State of the Ummah - Sheikh Waseem Siddiqui (Australia)

Khutbah Opening

I welcome all of you with Islamic greetings. Meaning, may peace, mercy and blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala be on all of you.

The Way Out: Understanding the Suffering of This Ummah

The subject of my khutbah for today is the way out. The way out from the sufferings of this ummah. The way out from the trouble, the tribulations, the torture that we are facing almost across the globe.

So what is the way out from this humiliating situation? What is the way out from this problematic discourse that for years — not for a decade or two, but for more than 50 years, half a century — we are facing this trouble. Nothing is hidden from me and you, my dear brothers and sisters. We all are aware about the situation of this ummah across the globe.

We all see in the news, television, internet, everywhere — the trouble of this ummah is increasing. If I was to give this khutbah 10 years ago, I would have been counting a few countries on my fingers where the trouble was. Maybe half a dozen. Now it is more than a dozen. And may Allah forbid, if I am going to talk about this subject a few years down, it would be more than two dozen countries. I don't have to name every single one of them.

We all are aware what's happening in Palestine. We all are aware what's happening lately in Syria, in Egypt, and all the other parts of the world. The question that we get regularly is: why are we suffering? And what is the way out? For us to truly find a way out, we need to recognize and analyze the cause of the trouble. Unless we understand the cause of the problem, any solution would be a superficial one. So let us see — what is the root cause of this trouble that this ummah is facing, from what Allah has given us through the Quran and the Sunnah.

Before we deal with the actual subject, we get emails from brothers and sisters from across the globe asking questions out of frustration — as to what they see, the images that are available on the internet, the clips, the video clips of our brothers and sisters suffering across the globe. And just one or two to mention: we see little kids, toddlers, subhanAllah, their heads blown off. Some of them bulleted — they have been shot with a bullet, and at times not a bullet, by a rain of bullets. At times their bodies burnt. Children, old, women — no one is spared. There is no mercy out there.

And our hearts weep for that. And our hearts feel the pain for that. And we truly want to make a change. We truly want to do something so that our brothers and sisters can come out of this suffering from across the globe. But what is that way? To analyze that, as I said, we need to analyze the root cause of this problem.

Surah Al-Isra: A Mirror of Our Times

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Al-Isra (Surah Bani Israel), Surah number 17, ayah number 12, that we have mentioned every matter in great detail in the book — Al-Quran. So let us see, regarding this matter, what is the root cause of the problems and the sufferings of this ummah, from the very words of Allah, our Lord, our Creator and our Cherisher.

And I would request all the brothers and sisters who are here to take this as a small homework. You go back home today, tonight — make sure you read at least the first 10 ayahs of Surah Al-Isra, Surah Bani Israel, Surah number 17. And inshaAllah, if you get more time, read the tafsir of these ayahs.

Allah says in Surah number 17, ayah number 4:

Indeed, we decreed in the book to the Bani Israel, to the children of Israel, to the followers of Musa a.s., that you will make fasad on earth twice. Now this story mentioned in the Quran is not about today — it is talking about more than 2000 years ago. Yes, the Quran was revealed 1400 years ago, so this story mentioned in the Surah is not just 1400 years ago at the time of its revelation, but it is more than that, because it is actually mentioning the story of the past. So from today, it is more than 2000 years old. But I can assure you, when you read it and go through it, analyze it, you would see bit by bit — as if this Surah and these ayahs are talking about the situation we are in almost today. If someone was to make a 3D movie, it would actually be very fitting for our situation from these ayahs, although it is talking about someone 2000 years ago.

So what is mentioned in the Surah? We will analyze that in light of what we are going through today. Allah says to the children of Israel, to the followers of Musa a.s., that you will make mischief, you will make fasad on earth twice. It is not about today — it is 2000 years back. When Allah gave them power. And then Allah says, and you would become extremely arrogant, impatient, inhuman — as a leader, as a ruler, you would become extremely arrogant and oppressive.

Now let's analyze that in light of our Muslim community's situation. We were ruling the major portion of the world at one instant. India — which used to be India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, put together as one nation — was ruled by Muslims for almost 1000 years. Spain, in the heart of Europe, was ruled by Muslims for more than 800 years. And Arabia has always been blessed to be ruled by the so-called Muslims.

So, if Allah gave us the power, and we analyze in the light of this ayah from Surah Al-Isra — that you will make mischief in the land twice, meaning Allah is referring to the children of Israel, when Allah gave them power, they would misuse it, become arrogant, become oppressive, twice — so now Allah says, what happened when you became oppressive the first time? When you became oppressive and arrogant the first time when you were given the rulership?

Allah says in ayah number 5:

Then when the promise for the first of the two came — meaning, twice they will do fasad, and the first time they did fasad, the promise of Allah fell on them. And what was the promise of Allah? Allah says that He sent servants of Allah, creation of Allah, another group of people upon them. How were these people who came upon them? أُولِي بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ — terrible, violent warfarers, inhuman, merciless.

And what happened when they came? فَجَاسُوا خِلَالَ الدِّيَارِ — they came, they entered the very city centers. They came in and out as they willed and wished. They did not come just at the border of your country and bombed you, but went inside as they wished and went out when they willed. They didn't just come to your countries, to your cities, but they entered the very homes of yours, without you being able to defend anything. That is what Allah says: فَجَاسُوا خِلَالَ الدِّيَارِ. And the Muhadditheen and the Mufassireen say about this ayah — فَجَاسُوا means they entered any part and portion of your country as they wished.

Isn't this what happened? In some of the parts of the world where Muslims were ruling — when Allah gave us power, what happened? India, which was ruled by Muslims for a thousand years, today the Muslims are a minority there. Spain, where Muslims ruled for more than 800 years — what was the situation when the rulership was gone? Muslims could not give the adhan openly. The writers, the historians write that the kids used to play with the heads cut off the bodies of the Muslims. That is what was the situation when the rulership went away. Why? As Allah mentions in Surah Bani Israel about the children of Israel — when you did the fasad the first time, Allah gave you power, Allah took it away by sending on you another group of human beings who were not a match for you.

And then Allah says in ayah number 6:

Then we gave you power back over them. We are still ruling more than 60 countries of the world. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave the power back to the Muslims after a very terrible time across even the Arabian world. And when that power was given again, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: and then we aided you — وَأَمْدَدْنَاكُم بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ — we aided you with wealth. Allah rubbed the floor, the ground, the earth, and gave us petrol, oil, the liquid gold. No shortage of money. No shortage of resources in the Muslim lands. Allah equipped this ummah once again with wealth. وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ أَكْثَرَ نَفِيرًا — and your numbers grew. How many are we today? We boost ourselves — we are 1.5 billion. Allah gave us the number once again. Allah gave us this strength once again: the wealth, the families, the children, and the population.

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala then says in ayah number 7:

If you do good, the good is for yourselves. Or if you do evil, the evil will befall on you. If we as an ummah, as a community, do good deeds — fulfill the commands of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and His Messenger, be obedient to the laws of Allah and His Messenger — then yes, Allah says it is good for us. We will get the profit of it. We will get the fruit of it. We will get the benefit of it. But if we do evil, the evil is not against Allah. You are disobedient to Allah, but your evil is not against Allah. The evil will befall on you. And that is what is happening to us.

The Root Cause: Returning to Sin

Then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, still in ayah number 7 — then when the promise for the second of the two instances came, and that is what we are going through now. And a reminder for all of us: this is not talking about today. The ayah is about Bani Israel 2000 years ago. But it fits us very much today. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: then when the promise for the second of the two came, we sent another group of people on you. And look at the trouble that we face today — you will have a foreign enemy, for whom you are not a match. Then you will have oppressive rulers from amongst you. And you will have your own ranks so much divided that you will not be able to stand together in any mosque. Isn't that the situation of ours today? Not blaming anyone, not questioning anyone, but just looking at our own selves and our situation across the globe.

So Allah says that Allah will bring the enemy upon you the second time you make the mistake. And what happens? Allah says they would destroy the masajid, as they destroyed the first time. Isn't that what's happening? Isn't that what we are witnessing on YouTube? Isn't that what we are witnessing on the images? Isn't that what we are witnessing on the television, news and everywhere? That even the masajid aren't spared — the ones who are in the masjid, the ones who are around the masjid. No one is spared, neither are the masajid. And yet we are 1.5 billion. We are not a match. We are not able to protect the very houses of Allah for which we stand and claim to be the most peaceful places on earth. We are not able to even defend that with our might and power and our number and our wealth.

Why? That is the question. Why are we suffering? Why are we going through this tribulation? What is so wrong with us that we are not able to come out of it? Not for a year or two, not for a month or two, not for in one country. But it is spreading. It is spreading across the globe as a disease.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in ayah number 8:

It is possible that your Lord, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, may have mercy on you. May Allah have mercy on us. Now this is the gist of my khutbah. And this, I say, is the bottom line — the problem, the root cause of our situation today. That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: وَإِنْ عُدتُّمْ عُدْنَا — the root cause that we are going through this trouble today and are not able to come out of it, although we have got so many other strategies.

Yes, we send money to our brothers and sisters who are in trouble. And yes, we have to do that. And Alhamdulillah, I recently came across a report which said that the Muslims, especially the Muslims in Britain — the British Muslims — are at the top of the list of the most charitable people. And hats off to you, brothers and sisters. I've come from Australia, and for me that is really something that makes me proud of my community, of my brothers and sisters especially here. Yes, you are doing very well, and every Muslim across the globe is worried about the situation. And yes, the least we can do is send money to our brothers and sisters who are in need of that.

Yes, we are making du'a for them. We just came out of the blessed month of Ramadan, and we were making du'a day in and day out. We were making du'a in the taraweeh, and we were making du'a in the night prayers. Yes, we were doing that. We got to do that. If you are not doing that, then we are talking to you. We need to do that. But apart from that, what is the basic root cause? Why aren't we able to come out of it?

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: وَإِنْ عُدتُّمْ عُدْنَا — the problem is, Allah says, you return to sins, Allah returns to the punishment. You as an ummah return to the haram. You as an ummah return to the disobedience of Allah and His Messenger. Allah says: Allah returns to the punishment on this ummah.

Why aren't we able to win over the enemy? Because the enemy is not your actual problem. Your problem is yourself. Our problem is our own actions. Our problem is us not following the commands of Allah and His Messenger. We have become — or gone away from — the track on which we were meant to be. So what is happening? This enemy, whatever face, form or shape it takes — of a foreign enemy, of an oppressive ruler from amongst us, or the division between us — is what? It is a form of punishment from Allah. So will you ever be able to win over it? No, because the enemy is not your problem. You will not be able to be victorious over them because it is a form of punishment from Allah. So you are trying to win over the punishment of Allah. You will defeat one enemy, another will come. You will defeat the other enemy, there will be another one. The face of the enemy will not be gone because the enemy is a form of punishment from Allah on us.

That is what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says. So the root cause of the suffering for us is, as this ayah from Surah Al-Isra, ayah number 8 goes: وَإِنْ عُدتُّمْ عُدْنَا — you return to sins, Allah says, we shall return to the punishment.

So my dear brothers and sisters, if we truly want to help our brothers and sisters across the globe, if we truly care for them, if you truly are sincerely trying to help them out — yes, you got to make du'a, yes, you got to send money, but on top of that, you got to change yourself. You got to make sure that you live the life according to the Sharia of Allah in our lives. That we live according to the commands of Allah from the Quran and according to the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, from the Sunnah of the Prophet, based on the sahih hadith. We don't do that, we deviate from the path of Allah, we will go astray and we will never be able to come out or become victorious. And that is what we are witnessing. Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Syria, Chechnya, Somalia, and recently Syria and Egypt. Nothing is spared. And I fear the day when the trouble is going to reach me and you wherever we are. May Allah protect us from that day. But the way out from it is we got to make a change in our lives where we are. If you are committing sins, then wallahi you are the one, the reason for your brothers and sisters suffering up there. You want to make a change? Change yourself.

Is There Hope? The Way Out

Now let us talk about the second portion of this khutbah, which is: is there hope out of this? Is there a way out of this? Is it going to change? Are we going to be able to defeat all odds? Are we going to be able to be victorious one day? Is that any way close? Let us analyze.

The Bani Israel — who was the worst oppressive ruler on earth ever? No questions, no doubts about this: it was Fir'aun. If you have an oppressive ruler today, you say he is like Fir'aun. Imagine what was Fir'aun. He was ruling for centuries over a community so weak. Imagine — you are going to have a baby at your home, and the moment you have the baby, you go to hand over the baby to the soldiers of the government, so that they can kill the baby right in front of your eyes, and you can't protest. That was how weak they were. They couldn't say no to handing over their babies to the military men, to be killed in front of them. That is how weak that nation was.

Even their du'a — what was their du'a? They would make du'a: O Allah, send a people to protect us. Not: O Allah, give us strength. Rather: O Allah, send a people upon us so that they can save us. Yes, Allah listened to their du'a, and Allah sent Musa a.s. Imagine — Musa a.s., a man, amongst the weakest of the nations, facing the worst of the rulers. Can they imagine they would go out of that problem? Is there a way out for them? Rationally thinking, there was no way out. But if Allah wills, things can turn in a span of time, in a blink of an eye. For Allah, as Allah says in the Quran, Allah just says Be, and the thing happens. And we make du'a that Allah makes that change for us.

And what happened with them? They did not have to fight Fir'aun. They went — they were commanded by Allah to go away from the city, leaving Fir'aun and his men. And they went, and they came across the ocean. And Musa a.s. puts down his stick, and the ocean departs, and the way opens, and Musa a.s. and his men are crossing the ocean. Imagine — Fir'aun, the most oppressive ruler on earth, has to be intelligent, has to be smart, has to have a brain to be able to rule. He thinks that the ocean is open for him too. In your pride, in your arrogance, you reach the state of foolishness and stupidity that there is no match to it. And Fir'aun and his army walks into the same ocean which is open as a miracle from Allah for Musa a.s. and his men. But he thinks it is for him. He walks in, and we know what happens after that.

So if Allah wants to change, the change will come in a blink of an eye. All we need to do — all I and you need to do here — is change the way we live our lives, and live the life according to the commands of Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

The Plan of Allah Prevails

The promise of Allah is there for us already. Allah says in the Quran, in Surah Al-Imran, Surah number 3, ayah number 54:

Imagine — Fir'aun is planning to kill Musa a.s., but in the plan of Allah, Fir'aun, the most oppressive ruler, falls prey to his own arrogance and is destroyed in the ocean. If Allah plans, Allah's plan is that strong — it can change everything. The entire world order can change in a matter of time.

The Promise: Islam Will Prevail

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala promises in the Quran — in Surah Al-Fath, Surah number 48, ayah number 28; Surah As-Saff, Surah number 61, ayah number 9; as well as in Surah At-Tawbah, Surah number 9, ayah number 33:

It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth — وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ — the religion of truth, which is Islam. For what purpose? The reason for which Allah has sent Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam with Hidayah, with Al-Quran, and with the religion of Islam — why? Allah says: لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ — so that this Deen will prevail over all other systems of governance across the world. It is a promise from Allah.

And this is the language of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — when Allah speaks of a serious matter, Allah takes note and makes one of His creation a witness. وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى، وَالدِّينِ، وَالْعَصْرِ — Allah takes one of His creation as a witness on the matter. On this matter of Islam prevailing over everything else, Allah says: وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا — Allah says, I alone am a witness on this matter. It is going to happen.

Now the question is not when is it going to happen. The question is: what would be your and my role in that change when it comes? Live Islam today so that when Islam comes on you tomorrow, you are a part of it — not the one who would stand against it. Because today what we are witnessing across the globe is that there are Muslims who stand against the teachings of Islam, who oppose the implementation of the laws of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Why is that? Because they never lived Islam. And if you don't live Islam, when Islam comes, it may be that you are the one standing against it. May Allah protect us from falling into that category.

The Promise of Khilafah on Earth

The two last ayahs I would like to quote are the clear promise of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, in Surah An-Nur, Surah number 24, ayah number 55:

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: Allah has promised — who has promised? Allah Himself has promised. To whom? To the believers. وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ — Allah has promised to the believers. And every one of you and me here, we believe we are believers. And may Allah accept our Iman.

Then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala puts a condition. After the condition, what is the promise of Allah? لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ — Allah says, you will be made khalifa on earth. You will rule the earth — as those who ruled before you. Didn't Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam and then the Khulafa ar-Rashidun rule the world the way Islam was meant to be? Yes, they did. And that is what Allah is promising you and me.

And we remember the famous ayah: نَصْرٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَفَتْحٌ قَرِيبٌ — Allah's help and victory is near. When did this ayah come down upon the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam? When he was in Mecca. When he was about to be killed. His men were being tortured. And they had to migrate from Mecca to Medina. And Allah is saying, O Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, the help from Allah and the victory is very near. It is going to come.

You know how much time it took? 9 years. It took 9 years for that victory to come to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Yes, it may look that the time is so long — 9 years. But wallahi al-adheem, that was the biggest victory to ever come in the history of humanity. What was that victory? Fath Mecca. Imagine — Mecca at that time was like Palestine and Israel today. Can anyone imagine that one of the sides of the two would get the whole place without a bloodshed? It is as if you are dreaming. Even these days, we don't get that dream. Even that is not in the dreams of anyone — neither side. And that was what Mecca was at that time. The whole world was looking at it.

And how was Mecca victorious? Without a bloodshed. And how long has the victory lasted? Since the day it was victorious. The victory that comes from Allah is that strong — when it came, it has been victorious till today for 14 centuries. No other nation could take that city of Mecca from Muslims for so long. No one else. Why? Because it was the victory promised by Allah.

And wallahi al-adheem, my dear brothers and sisters, it is a similar promise that Allah is making to me and you, in Surah An-Nur, Surah 24, ayah 55 — وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ — that you will rule the world with Islam. But what is the condition? All that is between the victory and the problems that we are facing today, the suffering — there is one thing. And that is the condition, from Surah An-Nur, Surah 24, ayah 55:

وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ — this is the only condition Allah has put forward. That you do righteous good deeds. Fulfill the commands of Allah and His Messenger. Live the life according to the commands of Allah and His Messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Live the Quran and live the Sahih Hadith.

Conclusion: Change Yourself

I would like to conclude this subject with one ayah of the Quran — what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in Surah Ar-Ra'd, Surah number 13, ayah number 11:

Indeed, verily, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their condition by themselves. And that is what is the situation for us today, my dear brothers and sisters.

Closing Du'as

Al-Fatiha.