The Rights of Others - Ustadh Abu Taymiyyah

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

وَخَيْرُ الْهُدَى هُدَى مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ أَعَاذَنَا اللَّهُ وَإِيَّاكُمْ مِنَ النَّارِ

My beloved brothers and sisters, I want to make it clear from the beginning that I am not here to incite violence. I am not here to incite phobia towards anyone. It's unfortunate that we have to say this at the beginning of every program and reminder, simply because the opposition is hot on the heels all the time, looking to take out of context that which we have to say.

My beloved brothers and sisters, in today's khutbah, inshAllah, I want to speak a little bit about the rights that one has — the rights that al-Islam emphasizes that we need to fulfill accordingly.

Islam is a religion that teaches us and educates us to be selfless. It teaches us to look out for others. It teaches us to ensure that the rights of others are not violated.

So today, bi'idhnillah, in this khutbah I want to speak about the rights that women have, the rights that non-Muslims have, and also the rights that those who are physically disabled have upon every single one of us.

The Rights of Women

The first one, my brothers and my sisters, is that which pertains to women. This issue of women's rights is something that al-Islam gets accused of not giving its due rights. Every single time when I delivered a program speaking about feminism, I would always discuss right at the beginning the rights that a woman is entitled to under the umbrella of al-Islam. Just about after every single program, sisters would come up saying, "We didn't know that al-Islam holds our interest in such a way. We didn't know that we were entitled to all of these rights. We thought that al-Islam always puts women down."

And my brothers and my sisters, the root cause of that is jahl — ignorance. We always say Muslims are not perfect but Islam is perfect. If we just go back to the drawing table and we study what Allah has said and what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has told us, a lot of that which we may have been oblivious about will start becoming very clear for us.

The most important sermon that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave was the khutbah of Hajjat al-Wada' — the Farewell Hajj — when he gave a whole load of instructions. One of the instructions that he gave to his companions, and at that time there were a hundred and twenty thousand who were present, was:

Treat your women well. Treat them with kindness. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5185; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1468)

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is on his deathbed, my brothers and my sisters. What would you be thinking about when you're on your deathbed? You would want to discuss with your relatives and your children that which is most important for you, right? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was saying:

The prayer, the prayer — and your womenfolk. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 5156; Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 27138)

The prayer, the prayer — and treat them with kindness, treat them well. Just because so-and-so is not doing it, that doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem with al-Islam. Muslims are not perfect but Islam is.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also told us in another hadith:

Whoever has two sisters or two daughters, and in another narration three daughters or three sisters, and he treats them well with kindness until they pass away or until they reach the age of marriage — I and he will be like these two (fingers together). (Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1916)

And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stuck his two fingers together, saying me and him are going to be this close. This is al-Islam, my beloved brothers and sisters.

Even now, my brothers and sisters, when we look at this issue of inheritance — it is again something that the enemies of al-Islam try to use to tarnish al-Islam. Yes, there are cases when the man is going to inherit more than the woman. There are also other cases when a woman is going to inherit more than the man. And at times it is equal. We don't just nitpick what we want. We look at al-Islam in a holistic way.

Likewise, my brothers and my sisters, when Allah talks about a man being a maintainer for his womenfolk, again it is taken out of context. What does this actually mean? He is there to defend you. To protect your honor. He is there to put his body on the line when you are in danger and in a vulnerable situation — in any way, shape, or form — if anyone tries to disparage your dignity or reputation in the slightest way. He has to be there for you. And this is of course contrary to what we see in the world of diyasah — moral cowardice.

What we need to understand — and I'm saying this especially to my sisters — is that him being your protector and your maintainer is the right that you have over him. However, it is made to appear that he has rights over you. No — this is the right that you have over him: to protect you, to honor you, and to maintain you. It is not a choice that he has.

You have these discussions and debates online: if someone breaks into the house, who's going to go downstairs — the husband or the wife? What happened to the manly characteristics? What happened to being a man of high character? A man who tells his wife and womenfolk to go downstairs while he hides upstairs — this is not Islam, my beloved brothers and sisters.

No religion, no ideology gives a woman more rights than the religion of Islam. It just requires us, my brothers and my sisters, to dig deep — to research, to learn our religion. And ignorance is one of the root causes of people getting a wrong image of Islam.

The Rights of Non-Muslims

The second right, my brothers and my sisters, that I want to speak about is the rights that the non-Muslims have over us. Again, it's one of those topics that is taken out of context. We nitpick, we say whatever we want in order to make Islam look a certain way.

Number one, my brothers and my sisters: we do not incite violence or harassment towards non-Muslims. We must be law-abiding citizens, and I don't think anyone disagrees with that.

The rights that they also have over us, my brothers and my sisters, is us inviting them to Islam — presenting Islam in the best possible way, so that they embrace this wonderful religion that is in their own best interest. Just the other day, my brothers and my sisters — just to give you an idea of the state of those who may not necessarily have embraced the religion of Islam — we have all heard of the Daily Mail, right? A news tabloid that gives Muslims problems all the time. This was on the Daily Mail:

"Muslims have the highest life satisfaction. They have a feeling of oneness that trumps Christians, Buddhists and Yogis." — The studies suggest.

I'm just quoting — I don't have my own views and opinions. This is the Daily Mail, my brothers and my sisters. So a lot of people are in this state. And in Islam, my brothers and my sisters, is a cure to a lot of the problems that many of them may have — being spiritually dead and empty, not having a purpose in life.

I'm sure a lot of us have heard of Jim Carrey — American/Canadian actor and comedian. You know what he said, my brothers and my sisters: "I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they dreamt of so that they can realize that it's simply not the answer."

Many people need Islam, my brothers and my sisters — this religion that is going to give you the happiness and the satisfaction that you're looking for. I'm sure especially our sisters have heard of Kylie Jenner — an American socialite, media personality and businesswoman who starred in the reality TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians between 2007 and 2021. You know what she said: she regrets getting plastic surgery at a young age and hopes her daughter Stormi doesn't do the same. She said, "I would be heartbroken if she wanted to get her body done at 19. I want to be the best mom and the best example for her, and I just wish I could be her and do it all differently because I wouldn't touch anything."

Look where they're at. And look at the peace that Islam has granted us, my brothers and my sisters — the contentment and satisfaction that we acquire when we do what Allah instructed us to do.

Likewise, my brothers and my sisters, the rights that the non-Muslims have over us is that we do not defraud them. We strongly condemn the practice of claiming to be separated from your spouse when in reality you are not — lying about a situation just so you can get a little bit more cash. This money, as we believe, is not lawful for any Muslim, my brothers and my sisters.

Number four: it is part of our faith as Muslims to acknowledge the good that someone has done — even disbelievers — if that quality is something that Allah loves.

Number five, my brothers and my sisters: we do not oppress the non-Muslims. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ told us: Fear the invocation of the one that you have oppressed — even if he is a disbeliever. Even if he is a disbeliever, if he puts his hands up and makes du'a against you, may Allah help you. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said the du'a will be accepted straight away.

Ibn Taymiyyah in his book said: Allah has instructed us not to say about Him except that which is truth, and not to say anything except with knowledge.

He instructed us to be fair and just. (Ibn Taymiyyah, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah)

He says:

If a Jew or a Christian — let alone a Rafidhi — was to say something that is the truth, we cannot reject it. If it is in line with that which is correct, we have to accept it. We only reject that which is false. (Ibn Taymiyyah, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah)

Also, Ibn Taymiyyah says — and he swore by Allah:

By Allah, it is not lawful for one to oppress another, even if he is a disbeliever. (Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmu' al-Fatawa)

And then he quoted a statement of Allah:

Just because you have a hatred towards a people, that shouldn't lead you to being oppressive and unjust towards them.

Likewise, my brothers and my sisters, Islam — as mentioned in Surah Luqman and others — when it comes to our non-Muslim relatives, instructs us to be kind and generous and good towards them, as long as they are not trying to strip us away from our Islam.

My brothers and my sisters, we Muslims are unapologetic with regards to what we believe. Allah has honored us, as Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه mentioned:

We are a nation that Allah has honored through Islam. Whenever we seek honor in other than it, Allah will humiliate us. (al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn, al-Hakim, Hadith 207)

We do not compromise. Us holding on to our religion does not contradict being kind and good towards everyone else.

The Rights of Those with Disabilities

And last but not least, my brothers and my sisters, Islam gave a great deal of focus and concern to أصحاب الاحتياجات الخاصة — those who are physically disabled. When you look at the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he did not just disregard them or put them to the side. That was never, ever the case.

If you look at a time when a woman came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ — كَانَ فِي عَقْلِهَا شَيْءٌ — she had a deficiency in her intellect. She said, "O Messenger of Allah, I need you to help me." He said, "O mother of so-and-so, take me wherever you need to take me, so that I can fulfill the needs that you have." He stopped whatever he was doing in order to help this woman out who had an issue with her intellect.

Likewise, my brothers and my sisters, we know the famous story of Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum — the blind companion. One time the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting with some of the heads of Quraysh, and this great companion came. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ frowned and turned away from him. Allah admonished him not to treat this individual who had physical disabilities in that manner.

Before Islam, they would ostracize and throw to the side anyone who was blind, sick, or disabled. And then the verse came down:

Likewise, my brothers and my sisters, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz — whom many of the scholars consider as the fifth caliph in terms of righteousness, even though he was number eight after the Prophet ﷺ — he instructed everyone who had physical disabilities to write to him so that he could appoint a worker to help them out. Those who had difficulty getting up to the prayer — he would appoint a worker for them.

The narrations and examples are many, my brothers and my sisters, and we wouldn't be able to do them true justice in a fifteen-minute khutbah.

Just to make it very, very clear — I am not here to incite violence or phobia. Everything that I said, I have simply quoted the scripture and some articles from the Daily Mail. May Allah bless us all and make us from amongst those who hear the reminder and act upon it.

Du'a

The Prophet ﷺ would make the du'a:

"O Allah, protect me and my family from what they do." So we say: O Allah, protect us and our families from what they do.