Jumah' Khutbah: The 3 elements of change

The 3 Elements of Change

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

Oh, you who believe, fear Allah and die not except in a state of submission to Him alone as Muslims. Oh, humanity, fear your Lord who created you from a single soul, being Adam, and from that created its mate, being Hawa, Eve, and from that scatters many men and women. Oh, humanity, fear your Lord and do not cut off relations with your kin.

Indeed, Allah is Al-Raqib — He is the ultimate monitor over you. Oh, humanity, fear your Lord and speak the truth. In return, He will rectify for you your affairs, and He will forgive you of your sins. And indeed, whoever obeys Allah and His messenger has indeed achieved the greatest achievement.

As to what follows, brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, indeed the best speech is the book of Allah, and the best guidance is that of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And of the worst affairs in our doctrinal system of Islam are the newly invented ones. For every newly invented affair in this situation is an innovation, and for every innovation is a form of going astray, and for every form of going astray is in the fire of hell. And we seek refuge in Allah from that.

A Young Man's Question

As you know, in 2018, there are many challenges that we face — we being Muslims, and we being human beings, we being citizens, we being mothers, fathers, sons, daughters — many challenges. There was one challenge that I encountered when I was at a particular college, and I was speaking to a number of youth.

When speaking to a number of them, after finishing the reminder for myself and for them, one of them came up to me, tapped me on my shoulder, and they said, "You know what, I have an issue. I just recently really, really embraced Islam," and I was perplexed. Because they were from a Muslim family.

And I asked them, "Weren't you from a Muslim family?" They said, "Yes, but I really understood the first pillar of Islam — what it really means — worshipping God alone. Because I was really confused on the relevance of religion, on the reality of a deity. I was starting to call myself spiritual, and not calling myself religious. I didn't want to say that I had a religion. I didn't want to be pigeonholed. I didn't want to be marginalized. But you know what? I have the integrity to say that I believe that Islam is the truth, voluntarily. I believe that it's the truth. But it's so difficult here at college. The things that I encounter as a man — sometimes, actually most of the times, my parents don't understand. I don't know who to reach out to, because they may tell my parents. So I'm trying my best, and I'm talking to you, because I feel this now. Just give me some advice."

So witness here. This was something similar that happened during the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. One could possibly say that this individual converted to Islam — one could possibly say that — because they openly acknowledged that they did not previously acknowledge the tawheed of Allah. They didn't accept it within their hearts. They didn't even know. Once it was told to them, they processed it, analyzed it, understood it, and then articulated that to me. But he asked for advice.

And subhanAllah, one reality that we must understand as Muslims is that the first generation of people that were around the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him — the disciples, the companions, the sahaba — they were people that converted to Islam. They were converts to the religion of Islam. They were in zulumat — they were in darkness, spiritual darkness, and everything that follows that. And they came to the nur, they came to the light of Islam. They acknowledged the oneness of Allah and the messengership of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

And you find throughout the sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him — throughout the statements, actions, and tacit approvals of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, the way that he lived, the encounters that he faced — you see that the people around him always asked him questions. They always requested things from him because their main concern, brothers and sisters, was not this tangible life that we see in front of us. After they understood the first pillar of Islam and they inculcated it, they internalized it, they processed it, and they acted it out to the best of their abilities — they exemplified it — they still had questions based on that initial aqidah, that initial creed, that initial connection that they established by embracing Islam with Allah, by embracing this oneness of Allah.

The Companions Who Received This Advice

We see the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and many times he would always advise his companions. And there's one in particular that I want to share with you — that I advised this young brother when he said, "Just give me some advice." You could see on his face the desperation. You could see that he felt trapped. "I feel this is right in my heart, but the environment that I'm in, what I'm facing, the people that I'm around, may not be beneficial to help this seed of light, of iman, grow and flourish — to be something beneficial for me in this life and in the next."

So he asked this advice and immediately the hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came to me. It was the advice that he gave to two individuals — one of them being Mu'adh ibn Jabal, and Jundub ibn Junadah, better known as Abu Dhar al-Ghifari.

Now Mu'adh ibn Jabal was a young man. He was someone that embraced Islam. He was someone that was known as the faqih of the ummah. أَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ بِالْحَلَالِ وَالْحَرَامِ — as it was noted about him, he was the most knowledgeable person of halal and haram. He was the jurist of the ummah, for lack of better words. He was someone that learned the religion of Islam.

The second individual was Jundub ibn Junadah, Abu Dhar al-Ghifari. And Abu Dhar al-Ghifari, for those of you that go to your local masajid, he was kind of like the enforcer. He was someone that was very rough, radiAllahu anhu, very aggressive. He was from the tribe of al-Ghifar in northern Saudi Arabia. This tribe was a known tribe that would intercept the Meccans when they would go north to Sham for trading — intercept and rob them. But Abu Dhar was always a muwahid.

He came into Islam. He was on a voyage to find out about this man named Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. When he arrived in Mecca, he asked about him. And then one individual said, الصَّابِئ، الصَّابِئ — "He is the one that is disobedient. He is the deviant," for lack of better words. And they beat him to a pulp. Abu Dhar said that he was beaten, and he said:

He said, "I was like a nusub." The nusub was actually the stone that they used to slaughter their animals on. When you slaughter the animal, blood drizzles down on it, so it looks like a pulp of blood. He said, "I was at this degree" — this is how he was when he was just asking about who is Muhammad, where is Muhammad. His voyage for the truth. These are the type of individuals that were around the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.

Just to give you an interlude to let you know who we are dealing with. This is the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, giving them advice. He gave them three elements of change, three forms of advice. Many of us are probably aware of this hadith, but there is no problem with reiterating the hadith over and over and over again. For really it is dhikr and it is remembrance.

The Hadith: Three Elements of Change

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, told these two individuals — and this hadith is in Tirmidhi — the following:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1987 — graded Hasan)

He told them three things: Fear Allah wherever you are. Follow up a bad deed with a good deed — it will erase it. And treat mankind with good manners.

The First Element: Fear Allah Wherever You Are

The first of them being:

We see this as an imperative verb. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is commanding them to fear Allah. And we see that taqwa is like you are taking what is called a wiqayah — like a shield. And this shield is the acts of good.

Such as you coming here to Salatul Jumu'ah in the middle of the day, leaving work, telling your staff, "I have to go to Jumu'ah, go to my Friday sermon, I will be back in 30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour" — to where the individuals see that you're going to pray. People at school know that you are going to leave early because you want to come to Jumu'ah. If you're in your internship at school, they know that around 1, 1:30, Muhammad, Aisha, Khadijah has to leave. This is an action of taqwa. This is an action of the muttaqeen. May Allah reward you all for taking that effort.

That's what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is saying. Fear Allah wherever you are. So this fear is an action of good that serves as a shield against the actions of punishment — serves as a shield against the azab of Allah.

But it's very important here that when Allah gives us an imperative verb, He wants you to be the best that you can be. Fear Allah. Do your best to fear Allah. That's why in certain situations that may be a gray area, when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said — the halal is clear and the haram is clear. That which is permissible and lawful is clear and that which is not is clear. And between them are things that are ambiguous. And then he says, whoever stays away from that which is ambiguous, he has protected his deen and his honor.

But we see the same verb here in the hadith:

Whoever stays away from that which is ambiguous, whoever uses that as a shield against the evil deeds or the punishment. So we see that, brothers and sisters, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, awsana bi taqwa. And as we see on the last hajj, he said:

I advise you with the taqwa of Allah. And Umar ibn al-Khattab told his son Abdullah, "I advise you with the taqwa of Allah."

You know, Umar ibn al-Khattab asked Ubayy, "What is taqwa?" He said, "Taqwa is if you were to walk through a vineyard — or something that has thorns — what would you do?" Ubayy said, "I would be someone that would avoid it or stay away from it." When he mentioned that, that was the definition of taqwa. Umar ibn al-Khattab said:

That if you were to walk to a place that has thorns, you would protect yourself from it and be cautious — تَشَمَّرْتُ — I'd be cautious. In another narration: اتَّقَيْتُهُ — I would be someone that would stay away from it, or use something as a shield to protect myself.

We see this beautiful statement from Ubayy and then Umar ibn al-Khattab confirming it. And Mutarrif, a scholar, heard the statement and he made a beautiful small poem. He said:

He said: Leave off the small and major sins, for verily that is taqwa. And do as the person that is walking on top of thorns — he is being aware of what he sees. And this is the beautiful portion of it: do not belittle the small sins, for verily mountains are made of pebbles.

Do not belittle the small sins. When you see something that is small, you try to divert from that to the best of your ability. And that's why when Allah says:

Fear Allah as much as you can. You may not be able to get to someone to get an answer, but you know that Allah is watching — do your best. So when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says, "Fear Allah wherever you are," it means that wherever you may be, know that Allah is Al-Basir — He is the All-Seeing. As-Sami' — He is the All-Hearing. These names and attributes manifested in your life is what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is requesting from these two individuals and from all of us.

When you're at work, fear Allah wherever you are. And that's exactly what this youth heard — to fear Allah wherever you are. That was the first form of advice. Remembering to fear Allah to the best of your ability, and not domesticating the actions of your religion to one place. Wherever you may be, remember Allah is watching you, Allah hears you, Allah knows what you feel and what you think — and if you act on it, He is well aware of that.

The Second Element: Follow a Bad Deed with a Good Deed

The second form of advice, brothers and sisters, is where he said:

He said, "And follow up a bad deed with a good deed — it will erase it." Or the good deed will erase it. This is very important for us, especially as elders with our children, especially as elders when we see the youth in the masjid — with every single individual. For those of you in college, in this rough environment — we have instructors maybe asking you probing questions about the basis of your creed and you cannot answer. When you are in a social environment and you make a mistake, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Follow up a bad deed with a good deed, it will erase it."

This firstly acknowledges that we will commit sins. We will commit major sins, we will commit minor sins. We may miss Fajr at its time — we may wake up and the sun is beaming in our face. We may say something bad about a brother or a sister inside the masjid. We may say something bad about our brother and our sister at the dinner table when our children are listening. All of these things Allah knows. Because we are insan — we are mankind — and we will make mistakes. But the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is encouraging you. He is letting you know: you know what, you will make mistakes. You are going to mess up.

But what is most important — when you get in an argument with your wife in front of your children, when you say something bad about your brother right outside the masjid, when it's Ramadan and you are arguing about a certain day — when you have conversations with people and a person's name comes up, and that's the thadhi'ah, you want to slaughter that person figuratively by mentioning them in a bad light, and you know they wouldn't like it — do you stop before you go to sleep and say, "What are the deeds that I have done today? Ya Allah, what have I done today? And anything that I have done wrong..."

This portion of the hadith is basically telling us just to try. Islam is a religion that wants you to try. The misconception is that religiosity is reaching the goal — that's the misconception. Religiosity is attempting. And those that strive — as Allah says, those that strive in our path, what's the result? We will guide them to our way. Strive. Strive next time to wake up for Fajr. Strive next time to hold your tongue when you want to say something that may be amusing, or you want to say something to prove your point. Strive to control yourself. And the fact that you made the effort is a hasanah, and it will erase a sayi'ah, inshallah.

We should be spiritual opportunists — taking advantage of every opportunity and being present when we do so, to the best of our ability. The fact that you even care is a hasanah. The fact that you're trying is another one. So we have to be aware of this, brothers and sisters, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the religion of Islam, and Allah — He encourages you to be the best you can be. Even though you may not reach that goal, as long as you're trying, that is the goal. That's what counts. Making the effort.

The Story of the Man Who Came to the Prophet

There was a man during the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and this is in the sunnah. He kissed a woman that was not his wife. He came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and look at — he came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and admitted what he did. We see this was a practice of the companions. If they made a mistake, they felt bad. And they came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, admitting it — wanting to see what there was for them. And some of them, it was at their own detriment, something that was not apparently beneficial for them — but it may have been something that was cleansing for them in the next life, as an expiation.

So a man came and he kissed a woman. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sat, didn't say anything. Then the verse of Allah in the chapter of Hud, verse number 114, was revealed. Allah said:

Allah said: And establish the prayer at the two edges of the day and in the approaching hours of the night. Verily — and this is the highlighted portion — verily the good deeds take away the evil deeds. And listen to how Allah ends it: ذَٰلِكَ ذِكْرَىٰ لِلذَّاكِرِينَ — and this is a reminder for those who remember.

So this verse was revealed, as some say, because of this incident. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, called the man. He said, "Where is the man that asked me that question earlier?" He said:

"I'm here. This is me." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, recited this verse. And then the man asked a beautiful question. He said, "Is this only for me, O Messenger of Allah? Was this verse revealed only for me?" Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "No — it's for all of mankind." رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ — as a mercy for mankind.

So brothers and sisters, this second portion is an encouragement for all of us. It's an encouragement for all of us to make tawbah to Allah before Allah takes our soul. Do not ever give up on the mercy of Allah.

Do not ever despair from the mercy of Allah. The manifestation of the names Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, Al-Ghafur, Al-Ghafir, Al-Ghaffar — all of these names. The One that forgives you. The One that has mercy. Al-'Afu — the One who pardons you as though the sin never took place. A manifestation of these names is in this portion of the hadith.

The Third Element: Treat Mankind with Good Manners

And the third portion, brothers and sisters, is where he said:

And treat mankind with good manners. Brothers and sisters, you should look at yourself and see — خَالِقِ النَّاسَ — not خَالِقِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. Treat mankind — everyone. If you were to go to the 7-Eleven here, or to Costco, or to Walmart, and you see someone with a sad face, look at their name tag and say, "Hey John, how are you doing? How's your day?" Give him a smile. Make him happy.

We know this is a sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. This is sadaqah. When you do that, they will remember you the next time. They may ask your name. When they see the signs and the khuluq of Islam on you — and you don't even have to say that you're Muslim — this is how people get attracted to you. This is how you influence a society. When you're someone that loves people just because they are people, this is so important.

Because we see that Shaytan — what was the reason that he didn't prostrate to Adam? He said, "I'm better than him." What was the illah, the characteristic, the reason why he didn't want to bow down? He said:

"You have created me from fire and created him from clay." A tangible thing. Something that I can see. Something that you have given him. Islam transcends the skin, the culture — the things that we may view as normal, and whatever is abnormal is not accepted. Islam transcends all of that. Everything is subservient to the objectives of Islam.

Because we have to understand that Islam is a purpose with goals. It has goals behind the actions that you perform. Everything that you do has a goal behind it. As Allah mentions in the Qur'an:

He mentions: O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed upon you as it was on the nations before you. What's the goal? لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ — The goal of ibadah is taqwa.

When Allah mentions the ceremonial practices — from stoning the Jamarat and making tawaf, circumambulation around the Ka'bah — what does He say at the very end? That those who magnify and make great the signs of Allah — for verily, this is from the piety of the heart. The goal is taqwa, brothers and sisters.

What did Allah tell Musa when He chose him as a prophet? In the chapter of Taha, what did Allah say?

He told him: Verily, I am Allah. Then He gives him the order — فَاعْبُدْنِي — Worship Me. How? وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ — Establish the prayer. Why? لِذِكْرِي — To remember Me. So we see that this is Islam, brothers and sisters. If we look at Islam in this light — that there is a spiritual goal for spiritual reform — we understand that we can change society.

خَالِقِ النَّاسَ بِخُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ — When you do that, when you smile at people, when you're nice to people, regardless of who they are, this will change people. When you have these manners, when you care for people, they will see it.

As we saw what just happened in Florida — this shooting of 17 people. And there was one man that stood up amongst others that Allah knows. He was a football coach. He ran in front of some of the students and his own life was taken. He had this genuine care and love. And inshallah, when we see that as Muslims — when people feel that you care for them, this is how they will be affected.

Conclusion: Three Relationships

So seeing this hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1987 — graded Hasan)

Fear Allah wherever you are — Islam is everywhere, brothers and sisters, when it comes to your taqwa. Follow up a bad deed with a good deed — it will erase it. And treat mankind with good manners.

We see that this is: a relationship with you and Allah — that's the first. A relationship with you and yourself — that's the second, talking to yourself. And the third is a relationship with mankind. We can also see it as: اتَّقِ اللَّهَ حَيْثُمَا كُنْتَ — how do you manifest that? أَتْبِعِ السَّيِّئَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ تَمْحُهَا — follow up a bad deed with a good deed, it will be erased. وَخَالِقِ النَّاسَ بِخُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ — and treat mankind with good manners. These are two actions of the muttaqeen.

يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ ۚ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ — Remember Allah and He will remember you. وَاشْكُرُوهُ عَلَى نِعَمِهِ يَزِدْكُمْ — And be grateful to Him upon His blessings and He will increase you. وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ — And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest thing. وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ — And He is well aware of what you do.

أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ