Building a Better Community - Sheikh Hafeezullah Khan

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِهِ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْهِ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا وَمَوْلَانَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

Amma ba'd — indeed the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ. The worst of matters are newly-invented ones, and every newly-invented matter is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from the Fire.

The Incident in Woolwich and Its Impact on Muslims

Brothers and sisters, we are all aware of the incident which recently took place in Woolwich and the consequences that followed may yet be seen. This incident has caused a lot of damage to Islam and Muslims, and we have recently seen several incidents of mosques being attacked as a result of the Woolwich incident. And you may also have seen in the protests that have taken place one slogan was repeated saying: no more masajid, no more mosques.

In other parts of Europe we have also seen protests against the building of mosques and minarets. The question is: why are masajid only being targeted?

Maybe we have not understood fully, but those against Islam have come to understand that masajid are not just buildings of bricks and cement — they are buildings which help to mould personalities. These are the forts of Islam, the effects of which can turn even the strongest enemy of Islam into a pious and good Muslim.

The Story of Thumamah ibn Uthal

We have so many examples from the life of the Prophet ﷺ, and one of them is the example of Thumamah ibn Uthal — the famous companion who was held in the Prophet's mosque for three days when he was still a mushrik. The Prophet ﷺ neither pressed him to accept Islam nor preached to him directly. He only used to ask him daily: "How are you, Thumamah?"

And he would reply: "If you try to kill me, there will be revenge. And if you have mercy on me, it will be thanked. And if you want wealth, you will get as much as you want."

The Prophet ﷺ kept silent to his comments, and on the third day he set him free. He went away, took a bath, returned to the mosque, and accepted Islam. And he said to the Prophet ﷺ after accepting Islam: "Before this, I used to hate you and your deen the most. But as of today, I will love you and your deen the most."

What changed his strong views about Islam? Brothers and sisters, it was the atmosphere of the masjid where he stayed for three days — the character of the companions, their morals, their example, the spirit of obedience to the Prophet ﷺ. He observed the whole atmosphere for three days, and after that he understood: this is Islam — I had not seen it, I had not understood it. And he directly announced his acceptance of Islam.

The State of Our Masajid Today

Alhamdulillah, in the UK there are over 1,500 registered masajid. But do all masajid play that same role? Can we expect from our masajid that they will train our youngsters to become good Muslims — by their faith and by their practice — and that they will be the ones who look after these masajid in the future? Do these masajid portray the message of peace and harmony to the non-Muslim community?

Have we made an effort to involve our youngsters in activities within the masjid? Or do we limit our masajid facilities to the elderly only?

Unfortunately, this is not so. Even after having so many masajid, there are only some that understand and are aware of their purpose of being. This small number of mosques serves all parts of the community — including the elderly, the ladies, and the children — and they ensure that the young generation learns true Islam while being responsible citizens of society.

But most of our masajid are limited to five daily prayers and evening classes for children only. And because the masajid are not playing their full role, we are not able to preach the true message of Islam to the non-Muslims. And also, the young generation of Muslims born and bred in this country are losing their identity and their deen.

The Challenges Facing Our Youth

We can see one example of this from the young offenders' jails, which have a large percentage of young Muslims — 22% of them. That is one in every five prisoners. Whereas Christians are only 17%. From this one example we can see what the future of our children can become.

But these youngsters in jail are not the only example. There are many other challenges facing our young children — challenges which are taking away their identity and their deen. Especially the young Muslims in educational institutes. Let me mention some of these:

1. The Council of Ex-Muslims

Have you heard of the name Council of Ex-Muslims? This organization consists of those Muslim youth and elders who have turned away from Islam. This organization has branches throughout Europe and has been operating for more than six years, very actively recruiting Muslims who are on the path of leaving the faith and who feel that the Islam they know does not meet their needs or answer their questions fairly.

2. Immorality Being Normalised

We often show concern about sex education being taught to our children at a young age. But now even homosexuality is being added to it as a normal part of life. You will have seen in the media about gay marriages, and more recently, the marriage of two Muslim girls with each other.

3. The Promotion of "Moderate Islam"

The media and other institutes promote an Islam which they call moderate Islam — which they prefer. This "moderate Islam," according to them, is one which allows mixing of men and women, allows music, and celebrates other religious gatherings. These things then attract our youth who have very little ties with the deen and very little ties with the masajid.

4. Extremism in the Name of Islam

There is a very small minority of Muslims who are even preaching hatred of Islam and Muslims — in the name of Islam. They are creating differences among communities and they teach extremism to our children in the name of the deen. They became famous under such names as Hizb ut-Tahrir or al-Muhajiroun.

These are the challenges that our young Muslims are facing. We need to see what we have planned to safeguard our new generation of Muslims.

The Responsibility of Parents

I believe that as well as the masajid, those parents are also to blame who think that the tarbiyah of our children is the sole responsibility of the masajid. They should remember that the Quran and Hadith tell us that parents are the first and main persons responsible for the tarbiyah of the child from birth.

As Allah says:

O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones.

In another place, Allah says — ordering your family members to pray is your responsibility, not the Maulvi's. You are going to give the order, and you are going to be firm on it:

And enjoin prayer upon your family and be steadfast therein.

And the Prophet ﷺ says in a famous hadith:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1385; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2658)

Every child is born upon the fitrah. Then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a fire-worshipper.

Every child is born on that natural disposition — that fitrah — which is close to Islam, and it is easy to raise him as a Muslim. But it is the parents who can either preserve or spoil that fitrah. If the parents pay a little attention, the child can become a true Muslim.

In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 495)

Order your children to pray when they reach the age of seven.

Here, the direct responsibility is placed upon the parents of the children.

Parents as Role Models

But my friends, another thing has been told to us in the Quran and the hadith. Every Muslim has this desire — we pray:

"Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us a leader for the righteous." (Quran 25:74)

O our Lord, grant us from our wives and our children those who will be the coolness of our eyes. But in that very du'a, Allah has also included: "Make us a leader — an Imam — for the righteous." An Imam is one who is followed. And the parents here should have the status of Imamah — they should be ahead of their children in good deeds. They should make themselves an example. When they make themselves an example, surely the children will follow.

Whenever Ibrahim (peace be upon him) prayed to Allah, he prayed while feeling his own responsibility first. In the context of aqeedah, he would say:

"O my Lord, make me one who establishes prayer — and from my descendants as well." (Quran 14:40)

O Allah, save me first. And then save my children. That our aqeedah should not be ruined, that we should not choose the path of shirk and leave tawheed. Before asking for our children, we ask for ourselves: Give me the ability to stay on the right aqeedah.

And if there is a father who does not go to the masjid, who does not engage in religious activities, and he is constantly praying — it is possible that Allah will accept his prayers. But my friends, there are very difficult stages in this. The easiest way is that first of all we should present ourselves as an example. We cannot hide our deeds from Allah.

The Story of the Gold Bangles

Once a woman came to the Prophet ﷺ with her daughter, who was wearing two gold bangles on her hand. The Prophet ﷺ asked the woman: "Have you paid Zakah on these gold bangles?" She said: "No."

The Prophet ﷺ replied: "Would you like that on the Day of Judgment, Allah puts bangles of fire on your hands?" Not on the daughter's hands — on your hands, the mother's hands. She said: "No." And she gave the bangles away in the way of Allah.

The point is this: the masajid should play their role, and parents should feel their responsibility. May Allah enable us to understand and to act.

Closing Du'as

I say this, and I ask Allah's forgiveness for you and for all Muslims from all their sins. So ask His forgiveness — indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.

O Allah, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers. (Quran 7:23)

O Allah, grant us from our wives and children comfort to our eyes, and make us leaders for the righteous. (Quran 25:74)

O Allah, grant us good in this life and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the torment of the Fire. (Quran 2:201)

O Allah, accept from us. Indeed, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. And forgive us. Indeed, You are the Most Relenting, the Most Merciful. (Quran 2:127)