Accusing the People of Truth by the People of Falsehood | Jumu'ah Khutbah | Sh. Yaser Birjas

Accusing the People of Truth by the People of Falsehood

My dear brothers and sisters, know that accusing the people of truth by the people of falsehood is a recurring pattern. It is a test of steadfastness, and it is honestly a sign of victory.

As we have seen this in the Quran many, many times, Allah reminding us:

Allah is telling us about the nations from before. When they lose the argument, and there is nothing they can say about it — they lose in the field of reason, and in actuality — what do they do? They attack the person. They create pre-packaged titles, and they start calling names, because there is nothing else they can fight.

Allah says about these people: likewise, no messenger came to those before them except that they said, "a magician or a madman." When they said magician, they talk about skill. Like, these people are fake academics, these people are not true intellectuals, they're not scholars, they're this, they're that. But then they go so far, using all these names, calling you crazy, madman. There is no basis to this.

But that situation is not new to us, my dear brothers and sisters. As we see in our time right now, accusing activists — like Sheikh Omar, for example, and others — being labeled on a whole list of anti-Semites. Why is that? By whom? Who is calling them with these names? The carriers and the actors of all falsehood.

Especially in a time like ours, سبحان الله, it is a path that is not new. And that has been the case and the path of all the wrongdoers and the tyrants from the past. We learn that in the Qur'an when Allah mentioned to us about the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

He mentioned many labels that the Meccans called him ﷺ. What did they say about him? They said sāḥir — magician; majnūn — madman; kadhdhāb — he's a liar, an imposter. They said he's after the dunya. He's just an imposter, he wants to be a king or a leader. So they called him everything — shā'ir, a poet. What is the purpose of this? And all of that, Allah is reminding us — that's not new.

The Agenda Behind the Labels

There is an agenda behind these pre-packaged titles and names. Obviously, the number one thing is to drop and cancel their credibility. What they're looking for is attacking their credibility, undermining it.

The second thing is frightening the people. Because when you don't know, you get scared. And you have all these speculations and all the uncertainties. So what do you do? You go to familiar places and spaces. So when they say, "you're a liar" — oh, don't listen to him, he's a liar. Or, "this person is a magician" — be careful, he's sweet with his words. You get scared, you don't want to listen to him.

And that's what happened to the Arabs in Mecca. The Prophet ﷺ used to go around, especially in the season — the Hajj season — calling the people who came new to Mecca. Those who hadn't heard the message from the Prophet ﷺ. But you'd find the Meccans, and particularly his own uncle Abu Lahab, going around in Mecca, telling the people: "Don't listen to him, he's a sweet talker. Don't listen to him, he's a poet. Don't listen to him, he's this, he's that."

And obviously, when the people heard about the Prophet ﷺ being such an influencer — and that term is very relevant in our time right now — they got scared. Some of them even closed their ears. Some of them even put cotton in their ears to block themselves from listening to the Prophet ﷺ. And one of them said: "When I heard that, I really put some cotton in my ears. I didn't want to listen to him. But then I thought about myself — I said, look, what am I doing? I'm an intellectual person. I can tell a liar from otherwise. I can tell someone who's telling the truth from otherwise. I can give it a try." He took it off. He listened to him ﷺ and he embraced Islam on the spot. رضي الله عنه وأرضاه.

The Purpose of the Qur'an

Brothers and sisters, Allah didn't send the Qur'an for us just to read stories and just for the barakah, or to do khatm from cover to cover, especially in the month of Ramadan. That's not what the Qur'an is for. Allah described the Qur'an as:

Guidance — so that we can find the way of life in the best way possible according to the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. And even in a situation like this, we go to the Qur'an to see: did Allah explain the situation to us? What can we do in these kinds of circumstances? The answer is yes.

The Tactics of the Tyrants: Musa and Fir'awn

I would love to share with you one of those tactics of the tyrants from before that is similar to what is happening today in our time — and what Allah is telling us about these tactics. And that is none other than the greatest tyrant of all time: Fir'awn himself.

The irony is, Fir'awn — the Pharaoh of Musa عليه السلام — when he was defending Bani Israel of that time. Allah spoke to us about the debate that took place between Musa عليه السلام and the Pharaoh. When the Pharaoh was trying to negotiate with Musa عليه السلام, he came to the Pharaoh — okay, fine, I'll hear from you:

So the Pharaoh said to Musa عليه السلام: okay, fine, tell me — who is that Lord of the worlds that you're talking about? Musa عليه السلام replied:

He said: He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and everything in between, if you only had sure faith. And now the Pharaoh is trying to direct the conversation:

The Pharaoh said to the people around him: "Did you hear what he said?" The same tactics of our time — trying to mobilize the crowd, getting the people to hear and directing what you want them to listen to. He said, "Did you hear what he said? Like, for real? Is that for real what he said — that He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and so on?" That's what the Pharaoh was doing — trying to take control of the conversation. The exact same thing today, what we call the narrative. They try to control the narrative.

And Musa عليه السلام brought a narrative completely different from what the Pharaoh had been propagating to the people of Egypt and the world at that time. So Musa عليه السلام came to challenge that narrative. He says: No, I'm talking about the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all in between, if you really have faith in God.

Musa عليه السلام continued. He did not even respond to the Pharaoh. He went straight to the people. Right away, he went to the people:

"If he's not bringing you into the conversation, let me talk to you. I am telling you — He is your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers from before. He is the same God that created you and created your parents and forefathers as well." And now, when the Pharaoh is kind of losing the crowd — because people are looking at each other — the Pharaoh goes:

He lost the debate. He lost the intellectual argument. Because obviously, Musa عليه السلام was telling them: God existed before the Pharaoh existed. God is the one who brought your forefathers, your grandparents, your parents to life before this man was even born. So the argument is very solid, it is strong. How could you be our god if our forefathers grew up before you and were born before you? So that's when the Pharaoh says mockingly: "Your messenger who has been sent to you must be insane."

He did not respond to the argument. Just like these people do nowadays online. No one responded to the argument. Nobody. Instead, they're just attacking the personalities, attacking the people, trying to force the narrative in a certain direction — calling everybody else "they're losing it, they don't know what they're talking about, they're liars, they have an agenda, they're terrorists." سبحان الله. All these kinds of labels already prepared for the people.

Musa عليه السلام continued. He didn't even want to debate that kind of nonsense:

He says: Look, He is the same Lord — the Lord of the east and the west and everything in between, if only you had any sense. So what Musa عليه السلام was doing is bringing the argument beyond them. He says: Look at you — who are you? You're just a group of people living in this place. This world is bigger than you. And who created everything else? He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. He is the Lord of the east and the west and all in between. He is bigger than this man, bigger than everybody else — if you really just use your mind for a second.

And when Musa came to that point, that's when the Pharaoh realized: now I have to take action. What was the first action? Threatening. Just like nowadays we have all these accusations and the threatening with the law, deportation, imprisonment, and so on. And he made the exact same threat:

The Pharaoh threatened Musa directly: "If you take any other god beside me, I will certainly have you imprisoned." That's exactly the same argument we're having today. You don't want to follow the law? You don't want to follow our narrative? That's the policy — then we're going to put you in prison. If you don't want to listen to me, then you're going to prison. He's threatening Musa عليه السلام because if Musa changes his mind, the argument collapses. So this man is following exactly the same pattern from the tyrants from before. And today the tyrants of our time are also following the exact same method.

So Musa عليه السلام came again with his strong argument:

"What if I bring you a clear proof? Let's make this an open debate right now. I'll bring you a clear proof. Would you dare?" And the Pharaoh, in front of everybody — wanting to appear strong, not caving in under pressure — said: "Bring it. Whatever proof you have, just bring it."

Similar in our time — they claim they have the narrative correct. Okay, what are your proofs? Trying to discard everything and closing all the outlets: whether it's social media, or owning all the media outlets and controlling them completely. So that's when Musa عليه السلام immediately:

Musa عليه السلام threw down his staff and behold — it became a clear, manifest serpent. That's the first thing — a very clear proof. And then he pulled his hand from his garment and it appeared shining white for all the beholders — and he himself was dark-skinned عليه السلام. This was something unique.

So when the Pharaoh realized — oh my God, now that's something unique, I haven't seen before — what does he do? He goes back to his people. We've seen this recently from some leaders too. When they are defeated, they go back to the people and say: "I'm here to defend you. I'm here to protect you. I'm your guardian." Even depicting themselves as:

So here, the Pharaoh goes to the people:

"He's a great magician, for real. I can see that. But I see that he wants to drive you out of your homeland with this magic — he wants to change your ways with this magic. So tell me — what should we do?" Suddenly, he's going back to the people, asking for help. "Hey guys, help me out over here." The same tactic, the same methodology of the past, exists in our time.

The Same Pattern with Nuh and the Slander of A'isha

Brothers and sisters, these examples also happened with Nuh عليه السلام. Allah mentioned Nuh عليه السلام in the exact same pattern. 950 years of da'wah given to his people. And what was the message of the people to Nuh عليه السلام?

"We see you have gone clearly astray." Like: you went crazy, you lost it. Basically they're saying to Nuh عليه السلام the same thing they said to the Prophet ﷺ — you're a liar, you lost it, you're crazy — and all these different labels.

And even this happened not just to the Prophets. Even during the time of the Prophet ﷺ — one of the famous stories in the Seerah: the slander. When the hypocrites couldn't do anything to defeat the Prophet ﷺ, to discourage the Prophet ﷺ, they went to soft targets. They went to his family. And they accused his beloved wife A'isha رضي الله عنها of sin. And it became a crisis in the community because of that accusation, lasting for days and weeks — until Allah brought down her innocence in the Qur'an, which we recite until the Day of Judgment. But that accusation definitely affected the community.

What this means, my dear brothers and sisters, is that these people — the hypocrites, the tyrants — when they throw these accusations out, it can have an effect on a community. It's not easy, and we know that and we admit that. But then, if it happened to the most righteous people from before us — at the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the Anbiya from before, and the ulama that came after — then who are we to say that it's not going to happen to us?

Be Ready: The War of Labels Is Coming

So my dear brothers and sisters, the reason I'm saying this to you is because I want you to be ready. The war of labels is coming. It's coming. And you're going to be walking around minding your own business and finding people throwing a slur at you or a label at you, because now — they must conceal all the arguments — they have nothing that they can defend their falsehood with. Therefore they're going to attack you simply by throwing labels at you.

And why are they doing that? Because the truth exposes falsehood. And they're scared of that. Falsehood doesn't have any proof, any evidence, or any strong, active foundation. And usually people sometimes just follow reputation. So therefore, if they can discredit your reputation, they can kill your argument with the people. And that is something that will continue to exist.

But Allah promised — if you remain steadfast, He will provide you with the support. As Allah says:

Rather, We hurl the truth against falsehood, and it crushes it completely. So Allah is there — but you need to remain steadfast.

What Should We Do? Six Steps

1. Remain Steadfast and Hold to the Highest Character

The first thing that you need to be prepared for, إن شاء الله, is to remain steadfast. Hold on to the highest level of character. As Allah says — you remain steadfast just like the prophets from before you. And that message is also for us as well. It's not new, and it continues to exist. See what the prophets did and follow that example.

2. Don't Get Distracted by Every Accusation

When it comes to these accusations, don't get yourself too busy trying to defend every single one. Not everything is worth paying attention to. So therefore, don't be diverted by these side battles. They want to distract people from the truth. So if you go after every label and start trying to push back at everything — sometimes you just need to ignore it. It is not worth defending every accusation.

3. When You Do Respond, Do It with Wisdom and Kindness

When you do defend yourself, it's not always about being right. Sometimes it's about being kind. Therefore, when you do have that discussion or push back, make sure you do it with wisdom — as Allah commands. Always push back in that which is best.

4. Take It as a Reminder to Fix Yourself

Make sure to take this as a reminder for yourself. You know what? Maybe Allah sent these people at me with these accusations to fix myself. Maybe I need to look back — what am I doing wrong? Maybe this is a reminder for me to fix my situation, fix myself. And it is extremely important to be truthful with ourselves. Maybe it's true — I need to work on myself, إن شاء الله.

5. Trust Allah and His Promise of Victory

In these kinds of circumstances, you need to make sure to trust Allah. Allah promised that He will give victory to those who remain steadfast on the path to Him. As Allah says in the Qur'an:

Indeed, We will support Our messengers and those who believe.

6. Don't Imitate Their Methods

When you deal with these people, if they come your way, make sure not to follow their pattern and their methods and their way of speaking. Don't be a copycat. What does that mean? If they do well, you do well. If they do bad, you do bad. No — make sure to rise above that. If they do well, you do better — not just well, do better. But if they do bad, avoid following that way. Don't be like them. Because you have a higher moral character, إن شاء الله. And your best example is Rasulullah ﷺ.

Closing Reminders

My dear brothers and sisters, keep in mind that those accusations can be just a sign that you are on the right path — because that's what the Anbiya experienced. When they brought the truth to the people, they were met with all these accusations against them. So maybe that's an indicator — الحمد لله, I am coming close to that path that Allah wants me to be on.

Make sure that you don't measure the truth by the people. You have a better standard to look at. Don't measure the truth by the people — you have a standard, and that standard comes from the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. And the truth will always remain steadfast, إن شاء الله.

Brothers and sisters, remember — Allah, when He spoke to the people after the Battle of Uhud, He reminded them that He will distinguish the true believers and destroy the disbelievers. He will distinguish between the truthful ones and those who are not so truthful. Make sure to be among those who are truthful, by the will of Allah.

Like I said, my dear brothers and sisters, that battle of labeling is coming. You need to be very aware, well-informed, and ready, إن شاء الله, to remain steadfast.

Du'a

O Allah, teach us what will benefit us, and benefit us with what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, the Wise. O Allah, give our souls their righteousness, and purify them — You are the best of those who purify them. You are their guardian and their protector.

O servants of Allah — Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and give him peace. O Allah, send peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions. And may Allah be pleased with the rightful caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, and all the companions, and those who follow the good of this religion. And observe prayer.