Adnan Rajeh – My Maxims Part #03
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the current backlash surrounding Muslims' actions, including the use of pathetic language and the lack of value in the world. They stress the importance of creating a culture of passion and values for the future, educating children on Islam's transmission of knowledge, finding proper methods of transmission, and respecting individuals' rights. The speakers emphasize the need for proper teaching methods and respect for people's rights, and warn against accepting advice from large groups and pressuring people to stop speaking. They stress the importance of finding ways to collaborate and show respect to oneself in the Muslim community, and teaching others to be part of their community and take initiative.
AI: Summary ©
As you witness around the world,
a change in the narrative and a shift
in public opinion.
There's a deep feeling of the winds
changing course
and of the new generation understanding that which
maybe was not clear to the generation that
existed before them even within the within and
amongst the Muslim community themselves.
As we see students all across the world
performing encampments within their universities,
objecting to their universities, investing in a country
that continues to participate continues
to perform
a systematic genocide
that the world sits around watching,
using extremely
pathetic
wording
to condemn or talk about
or even discourage.
It has become so obviously
biased
and so clearly
the bigotry is just so clear
that it's hard for people who have any
degree of objectivity to to watch this, observe
it, and not have an and and not
say something about it or do something about
it. And I and I have to take
a moment to just appreciate the courage of
these students.
And I hope that this courage is contagious,
and that it spreads to people all across
the globe in whatever discipline they are
in and in whatever field they're in and
wherever they may be across the planet to
make sure that their voices are heard. For
whatever it's worth,
for the 35,000 people who have been buried
under the rubble of their own homes,
for the children and women who have been
killed mercilessly and helplessly.
And maybe that occurrence will somehow find its
way to the hearts of the Muslim people.
It's in the Muslim Ummah, in Muslim majority
countries, and in Muslim minority countries. So that
they may figure out ways
to come together, to unite their voices and
unite their efforts. So so that may have
they may have an impact that is meaningful.
So they may advocate for the just causes
that they believe in in this world.
The time has come for this. I don't
know how much longer
I don't know how much longer people can
wait
before the Muslim Ummah figures out
a method for its voice to achieve. Wherever
you go across the globe,
wherever you go, where there are Muslims and
you sit with any random Muslim in the
Masjid. Wallahi, anyway, just close your eyes and
choose someone. And you ask the it'll be
the same hopes, the same fears, the same
desires, the same challenges, the same problems.
It's like we we are we're we're it's
just like replicas of of us everywhere.
The same
people, same names,
same stories, and same dreams for the future.
It's the same thing. It's really difficult to
understand
why we can't seem to make sure that
our narrative
finds its way to the international arena. So
it's considered. So it's seen as something that
is reasonable.
Something that needs to be
taken into consideration when people are making decisions.
Because it's it hasn't been for a long
time. For a long time, the world
has made their choices and decisions.
And complete negligence
of what Muslims that
100 of millions of Muslims feel and want.
Just and we've accepted that. We've we've been
okay being ignored. It's it's a norm it's
normal for us. Like, we're used to it.
Yeah. That's that's how it is.
That's how it's always been. It's been like
that for so long that we've actually some
of us or many of us have lost
hope in that ever being anything different.
They've instilled so well
such well functioning dictatorships in our lands
that we have very little hope of ever
seeing anything function any differently. So you accepted
that this is how this is as far
as it goes. If you can find a
Masjid that's semi functional,
a khaqleel does not put you to sleep,
then you're in good shape.
And if you're living in a place where
you're not being
harassed on a daily basis, you're not being
treated directly in an in a condescending manner,
and you're making just enough money to take
care of yourself and your family, then we're
good.
Those ambitions are so low.
Life is so low.
That bar has we have to raise that
bar. And many of us have just in
the wrong direction or for the wrong reason.
We've raised we we we we raised the
bar just not for the right reasons. We
raised the bar in terms of our of
our, financial comfort. Well, for sure we've done
that. We've done a really good job at
that. Many of us have. We're much more
comfortable financially than we've ever been as Muslims.
And we're raised that bar. But when it
came when it comes to our hopes and
dreams and the future of this, the bar
stays,
Yeah. And the embarrassingly
low.
Embarrassingly
low. To the point where we don't even
have the energy to to to discuss
these things or talk about them. We get
tired of talking about them actually.
Get tired of hearing the same thing every
time. Well, that's all I'm gonna talk about.
That's all I ever talk about because that's
all that is worth talking about.
There's nothing else worth talking about in the
situation that we're in when the imams in
the in history would get on the minba
and talk about anything else is because they
had certain things established for themselves.
They could they could afford to talk about
issues of fiqh and tazkiyah
on the mimba. They could afford to do
it because they had their khilafa, and they
they had their they had their their establishment.
Their
were well taken care of and protected.
Muslims were respected around the globe. They were
not being treated like trash.
Not being murdered like they were completely useless
and worthless.
They had worse as human beings. So you
could get on the miffle and talk about
something like that and argue
concepts of of abstractness
and talk about high values and get people
to think about it. We can't do this
in right now
because that's not how we are seen or
dealt with because we have no value in
this world.
We don't.
We don't have value in the world. If
we We all know that because we all
have to maneuver within our workplaces around what
we can and cannot say. What we're allowed
to to to talk about, what we're not
allowed to talk about. We have to hold
back most of our opinions. Most of our
stances have to stay secret. Maybe in this
Masjid. And not even in this Masjid sometimes.
Because you know, God knows who's watching.
And they'll take and twist words and make
you see make you look as if you
you are a a hate monger when you're
not.
When there's nothing of hate in you.
When you've hated no one. As Muslim, you
were not ever brought up to hate another
group of people
ever. We're the only faith on this planet
that within our own scripture, people of other
faiths have a name. They're called Al Adhim.
Them means the people who are responsible for
their protection, for their safety.
It's on us to make sure they're safe.
If they're living with us, we protect them.
We require enough out from them nothing. We
don't have to sacrifice for us or with
us. We protect them. It's on us. If
something happens to you, it's on me. We
didn't do a good job in protecting you.
Hate mongers.
But this is this is the reality of
the matter.
It's been this for a very long time.
It's been for decades,
honestly, for centuries.
And there may be hope in that changing,
but that change will not come
externally. It has it will come internally.
It has to come from the heart of
the Muslim Ummah,
has to come from you,
specifically you and you and you. It has
to come from you.
Has to originate inside your heart in the
most internal part of your being.
If it's not from the most internal part
of who you are, it's not gonna go
anywhere.
Because that's how this Ummah has always functioned.
The the the
success of this Ummah and the failure of
this Ummah is internal. That is the promise
of God to the Prophet
He promised him that no one will take
you out.
And
hadith is a Muslim.
I give you that I will never punish
your Ummah, a general punishment, and I will
not allow an enemy from outside of them
take them out. It will be themselves.
They will harm themselves. They will kill themselves.
They will turn their back on each other.
It'll be them.
Their success your success will come from within
you and your failure will come from within
you.
And we have to just realize this.
And realizing that requires each and every one
of us to make decisions
on a level that no one can see
but the almighty himself.
A decision that comes from a place that
no one has access to. No malak, no
shaytan, nothing. The only one who sees it
is Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
And you make that decision.
So that this does not continue to occur.
So that Muslims and human beings in general
can live with dignity, can live with safety,
can be treated equally.
So that narratives in this world are based
on justice, are based on equality, are based
on human rights and human dignity.
Muslims have no interest in anything else but
that.
Adil and Haqq is, are the 2 core
Islamic values that we live through, that we
walk on this earth carrying with us.
We believe in those values for ourselves and
for every other living thing. Not just human
beings, every living thing, even animals.
Human beings in Islam have been punished in
Jahannam for for mistreating animals.
You don't think they'll be
be punished for mistreating other human beings.
And because of that, I'm sharing with you
these maxims
Because of this.
Because I I don't know why else
our communities, especially in in the West,
our minority communities can't seem to get together
and get things done.
I I don't know exactly why.
So I'm sharing with you some of my
maxims so you understand where I'm coming from.
So if you disagree with me, we can
be clear. Okay. There's points here that we
disagree upon. And if you don't disagree with
me with me, good. Then we can all
agree that this is what we're trying to
do. And then when any when when when
when anyone steps out of these maxims and
we point out that's not what we agreed
upon. This is not what we're trying to
do. This is not the direction we're trying
to go in. I sit with most people
all the time. And I always ask a
question, what is What are we trying What
is our goal? What is our objective as
Muslims here in the West? I have yet
to have 2 people give me the same
answer.
When I will, I'll take them out for
lunch.
Gather them together just to see if they
actually agree on things because I'm I'm pretty
sure that that's the only 2 things they'll
agree upon. And then we'll find other stuff
to fight over.
But we have to at least know why
we're here and where we're going and what
the goals are. We're trying to achieve for
ourselves on an individual on individual levels and
on communal levels and on an ommah level.
The 2 maxims I wanna share with you
today.
Forgive me, I'm not feeling too well so
I'm gonna only share with you 2.
Here's the first one.
It's taken from the ayah that I explained
to you. I recited at the beginning of
this Khutbah.
Brothers and sisters, here's the only way I
understand
how Islam
is going to be,
transmitted.
In order for you to in order for
someone to get on a member and give
a
or to stand in a and talk about
the deen,
permissions are involved.
Permissions are involved.
You need to have permissions from teachers and
scholars who have educated you. I never got
in the Nimba until I at least had
3 of my offer me partial and then
full permissions to give. And I had to
do it under their supervision for years
before I was allowed to actually take it
on my home myself and do it in
independently.
Same thing goes for disciplines of knowledge. Different
types of disciplines
of knowledge need to be given
Ijazah is basically permission. Here, you are you
are qualified to teach this. You are qualified
to transmit this knowledge. Islam is an oral
tradition.
It's an oral tradition. The Prophet alaihis salatu
wasalam sat in front of the sahab and
he taught them.
Only face to face with the men and
the women, he taught them. And when they
learned from them, him alayhis salatu wassan, they
turned and they taught the next generation. And
when they learned, they turned and they taught
the next generation. And this is how Islam
has been passed down for centuries. And this
is why Islam till this day is preserved.
This is why the Quran is preserved. This
is why his legacy alayhis salatu waslam is
also preserved.
So I don't understand
any other way of Islam being practiced. I
don't understand. When I came to the city
and I found You Halim, Jumah is upon
Jumah is being established officially.
And the people who are giving them are
not qualified to give them. I asked a
question, why why are we doing this? Well,
there's a lot of people. I understand there's
a lot of people. But when you you
do get it, that it's not this is
not this is Mimbar Rasulillah alayhi salatu wa
sallam. Does that make sense?
Do you understand what this is? I stand
in the place where he should be standing
Alaihi Salaam.
I am this
I'm small I'm so small.
I'm smaller than an atom when I stand
here. In embarrassment and a in shame when
I try to stand in his place, Alaihi
Salaam,
and speak. And only because the lack of
people who lack of scholars or people who
are high That's why I stand here.
For it to be an oak No. This
this is not safe. It is not safe.
It is not it is not appropriate.
Teaching Islam and talking about this deen and
preaching it and spreading it has to happen
to the proper method.
You can't read a book or listen to
a a number of, of YouTube videos from
someone who lives somewhere a couple of 100,000
a couple of, 10 10, 15,000 miles away.
And think that you're ready to actually preach
this deen. This is not how this works.
There has to be a proper method of
doing it.
We have a a a khutba but we
don't have a khatib. No no. You only
have a khutba if you have a khatib.
You have a khatib then you have a
khatib. You don't prepare the space and then
look for a khatib. No. You bring the
khatib and then doesn't matter whether it's a
space or not because we can do this
outside in the parking lot.
Because we can do this outside on the
green. Because I can stand under a tree
and do this. It doesn't matter.
Space is the least of our problems.
It's not our problem. Our problem is the
knowledge. Our problem is making sure that we
understand how Islam is transmitted.
It's a the problem is making sure that
our youth understand the importance of talibulaim, of
seeking knowledge and and spending time with scholars
and teachers and learning from them for a
decade or 2 or more maybe.
For them to be qualified to speak because
you are speaking on behalf of the Almighty.
Again, does that make sense? It's extremely scary.
I I stay up at night thinking, going
over things I said and coming back and
trying to for to fix it if I
feel that maybe that wasn't the right way
to say it because I'm speaking on behalf
of God.
I'm the most person at risk right now
in this place.
I'm at risk the most of all of
out of all of you
because you're here listening. You can take what
you want.
You listen to what's being said, you take
the best of it, you leave what you
don't like of it. But I'll be held
accountable for the words coming out of my
mouth because I'm speaking
on behalf of God in the place of
Muhammad alaihis salatu wa sallam. This is no
joke.
This is not something
to
be
taken
taken
lightly.
You have to be careful
or else Islam or else the deen will
start to lose its composure.
It'll lose its substance
when we don't transmit it the way it's
supposed to be transmitted.
We don't make sure that we are educating
people, preparing
next generation imams and scholars and Islamic speakers
from both genders in an appropriate
proper manner.
What they're being taught and they're spending their
years learning.
And it's not coming from You don't learn
Islam from books. Book Without books, Islam would
not You need
it.
You need the pen to document things but
that's not the source of knowledge.
You couldn't do it with medicine.
Give you a book of medicine, you can
study and become a doctor. No. You're gonna
rotate.
You're gonna rotate in hospitals with physicians for
years.
For years they're gonna spend walking around behind
physicians watching how they deal with people.
And that's where you actually learn, ask any
physician, it's not what they learn in the
books. It's the time they spend with the
mentor, that's how they learn. It goes for
every discipline in the world, it's the same
thing.
I don't understand why Islam would be any
different when Islam specifically
is through ahladhikr,
is through that.
Making sure that there is someone who taught
you,
who was taught by someone, who was taught
by someone, who was taught by someone, who
was taught by one of the Tabiaen, who
was taught by one of the Sahaba, who
was taught by Muhammad.
This is how this deen
and Mohammed learned from Jibreel alaihis salam, and
Jibreel took it from Rubbel Izzah.
This is how our Deen came to us.
And that's how it's going to continue to
be transmitted 1 generation after the other. Doesn't
mean there's no room for thought. Doesn't mean
there's no room for for someone to have
a No. That doesn't mean there's no room
for you to contemplate and reflect. That doesn't
mean that. It just means that there has
to be a proper educational method.
And we have to respect how that works.
The second point I wanted to share with
you today. You don't have to agree
with
everyone or everything in your community to work
with them. You don't have to agree with
everyone and everything.
Actually, most of the time, you will not.
For the majority of your life, you'll be
working with people that you don't really agree
with on most things. And that should not
be a reason for you to turn your
back. The moment if the moment you run
into some degree of problems or you run
into an an obstacle or challenge, you turn
your back and and you and you decide
that you don't want to be a part
of things anymore, then you have to go
back and revise your intention again. Because that's
not that there's something there's something problematic with
it. It's normal. It is actually expected that
when you work with large groups of people
that you will run into many obstacles, that
most people you'll be working with, you don't
agree with upon. But you work hard to
find ways to make things work, find ways
to collaborate,
find ways to show everyone around you enough
respect so they feel comfortable working with you.
And so that you feel respected when you
work with them. This is important. As a
Muslim community, we cannot afford not to do
this. We can't afford not to find ways
to collaborate and work with one another. The
prophet, alayhis salatu wasalam, tells us,
hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad, and it's an
authentic, any chain of narration where he says,
The Mu'min, the believer that
works with people and shows perseverance
regarding their harm. I mean, they work he
works with them and or she works with
them and they harm them.
There's harm coming from these people.
That person is better than the one who
isolates themselves
and does not work with people So they
don't have to persevere against the harm that
may come from them. And the prophet alaihis
salam in this hadith is telling you is
they're going to harm you. This is a
given. They're going to harm you. It's impossible
that they don't because that's life.
And you have to be able to persevere.
You have to have a thick skin and
you have to work with them and find
ways to collaborate and figure out parameters and
figure out ways so that people can work
with one another. So that and this is
honey, the hadith, the the
believe
you are responsible for yourselves and only yourselves.
You are not
harmed
by those who are misguided if you are
guided.
All of you will return to Allah and
then he will let you know what it
is that you did.
Abu Bakr got on the member
and he
said,
Oh
people you read this verse, he talked about
that verse.
You use and you misuse it.
Why? Because some people were using this ayah
to say, well, I had I'm responsible for
myself and only myself I walk away. I
don't have to be involved in the community.
I don't have to work with the with
the jama'ah. So he's showing them in Barabbakas
Sadiq and during his khilafah that you are
misusing this ayat. It's not what
Indeed, if people see an oppressor and they
do not come together to stop his oppression,
then Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is very close
to punishing them.
And if people
see ma'aseeh happening within their community and they
are capable
of changing that and they don't change that,
then they are very close to
Allah bringing upon them punishment.
So we have no there's no clean way
out.
There is no clean way out for you
to pull, isolate yourself and pull your way
out and say I'm I'm I'm I'm done.
No. There there is no such thing. There's
no *. The moment you accept Islam, you're
a part of a group.
You can't accept Islam and live alone. It
just it just doesn't work that way. The
only time that's okay is when you spend
all of your life performing Dawah and the
entirety of the human race
command you to stop saying a word and
they and and they basically
exclude you from from the rest of humanity.
In that case, you can go buy a
few
sheep and go live somewhere on a mountain.
Aside from that, if you're a part of
a community, you are obligated to continue to
work within the best interest of that community.
You're you're you're required
to carry
the the pain,
to carry the dreams, the hopes of that
community in your heart and to do what
you can for it moving forward. And that's
how you're going to meet Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala.
This piece is important because I watch it
happen all the time. I watch people work
with within community organizations, within communal institutions for
a number of years, maybe for a decade,
and they get burnt and they get burnt
so badly that they don't want to have
anything to do with any other Muslim institution
or Abuja for the rest of their lives.
Aside from talking about why that's the case,
which we'll talk about in another Max.
What I'm pointing out right now is the
individual. You don't get to do that. I'm
sorry. I know you feel like you should.
I know you feel deep inside that I
probably I have the right to do it.
You don't.
I know you feel like a no. I
I do. You don't understand what I went
through. I don't don't care what you went
through. It doesn't matter. There is no exception
to this rule. No matter how many times
you get burnt, you are still a part
of this community, and you will come back
and try again. And if the first
15 times didn't work, then maybe 16 will
be the lucky charm.
Whatever it is,
you have to be a part of your
Muslim Ummah. And if that means that you
need to move from where you are and
go work with another, that doesn't matter. Fine.
But you cannot live
in isolation. You can't live in a silo.
And you cannot remove yourself from this from
the community that you're part of. And I
think this is important. Teach this to your
kids.
Make sure that as your teenager grow up,
teach this to them. It's not an option.
It's not an option for them to exist
on their own. It's not it's not. It's
It never was. It never was.
Muslims look like that, I know. They're wrong.
They are outwardly wrong. Even if they even
if they had great intentions to start with
them and and were burnt a 1000000 times,
it doesn't matter.
This is it.
This is what you got.
For better or for worse, this is it.
Look around you.
You may not like all of it, but
this is it.
We either we either sail together or we
sink together.
And you have we all have to understand
that.
And it's gonna take sacrifice. It's going to
take collaboration. It's going to take humility and
humbleness. It's going to take compassion and empathy.
It's going to take hours upon hours upon
hours of hard work and dedication and commitment
for us to see some change. But is
it worth it? That's the question that you
have to is it worth it at the
end?
I think this is probably the most clear
time in our history for us, at least,
for this generation.
That, yes, it is.
I hope that was a benefit to you.