Bismillah Ar-Rahmaan Ar-Raheem. Alhumdulillah. Peace and blessings on Muhammad (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam), his Noble Companions and Family. Brothers and sisters, Committed Muslims… Audio on http://www.islamicc SURAH AL QURAYSH- DRAWING THE PERTINENT LESSONS We shall continue, with Allah's help and guidance as much as is possible, to develop our conforming minds and developing character to pursue the end of fulfilling our responsibilities as outlined by the Almighty. As we said previously, we are quickly approaching the time, the high holy days of the Hajj i.e. the pilgrimage to Makkah and the sacred territories. One short surah that most of the Muslims have memorised, and even though it is memorised, it still doesn't seem to be understood in the context and with the motivation embedded in it. This short surah that we have faith most of us are very acquainted says… This surah was, by the majority of analysis and considerations, revealed in Makkah. (It is) one of the 1st 30 surahs to be revealed in Makkah. It has 4 ayaat to it; and as is the case with an open Qur'an speaking to a receptive humanity- there are those who said that "its ayaat are five ayaat." This is not the time to enter into the quibble/quabble about whether it is five or four ayaat. It is called surah Li ila fi Quraysh; those are the 1st words in the surah. Many surahs in the Qur'an are designated by the 1st words in them. It is also called surah Al Quraysh. Many surahs in the Qur'an are designated by a particular feature or designation in the surah. In this surah, it is obviously Quraysh around which the meanings of this Surah are constructed. There are some surahs in the Qur'an that compliment each other. surah Ad For the purpose/reason that Quraysh is familiar with/frequent/ OK. This is the general meaning of the surah, but what does it mean to Quraysh who were listening to it when it was revealed and what does it mean to us? Obviously the Qur'an is full of meanings for those times, our time and future times. The background information that is needed to understand this surah is that Quraysh is a word that is the diminutive of the word qarsh which means a vicious shark. Therefore Quraysh becomes the reduction of that word: qarsh... Quraysh. That was the label that was given to one of the grandfathers of Allah's Prophet and it merited to be registered by Allah in His book for eternity the purposes of us understanding what the significance of this surah is. We don't want to go into the designation of which grandfather of Allah's Prophet incurred this name; (but) suffice it to say and to know that it's one of his grandfathers. What's so relevant about this person and the about the tribe of Quraysh that dominated Makkah at that time? Here is the background information that most of us don't have. It's just missing. We read the surah, but we don't accompany the necessary meanings that go with it. Makkah, at one time, was a place, (even though it's a cultural centre and a historical area for the inhabitants of Al Hejaz and the Arabian The Sustainer of this Haram has provided them with food and therefore negated them hunger and provided them with safety and security thereby negating vulnerability and fear. (Surah Al Quraysh verse 4) The backdrop, (that was understood very well by the people who were listening to Allah's words when they were revealed for the 1st time upon His Prophet) to these ayaat were saying Because you Quraysh- the maintainers of Makkah (and) the custodians of the Haram- are so familiar with this commercial twice a year voyage from Makkah Southward towards Al Yemen and Al Habasha in Africa and Northwards towards Ash Shaam or the Holy Land in general, you should comply with and conform to Allah. (Surah Al Quraysh verse 3) So what does that mean to the person at that time who was listening to this and what does it mean to us who are supposed to learn from this? Makkah had, (in one of its chapters of history), ran into tough economic times (and) it was in dire economic straits. (Listen to this brothers and sisters and remember it when you read this surah of four or five ayaat). Remember, this is at least two or three generations before Allah's Prophet. There was time in Makkah (when) because of hunger, there was something in society called al i'tifaar (and in some reference books it may be called i'tifaad or i'tifaa- we're not going to go into linguistic subtleties), but suffice it to say that there was a social issue in Makkah that caused starving families and was forcing the hungry, deprived, malnourished, starving and thirsty families in Makkah to pitch a tent outside of Makkah. Imagine this. And what would that family do? It would expire; it would spend its last days of its survival in the tent and die together. This is a fact of life. Of course, someone people don't want us to think about these facts of life because if we begin to think about the economic and social welfare of the people in Makkah before Allah's Prophet, we are going to be forced to relocate those conditions that are related to us via the words of Allah into on our world today. These people who have power today don't want us to do that. So, there were people in Makkah who were physically dying in the presence/view of the other inhabitants and occupants of Makkah. At one time, one of the nobles of Makkah viz. Hashim, the brother of Abdul Muttalib as mentioned in some books, summoned the people and said "this has gone too far. Something should be done about this i'tifaar i.e. our people dying in front of our own eyes because of adverse conditions." He said to them "we the people in Makkah are honourable people but this i'tifaar or expiration of families in this fashion is humiliating us. We the people of Makkah are a massive populous" (meaning if you wanted to compare Makkah to other areas/centres of people in Arabia at that time, Makkah was a considerable concentration of people, but now they are losing their numbers because they are losing their numbers due to this i'tifaar.) He said to them "something has to be done about this." So, he is the one who initiated what the Qur'an/Allah's words say. In other words, there was a policy that was initiated by the Makkan decision makers to begin a commercial, financial, economic and monetary journey to areas of affluence around them. At one time, they would go to the South and at another time they would go to the North. Thus the commercialisation of Makkah became a fact of life. (This is another area that is a grey area in our minds/collective memory). There were ships that used to come from Due to this routine commercial voyage Northwards and Southwards that you (Quraysh) are familiar with, you should comply with or conform to Allah, the Sustainer of this Bayt/Haram in the Makkah that you live in. Your Sustainer- Who has given you food and Who has given you security thereby negating hunger and insecurity. (Surah Al Quraysh verse 3-4) This surah puts us in the atmospherics of an economy, the decision makers in that economy and the consequences of that which was now to become a thriving Makkah. That is why this surah is linked to the surah before it. As we said at the beginning of this khutbah, surah Al Fil and surah Al Quraysh are one supplement. One compliments the other. Remember the last ayah in the surah previous to or just before this surah. This is a minna and a favour from Allah upon the inhabitants of Makkah. An enemy came to destroy the host city and in particular the Ka'bah in it And they were reduced to a killing field of corpses as if they were incinerated. (Surah Al Fil verse 5) And then, Allah is reminding you- (He is) now shifting from the military favour upon them by repelling As'haab Al Fil to the prosperous/producti Ibraheem (alaihi as salaam) says: My Sustainer render this town/area to be one of security and provide its inhabitants with sustenance and subsistence. (Surah Al Baqarah verse 126) This was hundreds of years before the commercial activity of Makkah that added to its cultural, religious and historical significance and the prayer/du'a of Ibraheem was fulfilled. The people and those who dwell in Makkah were to be provided with sustenance and subsistence. Add to that the fact that towards the time when the decision makers in Makkah decided that they wanted to kill Allah's Prophet and he was forced to leave to abandon Makkah and go to Yathrib, which was to become Al Madinah; in those circumstances, after 13 years of opposition, hostility and all the forms of persecutions and harassment, the Prophet of Allah said concerning those who live in Makkah Oh Allah have them suffer years similar to the years during the times of Yusuf. This is in reference to the harsh economic, agricultural (and) health conditions that Yusuf had to deal with in Oh Allah render this a town of security and provide its inhabitants with fruits, produce vegetation (Surah Al Baqarah verse 126) And then, Muhammad said Oh Allah have times change against the same occupants of Makkah as are equivalent to the times of Yusuf. Are we looking at a conflict of meanings or should we be considering the dynamics and context in which Ibraheem said Oh Allah render this a town of security and provide its inhabitants with fruits, produce vegetation (Surah Al Baqarah verse 126) as opposed to the time and the context in which Allah's final messenger said Oh Allah have times change against the same occupants of Makkah as are equivalent to the times of Yusuf. Brothers and sisters, committed Muslims… If, when we read Allah's truthful words, we are required to understand them (if that is the case), why can we not understand Allah's truthful words as they apply to the echoes of yesteryear. This surah, Al Quraysh Because of their familiarity with the commercial winter and summer journeys. They should comply with the Sustainer of this Holy Sanctuary. (Surah Al Quraysh verse 2-3) We can't upgrade the meaning to those who are in control, (and we dare say), in occupation of Makkah today? Do they not also have lucrative relations with prosperous and economically advance parts of the world, just like Quraysh had its secure commercial ties with the regional economic areas to the North and the South (in) winter and summer. So does today's rulers of Makkah and Al Madinah also have the same secure ties and it behoves them to comply and conform to Allah the Sustainer of the Haram, Bayt Al Haram in Al Balad Al Haram in (as we are today), Ash Shahar Al Haram. They call themselves the family of Saud. If we were to use the Qur'anic approach to them we would call them Suayd and we would remind them of the words Of surah, Al Quraysh. Li ila fi Quraysh could also be li ila fi Suayd, but it takes thinking minds to elevate these meanings to the realities that are challenging us. We sure have many problems. Recently we have been having local issues here (with) the This khutbah was presented by Imam Mohamed Asi on the occasion of Jum'ah on 13 November 2009 on the sidewalk of |
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