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

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 16, 2009 / Khutba-tul-Jumu’ah, Al-Muharram 19, 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 21:92,

إِنَّ هَـذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَاْ رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ وَتَقَطَّعُواْ أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ

Surely, this, your community, is one community and I am Your Lord, therefore: serve (obey) Me! But تَقَطَّعُوا | ta-qat-taعū | they will cut off their affair (of obedience) between themselves. تَقَطَّعُوا is communication that expresses an act of intense defiance and disobedience to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), it is a state of disobedience, a habitual act of disobedience, an occurrence of disobedience that expresses current behavior, and an act of disobedience that occurred in the past and continues presently. We have come to a point in our evolution where it seems that the only time we come together outside of places of worship is to form a protest mob to demonstrate about America’s foreign policy.

We have six Masājid/Islamic Centers within ten miles radius of one another that haven’t come together to address the concerns of needy Muslims. Of the three hundred people who in this institution that identify themselves as Muslims, two hundred are many missing in action using whatever excuse they may to opt out of attending weekly Jumu’ah services. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 62:9,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ إِذَا نُودِىَ لِلصَّلَوةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْاْ إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللهِ وَذَرُواْ الْبَيْعَ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

فَاسْعَوْاْ | fas-عaw | then strive to Allah’s remembrance and ذَرُواْ | dha-rū | leave الْبَيْعَ | al-bay-عa | the business! This mandate obligates believers to engage in the exchange of the oldest currency in existence since the beginning of man. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) communicates the good word that points to good far and wide and reconnects us by way of a transcendental process to the original garden of paradise, a place that is accessible to anyone who is willing to obey Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). How do we get there?

First step: Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 1:1,

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

We begin: With Allah’s name, the Merciful Benefactor, the Merciful Redeemer, we call on the Imāms of all Masājid and Islamic Centers in our area to take this odyssey, a long journey charting our course in obedience to Allah through the language of faith in regards to what He says about helping the poor, the needy, the administrators of trust, uniting our hearts, freeing the ones in bondage, and those in debt, and for the taking care of business in the path of Allah; as an obligation from Allah. Where do our Imāms stand as spokespersons and leaders of Muslims in this area? The first Surah was reflected on by a believer during the time of Prophet Muhammed’s life as intervention for someone who had been poisoned, and the Messenger of Allah (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) asked him,

«وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ أَنَّهَا رُقْيَةٌ»

“And how did you know it was a رُقْيَةٌ | ruq-yah | remedy?” “In Pittsburgh’s 18,000 children under the age of 18 live in poverty.” Unfortunately, many who live in situations like this end up in Allegheny County Jail for making bad decisions trying to cope with living in substandard conditions. Incarceration causes a critical imbalance that affects every man, woman and child because everyone is interconnected with one another in society.

Second step: Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 1:2,

الْحَمْدُ ﻟِﻠَّﻪِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Unquestionably, the most perfect praise is obedience to Allah’s guidance as demonstrated by the lifestyle of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ). In line with this thought, until the next time, remember, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 49:1,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تُقَدِّمُواْ بَيْنَ يَدَىِ اللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَاتَّقُواْ اللهَ

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُم

Obedience to Allah in the Balance in the Undeveloped Islamic Community in America

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

Obedience to Allah in the Balance in the Undeveloped Islamic Community in America

Khatīb: Jibrīl Abdul-Hafīz (جبريل عبدالحفيظ)

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

Friday, January 9, 2009 / Khutba-tul-Jumu’ah, Al-Muharram 12, 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 this noble invocation.

Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 28:5,

وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوَارِثِينَ

And We wished to نَّمُنَّ | na-mun-na | give Our favor to those who were considered weak in the earth; and We made them أَئِمَّةً | a-im-mah | Imāms in the earth, and We made them الْوَارِثِينَ | al-wā-ri-thīn | the inheritors. Where are the Imāms whom Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has favored amongst poor people and what plans do they have to lead undeveloped Muslims into community development in this area? Imāms at Masjid ul Awwal, Dar-As-Salām, Masjid ut Tawhīd, Nur az Zamān, Masjid ul-Mu’Min, An-Nūr Islamic Center; hasn’t Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) favored us with the same revelation that brought about progressive civilized development in Mali, Songhai, Timbuktu, Spain and hasn’t Allah permitted major development in the some deem to be the secular world? Looking back on first generation Muslims at Masjid ul Awwal and An-Nūr Islamic Center, we have been around since the 3^rd decade of the 20^th Century which is enough time to foster four generations of Muslims. Where are they and what have they done to bring about a better life for those who have faith in Allah and His Messenger (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) in the 21^st Century?

I believe we have leaders with good intentions, but a good intention without good development is like a mirage. It takes a lot more to satisfy the thirsts of needy people who are thirsting for more than a Masjid building for prayers. Our prayers, the readings that we quote from The Qur’ān is a system of education that brings to mind living pictures that we must understand if we expect to learn the reasons for the successes and failures of man going back to Adam in the beginning. Obedience to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) requires demonstrable actions that translate into real results, not words that evaporate into thin air and leave nothing but traces of memories like a dreamer who has just awakened from a deep sleep.

Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 28:6,

وَنُمَكِّنَ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ

And نُمَكِّنَ | nu-mak-kina | We established | them firmly in the earth. This revelation points us to an earthly promise that will make our everyday experiences more than just a gathering of people who come together for prayer. Where are our strong establishments; where are our schools, hospitals, financial institutions, department stores, factories? Where are our marketplaces, where are our cultural institutions that accommodate our social life, do we have a social life? Are all of these things that make up being firmly established in the earth a scenario waiting for us to die to inherit? If all of this sound too good to be true, perhaps we truly are not the real believers that we think we are.

Is this some kind of holier than thou idea that makes us think that Muslims are waiting to die to experience paradise? Does this mean that we have to give up our citizenship as Muslims in America to achieve lofty ambitions? The inheritance that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) speaks of is right here on this earth where we live. When are we going to get it? Do we think that because we speak of Islamic knowledge and contend about the authentic prophetic traditions that all of our cares and woes are going to go away by osmosis? Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has answered this question, Sūrah 53:39,

وَأَن لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَى

That there is nothing for the human being except what سَعَى | sa-عā | he worked for. The purpose of our work is to: مَعَايِشَ | ma-عā-yisha | earn something for us to live on. Have we taken an honest look at ourselves and assessed our situation beyond the trappings of the places where we pray? Are we really firmly established in the earth? Is this the best that four generations can do? Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 75:14,

بَلِ الْإِنسَانُ ﻋَﻟٰﻰ ﻧَﻓْﺴِﻪٖ بَصِيرَةٌ

Nay: Man will see clear evidence against himself. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) will debrief our hearing, sight, hands, legs and soul as prima facie self evidence for or against us.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُم