Khutba on Safar

الحَمْدُ للهِ، الحَمْدُ للهِ الذي خَلَقَ الإِنْسانَ، وعلّمه القرءانَ والبيان، وأخرجه من ظلام الجهل والكفر إلى نور العلم والإيمان، نَحْمَدُهُ تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، مَنْ يَهْدِ اللهُ فلا مضل له، ومَنْ يُضلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ، ونَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ  وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، له الملك وله الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير، ونشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا ومولانا مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُه وَرَسُولُهُ، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدّى الأمانة ونصح الأمّة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحقّ، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعَلَى آلِهِ وأَصْحابِهِ ومَنْ تَبِعَهم بإِحْسانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ.  أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَيَا عِبَادَ اللهِ اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون، يا أيها الذين آمنوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا، يُصْلِحْ لَكُم أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا، يا أيها المسلمون اتقوا الله فيما أوصى وأمر، وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر.

Muslims, we are honoured to have with us today a large number of guests, who have come here to attend a worldwide gathering of dhikr this weekend. Many of them have travelled huge distances, leaving their homes and familiar surroundings behind and have braved the hardships of the road – and indeed of the air – in order to sit here amongst us. And as the Prophet said, 

السفرُ قطعةٌ من العذاب،

“Travel is a piece of punishment.” It is one of the most taxing things that man can do, so their coming here is a tremendous thing. So, in order to honour them and their efforts, we have chosen to make today’s topic safar or travel.
Travel is divided up into three types – that which is blameworthy, that which is praiseworthy and that which is permissible. 
Blameworthy travel is any sort of travel which one makes with the intention of disobeying Allah, such as travelling for the purpose of stealing or committing zina or trading in some commodity which is haram such as alcohol. Such forms of travel bring nothing but harm and calamity upon a person’s head, no matter how sweet, lucrative or enticing they might appear at the time. About such people, Allah says:

أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا بِالْآَخِرَةِ فَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَا هُمْ يُنْصَرُونَ

the translation of which is, “Those are the people who trade the akhira for the dunya. The punishment will not be lightened for them. They will not be helped.”
Praiseworthy travel is any travel that one makes for Allah. Such journeys are sometimes obligatory and sometimes recommended and are of two types: harab or fleeing from something and talab or seeking something. 
The first is known as hijra, and is an obligation on every Muslim who finds himself in circumstances whereby he fears for his deen or life, and recommended for those who fear for their health or wealth. Allah says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيمَ كُنْتُمْ قَالُوا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا

the translation of which is, “The angels ask those they take while they are wronging themselves, ‘What were your circumstances?’ They reply, ‘We were oppressed on earth.’ They say, ‘Was Allah’s earth not wide enough for you to have made hijra elsewhere in it?’”
Hijra was the sunna of our own Messenger, who made hijra to Madina when it was no longer tenable for him to remain in Makka, and was the sunna of the Messengers before him. Allah says that Ibrahim said, when he feared for his life from his people,

إِنِّي مُهَاجِرٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي

the translation of which is ‘I am leaving this place to follow the pleasure of my Lord.” And He says about Musa, 

فَخَرَجَ مِنْهَا خَائِفًا يَتَرَقَّبُ قَالَ رَبِّ نَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ 

the translation of which is, “So he left there fearful and on his guard, saying, ‘My Lord, rescue me from the people of the wrongdoers!’”
The second – travel for the purpose of seeking something varies depending on what it is one seeks, be it something of the deen or something of the dunya. Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi, in his book Ahkam al-Quran, divides travelling for the purpose of seeking the deen into several types.
The first he calls safar al-‘ibra, which is wandering the earth in order to see the Signs that Allah has left upon the earth and to witness the wonders of his creation. Allah says,

أَوَلَمْ يَسيرُواْ فِي ٱلأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ

the translation of which is, “Have they not travelled in the earth and seen the final fate of those before them?” It is said that this was what drove Dhul-Qarnain to travel the earth.
The second is travelling for the hajj, which is an obligation on every Muslim who is able, or for ‘umra which is a sunna. And under this category, one might add any journey that one makes for the express purpose of worshipping and remembering Allah, for even the angels travel the earth searching for circles of dhikr. Abu Hurayra narrated that the Prophet said,

إن للهِ ملائكةٌ يطُوفون في الطُرُقِ يلتمسون أهلَ الذِكر، فإذا وجدوا قَوماً يذكرون اللهَ تنادوا : هلُمُّوا إلى حاجتِكم، قال: فيحُفُّونهم بأجنِحتِهم إلى السماءِ الدنيا…

“Allah has angels who wander the paths of the earth searching for people of dhikr,  and when they find them, they call out, ‘Come to what you need!’ and encompass them with their wings right up to the lowest heaven.” 
The third is travelling to fight jihad.
The fourth is travelling to visit places. Praiseworthy places to visit are of two types – ribats on the outskirts of dar al-Islam where one goes to defend the deen from its enemies, and the three Mosques. The Prophet said, 

لا تشُدَّ الرِّحالَ إلا إلى ثلاثِ مساجدَ، مسجدي هذا والمسجدِ الحرامِ والمسجدِ الأقصى

“Do not set out on a journey except to three mosques: this mosque of mine, al-masjid al-haram, and the mosque of al-Aqsa.”
The fifth is travelling to visit people, especially men of Allah, one’s family and one’s fellow Muslims. Abu Hurayra narrated that the Prophet said, 

إنّ رجلاً زار أخاً له في قريةٍ فَأَرصَدَه اللهُ تعالى على مَدْرَجَتِهِ مَلَكاً. فلما أتى عليه قال أين؟ قال: أريد أخاً لي في هذه القرية. قال: مِن نعمةٍ تَرُبُّها؟ قال: لا، غيرَ أني أحببتُه في اللهِ قال: فإني رسولُ اللهِ إليك بأنَّ اللهَ قَد أحبَّكَ كما أحببت فيه

“A man set out to visit a fellow Muslim in another town and Allah sent an angel on his way. When the man met the angel, the angel asked him, ‘Where do you intend to go?’ He replied, ‘I intend to visit a brother of mine in this town.’ The angel said, ‘Because of something he has done for you?’ He said, ‘No, I only wish to visit him because I love him for the sake of Allah.’ Thereupon the angel said, ‘I am a messenger that has come to you from Allah to tell you that Allah loves you as you love your brother Muslim.’ 
And visiting the shuyukh and the men of Allah is even more recommended, since simply looking at them is a reminder and ‘ibada and sitting in their company is increase and baraka. And that is not limited to those who are alive – the inhabitants of the grave also have their rights to your visits. Burayda narrated that the Prophet said,

كنتُ نَهيتُكم عن زيارةِ القبورِ فزُورُوها

“I had forbidden you from visiting graves, but now visit them.’ So, wherever you find yourself, make a special effort to visit the kramat – the tombs – of the awliya.
The sixth is travelling for the purpose of acquiring knowledge, especially knowledge of the Deen. The Prophet has said, 

"من سلك طريقاً يلتمِس فيه عِلماً سَهَلَ اللهُ له طريقاً إلى الجنة"

“Whoever sets out on a path in which he seeks knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path leading to the Jannah.” This is one of the highest forms of ‘ibada that a slave of Allah can do – it is considered to almost be equivalent to jihad in the way of Allah. The Prophet said,

من خرج مِن بيتِه في طلَبِ العِلمِ فهو في سبيلِ اللهِ حتى يَرجعِ

“Anyone who goes out from his house in search of knowledge is ‘in the way of Allah’ – fi sabilillah until he returns.” Many of the salaf used to travel for entire months in order to hear just one single hadith of the Messenger of Allah, often being severely tested on the way. 
The seventh is travelling to seek the means to live, such as for the purpose of hunting or gathering wood. This form of travel is not just praiseworthy, it is obligatory since we are required to seek the means to preserve our lives.
And, finally, the eighth is travelling for the purpose of trade. This latter is also said to fall under the category of permissible travel, but that depends entirely upon the intention one has when doing it. Any permissible act can be elevated to the rank of praiseworthy with the right intention and can be a means of drawing close to Allah, just as any praiseworthy act can be relegated to the rank of blameworthy with the wrong intention, and stripped of all its value and benefit and draw a person away from his Lord. One of the salaf said,

إن الله تعالى قد وكَّل بالمسافرين ملائكةً ينظرون إِلى مقاصدِهم فيٍعطَي كلَّ واحدٍ على قدرِ نيتِه. فمن كانت نيتُه الدنيا أُعطِي منها ونَقَصَ من آخرتِه أضعافُه؛ وفُرّق عليه همُّه وكثُر بِالحرصِ والرغبةِ شُغلُه.ومَن كانت نيتُه الآخرةُ أعطي من البصيرةِ والحكمةِ والفطنةِ وفُتح له من التذكرةِ والعبرةِ بقدرِ نيتِه وجُمع له همُّه ودعت له الملائكةُ واستغفرت له

“Allah has appointed angels to look at the intentions of travellers so that every one of them may be given whatever his intention is worth. Whoever’s intention is for this world will be given from it but his portion of the next world will be decreased by many times that amount. His worries will become more numerous and he will become increasingly busy on account of his desires and greed. Whoever’s intention is for the next world, however, will be given wisdom, perspicacity and inner sight and the path will be opened for him to witness reminders and signs equivalent to the strength of his intention. His worries and concerns will be gathered together and united into one and the angels will make dua for him and ask for his forgiveness.”
Muslims, travel to a gathering of dhikr cannot be for anything except the Hereafter, for it comprises at least three of the praiseworthy reasons for travelling – worship, seeking knowledge and visiting the people of Allah. So we ask Allah that He reward all of those who have made the journey here to Cape Town and keep their intentions pure.  And we ask that He benefit us all by means of their company and make this gathering a source of light for the Muslims and renewal for the deen.

أقول قولي هذا و أستغفر الله لي و لكم و لسائر 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، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين 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.

Muslims, travel is called safar in Arabic because of the fact that it yusfiru – reveals and unveils – a person’s true self and character. When a man came to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab in order to vouch for a witness’s integrity, ‘Umar asked him,

هل صحِبتَه في السفرِ الذي يُستَدلُّ به على مكارمِ أخلاقِه

“Have you accompanied him on a journey by means of which you have come to know that he is of good character.” When the man replied that he had not, Umar said to him,

ما أراك تعرِفه

“I don’t think that you know him at all.” So one of the main benefits of travel is that it enables you to well and truly come to know yourself, warts and all. And it is then and only then that one can set out on the path to self-purification, since one must first identify the disease before one can find the cure. 
Another benefit of travel is that it breaks you out of the familiar patterns and habits that hold you back and imprison you. In our nature, we are very much like water – we stagnate when we are left for a long time in one place, but become clear and sweet the more we flow and travel. When you travel, you leave your troubles behind, at least for a time, and feel refreshed and renewed.
And it is only through travel that anything of value can be acquired. The Arabs have a saying,

البركاتُ مع الحركات

“Blessings only come through movement.” And another,

ما اكتُسبت العلومُ والآدابُ والأخلاقُ إلا بالسفر

“Knowledge, adab and the good qualities of character cannot be obtained except through travel.”
Furthermore, every journey we take, every travel we set out upon, is a microcosm of our lives as a whole, and we would do well to reflect upon that. The Prophet said,

كن في الدنيا كأنك غريبٌ أو عابرُ سبيل

“Be in this world as if you are a stranger or a passing traveller.” The care with which we plan and pack for our journeys in this world should be matched by the care with which we pack and make provision for the Next World. And as Allah says, 

فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَى

the translation of which is, “the best provision is taqwa of Allah.”
Ultimately, there is but one destination, and if we want to reach it, we must travel along the straight path that has been lit up by the Prophet and our predecessors and ignore all the distractions that spring up along the way. Only then will we be among the successful ones. 
O Allah, make us amongst those to whom you grant success and make us among the people of taqwa. And guide us along the straight path – the sirat al-mustaqim, the path of those whom You have blessed, not those with whom You are angry nor those who are  misguided. Amin

إنَّ اللهَ ومَلائِكَتَهُ يُصلُّونَ على النَّبِي يَا أَيُها الذينَ آمنوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وسَلِّمُوا تَسْليماً. اللهمَّ صَلِّ وسَلِّم وبارِك عَلَيْهِ وعلى آلِهِ وصَحْبِهِ  أجمعين. 

وارض اللهم عن الخلفاء الراشدين المرشدين الحنفاء ساداتنا وأئمتنا أبي بكر وعمر وعثمان وعلي ، وعن سائر الصحابة أجمعين، خصوصا الأنصار منهم والمهاجرين، وعن التابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

اللهم اهد وُلاةَ أمور المسلمين لما يرضيك ولاتباع سنة نبيك صلى الله عليه وسلم  وثبت أقدامهم على الصراط المستقيم وأصلحهم يا رب العالمين.

اللهم بارك على شيخنا، و على أميرنا أُرهان، وعلى جميع أمراء وزعماء المسلمين.  

اللهم بارك على المسلمين في هذه المدينة ووفقهم لما تحبه وترضاه يا أكرم الأكرمين. 

اللهمّ أَعِزَّ الْلإسلامَ والمُسِلمينَ (3)  واَخْذُلِ الكُفْرَ والكافِرينَ، وانْصُرِ المُجاهِدينَ في سَبِيلِ اللهِ. واجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وكَلِمَةَ الكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلى.

ربنا ءاتنا في الدنيا حسنة وفي الأخرة حسنة وقنا عذاب النار. 

اللهم لا تضعْ في مقامِنا هذا ذنبا إلا غفرْتَه، ولا عيبا إلا سترْتَه، ولا مريضا إلا شفيتَهُ وعافيتَه، ولا مسجونا إلا طلَّقْتَ سراحَه، ولا مسافرا في برِّك وبحرِك إلا سلِمتَهُ وغنِمْتَه.

إن الله يأمر بالعدل والإحسان وإيتاء ذي القربى وينهى عَنِ الفحشاءِ والمُنكَرِ والبغي، يعظكم لعلكم تذكرون، ولَذِكْرُ اللهِ أكبر والله يَعْلَمُ ما تَصْنَعُون. وقُومُوا إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يرحمكم الله