy for Muslims? This is a very important point. If we cannot instill these things in our children, they will drown in this environment, because there is a lot more going on — there is a lot more threatening their identity and their Iman. If we cannot make them Musliheen, we should go to some safe place like Madyan, find somebody like Shu'ayb, and keep them in a safe place. Because in an environment where they are threatened all the time, their Iman is under threat — we need to give them some alternative. If we fail, then we should not be staying. If we are staying, we need to put in the effort and the time in order for them to become Musliheen. Otherwise they will become Mufsideen.

Al-Qawiy Al-Ameen: The Two Essential Qualities

Musa (عليه السلام) has two skills that one of the two girls notices. And as he has a conversation with the father, she says to her father:

"Employ him, hire him. The best person to hire is Al-Qawiy Al-Ameen — the strong and the trustworthy."

If we want to create this army of Musliheen, this group of people who are going to create positive change in society and change the bad for the better, they come from our children. And we are from them as well, insha'Allah. These people have two characteristics:

1. Al-Quwwa — Strength and Skills

Al-Quwwa — they have strength, they have skills. What is Al-Quwwa? Any skill: learning how to do programming, learning how to give a speech, learning how to plaster the walls. Any skill gives you some kind of strength on this earth — some ability, some way to earn, some way to influence. This is strength. Musa (عليه السلام), of course, is somebody with strength, he has skills. He knows how to talk, he knows how to negotiate. He has already proven to these girls that he is physically strong as well.

This is extremely important for young men and women — to learn self-defense, to have physical strength, to learn skills. Every man in this room: you have to learn self-defense of some sort. The martial arts — you have to equip yourself. You have to learn a skill. Every one of the Prophet's companions had a skill, whether they were doing business, whether they were tailors, whether they were doing silk, whether they were smelting metal — everyone had a skill. You cannot be sitting idle.

2. Al-Amanah — Trustworthiness and Character

Musa (عليه السلام) has Quwwa, he has skills. But skills are easy to learn. There is something much more difficult to learn — the second quality: Al-Amanah. To be trustworthy, to have good character.

Our children and us, living in these countries, we learn a lot of skills — degrees, GCSEs, A-Levels, qualifications — plenty of skills. Trustworthy character, the fear of Allah: this is very hard to teach. But this is the most important thing to teach.

Very often you'll find a parent — they want to scare their children into doing something: "If you don't do this, I'm going to call that scary uncle from the masjid. If you don't do this thing, you know what's going to happen..." The moment that child is away from the parent, they're going to do what they want — because they're scared of the parent, they're not scared of Allah, they don't love Allah.

To instill in a child, in a young man, in a young woman, the value of trustworthiness, of honesty, of being conscious of Allah — this is a million times more important than what GCSE grades they have. You know when a child gets their grades and they come home and they get an E, they get a U — you see the parent, like Qiyamah came early, like somebody brought the Day of Judgement forward. Today he's screaming, crying: "What will happen to my children?"

The same child, two days ago, told a lie — nobody cares. The same child shoplifted from the local grocery store — nobody cares. You found the same child come home with weed, with a cigarette in their hand — "It's okay, he's going through a phase." You caught this child watching pornography on their phone — "It's okay, he's going through a phase." Everything is a phase.

If a human being does not have amanah, good character, we will never be able to change anything as a people. We have to teach our children amanah. We have to develop amanah.

Musa Under the Mentorship of Shu'ayb

These two traits — Musa has strength and skills, as well as good character and amanah. This is what prepares him to stand in front of the Pharaoh of Egypt. This is what prepares him to lead the army out of Egypt. This is what prepares him to have patience when the fighting and the killing happens — these two things.

He stays under the mentorship of Shu'ayb for 10 years. Anybody who wants to be a muslih, who wants to reform society, who wants to be a cause for positive change, who wants to remove the oppression — you need a mentor. You need a sheikh, you need a teacher, you need to learn, you need to study, you need to memorize, you need to get experiences, and you need the guidance of someone senior. And if you don't have that, you will not rectify the earth — you will destroy it.

There are so many people today — they study Islamic knowledge, but they use it as a gun to destroy people: to refute them, to attack them, to take them down, to hate, to spread anger, division, disunity. And then you have people who take Islamic knowledge from the right teachers, the right mentors, and they come and change society — they completely transform society.

Playing the Long Game

We have to play the long game as Muslims. We are reactionary. When something happens in the world, we want to share pictures of children, we want to share angry posts, we want to run and scream in the streets. There are short-term things we can do, but we have to play the long game. We have to be smart and strategic.

What is the most important thing that a people can do if they want to overturn the tide of oppression? We have to produce Musliheen. In Ramadan, when a charity advert comes — hungry child with flies buzzing around — all of us will give 100 pounds. A madrasa, a local Islamic institution raising money to produce such young men and women — nobody will invest in education. Everyone wants to invest in hungry children. We want to solve poverty, we want to solve hunger, but we don't want to solve education.

If most of us as parents struggle to give our children the education that they need ourselves, then we have to invest — we have to invest in the institutions, in the schools, Islamic schools, Islamic universities, Islamic madrasas. Otherwise we will end up in a situation 20 years down the line where none of our children know their values, but they all have skills, they all have professions, they're all earning well, but they're doing nothing. They've had social mobility, they've progressed financially, but their ethics, their heart, their taqwa has regressed and gone back.

We have to really think carefully: what are we producing in the next generation? And we have to really be worried: where are we investing our time, our money, and our energy?

Conclusion: There Is No Musa Without Shu'ayb and Madyan

There is no Banu Israel without Musa. There is no crossing the sea without Musa. And there is no Musa without Shu'ayb, his teacher. And there is no Musa without Madyan — his school, where he would go, boarding school, go and stay there for 10 years, and come back ready to change the world.

How many of us are going to implement this in our own lives, in our children's lives? We have to play the long game. We have to create the reformers. The Salahuddins, the Nuruddin Zengis, the Umar ibn al-Khattabs, the Abu Bakrs — they will come from our children and grandchildren. But we have to start building now, so that 100 years down the line, Salahuddin comes from our great-grandchildren.