Monday, March 23, 2009

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’ānic Odyssey:

Examining the Imāms in the Islāmic Community of Prophet Muhammed and Examining Ourselves

Khatīb: Jibrīl Abdul-Hafīz (جبريل عبدالحفيظ)

http://newafricanow.blogspot.com | E-mail: NewAfrica2@aol.com | new_africa_now@yahoo.com

Friday, March 20, 2009 / Khutba-tul-Jumu’ah, Rabi-al-awwal 23, 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 deity except 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, 96:10

عَبْدًا إِذَا صَلَّى

Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) directs our attention in Qur’ānic prayer language to one who vowed to do bodily harm to the leader of the Islamic Community. Qur’ānic prayer language opens up our hearts as we reflect on its meaning for understanding. Thank Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) for Divine guidance that opens our eyes to events not observed by anyone other than the Angels giving us instant replay that allows us to form sound judgments to reconcile our life .experiences by. With Qur’ānic prayer language we witness the curse put on “the father of ignorance” (Abu Jahl) for making a terroristic threat about his intentions to do bodily harm to Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) and forbid Allah’s servant from communicating in prayer as revealed above.

A report in hadith tells us about this worthless wretch who threatened that if he witnessed the Prophet (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) prostrating in prayer at the Ka’aba that he would stomp his head in. When this idle threat reached the Prophet (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ), he said,

«لَئِنْ فَعَلَ لَأَخَذَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَة»

If he does, no doubt, the angels will punish him. There is nothing out of reach of the All-Knower (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), His knowledge is bigger, greater, and the most important information we need to protect us from Satan within. Man never had, and never will have the capacity to actualize anything beyond the limits of what G_d makes possible for us to attain. It is preposterous to think that we can attempt to do something undetected by Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) who knows and has power over everything in creation. اَﻛْﺒَﺮُ ﷲُ | Allāhu Ak-bar | G_d is Greater!

لا اله الا الله وحده لا شريك له, له الملك وله الحمد وهو على كل شيىء قدير

Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah, 27:62

وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاء الْأَرْضِ أَإِلَهٌ مَّعَ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ

And He made you خُلَفَاء | khu-la-fā-a | custodians/caretakers of the earth, is there another deity with Allāh (?), little it is that you are mindful of. May Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) accept our English translation of Qur’ānic Prayer Language. The Qur’ānic Prayer Language and the authentic reports of the sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) are bodies of knowledge utilized by people of all languages; we are the custodians of these authentic sources. These authentic bodies of knowledge are not ancient manuscripts to be archived in Museums. Since 1,430 years ago, خُلَفَاء | khu-la-fā-a | custodians/caretakers of these authentic reports about true life have passed on from generation to generation these sources for spiritual and intellectual renaissance for the minds, hearts, and souls of every human community since the times of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) until the end of time.

Thank Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) African Americans are blessed to be custodians of these authentic sacred sources of Divine guidance. Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has entrusted these precious jewels of knowledge and wisdom into the minds, bodies and souls of deserving custodians whose ancestors were sold into slavery, the mother of cultural genocide. These authentic Divine sources of life have given birth to a new intelligentsia among American Muslims inspiring a New Africa Muslim revival in the Islamic Community of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) like it did in Songhai, Mali and Timbuktu generations ago. Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) questions us in Sūrah, 55:59

فَبِأَيِّ آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

And in hadith, the Prophet (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) said,

«إِنَّ مِنْ إِجْلَالِ اللهِ إِكْرَامُ ذِي الشَّيْبَةِ الْمُسْلِمِ، وَذِي السُّلْطَانِ، وَحَامِلِ الْقُرْآنِ غَيْرِ الْغَالِي فِيهِ، وَلَا الْجَافِي عَنْه»

Surely, among the acts of glorifying Allāh, are honoring the elderly Muslim(s) and the possessors of authority (teachers), and bearers (memorizers) of the Qur’anic prayer language, and avoiding extremism and laziness with it.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَك

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