Khutba on Wisdom and Rajab

الحمد لله، الحمد لله الذي بعبدِهِ ليلًا مِن المسجدِ الحرامِ إلى المسجدِ الأقصَى أسرَى، ثم عَرَجَ به إلى ما قاب قوسَينِ أو أدنَى، حيثُ أراهُ من ءاياتِهِ الكبرى، وأوحى إليه ما أوحى، نحمده تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا، 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، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدٌى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه 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. اتقوا الله فيما أمر وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر. قال الله تعالى في كتابه الكريم: أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا أَوْ آذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا

            Allah says in His Noble Book, the translation of which is, “Have they not travelled in the land? Do they not have hearts with which to understand or ears with which to hear.” We have been granted the capacity and the tools to know the world in which we live. And it is most important that we do so. We cannot remain oblivious to what is going on around us – we are part of this world and we have been given a job. We are our Lord’s khalifas upon the Earth. Allah says in the end of Surat al-An’am,

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَائِفَ الْأَرْضِ

            the translation of which is, “It is He who appointed you khalifs on the earth” Thus, we are charged with keeping this dunya on an even keel, preserving justice and balance upon the earth. And to do that, we have to acquire knowledge of the state of the world around us and knowledge of where it is going wrong and how to put it right. Knowledge of when to act, when to speak and when to remain silent. And when we act, we must know what to do, and when we speak, we must know what to say and to whom. Hikma is a necessary part of the Muslim’s armoury, the aqil does not throw himself needlessly in harm’s way. In these trying times, when every politician and every reporter is waiting eagerly to pounce, misquote and misinterpret everything that comes out of anyone professing to be Muslim, it is even more important to weigh our words and wait our moment. But, you must know, that even when everything appears against us, truth will always win out over falsehood, not matter the numbers or apparatus behind it. Allah says,

‫وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا

            the translation of which is, “Say: ‘Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Falsehood is always bound to vanish.’” Pharaoh was the most powerful force of his day, and his magicians had left his people awestruck and totally under his spell with their magic. But one act from one man who trusted fully in Allah, the Prophet Musa, was enough to shatter that spell and expose their magic for the empty trickery and deception that it was. This story is recounted in many places in the Quran.

            So do not despair. Allah’s deen will be victorious and you will be on the winning side. All we must do is live our lives as He has commanded us, and as the Prophet and his Companions have shown us. Lives lived in the here and now, in the moment, knowing who we are and where we are going. Wakeful lives, not oblivious ones, aware and ready to seize the moments and take advantage of any and all opportunities that present themselves to further the cause of the deen and advance ourselves along the path towards our Lord. Those opportunities, whether they be dunyawi or ukhrawi, are fleeting and are within our grasp for but a short time, so take firm hold and do not think their time will come again. Those who put things off always come to regret it. The Prophet said,

هَلَكَ الْمُسَوِّفُونَ

            “The musawwifun – those who procrastinate are destroyed.”

            It is important to be aware that not every moment is the same nor is every place. The weight of an action varies depending upon where it is done and when – the prayer in the mosque far outweighs the prayer at home, while the prayer in the mosque of the Prophet outweighs that prayed anywhere else by many thousands of times. Similarly, the nafila prayer in the dead of night outweighs that prayed in the daylight hours, as that done at various designated times throughout the year. During these special days and special months, the effects of everything you do is magnified, they are like downhill sections on the path to Allah where it is possible to make swift progress in one’s journey to Him. We are currently in the midst of one such month, the month of Rajab, one of the four months that Allah Himself declares haraam/sacred. Allah says,

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ  ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنْفُسَكُمْ

            the translation of which is, “There have been twelve months with Allah in the Book of Allah, from the day He first created the heavens and earth. Four of them are haram (sacred). That is the true deen. So do not wrong one another during them” Do not wrong one another and do not wrong yourselves by remaining oblivious to the immensity of the days that you are in. This is the month of Allah. The Prophet said,

رجبُ شهرُ الله وشعبانُ شهري ورمضانُ شهر أمّتي

            “Rajab is the month of Allah, Sha‘ban is my month and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah.” And because it is His month, He gives generously to those who honour it. Be aware. Take advantage. Stock up on right action. Don’t let the opportunity slip through your fingers. Approach your life with increased clarity and vigour, and do not let your intention and resolve become muddied or diluted. And make sure to seek your Lord’s forgiveness often, for this month is also known as the month of istighfar. We ask Allah to protect us from our laziness, listlessness and incapacity. We ask Him to make us people who live in the here and now, not people who dwell in the past or sit and wait for a future saviour, a people of action, a people who appreciate what they have been given and put it to use in the manner most pleasing to their Lord, a people that full advantage of every special moment that presents itself, and every moment is special for those who go through life ‘alaa bayyinatin min-al-amr – with full awareness of what is going on. We ask Allah to make this a month of increase and forgiveness for each and every one of us and keep us from what is haram and displeasing to Him.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله العظيم لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو التوّابُ 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 قال الله عز وجل في كتابه العزيز: سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آَيَاتِنَا إِنَّه هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

            Allah says in His Mighty Book, the translation of which is, “Glory be to Him who took His slave on a journey by night from the Masjid-al-Haram to the Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, in order to show him some of Our Signs. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” The month of Rajab is host to one of the most significant nights in the year, the Laylat al-Isra wa-l-Mi’raj, the night upon which the miraculous journey referred in the ayat above took place, when the Messenger of Allah was taken by his Lord from the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca to the Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, and from there up through the seven heavens to beyond the Lote Tree of Furthest Limit and an audience with his Lord. Both stages of this journey are considered significant enough to be mentioned in the Quran, the Night Journey to Jerusalem in the ayat I just mentioned, and the Mi’raj/ the Ascent in the beginning of surat an-Najm where Allah says,

وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَى مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَى ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَاسْتَوَى وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى فَأَوْحَى إِلَى عَبْدِهِ مَا أَوْحَى مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى أَفَتُمَارُونَهُ عَلَى مَا يَرَى وَلَقَدْ رَآَهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى عِنْدَ سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَى عِنْدَهَا جَنَّةُ الْمَأْوَى إِذْ يَغْشَى السِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَى مَا زَاغَ الْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَى لَقَدْ رَأَى مِنْ آَيَاتِ رَبِّهِ الْكُبْرَى”

            “By the star when it descends, your companion is not misguided or misled; nor does he speak from whim. It is nothing but Revelation revealed, taught to him by One immensely strong, possessing power and splendour. He stood there stationary – there on the highest horizon. Then he drew near and hung suspended. he was two bow-lengths away or even closer. Then He revealed to His slave what He revealed. His heart did not lie about what he saw. What! Do you dispute with him about what he saw? He saw him again another time by the Lote-tree of the Furthest Limit, beside which is the Garden of Refuge, when that which covered the Lote-tree covered it. His eye did not waver nor did he look away. He saw some of the Greatest Signs of his Lord.”

            So what made this journey so significant that so much of the Quran and so much of the writings of the ulama and awliya have been dedicated to it?

            Firstly, it shows the tremendous, exalted station of the Messenger of Allah and his rank in creation. Not only did he lead all the other Prophets and Messengers in prayer while on the earth, but also went past and beyond all of them, even beyond his forefather Ibrahim in the seventh heaven and beyond Jibril and the closest angels, to a station no other being had ever or will ever occupy, a station two bow-lengths away or even closer. It demonstrated beyond a shadow of doubt that he was the greatest of all creation and the most beloved to his Lord, and we have been honoured to be placed in his umma. alhamdulillah.

            It also shows us the primacy, importance and value of the prayer as an act of worship, for it was the only act of worship prescribed by Allah when the Messenger was standing in that exalted station before his Lord. All other acts were revealed while the Prophet was on the earth.

            And it reminds us of the unsurpassed quality of the people who kept the company of the Messenger of Allah, especially sayyidina Abu Bakr. When Quraysh came to him to try and shake his faith and scoffed that the Prophet was claiming he had just gone to Jerusalem and back in a single night, something not physically possible with the transport of the day, he simply said in reply, “If he says it, then it is true!” This unhesitating acceptance of the words of the Messenger of Allah and capacity to see the truth was what gained him the epithet, as-Siddiq – the true. When we hear these stories of the great men of the Sahaba, our love for them cannot help but grow, and we cannot help but gain the greatest clarity as to where and through whom the path to Allah passes. And we cannot help but despise those who disparage them and dishonour their names. That is the true path of Islam, not that practiced and preached by the hateful innovators who call themselves Shia. We ask Allah to silence them and bring them back to the Sirat al-Mustaqim.

            We will be meeting to celebrate and honour this great event this coming Thursday night, for that is the night of the 27th of Rajab. We will begin after the Maghrib prayer at 5.45 pm and continue till Isha, after which we will be serving supper. Everyone is welcome to attend. We ask Allah to grant us understanding of the true significance of what happened to the Messenger of Allah on that blessed night and to grant us access to its secrets and its fruits. We ask Him to increase us in love of His Messenger and in appreciation of the blessing that He bestowed upon us by making us part of his umma. And to once again unite that umma and join our hearts together.

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 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 وَالمُسِْلمِينَ، وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى.

رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا 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.