Sacrilege in Samara & the “Sectarian” Excuse
| Khatib : |
Sadullah Khan |
| Khutbah No: |
187 |
| Khutbah Date: |
02/24/06 |
[b]وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَّهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَاتٌ[/b][b] وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ[/b][i]If Allah had not enabled people to defend themselves against one another, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques - in [all of] which God’s name is abundantly extolled - would surely have been destroyed. And God will most certainly aid those who aid His cause: for, verily, God is most powerful, almighty [/i][b][Qur’an 22:40][/b]Unreserved CondemnationIt is with utter dismay that we have this week witnessed the diabolical and callous destruction of the shrines of the respected Imam Ali al-Naqi and his son, Imam Hasan al-Askari at Samarra. The nature of such attacks has unleashed a chain of events which benefits neither “shi’ah” nor “sunni”, rather it undermines Islam and hurts the already “wounded” people of Iraq even further; and it has caused a deep and ugly scar on the history of Muslims.
Who Really BenefitsPeople of Faith and people of conscience unequivocally condemn those who perpetrated the heinous act, which in turn has led to the subsequent deaths of many scholars and damaging of numerous mosques.We should also question ...-who benefits from all this?
and -why is this happening now?[b]Differing should NOT be equated with Opposing [/b][list][*] While it is most appropriate to advocate and defend one's own views with passion, it is illogical and unethical to reflexively treat those who have differing views as enemies. [/*][*] Worse still is to hold those who disagree with us in contempt or to suspect them of disbelief thereby intensifying our hostility towards them, legitimizing our demonizing them and making them targets of our vengeance. [/*][*] It is as demeaning as it is unfair to be insulted by people of one's own faith who jump to erroneous conclusions about one's views. [/*][*] It is even more disgusting when they unleash irrational anger and outright viciousness with an air of moral supremacy. [/*][*] This kind of moral arrogance ravages our relationships with distrust and hatred, eventually coarsening our communities by replacing civil discourse and common courtesy with name-calling and hatred. [/*][/list]
[b]ليس المؤمن بالطعان و لاباللعان و لا الفاحش و لا البذىء[/b][i]“The Believer is never one who taunts, nor one who curses,is neither indecent nor abusive.”[/i]Respect & DecencyCivilized individuals respect other people and therefore have the tendency to respect the opinions of others. Those who are ethically impoverished, emotionally overcharged and intellectually barren, have an inclination to be so dogmatic as to use differences of opinion as a barrier between themselves and others often leading to unnecessary disputes that cause disrespect for others and of others. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is reported to have warned,
[b] ان ابغض الرجا ل الي الله الالدُّ الخصم[/b][i]The most disliked of people on the estimation of Allah are those most argumentative.[/i]Negative TendencyIn some Muslim communities there is often the tendency to ... [list][*] misconstrue differing perspectives as opposing forces, [/*][*] divide the community into enemy camps over secondary issues rather than uniting them on greater common issues. [/*][*] make that universal, ever relevant Islam a cause of major conflicts by infighting over insignificant issues. [/*][*] turn minor points of jurisprudence into major ideological conflicts. [/*][/list] ... sadly, all this in the name of "Islam".
Sad LessonAs people of Faith, we are supposed to protect places of worship even other than our own; and it is indeed an irredeemable shame when our own places of worship are destroyed, seemingly at the hands of our own. This sacrilege at Samara is sad lesson for all of us. So, let us all make a resolution to be ...genuinely more loving, more respectful, more accommodating of each other; … and less confrontational, less demeaning and less hurtful.
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