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