Juma'h Khutbah: "Oh Allah, I ask you for the love of the poor"

Jumu'ah Khutbah: "Oh Allah, I Ask You for the Love of the Poor"

And that He is the only one worthy of worship and unconditional obedience, and that Muhammad ﷺ is His final messenger. We ask Allah to send His peace and blessings upon him, the prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that were with him, and those that follow him until the Day of Judgment. We ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahumma ameen.

The World Around Us

Dear brothers and sisters, there are so many things going on around us domestically and internationally that it's hard to keep up, and this seems to be the case now more than ever. Obviously, Hurricane Harvey struck very recently and we have the evacuees here with us in Dallas, and obviously people that are trying to rebuild their future in Houston.

I was, سبحان الله subhanAllah, in hajj and there were people that were unable to join us for hajj that had booked their hajj from Houston because their homes had flooded and they were unable to make any sort of flight, or because of their circumstances unable to leave behind their families and the devastation. Obviously, you have another hurricane, a natural disaster that's on its way to Florida. We ask Allah to be with them and to protect them and to not allow it to inflict too much damage and to spare the people of casualties.

And then you have natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes that are taking place. You have the disaster of bad legislation that puts over 800,000 immigrants at risk. You have, more than anything else, the tragedy of the most persecuted minority in the world — the Rohingya — and what they are going through.

May Allah ease their plight, and may Allah allow them to find stability, and may Allah use us to help them in their plight, and obviously the continuing conflicts that we see around the world.

A Reflection from Hajj — The Tents of Mina

SubhanAllah, there is one thing that I wanted to reflect on. I was thinking about this coming from the refugee camps and then hajj. I was thinking about what the khutbah topic would be, because if you choose any one particular thing to reflect on, then it's likely to the neglect of many other issues that are taking place around us.

But something very powerful that one of the hajjaj said in our trip in Mina — one of the things that happens in Mina when you're in those tents, and obviously within the tents you have different accommodations, but there's this level of vulnerability that everyone feels. When it starts to thunder — and this year on the day of Arafah, there was thunder and lightning in the sky and we thought we were all going to get rained on and flooded, and no one would have anywhere to go. Alhamdulillah, it didn't rain. It didn't lead to the disastrous situation that we thought it might lead to, and we were all spared there in hajj.

But all of us standing out there and looking at the sky — if it was to rain and if it was to flood, then we'd all be in the same circumstances. One of the things that one of the hajjis reflected on that I found very beautiful: he said that when we are in our cities back home — and what he meant by back home was here in the United States — we tend to try to isolate ourselves from the hardships of those that live around us. And so the priority, and it's very difficult to not become a product of your city or the way that people think in your locality and even in the world today, is: let's try to push the poor, push the oppressed into isolated areas and ghettos so that we're not affected by them, we're not bothered by them.

And what we're finding in this world — where the priority in downtown is not to stop or fight homelessness, but it's to clear the homeless out of display, out of areas where they will be seen prominently — or where children and refugees float and end up on the shores of resorts in Europe — what we find is that the constant priority is: how do we keep these people isolated?

The Isolation of the Vulnerable

When I was in Jordan, one of the most heartbreaking things that I saw — we drove past the prominent Syrian refugee camp of Zaatari. And now in Zaatari, because of everything that's taking place in that camp — it's the largest refugee camp there in Jordan — they don't allow anyone to leave and they don't allow anyone to go in. Those that are there are there. They're stuck. They're not getting out, because they don't want any of the hardships of Zaatari to spill over outside of Zaatari. And so it's constant isolation. How do we put these people and keep them away from us?

The discussion on refugees — where they've become a source of fear rather than inspiration, a source not of service on our behalf or for us to more properly interact with our own purpose in life, but rather they are a hardship and an inconvenience that's been placed on our society. And I thought about this greatly based on a hadith from the Prophet ﷺ and many ahadith that revolve around this singular concept.

The Hadith of Abu Dharr: Seven Commandments

The Prophet ﷺ — this is a hadith from Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه — where he says:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 21361; also reported in similar form in other collections)

"My beloved ﷺ commanded me with seven things." He said ﷺ, he commanded me to love the poor — to actually love the poor and to get close to them, to love the poor and to make sure that I am in close proximity to them. And he commanded me not to look to those that are above me in worldly matters, but instead to look to those that are below me in this world. And he commanded me never to ask anyone for anything. He commanded me to speak the truth even when it's bitter. He commanded me to be kind to my relatives even when they don't reciprocate. He commanded me not to be afraid of the critiques of my critics. And he commanded me to frequently say:

To remind myself that there is no power or might except that which is with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — as those words are from the treasures under the throne of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in Al-Jannah.

There is a connection obviously between that statement and that affirmation — لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ — and everything else in this hadith, everything else in these advices.

The Meaning of Hubb al-Masakeen — Loving the Poor

But he started off with this concept of حُبَّ الْمَسَاكِينِ — to actually love the poor. And it's one thing when you talk about not being bothered by the poor, or when you talk about being charitable to the poor. But to actually find a love for the poor.

And the scholars mention that this is the first category of those that love someone for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and for nothing else — they love them for the sake of God. Usually when you think about that hadith, you think about someone that you love for religious reasons. You think about loving a scholar, or loving a brother or a sister that brought you closer to the divine. But the first category is this — because when you love the poor, you love them for no other reason but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and there is nothing that they can offer you in return. There is no benefit that they can give to you. You love them because you've been commanded by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to love them.

And you have a sincere love for them. You don't just simply give them so that you can send them off, or to somehow feel self-fulfilled that you're doing something, that you're contributing. But you actually make it a point to connect to them, to listen to them, to validate them, to show them that they're no burden on you. And that's something that has to be genuine and sincere, because people that are in that state can feel it. They can feel when they're being patronized. They can feel when they're being looked down upon.

And a lot of the refugees, when you interact with them, they don't like people that come to them simply to make themselves cry — talking down to them and saying, "I'm here to help you, tell me about why your life is terrible so that I can find something in myself." But to actually feel an affinity towards them — that's a divine gift.

A Du'a the Prophet ﷺ Used to Make

And there's something very interesting — the Prophet ﷺ made du'a for it. He prayed for it. In an authentic narration, he used to make du'a:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3235; classified as hasan sahih)

These three things: O Allah, I ask You for فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ — the ability to do good, to be enabled to do good — and تَرْكَ الْمُنْكَرَاتِ — to leave off evil — and حُبَّ الْمَسَاكِينِ — and to love the poor.

And the scholars comment on that — that the Prophet ﷺ is saying that this is a divine gift. The ability to love the poor is not easy. It doesn't come easy. It is such a prized possession that you should ask Allah for it. And you should try to exert yourself to love the poor and to actually get close to them, and to actually feel honored by their presence.

A Saying of al-Hasan al-Basri

Many brothers and sisters in this community, mashaAllah — and I was watching from Mecca and seeing our beloved Shaykh Yasir and so many people from this community that were participating in the Hurricane Harvey efforts with Ikhlas Alif and with some of the other organizations that went down to Houston and are doing great work there with the evacuees in the convention center. To actually enjoy that work, to actually find it in your heart to connect with those people — not just hand them a box, not just smile at them, but to actually be concerned about them.

And there's a beautiful narration from al-Hasan al-Basri rahimahullah ta'ala — that anytime he was in the presence of people that were deprived in this life, and that he was privileged to give to — and I'm going to say that again, privileged to actually give to, to be الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا rather than الْيَدُ السُّفْلَى, to be the giving hand rather than the receiving hand — he used to say:

"Welcome to the one who came to carry my burdens into the hereafter without asking for any payment in return." To the person that's giving me an opportunity of elevation in the hereafter, and they ask for nothing in return. As if to say: this world has no value, what I give you has no value — but what you give me has value. Your presence is more of an honor for me than it is for you, because I am easing your dunya and you are easing my akhirah. By Allah honoring me to be in your presence, by Allah honoring me to actually love you — then that directly translates into ease in the hereafter.

The Advice to Aisha رضي الله عنها

And he said ﷺ — he even advised Aisha رضي الله تعالى عنها:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2352)

"Oh Aisha, love the poor — and bring them close to you. For indeed Allah will bring you close to Him on the Day of Judgment." Bring them close to you, Allah will bring you close to Him on the Day of Judgment. Love them, Allah will love you. Have mercy on them, Allah will have mercy on you.

The Disconnect in Our Times

This is the lost piece of it, this connection. If you think about Eid — on Eid, mashaAllah, obviously in Hajj you get all these images that are broadcast, the "Eid Mubarak" images and the generic text messages. No one bothers to actually call and say Eid Mubarak to anyone anymore. The visitations, all that's done. You just have to click one button and you can broadcast Eid Mubarak to everyone, and you've fulfilled your wajib. You did what you had to do. This is just how disconnected we're becoming.

Likewise in charity — though I applaud you when you go online and you put in that $1,000 or you put in that $100. But just as you should be showing concern for the Burmese that are 10,000 miles away and donating to their cause, what about the ones that are 10 miles away in Richardson? Right here. It's also part of your ibadah, part of your worship, to be close to them, to learn their names, to know their stories, to actually exert yourself to love them. Not to get it over with and deliver some food to them. To make them feel at home. To actually make them feel like it's going to be okay.

Mina — A Paradise Others Would Dream Of

SubhanAllah — one of the reflections in Hajj: when you're in Mina, anyone who's been to Hajj knows that people just can't wait to get out of Mina. People look for ways to skip Mina. They try to get around it in any way possible. People book hotels in Mecca during the days of Mina, whatever it is, just to fulfill the bare minimum — and not the bare minimum by the most lenient fiqhi opinion to fulfill haqq al-mabit, to fulfill this idea of fulfilling Mina. People just look for any way; they want to get in and out of Mina as quick as possible.

But that Mina would be a jannah for others. It would be a paradise for others. That infrastructure in Mina — the horrible bathrooms — at least you have bathrooms. At least you have AC. But the most difficult element has been taken away — the most difficult element of those people that are living in refugee camps, and even those people that are brought here in Dallas and showed up and are living in empty apartments and don't know what's going on. The most difficult element is not knowing what the future holds. Not having any control over your fate. Not feeling like you have any idea when this is all going to end.

The Rohingya — A People Without a Home

When do I go home? When you talk about the Rohingya, you talk about a people that have lived stateless for hundreds of years — that have been discriminated against for racist reasons. The foreign minister called them ugly ogres, mocking their darker skin. Hated because they are a Muslim minority in a country that is over 90% Buddhist. There is no reason why they are hated except the fact that they exist.

You talk about the cruelty of children being beheaded, and people being set on fire, and just the complete disregard for human life. They didn't start anything, they didn't do anything — and then Muslim countries systematically shutting their borders to them. That feeling of being a burden, and not knowing what the future holds, and where am I welcome?

Come close to these people — subhanAllah — that's part of your ibadah. Interact with them, talk to them. Make them feel like they have some family, they have an ummah that loves them. They have people that actually care about them. It's only 10 miles away. You have, mashaAllah, these great organizations — refugee organizations — ICN Relief, Ma'ruf, United Ummah for Refugees — all these wonderful organizations that give you that opportunity to interact with people. Harvey was at your doorstep — interact with these people. Be close to them. Love these people.

The Du'a for Living and Dying as a Miskeen

And the Prophet ﷺ taught us that anytime you come close to people, you do so hoping to take from some of their good qualities. And even though there is a weakness in this hadith, the scholars commented on it frequently — it's a hadith in the terminology of the scholars, there's a weakness in the narration, but it's a powerful narration nonetheless. The Prophet ﷺ used to say:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4126; there is weakness in its chain, but scholars have commented on its meaning extensively)

"Oh Allah, allow me to live as a miskeen, and to die as a miskeen, and to be gathered with the masakeen on the Day of Judgment."

What does that mean? The Prophet ﷺ told us to never seek poverty, to never seek to be poor. We don't look for poverty. But if it's inflicted on us, then we deal with it as we're supposed to deal with it. But the scholars said the Prophet ﷺ was pointing to the humility of the miskeen, the dependence that they have on Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and the fact that on the Day of Judgment, those who were poorest in this world will likely be the richest. The majority of the people of paradise will be from them. And those who were rich and powerful in this world will be the weakest and most humiliated on that day, should they not show gratitude and responsibility with the blessings that have been given to them.

Seek out their qualities. Seek their proximity.

Memorize this du'a. The Prophet ﷺ said to study it and to memorize this particular du'a in its extended form: "Oh Allah, I ask You for the ability to do good, for the ability to leave off evil, and for the love of the poor — to actually love the poor, and to be in close proximity with the poor."

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Second Khutbah — Making It Personal

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَلَا عُدْوَانَ إِلَّا عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ. اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَى عَبْدِكَ وَرَسُولِكَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا.

Dear brothers and sisters, the scholars say that of the many wisdoms and benefits of this hadith is that when you know a people — when you can actually make it personal — then you will be more dedicated to alleviating their conditions, to making sure that their plight is known to the world, that you will be more dedicated to their welfare. If you were to meet one person, one Syrian refugee here in Dallas, you will be more committed to their plight overseas. If you were to meet a Palestinian refugee here, you will be more committed to their plight overseas. If you actually get a chance to put a face to the conflict or to the crisis of the Rohingya, then you will be more dedicated to their global plight.

It's part of who we are as people. Knowing is not the same as experiencing. And so the action item of this khutbah is obviously to continue our work on policy, to continue our charity, to continue our donations, to try to help people — whether they're the undocumented immigrants, the dreamers around us, or the evacuees of hurricanes, or whether they're refugees from global crises — to constantly, constantly try to make it personal. It's personal. These are people just like you, that have dreams just like you, that want nothing but safety and security and tranquility, and to live with their families just like you.

Closing Du'as

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to be in a place of blessing and to channel through us blessings upon those that have been deprived in this world. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us safety and security and tranquility and allow us to be vessels of safety and security and tranquility for other people. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to be vessels of His mercy to those that have been shown cruelty by the world powers as we know them today. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bestow in us the love of the poor and move us to be close to them and grant us the qualities of humility and trust that they have.