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