2015 10 09 Sheikh Khalil Abdul Rashid

Khutbah: Responding to Islamophobia with Ilm and Hilm

Opening — Khutbat al-Hajah

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَهْدِيهِ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِهِ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْهِ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا وَنَبِيَّنَا وَعَظِيمَنَا وَحَبِيبَنَا مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

أُوصِي وَأُوصِيكُمْ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ. قَالَ تَعَالَى، أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ، بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ:

وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:

(Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat lil-Tabarani; also referenced in al-Khatib al-Baghdadi's al-Jami' li-Akhlaq al-Rawi, with supporting chains. Often cited as a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ.)

Amma ba'd.

The Delegation from Najashi (Abyssinia)

There was a delegation of Christians that came to visit the Prophet ﷺ in Mecca. They were from Hadashi — they were from Abyssinia, modern-day Ethiopia — and they were from the community of the Christian king there, Najashi. This delegation entered into Mecca as Christians and went past the Quraish in Mecca, the Mushrikeen of Quraish that were at odds and enmity with Rasulullah ﷺ.

They sat in the company of the Prophet ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ had made arrangements for the first migration with them. He recited some of the ayat of the Quran to them. They were overwhelmed with what they heard, and they embraced Islam right there at that moment. When they entered into the company of the Messenger ﷺ, they were followers of one faith tradition. When they exited his company, they were followers of a different faith tradition. They left his company to go back to Najashi to make the preparations to receive the first group of migrants from Mecca.

And on their way out they had to pass through a wall of protestors from the Quraish. These protestors verbally abused them, cursed at them, spilled negative sentiments and bad words at them, tried to induce them to react, and mentioned things such as: "How is it that you — after years of following your father's religion — have a full romance with this man and you follow him? How is that possible?" And they called him all kinds of names and horrible, despicable words — to their faces, while they were walking out.

And humbly, as noble believers who had commitment to the message of Habibur Rahman ﷺ, their only reply — they did not reply with aggression, they did not respond in kind — all they said was:

"We are doing what we do; you keep doing what you do. Salamun alaykum." That response was so powerful. They left on those terms, and that paved the way for the first safe refuge for a community of believers that were under persecution. They were converts who, in order to get to their boat, had to walk through a wall of flaming Islamophobes — and they did it with grace. They did it with the spirit of peace. Most importantly, with the spirit of hilm.

Understanding the Ayah: Lahw and the Response of the Believer

Allah quotes them in that ayah. He says: when that delegation from Najashi became believers, when they left, when they heard those protests — they heard the people cursing them, they heard the people abusing them verbally. And Allah calls it lahw. Lahw generally means words that have no benefit at all, but here in this ayah in Surah al-Qasas, lahw means curse words and insults — that is what it means here, according to the mufassireen: insults, defamatory language.

When they encountered and heard lahw, their reaction in words was not the same. We're doing what we're doing, we're going to keep doing what we're doing. That's not going to stop us — from growing, from expanding, from providing a safe refuge to believers, from performing our salawat, from going to our Jumu'ah. That's not going to stop us. We're going to continue. We've got our amal. We've got our paradigm of action. We have our way of acting and we have our norms and we're going to keep to those norms.

We're not going to deviate. We're not going to let them pull us down to their level. We're not going to let them influence us or incite us to violence, to discord, to disunity. We're not going to be drawn into a trap. We've got our amal, and this is what we are and this is what we do. And you do what you do — whatever you do, continue, go ahead — it's not going to change us.

We're a people of deed. We're a people of ilm. We're a people of hilm. We're a people of akhlaq. We're a people of tawheed. We're a people of istiqamah. We're a people of hidayah. We're a people of ibadah. That's what we are. I don't know what you have, but I know you have something that is not helpful for you and not helpful for those that are around you.

So salamun alaykum — we don't wish you harm. We wish you salam. And as a matter of fact, we wish you, and all of your protesters, and all of those people that hate us and hate our Prophet and hate our deen — we wish you peace and salam from that hatred. Because we see that you're victims of that hatred. We're not victims; you're victims. Of those who stand in the heat with no water — for what? You're a victim.

So we wish you salam — peace and security from that type of intellectual and spiritual oppression. We wish you salam. Peace on you. We wish the peace of a long time to be with you, because you're not in peace. You're in turmoil. You're in a state of mental war and harb. Your qalb is in a state of displeasure, disquietude — animalistic, shahwa desires that control what you do. You're not in a state of peace. And so we wish you peace. That's how they responded.

We're going to do it verbally, not physically — because you'll misinterpret our physical actions. So even if we try to give you water, you'll see it as a gesture of violence. So we're not going to go to you, we're not going to approach you. We'll just wish you peace, because that is a du'a in a way. Salam on you — that is what Allah quoted them saying.

No Companionship with the People of Jahl

And we don't associate with people of jahl — people of ignorance. We don't sit with them. We have no sohbah, no companionship and gathering with them. We don't want to be caught talking with them. We don't want to be caught dialoguing with them. We don't want to be caught having a cup of tea and coffee with them — people that hate our Messenger and hate our deen. There is no sohbah with them. But we wish them peace. We don't want to be around ignorant people.

We can deal with any type of ignorance. There is jahil basir — where you are ignorant about Islam and you want to learn. Yes, ahlan wa sahlan — we want to be with you, we want to sit with you, we want to embrace you, we want to engage you positively, we want to support you and help you. But when they have jahil mu'akkab — ignorant, and they think they know, and they use that ignorance as a form of hatred — no. لَا نَبْتَغِي الْجَاهِلِينَ — we don't sit with you. We have no time for that.

And Allah is not going to guide certain people. There are certain people that He is not going to give hidayah to.

"You do not guide whom you love, O Rasulullah" — that's what Allah said. Some people are going to meet Allah with their ignorance, with their hatred, with their disdain. That's between them and Allah. Walakinna Allaha yahdi man yasha' — and some people are open for dialogue, some people are open for musahaba, being with them, sitting with them. Some people are open for that, and that's good.

But people who wish us and our families harm — we have to be careful. And that's why all of this is very interesting in the particular context we're in today. The parallels are striking. Only there is no refuge for us — none of us can go to Habashi, none of us can go anywhere. We have to stay and endure. We have to stay and be people of hilm.

The Haleem: The One Who Patiently Endures

People who patiently, patiently endure obstacles — but they don't respond in the same way. That's the haleem. The person who encounters hate, who encounters aggression, who encounters dislike, who encounters Islamophobia — and they know that that person is jahil. They know that at that moment there is no hidayah except from Allah if He wishes for that person. So that person patiently endures and does not even wish violence on that person — but doesn't speak to them, doesn't engage them, doesn't sit with them. You stay over there, I'll stay over here. I don't even see you. And they hear the cursing, but they keep going to the masjid. They keep going forward. That's the haleem — because they know their wali is Allah. That's what they know. Allah will take care of His deen. He will take care of His haqq.

Ilm and Hilm Must Go Together

The haleem patiently endures, but there is one other thing you have to have with hilm — you have to also be a person of ilm, knowledge. And often those two go together. Knowledge — ilm and hilm — should accompany each other in the form, in the body of the believer. The believer must have some ilm, some knowledge, to know them and keep them firmly grounded. And the more ilm you learn, the more ilm you acquire, the more haleem you should become — and you will, inshallah.

But the more jahil you are, the more ignorant you are, the more prone to violence and aggression you become — because you have no other standard by which to comprehend actions. You have no center from which to process the actions. So because you don't understand, you fear; and because you fear, you become aggressive. And so in order to challenge, to channel that aggression, you must have ilm. That is why the believer must have ilm — because aggression only emerges with jahl. With ignorance, you get violence automatically.

Be assured and rest assured: the source of every form of violence and aggression is jahl — ignorance. The two go together. You cannot have an 'alim who is not haleem, and you cannot have a haleem person who is not in some way an 'alim. You can't. It doesn't work. If you have a violent person, that person has no ilm. They might have information, they might have data — but they have no ilm.

The Book Fair: An Opportunity for Ilm Today

And so we have to look at our context today in our masjid. This weekend we have a book fair — profound timing. We have a book fair this entire weekend. We have an opportunity to increase our ilm and to contribute to the level of ilm that is in this library, and therefore to contribute to the level of ilm and awareness about that ilm of the people around us.

So in our masjid, at one side — all the way at the back — we have an opportunity for ilm. And in the front of the masjid we have an opportunity for hilm. You've got protestors here — that's hilm. When you endure people holding up signs and speaking things, you have to endure. You don't go to them, you don't speak to them. You go through that situation with hilm — patiently enduring and persevering.

And it's not a coincidence that the two happened today. There are no coincidences in this world — there is only qadar and qada and hukm, mashi'atillah. No coincidence. This calls an effect, this one calls multiple effects. No coincidence. We have in our midst an example of how both ilm and hilm must operate together — to counter extremism, to counter phobic rhetoric, to counter violence.

And before you know it — they should go to the gym, they should go to the book fair, get some ilm, leave it outside, and prepare for the test. And make du'a for the hilm. That's what happened with the jama'at from Najashi. They sat with the Prophet. Just a few minutes from his mubarak lisan — with his powerful speech — just a few instances with the perfect stature of his beautiful qalb, and the effect of his hal on other people was enough to transform them. And they were transforming them with the power of ilm. That ilm, from those few moments with Rahmatan lil-'Alameen — that ilm was enough to allow them to hold their heads up and humbly, but in a dignified way, go through the walls of protest. And they didn't respond with violence.

What they learned from those few moments with the Prophet ﷺ — their message to violence, their message to haters, their message to Islamophobes — was salam. That was their message. They got it. It was packaged nicely — but they got it. We wish peace for you because you're sick, you're ill. And that disease is a little bit contagious. We wish peace so that you can be quarantined in a state of peace. You can be inoculated with the vaccine of peace. You can be medicated with the antibiotic of peace. And maybe you'll come around eventually to peace. Salamun alaykum.

We don't engage juhala. We don't engage those people. We don't even offer them a cup of water. We don't even look at them. Allah, in a way, tells the believing men —

— and He made all the believing women the same. The ayah comes to lower your gaze. Don't even look. We know that between men and women, we can't even look at the 'awrah of another. We can't look at provocative things on the body, we can't look at provocative pictures in a magazine, we can't look at provocative things on the internet. So if people can be provocative, words can be provocative — don't look to that side. Don't look to that side.

Tell your children: ghudduu al-basar — tell your children: lower your gaze. The same protocol as if someone were standing in a bathing suit is the same protocol you should have when leaving this area. Ghudduu al-basar. Ignore. Don't give those people an ounce of acknowledgment. Not one bit. Why? Because they have no value. Allah wouldn't even give the disbeliever a drop of water — why do you want to give a cup? What do you want to acknowledge? We don't give any credence to that.

Not just us — our non-Muslim neighbors have been disrespected. Non-Muslim neighbors came to our support, and they have been disrespected. We don't have any type of — we don't accept that, we don't acknowledge that. We don't speak to them, we don't acknowledge them. Salamun alaykum — we wish you peace. We'll go about our business. But that's with hilm, and with hilm comes patience. And that's the way we have to be in these times.

Remember the Meccan Moments — Learn from History

It requires that we remember these Meccan moments. We remember what our predecessors went through. We are not the only ones that are enduring something. Although for us it's the first time — but in history, it's not the first time. For us it's the first time, so we have to take our lessons. We have to take from our gurus. We have to become educated. Read our history. Learn.

That's what the ayah was for. Because ignorance, for us in this time, is extremely costly. It is not bliss — it is hell. All of us have to be educated. And the education cannot come solely from the minbar. We have to read. We have to study. We have to go to class. We have to become educated — our wives, our husbands, our children. The time is now, because it will only get worse. And so we must prepare. But we prepare with ilm, with knowledge — and the more ilm we have, the more hilm we have. But it takes practice.

Closing — The Hadith of Ilm and Hilm

Remember — the Prophet ﷺ said that ilm is not but by ta'allum — it comes only by ta'allum. Ta'allum means constant, repetitive practice and effort. Not reading a magazine, not going to Google, not listening one time — repetitive effort. Take time out of your schedule, and from now on, on a regular basis, get ilm.

(Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat lil-Tabarani; also referenced in al-Khatib al-Baghdadi's al-Jami' li-Akhlaq al-Rawi, with supporting chains.)

And then the Prophet ﷺ said after that: the ability to patiently endure and keep your composure in the midst of violence and aggression comes with ta'hallum — when we're constantly in need, over and over again, when we're constantly faced with challenges.

So we've got our first challenge today. You think it'll stop? No way. It's going to continue. There are two now. Next week expect four. Next week expect eight. Next month, thirty-two. Two months from now, a hundred. Six months from now, a thousand. It's coming. What are we going to do? We have to have ilm. We have to have knowledge. What did our people go through? What did our teachers go through? How did they go through it? It's not about them going through it — it's about how they went through it. How they persisted. What was their akhlaq? What was their reaction? They were people of salam. And that's the ilm part. Be careful — we call ourselves mu'minun; Allah will test us.

Alhamdulillahi rabbil 'alameen. Wassalatu wassalamu 'ala sayyidil mursaleen, wa 'ala alihi wa ashabihi ajma'een, wa man tabi'ahum bi-ihsanin ila yawmid-deen.

Second Khutbah — Du'a and Salah upon the Prophet ﷺ

أُوصِي وَأُوصِيكُمْ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ. قَالَ تَعَالَى:

عِبَادَ اللَّهِ، اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ. إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ. أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ.

Iqamah and Salah

Come close together — no gaps, no lines, no spaces. Heels on the lines.