| THE STREET MIMBAR JUM'AH KHUTBAH (26 November 2010) webpage: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=182501078290&ref=ts http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_street_mimbar/ PLEASE e-mail Suggestions & Criticisms to khutbahs@yahoo.com 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. Brothers and sisters, Committed Muslims… Audio on http://www.islamiccenterdc.com/apps/podcast/podcast/19856 (11-19-2010) MAKKAH'S ESSENCE PART 5 Just a couple of days ago, (two/three days ago), the Muslims of the world had their eyes on Makkah and the yearly assembly of Muslims who made it there from far and near. The deficiency in this yearly obligation lies in our minds. We go to Makkah/Haram and we are not very much aware of what Makkah/Haram are all about. Mush of the history that has accumulated about Makkah/Al Bayt Al Haram are just outside our thinking range therefore we are going to have to rehabilitate our selves/minds/thoughts and to do so, obviously, we first of all refer to Allah and His Prophet. An ayah in the Qur'an in Surah Al Baqarah, (we'll take this ayah by ayah), says, (what does this ayah mean? How does this ayah come out in the language that we communicate with here?) And bear in mind … (Surah Al Baqarah verse 125) (Can't) you see the first thing Allah wants us to do is activate our minds. We don't just read this ayah mindlessly. Only reading one ayah with the engagement of your mind is better than reading hundreds of ayaat without your mental presence. … We have rendered Al Bayt as a place of retreat/security for people … (Surah Al Baqarah verse 125) Our first mental observation here is (that) Allah says wa idh ja'alna. He didn't say khalaqna. In the Qur'an there are two parallel words that indicate Allah's involvement in the being of things. One of them is khalaqa and the other is ja'ala. When Allah says khalaqa it means He created and absolutely no-one is involved in the act of creation. Only Allah is the Creator. We have no involvement/access/input/participation in the act of creation. In this ayah Allah says wa idh ja'alna and the word ja'ala in its overall Qur'anic usage means that Allah along with man/human beings are involved in the development/being of something, somewhere at some time. So in this ayah Allah say wa idh ja'alna which means that Allah's will is embedded in the work of man to have this Bayt constructed/built. The structure of Al Ka'bah didn't come into existence by a direct order from Allah. Allah creates; He could have created the Ka'bah- but the Ka'bah/Al Bayt/Al Haram didn't come into existence by an order of creation. They came into existence with the human effort and the human labour that acquiesces to the will/conforms with the decision of Allah. OK- what was this convergence of Allah's will and human labour meant for? It was meant to designate Ka'bah/Al Bayt/Al Haram as – the words of the Qur'an here are two- … so that it becomes a retreat/security for people … (Surah Al Baqarah verse 125) In the nature of desert life there were no laws/legal system in Arabia. The convention - a convention is a human condition that precedes laws- of that society/nomadic form of life, (if we can call it that), was that everything was referenced to a person/tribe that has power. Power dictated the norms of that society and usually there are people who are victims of people who have power. People who have power would attack people who don't have power and those victims who were attacked by the powerful had a place to go. When the felt in themselves that they had been offended/violated/oppressed/excluded/attacked, where would they go? They would go to the Ka'bah. This is in times prior to the Prophet and Allah's Book. The tradition lived on during those jahili times. … so that it becomes a retreat/refuge for people … (Surah Al Baqarah verse 125) That was the social custom. People would go there. Criminals would go there! No one would tell them "you can't go into the Ka'bah. You can't go to the Haram." So Allah's will/decree and the human effort/labour that began with Ibrahim and Isma'eel (alayhima as salaam), was meant to have that specific area a retreat for people. If you just had some language tools you'd realise that the word amn means security. Allah has rendered this Bayt security; not a secure place. (It) itself is equivalent to security. That is like equating something physical to something that is not physical. Security is not physical; it's a condition/norm/value but Al Bayt is something physical/material/structural. Allah is saying … that structure/Al Bayt is security/We have rendered Al Bayt amna… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 125) What more do you want, in the blending of meanings, than this. Al Bayt is a structure that could be made out of stones/leather/reinforced fabric- whatever but it has to have a roof/ceiling to it. Any structure that does not have a roof/ceiling to it cannot be called a bayt. So the Ka'bah by necessity and definition had a roof to it. Allah didn't say wa idh ja'alna Al Ka'bah mathabatan li An Naas wa amna. Allah's words are meaningful and specific. He said wa idh ja'alna Al Bayt mathabatan li An Naas wa amna. Al Bayt in the usage of the language is understood to be the Ka'bah just like Al Kitaab. What is meant by Al Kitaab is the Qur'an. When the Arabians used to use the word An Najm, what would immediately come to the mind of the listeners was At Thurayya. Those are a set of stars up there in the sky. So Allah specifically means by this Al Ka'bah. There's a qira'ah- wa it'takhidhu. It'takhidhu is a command-verb. It'takhadhu is a past tense. It'takhadhu refers back to ja'alna. Both of them are past tense. But in the Qira'aat that most of us have Allah- whose words are accurate and the truth and give way for our rich thoughts, (only people who think will understand these things. You can't be reading this ayah with an absent mind and then be discovering these embedded meanings?! … and designate the Maqaam of Ibrahim … (Surah Al Baqarah verse 125) There have been different minds who worked with the meanings of this and some of them said "the Maqaam of Ibrahim is the Ka'bah itself." Others said "the Maqaam of Ibrahim is a stone upon which Ibrahim stood/elevated himself to complete the higher rising of the Ka'bah because it was above man's reach so he needed something to step on to become higher to extend the height of the Ka'bah." That is the Maqaam that is called Maqaam Ibrahim. So Allah is telling us … and designate the Maqaam of Ibrahim as a place to offer your salah… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 125) So the hujjaj in their tawaaf perform a salaah there in accordance with the meanings of this ayah and the teachings of Allah's Prophet. OK- this is some of the background meaning of Al Bayt/Ka'bah. What happened later in Muslims history? This area is taken out of our minds and so, if people who are in-charge of information take this information out from my/your mind, then we have no experience. We learn from our past/experiences/mistakes. What happened with us back in the first century of Islam as Allah defines for us what the Ka'bah is? How did we treat the Ka'bah/Haram? Without going into boring/interesting history, at the time when the Muslims had to suffer under the second King in Islam, (we hope that by now you know who that second King is), in Al Madinah, the first Islamic State/society, there was opposition to this second King- Yazid. We don't consider him to be the legitimate ruler of the Muslims. Sometimes a person such as yours honestly here reads these books (where) they refer to a person such as this as a Khalifah even though in the sentences/paragraphs before that say he's a Monarch! How do they refer to him as a Khalifah when they say he's a Monarch- which goes to tell you that we still haven't filtered our minds enough to what type of character he was?! But that's another khutbah for another Jum'ah. They opposition to the second King in Islamic history was concentrated in Al Madinah and there was fear in the ruling circles in Damascus, (now the Capital of the Muslims was in Damascus), because there were certain figures who had the potential of undermining this ruling class. These figures were Imam Hussein/Abdullah ibn Az Zubayr/Abdullah ibn Umar/Abdullah ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhum). These were like/considered a security threat to the ruling elites in Damascus. There were others, of course, but these were on the top of the list. So when this second king became the Monarch of the Muslims he sent his Emissaries to make it clear to the citizens/inhabitants of Al Madinah that you have to pay allegiance to the second Monarch. They said no. We're not going to do it. They said if you are not going to do it then we will have to deal with you. (It's) just like when today's Governments can't control an opposition they take on with the force/power that they have. So when they understood this Al Imam Al Hussein/Abdullah ibn Zubayr and others moved from Al Madinah to Makkah. This is an interesting move because Al Madinah was the popular seat of Islam (and) the least corrupt area in all of the Peninsula concerning the adherence to the meanings/implementation of Islam. Makkah, (as you/I and every Muslim should know), was a place that became Islamic through the loss of extended wars with Allah's Prophet. They didn't become Islamic because there is a deep conviction there. So when these security threat personalities, (from the perspective of the rulers), moved from Al Madinah to Makkah they were not moving there because there was a lot of popular support. They were moving there because Al Bayt Al Haram is a place in which they felt "no one can reach us there. This is designated by Allah and His Prophet as a place of safety and security. (It's) impossible. What are they going to do? They are going to come to the Ka'bah and get us out of the Ka'bah? They can't do that!" Many people don't speak about ibn Az Zubayr. There are knots/complexes in the psychology that Muslims have and because of this certain people are taken away from the radar. Ibn Az Zubayr is one of them. He lived virtually in/around the Ka'bah at this time when he left Al Madinah and went to Makkah. What happened was people come to the Ka'bah. There was the Hajj season, (just like you see). Masses of people flock to the Ka'bah. During the Umrah at other times of the year there's also a stream of people that keeps on coming to the Ka'bah and ibn Az Zubayr thought that this is the best place to explain to the Muslims the false legitimacy of the rulers in Damascus/Ash Shaam. And that's what he did. Then people began to catch on to what he is saying and so the second? King felt threatened and he goes to Al Madinah and virtually ransacks Al Madinah. What happened to the Muhajireen/Ansaar (radi Allahu anhum) and the sons/daughters of the Muhajireen/Ansaar in Al Madinah by that force that was despatched by the second King to deal with Islamic opposition in Al Madinah is a very sad chapter in Islamic history. So now that these popular personalities were in Makkah and ibn Az Zubayr began to pick up public sympathy in different parts of the Muslim world. There were those who were called Al Khawarij/Ash Shi'a (who) began coming to Makkah to see how they can, (from their own understanding of things), erode the misrule in Ash Shaam. So what happened after this? There was a military force led by a commander called Al Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Ath Thaqafi. They go to Makkah and what do they do there? And not any place in Makkah- we're not talking about the environs/suburbs/far lying areas of Makkah. We're talking about the Ka'bah. They go to the Ka'bah itself and what do they do? They use catapults to destroy the Ka'bah and the Ka'bah was virtually destroyed. This wasn't by a foreign force. It wasn't by the Byzantines/Persians or the powers at that time. This was done by ourselves! If we consider this history of Islam belonging to all of us, we ourselves destroyed the Ka'bah. Now this is not an easy issue to deal with. You can probably understand why many Muslims don't want this issue presented to the public (.e.) because we become fanatics and we can't deal with a lesson that we're supposed to learn from. We think otherwise. We think that this part/chapter in history should be presented to our minds so that we can deal with it. What happened? Who did what? Don't get emotional or become fanatical/traditional/historical/cultural- put all of those issues aside. Just look at the nard facts of the matter mentally. What happened? This is what a lot of people don't want to do. They don't want to look at this with their mind; just like they don't want to read the Qur'an with their minds they also don't want to read their own history with their minds! The Ka'bah was virtually destroyed. It even caught fire. What happened eventually was ibn Az Zubayr was killed. One of these big rocks hit him and in the seventy-third year of the hijrah he was killed right there in Makkah/Ka'bah. By whom? By those who rule over us. Now we can understand those who rule over us then/today (saying) "hey- let's take this chapter out of the attention of the Muslims." No one will think about it because if we begin to thread the strings together we begin to realise that political deviation then/now played the same role. They don't want that to happen. So we are caught where we are. Furthermore, the expression/ideas of opposition were presented in Makkah at that time during the Hajj. No one was telling Muslims you can't express yourself in the Hajj." Abdullah ibn Az Zubayr was there year-after-year/month-after-month. Whoever comes from wherever- even Muslims who were coming from Ash Shaam, the stronghold of the Monarchy at that time- were influenced by what they heard. They were going back and saying wait a minute- we can see things now in another light and the people in power there were afraid. So what did they do? This is another chapter in Islamic history that is not presented to you and you'll probably be surprised to hear this. Within these conditions what do they want? How do they undermine the popularity…? You see- the correct/sincere character of Islam spreads by itself/nature. The only thing that causes it to be barred from society/larger world is the use of power. This has been obstructing Islam from that time to our day. Have you ever seen a place in this world where Muslims are free to communicate their Islam, especially if you go to the Ka'bah? (Do) you think you are free to communicate Islam in the Ka'bah? At that time there was some freedom. Do you think that freedom exists today? So when the Central Government/ruling class realised that their own people/population that they directly rule are being influenced by ideas around Makkah/in the Ka'bah/ through the Hajj/Umrah so they said we have to think about doing something here. What did they do? And this is the Masjid that everyone sees… When you speak about Al Quds in today's world it is associated in the Muslim/general public mind with "that Golden Dome" it's called Masjid Kubbat Al Sakhra. In a policy that Abd Al Malik ibn Marwan, (the Umawi King at that time), thought would take away from the popularity of the opposition to the Monarchy that the Muslims had; he thought he would divert the Muslims away from Makkah/Hajj where they are being infected/infested with wrong ideas and have them go to a Masjid in Al Quds. I'm only human and before it slips the human mind, before we go on- those rulers like today's rulers have court Scholars/salaried Ulema'. So Abd Al Malik ibn Marwan brought one of these "Scholars", (by the name of) ibn Shahaab Az Zuhri and he told him to tell the people why it is legitimate for them to perform the Hajj in Al Quds instead of in Makkah! Here's how it begins. We will give you the quote word-by-word. He began with quoting a hadith from Allah's Prophet which said you don't venture on a journey ibadah worthy to three Masjids. These three Masjids are Al Masjid Al Haram in Makkah, the Prophet's Masjid in Al Madinah and (the Masjid that we call) Al Masjid Al Aqsa. This is the Prophet's hadith. No one can say anything about this hadith. It's a hadith from the Prophet, but the hadith doesn't mean you can go to Hajj! Al Quds and Al Madinah doesn't substitute for the Hajj in Makkah. The hadith doesn't say that but this is how Scholars behave. They want to use an ayah or a hadith that they will twist to satisfy the ruler. This is what they did here. This is the words of this so-called Scholar. He went on to say "Al Masjid Al Aqsa can be considered in lieu of Al Masjid Al Haram." These are his words, we're quoting them for you, he went on to say "this is the rock in which it is narrated that the Prophet placed his foot on it when he ascended up into Heaven. For you it is the substitute for the Ka'bah. It replaces the Ka'bah." At that time that rock didn't have that dome, but from that time on, that rock was associated with that dome. And for your information- this is Masjid Kubbah Al Sakhra not Al Masjid Al Aqsa which is on the other side of that courtyard between these two Masajid. He hung on this Kubbah of the Sakhra elaborate/nice looking/fancy/plush fabric and he employed maintenance for this Kubbah Al Sakhra and people began to make their tawaaf around it the same way people make their tawaaf around the Ka'bah. This continued until the end of the reign of the Umawi Dynasty. Brothers and sisters, committed Muslims- why are these facts are withdrawn from the speeches/lectures/khutbahs/presentations/classes/lessons that we, Muslims, have? It's our own history. Why are people omitting/playing it down. If you don't understand how regimes/power bases behave you'll never understand why this information is not available. Brothers and sisters… In this week of heightened Islamic devotion to Allah as brain lacking as it has become through traditions/cultures/ignorance of our past. We have a regime in the area of Makkah/Al Madnah/Hejaz/Arabia that doesn't have Allah and His Prophet in their hearts/minds or in their Masajid/Majalis. Just in these past few days one of the news items that breaks out of the managed information to protect the illegitimate Kingdom that rules there (pertains to) a twenty-three year old Indonesian woman who was brutalised. She went there, (we are told according to these news items), about three years ago and as usual they work almost as slaves for people who have money/finances and then she is treated in such a way that she ends up in the hospital with serious injuries that gets the Governments of Indonesia and the Saudi family involved at the level of their Ambassadors to try to sort out what happened. The Indonesian Government sent a Minister in this past week to see first hand what happened to one of their citizens in Al Madinah itself. This is not in a city that is obscure! This is in Al Madinah, the Prophet's city- the first place on Earth where the will of Allah and the will of man came together- but this is what we have. The same way they bury the news pertaining to our history they try to bury the news that impacts our own lives today; and Allah will bury them with their sins/crimes more than six feet under where they deserve to be. This khutbah was presented by Imam Mohammad Al Asi on the occasion of Jum'ah on 19 November 2010 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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