A Qur'anic Odyssey: Examining the Imams in the Islamic Community of Prophet Muhammed and Examining Ourselves

WITH ALLAH’S NAME, THE MERCIFUL BENEFACTOR, THE MERCIFUL REDEEMER

A Qur’anic Odyssey: Examining the Imāms in the Islāmic Community of Prophet Muhammed

and Examining Ourselves

Khatīb: Jibrīl Abdul-Hafīz (جبريل عبدالحفيظ)

E-mail: NewAfrica2@aol.com or new_africa_now@yahoo.com

Friday, February 20, 2009 / Khutba-tul-Jumu’ah, Safar 25, 1430

As Salaam ‘Alaykum: We thank Allāh, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, we believe and put our complete trust in Him, Mighty and Sublime is He. We witness that there is no G’d but Allāh, He alone is without partners, and we witness that Muhammed is His Servant and Messenger, the prayers and peace be on him, on his descendants, his companions, and peace be on Allāh’s Messengers (all of them), and what follows of this traditional salutation.

Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 15:99

وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ

And serve (!) your Lord until الْيَقِينُ | al-ya-qīn | the certainty comes. Commenting on الْيَقِينُ | al-ya-qīn, it is narrated in hadith that Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) has said,

«صَلِّ قَائِمًا، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَقَاعِدًا، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَى جَنْب»

“Pray standing, and if you cannot, then sitting, and if you cannot, then on your side.” These instructions detail how important it is to remember Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) irregardless to the condition Muslims find themselves in. If one is well and there is not any physical obstacle, stand up and pray, however, if there are, pray sitting, or if there are health restrictions preventing either of these postures, prayer in remembrance of G’d can observed while lying without interruption until it is certain that the angel of death claims our soul.

Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 24:55

وَعَدَ ﷲُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِي الْأَرْضِ

It is blessing to be serving Allāh in Jumu’ah, an institution devoted to learning by way of glorifying Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) as demonstrated by Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) 1,430 years ago. If we are to be the recipients of Allāh’s promise: لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم | li-yas-takh-li-fan-na-hum | that He will definitely make them successors in the earth; there are critical questions that we must answer. Where is the plan and who is going to pay the workforce for the labor that it will take to build the homes and infrastructures, the roads, the health care industry, schools, the businesses, and the Muslim legal minds that it will take to maintain compliance with the laws in the Islamic Community of Prophet Muhammed? Who is responsible to insure that there are Muslim media networks to take on the role of presenting the correct image of Muslims? What about recreation, arts, entertainment for our youth? Will we have defense forces to protect Muslims from those who align themselves against us as enemies who seek to destroy us en-mass? What about currency, will we mint our own money as legal tender?

Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 81:9

وَإِذَا الْمَوْؤُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ بِأَيِّ ذَنبٍ قُتِلَتْ

And when الْمَوْؤُودَةُ | al-maw-ū-da-tu | the female buried alive is asked: for which ذَنبٍ | dham-bin | crime was she killed? This issue is addressed in hadith in regards to the early companions (ra) that asked about interruption of sexual intercourse to prevent the male discharge from entering into the womb of the woman, Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) responded:

«ذلِكَ الْوَأْدُ الْخَفِيُّ، وَهُوَ الْمَوْءُودَةُ سُئِلَت»

That is الْوَأْدُ الْخَفِيُّ | al-wa-‘-dul-kha-fiy-yu | secret infanticide and the infant female buried alive will be questioned. Domestic violence against women such as the recent findings of a mother of four whose body was found decapitated (إِنَّا ﻠِﻠﱠﻪِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ | our prayers and condolences go out to the family of the victim) and the arrest of a suspect for her murder is said to be rooted in the notions about women’s subordination to men. While domestic violence affects all cultures, the reporter of this horrific lynching states that Muslim women find it harder to break their silence about domestic violence because of the stigma that comes with exposing the truth to the light of day will bring dishonor to those who profess this religion.

There is no honor in adopting the bestial behavior of primitive savages; we’re not created to serve our emotions. ﺨَﺑَﺎﻞ | kha-bāl | corruption is a term used to describe the effects of giving our reasoning to destructive influences. Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 3:118

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ بِطَانَةً مِّن دُونِكُمْ لاَ يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالاً

O you who believe: do not take (!) بِطَانَةً | bi-tā-nah | an intimate friend other than those like you, لاَ يَأْلُونَكُمْ | lā-ya-‘-lū-na-kum | they will not fail to خَبَالاً | kha-bāl | corrupt you.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُم

A Qur'anic Odyssey: Examining the Imams in the Islamic Community of Prophet Muhammed and Examining Ourselves

WITH ALLAH’S NAME, THE MERCIFUL BENEFACTOR, THE MERCIFUL REDEEMER

A Qur’anic Odyssey: Examining the Imāms in the Islāmic Community of Prophet Muhammed

and Examining Ourselves

Khatīb: Jibrīl Abdul-Hafīz (جبريل عبدالحفيظ)

E-mail: NewAfrica2@aol.com or new_africa_now@yahoo.com

Friday, February 13, 2009 / Khutba-tul-Jumu’ah, Safar 18, 1430

As Salaam ‘Alaykum: We thank Allah, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, we believe and put our complete trust in Him, Mighty and Sublime is He. We witness that there is no G’d but Allah, He alone is without partners, and we witness that Muhammed is His Servant and Messenger, the prayers and peace be on him, on his descendants, his companions, and peace be on Allah’s Messengers (all of them), and what follows of this traditional salutation.

Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 39:17-18

وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ أَن يَعْبُدُوهَا وَأَنَابُوا إِلَى ﷲِ لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَى فَبَشِّرْ عِبَادِ

Announcement to those who اجْتَنَبُوا | ij-ta-na-bū | avoided الطَّاغُوتَ | at-tā-ghūt (whatever is worshipped to the exclusion of Allah) by not worshipping it and those who أَنَابُوا | a-nā-bū | returned (in repentance with sincere deeds) to Allah; for them is the good news; so announce good news to My servant.

الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَاهُمُ ﷲُ

Those who يَسْتَمِعُونَ | yas-ta-mi-ﻉū-na | listen to الْقَوْلَ | the word (the plan), فَيَتَّبِعُونَ | fa-yat-ta-bi-ﻉū-na | then they follow (the lifestyle of the plan that they follow is manifested into action) أَحْسَنَهُ | ah-sa-na-hu | the best of it (the word [the plan is the creation of Allah, it is the metaphorically speaking the hardware, i.e., The heavens, Earth, Water, Air and everything between. Humans are metaphorically speaking the software applications, at times Allah may allow our applications to run in the hardware [the universe]; however, it will not operate properly if it is not part of the ultimate destiny in Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) plan, then we will come to a point where there is nothing we can do to function properly; that’s when it is time to turn to Allah in sincere repentance seeking forgiveness and get back on the straight track doing the good deeds that bring us into reconciliation with Allah’s plan) these are those that Allah has guided.

Looking ahead while restating a hadith commenting on those who are اتَّقَواْ رَبَّهُمْ | at-ta-qū-Rab-ba-hum | conscious of their Lord will haveغُرَفٌ مَّبْنِيَّةٌ فَوْقِهَا | faw-qi-hā-ghu-ra-fum-mab-niy-yah | lofty rooms built, the Messenger of Allah (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) has said,

“In Paradise there are rooms whose inside can be seen from the outside, and outside can be seen from the inside for those who speak kindly, and feed the hungry.” Upon examination and reflection on the mind of Messenger of Allah (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) we see a wise strategy directing the believer’s to turn their attention to being kind and doing humanitarian deeds as a means to earn Paradise.

At a recent Town Hall Meeting in Fort Myers, Florida, an unemployed secretary told the President of the United States and the Nation her personal story that she and her family were living out of her car and that they would like their own kitchen to eat out of and bathroom to go to. What should we do to address situations like this? We should care for the poor. Find those in need, sometimes all it takes is a random act of kindness to change people, emancipate those in bondage (mental enslavement), we can form giving circles to help those in debt bondage, is there anyone on our Block whose personal story fit into one of these categories?

Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah, 9:60

إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاء وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ ﷲِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ ﷲِ

Allah’s Messenger (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) has said,

• Sadaqah should not be given to the wealthy or he who is physically fit.
• The needy person is not the one who goes around asking the people for a meal; some companions asked, O Messenger of Allah: who then is the needy person? He (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) the one who does not have enough to satisfy his needs and whose conditions is not known to others, he may be given something in charity, and who does not beg people.
• Emancipate people and free those who are indentured servants.
• Those who are overcome by poverty.
• Needy travelers [These are obligations that we have to live by to qualify as believers/ followers of the excellent practices/sunnah of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) therefore, I’m announcing the formation of New Africa Relief and Development Donors Conference at An-Nur Islamic Center with intentions of caring for the welfare of people in need.]

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُم

A Qur'anic Odyssey: Examining the Imams in the Islamic Community of Prophet Muhammed and Examining Ourselves

WITH ALLAH’S NAME, THE MERCIFUL BENEFACTOR, THE MERCIFUL REDEEMER

A Qur’anic Odyssey: Examining the Imāms in the Islāmic Community of Prophet Muhammed and Examining Ourselves

Khatīb: Jibrīl Abdul-Hafīz (جبريل عبدالحفيظ)

E-mail: NewAfrica2@aol.com or new_africa_now@yahoo.com

Friday, February 6, 2009 / Khutba-tul-Jumu’ah, Safar 11, 1430

As Salaam ‘Alaykum: We thank Allah, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, we believe and put our complete trust in Him, Mighty and Sublime is He. We witness that there is no G’d but Allah, He alone is without partners, and we witness that Muhammed is His Servant and Messenger, the prayers and peace be on him, on his descendants, his companions, and peace be on Allah’s Messengers (all of them), and what follows of this traditional salutation.

Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 24:55,

وَعَدَ ﷲُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ

Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has promised those who believe and act righteously that He will definitely make them ﻴَﺳْﺗََﺧْﻠِﻔَﻦﱠ | yas-takh-li-fan-na | successors in the land like He did those before them and that ﻴُﻤَﻜﱢﻧَﻦﱠ | yu-mak-ki-nan-na | He will definitely give them authority to practice their religion of obedience in the land.

In line with this, a narrative from hadith gives us our leader’s perspective, Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) has said,

«إِنَّ اللهَ زَوَى لِيَ الْأَرْضَ فَرَأَيْتُ مَشَارِقَهَا وَمَغَارِبَهَا، وَسَيَبْلُغُ مُلْكُ أُمَّتِي مَا زُوِيَ لِي مِنْهَا»

Allah has shown me the earth, and I looked at it in the East and the West, and my community سَيَبْلُغُ | sa-yab-lu-ghu | will attain sovereignty everywhere I was shown.

Unless we are really blind, deaf and dumb we have to be aware of our incompetence. It is time for our Imams and you and I in our respective Islamic centers and Masājid to acknowledge the fact that we must plan and implement a strategy that supports the development of the Islamic Community life as demonstrated by the life of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ); and if we don’t, you and I should begin immediately to look for competent people who will demonstrate that Al-Islām is more than just sustaining traditional rituals and posturing in the profile of leadership while depending on those that are doing a better job of providing for their community and our community than we are doing for ourselves.

The news media reports reveal that countries have entered into a global economic slowdown that forces its leaders to gather together in deliberative consultation about developing an economic stimulus package to inject into their economies to prevent a global economic catastrophe that could cause a complete collapse of the world’s financial institutions. Do we think that the Islamic Community life as lived and demonstrated by Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) and his companions (ra) is some kind of virtual theme park to be lived in coexistence and co-dependency on those who interpret their religion as adversaries of Muslims?

Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 49: 14,

قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًا

Likewise, upon critical examination of those of us who have embraced the Dīn-ul-Al-Islām, it is just as fitting that we take to heart Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) chastisement of the Arabs for self proclaiming themselves as believers revealing: you do not believe, say, we have submitted, for the faith have not yet entered in your hearts; but if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not decrease any of your works. And a narrative from hadith gives us the framework for examining our self imposed interpretations that we use to isolate Muslims from one another; the Messenger of Allah (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) has said,

«يَا مَعْشَرَ الْأَنْصَارِ أَلَمْ أَجِدْكُمْ ضُلَّالًا فَهَدَاكُمُ اللهُ بِي؟ وَكُنْتُمْ مُتَفَرِّقِينَ فَأَلَّفَكُمُ اللهُ بِي؟ وَكُنْتُمْ عَالَةً فَأَغْنَاكُمُ اللهُ بِي؟»

O Ansars: Didn’t I find you astray and Allah guided you through me? And you were divided and Allah united you through me? And you were poor and Allah gave you riches through me? To a large degree, entry level Muslims are often exploited by Muslim practitioners who seek to impose their cultural biases on those of us who lack certainty about how to apply the storied bodies of information attributed to scholars of the Dīn-ul-Islām. There is a Latin phrase, Caveat Emptor (“let the buyer beware”); Dīn-ul-Islām is not foreign in America, it is your Native Dīn where ever you come from and it is our Native Dīn where ever we may be. All too often misinterpretations of understandings from Muslim practitioners are the source of all of our problems.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُم

A Qur'anic Odyssey: Examining the Imams in the Islamic Community of Prophet Muhammed and Examining Ourselves

WITH ALLAH’S NAME, THE MERCIFUL BENEFACTOR, THE MERCIFUL REDEEMER

A Qur’anic Odyssey: Examining the Imāms in the Islāmic Community of Prophet Muhammed and Examining Ourselves

Khatīb: Jibrīl Abdul-Hafīz (جبريل عبدالحفيظ)

E-mail: NewAfrica2@aol.com or new_africa_now@yahoo.com

Friday, January 30, 2009 / Khutba-tul-Jumu’ah, Safar 4, 1430

As Salaam ‘Alaykum: We thank Allah, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, we believe and put our complete trust in Him, Mighty and Sublime is He. We witness that there is no G’d but Allah, He alone is without partners, and we witness that Muhammed is His Servant and Messenger, the prayers and peace be on him, on his descendants, his companions, and peace be on Allah’s Messengers (all of them), and what follows of this traditional salutation.

Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 2:285,

آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاﷲ وَمَلآئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ
رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ

Upon review of Allah’s Messenger (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) and his companions (ra) reaction to what Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has revealed, what is the position of our Imāms and their companions? Is it سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا | sa-miع-nā-wa-a-taع-nā | we heard and we obeyed? Commenting on this revelation the Messenger of Allah (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) in response to his companions concerns (ra) that this would be too much of a hardship on them; he said,

«أَتُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَقُولُوا كَما قَالَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابَيْنِ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ: سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا؟ بَلْ قُولُوا: سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِير»

Do you wish to say what the people of the Two Books said before you? They said: we heard and we disobeyed, rather say: we heard and we obeyed, our Lord, grant us Your forgiveness and to You is the final destiny. Where are the Islāmic communities that we have developed in obedience to what Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 3:104?

وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

In following this line of thought about examining the reading that we just mentioned, I have yet to find after thirty-three years of khutbahs in Pittsburgh a true demonstration of hearing and obeying Allah’s guidance with regards to doing something for ourselves beyond giving sermons using Qur’ānic slogans, concluded by readings a few revelations in prayer, sajdah and never translating our sermons into facts on the ground.

Why do we talk like this? Because, if we are true to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), His Book, His Messenger (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ), to the Imāms and our companions, we must hold ourselves accountable to the truth as Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 61:2-3,

يَا أَيُّهَاالَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَﷲِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ

Qur’ānic sermons that is not translated into facts on the ground is condemned in the harshest terms كَبُرَ مَقْتًا | ka-bu-ra-maq-tan | most hateful it is with Allah that you say what you do not تَفْعَلُونَ | taf- عa-lūn | do! In a hadith commenting on the facts in this revelation, the Messenger of Allah (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) has said,

«أَرْبَعٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ كَانَ مُنَافِقًا خَالِصًا،وَمَنْ كَانَتْ فِيهِ وَاحِدَةٌ مِنْهُنَّ كَانَتْ فِيهِ خَصْلَةٌ مِنْ نِفَاقٍ ﺤَﺗﱠﻰ يَدَعَهَا»

There are four characteristics which if anyone has all of them he is a pure hypocrite, and if anyone has any of them, he has a characteristic of hypocrisy until he abandons it. I am reminded that Lady Ayesha (ra) was asked about the character of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) and she said in essence: ﭐﻠﺤَﻲﱠ ﭐﻠﻗُﺭﺁﻦُ ﻜَﺎﻦَ ﻫُﻮَ | He is the living Qur’ān.

There are some sacred things that we must do on the ground to demonstrate that we have heard and obeyed Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) as the prophetic hadith from the Messenger of Allah (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) point to in a sacred report,

Allah (Mighty and Sublime is He) will say on the Day of Judgment: O son of Adam, I fell ill and you did not visit Me. He will say: O my Lord how should I visit you when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Didn’t you know that My servant so-and-so had fallen ill and you didn’t visit him. Didn’t you know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you did not feed Me. He will say: O my Lord how could I feed You when you are the Lord of all the worlds? He will say: Didn’t you know that My servant so-and-so asked you for food and you didn’t feed him. Didn’t you know that had you fed him you surely would have found that (reward for doing so) with Me?

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُم

A Qur'anic Odyssey: Examining the Imams in the Islamic Community of Prophet Muhammed and Examining Ourselves

WITH ALLAH’S NAME, THE MERCIFUL BENEFACTOR, THE MERCIFUL REDEEMER

A Qur’anic Odyssey: Examining the Imams in the Islamic Community of Prophet Muhammed and Examining Ourselves

Khatīb: Jibrīl Abdul-Hafīz (جبريل عبدالحفيظ)

E-mail: NewAfrica2@aol.com or new_africa_now@yahoo.com

Friday, January 23, 2009 / Khutba-tul-Jumu’ah, Al-Muharram 26, 1430

As Salaam ‘Alaykum: We thank Allah, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, we believe and put our complete trust in Him, Mighty and Sublime is He. We witness that there is no G’d but Allah, He alone is without partners, and we witness that Muhammed is His Servant and Messenger, the prayers and peace be on him, on his descendants, his companions, and peace be on Allah’s Messengers (all of them), and what follows of this traditional salutation.

Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 51:56,

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

We stand in the shadows of all those who stood before us, looking into the light that produced the likes of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ), peering into the concept of: لِيَعْبُدُونِ | li-yaع-bu-dūni | that they may serve Me. This expression answers the questions for every man, woman and child following in the footsteps of everyone who has sought the answer to the ultimate question; why was I born?

The answer: لِيَعْبُدُونِ | li-yaع-bu-dūni emphasizes that we are created to engage in the lifelong struggle to overcome egotism (preoccupation with self) by following Allah’s guidance as stated in the Qur’ān which lies not in mere witnessing the declaration of the oneness of Allah and that Prophet Muhammed is His Messenger by the lips and performance of certain rites of service, e.g. prayer, charity, fasting and hajj, but it is an excellent life modeled on obedience to Allah as demonstrated during the final twenty-three years of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) work as Allah’s servant.

A prophetic commentary on: لِيَعْبُدُونِ | li-yaع-bu-dūni states that Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) has said,

«قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى: يَاابْنَ آدَمَ تَفَرَّغْ لِعِبَادَتِي أَمْلَأْ صَدْرَكَ غِنًى وَأَسُدَّ فَقْرَكَ، وَإِلَّا تَفْعَلْ، مَلَأْتُ صَدْرَكَ شُغْلًا وَلَمْ أَسُدَّ فَقْرَك»

Allah the Most High has said, O son of Adam: busy yourself obeying Me and I will fill your chest with riches and dissipate your meekness. Otherwise, I will fill your chest with distracting affairs and I will not do away with your meekness. The term meek is a disposition that is demonstrated by timid, docile, compliant, passive submissiveness and lack of initiative or will. The other side of this situation is assertive, confident, courageous, firm, and progressive.

Imams, spokesmen for Muslims at our Masājid/Islamic Centers are we busying ourselves obeying Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) planning and developing ways to assure that we are living in progressive Islamic settings as safe and sound Muslims? It is self evident that the Islamic Community of Prophet Muhammed in America is preoccupied and distracted about what is the true picture of a Muslim. There are Imams and Muslims that has set up walls of isolation asserting their superiority over all Muslims who refuse to be subjugated to the judgments, rulings and acquiescence’s of deadbeat Muslim leadership that interact with us like they are interacting with a family of illegitimate bastards.

We repeat the words we that expressed in a previous Khutba-tul-Jumuعah that unquestionably the most perfect praise is obedience to Allah’s guidance as demonstrated by the lifestyle of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ). Commenting on this issue, Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) has said,

«أَفْضَلُ الذِّكْرِ لَا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَأَفْضَلُ الدُّعَاءِ الْحَمْدُلله»

The most excellent remembrance is there is no G’d but Allah and the most excellent calling is the thanks belong to Allah. I stand in the capacity of a spokesman as an Imam in the Islamic Community of Prophet Muhammed and I invite you to join with me submitting everything we say and do for examination based on Allah’s words and the lifestyle of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) as a permanent record to everyone that we are not now, nor do we intend to ever be beholding to any man, women, child or any power on earth that thinks that they can put themselves before Allah and His Messenger in our lives. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 3:64

قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْاْ إِلَى كَلَمَةٍ سَوَاء بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلاَّ نَعْبُدَ إِلاَّ ﺍﷲﹶ وَلاَ نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَلاَ يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضاً أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ ﺍﷲ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَقُولُواْ اشْهَدُواْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ

Upon close examination and understanding of this verse, it is no less than a declaration of independence intended to bond all Muslims together on the basis of obedience to Allah.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُم