Adnan Rajeh – Activism – Our Path Forward #01
AI: Summary ©
The importance of education and devotion in activism is emphasized, as it requires effort and achievement to achieve ambition. The need for a different mindset is also emphasized, with a specific example of a successful person who did not rest at home. The struggles of individuals and communities to achieve their goals and protecting privacy and family are also discussed. The importance of mitigating harm from people who do not fear them is emphasized, and learning from the story of surah is emphasized. The need for political power and activism is emphasized, as it is the only way to achieve peace and happiness.AI: Transcript ©
I'm going to start a new series.
Not that I actually completed the one that
I had already begun,
where I was sharing with you some of
my some of the maxims that I believe
we live by here or we should be
living by.
I will come back to it inshallah a
little bit later in the summer, but I
do want to start a series that talks
about something a little bit different.
And this is a actually series of hupas
that I gave
almost exactly 10 years ago
at the London Muslim mosque, and it was
a series of Well then it's a it's
a series of lectures that I give in
within the introduction course as well that I
wanna share with you
And I wanna talk about the concept of
activism
because I believe that in Islam there is
a word for it. It's just not exactly
the translation that we find in in in,
on a dictionary. So if you take the
word activism, you look it up, and you're
looking for a a translation for it in
into Arabic, you're not gonna find something that
that you ever have ever used in a
sentence in your life nor have you ever
read in a book in the entirety of
your life you speak or read in Arabic.
It's it just doesn't have a word. But
in in in the Quran, it does for
sure. It has a word. And even if
you if you dispute the word with me,
it's fine.
You cannot dispute the fact that the Quran
teaches what this it mean this word means,
and you cannot dispute the fact that the
prophet alaihis salatu wa sallam lived what it
means as well.
Which is why we have to take a
step back and understand what this word means
and what elements are required. So when we
talk about activism, we're talking about someone
who is has dedicated their life
or their people who have dedicated their lives
towards a cause or a goal that is
beyond something that they have decided, some social
injustice,
some human rights aspect or whatever, any aspect
of reform that they see, and they dedicate
their lives to it. Meaning, that every aspect
of their lives is directed towards achieving that
goal. It requires a certain degree, obviously, of
devotion of, a minimalistic
lifestyle. It requires,
certain understanding and education. So it's going to
require a number of elements that I'm gonna
discuss with you over the next couple of
weeks inshallah ta'ala. But to begin, we have
to first of all look for where where
this word is in the Quran and what
it means. The ayah that I quoted you
a moment ago where he says subhanahu wa
ta'ala say, and this is obviously directed towards
the prophet alaihis salatu wa sallam, in indeed
salati,
my my my prayers,
my rituals,
and my process of living, my process of
dying. See, is my death.
Knows the process of it happening.
Is different in Arabic. These these these, derivatives,
they matter. These derivatives, they matter a lot
in in in in the language. So he
didn't say
which is what the word would my life
and death that's how you would explain.
Is the process of those two things. Is
the ongoing process of those two things, the
ongoing process of my life and my death.
Is dedicated towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The
Lord of everything.
He has no one who is associated with
he has no associates
This is what I was commanded to do.
And I am the 1st Muslim not as
in time wise not in time wise but
in terms of achievement. You're supposed to
recite this verse
and your your
ambition
is to be the 1st Muslim not time
wise. The 1st Muslim time wise is impossible.
Ibrahim alayhi salaam. Ibrahim alayhi salaam employs the
phrase. The time wise you can't do it.
But in terms of achievement, if it's a
race, then you can hope to be number
1. You can hope to be the best
Muslim, the number 1, the person who does
the most work. You're supposed to do that.
You're supposed to have that ambition, by the
way. You're supposed to without that ambition, there's
something.
There's something missing, not only in in in
your
in your ambition from an ambition perspective. No.
There's something missing in terms of your understanding
of Islam altogether.
People who if you want to be humble
and you want to be, you want to
show zud and and you do that when
it comes to issues of dunya.
You do that in terms of of how
far you're going to go to go in
this dunya and how much money you're going
to make and how how how much success
you're going to have that's going to bring
you fame and bring you wealth and bring
you fortune. But not when we talk about
Islam. We we have a problem because we
have this, this, someone is, without anyone noticing,
turned the tables really quickly so we we
we start. No. You have to let's let's
let's fix this. You're supposed to be very
ambitious when it comes to Akhirah.
When it comes to Akhirah you say I'm
going to be the best of Muslims. I'm
going to be the best Muslim possible. I'm
go I'm in the race and I'm going
to get there first. That is your ambition.
This is not an issue of of of
superiority. It's not an issue of arrogance. It's
an issue of effort that I I am
my
ambition is to my well, I aspire to
be in the highest strengths of Jannah. That's
not what I aspire to be. That's the
if you understand Islam that's how you're that's
how you're supposed to be. And then in
Dunia, I just want enough miss Luzadir Raqib,
I want enough to get me to my
destination.
The Sahaba would perform bayah with the prophet
alayhis salatu wa sallam. Meaning they'll put his
their hands in his hand alayhis salatu wa
sallam. And he would and this bayah would
be okay how they're going to live their
lives.
Muslim
These are the words you'll find in the
different,
narration, different books and different sahaba saying them.
But they would also also add to it
is the provision of a traveler.
That we would take from Dunia only the
provision of a traveler. We would treat Dunia
as a provision of a traveler. Meaning, I
just I'm gonna go into a destination. I
take from dunya what I need. Just what
I need to get me where I'm going,
and then nothing else. I don't want anything
else. He would perform
on this.
It's not the opposite. It's not, I just
want to just get in. Jannah, just just
get my foot in. Just I was supposed
to be rolled in. Just roll me in
somehow. That no. No. No. No. No. No.
No. No. No. That doesn't work. This this
mindset doesn't work. If you if you're thinking
about it that way, you're not gonna get
in. May Allah
make us all from.
But if you're thinking that way, if you're
like, I just I I don't I want
I'm gonna take as much dunya. I want
to be as rich as possible, have the
biggest house possible, drive the best park car
possible. I want to try I wanna I
wanna get everything I can from this dunya.
And, oh, come on. Just get me into
Jannah. That that
framework, that mindset, it doesn't work.
It does not work. And it's not you
can say, well, who are you to say
I'm no one? I am absolutely no one.
I have no say on things
at all, but I'm telling you from an
educational
perspective,
from a factual perspective understanding Islam and knowing
who Muhammad salallahu alaihi wasallam was and who
the sahab and the saliheen were. This absolutely
does not work. This does not get you
to your destination.
It doesn't.
It's the you have to you have to
reverse this mindset
in order for there to be a chance.
In order for you insha'Allah to have that
optimism that Insha'Allah I'll make it to I'll
make it across the finishing line You have
to have a different mindset.
The the work, the the Himma, the the
devotion and dedication and aspiration has to be
an akhirah. And in dunya I'm just taking
from it what I need. What I require
to get me there.
Duniya is a means for a for for
a long term vision that you have. If
you if that's not how this is seen,
then we are in deep trouble.
Then we are in deep trouble as individuals
and as communities for sure. This has to
be different because the prophet lived
that. He was an activist
When Hind ibn Abihaalam describes
him alayhi salatu wa sallam in the hadith,
Inam Tirmidi.
He has a long description, beautiful description. At
some point you should read it where he
starts by saying, kana Rasoolullah, h salallahu alayhi
wa sallam.
He was class.
He was just class. You saw him, he
was just a person of class. Just the
moment you saw him, you knew. Fakhman.
You didn't own great things. He didn't have
amazing clothes, but when you saw him, you
knew this person was class. The the moment
the moment you saw him. And then he
he describes in a part of the description.
He it's like he never rested.
When you when you when you were with
him, when you lived with him, when you
observed him, when you spent time with him,
alayhis salatu wa sallam, it's like he never
rested.
Why? Because he had to impersonate or personify
this this ayah.
My my my prayers, my rituals, and my
process of being alive, and my process of
actually dying is for Allah. So he had
to personify that. How is he gonna how
do you do that and not, it's impossible.
This is very difficult.
I love within the seal of the prophet
alayhis salam, the hadith that's narrated by Ibn
Hibban and this was narrated at the time
of Sul Hudaybia.
The treaty of Hudaybia is where the prophet
alaihis salam tried to force Quraysh's hand for
a treaty and they wouldn't they wouldn't respond.
They kept on sending someone who would who
who would provoke a fight. Quraysh wanted a
fight. Quraysh wanted, like, some form of bloodshed.
He didn't want bloodshed alaihis salaam. He wanted
a treaty. They would keep on sending people
to provoke a fight. They would send Mikkel
Iben Hafsun. They would send all these people
to Yani that would, say the Habash they
sent to provoke a fight and he would
refuse
And the last person they sent was very
rude and he actually, you know,
he tried to start a fight right then
and there. He failed and the prophet
sent with him a message back to Khuraish.
What's wrong with Khuraish? They seem to be
taken by war.
What do they think?
So what do you think? What is what
do you think? That I'll stop doing what
I'm doing? That I'll stop this dawah? That
I'll stop this work? I won't stop this
work ever until either it reaches its goal,
its objective or I die.
There is no hope and this is what
he beat them with alayhis salatu wa salam.
What he beat them with was his resilience.
Was it was his resilience. It was the
fact that he wouldn't stop. He was relentless
alaihis salatu wa sallam. It was that relentlessness
that just they they could not hold a
candle to He wouldn't give up. He just
kept on coming back. No matter how many
times they told him to stop. No matter
how many times they tried to throw
obstacles in his way, no matter how many
times they betrayed him, they put someone to
harm him, he just got no matter how
many times he fell, he got up again
every single time until they gave up.
That's what Abu Sufyan said
when he finally
Abu Sufyan, he fought the prophet for
20 something years. For 2, he tried everything.
If you go back and and study Abu
Sufyan Sahar bin Harl's history, he tried everything.
Like, when I say everything, he tried assassination.
He tried to ruin his reputation. He tried
to take away his,
his his his family. He took away his
home. He literally went and he rallied all
of Arabia on the day of Hamdah to
try and take him he tried everything.
He tried to get people to betray him.
He's he he paid money. It didn't work.
And then finally on the day of Fatimaqa,
when Sofia knew that his neck was on
the line, he got scared, so he he
sought refuge in Al Abbas, the prophet alaihis
salatu wasalam's uncle. I don't know what to
do. So Abbas, come with me. Don't worry
about
it. Don't worry about it. We'll talk to
him alaihis salatu wa sama. I'll take care
of it. I'll protect you. What do I
say? They run to Aybib alaihis salatu wa
sama. Aybib tells him, when you see him,
just say just say
just
say,
Say what what Yusuf said to Yusuf, and
he will forgive you immediately Because the prophet
alaihis salatu wasalam looks for an opportunity to
personify that book. If someone tells him something
that he's going to respond the way the
Quran told him to a 100%. So they
go to they go and do this and
Abbas has behind him.
Like, your head's that's it. Your head is
mine. Finally, that he has come. So they
had to they had there was a little
bit of a quarrel there before Abbas told
him, you need to to to stand down.
So he stood down in a long story.
They come to the prophet alaihis salam Abu
Sefia says the words
and the prophet alayhis salam doesn't miss a
beat doesn't miss a beat.
And then he's he starts to talk to
the Gusef.
You're still talking to me about this.
You're still talking to me about this. Why?
You are so you're so you're so patient.
You are so patient.
You You're so loving to your family. Why
are you still talking to me about this?
I tried to kill you a 100 times.
Why are you still
Fine.
Whatever. I I don't I can't I can't
What he was saying is I I can't
beat you. I I can't beat you. I
don't know what it is but I cannot
I I I don't know what it I
don't know what it is about you. I
I can't do it.
There's something different here.
Told him this before, right, in the same
story. He told him this before. When he
came and he watched the he was coming.
He was very aggressive to the prophet alayhis
salaam. The prophet alayhis salaam said, didn't didn't
respond. He got up and went made. Went
made. The whole Sahaba around him making his
for him, taking the water from him alayhis
salatu wa sallam. He watches this, he goes
back and said I've seen the kings of
the land. There's no king like this. He's
not a king. They don't fear him. They
don't fear him. They love him.
They don't fear him. Kings are feared.
Kings are feared. You you fear certain people
so you go and you and you like
them but you don't like them. It's just
you know that they can harm you so
you try to forgive me for the lack
of a better word be a suck up.
You go and try to make make things
make make make a good relationship with them
so that they don't harm you. You think
Yeah. There's a there's a syndrome by the
way that has a name for this where
you think you like them. You don't like
them. You're scared of them. So you try
to make sure that you mitigate any harm
coming for they didn't harm they didn't fear
him alayhis salaam. It wasn't fear. It was
love. And he showed the
why? Because the prophet alayhis salaam lives like
that. When you live that way, when when
you live in a way where you don't
take any rest, when you're working day and
night for the sake of Allah when you
give up your leisure, you give up your
rights, you give up your home, you give
up your wealth, you give up everything for
the sake of Allah you ask nothing in
return from the people in front of you,
that is when you when when things in
people's minds and hearts start to switch and
change.
People around him had to change. They had
to because he beat them. He didn't beat
them with with with with with a stick
or with power, but he beat but he
beat them with his activism, with his relentlessness,
with his dedication and devotion.
It's like he couldn't he had no he
didn't look as he was not distracted by
anything. He just saw his goal and he
went for it. And no matter how many
times he failed, he got up again. When
you were with him he was going without
you he was going if you helped him
he thanked you if you didn't help him
he left you alone it was your problem
You can't help but respect that. Abu Sufyan
by the way when he said la ilaha
illallah he wasn't ready to say it but
he had to respect what he saw Alaihis
salatu Alaihis salatu wasalam. Abu Sibir had to
respect what he was in in in presence
of. This degree of dedication for him was
was was praiseworthy. He had not seen it
before. So he said
but his heart was still not filled with
it. It took a couple of months before
his heart filled up with
Because the prophet
lived that way. This wasn't a part time
job for him.
It wasn't a membership in some gym or
no. No. This was this was his life.
He lived for the sake of Allah
He lived
the process of his life for the sake
of Allah and the process of it process
of his death, everything about everything about him.
In the Quran, you use the word,
Qiyam. Qiyam has nothing to do with standing
up. You can use it to say someone
stood up. That's fine. It's a it's a
but when you say Qiyam is standing up,
it's a figure of speech.
Standing up for the words is a figure
of speech. That's that's that's the literal.
Right?
Is standing up, that's the literal meaning. Is
the literal meaning of sitting down. But Qiyam
and Qurud figuratively they're standing up and sitting
down figuratively
literally
that's not what they mean and take the
word and go follow in the Quran. You
can follow in the Quran. What was he
told alaihis salatu wasalam the first command he
ever received after he ikhrat Bismir rebikh after
he received that initial one.
Twice. It's not stand up. It's take a
stand. It's very different. It's very different.
It's take a stand. You need to take
a stand. You need to take a stand.
Tell tell them I give you one piece
of advice, you take a stand for the
sake of Allah.
Individuals or in groups
and then you contemplate and reflect about what
you're doing and make sure you do it
right.
It's everywhere in the Quran. I'm not gonna
give you a million.
Salah is not sali. No. It's
Right? It's.
The same word. The same word.
Same words. Same background. Same word. From the
same root, you have the concept of was
one of the 3 main core values of
Islam which is which is incorruptibility.
It's very simple in the Quran.
The opposite Quran is not sitting down. No.
Those who didn't believe in Allah and they
they sat back. It's not sitting down it's
sitting back.
It's sitting back from something you should have
done.
Yeah. You you should have done something you
didn't do it.
You wanna sit back. We don't wanna go
do this.
We we don't want to go in
there. And I I I'll explain this in
a few weeks.
The people who watched the believers being thrown
into the fiery trench, the Quran said
they sat back.
They sat back and watched they didn't do
anything.
In the Quran you have activism you have
indifference.
You have Qiyam which is the state that
we should be in as an Umma.
We should be in a state of Qiyam.
And then you have qurud, those who sit
back and don't do anything.
Taught us to be in a state of
What I want to share with you at
the end of this hultan, I know it's
hot today.
I'm going to begin by asking you to
recite
the because you do this every week anyways.
The he just recited Suraj al Kahf a
second ago, and a lot of people don't
like it. We're gonna do it anyways because
I want you to listen to it. Because
it's not about the where it's being recited.
It's because you have to listen to the
story because it's the story in it. It's
called the Qahav. It's it's named after a
story. You have to understand this story. If
you don't then there's something missing. There's no
other surah we're asked to recite it every
week except this one because it's so important
and it's named after the story. You He
says, what the God teaches us here, you
want to you want to have a civilization,
you want to maintain it, you want to
maintain a community and a society, you need
4 things. The last one, you need political
power. That's the at the end of the
story. Before that you need knowledge, applicable knowledge
you have Mus al Khadab. You need wealth,
wealth that is going to be distributed appropriately
this is the story of Ahlul Jannatain. But
the first thing that you need the first
thing that you need, you need activists.
You need activism. You need people who have
a thought, who have an idea, who are
dedicated to that idea. Without that, this whole
story is meaningless.
Without that, all of this is a waste
of time. I said I know I've said
this. Well, it is. It it doesn't mean
people coming once a week and listening and
leaving doesn't do anything. It doesn't change anything
in the world. Doesn't change. Think about what
does it change? How many khubbas happen every
single week across the globe? Think about it.
In the millions. In the millions. And think
about for how long it's been happening.
Think about it. Olai, when you think about
it, it actually blows your mind. Let's go
back just to to the time when when
we fell. When the Muslim when we fell
as a Muslim ummah. When we were
cut up like a piece of pie and
they decided to give our holy land to
another group of people who don't belong there.
When they decided to do that, how many
have had courage for since then till now?
In the trillions of jomaz. What have they
done? What What has changed? No. It it
doesn't change. We we come once so you
need people who are dedicated towards a cause.
You need people who are going to live
for something and are willing not only to
live for it, but they're willing to die
for it if needed as well.
Without that peace, we can't there's no hope
of anything changing.
That's why every Friday before the Jomar Khutba,
you'd read Surat Al Kahf. You have to
read the beginning of it. Because when you
read it, then you're reminded of something important.
Reminded of something that will allow you to
benefit from what the whatever the khalib says,
you'll benefit something from it, at least I
hope.
How does the story begin? When
you
so how does the story of Ahlul Kahf
begin in that in in that book, in
in in the Surah? It begins like this.
Who starts a who starts a story like
that?
Hasibita
or did you think?
Or did you dare think is actually what
this means in Arabic, and I don't want
to be. Hasibita is or did you dare
think?
That the people of the cave and the
Raqim. The Raqim the word Raqim means two
things. It's the name of their village, and
I'll talk to you about that inshallah next
week a little bit more. And it's also
Raqim is a is a plaque where they
wrote down their their principles, where they wrote
down what they lived by, what it is
that they were their goals, their objectives, what
objectives, what what their what, you know, what
their vision was, what their mission was. Right?
Or you or did you dare think that
the story of Ahlul Kahab, the people of
the cave
were some
was some sign that would never happen again
that was Ajab? That happened only once. There
was something just to all people.
It's a rhetorical question. The answer is what?
Yes or no?
The answer is no. It wasn't.
It wasn't. Meaning
When the when Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala bent the
laws of physics for them when he put
them to sleep with you. You think that's
a big deal? Ajaba. You think that sign
is Ajaba? It wouldn't happen again? No. It's
gonna it'll happen again. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
doesn't change. The question is are there for
him to do this for? See Allah subhanahu
who did that the first time is the
same
right now. And no change occurs upon Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala. So the one who did
it then is the one who can do
it now. The question is are there today
as there was then or is there not?
Or or do or do we not have
that anymore? And that's the problem. That's what's
that
what's, again, what's in that story? Because I'm
gonna tell you this a little bit more
in detail next week because we have to
learn from this story.
Is
what? It's.
What? They stood up. They were sitting down.
They stood up. That's how you understand this.
You're not allowed to understand it that way.
You're not allowed linguistically to understand that way
because that's no just just has no meaning
in it.
And we strengthened their hearts
when they finally took their stand.
When they took their stand, when
they became when they dedicated themselves for something.
They did. They dedicated themselves for a cause.
In their minds, they were like, this is
not gonna go anywhere. We have to do
it. I have to dedicate my I have
to be an I have to. I have
to. This is not an option. Activism is
not an option Islamically. It's how Islam is.
If you found a way to be Muslim
without it,
then what you have is not really Islam.
It's a it's your version of it. You've,
you know, you've taken you've come to the
table. You've chose it's a buffet. You just
took took what you liked. You left what
you didn't like. Fine. But that's not what
Islam is. Islam does not allow
for you not to be like that. No.
This is a necessity.
So they did what they were taught they
had to do so they did it. But
in their minds, like, it's not gonna make
a difference.
There's 3 teenagers.
Yeah. He's 7 teenagers
with a dog.
They're gonna change the world. They're gonna change
the country. They're gonna change the political system,
a tyranny,
a dictator who is claiming to be god.
That that's a level of of of of
of transgression and oppression that's almost unheard of.
We can't change that.
They worked for a couple of months
and then Allah subhanahu put them to sleep
For 300
years, woke them up for 12 hours.
When I was a kid, I could not
understand why this whole story existed.
What was the point of them sleeping for
300 years and waking up for 12 hours?
Why wake up for 12 hours? No. He
wanted to wake them up here. Come see.
Come see what you did.
You think your effort was was useless, You
think you couldn't make a difference? Get up.
Get up and walk. They walked in the
city, they saw statues. Statues of themselves
with the Raqim
on it written their objectives. This became
the the baton, the lighting light of the
revolution
that removed this tyrant. It took 300 years
for it to happen but it happened.
It took 3, 4, 5, 6 generations of
human beings, but it was their spark that
led to the change that occurred on that
land. It was them. They they woke up
just for 12 hours to see
that. To see that the currency that they
were gonna buy with had their faces on
it. Because when he took the currency out
of his out of his pocket, he looked
at him. What is this? This is 300
years old. This doesn't work anymore. He they
look he looks at the other currency. It's
his face.
He thinks it's a dream. So he goes
back and tells them I don't Allah wants
to show them. You think what you do
means nothing,
You think you think you understand how the
world works? You think you have any idea
of how things actually occur on this planet?
You don't. Just do your job. Just do
what it is that you're here to do.
Just follow the teachings and that's it. That's
all you've ever been required to do. Their
outcomes has have never been upfront upon you.
The outcomes have never been something that you're
required. You're required to plan it out appropriately
and exhaust your resources and be wise. But
the outcomes are at the hands of Allah
the almighty alone. Just do your job. 3
teenagers and a dog.
Sleep with you 100 years. Wake up.
Did your effort,
mean something or did not?
It meant something.
And then, okay, now now you can die
just to prove a point.
Just proving a point.
That's all. That's the whole think the story
there's nothing else in the story aside from
that. They didn't why would they sleep for
300 years and wake up again? Yahi, why?
There's no reason. Just
no. No. Wake up. Wake up and go
see.
And go see the difference.
They became,
yeah, beacons of light of their people.
So activism is something that is Quranically understood
to be what you're required to do, to
live like him,
live like those who followed in his footsteps,
Reeves would look at every single week so
that you'd have no choice, you have no
option to ignore what I'm telling you.
This is the only surah we have to
read weekly. Like, it there's a weekly timing
for it before
is preferable. That's where you're supposed to read
it. Why? Because there's a message in it
for you. There's a reminder that are you
doing your job? Are you taking your stand?
Are you an do you believe in what
you believe in, how you're dedicating your life?
Do you feel like it's useless? Do you
feel like there's no hope of anything ever
changing because of how corrupt the system is
here and across the world? Do you feel
that? That's what
felt.
And that's the point of that story being
there and I'll elaborate a little bit more
inshallah next week. I hope that was a
benefit to you.
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