As-salāmu ˋalaykum dear brothers and sisters and students of knowledge.
I normally don’t do this, but after recent events and reactions we’ve seen concerning a khutbah our beloved Shaykh Younus Kathrada gave (khutbah was on the ruling of congratulating non-Muslims during their festivals), a few things became abundantly clear – in case they weren’t before. So, I wanted to take a few minutes to highlight what his khutbah brought to light:
1. How blurred the line between īmān (faith) and kufr (disbelief) has become:
I recall many years ago when I read the ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from ˋĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها) who narrated that she heard the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) say, “The night and the day will not depart [meaning come to a permanent end] until al-Lāt and al-ˋUzzā are worshipped [again],” the first thing that came to my mind back then was how could this ever be possible? How can the worship of these two idols, whose worship was abolished in Arabia for being the very essence of shirk (polytheism), find its way back to relevance and existence? The answer to both these questions is before our faces today: The reality is, many Muslims, especially those who live amongst non-Muslims, either never had a true grasp on the essentials of tawḥīd (monotheism as founded in Islām), or followed blindly those who sold their place in the ākhirah (Afterlife) for a voice in the dunyā (worldly life) – simply to appease the kuffār who will never acknowledge them anyway. Because of this, they take offence when they hear (as though for the first time) the stance of Islām against kufr.
When “Muslims” cannot understand how congratulating a people on a day they take to be the day their ilāh (god) was born on is kufr, then not only have the lines of imān and kufr been blurred, but they’ve been outrightly crossed. Then they will try to argue and say, “But we don’t believe that, so there’s nothing wrong with it.” ANSWER: Everything is wrong with it. It is never acceptable to wish someone a blessed day or time for committing disobedience to Allāh. Would you ever wish someone a “merry” time for committing zinā (adultery)? Or, “Happy murdering spree!” Then how about doing this when they are doing what is worse than zinā or murder? – a point that will be addressed shortly (إن شاء الله).
The example of how we are to deal with non-Muslims is found in the sunnah of our Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم). People tend to forget the fact that he and the Ṣaḥābah (Companions) lived amongst Jews and Christians. Never once will you find an instance where they congratulated the kuffār on their days of celebration. Did they have the opportunity to do it? Absolutely. Did they ever do it? Never, because they knew what this entails and would never compromise their dīn.
2. How far we’ve entered into the realm of the strangers
In line with what was just mentioned, in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, we find that Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Islām began as strange, and will return to being strange just as it started.” When the Mushrikīn (polytheists) would see the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) pray at the Ka'bah, they would ask the Quraysh what he was doing? Without a doubt, his call to tawḥīd and his acts of worship were outside the norm that they were accustomed to. And look at the state of the Muslims today. On top of the fact non-Muslims were attacking Shaykh Younus for his khuṭbah, many “Muslims” were doing so as well!
I had an opportunity to listen to his khuṭbah in its entirety (والحمد لله) and everything he Shaykh said was either a direct quote from the Qur’ān (and not taken out of context like some ignorant ones claim), or actions and statements of the scholars; they were not his own words. When more so-called Muslims attack the Shaykh instead of defend him, it goes to show how strange Islām has become. Few will speak and uphold the truth, while more will uphold and follow falsehoods. When those who cover their faces/heads, and those who lengthen their beards and shorten the length of their thawbs/pants are looked upon as being strange now, just imagine what the years ahead await those who follow what we find in the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah of His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
3. How senseless (stupid?) many who leave disparaging comments are:
It never fails to amuse me how many people are offended by the sermons of imāms who speak the truth and say things like the disbelievers are in the Fire, or hated by Allāh (عز وجل), or the like from that which is found in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah. Do they not realize how stupid they make themselves look by commenting on a sermon given to MUSLIMS about what ISLAM teaches?! Ask a Christian priest if a Muslim or a Jew will be in Paradise? Or a rabbi if a Muslim or a Christian will be in Paradise? Why would a non-Muslim listening to a sermon given to Muslims about what Islām preaches expect to hear differently?!
And
then they regurgitate statements like, “He’s promoting hate,” or “He’s
preaching intolerance,” to try and incite sheep who get a rise when
hearing these slogans. And then ask any of these people if they’ve ever
hated a co-worker or a neighbor, and see if this hate manifested itself
as a physical confrontation with them or an inability to work or live
with them. All the Abrahamic faiths preach what is accepted by God and
what is not, and what is loved by God and what is hated (yes, even in
the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament one will find references to
people God “hates,” but very few people read). And if the comments are
made by Muslims, then points 1 and 2 are all the more relevant.
4. Yes, shirk is worse than murder, stealing, or committing adultery
This is stated clearly by Allāh (عز وجل), and therefore, it has to be the belief of all Muslims. What the Shaykh quoted from Ibn Taymiyyah and others was that since congratulating a person on shirk is an approval of that action, then as Muslims, we know this is the only sin Allāh (عز وجل) will not forgive. Other major sins (such as murder, theft, and adultery) will not remove a person from Islām – even if they committed all of them. Committing a single act of shirk will. This is a fundamental principle Muslims need to understand and know as Allāh (عز وجل) states:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَىٰ إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا
Indeed, Allāh does not forgive association with Him (shirk), but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allāh has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin [an-Nisā’ 4:48]
5. Many think we care about their opinions
The beauty about the religion and why Islām stands out above others is that it doesn’t care about what Ahmad, who lives down the street, thinks about a legislative matter. Unless the person is a person who is qualified to perform ijtihād, their opinions are meaningless and weigh absolutely nothing when it comes to considering matters of the sharī'ah. And if a person doesn’t even know what ijtihād means, then all the more reason for them to stay out of the kitchen.
Legislative matters are not based on emotions, feelings, or even personal experiences; they are based on clear evidence and text from the Qur’ān and the sunnah. It also never ceases to amaze me how many people think they are qualified to give an opinion when the foundation of their knowledge is based on their personal feelings, books on Islām written by non-Muslims, or because they’ve heard a few lectures here and there. All those who say, “You’re wrong” and don’t give evidence from the Qur’ān or the sunnah as to why the statement is wrong need to face the harsh reality that their opinion counts for jack squat. This is a simple basic principle in uṣūl-ul-Fiqh. If a person isn't sure what this is either, then suffice it to say, they're not qualified to comment on legislative matters.
Being a Muslim doesn’t automatically entitle a person to an opinion. I’ll go a step further: Having a degree in Islām from a university doesn’t entitle a person to an opinion in Islām. How many statements that clearly go against the sharī'ah are heard these days from those who have university degrees in Islām – opening doors that conform to what are popular opinions today – and yet these statements are easily rebuffed with evidences from the Qur’ān and sunnah by those who do not hold a single degree?
What we’ve witnessed over the last few days is not unexpected; in fact, it was prophesized and will only get worse. These events, and what is surely worse to come, should elevate the īmān of those who remain steadfast, because they give testimony to the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
We ask Allāh (عز وجل) to make firm those who speak the truth and do not fear the blame of those who ignorantly fault them, and to give voice to those who have knowledge so that they continue to extinguish falsehood whenever it arises.
1 Jumādāl-Awwal 1440 / January 7, 2019
Abu Ubadah, Harith Al-Shiraida
4. Yes, shirk is worse than murder, stealing, or committing adultery
This is stated clearly by Allāh (عز وجل), and therefore, it has to be the belief of all Muslims. What the Shaykh quoted from Ibn Taymiyyah and others was that since congratulating a person on shirk is an approval of that action, then as Muslims, we know this is the only sin Allāh (عز وجل) will not forgive. Other major sins (such as murder, theft, and adultery) will not remove a person from Islām – even if they committed all of them. Committing a single act of shirk will. This is a fundamental principle Muslims need to understand and know as Allāh (عز وجل) states:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَىٰ إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا
Indeed, Allāh does not forgive association with Him (shirk), but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allāh has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin [an-Nisā’ 4:48]
5. Many think we care about their opinions
The beauty about the religion and why Islām stands out above others is that it doesn’t care about what Ahmad, who lives down the street, thinks about a legislative matter. Unless the person is a person who is qualified to perform ijtihād, their opinions are meaningless and weigh absolutely nothing when it comes to considering matters of the sharī'ah. And if a person doesn’t even know what ijtihād means, then all the more reason for them to stay out of the kitchen.
Legislative matters are not based on emotions, feelings, or even personal experiences; they are based on clear evidence and text from the Qur’ān and the sunnah. It also never ceases to amaze me how many people think they are qualified to give an opinion when the foundation of their knowledge is based on their personal feelings, books on Islām written by non-Muslims, or because they’ve heard a few lectures here and there. All those who say, “You’re wrong” and don’t give evidence from the Qur’ān or the sunnah as to why the statement is wrong need to face the harsh reality that their opinion counts for jack squat. This is a simple basic principle in uṣūl-ul-Fiqh. If a person isn't sure what this is either, then suffice it to say, they're not qualified to comment on legislative matters.
Being a Muslim doesn’t automatically entitle a person to an opinion. I’ll go a step further: Having a degree in Islām from a university doesn’t entitle a person to an opinion in Islām. How many statements that clearly go against the sharī'ah are heard these days from those who have university degrees in Islām – opening doors that conform to what are popular opinions today – and yet these statements are easily rebuffed with evidences from the Qur’ān and sunnah by those who do not hold a single degree?
What we’ve witnessed over the last few days is not unexpected; in fact, it was prophesized and will only get worse. These events, and what is surely worse to come, should elevate the īmān of those who remain steadfast, because they give testimony to the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
We ask Allāh (عز وجل) to make firm those who speak the truth and do not fear the blame of those who ignorantly fault them, and to give voice to those who have knowledge so that they continue to extinguish falsehood whenever it arises.
1 Jumādāl-Awwal 1440 / January 7, 2019
Abu Ubadah, Harith Al-Shiraida
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