Challenges should not deter us. They should bolster our determination to pursue what is good. While we may be living during trying times, we must remember that Allah promised to support the believers. We must stand strong and keep our trust in Allah.
This lecture was delivered at the 15th MAS-ICNA Annual Convention.
Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah who Allah Allah He was Sahih marine. Salaam Alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
As a Muslim community, continue to continues to face different challenges.
There's often the question about exactly what do we do in this situation? What is our role? What is the solution to our problems? What is our game plan or plan of action in these circumstances,
particularly our community, and rightfully so has been really concerned about Islamophobia, and all the potential impact that it could have upon our community.
To talk about this, I wanted to take the opportunity tonight to share some thoughts with everyone.
Allah subhanaw taala in the Quran in surah Toba, he introduces the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam In summary, to all of humanity
very powerfully. Allah subhanho wa Taala says, la cumbre tsunami and forsaken
that undoubtedly there came to you, a messenger who was from amongst you.
Here understood your circumstances he understood your pain and your suffering. He experienced your happiness and your sadness, their game to you a messenger from amongst you. Aziza la Hema.
The word Ozzy's reverses something being very heavy, very cumbersome, very burdensome, weighty. It is very heavy on him.
What is so heavy upon him I need to your suffering is hard on him.
Howdy Sana. Aleykum. In order to hit us in the Arabic language refers to desiring wanting something good. Oftentimes in the human context, it's used to refer to the human desire for wealth, but it has a more general broad meaning of just wanting what is good.
What is an Aleykum he is continuously, fully invested into your well being.
And then the end part is the most profound and the most beautiful, where Allah says me Nina roven Rahim on that specifically with the believers. He is extremely compassionate, and very, very merciful and loving.
And this is really profound. Because oftentimes part of the human failing is that the closer people are to us, the more we take them for granted.
The closer we are to people, the more we take advantage of them.
And subsequently, this rule applies with the majority of human beings, that you can admire someone from a distance. But the more you get to know them, the less you are impressed with them,
the less you admire them, but the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was the opposite. The closer you were to him, the more you admired him, the people who knew him the longest throughout the entirety of his life. They were the first to devote themselves to him, they loved him more than anyone else.
So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, while being merciful and compassionate with everyone, when someone came into the community, he did not abuse them, he did not take them for granted, but he loves them. And he was merciful with them and compassionate to them, he took care of them.
The the entirety of this verse
presents to us maybe one of the most striking characteristics and qualities of the prophets, a lot of them and that is empathy.
Empathy is such a quality that is so far gone from our social reality today, that most people do not even know the meaning of the word empathy.
There is sympathy, which we are familiar with. And then there is empathy. And it strikes people it shocks people. When you tell them that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not sympathetic.
Because the prophets a lot, he's always empathetic. What is sympathy, sympathy is to be able to see, to acknowledge someone else's pain. to just be able to acknowledge your pain is sympathy. Empathy is to feel their pain. It is to cry with them to sit with them.
Be with them to internalize their suffering and to yourself, do whatever you can to alleviate their pain and their suffering.
That is who the Prophet sallallahu Sallam was. He was a pro, he was the epitome of empathy. He was the personification the manifestation of empathy.
And the reason why I mentioned this, the reason why I bring this up
is that the circumstance that we are in right now,
the situations that we face ahead Currently, we need this prophetic quality of empathy once again. It is not only one of the most remarkable qualities of the Prophet sallallahu sallam, but it is maybe the most desperately needed today.
There are so many remarkable, striking
eye opening stories from the life of the prophets Allah they set up which shows his capacity to be able to feel another's pain, and to be able to put himself aside
and be able to make someone else the focus of his entire attention. There are stories where enemies
the enemies of the prophets, Allah, Assam showed up at his doorstep.
When they ate Kadima, the son of Abu john,
the son of the man who declared war against the messenger, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And they give him a followed in his father's footsteps. He fought the profits a lot he said him when he comes in front of the profits a lot he sent him to accept Islam. Not only does the Prophet grandson total immunity,
but the prophets Allah teaches him instructs his companions do not speak ill of his father in front of him.
Because he has his father was a bad person. But it's still his father and it'll hurt him. If you say bad things about his father in front of him.
Khalid bin Walid, radi Allahu anhu
when he accepted Islam, he had waged war against the prophets. A lot of a sudden he had fought against the prophets, a lot of Muslims. Khalid bin Walid in America in the last two leaders of Mecca, who opposed him,
the Treaty of who they bi in the sixth year, the Treaty of her they be a part of the terms of the treaty was that the Muslims would come back the following year.
And they would perform a hombre for three days they would be in Mecca. This was agreed to when the prophets a lot of the Muslims came back the following year, Khalid and Amar. they protested the presence of the prophets a lot. He said maka, they said, We will not be in my cave. He is in Makkah, they went outside of Mecca and protested his presence in the city of Mecca.
That's how much enmity how much hatred and animosity they had towards the prophets a lot he said him.
But Khalid, the Prophet sallallahu Sallam had this amazing quality, to be able to put his own ego himself aside and focus on someone else. He asked Hollins rather well, he was a Muslim, where's Harlan? He says he's protesting your messenger of God.
The Prophet sallahu some complimented him. Khalid is an intelligent man. He shouldn't have this one trouble figuring this out. He talked when he did write down what I say I would like to send a personal message to the man who protests me. He complimented him, you are a brilliant man.
We would love to have you as a brother in our family.
When we're Legion to letter to his brother, it opened his eyes. And he said I have to go and see the profits a lot of a sudden
realizes he's also coming to see the profits a lot each time they meet up on the way they arrive together. Now listen to this. When they sit in front of the profits a lot. He said,
Look the profits a lot. He says I'm in the eyes. He says Why? Why would you look at me. He says I'm embarrassed in front of you. I fought you. I opposed you. I did so many terrible things to you. I'm ashamed of myself. The profits, a lot of them said you have nothing to be ashamed of.
You are now our brother. Everything is forgotten. That capacity. Khalid bin Walid, when he sits in front the prophets a lot he said him he has tears in his eyes. The Prophet said What's wrong? He says I did so many terrible things. Please pray that God forgives me.
How would we treat an enemy?
The province allottee some sisters don't need. God has already forgiven you. He says I still need you.
I need you to pray for me.
And the prophets Allah makes refer him ALLAH forgive Khalid,
for anything that he's done
and immediately wins over the heart of Khalid. He says that's exactly what I needed. This is what I needed.
That was the capacity of the prophets a lot. He said them. The profits of autism practiced empathy. With even children.
He humbled Himself and practice such empathy with even children, his grandson, Hussein rhodiola, one who used to stutter.
And one time he was stuttering really badly in a gathering, there are people around, he couldn't even make it through a complete sentence.
And the people who were there they narrate that the whole time the child was trying to just piece one sentence together for so long. The prophets a lot of them sat there, looked at him, was smiling and remain quiet and let him finish the whole sentence, did not interrupt him even once, did not cut him off, did not finish his words for him.
And when he was done the profits a lot he looked around the room and he saw everyone was looking at each other somewhat awkwardly. feeling bad for the child who stutters so poorly.
The Prophet sallallahu Sallam said to
me, he Moosa, he has inherited this from his spiritual uncle Moses. That moves I used to stutter. Look at how the prophets a lot of them comes to the emotional aid and rescue of this child. That is the empathy of the messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
jabber Mina Abdullah, a young man 20 years old. He has seven younger sisters. His father dies in the Battle of
the prophets. A lot of them suffered such pain on that day. His uncle, who was like an older brother JM Hamza, who was not only killed but his body was mutilated. 70 of the companions of the Prophet sallallahu Sallam died on that day, he buried 70 of his friends.
He's in so much pain. The Sahaba say that when he looked at the body of Hamza, we saw tears streaming down his eyes, and we heard like a grinding sound coming from his chest. His pain was so real, that it physically was causing him agony.
But he looks at jabbing across the room whose father has died. 20 year old young man lost his father has seven younger sisters. He looks at his eyes and he sees sadness. He sees the anxiety that he's overwhelmed and the prophets immediately is able to put himself aside his own pain and suffering aside. He goes across the room and hugs Java and tells him Don't worry, I'll be here for you.
And cared about him so much looked after him so much.
That one time they were traveling together shortly thereafter. Job it had a very nice animal that he was riding a horse or camel. The profits a lot in some senses animal is really impressive.
He says it's yours. It's a gift. He says Absolutely not. I'll buy it from you.
He says okay, one did $1 the profits a lot. Hmm says Hey, don't mess around.
It was worth the narrator says it was worth about $200 him.
But the profits a lot he sent me was worth 200 he said I'll pay you 400.
When they get back to Medina, the prophet sends him the money. He comes in, he drops off the animal ties is outside the house of the profits a lot he set up a little while later the profits allottee some call someone. He says I need you to do something for me. You see this animal that's tight outside, I want you to take that animal and go give it to job it and tell him it's a gift from me.
This is the empathy of the prophets a lot he said them
that same barrel of a hood, where he's still grappling with the reality that his uncle was murdered, assassinated, killed, mutilated,
so ruthlessly
as they're walking back into the city of Medina,
the profits allottee Some will travel at the back of the army.
There are a bunch of children who have gathered together looking for their fathers and older brothers awaiting their arrival.
One of the boys who is waiting for his father machine.
He sees the profits a lot. He's him and even that boy realizes that the profits a lot of the time is at the back of the army. Once you see him then there's no one else. And in that moment that boy realizes My father is not coming home.
He's amongst the fallen
and the boy starts to cry.
And the profits a lot. He says he's already dealing with his own pain, his own suffering.
He stops the animal reaches down picks.
Some boy puts him on the animal with him and hugs him and controls him and quiets him.
And then he says to the boy, I'm on an akuna Baca.
Don't cry, son, don't worry, you'll never be alone, I'll be your father, I will be your mother.
And then he turned to the other Sahaba companions, he said, You see these children who are looking for their loved ones, and don't find them, pick them up, take care of them, consoled them and love them.
That is that quality, that that intangible that the prophets, Allah taught us that he left us with. The reason why I bring this up here today.
I go back to where I started, we are undoubtedly, without a shred of a doubt, we're facing great challenges
in the form of Islamophobia, and the vilification of our community.
That is very, very scary, I understand and acknowledge. But our response to tragedy is empathy. We have to understand that what we have to learn to do in this situation is practice empathy with the others who have also been persecuted with others weapon treated wrongly, our and please pardon me, and excuse me for my frankness.
But we are completely infatuated with our own circumstance, Islamophobia. It is a problem, but we are so concerned with it. And we I hear Muslims talking in the tone of, well, they came for the Muslims, I didn't say anything, and then they came for me. What we need to understand is that they didn't first come for us.
They came for black people, and our show coming for them. We didn't say anything. They came for Native Americans and still our,
even their water,
even their land.
And we didn't say anything. We didn't do anything. The prophets a lot, he said never would have stood by and launched,
he would have been the first one to aid and to help. This is that principle in that.
We don't need other people to help us we need a lot to help us. We need God's mercy. And God's mercy is bestowed upon those who are merciful to others. Allah helps those who help others well law who found it to be my God allowed. Only God continues to aid the person, so long as the person ages brother or sister. If we really, really are serious, and concerned about the threats, and the dangers that face our community, we will stop sleeping, we will stop worrying about crafting out our own little dream in suburbia, trying to buy that house and this car and trying to raise our quality of life up to some arbitrary standard that has been granted to us that has been pushed down our
throat, through consumerism, we will stop worrying about these things. And we'll actually get back to the prophetic legacy. And that is to serve and that is to work. And that is to care. And that is to be with the people and to care for the people. That's who we are. We are ambassadors of truth. We're ambassadors of God's mercy, we are representatives of the Divine promise. That's what we have to get back to. This is our mandate, that's what's necessary. And one of the things that I
wanted to share. And I've mentioned this a couple of times here and there,
something that I'm still learning. And I need everyone to listen very carefully. And at the same time. If you disagree, for whatever reason, please forgive me. This is something I'm still learning.
This quality of empathy that we talked about, that we're talking about
feeling another person's pain, it does not require empathy does not require, for me to be able to rationalize,
or for me to be able to validate the other person's suffering.
We have this obsession
of intellectually and rationally trying to analyze every situation, stop trying to rationalize, nobody cares about what I think about another person's circumstances, it is completely irrelevant. Whether I think a person suffering is rightful or not, is appropriate or not, whether that person could have done this differently or that differently, that is not what that person is asking me to do. That person is asking me to care. That person is asking me to just feel their pain alone tells me to have mercy indiscriminately the prophets a lot, he said, um, tells us to feel that person's pain, regardless of whether it makes sense to me or not.
Not so get past this notion. Stop rationalizing Trump trying to analyze other people's suffering. have empathy, feel their pain, and be with them, sit with them, cry with them, pray with them, talk to them.
That is the legacy of our messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught us that if that's what we can get back to, I'm sure Salam or other angle palm was our hub was soluable. Anyone know? That? Oh, hold on Jana to be Salam. Allah will deliver us the ultimate promise. And the ultimate promise once again is not our materially obsessed fetish with power.
real true self actualization is in the life of the hereafter. We will all enter Paradise together for all of eternity in peace and tranquility in shrouded in the mercy of Allah subhanho wa Taala does not come alone. Santa Monica