The Crucial Importance of the Company We Keep

Introduction by the Host

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Alhamdulillah, we have a guest speaker for our Jumu'ah, second Jumu'ah talk, insha'Allah. Jumu'ah Salah will be led by Mawlana Hamza Mehter, who was born and raised in New York, completed his Hifz and went on to pursue an education in Islamic Sciences, where he dedicated nine years of study, which culminated in completing at Madrasah Arabiyyah Islamiyyah in Azadville, South Africa.

He had the good fortune of spending a lot of time in the company of Mawlana Fazlur Rahman Azami, who is a Shaykh al-Hadith in Azadville, South Africa. Thereafter, in 2012, he served as an Imam at the Islamic Society of West Contra Costa County, Masjid al-Rahman in Richmond, California, where he remains today. He currently serves also as the Principal of the Universal Mercy Academy in California.

It's a blessing for us to have him here, insha'Allah. He will be giving the Jumu'ah talk and leading the Salah, insha'Allah. Without further ado — Mawlana Hamza.

Opening — The Quranic Verse

May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family and companions. As for what follows — Allah, the Exalted, said in His Noble Book. I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful:

Sadaqa Allahu al-'Azim.

My respected elders, honorable ulema, and brothers and sisters in Islam — it's Allah's favor and blessing that He allows us to come together. And for me to be able to visit this beautiful community and this institution, and to be in the company of scholars, the company of knowledge, of ilm, the environment of the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ. It's something that I always appreciate, coming to you from the Bay Area, California. We're known — mashallah — I live about 15–20 minutes away from Berkeley. And they say Berkeley is the capital of all fitnah. It's where every "ism" starts, and all these liberal movements and whatever challenges we hear about and face today — mashallah — they have a very strong presence and influence.

So to come to a place — alhamdulillah — and this is in general wherever it is. Because Allah's deen doesn't depend on any individual, doesn't depend on any place, or any institution, or personalities. It's the deen of Allah. Allah says:

"Verily, it is We who have revealed this Qur'an, this reminder, this guidance. And We will preserve it." I will protect it. So to be connected with the deen of Allah in whatever capacity — that's Allah's favor. And it's a blessing, it's a ni'mah, that we have that opportunity.

The Central Theme: The Company We Keep

Something that is crucial — it's universal. It applies whether we're here, whether we're in California, wherever we are, and in whatever time we're in. It even applied to the Sahabah radhiallahu anhum. And they were commanded.

And if we really look at it — in the time and era that we're living in, and the challenges that we face — for a person to preserve their deen, and to remain connected with the deen, and that our progeny to come also is connected with the deen and is raised with deen — one of the most crucial things is the company that we keep.

And here we are fortunate, especially for you brothers and sisters here in the Chicagoland area — subhanAllah — the amount of madaris and institutions, and ulema, and efforts of deen, and places that we can just plug in and connect with. It shouldn't be that because of the abundance we have in this, that we start taking it for granted.

I wanted to present this as a reminder for myself — that we must constantly be vigilant in regards to the company that we keep. Because Nabi ﷺ himself — Allah is commanding him:

"O Muhammad ﷺ, keep yourself to the company of those people who constantly call on their Lord, morning and evening." This is Muhammad ﷺ — there is no doubt as to his iman, or him — na'udhu billah — being negatively influenced. Yet Allah is telling him ﷺ to stay in the company of righteous people.

We have countless examples. In the life of the Prophet ﷺ — in Makkah al-Mukarramah or Madinah al-Munawwarah — the Sahabah radhiallahu anhum were instructed time and again to be careful about the companionship they kept, the friends they had, the associations in their lives. And many of these associations — when we read the Seerah, when we study the biography of Rasulullah ﷺ — one of the amazing things the scholars present is that those associations that many of these people had, even before Islam, had an effect on the outcome of where these people ended up.

Example One: 'Umar ibn al-Khattab — The Power of Good Company

We proudly mention the story of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab radhiallahu anhu. The moment we say 'Umar's name, there are certain thoughts that come to our mind. We smile when we think of 'Umar.

To the extent that 'A'ishah radhiallahu anha said in a statement: "If you wish to bring flavor — as we would say, bring color to your gatherings, bring some life to your gatherings —"

"All you have to do is mention 'Umar ibn al-Khattab."

Right away we start thinking about how many times in the Seerah he said:

"O Messenger of Allah, give me permission — just say the word — I'll chop the head off this munafiq."

And on so many occasions, Rasulullah ﷺ would say: "Ya 'Umar, what are you saying? Don't you know —"

"The man you're calling a munafiq was present at Badr — he is one of the 313."

We know his personality. We're proud when we hear his name. He was such a person that Rasulullah ﷺ said: if 'Umar takes a path, shaitan doesn't take that same path. There is the famous incident of the Habashi girl — she was playing the duff and singing. Rasulullah ﷺ came and she continued. Abu Bakr radhiallahu anhu came and she continued. 'Uthman and 'Ali came and she continued. And then 'Umar radhiallahu anhu came — and the narration says:

She saw 'Umar coming from far, quickly took the little drum, put it on the ground, and sat on top of it to hide it. And Rasulullah ﷺ smiled and said: even shaitan runs when 'Umar comes and takes a street.

The Road to Islam: 'Umar's Associations

When Abu Jahl put out the price — a hundred camels to whoever kills Muhammad ﷺ — five years into prophethood, it was 'Umar ibn al-Khattab who stood up and accepted the challenge. Out of the thousands of people in Makkah and surrounding areas, the one person they thought suited to assassinate Rasulullah ﷺ was 'Umar. He got up, accepted the challenge, and left — sword in hand, in the middle of the day.

But the part we often overlook: from the time he left his house to the time he showed up at Dar al-Arqam — still with the same sword in hand — he was a completely changed man. Along that route, he came across Nu'aym ibn 'Abdullah. And it is mentioned that Nu'aym was one of 'Umar's closest friends from Jahiliyyah — a very close friend. 'Umar didn't know at this stage that Nu'aym ibn 'Abdullah had already accepted Islam.

Nu'aym asked: "Where are you going?" 'Umar said: "I'm off to kill the Prophet ﷺ." Nu'aym tried to persuade him otherwise. And then 'Umar found out in that interaction that his own sister, Fatimah bint al-Khattab, had accepted Islam.

Already angry, already out to commit murder, and now learning his own sister had accepted Islam — 'Umar was in a rage. He went to her house and barged in. Fatimah bint al-Khattab and her husband Sa'id ibn Zayd radhiallahu anhu were there, learning Qur'an from Khabbab ibn al-Aratt radhiallahu anhu. 'Umar heard them reciting Qur'an — it made him even more angry. He bashed on the door and came inside. Khabbab radhiallahu anhu, so frightened at the voice of 'Umar, went hiding in the inner room.

These are the parts of the story that I feel we don't always appreciate. Sa'id ibn Zayd radhiallahu anhu was one of the ten Mubashshireen bil-Jannah — the ten given the glad tidings of Paradise. And usually when we read or hear this story, it's like a footnote. Khabbab ibn al-Aratt radhiallahu anhu — when he walked into the room where 'Umar was seated as Amir al-Mu'minin, years and years later, 'Umar stood up from his spot and said: "Khabbab, you should sit here. You deserve this spot." Yet we mention these people as if they are footnotes. We gloss over.

'Umar radhiallahu anhu starts beating Sa'id ibn Zayd. He beats Fatimah bint al-Khattab when she tries to intervene. She falls, bleeding to the ground. But their iman — what was her personality? Who was this woman? She stands up and says: "Do what you want." She says: "Ya 'aduwwa Allah" — O enemy of Allah! She had the same blood as 'Umar radhiallahu anhu — she was a daughter of Khattab. She gives him her full answer: "Do what you want. We have accepted that there is no one worthy of worship besides Allah, and that Muhammad ﷺ is His Messenger. And there is nothing you can say or do that will change that within us." She is bleeding. This woman just got beaten by this giant — 'Umar, who strikes fear into the hearts of the greatest warriors of the time — and she stands up and says: "Beat me, hit me, do what you want. Nothing is going to change anything. Our iman is our iman."

And that was the point where 'Umar felt remorse — radhiallahu anhu. After addressing him as the enemy of Allah throughout, at the very end she says: "Ya ibn al-Khattab" — O son of Khattab. In other words: my brother. You are my brother — you're going to do this to me?

And 'Umar radhiallahu anhu — that was the moment he felt remorse. Two things became the means: Nu'aym ibn 'Abdullah, his close friend, and his sister Fatimah bint al-Khattab radhiallahu anha. His associations became the means that made him feel regret and remorse.

The Pages of Taha — and 'Umar's Transformation

He sees his sister bleeding. He beat Sa'id ibn Zayd, his brother-in-law. He beat his sister Fatimah bint al-Khattab. He realizes what he has done and feels remorse. He turns and sees the pages of Qur'an they were reading. He says: "Let me see — what is it that you were reciting?"

Fatimah is not having it. She says:

"You are impure. And none touch this except the purified." She says: "Faqum fatawadda'" — Get up, go out of here, go wash yourself. And 'Umar radhiallahu anhu gets up and goes out. According to some narrations, he takes a ghusl and comes back. The dignity of Fatimah bint al-Khattab radhiallahu anha — absolutely unaffected by the threat of 'Umar killing them, beating them, hurting them. He says you are impure. She says: go wash yourself, then I'll think about whether you can touch this or see this.

He went, came back, and that was when he read the beginning verses of Surah Taha. The narration mentions that by the time he started reciting the beginning of Surah Taha:

This is the praise of Allah at the beginning. Then Allah introduces the story of Musa alayhi salam — and when he was called and he arrived at al-Wadi al-Muqaddas Tuwa, the sanctified valley where he was to speak with Allah. And then Allah introduces Himself to Musa alayhi salam:

"And I have chosen you, so listen to what is revealed. Verily, I am Allah — there is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance."

The narration mentions: when 'Umar reached this point, he was done. He was changed. He looked up and he said: "This is beautiful. How is it that a person accepts this deen?"

And it was then that Khabbab radhiallahu anhu came out from the room: "'Umar, Abshir — glad tidings! I heard Rasulullah ﷺ making du'a that Allah strengthen Islam with one of two men — you or Abu Jahl. And it seems that Allah has accepted his du'a in your favor."

And then 'Umar radhiallahu anhu went and accepted Islam. He walks into Dar al-Arqam, the people who saw him coming were frightened. They came running into the room saying: "Ya Rasulullah, 'Umar is coming — and he has a sword in his hand and it doesn't look good." Hamzah radhiallahu anhu had just recently accepted Islam and was present in the room. And we know the rest of that story.

If we read the Seerah and apply it to our lives, there is so much for us. This is 'Umar on one side — his associations. That is what I was trying to highlight.

Example Two: 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt — The Destruction of Bad Company

On the flip side, Allah speaks about:

There was a person amongst the Ashraf of the Quraysh by the name of 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt. He was considered a nobleman. On one occasion, in the early days of prophethood and the da'wah of Islam, he had given an invitation of waleemah, according to some of the narrations. And Rasulullah ﷺ refused to partake in the food unless — according to some narrations — 'Uqbah either accepted Islam, or at least listened to what Nabi ﷺ had to present. So that incident took place.

'Uqbah felt ashamed that Muhammad ﷺ, who was considered one of the noblemen of the Quraysh, would not eat from his meal. So he sat and listened. In some narrations, he even accepted Islam in that gathering. And so word started spreading in Makkah that 'Uqbah has accepted Islam.

And the word reached Umayyah ibn Khalaf. This is the other side of it that I wanted to highlight. Umayyah ibn Khalaf was the closest friend of 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt. That's all it took. Imagine — he sat with the Prophet ﷺ, he was affected by his words, he felt something, and he either accepted Islam or felt good enough about it that people were saying he was a changed person.

The news reaches Umayyah. Umayyah calls 'Uqbah and says: "'Uqbah, what's happening? I heard something. I heard that you've turned against the religion of your forefathers. Is this true?"

And 'Uqbah felt so afraid of letting down his friend. A lot of the time this happens with us. We're worried — what will people think? What will my boss say if he sees me doing this? What will my co-workers think? 'Uqbah felt so afraid that he right away went into denial. He says: "No, no, no — it's not true. I don't know what you're talking about." Umayyah says: "That's what people are saying." 'Uqbah: "Trust me, I don't believe him. I'm still on the religion of our forefathers."

Umayyah was insistent. He said:

"I don't take your word. I don't believe you — until you go back, spit in the face of Rasulullah ﷺ, and abuse him. Until you go and spit in his face, I don't believe you."

He was so keen to impress his friend, to win his friend back, that 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt went and did exactly that. He spat in the face of Rasulullah ﷺ. He swore at him, he spoke ill of him. And Allah speaks about that in the Qur'an. It says — on that day, the Day of Judgment:

Allah refers to 'Uqbah as al-Zalim. And what a fall — that Allah is referring to him as al-Zalim. He will chew on his fingers, on his hands — you know how when people are nervous they chew their nails? That day, the Zalim will chew on his hands — such will be his fear and fright and worry. And he will cry out:

"I wish I had chosen the path with the Rasul ﷺ." "I just wish I had not taken Fulan — Umayyah ibn Khalaf — as my closest friend." He had a choice between two companions — either the companionship of Rasulullah ﷺ, or pleasing Umayyah ibn Khalaf. And he made the wrong choice.

And Allah at the end of this says:

"And Shaytan is ever a deserter of man." Shaytan deserts you. Shaytan is not your friend. He's not there for you. He's not going to have your back.

Conclusion: Never Take Good Company for Granted

The point I wanted to touch on — and the time is done — is that despite having these institutions, and ulema, and environments of khayr, we should never take for granted the companionship that we have. Whether it is work-related, social-related, whatever environment — we should make an extra effort to make sure that our associations, our companionship, our friends, the relationships that we build, are all for the sake of Allah.

Because those relationships, those associations, that companionship that is built and established for the sake of Allah — it will benefit us today. It will come to our aid tomorrow, as we see in these examples. Whether we know when it will come to our aid or not, somewhere down the road it will come. And it will also come to our assistance and our aid in the Akhirah.

May Allah give me and all of us the tawfiq that every aspect of our lives, we do it purposefully and meaningfully with the intention of pleasing Allah.

Announcements

Just some announcements before the adhan, khutbah, and salah. Please pass the donation boxes from left to right and donate generously — sadaqah wards off calamities and draws the mercy of Allah.

A reminder regarding parking: no curb parking. Please do not park on the curbs behind the seminary building or on the Swift Highway. We have additional parking spaces in the used car lot.

This weekend we have our Digital Detox event — our yearly no-tech retreat. We invite you to spend one night and day with Mawlana Tamim Ahmadi and Mawlana Hamza Mehter in the environment of the masjid. It will be tomorrow, Saturday, February 18th, after Maghrib Salah, up until Sunday, February 19th at Maghrib Salah.

In an age where our phones have become like an extra part of us — the last thing we see before we sleep and the first thing we check upon waking up — our addiction to technology has affected our interpersonal relationships with family and friends. More importantly, our need to stay connected with the world has oftentimes led us to become disconnected from our Creator. We will abstain from all forms of technology for the weekend and instead engage in dhikr, Quranic recitation, and other forms of ibadah in an effort to reestablish our connection with Allah. You can register at masjidds.org/detox.

Our weekly programs are continuing. Saturday's team Fajr will be held tomorrow — Fajr iqamah at 6 AM with Shaykh Tamim Ahmadi. Our Bukhari dars will continue Monday, February 20th, after Isha Salah. Tuesday's Tafsir program will continue with Surah al-Mu'minun after Isha Salah, insha'Allah. And our weekly Salawat gathering on Thursday nights will continue after Isha Salah.

There is also a student program for high school and college students tonight, Friday night, February 17th, after Isha Salah.

There is a du'a request for those that are sick and those that have passed away. May Allah cure those of us that are sick and grant us full recovery. And those that have passed away — may Allah grant them forgiveness and fill their qabr with nur.