Muslims In The West Navigating Hate With Faith And Hope

Opening Glorification of Allah

Respected audience, dear brothers and sisters in honorable esteem, esteemed guests of Allah.

Let us start off with the glorification of Allah. As any khutbah, any talk remains unfinished without the glorification of Allah.

All praise is due to Allah, who created everything out of nothing. Who created all kinds of lights and nur out of darkness when there was no light whatsoever. And we praise Allah and we do the shukr of Allah, no matter how much difficulty we find ourselves in.

Say, O Muhammad ﷺ — if you were to turn all the trees that exist on the face of the planet into pens, and you were to turn all the water that exists in the seven oceans and seas into ink, and you gave the order for the pens to start noting down the glorification of Allah — the seas will finish, the pens will perish, and yet there is still more glorification of Allah, still more to be noted down when it comes to the greatness of Allah.

Dear respected audience, when we find ourselves in these dark, difficult, and turbulent times, the fact that we associate ourselves with and believe in an entity that is so great should serve as comfort and solace for us as the ummatis of Rasulullah ﷺ.

Muslims in the West: Facing Hatred

Respected audience, as global events unfold, we find ourselves as the Muslim community residing in the West once again being subjected to hate. And the hate has reached unprecedented levels once again. Each and every single one of us is once again being subjected to hate. So much so that a person starts to question: Am I an animal? When you read the news that is being portrayed in the outside world, and whatever is being circulated and distributed, you start to question — am I that bad of an individual? Am I an animal?

And a question I would like to ask all of the audience here — think inward for a moment. Reflect on all the time that you have spent here in this part of the world. And those of us who have been born and raised here — reflect from the time that you have any recollection of your memory — have we indulged in any activity which breaks the law? We are known at times as the model community, the community that everyone looks up to, with the lowest rates of crime, highest levels of education, and people being most practical, immersed in different walks of life, in different fields of life. So when we look inwards, we find ourselves to be people who are peace-loving, and people who have the best interest at heart, as a community and as a nation at large.

So when we look inwards, we find out that those things being said about us don't happen to be true. Yet you question yourself — why is this happening to us? One thing after the other, and that brings about the question from the inside: why us?

This is something we are not the first ones to ask. And it is not a display of weakness on our part. Because when we look at the book of Allah, when we look at the incidents of the beloved companions of Rasulullah ﷺ, Allah clearly pointed out that at one point in their life, when they became so overwhelmed with the difficulties they were facing, they went to the Messenger of Allah and they said:

They were afflicted with pain after pain, difficulty after difficulty. And then Allah used the word وَزُلْزِلُوا — they were shaken to their very core. So the Messenger of Allah and the companions began to ask: Mata nasrullah? When is the help of Allah going to come down?

The Trials of Rasulullah ﷺ in Makkah

Take into account the Meccan period that Rasulullah ﷺ spent calling people towards Allah. It was an admission of the faith — coming out as a Muslim and standing boldly in the middle of kufr and shirk as a Muslim entity. From the very beginning, the close family members and the people that were very close to him. You know, at times you have neighbors and people that you frequently interact with, and you think you are comfortable with them. All of a sudden something happens on a global scale, and you are subjected to hate from them as well. Multiple incidents — the hate crimes that happen — may come from people that you may in the past have thought had good feelings towards you, but all of a sudden those things change. Something similar, Rasulullah ﷺ was subjected to as well.

From being as-Sadiq al-Amin — the trustworthy, the best of the people, the best of character — Allah described him:

— to being the most hated person, where one person would stand up publicly and say, "Tabban laka ya Muhammad, alihaza jama'tana" — here Rasulullah ﷺ is standing, and one person in a mass gathering stands up in the middle and says: ruination and destruction be for you, O Muhammad — na'udhu billah — is that why you have gathered us here?

A young sahabi — who later on accepted Islam — gives an account. He said: in my jahiliyya days, I was going through the different marketplaces that used to take place in the time of hajj. Mind you, these marketplaces were the center of all of Arabia. Everyone from Arabia would gather there in this central location and engage in trade, shortly before the season of hajj. And he says: I saw a young man with a brilliant face — his face was brimming with nur, and he was walking the streets, calling people towards Allah. And he says:

(Referenced in Sirah literature — narration of the early Meccan period)

I saw people in the gathering — they were spitting on that beloved face. This was the very face upon which Allah took an oath:

The beautiful, radiant face of Rasulullah ﷺ. As the poets said of him:

The eyes have never seen anything as beautiful as your face, O Rasulullah ﷺ. And the women have not given birth to anyone as beautiful as you. You have been created devoid of any kind of defect or any form of ugliness. It is as if you yourself were given the choice of how you want your face and your body to be structured. This is the love that Allah has for Rasulullah ﷺ.

But what was happening to him in the face of propagating the deen? Amongst the gathering were people who spat on his face. And another narrator said: I saw one person bend to the ground, pick up a pile of sand in his hand, and throw it on the face of Rasulullah ﷺ. All of this was happening in the face of the propagation of the deen of Allah — one man who stands in the middle of kufr and shirk and says: I believe in Allah.

The Incident with Abu Jahl and Abu Bakr

A similar incident narrated by another companion: he says Abu Jahl was standing in the doorway of the haram, and Rasulullah ﷺ was approaching from the front. And he said, let me try something new with Muhammad. So he took a sheet and made a noose out of it, put it around the neck of Rasulullah ﷺ, and pulled him towards himself. The person narrating the incident said: I thought that Muhammad would surely strangle to death today. And he says: I saw another young man, whose name was Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr radiyallahu anhu came running and rushed to the side of Rasulullah ﷺ, saying:

Do you just want to kill a person because he says my Rabb and my Lord is Allah?

Comfort in the Face of Hatred

So respected audience, when we find ourselves being subjected to similar hate, remember these incidents. The incidents that we face may not be on the same level — those people out there were thirsty for the blood of Rasulullah ﷺ. During the time of Hijrah, they said: whoever brings us the head of Muhammad, we will give him a hundred camels. Whoever brings the head of Abu Bakr radiyallahu anhu, we will give him fifty camels. Those people were bloodthirsty.

So when we look at these incidents, this should serve as a form of comfort for us — that we are being subjected to hate due to us being Muslims. Remember there are different kinds of hate in the outside world. At times people are subjected to hate due to them being overweight — fat shaming is a thing in the outside world. Ask your children what happens in school to their fellow classmates who may be a little overweight. Everyone makes fun of it; it is a barrage of bullying. At times people are subjected to hate due to the color of their skin — something which was eradicated completely by Islam.

People talk about Islam being a radical religion and a religion that calls towards hate. Look at the very verses of the Qur'an which preach equality amongst all human beings. Allah said:

All forms of racial and tribal superiority have been cancelled by Allah. The Prophet ﷺ declared: "La fadla li'arabiyyin 'ala 'ajamin" — there is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab. Today superiority is based only on the person who is closest to Allah, who tries to please Allah the most. This was the standard laid down by Islam.

And Allah also addressed the issue of mockery and name-calling:

Do not call people by names other than the names given to them by their parents. But we are being subjected to hate due to us being Muslims — the ones who call out towards Allah.

And remember — the people who may be displaying hatred towards us may not even know why they are doing that. Rasulullah ﷺ foretold these times: that a time will come when sometimes people will end up harming others, and in some narrations, killing others — and the one killing doesn't know why he is doing it, and the person being killed doesn't know why he was killed. And the signs of the Hour go on and on. May Allah give us the tawfiq to do tawbah — complete tawbah — towards Allah before that Hour approaches. But these things were meant to happen, and Allah has a system in place, and all those signs need to be fulfilled.

The Quranic Prophecy: You Will Surely Hear Hatred

Let us take a few examples from the lives of the companions of Rasulullah ﷺ. There was an ayah revealed at a time when there was an outward display of hatred from the Jewish community in Madinah. Verses had been revealed in the Qur'an:

These ayat simply call people towards spending for the sake of Allah — who is the one willing to give a loan to Allah? One person stood up, a non-Muslim from the Ahlul Kitab, and said:

He got up and said — why is Allah asking us for donations? Is Allah — na'udhu billah — poor and we are rich and He needs our donations? So Abu Bakr radiyallahu anhu ended up getting very angry and slapped that person. So Allah revealed verses in the Qur'an:

Know, O believers, that you will be tested through different ways. At times you may be tested through your wealth — your wealth may be taken away from you. At times you may be tested in a way where it is time for you to step up and show that you are a Muslim, and you may want to hide yourself.

And this is the key point: Allah did not say وَلَتَسْمَعُ or تَسْمَعُ — He said وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ with the nun of emphasis — you will most assuredly hear words of hatred. You will most surely hear words of hatred from the mushrikeen — the people who ascribe partners unto Allah. And also from the people of the book, they will also subject you to hate.

That is why Allah mentions elsewhere that due to the fact that you were able to accept Allah, the purity of tawheed, and also believe in the last messenger — which they blatantly rejected — they had other agendas in mind and that is why they rejected. And Allah said that due to that frustration, sometimes you will find them chewing their fingers out of the hatred they may have towards the Muslims at large.

The Nature of the Believer's Test

And Allah very clearly mentioned: O believers, you will be tested throughout your lifetime. The path that you have chosen — the fact that you are Muslims and you want to please Allah — this path is not going to be a bed of roses. It is a path in which you will face difficulty after difficulty. The ayah that we recited:

Do you think that you can stand up and say I believe in Allah and you will not be tested? You will not have to go through any trials? It is a basic part of the life of the believer. If Rasulullah ﷺ had to go through these tests and trials, we also may have to go through them.

For different people, Allah has different ways of testing them. Mufti Shafi'i rahimahullah in his Tafsir Ma'arif al-Qur'an mentions that for some people the test may just come in the form of being steadfast and firm on their faith. For some people it may come through:

Allah said: We might test you by giving you just a little bit of fear — not complete fear. If it were complete fear, your hearts would burst from the fear itself. So Allah says: We will test you with a little bit of fear, and a little bit of hunger. We might take a little bit of your wealth away. Or We might take away the beloved individuals in your life through their death or demise. And it is to test: what do you do? Do you turn back — عَلَىٰ أَعْقَابِكُمْ — and revert to your old ways?

It has happened in the face of multiple calamities where Muslims have said — na'udhu billah — we have no need for an Allah who afflicts us with calamity. This happened after the 2008 earthquake in Kashmir where multiple people lost complete families. Yes, we did not go through it, so we do not know what that grief is like. But at the same time, remember — you are being tested by Allah.

Allama Iqbal's Shikwa: A Complaint and Its Answer

And it is something which is manifested in the ash'ar of Allama Iqbal rahimahullah in Shikwa. Shikwa was a long piece of poetry in which he lodges a complaint against Allah. This was a time when the Muslims of the subcontinent were in complete chaos — it was the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and there was no hope whatsoever for the Muslims. So Allama Iqbal rahimahullah said:

We are the Muslim Ummah — we embraced your Ka'bah, we were there for the protection of your Ka'bah, we were the ones who fell down in prostration, in sujood before Allah. So why are all these trials and difficulties coming down upon us? After doing all of this, the complaint remains that we are apparently not being recognized as loyal servants of Allah. And he says: we may not be the most loyal servants, but you are also not mindful of our feelings.

After the advent of this poetry, a fatwa of kufr was placed on him which was later retracted because he gave an answer — and the answer which came was from Allah's own perspective: the deeds and the actions that you are talking about — those belonged to your forefathers. It was the companions of Rasulullah ﷺ who stood in the haram, who made hijrah, who came back to Makkah and dealt with blow after blow for the sake of Allah. What are you? What do you have to say in the face of all these trials and difficulties?

And then he says: the example of the Muslim Ummah is one that places one hand over the other and says: O Allah, we need Your help, we need Your help — and they don't do anything.

Looking Inward: Our Own Accountability

Remember, the reason I mention this: this is a time for reflection inwards. What am I doing to contribute for the suffering of the Muslims on a global level? Allah mentions:

These are 100% accurate ayat given by Allah: all the problems that you see on the surface of the earth and on the surface of the oceans are due to the actions of the son of Adam. Now we may be thinking — what have I done for difficulty and suffering to come down on my brother Muslims? Remember the actions that only Allah and you know. The sins that we commit in the confinement of our rooms, the cutting off of huquq al-ibad — not fulfilling the rights of the creation of Allah — and the sins go on and on. That is our contribution. It is something we need to fix first before we point our fingers towards other Muslim people. And it is very easy to point fingers at others without looking inward.

May Allah give us the tawfiq to repent and to stop any sins that are being committed on our part. And may Allah stop all the sufferings of our brothers and Muslims — specifically in Palestine and all the other regions of the world where Muslims are suffering.

I say what I have said and I seek forgiveness of Allah for myself and for all of you and for all the Muslims — so seek His forgiveness, for verily He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Community Announcements

Driving on North Avenue

We have repeatedly reminded the students, parents, and members of the community not to drive on the shoulder on North Avenue when entering the Darussalam campus. It is against the law, dangerous, and we have had a couple of accidents already and multiple near-accidents. And it gives a very bad impression to the general public that is observing our Muslim behavior. Unfortunately, it has come to the point where we are now informing the Glendale Heights Police Department to please come and ticket violators. As a courtesy to all of you, we are informing you beforehand that you may be pulled over and given a ticket if you continue this practice. As someone who every morning drives on North Avenue himself, I witness multiple people — uncles, aunties, even students of knowledge — driving on the shoulder. It is against the law. And as we mentioned, when we have the Muslim attire and outwardly look Muslim, people naturally hold us to a higher standard. May Allah give us the tawfiq to abstain from breaking the law.

External Doors

Please do not under any circumstance put any type of stoppers, chairs, cones, rolled-up mats, etc. to keep any of the external doors propped open. This completely defeats the purpose of having a door.

Salatul Janazah

We request all brothers and sisters to join the salatul janazah of the father of our dear brother — a regular musalli of Darussalam, brother Hisham Qureshi — which will be taking place immediately after sunnah in the gymnasium. Brothers need to proceed to the gymnasium located in the seminary building across the courtyard. Sisters need to proceed to the banquet hall in the lower level. Please note: if you remain in the women's prayer hall where you just performed Salatul Jumu'ah, even though you may be able to hear the imam's voice leading the janazah, your Salatul Janazah will not be valid, as you will be praying ahead of the imam who will be leading from the gym.

Du'a for the Sick

There is a request for du'a of shifa for sister Khadija Rozmina. Both of her kidneys have failed and they are trying multiple procedures.

Security Update

There is an important security update for all brothers and sisters. Our deen is a comprehensive way of life, providing guidance in both times of ease and adversity. As we learn from the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ, we place our trust in Allah but we also take all the means necessary. The famous hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ:

Tie your camel properly, and then place your trust in Allah. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2517)

At Darussalam Foundation, we are always concerned about ensuring the safety and security of our students and community members. We would like to inform you of some of the steps we have taken to enhance our existing security measures in response to the evolving security landscape.

Existing security measures include alarm systems, motion sensors, and glass break detectors to secure the doors and windows; scheduled magnetic locks on the masjid and seminary doors that automatically open and close after prayer times; a durable camera system equipped to ensure only authorized individuals access the premises.

Additional security measures that have been added include: the formation of a security committee comprising vetted staff members and volunteers with concealed carry permits who will be strategically placed to provide maximum coverage during salah times and major events; collaboration with the Amanah Security Group in providing security guards for our campus during morning and evening drop-off and pick-up times, as we have been arranging yearly during the nights of Ramadan; monitoring of the premises during school hours with our security patrol vehicle; recent engagement with the DuPage County Sheriff who visited Darussalam and met with the leadership; increased patrols by DuPage County Sheriff throughout the day and night; masjid doors will remain locked and will automatically open 15 minutes before and after salah; the fence gate will automatically close at 10:30 PM every night to secure the entire campus; safety training sessions including active shooter preparedness and concealed carry training classes for select staff members are being planned and scheduled; and we are actively seeking a full-time security guard for campus security throughout the day.

The responsibility for safety and security is shared amongst us all. We urge each member of our community to stay vigilant and collaborate with us in maintaining the sanctity and safety of the sacred house of Allah. May Allah protect us and grant our community continued peace and security, ameen, ya Rabbal Alameen.