20161230-1st Khutba - Shaykh Arsalan

Khutbah al-Ula — Opening Praises and Testimony

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, we ask His help, we ask His forgiveness, and we ask His guidance. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, no one is misguided, and whom He misguides, no one is guided.

And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that our master, Muhammad, peace be upon him, was His servant and His messenger, and His chosen one and His companion. He conveyed the message, and he fulfilled the trust, and he advised the nation, and he strived in the cause of Allah, his true Jihad, until the certainty came to him.

O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master, Muhammad, and upon his pure and good family, and upon his righteous companions, and upon those who followed them in good faith until the Day of Recompense. Indeed, the most truthful speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of our master, Muhammad, peace be upon him. And the worst of things are its innovations, and every innovation is an invention, and every invention is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

O you people, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul, and He created from it its mate, and He spread from it many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask of one another, and the wombs. Indeed, Allah is ever watching over you.

The Shared Legacy of Jesus and Muhammad

Brothers and sisters, just a few days ago, earlier this month, millions of Christians around the world celebrated the birth of who we consider as one of the greatest prophets of God, Jesus, the son of Mary, peace and blessings be upon him. And just a few days ago, earlier this month, millions of Muslims around the world also celebrated the birth of the final prophet of God, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

Jesus and Muhammad — these were two of the greatest men that ever walked on the face of this earth. They were given two of the greatest books that mankind has ever witnessed. They worshipped the same God. They preached the same message, which is to worship God alone, which is to work for the hereafter, which is to spread peace and justice in this world.

And after celebrating the birth of these two prophets of God, as Christians and Muslims, after they come out of these celebrations, we hope and we pray that we will renew our commitment to follow in the footsteps of these great men, and that we will renew our commitment to continue their legacy.

The Legacy of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: Mercy to the Worlds

First, for us Muslims, what is the legacy of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him? His legacy is described in one phrase by Allah in the Qur'an, when He says:

And We have only sent you as a rahma, as a loving mercy, to the entire world — to the worlds. A mercy to the believers and the disbelievers, even his enemies. That is the legacy of Rasulullah ﷺ.

The Character of the Prophet ﷺ: Never Seeking Personal Revenge

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, did not choose between two matters except that he chose the easier of the two, as long as it was not a sin. And if it was a sin, he was the furthest of all people from it.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3560; Sahih Muslim, Book 43, Hadith 77)

Aisha, the mother of the believers, may Allah be pleased with her, said that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, never ever sought revenge from someone for a personal gain or injustice. The only time that he would retaliate against someone was when a law of God was violated. So he would seek justice on behalf of Allah.

Mercy Even at the Battle of Uhud

Even in the battle of Uhud, brothers and sisters — I remind myself and you — that even when his tooth was broken, and his lower lip was wounded, and his noble forehead was bleeding, he kept wiping off the blood, making sure that it did not fall onto the ground. And he said to his companions that if even a drop of his blood were to fall onto this mountain, then a terrible punishment would descend upon them from the heavens.

That is rahma lil alameen — that is mercy to the world. That is the legacy of Rasulullah ﷺ. His legacy was such, his rahma was such, that it transformed his enemies into friends. All that needed to happen was for people to simply get to know him.

The Story of Thumama ibn Uthal

And this is best seen in the story of Thumama, that we've talked about before. But just to remind ourselves — the story narrated in the books of hadith, according to which the Prophet ﷺ sent out a few companions for a task. And these companions came upon this man, Thumama ibn Uthal, who belonged to a hostile tribe that was waging war against the Muslims. So when they found Thumama, they captured him and brought him to the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ. And they tied him to one of the pillars inside the masjid.

And the Prophet ﷺ, every time he would come out to pray in the masjid and then leave, he would pass by the tied-up Thumama — this disbeliever, this hostile disbeliever. He would pass by him and ask him:

"How is it going, Thumama? What do you have, Thumama?" So Thumama would reply and say:

"I'm doing well, Muhammad. If you want to kill me, then you're going to kill someone of great worth. If you want to be graceful to me, then you would be graceful to a man who will show gratitude to you in return. And if it's wealth you're looking for in the form of ransom money, then just name your price, and I'll make sure you get it."

So the Prophet ﷺ would not engage him in this type of conversation. He would leave him, and every now and then he would come back to him and ask him the same question. Thumama would reply the same way. After a few days of Thumama being in the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ — where he had no choice but to get to know the Prophet ﷺ, what he does every day, how he prays, what he teaches, what he talks about, how the companions treat him, how he treats the companions — after a few days had passed, Rasulullah ﷺ instructed the companions:

"Let him go free." So Thumama was freed, and he left the masjid. And then a little while later, he came back, and he went straight to the Prophet ﷺ, and he said to him:

"I testify that there is no god except Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." And then he said:

"I swear by Allah, O Muhammad, that there was not a face on this earth — there was not a face of a person on this earth — that was more hated to me than your face. But right now, your face is the most beloved of all faces to me." And he continued: "I swear by Allah that there is no religion on the face of this earth that was more hated to me than your religion, but now your religion is the most beloved religion to me. And I swear by Allah, there was no land on this earth that was more hated to me than this land of yours, but now this city and this town is the most beloved of all towns to me."

SubhanAllah — how he was transformed just by being in the company of Rasulullah ﷺ, by witnessing this legacy of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. This is the legacy of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, that I hope and pray that we as Muslims can make a full resolve to live by in our lives.

I say this, and I ask Allah to forgive me and you, so forgive Him — and O the best of those who grant forgiveness.

Khutbah al-Thaniya — The Gospel, the Qur'an, and Virtuous Action

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. And the best of prayers and the most perfect submission is upon our master Muhammad ﷺ, and upon his family and all his companions.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say a firm word that will amend your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has won a great victory.

Amma ba'd.

Allah's Words on Jesus and the Gospel

Brothers and sisters, Allah says in the Qur'an, in Surah al-Ma'idah, chapter 5. Among what He says is this:

God says in this portion of the Qur'an — among what He says — that in the footsteps of the previous prophets, We sent Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming the Torah that had come before him. And We gave him the Gospel, wherein is guidance and light, confirming the Torah that had come before him as a guidance and exhortation to the righteous. And then God says, addressing the people who claim to follow Jesus: "So let the people of the Gospel judge by what God has sent down therein." In other words, let them live by the Gospel of Jesus and follow its teachings in the way that they treat people — both their enemies and their friends. And then He says: "Whosoever judges not by that which God has sent down, it is they who are iniquitous."

And then He addresses Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and says: "And We have sent down unto you the Book, the Qur'an, in truth. It confirms the book that came before it and is a protector over it." And then He addresses those who claim to follow Muhammad ﷺ. He says: "So judge between them in accordance with what God has sent down." In other words, treat others — including your enemies — in the way that the Qur'an teaches you. "And follow not their caprice away from the truth that has come to you." In other words, put your egos aside and follow the divine instructions.

What Jesus and Muhammad ﷺ Said About Virtuous Action

Imam Ahmad narrates that Jesus, peace be upon him, used to say: Virtuous action does not consist in doing good to someone who has done good to you — that's merely returning a favor. Virtuous action is actually doing good to those who have wronged you. That's what truly virtuous action is. That's what Jesus said, according to the narration recorded by Imam Ahmad.

What did Muhammad ﷺ say? Once he held the hand of Uqba, one of his companions, and said to him:

(Musnad Imam Ahmad, Hadith 17452)

"Shall I not tell you of the most virtuous actions of the people of this world and the hereafter? Reconnect with those who disconnect from you. Give to those who withhold from you. And forgive those who wronged you."

How similar are these words. How similar is this to what Jesus said — that virtuous action consists in doing good to those who have wronged you.

Forgiveness: A Shared Teaching

Furthermore, according to the Christians, according to the Bible, Jesus is recorded to have said: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you." And the Qur'an says:

"Pardon and overlook. Do you not desire that God forgive you?"

According to the Bible, Jesus said while being persecuted: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And according to hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said at Uhud: "O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know."

SubhanAllah — these words come from the same fountain of divine inspiration. This is the legacy of Jesus, and this is the legacy of Muhammad. May God's peace and blessings be upon both of them.

Rejecting the Ways of Ignorance

This world, brothers and sisters, would be a much better place if all of us choose to live by the divine teachings that were preached by these men, and just put our egos aside. But unfortunately, there are those among Muslims, and those among Christians, who refuse to live by what God has revealed to them — who insist on preaching revenge, who insist on preaching hate, who insist on returning all of us to the old days, the days of perpetual warfare, the days of ignorance.

Allah says:

Is it the judgment of the age of ignorance that they seek? Is it the lifestyle and the times and the ways of the days of ignorance that they want? And who is fairer in judgment than God for a people who are certain?

I ask Allah, the God of Jesus and the God of Muhammad: please, ya Allah, inspire us to rule by Your law. Inspire us to live by Your word. Let the true teachings of these two men be our guide in these difficult times. Let there be love instead of hate, forgiveness instead of revenge, justice instead of oppression, let there be truth instead of falsehood, and peace instead of war.

Du'a — Closing Supplication

O servants of Allah — indeed, Allah commands justice, and goodness, and giving to relatives, and He forbids immorality, wrongdoing, and oppression. He admonishes you so that you may be reminded.

Rise to your prayer, may Allah have mercy on you.