Bismillah Ar-Rahmaan Ar-Raheem. Alhumdulillah. Peace and blessings on Muhammad (sallalahu alaihi wa alihi wa sallam), his Noble Companions and Family. Dear Committed brothers, dear committed sisters,
This month has instilled in the committed Muslims and Muslimahs who were fulfilling its meanings, among the many other features of it, a resolve that cannot be defeated. Many times just between you and yourself- no one else- you think and you feel. These are two components inside your own self. No one can hear your thinking or no one can feel your emotions and with the thoughts that come your way and with all of these issues- they can be personal issues, they can be family issues, they can be social issues or community issues or whatever the nature of them are and there is many of them that will come into your mind and into your heart- sometimes our frail human nature gives in. It’s overwhelming! There’s too many things! How can I change this world? If ever you go down that slope of feelings and thoughts Ramadhan should teach you that it is not you that will change anything, it is Allah who will change these things that will have to be changed. We can’t go to into any of them because there’s so many of them but Allah is not going to change these things while you watch Him. He will change these things while He is watching you. This is as simple as the lesson of Ramadhan is yet it goes undetected by the majority of those who are fasting this month of Ramadhan; that’s why we say in one aspect on this day with one voice Allahu Akbar. What does that mean? Have we ever taken the time off to think what this word means? We don’t only say it today. We say it at least five times during the different hours of the day. When we approach Allah the first thing we say Allahu Akbar. It’s as if we are putting all of these irritants that come to our mind and come to our chests behind us and we are saying Allah is Akbar. So what is it? What’s on your mind? What disturbs you? What has gotten to you? What has firing your nerves? What is it that is giving you sleepless nights? What is it? Anything it is- the antidote to that is Allahu Akbar provided you understand what this means. It’s not only a mental understanding, it’s also a behavioural understanding and the month of Ramadhan was a month of behaviour modification. We ask- have the observant hundreds of millions of Muslims experienced a behavioural modification in this month of Ramadhan or are many of them just eager to leave this month and then further indulge themselves in the coming months of the year and the word Allahu Akbar just becomes an automatic statement that is repeated that doesn’t carry with it any meaning? If that is the case the month of Ramadhan hasn’t charged these types of individuals with the meanings that are pertinent to it which it transfers to you. Allahu Akbar.
Let us, just for a moment, take what probably is considered to be the most irritating aspect because we can’t go into your life. You know your life better than us. We can’t go into the details of what you’re thinking about with disturbed thoughts or disturbed emotions; you will have to deal with that but when it comes to our collective presence in this world- the two billion of us who are in this world- what is there right now that is disturbing us? Most obviously, for anyone who has opened their minds to these events and affairs and issues, it is the issue of sectarianism. Right now there is a drive- organised, calculated, engineered (and) orchestrated- to try to pit Muslim against Muslim. There is nothing in your Islam- whoever you are, any person who is listening- that says you hate another Muslim. Neither an ayah nor a hadith that says that you hate another Muslim. So if I’m incapable of hating another Muslim how come we have Muslims killing each other (i.e.) going way beyond hate (and) shedding our own blood with our own hands? Where do we find this meaning, we ask you? Where do you find this meaning in the Book of Allah or in the statements of His Messenger? It doesn’t exist! So if it doesn’t exist, why is it happening? Because we have a formidable enemy who wants us to begin a civil war in our lands (and) in our communities. What do we say to that? Here we are, the first day after Ramadhan- we say to these sectarians and their financiers and their commanders and their strategists Allahu Akbar. We don’t say this (as) just words. These are not just words to be expressed. These are meanings that become characters. We say this with our character before we pronounce a letter of it. It should exude from the way we interact with others (and) the way we expose their conspiracies. Here’s another area- psychologically many of us don’t have the courage to look at the enemy in the eye and to display all of the evil of this enemy. In many Masajid around the world the word jihad is forbidden; even the word enemy is forbidden.
Just today, (earlier in the day because of the seven hours of difference), the Imam who was giving the khutbah in Masjid Al Haram in Makkah itself was speaking almost, (if you were tuned in), endlessly about al mahabbah or hubb which means affection and love and care and these types of meanings. How does a person like that and his master- the king and the crown prince and the rest of that royal family sitting in front of him- and all of these people whether they are speaking or whether they are listening reconciliate and justify what they are saying with what they are doing? These are the instigators of this internal Islamic instability. Many Muslims, (this is said with an ache in the heart), watch this and they consider these types to be the leaders of the Muslims. Well- how come? We never had a separation of Church and state but this is what you see with your own eyes. The king sits and the preacher preaches and then when it is all said and done within an hour or so the king resumes his responsibility and the preacher leaves into the corner of his Masjid?! When did this ever happen? If we have an Islam in the image of our Qur’an and Sunnah we would have the king himself giving the khutbah! Why (not)? What’s wrong with him? He can’t speak?! He can’t express himself?! Or are we to be conditioned to this dichotomy- a clergyman and a ruler both have their own spheres of activities and interests and none shall interfere in the affair or affairs of the other? Where did this come from? We don’t say any of this with any mal-feelings. We say this just as a matter of the truth. If we are saying Allahu Akbar we mean Allahu Akbar and Allah is greater than their machinations, their intrigue, their schemes and their conspiracies. These Muslims unknown in this world (and) unrecognised by the mainstream media and the prostitution out there are the ones who are building a better tomorrow for all those who are lagging behind and there will come a day and that day is quickly approaching when Muslims are parting with the verbiage of Allahu Akbar and they will grasp the reality of Allahu Akbar to deliver not only themselves but the rest of the world from the imposed misery upon it. In this month and on this day and on this time we remember the words of Allah
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
If My subjects, if my ibaad ask you about Me, indeed I am near to them; I will respond to the plea of he who calls upon Me if he does so; so let them ask Me and let them have a commitment to Me and in this manner they may reach maturity. (Surah Al Baqarah verse 186)
Dear committed Muslims- brothers and sisters…
We know that if we were left to ourselves the pressure of events are enough to have us succumb but we take solace in the fact that we are not alone. We don’t stand alone. Allah is with us and when we say this it doesn’t generate any arrogance or any superiority complex. We say this just as a matter of stating the truth. The Prophet of Allah tells one of the people who are with him be with Allah and don’t mind whatever else. The question is how many of us are in the company of Allah? There are definite indications that many of us- even though we verbally and eloquently state that we are with Allah or we are Allah’s or we belong to Allah, etc. but how come when there is a human power in this world these types are scared? Scared of what?! What scares you? What frightens you? You shouldn’t be scared and frightened from stating the truth. You shouldn’t be scared and frightened from exposing the liars. Is that what you’re afraid of? There are many of these liars who come and want to claim that they are the representatives of Allah on earth. They don’t put it in these words but their decisions, their policies, their procedures, their laws, their militaries, their courts (and) everything that they have at their disposal emits this message that they are the final reference in our affairs. We tell them “no! You’re not the final reference in our affairs Allah is.” And if He is the power then who are these other powers around? They call themselves superpowers or hegemonic powers or hyper powers or big powers- fancy words that puff up inferior powers!
وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِالَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِ
…they try to frighten you using those who are inferior to Him meaning Allah … (Surah Az Zumar verse 36)
Don’t we learn? Can’t we learn this message of Ramadhan? If we are with Allah, all other powers are dwarfed! All other powers are miniaturised- a simple lesson! The problem is that we only state these words with our tongues but we don’t exemplify these words with our actions and our bodies. There-in lies the problem. Don’t say this brother that you heard on Eid day is pontificating and speaking big- no; you just look around and all you need to do open your mind. These types of Masajid and their enablers want you to close your minds. Allah wants you to open your minds! Open your minds and look around. They say “there are atomic, nuclear such and such…” you finish the sentence. So what?! As if that has become God Almighty! So what? The truth and justice will prevail; regardless of the interim and the transition truth and justice will prevail and they will come out of people’s in this world who are oppressed. This is not going to come from the wealthy class of people, this is not going to come from the rulers who impose themselves on us; it’s going to come from those who are the victims of these worldwide systems and this is beginning to happen. It’s too late now. They can’t reverse this. This anxiety and this yearning for Allah is so deep, is so authentic (and) is so fulfilling that they can’t reverse it. Some of you will say “why can’t I be more specific.” We can be more specific but that will take much more time than the time allocated to us. Dear brothers and dear sisters- what we say to you (is) regardless of all the irritants and the pressures and what sometimes turns out to be the downs of life feel and know of a certainty that if you are with Allah He is with you.
وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ
… We are closer to him, meaning to you, than your own life and death vein here that runs between your head and your body. (Surah Qaf verse 16)
If Allah is this close to us why do we want to be so far from Him?
Eid Mubarak and Eid Sa’eed to all of you to all of your families and acquaintances and to the rest who are deserving of Allah at this time and throughout the rest of the year.
Wa Salaamualaykum wa Rahmatullahi Ta’ala wa Barakaatuh
