Those Who Are Cursed by Allah (with Sign Language) - Shaykh Zakaullah Saleem

Khutbah Opening

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

The Names Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, amongst the beautiful names and attributes of Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram are the names and the attributes that are very often repeated — the names and the attributes of Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram that we repeat on a daily basis. In fact, every single Muslim is obliged to repeat those beautiful names and attributes of Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram every single day.

Amongst those beautiful names and attributes of Allah are the two important ones: Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim. Whenever we start reciting a surah from the Quran, we read بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ — In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent. And then in every single rak'ah of our salah we read Surah Al-Fatiha, and the second verse of Surah Al-Fatiha is الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ.

Allah has chosen these two beautiful names and attributes of His for us to repeat every single day, and there is great wisdom in this. What we can understand is that Allah wants us to be connected to Him and to have a strong hope in His mercy by repeating these names and attributes on a daily basis. It revives the hope within our hearts every single day that our Lord, our Creator, our Sustainer is Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim — He is the Most Merciful — so we always have hope in the mercy of Allah.

It is a part of our Iman, our belief and faith, that we must have hope in the mercy of Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram. In fact, your Iman cannot be complete if you do not have hope in the mercy of Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram.

Two Elements of Demonstrating Hope in Allah's Mercy

Having hope in the mercy of Allah requires some actions and some deeds. The hope in the mercy of Allah must be demonstrated through our actions and deeds, and there are two elements of this demonstration.

The first one is that we perform good deeds and acts that Allah or His Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ has ordered us or recommended to us — so we perform good deeds in order to seek the pleasure and the mercy of Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram. It is a sign that we have hope in His mercy: we perform Salah having hope in the mercy of Allah, we fast during the month of Ramadan hoping in the mercy of Allah, we are kind and gentle towards the creation of Allah having hope that He showers His mercy upon us.

But there is another element which is harder and more difficult than the first one, and it is to refrain from any and every act and deed that displeases Allah — any act, any deed, any sin that can lead us to be deprived from the mercy of Allah. This second element is harder to be acted upon than the first one.

Performing good deeds — praying five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan, giving in charity, reading Quran, making dua and dhikr of Allah — all of these acts of worship demonstrate our hope in the mercy of Allah. But at the same time we have to refrain, we have to avoid, we have to stay away from every single act, from every single sin that Allah has forbidden us from. This second element is very, very important because Allah has mentioned this in the Quran and our Nabi صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ has also explained it explicitly and clearly in many of his ahadith.

Deprivation from the mercy of Allah is called la'na — a curse. While we perform good deeds in order to seek the pleasure and the mercy of Allah, we must refrain from committing sins, and especially the sins and the acts against which the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ has warned us. He has informed us that if you commit these sins, then you can possibly be deprived from the mercy of Allah — which is called la'na.

The Hadith: Four Major Sins That Bring Allah's Curse

In today's khutbah I would like to highlight and mention only one hadith of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ in which he has forbidden us from four major sins. The person who commits all of these or one of these can be deprived from the mercy of Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram — in other words, he is cursed by Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram.

This hadith is reported by Imam Muslim on the authority of Ali ibn Abi Talib رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ. A student of Ali ibn Abi Talib by the name of Abu Tufail says: we asked Ali, "Can you please inform us of something that the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ has taught you secretly?" Ali replied: "The Prophet did not teach me anything secretly that he had concealed from other people, but I can tell you one hadith of the Prophet that I always remember." And then Ali ibn Abi Talib reported this hadith of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 22, Hadith 1978)

"May Allah's curse be upon the one who slaughters for other than Allah. May Allah's curse be upon the one who shelters and protects an innovator. May Allah's curse be upon the one who changes the boundaries of the land. May Allah's curse be upon the one who curses his own parents."

The First Sin: Slaughtering for Other Than Allah

Allah's curse, Allah's la'na, be upon the one who slaughters an animal for other than Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram. Slaughtering an animal — a cow, sheep, camel, or any animal, even the smallest animal — for the sake of other than Allah is an act of shirk. And as we know as Muslims:

There is no sin bigger or greater than committing shirk with Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram.

Let me tell you explicitly and clearly — it is not the practice of non-Muslims only, those who do not believe in Allah, those who do not believe in the tawhid of Allah. Unfortunately, this is an act of shirk that is committed by the vast majority of Muslims around the globe. You slaughter an animal — a cow, sheep, goat, or any animal — for Abdul Qadir Jilani, the one that people usually call Ghawth Al-A'zam — the biggest and greatest helper — whereas we as Muslims and believers should believe that there is no greater helper than Allah.

Slaughtering an animal for the sake of Abdul Qadir Jilani, or slaughtering an animal in the name of Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمْ, or sacrificing an animal for the sake of Fatima al-Zahra رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا, or slaughtering an animal for the sake of Ja'far al-Sadiq — these are all acts of shirk.

Some people slaughter an animal or cook food and give it in charity for the sake of Abdul Qadir Jilani. Some of the people do this every single month on the 11th of the lunar month — that which is known amongst the Asian people as Gyarween Sharif. This is an act of clear shirk. But unfortunately, we have seen people — not scholars — who try to justify this act of shirk by saying: "We slaughter the animal for Abdul Qadir Jilani in order to give the reward — Isal-e-Sawab — to his spirit and soul." And we say, Wallahi, it is a deception and a lie.

You do not encourage people to slaughter an animal for the sake of Allah; rather, you encourage people to slaughter the animal for the sake of Abdul Qadir Jilani, believing that if you slaughter an animal for him, then he can protect you, grant you safety and security, resolve your issues and problems, assist you and help you — that is why you call him Al-Ghawth Al-A'zam. Do not deceive people. You promote the acts of shirk and then you try to justify them with evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah of Rasulullah — which is an even greater sin.

So slaughtering an animal for other than Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram is an act of shirk — even if you slaughter an animal for the sake of our beloved Nabi Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, who is the most beloved to Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram amongst His creation — then it is still an act of shirk. You cannot slaughter any animal for other than Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram.

And there is another ruling attached to this: if you are presented with or offered food or an animal that has been sacrificed or slaughtered for other than Allah, then such food is haram. It is not permissible for you to consume it. This is mentioned in the Quran. Allah has said in Surah Al-Baqarah, Surah Al-Ma'idah, Surah An-Nahl, and Surah Al-An'am as well:

Allah has forbidden upon you: the dead animal, the blood, the flesh of swine, and whatever is slaughtered for other than Allah — it is haram.

Some of the Mufassirun have said in the tafsir of these ayat that Allah has mentioned all four things in a specific order in every one of these ayat: the first is the dead animal, the second is blood, the third is the flesh of swine, and the fourth is مَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ — the animal that is sacrificed for other than Allah. Some of the Mufassirun have said that this order shows the severity of these sins — eating a dead animal is haram, but the second is a bigger haram than the first, consuming blood is a bigger sin than consuming the dead animal, eating the flesh of swine is greater than the first two, and the fourth — مَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ — is worse and greater in sin than eating dead animal, blood, or the flesh of swine combined.

The Second Sin: Protecting and Defending an Innovator

May Allah's curse be upon the one who protects, grants security and safety to, and accommodates the innovator — al-mubtadi' — the one who introduces, commits, or promotes innovations and bid'at in the religion of Allah. The one who supports him, protects him, and defends him — may Allah's curse be upon that person.

The word mentioned in this hadith — مُحْدِثًا — can be understood and translated in three different ways. First, مُحْدِثًا means the one who introduces, commits, and promotes innovation and bid'at. The second meaning is also a criminal — the one who causes mischief and fasad in the land, and you protect him, support him, defend him, and even go to court and testify on his behalf in order for him to be saved from punishment — this is a form of protection. لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ آوَى مُحْدِثًا — may Allah's curse be upon the one who protects and defends a criminal.

This word can also be read as مُحْدَثًا — meaning an act of innovation itself. Rather than admitting that he has committed a bid'ah, the person tries to justify it, protect it, and defend it. لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ آوَى مُحْدَثًا — may Allah's curse be upon the one who not only introduces or acts upon an innovation, but who protects and defends it.

As a believer, your love should be for the Sunnah of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, and you must hate the bid'ah and innovations in the deen, in the religion of Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram. As the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 2042)

The worst of matters are the innovations in the religion of Allah Dhul-Jalal Al-Ikram. Do whatever the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ has ordered or commanded you to do, and refrain from anything and everything that the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ never did. There is no goodness in any act that you consider an act of worship if the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ has not proved it.

The Third Sin: Changing the Boundaries of the Land

The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says: may Allah's curse be upon the one who changes the boundaries of the lands and the earth. This can be explained in various ways. One of them — and unfortunately I can say this based on my experience, particularly amongst our Asian people — is that you try to take over the land of one of your relatives or neighbors by changing the boundaries of your land. This is something that happens a lot in our home countries in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and elsewhere: you have a land, and next to yours is the land of someone else, and you try to shift the boundary and take over a few feet of another person's land.

Another narration of this hadith is also reported by Imam Muslim, in which the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 22, Hadith 1978)

May Allah's curse be upon the one who steals the signposts of the land. When you walk on the road, you have signposts, and unfortunately we find some people — we shall say gangsters — who try to change the signposts, destroy them, damage them, or vandalize them. This is an act of major sin in the religion of Islam. Damaging the property of the public and changing the signposts is a major sin.

The Fourth Sin: Cursing One's Own Parents

May Allah's curse be upon the one who curses his own parents. نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ.

For us living in this century, in this age and time, this is something that is not difficult to understand, because we have heard many accounts and probably every single one of us knows someone around us who commits this sin — the one who curses his own parents. But for the companions of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, it was something very strange and surprising, and they asked the Prophet a question:

"O Messenger of Allah, how is it possible that a person swears at his own parents? We cannot understand this!" The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ explained:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5973; Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 146)

A person curses and swears at the father of someone else, and the other person swears at his father and his mother in return — then the first person is blameworthy for this sin, because he caused that person to swear at his parents.

This is something that the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ explained to his companions for them to understand. But unfortunately, we have in our society and community those criminal children who curse their own parents, who shout at them, and who forget that this is one of the most major sins in the religion of Allah. May Allah's curse be upon the one who curses his parents.

If you are a true believer, then you must be acting upon the ayah of the Quran, upon the commandment of Allah, in Surah Al-Isra, in which Allah says:

Your Lord has decreed and ordered you that you worship none other than Him, and you must be kind and gentle towards your parents. If both of your parents or one of them reaches old age while you are alive, you are not allowed to even say one smallest word of disrespect to them — even the word أُفٍّ — even if your father or mother says something to you and you reply with this, it is not permissible in the religion of Allah, because the rights of the parents are great. Do not shout at them; speak to them with kindness and gentleness.

And in the next ayah, Allah has ordered every single one of us to make dua for our parents:

"O Allah, shower Your mercy upon my parents as they raised me when I was small." And there is no exception in this — whether your parents are believers or non-believers, whether they are on the right path or the wrong path. Yes, there is another ruling: if they pass away in the state of shirk and kufr, you cannot make dua for their forgiveness — but while they are alive, you should ask Allah to shower mercy upon them.

Instead of making dua for them, if you curse them, swear at them, shout at them, disobey them, and hurt them — this is a major sin.

Summary of the Four Sins

Let me repeat the hadith again:

• May Allah's curse be upon the one who slaughters for other than Allah.
• May Allah's curse be upon the one who protects and defends an innovator or the acts of innovation.
• May Allah's curse be upon the one who changes the boundaries of the land, or the one who steals the signposts.
• May Allah's curse be upon the one who curses and swears at his parents.

May Allah enable us to refrain from all these major sins. May Allah shower His mercy upon us. May Allah allow us to do and perform the deeds that please Him, and may Allah give us tawfiq and ability to understand His religion.