20170616 -2nd Khutba - Shaykh Arsalan

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 actions. 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, no partner for Him. And I bear witness that our master Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, his servant and his messenger, his chosen one and his companion, delivered the message, fulfilled the trust, advised the ummah, and strived in the cause of Allah to achieve his 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 Judgment. Indeed, the truthful hadith is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of our master Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And the worst of things are their innovations, and every innovation is a creation, and every creation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and you will not die except as Muslims. O you people, fear your Lord, Who created you from one soul, and created from it its mate. And He raised from them many men and women.

A Reminder About Jumu'ah Etiquette

Brothers and sisters, before I begin my khutbah, I have to mention something because of an observation that I'm looking at right now. And I've mentioned this before, but I will keep mentioning it until it stops.

Rasulullah ﷺ said that when you come for Salatul Jum'ah, there are angels at the gate of the masjid that are recording the names of every individual that comes for Salatul Jum'ah — until, he said, until the imam climbs the pulpit. Until the imam climbs the pulpit, at which point the angels close their registers to get ready to listen to the remembrance of Allah.

Brothers and sisters, if the angels close their registers at the moment when the imam sits down on the pulpit, then why don't we close our phones when the imam sits down on the pulpit? Why are we still busy with the dunya, whether it's a book that we are reading, or a phone that we have turned on, or conversations that we are having?

Rasulullah ﷺ said that the one who does these things, the one who speaks while the khutbah is going on, there is no Jum'ah for that person, according to the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. And therefore, according to the vast majority of our ulama, it is not permissible to be engaged in any activity — any activity — after the imam climbs the pulpit. That means conversations; that even means, the Prophet ﷺ said, to draw lines on the ground, or to play with the pebbles that used to be on the ground in those days. He went to such an extent ﷺ that he said that if you see someone doing that and you tell them, "Don't do that," you have done something wrong.

So this is a reminder, insha'Allah ta'ala, and reminders are beneficial for those who have faith. May Allah azzawajal help us, and may Allah azzawajal help us come to Salatul Jum'ah with the desire to connect with Him. And that desire is shown by disconnecting from other than Allah azzawajal before Jum'ah begins.

The Goal of Fasting: Attaining Taqwa

Having said that, brothers and sisters, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in Suratul Baqarah:

In the last few Jum'ahs, we talked about how the essence and the goal of fasting is to attain taqwa. And then we talked about the qualities of those who have taqwa. Allah azzawajal mentions in the Qur'an in many places the qualities of those who have taqwa. And in one place where He mentions that, in Surah Ali 'Imran, He says:

The people of taqwa are those, He says subhanahu wa ta'ala, who spend in times of prosperity and adversity. And they are those who control their anger. And they are those who forgive each other. And indeed Allah loves those who are good to other people, who treat others with ihsan.

'Adl and Ihsan: Justice and Benevolence

When somebody does something wrong to me, when somebody harms me, when somebody insults me, when somebody abuses me or offends me, I can retaliate and demand justice. As long as I retaliate in a way that is not excessive, I am just — that's fine. And justice is a virtue in Islam. But there is something higher than that, something nobler than that.

Something nobler than 'adl is ihsan. 'Adl is that you do something wrong to me, so I seek revenge by using the proper legal channels — that's justice. But ihsan is to do good to you even though you've done evil to me. That's ihsan — benevolence, doing good to others. And ihsan is a higher quality, a higher rank than the quality of justice. And Allah azzawajal is saying here, وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ — Allah has love for those who live a life of ihsan, who treat others with ihsan.

Ramadan: A Month of Forgiveness

Brothers and sisters, one of the qualities of the muttaqeen is وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ — as the ayah says, those who forgive one another, who pardon one another, who overlook each other's faults.

Al-'afu, brothers and sisters — this month that we are going through, the month of Ramadan, is a month of forgiveness. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 38; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 760)

That whoever fasts the month of Ramadan with faith and expecting reward from Allah, all of their past sins will be forgiven. May Allah make us among those.

And what is the du'a that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught Sayyida Aisha to say? When she came to him and said, "Ya Rasulullah, if I know which night is Laylatul Qadr, what should I ask Allah on that night? What should I say?" And Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, "Say, O Aisha:"

O Allah, You are 'Afuww — You forgive so much, You forgive again and again and again. تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ — and You love forgiveness, You love the act of pardoning and forgiving. فَاعْفُ عَنِّي — so please forgive me and pardon me.

The Story of Abu Bakr and Mistah: A Lesson in Pardon

This is the month of forgiveness, brothers and sisters. Just a few days ago, we read from Suratul Nur in the Taraweeh prayers. And in Suratul Nur, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about the incident of al-ifk — the vicious slander that was hurled against our mother, Sayyida Aisha radiallahu ta'ala anha, by the hypocrites of Medina. When they accused her of committing al-fahisha, of committing adultery. And the rumor started to go around the town of Medina.

And unfortunately, some Muslims, some companions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, also became participants in that rumor. Because, you know, that's the nature of a rumor — somebody hears something, and they become curious. They want to know more. And then they become eager to share it with others. And nowadays, it's become even easier to share things. Without verifying, we just share, share, share, repost, share, without verifying.

Unfortunately, some of the Muslims at the time of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam began to share, they began to perpetuate the rumor without verifying. And Allah azzawajal revealed the verses of Suratul Nur, declaring the absolute innocence of our mother Aisha radiallahu ta'ala anha from the accusations that were hurled against her. And with that, chastising those from the hypocrites who had started this vicious rumor, and those from the Muslims who had participated in that.

Among those who participated in perpetuating that rumor, brothers and sisters, was a nephew of Sayyidina Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, by the name of Mistah ibn Uthatha radiallahu ta'ala anhu. Mistah was a great companion of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — one of the participants of Al-Badr al-Kubra, one of the participants of the Battle of Badr. He was a nephew of Sayyidina Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, and therefore a cousin of Sayyidina Aisha radiallahu ta'ala anha. And he was a poor person — he wasn't very well off. And Abu Bakr al-Siddiq radiallahu ta'ala anhu used to provide financial support to Mistah, used to help him out. And he had been doing that for years, out of kindness and generosity — not out of any obligation, but out of generosity.

Now imagine: your daughter — who is not just any daughter, one of the best women that ever lived on this earth, one of the most chaste, pious, pure women who ever lived on this earth — is accused of adultery falsely. And this nephew that you have been helping all these years perpetuates that rumor, participates in that rumor.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, after He reveals those ayat and declares the innocence of Sayyidina Aisha radiallahu ta'ala anha, Sayyidina Abu Bakr al-Siddiq makes an oath and he says, "By Allah, I will not continue to provide help and support to Mistah." He was hurt by this disloyalty, by this betrayal from his nephew, who does that to his daughter, even though he has been helping him all these years.

Now Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala had revealed the ayat, and after revealing the ayat, those companions were punished who had participated in that crime — but they felt sorry for that, and they repented for that, and after they were punished, Allah forgave them for that. And we do not speak ill of them, because they are of the highest caliber, those companions — because they participated in Badr, like Mistah. And the participants of Badr are the best among the companions. But even the best make mistakes. People make mistakes, people slip, and then they come back to their senses and they repent and they are remorseful and they seek forgiveness.

But Abu Bakr said, "No, I cannot continue to do that with him." Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed ayat in that same surah — in Surah An-Nur — taking Abu Bakr to task for his behavior. Now Sayyidina Abu Bakr al-Siddiq is not doing anything wrong — he is under no obligation to continue his financial support to his nephew. He is doing that as an act of benevolence, as an act of extra kindness and generosity. So if he doesn't want to do that anymore, he is within his right. But Allah azzawajal has a higher standard for Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr is expected to meet a higher standard. And so Allah azzawajal reveals the ayah:

He says subhanahu wa ta'ala to Sayyidina Abu Bakr — not mentioning him by name directly, but it is clearly addressing him — He says subhanahu wa ta'ala: And let not those among you who have been blessed by Allah with wealth stop their assistance of those who are their near relatives, and those who are poor and needy, and those who have migrated in the cause of Allah. Let them forget and let them forgive. وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا — Let them forgive and let them turn a new page, let them turn a new leaf. أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ — Would you not love for Allah to forgive you? Don't you want Allah to show forgiveness to you? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving and Most Merciful.

Seeking Allah's Forgiveness Requires Forgiving Others

The lesson here for Abu Bakr and for us more importantly, is that if we want Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to forgive us — in this month of Ramadan especially — if we are sincere in asking Him, when we ask Him:

— then I have to ask myself: have I shown 'afu to others? Have I forgiven others? Yes, people have offended me. Yes, I have family members who have offended me. Yes, I have maybe a brother or a sister or a parent or a child or a spouse or an in-law or an uncle or an aunt or a nephew or a niece or a neighbor or a community member who has said things to me and done things to me that have offended me. But brothers and sisters, that is the point — if there was no offense, there would be no need to forgive.

If we want Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to forgive us, then we have to find it in our hearts to forgive each other. And who knows — it may be that our worship of Ramadan is accepted only on account of this one action, because we forgive someone who had genuinely done something wrong to us, but we forgive them for the sake of Allah, expecting Allah to treat us that way.

Because let's face it, let's be honest, brothers and sisters — if this person has been bad to me, has been wrong to me, how bad have I been to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? Don't I disobey Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala every day, using the gifts that He has given me, living on the earth that He has provided for me? If I do that every day of my life, and yet I expect Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to overlook all of that and forgive me, then don't I have to do some of that myself?

Brothers and sisters, when Sayyidina Abu Bakr al-Siddiq heard those ayahs, he began to weep, and he took away his oath, and he continued to provide financial assistance to Mistah. In fact, he doubled it. He doubled it.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us find it inside of our hearts, somewhere, the ability to forgive each other — especially in this month of Ramadan. May Allah azzawajal help us be among those about whom Allah azzawajal says:

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us among the people of taqwa. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us attain the fruit of fasting. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept from us and forgive us all.

Second Part of the Khutbah

الحمد لله رب العالمين وأفضل الصلاة وأتم التسليم على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين.

The Forgiveness of Prophet Yusuf: Our Greatest Role Model

Brothers and sisters, a few days ago we also read from Surah Yusuf, and in the surah of Yusuf alayhi salam we learn and we are reminded of this noble prophet of Allah — who was the son of a prophet of Allah, a grandson of a prophet of Allah, a great-grandson of a prophet of Allah. Prophet, son of a prophet, grandson of a prophet, great-grandson of a prophet.

That Nabi of Allah, Yusuf alayhi salam — his brothers, his blood brothers, tried to kill him. They separated him from his loving father — not just any father, a prophet of Allah — separated him from his father at the tender age of 7, or 12 according to different opinions of the Mufassirun, and threw him in a well. And as a result, Yusuf alayhi salam was enslaved. He lived the life of a slave — a prophet of Allah, the son of a prophet, the great-grandson of Ibrahim alayhi salam — grows up as a slave in Egypt. And then goes to prison for about 10 years, for a crime that he never committed. All of this a result of what his brothers did to him.

And at the end of the story — what happens? We all know what happens. When those brothers come to Yusuf alayhi salam, showing remorse and saying that they did wrong, that they made terrible mistakes in their past, Yusuf alayhi salam says to them: there is no blame on you today. May Allah forgive you. And he forgave them, brothers and sisters. And he honored them after that, and he welcomed them into Egypt and into his palace, and completely turned a new leaf — he wouldn't even mention the crime that they did to him.

So that at the end of the surah, when Yusuf alayhi salam is talking to his father Ya'qub and telling him, "Father, look — this is the fulfillment of the dream that I saw years ago, this is the fulfillment of that dream. And Allah has favored me when He took me out of prison, and He reunited me with my family, and He removed Shaytan from between me and my brothers" — he mentions all the things that he went through in life from which Allah has now relieved him. He mentions the prison, and he mentions being away from his family. But he does not mention the well. He does not mention the fact that he was thrown in the well. He does not mention it because his brothers are there — he doesn't want to remind them of the mistake that they did in the past.

Look at the forgiveness of Yusuf — that he has so much sensitivity for his brothers that he doesn't even want to mention something that he had to endure because of his brothers, because they are there and he has already forgiven them, so he doesn't even want to bring it up after all that he had to suffer because of them. This is the way he treats them — complete forgiveness, brothers and sisters.

Why do we read these ayat of the Qur'an? Not just as stories to be entertained with, but as lessons for us. These are our role models. What have people done to me? Have they separated me from my father who is a prophet? Did I have to suffer slavehood because of them? Did I have to go to prison because of them? What have they done to me that I cannot find inside of me to forgive them?

Forgive each other, brothers and sisters. It may be that Allah azzawajal will forgive us.

Closing Du'a

I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to help us all forgive each other before we die. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to help us find it in our hearts so that we can be among the muttaqeen, so that we can be among the muhsineen, so that we can earn the hubb of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, so that we can earn the forgiveness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, so that we can say: "Ya Allah, I did this for Your sake, please forgive me my mistakes and my sins." May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us do that.

Announcements: Taqwa Seminary

Brothers and sisters, after Salatul Jum'ah, as you're walking out of the Masjid, you will see some flyers on the table outside from Taqwa Seminary. Taqwa Seminary is your seminary here in the Plano Masjid. It is providing classes in the Arabic language and in Islamic Sciences for adults as well as youth.

This is the month in which we reconnect with the Qur'an — the month of the Qur'an, the month of Ramadan. And when we try to reconnect with the Qur'an, we realize that the full connection with Qur'an can only come when we learn the language of the Qur'an, when we learn what the Qur'an is all about. When you walk outside, you will see flyers about classes in Arabic language in the Masjid — please take a look at that and see if it fits your schedule.

You will also see flyers about classes that are coming up about the Qur'an, to help us maintain a connection with the Book of Allah after the month of Ramadan is over — so that we don't put the Qur'an away until the next year. Please look at those flyers and see if they interest you. Early registration is ending in a couple of days.