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