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 27, 2009 / Khutba-tul-Jumu’ah, Rabi-al-awwal 2, 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 39:2

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ فَاعْبُدِ ﷲَ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ الدِّينَ

We have sent down to you the book in truth, so serve Allāh offering Him sincere devotion in the religion. فَاعْبُدِ | faﻉ-bud | so serve (!) | اَﻠﻔِﻌْﻞُٱﻷﻤْﺮُ | al-fiﻉ-lul-amr | the command verb is a grammatical rule wherein Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is teaching believers to behave obediently, past, present and future. To find the meaning of this word note the underlined key letters: عa-ba-da | ﻋَﺒَﺪَ | he served, worshipped; the noun form is: `عab-dun| ﻋَﺒْﺪٌ | a human servant; ‘Abdullah | ﻋَﺒْﺪُﷲ | servant of Allāh. The verbal noun form is: iع-bā-dat | ﻋِﺒَﺎﺪَﺕ | meaning obedience. Worship in Al-Islām lies not just in declaring the oneness of Allāh and that Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) is His Messenger by the lips and performance of certain rites of service, e.g. prayer, charity, fasting and hajj, but it is a disciplined way of life devoted to obedience to Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى).

Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 33:56,

إِنَّ ﷲَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

Allāh and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet; O you who believe: صَلُّوا | sal-lū | send blessings | the requirement to respond obediently to: اَﻠﻔِﻌْﻞُٱﻷﻤْﺮُ | al-fiﻉ-lul-amr | the command from Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is always the same; and سَلِّمُوا | sal-li-mū | peace | اَﻠﻔِﻌْﻞُٱﻷﻤْﺮُ | al-fiﻉ-lul-amr | on him!

There are hadith narrated from the Messenger of Allāh (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) teaching us to send blessings on him and how we are to do so. He (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) said:

«قُولُوا: اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيد»

Say: O Allāh, send prayers on Muhammed and on the family of Muhammed, like You sent prayers on Ibrāhīm and on the family of Ibrāhīm, surely, You are praised, glorious; O Allah, bless Muhammed and bless the family of Muhammed, like You blessed Ibrāhīm and the family of Ibrāhīm, surely, You are praised, glorious.

A report narrates that while observing the prayer behind Allāh’s Messenger (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) some companions (may Allāh be pleased with them) used to recite peace of Allāh be upon so and so. One day the Messenger of Allāh (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) said to them: Verily Allāh is Himself Peace. When anyone of you sits during prayer, he should say: All services rendered by words, by acts of worship, and all good things are due to Allāh. Peace be on you, O Prophet, and Allāh’s mercy and blessings. Peace be upon us and upon Allāh’s upright servants – for when he says this it reaches every upright servant in heaven and earth, (and say further): I witness that there is no deity but Allāh and I witness that Muhammed is His servant and Messenger. Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah 33:56,

وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى ﷲُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَن يَعْصِ ﷲَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا مُّبِينًا

It is not for a male believer and no female believer when an order has been decided by Allāh and His Messenger that they should have any option about their decision; and whoever disobeys Allāh and His Messenger, he has already clearly strayed astray. This is the position of Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) and His Messenger (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) regarding those who seek to cause dissension in the Islamic Community of Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) by misusing what Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said in Sūrah, 46:5 about the blasphemers taking the truth out of context using the art of arguing passionately and strongly to start a debate with their opinion.

وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّن يَدْعُو مِن دُونِ ﷲ

And who is more astray than one who calls on other than Allāh?

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُم