Friday Khutbah (02/04/2004) delivered by Shaykh Muhammad Taher
DISCLAIMER: This reminder was originally delivered in Arabic. Any meanings lost in translation are not to be attributed to the speaker as reminders are translated by volunteers. The mosque has no official translater and volunteers often have no formal qualifications to translate on the day. Please forgive any errors as they are from our human weakness and any right guidance is from Allah.Islam is a deen that came with a generous law and noble principles. Islam is a deen that loves for all mankind to enter under its shade and rally under its banner, as believers, submitting to the Will of Allah, Lord of all the Worlds.
We are an Ummah that has a clearly defined task. We are an Ummah that has a method, a path that is known and determined. Our deen commands us to worship Allah alone, and to associate nothing with Him. Our deen commands us to live according to it; to follow its rulings and obey its law. And our deen commands us to spread this goodness, this light, this guidance, to all of mankind.
Allah says in the Qur’an: “Call to the way of your Lord with Wisdom and beautiful counsel, and debate with them in the best way. Indeed your Lord knows who strays from His path, and He knows who is on guidance.” (An-Nahl 16:125)
This is a responsibility for every Muslim living on the face on the earth. Allah, Exalted is He, when He sent Muhammad, peace be upon him, to guide the world, He revealed to him the Qur’an, which is the Book of the Lord of the Worlds to every living being, in order to direct him to what is good, and inspire him with guidance. Muhammad, peace be upon him, came with a message and was sent with a deen to teach mankind how to live on Earth, and how to return to the Heavens.
We live here in the lands of Europe. Amongst us are those who came here to study, others emigrated here for various reasons, whilst others are in fact residents and citizens. We are here together, even though our classifications may differ, as Muslims, connected to this great deen, whose Messenger came as a mercy to all the worlds, peace be upon him. We also believe that that all of mankind is in need of this deen. The people we live amongst, many of them do not know the reality of this deen, but they do see Islam in us. They evaluate our deen according to our behaviour, conduct and actions.
Oh Muslims
Indeed we are the bearers of a message, a responsibility, and we are callers to this deen, and tomorrow we will be asked in front of Allah, Exalted is He: Did you convey the Message? Have you fulfilled your trust? What, then, were you doing?
This is our task, and we are living outside the lands of the Muslims. As long as this society does not come between you and your da’wa, your spreading of the message; this is the desired result, then it is an obligation upon all of us. This is an open field of righteous action for anybody who wants reward and seeks the pleasure of Allah, the Almighty. Allah says:
“Who is better in speech than the one who calls to Allah, works righteousness, and says: ‘I am of those who bow in Islam’?” (Fussilat 41:33)
Did not the Prophet, peace be upon him, command us to propagate something about him, even if it is only an ayah from the Qur’an, so that maybe the one who is wandering and straying will hear it, and his heart will be guided by it to the light of Islam?
We call people to the deen of Islam, that is pure, immaculate, and free of the influences of traditions and inherited customs, for these things are not from Islam at all. Islam maintains and respects the customs and traditions of peoples and does not burden them to leave what they have inherited and become accustomed to. However, this is as long as these customs and traditions do not oppose and contradict the rulings of Islam, for if they do they become impermissible and are discarded, for this deen is epitomized by following what the Prophet, peace be upon him, came with.
Oh Muslims!
A Muslim is part of the Islamic Ummah, and for that reason it is only natural that he should think about the Ummah’s problems, be concerned with its affairs, and be saddened whenever it is afflicted with harm. He should feel its anxieties and grievances and interact with it. The Prophet, peace be upon him, compared the Muslims to one body. If one part of it complains of pain, that pain spreads to every other part of the body; forcing it to wake up and respond. It becomes anxious and restless. This is one of the great meanings of our deen. This is the foundation of the brotherhood of the deen, for indeed believers are brothers.
But you, oh Muslim, when you chose to live in a land other than the lands of the Muslims, you chose at the same time to be a part of the society that you live in. It is appropriate that your emotions and reactions are governed by wisdom and intellect, and that they emanate from the foundations and principles of your deen, your shari’ah and its great objectives, in fulfilling obligations and forbidding treachery and animosity. You are part of the society that you live in, and its problems and affairs are your concern, and you bring to it what is beneficial, to the best of your ability.
Today there are approximately 15 million Muslims living in Europe, and many of them were born and raised in Europe. It is appropriate for that their duty be to call to Islam and to educate people about Islam. They should represent the deen in their conduct and behaviour, and be examples of goodness and sources of light. The doctor in the hospital is a messenger for Islam. The engineer, the merchant, the worker, the student; all of them are messengers for this deen. And even if people don’t enter Islam they will still be good to them and respect them.
Today, we urgently need to clarify for people the magnanimity of our deen, and the greatness of its objectives, which respect human life and honour it. Indeed, our deen is one of justice, peace, brotherhood, love and righteousness for whoever is exposed to its loving care. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“Oh Mankind! We created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other. Indeed, the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. And Allah is the Omniscient, the Knowing.” (Al-Hujurat 49:13)
Indeed, a Muslim society that outside the lands of the Muslims, is a society that is content to be amongst other peoples and other societies that differ with it in religion and other matters. Where it is possible for Muslims to live in peace, the doors are opened for them to participate in public life. Where they are able to call people to Islam with complete freedom it is an obligation upon them to do so, and to meet all of this with faithfulness, for that which is good is not met with that which is evil, and this is the conduct and morality of our deen.
It is upon the wise and the intelligent from amongst the Muslims to prevent and take the hand of anybody who works and strives to destroy this trust and what the Muslims have gained in terms of security and consolidation, in non-Muslim lands.
2nd Khutbah
Oh Muslims!
What I have discussed today, the issue of Muslims living in non-Muslim lands, is nothing strange. It is in fact something quite familiar in our deen. I will give you three examples to illustrate this point.
The first example is the prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, who lived under a non-Muslim ruler. However, he acted with proper conduct. He was thrown into prison and oppressed, but when the ruler asked him for advice he gave it. Allah sent him as a messenger and this was his duty.
The second example is that of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his companions, may Allah be pleased with them, in Mecca. Before the hijra to Medina the Muslims were severely persecuted by the Meccans, but the Muslims never repaid evil with evil. The Prophet, peace be upon him, was known amongst all the Meccans as as-Saadiq al-Amin, which means the one who is honest and trustworthy. This attribute of the Prophet, peace be upon him, never changed, and could not even be denied by his fiercest enemies.
The third example is that of the group of Muslims that left Mecca to escape persecution and settled briefly in Ethiopia. The Prophet, peace be upon them, sent them there because there was a just ruler in power, a Christian. These Muslims acted according to what that Prophet, peace be upon him, had taught them, and displayed exemplary manners and behaviour. They did not cause any trouble or tribulation. They were allowed to stay and a few years later the Christian ruler embraced Islam.
These three examples show that, despite circumstances, Muslims are always ambassadors for their faith, and they have a responsibility. Our responsibility in this country is the same.
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