DIC | Salam folks! I apologize for the delay in getting this to you all, I know you had been eagerly awaiting this week's critique. So let's just jump into it. I went to the Downtown Islamic Center for Jummah on Friday. It was all right, I guess. |
Time to vote!
Old desi man by the name of Abul Malik Mujahid giving the khutbah.
Dear brothers and sisters we just had millions of Muslims in Mecca on hajj and my lower estimate is that they spent 3 billion dollars performing hajj.
For the hajjis, the loudest thing that remains in my mind, makes me move, shake, cry, is when people recite labayk. At your service Allah.
What do we mean by that, the meaning will continue to change and evolve over time but the commitment is essential to that.
Believing men and women...
Many of these statements of God and the Prophet (S) are not specific to gender, it applies to all. But God and the Prophet make clear the duties of each gender. Believing men and women are supporters of each other. Enjoin good and forbid evil. They establish salah, it's not just men who establish salah, and they both give zakah. Those who do these things they are likely to have God's mercy.
Thousands of years after Ismail (A) and Ibrahim (A) and mother Hajara passed away. A commitment to sacrifice is what we are saying labayk to.
The Prophet had a vision do establish peace. Two things come to mind for Muslims in America. One is this widening gap between Muslims and non-Muslims. Not just here but in burma too, where they kill poor Muslims and say they are terrorists. One of the reasons of Islamophobia is the utter weakness of Muslims. And as they say, if you aren't at the table, you're on the menu.
The second is the acute disempowerment of Muslims, where we are not relevant or don't matter, where people can say anything about us. Our governments have become enormously powerful, it has tremendous capacity to do good. It has a vested capacity in humanity. An earthquake took place in Pakistan and no one could reach them, America sent it's helicopters to help, these helicopters were referred to as "America's angels."
Bad example.
This power must be used to do good. 90 million registered voters aren't going to vote. Because they are angry and frustrated, believe me, I am too. 25% of Muslims are undecided voters and 10% of Muslim voters think voting is haram. We don't live in a time where if we don't like our leader we chop there heads off such as what happened In Europe. We don't live in this time anymore, we live in a democracy and that's much better, I think.
I actually think it's a sin not to vote. I have written an article detailing this.
People want a khalipha and want a Muslim state but 40% of Muslims don't live in Muslim majority countries. Should they be disenfranchised? No! There is a whole political process where if we used it we can achieve our goals. Just making dua will not deliver the world to you.
I'm not just talking about voting in a couple of days. You are smart people, you are achievers. Sit with your family and discuss what you can do for your country and I hope voting is one of them. A small group of people can make a difference.
Thanks to 5-10 Muslims in Chicago, rape was deemed a war crime for all of humanity.
Teddy Roosevelt who changed our country tremendously said "make me do it!" when it came to fulfilling his promises.
I don't want you to remain isolated.
[End Khutbah]
Dear brothers and sisters we just had millions of Muslims in Mecca on hajj and my lower estimate is that they spent 3 billion dollars performing hajj.
For the hajjis, the loudest thing that remains in my mind, makes me move, shake, cry, is when people recite labayk. At your service Allah.
What do we mean by that, the meaning will continue to change and evolve over time but the commitment is essential to that.
Believing men and women...
Many of these statements of God and the Prophet (S) are not specific to gender, it applies to all. But God and the Prophet make clear the duties of each gender. Believing men and women are supporters of each other. Enjoin good and forbid evil. They establish salah, it's not just men who establish salah, and they both give zakah. Those who do these things they are likely to have God's mercy.
Thousands of years after Ismail (A) and Ibrahim (A) and mother Hajara passed away. A commitment to sacrifice is what we are saying labayk to.
The Prophet had a vision do establish peace. Two things come to mind for Muslims in America. One is this widening gap between Muslims and non-Muslims. Not just here but in burma too, where they kill poor Muslims and say they are terrorists. One of the reasons of Islamophobia is the utter weakness of Muslims. And as they say, if you aren't at the table, you're on the menu.
The second is the acute disempowerment of Muslims, where we are not relevant or don't matter, where people can say anything about us. Our governments have become enormously powerful, it has tremendous capacity to do good. It has a vested capacity in humanity. An earthquake took place in Pakistan and no one could reach them, America sent it's helicopters to help, these helicopters were referred to as "America's angels."
Bad example.
This power must be used to do good. 90 million registered voters aren't going to vote. Because they are angry and frustrated, believe me, I am too. 25% of Muslims are undecided voters and 10% of Muslim voters think voting is haram. We don't live in a time where if we don't like our leader we chop there heads off such as what happened In Europe. We don't live in this time anymore, we live in a democracy and that's much better, I think.
I actually think it's a sin not to vote. I have written an article detailing this.
People want a khalipha and want a Muslim state but 40% of Muslims don't live in Muslim majority countries. Should they be disenfranchised? No! There is a whole political process where if we used it we can achieve our goals. Just making dua will not deliver the world to you.
I'm not just talking about voting in a couple of days. You are smart people, you are achievers. Sit with your family and discuss what you can do for your country and I hope voting is one of them. A small group of people can make a difference.
Thanks to 5-10 Muslims in Chicago, rape was deemed a war crime for all of humanity.
Teddy Roosevelt who changed our country tremendously said "make me do it!" when it came to fulfilling his promises.
I don't want you to remain isolated.
[End Khutbah]
Well, it's been a while since I heard a political khutbah, thankfully it wasn't an ignorant political diatribe. I liked this khutbah, I didn't agree with everything. Primarily the claim that not voting is a sin. But, at least he's not forcing people to vote, not like he could if he wanted to anyway, this is 'Merica!
I liked very much how he kept referring to America as "our country," you don't hear many khatibs show their appreciation for America like that. I was very happy with that. Because this is our country, we have now second, third, even fourth generation Muslims in this country, there are examples of Muslim families living here as early as the 1800s so, we should own up to our responsibilities to our country. I'm not saying that it's perfect or that I agree in whole with its foreign policy. But then again, I don't agree with the politics of Egypt or Pakistan, I DEFINITELY don't agree with anything in Saudi Arabian politics. So, you see, it's all the more productive to stop blaming the country that gave you and continues to give you everything and make it better, make it grand, make it a place where Muslims are cherished neighbors and community members.
If you don't care for this country, why are you here? Please leave.
Also, on the point of 'not voting = sinning', here is an excerpt for my lazy audience from his article:
I liked very much how he kept referring to America as "our country," you don't hear many khatibs show their appreciation for America like that. I was very happy with that. Because this is our country, we have now second, third, even fourth generation Muslims in this country, there are examples of Muslim families living here as early as the 1800s so, we should own up to our responsibilities to our country. I'm not saying that it's perfect or that I agree in whole with its foreign policy. But then again, I don't agree with the politics of Egypt or Pakistan, I DEFINITELY don't agree with anything in Saudi Arabian politics. So, you see, it's all the more productive to stop blaming the country that gave you and continues to give you everything and make it better, make it grand, make it a place where Muslims are cherished neighbors and community members.
If you don't care for this country, why are you here? Please leave.
Also, on the point of 'not voting = sinning', here is an excerpt for my lazy audience from his article:
"Almost half of all Muslims today live in non-Muslim countries. If these Muslims don't vote, this will essentially mean disempowering half of the Ummah from becoming a partner in the struggle for peace and justice. This falls into the Quranic category of Fasad, which is a sin considered worse than killing in God's eyes (Quran 2:217). Fasad is a Quranic term which means persecution and great mischief."
Yeah... sure, I guess you can interpret it that way. But, after researching Abdul Malik Mujahid a bit, I couldn't seem to come across any religious credentials that allowed him to interpret the Qur'an in a manner in which he sees fit and give his tafseer or interpretation of this verse, or any verse for that matter. If my searching was not wholly inclusive and he actually has some sort of religious education, please feel free to correct me. But as of right now, I don't believe he has the authority or right to make his own assertions from the words of God. So, I totally reject his opinion, and you should too if you agree with me when I say that only an educated and authorized interpreter of the Qu'ran is allowed to... well, to interpret the Qur'an.
By the way, before you tell me he was in Saudi and hence has Islamic education, that's nonsense. Saudis are the most backwards of Muslims. You heard it here first at Khutbah Khaos! Go to tell your friends!
Thanks Abdul Malik Majahid, I'm not going to vote, I don't care to, but I hope that doesn't mean we can't be friends. Chai sometime?
God be with you all.
By the way, before you tell me he was in Saudi and hence has Islamic education, that's nonsense. Saudis are the most backwards of Muslims. You heard it here first at Khutbah Khaos! Go to tell your friends!
Thanks Abdul Malik Majahid, I'm not going to vote, I don't care to, but I hope that doesn't mean we can't be friends. Chai sometime?
God be with you all.