UIC | Unfortunately, we started this site at a very busy time. Hence, we were unable to attend Jummah today. Kind of defeats the purpose of this blog right? Wrong! As we continue to grow and acquire more writers, we will fill the void with reminiscences of past Jummahs we have attended and discuss the points that we clearly haven't forgotten. |
So, to begin, this khutbah took place at UIC, the MSA had invited a loud, boisterous, and very well fed Egyptian man. I mention his physical chracteristics not because I am belittling the man or poking fun (well, maybe a little), but simply because they are the tell tale signs of most Arab Wahabis. They tend to be rotund about the midsection, very loud, and also a tad bit IN YO FACE!
The Khateeb began telling all of us how evil we all inherently are, not in the same words, but you get the idea that this man thinks everyone who is not him is clearly not doing the right things. He was spewing vehement complaints about our inadequacies and his voice kept getting louder and louder. He began to talk about Steve Jobs and complaining that everyone, the younger people, was so sorrowful about his passing and that we were wrong to mourn his loss. He actually started making an obnoxious shrill taunting sound while saying "Steve Jobs is dead! Oh no!"
At this point, I simply got up and left the Jummah. Listening to someone ridicule a dead man is beneath me. Honestly, so what? The masses of Muslims and non Muslims mourned his passing, he shaped a generation through his technological innovations. Then again, the sect this Arab belongs to did the same, however no one person alive today gets all the credit, this may actually be why he was complaining.
I wonder how many people will mourn his death, outside his immediate family. Harsh? Perhaps.
_________
This khutbah took place a few months prior to the above khutbah. The Al Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation was invited to have one of their representatives give a khutbah. I will be honest, I wasn't excited about this khutbah, like most khutbahs I tend to attend nowadays, but this man had some charisma to him that was missing from previous khateebs. He gave a tafseer on the Surah Kawthar, it was quite brilliant actually, I really enjoyed listening to it, it had some profound insights, he organized his talk well. I was rather surprised and happy with this khutbah and was happy I attended the congregation.
The khateeb sat down for the Adhan to be called and then stood up once again for the second khutbah. I am very sorry to say, this man lost all my respect with the words that now came out of his mouth. Paraphrasing, this is what he said:
"Brother and sisters, we are from the Al Furqan Institute and our goal is to put a Qur'an in every household, we target zip codes and talk to business, hotels and the like, and our goal is to have a Qur'an in every hotel room, just like they have Bibles in every hotel room. Now, all I am asking if that EACH of you [students] give us 20 dollars for this great cause of Allah. I know you all have it and have the ability to give it. Don't be like the mushriks of the Quraysh during the time of the Prophet (S)."
My first thought was... "Did he just call us mushriks?" What the heck? He is addressing a body of students and he is declaring we are mushriks if we don't give him and his institute 20 dollars. How can he expect that from students? Students are poor as it is, now to add injury to insult. I was deeply displeased. I prayed behind this man and then left. As I was putting my shoes on, the extra Institute people that came were getting in everyone's face trying to solicit donations. I simply walked out.
Ridiculous. To compare a group of Muslims who don't contribute to his cause as non-believers, as polytheists. May God forgive him. I wonder if there were others that felt similarly to me.
[Abu Fulan]
The Khateeb began telling all of us how evil we all inherently are, not in the same words, but you get the idea that this man thinks everyone who is not him is clearly not doing the right things. He was spewing vehement complaints about our inadequacies and his voice kept getting louder and louder. He began to talk about Steve Jobs and complaining that everyone, the younger people, was so sorrowful about his passing and that we were wrong to mourn his loss. He actually started making an obnoxious shrill taunting sound while saying "Steve Jobs is dead! Oh no!"
At this point, I simply got up and left the Jummah. Listening to someone ridicule a dead man is beneath me. Honestly, so what? The masses of Muslims and non Muslims mourned his passing, he shaped a generation through his technological innovations. Then again, the sect this Arab belongs to did the same, however no one person alive today gets all the credit, this may actually be why he was complaining.
I wonder how many people will mourn his death, outside his immediate family. Harsh? Perhaps.
_________
This khutbah took place a few months prior to the above khutbah. The Al Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation was invited to have one of their representatives give a khutbah. I will be honest, I wasn't excited about this khutbah, like most khutbahs I tend to attend nowadays, but this man had some charisma to him that was missing from previous khateebs. He gave a tafseer on the Surah Kawthar, it was quite brilliant actually, I really enjoyed listening to it, it had some profound insights, he organized his talk well. I was rather surprised and happy with this khutbah and was happy I attended the congregation.
The khateeb sat down for the Adhan to be called and then stood up once again for the second khutbah. I am very sorry to say, this man lost all my respect with the words that now came out of his mouth. Paraphrasing, this is what he said:
"Brother and sisters, we are from the Al Furqan Institute and our goal is to put a Qur'an in every household, we target zip codes and talk to business, hotels and the like, and our goal is to have a Qur'an in every hotel room, just like they have Bibles in every hotel room. Now, all I am asking if that EACH of you [students] give us 20 dollars for this great cause of Allah. I know you all have it and have the ability to give it. Don't be like the mushriks of the Quraysh during the time of the Prophet (S)."
My first thought was... "Did he just call us mushriks?" What the heck? He is addressing a body of students and he is declaring we are mushriks if we don't give him and his institute 20 dollars. How can he expect that from students? Students are poor as it is, now to add injury to insult. I was deeply displeased. I prayed behind this man and then left. As I was putting my shoes on, the extra Institute people that came were getting in everyone's face trying to solicit donations. I simply walked out.
Ridiculous. To compare a group of Muslims who don't contribute to his cause as non-believers, as polytheists. May God forgive him. I wonder if there were others that felt similarly to me.
[Abu Fulan]