Jumah' Khutbah: Struggling to Surrender

Struggling to Surrender

I am of course referring to none other than Ibrahim alayhi salam. When you look in the Quran, you'll be blown away by the amount of compliments he gets — just raving reviews that are being doled out for Ibrahim alayhi salam.

Allah says in Surah an-Najm:

That Ibrahim alayhi salam was loyal to Allah — he fulfilled whatever task came his way. Then in Surah an-Nahl, Allah says:

That Ibrahim was an ummah by himself — like a one-man army all by himself. And then one of the most unique, one of the most special compliments given to Ibrahim alayhi salam is when Allah says:

That Allah has taken Ibrahim as His khalil. You all know what khalil is? Khalil is a close, intimate friend — someone who knows your secrets, someone who knows things about you that no one else does.

And then our scholars say that perhaps one of the greatest compliments given to Ibrahim alayhi salam is when Allah says:

"Now we reveal to you..." Now to appreciate this compliment, we all have to keep in mind that Allah has addressed humanity with one thing. He says:

The entire humanity is told that you need to follow Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. All of us, all of mankind, needs to follow Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. But who does Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam need to follow? Allah says:

While the whole world follows you, O Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, you have to follow your father Ibrahim. He is your role model.

The Secret of Ibrahim's Greatness

So naturally the question is: what is so special about him? What has he done to deserve such a high rank? I'd like to argue in my khutbah today that what is at the center of the greatness of Ibrahim alayhi salam — what is at the great center of his legacy — is the following, and my entire khutbah is going to revolve around this.

What is at the center of the greatness of Ibrahim alayhi salam is that Ibrahim alayhi salam had a no-questions-asked policy when it came to the commands of Allah. Allah said jump, he said how high. No matter how daunting the command seemed, no matter how numerous the challenges were, no matter how impossible the task seemed, Ibrahim alayhi salam had one creed and that is:

"O Allah, I am here to answer the call of duty. I don't mind how difficult it's going to be — I am going to do my best. I'm here to fulfill." That's what made Ibrahim alayhi salam so beloved and unique to Allah, so magnificent in the sight of Allah.

The Hadith of the Night Journey

Our Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam — the hadith comes in Sahih of Imam Muslim — once our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was going about his day, a man came and said to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 43, Hadith 194)

"O you, the best of creation!" The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam immediately turned around and said, "That was actually Ibrahim alayhi salam." Our Prophet is being humble — we know he has the greatest status. But this hadith highlights how lofty Ibrahim alayhi salam's rank is. And that's why our scholars say that after Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, no one beats Ibrahim alayhi salam.

Why? Because he obeyed Allah not only when it was easy, not only when it was convenient, not only when it was popular and profitable, not only when the entire tribe and family was on board. No — oftentimes he was shunned, banished, boycotted. Oftentimes his life was threatened, but somehow Ibrahim alayhi salam still managed. Somehow Allah's command reigned supreme at the end of the day. Somehow Allah had the final say — labbaik Allahumma labbaik.

Ibrahim's Silence on the Night of Isra wal Mi'raj

Something really marvelous we learn from our tradition: our Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam — I think most of you know this story — during the night of Isra wal Mi'raj, went on a heavenly journey. In this journey, as he proceeded through the heavens, on the sixth heaven he met Musa alayhi salam, and then on the highest heaven, the seventh heaven, he met Ibrahim alayhi salam.

After meeting Ibrahim alayhi salam, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam kept proceeding until he had the honor of meeting Allah Himself in that magnificent, majestic meeting. Allah gave him the obligation of 50 prayers — 50 prayers. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam took the obligation and was now making his way back. He passed through the seventh heaven again and met Ibrahim alayhi salam. I'm sure Ibrahim alayhi salam must have inquired about the new obligation upon his ummah, but it seems Ibrahim alayhi salam didn't comment, didn't say anything. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam kept moving.

The hadith comes in Bukhari. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 8, Hadith 345)

"Until I passed by Musa alayhi salam," and Musa alayhi salam, inquisitive as ever, said, "What did Allah obligate upon your ummah?" The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, "Allah obligated 50 prayers upon my ummah."

You all know what that means — if we were to pray 50 prayers, you're literally praying every half hour. Imagine what kind of sleep you would get. We complain about getting bad sleep when you have a newborn child. Imagine praying every half hour.

So when Musa alayhi salam heard this, he said, "Go back to Allah and ask Allah. Negotiate with Allah. Ask Allah to give you relief, ask Allah to give you a discount. I have dealt with human beings — they can't handle this. They're a bunch of slackers. There's no way they're going to handle 50 prayers. Go back and ask Allah for relief." And now we know the story — the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam goes back, asks for relief, and eventually 50 become 5, and that's what we pray every day.

Maqam al-Khalil: The Station of Complete Submission

Here our scholars raise a very deep point. They say: how is it that Musa alayhi salam is the one who prompted Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam to go back to Allah and ask for relief? It's not like Ibrahim alayhi salam is any less merciful to this ummah than Musa alayhi salam. Why is it that he was silent while Musa alayhi salam is the one saying "go back to Allah, go back to Allah, ask for respite, ask for relief"?

Here our scholars say the reason Ibrahim alayhi salam didn't say anything is because of maqam al-khalil — maqam at-taslim. That you don't become a khalil of Allah and then object to what Allah tells you to do. Because when you reach the level of khillah, whatever Allah says goes. Whatever command comes your way, you're like — the wisdom may not be immediately clear to me, but if Allah asked me to do it, there is some good in it and I am going to do my best. Ibrahim alayhi salam always had that attitude, and that's why he remained silent while Musa alayhi salam interceded.

Taslim: Our Religion Constantly Trains Us for Submission

My dear brothers and sisters, this attitude of taslim — wholehearted submission — is what our religion constantly trains us for. You all know that Ramadan is around the corner, and during Ramadan your throats are going to be screaming for water, your stomachs are going to be begging for food. But you're going to wrestle down your desires anyway and say, "Allah's obedience will reign supreme — no matter how tough it is, I'm going to tough it out."

Or, subhanAllah, if you just reflect for a second — I'm going to give you different examples from our religion to show how we are trained in this attitude of wholehearted submission. You know, on the last day of Ramadan it is mandatory upon us to fast. And then the next day of Eid, it is haram for you to fast. I'm asking you: what changes in 24 hours? The sun is still rising from the east, the planet is still rotating on its orbit. One day it's fard, the other day it's haram to fast. Here we learn something — the same Allah who tells you to fast is now telling you not to fast. Your job is sami'na wa ata'na — we hear and we obey wholeheartedly.

Those of you who have gone to Hajj will appreciate this. You know how we are supposed to pray the five daily prayers on their prescribed timings — timings that you and I are used to. And we know Maghrib prayer comes in when the sun sets. Now here's something so interesting. Those of you who have gone for Hajj know this — on the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah, the day of Arafah, the most important day of the entire Hajj ritual, when the sun sets, you're not supposed to pray Maghrib. In fact, you're supposed to keep moving on to Muzdalifah, and when you get there you're supposed to combine Maghrib and Isha together. And the Hanafi scholars will tell you that if you were one of those overachievers who said "I don't want to lose the time, I need to pray on time" — if you prayed early on your route to Muzdalifah before you got there, you need to redo your prayer.

What are we being taught here, folks? Don't get shackled by the system, don't lose the bigger objective. You are supposed to consciously and unconsciously learn to submit to Allah — for He tells you to pray when the sun sets, and now He is telling you to delay your prayer. So you learn to do that. This was the Abrahamic creed. This was the Abrahamic manifesto. The spirit was that whenever Allah said something, he went ahead and fulfilled it.

A Story from Pakistan

So the question for you and I, my dear brothers and sisters, is: how are we doing on this front? How do we rank when it comes to taslim? Are we willing to submit?

A few years ago when I was in Pakistan — I'm from Pakistan, so I can say whatever I want about my people without anybody getting offended, inshAllah — I was hanging out with my uncle. My uncle is a manager — at least he was back then — a manager of a production plant. My uncle is telling me this story. He says, "Once we got an electricity bill that was so outrageously high — it was like five times the plant average — and I knew there must be a system glitch. There's no way our electricity bill is this high."

Now in Pakistan, utility companies are owned by the government — everything is kind of nationalized — so you can't just call up customer service and get your issue resolved. You've got to go to the government agency. So my uncle decides to go to the government agency. He says, "I'm sitting in the lobby, waiting my turn, and the officer who's supposed to attend to me — the door of his office is open and he's talking to his assistant, and I can kind of hear what they're talking about. And I hear this officer telling the assistant, 'My day just isn't going well today, I'm just not feeling right, I'm so off my rhythm.' The assistant says, 'Well, what happened?' He says, 'Well, look, I don't want to brag or anything, but today — after a long time — I broke my streak of praying Fajr in the masjid.'"

My uncle's jaw drops. He's like, "Whoa. He's not complaining about missing Fajr — he's complaining about missing Fajr in the masjid. I'm about to deal with an angel! My issue is going to be resolved in no time." Or so he thought.

And then finally his turn comes. The officer says, "Close the door," and then, "Come close," and then, "How can I help you?" My uncle says, "Well, here's the electricity bill — it's enormously high, this can't be right. If you could please look into it for me." So the officer says, "So you want me to take care of this for you?" My uncle says yes. And the officer then says, "And what's in it for me?"

My uncle immediately understood that the officer was asking for a bribe. And my uncle is shocked. He says, "Wait — weren't you the same guy who was complaining about missing Fajr in the masjid? And you're asking for a bribe?" Now the officer loses it. He says, "Slow your roll. Calm down. Don't bring religion into this. Religion has its place, dunya has its place. Don't mix the two together. Don't bring 'Allah Allah, Rasulullah' into this."

Islam Is Not Just Ritual

Folks, somehow in our times we have managed to do the unthinkable. Somehow some people have divorced Islam from ethics, from morals. Somehow we have managed to reduce Islam to calligraphy on our walls, or five minutes of Quranic recitation at the beginning of the wedding ceremony before the DJ comes on. Somehow we have managed to reduce Islam to rituals.

Yet Islam was supposed to be more. It came to define what is right and what is wrong, what is ethical and what is unethical. Islam came to be a force of influence in our lives. It came to shape and influence the way we eat, the way we manage our business, the way we manage our finances, the way we parent, the way we deal with people, the way we deal with disappointments, the way we negotiate social norms. Islam came to be a source of influence, folks. It came to be more than just five daily prayers.

So you see, our Deen cannot be just lip service, people. Our Deen was not meant to be seasonal — where when it's in season to obey Allah we'll do it, and then when Ramadan's over, as we say in Urdu, the chaand raat comes out and it's like a "welcome back party for Shaitaan." That's not the attitude of a believer. Islam came to be our worldview, our value system, our legal system.

The Lesson of Shaitaan's Disobedience

In Surah al-A'raf, we learn about Shaitaan and how Shaitaan fell from grace. It's kind of a scary story, if you ask me. We all know the story of creation — when Allah created Adam alayhi salam, He asked all the angels to prostrate to him out of honor and respect, and we know Shaitaan refused. That is how, when he disobeyed, he fell from grace.

Now here's something for you to think about. When you and I were in Sunday school, we were taught the six pillars of Iman — that we as Muslims believe in six core things. We believe in Allah. We believe in His angels. We believe in His books. We believe in His messengers. We believe in the Day of Judgment. And we believe in divine planning and decree. We believe in these six core pillars, and when you believe in these six things, you are a believer.

I want you to take this checklist and apply it to Shaitaan. You don't think Shaitaan believes in these six things? Does Shaitaan not believe in Allah? Allah tells us in the Quran that Shaitaan says "O Rabb" — he calls Allah by the name Rabb. Maybe that's not where the issue is. Perhaps Shaitaan doesn't believe in the angels? Well, he lived with the angels — that can't be the issue. Perhaps Shaitaan doesn't believe in the Day of Judgment? But then Allah tells us in the Quran that Shaitaan is quoted to say "Give me respite till the Day of Judgment" — he acknowledges the Day of Judgment.

So if Shaitaan believes in all six pillars, why is Shaitaan not a believer?

Here is the inconvenient truth: Shaitaan is a kafir not because he is an atheist. Shaitaan's disbelief was his disobedience. That's the inconvenient truth. And Shaitaan knows he doesn't have to turn you and I into agnostics. He doesn't have to convince us — na'udhubillah — to join a Quran-burning ceremony. All he has to do is open the door of disobedience, because that's the door he himself fell through.

Shaitaan's Excuse: The First Use of "Logic" to Justify Disobedience

There is a profound takeaway from this story that I really wanted to highlight. I think this is one of the greatest takeaways from the story of creation. Do you know what was the excuse of Shaitaan? What was his excuse to disobey Allah? How did he justify defying Allah's orders?

To put it plainly for you, Shaitaan essentially said: "Your command doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't jive with my worldview. It doesn't conform to my social norms. So I'm not doing it." To give you the exact quote, Shaitaan says:

Shaitaan says to Allah: "I am superior to Adam. You created me from fire, you created him from earth." Before we go any further — notice: racism started with Shaitaan as well. You know what he's essentially saying, right? "Why would I honor him? Why would I humble myself in front of him?" And then we learn something else here — Shaitaan was the first to use so-called logic and reason to justify disobedience of Allah. He's essentially arguing: "You created me from fire — fire tends to rise, spread, and conquer. Earth tends to be meek, timid, low. Why would I lower myself to him? Why would I bow down and prostrate to him? That makes no sense to me. I'm not doing it."

This trend that Shaitaan started — to justify disobedience of Allah based on one's own understanding — continues to our time and our day and age. Submission is out of fashion. You and I are supposed to criticize, challenge tradition, rebel — that's the norm of the day. You're supposed to challenge and tear down tradition.

And in an environment like that, when a khatib like me says, "Hey, you need to have a no-questions-asked policy when it comes to Allah's command," I bet somebody in the audience is sitting there thinking, "There goes another mullah telling us to shut down our brains, telling us to stop using our minds, and just blindly believe and have blind faith." Is that what Islam is asking you to do? Are we asking people, in the name of submission, in the name of the Abrahamic spirit, to silence their intellect and ignore their common sense? Is that what Islam is asking you to do?

SubhanAllah, far from it. In fact, the Quran is filled with verses where Allah is telling you to use your mind. So many verses:

"Do they not reflect over the heavens and the earth?"

Verses upon verses telling you: you need to exercise your intellectual gifts. And that's why Islam and science have always had a harmonious relationship. That's why Islamic civilization was at the forefront of scientific breakthroughs and discoveries. Because for us, Allah is the one who gave us the laws of physics, and He is the one who gave you the intellect. So there is a natural synchronization between the two. There is no conflict. Islam is encouraging you to use your mind — not to retire your brain, but to use it. Because that is what is going to increase you in your iman.

The Proper Role of the Intellect

So Islam is encouraging us, pushing us, to use our intellect. However, while Islam is telling us to use our intellect, it is also telling us at the same time the proper role of our intellect, the proper function of our intellect. And according to Islam, the proper function of your intellect is this: that you exert your intellect in finding the most reliable and the most trustworthy source of truth. You exert and exhaust all your mental capacities to find the most expert source of truth. Once you have found it — now is the time to learn, and listen, and live by that truth that comes your way.

My dear brothers and sisters, after all, isn't this how we approach our daily lives anyway? You know, in the 1990s, when Alan Greenspan was the chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank — when this man would give a speech on the economy, the entire world would tune in, obsessing over every single one of his words, dissecting every one of his statements. Or imagine if President Obama was holding a workshop on public speaking. Or a celebrity chef was going to teach you how to cook. Or if Elon Musk came to teach you how to start a new company. What attitude would you have when you approach that workshop? Would you go in with a conceited, know-it-all attitude — "you've got to get on my level, you've gotta convince me"? No. A reasonable thing to do would be: let me go in with the attitude of learning, because this person is light years ahead of me.

So if this is how we treat experts that we see on a daily basis, can there be a greater expert than Allah and His messenger when it comes to how best to live our life in this world and the next? Can there be a greater expert? Then how is it that someone gets off saying — when an authentic command from Allah and His messenger reaches them — "Well, I don't understand why interest is haram. Why can't I take business loans? Why is dating so haram, how am I supposed to find my soulmate? Why is marriage between a man and a woman only?" Look at the attitude of challenging. It's not an attitude of understanding. You've got to seek to understand, not challenge.

Ibn Taymiyyah's Example of the Surgeon

Ibn Taymiyyah said this so beautifully. He gives an example that really shows you the proper role of our intellect. He says: imagine a person who is new to a town, and during his visit to this foreign town, he falls sick — and his sickness is so severe that he now needs surgery. Ibn Taymiyyah says this person now has to use every mental resource at his disposal to find the best surgeon he can find. He should read testimonials, reviews, talk to previous patients — whatever he can — to find the best surgeon in town. Once he has identified that surgeon, though, when that surgeon gives you anesthesia and puts you to sleep and expects you to trust him while he cuts you up, fixes you up, and stitches you up — wouldn't that be the reasonable thing to do? To trust him at that point?

Just like we trust our pilots and their credentials with our lives at 35,000 feet in the air on a 14-hour flight from here to Saudi Arabia. We trust them with our lives. We trust their credentials. We have that confidence. So where is that confidence and trust when it comes to Allah and His Messenger?

Allah says:

"They underestimate Me." Allah says:

"Do I not know My own creation? Do you not trust Me? I know the most subtle things about you." And that's why one of the translations of Iman is trust itself. We ask Allah to make us people of Iman. We ask Allah to make us people of submission.

Second Khutbah: The Ultimate Test of Ibrahim

الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وصحبه ومن والاه.

My dear brothers and sisters, as I wrap up, I'd like to say that Ibrahim alayhi salam was one of the greatest intellectuals in human history. Why? Because his intellect led him to the conclusion that Allah is worthy of his complete trust and wholehearted submission. That's what his intellect led him to. And make no mistake — that was not just lip service. Allah tested him in this claim, to see how strong his trust really was, how far he was willing to go to vindicate this trust.

So Ibrahim alayhi salam began to see a dream, over and over again, where he is slaughtering his own son — his only son at that point. Some scholars say Ibrahim alayhi salam knew this was no random dream. He was being commanded by Allah to slaughter his own son.

You know, if anyone had the right to object, if anyone had the right to protest Allah's command at that moment, it would have been Ibrahim alayhi salam. He could have said: "Ya Allah, I dedicated my entire life to You. I gave up my family for You. I gave up my home for You. I jumped in the fire for You. I put my family in the middle of the desert for You. Now You want to take away my only son — the thing I love most dearly? You want to take this away from me now?"

But not Ibrahim. Not Khalilur Rahman. Why? Maqam al-khalil, maqam at-taslim. Because when you reach the level of khillah, you have this unshakeable trust in Allah — that when Allah is asking me to do something, though the wisdom may not immediately sink in, Allah knows best. A'antum a'lamu am Allah? — do you know more than Allah? It may not sink in with me, but Allah is looking out for me. Allah has my best interest at heart.

So with this attitude he approaches his son and says, "Son, I am commanded to do this act." Like father, like son — his son says:

"Father, do as you are commanded." The same beautiful attitude of taslim.

So Ibrahim alayhi salam ties up his son, takes him to the ground where he is about to do the deed. He puts him face down — you know why face down? So that in the act of slaughter their eyes would not meet, and they would not shake in their commitment to Allah, would not waver in their commitment to Allah. He puts him face down, and then Ibrahim alayhi salam puts the knife on his throat, announcing in the process: "Ya Allah, I love my son, but I don't love him so much that I cannot sacrifice him for You." And he runs the knife.

That moment, Allah comments:

Notice — falamma aslama: Islam, taslim — the same roots. "When they both wholeheartedly submitted." Then the test was over. An announcement was made: "Ibrahim, you have passed. You have fulfilled. You have submitted in the truest sense of the word."

We ask Allah to make us people of taslim. We ask Allah to make us people of conviction. We ask Allah to allow us to exercise our intellect in a way that brings us closer to Him and strengthens our commitment to Him. Allah commands justice and good, and grants closeness, and forbids indecency and malice. He warns you so that you may remember.