| THE STREET MIMBAR JUM'AH KHUTBAH (30 April 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 on our way to Allah… Audio on http://www.islamiccenterdc.com/khutbassermons.htm (04-16-2010) SURAH AL HUMAZAH: DRAWING THE PERTINENT LESSONS There is a meaning that comes through if we read and understand Allah and His Prophet; but this meaning seems to be buried under traditions/misunderstandings/opportunism/the forces of the status quo. We will try to relate this meaning to you as best as we can. In a short surah in the Qur'an that is accessible and it's not going to cost you so much time to read. It's very concise. Its meanings are available. This surah says in its few ayaat, around nine ayaat. OK- this is a short surah. It's not surah Al Baqarah/Aal Imran/An Nis'a. It's a short surah that you can go to. Before it's meanings… This surah was revealed when the Muslims were still in Makkah. We know the conditions in Makkah. There was no power that they had. (They were) wanted individuals, persecuted (and) going through all the difficulties that establishments/regimes of the world exert against their opponents. The surah was revealed to say the following Woe/the most miserable condition belongs to al humazah and lumazah. (Surah Al Humazah 1) There have been spectrums of definitions of Al Humazah and Al Lumazah. One definition of Al Humazah is one who slanders you in your absence- not only slanders you in your absence, he does so obsessively/as second nature/systematically. Because this is not the time to go into an Arabic discussion of the construct of the word, but the way the word is presented is a person/party of people/regime is systemic/habitual in their slander of someone else. Al Lumazah is the same wording/basically the same information coming out of these calumny sources but it is said to the person's face. Another take on the meanings of these two words is that one of them is talking about a person who is slandering in a verbal sense but the other one is speaking about a person who is slandering in a practical sense. And yet another definition of these two words is a person/regime who are systemically involved in non-verbal slandering as opposed to verbal slandering. This is the range of the meanings of humazah and lumazah. We notice here that Allah, in His choice of words was placing our attention not on individuals who may from time-to-time/year-to-year slip some kind of sentence/words that can be considered as slander/backbiting/vilification/defamation. All of these fall within the range of this meaning. But the meaning that is lost/destroyed is that Allah is speaking about those who are systematically/systemically/in an institutional manner with organisation involved in all of these words/definition/calumny/backbiting/character assassinations and all of this. What is supposed to come to our mind- that doesn't come to our mind- is that Allah is speaking about an effort that is pooled together. He's not speaking about one solitary individual who from time-to-time may fall into slandering/defaming. These are the lost meanings. Brothers and sisters, the words/Qur'an is there but the meaning is lost because when people/Muslims/learned Muslims read this surah it doesn't occur to them/the other Muslims who are listening that this is applicable to propaganda/information management/distortion. What we see in the world today (and) which Allah is speaking about i.e. Al Humazah/Al Lumazah. Allah is speaking about one thing and we fail to think/reach the meaning that He is imparting to us. At the time of Allah's Prophet… Some people may say "but there was no CNN and BBC at that time!" (Just to name a few couple in a crowd of hundreds of mouth pieces around this world that can speak night and day and can try to tarnish/destroy the image of Allah's Prophet or those who are in the image of Allah's Prophet.) It is going on every moment of every day but there's a disconnect. We don't understand what Allah is telling us and that these words have a practical/deafening definition bombarding our senses, thus qualifying for the full definition of the words humazah/lumazah. Committed brothers and sister of taqwa on this day: because humazah/lumazah are not repetitious words that we encounter in the Qur'an, observe with us that the key words that are much used in the Qur'an such as Al Kafireen, Al Mushrikeen, Adh Dhaalimeen, Al Fasiqeen are root/repetitive concepts that occur throughout the Qur'an but here, Allah is not mentioning these types of characters. He is specifically mentioning a feature that belongs to these types of characters and maybe belong to other types of character also. This type of feature may also belong to those who call themselves Muslims. There could be Muslims who are humazah/lumazah i.e. habitual/systemic/obsessed with denigrating/vilifying/giving a bad name/press to the committed Muslims in the character of Allah's Prophet. At the time of Allah's Prophet there was no big media/establishmentarian effort like there is today to be involved in a day-to-day continuous/unending campaign to defame Allah's Prophet. At the level of things we have today, things were not at that level at that time, but was the act/policy itself there? Yes it was. When you look closer to try to get a hold of the names of these individuals who were involved in this systematic effort, it turns out, (in the books that we all share), that some names that appear are the elites of Makkah and At Ta'if. The names are mentioned if you want to go back to these- Ubay ibn Khalaf, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, Al Waleed ibn Al Mughirah, ibn Al Akhnas from At Ta'if etc. When we take a close look at these individuals who were at the time of Allah's Prophet and understand their character, it turns out that these were the richest people around. The richest people around in the time/generation of Allah's Prophet were the ones churning out this negative/destructive/eroding propaganda against the character/dignity/nobility of Rasulillah. Is this perchance or do we have the same dynamic/type of personalities at work today? Try to open up your minds/ears and listen/watch where this information to defame Allah's Prophet and the committed Muslims is this coming from? Is there a relationship between it and wealth? Some of the Muslims are crippled because in the past 100 years there was an intruding ideology in the world called Communism/Socialism/Marxism or whatever, so many Muslims don't want to think able issues pertaining to wealth/capital/money/distribution/production/labour and all of these other issues because there was a past 100 years in which godless people in this world were speaking about these issues. OK- they carry their sin/crimes with them; what does it have to do with us if Allah in His errorless book is telling us Al Humazah and Al Lumazah are people who have accumulated wealth and he keeps on counting his profits/shares/stocks and whatever there is that keeps on generating more of that type of wealth. (Surah Al Humazah verse 2) A step back for those who are personalities of the future… If you go to your Qur'an on the shelf at home or in the Masjid and you open this surah, you see jama'a there is a fat'hah on the meem. What did not survive all of these ages is that there's another equally valid rendition of the ayah and it says jamma'a. In addition to the fat'hah on the meem, there is a tashdeed/shadda on the meem. This is only a variation and an enrichment of the meaning … to collect/multiply/increase/regenerate wealth. (Surah Al Humazah verse 2) There's nothing wrong with us expanding our horizons and understanding the depth/range of the meanings of these ayaat instead of living for 1,300 odd years with a static one qira'ah of the Qur'an. Then, the ayah goes on to say These types of characters who have all the wherewithal/resources in the world to spend on anti Islamic propaganda/rumours/heresy…(Surah Al Humazah verse 3) How do they think about themselves? Allah is giving us access into their psychology. They reckon that their wealth/prosperity/possessions are going to take them into eternity. (Surah Al Humazah verse 3) That's what they think. They don't think that tomorrow they're going to meet their Creator. That's not an idea that comes on their mind everyday, unlike committed Muslims. A Muslim who is living in the presence of Allah understands that you can have everything in the world i.e. absolutely everything belongs to you but (if) you don't have Allah, you're a poor person. You can socialise with everyone in the world, you can be an acquaintance with everyone in your society but if you are not familiar with Allah you are an alien individual. You can put on this show/appearance of pomp and pride but in fact, in the absence of Allah in your life you are miserable/disgrace. He reckons that his money/wealth are going to cause him to perpetuate in the status that he is in. (Surah Al Humazah verse 3) Then, another attempt and opening up our minds with Allah's words, the word yahsabu with a fat'hah on the seen, in another qira'ah, (that didn't survive the last thirteen centuries or so in a popular sense), says yahsibu. There's a kasra on the seen. So what's the difference between yahsabu and yahsibu? The difference is the first word with a fat'hah on the seen means He reckons/has a notion/figures that he is going to live on and on the same way he is living with the abundant and affluent wealth that he has. (Surah Al Humazah verse 3) The other one, yahsibu, He calculates… (Surah Al Humazah verse 3) Now, there is a meaning of arithmetic/mathematics to these types of people who are involved in financing the calumny/defamation of Islam then and now. Both of them are applicable. (Does) anyone see any contradiction in meaning here- yahsabu and yahsibu? But why have we inherited a way of thinking that can only absorb one meaning and cannot absorb the other meanings that accompany these ayaat? Allah says Absolutely not! (Surah Al Humazah verse 4) To these types of characters who now live behind layers of ignorance that are imposed on the Muslim public to make it almost impossible for us to see/identify/point to their true character. This type of person is going to be ejected/dejected/expelled into the crusher. (Surah Al Humazah verse 4) Al hutamah is a crusher/pulveriser. What is that in reference to? That is in reference to Jahannam. They were the types of characters who thought they were above God, no one could bring them to task and hold them responsible; Allah is saying "where are you going? You thought your future was going to extend into perpetuity? No. Here you are. You just had a limited time on earth and now you appear on the Day of Judgement. Now it's the real thing, and corresponding to their crimes here they shall suffer the punishment there." And do you, (Oh Prophet) know what is Al Hutamah/this crusher is? It is Allah's incinerating fire. Which has a way of seeping into a person's locus of sensations. Indeed they shall be locked into it. In a course that extends without an end. (Surah Al Humazah verse 5-9) OK- now this is a meaning that has practically been taken out of circulation. No one really thinks like this when they read these ayaat. Let's be honest with ourselves. When you say Al Humazah and Al Lumazah, these worldwide media mouthpieces/organisations/interests/financers are the ones that come into your mind?! If they don't come to your mind, then we are suffering from a deficient of understanding Allah and His Prophet. OK- this describes one segment of society then/ now/until who knows when/towards the end of time. Another segment of society is defined by an ayah that says Allah does not favour expressing abrasive words verbally except for a person who's been oppressed/dealt injustice… (Surah An Nisa' verse 148) Now, compare this ayah with the humazah and lumazah. In today's world, it appears that Al Humazah and Al Lumazah are the "civilised" public relations firms all around. They have legality/universities/academia/governments on their side. With this protection, they can go full speed with their character assassination/backbiting/slander/defamation/maligning/libel of everyone/everything that is Islamic and in the footsteps of Allah's Prophet. And that's what they're doing and the Muslims who cannot express the truth about them in the Masajid of Allah belong to them. They're part of this big problem! Why can't they speak. A short surah like this- accessible as it is to everyone- why can't they express its meanings? That's all it is. Please explain the meanings of this surah to the public. They fail to do that. Then, on the other hand, when we have individuals in the world who, are placed in positions of oppression/tyranny/injustice, scream because they are in pain and want to express their yearning for equality/fair share/their God given human dignity, then everyone points a finger at them and accuses them as if something is wrong with them! Where are the same people in these Masajid who are supposed to explain these meanings (and) not hide/be silent about them? We the Muslims should know better. Allah and His Prophet speak to us. You're going to blame some average person around here who doesn't know better? He doesn't have access to Allah or His Prophet?! But let us look at ourselves. In this ayah Allah's speaking about the generic person. He's not speaking about a person who comes under oppression/tyranny because he's a Muslim/Palestinian/Kashmiri or whatever' this person can be in South America/the continent of Africa somewhere/an obscure corner of the world/unknown identity but falls under the conditions met in this ayah- then it applies to them. Allah has given them license, but He hasn't given license to these loud mouths that fill the air and plug our ears with their lies/fabrications/distortions/disingenuousness. Compare this short ayah and this short surah and absorb the meanings of these ayaat and place them in the real world and then you can take it from there. Brothers and sisters, committed Muslims… On another note, the Muslims in this world have much misunderstanding about themselves. Obviously we cannot delve into this historical issue in any detail, but it suffices to give an example of what we mean. In some of the literature, (and much of the wrong literature is available to most of the people around), some Muslims are reading that "the Sunnis have a history of acquiescing to the status quo rulers." There may be a sense of truth in this very general statement, but the thrust of this statement is inaccurate/unacceptable. There is nothing in the literature that is considered to be the reference point of those who consider themselves coming of a Sunni background that will convince them that they have to endorse rulers who are tyrants/kings who have stolen the seats of power, (so to speak). So why make a general statement like that? What does that serve? It only serves to give more time to those who don't belong in power and authority. Then, on the other hand, there are Muslims/books or whatever that say that "Shi'is have a history of considering that there cannot be a legitimate Islamic government in the absence of Imam Al Mahdi (alahi as salaam)." That's what they say. Now, just like the first statement, there may be a little sense of truth in that statement but the general thrust/meaning of it is not there. What are the reference books that are considered to be reliant upon the Qur'an and the Prophet in the Shi'i literature that will make us brand the Shi'is of the world as being "not concerned with the affairs of government because Imam Al Mahdi is not around to set the record/authorities straight?" Just like the first statement, who does this serve? It serves those who are in power. "With this type of propaganda/generalisation if we can convince Sunnis with what they think about the Shi'is and the Shi'is of what they think of the Sunnis and we'll do the definition for them and we'll offer them all the free literature that they want to substantiate our point of view," then this is what we have. And from Jum'ah to Jum'ah can there not be a revitalisation of the Muslim mind from the Masajid in this world in their millions?! Must we go on with crippled presentations/handicapped thoughts/paralyzed ideas that are presented to us for weeks/years/generations?! Does not this night have an end to it? This khutbah was presented by Imam Muhammed Asi on the occasion of Jum'ah on 16 April 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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