20160722-Second Khutba

Opening Khutbah

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ، اللَّهُمَّ نَجِّنَا مِنَ النَّارِ أَجْمَعِينَ.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah. We thank Him. We glorify Him. We seek His help. We seek His protection from the evil of our own souls and the consequences of our own misdeeds. I bear witness that Allah is the one and the only one, and that Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ is his final and last messenger.

All you who believe, fear Allah, respect Allah, love Allah as He should be feared, as He should be respected, as He should be loved. And do not die except while you are Muslims.

The Meaning of Dhulm (Injustice and Oppression)

Allah in His precious book states that falsehood does not come from before Him nor from behind Him. And Allah does not want injustice for the worlds. And Allah does not want injustice for His servants. And your Lord is not unjust to the servants. And Allah does not do injustice to the people at all, but the people themselves are unjust.

And He ordered against injustice with His saying that Allah commands justice and good and to give to relatives. And He said:

There is no god but He, and the angels and the people of knowledge bear witness — upright in justice. There is no god but He, the Mighty, the Wise.

That is mentioned in the Quran a lot. And the opposite of that is the word Al-'Adl (justice). So what is Dhulm? Dhulm is what brings nations down. Dhulm is what destroys families. Dhulm is what ruins personal life. Dhulm is what puts a person into hellfire. So we need to know this danger.

You may have heard a lot nowadays on the media, on social media, on TV — injustice. People crying for justice. You have heard injustice, oppression, inequity. You have heard the word maybe rape, murder, killing, shedding the blood, racketeering, violence, and many other words. The word Dhulm includes all of these. And the worst one of that is the Shirk. The root of the word in Arabic is a person putting things where they do not belong.

The Greatest Dhulm: Shirk

When Allah revealed in Surah Al-An'am:

— those who believe in Allah and do not mingle and do not bring Dhulm into their Iman, into their faith, those people will have safety and security — أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْنُ — and they will be the ones Allah will guide. So when this ayah came, the Sahabah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ reflected on it and said: "O Messenger of Allah, who amongst us will not do oppression, injustice, a wrong, a sin against his own self?"

So the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: "Don't you read the statement of the righteous and the pious person?" — referring to Luqman عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ — whereas he said in Surah Luqman:

Surely the Shirk — setting up partners with Allah, associating something else with Allah, with money, with kings, with queens, with the Shaytan — anything associated with Allah, that is called Shirk. Don't you read where Allah says: إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ — surely the Shirk is the greatest of wrongs, the greatest of oppression, the greatest of injustice.

So that's regarding the faith — we should avoid the Shirk and we should believe in the Creator, the only Creator of the heavens and the earth and what is inside them. That's number one.

Forms of Dhulm

Below the Shirk, Dhulm has variations — it has a variety of forms, different kinds of manifestations. There is oppression the person does to himself, a wrong the person does to himself. There is a wrong the person does against his Creator. There is a wrong the person does to others — other creations of Allah. So we need to know these different forms of injustice.

Allah commands the believing men and women — those who learn the lessons from the Quran — the opposite of oppression, which is justice. Allah bears witness that there is no God except Him. After Him comes the witnessing of the angels — that magnificent creation — who bear witness that there is no God except Allah. Who comes third in the ranks of witnessing to this Tawheed, to this Kalima? Allah mentions the people of knowledge.

Allah is always there for justice. In His right there is no injustice. Allah never commits injustice. Allah does not intend any injustice for His creation, because of the perfection of His justice. Allah is the supreme, absolute Just. So Allah commands us and requires from us this justice, and to stand up for justice, for Allah loves those who are just.

Quranic Warnings Against Injustice

Throughout the Quran, Allah gave severe warnings against injustice in many ayat. For example, Allah says in Surah Az-Zukhruf:

Woe to those who did wrong from the punishment of a severe and painful day. And Allah says those who did wrong will know where they will be coming back to and what will be the consequences. And Allah distances away from His mercy the people who are wrongdoers — who are zalimun. Allah says surely the zalimun will never succeed — they will never be successful in the end.

And the person who did wrong will be ruined.

Prophetic Teachings on Dhulm

What did the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ say to educate the ummah about this injustice and wrongdoing?

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2578)

Beware of oppression and injustice, because on the Day of Judgment this will translate into darknesses — it will be darknesses.

The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ also says — in a hadith in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim — beware of the curse of the person who is a victim of your oppression. If he curses you, that curse may be answered and you may suffer as a consequence. So beware of the implications and the curse of the person that is mazlum — the victim of your dhulm — because his prayer will be answered directly, going directly to Allah.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2577 — Hadith Qudsi)

"O My servants, O My creation — I have made injustice forbidden for Myself and I have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another, do not do injustice to one another, do not do wrong to one another."

The Land Seized Unjustly

The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ also said about the different kinds of dhulm: whoever takes one span of the earth unjustly, in the wrong manner, on the Day of Judgment seven times that amount of that land will be collared around his neck. Imagine if someone takes one acre of land unjustly — seven times as much as that he has to carry around his neck on the Day of Judgment. That is how evil will be the consequence of injustice.

The Farewell Khutbah

Another example: the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ gave the famous khutbah during Hajj. He asked about the day, the land, and the month they were in. The month was a holy month — it was Dhul Hijjah. The land was a holy land — that was Mecca and its surroundings. The day was a holy day — the day of Arafah and the day of Eid. He repeated the khutbahs. And he said:

"As this day is sacred, as this land is sacred, as this month is sacred — your blood, your property, your honour is sacred in the same manner, in the same way. It is inviolable."

And at the end of the khutbah he added very striking and deep words:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 121; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 65)

Woe to you — do not go back to kufr after I leave and strike the necks of one another. And he went further on that, and then he said: "I will meet with my Lord and I will depart. I may not come back with you again in the same place. And Allah will ask you about me — what will you say?" So the Sahabah said: "We are going to bear witness that you delivered the message of Allah to His servants." So the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ raised his hand to Allah and said: "O Allah, be witness! O Allah, be witness!" So the Prophet would take every moment to tell the people to refrain from injustice and from doing wrong.

The Bankrupt Person on the Day of Judgment

And of course there is this beautiful hadith from Abu Hurairah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ. The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2581)

"Do you know who is the bankrupt?" They said: "The bankrupt amongst us is the one who has neither money nor any property." The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: "The real bankrupt of my ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with salah, with sawm, with sadaqah — but he will find himself bankrupt on that day, as he will have exhausted his good deeds because he reviled others, brought false accusations against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others, and beat others. So his good deeds would be credited to the account of those who suffered at his hand. If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be entered into his account, and he would be thrown into the hellfire."

The True Muslim

The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: "The true Muslim is the one from whose hand and tongue others are safe. And the real immigrant is the one who abandons what Allah has forbidden."

Our Responsibility Today

You are part of this country, part of these people, part of the American nation. I was listening to a lecture — so far 174 mosques, either they have been vandalized, some of them hurt, some of them had bullets shattered around them, some of them have been threatened. So there is a cycle of violence going on. And this injustice has something to do with war and terrorism and hatred and Islamophobia. All of these are interconnected, and the basis of all of these is injustice.

So we ask Allah to save us, to save our communities, to save our neighbors, to save our country and the whole world. But first we have to get education. At least you are responsible for your own self — at least, at minimum. So get the education, do not do wrong to anyone. And stand up for what is justice and what is right.

There is a wise saying that scholars have said — and they take it from the Quran:

مَنْ ظَلَمَ فَقَدْ خَرَّبَ بَيْتَهُ — Whoever does oppression, he will ruin his own house. Whoever does wrong will ruin his own self.

They derive this from the Quran, where in Surah An-Naml Allah says:

Those towns that have been wiped out, that have been ruined, that have been destroyed — they are there because of their injustice and the wrong that they have done. Allah was there when those towns were destroyed. So Allah is telling us: this is the consequence of injustice.

So we need to educate ourselves. We need to be active. We need to get educated and stand up for what is right and help the people who are suffering from injustice — regardless of their face, regardless of their colors, regardless of their social status. We are all in one and the same boat. And if that boat sinks, then everyone will sink. So at least be part of that group that will try to save the boat, not the ones who will destroy the boat.

And I want to conclude with some of the statements of the scholars: even if you see a bird dying of malnutrition on top of its nest on top of the mountains, this is because of the injustice that is done on the earth. That is how bad it is. Even other creations around us will suffer from our own injustice and oppression — not only human beings.

Du'a: Seeking Protection from Dhulm

The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ taught us a beautiful du'a. Each time you step out from your door, this is the du'a you are supposed to make:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 5094; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3427)

"In the name of Allah. O Allah, I seek Your protection from going myself astray or misguiding others. Or I slip or am made to slip. Or I oppress either myself or others. Or I do ignorance to others, or others do ignorance unto me." This is a beautiful du'a of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

So we ask Allah to distance away from us all forms of injustice and all forms of oppression. May Allah help us to be amongst those who will establish justice. إِنَّهُ وَلِيُّ ذَلِكَ وَالْقَادِرُ عَلَيْهِ.

I say this, and I ask forgiveness of Allah — for you and for me I ask His forgiveness.

Closing

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَكَفَى، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَى.

O servants of Allah — Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and salute him with all respect:

Announcements

Brothers, I just have this announcement. Taqwa Arabic Institute at IACC offers an Arabic speaking summer intensive program. You may enroll through their website or through the message here. They have flyers outside, so please enroll your children.

Arabic is very important to understand your deen, to understand your du'a, to understand your faith, your culture, and the books and the knowledge that have been written in Arabic for 1,400 years or more. Those books that have been written are waiting for people to benefit from them. They need translation. So it is better that you go to the books, not the books come to you — or that someone translates for you. Go to the books. Means: study Arabic.

And then you will get access to all those books of the scholars throughout history. Six months, one year of Arabic will do, inshAllah, enough to give you access to the knowledge of the Quran, the knowledge of the hadith, the knowledge of the fiqh — and all those scholars of the past and the books they wrote. There is no people who will translate all of that. It will take centuries to translate those books. So it is better that you benefit from them by studying Arabic. Just six months, one year, two years. There are different kinds of programs, including one at your masjid — Taqwa Arabic Institute. Please take advantage of that. JazakumAllahu khayran.