NO |  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..."
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.
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:
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?
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.
* See, I don't just pull things out of my ass like most of these "brilliant" khatibs.