2015-01-09 - Sheikh Yusuf Wanly

Khutbah: Wisdom, Knowledge, and Leadership

We praise Him, we ask for His help, we ask for His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the evils of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him, and whosoever is misguided, none can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, no partner for Him.

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 Allah as He should be feared, and say the truth. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has won a great victory.

As for what follows: the best speech is in the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace be upon him. And the worst of things are newly invented matters. And every newly invented matter is an innovation. And every innovation is misguidance.

The Blessing of Wisdom

Allah the Almighty clearly manifests a particular characteristic — that indeed wisdom is Allah's blessing. If the Almighty has blessed a particular individual with that particular knowledge, that blessing consists of and is focused upon wisdom.

Now, wisdom has different categories and different approaches — different points of view. However, as Mujahid said — who was one of the students of Abdullah ibn Abbas, that great explorer of the Quran from the Tabi'un — he mentioned that wisdom is to place something in its proper place. That true wisdom is to place something in its proper place.

He gives wisdom to whom He wills. And if He gives wisdom, He has given much good. And none remember except those of understanding.

Similarly, brothers and sisters: wisdom is to know your own capabilities. Wisdom is to know your level, your point of view. Wisdom is to understand the people that are around you. Wisdom is to understand the muheet — the surrounding that you live in. Wisdom is to know the person whom you are talking to, to understand who they are — so as such you place the proper thing in its proper place: your speech, your perspective, your interaction, your dealings with them. There is a difference depending upon that particular individual.

The Almighty mentions, as seen in His words, that the human being has been given only a little of knowledge — and from that, brothers and sisters, is wisdom.

The Story of Talut: Measuring People by the Right Standard

Brothers and sisters, when a person stops and thinks about a particular event that occurred in history — this particular event happened after the passing of Musa, peace be upon him, after Moses. After his passing, there was an individual by the name of Talut. And Talut, brothers and sisters, was just a commoner. He was a common individual. He wasn't well known. He wasn't famous. He didn't have much wealth.

And people attempted to measure a person's capabilities and status in society in a fashion that is actually incorrect — which is based upon the individual's wealth. And we don't realize that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said that the one who has taken wealth as his or her lord has in truth lowered themselves and made their life miserable.

Now brothers and sisters, this is the reality. And these characteristics that we find around us in this particular age and time is something we have seen, and is a characteristic that is found throughout history. And in that era, after the passing of Moses, with the individual by the name of Talut — what happened was the people at that time who were oppressed were struck with poverty, they were pushed away, their children were harmed, their health was harmed — they were in a status that is quite miserable. So they requested from their Prophet to pray to the Almighty, and the reference of this particular event can be found in Surah Al-Baqarah.

So the Prophet, through a form of revelation from the Almighty, designated a particular individual by the name of Talut. When he mentioned the name to the people, the people were struck, and they said: how is it that you choose a person who is not from a lineage of kings or chiefs, nor does he have much wealth? This is the measurement that people have fallen into — people who have been tripped into measuring the quality of a person by the amount of wealth they possess, or their job position — even in accepting a child's marriage proposal — based upon the amount of wealth or position they have. But the truth, SubhanAllah brothers and sisters, is in the way of the Almighty.

This particular Prophet told the people why he had chosen this particular individual to go ahead and take a step forward and represent them in their leadership. He said: the Almighty had placed and elevated his status with two aspects. The first and foremost is ilm — knowledge. And the second one is jism — bodily capabilities, the physical capabilities.

Now brothers and sisters, it is not strange that these two things come hand in hand — the ilm: the knowledge, the wisdom, the experience, the understanding, understanding the muheet, the surrounding. And the body — the physical body. It wasn't about the wealth that this man was chosen to go ahead and take a step. It wasn't about his status in society. It was based upon his knowledge, his understanding, his experience, his wisdom, his perseverance, his navigation of the situation and the goodness — seeking out that which is truth, knowing a person's capabilities and limits.

The Light of Knowledge: Carrying the Prophet's Words

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: the Almighty has given a type of spiritual light — as many people would know it, nour — to an individual who has heard my call, the statement of the Prophet, and as such has understood it, comprehended it, implemented it in their lives, and thereafter recited it in the exact same fashion — in the method and manner that he had heard it from the Prophet, peace be upon him. And this is something that the companions used to emphasize with great emphasis.

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3660; also reported in Sunan Ibn Majah and Sunan al-Tirmidhi)

And we have found, for example, one of the people who was specified particularly with regard to the magnificent revelations to the Prophet — a person who was told he is from the people of paradise — was a person who actually had some of the fewest narrations on behalf of the Prophet. And people don't know that, even though his status was so high. And it was asked to him: why is it that you are such an eligible person with great wisdom and so much experience, yet your narration from the Prophet, peace be upon him, is not comparable to other companions? He said: out of awe and respect to the Prophet, peace be upon him, I only like to recite exactly what I have memorized — particularly in the exact alfaz, the precise wording — in the same fashion I had heard from the Prophet, peace be upon him. It is respect and awe to the Prophet, peace be upon him.

People Are Like Different Metals

One day the Prophet, peace be upon him, was speaking to his companions towards the end of his life. As established, he passed away at the age of 63. Towards the end of his life, the revelation increased, and certain magnificent signs were revealed to him, peace be upon him, representing in a symbolic form that his departure was near. From that, for example, Surah An-Nasr was a representation of that.

However, another representation brothers and sisters is that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said that people are like different types of metals. What does that mean? Some have different colors, the form of the metal, how it is formed, the rest that surrounds it, its strength, its capabilities — everyone is different in their own form. Look around us right now. Everyone looks different. Everyone has different characteristics, different manners. We are different people.

Abu Bakr's Profound Understanding

The Prophet, peace be upon him, was standing and mentioned — or it was attributed to him that he mentioned — that a person was brought, and the Almighty gave him the choice between that which is with the Almighty and that which is still around him — his situation here. So the Prophet, peace be upon him, said that this particular individual chose that which is with the Almighty.

Brothers and sisters, if we stop and we just listen to this — what is it that comes to our thought? We could say that the Prophet, peace be upon him, is just mentioning an experience that happened to a person of the past, and that he was a person who chose that which is with the Almighty — perhaps it was between something halal or haram, or halal or that which is in between, or haram or that which is in between — that which is pure and clear, and that which is forbidden and clear, and he chose that which is pure.

However, what happened here — some of these explanations came to the minds of the people who heard it. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, who was extremely wise and full of knowledge and wisdom, began to weep. The narrator said: we didn't know why this sheikh was weeping, why he was crying. And then afterwards it became clear to them that Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, understood from the statement of the Prophet, peace be upon him, that this representation of that person was actually symbolically representing the situation of the Prophet, peace be upon him, himself.

So Abu Bakr understood — out of respect and awe and love to the Prophet, and him being his close friend, his close companion from the earliest stages, even before Islam and after Islam — that his friend, his companion, his departure was near. So he began to weep out of that.

As you can see here brothers and sisters, the people vary — they vary in the way they look, the way they act, and truly and most importantly, the way they understand, and their knowledge and their capabilities and their wisdom. So Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was famous in his profound understanding of that aspect. It affected him greatly, while there were other people around him who didn't understand the situation.

Imam Malik and the Weight of Responsibility

In truth, brothers and sisters, wisdom and knowledge and understanding is to take something, understand it correctly, thereafter implement it, and when trying to apply it to others — choosing the correct situation, the manner, the scenario, the time, the people — and then placing it in its key place.

Similarly with us: Imam Malik — born in the 93rd year of the Hijri calendar, passed away approximately in the year 180 of the Hijri calendar — one of the elite from this Ummah. He did not take a post of representing the religion, speaking about the religion, teaching the religion, facilitating the religion, giving his explanation about the religion, giving his fatawa about the religion — only after the age of 70. Only after 70. A large number from the fuqaha of Madinah — from the great people of jurisprudence of Madinah at that time — recognized this particular individual's capability in teaching, in memorization, and in understanding of the religious texts, his wisdom, his comprehension, and placing things in a manner that is correct. He said — Imam Malik — only after that did I take that post of giving fatawa to the people, so they may benefit.

The Three Types of Judges

Now brothers and sisters, in truth the qadi — the judge — is of three types. This is not my statement; this is the statement of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

The first: a person who judges, who gives a fatwa, says a statement, an order — and he does so while knowing, but chooses to say that which is wrong to affect the people. And they find a statement that the Almighty mentions in the Quran — the Almighty mentions a person whom, when you look at him, you are pleased with his speech, and he bears witness to the Almighty that indeed he loves the Almighty and is so God-fearing of the Almighty. But in truth, when he turns away from the people, he actually causes much mischief in the land — corruption in the land, wrong in the land.

The Almighty mentions in these particular verses that Allah does not love corruption, tyranny — all of these aspects. And in truth, if this person is corrupt, they will eventually become exposed. This person's repercussions are grave.

The second is a person who judges without knowledge — he does it without knowing, without taking the proper steps, but has just done so just to take the post. So people are watching, he thinks: I am a representative of honor and power and strength and capabilities, I have a voice, people are listening. And as such he judges, and actually causes harm to the people. This is also a person with repercussions that are equal and evil.

Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, discusses the third judge — a person who judges based upon knowledge, based upon the correct understanding, and teaches it to the people. And of course his intention is good: his intention is representation of the Almighty's religion, of its perfection and beauty and mercy and goodness. So as such the people will benefit from him. The end result of this particular person, brothers and sisters, is an abode in paradise. We ask Allah to protect us and make us from them.

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3573; also reported in Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 2315)

The Wise Person Knows Their Limitations

Brothers and sisters, truly the characteristic of a person that wants good for people is a person who is precautious in whatever they do. Everyone is a leader in some way or another, and has some form of people beneath them — or choices and actions that will affect another person, or has been placed in a situation in which he or she will affect another person. It could be your children, it could be your wife, it could be your daily transactions, your daily interactions with your spouses. And on a higher level — between the scholars and the emirs and the judges. Everyone is going to be held accountable for the people that are beneath them.

So as such, my brothers and sisters, the wise person truly knows the limitations of their capabilities. When they know that for example they are limited in this field, they are not hasty to go out and judge. They are not hasty to go out and point fingers. They are not hasty to say a statement that would harm, for example, their spouse — where the Almighty represents the spouse as a person that is on one's side, as a companion and a friend. And even further and greater than that — a person that is representing the religion, or speaking on behalf of the religion, or a person that has a choice that will affect large populations.

The wise person knows the limitations. They are not hasty in this aspect. They take a step back. They breathe. They visualize the situation. And most importantly, if they don't know, they say they don't know — and they seek the person who does know.

We ask Allah to make us from them.

Second Part of the Khutbah — Recitation of Surah Al-Ghashiyah

Allahu Akbar. Bismillah. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'Alamin. Was-salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah.