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Cooperation is a Divine order in the Quran and sunnah:
Dear brother, what are the reasons behind the power of the west which has tightened its control over most countries of the world?
Some of these reasons are cooperation, team work, functioning of institutions, rationalization of resources, time and self management. I will not be exaggerating when I say that all these civilized values are at the root of the Deen of Islam. Western countries have adopted them in their life; we should adopt them in our life and for the sake of the Afterlife. In this meeting of ours, in this khutbah, I’ll talk about one value, this being cooperation, which is very spread among their societies and entirely missing from ours, where it is replaced by rivalry.
Cooperation is a Divine order (given) in the Noble Quran and authentic sunnah, and each order (given) in the Noble Quran and authentic sunnah constitutes an obligation. It is life. It is for the sake of our lives, our communities, our families, our business enterprises, our economy, our relationships, our young men and women, our marriages and job opportunities for the young. Deen is life. Therefore, it should be implemented for the good of our Deen, the good of our life, and the good of our Afterlife. The noble invocation of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, reads:
“O Allah! Make us do well in our Deen, which protects our affairs and make us do well in our worldly life, in which we dwell, and grant us safety on the Day of Judgment for it is our final destination.”
Believer's social tendency derives from obedience to his Lord:
Dear brother, I initiate this topic on the psychological note. Man has an individual tendency which stems from his love of existence as well as from his love of safety, perfection and continuity of this existence.
Man has also a social tendency which is a result of his individual tendency, because many of the
demands of his life –his physical, psychological and intellectual needs– cannot be satisfied except within a social group. Thus, there is an individual tendency at the origin of his infrastructure and there is a social tendency, which stems from his relation with a group and makes him seek the feeling of safety and tranquility within it, its support and strength as well as satisfaction of his needs and interests through it.
But the social tendency which stems from obedience to Allah the Almighty is yet of another kind. In case of a believer the social tendency comes from his obedience to Allah, whereas in case of a non-believer the social tendency stems from his individual tendency. The believer gets his strength from the group, he associates with the group and he gets help from the group to satisfy his individual needs. Therefore, our social tendency should come from being closer to Allah and our working for the Afterlife. Moreover, this collective religious tendency, which aims at our drawing closer to Allah and gaining Paradise, is the result of all man's virtues, where each virtue brings good to the sh3er and benefits them, being characterized by self abandonment. This kind of sacrifice for the sake of the group is a means to gain the Pleasure of Allah the Almighty.
Ethical vices stem from the individuality of a human being and from being away from Allah the Only One, while ethical virtues stem from man’s obedience to his Lord and getting closer to Him through serving His worshipers.
Great results can only be achieved by close cooperation:
All Prophets, peace and blessings of Allah be upon them, had given everything to the society without taking anything from it. By contrast, the powerful take everything but give nothing to the group. Then, there are those who can be found in between, they both take and give. The Prophets conquer hearts through their perfection while the powerful dominate people through their power.
Dear brother, cooperative teamwork is the way to achieve great outcome. Cooperation is Deen, civilization, and power; while rivalry is sin, underdevelopment, and weakness.
Individual effort produces but limited result:
Dear brother, individual effort produces only limited effects; great results require collective work. Look at the beginnings of Islam; how it spread across east and west because of teamwork and because of the noble companions who were educated by Sayyidina Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. But the division, rivalry, fighting one another, contention –all of them constitute the reasons behind the weakness of the Islamic society. Allah Most High says:
((And do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength depart, and be patient. Surely, Allah is with those who are As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.)))
Europe is composed of many countries –different nationalities, different languages, different hopes and sufferings; never-ending wars and life-long conflicts… Yet, they have controlled their minds and made themselves into one country. No borders or signs are there between European countries; you can move from one to another with absolute freedom. You would not be able to tell that this place is in Germany and that one in France. Europe is one country, one currency, and one society, in spite of the wars, conflicts, different languages, and different history.
As far as the ummah of Islam is concerned, there is One God, one Prophet, one Divine Book, the same hopes and sufferings, but the fact is that we are considered to be seventy-three different states and in order to transfer from one to another you need three or four hours to submit the required documents, obtain visas, and comply with all the procedures. The west wants us to be divided. The tyrants of the earth know that division is the only trump card in their hands, and the proof of it is found in what follows:
((Verily, Fir'aun (Pharaoh) exalted himself in the land and made its people sects, weakening (oppressing) a group (i.e. Children of Israel) among them, killing their sons, and letting their females live. Verily, he was of the Mufsidun (i.e. those who commit great sins and crimes, oppressors, tyrants, etc.).))
Lack of cooperation is a main reason behind Muslim weakness:
Dear brother, uniting forces is better than separating them, because the factors of fear, illusion, and defeatism seep into individuals and recoil from the group.
((Community is mercy; and division is punishment.))
All the wonderful Islamic achievements are individual not collective. The tallest building in Chicago was designed by a Muslim; the president of the International Atomic Energy Agency is Muslim; and the best space scientist is Muslim. Muslims as individuals are remarkably superior, and that is something amazing. According to the statistics I have seen only eight out of one thousand Americans hold a PhD, eighteen out of one thousand Jewish people hold this title, and as for Muslims it is thirty-three out of one thousand that hold it. Hence, individual superiority among Muslims is undeniable. However, there is no collective superiority because there is no cooperation, and this is where the problem lies. Now, I'm sure this sheds light upon one of the biggest causes of Muslims weakness, which is lack of cooperation:
((And do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength depart, and be patient. Surely, Allah is with those who are As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.)))
Virtue saves our worldly life and piety saves our Afterlife:
Dear brother, the origin of this topic is the Words of Allah the Greatest:
((Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Severe in punishment.))
Commentators have said: “Virtue saves our worldly life and piety saves our Afterlife,” and we should be righteous in our life and our Deen:
((Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. ))
but the immoral and disobedient people are helping each other in sin and transgression.
The greatest disaster is division between individuals:
Dear brother, in another ayah Allah Most High says:
((And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Qur'an), and be not divided among yourselves,))
There must be something we can hold fast to. If there was no Rope of Allah, there would be no group, for what would we gather around? Life and interests separate people; the material gains are limited and give rise to conflicts. This principle is in operation everywhere.
Material gains are limited, so if we make the worldly life our goal, we dispute, contend, quarrel, squabble, and fight; while if we make the Afterlife our goal, we help each other. Allah the Greatest says:
((And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Qur'an), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allah's Favor on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islamic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided.))
What weakens us? Our division. What weakens the family? Its disintegration. What weakens the school? Disagreement among teachers. What weakens institutions? Universities? Division is destructive, weakening, and energy consuming. Therefore, the greatest disaster that may befall a nation is the division between its individuals.
Uniting hearts is the affair of Allah Alone:
Dear brother, here is a third ayah. Allah the Almighty says:
((And He has united their (i.e. believers') hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah has united them. Certainly He is All-Mighty, All-Wise.))
Uniting hearts is the affair of Allah Alone. Thus, if we gather together for the sake of His love and obedience to Him, He will unite our hearts; and if we don't, He will separate them.
Therefore, if the children gather around their father, they will love one another, help one another, and support one another. However, if they get away from him, they will quarrel, dispute, squabble, and fight. That is a fact.
Dear brother, make sure to establish cooperation in your household, in your workplace, in your neighborhood, among your relatives and friends. Cooperation is Deen, cooperation is a Divine command; it is an obligation. It gives strength, brings about dignity and comfort. The origin of this topic and its decisive proof is to be found in the following ayah:
((Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Severe in punishment.))
And again:
((And He has united their (i.e. believers') hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah has united them. Certainly He is All-Mighty, All-Wise.))
Real believers cooperate not compete:
O brother! Honest believers, real believers, those who truly believe in Allah, should cooperate. The proof of what I am saying is as follows:
((The believers, men and women, are Auliya' (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and give the Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.))
Do not dispute with your brother and do not compete with him; rather, cooperate with him and exert yourself on his behalf. Dear brother and friends! Help one another and do not be rivals of one another because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
((A Muslim is equal to another Muslim. If one of them, whether close or distant, seeks protection, they grant it to him, and they remain united against their foes.))
We all saw what had happened between two Muslim states, when one of them requested assistance from the west against the other. Accordingly, some western countries intervened and appropriated all the gains, looted everything, captured everything, and occupied the state forever and ever. The noble ayah says:
((Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Severe in punishment.))
((A Muslim is equal to another Muslim. If one of them, whether close or distant, seeks protection, they grant it to him, and they remain united against their foes.))
Believers are like one body:
Therefore, Allah the Greatest, describes the believers by saying:
((Verily, those who believed, and emigrated and strove hard and fought with their property and their lives in the Cause of Allah as well as those who gave (them) asylum and help, - these are (all) allies to one another. And as to those who believed but did not emigrate (to you O Muhammad, peace be upon him ), you owe no duty of protection to them until they emigrate,
but if they seek your help in religion, it is your duty to help them except against a people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance, and Allah is the All-Seer of what you do.))
Some of them believed, but they did not cooperate.
((And those who believed, and emigrated and strove hard in the Cause of Allah (Al-Jihad), as well as those who gave (them) asylum and aid; - these are the believers in truth, for them is forgiveness and Rizqun Karim (a generous provision i.e. Paradise).))
You will not be a real believer if you do not help sh3er, support sh3er, and give everything whether expensive or cheap; therefore, the believers function as one body:
((Believers- through loving each other, having mercy upon each other and showing sympathy towards each other- are the same as the (human) body, all of which organs suffer in case one of them gets sick.))
Also, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
((Believers love each other and exchange advice even if their homes and bodies are apart. Disbelievers cheat each other and they act cowardly even if their homes and bodies stay together.))
Disbelievers help one another in wrongdoing:
Dear brother, there is a particularly serious ayah in Surat Al-Anfal, the Word of Allah the Greatest:
((Verily, those who believed, and emigrated and strove hard and fought with their property and their lives in the Cause of Allah as well as those who gave (them) asylum and help, - these are (all) allies to one another. And as to those who believed but did not emigrate (to you O Muhammad, peace be upon him ), you owe no duty of protection to them until they emigrate, but if they seek your help in religion, it is your duty to help them except against a people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance, and Allah is the All-Seer of what you do. (72) And those who disbelieve are allies to one another, and if you do not do so, there will be Fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism, etc.) and oppression on earth, and a great mischief and corruption (appearance of polytheism). (73)))
Disbelievers help and support one another. It means that thirty states are drifting towards the goal of one great state. This cooperation is for something false, for occupation, for looting (sh3er' wealth) as well as for humiliating other people. Thirty states stand by the great state anywhere –in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Lebanon, and in Somalia, helping each other:((And those who disbelieve are allies to one another)). Let us pay attention now – ((and if you do not do so)) – "you" being in the singular form here. Who is meant by this pronoun?((and if you do not do so, there will be Fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism, etc.) and oppression on earth, and a great mischief and corruption (appearance of polytheism).)),
Such, exactly, is the present-day situation –turmoil. Western states impose their culture. What do we receive from their satellites? We receive their culture, their pornography, their deviation, and their immorality. Whenever the west occupies an Islamic country, Muslims resist and struggle, and eventually regain their freedom. Therefore, it has been said that they used to dominate us and make us do what they wanted us to do by the use of armed force, but now they dominate us by means of satellites and women (the soft force).
Cooperation of the other party to humiliate Muslims:
The commentators said that "so" in ((And those who disbelieve are allies to one another, and if you do not do so)) refers to the whole previous ayah ((Verily, those who believed, and emigrated and strove hard and fought with their property and their lives in the Cause of Allah as well as those who gave (them) asylum and help, - these are (all) allies to one another. )) It means that if you do not believe, if you do not emigrate, if you do not strive hard and fight with your property and your lives in the Cause of Allah, if you do not give asylum and help, there will be fitnah and oppression on earth as well as great mischief and corruption.
Indeed, this is what is happening now. For example, I visited a country two weeks ago, which has two and a half million square kilometers of arable lands, water is available in large quantities, and this country is able to provide the Muslim world with all the food it needs. However, it needs the infrastructure which would cost eight milliard. It is a fact that Muslims own three thousand milliard in western banks. Where, then, is the cooperation between Muslims?
The area of Syria, Glory to Allah, is one hundred and eighty-five thousand square kilometers. A quarter of this space is suitable for agriculture, but only a quarter of the quarter is under cultivation, that is one sixteenth, by the Grace of Allah. We obtain six million tons of wheat each year, our consumption being two million; we obtain seven hundred thousand tons of citrus fruits each year; we are the second country globally in the production of olive. Also, we have two and a half thousand square kilometers of cotton fields; water is amply available, but we need the infrastructure to obtain it, while Muslims own three thousand milliard in the western world, but they do not cooperate.
Cooperation is an Islamic and collective obligation:
Therefore, dear brother, cooperation is an Islamic and collective obligation:
((Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety.))
‘Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri’ narrated:
((While we were travelling with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a man who was riding a camel came up and started to look right and left (as if he wanted something). The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “The man who owns a spare camel should give it to the one who doesn’t own one; the man who has spare food should give it to the one who doesn’t have any,” and he mentioned different types of properties until we thought that we had no right to own anything spare.))
Allah the Greatest says:
((Believe in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad, peace be upon him), and spend of that whereof He has made you trustees. And such of you as believe and spend (in Allah's Way), theirs will be a great reward.))
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
((I have seen a man enjoying the Paradise because of his having cut a tree which was obstructing the road and was a threat to people.))
You might remove a big stone away from the road. It might have caused death of a whole family travelling too fast, the driver having failed to notice it. Accidents do happen. When we help each other, we gain Allah's love; and Allah Most High describes al-Ansar in terms of cooperation:
((And those who, before them, had homes (in Al-Medina) and had adopted the Faith, love those who emigrate to them, and have no jealousy in their breasts for that which they have been given (from the booty of Bani An-Nadir), and give them (emigrants) preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful.))
Rebellion, wrongdoing, and Shaytan establish enmity and hatred among us:
Dear brother, although one may think that the disbelievers are united, their hearts are divided. Allah Most High says:
((They fight not against you even together, except in fortified townships, or from behind walls. Their enmity among themselves is very great. You would think they were united, but their hearts are divided, that is because they are a people who understand not.))
What is the opposite of cooperation? It is clearly enmity, hatred and quarrel. What is at their root? Allah Most High says:
((But they have abandoned a good part of the Message that was sent to them. So We planted amongst them enmity and hatred till the Day of Resurrection))
Other reasons for enmity are Shaytan and rebellion:
((Shaitan (Satan) wants only to exauthor enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from As-Salat (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain?))
What are then the factors which bring about enmity and hatred between us? They are rebellion, wrongdoing, and Shaytan.
Finally-
I ask Allah Most High for His forgiveness. Ask Him for forgiveness, what a great reward for those who seek His forgiveness! I ask Allah’s forgiveness.
***
The second khutbah:
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Supporter of righteous people; and I bear witness that Sayyidina Muhammad, whose conduct was excellent, is a messenger and servant of Allah. O Allah! Grant Your peace and blessings to Sayyidina Muhammad, to his family and to all his companions, the pure and kind, who were the trustees of his Call, the carriers of his banner, and be pleased with them, O Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!
Wealth is brought about by rich righteous:
Dear brother, a bedouin came once to Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, with his children and wife, and said:
O Umar the just! May Paradise be your reward!
Clothe my girls and their mother,
I beseech you by Allah to do so.
***
Umar said: What will happen if I don't?
The bedouin said: Then, Abu Hafs, I will go.
Umar said: What will happen if you go?
The bedouin said: You will be asked about me.
Umar said: When?
The bedouin said: When the sadaqah has turned into protection for the person who is going to be called to account by Allah, and then his fate will be either Hell or Heaven.
Umar said (referring to a servant): Boy, give him my shirt on account of that Day not on account of his poetry.
Brother, a righteous deed dignifies man and is the reason for our existence in this life, and the proof is what Allah Most High says that will be said when the moment of death arrives:
(("My Lord! Send me back, (99) "So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!" (100)))
The righteous deed is the real wealth, the proof of which the interpreters obtained from the saying of Allah in the story of Sayyidina Musa, peace be upon him, when he helped the daughters of Sayyidina Shu'aib with their flocks at the watering place. Allah Most High says:
((And said: "My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!"))
He concluded that the real wealth is brought about by the richness of one's righteous deeds and that the real poverty is brought about by poor righteous deeds; and that the righteous deed dignifies man.
Uprightness keeps man safe from affliction, from the destruction wrought by money, from marital misery, and from disobedience to parents, whereas righteous deeds make him happy:
((So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord. ))
Final invocation:
O Allah! Guide us together with those whom You have guided, and protect us together with those whom You have protected, and be our Protector as You are of those for whom You have become their Protector. Bless us with what You have bestowed on us, and protect us from the harm that You have made incumbent upon us.
You always judge with truth while You cannot be judged; and he whom You protect shall never be humiliated, and he whom You turn into an enemy shall never be honored.
Blessed and dignified are You! All the praise is Yours for what you have decreed!
We ask Your forgiveness and we repent to You.
O Allah! Guide us to good deeds for no one guides to them but You; and guide us to good conduct for no one guides to it but You.
O Allah! Make us do well in our Deen, which protects our affairs, and make us do well in our worldly life, in which we dwell, and grant us safety on the Day of Judgment for it is our final destination.
Make our lives in this world righteous and make our death to be the rest from everything that is evil.
O Allah, our Master, the Lord of all the Worlds!
Make me prefer everything You have made lawful to everything You made unlawful, and let Your Mercy make me independent of all sh3er. Make me obedient to You and turn me away from disobedience.
O Allah, by Your blessings and Mercy, raise high the Word of right and of the Deen, defend Islam, and Muslims everywhere, in all parts of the Earth, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah, show us Your Ability through hitting Your enemies, O Allah, the Most Generous.
