20170414 -1st Khutba - Sheikh Arsalan

Khutbah al-Ula — First Sermon

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, we ask His help, we ask His forgiveness, and we ask His guidance. 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 our master Muhammad, peace be upon him, his servant and his messenger, his chosen one and his companion, has conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust, and advised the Ummah, and strived in the cause of Allah for the truth of his Jihad, until certainty came to him. O Allah, send peace and blessings upon our master Muhammad, and upon his pure good people, and upon his righteous companions, and upon those who followed them with good till the Day of Recompense.

Indeed, the truthful hadith is the Book of Allah, and the best guide is our master Muhammad, peace be upon him. And the worst of things are its innovations, and every innovation is an invention, and every invention is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

O you people, fear your Lord, Who created you from one soul, and created from it its mate, and spread among them many men and women.

Allah is in Control — The Purpose of Life's Tests

Brothers and sisters, Allah says in the Qur'an, at the beginning of Surah Al-Mulk:

Blessed is He in Whose hand is dominion, and He is Able to do all things. Who created death and life, that He may test you — which of you is best in deed. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Most Forgiving.

He says: Blessed be He in Whose hand is the dominion, in Whose hand is the kingdom, in Whose hand is all control of everything.

وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ — And He has the power to do everything. He is capable of everything.

الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ — The One who created death and life to test you.

أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا — To see which of you will be the best in action.

وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ — And He is the Irresistible, the Oft-Forgiving.

These two ayahs teach us two very important things, brothers and sisters.

The first ayah teaches us — تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ — that everything belongs to Allah. He is fully in control of everything. It doesn't matter how chaotic things may seem to us to be, they are under the control of Allah and they are happening exactly as He has planned. He is in control, بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ.

And the second lesson: الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ — He is the One who created death and life to test you. أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا — To see which of you will be the best in actions. The second lesson is that this abode is the abode of trials. This is the abode of tests and tribulations. This is دَارُ الْبَلَاء. And therefore we should expect to be tested with tribulation in this world.

Two Forms of Trial

Tribulation and trials come in two forms. As Allah says:

We test you with evil and with good. Trials come in two forms — in the form of adversity and in the form of prosperity. Both are tests from Allah. And we should expect to be tested in this life because that is why He created us.

How do we respond to those tests and trials? How should we respond to those tests? Because that's what makes all the difference. As He says, أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا — to see which of you will respond with the best response. Which of you will be the best in action.

Responding to the Test of Adversity

How do we respond to the tests of adversity? Basically, we need to remember the first ayah. That's how we need to respond. We need to remember always, no matter how difficult things may seem to be, that Allah is in control. No matter how chaotic world events become, Allah is in control. Allah has a plan and everything is moving according to His plan. Nothing is outside of His plan. Nothing is outside of His power or His control.

The test is for us to see again — how are we going to respond? Are we going to respond to adversities by being patient? By persevering? Or are we going to respond by questioning Allah's wisdom? By finding fault with Allah? "Why are you doing this to me, my Lord? Why are you doing this to the Ummah? For how long are you going to subject us to this?" Are we going to respond by being patient? Or are we going to respond by finding fault with Allah?

Once, a group of companions came to the Prophet ﷺ during a time when persecution from the Quraysh was at its peak. And Khabbab ibn al-Arat spoke to the Prophet ﷺ. And for those of you who know the story of Khabbab, please recall his story. He had undergone some of the most severe forms of persecution from Quraysh. He comes and he says to the Prophet ﷺ, "Ya Rasulullah, why don't you pray against these people? Why don't you ask Allah to bring down His punishment on these people? Why don't you ask Allah to give us victory and defeat these people?"

And the Prophet ﷺ got up and he said: The people who came before you, they would be buried up to their necks into the ground. And saws would be brought. And their entire bodies would be split in half. And iron combs would be brought. And their flesh would be removed from their bones. And that would not deter them from their faith. And then he said to the companions:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3612)

"I swear by Allah, Allah will bring His matter to pass. Allah will fulfill His plan. But you are in a rush. You are in a hurry."

The test is, brothers and sisters, when we face these adversities — whether at an individual level or at an international level, and all levels in between — the test is, are we going to be patient? Or are we going to find fault with Allah and question His wisdom? The test is to see, are we going to hold on to hope? Are we going to remain hopeful? Or are we going to fall into despair?

And part of being hopeful is to get up and deal with the adversity that you face. To do something about it. Following any halal means that are at our disposal. So if we are ill, we go to the doctor. If we are jobless, we apply for jobs. And so on and so forth. If there are injustices in society, we pursue the legal means to stand up to injustice and to protest against it. We follow the means. That's part of having hope.

Are we going to be hopeful in the face of adversity? Or are we going to fall into despair and become debilitated because we lose all hope? That is the test of adversity. The test of adversity is to see whether we will trust in Allah or we will become afraid. Will we trust in Allah and not be afraid to be recognized as Muslims? Or will we be too afraid to be known as a Muslim? Will we be too afraid to go to the masjid? Will we be too afraid and just remain inside of our homes? That is the test.

Are we going to seek help from Allah by imploring Him in du'a? Or are we going to disobey Allah by forming alliances with people who demand from us that we support them in their disobedience of Allah if we want their support for our causes? Are we going to trust in Allah? Are we going to seek help from Allah? Or are we going to seek help from His creation even if it comes at the cost of what Allah does not love and does not approve of?

These are all tests from Allah to see — أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا — how will you respond, and which of you will be the best in actions?

Responding to the Test of Prosperity

But as I said, brothers and sisters, tests come in two forms. Adversity is only one form of the test. But those of us who enjoy prosperity — and we do enjoy a lot of prosperity — that is also a test from Allah. And the response that we must have, again in brief to summarize it all, is to always remember that Allah is in control. We're not in control. Everything is from Allah, not from us.

So the test is: when we are faced with prosperity, are we going to be with Allah during prosperity? Or are we going to forget Him and get drowned in the worldly pleasures and forget Allah? That is the test of prosperity. Are we going to remember Allah? Are we going to remember those who are facing the other test of adversity — those creation of Allah that need our help? Or are we going to ignore them? Are we going to remember that it is Allah who gave us this prosperity, who gave us this comfort and luxury, who gave us the gift of safety and security? Or are we going to attribute all of that to our own selves, to our own talents, to our own intelligence, to our own resources and alliances?

Are we going to remember who is truly in control — Allah? How do we respond to the test of prosperity? Do we respond by being thankful to Allah? Or do we respond by becoming deluded? أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا.

The Lessons of Surah Al-Kahf

Every Friday, brothers and sisters, we are encouraged to recite Surah al-Kahf by the Prophet ﷺ. And Surah al-Kahf, if you analyze it from the beginning to the end, contains four major stories. The first story is the story of the People of the Cave. The second story is the story of the Man of Two Gardens. The third one is the story of Musa and Khidr. And the fourth one is the story of Dhul-Qarnayn. Every story has its own unique lesson and theme.

But there is an overriding theme of Surah al-Kahf. An overriding lesson that we learn from every single one of these four stories. And that is the same lesson that we learn from the first ayah of Surah al-Mulk — that Allah is in control. That things are not always what they seem. That we have to take the means, but we must put our trust in Allah alone. That's the theme of Surah al-Kahf.

And as we face the tribulations of life, we are told to recite Surah al-Kahf every week — perhaps because if we reflect on the meanings of Surah al-Kahf and the lessons of the four stories, we will remember that Allah is in control. That things aren't always what they seem. It will help us face the challenges and tests that we face.

Story 1: The People of the Cave

The first story of Surah al-Kahf is the story of the People of the Cave. These, we are told, were people who were bound for destruction. They were going to be killed by the people of the time because they worshipped Allah alone. And when it seemed that they were going to be inevitably destroyed, Allah saves them miraculously by putting them to sleep inside of a cave for so long that a generation passes — or several generations pass — and then they come back to wakefulness. Things aren't always what they seem. It seemed that these people were going to be destroyed. But Allah teaches us through this story that He is always in control.

Story 2: The Man of Two Gardens

The second story is the story of the Man of the Two Gardens. We're told about this man who possessed the means for success. He had these flourishing gardens, a lot of wealth, a lot of children, a lot of resources. It seemed that he possessed the means for success. But then Allah destroys everything that he has — unexpectedly, overnight. The lesson again, brothers and sisters, is that Allah is in control. This man, when he faced the test of prosperity, became deluded. And he thought that he had earned all of this with his own might and intellect and talent and resources, and he forgot who is truly in control.

Story 3: Musa and Khidr

The story of Musa and Khidr teaches us again that Allah is in control, that things aren't always what they seem. Because when Khidr does things that seem to Musa (peace be upon him) to be evil — he damages the ship of innocent poor fishermen for no apparent reason, he goes and kills a young man who seems to be innocent — when Khidr does things that seem to be apparently evil, later on in the story, Khidr teaches Musa that things aren't always what they seem. That apparent evil turns out to be something beneficial and something good.

And in that again is a lesson for us that things that we face in life — whether at an individual level or at an international level and all levels in between — they aren't always what they seem. They aren't as chaotic as they seem. They are all moving according to the plan of Allah. And we have to see beyond what is apparent. That is the lesson of the story of Musa and Khidr.

Story 4: Dhul-Qarnayn

And the story of Dhul-Qarnayn, the fourth story of Surah al-Kahf, tells us about this king — this man — who takes the means to build that wall against Ya'juj and Ma'juj. He takes the means, he asks people to help him make that wall, and he uses his talents and his amazing resources to build that incredible wall. But even though he does that, he puts his trust in Allah. He says:

That all of this accomplishment — and what an accomplishment — is from Allah, it's from my Lord. It's not from me; I'm just a vehicle. It's Allah who is in control. And when He wants, He will destroy all of this.

True Security Comes from Faith Alone

Brothers and sisters, if we want security and peace, if we want safety, Allah tells us in the Qur'an:

That it is those who believe and do not contaminate their faith with injustices — they are the ones who will have security from Allah, and they are the guided ones.

We need to put our faith in Allah and not contaminate it by putting our trust in other than Allah. We need to have faith in Allah and not contaminate it by losing hope in Allah. We need to have faith in the promise of Allah and have faith that He is in control — and trust Him — and not contaminate that trust and that faith by being too afraid to even be recognized as Muslim. We need to put our faith in Allah and not fall into despair. We need to put our faith in Allah, not in our alliances with the creation of Allah. If we do that:

They are the ones that will have security from Allah, and they are the guided ones.

Khutbah al-Thaniyah — Second Sermon

Amma ba'd.

Things Aren't Always What They Seem — Lessons from the Seerah

Brothers and sisters, throughout the Seerah of the Prophet ﷺ, Allah again and again taught the Muslims a lesson, and that was:

It might be that you dislike something but it is good for you, and it might be that you like something but it is bad for you, and Allah knows and you don't know.

When the Mother of the Believers, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), was accused of committing adultery in the incident of Hadith al-Ifk, and the entire town of Madinah was talking about it — at that time Allah says: Don't think that is bad for you; that is good for you, O Muslims. Things aren't always what they seem.

The Lesson of Sulh al-Hudaybiyyah

Brothers and sisters, at Sulh al-Hudaybiyyah, when the Prophet ﷺ made that peace agreement with the disbelievers — whose terms seemed to be so unfair and unjust — that even Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up to protest against the Prophet ﷺ and said, "Ya Rasulullah, why did you agree to these terms? They seem so unfair." What seemed like a loss — brothers and sisters — by next year, a year after Sulh al-Hudaybiyyah, Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Quraysh, came begging for the return clause of that agreement to be repealed — that clause that they had put in themselves. Abu Sufyan comes and begs the Prophet ﷺ to repeal that clause. And in less than two years, the Muslims entered Makkah and conquered Makkah.

What is the lesson of Sulh al-Hudaybiyyah? The lesson is what we are talking about, brothers and sisters — that even when we are disobedient to Allah, Allah uses this Ummah and its enemies for a greater plan.

The mess that we see right now is like walking into a king's castle — imagine you walk into a king's castle while the entire structure of the castle is being reorganized. Walls are torn down here, half a wing is built over there, there is dust everywhere. Except that Allah does not send down angels to rearrange things. He lets His enemies do it for Him so that they exhaust themselves. And He lets them think that they are winning. Allah is always in control.

Do not lose hope. Do not lose trust in Allah. Realize that these are tests from Allah to see which one of you did a better job.