Living through Islamophobia | Jumuah Khutbah | Ustad Mohamad Baajour | EPIC Masjid

A New Muslim's Journey

I was never really a firm believer or anything, so I was looking into different religions. And I became friends with someone who also practices Islam, and they kind of inspired me to take my own journey into Islam and research. And at the beginning, it was a little slow, but the more I researched Islam, the more it kind of spoke to me, and it made me want to practice it. But I never really practiced a religion before, so it took me a long time. And then, I started by fasting during last Ramadan, and I...

You started with the hardest one. Because I never really prayed before, so I wanted to wait to do that when I had a firm belief. And then, this summer, after doing some more research, I decided I wanted to start praying, so I started by just doing one prayer a day so I could try to memorize the prayer. And I would watch a video on my phone and then recite along with someone. And then, after around three months, I was able to fully memorize the prayers so I could do it on my own. How about, you know what? Do you want to hear some recitation? It's only 1,000 people. Okay. All right, so I guess you're ready, إن شاء الله, right? Put the mic close to you. Repeat after me.

I bear witness that there's none worthy of worship except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is his final messenger.

Alhamdulillah. Welcome to Islam. Usually all these people would come and hug you. But because we have a janazah after. So إن شاء الله. After that they would come and congratulate you and welcome you to the deen. May Allah bless you and protect you. And keep you steadfast on this deen. جزاكم الله خيراً. You can sit down.

Announcement

I just have one announcement of. Mustafa. Brother. Mustafa Kamal. Laskar's father. Father of Fuad Laskar. Passed away in Bangladesh. إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون. اللهم اغفر له وارحمه وعافه واعف عنه وأكرم نزله ووسع مدخله. We ask Allah azza wa jal to forgive his sins. And give him the highest place in jannah. I ask Allah Azza wa Jal to bless me and you with ikhlas, with sincerity, in everything that we say and everything that we do.

The Battle of the Trench: A Test of Faith

On the day of the trench, on the day of the trench, the non-believers gathered from everywhere with one intention, to destroy Islam and to eliminate Muslims. On top of that, the Muslims were forced with starvation and painful hunger. And on top of that, it was extremely cold. To the level that Anas said, we were brought a handful of barley cooked with stale fat. It had unpleasant taste, hard to swallow, and a foul odor. This is what they used to eat while digging the trench. And we all know how much effort you need to dig the trench.

When they were digging the trench, they came across a rock. And we all know they called Rasulullah ﷺ. He stood up ﷺ. He said, I'm coming. And when he stood up, the Sahaba said, we saw that he also tied a rock on his belly to help him with the hunger. It was a great, great trial. And it was severe distress. And Allah described in Surah Al-Ahzab how the enemy were coming from everywhere.

Allahu Akbar. Allah ﷻ, He told us, they came from above you. They came from below you. And the eyes have shifted and the hearts reached the throat. And you started having various assumptions about Allah. And on that day, the believers were shaken violently. زلزال is an earthquake. Allah ﷻ used the word for an earthquake for a human being. زُلْزِلُوا زِلْزَالًا شَدِيدًا They were shaken violently.

The battle ended by the non-believers retreating. They couldn't keep up with the hunger and the cold. And alhamdulillah, making the Muslims victorious.

The Eternal Struggle Between Truth and Falsehood

Brothers and sisters, this was 1400 years ago. And it was 800 years ago. And 600 years ago. And 300 years ago. And it's happening now. And it will never stop till the Day of Judgment. The battle between falsehood and truth. الحق والباطل will continue. But the haqq, which is Islam, will always prevail. Always the haqq will prevail. But the battle will continue. Always.

We see now the rise in Islamophobia. It's a disturbing trend that's gaining momentum nationally and globally. And many Muslims are wondering, how should we act? What should we do in such a situation? Ya Ikhwan, the Qur'an, or since the Qur'an is our life's manual, let's go to the Qur'an and see what our creator, the قوي, the عزيز, the حكيم, the one who knows the unseen, told us how to react or act in such a situation.

Wallahi ya Ikhwan, we are living. We are living an ayah. Ali Imran 186. We are living this ayah, living it now. Let's go through this ayah word by word.

Guaranteed Tests: Allah's Promise

Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, after He told us, كل نفس ذائقة الموت. Every one of us is going to die. And He told us on the Day of Judgment, all you see is what you have put forward, what you have done. Then this ayah came.

لَتُبْلَوُنَّ is a verb. Which means you are going. تُبْلَ is from بَلَاء. بَلَاء is a test, trial. لَتُبْلَوُنَّ You will 100% be tested. When this Lam and the Noon, توكيد, enter to a verb, that means this verb, no escape. It will definitely happen, especially coming from Allah azza wa jal. Just like Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told us, فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْأَلَنَّهُمْ By your Lord, Ya Muhammad, I'm gonna question every single one of them. لَتُبْعَثُنَّ You will definitely be resurrected. So this verb means it's going to happen. So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, لَتُبْلَوُنَّ 100% no escape. This is a haqq. This is part of our life. It's not a surprise. This has come with the package. What's happening now is part of the package.

Types of Tests We Face

لَتُبْلَوُنَّ With what, ya Allah? What are we going to be tested with?

فِي أَمْوَالِكُمْ You will be tested with your wealth, with your properties, with your money. You will lose a job, you will lose a deal, get fired, get laid off. فِي أَمْوَالِكُمْ You will lose your house, get on fire, cars totaled, something property, you will be tested with your wealth.

وَأَنفُسِكُمْ And you will be tested with yourselves. What does that mean? Some of us are tested by their in-laws. Some of us are tested with their parents. Some parents are tested by disobedient children. This is their test. Some are tested by their spouse. Some are tested by their boss. Some are tested by their employees. And some are tested with their health. Cancer, tumors, diabetes, they are tested. This is the nafs.

The maal, the property, is anything that has to do with wealth. And the anfus is anything personal. I'm being tested. I have a child that is driving me crazy. I have a husband that is... We know the story. I have a wife that is driving me crazy. You will be tested. This is not a choice. This is not an option. This is Allah saying, Just like you are breathing, just like you are seeing, you will be tested. That by itself should give us comfort because we know when we are being tested, that this is part of the life. It's not a surprise. Allah told us already in the Qur'an, many places, I am going to test you.

Why? Allah told us in surah Al-Ankabut, لَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ This test is for one reason. To know who is truthful, who is a real believer, and who is fake. That's the whole idea. Because the reward is Jannah. Forever. Not for 20 years, for 30 years, 100 years. Forever. So we want to know, are you worth it? Are you worth going to Jannah forever? So you will be tested. We will be tested.

Those Who Fail the Test

But some people fail the test. Allah said in surah Al-Hajj:

Some people worship Allah on the very edge. If things are good, he is content, he is happy, he is the best, everything is going beautiful. But any fitna, any trial, any test that comes to him or to her, انْقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ he goes back and that's it this deen is too much for me, I cannot handle this. Why this is happening to me? I come to Jum'ah, I pray, I donate, I wear the hijab, I fast in Ramadan. Why these things are happening to me? This is it, I'm done. If this was the real haq, the real deen, then nothing like this would happen to me. Allah already told us that these people exist. But Allah what did He say? Whomsoever be from the second one, from the second people, from the second part, second group, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ He lost the dunya and the akhirah. This is the worst, the worst of loss.

The Promise of Hearing Harmful Words

Let's continue the ayah. لَتُبْلَوُنَّ فِي أَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ That's the first part. Listen carefully, this is our topic.

وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ Same verb. Same verb. تَسْمَعُ And by the way, both of them are مضارع. Constantly will happen, not one time. لَتُبْلَوُنَّ تُبْلَ All the time, not like, Alhamdulillah, I'm done. My son is in the hospital. We're finished. No, no, no, no. Constantly till the last breath. Now what is the next test?

وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ Same verb. لَمْ وَنُونَ At the end. 100%. Without a doubt, you will hear. You will hear it for sure. 100%. What are we going to hear, Ya Allah?

وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا أَذًى كَثِيرًا

And you will definitely, 100% without a doubt. Allah is saying that. You will hear from the people of the book. The Jews and the Christians. And you will hear from the polytheist. From the مشركين. أَذًى كَثِيرًا A lot of annoyance. A lot of words and statements and actions that will annoy you.

This is in the Qur'an, Ya Ikhwan. This is a promise from Allah. This is a promise from Allah. So we are living. When this guy stands in the corner, they're applying an ayah. When you hear what's happening with the governor and with this and that, this is an ayah. They are living, they're applying an ayah. Allah told us already, this is gonna happen. Why are you surprised? It's in the Qur'an. You will hear, you will read, you will see the comments. 17,000 comments telling you that your deen is horrible. Your deen is backward. This is in the Qur'an. لَتَسْمَعُنَّ 100% From the Jews and the Christians. And the مشركين includes everybody else. أَذًى كَثِيرًا A lot of annoyance.

Understanding the Difference: Annoyance vs Harm

Now listen carefully. Some linguistic part here. There's a huge difference between أَذًى and ضَرَر. أَذًى is just annoyance. ضَرَر is harm. Even Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said that they will do أَذًى to him. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ يُؤْذِينِ ابْنُ آدَم Allah said in the hadith of Qudsi, the son of Adam does أَذًى to me. How, ya Allah? When he says, I have a son. So أَذًى is different than ضَرَر. لَن يَضُرُّوا اللَّهَ شَيْئًا No one, if all mankind gathered, they will never harm Allah azza wa jal. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told us, لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا لَن يَضُرُّكُمْ إِلَّا أَذًى This is not a ضَرَر. This is no harm on you. This is just an أذى, annoyance. This is in the Qur'an. This is just an أذى.

The Response of True Believers

Now let's go back to the battle of the trench. When the believers saw how many of the kuffar are gathered, what did they say? They said, هَٰذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ Allahu Akbar. Look at the iman. Ibn Kathir said, when they said, this is what Allah has promised us. Ibn Kathir said, they meant, this is the test that Allah has promised us. وَصَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ And Allah and His Prophet, they told the truth. Look at this test, starving, hungry, cold, all the people gathered against us. And what happened to them? وَمَا زَادَهُمْ إِلَّا إِيمَانًا وَتَسْلِيمًا And all this fitna, all this trial, all this test, all this talk, it only increased them in iman and submission to Allah Azza wa Jal.

While the munafiqeen, what did they say, the hypocrites? The hypocrites said, Allah and His Messenger, they only promised us delusion, all the stuff that they promised is fake. SubhanAllah, we are living, we are living this ayah.

قُولُوا قَوْلِي هَذَا وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى مَنْ لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدَهُ

Do you think Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told us, okay, you will be tested with your wealth and with your selves, and you will hear from the people of the book and the mushrikeen a severe atha. Did he leave us? No, no, no, no. At the end of the ayah, he gave us a solution.

We in Plano, we in Dallas, we in Texas are living this ayah right now. Many of our brothers in France and in Europe, they're living this ayah. What should we do?

Be patient. Have taqwa. Go back to Allah, ya akhwan. You see, we want the solution to come from Mars. I am perfect. Don't talk to me. This khutbah today is not for me. It's for my brothers, not for me. Me, no, I'm the best. I am the standard. I'm the best. No, no, no, me and you, all of us, we should have both sabr and taqwa. Go back to Allah. Fear Allah with your parents. Fear Allah with your spouse. Fear Allah with your children. Fear Allah in the business that you're making.

How do you expect Allah to give us victory while most of the stores that selling haram are owned by Muslims? How? How do we expect victory from Allah azza wa jal when most of us are declaring war on Allah by dealing with riba? How? Logically, how?

This is a promise. Put me first, I will make you victorious.

That's it. If you are a believer.

The Importance of Sabr and Not Reciprocating Harm

Brothers and sisters, from the sabr and taqwa is not to reciprocate the adha. I repeat, because this is very important. See many of the youth are very full of zeal. They want to go and fight and argue. From the sabr and the taqwa not to reciprocate the adha. Because the adha could be haram by itself or it could lead to haram.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5973)

Rasulullah ﷺ said, "One of the biggest major sins is for someone to curse his parents." So the sahaba said, "Ya Rasulullah, how could someone curse his parents?" He said, "He will curse someone else's father and he, the other person, will curse his father and mother. His action led to the curse of his parents."

And Allah عز وجل said, "Do not curse the ones who are calling other than Allah. Because in return, they will curse Allah." They will start standing on the corner and cursing Allah. Because you started, so we are ordered by Allah, it's a command, do not curse them. Do not curse them. Be patient and have taqwa.

The Test Before Paradise

My brothers and sisters, just because of the time, I want you to live this ayah.

Do you think you're going to enter Jannah? Do you think just like this, you're going to enter Jannah and everything is going to be beautiful? And you're not going to be tested like the people who were tested before you? I have tested them with الْبَأْسَاءُ وَالضَّرَّاءُ with hunger and poverty and everything until the messenger, the best of the best, until the messenger and the believers with him said, "When is the victory of Allah? When is the help of Allah coming?" It reached that point. Can you imagine? What test compared to this test? What is our test compared to this test?

Rasulullah ﷺ said, "There will come a day, the one who's holding to his deen is like the one holding to a burning coal." Burning coal. You know when you have a piece of fire, you just want to throw it away. You just want to, "I'm sick of this deen. I can't take all these ugly remarks about my hijab. I cannot take all this fun they make of my prophet. I want to throw it away."

Rasulullah ﷺ told us and told the sahaba, but the one who holds tight, he will have the reward of 50. They said, "Ya Rasulullah, 50 from us or 50 from them?" He said, "50 from you." The one who's holding to his deen these days will have the ajr of 50 sahabi, 50 companion.

Du'a

Ya Allah make us steadfast on this deen. And make our offspring steadfast on this deen.

وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ. وَقُومُوا إِلَى صَلَاتِكُمْ. صَلَاة

We will leave immediately because we have Salatul Janazah right after the Salatul Jum'ah.