Oakland, California USA
Jumu`ah Khutbah
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
O mu’mins! O believers! Alhamdulillah, we have another chance to come into this masjid. Masajid are buyootu ‘Llah. Every masjid that is built on earth for Allah (swt) is for Him. Allah (swt) has honored these areas, these places with His houses. May Allah (swt) make this house and His houses all over the Bay Area, in California, in the States, all over the world, the source of `ilm, the source of knowledge, the source of Noor, and the source of comfort. May Allah (swt) make us from the jama`atu ‘l-masajid. Innama ya’muru masajidAllahi man amana billahi wa ‘l-yaumi ‘l-akhir.
إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَـٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَأَقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَى ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ فَعَسَىٰٓ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَن يَكُونُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
The mosques of Allah shall be visited and maintained by such as believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish regular prayers, and practice regular charity, and fear none (at all) except Allah. It is they who are expected to be on true guidance. (Surah at-Tawbah, 9:18)
The ones that populate the masajid, the ones that come to the masajid, are the ones who have believed in Allah (swt) and in Yaumu ‘l-Akhir. When you see a masjid that is empty, you know that nobody is around. The true mu’min is the one that comes to the masjid of Allah (swt). Mashaa-Allah (swt), Allah (swt) has put iman in this group. May Allah (swt) allow that iman to flourish and may Allah (swt) make us from the mu’mineen and with the mu’mineen.
I came here five years ago. Today I entered and I said, “SubhaanAllah.” Look at this detail. Look at this wall. Look at this carpet. Look here. Look there. I’m noticing the beauty that is in this masjid which is the house of Allah (swt). You’re asking the builder, “What did you do? How did you do it? Can you tell me? Can you show me?” You are conversing with the builder.
When you were created and sent to this world, you dwell in this world. You enter the home or a house and say, “Wow. Beautiful home. Who is the designer?” When Allah (swt) threw you out of your mom’s womb and you started to see and hear, didn’t you notice what was around you? Didn’t you notice that you were in such an awesome place with rivers running, mountains, trees, stars and moons? Didn’t you ask yourself, “I wonder who is the builder”? O human being! Do you ask yourself that? No.
You enter a mansion just like you enter Topkapi Palace in Istanbul or whatever it is, and you say, “What a great structure.” You go to Versaille, to Paris and you enter that big palace there and say, “Oh, how beautiful.” You go to London, England and you look at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace and you say, “Who built this? Who is the owner of this place?” Why doesn’t your mind go a little bit beyond that and say, “Who is the builder of this universe?” No one. They’re dumb.
When it comes to the Creator, a human being goes blank. Who built these Santa Cruz Mountains for example? Who built this Mission Hills? Who put them there? They’re really nice, really beautiful. Who was the designer? Who was the builder? Nobody is like Sayyidina Ibrahim (a). Do you know the story of Sayyidina Ibrahim (a)? He came out of his cave as a young boy when his mom hid him because Nimrud was also a tyrant, killing all the believers. She hid him in the cave.
One night he came out and said, “Oh, beautiful stars. Who is their lord? Who is their creator?” Then he looked at the moon and wondered, “Who made this moon? This moon is greater than the stars.” And then he saw the sun. Sayyidina Ibrahim (a) had the character of a believer from his childhood. He always contemplated the Creator.
Is that your characteristic, O human being? No, because they only look on earth. They only look down. They never look up. Look up and ask, “Who built all of that and why did He build all of that? Who is the designer? Can I talk to the designer?”
I spoke to the builder on the way in. I talked to the designer on the way in and I asked him, “How did you do this? How did you do that?” You have a chance to talk to Allah (swt), O human being. If you get it, you’re a lucky one. If you don’t get it, if Allah (swt) does not talk to you, you should pierce through the veils. There is a group of people that Allah (swt) talks to.
يَوْمَ يَقُومُ ٱلرُّوحُ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ صَفًّا لَّا يَتَكَلَّمُونَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وَقَالَ صَوَابًا
The Day that the Spirit and the angels will stand forth in ranks, none shall speak except any who is permitted by (Allah) Most Gracious, and He will say what is right. (Surat an-Naba, 78:38)
Nobody can speak to Allah (swt) except the ones who have permission. Converse with the Builder. Your first step is to converse with Him through the Holy Qur’an, through His Words, through Fatiha, to praise Him and then to address Him. “Yaa Rabbee. I want You. Let me find You. Show me Your Way.” Sayyidina Ibrahim (a) kept saying, “I don’t want the stars. I don’t want the moon. I don’t want the sun. I want the One Who has created them.”
إِنِّى وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِىَ لِلَّذِى فَطَرَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا وَمَآ أَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
Indeed, I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth, inclining toward truth, and I am not of those who associate others with Allah. (Surat al-An`am, 6:79)
The One Who has created Heavens and earth. Why don’t you have that aspiration in your heart, O human being? That’s why Allah (swt) sent the messengers. Why did He send them? To remind you of the Builder, of the Designer, of the Fashioner. Allah (swt)’s Holy Name is Al-Khaliq, Al-Bari, Al-Musawwir, The One Who has created, The One Who has sent onto this earth and in the Heavens His creation and He has given them surah, an image. Al-Musawwir, the One Who has designed.
Anbiyaullah, Rusulillah, Allah’s Prophets and Messengers and Awliyaullah, who are the continuation of that message that they take from the Qur’ani ‘l-Kareem, they all came to remind human beings about the Creator. Don’t be heedless of the Creator. Don’t be ‘blank’ about the Creator. There is a Designer for everything you watch, for everything you see in front of you, even the cars. You ask, “Which company built this car? Which brand are these shoes? Which brand is this watch?” Everything has a builder. Everything has an owner. Who is the Owner of this universe?
Even the metaverse, which is imagination, you need a title for the stuff there. We just passed by meta. Mashaa-Allah, they build you a universe and you run for it and you want a piece of it. You want a title. Who has the title of this universe? “Nobody. It’s random.” Who built the meta universe? Did it come about randomly or did they have a bunch of engineers, computer whizzes and the guy on the top? There is Someone Who built this universe, O Bay Area residents. You pass by the metaverse everyday. Ask, “Who built this real universe,” not the imaginary one. That is why RusulAllah have come.
Allah (swt) said, wa dhakkir, “Remind them.” Allah (swt) said to Rasoolullah (s), “I have sent you to all.” “We have sent you to all human beings, naas.”
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ إِلَّا كَآفَّةً لِّلنَّاسِ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
And We have not sent you except comprehensively to mankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner. But most of the people do not know. (Surah Saba, 34:28)
Yaa ayyuha ‘n-naas. “Naas” comes from “nisyan” as some of our `ulama have explained. An-naasi, the one who has forgotten. Yaa ayyuha ‘n-naas, the one who has forgotten. Forgotten whom? First, you have forgotten that you were nothing. Where were you a hundred years ago? You were unknown. You were unheard of. You had no name, no image, nothing. You were nothing. Allah (swt) said:
هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْإِنسَـٰنِ حِينٌ مِّنَ ٱلدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْـًٔا مَّذْكُورًا
Has there not been over Man a long period of Time, when he was nothing - (not even) mentioned? (Surat al-Insan, 76:1)
It has come on the human being a period of time that he was nothing mentioned. Lam yakun shay’an madhkoora.
It is in Surat al-Insaan. On Jumu`ah on Friday at Fajr time we read Surat al-Insaan in the second raka`at, following the Sunnah of Rasoolullah (s) but they don’t want to follow any Sunnah. That’s the problem. When Rasoolullah (s) is reminding you of Surat al-Insaan, when he is reading Surat al-Insaan every Fajr on Jumu`ah, why don’t you take heed? Understand what that surah says. Why is he talking about that surah? Because there was a time that you were nothing. You were not even something that was mentioned and then what happened? Allah (swt) created you. Somebody created you.
Why were you nothing and now you’re something? Who changed that equation? Who changed that module? Did somebody from IT click “enter” and you appeared? You have so much iman in IT. Everybody believes in technology. “Technology is our way to salvation. Technology is our way to success. Technology. Technology.” You have taken technology as your god. They think technology can change everything and they want technology to be in control of everything. Basically, they are following a false deity. It’s not statues or rocks or trees anymore. Now it’s electronic. That is their new god and they’re following that. Follow and see where it leads you.
Where is technology going to lead you? You can see where it’s leading them. The more sophisticated their technology becomes, the more sophisticated their weapons become. It’s leading them to mass destruction. May Allah (swt) forgive us and guide us to the Right Path.
Allah (swt) has created you, O the one who has forgotten his Lord, the one who appeared and doesn’t even say to himself like Sayyidina Ibrahim (a) said, “Hadhaa rabbee. This is a great one,” and then he changed. He said, “I don’t believe in any of them.” Why? Because they went away. Your god, your deity, your role model or whatever it is, left a hundred years ago. They were present and now they’re gone, so they’re not your lords. Your True Lord never dies. Al-Hayy, Ever-Alive.
Come to understand The Great One. Come to understand Allah (swt). No, people are interested in aajil, the immediate, “How can I gratify myself now?” Everybody wants the present. “How can I make myself happy now?” There is Eternal happiness but we’re not interested in that. We want to know how we can become happy now. That’s their way.
Rusul, Rasoolullah (s), Anbiya have come to remind you of the One Who pressed the button, “Enter.” He said, “Kun,” and you appeared. “Be” and it is. You were first a drop of water. Do you believe that? You see it. First is a drop of water and then becomes a baby at the end. How? Then `alaqa, two things joining together, then mudgha, another stage of flesh, then Allah (swt) makes it bones, then the bones have meat, then the meat has veins and vessels and nerves and then there’s skin on top and then you come out as a baby. Who did all of that? “Metaverse.” Okay.
When you’re a baby, you find your food. Before you were a baby, that did not give you food. After you are born, that becomes your rizq. Who ordered that? They say, “It’s hormones.” Okay, who made these hormones to be secreted in the brain so the baby can get its food? Again, random? They say “nature.” They don’t say God. They want to say, “Other than God. You can call it anything but don’t call it Allah (swt). Don’t call it God. Call it whatever you want.”
After you are a baby, you become a young one and then a teenager and then a grownup and then an old man. In all of these stages, whose ni`mah are you using? What supports your body? Do you eat the dollar? Do you eat the euro? Do you eat crypto? What do you eat? You eat what Allah (swt) lets the earth grow for you. Allah (swt) says in Surat al-Baqarah, Yaa ayyuha ‘n-naas. Astaghfirullah, now I’m blanking but He is the One Who has created you and created the ones before you so you can find your way to Him.
Alladhi ja’ala lakumu ‘l-ardha firaasha wa sama’a bina’a wa anzala laqum min as sama’i ma’an fa akhraja bihi minath thamarati rizqan laqum.
He has created earth for you as a carpet. He carpeted it. Look at the different colors that the earth has, different soils. He has made the sky a dome over you to protect you from outer space. He has brought down water from Heavens and He has grown for you things to eat. Who provided all of that? Why don’t you ask yourself? “I work for the dollar and euro but I eat cucumbers, a tomato, and zucchini. Who gave me all of that? In the market I give a dollar and take food.” No, the food is not purchased with the dollar. If Allah (swt) stops the tap from Heavens, nothing will grow.
Look at droughts that this state has been in. They have all the technology. It’s the sixth greatest economy in the world. How do you manage your drought? They can’t. Do they ask, “Yaa Rabbee”? No, they ask their technology. “Let’s see the latest weather models. Is there rain coming?”
Why don’t you turn to your Lord, O insaan. Remember Allah (swt). Human beings, remember Allah (swt) Who created you and created the ones before you and has provided you from earth and Heavens. What does He want from you? Allah (swt) has given you favors and ni`mah from the beginning and He is giving you favors and ni`mah at the end. What else do you want? You’re happy here and you’re happy over there. But subhaanAllah, human beings are not happy unless they have a million dollars in the bank. If they have a million dollars, they want two. If they have two, they want three. What are you going to do with all of these millions? They have billions of dollars. What do you do with them? They’re all numbers. In one outage it can all be gone, erased. “Where is my money?” Go find your money.
What is more important, O human being, is understanding that somebody has created you and has given all that is on earth and in the Heavens for you. Alladhi ja’ala lakumu ‘l-ardha. He has made ardh for you. Fa akhraja bihi minathamarati rizqan lakum. Everything on earth, everything in Heavens is for you.
ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ فِرَٰشًا وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith Fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals unto Allah when you know (the truth). (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:22)
And who do you serve? Allah (swt) has said, as Awliyaullah have said, everything is under your disposal, under your command. It is for you but I want you for Me.
You are for Allah (swt), O human being. He wants you for Him. He is showing you the way to Him. He is telling you, “Don’t forget Me. I have created you for Me. I have created you for My Love. I have created you for My Knowledge, to know Me, to converse with Me, to be sitting with Me.” Allah (swt) says in Surat al-Qamar:
إِنَّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ فِى جَنَّـٰتٍ وَنَهَرٍ فِى مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِندَ مَلِيكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍۭ
Inna ’l-muttaqeena fee Jannatin wa nahar. Fee maq`adi sidqin `inda maleekin muqtadir.
In an Assembly of Truth, in the Presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent. As to the Righteous, they will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers. (Surat al-Qamar, 54:54-55)
The ones that have found the way and followed the guidance of the prophets will be in Paradises and rivers. Fee maq`adi sidqin `inda maleekin muqtadir. They will be sitting in the Presence of a Great, Almighty King. Allah (swt) wants you to sit with Him but you choose to sit with others. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
Dhikrullah is the step here and Qur’anu ‘l-Kareem is the step here. If you follow them correctly, you will also be in Dhikrullah over there and you will be in the Presence of the Almighty King, Allah (swt)’s Presence over there. Don’t forget. Don’t get carried away by this world, especially here in the Bay Area. We live in the mountains. Alhamdulillah, all we see are trees and rivers. We have no problem. What you see here is something different. You see dunya at your fingertips. You see dunya following you and you are chasing dunya too. Take a break from that. Don’t get carried away. Remember Allah (swt). Come to His houses. Enter the house and ask for His Blessings. Enter the house and ask for His Forgiveness. Enter His house and ask for support. Allah (swt) will bless you.
Don’t forget. Allah (swt) has said, “Don’t forget Me.” He told Rasoolullah (s), “Remind them that they are for Me.” That’s why we say, inna lillahi. What is “inna lillahi”? “We are for Allah (swt).” Where are you? Are you telling the truth or are you lying? “No, I am for my boss, whatever he says I do.” Why? “So he can promote me up the chain of command. He can promote me up the corporate ladder.” You have so many corporates down here. “I need to go up the corporate ladder, so I obey my boss. He says, ‘Don’t go to Jumu`ah. Stay and work with me for a meeting.’ I stay for a meeting. I leave Jumu`ah. I leave prayers.”
You are for Allah (swt). Inna lillahi. You are for Allah (swt), O Muslim. Inshaa-Allah, Allah (swt) guides the ones who haven’t believed. That verse from Surat al-Baqarah, Yaa ayyuha ‘n-naasu ubudoo Rabbakumu ‘l-ladhi khalaqakum.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O people! Adore your Guardian-Lord, who created you and those who came before you, that you may have the chance to learn righteousness. (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:21)
O the ones who have forgotten, worship your Lord. That means, turn to your Lord. If you are an unbeliever, believe. If you are a polytheist, be a monotheist. If you are disobedient, turn to obedience. If you are obedient, stay on obedience. Be surefooted because, “You are going to come back to Me.” Wa inna ilayhi raji’oon.
How are you going to come back to Him? He is going to ask you, “What were you doing?” Do you think Allah (swt) will ask you or not? Ammadhaa kuntum ta`maloon.
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُو قَالَ أَكَذَّبْتُم بِـَٔايَـٰتِى وَلَمْ تُحِيطُوا۟ بِهَا عِلْمًا أَمَّاذَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
Until, when they come (before the Judgment-seat), (Allah) will say: "Did you reject My Signs, though you comprehended them not in knowledge, or what was it you did? (Surat an-Naml, 27:84)
In the Holy Qur’an Allah (swt) says, “I will ask, ‘What were you doing? Tell me.’” What are you going to say? You better correct yourself here so you can say, “Yaa Rabbee. I was for You.” If He says, “Yes, you were for Me,” you go to Jannah. If He says, “You are a liar,” then your end. May Allah (swt) forgive us. May Allah (swt) not make us liars.
Be for Allah (swt). Quit running after this dunya like these race dogs. When dogs run after their prey--and “dogs” also include the lions and the others. They are all called kilaab, a big group. All the tigers, lions are called sibaa or kilaab. They call them dogs. When they run after their prey, they can hurt and harm everyone on their way until they reach their prey. Don’t be from them. Don’t be a race dog. Be for Allah (swt). As much as you can, come to your Lord.
May Allah (swt) make us with Awliyaullah. May Allah (swt) make us with Anbiyaullah. May Allah (swt) make us with Nabiullah here and Hereafter, following their guidance here and following their guidance over there.
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