Become a Caller to Islam - Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

Khutbah Opening

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَفِيُّهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَخَلِيلُهُ، أَرْسَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى النَّاسِ كَافَّةً بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا، فَبَلَّغَ الرِّسَالَةَ وَأَدَّى الْأَمَانَةَ وَنَصَحَ الْأُمَّةَ، وَتَرَكَنَا عَلَى الْمَحَجَّةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ لَيْلُهَا كَنَهَارِهَا لَا يَزِيغُ عَنْهَا إِلَّا هَالِكٌ، وَصَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَمَنِ اهْتَدَى بِهَدْيِهِ وَاسْتَنَّ بِسُنَّتِهِ وَدَعَا بِدَعْوَتِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam, I start by praising Allah Almighty and sending salawat upon our beloved Messenger Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. I advise you and myself with the taqwa of Allah and excellence, for indeed Allah is with those who have taqwa and those who are doers of good.

The Quran and Sunnah: A Blessing and a Responsibility

I believe it was last week where we discussed the importance of the Quran in one's life and how it is first and foremost a guidance to mankind — that ensures that we worship Allah alone and that we live our lives not according to our whims and desires but according to that which Allah wants us to live by. And that this Quran is a blessing from Allah, it is a mercy from Allah, it is a source of healing from Allah — it heals the heart, the soul, and the body.

Now with that blessing that Allah has given us — the Quran that was sent to us and given to us by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — not just the Quran, but also something similar to it. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said in a hadith:

"I have been given the Quran and something similar to it." (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4604)

— meaning the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: the way of life, the statements, the actions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Those two things combined is what makes life worth living. Those two things combined is what makes sense of the world and everything that is happening around us, and gives us direction and purpose. It is the Quran and the Sunnah — revelation from the Almighty.

Now, alhamdulillah, we have it, we study it, we read it. But there is a responsibility that comes with that — and that is a responsibility of spreading it, a responsibility of carrying the message forward, continuing the message. And my brothers and sisters, this is not a responsibility that is just for the scholars only. It is not a responsibility just for the du'at or the imams or the khatibs. It is a responsibility that falls upon all of us. All of us are meant to be carrying this message.

If you are aware of a good opportunity — dunya-related — you cannot help yourself but to tell others. You will call out your family, your friends, your co-workers: "Do this instead, it is a good opportunity. Join this program instead, apply for this job, go to this university. This is a really good business opportunity." We constantly spread things dunya-related and we almost feel a sense of responsibility that when there is a good opportunity, you should share it with others.

Now the greatest opportunity and the greatest blessing that we have is our faith, our deen, al-Islam. Have we got the sense of responsibility we ought to have as it relates to the message that we carry? And I want to honestly ask myself first and foremost, because we all have shortcomings in this regard — have we truly done everything, or at least that which should have been enough, as it relates to calling to Islam? Have we spoken to our neighbours? Have we spoken to our co-workers? Have we tried to spread the message far and wide? And if we haven't, we have to ask ourselves the question: why not? What's stopping us? What's stopping us? Do we not want goodness for others? Do we not want guidance for others?

Do we not feel a sense of responsibility when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"Convey from me, even if it is one ayah." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3461)

When he said this and he told his companions, and they promised that they would — and wallahi, they did. And the following generations continued on. There are more Muslims on earth today than ever before — close to a billion. Do we carry that sense of responsibility? Do you carry it in your home? Do you feel an obligation to spread Islam in your home? In your neighbourhood? To your friends?

We have to reignite the passion, the zeal, the sense of purpose. A good friend and a sheikh said once: the best way to safeguard our children from misguidance in this difficult, wretched world — where all sorts of misguidance is being spread everywhere, in schools, on social media, on TV — is to turn them into callers to guidance. When you send your child to school, or a teenager or a young woman or young man goes to university, when are you worried about them? When they are recipients of guidance and they are listening to other people. But imagine they were going there armed with the Quran and Sunnah, calling to Islam. We would not be worried about them; we would be encouraged by them. And they would go out into the world as missionaries, as callers to Islam, as people that are inviting others to the truth. This is what we need to instill within our communities.

My brothers and sisters, you have in your hearts and in your homes the greatest guidance Allah has given — yet we are not doing enough to spread it.

The Man from the Furthest Part of the City

And I want to focus on a particular man that Allah spoke about in the Quran. This man — we do not know his name. Allah did not tell us his name. Yet forever, until the Day of Judgment, his story will be recited. And this is a man that is mentioned in Surah Yasin. No one knows his name. Some scholars try and figure out who he was and which city the story happened in, but Allah did not tell us his name and Allah did not tell us where it happened.

Allah speaks about a community who were misguided, and Allah sent them messengers — two in fact. They denied them, they rejected them, they didn't believe in them. Allah says then He strengthened them with a third messenger. Can you imagine — a city, a town — three messengers were sent to them, and they continued to deny them. "You are lying," they said. They refused to believe in the message.

Now I want you to imagine living in that town, and I want you to imagine knowing there are three messengers present. You will probably feel: "I am not needed. I am not needed. If they are not listening to the messengers, what is my role? What can I do? I am just a regular person."

Allah tells us that as they were going back and forth with this community, from the furthest part of the city a man came running. What is his business? What does he want? He wants to save the people. He wants their guidance. Some of the narrations mention that he was a sick man — he did not have much energy. He wasn't particularly respected. He did not have much authority. He came — and not only did he come just walking, strolling — he came running. What is the urgency? He wants to save his community.

And he said: "O my people, follow the messengers!" He wasn't calling to himself. The only reason he is there is to ensure that the people follow the guidance — follow those that are not asking you for anything. And the scholars draw a benefit from this, because Allah often would instruct the messengers that when they are calling to Islam, they should tell the people: "By the way, I have no other motive. I don't want any money from you." Because when people realize that you have no other motive, no other agenda, except goodness and guidance for them, they are more likely to receive the message. "They are guided, they are upon the truth — they can provide you a life that will give you guidance in this world and Jannah in the hereafter. Follow the messengers."

And then he spoke to them. He didn't think, "Why should I speak?" He didn't even worry about the consequences. A people that not only refused and rejected three messengers — they threatened to kill those messengers. "O messengers," they said to them, "if you do not stop, we will kill you, we will stone you to death, we will give you a painful punishment." A people that refused their messengers, that rejected them, that threatened these messengers — and he came all the way from the other side of the town to speak to those dangerous people. And he continued admonishing them and calling them.

His Reward: Jannah

What happened to him, my brothers and sisters? Allah speaks to us about this man whom we are now talking about ages after he lived — and forever until Qiyam al-Sa'ah we will be reciting his story. How special is he in the eyes of Allah? They killed him. They killed him — they stomped him to death. He could have stayed home, but they killed him. And then Allah tells us what happened afterwards — he was told: "Enter into Jannah!" And when he saw the bliss and the joy and the pleasure of Allah and his maqam in Jannah, he was still thinking about his people:

"Oh, I wish my people knew! Oh, how I wish my people knew — how my Lord has forgiven me and has made me among the honored ones." Even after death, he was thinking about his people.

Now I ask you this question, my brothers and sisters: what drove him? He wasn't a messenger, he wasn't a prophet. What drove him out of his house? What made him rush? What made him speak? It was a sense of responsibility to call to Islam — a sense of responsibility to share this beautiful message. It is this responsibility that we all have to share. It is this responsibility, this passion, this need to guide others. There are no other messengers coming. It is our responsibility.

I say this to you and I ask Allah forgiveness for me and you and for the rest of the Muslims from every sin — so ask His forgiveness. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Second Part of the Khutbah: How to Give Da'wah

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. My beloved brothers and sisters, the responsibility of da'wah is something that is upon all of us. And one immediately may worry and say: "But Sheikh, I do not have much knowledge. How am I going to spread the word? How am I going to call to Islam? I have not studied much."

And to that I say to you: you teach and you spread what you know. You can hold a conversation with anybody about Islam. You talk about Allah — that He is the only one worthy of worship. You talk about Islam. You talk about prayer. You talk about what you know: being dutiful to your parents, the importance of giving charity. There is so much about Islam that you do know that you can share.

Now it is your responsibility to ensure to never speak about something you have no knowledge of — and this is why it is important that you understand: you are responsible for what you know, and you should spread it. But you are not held accountable for what you don't know. In fact, you are held accountable if you delve into things that you have no knowledge of — and that is also your responsibility. But become callers to Islam. Become callers to Islam.

Start with your own home. Start with your own children. It is not the madrasa teacher's job to guide your children — it is not their job, full stop. You are responsible for your children. You are responsible for your neighbourhood. And you have to have this sense of responsibility. And da'wah comes in various forms. You can give da'wah to your fellow Muslims — to ensure those that don't pray start praying, those that consume intoxicants stop consuming intoxicants, those that are littering the streets and causing issues — that you advise them and you warn them, those that are not wearing hijab — ensure that you speak to them about it. It could be that you are calling your fellow co-workers, your fellow neighbours that aren't Muslim, and you call to them about Islam — the beauty and the justice of لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ.

The Example of Prophet Yusuf in Prison

Whatever capacity — look at Prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, when he was in prison. When he was in prison, two other prisoners — Allah tells us — joined him in that jail. And as he was in there, they asked him to interpret dreams. He used that opportunity to spread the message of Tawheed. He used that opportunity immediately — telling them: "I follow the faith of my father and his father and my great-grandfather Ibrahim" — and he told them about Tawheed, the right of Allah to be worshipped alone. And then he asked them: "Is it better to worship many deities that are false gods, or the one worthy of worship?" He proceeded to call them to Islam first, then interpret their dreams.

You will get opportunities similar to that. Sisters — why do you wear hijab? What is this all about? Especially now, what's going on in the world — there is a lot of opportunity to open up conversations. Let's all become callers to Islam.

Every Effort Counts

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was sent as a mercy to mankind — all of mankind. But the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself never left the peninsula. He never came to Europe. He never went to Africa. So that mercy to mankind — how is it going to be spread? By his followers. And wallahi, the Sahaba and the Tabi'een and those that came after did such a good job.

And I don't want you to just think: "Well, how am I going to become like the companions or the Tabi'een or the great scholars?" Imam al-Shafi'i was a great scholar, but does anyone know who taught him Alif Ba Ta? Or who taught him the Mu'awwidhatain and the Fatiha? Not everybody is someone whose name will be remembered — but Allah will remember your efforts, even if they are small. Allah will bless it. You could be crucial for someone's guidance. You could be that voice that they hear that makes them start praying. You could be that person that they see standing up for justice, that they then want to imitate.

There are so many people entering into Islam every single day. I say it in this masjid — and wallahi, the brothers and sisters that bring us those rewards, they're not scholars. They're just regular people like everyone that's in this masjid, but they were willing to have that conversation. They had the courage to speak to that person. They had an eagerness to spread the message. I know one young man that regularly comes here — I think he's at his what, 14, 15 — people have entered Islam because of him. I honestly get surprised. "What is your secret?" I say to him. "Ya Sheikh, wallahi, I just speak to them. I just speak to them." Look at the barakah. Look at the barakah.

A Message from Our Brothers in Gaza

And I don't want to miss out on making du'a and remembering our beloved brothers and sisters in Gaza — may Allah aid them, may Allah ease their suffering. But I want to share with you what one Palestinian brother said. He was asked: "What are some of the best ways we can help you?" And he said: "Those among you that are all over the world — one of the best ways you can help us is by spreading the message of Islam, by calling to Islam." And you might wonder: "Well, how is that going to help you right now?" But wallahi, that is such a deep way of thinking. The more people that understand Islam, the more people become just. The more people become just, the less they tolerate injustice. Spread Islam — for in it is our salvation, and everybody's salvation.

Closing Du'a

Barakallahu fikum. I ask Allah to forgive our sins. I ask Allah to forgive our sins and to have mercy upon us and upon the entire Muslim ummah. Ameen.