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The 1st Khutbah (sermon):
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and knowledge, and from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity
I bear witness that there is no Deity worthy of worship but Allah Alone, Who has no partner. O my Lord we worship You, approach You, fear You, and depend on You. O Allah, we judge but according to Your Shari'ah and we are guided by Your guidance.
I bear witness that our Master Muhammad is Allah's Servant and Messenger. O Allah's Messenger, we are in dire need of your Divine Guidance, which becomes firmer and stronger day by day. We are in dire need of your pure Sunnah, which is the right method and the Straight Path. We are in dire need of your exalted manners, which become brighter with the passage of time. You were a hero among other men and a role model among heroes.
O Allah, have Your Peace and Blessings on our Master Muhammad, his noble family, good Companions, his offspring, those who allied with him, and his followers till the Day of Judgment
Dear Allah's servants, I urge you, me included, to fear and obey Allah, and I would like now to start with that which is good.
What is worship:
Dear believing brothers in the Arab and Muslim Worlds, the topic of our Khutbah today is worship in Islam. We are discussing its reality, its purpose, and its characteristics. In fact, worship is the ultimate purpose of our existence, the secret of our happiness in this life and the price of our Lord's Paradise in the Hereafter. Allah the Almighty says:
(And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).)
How come that you disobey the Lord,
and then show off you love for Him?
That is certainly a very offensive claim.
If your love had been true,
you would have obeyed Him;
Verily the lover obeys his beloved.
Worship has a behavioral aspect which is the free-will obedience and total submission to Allah's Commands for doing or abandoning things. Worship also has a psychological aspect manifested in the absolute love for the One Who bestows upon His slaves His Blessings of existence, provision and guidance. This free-will worship must be preceded by definitive knowledge, and it must lead to real happiness for which man was created. Allah the Almighty says:
(Except him on whom your Lord has bestowed His Mercy (the follower of truth - Islamic Monotheism) and for that did He create them.)
The major purposes of worship:
If someone worships Him, He does not get any benefit, and if someone turns away from Him, it does not cause Him any harm. Neither praise increases His Dominion, nor does ingratitude decrease it. We are always in dire need of Allah, but Allah is the One Free of all needs. Verily, He is Al-Wadood (the Most Loving), Al-Kareem (the Most Generous), Al-Barr (the source of Goodnes), and Ar-Raheem (the Most Merciful). He does not enjoin on us except that which guarantees happiness and prosperity for us.
If we move from the definition of worship to talk about its noble ends and purposes, we can find the following facts.
1- Worship is the nourishment for the soul:
Worship is the nourishment for the soul, just like food and drink are for the body. The human being is not merely a physical body, which we see and feel, but rather he is a spiritual essence by virtue of which he has become the best of all creatures. Such a spiritual essence derives its life and happiness from man's being conscious of Allah the Almighty and turning to Him with love and devotion. However, it loses its life and happiness by man's being heedless of Allah the Almighty and turning away from Him. To this effect Allah the Almighty says:
(Indeed he succeeds who purifies his ownself (i.e. obeys and performs all that Allah ordered, by following the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds).)
Dear noble brothers, man's heart always has a need of Allah the Almighty; such a feeling is something that is deeply rooted therein and nothing in the whole world can replace it except a good relationship with the Lord of all existence. In fact, this is the essence of worship.
2- True servitude to Allah is the means to gain real freedom:
True servitude to Allah is the means for real freedom; and sincere servitude to Him, may His Glory be glorified, is the essence of freedom and the way to real sovereignty, because it rids the heart of servitude to other fellow humans and liberates it from submission or humiliation to false deities or modern technology that enslave mankind most badly and unjustly.
Well, man is naturally pre-disposed to feel that he is in constant need of a Lord, a Deity, to Whom he feels attached, whose Good Pleasure he seeks, with Whom he takes refuge, and whose Protection and Help he seeks. This is because man has been originally created weak in order to feel needy; and his weakness and need bring him happiness.
Had he been created strong, he would have felt self-sufficient and, hence, incur wretchedness and misery by his strength and self-sufficiency. Moreover, if such a Deity were not Allah, the One and Only, man would inevitably get confused by worshipping different numerous gods and deities, of humans and non-humans, of those who can or cannot see, of those who have or do not have minds, or of those who exist in reality or are mere illusions.
A scholar said, "He who refuses to worship Allah must inevitably worship someone or something else that enslaves and humiliates him." Man will never be safe from being enslaved and humiliated by other people unless he takes Allah, the Creator of the heavens and earth, the Lord of all Worlds, for His Deity and Protector, worshipping none but Him Alone, seeking help and protection from none but from Him, and putting his trust in none but in Him. Furthermore, man feels happy with that which pleases Allah, Alone, hates that which He, Alone, hates or makes unlawful, befriends only His righteous friends, and antagonizes only His enemies. Also, he loves only for the Sake of Allah, he hates only for the Sake of Allah, he gives others only for the Sake of Allah, and he withholds only for His Sake. The more man sincere and faithful in his worship to Allah is, the more perfect his servitude to Him is and the less need he has of others than Him. The more perfect man's servitude to Allah is, the more liberated from arrogance and polytheism he is.
3- Worship is a Divine Trial:
One of the purposes of worship is that it is meant to be a kind of Divine Trial for man. That is because the life of this world, whether short or long, is not the ultimate goal, nor is it the final end. It is the lower and perishing life, which Allah wants us to use in order to prepare ourselves for the more sublime everlasting life.
Due to Allah's Divine Wisdom, man is composed of different elements, some of which elevate him to an exalted level, while the others cause him to fall down to the lowest level. Moreover, all Divine Favors and Blessings that Allah bestows upon mankind, such as wealth, beauty, power, intelligence …etc., are neutral, i.e. they can elevate man to a higher level or degrade him to a lower one. Not to mention, they can be sources of both happiness and wretchedness, and reasons for admittance to either Paradise or to Hell-Fire. To elaborate, instincts and lusts have been installed in man, but at the same time, he has been given the reason and the strong will, and His Creator has designed a Method (i.e. the religion of Islamic Monotheism) for him and bidden him to stick to it and adhere to its commands and enjoinments. Bear in mind that man is absolutely free to make his own choices either to use his mind and will, stick to Allah's Method, and, hence, attain happiness in the worldly life and Hereafter, or to be an easy prey to his lusts and instincts, and turn away from Allah's Method, and, therefore, reap wretchedness and misery in both Abodes. Concerning this point, Allah the Almighty says:
(Verily! We have made that which is on earth as an adornment for it, in order that We may test them (mankind) as to which of them are best in deeds. [i.e. those who do good deeds in the most perfect manner, that means to do them (deeds) totally for Allah's sake and in accordance to the legal ways of the Prophet PBUH].)
Allah the Almighty also says:
(Verily, We have created man from Nutfah drops of mixed semen (discharge of man and woman), in order to try him, so We made him hearer, seer.)
4- Worship is Allah's Right upon his slaves:
Worship is Allah's Right upon His slaves. Regarding this point, pay attention to the following Hadith,
please: (Narrated Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him): "I was riding behind the Prophet (PBUH) when he (PBUH) said, "O Mu'adh! Do you know what Allah's Right upon His slaves is?" I said, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet PBUH said, "To worship Him (Allah) Alone and to join none in worship with Him (Allah). Do you know what their right upon Him is?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet PBUH said, "Not to punish them (if they do so).")
In a Qudsi Hadith, Allah the Almighty says:
(Myself, Mankind and Jinn are in a great serious state. I create them, then they worship other gods that they make for themselves; I bless them with My Bounties, then they thank someone else for what I sent them; My Mercy descends to them while their evil deeds ascend to Me; I endear them with my gifts even though I have no need for any of them, while they alienate themselves from Me with their sins even though they are desperate for My Help.)
It is by no means strange or unacceptable that Allah, Alone, should have the right to be worshipped by His slaves. Whereas, the strange and unaccepted thing is to worship other than Allah, and, hence, to give the right to those who are not its real owners! We had not been a thing to remember when He, the Almighty brought us to life, honored us, made us in the best stature and most beautiful form, taught us eloquent speech, endued us with clever minds and wisdom, and subjected other creatures for us.
In fact, worship is a kind of surrender and submission that none deserves except the Benefactor, Allah, Who bestowed upon us such marvelous Favors and Blessings as life, provision, and guidance. In this sense, no creature deserves to be offered the least worship. In other words, worship is Allah's Right upon His slaves.
5- Worship is seeking Jannah and escaping Hell-Fire:
Worship also denotes seeking Paradise and deliverance from Hell-Fire. It does not matter for the worshipper, nor does it diminish the value of his worship if it be in pursuit of Allah's Reward and for fear of His Punishment. Allah the Almighty describes the elite of His creatures: the Messengers, the Prophets, the veracious and the pious that they hope for His Mercy and fear His Torment. If such a thing had not required, Allah the Almighty, would not have described His Paradise for believers and ornamented it for them, and He would not have told them details thereof which are difficult to their minds to understand. Similarly, He would not have described the Fire for them and told them details which are hard to their minds to comprehend.
In fact, Paradise is not merely a place that is full of delightful trees, fruits, food, drink, Hour-il-'Een (female companions with beautiful big lustrous eyes), rivers and palaces. Nay! It is rather a place of Utmost Bliss, most importantly looking at Allah's Noble Countenance, listening to His Talk, being near to Him and enjoying His Good Pleasure. Allah the Almighty says:
(Some faces that Day shall be Nadirah (shining and radiant)* Looking at their Lord (Allah))
He also says in another Surah:
(But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah)
These details are mentioned in the Noble Quran.
6- The believer's worship to his Lord is a noble action:
Worship that a believer offers to his Lord is also a kind of noble character and good manners, because it symbolizes fidelity and faithfulness to Allah the Almighty, gratitude for His Favors and Blessings, and respect and glorification for the One Who is worthy of all respect and glorification. These are but manifestations of noble manners as all people of wisdom confirm. This also explains why Allah the Almighty describes the obedient and submissive believers as follows:
(Such are the people of the truth …)
(…Those! They are the truthful.)
(And of Ibrahim (Abraham) who fulfilled (or conveyed) all that (what Allah ordered him to do or convey),)
A true believer says the truth, fulfills the trust, keeps his covenants, carries out his pledges, helps
the needy and the weak, has mercy upon the young and respects the old, and he remains patient in cases of pain, suffering, adversity, and distress. Allah the Almighty says:
((Saying): "We feed you seeking Allah's Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you.)
The noble character and good manners of a true believer are a kind of worship in the sense that his criteria whereby he distinguishes virtue from vice are derived from Allah's Religion and Commands. In fact, man's own conscience is not at all infallible away from Divine Guidance; and so numerous are the individuals and communities whose conscience accepts evil and vicious deeds. Away from heavenly Guidance human mind is by no means safe from error and stray, because it is confined by environment and material circumstances and is influenced by man's desires and caprices. Moreover, traditions are by no means stable or reliable, because they are subject to change by place and time. Accordingly, moral standards of a true believer stem from the Infallible Secure Divine Source, into Which no vanity or falsehood could ever creep, namely Allah, the Almighty, The All-Wise, the Lord of the Worlds, Who never goes astray or forgets, Who is never influenced by whims or desires, or Who is never unjust. In other words, the moral standards and criteria of a true believer are derived from Allah's Perfect Divine Judgment:
(Do they then seek the judgement of (the Days of) Ignorance? And who is better in judgement than Allah for a people who have firm Faith.)
7- Worship is the only reason to have good morals:
Worship is the only means for the proper development of man's conscience. It is the only source of good manners that do not emerge from materialistic values or interests nor are influenced thereby. This is because Allah, may His Glory be glorified, is the Fountain of Good, Truth, and Beauty. Through his worship to his Lord, All-Wise, and consciousness of Him, man derives his noble character and good manners from such worship and consciousness, which are positively proportional with his steadfastness, righteous deeds, sincerity, and honesty. In other words, the most conscious of the Lord among mankind are the most pious, rightly guided and best mannered. In this context, Allah the Almighty says:
(And verily, you (O Muhammad PBUH) are on an exalted standard of character.)
Those people are the best in manners and in Allah's Sight:
(So, by your Lord (O Muhammad PBUH), We shall certainly call all of them to account* For all that they used to do.)
Unfortunately, man is sometimes evaluated according to standards other than his worship, and this is exactly what the Noble Prophet (PBUH) warned of:
(Narrated Hudhaifah: Allah's Apostle related to us, two prophetic narrations one of which I have seen fulfilled and I am waiting for the fulfillment of the other. The Prophet told us that the virtue of honesty descended in the roots of men's hearts (from Allah) and then they learned it from the Qur'an and then they learned it from the Sunna (the Prophet's traditions). The Prophet further told us how that honesty will be taken away: He said: "Man will go to sleep during which honesty will be taken away from his heart and only its trace will remain in his heart like the trace of a dark spot; then man will go to sleep, during which honesty will decrease further still, so that its trace will resemble the trace of blister as when an ember is dropped on one's foot which would make it swell, and one would see it swollen but there would be nothing inside. People would be carrying out their trade but hardly will there be a trustworthy person. It will be said, 'in such-and-such tribe there is an honest man,' and later it will be said about some man, 'What a wise, polite and strong man he is!' Though he will not have faith equal even to a mustard seed in his heart." No doubt, there came upon me a time when I did not mind dealing (bargaining) with anyone of you, for if he was a Muslim his Islam would compel him to pay me what is due to me, and if he was a Christian, the Muslim official would compel him to pay me what is due to me, but today I do not deal except with such-and-such person.)
A detailed description of the believing character:
In the Noble Quran, we find a detailed image of the believer's personality:
(Successful indeed are the believers* Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness* And those who turn away from Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk, falsehood, and all that Allah has forbidden)* And those who pay the Zakat* And those who guard their chastity (i.e. private parts, from illegal sexual acts)* Except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, for then, they are free from blame* But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors* Those who are faithfully true to their Amanat (all the duties which Allah has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts etc.) and to their covenants* And those who strictly guard their (five compulsory congregational) Salawat (prayers) (at their fixed stated hours)* These are indeed the inheritors* Who shall inherit the Firdaus (Paradise). They shall dwell therein forever.)
Notice, dear noble brother, how Allah the Almighty, makes the first characteristics of true believers their submission and solemnity in their prayers and the last of their characteristics observation of such prayers. Also, Allah the Almighty confirms that they always pay their Zakat, which is a kind of worship together with other moral virtues, such as avoiding vain talk, chastity, faithful observance of trusts and keeping their covenants and promises to Allah.
* * *
Characteristics and prerequisites of worship:
Dear noble brothers in the Arab and Muslim Worlds, after having discussed the main purposes and aims of worship, we move to its characteristics and prerequisites.
1- Worshipping none but Allah Alone:
No one but Allah, Alone, deserves to be worshipped. In fact, Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism) is the gist and essence of all Divine Revealed Messages. Allah the Almighty says:(And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad PBUH) but We inspired him (saying): La ilaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)], so worship Me (Alone and none else).")
Moreover, the secret behind the greatness of Islam is manifested, despite the profusion of its teachings, in its permanent constitution, i.e. the Noble Quran. The secret of this constitution is imbedded in Al-Fatihah (the mother of the Noble Quran, and the seven most repeated Ayaat), and the secret of Al-Fatihah is summarized in this noble Ayah:
(You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).)
The Ayah indicates that we do not worship any one but You, and we do not seek help from anyone but from You. Actually, worship is a kind of submission that no one deserves except the Benefactor. Therefore, Polytheism is a disgrace that does not befit man's dignity as a human being. It is most humiliating and disgraceful for man to worship things that have been subjugated for him such as 
stone, loam, the sun, the moon, jinn and even other human beings! How come that man prostrates to such creatures, which are subjected to him and utilized in his favor and service?! How come that he prostrates to them while the noble angels prostrated to him, by the Command of Allah, greeting and welcoming him?!
In fact, Islam has closed all ways conducive to Polytheism. Imam Ahmad and An-Nasa'i narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them:
(Ibn 'Abbas said, "A man said, to the Prophet, 'Whatever Allah wills and you will.' He said, 'You have put an equal with Allah. It is what Allah alone wills.'")
At-Tabarani reported:
(There was a hypocrite in the Prophetic era who used to do a lot of harm to Muslims; so some of the people said, 'Let us go to the Prophet (PBUH) to seek help from him against this hypocrite.' The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Help should not be sought from me, it should be sought only from Allah, may His Glory be glorified.")
2- There are no mediators between Allah and His creatures:
There are no mediators between Allah and His creatures in the way that ignorant people wrongly believe. A Muslim's belief in Allah is based on two facts: that He, the Almighty, is above all his slaves in highness, subjugation, authority, and disposal. There is nothing like unto Him, there is nothing that governs Him, and there is nothing can take place in His Kingdom but what He wills. He is Irresistible. He is ever watching His salves. He is the Irresistible, above His slaves, and He is the All-Wise, Well-Acquainted with all things. Also, there is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. All creatures are under His Dominion; they possess neither hurt nor benefit for themselves, and possess no power (of causing) death, nor (of giving) life, nor of raising the dead.
Despite His Greatness and Highness, He is close to His creatures. He is with them wherever they might be, when they are alone or with others. He listens to, watches, guards, and guides them. He gives any one who asks him, and responds to anyone who makes Du'a to Him. Allah the Almighty is close to His slaves despite his Highness, and High despite his Closeness. Well, Allah the Almighty, has combined His Highness and Greatness with His Closeness and Nearness in one Ayah. The Almighty says:
(He knows that which goes into the earth and that which comes forth from it, and that which descend from the heaven and that which ascends to it. And He is the Most Merciful, the Oft-Forgiving.)
Allah the Almighty, is more Exalted and Glorified than having mediators between Himself and His creatures, to tell him about things that He does not know or to direct His Will to do things that He does not want to do. He is far more Generous and Sublime than leaving His Divine Mercy and Paradise to some from among His salves to distribute and allot them according to their own desires. To Him, Alone, do belong Creation and Command, and to Him, Alone, does belong the Dominion of all things. Furthermore, He Alone punish or forgive others; and He is Able to do all things.
3- The accepted worship should be sincere:
The performance of worship and prayer that Allah the Almighty accepts is not mere meaningless murmurs and gestures, but rather it is meaningful, purposeful and faithful performance that is accompanied by sincere submission and truthful veneration, so that it is reflected in man's good conducts and exalted manners.
Narrated at-Tabarani on the authority of one of the noble Companions, "There was a man among us who proposed to a woman called Umm Qays. She refused to get married to him unless he migrated to Madinah. Indeed, he migrated to Madinah and got married to her. After that, we used to call him 'The Emigrant of Umm Qays.' The Prophet PBUH said:
(Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended. Thus, he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated.)
Al-Hafiz said in Al-Fath, "Scholars glorified and highlighted the significance of this Hadith. Verily, it is the all-inclusive and most useful Hadith of all Ahadeeth of the Prophet PBUH. Also, a great number of well-known religious scholars, such as Ash-Shafi'i, Ibn Hanbal, Abu Dawoud, and At-Tirmithi confirmed the importance of the above-mentioned Hadith, considering it one third of Islam. Ash-Shafi'i said, "This Hadith is related to about 60 matters of Islamic knowledge."
O Allah! We take refuge with You from saying any thing which pleases You, seeking the pleasure of anyone but You!
4- Worshipping Allah should be performed according to Shari'ah:
It is not enough for a Muslim to seek only Allah by his worship and to turn to none but to Him in prayer and devotion. Worship of Allah must be done according to the method He has legislated and the way He is content with. Allah the Almighty says:
(Say (O Muhammad PBUH to mankind). "If the sea were ink for (writing) the Words of my Lord, surely, the sea would be exhausted before the Words of my Lord would be finished, even if we brought (another sea) like it for its aid."* Say (O Muhammad PBUH): "I am only a man like you. It has been inspired to me that your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God i.e. Allah). 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.")
Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, used to make this Du'a, "O Allah! Make all my
work righteous; let it be only for Your Sake, and let it be not shared by others (with You)."
Pay attention to Allah's following Words, please:
(…That He may test you which of you is best in deed.)
Al-Fudail bin Iyadh said, "It means that Allah may test whose deed among you is sincere and proper." He was asked, "O Abu Ali! What do you mean by sincere and proper?" He replied: "When man's deed is done sincerely but improperly, it will not be accepted; and when it is done properly but insincerely, it will not be accepted, either." To clarify this point, the sincere deed is that which is done for the Sake of Allah and His Good Pleasure; and the proper deed is that which conforms to the Prophetic Sunnah. This is because Islam is made up of two basic fundamental elements: to worship Allah, Alone, joining no partners with him in worship, and to worship Him according to His Religion and Shar'e (Islamic Law).
Pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "If anyone introduces in our matter something which does not belong to it, will be rejected".)
The narration of Muslim says:
(If anybody introduces a practice which is not authenticated by me, it is to be rejected.)
Allah, Alone, is the Legislator, and the Prophet PBUH is the conveyer of Allah's Message, while we should be strict adherents to Allah's Commands, for all Good lies in following and adherence. To this effect, Allah, the Almighty, says:
(…Then whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery.)
In his first Khutbah he delivered upon the Noble Prophet's death, the first rightly guided Khalifah (Caliph) Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I am only a follower; I am not an innovator."
Innovation in religion:
Dear believing brothers in the Arab and Muslim Worlds, innovation is the gap from which Shaitan (Satan) has been able to sneak into the minds and hearts of a great many religious people. Through innovation, Shaitan has spoiled people's religion, destroyed their Faith and acts of worship, and left the door open for a lot of corruption and mischief. Through innovation, polytheism and paganism have crept into generations and peoples, making them worship false deities besides Allah, the One and Only.
It is innovation that has made people associate other partners with Allah in worship, for which He sent no authority, and called upon those that could do neither good nor harm for them, claiming, "Such are our intercessors with Allah." In addition, from innovation, religious immoderation and over-stringency have come, and, hence, difficulty, hardship, embarrassment, burdens, and shackles, to innovators, who have invented for themselves various kinds of hard unbearable acts of worship. Furthermore, by way of innovation, innovators have made unlawful the good things that Allah has made lawful. Needless to say, in the name of religion, they have neglected the life of this world; in the name of Faith they have demolished civilization; and in the name of spiritual purification, they have tormented their bodies.
Due to innovation, grievous alterations, serious distortions and horrible deviations, have come into existence, and many people fall into them, causing their efforts to be wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds.
Dear believing brothers in the Arab and Muslim Worlds, Allah's Religion is by no means a field for creation and innovation. It is definitely Tawqif (It is Revelation that does not accept any addition to or deletion from), so it should be preserved as such and protected from any kind of change, alteration, misinterpretation, deformation, or distortion.
The real field for invention, creation, updating and renewal are worldly affairs; and Muslims are in bad need of improving their worldly affairs and ways of livelihood, by increasing their income, utilizing their resources, which Allah has laid down in their earth, and manufacturing them by their hands. They are in a dire need to eat that which they grow, dress that which they weave, and invent their own machines and equipment, so that they may achieve independence and autonomy.
Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, one day passed through a Muslim town, where he found that economic and commercial activities were not in the hands of Muslims. Therefore, he scolded and upbraided them saying, "What will be your position after you have enslaved yourselves to them?!" This rightly guided Khalifah realized, by virtue of his insight, that a producer is strong and a consumer is weak, and that a strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak one. In this context, the Noble Prophet PBUH once held the hand of Ibn Mas'oud, which was rough because of hard work, raised it up in front of his Companions and said:
(Verily, Allah and His Messenger love this hand.)
* * *
The 2nd Khutbah:
Opposing the Creator's Instructions:
Dear noble brothers, the audience and the attendants, for the proper use, maintenance and function of a certain machine, the manufacturer's instructions and directions must be strictly followed. This is because the manufacturer is supposedly the best one who knows about the machine and how to
be used and maintained. As for man and his life, happiness and prosperity in both abodes, Allah the Almighty is the Maker and the Originator. Hence, He is the Only One Who knows what makes man happy and prosperous. He the All-Wise, says: (And none can inform you (O Muhammad PBUH) like Him Who is the All-Knower (of each and everything).)
Worship – in essence – is a kind of voluntary submission and complete adherence to the Divine Method of Allah the Almighty Allah, the Creator of mankind, the Lord of mankind, and the Deity of mankind. Such Divine Method of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, is closely linked with the laws and systems of the whole universe. In other words, the relationship existing between Allah's Divine Commands and their consequences is a scientific one, i.e. a cause-and-effect relationship.
One of Allah's Divine Commands is the strong forbiddance of eating the flesh of dead animals and blood. Thus, when, in some countries, cows were fed blood and the flesh of dead animals, crushed and dried up, they were afflicted by a very serious disease in their brains, namely the mad cow disease, which can be transferred to mankind, as some researchers confirm, by eating the meat, fat, grease, crushed bones, milk, dairy, bowels, and other products of the cows with this disease, including the make-up substances derived from their fat.
The most prominent symptoms of such a disease on mankind are: depression, anxiety, amnesia, loss of muscular coordination, loss of motional balance, blindness, loss of the ability to speak, and even death within a period of one year.
Causes of mad cow disease:
The causes of such a disease have not been discovered yet, although it has been found out that its incubation lasts for several years. It has no immunity features; and its causes can stand the temperature of 120 degrees C. for one hour.
The appearance and spread of mad cow disease in those countries forced them to burn 11.000.000 cows, i.e. 33 billions in their currency.
Cows have been originally created so as to eat plant fodder; but when they were fed things that Allah has forbidden, namely flesh of rotten dead animals and blood, they were afflicted by such very dangerous disease, the mad cow disease, which is the result of mad man disease when he disobeyed the Maker's Instructions. To this effect, Allah the Almighty, says:
(Do they not see that We have created for them of what Our Hands have created, the cattle, so that they are their owners* And We have subdued them unto them so that some of them they have for riding and some they eat* And they have (other) benefits from them (besides), and they get (milk) to drink, will they not then be grateful?)
They have changed the creation of Allah the Almighty, while it was better for them to follow the All-Knower, the All-Aware. Allah the Almighty Allah says:
(Evil (sins and disobedience of Allah, etc.) has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned (by oppression and evil deeds, etc.), that Allah may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return (by repenting to Allah, and begging His Pardon).)
It goes without saying, however, that great precautions have been taken, by the Grace of Allah, in our country to prevent this dangerous disease from entry.
