2000-June-23

Muslim Journal

“…Man Can Have Nothing But What He Strives For…”: Part 1

Imam W. Deen Mohammed

(This Jumuah Prayer Khutbah was given by Imam W. Deen Mohammed on Fri., May 26, 2000, at the Harvey Islamic Center in Harvey, IL., during the 2nd Annual CPC Private Label Exhibit presentation on Memorial Day Weekend.)

I  greet you, As-Salaam-Alaikum, wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. The praise is for G-d, the Lord, Keeper of the heavens, the earth and of all the worlds. I witness that there is no G-d or nothing to be worshipped except G-d, Allah. And there is no partner with Him as a god helping Him.

And I witness that Muhammed to whom the Qur'an was revealed, born in Arabia, in Mecca, is His Servant and His Messenger. We salute him with the traditional salute, the prayers and the peace be upon him and on his family, his descendants, his Companions. And on us peace. Ameen.

Prophet Muhammed Persecuted For Establishing Islam

Allah, Most Glorified is He (sub-hana wata'ala), says in His Book, the Qur'an: "And fight them, until there is no more persecution and religion is wholly for G-d." What is the meaning of this?

Prophet Muhammed (prayers and the peace be upon him) did not have it easy establishing Islam for the world. He was persecuted in his own land by his own people in the city of his birth. He was denied the freedom to declare and practice the religion that Allah had revealed through him for all times for all mankind.

He wasn't a stranger to them; they knew him very well. He wasn't a disliked person; they liked him very much. He was like their son. He lost his father before he was born; he lost his mother when he was a young child and was an orphan.

They knew him for his kindness, his goodness, his truthfulness and they called him "As-Siddiq," The Truthful One. And they called him "Al-Amin," The Trustworthy One.
But when they saw what he was bringing to them that required them to change their way of life, the way they saw things and how they did things and most of all who they had to answer to as an authority, then they wanted to persecute him by getting him out from among them or by having him killed.

G-D Ordered Muhammed To Fight

So Muhammed the Prophet had to fight for the freedom of religion long before the West started talking about the freedom of religion. In fact, it was a thousand years or more before the West started talking about the freedom of religion.

Muhammed was the fighter for freedom of religion. He did not want to fight. He was a peacemaker, a lover of peace, a kind man. He did not want to kill people. He wanted to give people life, not kill them. He wanted them to feel good, not to have pain nor hurt.

G-d told him to fight. He said: "Now permission is given to you to fight." Prophet Muhammed didn't fight, until G-d told him and he was fighting people who were fighting and persecuting him and his innocent followers for about 11 years.

It caused the death of his wife, the only one he had at that time, Lady Khadijah (RA - may G-d be pleased with her). She died during the boycott, when they cut off the lines of supplies to Muhammed and his followers, so they would have little or no food.

They suffered and got weak and had low resistance, because  they did not have enough food in them to keep their bodies up strong. So the wife of the Prophet, Lady Khadijah, passed because of that hardship.

Fight For Defense Only, Preserve Life Allah Created Us For

But the Prophet went on, continued taking losses, suffering persecution, pain and misery inflicted upon him and his followers, until G-d gave him permission to fight and to defend themselves. That is what you have to understand. It was to defend themselves.

Islam never ordered people to fight for fighting's sake, but only to defend and to protect themselves. It was also to open the way so that people could have the life that their Creator has created them for.

Allah created them for a life and He knows best what that life is. He revealed that life to Prophets and gave that life to our first father Adam (peace be upon him), and He revealed the guidance to that human life.

Allah revealed that life to Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and to Muhammed, the last of the Prophets. He revealed it so we can have our good life. The people who don't follow this Revelation that came to Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus) and Muhammed are not the ones who have opened up the world so that the world can have the good life.

It is the People of the Book who opened up this world, so that people can have a good life, justice, care about the weak, the sick, the widows, care for single mothers and their homes, care for orphans, for the poor and misfortunate who may have had plenty of money last week but some tragedy took everything away It is care for those who have suffered a great misfortune.

This is the religion that has taught mankind these things and has opened up the heart of mankind to have mankind care for humanity and care for all people, so they can have the better life.

This civilization we call America would not be this great civilization, if Al-Islam, the Qur'an, Muhammed the Prophet had not come before to open up the way to revive their senses, their intellectual interests and guide them to the better way. It guided them back to the concerns that G-d gave and set before man. This is how it happened.

Answer The Call To Jumuah Immediately

And Allah says in the Qur'an, in the Chapter called Al-Jumuah, 62:9: "0 you who believe! When the Call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (The Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah and leave off business and traffic. That is best for you, if you but know."

When the Call to prayer is heard for Jumuah, when you are called to the prayer for Jumuah, leave off business. Hurry, rush, don't take your time, hurry to Jumuah Prayer.

We have to wake up. No one is persecuting us or keeping us back from our religion. Just as I was coming over here, brothers were doing work on my house. They were working as though today is not Jumuah. So I asked my son to tell them that they shouldn't be working, they should be at Jumuah.

As I am hurrying over here, everybody has a conversation for me and I am trying to get here to Jumuah. That tells me that your mind is not right, nor your heart. If your mind was right, you would know it is time for Jumuah and you wouldn't dare hold me up with trivial matters and nonsense or to greet me and have a conversation with me.

Are you more important than G-d? We are coming here for G-d; we are not coming here for you. So we have to wake up. You brothers are sleeping. Wake up!

To be continued