Islam: A Complete Way of Life - Shaykh Wasim Kempson

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

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

"O you who have believed, fear Allah and say the right words. He will amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great victory."

Indeed, all praise and thanks is due to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His final Messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

The Prophet's Deep Care for His Ummah

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us in the Quran, in Surah at-Tawbah:

"There has certainly come to you a messenger from amongst your own selves. It is grievous to him that any harm would come to you, and he is to the believers kind and merciful."

This particular verse is in Surah at-Tawbah, the ninth chapter of the Quran. Surah at-Tawbah represents some of the last revelation in the latter part of the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — it is not early revelation.

This particular verse, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala informs us that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has a great care for his ummah. And not only a great care, but also that it causes him distress that any harm may come to the believers. So what did the Prophet alayhi salatu wa salam do? How did he react with his companions? What did he teach his companions alayhi salatu wa salam to show concern for them? Moreover, what did the Prophet alayhi salatu wa salam do and say — not just concerning his own followers, but the followers that may come in the future?

There are a couple of narrations in which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam speaks with reference to people who will believe in him but do not see him. On one occasion, the Prophet alayhi salatu wa sallam asked the companions about who they would consider the most complete in iman, or who has the most amazing iman. They replied that perhaps it was the mala'ikah, or the prophets.

But the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — and some of the ulema have graded this hadith hasan — said that the ones with the most amazing iman are the people who believe in him and never saw him.

So the concern of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was for his own companions, the best of people — but the concern also extended to those who came after. Our love for the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is based upon many, many things. But if you know and are aware of what the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said — warning his people, guiding his people to that which was the truth, clarifying falsehood and so on — and that this advice was there for us to follow — then there are times in our lives where following that guidance, we see what a great advice it was, and how deep and real that concern was, and how much love the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had for his companions.

The Warning Against Innovation

So when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4607; also recorded in Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2676)

"Be aware of newly invented matters. For every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is a path to the Hellfire."

If you just contemplate the meaning of this one narration — here the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is warning us about tampering with the religion. Tampering, meaning that you are going to add things to it — that somehow you are going to beautify it even more — or possibly that you will take things away because you don't think it is applicable or applies anymore.

A Perfect and Complete Religion

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed on Yawm al-Arafah:

"Today I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion."

This religion is perfect. You don't need to add anything. You don't need to take anything away. But throughout time, in an environment that may become detached — or drifts away from being a religious people — there are many places where people are becoming detached from the deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And people are moving towards atheism — a life without a Creator.

And if Muslims are living in such a society, in such an environment, no doubt they will be impacted by these thoughts and these ideologies. Not necessarily for a generation to whom it perhaps doesn't affect as deeply — but the youth and the shabab will have these doubts thrown at them in their schools and at different levels of education.

So the Prophet alayhi salatu wa sallam gave us everything that we need to protect ourselves — from falling into, bi'idhnillahi ta'ala, dangerous matters that will take us away from the path of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Islam's Guidance in All Situations — The Example of Drought

The concern of the Prophet alayhi salatu wa sallam for his ummah was something very real and something very practical — things that maybe even the Muslim doesn't really think about too much. Something that you can ask and reflect upon right now.

You ask: what is the cause of the drought that this country is currently going through — the hosepipe bans and so on? Why is there a drought? If you ask the majority of the youth, their answer will be: global warming. The world is heating up, and this is due to our dealings with the environment.

That would be the first answer. But from an Islamic perspective, how do we look at the situation? Do we reject science? We Muslims do not reject realities. But does the Muslim have a different perspective? Did Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala teach us something else? Did the Prophet alayhi salatu wa sallam teach us something else? Were there droughts at the time of the Prophet alayhi salatu wa sallam? Yes, there were.

The Sahabah radiyallahu anhum came to the Prophet alayhi salatu wa sallam suffering from drought, their crops scorched. What was the first thing to do? The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam raised his hands and made du'a. Because who is the one who sends the rain? Who is the one who withholds the rain? It is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And perhaps droughts are — sabab dhunub — a consequence of our sins.

So the Muslim, at all times and in all situations, has Islam giving guidance concerning that matter. And in such situations — because maybe the Muslim says, "We are living amongst disbelievers, and they are living in sin, and this is why this is happening" — even with this Islamic understanding, if you are living amongst that, amidst widespread disbelief and ilhad and atheism — do you not fear for yourself and the consequences of that?

So when situations like this occur, the Muslim looks within themselves and asks: what does Islam say? What guidance was given to us concerning these matters? Because maybe a person grows up and is nurtured in such a way that world events and world phenomena are seen as having no attachment to the deen — as if Islam has no guidance on such matters. As if Islam is something that you only do in the masjid, or that you only pray at home. And now we are talking about science, and there is no such thing as Islam giving us guidance on that matter.

Not necessarily the reason for it, or a clarification of scientific issues — because the Quran is a book of hidayah — but retrospectively, within ourselves: perhaps it is because of our sins, because of our behaviour, that we need to turn back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and ask for His forgiveness. That He will send down the rain to us. That He will return our situation and rectify it to be better.

And this is how the teachings of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — when we look at them — represent the concern that was given to us, for his nation and the nations that came after. And this is how Islam is a way of life. It is a practical way of life. It is something that you can refer to in all situations in your life. And it is not for us to merely relegate it to certain places and instances — only on a Friday, or only in the masjid, going for a dars and so on.

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to guide us to the truth and allow us to remain firm upon it.

Closing — Second Part of the Khutbah

"He recites to them His verses and purifies them and teaches them the Book and wisdom."