Jumu'ah at As-Siddiq Institute & Mosque
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`ala fee haadha 'l-masjid.
Ati`oollaha wa ati`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (4:59)
O Believers, O Mu`mins! Prophet (s) said about the Signs of the Last Day in an authentic hadith:
وقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إن بين يدي الساعة فتنا كقطع الليل المظلم يصبح الرجل فيها مؤمنا ويمسي كافرا ويمسي مؤمنا ويصبح كافرا القاعد فيها خير من القائم والقائم فيها خير من الماشي والماشي فيها خير من الساعي فاكسروا قسيكم وقطعوا أوتاركم واضربوا بسيوفكم الحجارة فإن دُخِلَ على أحدكم بيته فليكن كخير ابني آدم. (رَواهُ أبو داود في كِتابِ الفِتَنِ)
qaala rasoolullah sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallama anna bayna yadayya as-sa`ata fitanun ka-qita`i’l-layli’l-muzhlim yusbiha’r-rajulu feehaa muminan wa yumsee kaafiran wa yumsee muminan wa yusbihu kaafiran al-qa`idu feehaa khayrun min al-maashee wa’l-maashee feehaa khayrun min as-sa`ee fal-kasiroo qusaykum wa qat`aoo awtaarakum w’ariboo bi-suyoofikum al-hijaarata fa in dakhala `alaa ahadakum baytahu falyakun ka-khayri ’bna adam.
Abu Musa al-Ash`ari (r ) related that the Prophet (s) said:
Before the Last Hour there will be afflictions like patches of a dark night in which a man will be a believer in the morning and an unbeliever in the evening, or a believer in the evening and an unbeliever in the morning. He who sits during them will be better than he who stands, and he who walks during them is better than he who runs. So break your bows, cut your bowstrings and strike your swords on stones. If people then come in to one of you, let him be like the better of Adam's two sons (i.e. death is better than getting involved in the fitna).(Sunan Abu Dawud, Ahmad, Musnad.)
“There will be lot of confusion like a big chunk of dark night;... the one sitting is better than the one standing, and the one standing is better than the one walking.”
Today we are observing too much confusion in many Muslim countries, in one country after the other, because people don’t like tyranny, and someone, about whose past and present life they know, is sitting on their head and giving them a hard time. So what are they doing? They are rioting and demonstrating, and everyone is saying to them, “What you are doing is correct,” and they are asking the government to do as they are asking. Okay, that’s good. If that is correct for dunya then why not for akhirah?
Laa ilaaha illa-Llah, man qaala laa ilaaha illa-Llah dakhala al-jannah. laa ilaha ill ‘Llah miftah al-jannah.
Those who say “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah” will enter Paradise. laa ilaha ill ‘Llah is the Key to Paradise.
If you want to enter Paradise say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” not only by tongue but by heart, by every action. Today people are fed up with tyranny, saying, “We don’t want you! Irhal, go away!” They are accepting rioting, okay, but why then are we not rioting and demonstrating and saying, “Go away,” to the Shaytan in ourselves? Prophet (s) said, satakoonu fitanun ka-qita`i’l-layli’l-muzhlim ; it is from Signs of the Last Day, that there will be a lot of confusion, like a big chunk of dark night. Why we are not rioting against our ego? Are we not rioting against tyrants? Why are we rioting against human tyrants, and not rioting against jinn, shayaateen? Which one is stronger? Agains which one do you need to riot more? The dunya one or the one that is within you? He has a house there, he goes inside, in the heart. So against whom should we riot more? To Shaytan. You agree?
Today they are rioting everywhere in the streets, they are not even sleeping, they are not even eating, their mouths are always open saying something. And Allah ordered us to remember Him,
وَالذَّاكِرِينَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا وَالذَّاكِرَاتِ
Adh-dhaakiroon Allah wa adh-dhaakiraat.
Men who remember God unceasingly and women who remember God unceasingly.
(Surat al-Ahzaab, 33:35)
To open your mouth for Allah (swt), to say, “Allah! Laa ilaaha illa-Llah!”
O Muslims! Say, “Allah!” and let them do whatever they like: let them play, who cares for them? Say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah!” Keep your mouth open with that. Is it not better for this crowd of four million to say, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah, instead of carrying a Communist or Socialist or violent extremist banner? It’s okay to carry banners, but carry one for your own self. Today I write a banner against my radical Shaytan, tomorrow I will write a banner against my violent Shaytan, tomorrow I will write a banner saying, “Leave me alone!” And what you have to say is not “go away” to Shaytan, but you need to say, “Allah, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadan Rasoolullah, yaa Rabbee, yaa Allah!”
What do you do when you go to Arafat? Do you just sit there or do you open your mouth? In Arafat you say, “Labayk allahuma labayk, Here I am, O Allah, Here I am. Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,
there is no god but Allah.”
You are saying: “O Allah, I am here to answer what You want from me, Labayk allahuma labayk! I am saying tawheed, Labayk allahuma labayk, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadan Rasoolullah, inna ’l-hamda wa ni`amata laka wa ’l-mulk laa shareeka lak, everything to You! La shareeka lak!”
What are they doing in these demonstrations? I am not saying don't demonstrate, as they are doing throughout the sub-continent, the Middle East and North Africa, what must you do? Riot against your Shaytan and say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah, La ilaaha illa-Llah, La ilaaha illa-Llah!”
What do you have to do in Arafat? Do you have to keep your mouth closed or do you have to say, Labbayk allahuma labbayk inna ’l-hamda wa ni`amata laka wa ’l-mulk laa shareeka lak. You are praising Allah (swt), Allah wants us to riot against the Shaytan by praising Him. After you finish Arafat, praising Allah all day, you go to Muzdalifa, where everyone is busy collecting stones. What is that a symbol of that, what are the stones for? To go the next day, morning or noon, to throw seven stones at the biggest Shaytan! Allahu Akbar, ridan li ’r-Rahmaan! To make Allah happy with you, raghman li ’sh-Shaytan, ridan li ’r-Rahmaan! Throw them one by one, not all in one go. Allah likes if after making dhikr you come back saying, “Allahu Akbar!” and throw stones at Shaytan. That is a symbol: you are saying, “Yaa Rabbee, I don’t want that Shaytan to be in me!”
Is that only for Arafat and Mina? Can’t you do that in your daily life? Arafat and Mina and Muzdalifa and Ka`aba are all in you, five times daily. When you say “Allahu Akbar,” and pray to where do you direct your self? The most significant events of Hajj are two things: one is to visit the Ka`aba, and one is to be on the mountain of Arafat. You praise Him and then circumambulate His House. When you say “Allahu Akbar,” where are you going; are you not going spiritually to His House? When you say “Allahu Akbar,” you must say that you are sure you are going to Ka`aba. You reflect and think that Ka`aba is in front of you when you are praying. Hajj is Arafat and then you go, throw stones at Shaytan. That salaat is throwing stones in Shaytan’s face, and remembering your Lord. Allah (swt) gave us five times daily to perform a symbolic Hajj! And it is like fasting, you cannot eat or drink. Also it is like giving charity as you are not working or doing anything, you are giving to Allah from your own time that He gave to you, that is charity. And you are witnessing tawheed, as at the end of prayer you say:
Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa habeebuhu wa rasooluh.
I bear witness there is no god but Allah and Muhammad (s) is His Servant and Beloved Prophet.
In either sunnah or fard raka`ats you have to say shahaadah at the end.
O Muslims! Let us take Shaytan from our hearts. Let us take ibra, a lesson, from what is going on around the world. We want to get rid of the tyrants in the Muslim world, but remember you have to get rid of the tyrant inside you, the biggest tyrant.
If these presidents were like Sayyidina `Umar (r), there would be peace on Earth! Sayyidina `Umar was the most tough strong person, everyone was afraid of him, but he didn’t use that. He used to carry sacks of food on his back and go to the homes of poor people, hiding his identity and giving to them. If our presidents were like that, do you think people would riot? No, they would love them!
But one has hoarded seventy billion dollars and their people are dying; the other has fifty billion dollars and their people are dying; another has ruled for forty years and has hundreds of billions of dollars, and one in the south has been in government thirty-three years! All of them are filling their personal bank accounts in Switzerland and Europe, taking what is meant for their citizens and not giving them food and medicine. Who is benefiting from that?
One rich person came to my shaykh in London and said, “I don't like to take interest for my money.”
Mawlana Shaykh said, “You are making a mistake; take the interest and give it to the poor, as Sayyidina `Umar (r) used to take money from those who didn't earn halaal money and give it to the poor.”
He said, “No.” He returned to Mawlana Shaykh, crying, “I didn’t follow your advice and the interest was 115 million pounds!”
His money was one or two billion and because the bank has no right to keep the interest, the bank gave it to a missionary charity in Africa that works to change Muslims to Christians! He is going to get the sin of that!
O Muslims! I am not saying whether interest is halaal or not, I am saying that we have to be very careful in what we are doing and be pious. If these leaders were like Sayyidina Omar and the khulafaa ar-rashidoon, the Four Righteous Caliphs, there would be peace around the Earth and not one person would be hungry!
May Allah forgive us.