Their Masks Came Off - Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

Their Masks Came Off

Praise be to Allah, we praise Him, ask for His help, and ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, none can misguide him. Whom He misguides, none can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, and the purest of His creation, and His friend.

Allah has sent him to all people as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. He conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust, and advised the Ummah, and left us on the white carpet — its night is like its day, nothing departs from it except destruction. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him and his family and companions, and whoever is guided by his guidance, and follows his Sunnah, and calls to his call until the Day of Recompense.

My beloved brothers and sisters, I start by praising Allah Almighty, and sending blessings and salutations upon our beloved Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him. I ask Allah to guide us to that which is upright and true.

Going Back to the Qur'an in Times of Calamity

My brothers and sisters, as we all know, what is happening in Gaza and in Palestine is something that truly pains us all. And whenever calamities happen to Muslims — whether they were a few weeks ago when we were seeing earthquakes and floods, or we are now seeing our brothers and sisters being slaughtered, or any other calamity that befalls the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him — whether those are personal calamities, or collective ones, or communal ones, or ones that we are all witnessing across the Ummah — there is always one thing that we have to do, which is go back to Allah and go back to the Qur'an for guidance.

What are you meant to do? Why is it happening? What is the solution? When will victory come? Any of these questions — we have to go back to Allah and His Messenger, we have to go back to the Qur'an. This is a time where we all should be running back to the words of Allah for guidance. This is where we will find all the answers.

This is not the first time an evil entity is slaughtering babies. Allah speaks about those in the Qur'an. Or have you forgotten about the story of Ashab al-Ukhdud? Or have you forgotten about Fir'aun and how he was killing and murdering babies — for years and years and years? This is not something new. And for every time you had people committing injustices and evil, you had those that were upon the truth. All of that is found in the Qur'an.

And I want to use this khutbah, this opportunity, to reflect upon certain ayahs in the Qur'an that can allow us to make sense of what is happening, and perhaps give us guidance — for the best guidance is the one from Allah. The best speech is the speech of Allah. And I also want us to get into the habit: whenever something happens, what does Allah say? What did the Prophet, peace be upon him, say? That should be your go-to place for guidance and understanding.

The Story of Ashab al-Ukhdud — True Victory

Let's start with Ashab al-Ukhdud. Allah speaks about it in Surah al-Buruj. And this surah is quite powerful. And the story of Ashab al-Ukhdud is quite powerful. You have a people that were being burnt alive — not too dissimilar from what we are seeing on our screens. An evil tyrant king chose to kill the believers. They dug trenches and were putting them into the fire.

Now, to the onlookers, it looks like clearly the winners were the ones that were putting the people in the ditches, and the losers were the ones that were dying and burning. Similarly, now, one could think: well, those that are dropping the bombs are clearly the winners, and those on whom the bombs are being dropped are clearly the losers.

But when Allah speaks about the believers — Allah mentions that those that did this to the Muslims, the people of the ditch, they ended up in the Hellfire. They were the true losers. And when Allah spoke about the believers, Allah mentions:

That is truly the great victory. The ones that were thrown into the fire by this evil tyrant were the victorious ones — because where are they going to end up? They are going to end up in Jannat al-Na'im. And wallahi, those that are losing their lives in the most blessed of lands — they are winning. They are victorious.

When people say, "When will victory come?" — I ask you a simple question. Hamza ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, the uncle of the Prophet, peace be upon him, who was killed in Uhud as a shaheed — would you not consider him victorious? Wallahi, he was victorious. Did he witness the victory of Rasulullah? Did he witness the conquest of Makkah? Did he witness the Ummah and Islam flourishing? No, he did not. But personally, he was victorious. So we have to sometimes rethink what victory means.

Allah promises victory to the believers. Allah promises it eventually. But as Muslims, we have to be akhirah-centric — that we do not look only at the dunya. And Allah has great wisdoms for His Ummah and for His creation.

Allah Sees the Oppressors — Justice Will Come

When Fir'aun was killing young boys, Allah was watching him. And that does not mean that Allah condones it. Rather, he is the worst of the worst, and he will have the worst of punishment. He was the worst of people. But there was a period of time where he was in power, and Allah allowed him to do what he did. And Allah teaches us why He sometimes allows the evil to continue.

Do not think it is goodness in them — Allah allows them to continue. All the people that were killed unjustly, Allah sees. And we have to have a wider picture. That means we do not only focus on the dunya, but we think about the akhirah. When Allah promises us that no injustice will ever be let go — every single child, man, and woman that has been killed by these evil people, Allah sees it and will not let it go. But it does not mean immediately.

How did the end of Fir'aun come about? It took time. Allah decreed that the prophet who would bring about the end of his evil, tyranny, and injustice would be raised in his very home. Allah decreed that his eventual defeat would come — but it did not come immediately.

Which is why we must believe that justice will be served. The Ummah will be victorious. And as we know this and believe this with yaqeen, Allah says in the Qur'an:

Indeed, the victory from Allah is close. But we sometimes have to look at our own personal victory. Because the Ummah's victory is promised — what will be your role in it? What will be your role in the spreading of goodness and truth and justice?

So the first ayah I want to reflect upon: although the people of the ditch were killed and burnt, Allah considered them to have achieved a great victory. The second ayah:

And do not think that Allah is unaware of what the oppressors are doing. Allah is delaying them until a day where they will stare in horror.

Victory and Defeat Alternate — Lessons from Uhud

Also, my brothers and sisters, as Muslims and as believers, we are not promised that we will always be victorious, always be winning, always be safe, always be secure. This is not a package that you have been promised. In the battle of Uhud, when the Muslims were dealt a heavy blow, the munafiqeen were saying, "See, we told you that you cannot defeat Quraysh." They came with a very defeatist mentality. But Allah taught us a lesson — many lessons from Uhud that you will find in Surah Ali 'Imran. Allah mentions that victory and defeat is alternated between people and ummahs, and it is not necessarily something that only believers will have.

Allah mentions some of the wisdoms behind this — that Allah wants to reveal the true believers among us. The true faith, patience, and trust that we see in our brothers and sisters in Gaza right now. Wallahi, the amount of iman that you see in those videos — a man that lost all of his family, saying alhamdulillah, praising Allah Almighty. Allah sometimes chooses some of His Ummah to be honored with martyrdom and shahada. That is an honor. Allah chooses to honor some of His servants with shahada — that is the wisdom behind it.

And we have to remember that those whom Allah honors with shahada are still alive. Wallahi, they are in a better state than us. We know this. Allah is just. Allah is merciful. Every young child that dies is from Jannah. Every man and adult woman that is killed unjustly — they are there in that blessed land. As these evil people are killing them, I want you to remember that they have their own personal victory.

I want you to think back to Sumayyah and 'Ammar in Makkah — when they were killed. They never saw a victorious Ummah. All they knew was Muslims that were oppressed — but they had victory. Once you understand this, my brothers and sisters, you understand that Allah has great wisdoms for the Ummah, and great wisdoms for His creation.

Although we are saddened and hurt by what is happening, I want you to have good thoughts of Allah. Have husn al-dhann of Allah. Remember: Allah's promise is true. Allah told us that sometimes He will choose among His servants for them to be honored with shahada — which means they will be killed. Allah told us that victory and defeat will alternate between people, not just for the Muslims. Allah told us that sometimes He allows the evildoers to continue their evil, to increase their punishment on the Day of Judgment. And Allah told us:

If You Support Allah's Cause, He Will Support You

Another ayah that I want to reflect upon, my brothers and sisters, is the saying of Allah:

If you show support to the cause of Allah, then Allah will support you and give you victory. This is for all of us. As long as we are indulging in sins, as long as we are indulging in evil, as long as we are oppressing each other, as long as we are not repenting to Allah, as long as we are not filling the masajid, as long as we are not becoming the believers we are meant to be — how can we expect victory from Allah?

إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ — this means that each one of us has an obligation to be the best believer they can be. Yes, your personal sins can be the reason for the calamities on the Ummah. You not repenting could be the reason. Similarly, your worship, your du'a, and your sadaqah can be the reason for the Ummah's victory.

It has been narrated from the people of Musa, peace be upon him, that Allah tested them with a drought — a drought that affected everyone, the animals and the people. Musa, peace be upon him, took the people out and they asked Allah for rain. Allah said: "Among you is someone who has never repented from sin, who has always been sinful." The rain was stopped because of that one man — until Musa, peace be upon him, spoke to the people and said, "Repent to Allah." And that man repented privately, and then rain started gushing.

If you still feel free to sin after what you see, remember that your sins are holding the Ummah back. And your ibadah can push the Ummah forward. Your repentance can push the Ummah forward. So yes — إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ. We have to change.

How long are we going to be people that are indulging in entertainment and social media and sin and fraud and all of this — and then be upset when the Ummah is in the peril it is in? What personal changes have you made?

The Believers Are One Body

My brothers and sisters, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said in a hadith that the believers are like one body:

This hadith is often mentioned — several times it has been cited from this minbar. You all know this hadith. And you all know that this is a fact. But I want you to use this hadith and look at yourself. If someone harms you today in any part of your body, all night you cannot sleep from the pain. Do you feel the same way for the Ummah of the Prophet, peace be upon him? Do you actually feel that pain?

Because if you don't, then that says something about your iman. If they have become statistics and numbers to you, then you need to have another look at your iman. Because if you don't feel the pain, if you're not worried, if you're not hurt, if you don't feel it — then that hadith is not applicable to you. So that hadith is not only informing us that the believers are like one body, but the question is: do you actually feel that way? And if you do, then what are you doing about it?

The Mask Came Off — This World Needs Islam

Finally, my brothers and sisters, I want to highlight an important point. And that is that this world needs Islam. Wallahi, this world needs Islam. Because I'm not sure if you have realized — the mask came off. The mask came off. Those that were the champions of human rights. Those that claimed to be the champions of civility and decency. You realize that it is just selective. It is selective. When it suits them, they are the champions of human rights. They will talk about innocent killings. And when it does not suit them, they won't.

As opposed to us — as opposed to the believers — when Allah tells us to stand up for justice, it does not matter what type of justice it is. And again, it is injustice no matter who is committing it. Allah told us:

Even if it is on your own self — stand up for truth and justice, no matter who is being killed. That is Islam. But these people, they do not have Islam. They do not have Islam. So they do not have a foundation of morality. They are morally bankrupt. And they lie when they tell you they care about human rights and human decency.

And what we need to tell them is: you need Islam. To learn how to look at human beings — not as animals. Because that is how they look at our Palestinian brothers and sisters. They are literally saying it. The mask came off. They used to lie to us. And I say, shame on us as believers to ever have considered them more than what they actually are.

Are they not the ones that committed genocides before? Have we forgotten what they have done in Algeria? Have you forgotten the millions they killed in Iraq? Have we forgotten what they have done to themselves — what they did to the Jews in Germany? What they have done to the Native Americans in America? These people are teaching us about human rights? Keep your suits and your talking points. Keep it.

We have لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. For us, children's lives matter. Human lives matter. Black lives matter. Everyone's life matters. Because Allah says:

Those morals, those values that we have come from the Qur'an. It is not something a few people agreed on, applying it when they want and ignoring it when they don't. Thank Allah for giving you a set of values and morals that are consistent — that come from the divine — that you are able to look at people being killed with rahmah. Because wallahi, that comes from Allah. Wallahi, that comes from Allah.

And when you see someone who cannot condemn, cannot look, cannot feel hurt, cannot have common sense — speaking like robots — when you see them, remember that Allah has taken from them that which He has given you: which is iman and faith. And that is what they need.

So yes, the world needs Islam. And without Islam, all these genocides will keep on happening. Without Islam, all these killings will keep on happening — because they are void of morality. Don't ever think that they have any morality. Wallahi, they don't. They are liars.

So I am calling upon all of those that are listening: come to us. We will teach you what human life means. When our Prophet, peace be upon him — yes, even in war — would tell his Sahaba: do not kill an innocent person. When we are told you cannot take a land that does not belong to you, no matter what their faith is — Allah will judge you for it. Do not touch the children. Do not touch the women. Do not touch the men in their places of worship. From combatant to combatant — if it were for Islam, science would not be used to create bombs and poison, because that is prohibited. This is the beauty of Islam.

Mankind Needs the Divine Book

A final point I want to make: Allah, when He created us, told us something about ourselves — that mankind in essence is zalum and jahul: we transgress, and we are ignorant. Then Allah gave us a Book that limits us and allows us to be upon the right path. As long as humanity does not accept لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ and the divine Book that came from Allah, we will continue seeing these atrocities.

So let us use this opportunity to give as much da'wah as possible and teach the people what true values really are — not these hypocritical values that are sometimes cited and other times ignored.

I ask Allah to forgive our shortcomings and our sins. I ask Allah to aid our brothers and sisters wherever they may be — especially those brothers and sisters that are in al-Quds, in Palestine, in Gaza.