Jumu`ah Khutbah at As-Siddiq Mosque
As salaamu `alaykum.
(...) Ayyuha ’l-mu'minoon al-haadiroon, ittaqullaha wa ati`ooh, innallaha ma` Lladheenat-taqaw wa ’Lladheena hum muhsinoon.
qaal Allahu ta`alaa fee kitaabihi ‘l-kareem: wa yureed Allah an yuttahirakum yaa ahlu ‘l-bayt....
The Prophet (s) said, “I am leaving you and going to my Lord, but I am leaving something behind.” They (Sahaabah) asked, “What are you leaving behind?” (That is the meaning.) He (s) said, “I am leaving behind the Holy Qur'an, which will be a guide for you in dunya, showing you the way, inna hadha siratee mustaqeema. This is my way, the Holy Qur'an, the constitution of you Muslims.”
Anyone that says, “laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadan Rasoolullah,” their constitution is the Holy Qur'an and they must follow the rules in Holy Qur'an. If we do not, we are not obeying Allah (swt) and in that case our Islam is not perfect. So the Prophet (s) said, “Follow the Holy Qur'an and my family, itratee,” which means the family of the Prophet (s) is the role model for humanity. (So Prophet [s] is telling us,) “The Holy Qur'an is the constitution--the rules, behavior, prayers, fasting, and Hajj--and itratee, my family, are the role model for these rules. Look at them and follow their way, then you will be guided.”
After he said, “I am leaving behind the Holy Qur'an,” then he said, “and I am leaving behind my family.” People follow their parents as role models for ten to twelve years, or twenty years. In this country, after that they go wild, but in Muslim countries they follow up to sixteen or seventeen years and then they become wild. So in early years they look to their parents as role models. The Prophet (s) is saying, “Look to my family as your role model,” because they teach you easily. Usually students take notes and learn, but today they made a new system: you watch a video, and at the same time the teacher is speaking and you are writing, so that is more: speaking, writing and watching. So to follow a role model as a guide is to watch and follow the way, and the Prophet (s) said, “Follow my way and the way of my family.”
“Family” is a broad term that here means, “the Prophet (s) and his close family and wives.” That is the narrow meaning, and he also said, “My Sahaabah are like stars, and whichever you follow you will be guided.” So there is the physical family, and the Prophet (s) also made the Sahaabah as his spiritual family. The Sahaabah have two wings: a spiritual wing and the wing of accompanying Prophet (s) in dunya, and we have the family. To follow them is to fulfill the order of Holy Qur'an, “Obey Allah and obey the Prophet.” (4:59)
Obeying the Prophet (s) is to obey the teachings that came to us from him, through his family and his Sahaabah. The sahih books of hadeeth came to us from the Sahaabah to tabi`een to tabi tabi`een up to Day of Judgement. As long as we are following that, we are following kitaabullah, Holy Qur'an, and the family of the Prophet (s): we are obeying Allah and we are obeying the Prophet (s).
And then Allah said, ooli 'l-amri minkum, “(And follow) those who are in authority.” Authority is not the government only, but also those who have been guided in your community, as the Prophet (s) said, “If there are three, make one your ameer.” So even if there are three, assign the best one to be leader. There can't be one leader and another is also the leader, and also another; that will not work as we will fight because we are stubborn by nature, and we are angry, but if you eliminate anger people will be calm. If you are three one can be head, not three heads, so you must choose and agree on one. That is why the Prophet (s) said, “If you are three make one the ameer,” responsible for decisions.
On a broad scale, Allah (swt) said about awliyaaullah:
مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلًا
Mina al-mu’mineena rijaalun sadaqoo maa `ahadoo Allaaha `alayhi faminhum man qadaa nahbahu waminhum man yantathiru wamaa baddaloo tabdeelaa.
Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah. Of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme) and some (still) wait, but they have never changed (their determination) in the least. (Al-Ahzab, 33:23)
Since we are far from time of the Prophet (s) and Sahaabah (r), we have them as role models: they teach us Holy Qur'an and its meanings and how to apply it, until we are built up to be role models ourselves. That is why a mu’min doesn’t stay in one place; he is always migrating to different places, to be a role model. That is what Allah said:
إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللّهِ الإِسْلاَمُ
Inna ad-deena 1inda Allaahi al-islaam.
The Religion (in Allah’s view) is Islam (submission to His Will). (Ali Imraan, 3:19)
And it is said the Prophet (s) was sitting in a tent (i.e., for travel). Here we can see the wisdom and the heart of what we said, that whatever the Prophet (s) says you have to follow, even though the time of the Prophet (s) has passed, but we have to follow it since the Message reached us.
Ten leaders of Yemen came all the way to see the Prophet (s), fa qaaloo as-salaamu`alaykum. They said, “As-salaamu `alaykum (adab), peace be upon you, O Muhammad.” And the Prophet (s) said, “As-salaamu `alaa man ittaba` al-huda.” They came as non-Muslims, so when they say salaam, you have to answer them, or else it will look like you are in a very bad situation. But the answer from the Prophet (s) was very eloquent, as the salutation “as-salaamu `alaykum” is reserved for Muslims to other Muslims, and these were not Muslims. They said, “As-salaamu `alaykum,” but they didn’t say, “yaa Rasoolullah.” And he replied, “My salaams to you if you are coming to be guided,” which means, “If you are of those who accept Islam, then my salaam to you.”
It is a long story, but after that meeting finished, they asked the Prophet (s) if he would send someone to teach them, as the people of Yemen were Christian. So the Prophet (s) chose Mu`adh ibn Jabal (r) to teach them Islam. It is a dangerous thing to do, one Muslim among so many non-Muslims, yet, as we said, a Muslim must always be in migration, to go and enlighten others about Islam. That is your job in these western countries, not just to pray, sit and socialize, and host dinners without thinking about your job, which is to call people to Islam or, if you don’t want to, then to explain Islam's position and clarify it.
As he was going, his mother stopped him as he was young and she didn’t have anyone but him. She was weak and she was sick, and she was `abida and zahida, a worshipper and ascetic. She said, “O my son! Where are you going?”
He said, “I am going to Yemen where the Prophet (s) has ordered me to go teach them Holy Qur'an.”
When she heard that, she shouted and screamed, “O my son! That is not good, takhtar ad-dunya a`al al-akhira! You will choose dunya and choose business, what the people of Yemen are known for! You will leave the Prophet (s) and be with the people of Yemen whom you don’t know, and you will be leaving Akhirah and running after dunya!”
That is why many people think if they sit with shaykh that it is pleasant for them and for the shaykh, but that is not correct. As long as you have made baya’, the pledge to listen to and obey the Prophet (s), your duty is not to sit, it is to go and bring more people to Islam! Today people think if there is a certain event that they have to be with the shaykh, the guide, but no, that is not correct. Go teach others what you know! Don’t sit without doing anything, just waiting as that is not shakeer, thanking Allah.
And she said, “Where you are going, you will choose dunya over Akhirah, punishment, because you are leaving the Prophet (s), which you will repent and regret all the time! Do you prefer to sit with the people of Yemen instead of with the Prophet (s)?!”
He said, “Forgive me, O my mother! I gave an oath. I didn’t choose dunya, and I didn’t choose punishment, and I seek refuge with Allah that you are not angry with me!”
In Islam it is not accepted to be angry, especially with your family or your parents, father and mother; in Holy Qur'an it forbids us from saying “oof!” to our parents, which means don’t scream, but speak only kind words to them. When you were young, how many times did you shout at your mother and father? Now you are old and how much do you regret that, especially when you read the hadeeth, “Paradise is under the feet of the mothers.”
Once Prophet (s) was asked, “Who is most worthy of my love and respect?” He (s) replied, “Your mother.” The man asked, “And then who?” “Your mother,” and again he asked and was told, “Your mother.” The man asked once more and he (s) replied, “Your father.”
Because Allah’s anger coincides with your parents’ anger, so Mu’adh (r) said, “I seek refuge from your anger! I followed the order of the Prophet (s); do you want me to follow his order or yours? You know Allah said, “Whatever the Prophet (s) brought take it, and what he rejected leave it.” And the Prophet (s) is the one who ordered me to go to the people of Yemen.”
When his mother heard that, her heart became calm and she said, thumma qaalat lahu sirr il an nabee wa qabbil yadahu sariyyan, “Go to the Prophet (s) quickly and kiss his hand, and go with the People of Yemen.” That is a hadeeth.
So, love to the Prophet (s) is to accept his orders. When the Prophet (s) orders we have to show our love to him. It is not only saying, “Allahuma salli `alaa Muhammad,” or salawaat `ala ‘an-nabee; it is also to follow his orders, what he said to do and not to be lazy. Not to accept, sometimes Shaytan will delay our prayers or a religious duty, so we have to be careful to seek help from the Prophet (s), as Allah said in Holy Qur'an:
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
Wa law annahum idh dhalamoo anfusahum jaa'ooka w 'astaghfarullah w 'astaghfara lahumu 'r-rasoola la-wajad-Allah tawaaban raheema.
We sent not an apostle but to be obeyed, in accordance with the will of Allah. If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto you and asked for Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:64)
Then the Prophet (s) has to ask forgiveness on your behalf.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.