Innovation in Religion
Date:
Channel: Bilal Philips
File Size: 39.00MB
AI Generated Summary ©
The importance of understanding one's religion and the ways it impacts their behavior is emphasized in order to achieve success in Christmas. The history of Christmas celebrations, including dressing up for birthdays and the use of wreaths, is discussed. The importance of the timing of Christmas celebrations is emphasized, along with the need for people to be mindful of the birthdays. The speakers emphasize the importance of turning to colleagues and friends for guidance and calling on Islam to bring their faith back to their actions.AI Generated Transcript ©
Alhamdulillah Nakamoto in a stain on a stone fiddle when I also below him in Cerulean fusina Woman sejahtera Molina mejor de la for LA mandala woman you Lin fala Hadi Allah wa Shadwell
Allah Allahu la sharika wash Hello anna muhammadan Abu rasuluh
indeed All praise is due to Allah and as such we should praise Him, we should seek His help and seek refuge in Allah from the evil which is within ourselves, and the evil which results from our deeds. For whomsoever Allah has guided, none can misguide at home, so, law has to go astray, none can guide
and I bear witness that there's no God worthy of worship Allah.
And that Muhammad some Bhawani was Salam is the last messenger of Allah. In Asda, Hadith Nikita Bula Hydra had you had you Muhammad in some Allahu alayhi wa sallam was Sharon Ohmori Maka Fatiha Hakuna Matata economic death in beta or Colombia, Allah Allah will call another Latin dinar
indeed, the most truthful form of speech is the book of Allah. And the best source of guidance is the guidance brought by Mohammed Salah long while he was Sallam
and the worst of all affairs, the worst of all human affairs are the innovations in religion
for every innovation in religion is a source of misguidance
and all misguidance ultimately leads to the Hellfire
brothers and sisters.
We are within range
of a classical example
of innovation in religion leading to misguidance
and six days time,
much of the world will celebrate Christmas
a classical example of innovation leading to misguidance.
Christmas
which even in this land,
Muslims are affected by
in ignorance,
not knowing the significance of the rituals
and the various components of Christmas.
We even find Muslims adopting some of the symbols
greeting their workmates, their friends, their neighbors, Merry Christmas. Feeling that since the workmates will tell us happy eight Mubarak.
And they don't necessarily believe in our IID
why not? Also tell them Merry Christmas even though we don't really believe in their Christmas.
There are a number of issues that we need to understand concerning Christmas.
Whereby
having understood them
it is possible for us to help guide our colleagues, our friends, our neighbors, our schoolmates, whatever, to the truth about Christmas.
Most Christians don't really know the truth about Christmas.
So, as we Muslims are enjoined,
to seek knowledge as the Prophet SAW Solomon said tolerable enemy for Allah, Allah muslim, and we spoke about that in previous hookless. And in fact, all of our various hookless are expressions of seeking the knowledge understanding the religion.
Whereas other religions people are discouraged from seeking knowledge. They are told that knowledge will confuse them.
Satan will use this knowledge to weaken their faith. So better they just listen to the priest or the monk or the whatever and follow blindly He will guide you.
Down the correct
But Islam says no.
Each individual is responsible to know his or her religion
as thoroughly as is possible.
It is the responsibility of each and every individual. But of course, there are those who know more. So where do we seek knowledge of the religion? We don't seek it from our ignorant
compatriots or ignorant colleagues, we're in the same state of ignorance as we are. So it is the blind leading the blind. No, we do seek it from those who know as Allah said, first Allah Allah decree in controllato, Allah moon, as those who know, if you don't know, don't ask those who don't know, like yourself, what do you think? No, we need to seek knowledge from the sources, from those who have access to the sources.
So considering Christmas, Christ Mass,
Christmas, first and foremost, we should understand, was not a celebration, taught by Prophet Jesus.
Nor was it done by his disciples, those who are around him, the 12 and others. They never celebrated it, and he didn't teach it. So in fact, it is not from the teachings of Jesus.
In fact, even if you look in the books of the
Christians today, in the gospels, you will not find any mention of Christmas there.
It was unknown, not celebrated, even in spite of the innovations of Paul, because Christianity should more rightly be called poly Amity.
Not associated with Christ, but associated with Paul, because he is the one who molded Christianity into what it is today.
A different interpretation of what Jesus taught
and innovation, a series of innovations which he introduced, but in spite of that,
Christmas was not among them.
The Paulien innovations did not include Christmas, Christmas was not celebrated
in the Christian world, until more than 300 years after the time of Christ.
Why?
Why didn't they celebrate it?
Because, fundamentally, it was known
that the celebration of birthdays was a pagan custom.
That's what we have to understand fundamentally, why early Christianity did not celebrate birthdays, because, of course, this has its own implication on us celebrating our children's birthdays. So okay, we understand Christmas, but what about the kid's birthday?
All his friends at school are celebrating their birthdays, he feels left out. The teacher when he goes to school, they get the name, the dates of birth of all the children and they identify whose birthday it is, and they celebrate everybody. When it comes to my son or my daughter. There's not celebrated they feel left out? Well, we have to say first and foremost, brother, you shouldn't have put your child in that school.
So don't compound your error by now.
Celebrating a child's birthday.
So that he will be happy.
You have put him in that situation. Take him out. If you want to correct it. You take him out. Don't celebrate the birthday.
You made a mistake. It's not too late. recognize it for what it is and correct it.
So early Christians didn't celebrate the birthday
of any anybody.
Because the celebration of birthdays was known to be a pagan practice. If you look at the Old Testament and the New Testament, the only place that you find celebration of birthdays was the celebration of the birthdays of the pharaohs.
The pagan rulers Herod of Palestine
This is only associated with the pagans It was no.
It was based on the belief that the day on which one is born,
one is weakest.
This is the day when one is weakest, and most easily affected by evil spirits.
So they used to burn candles to drive away the evil spirits.
light in the darkness, the evil coming in the darkness, the light drives away the darkness. And that's why you see all of the celebrations has this principle of candles. Well, now it's Christmas tree lights. Those Christmas tree lights were originally candles which were placed on this Christmas tree.
They became lights, modern technology. And sometimes the lights are even in the form of a little flame. Some of them will flicker like a flame and all these other guys because that was the origin of the belief.
So early Christians didn't celebrate it
300 years after the time of Christ
a monk
it said escape the and monk
suggested that the date of birth of Jesus was the 25th of December.
How did he come to the 25th of December? No evidence.
In fact, historians looking at the historical record according to the Gospels.
She concluded that it couldn't have been in winter, December was winter because of other issues that they talked about in the gospels concerning the time and what was happening at that time. It wasn't wintertime.
At any rate, 25th of December, was chosen.
Chosen. When Christianity now became strongest were in Rome,
Italian left the Middle East, that left Jerusalem.
The teachings of Jesus were overwhelmed. In Jerusalem, Paul, in southern Turkey, had become the leader of Christianity. He is the one who called the followers of Jesus Christians, he was the first one to use that name. It was never used before that Jesus never used the term. It was a Paulien term Christianity, Christians. And from there it was taken to Rome, through Greece and onto Rome. And as it traveled through Greece and into Rome, it absorbed a variety of practices, which were pagan.
In order to win over the hearts of the pagan Greeks and the pagan Romans, they adopted a variety of teachings.
In Greece, they adopted the idea of the Son of God,
the Son of God, the locus.
And in Rome, it was developed to the point where the day of worship shifted from the Sabbath
from Saturday to Sunday. Why? Because the most popular god of the Romans at that time was Apollo. Apollo, according to Roman mythology, was the sun god, su en god,
who would drive his or ride his chariot across the sky, carrying the sun behind them.
Furthermore, he was also the son of Zeus, the son of the main God, so he was also the son of God as O N, as well as being the Son God su n. And that's why the day for his popular worship was called Sunday.
So when you say to somebody, I'll meet you on Sunday, you're saying I meet you on the day that the God the Son God is worshipped.
So
this change had taken place.
And in this context, where so many pagan ideas were now being introduced, the 25th of December was pulled out of the hat.
Why the 25th of December? Why not? Some other day?
Well, if one goes back into the history of Christianity into Christmas, you will find another term associated with Christmas is called the Saturnalia.
The Saturnalia, what is the Saturnalia.
Saturnalia
was the day of worship dedicated to Saturn.
Saturn is not a planet. Yes, is a planet called Saturn.
named after the Roman god of the harvest Saturn. He was the god of the harvest. So
when the fields were harvested, then rites of worship were dedicated to Saturn.
That series of worship rites were called the Saturnalia
and it involve giving of gifts.
It involves carrying wreaths
the holly
the little red
berries with a wreath of green leaves which is commonly associated you will see with images of Christmas you'll see this and they even sing about it Deck the halls with boughs of holly etc. Song lacing in those, it has to do this Holly this reef, this was directly associated with the Saturnalia.
And
as time as Christianity spread into Europe, it absorbed other symbols.
In Scandinavia,
the Scandinavians believed in tree gods, that the gods inhabited the trees, they're inside trees.
So
if you wanted to
talk to your God, you would go to the tree and knock on it.
And then you would talk to God.
And this is where the practice we now called knock on wood comes from.
When people says things are going well knock on wood. Finally some wood to knock on.
That's what it goes back to the Scandinavian practice of knocking on the trees before talking to their gods.
This is all pagan.
At any rate, the Scandinavia's where they looked at the various trees,
all the trees, when winter came, the fall came they call it the fall. Why, because that's when the leaves of the trees would fall, fall off.
As it started to get cold leaves turned in color, and then they fell off, except for one tree.
The tree we now call the Christmas tree.
This is the Evergreen it stays green, all year long. So they felt it was the symbol of everlasting life. Because God has got to be everlasting it can't be dying. So they didn't choose the other trees that chose this one, the one we now called the Christmas tree.
And they brought small versions of it into their homes to worship.
And this is where the Christmas tree came from.
So
from a
basic understanding of what is involved in the rights of Christmas, it is enough to say as a Muslim, it is not permissible for us to celebrate this celebration in any way, shape, or form, with any of its symbols, not acceptable.
Furthermore,
from a religious perspective, purely Tauheed aqidah
Monophysite monotheism, our fundamental belief concerning God being One and Unique,
one of his attributes is what? Having no beginning
as well as having no end, is without beginning lamea valid, it's not born.
It doesn't give birth, okay? Well, I'm you lead, nor is he born,
neither does he give birth, nor is he himself born.
So on one hand, he doesn't give birth, he can't have a son, because once you say, Son, you're talking about a father and a son.
And the Father and the Son, are not the same.
And if the father was a God, then the Son has to be a god. So now you have two gods,
all kinds of problems come up with that.
Furthermore,
nor was he born,
God is not born.
Because for one to be born, one had to first not exist.
And if God didn't exist, how would he then come into existence?
It's confusion.
So one of the most essential characteristics of God is that he is without beginning meaning he was never born, cannot be born. Somebody says to you,
Can't God do everything and anything?
In Allah, Allah condition in a year, we say, Yes, Allah is Able to do all things, which are befitting with him being God.
Not Included in that are things which make him no longer God.
We don't include that that's understood. Those are absurdities. We don't include that in the general concept of Allah being able to do all things.
So we don't go there.
Couldn't God make himself bored?
So the idea that God was born on the 25th of December,
because according to Christian theology, Jesus is God
is the Son of God, and at the same time, He is God.
That is blasphemy.
Allah speaks about it in the Quran saying that the the heavens and the earth was about to be torn apart because of this statement of human beings.
That God bore a son
that God was born.
So when we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating the day on which according to Christians, God was born.
Can a Muslim celebrate the day on which God was born?
Absolutely not.
Absolutely not.
So we have to be very clear on this matter.
That for a Muslim celebration of Christmas is absolutely forbidden.
However, as a Muslim, it is our duty to understand what Christmas is about why Muslims don't celebrate it and convey this information to
our friends or colleagues or neighbors etc. Who are in ignorance. They don't know. We tried to do so in the best way that we can we convey that information to them after that it is on them whether they accept and believe and or not, this is up to them. But it is our duty to do so.
And part of the celebration of Christmas is to say Merry Christmas. That is part of the rituals, the customs of Christmas
Don't say I'm not celebrating meaning I didn't buy a tree.
I don't subscribe to the lie of Santa Claus Because Santa Claus is a
national lie.
Something which the whole nation agrees on, we're going to lie to our children and tell them this fat man in the red suit comes climbing down your chimney and putting gifts in your shoe your sock on Christmas. It's a national life.
And then people wonder why
they have a nation of liars
where the President lies he gets caught in lies from time to time. And it's not a big deal you are you should not lie, but
they accept it. Why? Because you're taught to lie from the very beginning, you start by lying to the children.
And eventually the child finds out.
You hear people talking about it. That traumatic morning
when the child woke up early and came downstairs and saw Mom and Dad stuffing the
presents inside of the
socks, SOX.
Shocking.
Bringing kids to tears. traumatic. It's a big lie.
So
besides that,
because the fact that we don't actually engage in that practice,
saying Merry Christmas in itself is a part of the rights of Christmas. So we're not even allowed to do that. To say Merry Christmas.
Of course, we might find it difficult because our work makes the countries that say Merry Christmas. What do I say now?
I'm not supposed to say Merry Christmas back to them when I say you know,
have a happy holiday.
Coming back,
it's a holiday, have a happy holiday.
Find some other phrases to use, which you feel comfortable with, which don't include Merry Christmas.
And those who say Well, they say aid Mobarak
they just finished telling us aid mubarak for each other. When we say it's there's a difference is a huge difference. Even other
is celebrating something that Christians believe in.
Christians believe that Prophet Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his son and God replaced that sacrifice with a ram. He sacrificed it.
So they're saying either him or her in no way affects their belief system.
In fact, they should feel proud to say either Lada.
Whereas are saying Merry Christmas that strikes at the very core of our belief system.
Two different things altogether.
Furthermore, if we actually get into the root of it
the celebration
of Christmas
is like the celebration of Satan's day.
There are people who are called Satan worshippers. There's a church of Satan in America, recognized by the government.
There's a Satan's Bible. The whole system is there. You can go on the internet Google
Satan's Bible, Satan worshippers, Wikipedia will give you their history.
They are recognized.
Now if one of those Satan worshippers said to you Happy Satan's birthday.
Do you have any problems in not saying Happy Satan's birthday to you? Also, you don't have any problem with that.
That's obvious.
Reality is that Christmas is
A celebration of Satan's birthday.
Because it is not from God
than it is from Satan.
As a general principle, whatever is worshiped besides God is Satan
is satanic.
Of course, when we're explaining to our Christian colleagues, we don't need to go there.
Right? Because that is going to close ears, nobody's going to hear you after that, hey, you're celebrating Satan's birthday.
They're not going to be able to understand that a bit deep, right? And this is just for your ears. For you to understand the roots of it, why you shouldn't feel shy about not celebrating or saying Merry Christmas, any more than you would feel not feel shy about saying Merry, Satan's birthday to a Satan worshiper.
So
putting all this in context, I asked her last month Allah to give us the strength of faith, to handle this period which is coming before us to renew our faith in Allah and in his oneness, and to guide our colleagues and our friends and our neighbors to the truth about Allah.
To remind them of Allah's oneness,
and about the fact that he had no son, he has no equal and he wasn't born
and to affirm that faith ourselves in Allah, smart Allah
and to fulfill whatever that requires of us in our lives. Aku Lokali how that was done for Lolly welcome, decided Mr. minim Coulee Dam for stock through in the whole world over for him. I say that asking a lot to forgive myself and yourselves and call on you to turn to him seeking His forgiveness, as none can forgive sins except him.
hamdu lillah wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah. All praise is due to Allah may Allah peace and blessings beyond the last messenger of Allah.
Having understood Christmas,
it is also important for us to understand
the Islamic opposition say Islamic let us call it the Muslims substitute.
Muslims
seeing this fervor with which Christians celebrated the day of birth of Jesus Christ, the suppose the day
felt that since Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam, in our belief system, he was a greater profit than Jesus Alayhis Salam, then shouldn't we celebrate his birthday?
If the Christians are making such a big show, shouldn't we do more to better? So 400 years after the death of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam
Muslims began to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu and he was
it began in Egypt
as a national practice,
under the Fatimids, the Shiite rulers of Egypt, they started
and they they chose was actually the day historically on which Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam died.
The day on which he was born, is actually not known.
Though people say no, but we know it is no historians are not agreed on the day. We have no concrete evidence regarding the day on which Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam was born.
The only concrete evidence we have is
the practice of Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam too fast on Mondays. And when he was asked
about fasting on Mondays. One of the answers that he gave was it was the day on which I was born.
He fasted on Mondays. So the only thing that we can say with certainty is that he was born on a Monday, which Monday?
Allah Allah knows, as Allah hid. The day on which Prophet Isa was born, he hidden the day on which Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu sallam was born.
This was to prevent what has happened.
To make it difficult
to leave evidence to people that people have gone astray in this matter
that the celebration of the prophets Allah his birthday, has no basis in Islamic teachings beyond fasting on Monday.
So
as Muslims, this innovation
which has become widespread, beginning from Fatimid
rulers in Egypt, spreading over the OMA today, till now you have huge celebrations, people going down the streets lights, Song dance, you know, the whole nine yards as they say, going on in the Muslim world today huge celebration, the Molad people writing poetry, acidity, bada qawwali singing and music and everything, all the forbidden things have now been lumped together in the Mawlid
all innovation is misguidance pulumi. dottin, Tala. That's what mom says Adam said, regardless of people's intention, we've said but that's not my intention.
I don't intend to innovate. I'm just remembering Prophet Muhammad SAW as Allah.
Is it a bad thing?
In the way that you're doing it is a bad thing.
It's not a bad thing to remember Prophet Muhammad Allah Allah. Allah tells us in the Quran in the law of Malacca, who is a luna Allenby, you already know Amanu Sallu alayhi wa sallam with us Nima calls on the believers
to remember Prophet Muhammad wa sallam by doing what? By celebrating his birthday. Some people say yeah, that's what the rest of it is saying, celebrate his birthday.
That is not what was understood by the early generation, the early generation that heard this verse that recorded this verse, They didn't celebrate his birthday. So obviously that was not what was to be understood from this verse.
They understood as the verse clearly states that we ask Allah as Peace and blessings to be on Prophet Muhammad salah.
In our recognition for what he has done for us, guided us to the straight path.
We ask Allah to bless him
not
to celebrate his birthday, with the fanfare that we do today.
It being innovation, it is not surprising that it cause deviation.
So some of the poetry that is recited pissy little Buddha attributes to Prophet Muhammad Salah Salem, the knowledge of Allah
they give the attributes of Allah to Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam in this poetry, which they recite regularly, religiously
on his birthday and and on other occasions, innovation misguidance
calling people to the worship of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
and so we have Muslims today
who call on Muhammad
we see it in the masjids where they will put a plaque on one side of the Merab saying, Ya Allah. And on the other side, he will say yeah, Muhammad
what does that mean?
Yeah, Allah. Yeah, Muhammad we understand Yeah, Allah. Oh Allah answer my prayers. Yeah, Muhammad
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Yes.
But yeah, Muhammad
or Muhammad was
calling on him to do something for us.
People believe that today
and that is misguidance.
That the shark
Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam can do nothing for us in this life.
He did what he did.
He each and every one of us was accepted Islam he is really rewarded for because we are a product of his work. So he benefits
but he cannot benefit us directly in that we can call on Him and He will answer our prayers and do things for us. That is Allah. Allah said Ernie, as the Gibler can call on me and I will answer your prayers. Only Allah can answer our prayers.
This is the true Islamic belief. And this is what we need to renew. Put these practices back in their correct context. No renew our relationship with Allah Subhana Allah,
our relationship of a bada of worship, in the purest way possible.
This is Islam,
worshiping Allah, as he deserves to be worshipped. I ask Allah Subhana Allah to give us the blessing of worshiping him as he deserves to be worshipped. ask Allah to remove from our hearts, the innovations and the love of misguidance that has entered upon us. Ask Allah to guide our families, our children, our OMA to the true worship of Allah alone, and to bring everything else in submission to it, to return to this ummah, its strength based on faith, to return to this ummah, its ascendancy and guidance to the world based on faith. ask Allah to forgive us to forgive us, our misguidance, our misguidance, our deviation, and to bring us back to the straight path and to take us from this
life believers. I mean, how can assala