As Hazrat Saheb (aba) alludes in the discourse, based on Qur'anic principles and Prophetic practices, the Sahaba-e-Kiram, the pure Companions of the Holy Prophet (sa) and the Tabi'un, the pious generations that followed them became living exemplars of the Faith in the early days of Islam, and wherever they went to preach the message of Tawheed, people en masse abandoned their pagan notions and embraced the Light of Islam in their midst. As time went by, and the original spirit of faith ebbed away; decadence and degradation have returned to the societies that were once 'Muslim'. And today, in the fifteenth century after the Holy Prophet (sa), the Muslims in general seem to be bereft of the true essence of Islamic teachings in their everyday lives. Even worse, far from upholding the spirit of Tawheed as Muslims, many among them have turned into tomb-worshippers; instead of praying God, they invoke the intercession of long-dead saints, just like the idol-worshippers performing rituals before the lords beside Allah (swt), [God forbid].
Against this dismal contemporary scenario of gross misunderstandings and corrupt religious practices, reclaiming the true teachings along with its progressive potential and transformative spirit is the larger responsibility of the lovers of Allah (swt), including common followers of the Faith today. Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) notes that this task can only be achieved through sustained work involving every segment of the Muslim society, and not by the Ulama and others working in silos. Promoting goodness of every kind and forbidding the bad from spreading in society are the real tasks of everyone at their own levels- indeed, duties and responsibilities are attached to every 'Muslim'- the one who has surrendered his God-gifted free will and submitted his everything to the Divine commandments. Moreover, Tabligh, or striving in God's cause by communicating Divine message to people also entail the willingness to withstand hostilities and insults at the hands of unfair critics and enemies of the Faith, like the Prophets in the past has shown: with patience and fortitude, they preached and lived the message of God against all odds, and the strength of their conviction and the beauty of their character changed hearts and they became victorious in the battlefield of Dawah. It is by following in the footsteps of true lovers of the Faith and in adopting their strategies and steps of engagement with the people that we can make progress in the path of Dawah, indicates Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) in this discourse.
Read the Friday Sermon Below:
THE CAUSES
First Cause
In general, we think
that the work of Tabligh is the responsibility for the Ulama only,
even though the commandments in the Quran make this clear that this applies
categorically to every Muslim. The deeds and hard works that the Sahaba (ra)
and all the true Muslims who came after (i.e., the Tabe’in) clearly
demonstrate that it is the responsibility of every Muslim to propagate Islam
(i.e., to do the Dawa/Tabligh).
To lay this work of Tabligh
only on the shoulders of the Ulama-i-Kiram, and to think that it is not
our responsibility, is a great weakness on our part. The responsibility of the Ulama-i-Kiram
is to bring the truth before us and to show us the straight path. To spread
good among all mankind and to make them progress on the straight path is the
responsibility of all Muslims. The following Hadith clearly addresses us: “(Be
careful!) You all have responsibilities [being responsible over your charges]
and on Judgement Day you will be questioned about this responsibility. For
example, the ruler has authority over his people and will be questioned over
his people, a husband has authority over his wife, and will be questioned over
her; the woman is a guardian and is responsible for her husband’s house and his
offspring; a slave is a guardian of his master’s property and is responsible
(for that); and so all of you are guardians and shall be questioned for your
charges.” (Muslim)
Similarly, another
Hadith shows us clearly: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “The Deen
(religion) is Naseehah (advice, sincerity).” We said, “To whom?” He (pbuh)
said, “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims
and their common folk [i.e. all the Muslims].” (Muslim)
Even if for a very
particular reason, we think that only the Ulama-i-Kiram should do this
work, the deplorable condition of Muslims and the current critical situation
forces us all together to act and work hard to spread this Kalimah and
protect the Islam.
Second Cause
We generally tend to
think that if someone remains firm and steady in his Imaan (and Amal), the
disobedience and infidelity of others cannot affect him, according to the
meaning of this Quranic verse.
“O you
who believe, you are responsible for your own souls; if anyone else goes astray
it will not harm you so long as you follow the guidance.” (Al-Maida 5: 106)
In fact, the true
meaning and meaning of this verse is not in what seems to be attached to it
because in this case, it will be contrary to the wisdom and plan of Allah (twt)
and in contradiction to the teaching of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) – that is, the Shariah
of Islam. What you must understand [What is understood] here is that the
progress and success of Muslims lies in the fact that we need to always remain
together, and live as one community. This is the very basis of Islam, its
essential point. We must consider the Muslim community as a single body with
many members. When a member [part of the body] is injured, the whole body
suffers with [i.e. feels] that pain.
Man [the human race]
can progress to any limit and he can arrive at higher positions of honour and
glory in every area of his life, but there will always be a group that goes
astray and will fall into sins. In such a circumstance, this verse gives
assurance to devoted Muslims that as long as they remain steadfast and continue
to walk on a straight path, those who have left the Deen cannot do them
any harm.
Another point needs to
be brought out. Total success (and perfect fulfilment) will come, only when all
the regulations of Islamic law are accepted and practiced; this includes all
the commands of Allah. The words of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) confirm this
interpretation: Narrated Abu Bakr As-Siddiq: “O you who believe, you are
responsible for your own souls; if anyone else goes astray it will not harm you
so long as you follow the guidance (5: 105 [or 106]). I indeed heard the
Messenger of Allah (pbuh)
saying: ‘When the people see the wrongdoer, and they do not stop him (from
doing wrong), then it is soon that Allah shall envelope you in a punishment
from Him.’" (Tirmidhi)
Verily, Allah (twt)
says in the Quran: “And no bearer of burdens
will bear the burden of another.” (Fatir 35: 19)
Third Cause
Distinguished people
and simple Muslims, those who are educated and those who cannot read, all
together have become very indifferent or even discouraged to reform society. It
seems that everyone has accepted their fate, convinced that it will be
difficult, and one can even say impossible nowadays, for Muslims to progress
and regain their former honour. Whenever a plan is presented to them to improve
and change the condition of Muslims, we find the same reaction: How will
Muslims progress when they neither have countries in their hand, nor the power
to rule, nor the wealth nor the finance, nor the army nor the equipment for
war, nor the requisite influence? In addition, they lack physical strength,
understanding between them and there is no unity in their action!
It seems that even
religious people have already convinced themselves that fourteen centuries have
passed since the Hijrah [and now we are in fifteenth century Hijri] and
that Muslims are moving further and further away from the teaching of the
Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and that therefore it is impossible to prevent them
[i.e., the Muslims] and Islam from falling. They insist that under the present
circumstances there is no point in trying to change Muslims.
It is true that the
effect of the light of the teaching of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is
decreasing more and more, as we advance in time, but that does not mean that we
should not make efforts to make that light shine again. When we establish
ourselves on the commandments of Allah (i.e. the Shariah) and at the
same time defend with all our energy [force/ strength] and courage, the way of
life taught by Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), it is then that the help of Allah will
come to strengthen our efforts by His almighty power, Insha-Allah.
If the Muslims of old
thought like the Muslims of today, then no trace of Islam will remain anywhere
in the world because there would be no way (no system) where the teaching and
the regulations of the Shariah would reach us. So, if we don’t change
our negative attitude towards the Deen, the death of Islam is not far
away. We must adopt a firm and positive position to save ourselves and the
future generations. Time flies and Islam is deteriorating very quickly. The
situation calls for each of us to make a firm, quick and determined effort to
prevent the situation from deteriorating further and to stop the degradation of
Muslims.
As an established
principle, the existence of true Islam depends entirely on the determination
and collective effort of Muslims. Unfortunately it seems that Muslims have a
lot of shortcomings in this area. And yet we need to recognize that in the
Quran and the Hadiths there are many guidelines which call on Muslims to make
efforts and to persevere in the path of Allah.
For example there is a
Hadith about a very pious person who does Ibaadat [worship/ prayers],
night and day for all his life, but such a one cannot reach the level of the
one who makes efforts, and who sacrifices his pleasures and comforts to guide
people and help them to advance in the straight path of Islam.
On this specific point
there are many orders and directives in the Quran-e-Kareem. It has been made
clear that whoever strives (fights) in the way of Allah, he remains superior
and occupies a higher position compared to all others: “Those believers who stay at home, apart from those with
an incapacity, are not equal to those who commit themselves and their
possessions to striving in God’s way. God has raised such people to a rank
above those who stay at home- although He has promised all believers a good
reward, those who strive are favoured with a tremendous reward above those who
stay at home. (They will acquire) far superior ranks, forgiveness, and mercy
from Him. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (An-Nisa 4: 96-97).
Even though these
verses refer to Jihad (holy war) against the Kuffar (infidels)
and Mushrikeen (polytheists) to establish the teaching of Islam and
fight infidelity and Shirk (association of other partners in the unique
worship of Allah – the Only God], even though unfortunately we do not have the
opportunity to do this noble work, we should not let any small occasion pass
[go by] where we can propagate the truth. Only then can we hope that one day
our small efforts and determination can gain some strength and momentum to
engage us in greater and nobler work.
“As for
those who struggle in Our cause, We will surely guide them along Our Ways. And
Allah is certainly with the good-doers.” (Al-Ankabut 29: 70).
There is no doubt that
Allah (twt) has promised that He will protect the Way of Life taught by the
Messenger of Allah (pbuh). But the efforts and determination of man (that is,
of the believing Muslim) have been prescribed, as the only means through which this
Way of Life can progress and advance. The Sahaba (ra) have made every sacrifice
for this purpose; they succeeded and they received great, great rewards. They
received the honour to receive help and protection from Allah. All Muslims who
have admiration for them need to follow them and prepare to spread the “Kalimah”
and the Message of Allah (twt). By this means alone, the help and protection of
Allah (twt) will reach us.
“O you
who believe! If you help (the Deen of) Allah, He will help you, and make your
foothold firm.” (Muhammad, 47:8).
Fourth Cause
Many of us think that
because we ourselves lack the qualities and virtues that Islam teaches, we are
therefore unable to spread these qualities to others. This is a serious error.
When we have an obligation upon us, especially when it is an order that comes
from Allah (twt), we do not have the right to find any excuse not to obey. We
need to start this work right away, and obey Allah’s command (twt). Then, Insha-Allah,
our efforts will gain more strength and greater determination and conviction to
continue [in this way/ quest/ mission].
In this way, when we
continue to make a steady effort, in the line (according to principle) that is
needed, we will have the honour of becoming the “favourites” of Allah (twt). It
is against principle and ‘Sunnah’ [practice] of Allah (twt) that if a
person make efforts for Him (for His Deen), Allah (twt) will not grant
him His favours and bounty because that person is not competent or not at the required
level to do [master] this work! This point is clearly explained in this Hadith.
Narrated Anas (ra): “We
asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) : “O Messenger of Allah, is it
convenient that we do not encourage good when we are ourselves not putting
these good deeds into practice, is it convenient that we forbid evil when we
are ourselves not refraining from these bad deeds?”
The Messenger of Allah
(pbuh) said: “No! Encourage others to do good deeds even if you are not
doing all these good deeds and forbid the evil deeds even if you are not
refraining from all these evils [bad deeds].” (Tibrani)
Fifth Cause
Without doubt, all
these Islamic organizations that exist today are absolutely necessary and we
have a lot of respect for them, and need to take their problems into account
because it is thanks to them that this little Islam that we see today has
remained [i.e. still exists]. But they are not enough to cope with the current
situation, not even a little [a part or a section]. The work that there is to
do is enormous, especially when we take into consideration the shortcomings and
the current situation of Muslims which is getting worse. If we are satisfied
with these few organizations that exist, we are making a big mistake. And even
in these organizations now, there are huge shortcomings where there are some
evil-minded people who seek their benefits more than the benefit of the whole Ummah.
This is why Allah has sent His Khalifatullah in this century, and Insha-Allah,
through the institutions that Allah will ordain to be created, Insha-Allah,
all of us Muslims, the Sahih al Islam we must give a good helping hand in these
noble works.
In fact, to benefit
properly from these institutions, those who dedicate their lives to work for
Islam need to develop in themselves a real deep respect for Islam and a sincere
desire to put it into practice in every aspect of their lives. One hundred
years ago, we can say that Muslims still had the desire and love for Islam, and
we could find visible signs of Islam in our daily life [i.e., that of the
Muslims of yesteryear]. At that time, it may be that these organizations would
have sufficed to satisfy the Deen’s demand. But nowadays all these
feelings and desires of Muslims for Islam are dead because of the repeated
attacks and assaults on our Imaan [faith] and on the Islamic community from
foreign forces and organizations.
Unfortunately they
succeeded in their plan. Instead of us [Muslims] having love for Islam, it
seems that we have an inferiority complex towards our Deen and Iman
(faith). There is no time to lose now; we need to act quickly, regain control
from the hand of the adversaries and launch a great offensive to awaken that
dead heart in every Muslim and ignite in all of us the love and strong
attachment for Islam. Only then can we derive maximum benefit from religious
institutions, which in turn can serve the community even better. If we don’t
take firm and quick actions, this situation of neglect and laziness will
continue to spread everywhere, and those institutions that are doing some of
this work of Deen will be doomed to disappear.
Sixth Cause
There is always this
fear that every time someone does this work of “Encouraging Good and Preventing
Evil” he will encounter difficulties with people. People act badly with him,
use harsh language, and insult him. Often people adopt a very detestable
attitude towards the workers of the Deen. This is true, but we must not
forget that doing the work of Dawat-i-Illallah is to follow the path of
the prophets (as) who have always suffered the worst treatment. This is the
habitual path and destiny of those who fulfill this mission. Certainly, all the
prophets (as) have gone through the worst sufferings because of this work; this
is clear in this verse: “Indeed, We sent
(messengers) before you among the groups of early peoples, And never came there
unto them a messenger but they did mock him.” (Al-Hijr 15: 11-12).
The Holy Prophet Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh) once said: “No prophet suffered more than I in spreading the
truth”.
So, it is clear that we
must not have these fears. We like to say who we follow the Messenger of Allah
(pbuh); we accept that he suffered a lot to accomplish his mission. But he
always took a lot of Sabr [patience] and accepted all difficulties with
a generous heart. We must follow his blessed example, be patient and remain
calm when we do this work of Tabligh which is essential these days. Insha-Allah,
Ameen, Summa Ameen.
Insha-Allah, I will continue on the same subject of my Khutba next Friday. May Allah give me the Tawfiq to do this and succeed in inspiring sincere hearts towards this internal transformation that must take place in all of you so that you become fit and ready to do this noble work, Insha-Allah.