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Friday, March 5, 2010

[MahdiUniteMuslims] KHUTBAH : EQUALITY

 
THE STREET MIMBAR
JUM'AH KHUTBAH (5 March 2010)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_street_mimbar/
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It is in such a manner that We make plain Our signs so that the course of the
Criminals may become clear.
Bismillah Ar-Rahmaan Ar-Raheem.
Alhumdulillah. Peace and blessings on Muhammad (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam), his Noble Companions and Family.
Ayyuha Al Mu'minoon
 
EQUALITY



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Muslims live in a real world- a world that presents itself with an air of civility and a purpose of civilization, but a world that turns around and in its dubious ways- using the power that is at its disposal- to make Muslim's lands killing fields. That is what the Ummah has become- killing fields, from one stretch to the other. In this real world that we all share, Muslims have lost the sense of mission and responsibility that Allah has endowed them with. In the time of Allah's final Prophet, people were also living in a real world. It was a real world then, and it's a real world now. At the same time that there were military thrusts by the committed Muslims in Al Madinah- there was recruitment, war effort, clashes that we all know about- but in the meantime let us look at some of the realities that were inside the Muslim society at that time. When Allah was molding human nature in the best possible way to produce human beings with the best possible characters, there weren't Muslims saying, (as they had problems within their own homes and at the warfronts of their own realm), "we should concentrate more on this area than on the other area" because they knew it is a package. When you are a Muslim, Ash Shaytaan will make inroads in families and neighborhoods, on sea and in air using the power that is at its diabolic disposal. What was going on when that world then was similar to what is going on in this world now. Inside the Muslim reality we'll take a glimpse/look at some of the internal affairs of the Muslims. This is to address those who want nowadays to curtail, (at least), the mental and emotional involvement of Muslims with the higher affairs of deen. If Rasullullah is our example, then listen and observe the dynamics that were at work at that time. When Muslims had an army to protect them and when Muslims were mobilized to go to Badr, Uhud, Al Ahzaab, Al Khandaq, Mu'tah, Al Tabuk and the rest of the battles and wars that the Muslims were involved in, what was happening inside Muslim society? It wasn't an angelic presence on earth. These were human beings who had their mistakes and worldly inclinations.

On one occasion, a lady from Bani Makhzum, (referred to as Al Makhzumia), steals and then Quraysh, relatives, friends and the rest are concerned because there is a stern punishment for that type of violation of the moral and behavioral code of a Muslim. So they said let's send Usama ibn Zaid (radi Allahu anhu) who Rasullullahi loves very much so that he may intercede on this lady's behalf. So they come to Zaid. Who comes to him? Muslims. And they tell him in so many words if you could go to the Prophet of Allah and speak to him about this unfortunate thing that happened i.e. this lady who stole something. Maybe you may touch his heart and he may reduce the penalty. Allah has outlined what the punishment is for those who violate the standards of Islam- whether it is someone who steals, commits adultery or another type of violation. There are those codes for them. Zaid comes to Allah's Prophet and he speaks to him; the Prophet listens. The Prophet is building persons, societies and a universal order. When all of the military challenges are around, now he has this next door challenge to deal with and he says to a person that he loves very much are you here to intercede in trying to decrease the amount of punishment that Allah has outlined? Meaning we can't do such things. This is a society that had its emotions and feelings, but those are one thing and when Allah says something, that is totally something else. We all are expected to fall into line when we hear and understand what Allah has to say to us. Then the Prophet makes a statement that should ring in everyone's ears nowadays. He said- after having the announcer in the Masjid say As Salatu Jaamiah. This is an event that is no longer functional, i.e. something that was practiced in the days of the Prophet that is no longer done. Have you ever heard someone going to the Masjid and tell the rest of society As Salatu Jaamiah? This was an abridged form of the adhan- only one sentence- in which when people heard it they would rush to the Masjid because they knew that there was an emergency type of issue that they collectively/consultatively had to listen to/partake in. Where is it today? Even in Makkah and Madinah, no one goes to the Masjid and says As Salatu Jaamiah. Don't we have a critical issue to think about? What happened to the Muslims? What happened is when they separated Masjid from Majlis or Temple from Parliament or Church from State, no one wanted anyone to go into the Masjid and call societies and say As Salatu Jaamiah because the Masjid is not supposed to be where the Muslims deliberate on their vital issues. That was done at the time of the Prophet and it should be done today; but no one is doing it! Then, there is no one to be held accountable i.e. administrations of the Masjid for not saying/announcing As Salatu Jaamia i.e. salaah is the occasion for meeting/assembly. So the Prophet in this instance which shook the community said/announced from the Masjid As Salatu Jaamiah and then the Muslims obediently came to the Masjid and they listened to the Prophet. He said to them forgone nations or people who have preceded you were ruined/devastated because when a noble/notable person in society would steal/commit a crime, they would let him go; but if a powerless person i.e. someone who has nothing of the powers of this world would steal/commit a crime, they would immediately invoke Allah's law. This is discrimination in applying the Qur'an, the Hadd of Allah and the precedent of the Prophet to our lives and we see this today. Everyday the rulers in Arabia are stealing on the orders of billions of dollars and they get away with it. No one wants to bother them and say "you are grand thieves, not petty thieves." They are disguised so well that they have manage to fool many Muslims and get away with calling themselves "The Custodians of the Haram." This is what ruined societies, nations and social orders and brings them down and destroys them. This is one example of what was happening in the real world at the time of Rasulullah, and there is much more.

A person by the name of Qays ibn Matatiya who was a Munafiq came once to the counsel/assembly of the Prophet and he saw different people/races around the Prophet who were there. He said I can understand Al Aws and Al Khazraj, (the two pre-Islamic antagonist blocks of Yathrib i.e. pre-Islamic Madinah). I can see that they reconciled themselves and came to support of this man meaning Rasullullahi but I can't understand these and then he pointed to three individuals who were in the company of the Prophet- Suhail, Salman and Bilal (radi Allahu anhum). These were not Arabians. Suhail was a Caucasian, (so to speak), not a Semite in this persons mind; Salman was a Persian who in this person's mind is associated with the skirmishes of history in Arabia and Persia and Bilal was an African and not a Semite. He said I can't understand how these people assemble around this man. There's no racial/color/ethnic/any type of connection. What brings them here? Then Ar Rasul calls/orders the Muslims once again to announce in the Masjid a practice that has been defunct ever since- As Salatu Jaamiah- and people rush to the Masjid to hear what the vital issue is. Then the Prophet stands in front of the Muslims to address the racial/nationalist/ethnic elements that are in these people around. Remember, this is the first generation. They weren't perfect individuals. They had their shortcomings/mistakes/deviations and Allah's Prophet addressed them. There was no one saying "wait Prophet of Allah. May we should not be involved in these military affairs. We should be building our internal strength/eliminating these propensities of Ash Shaytaan that are in us." No one said that because all of this comes together. He said to them indeed the Sustainer is One, the father is one and the Deen is one. Being an Arab is a function of speaking the Arabic language and not a function of being born to an Arab father or mother; whoever speaks it belongs to it. This is a far cry from the Arabians we had then and the ones we have today! It was a real world then and it's a real world today.

On another occasion there was tension between two very close people to the Prophet- Abu Dharr (radi Allahu anhu) who was an Arab from the tribe of Ghafaar and Bilal who was from what is now called Ethiopia/Somalia/Sudan- that part of Africa. The tension increased between the two and they began using hard words and then what did Abu Dharr say to Bilal? He said you son of a black. Now, imagine the tension that would surface in the real world today and the tension that surfaced in the real world then. Bilal was more mature than Abi Dharr. He could have used equally harsh words; he wasn't short in his vocabulary, but he didn't. He went to the Prophet of Allah like a straight forward Muslim would and should do and he explained to him exactly what happened. And the Prophet of Allah summoned Aba Dharr come here. Let's see what all this is about. Abu Dharr, with the straight forward character of a Muslim did not deny the facts and the Rasul addressed this deviation in Abi Dharr. He told them in effect you are wrong and that this rationalistic/nationalistic/ethnic feeling in a person is fowl, in the average everyday language, it would be like saying part with racism and nationalism because it stinks. When Abu Dharr felt what the Prophet of Allah meant- these are the characters that are molded by a heart of mercy and a tongue of truth- he went to Bilal and apologized. Not only did he apologize by words- because an apology by words is sometimes the easiest thing to do- but he told Bilal here I am and here is my face. He put his head on the ground and he told Bilal step on my face. What do you say? We are not permitted to think about the other issues when these were happening inside Madinah- inside the Islamic community and society?! There was no one saying "wait a minute we have over extended ourselves. We should not be fighting. We should not be involved in the military issues around." No. It never happened, but today, that's what we have. We have people going around to destroy the potential of Muslims and to have them live in a shell in which they rot, so when something happens at the front, we don't even have the mental capacity to deal with it. We've been saying for a long time that there are catastrophes and tragedies in the making. Our Indo/Pak brothers and sisters who seem to be very anxious to curtail the Islamic mind from extending to military affairs and issues. We had India angling for a war. If they have locked their mind and cannot think about the military affairs and issues that take place in the world, what justification do they have in mobilizing against this threat and aggression? It's not a simple one because there is a nuclear potential on both sides that is involved. We can't hate people because of their belief, we are to respect human beings because of the way Allah created them.
Allah has dignified the descendants of Adam… (Surah Isra' verse 70)
Hindus are the descendents of Adam, so if you come to the politically naïve- those who have separated Masjid from Majlis or Church from State- the status quo of the Muslim conventional mind will tell you but why? And because there is no accurate information emanating from the Mimbar and the Masjid the question remains… "why?" Because they have a religion which is not an Islamic religion!? We can't do that because Allah has taught us
There is no coercion when it comes to the matter of an overwhelming conviction or commitment to Allah… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 256)
And so the average person is going to feel a nationalistic/racial/sectarian solidarity with Pakistan against India. But where is Islam in all of this? And this is precisely what we have been talking about in the previous years. We want Muslims to be prepared mentally and emotionally to face the problems and troubles when they occur and not to place us in a reactive mode. A state that was supposed to be established on the bases of Islam- The Islamic Republic of Pakistan; but it has politicians who want to defer and deflect from their own problems at home. The same way with rulers in India. The problems are getting out of hand. The internal political developments are reaching such a degree that they are no longer controllable- comfortably- by the central government and this is the easiest way to snap everyone into attention i.e. to get a war going because it will serve people on this side who are in power and people on that side who are in power. Where's our sense of responsibility and mission as Muslims? Are we to defend a government in Pakistan that cannot solve the sectarian issue that is spreading into Afghanistan and certain areas of Pakistan? A government wants to imitate the one in Arabia (by) having people believe that if it applies some Islamic laws it has become an Islamic government… the application of laws alone does not make an Islamic government. It is sad at this juncture to comment on the lullaby state of mind that the Muslims are in and they have these problems coming now at a more frequent rate. It's not enough for us to have our blood flow in the Balkans, now our blood has to flow in the sub-continent, then it will flow somewhere else! What is surprising in all of this is that the Muslims continue to come to the Masjid as if they are machines… mechanical Muslims. We still have them. You see them with your own eyes- in the hundreds. This is only a sample of the larger reality around. The Prophet of Allah said verily Allah does not look at what figure/type of picture you are in- he does not look at your appearance; he looks at your heart.

Committed Muslims, brothers and sisters…
It is an honor that Allah has given us the opportunity to say the truth and in that regard not fear anything or anyone. It is a blessing to invest our times- Fridays and Eids- not being able to go into the Masjid because the forces that are terrorizing the Muslims at the war front are trying to inhibit the Muslims at the internal front. In the ongoing attempts of mediation which we have tried to keep you apprised of… A few days ago, (now, you can have a sense for the wobbly position that the occupiers of the Masjid are in), after having told you last week what we have been told i.e. "find a place in Maryland." Now. they say "that is too much." Now, they are unable to purchase a building in Maryland for the Muslims- who by force they have denied entry into the Masjid- to pray in (and) to have our Islamic activity there-in. We only communicate to you what has been communicated to us so that we become aware of the way/means that these people use. Why (does) it bother them so much that there are free souls and free minds in the street? We suffer in the summer and winter; but they are suffering all the time. This is not of our choice. (it's not) as if we have chosen/insist on being here. They try to change the facts and the fact of the matter is that they are responsible for this. We will all be re-gathered on a day when the temperature is higher than it is now and if they don't want to speak to us in this world with sincerity and good intentions, then the day is approaching when they will have to/be forced to speak- when their hands, arms, legs, feet, skin and senses will testify against them. We are approaching that day with sound hearts. A day when nothing else will avail them
On a day when wealth and power are of no use/benefit; the only thing that will come handy is a sound heart. (Surah Shu'araa verse 88-89)

This khutbah was presented by Imam Muhammed Asi on the occasion of Jum'ah on 28 May 1999 on the sidewalk of Embassy Road in Washington D.C. The Imam previously led the daily and Jum'ah prayers inside the Masjid. His speeches were revolutionary and thought provoking, and eventually irritated and threatened the Middle-East Ambassadors who control the Masjid. Finally, the Imam, his family, and other Muslims faithful to the course of Islam were forced out, into the streets. This khutbah originates from the sidewalk across the street from the Islamic Center, currently under seige.

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