20170217- 1st Khutba - Imam Nadeem Bashir

Opening Praises and Khutbah Introduction

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, we ask for His help and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, no one is misguided, and whomsoever He misguides, no one is guided.

And we bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And we bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. Allah has said in the Holy Qur'an, after I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan, In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

O people, fear your Lord Who created you from one soul, and created from it its wife, and spread among them a great number of children and women. And fear Allah in Whom you ask for help and mercy. Verily, Allah is ever watching over you.

And He has said, O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims.

And He has said, O you who believe, fear Allah and say a firm word, that He may amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he has certainly attained a great triumph.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 2042)

أَمَّا بَعْدُ — I begin praising Allah that He is the complete owner, the complete controller of all of our affairs in this dunya, whether we know about it or we don't know about it. And I begin by sending our blessings upon Muhammad ﷺ. And we ask Allah that He keep us in the ummah of Rasulullah ﷺ, and that He gives us the opportunity to benefit from the intercession and the shafa'ah of Muhammad ﷺ on the day of Yawm al-Hisab.

And I begin by asking Allah that He gives us the ability to make us amongst the ibad. As Allah says in the Qur'an:

May He make us amongst those that whenever we listen to any khatirah, any dars, any khutbah, any lesson, any advice, or any nasihah, may He give us the ability to listen attentively and apply it in our life in the best possible way. آمِينَ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Brothers and sisters, everything that we hear and we listen, it is an advice, it is a reminder for all of us. Allah says in the Qur'an:

That remind one another because reminding is beneficial. And when we come to any khutbah, when we listen to anything, it is important that we don't sit there and critique. It's important that we sit there, we listen, and we try to apply it in our lives.

Facing Our Times with Faith and Steadfastness

With all the responsibilities and challenges that we are surrounded with — we have family, we have jobs, we have children, we have a house, there's so many things that we have to worry about — in addition to that, Allah has given us the responsibility of maintaining our faith, to maintain our religion. And no matter what the circumstances are, a Muslim has to always remain steadfast and they have to remain strong.

In our time today, with all the political developments that are taking place around us, it goes without saying that there is an increasing level of fear, anxiety, there is frustration that is involved, there is uncertainty that is involved, and overall there are many concerns. What would happen to us Muslims living in this country? What do we need to do? What does the future hold for us? It is important that in times like these, we do not become hopeless, but rather we should become hopeful in Allah. In times like these, we need to come closer to Allah. In times like these, we need to reflect upon our past, especially the seerah of Rasulullah ﷺ.

Someone asked a scholar one time: how can we determine whether what the circumstances are — is it a rahmah or is it an adab? Because some people would say that whatever we are surrounded with, with all the political developments taking place, this is an adab. Some people would refer to it as a rahmah.

And the question is: how do you determine what is a rahmah and what is an adab? The answer to that question is that you look at the circumstances. If the circumstances are taking you away from Allah, then it is considered as an adab. And if those circumstances are bringing us closer to Allah, if those circumstances are bringing us closer to one another, then this is considered as a rahmah from Allah.

Lessons from the Seerah: This Is Nothing New

When we reflect on the seerah of Rasulullah ﷺ, what we learn is that during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, there was propaganda at that time like we have propaganda today against Islam. The way we have Islamophobia today, during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, Islamophobia did exist. The types of oppression that we have to go through, whether it's psychological oppression or physical oppression — that some people may endure, some people may experience — it would happen at a much higher level during the time of Rasulullah ﷺ. The distress that people would live in during the time of the Prophet ﷺ — we see the same type of distress today.

The point I'm trying to make is that we are repeating history. What we are seeing today existed during the time of Rasulullah ﷺ. So this is nothing new. In fact, keeping in mind that this is the month of February, it is Black History Month. When you study the history of our own country and the civil rights movement, we see that there were people who, because of their skin color, faced so many attacks against them, there was so much discrimination that took place against them. So what we are seeing today is a repetition of history.

But the question is: what do we learn from the seerah of Rasulullah ﷺ, and how can we help ourselves in this particular situation?

The Hadith of the Sahabah Seeking Help

I want to share with you a hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ — a hadith that many of us may have come across, but nonetheless it serves as a reminder. Once Rasulullah ﷺ was approached by some sahabah, رضي الله عنهم. It is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ was wrapped in a cloth, leaning against the Ka'bah. And the sahabah, رضي الله عنهم, were not only going through mental torture and mental oppression, but they were going through physical oppression as well. They came to Rasulullah ﷺ and said, "Ya Rasulullah, when is the help of Allah going to come? Why don't you make du'a to Allah that He sends His help upon us? We're going through so much — this is beyond our means."

And Rasulullah ﷺ took that as an opportunity to explain to them — the way I'm telling you today, the way we are being told today — to reflect on our past, to help ease the matter. The Prophet ﷺ told them the same exact thing. He said: reflect on your past.

And what you will find is that people were brought who were not ready to denounce their religion. And there was a knife or a sword placed upon them. And time after time, when they did not denounce their religion, these were people who were sawed in half. I want you to simply think about the pain that this person is going through when he is being cut in half. It was not just a simple strike down the middle, but this was a saw that they were cut in half with.

Then the Prophet ﷺ said that another man was brought who was not willing to denounce his religion. And a metal comb was brought, and their skin was peeled off their bodies. May Allah protect us.

This is what happened. This is what the Prophet ﷺ is telling his own sahaba, رضي الله تعالى عنهم. And we are well aware of the stories of the sahaba: the stories of Ammar ibn Yasir, رضي الله تعالى عنه, the stories of Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, رضي الله تعالى عنه, the stories of Ammar ibn Yasir and his wife, Sumayyah, رضي الله تعالى عنها — and all the challenges that they went through.

Yet the Prophet ﷺ is telling them: you're being too hasty. You've got to be a little more patient about this.

The Sacrifices of Rasulullah ﷺ

Brothers and sisters, we reflect more upon our past and upon the life of Rasulullah ﷺ. Because of this deen, the amount of sacrifices that this man had to go through — the challenges that this man had to go through while he was a child, and when he became an adult, and after he became married — today there are people in our community, in our society, who have lost one child, and years go by and they cannot overcome that loss.

Think about Rasulullah ﷺ. This is a man who saw six of his seven children die before him. Let that sink in. Today we cannot even see one of our own children getting hurt. This is a man who saw six of his children pass away right before him. This is a man who saw both of his daughters being divorced by the sons of Abu Lahab, just because he said لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. As a father, can any father resist that pain? I know we have a lot of those situations in our communities. But you ask that father of that daughter and he cannot bear the pain. This is a man who did not go through that once — he went through that twice, with two of his daughters.

You Will Be Tested — Jannah Has a Price

The point I'm trying to make, brothers and sisters, is that when we say لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ, then we will be put to test in some capacity. Remember the ayah of the Qur'an where Allah says:

Do you really believe that it's going to be that simple? That you say لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ and you will not be tested? You will be tested. In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah says:

Brothers and sisters, Jannah has a price to pay. Jannah is a place where, as the Prophet ﷺ described:

No eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard of, and no heart can comprehend exactly what would take place in Jannah.

Today we buy a house, we take 30 years or 15 years to pay off that house. There's maintenance of that house, there's warranties, there's maintenance of the front yard, the back yard, then there's HOA — there are so many strings attached when you buy one house. In Jannah, no strings attached. Unlimited real estate. The houses that Allah describes in the Qur'an:

This is how big of a home Allah will give us. There is no HOA, there is no escrow, there are no taxes, there is no maintenance — maintenance is done, everything is done for you. There's no 15-year plan, there's no 30-year plan. It's an unlimited plan of Allah.

Allah is telling us: this Jannah that you want, this Jannah that we all want — may Allah grant us Jannah, ameen ya Rabb al-'alameen — do you think this will come to you that easily? Do you really think that we can simply come to a masjid every single day and pray and give our zakat and perform Hajj once or many times in our life, and that is how we will get Jannah? No. At times you will be tested. At times you will be pushed against the wall. At times you'll be tested in terms of your faith. What will you do at that time? Will you waver in your faith? Or will you be determined — like we see in the seerah of Rasulullah ﷺ?

Do Not Waver — Remain Determined in Your Faith

Brothers and sisters, today there are so many people — because of all that is happening around us — who are wavering in their deen. You know how many sisters call me and tell me that in times like today, their husband does not want them to go outside with him while wearing hijab. Their husband is disgraced. He does not want to be around them in public when they are wearing the hijab. Men are telling their daughters and their wives not to be around them, especially when wearing the hijab.

Brothers and sisters, if this is a test from Allah — and Allah wants to see how determined you are in your faith — then in times like these especially, we need to be determined in our faith. There is nothing that will waver me from my iman. There is nothing that will stand between me and my Islam. I will completely be an adherent Muslim. I will continuously pray to Allah. I will continuously uphold the instructions of the Qur'an and the sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ.

That is what we learn from the seerah of Rasulullah ﷺ — that no matter what challenges came towards Rasulullah ﷺ, no matter what challenges came towards the sahaba, they only came closer to Allah.

So going back to the ayah:

Do you really think you can enter into paradise without experiencing mathal — Allah says mathal, meaning that you may go through some of it or something similar to it, not exactly as what they went through, but somewhat similar to that — what the people of the past went through? These are people who went through poverty. These are people who went through ailments. These are people who went through challenge after challenge. And they were shaken to their core. They were fearful of what was going to happen. And they said: where is the help of Allah? And Allah says: verily, the help of Allah is close.

So brothers and sisters, in times like this we need to be patient. We need to teach our youth to be patient. Today what our youth are experiencing is something that they have probably never ever seen before — the hate that they are seeing, the animosity, the Islamophobia. We need to teach our youth that this is something that every Muslim has to go through. Every person is going to be challenged in some way, in some capacity. And remember that whatever we are going through, it is not beyond us.

Some people may say: why is Allah bringing all these circumstances upon us when we don't have the capacity to bear it? Remember the ayah of the Qur'an where Allah says:

Allah will not put anything upon you that is beyond your means. Allah will only put upon you that which is within your capacity.

Gaining Perspective: Our Brothers and Sisters Around the World

Brothers and sisters, you know what's another way we can overcome everything that we are going through? Simply reflect on the lives of the people around the world. Look at our brothers and sisters in Palestine and what they have to go through every single day. They have checkpoints everywhere. Can you imagine going from one side of Plano to the other side of Plano and someone stops you and checks your passport and checks your immigration status? Today we hear about police officers going around checking immigration status and we start to get a headache. Think about our Palestinian brothers and sisters and what they are going through.

Think about our Syrian brothers and sisters and what they are going through. These are people who have to leave their homeland. They have to leave everything behind and become refugees. And not only that, but then people are telling them: we don't want refugees here. Imagine what they are going through. There are stories that we hear that Syrian brothers and sisters are committing suicide because they cannot bear the pain anymore. Brothers and sisters, do we have that here? We don't have that here.

Look at what's happening in Burma — it's a genocide taking place. If you remember the 1990s, there was a genocide that took place in Bosnia. Imagine what they are going through till today. The Muslims who are living in Bosnia are going through that same psychological trauma — decades later they are still going through that. Look at the brothers and sisters in Yemen and what they are going through.

Brothers and sisters, we don't have it that difficult. If we want to get through our times, reflect on the seerah of Rasulullah ﷺ. Reflect on the situation and circumstances of our other brothers and sisters around the world. And wallahi you will find peace. Wallahi you will find peace.

But in times like this, we need to come closer to Allah. We need to become more dedicated to Allah. If we were far from Allah, we need to come closer to Allah.

I pray to Allah that He gives us the ability to act upon what's been said and heard. May Allah bring us closer to Him. And may Allah not keep us distant from Him. May Allah bless us and you in the great Qur'an. May Allah forgive me and you and the rest of the Muslims. So forgive — He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Second Khutbah: What We Must Do

Praise be to Allah. We praise Him, we seek His help, we seek His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. And whomsoever He misguides, none can guide him. And we bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And we bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

Brothers and sisters, when we know the situation and we know that what Rasulullah ﷺ has taught us — that we have to be patient in times like this — what else can we do to help our situation?

First: Remember That Allah Is Always in Control

The first thing that we need to do is to remember that Allah is always there. It doesn't matter what plans are being made — ultimately it comes down to the decision of Allah.

Allah says that they plan, but Allah also plans, and Allah is the best of planners. And we remember from Surah At-Tawbah:

Allah says to the Prophet ﷺ: tell these people that when anything comes upon them, when they are afflicted with any pain, just say that He is our Mawla — Allah is our Mawla — and He is the one that we return to, and He is the one we call out to. Brothers and sisters, we need to remain consistent with our iman, with our faith. That's the very first thing that we need to do.

Second: Seek Allah's Help and Do the Legwork

The second thing that we need to do, as we see in the Qur'an, is:

Only you do we worship, and only you do we seek help from. This word nasta'een comes from the word isti'anah, which means to seek help. But this is a type of help that we are seeking from Allah, and Allah will only send His help when we have done what is within our own capacity. When we see the life of Rasulullah ﷺ, did Rasulullah ﷺ exercise all his options? The answer is yes. First Rasulullah ﷺ exercised all his options — he would do whatever he had to do, and then he would ask Allah. Remember the hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ:

First tie your camel, and then place your tawakkul on Allah. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2517)

This is what إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ means. That everything that exists within our own power, within our own capacity — first we will do all that, and then we will ask Allah for help.

The best way to do that, brothers and sisters, as we see in the life of Rasulullah ﷺ, is to become more engaged in our community. To become more civically engaged. To become more politically engaged. To become part of our society. To become part of our community. Be active in your HOA. Be active in your school ISD system. Whatever you can, integrate yourself more within the society.

The one thing that we see in our Muslim community is that we are living within our own bubble. We're living within our own close friends. We're not part of society. If people really came to know who a Muslim is, then they would not have any questions about what Islam and Muslims are. Because most of the people who talk against Islam have never even met a Muslim before. They don't even know what Islam and Muslims are. So that's why it's important that in times like this we need to go and be part of our society.

Just like Rasulullah ﷺ — he was part of his society. He never isolated himself. He never took his sahaba and isolated them, nor was he oblivious to what was taking place. He was part of the society, part of the community. And it becomes our responsibility that we need to do the same. Only then will the help of Allah come. We cannot just sit and say, "O Allah, help us, O Allah, help us," without doing the legwork. Allah expects us to do some legwork, and then His help will come.

Remember the ayah of the Qur'an — the last ayah of Surah Al-'Ankabut:

Allah says: those who strive for us, then we will open the ways for them. So this is what is very important in our times.

Third: Appreciate Those Who Stand Up for Muslims

The last thing I would say is that in times like these, while there are many people who are openly expressing their hate for Islam and Muslims, on the other hand there are a lot of people who are expressing their love and their solidarity for Islam and Muslims. And in times like this it's important that we appreciate them for what they're doing. If you ever come across a politician, a celebrity, or a media personality who is standing up for Islam and Muslims, the bare minimum that we can do is to send them at least a thank you message.

I want to share with you something that Rasulullah ﷺ did. After the Battle of Badr, when there were prisoners, the Prophet ﷺ said: if Mut'im ibn 'Adi was here right now and he would have pleaded on their behalf, I would let them go.

The question is: who is Mut'im ibn 'Adi? Mut'im ibn 'Adi was a man who gave his support to Rasulullah ﷺ and the Muslims during the boycott in the Makkan era. At that time, when everyone had abandoned the Muslims and abandoned Rasulullah ﷺ — while there were people like the uncle of the Prophet ﷺ who gave his continuous support — there were strangers, like Mut'im ibn 'Adi, who was not even a Muslim, but he came and gave his support to Rasulullah ﷺ. And years later, the Prophet ﷺ is acknowledging Mut'im ibn 'Adi and his support — that this was a man who gave us support at the time when everyone had forgotten us.

It's very important that in times like these we appreciate people. These are people who are standing up for us. These are people who might be putting their reputation on the line. These are people who may know that they could lose something for giving Islam and Muslims their support, but they're doing it out of the kindness of their heart. The least that we can do is to say thank you to them.

Remember the hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ:

Whoever cannot appreciate people, they cannot appreciate Allah. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4811; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1954)

So the bare minimum that we can do is that for all those who are standing up for Islam and Muslims, we say at least thank you. And do not leave this upon anyone else. Don't say that someone else will appreciate them and I don't have to. Today in the time of social media, it is extremely simple — just get online, get to their webpage, get their email address, and send them a simple thank you note. It does not take a lot of work on our part. But these kind of messages, these kind of small actions, they go a long way.

Closing Du'a

I pray to Allah that He makes our situation easy. May Allah protect our masajid. May Allah protect our men. May Allah protect our youth. May Allah protect our women. May Allah protect the Muslims all over the world.

I pray to Allah that for every person who plans against Islam, may Allah put the light of Islam and iman in his heart. May Allah give them hidayah. May Allah bring them closer to Him. May Allah make our situation overall easy for all of us. Ameen. Ameen.