Jumu`ah Khutbah at the Islamic Center of Rochester (2)
[Opening Du`a of Khutbah.]
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
Allah (swt) has sent us the Messenger, Prophet (s) to teach us. Human beings were created as wild beasts, animals, and Allah (swt) told the angels, “I am going to create a new creation, Adam,” and the angels objected, saying, “How can You create someone like that, who has characteristics of killing, corruption and shedding blood?”
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلاَئِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً قَالُواْ أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاء وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ
Behold, your Lord said to the angels, “I will create a vicegerent on Earth." They said, “Will You place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood while we celebrate Your praises
and glorify Your Holy (Name)?" He said, “Verily, I know what you know not.” (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:30)
“How can you put on Earth someone, a Creation, that will corrupt, kill and shed blood?” Angels saw that and Sayyidina Adam (a). Allah (swt) told the angels, “I know what you don't know. I know what happens to these humans when guidance comes from Allah (swt).” So Allah (swt) created human beings with these characteristics for a wisdom that He knows.
He sent messengers and the Last Messenger, Sayyidina Muhammad (s), came with the perfect deen, the perfect way to Allah (swt) and he started teaching his Sahaabah (r), who continued teaching the Taabi`een (second generation of Sahaabah) and they continued teaching the Taabi al-Taabi`een (third generation of Sahaabah). Nowadays we have scholars who continue that good work and teach, but unfortunately, we are forgetting Qur’an and Sunnah and listening to some people [who are not on correct ways] and taking what they say for granted, but forgetting the source of knowledge that came to Prophet (s) that he conveyed to his Companions (r).
We celebrated the `Eid a few days ago, the day of Arafat and slaughtering the sheep. Prophet (s) was on Hajj, he made one Hajj and gave his Last Khutbah that day to his Companions (r):
As narrated by Ibn Abbas (r) in “Kitab al-Hajj” of Sahih Bukhari: Prophet (s) said, “O People! This, the first day of `Eid, Yawm al-Haraam, is a sacred day. What town is this, what land is this? This is a sacred land where no one can harm anyone as Allah (swt) has made it haraam. What month is this?” They said, “It is Dhu ‘l-Hijjah, a sacred month.” (We know that Rajab, Dhu ‘l-Hijjah, Ramadan and Muharram are the four sacred months.) Prophet (s) said, “Pay attention to what I’m telling you! Your wealth, your blood, your honor are also haraam, as the sacredness of this day in this month in this town in this land, and we cannot take it from each other except on haqq, only if your Muslim brother or sister gives it to you willingly and I swear by The One that my soul is in His Hand. The one present here today should convey this message to the one that is absent. ... After I leave, don't become unbelievers! Some of you are cutting the necks of others.”
This is his advice to his Nation, which is not only the Sahaabah (r), not only his Holy Family (a), but also us and those who will continue to come until the Day of Judgement! His words continue to speak to all of us as the Sahaabah (r) conveyed the Message and we have it here in this book. He (s) said that those absent should know it and those present should convey the Message. “After I leave, don't become unbelievers! Some of you are cutting the necks of others.” This is Hadith, an order by the Prophet (s), so where are we in relation to it, what’s happening to our Nation, Ummati Muhammad (s)? We are listening to those who are on top of us (oppressing us) and forgetting the Prophet’s (s) Last Sermon on Yawm al-`Arafat!
Allah (swt) told the story of the two Believers, how one wanted to kill the other:
وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ابْنَيْ آدَمَ بِالْحَقِّ إِذْ قَرَّبَا قُرْبَانًا فَتُقُبِّلَ مِن أَحَدِهِمَا وَلَمْ يُتَقَبَّلْ مِنَ الآخَرِ قَالَ لَأَقْتُلَنَّكَ قَالَ إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ لَئِن بَسَطتَ إِلَيَّ يَدَكَ لِتَقْتُلَنِي مَا أَنَا بِبَاسِطٍ يَدِيَ إِلَيْكَ لِأَقْتُلَكَ ۖ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّـهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Tell them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam. Behold! They each presented a sacrifice (to Allah): it was accepted from one, but not from the other. The latter said: "Be sure I will slay you!" The former said, "Surely (Allah) accepts of the sacrifice of those who are righteous. Even if you extend your hand to kill me, I shall not lay my hand on you to slay you: truly, I fear God, the Lord of all the Worlds. (Surat al-Maa’ida, 5:28)
Abel’s (Haabil) sacrifice was accepted, but not Cain’s (Qaabil), then Qaabil said to Haabil, “I will kill you!” Both of them are felievers, because both offered a sacrifice to Allah (swt) and if they were not believers why would they do that? Of the two believers, Allah (swt) put taqwa in one’s heart, He made him fear Allah (swt) and he warned his brother, “If you want to kill me I won't kill you, because I fear Allah (swt), who is also your Lord, not only mine. I fear your Lord!”
He saw his brother’s Lord protecting him, providing for him, sheltering him, giving him his life. Who gave you your life? Did you buy it from the market or did Allah (swt) with His Qudra, Power, give you life? Who is behind our existence? Can we exist by ourselves? If so, why do we die? Make yourselves live 100 or 300! Mashaa-Allah, today you can get a kidney, liver or brain transplant, which you will need! Get the ‘mind and body’ transplant, get the lip transplant and live, mashaa-Allah! [Laughter.] They say the University of Rochester medical program is world class; okay, let’s say Allah (swt) gives you 500 years; He gave Sayyidina Noah (a) 950 years, so why not? Maybe He will give you a thousand years or one-million years, but what happens at the end? You die! That means we don't exist without Allah (swt) allowing us, we don't exist by ourselves as Allah (swt) is al-Hayy al-Qayyum, The Living, The One that Makes us Exist, makes us stand up.
So Sayyidina Haabeel (a) saw that Allah (swt) is Lord of Qaabeel and said, “O my brother, I fear your Lord, so if I kill you, what should I tell my Lord on the Day of Judgement? You will not question me, I am going to stand in front of your Lord and answer Him!” If someone kills people, for sure he is going to answer to his Lord Who gave him life! It's not a game. Prophet (s) said “I am telling you! You are sacred to each other, your blood, property and honor are sacred, so don’t cut each other's necks after I leave!”
As narrated by Abu Dawood (r) in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, there is a story about `Usama bin Zayd (r), also mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. Prophet (s) sent him out on an expedition and he passed a village of non-believers, except for a shepherd on the mountain attending to his sheep. When Sayyidina `Usama (r) came with the mu’mineen, the Sahaabah (r), all the unbelievers left town, they fled. That shepherd, who had concealed his iman, came down with his flocks, saying, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah. As-salaamu `alaykum!”
وَلاَ تَقُولُواْ لِمَنْ أَلْقَى إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلاَمَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنًا
And say not to one who offers you peace (salaam), "You are not a Believer." (Surat an-Nisa, 4:94)
So what happened? Sayyidina `Usama (r) killed him! They returned to the Prophet (s), who was very upset and sad, and he said, “You killed him because you wanted what he owned, even though he said, ‘Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah!’”
Sayyidina `Usama (r) said, “O Prophet, he said it by the tongue, not by the heart.” He was arguing, because he's afraid he did something wrong, what he saw on Prophet’s (s). So he said, “O my Beloved!” We all love the Prophet (s). He didn't want to make him upset. What did the Prophet (s) say?
أفلا شققت عن قلبه حتى تعلم أقالها أم لا؟
"Did you cut open his heart to find out whether he had done so sincerely or not?" (Bukhari and Muslim)
“Did you cut open his chest or his heart to see if he was a truthful one or a liar?” Prophet (s) was upset at his Sahaabi (r) who killed someone that had said, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah,” and claimed he was not a Muslim, mu’min, that he had said the Shahaadah only to protect himself. Where are we nowadays? Is there anyone checking the heart of the other person to see if he is saying the truth or not?
التَّقْوَى هَا هُنَا بِحَ
Prophet (s) said: Taqwa is here [points to heart]. (Tirmidhi)
“Taqwa is here! Did you cut open his heart to see if he was a truthful one or not?” Sayyidina Haabeel (a) had taqwa, he feared what would happen when he meets his Lord, so he did not kill his brother. Why did his brother kill him? It was for a woman! He did not want to marry his own twin, but he wanted to marry his brother’s twin. He said, “Your twin is more beautiful than mine, you have the best one, the better one.” That is jealousy, envy! A lot of killings happen nowadays because people are jealous of each other, they want what others have and claim they are doing it for good.
Sayyidina Haabeel was killed because Qaabeel wanted what his brother had, and that is jealousy. Who was the first jealous one in the Divine Presence, who complained to the Lord, “You are wrong!” Shaytan did that! He said, “You made this one (Adam) and you expect me to make sajda to him? I am better than him!” That was hasad, jealousy. Like Shaytan, Qaabeel was jealous and killed his brother, who said, “I am not going to kill you because I have taqwa in my heart.” Taqwa prevents people from being unjust, zhulm; taqwa is the checkpoint that everyone has in his heart to do good and avoid bad: if someone has no taqwa, no fear of Allah, he does not see Allah Almighty protecting everyone or his Lord’s favors, he has no consideration for what is in front of them.
The hadith we mentioned says, “You killed him because you wanted what he has,” which means wealth. There are two reasons why people kill each other: for property, land, wealth, status, honor, and for jealousy. So what should we do? We must ask Allah (swt) to make the people above us, our leaders, good! We should pray every morning and evening, “O our Lord, make our rulers, imams and those on top of us good! O our Lord, make my brothers good, because when my brothers, my leaders and my rulers are good I become good.” Pray for others, don't be selfish and only pray for yourself: Prophet (s) always prayed for his Nation. Allah (swt) gave him shafa`ah, Intercession, but still he asked Allah (swt) on behalf of his Nation. Ask that Allah (swt) corrects all of us, including our brothers, leaders, and imams so we know what's right from wrong, and please if you have time go into this Hadith, narrated by Abu Dawood and in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
[Du`a.]
[End of Khutbah.]
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