Khutba on Syrian Crisis
الحَمْدُ لِله، الحَمْدُ لله الذِي بارك في بلاد الشام، وَجَعَلَهُ عُقرَ دار الإسلام، نَحْمَدُهُ تَعَالَى وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ، وَنَشْكُرُهُ تَعَالَى وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَسْتَغِيثُهُ، نَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِ اللهُ فَهُوَ المُهْتَدِ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِّيّاً مُرْشِداً، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ المُلْكُ وَلَهُ الحَمْدُ، يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ، بِيَدِهِ الخَيْرُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا وَمَوْلاَنَا مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَحَبِيبُهُ وَصَفِيُّهُ، بَلَّغَ الرِّسَالَةَ وَأَدَّى الأَمَانَةَ وَنَصَحَ الأُمَّةَ، النَّبِيُّ الأُمِّيُّ الذِي أَرْسَلَهُ اللهُ بِالْهُدَى وَالدِّينِ الحَقِّ، بَشِيراً وَنَذِيراً بَينَ يَدَيِ السَّاعَةِ، صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.
أَمَّا بَعْدُ! فَيَا عِبَادَ اللهِ اتَّقُوا اللهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ. يَأَيُّهَا الذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللهَ وَقُولُواْ قَولاً سَدِيداً يُصْلِحْ لَكُمُ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفُرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ. وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزاً عَظِيماً. اِتَّقُواْ اللهَ فِيمَا أَمَرَ وَانْتَهُواْ عَمَّا نَهَا عَنْهُ وَزَجَرَ.
Neither is this conflict sectarian, for that implies that both sides are from the same religion. They are not, for the Alawite movement has not and never has had any connection with Islam. Indeed, up until recent times they were known as the Nusayriyya and only starting calling themselves the Alawiyya to make themselves seem less alien to the Muslim majority. For the name Alawiyya implies no more than a kinship to Ali and thus makes it seem like they are no different from the Alawi kings of Morocco or Jordan. But the truth is far more sinister. The Nusayris practice a form of twelver Shi’ism so extreme that it deifies Ali and denies all the practices of the deen almost without exception. When Ibn Taymiyya was asked about what he thought of them, he said,
هَؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمُ الْمُسَمَّوْنَ بالْنُصَيْرِيَّة هُمْ وَسَائِرُ أَصْنَافِ الْقَرَامِطَةِ الْبَاطِنِيَّةِ أَكْفَرُ مِنْ الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى ؛ بَلْ وَأَكْفَرُ مِنْ كَثِيرٍ مِنْ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ، وَضَرَرُهُمْ عَلَى أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَعْظَمُ مِنْ ضَرَرِ الْكُفَّارِ الْمُحَارِبِينَ مِثْلَ كُفَّارِ التَّتَارِ والفرنج وَغَيْرِهِمْ
“These people who are known as the Nusayris, they and all the other types of esoteric Qaramatians, are more kafir than the Jews or Christians. Indeed, they are even more kafir than many of the idolators. They have done greater harm to the umma of Muhammad than that caused by the warring kafirs such as the Franks, the Mongols and others.” This is the roots of the minority that rules Syria today.
But have they not been accepted with open arms into the folds of the mainstream Shia in recent years, some people might say? Yes, that is so. Indeed, the prominent Shia cleric Musa as-Sadr issued a fatwa in 1973 declaring them to be twelvers. Iran has become the Syrian regime’s closest ally and staunchest friend, supplying them with all the equipment and know-how necessary to oppress, torture and suppress. And this alliance continues to go from strength to strength with the Shia influence over Syria growing by the day, to the extent that today we find in a state that still purports to be secular, the cultivation and restoration of Shia shrines, and the building of Shia schools and even a planned Shia university, with permits to build them being granted almost immediately. The influence of the Shia over one of the heartlands of the Muslims has never been so strong and some misinformed people see no problem in this. Are we not all Muslims? Isn’t mainstream Shi’ism simply a slightly different form of Islam? This is the popular line of the revisionists and modernists, including the previous and current grand Muftis of Syria, and it is this thinking that led to the abomination, the rewriting of the parameters of the deen of Allah, that was the Amman declaration. The truth of the matter is that the Shia are not a sect of Islam, they are an early deviation that split away from the main body of the Muslims, and established their own religion based on blood inheritance. Much of what they believe and espouse is at total variance with the correct deen of Allah. For example, they curse those from whom we received our deen, the Companions and wives of the Messenger of Allah, and have established a cult of the dead, turning mourning into a yearly act of worship. Indeed, the well-known scholar, Ibn Hazm, said about them,
إن الروافض ليسوا من المسلمين…و هي طائفة تجري مجرى اليهود والنصارى في الكذب والكفر
“The rawafid are not from among the Muslims… They are a grouping that follows the same course as the Jews and Christians in terms of their lying and kufr.” These rawafid have always viewed the Muslims as their natural enemy – and I do not use the term ‘Sunni Muslim’ because that indicates that there is some other form of Muslim. There is not – the only way to be Muslim is to follow the Sunna of the Messenger and his Companions. When Ismael as-Safawi established his Shia state in Iran in the 1500s, he did so with the express purpose of fighting against the Ottoman Muslim leadership of the time and weakening their power, and to that end he massacred every non-Shia he could get his hands on and attacked the Ottoman empire time and time again. It was their treachery and enmity against Islam that caused Sulayman the Magnificent to lift his siege of Vienna, when on the very point of conquering most of mainland Europe, in order to go and repel the Shia from his eastern flank. May Allah rescue the people of Syria from their treachery and lies and give victory to His deen.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ الْعَظِيمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ.
الحَمْدُ لِله، الحَمْدُ للهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ كَمَا يَنْبَغِي لِجَلاَلِ وَجْهِهِ وَعَظِيمِ سُلْطَانِهِ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، صَلَّى اللهُ وَسَلَّمَ وَبَارَكَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ، وَالتَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.
أَمَّا بَعْدُ! فَيَأَيُّهَا الذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَاسْمَعُواْ وَأَطِيعُواْ وَأَنْفِقُواْ خَيْراً لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ. يَا عِبَادَ اللهِ أُوصِيكُمْ وَإِيَّايَ بِتَقْوَى اللهِ وَطَاعَتِهِ، وَأُحَذِّرُكُمْ وَإِيَّايَ عَنْ مَعْصِيَتِهِ وَمُخَالَفَتِه؛ قال الله تعالى في كتابه العزيز إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
Allah says in His Noble Book, the translation of which is, "Allah does not change what is with a people until they change what is in themselves." And He also says,
وَإِنْ عُدتُّمْ عُدْنَا
The translation of which is, "If you return, We will return." The people of Syria have to realise that the onus is on them, their tragic situation will not change for the better until they turn to Allah and seek His help and His help alone and stop looking elsewhere. They have to raise high the banner of Islam. The battle cry of the Muslims is not hurriyya nor democratiya, it is la Ilaha illa’llah, Muhammadun rasulu’llah.
The Syrian people are being told that their only hope for peace is to turn to the outside, to foreign powers for help. Their only choice is to put their trust in Kofi Annan and the UN and accept their six point peace plan of the UN and Kofi Annan, or watch their country slip deeper and deeper into bloodshed and violence. Muslims of Syria, do not be fooled. This peace plan will not benefit you. Most likely it will have no effect at all, if anything strengthening Assad’s grip on power. And if it does bring change, it will simply be the exchanging of one form of tyranny for another. For no good has ever come from taking non-Muslims as protectors and friends. Allah says,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى أَوْلِيَاءَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّهُمْ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ
the translation of which is, “You who believe! do not take the Jews and Christians as your friends; they are the friends of one another. Any of you who takes them as friends is one of them.” They have their own agenda, and the more you come to rely on them the further they take you from Allah, until you either become like them or enslaved to them, financially, psychologically and ideological. Their promises are empty, because in reality, they have no power or might to help. Allah says about those who put their hopes in the kuffar,
the translation of which is, “Do those who take the unbelievers as protectors and friends, rather than the believers, hope to find power and strength with them? Power and strength belong entirely to Allah.” In his tafsir of this aya, al-Qurtubi says that such people are the hypocrites. They claim Islam, but think their Lord to be powerless and all the power to reside with his enemies. They put their trust, not just in the kuffar but also in all of their methods, techniques and systems. They do not just take them as friends, but follow their ways slavishly, giving the truth to the words of the Prophet,
لتتبعن سنن من قبلكم شبرا بشبروذراعا بذراع حتى لو دخلوا جحر ضب لدخلتموه
“You will follow the ways of those who came before you, inch by inch and cubit by cubit, to to such an extent that were they to enter into a lizard hole, you would follow them in.” This is the reality of the Ikhwan al-Muslimin, with their calls for democracy and power sharing. Recently in a meeting in Istanbul, their leader Riad ash-Shaqfa said, "We want a democratic Syria and we do not want to control the country alone.” With their lizard-hole Islam, they are a part of the problem, not the solution. And the poverty and stupidity of their approach is aptly demonstrated by the 1982 Hama massacre where 20,000 men, women and children were slaughtered by Bashar al-Assad’s father. For, in a meeting in London, they had informed a bunch of Iranian clerics of their plans to rise up against Assad and those clerics promptly divulged those plans to their government who told Assad. Thus, their action in seeking the support of other than Allah led to their downfall and helped to cement Assad into power.
The people of Syria must look to Allah alone and raise high the banner of His deen and stop looking to anyone else. Allah says,
إِنَّمَا وَلِيُّكُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ
the translation of which is, “Your friend is only Allah and His Messenger and those who believe: those who establish the prayer and pay zakat, and bow." Their only friend is Allah and He will give victory to those who believe in Him, follow His Messenger and make the establishment of His deen their priority – prayer and zakat, ibada and mu’amala. When they make that step, victory from Allah will swiftly follow.
يَا رَبِّ وَانْصُرْ دِينَنَا الْمُحَمَّدِي وَاجْعَلْ خِتَامَ عِزِّهِ كَمَا بُدِي
وَاحْفَظْهُ يَا رَبِّ بِحِفْظِ الْعُلَمَا وَارْفَعْ مَنَارَ نُورِهِ إِلَى السَّمَا
وَاعْفُ وَعَافِ وَاكْفِ وَاغْفِرْ ذَنْبَنَا وَذَنْبَ كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ يَا رَبَّنَا
وَصَلِّ يَا رَبِّ عَلَى الْمُخْتَارِ صَلاَتَكَ الْكَامِلَةِ المِقْدَارِ
صَلاَتَكَ الَّتِي تَفِي بِأَمْرِهِ كَمَا يَلِيقُ بِارْتِفَاعِ قَدْرِهِ
ثُمَّ عَلَى الآلِ الْكِرَامِ وَعَلَى أَصْحَابِهِ الْغُرِّ وَمَنْ لَّهُمْ تَلاَ
وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي بِحَمْدِهِ يَبْلُغُ ذُو الْقَصْدِ تَمَامَ قَصْدِهِ
O Lord, help our Muhammadan deen, and make it end mighty as it began.
Preserve it, O Lord, through the preservation of the scholars, and raise the minaret of its light to heaven.
Pardon, grant well-being, make up for our deficiency and forgive our sins and the sins of every Muslim, O our Lord.
O Lord, bless the Chosen one with your perfect prayer of blessing.
Your prayer is that which grant success in his business as befits his lofty worth.
Then bless his noble family and glorious Companions and those who have followed them.
Praise belongs to Allah by whose praise those with an aim completely fulfil that aim.
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، 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 شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ.
اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِلمِينَ (3) وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمَتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى.
رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ.
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.