EPIC Masjid, Imam Yaseen, Peacemakers.

Being Peacemakers: Reflecting the Mercy of the Prophet ﷺ

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

My dearly respected brothers and sisters, all praises are due to Allah for his infinite mercies upon us. From amongst those mercies is the fact that Allah placed us in the Ummah of Nabi Kareem ﷺ, the Nabi and the Messenger of Mercy. As a reflection and extension of Rasulullah ﷺ's rahmah and being a mercy for the entire mankind, this Ummah is uniquely placed by Allah to also hold this responsibility and this light — to be peacemakers and mercy for the entire mankind. Allah has placed within this Ummah distinct qualities and characteristics. These were upheld by the earlier Muslims, the earlier generations, the companions, the successors and the successors of the successors.

The era and period of khairul quroon, when the best of nations arose and were placed on this earth — and they carried that might, they carried the rahmah of Nabi Kareem ﷺ and they established Allah's deen through their actions. Today, my dearly respected brothers and sisters, we have an opportunity as well to be peacemakers, to be representatives of this great Nabi ﷺ.

We can mention many fada'il and virtues of this great Rasul from the Qur'an and Sunnah, but even non-Muslims today are forced to acknowledge the status of Nabi Kareem ﷺ. As believers we already know, and it is our firm faith, that no man stepped on this earth better than Nabi Kareem ﷺ. Allah has mentioned his fada'il in the Qur'an and many ahadith speak about it. Nabi Kareem ﷺ says: "I am the leader of the entire children of Adam, and there is no boasting, no faqr, no arrogance about this."

And as an extension, this Ummah has also been blessed by Allah that we are aakhirun — we come last — but assabikuna yawm al-qiyamah — we will be at the forefront on the Day of Judgement. But the question, my dearly respected brothers and sisters, we need to ask ourselves as individuals is: Am I worthy of this title? Am I worthy of this position? Am I behaving in this way? Each one of us must assess ourselves, take a muhasabah.

And muhasabah is good — we should take account of ourselves. Allah says in the Qur'an:

"O believers, be conscious of Allah and each soul should check what it is sending forward for tomorrow." This is a verse of the Qur'an that is strongly encouraging us to check our actions, to assess ourselves, to take account of ourselves — of the actions that we are sending forth and sending forward. Are those actions worthy of representation in front of Allah, in front of His court on that day in which there is no shade, except the shade of Allah's throne? That is the question we have to ask ourselves.

The question I was encouraging us to ask ourselves is: Am I a reflection or an extension of the rahmah of Nabi Kareem ﷺ? When I have said أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ — "I testify there is no god but Allah and I testify Muhammad ﷺ is Allah's servant and messenger" — am I living up to this claim? Am I living up to the standards set by this great Kalimah, the criteria that is set forth? Am I living up to the rahmah and peacemaking that Allah has selected people for?

Allah says in the Qur'an: "You are the balanced and just nation." Allah says: "You have been sent for the people because you are the best of people."

If we look around the world today, are Muslims the best of people right now? In terms of prosperity, in terms of spirituality, in terms of taqwa, in terms of our contributions to peace in this world — what position are we in today?

The Prophet ﷺ as the Embodiment of Mercy

As I was mentioning, we have a unique opportunity to be a reflection of Nabi Kareem ﷺ and his rahmah. And Rasulullah ﷺ was a reflection of Allah's mercy. Allah is mentioned in the hadith: rahmah was divided into 100 parts — 99 portions Allah reserved for Himself, and one portion is distributed amongst this world. And you see a mother being merciful to her child from that one portion. And Nabi Kareem ﷺ was an extension of Allah's mercy.

Everything that exists in this world is due to the mercy of Allah. And the completion of this mercy was sending Rasulullah ﷺ, because Rasulullah ﷺ was sent for the entire universe — he was not sent to one nation. That is why he is a rahmah greater than the rahmah and mercy of other anbiya.

And a truly merciful person is he who is concerned about your well-being. Nobody was more concerned about humans and their salvation than Nabi Kareem ﷺ, who worked day and night and cried in his prayers for me and you. This is something to ponder over and think about. The concern Nabi Kareem ﷺ had for his Ummah. And are we an extension of that? Are we concerned about other people? Are we merciful towards them? Are we concerned about our families and our extended families and our neighbours and our friends? Are we concerned about their well-being in this dunya and in the aakhirah?

That's the real world to think about — the aakhirah — because that is an eternal world. This world will come to an end. And somebody who is concerned about your aakhirah is your best well-wisher, your naasir. And Nabi Kareem ﷺ was concerned about our well-being in the aakhirah. He was praying for it, day and night, inviting people to Allah: "Come to this path, you will succeed. Say la ilaha illallah, it will transform your lives and you will be successful." Are we an extension of that mercy? That is the question.

The Medinah Charter: Peacemaking in Action

Nabi Kareem ﷺ was such a mercy sent by Allah. We see mercy in his teachings as well. When Nabi Kareem ﷺ migrated to Madinah al-Munawwarah, Allah had placed him in a unique position — he was considered the authority of the town by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It was at that delicate moment in time that Nabi Kareem ﷺ demonstrated his peacemaking abilities and the purpose of his bi'thah. He gathered people of different faiths to sign a treaty. That was Nabi Kareem ﷺ's peacemaking.

Mercy in the Shari'ah

Nabi Kareem ﷺ is a rahmah for this Ummah because Allah says: "One of the blessings that I have given over the other prophets is — the entire earth is a masjid and a source of cleanliness for you. You can make tayammum and you can pray as long as the earth is clean." For previous ummahs, there was hardship. They would have to find a place of worship and would worship there. For this Ummah, while we are traveling, if we find a clean place and prayer time comes, we can pray there. If we do not have any water available after searching for it, and we know that there is no water available within a certain proximity, then we can make tayammum. This is the rahmah of Nabi Kareem ﷺ — Allah has mercy on this Ummah because of Rasulullah ﷺ.

In a hadith, Nabi Kareem ﷺ says:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 2045)

"From my Ummah, forgetfulness and mistakes have been uplifted." So we are not accountable for forgetfulness and mistakes. This hadith has lots of details. We cannot make excuses to neglect a fard and say, "I forgot — I had to pay my zakat this year." That sort of excuse will not be justified in front of Allah.

Da'wah Before Battle: Inviting to the Truth

One of Nabi Kareem ﷺ's demonstrations of mercy was when he said to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "At the time of the battle, yes, battle might become inevitable. But before that, try to invite them towards the haq and the truth."

Nabi Kareem ﷺ said: "If one person comes to the faith, comes to guidance, comes to the light through your efforts, it is better for you than red camels" — which was a very valuable asset in those days, which has been equated to a very fast sports car in this day and age. Not an American one, a German one. Or an Italian one.

Mercy Before Prophethood: The Black Stone

We also learn that Nabi Kareem ﷺ, before Nubuwwah, before Prophethood, was a source of mercy. When the floods had destroyed the Ka'bah of Allah, and Nabi Kareem ﷺ witnessed the people of Quraysh and the communities coming together to resurrect the Ka'bah of Allah, to bring it back up and reconstruct it — at the time of placing Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, a dispute took place: who will place Al-Hajar Al-Aswad? It was decided amongst the clans and tribes that the next person to enter would make this decision. And coincidentally, that man was Muhammad Mustafa ﷺ.

And he decided that Al-Hajar Al-Aswad be placed on a cloth, and a member of each tribe hold that cloth, and then Nabi Kareem ﷺ placed Al-Hajar Al-Aswad himself. In doing so, it was inclusion of every tribe. And this was a way that Nabi Kareem ﷺ brought the people together.

Ana Nabiy al-Rahmah: "I Am the Prophet of Mercy"

The Prophet ﷺ himself said:

(Sahih Muslim)

"I am a Nabi and a messenger of mercy." In a hadith mentioned by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), recorded in Sahih Muslim, Nabi Kareem ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2599)

"I have not been sent as one that scolds people, curses them, abuses them, or slanders them. In fact, I have been sent as a source of mercy for the people." Nabi Kareem ﷺ conveying the Qur'an to us is also mercy, because the Qur'an told us about Allah. And as long as the world is mentioning the name of Allah, Judgement Day will not come on this world. As long as the dhikrullah is taking place, as the hadith says.

The Day of Ta'if: The Ultimate Test of Mercy

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) once asked the Prophet ﷺ: "Was there any day more difficult for you than the Battle of Uhud?" — because on that day Nabi Kareem ﷺ was physically hurt and his tooth was martyred. Nabi Kareem ﷺ said: "Yes — Ta'if. Ta'if was more difficult than this."

Rasulullah ﷺ, when he went to Ta'if in the 10th year after Nubuwwah, he went to invite the clans and the tribes towards Allah. It was at this point in time that the leaders of the tribes rejected him, and when he was walking the streets, they instructed the people to trouble him, harass him, persecute him. They threw stones at him. They troubled him. And he ﷺ was bleeding profusely — so much so that his feet were stuck to his sandals due to the excess amount of blood.

Allah then sent Jibreel (peace be upon him) and said to him: "Jibreel, tell Rasulullah ﷺ — between the two mountains of Ta'if, on each side of the mountain there is an angel appointed by Allah. And if you wish, Allah will crush the people of Ta'if for their treatment."

Rasulullah ﷺ said: "Oh Allah, forgive me for my feebleness and weakness in conveying the message. I was not able to fulfill the rights. Oh Allah, if they do not receive guidance, raise from their children one person that will become a Muslim."

"Oh Allah, guide my people for they do not know. Oh Allah, guide my people for they do not know. Oh Allah, forgive my people for they do not know." That was the response of Rasulullah ﷺ. Was he about revenge, personal revenge, personal grudges? No, never.

Strength Through Allah: The Man with the Sword

We hear from another hadith when Nabi Kareem ﷺ was taking a rest and his sword was hanging from a tree. One of the disbelievers came and took his sword. He said to Rasulullah ﷺ, who suddenly woke up: "Who is going to save you now?" Rasulullah ﷺ said: "Allah." Strength. Conviction.

Today we do not take Allah's name with conviction. We say "God, God, God, this, God that." We do not say Allah — Allah — with conviction and love, belief, yaqeen and certainty. When he said Allah, this disbeliever started trembling and the sword dropped. And Rasulullah ﷺ picked up the sword and said: "Who is going to save you now?" But he ﷺ did not take revenge. And this person, seeing the treatment of Rasulullah ﷺ, accepted Islam and took the shahadah — because of the mercy of Nabi Kareem ﷺ.

Honest Dialogue with People of Other Faiths

Rasulullah ﷺ was all about peacemaking. Even in his dialogue with other nations, it was respectful. Allah said to him:

Clear cut. Not beating around the bush. "I have my beliefs, you have your beliefs. I don't break your beliefs. I don't worship what you worship." Today, when we have dialogues with people of other faiths, sometimes we are not honest enough. And I've noticed this in our interfaith dialogues — we are not honest enough, and we disarm ourselves by not being honest enough. We can be respectful towards our non-Muslim neighbors without compromising our faith. We don't compromise our faith. We don't compromise on Tawhid.

We don't say: "Oh, we're all children of God and you're trying to reach God and I'm trying to reach God and we all go to paradise together." That is not what the Qur'an is telling us. The Qur'an is telling us to love and respect your neighbors, but at the same time, do not compromise your beliefs. Tawhid and Trinity do not go together. Your salvation does not depend on Jesus dying on the cross — your salvation is not dependent on that. This is not our belief. We have to be very clear about that. Respectful, but clear. We cannot lie about it.

Rasulullah ﷺ was very honest even in his dialogue. When he wrote letters to kings of other countries, the first message he sent them was: Aslim taslam — "Become Muslim, you will be saved." Tell your non-Muslim neighbors and peers and people that you have good relations with: "If you bring faith, you will get two rewards. You believe in Jesus ﷺ — now when you were informed about Rasulullah ﷺ clearly and properly and you brought faith on Nabi ﷺ as well, you will be rewarded twice."

Breaking Ethnic Barriers: The Example of Bilal

Rasulullah ﷺ was such a source of mercy that he got rid of prejudice and ethnic boundaries by promoting Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), by mentioning his fada'il, by saying that when he went on the Mi'raj, he witnessed Bilal walking ahead — getting rid of all the ethnic boundaries that we have created amongst ourselves. This was a source of rahmah from Nabi ﷺ.

When a child is throwing litter on him, Nabi ﷺ's response is to call this person towards Islam — not to take any personal revenge. And we see a reflection of that in the Sahabah. When Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was once wrestling with a disbeliever — he had taken him to the ground because this man was disrespecting Rasulullah ﷺ — and then when the man spat at Ali, he stood up and left him. People said: "He spat on you, you have more reason now to defeat him." He said: "No — now if I hit him, it is for personal grudge and revenge. And I am not about taking personal grudges and personal revenge." This was an extension of the mercy of Nabi ﷺ.

We have a unique opportunity of how to be merciful people, show mercy, and be peacemakers in our communities and societies. InshaAllah, we will mention it in the second portion of the khutbah.

Second Khutbah: Representing Islam in Today's World

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, you are very well aware of the political climate, the tensions, the social tensions Muslims are facing today around the world, and most importantly in our own surroundings and the countries that we are living in. We are well aware of cartoons and documentaries that are made against Nabi ﷺ, slandering Muhammad ﷺ, the chosen prophet of Allah, the last messenger, the mercy for mankind.

We are uniquely placed by Allah because we have an opportunity to clarify, we have an opportunity to engage, we have an opportunity to represent amongst non-Muslims. Each one of us sitting here today, including myself standing, we are living amongst non-Muslims. We have non-Muslim neighbors in our communities, non-Muslim peers — whether we are in the workforce, whether it is in corporations, whether we are physicians, whether we are at college or university, whether we are going to the grocery store — we are interacting with people of different faiths at all times.

We are uniquely positioned and placed because we have a unique opportunity to represent who Rasulullah ﷺ was — through our actions. When people see us, and they see our skin tone and skin color, most people are already aware that this person is a Muslim. Let me see how this person behaves, let me see how this person interacts. And we see from the akhlaq of the earlier Muslims — entire countries like Indonesia and Malaysia became Muslim because of the akhlaq and the characteristics and the qualities of the merchants that went to trade there. When they saw them trading with such honesty, integrity, and respect, people became Muslim.

We have an ideal opportunity. We must not sit back and be cornered like we have become. We must not become reactionary either, but we must be proactive. We must see this as an ideal opportunity and grasp it with both hands. We must demonstrate our faith through actions, we must show the people who Nabi ﷺ was through our actions.

The Importance of Da'wah

One of the organizations I am very impressed with — that is working very actively in this community, in this city — is ICNA, Islamic Circle of North America. They are working extremely hard to represent Islam to the masses by holding da'wah booths. Remember, da'wah is very important. Da'wah is the shield of a believer. If you don't do da'wah, you disarm yourself, you become weak. And psychologically, the society, your non-Muslim friends, the culture around you will make efforts on you, will influence you. If da'wah is there, if you are making da'wah, you have a shield — nobody can mess with you.

Don't let the society disarm you. Da'wah is very important. It is extremely important. And that is part of the mercy of Nabi ﷺ because he never gave up da'wah — he was concerned about people. Yes, we have a duty to represent Islam and create a community of peace and be peaceful people, but we are also concerned about their hereafter. We are not just concerned about the position of Muslims in America so we can live in more peace and harmony and protecting our religious freedom — we are also concerned about the iman of the people around us. Some of them are very nice people, and we are concerned about their akhirah as well.

Da'wah groups are very important for these two reasons: protecting the religious freedom of Muslims in this country, to create a better atmosphere around us — and also because we are concerned about their akhirah. We want to bring people to the light of Islam, because this is true light. It will add value to human life when they believe in Allah. They will have a moral compass. This society is lacking a moral compass because they are missing the framework that Islam provides. This is the truth, my dear respected brothers and sisters.

There is great value in Islam. It adds value to human life. ICNA, Islamic Circle of North America, is working extremely hard to promote this. They hold many booths around the metroplex — in car shows, garage sales, and different trade events that go on in different towns. They have a booth there with Qur'an material to give to people. And one of the beautiful campaigns that are going on right now is the WhyIslam campaign. Billboards are being placed around the metroplex on major highways like I-35 and Trinity Mills. Thousands of people are driving past there daily. And if they see a billboard that says "Why Islam" with a number, they would call that number.

Just yesterday I was also informed that CNN covered the WhyIslam campaign — just brief coverage — and the representatives that are answering the calls received calls throughout the entire day because of that. The entire day. This is an opportunity to reach out. And every single one of us can be involved. Don't think, "Oh, I lack knowledge, so I can't be involved." If you cannot be involved because of lack of knowledge, increase your knowledge — number one. Take Islamic Speakers Bureau classes, increase your knowledge, be representatives of Islam. But you can also contribute financially. This will go a very, very long way.

A Community of Mercy in Action

I am going to encourage this community — inshallah, tomorrow approximately 5 p.m. at Hyatt on Highway 75 at Campbell, there will be a fundraising dinner hosted by ICNA, Islamic Circle of North America — protecting our religious freedom and being true representatives of Islam through our actions. So many food pantries that ICNA has established around the metroplex, feeding refugees, feeding poor people, underprivileged people. This is the work of Nabi Kareem ﷺ. This is an extension of mercy that I was speaking about. And we can all be a part of this. Each one of us can volunteer time, and we all have the resources to contribute to this as well.

This is the quality and characteristic of the people that will go to Jannah, inshallah. So tomorrow, 5 p.m. — and we have a lineup of speakers: Imam Khalid Griggs and Imam Zaid will be there, and other speakers. I want to request this community, inshallah, to be there. Be a part of this khair. Be a part of change. Be a part of protecting our religious freedom in America. Be a peacemaker. Be an extension of the rahmah of Nabi Kareem ﷺ.

May Allah give us all the tawfiq.