<![CDATA[Khutbah Khaos - Khaos Blog]]>

<![CDATA[Khutbah Khaos - Khaos Blog]]>Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:20:08 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[So-So Khutbah at MEC... Could have been worse.]]>Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:45:48 GMThttp://www.khutbahkhaos.com/2/post/2013/04/so-so-khutbah-at-mec-could-have-been-worse.html

MEC	I returned to MEC today for their Jummah Khutbah. I never like going here, but I am an optimist and really want people to succeed, even if they tend to be the obstacles to their own success. Today's khutbah is proof of that. The khutbah is transcribed below for your enjoyment.

Get a better look by clicking

We ask Allah sincerely on this day, in this house of Allah, at this time, we hope Allah accepts the dua. There is a special time that we do not know during the day of Jummah that Allah accepts prayers.

We ask Allah to give us the best way to die. That is the goal of every Muslim in this dunya. That we die saying the shahadah (Testimony of faith).

We will be talking about a verse from Surah Ibrahim.

The ayah, what does this ayah mean. "Closest translation in English. If you were to count, ni'mah, blessing, you cannot [count them]." Sneezing is a big blessing. What is the biggest blessing we have? Din (religion), number one, for which we recite Alhamdulillah for that.

Indeed Allah is very merciful and forgiving.

Dear Muslims, the question is this, once we bring our children together and read this ayah, how can we understand what Allah is saying to us?

Before we eat we say Bismillah and eat with the right hand. Unless you are handicapped, just fear Allah as much as you can.

Sit down eat together, not running around, sunnah of prophet.

Hadith by Sahih Muslim and Bukhari:

Anas (R) said, the Prophet (S) said, Allah indeed is pleased with his servants when he eats and says Alhamdulillah.

If Allah is pleased with you, this is an honor for us. We must teach our children to say Alhamdulillah and not waste or over spend.

People don't even have clean water, and all we have to do is turn on the faucet and there is water.

When we read the Qur'an, we see the family of Daud (A), 24/7 someone in the family is doing something good, praying, charity, etc. Allah said for him to continue being grateful.

Abdul Shakur, what does this name mean. The one and only....[khatib trailed off]

The Prophet never complained about food. We have divorces in the community, not this one specifically, generally, divorce because the wife cooked the food in a certain way. We should not be a nation of arrogant people.

Once the Prophet came in front of a man and he started shaking with nervousness, the prophet told him not to, I am just a son of a woman. And this is the Messenger saying this.

We can't go around calling everyone shaikh, we have to be humble.

We ask Allah to make us among those that are thankful.

The Prophet said that whoever does not thank the people does not give thanks to Allah.

You must respect the stop sign, if you don't, you have taken the right of another. Look our din controls us before that red sign.

This hadith, the Prophet describes the time that will come, fitan is plural of fitnah. Fitnah is controversy. Problems, it will come like a dark night, we ask Allah to protect us from this. A man will wake up a mumin (believer) and sleep a kafir (non-believer).

"We ask Allah to teach this din to our children. We have to teach our children, be patient and hold to your din until you meet me in the harb...."

The people of Lut (A) were homosexual, homosexuality has not been accepted by our din, Allah accepts male and female and puts regulations between them, we must explain them, you want to go to Jannah, don't be like the people of Lut (A). Allah made the angels lift up the city and crush it. It is the lowest point on earth, if you look on google, you will see this.

We ask Allah on this day of Jummah to protect us and gve us patience. Amin.

______________________________________________________________________________

The khutbah was mediocre at best. Nothing inflammatory really sticks out. The khatib made some good points, I just wish he expanded on them a little more.

For example, the khatib referenced the hadith regarding when a man who was in the presence of the Prophet (S) began to tremble, and out of the Prophet's wisdom and consideration calmed the man and humbly told him that he was a son of a woman as well. Fortunately, the khatib said this immediately after, "And this is the Messenger saying this." For one, this point affirms, in my mind, that the khatib is not leaning towards Salafism where they degrade the maqam or station of the Prophet to that of an ordinary human being.

The Prophet was indeed extraordinary. He refered to himself as a man, as commanded by God, but also as a kind, also commanded by God. There is a hadith about a man who was forcefully brought to the Prophet for having committed adultery, now we all know that is a serious offense in any morally conscience society including Islamic society. What did the Prophet do? He said, and I am paraphrasing, "Don't bring a criminal to the king otherwise the king will be forced to exact justice."

Now we see two sides of the same holy man. He was always humble and always merciful. The Prophet is known to have not gazed at people for too long, simply because he understood the weight and magnitude of his gaze and how it affected people. Those who were in his presence were in utter awe and his gaze was heavy for them. As would a gaze of anyone whom you hold in high esteem and have immense love and respect for. This is the Prophet, the weight of his gaze can only be imagined by us today.

Now, this all needs to be taken into deep consideration, because the Prophet is not simply a man as the Salafists suggest. They like to bring him down to their dirty level. He is above us in every single way. That's why we follow him. Why on earth would anyone follow someone who is at their level? No legitimate religious tradition was founded by mediocre men.

Christ was not mediocre.

[Christianity]

Moses was not mediocre.

[Judiasm]

Siddhartha Guatama, also known as the Bhudda, was not mediocre.

[Bhuddism]

Lao Tzu was not mediocre.

[Taoism]

Swami Prabhupada was not mediocre.

[Hari Krishna, a spiritual order of Hinduism]

And our Blessed and Holy Prophet Muhammad (S) was certainly greater than all these men. Yet knowing him, he would have been humble before them. As they would have been before him.
Kings greeting kings.

As Muslims we don't deny respect to other traditions and those whom these blessed traditions sprung forth from.

Aside from that, what I was REALLY hoping the khatib would talk about was the Boston Marathon Bombing, and possibly address an appropriate way to help our fellow Americans. These khutbahs that are just found lying around on the internet are not always the best. I know khatibs look for stock khutbahs in the interests of convenience and time. I realize they are busy also, but some special effort should be made for the weekly gatherings at the masjid. More useful and profound thoughts need to be shared. Alas, be happy with what you get. Contentment isn't a bad thing.

Btw, I laughed at how the khatib snuck in that jab against homosexuals right at the end (it didn't even have anything to do with the khutbah), and clearly our faith does not encourage it. Yet, when you do speak to your children about not becoming a homosexual, do so with adding that they are human beings also and should be treated with respect. Do you really think the Prophet (S) would have mistreated a homosexual or ANYONE for that matter? Exactly.

Now here's an example of someone who is most certainly below mediocre:

'Ibn Abdul Wahab

[Salafism]

The image is that of a typical Saudi since all Salafis look the same... ignorant.

Hope you all enjoyed that. Have a wonderful weekend folks!

]]><![CDATA[Back at ICC Yo]]>Fri, 22 Mar 2013 22:10:04 GMThttp://www.khutbahkhaos.com/2/post/2013/03/back-at-icc-yo.html

ICC	This week I returned to the ICC mosque for Jummah. For the most part, the khutbahs here are mild and short. Just how I like them. Yeah, so read on.

Beloved brothers and sisters in Islam. Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu.

We begin by praising Allah for allowing us to spend a jummah with Him and then sending blessings upon the Prophet (S).

We have many reminders, an alarm clock, calendars, street lights.

Allah has a reminder know as dhikr. This benefits us. Coming to the masjid and listening to this talk should not be a ritualistic habit, it should be something we do with meaning.

"As a kid when I was leaning to drive I would veer off to the right or left and my dad would tell me no get on the straight path."

This world has been created, look how the prophet describes man and this world. This world serves us, the sun benefits us, animals to eat, elements present to serve us. Everything is subservient to us. But you are created not for this world, yearn for the hereafter.

Allah says you prefer this world, but the hereafter is far better.

The hereafter is everlasting, the little kids I teach ask if we will get bored in Jannah since its eternal but you will not.

Ali (R) said, verily this world is coming to an end. Every day that ends brings us closer to the hereafter.

Today there is action without any account. We have robberies and murders, you can do anything and not be accountable. Allah is giving us a chance to return to him.

Every little thing, every iota will be counted by Allah. We have to become people of the akhira.

The Prophet said, when nur enters a mans heart it creates spaciousness. The Sahabahs asked if there was any sign this has happened. The Prophet responded that the one this has happened to feels distant from the house of fraud.

Beautiful house, cars, women, men, are just play in this dunya. The one who does not have dunya in their heart. That is not to say that we cannot have nice things. But you shouldn't be attached to them.

The intelligent person overcomes his nafs, base desires, and works for the akhira.

Prophet said when anyone has these qualities then the light of God has entered his heart.

May we all have this. Ameen.

We have to make a strong intention, a firm resolve, ya Allah from this day forth, we have to understand that our life and death is for Allah.

Call to action in this moment, make the intention to please and worship Allah.

Second step, do the fard and mandatory acts.

Allah says that nothing brings my slave closer to me than the obligatory actions.

How punctual are we on praying the five daily prayers? Today on jummah it's packed, but it will not be for Asr.

This is what the ummah is lacking, including myself, that we are not performing the mandatory actions.

Prophet said, shall I tell you the best of deeds better than fighting for Allah? It is the dhikr of Allah, the Qur'an is the best way to do dhikr.

We have to be attached to the Qur'an to be good human beings.

Any new gadget we get an instruction booklet, what about the complex human being, the Qur'an is the instruction manual and the Prophet is the teacher.

We have to be attached to the Qur'an.

To be like the people of Allah we should be with the people of Allah. We have Masha'Allah beautiful programs at this masjid and so many others.

The sahabah were not called the friends of the Prophet but the companions, they were with him.

May Allah makes us people of the hereafter and remove temptation from this dunya.

__________________________________________

Solid khutbah. Well done sir.

]]><![CDATA[NYU Jummah Khutbah]]>Fri, 01 Mar 2013 21:22:11 GMThttp://www.khutbahkhaos.com/2/post/2013/03/nyu-jummah-khutbah.html

IC
NYU

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu.

I am pleased to announce the end of my New York campaign. It's been fun, and Alhamdulillah, ALL the khutbahs in the Big Apple have been worth listening to. The last Jummah I attended was a couple hours ago at the NYU Islamic Center. They had a nice little room on campus, couldn't tell if it was a permanent spot, but it definitely felt like praying in a university. All the tell tale signs were there. People loitering outside while Qur'an is being recited inside. Shoes galore. Brothas and sistas trying not to bump into each other while stealing subtle glances at one another. (Yeah I saw that pink hijabi chick wink at the brotha in front of me, good for him, good for him). Not to mention that you had all the typical characters.

The Usual Suspects

White Convert Brotha - He is trying WAY too hard, has the longest beard, sitting dead center in the first row, looks nerdy as hell and has no game with the ladies.
Shameless Ankle Revealing Brotha - Typically a Desi and a FOB, has a scraggly beard, smells funny but is probably really intelligent. Also has no game with the ladies.
Gangsta Wannabe Brotha - Wearing them ridiculous oversized baseball caps, all crooked and shi... Pencil thin douchebag beard. Walking around and looking in different directions like a confused pigeon. Trying to look "hard."
Arab Wannabe Brotha - This goes for Arabs too, but mostly Desis, that Thowb it out. I call it "Islamic Peacocking" trying to show everyone how UNBELIEVABLY Muslim you are by dressing as "Arab" as possible. Please... I've seen it all... and all of it looks ridiculous.
Metro Brotha - This ain't bad, this is actually normal, so long as he's not wearing a fedora (for goodness sake) or anything else that is unnecessary, just wear some nice dress pants, a dress shirt and a coat, you good to go.

I won't start categorizing the sistas, simply because I respect and want to get with the sistas. I mean that in a wholly Islamic and respectful manner. (Sistas, leave your numbers in the contact form).

Enough joking, ready for a khutbah? Well keep reading!

Khatib up top in white

Young Desi, probably mid 30s, full and clean beard with mustache, wearing white turban.

I bear witness to Allah to His might and glory. I bear witness that Muhammad (S) is His final messenger.

It is said that in the early years of Islam the situation was really bad for Muslims. They were treated harshly, men and women were abused and beaten, people lost their lives.

Then certain people began to accept Islam, such as Hamza (R) and Umar (R), and the Meccans now had to respond differently.

The Meccans had to make a deal with the Muslims after all that happened in Madina. How did the Muslims come back to take Mecca? It took patience.

The community that exists today that has people coming from different cultures and continents and eating different foods and speaking different languages. We find ourselves in a place today that there is no misfortune for us, but our brothers and sisters in India and Bangladesh are suffering. In Bangladesh the brothers and sisters had to attend Jummah with heavy military presence. How was their Jummah experience today?

You build something and have patience to see something come forth beyond you. Individuals build communities. It was a reality for the Prophet (S) and it is reality for us today.

You are the people that can make a benefit to society. You have the degrees and real world experience. Sometimes you can't do it as an individual though. You lay down the framework and foundation and have the patience to know that this will last for decades. Beyond our time. Other religious groups are doing this, we are not.

I was at a U.S. Housing Department (might have mis-noted what the khatib actually said) meeting, there was 10 of us who sat at the table. The Chair spoke to the people present, Christians, Sikhs, Bhuddists, they began to explain how 3000 churches helped with the aftermath of Sandy, Hindus spents tens of thousands of dollars distributing food, Sikhs provided clothing. The bishop next to me said his group would ensure housing for those that needed it.

I thought, what do we bring to this conversation? How is your being a Muslim bringing benefit to anyone?

The most remarkable person there was a man of Indian background, a Hindu, he is a business man. He established a mechanism that allows people from his community to help those affected by natural disasters.

Why can't we do this? Scholarship is not the only form of leadership. There are other ways. I'm not saying that scholarship is bad or that it's not a good form of leadership.

Harun al Rashid, one of the great Khalifas, had brought scholars to translate Arabic documents into Greek, Latin, even Sanskrit, and he made a library and and it was known as Bayt ul Hikmah (House of Wisdom). The next khalifa expanded it. It became one of the most remarkable institutions in the history of Islam. What do we learn from this, building something that is long lasting?

The caliphs were not the writers or translators, but they had the ability to bring talented people together to bring benefit to all humanity.

Many of you have that ability. How will you use your talent? How will you use your work experience to make society better? We should go out and build something with patience. The Prophet did this, can you understand what he endured during his first year of revelation? Not forgetting the multitude of hardships he faced in the following years.

He didn't stop, he kept going, he has the patience to deal with it and understand there is something good and it it is worth building upon. It took him over two decades to get to the point he was waiting for.

I will not be the one to build a domestic violence shelter, a clinic, a political advocacy group, because I do not have the skill set to do this, but you do, you must build these for the community. We are being called to the table but are not showing the right people. We need to do this.

We can come together and start small, after a year we see its growth, after 5 years more growth, then it becomes sustainable in 10 years.

Or we could stay stuck in the same mentality of only building mosques and a couple years later building a school.

How will you use your Islam? You don't have to leave your job, just put in an hour or two every month into meaningful conversation. Then when you are ready to build something, build it.

I know a brother who took 30 years to memeorize Qur'an, but he did it and no one can take that away from him.

Build something today and see it grow tomorrow.

Put your trust in Allah, tie your camel and go out and do it.

May Allah guide us protect us all. Ameen.

The building on the right, on the 5th Floor has the prayer area for Jummah. 238 W. Thompson St.

The view opposite, Freedom Tower in distance

It was a pretty good khutbah, don't you think? I didn't fully enjoy his manner of delivery, it was very quick, but I guess the urgency of his point was conveyed in the urgency of his delivery.

I totally agree with him, however, it's high time Muslims stopped thinking about themselves and really started looking out for everyone around them. But let's not dismiss the multitude of organizations already doing this. There are many Muslim organizations already actively engaged in community help and outreach, that is not focused on whether or not the person is Muslim. But in any case, there definitely needs to be more of it.

I am utterly relieved that I did not really come across any Salafi or Wahabi ideology at any of the mosques in Manhattan. I mean, where I prayed at today was just a few blocks away from Ground Zero.

Haha, speaking of Ground Zero, I wanted to go to that Park 51 place of Imam Faisal Abdal Rauf, so while googling the location, I came across this article.

Did you read it? I highly suggest you do. I don't know how valid the criticism is, but if it's indeed true, I am not surprised... Wow... you had to do it with a Muslim community center that's adjacent to Ground Zero too... Brilliant. Way to honor the Sunnah of the Prophet (S) by spending lavishly on yourselves using money that was intended to better the conditions of all the Muslims and Non-Muslims in New York City, not just you and your wife...

We not only lack community consideration, we also lack tact. Let's take it one step at a time folks.

The khatib was speaking about setting up all these community services, but the brothas in the jama'a today couldn't even form straight lines that were spaced well apart from one another during the prayer. People were praying on top of each other, some dude's foot was in my hair... come on now...

Lord help us.

God bless you all.

]]><![CDATA[Masjid Manhattan - Love the Prophet (S)!]]>Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:03:37 GMThttp://www.khutbahkhaos.com/2/post/2013/02/masjid-manhattan-love-the-prophet-s.html

MM	Today, I attended Jummah at Masjid Manhattan. It's a multi-story building, much like the first mosque I attended while in New York, Masjid Uthman ibn Affan, or better known as the Midtown Mosque.

Television Khatib. More entertaining than a normal khatib.

This khutbah is about: The love the sahabah had for the Prophet (S), the ansar. They didn't throw away the water he made wudu with. Some even used to drink that water.
Do you think these companions that love him so much will ever disobey him?

And if we say we love the Prophet (S), let'sprove it by obeying him. You should always remember him, always mention him when speaking to others.

We should constantly send Salam to him [also known as Salawat]. God has appointed angels that accept that Salam and deliver it the Prophet (S), it reaches him.

He cared for humanity, loved humanity. He gave good counsel and advice. And if you love the Prophet (S), you will show that by loving humanity as well!

When the Prophet (S) went to Ta'if, and he was stoned, he was insulted and tormented, the angels came to ask if they should destroy them, he said no, maybe their children or grandchildren will believe. This is how merciful he was and how much he loved humanity.

If you love the Prophet (S)you will try to follow the examples of those that truly love the Prophet (S), the sahabah (companions). How much do we know about today's celebrities? We don't need to know about who's pregnant. The sahabah should be our celebrities. Know what they did, how they proved their love for the Prophet (S) and we should emulate them.

You have the perfect example in the Prophet (S). Whatever Allah sent him with, even if our limited intellect does not understand it, we follow it because it will be good for us. If we love him, we will defend him and his teachings. How do we defend him? Not foolishly, not angrily or with emotion, not with stupid demonstrations, but with wisdom. We should feel sorry for those that insult the prophet and try to educate them.

My dear gathering if you want to love the prophet, you have to be connected to him and what he came with, the Qur'an. Ibn Masud said if you want to be connected to the Prophet (S), read the Qur'an. How often do you read the Qur'an? We should read it once a day.

I pray to Allah to help us and get close to His book and follow and love His Prophet (S).

Middle aged Arab man.

My dear gathering, the Prophet (S) was not just a political or a military leader, he was a father, brother, husband, son, a human being. His personality is what we need to study. How he, this is what relates to all of us, how did he conduct.himself as a family man? In order to increase our love for him, we need to know him in detail.

Make an effort to know him more, the more you know him the more you will love him.

Unfortunately shaytan has been successful in keeping us away from our roots and from knowing the Prophet (S). Once you know him, you will love him, it will make you better, it will make you a refined human being.

The Prophet (S) said he came to refine our character, to teach us how to behave with our family, wife, children, and everyone.

This is how he conducted himself:

How he spoke, when he wanted to say something, he spent time in contemplation and said only what was beneficial.
He would walk with a sense of urgency, even if he was walking at a steady pace his companions would be out of breath.
When someone spoke, he would listen and allow them to finish before he himself spoke.
He never criticized anyone or blamed anyone for anything. Even in the battle of Badr if he was injured he would not blame anyone.
His wives described him as a smiling person, he always smiled, he would joke but not lie in his joking.

Learn about him to be better

I pray to Allah to help us to understand him so we can be better husbands, bolrothers, human beings. If we follow and love him, Allah will love us. Insha'Allah.

The view of the street where Masjid Manhattan is located. 30 Cliff St.

This was a superb khutbah. I am really glad I decided to randomly go to this mosque. I had no plans today on which mosque to attend, fortunately, I made the right decision by going here.

The congregation was really diverse, which is to be expected, but the dominant ethnic groups present were Arabs and Desis, you had your smattering of Africans as well.

I can't really complain, this was the best experience in New York thus far.

I really don't have to say anything more, read the khutbah again, it's a good reminder for all of us.

]]><![CDATA[96th Street Mosque - Word.]]>Fri, 15 Feb 2013 19:41:10 GMThttp://www.khutbahkhaos.com/2/post/2013/02/96th-street-mosque-word.html

ICC
NY

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu.

I hope you are all doing magnificently well, Insha'Allah. I do have a present for you all, a khutbah critique, Today, I went to the Islamic Cultural Center of New York located on 96th St and 3rd Ave. It's a nice center and they have a private school that they run there as well. It was a nice and clean mosque, the people were mixed in both ethnicity and perhaps even religious alignment, please continue reading for more insight.

The mimbar was really interesting, quite modern in design.

Old Arab khatib with henna stained beard.

Starts by giving Arabic khutbah.

Keeps giving khutbah in Arabic.

16 minutes into it.

All praise be to Allah, I bear witness there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad (S) is his messenger.

Our subject today is between us and Islam, our din (religion).

Allah said "O you who believe, sincerely fear Allah. No lying, backbiting, cheating, whatever Allah says to stay away from you must.

But if you disobey him, knowingly, you leave the masjid and sin, what is the quality of your servanthood?

No matter what, stick to your din. The prophets are gonna get into Jannah (Heaven) but they had the very heavy tests. Adam, David, Solomon, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Joseph, they all had heavy tests.

If you backbite someone, he gets your good deeds and you get his sins. Stop your hand from taking anything haram, your eyes from seeing anything haram, your tongue from saying anything haram, and your foot from going anywhere haram.

Are you the servant of Allah or shaytan? You choose what you are gonna be. Don't make any excuses. Allah knows what you can do and what you can't do. "Fear Allah, truth and live with truth." When you live with truth Allah will help you to do only good things. Whoever believes in Allah and you do good things, you will be among those that are successful in this life and the hereafter.

Ask yourself every where you go, are you the servant of Allah or shaytan and your desires? People cannot go to jannah using money. Qaroon is still sinking in the earth.

Omar Ibn Al Khatab (R), when he was dying, sahabah said, make agreement to make one of your family a khalipha (caliph). He said no, its enough for me to be judged in the next life, not my family. [Couldn't find a source for this, not negating that this happened, but looking for source texts]

Don't let Allah see you in any time place or position in which you are disobeying him.

99% of the prophets were poor. So say Alhamdulillah.

Read the Qur'an and practice it the way the Prophet has taught you, not in the way you interpret it not in the way you want.

Get ready until the time the angel of death comes and says "Let's go."

He won't give you a warning, "Get ready I am coming next week." Only the prophet knew this, we will not.

When you judge be halal, you talk be halal, etc.

If you are close to Allah in dunya (life) you will be close to him in akhira (after life).

Brothers I have said what I tried to get from Allah, and Qur'an and sunnah, if I said something wrong it is from the shaytan and my nafs. I tried to share what Allah and His Prophet taught.

Baller status mosque decor, unforunately they still have barren walls without either God's or the Prophet's names.

Overall, this khutbah was luke warm. The khatib got heated a few times, I still don't understand why you need to yell when explaining something that doesn't require such emotion. Even in general, it's better to never raise your voice, as our Prophet (S) practiced. In any case, the khutbah was good, it sounded quite orthodox, leaning toward Salafi ideology. I don't say this lightly, sure, whatever the khatib said was correct, you must follow Islam, our Prophet (S), God, the whole shebang. However, the khatib made it sound like there was no recourse for sinners, he totally brushed past God's unlimited mercy.

This is what I truly dislike about khatibs that speak so passionately about a thing but don't fully develop the thought or provide you will all the knowledge. Now, granted this jama'at (congregation) could be of the type that needs to have their palms smacked with a stick every now and then, the khatib would know best, but let's be honest, this is a big mosque in an international city, the crowd is ever-changing, so in this particular case, there is not support for that line of defense.

Coming back to the khutbah, it would have been nice if the khatib made all the points he did, the way he did, but as an appropriate denouement, he should have addressed God's mercy, His love for His creation, and explained that we must never lose hope. Even if we mess up again and again, that we continue trying and never fall into despair which would only lead us to our utter ruin.

I did like when he said: "Read the Qur'an and practice it the way the Prophet has taught you, not in the way you interpret it not in the way you want." This was quite appropriate to add, that not just anybody can interpret the Qur'an for themselves, we must trust how our Prophet interpreted it and by extension those trusted and noble scholars that can comprehend the Qur'an better than we can.

I also like how he ended the khutbah, saying he did his best to relay his message and that for any inaccuracies they are due to his nafs (ego), that was a humble way to end it.

Hmm... anything else worth commenting on? Oh yeah!

The African brother next to me was annoyingly persistent about touching my feet during the prayer, I kept moving it away from his and he kept stuffing it in the 1 inch empty gap. I was getting thoroughly annoyed and wanted to reprimand him after the prayer. But I understood that although there is no compulsion in religion, he may not have understood what he was doing as forcing me to accept his feet touching mine. It's really really stupid, but there you have it. Some people are ignorant and we should respond with mercy and compassion instead of anger and lecturing, they will never come around if you berate them. Ha, take that Salafis!

More from NYC next week Insha'Allah!

God bless you all.

]]><![CDATA[KK is on Safari! [Subtext = Jummah in the Big Apple]]]>Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:04:52 GMThttp://www.khutbahkhaos.com/2/post/2013/02/kk-is-on-safari-subtext-jummah-in-the-big-apple.html

ISMM

Salam everyone,

As life would have it, I am to be stationed in Manhattan for several weeks, why? Well, that's none of your business. But, what is indeed your business are the continued stream of khutbah critiques. I have successfully chronicled 13 months of khutbahs in my beloved Windy City, I guess it's time to see how some of the other big cities compare.

I went to the Islamic Society of Mid Manhattan, the mosque itself is called "Masjid Uthman Ibn Affan" (named after the third Khalifa), located near 55th and Lexington. A convenient location for me. I actually missed it the first time I tried to look for it a couple days ago. It's just a slender door in the side of a tall building, but it seems to be multi-layered, I know for sure they have at least 5 floors. It's actually very similar to the DIC in Chicago. Anyway, I went in, not knowing what to expect, saw many different kinds of people, some that even looked like me, haha. There were cabbies, business people, food cart owners, the whole garden variety of Muslims, or shall I say, "New York Muslims"? Because there is indeed a distinction to be made between Chicago Muslims and New York Muslims, I will share my findings once I have them.

Arab man, gives khutbah in Arabic first.

Talks about the outward and the inward, praises the 4 khaliphas and recognizes the servant hood and high station of the prophet.

Dear brothers,

Praise be to Allah and only to him.

Whomever Allah guide none can misguide and whoever goes astray cannot be guided.

Look at the sirah, in the life and way of our messenger. And how did his struggle for his invitation for this din to invite those that don't believe in god or his onenness or monotheism. Muhammad was the seal of prophets, for all mankind and Jinn.

You want to invite people to this din, learn from our prophet.

The quraysh tortured those who accepted Islam for ten years. After ten years, the Muslims were dying, no food or water, (sanctions). They were cornered. After they came out of that, his wife khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, died. That kind lady, who sheltered him in his strife. Then his uncle also died, abu talib.

That's when he decided to leave Mecca for Ta'if. He went walking, not riding.

Look at our messenger, what did he do, he walked to taif to spread Islam. He came to three people who were the heads of the tribes of taif, he incited them and explained Islam and the oneness of god, because if he gets them, their tribes will follow.

Not a single one if then answered him or tried to speak to him, the prophet asked simply for them to keep this to themselves. He went to all the chiefs of the tribe and not a single one answered him.

So held spoke to the ignorant ones, mostly servants, this angered the people of fair and they chased him out by throwing stones at him and he left bleeding. They injured his head, spilled his holy blood.

One of his companions was with him and tried to keep the stone from hitting him.

We have to learn from our messenger, how did he do.

They chased him for three miles throwing stones at him, until he came to a garden. The Christian men there saw the prophet injured they felt sorry and sent his servant to bring him grapes.

The proohet accepted the grapes and said bismillah. They asked him where he was from since no one I. Taif says those words, he told them and they said that a righteous man is there who is a prophet, the prophet asked them how they knew and they responded...

After the prophet suffered through the events of taif, he goes to the site of Allah and asks him by praising Allah first, saying you are by lord a d the lord of the weak people, to whole you let me go get protection from then, they went against me, cursed me, hurt me, they don't want to accept your message, I don't want anything if you are not angry with me, your protection is good enough for me.

He asked Allah to be his protector and will return only to him.

That is how we have to follow. After that Allah sent a cloud over his head while he was walking and when he looked at the cloud he saw jibril, and Allah sent his Salam, and Allah sent him the angel of the mountains to be commanded by Muhammad, this angel asked if he should destroy the people of taif by smashing the mountains on them.

This was an opportunity for revenge, but what did the prophet say, don't do that, I pray Allah will bro g from these people offspring that will worship Allah.

After all thus, Allah gave the prophet isra al miraj, took him from Mecca to Jerusalem, then uo to the highest heavens.

If we follow him, our protection is from Allah.

May Allah accept our dua and makes us one of those who follow our prophet.

This was an excellent khutbah.

I hope NYC continues to treat me well and allow me to hear good khutbahs like this one. I only have one complaint, and it is a meager one. One of the uncles (who's actually a third generation Ukrainian convert) who helps to maintain the mosque was going around collecting donations for the mosque while people were listening to Qur'an or reading it themselves. There was a box at the door. I am not mentioning this because he did it once, he did it several times in short time frame and even nudged people and waited until they put something in the box, that can be an embarrassing situation. However, since I had a conversation this man several days ago, I understood that he may have some quirks, I just hope his quirks don't land him in trouble with an agitated congregant.

]]><![CDATA[ Masjid Noor - Quick and Dirty Khutbah Critique]]>Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:40:36 GMThttp://www.khutbahkhaos.com/2/post/2013/01/masjid-noor-quick-and-dirty-khutbah-critique.html

NO
OR

Salam,

So this is going to be a quick and dirty khutbah critique, not cheap and easy, but quick and dirty.

You will be getting my unedited notes on the khutbah and a brief commentary, also, I apologize for the delay in getting this up, it's been a hectic week!

Enjoy.

Arab brotha giving khutbah.

Gives first part of khutbah in Arabic.

May Allah make it easy for us to co.e to his house and may he shower us with his mercy and blessings day and night. Allah has covered us with his bounties.

Allah has created us for a reason. He gave us the ears the heart the eyes and the brain. He made this universe and has given us this u diverse. This dunya has been created for us but we have been created for akhirah.

Allah does not means to sustain himself, he is the creator of the means.

We think if something is harmful for us, if Allah wants to out benefit, Allah will make it benefit you.

The prophet said, young man i will give you advice, protect the order of Allah and Allah will protect you. If you need protection, ask alkah, if you need something, ask Allah.

Mankind, jinnkind, angels, if they get together and plan for years to benefit you, they cannot benefit you except from what Allah has already decided to benefit you. They cannot harm you unless Allah has decided that for you.

Allah has decided your destiny 50,000 years before you were born.

O my slave i have created you for my worship, so don't okay. I have decided your risk for you, so don't get tired.

You will only get what i have written for you.

Allah will make the dunya against you. Like animals running in the jungle, except for what Allah has decided for you.

Nothing you have can give you happiness unless Allah wants it for you.

Even if all the conditions are against you, Allah can give you happiness. Ibrahim said that the best time he had in dunya was in the fire.

The person with the best conditions could be getti g punished. Allah did not put satisfaction in things.

Hayat tayyiba. Good life, does not come from wealth, high degree, etc.

Satisfaction, happiness, has nothing to do with the means, Allah put it in iman,ihsan, the heart cannot have satisfaction except with the rembrance of Allah.

This dunya is deception, there is no reality in it. The o ly thing that is real is death.

When death cones that is the reality , that's what will wake us up.

The reality will come, the angels will make us sit up in your grave and ask you, who is your sustainer. If you love money. You will say your lord is money. If you worship money in dunya, it will be hard for him to say that Allah is his sustainer.

If we don't follow the prophet's sunnah, we can't answer who he is in the grave.

It will be difficult to say that your religion is Islam.

We have to come back before it's too late, bring us back to this din in a soft way, willingly. Allah gives us a chance in this dunya to accept this.

The grave is the container of deeds. All the bounty that alkah has given us and we lose it for no value, time and health, they are losing them for no value.

Take advantage of your young age before old age, take advantage of your life before death, your health before sickness, your wealth before you are poor, your time.

We have to use our intelligence and every blessing for akhira in this dunya.

That needs effort to bring din, iman, and sunnah in our life, it won't come over night. Spend in the way of Allah.

There will be a gathering tomorrow in Jane masjid after 8. Discussing what we need to do in thus liffe to prepare for our akhira.

This khutbah was from the same guy as last time, thanks to a user who commented on the first post about this khatib, I am not aware that he is indeed an Arab and not a Desi, I guess I am not used to seeing North Africans, although I can always tell an Egyptian. No matter, he is what he is, at the end of the day his ethnic makeup is irrelevant, unless there are good jokes to be made at his expense.Anyway, this khutbah felt like a limp rug. If he wants to recruit so badly, why does he go to Masjid Noor? Easy target? I hate proselytizing, especially when Muslims do it. When did we become Protestants? Probably around the time Abdal Wahab came around, but then, proselytizing was a life and death matter, hahaha, silly Salafis.

Yeah, I don't really care to say much more about this khutbah, it was decent if you look at it ignorantly, but kinda lame otherwise. Tada.

Insha'Allah there will be something up for tomorrow khutbah.

Salam

Afterthought: I forgot to mention that this khatib did not mention that was our Prophet (S)'s birthday just a day previous to this Jummah Khutbah. What that tells me is that he is against celebrating the Mawlid. Which is an egregious affront to the sensibilities of Traditional Muslims. Please read this article for more information. Bah... I truly dislike arrogantly ignorant people.

]]><![CDATA[ICC - Khutbah on Saying Salam]]>Fri, 18 Jan 2013 22:15:34 GMThttp://www.khutbahkhaos.com/2/post/2013/01/icc-khutbah-on-saying-salam.html

ICC

Jummah at ICC has never been a bad experience, per se, today is no exception. The talk was relevant, brief, and to the point. I actually enjoyed this khutbah, it's nice to listen to good khutbahs from time to time, it instills a sense of hope for the Ummah at large. Wouldn't you say?

Anyway, go ahead, read on.

Salam Akhi!

Youn black khatib, probably from Somalia, speaks English articulately enough, has good pronunciation of Arabic.

Dear brothers and sisters,

As we know every culture has a form of greeting.

Before the advent of Islam, the Arabs used to greet each other saying essentially "Good morning". When Islam came, Allah commanded that Muslims should greet each other with "Salam". This was not just a tradition of the prophets but also the angels.

When the angels came to meet Ibrahim (A) they said Assalamu Alaikum (Upon you be peace), this is in the Qur'an and he replied Wa Alaikum Salam.

This greeting is the greeting the angels will say the people of paradise. [Confusing sentence]

When the angels entered into the people of paradise from every gate, they will say Salam, peace.

For you had patience, endured suffering, and were persecuted for loving Allah, peace be unto you, excellent is the final home.

Salam is the greeting of the human being, but since most people have deviated from gods path. [Incomplete thought]

Imam Bukhari and Muslim narrated: When Abraham was created Allah ordered him to go to the group of angels and say "Assalamu Alaikum", whatever their reply will be the greeting of your people. He did this and they replied "Wa Alaikum Salam Wa Rahmatullah".

Abraham and Jesus were Muslims.

God commands the believers to say Salam to each other. O believers do not enter other people's house until you have been given permission and have said Salam to the people within.

When you enter houses say Salam unto yourself. It is blessed. When we enter our houses we should say Salam, even if no one is in the house.

When we enter the houses of our friends and relatives we first ask permission and then say Salam.

Saying Salam wherever we meet, that will create love and peace between people. Creating brotherhood. It means you care for your brother and love your brother.

The prophet says you will not enter into paradise until you believe and you will not believe until you love your brother, love for them what we love for yourselves.

If we want to be scholars or rich, we must love that for our brother.

How can we love each other? If you say Salam you will love each other, the Prophet (S) said.

What is the best thing for a Muslim to do? Feeding others and saying Salam to those you know and don't know.

Do not single out anybody in a group out of arrogance or to impress them. Just say Salam to each of them.

The complete form of Salam is Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu.

A man said Salam to the Prophet (S) and then sat down, the Prophet said "10 rewards", a second man came and said "Assalamu Alaikum", the Prophet said "20 rewards", then a third man came and said "Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu", the Prophet said, "30 rewards". So we know this is the best version of greeting someone.

Saying Salam is highly recommended, it is a Sunnah al Muaqadah. It's not obligatory to initiate the Salam but it is obligatory to return the Salam.

There is etiquette also for saying Salam. The one who is riding says Salam to the one walking, the one walking says Salam to the one sitting, the smaller group says Salam to the larger group, the younger one say Salam to the older one.

Shaking hands is encouraged, there are no two Muslims that shake hands whose sins are not forgiven before they are parted, the Prophet (S) said.

When a Muslim or believer meets a fellow believer and says Salam and shakes their hands their sins will fall like leaves from a tree.

Imam Abu Dawud Tirmidhi said, if one of you joins a group, you should say Salam, and when he leaves should also say Salam. The first Salam is not better than the last.

When the Prophet (S) migrated to Madinah and the Muslims escaped the persecution of the Qur'aysh and the Prophet was establishing a Muslim state, one of the first things the Prophet said was "O people offer Salam, spread the Salam and feed others and be nice and kind to your relatives and pray in the night when others are sleeping, you will enter into paradise with peace."

All the above can be difficult but saying Salam is not difficult. It's important to note that saying the Salam was included in that list of important things to do.

Why is it so PLAIN?! Yet the congregants tend to deck themselves out all Arab style. Nonsense!

Pretty good right?

He didn't say anything nutty or outlandish. It was a good one, and quite relevant since many people tend to not offer Salam, especially to people they don't know. Which is just strange. Clearly they mean you no harm if they are wishing peace upon you, so no need to be weirded out or afraid. I've seen this happen primarily when a group of Muslim men, specifically, are sitting in the mosque and someone that is althogether different from them offers them salam they tend to not respond to that man, although they will stare at him, which is exhibiting terrible manners. Not only do they not respond in kind, but they also stare at the poor guy, as if he's an alien. It's quite rude to stare at people, so don't do it!

But that's it for this khutbah, made my life easy, didn't have to spend hours looking through books to debunk nonsense. You think this is easy? Haha, if I wanted to be like those bad khatibs I would pull things out of my arse too, but I tend to not. I look up valid sources and scour through books until I have the appropriate citations, it takes a LONG time. But, I do it for you, in the hopes that you will all benefit. It's a labor of love, and of exposing ignorance.

Good luck and God Speed!

]]><![CDATA[Mosque Foundation - First Khutbah of the New (Gregorian) Year]]>Sat, 05 Jan 2013 05:01:44 GMThttp://www.khutbahkhaos.com/2/post/2013/01/mosque-foundation-first-khutbah-of-the-new-gregorian-year.html

MF

Salam everyone,

I hope you all had a merry time these last two weeks, clearly, KK was on hiatus due to the festivities. No, I am not a Christian (I hope that should go without saying), but I do love Christmas, it is actually my most favorite time of year, especially Christmas in Chicago, it can feel quite surreal and wonderful.

But let's get the new year off to a good start, well sort of. I attended Jummah today at Mosque Foundation in the South Side (not the Ghetto South per se, but the Arab South), and well, the khutbah had some idiosyncrasies that I would very much like to share with you all, so continue reading!

Note how the khatib has nothing covering his head.

50 something tubby Arab man.

No calligraphy on the mosque walls whatsoever, there is an atomic clock though! You would think that the Arabs of all people would appreciate seeing ARABIC on the walls of their mosque, at least having God's name if not both the God's and the Prophet's name... ridiculous.

Giving khutbah in Arabic.

"This speech about being trustworthy."

The Prophet said there is a sirat (path/bridge) people will pass over on the day of judgement, underneath it will be hell. You have to cross over.

If this is established, two things will step forth, now this is a metaphor, they step on both sides of the sirat. Whoever fails this will be down in hell.

The concept of being good in family relations, this will trip you if you don't have good ties with your family. The other is amana, trust, the general amana, which is known as taqlif, entails saying the truth, staying away from haram, or safegaurding something for someone.

Allah orders you to bring back what is entrusted to you.

Being a hypocrite, munaffiq, claiming to be a Muslim but are not has lowest place in hell. You could be a Muslim but act like a hypocrite, when he speaks he lies, when he promises he breaks them, and when he speaks he explodes in arguments.

The most important amana is your relationship with Allah, you are the servant he is the Lord.

Do not deviate from that trust, God offered this trust to the earth, mountains, and angels but only humans accepted it.

Quotes Sayyid Qutb.

You would be unfair to yourself if you fail to rise up and be a good human being.

The Prophet said, when it comes to the issue of employment look at the character, for marriage look at khuluq (good character) and din (faith).

Everyone is responsible in the position Allah has put them in.

Let me finish with this, this is also an amana, it's winter too now in Syria, and you all were generous already when we asked for your help. The weather factor is adding to the misery they are suffering under the regime. Please give generously to your brothers and sisters.

This isn't the khatib that spoke today, but it is one of the more prominent speakers at Mosque Foundation, I was basically amused by this image.

So, what did you all think? Good khutbah? Bad khutbah? Undecided?

For those that have already made up their mind, good job, for the undecided voters, please keep reading.

So, on the surface, this is a quaint little khutbah, brief and to the point, the actual prayer was even more brief, 2 minutes long, pretty sweet. But... let's hash this out a little. The good points are obvious, this was a khutbah about trust and trustworthiness, very good topics. However, the khatib was like a ninja when he inserted that quote from Sayyid Qutb. I, unfortunately cannot recall it, fortunately it doesn't matter what Sayyid Qutb said, simply because Sayyid Qutb is a blatant Wahabi/Salafi whose opinion should not be regarded at all. Wanna know about Sayyid Qutb?

Well, it's been well established that he was one of the primary influences of AAA (read: Triple A), or Anwar Al Awlaki. Do we really want to get into Awlaki? Not really, do some research, he's not someone we should be learning our faith from, he was also killed a couple years ago by the US military in Yemen, the first American to be put on the kill list since he was recruiting Muslims in America to fight abroad and essentially become suicide bombers.

Qutb was placed on Al Azhar's index of heresy, this might come as a surprise since Qutb was from Egypt himself. Maybe it was because of his political ideologies about using physical force to create a Sharia abiding state, he was a significant influence for Al Qaeda and other fringe terrorist groups. All of these terrorist groups are governed by Salafi ideology which should not be a surprise, when was the last time you heard a terrorist group claiming they were following traditional Islam? I know the Salafi's skew their understanding of Islam and present it as traditional, but you would be surprised how far from the truth that is.

It's quite troubling knowing that some of our leaders are influenced by such radicals, Qutb and Awlaki are not people that should be informing you on how to practice your faith, I strongly urge you to accept this and find better teachers, they are out there, I'm sure you know of some of them already, if not, just read what's on this blog, I only cite legitimate scholars as understood by Traditional Muslims.

Anyway, enough of Qutb, it was also a surprise that the khatib had absolutely nothing on his head, he didn't cover it while it's quite clear to anyone that has read about our Prophet (S) that he was never without his turban or some form of head covering during prayers. And these people claim to follow the sunnah (Traditions of our Prophet). Right...

There was also a very strange vibe in the mosque, not a welcoming one, I didn't really feel at ease being there, maybe it was all the Arabs, haha. Not that I have anything against Arabs, our Prophet was an Arab for God's sake.

Hmm... I guess that about sums it up, Btw, don't be surprised if you hear more militant khutbahs coming from this place, they have a reputation for that.

Adieu.

]]><![CDATA[Masjid Noor - Jummah Khutbah]]>Sat, 08 Dec 2012 01:52:33 GMThttp://www.khutbahkhaos.com/2/post/2012/12/masjid-noor-jummah-khutbah.html

NO
OR

Today I attended the jummah khutbah at the long standing Masjid - e - Noor, literally translated as "The Mosque of Divine Light". A mosque with such a name should be spewing insight and wisdom from every conceivable orifice...

Or so one would think...

Yeah, I speak perfect Arabic, and I'm Brown, so what?

Old Salafi desi man, who speaks excellent Arabic.

Starts off khutbah in Arabic, shares several stories about the Prophet (S) and the two ways one should worship God.

Begin khutbah in English.

It's a great blessing that we came to Allah's house. When the adhan (call to prayer) is called for Jummah, it's better for you to come, whatever you are doing you should drop it immediately!

We didn't come here with our cars, it's because of His help we are here.

Allah doesn't look at what you drive, or your schedule or what's in your pockets or your race or nationality. There is one place Allah looks at, according to what he sees Allah gives Tawfiq (Success of Good Fortune, also one of God's names) or does not give to obey or not obey him.

There is a piece of flesh in the body, if it's incorrect the whole body is incorrect. Al qalb, the heart, this is the organ inside our body where the whole failure or success is there.

Allah does not look at the brain, "Oh look he has three businesses, he makes a lot of money." Some people have big brains, this is the ni'mah (blessing) of Allah, so they can make a lot of money. Some people don't.

We are taking care of our bodies a lot, but we don't pay attention to the most important part of our body, our heart. If the heart gets the correct yaqin (certainty) of Allah, understanding who is running the show, not the media, markets, governments, it's Allah.

If we have that yaqin of Allah, everything comes fine after that. If we have good yaqin, that Allah does everything, we don't need to do anything, then it's very easy for the body to enter in the mosque five times a day.

That's because the heart is corrected.

My rizq (whatever is ordained for you from the worldly perspective) is coming from Allah, not from my job, degree, country. It comes directly from Allah

Our rizq is coming from the heavens, it doesn't matter if you are a rich man.

Allah says in the Qur'an, "not hadith where people will say, 'Oh where did you get that hadith from?', NO! This is kalamullah (words of God), coming straight from Allah." All your food water, oxygen, happiness, sadness, is coming from the heavens. Not your jobs!

This is the yaqin we should bring into our hearts.

Allah says in the Qur'an, "I swear by the heavens and the earth, that your rizq has nothing to do with your job."

Go back to the time you were in the womb of your mother, its a jail for you for 9 months, did you have a PhD or job? Who took care of us? Not your mom. She had no clue how the food or water reached you. Where is the father? He run away.

Allah put an angel inside the womb of the mother to take care of us. To give us water and food.

Who put in her heart to love you so much to take care of you all night, selfless love, complete love, who did that, Allah did that, He put the rahmah (mercy) in her heart to take care of you. The father ran away whenever you cry.

You are deceiving yourself that it is because of your job that you are eating. This way of thinking is wrong! The masjid is full of people for Jummah this is a great blessing, but 'Asr comes shortly after, how many people will be here then? Or for Maghrib, 'Isha, or Fajr, very few and that is because there is a disease in your heart.

What will make us come to the masjid five times a day no matter the weather outside? Surgery of the heart. That's what!

Allah says if you pray five times behind the imam, "Your rizq is on me," you don't have to worry any more until you die. Allah will guarantee our rizq till death.

This masjid should be full for every prayer year round, not just in Ramadan! We need to go on the path of Allah, and we have to take our wives too. Rasulullah (S) says this is my way to call people to Allah, then shirk will be removed from the heart when we give dawah (proselytizing).

Then we will be like the sahabah (companions of the Prophet), by going to the masjid every day five times a day.

We have a program at 8pm on Saturday at Jame Masjid where we teach you to become a Daeeh (missionary), will you all come?

Congregation: "Insha'Allah..."

Looks decent, probably used to be a church. They don't have God's name or His Prophet's name anywhere. Typical.

So that was the khutbah. Feeling enlightened? I mean, you did just read a khutbah from the mosque of divine light, did you not? No, you actually didn't, if you actually read something filled with wisdom, it probably didn't come out of this mosque. Boom!

Well, I wasn't at all impressed by this khutbah, it wasn't ridiculous, but it wasn't really worth listening to either. It was a waste of time. The man left more questions unanswered than before he started his khutbah, in case you don't follow me, let me break it down for ya.

Let's talk about some of the claims he made during his khutbah about rizq, which can also be translated as sustenance (besides good fortune or success, which is what the khatib was getting at).

He made the claim that if you simply pray behind the imam five times a day everyday at the masjid, that God has your rizq covered. Well... That's a flawed statement, you don't even need to refer back to the Qur'an or Ahadith. Just use your noodle. So, there were no women at this mosque, they are not allowed, so, clearly from the khatib's statement, there is no way for women to ensure their rizq. That's nonsense right away. Now, this also excludes non-Muslims. Well, aren't they God's creatures as well? Yes, of course they are! And clearly many of them are prosperous as far as dunya is concerned. So... umm... you are wrong? Yeah, you're wrong bro. (I like to throw in slang just to show my utter disdain with a thing, it's beneath being described with an articulate tongue.)

But since I am quite thorough, I ran through an analysis of ALL the verses in the Qur'an that deal with rizq and guess what? No verse said what he claimed, that one must be in the mosque praying behind the imam, five times a day. Also, I feel like beating a dead horse, so brace yourself. Let's not forget that MOST people have jobs or are getting an education, so it's practically impossible for them to be at the mosque FIVE times a day, EVERY day (forgive all the uppercase letters, I am not yelling at you, I promise, just stressing a point).

Hmm... can we analyze this further? Why, yes we can! So... we all know the hadith about tying your camel and then trusting in God to protect it. It's exactly the same idea as sowing your field that you find in the Bible. Well... clearly this man doesn't like Ahadith, so he must not have heard of it. So, from his point of view, there is no such concept as doing the work you need to do and then trusting in God. Which implies that working, having a job, is of no use to a human being, to a Muslim. It's more important to be at the mosque five times a day. Never mind praying in your office or cubicle or even your cab, no that's not acceptable in God's eyes and therefore you will be robbed of your rizq.

Now, you see the funny thing about rizq is that it is pre-ordained, it's written for you to begin with, so... umm... no matter what you do, you have what's coming to you. End of story.

Not that kind of Hyperbole! Well, actually, sort of.

Let's talk hyperbole.

I know this khatib could care less about the Traditions (Ahadith) of the Prophet (S), but allow me to explain a few subtle points regarding the Arabic language (in which the Prophet shared his insights and wisdom which have been recorded for us). To anyone with knowledge, it's obvious for them not to take the spoken Arabic of the seventh century literally, at least as far as different sayings or expressions of the people of that time are concerned. Meaning, the Arabs of that time were masters of their language, although to them I am sure it was quite commonplace to speak in the form of hyperbole, metaphors, ellipses, synechdoche, metonymy, and so forth.This extends from the vast ancient poetic tradition found among the Arabs.[1]* Recall how many people belittled our Prophet claiming he's just some demon possessed poet?

Moving on... One must become intimate with the way of expression in Arabic of this time and this people. The Prophet (S) would often say things expressed in extremes in order to make a point, but it was well understood by those present what he meant. He was inclusive of a thing and all that pertained to it by expressing it exclusively. Let's not forget that figures of speech are rampant in Arabic.

Why do you take the Qur'an literally oh you who claim to be from amongst the third generation of Muslims? Does it not make sense that God would reveal the Qur'an in Arabic? It's a language of such depth and beauty, beyond total comprehension by a single person. Then, when you incorporate the fact that God is the pen behind Arabic, that He is its creator, then surely whatever God says in His book must be oceans upon oceans of wisdom and beauty, He who has mastery over all beings, including language!

Also, the khatib made a point which he reiterated several times during the course of his talk that our jobs do not provide us with our rizq, it is Allah. Now... I agree with him, nothing happens without God's will, but, the khatib did a terrible job of explaining what he meant, and when I say he did a terrible job of explaining what he meant, I mean he didn't explain himself at all. So, I am quite certain there were some men there that took the wrong message, perhaps thinking a life of honest living made no sense, being a bum was much better. I take this to its extreme, but, in all fairness, the khatib left it totally open to anyone to understand in the manner they saw fit, and just between you and me, the flock this shepherd attracted weren't that much better than bums. Quite frightening actually.

So... there actually isn't a verse that says anything like that, there is however a verse that claims the contrary.

Surah Talaq, Ayah 7 states:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Let a man of wealth spend from his wealth, and he whose provision is restricted - let him spend from what Allah has given him. Allah does not charge a soul except [according to] what He has given it. Allah will bring about, after hardship, ease.

So, I am not someone who is authorized to interpret the Qur'an (mufassir), but then again, neither is that khatib. So, may God forgive me, but I will elaborate on what this verse literally says. It says what you just read, that if you are prosperous that you ought to spend from your wealth and if you are not then depend upon Allah to provide for you. Simple. The khatib made it sound like having a degree or a good job was a bad thing, because it kept you from attending daily prayers at the masjid. "Being a responsible functioning member of society is haaraam!"

Nonsense.

And if you know anything about Islam, it's common knowledge that not only poverty is a test for a Muslim, but wealth as well. No one is free from difficulty, money or the lack of money doesn't change that.

The khatib also seemed to think that for most people prosperity only meant having a lot of money. He must of been educated in Saudi Arabia. He obviously was talking about the prosperity of the heart, but his talk was belittling and demeaning rather than uplifting. Clearly, whenever he speaks to a congregation, everyone is beneath him in regards to intelligence and Islamic knowledge. Wow, the humility. I really detest such people. They really grind my gears. But I allow them to speak, for even dogs need to bark sometimes.

The khatib also totally dismissed the Ahadith!

"Allah says in the Qur'an, 'not hadith where people will say, 'Oh where did you get that hadith from?', NO! This is kalamullah (words of God), coming straight from Allah.'"

Clearly he's one of those fellows, from the Tablighi Jamat. Who reject all the hadith completely and rely solely on God's words. While traditional Muslim scholars give more weight to the weak hadiths than to analogy. What does this tell us? That the ahadith are valid and play an important role in transmitting our faith to us. This guy... what a piece of work. Him and his Salafi comrades need to stop talking about religion to people, they cause more harm than benefit.

Not to mention that the whole mentality of the Tablighi Jamat is basically to leave your wife and family and go on the path of Allah for 40 days. Thinking God will take care of their families. Why in the hell would you get married and have children and then not support them? Thinking God will do everything for you. Ignorant villagers.

I have a few more points to make, but I think I have made myself clear enough, and in contrast to last week's khutbah critique, this one is pretty substantial. I hope you enjoyed it and benefited from the abuse I volunteer myself to every Friday. (I really hate going to certain mosques, but you gotta give the people what they want!)

Till next time,

Adieu.

Afterthought

It just occurred to me that the Ahl as Safa, The People of the Bench, were utterly destitute. There were about 70 of them. They were the Sahabah of the Prophet (S), they followed everything, yet they were miserably poor, as far as the material world is concerned. Among them were Salman al Farsi, Abu Harairah, and many others. Now... clearly the khatib doesn't know about this, because he would have quickly realized how utterly asinine his point was. Wow... Thank God for memory, am I right?

[1] Sufism: Veil and Quintessence: A New Translation With Selected Letters By Frithjof Schuon
* See, I don't just pull things out of my ass like most of these "brilliant" khatibs.

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