| THE STREET MMBAR JUM'AH KHUTBAH (20 June 2014) 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.
Dear committed Muslims…
Audio on http://www.islamiccenterdc.com/apps/podcast/podcast/343684 (06-06-2014)
TRIBUTE TO AN ISLAMIC LEADER - IMAM KHOMEINI PART 5
This week marks the twenty fifth year in which an Islamic leader passed away. Before we try to dwell on some of the features and accomplishments and the lifetime of this Imam we would like to place it in the context of some of the ayaat in the Qur'an. We are not going to translate the words wali from the Qur'an. Wali or awliya' are going to remain un-translated. In Surah Al Baqarah the words of Allah are the following, this ayah means
… besides Allah you have no wali and you have no one to support you. (Surah Al Baqarah verse 107)
Another ayah in Surah Aal Imran says
… Allah is the wali of the committed Muslims. (Surah Aal Imran verse 68)
In Surah Ash Shura Allah's words are
… Or did they adjust to awliya' besides Him? But Allah is the wali… (Surah Ash Shura verse 9)
The approximate meaning of this ayah in Surah Al Baqarah is as follows
Allah is the wali of the committed Muslims. He takes them out of obscurities into the light and those who are in denial of Allah, their awliya' is at taghut who takes them out of light into obscurities… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 257)
The reason we didn't translate the word wali, which is the singular, or the word awliya', which is the plural- these two words were mentioned in the cited ayaat- is because its been so deformed and so mistranslated that the meaning of the ayah has been sabotaged by the inaccurate translation of the word. As we've mentioned on many previous occasions, many words of the Qur'an are ayah specific, meaning the context that they are in would further refine the exact meaning of the word. Suffice it here to say that the word wali carries with it the meanings or the definitions of ally, prime or premier, foremost in affection, affinity or affiliation. You can't say all that in one word that's why it's very hard to translate this word that's why we kept it in its original form- wali or awliya'.
We're going to take two other ayaat from the faultless Qur'an and these two ayaat are like social laws. The first ayah is Surah Al Anfal
Those are actively in denial of Allah are awliya' of each other … (Surah Al Anfal verse 73)
The other collaborative ayah is Surah Al Jathiyah
Of a certainty oppressors and people of injustice are awliya' of their own selves and it is Allah who is the wali of those who are actively conscious of His power and authority… (Surah Al Jathiyah verse 19)
These are social laws- a social law that has been neglected, ignored, sidelined (and) dismissed throughout all of these years and generations. This whole issue of awliya'- there are many ayaat in the Qur'an, scores of ayaat- fifty, sixty, seventy, at least that have these words and these types of meanings in them. Obviously in one khutbah you can't even quote and translate the ayaat that deal with this word and its meanings so we had to select a few of them to try and put the other contents of this khutbah in this general atmosphere. We, the Muslims, (and we think some of us may be old enough to), remember that in the years prior to the late Imam there was no such sense of the power structures in the world. There was a generalisation going on of the Kafirs, there was a generalisation of the Dhalims and other blocs of people that were generalised but to come to the specifics- the Muslim mind was empty, unfortunately, of how they behave and how they act. Then this Imam comes along with Allah's grace and Allah's care and he sets these meanings to our real life context to such a degree that he personified power structures. This is a Qur'anic feature that was lost on even the thinking Muslim mind up until he came along. We're not exaggerating things; we're not blowing things out of proportion. This is al Jum'ah, this is a khutbah, this is the mimbar of Rasulillah. We are trying to be as accurate and as conscientious of what we are saying as is humanly possible. So if you read the ayaat of the Qur'an you will find that there is a personification of power. Someone will say "what do you mean by that?" The Qur'an mentions to us certain power positions in the past. In the time of Musa (alayhi as salam)
This Pharaoh figure had an elevated status in the world and then, he rendered the occupants of earth divided segments of people… (Surah Al Qasass verse 4)
Notice (that) the Qur'an did not refer to the taghut of Egypt Arabian Peninsula during the time that the Prophet and the Qur'an came to humanity. In our time we don't have people- even those who qualify to be called mainstream committed devout Muslims- who can come out and speak the words of the Qur'an to the powers of our day, in other words to personify power. Power's not this abstract issue that has to do with some political theories! It's a real force that impacts everyone's lives. So there are people who are involved in these power structures. Who are the ones who are capable of coming to us and telling us the Phiraun of our time is so and so? Run it through your mind- who have you listened to that tells you "the Phiraun of our contemporary and current affairs is so and so?" Who is it? Or the Quraysh of our contemporary generation and current times is so and so? Who is it? Run it through your mind. Stimulate your memory and tell (and) tell the public us who is it who can personify power in our time and in our context! You'd become almost void in coming up with those who are capable of doing so. Imam Khomeini did it! He wasn't doing this just as a matter of a classroom presentation or a political ideologue writing an Islamic theory in some books and some presentations. No. He came and he dealt with the power structures of the world to such a degree that Muslims had to make a transition from the mindset that they were in. The mindset of the Muslims was- and it continues to be to a certain degree prevalent everywhere- was that they tried to reduce the Qur'an and the Prophet and Islam into an individualistic personality that is consumed by rituals. This is the preponderant interpretation of Islam. So if there's an individual Muslim who is perfecting his or her individual rituals then he qualifies to go to al jannah. No power structure around?! On the other hand, and this was the transition and the leap that the Imam made, he brought these power structures in the world and had anyone who was willing to listen evaluate them as if they were persons. Power structures now- at taghut, alladhina dhalamu, al mustakbirun, adh dhalimun- came to life. We begin to see that they had a name, they had an address, they had a character, they had policies, they had strategies and beyond it all we are their victims. Even though this happened thirty five years ago and he gave his life twenty five years ago and we've had all of this time to regroup and to rethink and to revitalise and we still have psychologically handicapped Muslims who are not able to personify power (who) act (and) think as if the power structures in this world act as persons! Because when you begin to think about them in theory and when you begin to think about them through the mass media you are unable to get a grip on them. But this Qur'an- these spoken words of truth from heaven- beckon those who are able to speak the words of Allah and the teachings of the Prophet to the real world around. This was a feat that was accomplished by the late Imam. Even those who say "Oh yes- we can understand what he's saying, we actually feel the same way he feels and we want to go in the same direction" after all of these years have begun to lose momentum. It's part of human nature. Here is where this meanings (that) we began this khutbah by quoting several ayaat from our guiding book (come in). There's a particular ayah that in one sense or the other may sum up the lifetime of this leader. This ayah is in Surah An Nisa'. In the dark areas of the contemporary Muslim condition (and) social reality came this thundering voice of truth. To give a human touch and a social extension to the meanings of this ayah in Allah's immaculate Book.
What's wrong with you? (Surah An Nisa' verse 75)
This is not a loaded translation. The way the meaning of this ayah comes out is
What's wrong with you (that) you are not willing to engage in fighting on a course to Allah and those who are powerless- men, women and children who say "Oh our Sustainer have us delivered from this society whose people are oppressive and offer us from You a wali and offer us from You a supporter." Those who are committed to Allah do their fighting on a course to Allah and those who are active in their denial of Allah fight on a course of concentrated and abusive power; therefore engage the awliya' of Shaytaan. The conspiracy (and) the stratagem of Shaytaan is weak indeed. (Surah An Nisa' verse 75-76)
There's a couple of observations that the average Muslim does not take into consideration from this ayah. The first observation is, and this is a rebuttal and an argument against the Saudi Wahhabi types who in their "pristine tawheed" cannot understand the meanings of the Qur'an. Remember the ayaat that we quoted at the beginning of the khutbah?
… besides Allah you have no wali and you have no one to support you. (Surah Al Baqarah verse 107)
So Allah is the wali.
Allah is the wali of the committed Muslims. He takes them out of obscurities into the light and those who are in denial of Allah, their awliya' is at taghut who takes them out of light into obscurities… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 257)
So Allah is the wali.
… Allah is the wali of the committed Muslims. (Surah Aal Imran verse 68)
So Allah is the wali.
… Or did they adjust to awliya' besides Him? But Allah is the wali… (Surah Ash Shura verse 9)
So Allah is the wali. Now we come to this ayah and in that conflicted and in that incapacitated Saudi Wahhabi mind listen to this ayah.
… offer us from You a wali and offer us from You a supporter... (Surah An Nisa' verse 75)
These people who are oppressed are asking Allah for a wali. If Allah is the sole wali, as many Muslims are fooled around the world, and their cannot be a wali from Allah then how do they explain this ayah when people in oppression are saying
… offer us from You a wali and offer us from You a supporter... (Surah An Nisa' verse 75)
The other fine point that probably goes un-noticed by those who are conditioned by the religious establishment in Saudi Arabia
What's wrong with you (that) you are incapable of engaging in combat for a course to Allah (and) on a course to Allah for the sake of those men, women and children who are powerless… (Surah An Nisa' verse 75)
This is a man who came and who gave his life twenty five years ago who said "people of the world." The ayah doesn't say committed Muslims.
… fight on a course belonging to Allah and for the liberation, for the freedom and for the justice of powerless men, powerless women and powerless children… (Surah An Nisa' verse 75)
It's only common sense. Anyone that Allah has given power- it's a ma'ruf. The ma'ruf is to engage for Allah and the munkar is to defeat the taghut. This is common sense. What type of religious explanation and what type of religious school of thought undermines these meanings? They take away from you and me through a phoney religious establishment that is supported not by its commitment to Allah but rather by its reliance upon at taghut. Who are these rulers in Arabia ? They have a commitment to Allah? Far from it! This Imam came in the night of nights- it was pitch dark in the Muslim mind and he surfaced these meanings and what happened after that? All hell broke lose against him! We witnessed this. We lived it with its details. We are still living it up till this very moment even though he passed away twenty five years ago. This is the accomplishment that has come our way and it aches inside a person to see some individuals who have lost their direction in these years. "How can we carry this responsibility?" We don't know- is Islam a matter of retirement?! You're a Muslim for certain amount of years and then after that you go into retirement?! Did the Prophet of Allah go into retirement? Did the Sahaba (radi Allahu anhum) go into retirement? Did the Imams (alayhim as salam) go into retirement? Do the awliya' of Allah go into retirement?
… indeed Allah's awliya' harbour no fear nor do they grieve. (Surah Yunus verse 62)
This is an important point. You fear something that is about to happen. You fear something that is going to happen in the future. We have no fear of what may happen. If you belong to this set of ayaat- the awliya'- there's no fear. Fear of what? What do you fear? And you don't regret. This is another fine point. Looking at your past and then being critical of some things you do and then maybe blaming yourself for some mistakes doesn't mean you regret it. These are two different things. You have a nafs law'wamah- that's ok for you to have because from their you go to nafs mutma'innah; but having a nafs lawamah doesn't mean you regret things. You can learn from your mistakes and learning from your mistakes does not cause you to regret what happened from learning from your mistake. If you didn't learn from your mistake then you should regret it- then you should have huzn but Allah is saying
… indeed Allah's awliya' harbour no fear nor do they grieve. (Surah Yunus verse 62)
After all of these years and all this experience Allah has a way of filtering out those who were just hanging on from those who will remain committed to Him come what may.
Dear committed Muslims…
Now we will attempt, in the few minutes that we have, to make the transition from the inclusive meanings of the Qur'an to their practical embodiment in our life. We can't go on speaking in theory, we have to come down to earth. When we speak about Phiraun and when we speak about Quraysh, when we speak about Qarun, when we speak about Hud and Aad and Qawm Nuh and Qawm Tubbah and As'hab Ar Ras and many other civilizations and power structures and modernities of their time we catch their meanings through Allah's enlightening words and therefore we are able to catch their equivalents in our time. Don't tell us Saudi Arabia Egypt and the finances of Arabia to do war against committed Muslims in the coming years. We are not supposed to think like this? Why? "Oh! How can you think like this? You're supposed to be religiously devout. You are supposed to be a pious person. How can a pious mind and a devout psychology think about humanly organised strategies that are pending (and) that have the results of hundreds of thousands if not millions of Muslims as their victims?" You can't think like that! If you think like that you are somehow in violation of Allah and His Prophet. That's the mindset that erupts in these sources of anaesthesia called Masajid and Islamic centres. Drones- the new type of warfare! There's a lot of talk in this past week or two about the elections in Egypt and in Syria Egypt Syria Syria and no ones concerned about elections in Egypt
This khutbah was presented by Imam Muhammad Asi on the occasion of Jum'ah on 6 June 2014 on the sidewalk of Embassy Row in Washington D.C.
__._,_.___
Posted by: stop evil <stop_evil123@yahoo.co.uk>
| Reply via web post | • | Reply to sender | • | Reply to group | • | Start a New Topic | • | Messages in this topic (1) |
.
__,_._,___
No comments:
Post a Comment