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 KAWTHAR- DRAWING THE PERTINENT LESSONS (We have just passed) Eid Al Adha or Eid An Nahr or Eid Al Qurban, we will bi idn Allah try to focus our God-given thinking ability on the shortest Surah in the Qur'an, (which we hope everyone has memorised). Surah Al Kawthar this is the shortest surah in the Qur'an if you wanted to count the words or letters of the Qur'an. It has the least words in comparison to all other surahs in the Qur'an it is the equivalent of two other surahs if we are counting the ayaat of the holy Qur'an. There are three ayaat in this surah and there's also two other surahs in the Qur'an that have three ayaat in them: surah An Nasr and surah Al Asr. So what does this short surah say to us? What are we to understand when we read this surah? We hope all of us have memorised it and we recite it in our salah and from time to time. What is Allah saying to us in this surah? Of a certainty we haven given you (Oh Muhammad, what is called) Al Kawthar. Therefore communicate with Allah and perform the sacrifice pertaining to the sacrificial animals during the time of Hajj. Also of a certainty he who hates you, (is what is called) al abtar (which means) someone who is deficient or incomplete or lacking. (Surah Al Kawthar verse 1-3) This is what the surah generally says. Now, how does this surah pertain to the life of Allah's Prophet and by extension to our lives? What does this mean as far as our responsibilities in this life and in this world? Here is where we will have to understand this surah in context. When we look at what was written and said about this surah i.e. was it revealed in Makkah or Al Madinah, we find one of the most seriously polarised opinions about these suwar in the Qur'an. Many people who are qualified to speak on this issue say this surah was revealed in Makkah and likewise many other qualified people to speak on this issue say it was revealed in Al Madinah. What we do have as a point of reference in this regard is a hadith pertaining to the Prophet in which he says to those who were with him do you know what al Kawthar is? They said Allah and His Prophet know better or have more knowledge in regards to this issue. Obviously they did not know what al kawthar is and then he said to them, (and his words are the truth), it is a river which Allah most Extolled and most Exalted has promised me. To this flowing river belongs or is attributed untold abundance, is overflowing or is plenty, to which my Ummah will flock or go to on the day of resurrection. This hadith was revealed in Al Madinah, and the Prophet of Allah, (before stating this hadith), said to the sahaba (radi Allahu anhum) around him, do you know what was just revealed to me? So if we add this to the polarised opinions of where this surah was revealed, we tend to state that it was revealed in Al Madinah. What were the social and psychological background and dynamics that pertain to the meanings of this surah that should always be present in our minds when we verbalise and mentalise this surah? Allah is saying to His beloved Messenger Indeed We have given you Al Kawthar. (Surah Al Kawthar verse 1) This would seem as "a matter of fact" statement or sentence. Of course, Allah is going to honour His Prophet/Messenger, but it comes in a context in which this Messenger of Allah was ridiculed, harassed, offended and abused by the people of Makkah. There's a history of hostility to Allah's Prophet that generated in Makkah and remained in Makkah throughout his lifetime. Thus, when we understand the meanings of this surah in that context and those dynamics, we begin to appreciate what it means when Allah says to His Prophet Indeed We have given you Al Kawthar. (Surah Al Kawthar verse 1) There is also another element to this and that is (that) on one occasion/time when the Prophet was still in Makkah, before the hijrah, he used to go to the rituals of the Hajj. Remember, during the 13 years before the hijrah in Makkah, he used to attend the Hajj that was celebrated and controlled by the Mushrikeen. There was no Islamic administration in Makkah at the time (and) the Prophet was an individual under pressure and duress under the establishment of Makkah. Still, when the people used to go to Al Bayt Al Haram, that did not bar him. Knowing all that he know and experiencing from these avowed enemies, he didn't say "I'm not going to the Al Ka'ba or Al Bayt Al Haram"; much less, (and this a point that needs to be pondered), these Mushrikun were not telling him "you cannot come to Al Ka'bah or Al Bayt Al Haram." It never happened. As much as there was animosities, hostilities and differences between the Prophet of Allah and the established regime and order in Makkah, no one was telling him or other Muslims "you cannot come Al Bayt Al Haram or you need a visa." So, one of the times or occasions over 14 centuries ago when the Prophet of Allah went to Al Ka'bah during the time of the Hajj, (the time period that we are in), there was an exchange of words. The Prophet was speaking with the mannerisms, morals and standards of a Messenger and Prophet and his adversaries and foes were speaking their language of intimidation with the arrogance that comes with power. One of them, ibn Aasi ibn Waa'el, who happens to be the father of Amr ibn Al Aas (and) the grandfather of Abdillah ibn Amr ibn Al Aas said about him a derogatory word. After leaving the Prophet of Allah and encountering his own types (i.e.) the equivalents of Abi Jahl, Abi Lahab and Abi Sufyan. They asked him who were you speaking to? He said I was speaking to that Abtar. This is a word that has been etched into the memory and mind of all Muslims until the end of time due to the fact that it was mentioned in this surah. So Allah is comforting this person who is beloved to Him, His Messenger. In another way of expressing it, (if we want to come down to our average day to day language), Allah was saying, "don't mind what they are saying about you or don't pay much attention to their foul language or don't be overwhelmed by their psychology and propaganda for certainly We have given you Al Kawthar." There is something to look forward to. Al Kawthar is not in Makkah or That being the case, maintain this communicative relationship that you have with your Sustainer with your Lord and also participate in sacrificing during the time of the Hajj. (Surah Al Kawtahr verse 2) Brothers and sisters this is an area that we think you should grasp with your understanding and reasoning… When Makkah was in control of the Mushrikeen and these Mushriks would go through the motions/mechanics of the Hajj, there was no spirit of Tawheed and Wahdaniyya in them. These were people who were out for their worldly interests. (It's) the same that we have occurring today concerning those who control that exact place/area. Should we who are devoted to Allah participate with those who only have semblance/appearanc When Muslims who were around Allah's Prophet were so sensitised to the difference between them and the kafirs and the Mushriks, that they felt uneasy jogging between As Safa and Al Marwa. Why did they feel uneasy? Because there were two idols there, one called Asaaf and the other called An Na'ila. How could Muslims who now are clean of idol worship and who have purged their lives of the previous jahiliyyah run between two idols?! To some people this doesn't sit comfortably in themselves. Allah once again, just like He is saying in this surah to His beloved Prophet You perform your salah and you do your nahar in accordance with the information and the instructions from Allah. (Surah Al Kawthar verse 2) even though those who are around you are not doing it in accordance to the information and the instructions that come from Allah- Al Khaaliq Al Baar'i. They couldn't/didn't want to run and jog between As Safa and Al Marwa and the ayah came to them Indeed As Safa and Al Marwa are emblems/symbols belonging to Allah… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 158) There is meaning there. This is what it is saying. We don't go there absent minded or without thoughts and thinking. … therefore anyone who goes to the inviolable House/sacred sanctuary of Allah and Al Bayt Al Haraam carries no burden of an offense/sin/ This means our responsibilities and attraction to the House of Allah is not going to be and should never be impeded by those who are controlling it according to their personal, self interest. Verily he who hates you is the abtar/incomplete/ Which brings us to the issue of some Muslims. Remember- brothers and sisters- this is Allah speaking about the complete man. If there was ever a complete individual or a perfect persona in this world, it is Allah's Prophet, and then Allah is saying Verily he who hates you… (Surah Al Kawthar verse 3) Allah's Prophet had those individuals and folks who hated him. You (can take a) look around- is there anyone who hates you because you are committed to Allah or doing the will of Allah? (Does) anyone hate us for being in the image of Allah's Prophet? Some people think that their perfection of Islam is to avoid other people hating them. Well, that is partially true. We don't want Muslims to hate Muslims; but we definitely want the Mushriks and Kafirs to hate committed Muslims. This is the position and personality that belongs to us because it belonged to Allah's Prophet. How many of us, though, transfer these relevant meanings from a lifetime of sacrifice and struggle by Allah's Prophet to our lifetime? How many of us see ourselves in that light? How many of us can detect these elements and these details in our lives? When our minds are put to asleep as is the case with many of these Masaajid (where) they want you to come to congregational prayers so that they can put you in a coma. There is no thought or thinking that takes place there. There's not a spark in the Jum'ah and Jama'ah and so we have what we have today. We have Yahud who are the obvious avowed enemies of the committed Muslims wanting to fill in this vacuum. Some yahudi scholars say to Muslims "Al Kawthar means kosher." For those who are familiar with semitic languages, there is an interchange sometimes between Hebrew and Arabic concerning some of the letters of the alphabet- whether it's the seen and the sheen or the thaa and the seen or the jeem and the gamal, etc. So, they take this superficial knowledge of Hebrew and this much more artificial knowledge of Arabic and they want to tell us what this surah means. But who is out there, from among us, in their thinking field who can take them on and anticipate what they are going to say about us? Why do we always have to be on the defensive? They launch their innuendo/accusation Brothers and sisters on a As Sirat Al Mustaqeem… Allah says to us in so many enlightening ayaat throughout the course of a 23 year old Qur'an in maturity that the Mushriks and the Yahud are the obvious the most intense, visceral and avowed of our adversaries. In one ayah that summarises this Allah says the truth, and this truth is a historical and a perpetual truth. It was true in the time and the days of Allah's Prophet, it continued to be the truth in the 14 centuries that have lapsed, it is the truth today and it will remain the truth until the end of time. You will find those who are most intense in their animosity to the committed Muslims to be Al Yahud and Alladhina Ashraku… (Surah Al Maa'idah verse 82) Alladhina Ashraku during the time of Allah's Prophet did not fool him by their rituals and Alladhina Ashraku in our time should not fool us by their rituals. Or else, have them explain the intelligence services of What goes on in this past (two) weeks? Two soccer teams, one from Algeria the other from Egypt, go to see who is going to qualify for the world match that is going to be held in South Africa next year. And then these two governments get worked up. They go into a frenzy because of this soccer match. In the mean while, their policies and politics are saying "to hell with the Muslims in But what do you do with those who want to qualify as Muslims through traditions and rituals? Oh Allah You see our condition; Oh Allah You know our appearances and You know what we do not disclose; You know what is public and You know what is private; You know what is propaganda and You know what is classified; You know their secrets and their intentions; and You know where we are and we will be satisfied with whatever comes our way- coming from You. Allah says in another ayah, the same way He says to the Prophet Of a certainty we haven given you Al Kawthar. (Surah Al Kawthar verse 1-3) He says And certainly you (Oh Muhammad) will shortly be the recipient from your Sustainer that which will please you. (Surah Ad Duha verse 5) This khutbah was presented by Imam Mohamed Asi on the occasion of Jum'ah on 20 November 2009 on the sidewalk of |
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