Shia Strength: Muslim Unite Shia and Sunni KHUTBAH : JUM’AH IN THE STREET AFTER 31 YEARS

THE STREET MMBAR

JUM'AH KHUTBAH (7 March 2014)

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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.

Dear committed Muslims…

Audio on http://www.islamiccenterdc.com/apps/podcast/podcast/337146 (02-28-2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh3dEITPA80

JUM'AH IN THE STREET AFTER 31 YEARS

This week is the crossover week from thirty one years to thirty two years of forced jum'ah prayers in the street. (On) March 5^th 1983 the combined powers of earthly beings forced the Muslims out of the Masjid, this Islamic Centre here, on this street. Let us take a quick review of the ayaat that are pertinent to this issue. The ayaat of Allah are talking to us in real life, in real time.

The first ayah says

Certainly Masjids are Allah's (or) indeed Masjids belong to Allah therefore do not call upon anyone besides Allah… (Surah Al Jinn verse 18)

This ayah tells any average person (and) it relates to them a meaning that these Masajid don't belong to human beings. A Masjid belongs to Allah. No one can claim and say "this Masjid is mine or this Masjid is ours." When something belongs to Allah that annuls any type of ownership or control of access to that Masjid. A Masjid is an open place. OK, so the meaning is clear. Masajid are the property of Allah but what do we have here for at least 31 years now? What do we have happening here in this Masjid? We have a class of people who have taken possession of this Masjid- physical possession and also social possession of the Masjid- so they tell whoever they want "you are not allowed into the Masjid." This is a contradiction of the meanings of the ayah

Certainly Masjids are Allah's (or) indeed Masjids belong to Allah therefore do not call upon anyone besides Allah… (Surah Al Jinn verse 18)

They don't have any Qur'anic basis (and) they don't have any basis in the Sunnah to come and tell other Muslims "you are not allowed into the Masjid" much less to claim that "they are the owners of the Masjid" but this has been going on now for thirty one years and the average person who goes and prays inside the Masjid is concurring- he is an accomplice to the fact that they have band or barred other Muslims from entering into the Masjid. Now this has a history. It's not something that just happened from nowhere. There are people there who have a function and they have a character. It's not just anyone who just came and took over the Masjid. So who are they? Are we forbidden to say who they are? They and their likes who are inside the Masjid don't want to speak about this issue. Why? Because it exposes them and it shames them and it puts them in bad light! They don't want that but what's wrong with us? Some of you may recall exactly when this happened thirty one years ago- there were numbers of Muslims here in those first weeks (and) in those first months. Well- what happened here? Those who left the area or left the country- that's understandable. When a person leaves how do you expect them to be here and continue to stand for their rights?! They're gone, but how about those who are still here (and) those who have lived this issue? Where are they? What happened? They were right then or they were wrong then? Ask them! You know who they are; you know them by name. Some of them you see frequently- ask them what happened? "You were wrong at that time and now you're right? Or were you right at that time and now you're wrong? Explain to us your behaviour," that's if they're still in the area, that's if they're still alive and that's if they can still come to the jum'ah. Some of them may have passed away, some of them may have been disabled (and) they have legitimate excuses but for those who are able bodied, in good health (and) still in control of their thinking faculty- well, what's wrong with them?! What happened? This is an indictment of them! This would be a big media event if Christians were barred from entering their church in, (let's say), Tehran or in some other predominant Muslim city. If Christians were not permitted to enter their own church they would have been a big media issue about this. Imagine if this were to happen to Jews? If Jews were living in a Muslim country and they had a synagogue and then they were barred from entering their own synagogue; that would hit the front pages everywhere! Everyone would know about it. Not only that, they would make films about this. It would be in Hollywood, it would be in books- it would be all over the place but here?! Remember, this is not just an average place. We're not praying in an alley, in a suburb or in the country side. We are on Embassy Row. This is a place where virtually world politicians and diplomats pass by. They can't say "no one knows what's happening here." They know exactly what is happening but why don't they want to look at it? Because they're guilty! We can understand those who are in power structures who have forced this on innocent Muslims want to be silent about this- "shhh. Don't talk about this" but how about we, the Muslims, especially those who were here who don't want to talk about it? What's wrong with them? They find themselves in the same camp (and) in the same company with those who they say are their enemies. That's number one.

Number two-

There can be no one as offensive and more in violation of the standards of justice and decency than those who bar the consciousness of Allah in the Masajid of Allah… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 114)

We have been repeating this ayah throughout these thirty one years after every khutbah.

Who could be more unjust (or) who could be more offensive than those who have barred the consciousness of Allah from these Masajid… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 114)

It's a question but the question is meant to be there cannot be anyone who can do more injustice than stifling and forbidding the consciousness of Allah within the House of Allah. They've barred the Masajid of Allah from having the conscientisation of His name in it.

… and then they seek to ruin it… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 114)

Because when you take the consciousness of Allah from Allah's House that's the first step to ruining it. It doesn't mean physical ruin. You see- there's a building there, there's a structure there, there are walls and ceilings and roofs and minarets and all of this; physically it's not ruined. You can see it; but socially, psychological (and) morally it's ruined. What comes out of there? What do they speak? What do they talk about? It's like all these people are driven by traditions to go in and then once that period of mindlessness- the khutbah there is about half an hour and that khutbah does not touch any cell in the mind (and) in the brain and then they leave-

If the salah of Jum'ah is done or over, then you spread back into your territory or turf and you seek of Allah's abundance and remain intensively aware of Allah… (Surah Al Jum'ah verse 10)

That might not apply to them but what applies to them

But if they see a favorable transaction or the entertainment of life you will see them attracted to it and they leave you to stand up for these facts that are just explained… (Surah Al Jum'ah verse 11)

In the larger sense of thirty one years people saw that there are worldly attractions. There's business and there's profits, there's entertainments (and) there's an easier way. All of this- "ah let us leave. We don't want anything to do with that?" Who could be more unfair and in violation of justice than what they are doing? But we look at our own psychology who is doing anything about this? If it was some other people (or) if it happened to another religious group there would be enough vitality to do something about this but it happens to an Islamic group. There's not enough vitality! There's not enough psychological vigour in people. They are dead! They hide themselves behind a false religiosity, (a topic we spoke about earlier in another khutbah). There's a false religiosity. They hide behind that and they think that they are doing their obligations (and) they are discharging the wajib. We here in our humble effort are standing for our rights and this is what has to be done. This is the faridhah that has to be done. This is the wajib. You stand for your right. Don't hide behind Islamic ceremonials and Islamic rituals and Islamic visual appearances. You can't hide behind that- growing a beard?! Grow a beard. What does that mean? Anyone ever asked? Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl's beards were probably longer than the Prophet's beard! So what does growing a beard mean? How did Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab dress? Were they wearing shorts? Were they wearing trousers? Or were they wearing the jubba and the amamah and the kufiyyah and the hattah and all of this stuff? What were they wearing? So what are you hiding behind, especially you who are here in this Friday on this day at this time? Where are you? Where have you gone? What are you doing? Explain yourselves! You haven't yet explained it. You have thirty one years to explain what you are doing, what you did and you still haven't explained it!

You know, some people who are not in this area hear a lot of rumours and propaganda about this jum'ah and why are we praying in the streets. These people inside who run the Islamic centre (i.e.) the Saudi crowd are approached by individuals. We'll give you a recent example, this happened just the past couple of weeks. Indonesia has an embassy a few blocks, (in that direction. Those who are hearing me, it is east of where we are having our jum'ah prayers). Then in the past month some of these individuals who come and they pray inside- they're new. There are diplomatic teams (and) they change from time to time. So they passed by us. We don't know who they are. They just passed by and they went inside. Then they realised that we're having jum'ah prayers here out in the streets so they went and asked the person inside "why are these people praying in the street?" An innocent question, obviously; but listen to the dubious and devious answer that is given. He said "these are Shi'is and trouble-makers and so it is better for them to pray in the street. No one wants them around as you can understand." So it would have been fair on behalf of these people who asked an appropriate question to follow up. They listened to an answer from inside the Masjid why don't they come to us (and) ask us "why are you praying here in the streets?" so we can give them the honest to goodness truth about why we are here in the street for over now thirty one years. We can tell them. By the way we are almost going over thirty two years in the hijri calendar. We'll tell them the truth. But this is what happens to people. They think (that the) truth or they think information comes from those who have power and finances- those who are obviously inside the Masjid but we here on the street what power (and) finances do we have? We don't have anything! So we're not able to tell them the information that they may want to have and this plays out in many forms. This is just one example. So these people, the Indonesians in this area, have a centre in Maryland so they take this information and they begin to play it out in their centre. Now you may not know that in the Far East in Indonesia and Malaysia there was a big campaign- obviously we know the Saudi efforts behind it- to consider Shi'is non Muslims and so now we have something like a linkage (with) some Indonesians coming to the Islamic centre over here and then the campaign they have going on for a few years in Indonesia and they begin to think "oh these are not Muslims. These people who are praying in the streets are not Muslims" and they have the word circulating in their Islamic centre in Maryland. Someone, (we can't give the name), brings this to my attention (and) I said "you know I am willing to sit down with any of them. They can choose the time they want except for Friday obviously, they can choose the place that they want and I'll go and try to set the record straight- whether it has to do with the Islamic centre or whether it has to do with Shi'is and Sunnis and all of these other issues if they want to listen to someone who is willing to answer their concerns." Up until now there hasn't been any echo (and) there hasn't been any feedback on this but this is what happens.

… these are the types that the only way they enter (or) they access this Masjid is in a state of fear… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 114)

This is an ayah from Allah, this is the truth. What indicates that they live in a state and fear is (that) in thirty one years you would think in the normal movement of people in thirty one years you would meet one of them, at least one of them! How many are administrating this centre? Maybe four or five who are like permanent (and) responsible day to day people? You'd think in thirty one years you'd come across one of them either here in this immediate vicinity or on another occasion- and there have been other occasions where this person here who ascends the Mimbar today who is… By the way, you see, the State Department here in Washington DC identifies the diplomats or the diplomatic missions in Washington. At that time when they took over this centre- we haven't followed up on this today (to see) whether they took this out to try and get away with this- this person Abdallah Khuj was giving the khutbahs- he still gives the khutbahs- but we don't know if his designation is still there. He was listed by the State Department as an administrative attaché of the Saudi embassy. Listen to that! This is another factor. This country here, by its own constitution, says "there's a separation of religion and politics. Church and state are separated." OK. Of course we don't believe in that separation and we don't believe in the way they explain that separation, whether they are explaining it for Muslims or whether they are explaining it for themselves but that's another issue altogether. They list this person as the administrative attaché of the Saudi Arabian diplomatic mission in Washington DC. Well how do you accept that? We say this to the American government. How do they accept something like that? Silence! No one wants to speak! Officials in the American government don't want to speak (and) these employees here in this Islamic centre don't want to speak! The media does not want to speak! The Muslims who used to come here don't want to speak! What happened? We think we have free press. Forget about the United States- we know how much freedom there is here! This could be a very good Hollywood film but no, Hollywood has to report to the powers that be "so we're not (interested)" but how about we have some Muslims out there in the world that have the freedom to express the truth well? Why don't they express the truth here? This places them in the balance. Who are they? If they are liberated, if they have free minds (and) if they want to speak the truth- and this has the elements of exposing our internal hypocrisy and the external animosity all of that together- but no they don't want to touch it with a ten foot pole. We ask why? We're not dumb. We've been thinking for thirty one years. We're not speaking, we're not pontificating, we're not demagogues. No! All of this and much more is observed by Allah.

One of those windows in that building there- of course, those who are listening can't see it but there is a building- that stands exactly opposite the Islamic centre had an air conditioning unit to it. In that air conditioning unit there were gadgets that were keeping tabs on the jum'ah prayers when it was held across the street. Tabs on what? What are we doing here? They don't need to keep tabs- they can come and ask us, sit with us, listen and think for yourself! You've noticed in all of these years (or) at least in the past maybe around twenty years plus- not in the first few years- there's no one that comes in and out of this building behind us. It's an empty building. It's a mystery building because you try to get a hold on who owns it and they tell you "some type of bank owns the building." OK, a bank owns the building and banks want to make money (so) why don't they have a sign here- for sale, for lease, for rent, for something. An empty building for all of this time! Besides, there were federal agents who were assigned to this building in those initial years who used to peek through the curtains at us. We were down here on the street (and) they used to look down at us from the second floor. We used to see this. Then all of a sudden one day a very short news item said "the federal agent in there committed suicide." That's it! From there on we don't know anything. What happened? We hope we weren't the cause for that suicide. Giving a khutbah out here in the street, being forced to pray our jum'ah in the street! What happened? No one knows. No one wants to speak. We are talking our conscience, our minds (and) our hearts every Friday here as expected by Allah. We have been coming here through all of these years and suicides, spying, defamation. Even before the invasion and occupation of Iraq we had information about that before it happened from here- praying in the street. Individuals (were) coming and disclosing what may happen if President Bush is elected as president of the United States and he was elected and sure enough as was stated there was an invasion and a plan to democratise the whole Muslim world. Of course we know what happened to that plan. But all of this? What are we doing? People don't want to speak the truth! Something's wrong with us! I can understand, we can understand (and) anyone with a reasonable mind can understand why those who are culprits and criminals and accessories to the forced prayer of jum'ah on Massachusetts avenue in Washington DC are silent but we can't understand why we, the Muslims, are silent on this?! That begs thinking and reconsideration and evaluations and a close look at ourselves! Why are we incapable?

You know- we have in our own history people, bright minds- whether they were scientists or philosophers or theologians- we had bright minds in their time who would speak their bright minds on the matters and many of them, if not most of them, were considered zindiq or hypocrites or out of line or anti establishmentarians and all of these in our history. A history that we care not to read about; just like we don't care for what is happening to us now we don't care about our fourteen hundred year history and that's who we are.

Dear committed brothers and sisters…

If we've learnt anything in these past years it can be distilled into a couple of sentences and that is to be with Allah. Allah summons us to jum'ah prayers and we've been coming to this Masjid before all of this was imposed on us and so if the circumstances turn as they appear to be- this is only appearance. In the material world we are weak. If we had the power and the resources and the finances and the wherewithal we'd be inside the Masjid because if you combine the truth with power that's an unmistakable success but here we have truth but we don't have power, at least material power. So it appears like, (look around), few individuals. This is what happens when you are in the company of Allah. Al Imam Ali (alayhi as salaam) said al haqq has not left me with one friend what he means intimate friend. When you stand on principle this is what happens. It's not like we ourselves are breaking away from the truth, it's that people themselves are breaking away from the truth and we happen to belong to it. So they broke away from us, we never broke away from them. If we did, we wouldn't have been here. We're the closest we can be to them given the circumstances and the factors at work but still. What's your choice? How are you going to make up your mind? You want to be with Allah and be in these conditions- welcome to the lives of Prophets. This is how it was. Welcome! If you feel uncomfortable (or) if you feel there is some type of doubt and this may not be right and all of this then eventually you'll leave just like we had these people around. After the Islamic centre was taken over in that initial month in the jum'ahs there were hundreds who were attending. A hundred and fifty, two hundred, a hundred and seventy five. So what happened? The weather was harsh just like these days. It was cold so what happened? we don't have a dead memory! We know who is who and we know also that Allah knows better than we know.

… He knows the treacherous eyes and He knows the concealing heart… (Surah Al Ghafir verse 19)

He knows all of that and we say to everyone two ayaat from the Qur'an

… every person is bond by his own effort… (Surah Al Mud'dath'thir verse 38)

… every person is bond by his own effort… (Surah At Tur verse 31)

If your effort is to run away from your responsibility you are going to be hostage to your running away from your responsibility. This is an Islamic responsibility. (If) you want to make believe it's not there (and) this is not real you are going to be captive to your make believe. In the meantime we continue on this course

… until Allah finishes an affair that is decreed in His own knowledge. (Surah Al Anfal verse 44)

This khutbah was presented by Imam Muhammad Asi on the occasion of Jum'ah on 28 February 2014 on the sidewalk of Embassy Row 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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