Islam Beyond the Five Pillars
| Khatib : |
Abdul Jaleel |
| Khutbah No: |
205 |
| Khutbah Date: |
07/22/06 |
Narrated Ibn 'Umar, a hadith of Allah's Apostle(saw) says: “Islam is based on five (principles): 1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle. 2. To offer the five daily prayers dutifully and perfectly. 3. To pay Zakat 4. To perform Hajj. 5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan."Although this is a well-known and understood hadith, most of us do not pay attention to the philosophy behind it. Islam is not just about these five pillars. The Prophet (saw) is trying to direct us to understand that Islam is something else beyond them, the pillars serve as our base but there is a structure on top of these pillars. Indeed, most of Islam is outside of the masjid. We are Muslims for 24 hours each day, as Allah(swt) says “I have created you just to worship me”. If prayers takes only 15-20 minutes of our time, what about rest of the hours in the day? What are the Muslims doing outside and are we acting and living according to Islam? When you investigate Islam and the Sunnah, you constantly find the decree" Worship Allah and do not associate him with anyone" whatever you do if it is not based on this foundation it is worthless. Allah(swt) says in Surat An-Nisa
وَاعْبُدُواْ اللّهَ وَلاَ تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَبِذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْجَارِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْجَارالْجُنُبِ وَالصَّاحِبِ بِالجَنبِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ مُخْتَالاً فَخُورًا[i]"And worship, God [alone], and do not ascribe divinity, in any way, to aught beside Him. And do good unto your parents, and near of kin, and unto orphans, and the needy, and the neighbour from among your own people, and the neighbour who is a stranger, and the friend by your side, and the wayfarer, and those whom you rightfully possess. Verily, God does not love any of those who, full of self-conceit, act in a boastful manner;"[/i][4:36]Islam is something that needs to be expressed outside wherever you are, and people will notice your behavior that stands out from the rest and ask you why you act in such a manner. An example can be found in the story of Prophet Yusef (raa) when the inmates who were with him in jail saw a dream and went to him for its meaning, as they remarked that they noticed his goodness and his ability to tell the truth in such matters. [b]إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ [/b][12:36] In another example, when the Message from Allah(swt) was first revealed to the Prophet(saw), Angel Gibreel squeezed him three times, each times telling him to “read”. The Prophet thought he was losing his mind and ran first to his wife Khadijah(raa) . She did not know what had happened, yet she still comforted him, promising him that “Allah will not let you down because you keep your family ties, you support the needy, help the oppressed…Allah out of his mercy will not let you down". The problem with Muslims today is we need to distinguish between the pillars of Islam and the pillars of being a Muslim. Those who cannot afford to give Zakat or Hajj are excused, so obviously Islam goes beyond the main pillars. Allah(swt) wants us to move and let people know about His deen. Before Islam, the Muslims lived as Bedouins, but after Islam, they became an enlightened people who traveled the lands to spread the word of Islam. There is a story of one companion who went to the Romans and they thought he was there to ask for money as the Bedouins were known to be a backwards people. But the companion said "I am coming to tell you about a mission, Allah has sent us to pull people out from the darkness they are living in to the light and mercy of Islam and from the noise of this life without knowing your mission and why you are created. We are here to pull you towards these values and share what we have- what you have is material, and after Islam we do not need it, we are coming to share with you the values and the real happiness because we love you so we can live together. " We have two lives: the normal body that keeps us awake and the life of our soul and our heart that came with the revelation of Allah. Allah(swt) tells us in Surat Al-Hujarat
[b]يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا [/b]"[i]O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. [/i]"[49:13]. Together, we can live in harmony and move on in our journey until we go to the eternal life where Allah will be pleased with us. Let us expand the meaning of Islam and fulfill it and practice it, as one hadith tells us “Speaking a good word is charity, smiling is charity…” The Prophet Muhammad(saw) is narrated to have said “He is not a believer three times, and when asked who, he said he is not a believer, the one that goes to his bed with a full stomach while his neighbor has nothing to eat." The Prophet also said "The Muslim is the one that people are safe from his tongue and his hands." This is the message we want to live with, as we are here for a divine plan- Allah has given us opportunity to live in this country not just for material gain. And He chose for us to become Muslims and to follow His noble plan, to live this mercy and share it with others. The people in Lebanon and Palestine are suffering. We must expand and think of others who have nothing that have been deprived of the basics of life that Allah has given to everyone. We must say to ourselves that our help is not for them it is for us. When we stand in front of Allah, we will able to say that we did our best to help these people. We must remind ourselves of our duty to these children, orphans, and women who are crying for our help and we must do our best. Live by the Islamic way of thinking . There is a story of a companion, who one say was visited and his visitors found him in his home wearing only his pants. They asked him why he was dressed like this during such cold weather, and he replied that he had remembered the needy and since he could not help them in any way, he would share in their suffering.
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