The Status Of Refugees In Islam - Sheikh Aqeel Mahmood

Khutbah al-Jumu'ah — Opening

Alhamdulillah, 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, and 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 Messenger.

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 your Lord, Who created you from one soul, and He created from it a wife, and He spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah, whom you ask about, and the wombs. Verily, Allah is ever watching over you.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say a firm word. Verily, He will amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great triumph.

As for what comes next — the best speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ. And the worst of things are its innovations, and every innovation is a newly-invented matter, and every newly-invented matter is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

The Greatest Refugees in History

Now, some time ago, many men, women and children were forced to flee their homes. They were forced to flee the lands where they grew up. And they were forced to leave everything behind. Some of them were forced to leave their own family members behind. Some of them were forced to leave all of their wealth behind — to the extent that they had nothing with them. Some of them left with just the clothes on their back. Leaving the places where they grew up and the places they called their homes. Simply because they worshipped Allah.

I'm not talking, brothers and sisters, about our Syrian refugees. And I'm not talking about the Rohingya Muslims from Burma. But I'm talking about the greatest men who lived on the face of this earth — the ones who left the city of Mecca. They emigrated from the city of Mecca because of their worship of Allah alone. And they had to flee and leave everything behind, and make their way and go and live in a place that was totally alien to them — the land of Medina.

Umm Abdillah and the Softening of Umar's Heart

Brothers and sisters, these Muslims had to leave everything behind. Umm Abdillah, one of the companions, she said: "Me and my husband were preparing to leave the city of Mecca. And we saw Umar (رضي الله عنه). And Umar said to us, 'Where are you going?' And she said, 'We're leaving the city of Mecca because of your persecution. Because of how much you've harmed us. We can't bear this anymore. We have to leave the city of Mecca.'"

And as they were leaving, Umar (رضي الله عنه) looked at them. And he looked at her and said, "May Allah accompany you." And she looked at him, and she thought: this man is one of the staunchest enemies of Islam, yet even he had this softness in his heart at the time. Because he felt sorry for these people who were from Quraysh. They were from the people of Mecca. But they had to leave everything behind because of their worship of Allah.

Some of those people left their homes while their women were pregnant. Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr was one of the first who was born after the hijrah from Mecca to Medina, and he was originally from the city of Mecca itself.

Suhaib al-Rumi — The Man Who Gave Up Everything

Some of those companions left the city of Mecca with no wealth. Suhaib al-Rumi (رضي الله عنه) was a successful businessman, a successful merchant. He made a good living in the city of Mecca. And when he became Muslim and was worshipping Allah, and the announcement was made that they should leave Mecca and go to Medina, the Quraysh stopped him from going. They said, "The money you have, the living you've made — you can't leave now. This wealth belongs to us." So they guarded him to make sure he wouldn't leave and take all their money with him.

One day Suhaib al-Rumi (رضي الله عنه) said: "I waited in the night, and in the middle of the night, I managed to escape. I jumped on a horse, I took a bow and arrow with me, and I escaped the city of Mecca on horseback. And the Quraysh followed me on their horses."

He said: "As I was leaving Mecca, I came to a small hill, and I ascended up the hill. I got off my horse, I took out my bow, and I readied an arrow. And as they approached, I called out to them and said, 'O men of Quraysh — by Allah, you know that I am the best archer from amongst you. And when I aim at something, I never miss that target. By Allah, I'm going to use up all of my arrows, and I'm going to kill as many of you as I can. And when my arrows finish, I'm going to use my sword until I die.'"

The Quraysh stopped. And they said to him: "You're leaving our city. And by Allah, we're not going to let you escape with your life and with the money that you've made in the city of Mecca. You came to Mecca weak and poor, you had nothing. And you've acquired all of this wealth — you can't just leave with it."

So Suhaib al-Rumi said to them: "What if I tell you where this wealth is — where this money is stored — will you leave me then?" So they said, "Yes, we'll leave you." So he told them where the money, his wealth, and his treasures were stored. And when they went to check if he was telling the truth, they saw all of this money, all of his wealth — all the money that he had made from his own blood, sweat and tears.

They went back to Suhaib al-Rumi and said to him: "This horse that you're riding also belongs to us. If you want to go to Medina, you have to give this horse back." So Suhaib al-Rumi (رضي الله عنه) gave them the horse. And he was the only companion who made the hijrah from the city of Mecca to Medina by foot. He walked it from Mecca to Medina, brothers and sisters.

When he arrived in the city of Medina, he saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ looked at him and said to him:

"Your transaction has been fruitful, O Abu Yahya." (Mustadrak al-Hakim, Hadith 5882; Ibn Hisham, Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah)

And Suhaib al-Rumi's face glowed. And he said: "O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, no one has come before me to you. And only Jibreel (عليه السلام) could have told you about this."

Abu Bakr and the Protection of Ibn al-Daghina

These were the companions who left things behind. They left their homes. They left their wealth. Some of them had nothing when they left their homes and their cities. Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه), when he was in the city of Mecca — his homeland — and he was someone who was loved and respected before he accepted Islam. The Quraysh, when he became Muslim, his own tribe disowned him. They said, "We're not going to protect you anymore. This protection that we used to have for you — we're not going to protect you anymore because you're a Muslim now."

And so Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه), now that he's not safe in the city and has no more protection, decides to leave the city of Mecca and go to Medina. And he's preparing his belongings. And Ibn al-Daghina, a man from a different tribe on the outskirts of Mecca, sees him getting ready and preparing his things. And he says to him, "Where are you going, Abu Bakr?" And Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) said that he was leaving the city of Mecca because his own tribe had disowned him. He had no more protection there — it's like not having a visa. You're in a place where there's no security at all. Anyone can do anything at any time and no one is going to help you.

Ibn al-Daghina, who wasn't even a Muslim, said: "Someone like you doesn't migrate or be forced out. You are someone who gives charity to the poor. You keep your ties of kinship. You take care of the orphans and you honor the guest and you help those who are weak." And so Ibn al-Daghina himself offered protection to Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه). He came back to the Quraysh and told them, "He is under my protection." And Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) stayed in Mecca on the condition that he wouldn't recite the Qur'an and pray by the Ka'bah — he'd have to pray in his own home.

So he made an extension of his own home and would pray there and worship Allah and recite aloud. And even then, men, women and children would come and they would listen to the recitation of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) because he would get so emotional. And then the Quraysh went to Ibn al-Daghina and said: "This is causing a fitna, this is causing a problem for us. He's misguiding our men, women and children. They're getting attracted to how he's reciting. So you need to talk to him." And Ibn al-Daghina talks to Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه). And Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) says to him: "I relieve you of your protection of me. And I am satisfied with the protection of Allah."

The Prophet ﷺ Bids Farewell to Mecca

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself had to leave his homeland. He, along with Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه), left simply because they were worshipping Allah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when he left the city of Makkah, before he left — when he was on the outskirts of Makkah — he turned around and he started to talk to the city of Makkah. This is how attached he was to the city of Makkah, brothers and sisters. He's talking to the city of Makkah. And he said:

"By Allah, you are the most beloved land to Allah. And if it wasn't for the fact that I was forced out of you, I would never have left you." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3925; declared Hasan Sahih)

The Ansar — Open Hearts and Open Homes

They left the city of Makkah to a people who had it in them — they had this love. Their hearts and their chests were open. They went to a people who welcomed them with open arms — the Ansar, the helpers of the city of Madinah. And they granted the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the believers — the Muhajirun — protection. And they said: "We'll protect you, O Messenger of Allah, just like — or even more than — we protect our own women and children."

These Muhajirun who came from Makkah, brothers and sisters, weren't the scum of society. They weren't irrelevant. They weren't second-class citizens. They weren't looked down upon. These emigrants, these people who came from another land, were the most loved and respected Muslims on the face of this earth. These Muslims are considered to be the greatest Muslims who ever lived.

Allah talks about these Muslims in the Qur'an and He says:

For the poor emigrants who were expelled from their homes and their wealth, seeking bounty from Allah and His approval, and helping Allah and His Messenger. Those are the ones who are truthful.

And Allah talks about the Muhajirun in other parts of the Qur'an and He says:

The foremost — the first ones to embrace Islam from the Muhajirun and the Ansar, and those who follow them in good — Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Allah.

Allah also praises the Ansar — those who welcomed these men, women and children who came from another land, and never prevented them from coming. They were welcoming. Allah talks about them:

And those who were settled in Al-Madinah and had faith before them — they loved those who emigrated to them. They never had anything in their hearts from the necessities that they needed themselves that they gave to the Muhajirun. Even though they needed those things themselves — the clothing, the money, their homes — they needed these things. They weren't well-off, they weren't rich people. But they gave because they loved them as their Muslim brothers and sisters.

Allah didn't just stop there when praising these greatest living emblems of Islam. Allah also says:

Allah has already forgiven the Prophet ﷺ, and He's forgiven the Muhajirun, and He's forgiven the Ansar.

The Right to Protection and Refuge in Islam

Brothers and sisters, the right to protection and the right to refuge is a legitimate Islamic practice until today. It's something which any Muslim can give to any other person — Muslim or non-Muslim. If I, for example, say this individual is under my protection, no one Islamically can harm that person. Even a child can claim to protect another person and be responsible for another person, even if that person was an adult. And this is from Islam, brothers and sisters.

Al-Abbas Gives Protection to Abu Sufyan

Just before the conquest of Makkah, Al-Abbas, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, met with Abu Sufyan just before they were about to enter the city of Makkah. And he told Abu Sufyan: "Accept Islam. What are you waiting for, O Abu Sufyan?" And he offered to take him to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself, and offered him his own protection.

Abu Sufyan was the leader of the non-Muslims at the time. He was the one causing so many problems. He's the one who was responsible for killing many of the sahaba. So Al-Abbas (رضي الله عنه) said to Abu Sufyan: "Ride with me and we'll go to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ." And Al-Abbas had the riding beast of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. So when he was riding, people recognized it was Al-Abbas. As he made his way through the camp, getting closer and closer to the center, people who saw him recognized him and let him pass — until he came to the campfire of Umar (رضي الله عنه).

And Umar (رضي الله عنه) stood up and recognized Abu Sufyan, even though he was trying to disguise himself. And Umar (رضي الله عنه) said: "Abu Sufyan — the enemy of Allah! Alhamdulillah, all praise to Allah who has brought me to you and has brought you to me — without any protection, without any declaration!" And he was ready to kill Abu Sufyan there and then.

Al-Abbas (رضي الله عنه) said: "He is under my protection." This was the leader of the non-Muslims — surrounded by the army, surrounded by Muslim soldiers getting ready to enter the city of Makkah. One strike of the sword and it would be all over. Yet Umar (رضي الله عنه) did nothing. They went into the tent of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself. And Umar (رضي الله عنه) tried to persuade the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: "Let me kill him right here and now." But the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never agreed. Because he was under the protection of Al-Abbas (رضي الله عنه).

Protection Even for the Polytheist

In Islam, brothers and sisters, a person can give protection even to someone who is a mushrik — even to someone who isn't a believer. Allah says:

And if any of the polytheists — if any of the mushrikun — come to you seeking your protection, then give them protection until they hear the words of Allah. Until you're able to give da'wah to them. Until you're able to soften their hearts to Islam.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ never differentiated between those who are considered to be so-called refugees and other people from other types of statuses or other types of citizens from other societies:

"There is no difference between an Arab and a non-Arab except with taqwa." (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 23489)

Our Responsibility Today

Brothers and sisters, we see today Muslim men, women and children leaving their homes behind simply because they worship Allah. Simply because they used to say لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. And I'm not going to be talking about what certain countries are doing, or how some countries maybe — as some people think or say — are not doing enough or should do more. Because I don't claim to know and understand the decisions that they make in the proper context.

And sometimes we ourselves become very two-faced, and we become very hypocritical, and we have double standards. When a nation or a country does something good, we don't say anything. And when we see — to our own limited capacity — some things that other countries may do which we maybe don't agree with or fully understand, we tend to criticize straight away. Nobody praises Saudi Arabia, for example, when they accept 2.5 million Syrian refugees. I'm not in charge of any country, brothers and sisters, for me to question other countries about their motives and their actions and their intentions. And it would be ignorant of me to criticize why they do the things that they do. I don't run a country. I don't understand what it takes to run a country.

But I want instead, brothers and sisters, to be critical of myself — just like every single one of us should be critical of what we're doing with regards to helping these people. O you who believe, save yourselves first and foremost, and then your families, from the hellfire. How many of us, brothers and sisters, are living in a community, in a neighborhood, where we have people who are living with us who are from other parts of the world? We have poor people living in our communities who are from Eastern Europe, from parts of Eastern Africa or Western Africa, from South Asia, from other parts of the world. They're living in our communities, in our neighborhoods. Yet when we see them, when we hear about them, when we talk about them, we don't say anything except filth. And we treat them like they're rubbish. And we make fun of them — the way that they look, the way that they behave, the way that they act. Muslim or non-Muslim — is this the way a Muslim should behave towards those people who are living in his own community?

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in a hadith:

"He is not from amongst us, the one who calls to (tribalism and) nationalism." (Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 5121)

And he also said: He is not from amongst us — the one who has a full stomach while his neighbor is hungry and is next door to him. And he knows that he's hungry. And he doesn't bother helping him. He doesn't bother looking after him. He doesn't bother treating him like his own family, like he's part of the community.

"He has not believed in me, the one who goes to sleep full while his neighbor beside him is hungry and he knows about it." (Al-Adab al-Mufrad, Hadith 112; Al-Albani graded it Sahih)

Sometimes we talk about things which are happening thousands of miles away when we don't even understand them — and we're not even doing enough to help those communities and those people living in our own communities who are suffering, who have issues, who've got problems. They don't have any money. They don't have any jobs. How many Muslims are there in prisons — our own, from our own communities? What are we doing about those people?

We ourselves — some of us — aren't even from this country. Who are we to go around criticizing those who come from other countries? "These people coming to our countries, taking over our jobs" — we're not even from this country. You have the audacity to go and talk about these people in this way? Remember the blessings of Allah upon you, brothers and sisters.

"Allah will help the slave as long as the slave helps his (fellow Muslim) brother." (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2699)

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the noblest of prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and upon his family and all his companions.

We were talking about how the greatest people on the face of this earth were emigrants. They're people who left their homes. Some of them left everything behind — like Suhaib al-Rumi (رضي الله عنه). They left the city of Mecca where they lived in safety and security, until they said لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. And then they were forced to leave their cities and make their way to the city of Medina — a place alien to them. Some of them had never been there before. Most of them had never been there before. And they didn't understand how things work in Medina. And these people, brothers and sisters, were considered the greatest people on the face of this earth.

And I ask the brothers and sisters to reflect and to ponder, and to have sympathy and compassion like the Ansar did:

They loved those who came to them. They had love for them. They never had in their hearts any negative feeling for what they had to give to their own Muslim brothers and sisters from the things that they needed themselves — even though they needed those things. They weren't well-off like us. We have wealth in our bank accounts just sitting there. And there are Muslim brothers and sisters — people in our own communities, our own neighbors — who have rights, who are forced to feel hungry. They don't have any food. They don't have any water. They may not have any jobs. They can't even clothe themselves properly. And we have the audacity to criticize them, to make fun of them.

Brothers and sisters, I ask you to do whatever you can for the Muslims in Syria, for the Muslims around the world — but more importantly, for the people who are living in your own communities.

Allah doesn't change what's in a nation until that individual changes what's in himself. And then he looks at himself and his family members, and those who are around him, and those people in his own communities. Charity starts at home, brothers and sisters.

And I implore and advise myself first and foremost, and then the rest of you, to do whatever you can to help those people who are suffering in our own communities. And by Allah, if everyone did this — if every single person focused on their own communities — we wouldn't have any problems. If every single person focused on their own communities, as Allah says, the whole nation would change. Because everyone's looking out for those people who are close to them — those people who are in their own communities.

We ask Allah that He helps the affairs of the Muslims all over the world, and that Allah helps the affairs of those Syrian refugees and other Muslims who are suffering, and those who are forced to leave their homes, leave their families, leave their wealth behind, simply because they say لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ.

Indeed, Allah commands you to maintain justice and to do good and to give to relatives, and He forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.

So remember Allah the Magnificent — He will remember you. And be grateful to Him for His blessings — He will increase you. And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest thing. And Allah knows what you do.

Establish the prayer. There is no god but Allah.

Recitation of Surah Al-Ghashiyah

Has there reached you the news of the Overwhelming Event? Faces, that Day, will be humbled — laboring, exhausted — they will enter a burning Fire. They will be given drink from a boiling spring. For them there will be no food except from a foul, thorny plant — which neither nourishes nor avails against hunger. Faces, that Day, will be joyful — with their effort they will be satisfied — in an elevated garden — hearing therein no unsuitable speech. Within it is a flowing spring. Within it are couches raised high, and cups put in place, and cushions lined up, and carpets spread around.

Do they not look at the camels — how they are created? And at the sky — how it is raised? And at the mountains — how they are set firm? And at the earth — how it is spread out? So remind — you are only a reminder. You are not over them a controller. Except for he who turns away and disbelieves — then Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment. Indeed, to Us is their return. Then indeed, upon Us is their reckoning.

Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar.