Khutbat al-Jumu`ah
O mum'ins, and Muslims and everyone that Allah has created; human beings.
There are a lot of things to discuss but life is short. Allah has sent messengers from the time of Adam until the time of Sayyidina Muhammad (saws), which is around 7000 years, to reveal what He wants revealed to human beings, what we know, 6000 something, and still people have to discuss more and life is short. How many passed away and left everything behind them so that the next generation that comes can continue what they have begun? Unfortunately we still are trying to find ways to fight each other instead of taking examples from these prophets and messengers that Allah has sent to us as a mercy for humanity. Instead of learning to be a mercy for humanity we are learning how to be an enemy to humanity and everyone wants to find a wrong in the other in order to expose that to make difficulties between communities and cause everyone to fight each other. Why has Allah sent messengers and prophets? -In order to restore peace on earth. Because on day one, a massacre happened on earth between two sons of Sayyidina Adam , Haabil and Caabil; Abel and Cain; Cain killed Abel. From day one killing is on earth. That is why Allah is sending us messengers - to tell to us to be careful. “I have created you and inspired with what is bad and what is good.” Allah inspired the soul, the spirit, with what is good, and what is bad. He brought the bad first in the verse to tell you that you have to drop it and made the good second. Unfortunately everyone wants to find a way to attack and everyone is fighting with each other.
I will give an example of how merciful Allah is to his servants and how He wants to save them in any way.
That is what? It is the example for us to learn from.
Not to take a word out of context and try to make an issue about it in order to use that religion or this religion or that religion or that belief or this thing against each other. Allah said to the Prophet (saws), “We have sent you as a mercy for humanity.” That is finished. It means that the Prophet (saws) is a merciful person. One day he was sitting in the masjid, as people are sitting with their friends he was sitting with his companions. The Prophet (saws) always sits with his companions. When a delegation is coming to visit he sits very nicely and all the companions sit in respect. When he is sitting and there is no stranger there, then he might sit comfortably and without protocol to show how much he is a loving person. One day he was sitting with his companions and he began to laugh. The Prophet (saws) never laughs noisily but always laughs in a very respectful way; not like some people do today, very loud. Sayyidina `Umar said, "O Prophet you are laughing, smiling."
Anas related we were sitting with the Prophet (saws) and we saw him laughing until his jaws were open, for the first time, and Sayyidina Umar [may Allah reward him], said, “What made you laugh, the one who is a mercy to humanity?” He said, “I just now saw two people, rajulayn jatha bayna yaday Allah rabbee - two people of my Ummah – who are just being called to account before my Lord. One said, ‘khudh lee madhlamatee min akhee - my brother has oppressed me, I want to take back my right.’ So Allah said to the man who oppressed his brother, ‘Give him back his right.’ The oppressor said, ‘There is nothing left from my good `amal, my good deeds, that I made in dunya and I came to you in akhira. You have taken away my sins and replaced them with hasanaat so nothing is left - I become zero in the balance. I have nothing to give anymore.’” When you are bankrupt, what can you give? Nothing - you say ‘I am bankrupt’…But there are people who do bankruptcy intentionally, Allah knows. (The Prophet (saws) continued…) “So he said, ’O Allah, I have nothing to give.’ Allah said to the one who is oppressed, ‘There is nothing he can give you. What do you want to do now?’
Allah continued, to the oppressed, “Raise your head and look. Look how much this religion came as a mercy for people: for male and female; for husband and wife, for children… a mercy that you cannot describe. Yet people are always finding something to attack with.’
He said, ‘Raise your head and look at My paradises.’ He (the oppressed) said, "I see, O my Lord…I am seeing villages and castles made from silver and pearls and gold. I am seeing something I never imagined in my dunya life or my akhira life. For which prophet is that? For which martyrs is that?’ Allah said, ‘Liman ata ath-thaman - Whoever can give its price, I will give it to him’. He said, ‘O Allah, are you mocking me? There is no amal you can get to get that.’ He said, ‘You have it, you can get it. You can buy that.’ The oppressed said, ‘All my hasanaat cannot buy that. How can I buy that?’ He said, ‘afwuka an akheek.’- ‘For pardoning your brother I give you that.’”
If Allah is saving His servants by saving them from punishment and by getting the oppressed to forgive his brother, Allah is giving all this for what - Only to forgive. How dare we say that Islam is coming only for punishment or to fight; male and female. “And he said, ‘O Allah, I have forgiven him.’”
Then what you are expecting to happen? When he forgives him that means the oppressor also has been excused; he found a way out for him. “Allah said to him, ‘Take your brother, the oppressor, by the hand and take him with you to paradise.’” He saved both of them, both the oppressed and the oppressor. That is why Allah revealed to the Prophet (saws), “Wattaqaullah waslihoo dhaata baynikum” - “Be sincere and fix problems between each other.” We see that Allah is saving humanity by forgiving each one and solving the problems between one another. Is Allah going to say something against that kind of pardoning for forgiving, or pardoning for loving? Allah sent loving for humanity.
That is why Allah wants the relation between husband and wife to be very good. Many Muslims around the world are loving and forgiving. If there is a minority who try to make problems by taking an explanation out of context, it doesn’t mean that there is something wrong. In every religion there are those who come with strict interpretations. We cannot blame all Christians for what some Christians do. We cannot blame Moses for the Jews and what some of them do.
They come and say, “O, you Muslims are beating your wives.” Are you beating your wife? Are you beating yours?
I don’t understand. Wherever I travel around the world they ask about this issue and about this verse of the Holy Qur’an. This is always on their mind.
Allah said: “… wadriboohunna.” They take one word, wadriboohunna and they leave out everything else. They say daraba is beating. Who gave you the eligibility or the authority to explain something that you don’t know? You have to go back to the language of the Qur’an. In different parts of Makkah and Madina, there were different tribes with different usages of words. It means one thing to some but it means something else to others. Are you an expert, able to understand the meaning? No one is an expert, able to understand the meaning today. You have to understand the meaning of the words.
Let us go with the meaning that the people go with (and I will be a bit longer than usual as this is very important issue). I heard it from
Allah said, “Walaatee takhaafoona nashoozahunna.” - “Those that are worried and frightened might go astray.” In the time that this verse was revealed it was a time of ignorance. There were many women being raped; many women were killed; many women were committing adultery for money; and many women were in the streets as in the time of the Prophet (saws) they used to bury the baby girls. Islam came to take this away.
Let us take this country, for example. They made laws and when new individuals from another culture came they amended the laws. When extremists came they made the Patriot Acts 1 and 2. They keep amending according to the situation they are in. Therefore you have to know the events and situations that were taking place. There was the killing of girls taking place; there were no rights for women, so Allah said, “Those who you are afraid might go astray.” He didn’t say, “Those who are doing good.” That means those who are going astray, but only the few; 99% have nothing to do with that.
What to do? Give them advice - Because in that time there were men who used to send their girls to sleep with someone for money. Islam came to stop that. Why don’t they talk about that? No, it said “Those whom you fear will go astray.” What do you do? You give them advice. You are not allowed to give advice? Many men come in at the end of a night of drinking and womanizing and she has right to tell him, and give him advice. If they didn’t listen to fahjaroo, everything goes a different way - separation. So he gave advice, then separation, then He said, “Wadriboohunna.” This is the problem of the words Fadriboo hunn. What is meaning of this word? How many times does this word come up in the Holy Qur’an - maybe more than 20.
Wa duribat alayhim al maskana. - Surah Ali Imran, vs. 111 & 112. And another: Wa duribat alayhim adh-dhillah wal maskana.
That word means branded here. It doesn’t mean beating. In another verse Allah said, “Wadrib lahum mathalan rajulayn” – “Make for them an example of two men.” Wadrib here, as the other one… give them an example. Wa darab lana mathalan wa nasiya khalqa… he gave an example of a man and forgot about others, who will bring these bones to life? He is giving an example here.
“Fadriboo fil ard arba`ti ashhur” – “Move in the land for four months.” So we see here that there are different meanings from example, from branded to moving in the earth or the ground or the desert. So why are we always making an issue of the verse of Surat Nisa 84, and we don’t make any issue of the more than twenty other times?
Fadrib…
He is speaking about those particular people and that particular event. What do we see today in discos? Allah wants to make sure they don’t go beyond the limits. When you see lot of that going on, do what? - advise them. Then, if they don’t listen, separate from them. There are many verses where Allah mentions men also. So give them that advice of separation, in the bed , make it an example, brand them with it, as they are making adultery, as in Surat Ali `Imran, label them with that. Then they will be worried about everyone seeing them like that and they will come back to their normal life. After you brand them and give them advice then you have no rights against them- then you go along with them.
This is what we have. We can go on longer, but I am trying to research that and make it available. This is a short explanation but I am hearing that a lot. That is why I said at beginning that there is a lot to be explained but life is short.
May Allah forgive us. Ya fawzan lil-mustaghfireen istaghfirullah.