Jummah Khutbah at MCC by Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed - 11/11/2022

Jummah Khutbah

Delivered by Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed at MCC — November 11, 2022

Submission and Obedience to Allah's Commands

Those who are truly aligned with the Shari'ah are Hayyin and Layyin — very easygoing and very soft in front of the commands of Allah. Like a camel that has an infection in its nose, a pain in its nose, and then on top of that the bridle is put on it. So now when the owner of the camel pulls it, it is so painful that the camel will never resist. This one especially has got an infection and pain — he will never resist.

What happens is, before even the owner tugs it, when he's going to sit down, the camel will just obey because he doesn't want to go through that pain and suffering. The owner wants the camel to sit down — as the hadith mentions — and it will sit down even if it's on a big boulder. It's not very comfortable to be sitting on a boulder, but he will sit on the boulder if that's what he's been asked to do.

He is 100%:

"We listen and we obey." The Prophet ﷺ said that is the role of a believer in front of the commands of Allah, in front of the Shari'ah, and in front of someone who is inviting him towards the Shari'ah, in front of someone who is inviting him towards the deen.

For example, I'm doing something which is not according to the sunnah. And you come and remind me — "Beloved brother, is this correct? Is this the sunnah?" "Yes, you're right." "Now, is there a reason why you're not following the sunnah?" "No, I don't. I just forgot about it." Okay, khalas — simple. It is as simple as that. You reminded me, I've taken your advice beautifully, and I put it into practice. That's how it's supposed to be.

Instead of a response, and then a response to the response, and a back-and-forth argumentation — and then they say, "there are differences of opinion," and all that stuff that usually comes in from our nafs, from our ego. Ego is huge. When someone is corrected, a person doesn't like being corrected.

Yes, it is the duty of the person making the correction that he does it with wisdom, that he does it with hikmah, that he does it with love. He doesn't do it simply to prove someone wrong. He doesn't do it in a manner that belittles someone — that's very important as well. But then the one who is receiving the correction, if he's a true believer, he says: my allegiance is to Allah and to the Prophet ﷺ. "Thank you for reminding me. I am appreciative of the fact that you have reminded me."

So this is how a believer not only submits in front of Allah and His Rasul ﷺ's commands, but also in front of anyone who instructs him and reminds him of Allah's command.

Sayyiduna 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and Submission to the Qur'an

A man of great awe — unbelievable awe, unbelievable power that Allah had given him — used to stand in front of the Book of Allah and say: "The power I have, the wisdom that Allah has given me, is because of my obedience to Allah. So anytime you bring me a command of Allah, all my greatness and grandness will go down. Immediately, whatever you say, I'm going to put it into practice."

There would be times where Mawlana 'Umar al-Khattab would be angry at someone for doing something wrong. But then that person would simply remind him of the benefits of remaining calm, or remind him of saying أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ, or remind him of Qur'anic verses of forgiveness. For example, where Allah says — repel evil with kindness:

And for example, where Allah says:

A servant had made a major blunder and mistake, and 'Umar al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was very angry. So immediately that servant simply started reading this verse — Jannah has been prepared for the people of taqwa, and one of the attributes of them is وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ — that they hold their anger in, they control their anger.

As soon as he heard that — done. All his anger was vanquished, finished. وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ — and then the servant read the next verse. And 'Umar al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I forgive you for the sake of Allah." Done. And then he said, "Allah loves those who do ihsan, those who go above and beyond what is necessary." He said, أَعْتَقْتُكَ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ — "I free you for the sake of Allah. Go, you're a free man."

He was so angry — and where did he end up? He ended up letting this person walk away as a free man, because he stood by the Book of Allah. When the verses of the Qur'an were presented, no matter how angry or emotional he was, he controlled himself — because there is nothing more powerful than Allah's words. There is nothing more powerful than Allah's command.

Changing Our Perception of Life's Difficulties

When a person recognizes that, beloved brothers and sisters, then leading a life in the ever-changing, ever increasingly difficult, challenging, and stressful work life and home life that you and I have — it will become easy if we simply change our perception. You might not be able to change the weather. You might not be able to change what happens at work. You might not be able to change what happens at home. But what you and I can change is the way we handle these things.

The way we handle it has to be with tasleem, has to be with tasneed, has to be with tawakkul, has to be with sabr, has to be with complete submission to the will of Allah — while having this trust that there is definitely a silver lining in all of this. I may not be able to see it, but it's there. If I remain patient, insha'Allah Allah will allow me to see that — will allow me to see the benefit of it.

Seeing Allah in All Directions

Whatever situation a person is in, let us have our eyes focused on the greatness of Allah. Many of the brothers and sisters may have heard about a person who is so in love with Allah that wherever he looks he only sees Allah. As the Qur'an mentions:

Wherever you turn, you will find Allah's pleasure there. When a person reaches this level of ma'rifah — knowledge of Allah — he begins to see himself as nothing.

A good example that comes to mind: if a person were to be focused on the headlights of a car and were to stand in front of those headlights for 2–3 minutes — a couple of feet away, standing right in front, staring at the headlights. And then after that he looks at his own hand, his own body — will he be able to see it? He will not. He will not only be unable to see his own hand and body, he will not be able to see anyone standing next to him. He has been blinded by the brightness of the headlight. It will take some minutes, after being removed from that area, for him to start being able to see himself again.

Allahu Akbar. When a person sees Allah's nur — when a person sees Allah's greatness, when he focuses on those important aspects of Allah's grandeur and greatness — then when he looks at himself, he sees nothing. His problems mean nothing. The world's problems mean nothing. His physical, spiritual, or financial issues seem nothing in front of the grandeur of Allah. And he becomes lost in the love of Allah. He becomes lost in the greatness of Allah.

And behind everything — خَلْفَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ — behind every single thing, he will see the hidden hand of Allah. In sickness, he will see Allah's pleasure. In health, he will see Allah's pleasure. In poverty, he will see Allah's pleasure. In wealth, he will see Allah's pleasure. In honor and disgrace, he will see Allah's command, Allah's amr, Allah's pleasure there.

The Lesson of Ta'if

Like the Prophet ﷺ, in the story of Ta'if — when he traveled, much of it by walking, 80 kilometers or so, from Makkah to Ta'if. This was in the same year his uncle had passed away, the same year his beloved wife had passed away — a very painful year. He went there for da'wah, and we know he was not welcomed at all. Rather, he was absolutely physically abused, pelted with stones, and taunted. And now as he walks back — subhanAllah — bleeding, in tears, broken. His du'a in that moment is powerful:

(Reported by al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; also referenced in Ibn Hisham's Sirah and in Sahih Ibn Hibban)

"O Allah, to You I complain of the weakness of my strength and the scarcity of my means, and of my humiliation in the eyes of the people." And then he says: "O Allah, if You are not unhappy, if You are not upset with me as You see me in this state — broken, bleeding, the spittle of these disbelievers all over my body, injured by stones, mercilessly expelled from this city — O Allah, if in this situation, You are able to see me and You are not angry, then فَلَا أُبَالِي — I don't mind. I don't mind. Because Your pleasure is more important than anything else. My health, my happiness, my comfort — all of that is one thing. But Your pleasure triumphs everything."

Allahu Akbar. "However, if You were to give me well-being, if You were to give me 'afiyah, if You were to protect me from physical and emotional difficulties, then أَوْسَعُ لِي — it would be more comfortable for me. It would definitely be more comfortable for me. But at the end, Your pleasure — لَكَ الْعُتْبَى حَتَّى تَرْضَى — I am going to continually beseech Your forgiveness and help until You are happy with me."

Beloved brothers and sisters, no one has had a day like Ta'if. That was one of the most difficult moments in Rasulullah ﷺ's life. You and I, when we go through difficulties, we have never gone through that level of difficulty — and that was for the deen. All of us have gone through difficulty for what? For our stomach, for our house, for our kids, for our spouse. But how many of us can say we've gone through even a millionth of that solely for the deen of Allah, out of love for Allah?

One is to be disgraced on your job because you're getting paid and someone tells you off. One is to be disgraced solely for the sake of Allah:

"I am not asking you for wealth. I am not asking for anything in return." And he was begging the people:

"Say, La ilaha illa Allah — you will be successful. Please come back. I am trying to save you from the fire of Jahannam."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4563; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 208)

"I am the warner who stands at the top of the mountain" — warning the people from the punishment of Allah. And people were calling him a liar, calling him a madman, calling him a sorcerer, calling him every name — but not simply listening to his message and obeying him. To go through all of that — not for one day, or one night, or one week, or one month, but year after year after year — beloved brothers and sisters, only a Nabi can do something like that. A non-prophet cannot handle this type of oppression, this type of zulm, this type of heartless behavior from his own nation. And Allah made them chosen prophets who can carry that.

But we are — subhanAllah:

Indeed, you and I have a beautiful example in the life of the Prophet ﷺ. When you look at Rasulullah ﷺ's life — whether you have a good day today or a challenging day, whether you are healthy or not so healthy, whether you made extra money or lost some, whether you and your spouse are getting along well or not — whatever situation it is, you will find a beautiful life example in Rasulullah ﷺ's seerah.

The Importance of Reading the Seerah Daily

When you read the book of seerah, it seems as though the seerah is speaking directly to you. That is why the scholars have said that we should always have a book of seerah on our bedside. Just as we recite the Qur'an every day, we should be reading a few pages of the seerah of the Prophet ﷺ. Once you finish one book, start another. Alhamdulillah, there are plenty of books written in plenty of languages that you and I can read.

The amount of detail that has been mentioned — regarding the physical appearance of Rasulullah ﷺ, regarding his akhlaq, regarding his relationship with his spouses, his children, his companions, and of course his biographical history — there is so much detail that it is not possible for a person to say, "I have read everything written on this topic." It is something we should at least make a niyyah to study for 10 minutes a day. Let us dedicate 10 minutes a day to reading some aspect of the life of Rasulullah ﷺ.

And I promise you — every time you open up the seerah, say: "Ya Allah, You know what I'm going through right now. Allow me to read today something that will get me through this day. Something that will give me the ability to remain steadfast and handle whatever is being thrown at me." Because the One who is throwing at you what you're faced with is from Uzoor — it is Allah.

Whatever good or bad happens — it is from Allah. However, we attribute the evil to our own sins. But at the end of the day, the controller of all things is Allah. So we say: "Ya Allah, allow me to find the solution to my problem in the seerah of the Prophet ﷺ."

If we have that niyyah and make that du'a before we open a book, within 5–10 minutes you will read something that will insha'Allah give you the answers that you need. And may I add — anytime you attend any salah, any jama'ah, any program, any masjid, make that same niyyah: "Ya Allah, allow me to hear tonight — or today in Jumu'ah — something that is a source of answering some of the things I've walked in with, some of the issues I'm dealing with."

If any of you made that niyyah today at the beginning of this Jumu'ah khutbah, I am very sure that you have gotten something that you needed. If we sit empty-minded without any serious intention, then we may not gain that level of benefit. But Allah is the One who is putting us through these conditions and situations. Let us understand that Allah is the only One who has all our affairs taken care of.

Turn to Allah Before It Is Too Late

As the Qur'an mentions:

"Turn toward your Lord and submit to Him — before the punishment of Allah comes suddenly, while you are absolutely unaware and unexpecting."

While you and I have the chance — we heard there's a janazah. May Allah forgive the soul of the person who has passed away. Tomorrow, one of these days, it's going to be my name and your name. Every single week we have so many janazahs around us. One day, they will announce that — and it will be your name or my name. And then people will come and pray the janazah. That is coming. Very soon.

Whether it be tomorrow, or five years later, or ten years later — it doesn't make a difference. It's going to come very soon. We have an opportunity right now to submit to Allah. So let us do that.

The Remedy: Gatherings of Knowledge and Dhikr

What is the easy way to do that, beloved friends? The easy way to think of Allah's greatness, to humble ourselves, and to gain the ability to navigate through the difficulties of life — is attending regularly gatherings of knowledge and dhikr. Environments of 'ilm and dhikr.

Imagine how inspiring it is to see all of us sitting here today. Imagine if we had 20 minutes like this on a daily basis, or twice a week, or thrice a week. Imagine our sons and daughters who are in university or high school right now — imagine if they got an environment like this, hundreds of students hearing about the greatness of Allah for 15–20 minutes. What an amazing way it would help them navigate through the difficulties of high school and college life. Of course it would. What we all need — what I need, what you all need — is an environment.

So I encourage all of you and myself: along with Salatul Jumu'ah, let us try our best to bring our families to the masjid once a week besides Jumu'ah, or twice a week — at least for Salatul Isha. Isha is so early now. We can easily come and pray with our children. There is usually a short reminder after Isha. Or we can come for Fajr — Fajr is late as well. Bringing our high school students, our college students — especially on weekends if not possible on other days — and allowing them to enjoy the environment of the house of Allah will bring huge change within us.

Invitation to the Seerah Conference

I want to invite this beautiful MCC community to a beautiful gathering on the Seerah of Rasulullah ﷺ, starting tonight and all day tomorrow at Masjid Dawud Salam in Lombard, Illinois, right on North Avenue at Route 355. There will be hundreds and thousands of people from across the country and across the Chicago area. We will be dedicating approximately 10 talks on the life of Rasulullah ﷺ before he received revelation — which is usually not talked about too often. The first 40 years of Rasulullah ﷺ's life: from being born as an orphan, to the racism that was prevailing, to women being treated as property, to all the other issues found in the Jahiliyyah era before Rasulullah ﷺ started giving the da'wah.

I invite you all — it's a free event. Meals are available as well. There is babysitting. There's a Seerah Jeopardy game with cash prizes as well. All of that — insha'Allah — tonight at 7:45 after Isha, and then tomorrow from Dhuhr at 1:30 all the way through after Isha. Please join us with your family and friends. If you are not able to attend in person, please listen online on the Masjid Dawud Salam YouTube channel.

Closing Du'a

We ask Allah that He gives us the tawfiq to remain connected to the gatherings of knowledge and dhikr, ameen. May He allow our children — our sons and daughters, and our generations to come — to remain pegs of the house of Allah. May Allah fill our hearts with His greatness, with the love of Rasulullah ﷺ, and may He allow us always to make the correct decisions that will be beneficial for us in this world as well as in the Hereafter.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 145)

"Indeed, the religion began as something strange and will return to being strange as it began. So tuba — glad tidings — to the strangers: those who rectify what the people have corrupted of my sunnah after me."

I say what I have said and I ask Allah for forgiveness for myself and for you and for all the Muslims from every sin. So seek His forgiveness — indeed He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

"Indeed, Allah commands justice, good conduct, and giving to relatives, and He forbids immorality, wrongdoing, and oppression. He admonishes you so that perhaps you will be reminded."

Remember Allah, the Most High, the Most Great — He will remember you. Call upon Him — He will respond to you. And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest. And Allah knows all that you do. Wa aqimis-salah.