Forty Years On...
| Khatib : | Sadullah Khan |
| Khutbah No: | 270 |
| Khutbah Date: | 04/04/08 |
يُوشك الأمم أن تداعى عليكم كما تداعى الأكَلةُ إلى قََصعَتِها . فقال قائل : ومِن ِقلةٍ نحن يومئذ ؟ قال : بل أنتم يومئذ كثير ، ولكنكم ُغثاءٌ كغثاء السيل ، ولينزَعنَّ اللهُ من صدور عدوكم المَهابةَ منكم ، وليقذِفنَّ الله في قلوبكم الوهن . فقال قائل : يا رسول الله ! وما الوهن ؟ قال : حب الدنيا وكراهية الموت
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said; I am concerned about a time when nations will gang up against you (believers) and pounce upon you like scavengers circling a captured prey. Someone asked: Will that be do to us being few in a numbers? The Prophet replied; No, you will be large in number, but like foam on flood water. Your detractors will have no concern for you and your hearts will be “wahn” in your hearts . A person asked; what is “wahn” O Messenger of Allah? The Prophet replied: Love of the world and fear of death.
The Dream Unfulfilled
Today, April 4th, is exactly 40 years since the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King was assassinated, in Memphis in southern Tennessee to support striking sanitation workers. His four most famous words -- "I have a dream" echoed through his speech and entered into the American lexicon as symbols of the pursuit of justice, racial equality and removal of prejudice in America. At that time of the Vietnam war, this non-violent leader was killed in a violent way. Forty years after, we ask ourselves as people of this country, has his dream been fulfilled?
- We were then in a losing and embarrassing Vietnam War and now stuck in a losing, embarrassing, alienating Iraq War? This war has not only damaged the image of America world-wide, but has also led to so many deaths, so much unwarranted suspicion and a crippling economic effect that has left us on the verge of bankruptcy. Most of our fellow citizens do not even support the war, yet are bearing the brunt in so many different ways and picking up the billion dollar a week tab through loss of confidence, jobs loss, housing market crisis, education cuts…a bleak present looking into not a too bright immediate future
- Though issues of race seems to have improved, prejudice has not necessarily decreased; yes, we do have a so-called “black” candidate for president but the fact that he has a Muslim name still counts against him. Have we minimized the prejudice of color, and replaced it with another prejudice?
Vatican Announces
The Vatican announced on Sunday (March 30th ) that Islam has overtaken Roman Catholicism as the biggest single religious denomination in the world; putting the number of Catholics in the world at 1.13 billion people. It did not provide a figure for Muslims, generally estimated at around 1.3 billion Monsignor Vittorio Formenti, who compiled the Vatican's newly-released 2008 yearbook of statistics, said “Muslims made up 19.2 percent of the world's population and Catholics17.4 percent.For the first time in history we are no longer at the top: the Muslims have overtaken us.”
The Number Game
Though this is encouraging that Muslims have increased in number, there are two things to reflect upon:
1. The honesty and courage of the announcement by the Vatican. Religious groups tend to have the tendency to inflate their numbers and give an impression of themselves as being larger than they really are; and that is dishonest.
2. Since we are now the largest single religious denomination in the world; NOW WHAT?
Quantity is okay, but Quality is the Real thing
When taking pride in “numeric superiority” we have to humbly reflect on the lesson from the Battles of Badr (17 Ramadan 2 AH/ March 17, 624 CE) and Hunayn ( 8AH/630 CE) …
وَلَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللّهُ بِبَدْرٍ وَأَنتُمْ أَذِلَّةٌ فَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Allah had helped you at Badr, when ye were insignificant in number ; then be conscious of Allah and perchance you may thankful [Qur’an 3:123]
لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللّهُ فِي مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنكُمْ شَيْئًا
وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُم مُّدْبِرِينَ
Assuredly Allah helped you in many situations and on the day of Hunayn: when your great numbers elated you, but that did not help you: the land, for all that it is wide, did constrain you, and ye turned back in retreat. [Q 9:25]
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said; I am concerned about a time when nations will gang up against you (believers) and pounce upon you like scavengers circling a captured prey. Someone asked: Will that be do to us being few in a numbers? The Prophet replied; No, you will be large in number, but like foam on flood water. Your detractors will have no concern for you and your hearts will be “wahn” in your hearts. A person asked; what is “wahn” O Messenger of Allah? The Prophet replied: Love of the world and fear of death.
Quality & Quantity
Quality is always better than quantity and having quality as well as quantity is the best. We need to approach the world and the realities we face without compromising on principles, without depending on lies and never siding with injustice. We need to approach the world and the realities we face with sincere faith, firm principles, and the highest moral convictions recognizing that we all have faults and weaknesses, but also how we could improve our own selves and be global citizens for justice and goodness. We need to fully imbibe the values of truth, honesty, compassion, humility, love and sincerity.
It can be said that greatness is not a single act, but a way of being that nourishes the self, others, and the community. It is intrinsic to every human being, arising from the unique expression of innate qualities such as love, peace, and wisdom. These qualities are the seeds to human greatness, and the true expression of these qualities is human greatness itself. When we awaken and express the simple essence of our being, we are able to create an extraordinary life, a life of greatness that leaves a positive mark on the lives of others, society, and the world.
We make a living by what we earn for ourselves, we make a life by what positive impact we make on the world. If there are so many of us, there must be so much more good taking place in the world; after all, that is the mission of the faithful as defined by Allah, as “being of benefit to humanity (Q4:110) is it not? ..