- Sermons
- /
- Friday Sermons
First sermon:
Importance of the prophet’s migration in calling to Allah:
Dear brother,
These days, we celebrate the anniversary of the prophet’s hijra. It is considered the most important incident in calling to Allah, because migration is a movement. Without movement from a place to another, from a group of friends to another, from disobedience to obedience, from misguidance to guidance, your faith is worthless. The proof to that is the Quranic ayah:
“And as to those who believed but did not emigrate, you owe no duty of protection to them until they emigrate (72)”
Migration is a movement towards the truth, righteous people, good deeds, worship, and towards the sources of goodness.
Following the prophet is the proof of loving him:
Dear brother, prophet Muhamad’s life is different from the lives of great leaders and reformers because his life with all its words, deeds, approvals, and attitudes is considered a good example. That is because Allah the All Mighty made him infallible in speech, deeds and stances. He doesn’t speak of his own desire, it is an inspired inspiration. So Allah has ordered us to follow him. Allah says:
“And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad) gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it), and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Severe in punishment.”
Moreover, Allah has made following the prophet as a proof to loving Him:
“Say (O Muhammad to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
The prophet’s tasks; to convey the message and to be a good example:
The noble prophet (PBUH) had two missions; the first one is conveying the message and clarifying it, as Allah says:
“O Messenger (Muhammad)! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message. Allah will protect you from mankind.”
And the second mission is to be a good example for people;
“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.”
We should follow the prophet’s attitudes:
Dear believing brother, the circumstances that surrounded the prophet (PBUH), and the events he faced, were created for a wise purpose; so that the prophet had the perfect attitdue which man should have to prove his humanity, and achieve the purpose of his existence. These events would probably happen frequently because human soul has one nature. Allah says:
“It is He Who has created you from a single person (Adam), and (then) He has created from him his wife, in order that he might enjoy the pleasure of living with her”
Because the battle between what the truth and the falsehood, the good and the evil, the faith and the disbelief, is an old and continuous battle, because man is man whenever and wherever he is, and he repeats himself in rising and degrading, power and weakness, belief and disbelief, so the prophet’s attitude toward the circumstances around him and the events that faced him is the attitude Allah wants us to have if in such circumstances.
Man should balance between love to his homeland and servanthood to Allah:
Man is born to love his homeland, and incline to the scenes related to his lifetime. When man is taken away from the home he raised in, the land he loved, he feels great sadness and depression. He might even prefer death to going out and being cut out from his roots. The Quran refers to this truth with the ayah:
“And if We had ordered them (saying), "Kill yourselves or leave your homes," very few of them would have done it;”
But on the other hand, man has to worship Allah through getting to know Him and His approach, through performing the ritual acts of worship such as fasting, prayer, and hajj, through adhering to the orders and prohibitions, and through good deeds which are the price of eternal happiness in the Hereafter. Allah says:
“And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).”
“O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqun.”
These are two truths; man relation to his homeland and his servanthood to Allah. How can we balance between these two truths?
No creature should be obeyed in a disobedience to Allah:
Dear brother, if a man finds in a certain country that there are powers of evil preventing him from worshipping Allah according to his pure nature, and listening to the sound of mind in applying the approach of his Creator, and if that man is not strong enough to stop these powers, what should he do? Shall he loose his eternal happiness for his inclination to land? Pay attention to the most crucial ayah about hijra (migration):
“Verily! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves, they (angels) say (to them): "In what (condition) were you?" They reply: "We were weak and oppressed on earth." They (angels) say: "Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein?" Such men will find their abode in Hell - What an evil destination!”
Wherever you do your best in which to convince sh3er to turn back to the truth and you can’t, wherever you are prevented in to worship Allah, is a place you should leave. That is the decisive answer. There must be no obedience to a creature in the disobedience of the Creator.
Thus, hijra teaches us first that if attachment to land came into conflict with heavenly calls man must prefer the highest and more continuous side, as no one could save him from the torture of Allah, and he has no excuse in choosing what degrades him.
Lessons from the prophet’s migration (hijra):
1. Hijra is to leave the place of disbelieve to the place of Islam:
Hijra is in fact a psychological attitude more than a physical journey. It is leaving the falsehood and belonging to the truth. It is to be far from evil deeds and doing good deeds. It is above all a journey from the land of disbelieve to the land of Islam.
Abdullah bin Amr bin al-Aas narrated that the prophet (PBUH) said:
“A (true) Muslim is someone from whose hands and tongue Muslims are safe; and a (true) emigrant is someone who forsakes that which Allah has made forbidden (for him).”
If emigration from Mecca to Medina is no longer there, due to the Prophet’s words
“There is no emigration after the conquest of Mecca”
It still remains possible, till the Day of Resurrection, to emigrate from the land of disbelief to that of belief. Moreover, at times when worldly allurements become so plentiful, desires and caprices so ardent, and moral corruption so widespread, truthful devoted worship is considered as a sincere emigration to Allah and His messenger. At the time when women are nearly undressed, when the liar is believed and the truthful is disbelieved, when the traitor is trusted and the honest is distrusted, in such a time:
“Worship at (times of) turmoil (i.e. worldly allurements) is like emigration to me.”
Worshipping Allah at your home town while you are surrounded with corruption, immorality, and lying, when the heart of the believer melts away for what he sees and can’t change, when misguidance spreads, obedience disappears, when people enjoin the evil and forbid the good, it is considered:
“Worship at (times of) turmoil (i.e. worldly allurements) is like emigration to me.”
2. Taking all means for the success of hijra, together with Allah’s help:
The second lesson taken from hijra is learnt from the prophet’s accurate plan for migration. Deserving Allah’s help does not mean that one should neglect anything, no matter how tiny, that is conductive to success. The prophet (PBUH) put an accurate plan for his migration; he set off in secret so as to misguide those who would chase him, he hired a well- qualified guide, and chose the cave of Thawr to the south of Mecca to hide therein in order to misguide the chasers; he assigned a definite task for each one of the people with him. He ordered one to get the news, another one to eliminate the traces of the footsteps, and a third one to get food. He also asked Ali (MABPWH) to wear his cloak and lie in his bed to misguide those who besieged his house wanting to kill him.
The perfect attitude is to use all means and put our trust in Allah:
Some people might ask: Why didn’t Allah took His prophet by Buraq from Mecca to Medina?
Allah wanted us to learn from the prophet that the perfect attitude is to use all means as if they are everything, and to put all trust in Allah as if they are nothing. The prophet (PBUH) left no room for chance. He did everything to ensure success and put his trust in the Lord of Creation, because no success could ever be achieved without Allah’s Divine Help. Such arrangements that the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), made, so numerous and careful as they were, did not stem from fear but rather from obedience to his Lord, Allah, the All-Wise, and adherence to His Divine Laws in order to teach us what to do in similar circumstances. After all, he (PBUH) did not put his trust in the careful plans and preparations he had made but rather in his Lord, All-Mighty, for when the chasers got to the cave and were about to see him there, he (PBUH), addressed his faithful companion Abu Bakr (MABPWH) saying:
“O Abu Bakr! What do you think of a couple of men Allah is the third thereof?!”
When early Muslims understood the real meaning of trust in Allah, their flags of victory fluttered over the whole world, and they occupied a prominent leading position among all peoples and nations. And nowadays, if Muslims desire to win victory over their enemies, numerous as they are, or if they wish to regain their leading position among other nations and spread Islam - the eternal Divine Message of truth, welfare and peace - they have to understand well this great lesson of the Messenger’s migration. In the occasion of hijra, we should comprehend the lessons of the prophet’s migration as we are in great need for that.
To wrap up, tawakkul “trust in Allah” means “to do all things necessary for success but not to rely on them”, and “to feel bad need of Allah’s Divine Help, Protection and Victory without any negligence of such things as required for success”.
3. Immigrants for the Sake of Allah find compensation:
Through the magnificent achievements attained by Al-Muhajiroun (The Emigrants), we are taught that whosoever emigrates from his home for the Cause of Allah finds on the earth a lot of dwelling places and plenty to live by, that all his affairs will be made easy for him, and that Allah will protect him and provide him with sustenance and livelihood. We also learn that if one leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah will certainly recompense him with better things in his religion and life, and that whosoever is preoccupied by acts of devotion and obedience to Allah leaving his mundane interests, Allah will definitely grant him the best of the present world and the Hereafter. To this effect, the prophet narrates that Allah says in a Divine Hadith:
"O My salve! You desire (something) and I desire (something else). If you surrender to that which I desire, I suffice you concerning that which you desire; but if you refuse to surrender to that which I desire, I tire you out in that which you desire and then you get nothing but that which I desire.”
And the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), also says,
“He who prefers the Hereafter to the life of this present world shall win them both; but he who prefers the life of the present world to the Hereafter shall lose them both.”
Examples of hijra to Allah from the companions’ life:
In this context, ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir Al-Juhani, one of the Prophet’s venerable Companions, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: The Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), came to Medina when I was out pasturing some of my sheep. As soon as I learnt of his arrival, I left the sheep and went to him, caring about nothing but seeing him. When I met him, I said, “O Messenger of Allah! Will you covenant me?!” The Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), said, “Who are you?” I replied, “I am ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir Al-Juhani.” He (PBUH) said, “O ‘Uqbah! Which do you like best: to covenant me an Arabian covenant- i.e. to stay where you are-, or a covenant of emigration?” “Nay, a covenant of emigration!” I replied. We were twelve men who had converted to Islam, dwelling out of Medina in order to pasture our sheep in its desert. We said to one another, “It is not good of us if we didn’t go to the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), day after day, so that he may teach us our religion and reauthor to us of that which has been sent down to him of Divine Revelation. So every day, one of us should go to Yethreb (Medina), entrusting his sheep to the rest of the men.” I said: “You go ahead one after another to the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), and leave your sheep to me to look after.” In fact, I said that because I was so careful about my sheep that I could not entrust them to anyone else. Then, my friends kept going one after another to the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), leaving their sheep with me to pasture with mine. When each one of them came back, he told me that which he heard and taught me that which he learnt from the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH). But then I thought to myself, “Woe to me! Just for the sake of a few sheep that avail nothing I lose the good company of the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), and listening directly to him!” Then I was determined to give up my sheep, and I went to the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), to be in his good company.
When “Uqbah bin ‘Amir Al-Juhani (MABPWH) decided to give up his sheep in order to accompany the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), it never occurred to him that he would become, only in ten years time, one of the prominent venerable scholars of Islam, one of the best reauthorrs of the Quran, one of the great leaders of Muslim-army, and one of the brilliant Muslim rulers. When he gave up his sheep and joined the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), it never occurred to him that he would be a pioneer of the Muslim army that conquered Damascus, the greatest city in the world at the time, and make his dwelling in its beautiful gardens, at Bab Tuma. It never occurred to him that he would be one of the great leaders who conquered Egypt, or that he would become its ruler and make his dwelling at the foot of its famous mountain Al-Muqattam, or that, later on, he would be one of the great Muslim leaders who conquered the island of Rudus in the Mediterranean.
What shall we say?!….
Indeed, the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), speaks the truth when he says,
“If you quit anything for the sake of Allah, He will certainly recompense you with something that is better for you.”
And in the Divine Hadith, Allah, Most Gracious, says,
“He who is distracted by remembering Me from beseeching Me, I shall give him more than that which I give to those who beseech (Me).”
Negative admiration of Islam is refused:
Dear brother, unless you move towards the truth, towards knowledge, towards the true believing, honest and trust worthy brother, unless you move towards the people of the truth, from disobedience to obedience, from misguidance to guidance, from the worldly desires to the happiness of being close to Allah, you are not considered a Muslim. Islam is a movement. There is nothing in Islam such as negative admiration. Most people like Islam but they don’t move. Everyone talks about the greatness of Islam and that prophet Muhamad is the master of prophets and apostles, but what have you done? With all this praise, they have done nothing. Muslims nowadays are waiting for a Divine miracle. They don’t move, they don’t call to Allah, they are indulged in disobedience to Allah, and still, they praise their religion, prophet, Quran, and everything related to them.
In the second sermon, I want to talk about another negative issue which is migration to Satan.
I say my words, asking Allah the Great to forgive me and you so ask Him forgiveness to get it, as those who ask Allah forgiveness are the winners.
Second sermon:
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, the Guardian and Protector of righteous people, and that our master Muhamad is His servant and prophet, who have the great morals. O Allah, our Lord, have peace and blessings upon our master Muhamad, his noble family, and all his companions
Migration for the sake of Satan:
Dear brother, migration for Satan is when one refuses the truth and its people to join the falsehood and its people. In the Islamic countries, the rituals of Islam are performed, they have mosques, religious lectures, sermons, obedience to Allah, some familial relations, some gratitude, and mercy. We, like all other developing countries, have countless problems, but we also have countless merits because we have this religion. We are civilized because of Islam, but unfortunately, we are not developed, while our enemies are so developed, but they are not civilized, they are savage.
When one refuses the truth and its people and joins the falsehood and its people, he goes to the Western countries. He finds that they are beautiful, all his needs are available, human rights are available. So he prefers this life to the Hereafter. He intends to stay there forever. He loses his sons, his daughters, his family, his religion, and his afterlife.
When one prefers this perishable life to the everlasting Hereafter, when he prefers his interests to his principles, and his mundane needs to his values, when migration is for secular profits or financial gains at the expense of his religion and values, and at the expense of the future of his family, sons and daughters, when migration entails offering Muslim expertise and powers to non- Muslim countries. In other words, there are millions of Muslims giving all their expertise, intelligence, and powers to non- Muslim countries, which are our enemies. When migration entails giving expertise and powers to countries other than Muslim countries, when migration weakens Muslims and strengthens their enemies, when migration is an escape of the responsibility and sacrifice, when it helps the enemy to occupy lands and exploit their wealth, when one migrates from a country in which ritual acts or worship are performed to another country which has no values, when migration is made for earning money at the expense of honor and religion, it is a migration for Satan, and the difference is huge between the two kinds of migration.
Invocation:
O Allah! We beseech You to show us the way of righteousness together with those to whom You showed it; and to give us good health together with those whom You have healed; and to be our Protector, as You are of those whom You protect; and to bless what You have bestowed on us; and to save us from the affliction that You have decreed –for You rule with justice and You are never judged; and he whom You protect shall never be humiliated and he whom You make Your enemy shall never be elevated.
Blessed and dignified are You!
And we thank You for what You have decreed, we ask Your forgiveness and we repent to You. O Allah! Please lead us to the good deeds for no one leads to them but You; please lead us to the good conduct for no one leads to it but You; please make us do well in the deen, which is our dignity, and make our lives good for it is our existence, and grant us safety on the Day of Judgment for it is our Final Destination. Please supply our life with all good things and make our death a rest from every evil.
O our Master, the Lord of all Worlds! Please make me desire what You have made lawful and reject what You have made unlawful, and make me by Your benevolence independent of all sh3er, and make my obedience to You turn me away from my disobedience; and by Your generosity and mercy elevate high the word of rightness and of the deen; lead Islam to victory, and grant Muslims dignity in every place on earth. Show us Your strength against Your enemies. O Allah, the most Generous!
