الحمد لله الحمد لله الذي ألف بين قلوبنا، نَحْمَدُهُ، وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ، وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِهِ ونَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْهِ ،و نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهده الله فلا مضل له، ومن يضلل فلا هادي له ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير، ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، بلغ الرسالة وأدى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، وكشف الغمة، وجاهد في الله حق جهاده حتى أتاه اليقين ، اللهم صلِّ وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين، ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.
أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم. ومن يطع الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما
قال الله تعالى في كتابه الكريم: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّـهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
“O mankind, indeed We have created you from a male and a female”—referring to Nabi Adam and Saydatina Hawa, or to the fact that we are one, then Allah divided us into male and female and that each of us was born of a father and a mother—”and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another.” Therefore, none of you has any merit over the other; you are all equal in your humanity. Hence, there is no basis for boasting or superiority based on gender or lineage.
There is a slight difference of opinion amongst the scholars as regards to the exact circumstances surrounding the revelation of this verse. Some say that was in regard to an incident involving Abu Hind. Whereby the Prophet ﷺ commanded Banu Bayadah to marry Abu Hind to one of their women, and they replied: “Shall we marry our daughters to our freed slaves?” Then Allah revealed, this ayah. Some scholars say that it was revealed when a man, who had not been given space, was called by his father’s name, the Prophet ﷺ asked who the father was, and Thabit replied, “I am, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet ﷺas a lesson to all then asked him to look at the faces of the people, and Thabit saw people of different colours. The Prophet then said, “You do not excel them except by piety.” Some say it was when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed through the market of Medina and saw a black slave being sold. The slave was calling out, “Whoever buys me, let it be on the condition that he does not prevent me from praying the five daily prayers behind the Messenger of Allah.” Someone bought him, and the Prophet ﷺ would visit him. When the slave died, the Prophet ﷺ took care of his washing, shrouding, and burial. The Muhajirun said: “We migrated from our homes, wealth, and families, yet we have not seen anyone among us receive in his life or death what this slave has received.” The Ansar said: “We gave him refuge, supported him, and shared our wealth with him, yet he preferred a black slave over us.” Then the verse was revealed.
By the mere fact that we all share an ancestry that can without doubt be traced back to Nabi Adam and saydatina Hawa is the single greatest proof against the superiority by virtue of ones lineage alone. As was relayed and is well known: “No Arab has superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have superiority over an Arab; neither does a white person have superiority over a black person, nor does a black person have superiority over a white person, except through taqwa.” Furthermore, the Prophet ﷺ also said: “There are three things that are remnants of the pre-Islamic period: boasting about one’s ancestors, insulting others’ lineage, and invoking the calls of the pre-Islamic era,”
Allah created people in shu’ub which are large groups of people made up of smaller division called qaba’il to facilitate mutual recognition and connections among them, according to the wisdom Allah (SWT) has decreed. Which is to recognise each other’s lineages and ancestors so that you can know without doubt that you all come from a single source. As the prophet said
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنَّ أَبَاكُمْ وَاحِدٌ كُلُّكُمْ لآدَمَ وَآدَمُ مِنْ تُرَابٍ.
“O people, your Lord is One, and your father (Adam) is one. All of you are from Adam, and Adam was created from dust” Then Allah (SWT) mentions, the attribute by which a person is favoured and earns honour, can gain distinction and nobility in the sight of Allah.
إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّـهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ
He said: “Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you” —meaning, not the one with the highest lineage. The basis of the perfection of souls and the distinction between individuals is piety/taqwa. Whoever seeks to attain the highest ranks must pursue taqwa. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever wishes to be the most noble among people, let him do what Allah has commanded him to do and stay away from that which Allah has commanded him to stay away from.”
When a man from the Ansar married a woman and her lineage was criticized, he responded that he married her for her religion and character, not her lineage. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘It does not matter that she is not from the family of Hajjib ibn Zararah.’. The story of Hajjib ibn Zararah al-Tamimi with Khosrow (Kisra), the Persian king is a famous story among Arabs that illustrates true worth is defined by one’s character and integrity and not by wealth lineage or social status. And through these virtuous qualities one can attain wealth and status as well. Islam elevates those of low status and perfects the incomplete. The Prophet said:
إن الله لا ينظر إلى صوركم ولا إلى أموالكم، ولكن ينظر إلى قلوبكم وأعمالكم، وإنما أنتم بنو آدم
أكرمكم عند الله أتقاكم وأنتم تقولون: فلان ابن فلان وأنا اليوم أرفع نسبي وأضع أنسابكم، أين المتقون
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, Allah does not look at your outward appearances or your wealth, but rather He looks at your hearts and your deeds. You are all descendants of Adam; the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Yet you say, ‘So-and-so is the son of so-and-so.’ Today, I raise my lineage and lower your lineages. Where are the mutaqon?
The poet says:
ما يصنع العبد بعز الغنى
والعز كل العز للمتقي
من عرف الله فلم تغنه
معرفة الله فذاك الشقي
“Honour does not come from high birth; true honour is entirely for the righteous
He who knows Allah but does not let that knowledge enrich him, then he is truly unfortunate.”
أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم
الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، أرسله بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة اللهم صلِّ وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين، ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.
أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته
In this context, the context of one people or nation or race justifying their superiority over another. It is said that Sayyiduna Ali (RA) used to say: “What does the son of Adam have to be proud of? His beginning is a despicable drop of fluid, and his end is a filthy corpse, and in between, he carries waste.”
The only thing that makes sense is: ‘Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.’
Ibn Ajeebah comments on this ayah: “Know that every servant’s share from Allah is according to their taqwa, and their taqwa is according to their dedication to Allah, and their dedication is according to their freedom from distractions, and their freedom is according to their asceticism (self-denial), and their asceticism is according to their love, and their love is according to their knowledge of Allah…”
Conversely, “The fall of a servant in the sight of Allah is according to the lack of their taqwa, and the lack of taqwa is according to the weakness of their dedication or focus, and the weakness of dedication is according to the complexity of their concerns, and the complexity of concerns is according to their eagerness and desire for the world, and the desire for the world is according to the weakness of their love for Allah, and the weakness of love is according to their ignorance of Him,… And Allah knows best.”
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا ۚ وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا
“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favour of Allah upon you – when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favour, brothers…” (3:103)
It should not be possible for this ummah to be divided by nationalism, tribalism, racism, secularism, capitalism, ethnocentrism, sexism, casteism, or any other ideology that seeks to create division among us unless it is “taqwa-ism”.
النَّاسُ لآدَمَ وَحَوَّاءَ كَطَفِّ الصَّاعِ لَمْ يَمْلأوهُ
Otherwise, “People are like the children of Adam and Eve; they are like the empty part of a small container that has not been filled.” Meaning the divisions that you create for yourselves in order to falsely elevate some above others, holds no importance in the sight of Allah.
إنَّ اللّهُ لا يسألُكُمْ عَنْ أحْسابِكُمْ وَلا عَنْ أنْسابِكُمْ يَوْمَ القِيامَةِ
Ultimately, “Allah will not ask you about your lineage or your ancestry on the Day of Judgment.” Whoever is honoured by Allah Almighty has attained the means to happiness and secured the keys to salvation. There is no one more honoured by Allah than the one who maintains His limits in public and in secret.
May Allah (SWT) unify our hearts, guide us on the path, accept our efforts and grant us the strength to remain steadfast.
إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ. وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وعن أم المومنين عائشة التي أمرنا الله في سورة النور أن ندافع عنها، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شُيُوخِنَا، وَعَلَى رئيسنا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ.
اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ، اللهم ألف بين قلوبنا، ووحد صفوفنا، واجعلنا يا رب العالمين من عبادك الصالحين. ربنا آتنا في الدنيا حسنة وفي الآخرة حسنة وقنا عذاب النار.
إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.