Bilal Philips – Islam – A Contemporary Solution to Modern Woes
AI: Summary ©
The importance of human civilizations in achieving goals is discussed, including the shift from homophobic sex to gay marriage and the negative impact of sexual tourism on society. The Sharia Islam has maintained principles of morality but is not the solution. There is a discussion of the imbalance in the Muslim world and the importance of finding a balance between the right and left, finding alternative solutions, and praying with shoes on during prayer. The importance of voter certification and online education for students is also emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
Ah
wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah Karim.
Ali was Hobie. Woman is standing Mr. de la Ahmed Deen. All praise is due to Alon Milos Peace and blessings beyond the last prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, I don't know those who follow the path of righteousness until the last day.
Islam, the solution
is something which, as Muslims, we all believe, or should all believe
that the solution for the Muslim world,
for the whole world
is Islam solution for economic problems, social problems,
whatever problems human beings face, whether it be issues of environment, or whether it be
issues of oppression,
Islam has the solution.
Unfortunately,
according to a laws other.
Another solution is commonly known in the world today,
as solution which is promoted by Western civilization.
That solution is secular democracy.
It is where the West has evolved to in terms of governance,
they have evolved to this point where they found secular democracy to be the answer for the past
the past of Western civilization where it was dominated by the Roman Catholic Church and other church institutions.
Because they feel
that secular democracy is the pinnacle
of evolutionary development of human society,
then they feel
that it is the answer
and what all other societies in the world should follow.
And because of that, we see them systematically imposing democracy secular democracy on the nations of the world.
Now, from a Muslim perspective, secular democracy does have advantages,
where there is no other option.
Muslims in India, for example,
it is to their advantage, that the system is officially secular democratic.
So, we're not necessarily saying that there is no good in secular democracy.
But where Muslims have the option?
Then,
the solution lies in sherea
sherea, which is Islam? Is the answer. It is the answer for Muslims and the rest of the world if
they choose it, we cannot impose it on them either.
It is the choice, the correct choice for Muslims and of course, it's important for Muslims to understand that,
to know it and to live it.
If we look at secular democracy before looking at the solution, the Islamic solution,
we see that it is built basically on three principles.
The first principle is that of equality.
And Islam doesn't have any problem. Muslim Sharia doesn't have any problem with the concept general concept that human beings are all equal.
Before God,
men and women are equal before,
they're equally responsible to worship Allah.
The second principle,
which is known as rational empiricism, where they have decided,
from their experience,
that the human mind is capable of determining what is objectively best for human beings.
The human mind is capable of doing that.
That principle,
if we try to look at
ancient democratic institutions, if we look at the American
Declaration of Independence,
the American Constitution,
the equivalent of the secular Bible for Western, secular democracy,
we see in it
a clause an article right in the very beginning,
which was arrived at in order to work out voting principles,
called the three fifths amendment
in which it states that a black man, a non white man
would be considered
three fifths of a white man.
That was the best brains of the 18th century.
What happened to rational empiricism?
What happened to objectivity?
Human beings are subjective.
All of the founding fathers of America were slave holders.
They looked at their slaves as being inferior to themselves.
So, it is not surprising that in their
declaration in their constitution,
in order to give the slave a value
for their voting purposes, not that the slaves were able to vote, but a person who had 100 slaves had a stronger vote than one who only had one slave.
So how did we measure that strength, it was measured by giving each slave value of three fifths of a white man.
So those founding fathers were not bad people.
They were good people. But they were living in a society where slavery was the norm.
So I didn't see him in any way,
you know, unfair or anything to come to that conclusion.
But what it tells us Now, of course, it's been amended.
What it tells us is that the human mind isn't capable
of arriving by itself at what is in fact, objectively beneficial and correct and good for human society.
Not on a consistent basis, not to say they could never arrive at anything.
But to say that this becomes the deciding factor. For right and wrong we have a problem.
The third principle
that of
consensus, discussion and consent,
where
everyone making a decision
has the equal right to express their views
and no view is considered to be
absolutely correct.
No law no principle, which was previously passed
can be deemed
a replaceable
Or
unmodifiable? No.
Everything is open to discussion.
And whatever the majority agree on that now becomes what is
right.
The right of the majority
in a limited sense.
In Islam, we have the principle of Shura
Shura by No.
So,
in that Shura where a
panel or committee of experts agree on a particular
issue.
The majority agree,
decisions can be made on the basis of it.
We have to build this convention hall.
Engineers get together
there is a particular design we want.
And the way that the majority of engineers agree is the best way to do it, we can go ahead and do it no problem with that.
We don't have a problem with that.
But
when you are going to make moral decisions of right and wrong,
then you now have a problem.
Because, if right and wrong is decided in this way,
then what is wrong or what was wrong yesterday, can become right today.
And what was right yesterday can become wrong today.
And we have no end of examples of this.
One of the probably biggest examples, which society is now being threatened by human society, human civilization civilization is being challenged with is the concept of homosexuality.
Homosexuality has reached a point in the West, where it is not only accepted.
It is openly promoted
in Canada, and I'm a national of Canada.
A couple of years back, Bill 13 was passed in Bill 13.
It gives permission
for the teaching of homosexuality, in government kindergartens
from kindergarten,
to start teaching homosexuality as being something normal,
decent,
acceptable.
commendable from kindergarten, they were already teaching it from
sixth grade
High School, they're already doing that. Now they took it right down not just to grade one, but right down to kindergarten.
This is being now promoted
on a country wide scale and it's spreading. It's not just there. It's happening in the US happening in the UK, other countries.
And of course, it is done
in a very subtle way. It is not done directly.
For those those grade levels, they will do it.
Like with the book called my two dads
where they will say in a nicely illustrated book.
Tommy as a dad and a mom.
Johnny has two dads.
Now Johnny's two dads are really great guys. They take Johnny everywhere to the park to the beach. Then they describe the life with Johnny's two dads wonderful life.
They've put the point in the mind of the child, that it's a good thing to have to that.
Especially if you like dad more than mom.
What else could you ask for? But two dads.
So
this is coming at that level and we have to consider that up until
The late 70s.
Though society did not look at homosexuality that way.
Prior to 1977 677 78, homosexuality was considered
an illness, or sickness, mental sickness, it was in the psychiatrists Bible, it was considered to be a deviation. There were various treatments that were prescribed for it.
But
a change took place,
the consensus changed under pressure. And
that
homophobe,
the homophobia, homosexuality was now replaced with homophobia.
Meaning that one who hates homosexuality, who despises it considers it to be evil, that person is sick.
He is the one she is the one now who needs to go to the psychiatrists, and the psychiatrists will straighten up their thinking.
That is the product.
And there are many, many other projects. And of course, this is coming at us. Muslims in particular now, because
it's only Muslims who stand their ground.
Homosexuality will never be accepted in Islam
as a decent way of life, it will always be considered to be a crime, just as adultery, fornication, stealing, these are all crimes which will never change. We'll never change our position. So it is coming at us through the UN through all the big international bodies, it's coming.
And that is the consequence of
this principle of consensus where the majority consider something to be right. Then it becomes right. That's enough.
And that's why also, we find in society today,
so many other ills.
And the attack on Islam is justified by these, the impact of these ills on society. For example, one of the biggest attacks on Mohammed salatu wa sallam, the prophet of Islam, our Prophet
is that he was a *.
This is the claim.
He had sexual relations with, as they said, a child,
nine years old.
He was a *.
And of course, for most Muslims, when this is when we're confronted with this, today, we feel shy.
How do you explain that?
We have accepted it up until recent times, nobody ever questioned this. There was not the issue. All of a sudden now where Who? What do you say? How do you respond to this accusation? How do you defend the profits
from this accusation?
It's the same thing.
For the last 1000s of years,
what they now call *,
was not called *. It was not considered to be a crime, go back 1400 years and identify the society which did not allow quote unquote, child marriage.
So all of these people were all corrupted and lost. And
is that what? Of course not.
This whole issue is a recent phenomena.
Where
in the West, where people have run out of ways to enjoy themselves, they started to abuse children. So you had sexual tourism coming out of the West, into the Muslim lands, Eastern lands where people are poor.
They would buy children to abuse.
So it was evil.
This is evil.
But they have equated that, which is * with the Prophet Muhammad wa sallam marrying a nine year old girl.
equal? No.
Number, they might say, Yeah, this one was committing, that is the nine year old, 10 year old girl. Yes, this is a crime, we will punish him put him in jail.
And the prophets are solemn, he married a nine year old. So it's the same? No, it's not the same.
Marriage is something else. It's marriage in a time where all societies in the world accepted it.
Even according to the Catholic Bible, and we don't necessarily believe this information. It states that Joseph
the carpenter,
who married Mary,
we don't believe in this and said this is their own facts in the Catholic Bible. He married Mary Mary was 13 years at the time, she was 13 years old, and he was in his 90s.
So what about that one,
and up to failure,
it was a norm, you will not find any society until recent times, which now set limits as to what age people can marry at
that stage, the reality.
So scales have been flipped.
views have changed. And
the consequence is, of course,
morality, which is ever changing, ever changing morality.
So the Sharia rejects that.
Because what has been defined by God, as evil will always be evil.
God is the objective judge.
And we need an objective judge.
So the solution can only come from God.
It won't be found in Christianity, because the message from God and Christianity has become so garbled that we cannot extract the Pure Truth. There are truths there. But it's not the Pure Truth, it's corrupted.
So that's why we say if we compare, shady
to secular democracy, definitely, Sharia is the answer. Islam holds the answer. It has preserved
principles, which
provide correct governance for human society. Of course, this is all in theory.
Because they will say that what about all these Muslim nations?
What they're doing?
We're talking about theory, practices, something else what Muslims do is something else, but as a concept.
Is the Sharia is Islam the solution? Or is it secular democracy? secular democracy definitely is not the solution.
It may be a solution, as I said,
better for Muslims of India, that India is a secular democratic nation than being a Hindu nation better.
At least rights are preserved, because if it becomes openly, I mean, it's under the cover already, it's into but at least it became openly then the evil the harm which would come to Muslims will be far greater.
So
Sharia is the answer.
That is in comparison to
modern secular democracy.
On the other hand,
as a general principle,
the Sharia Islam
maintains the balance.
The human beings need a balance.
a balance between
the spiritual and the material.
Between all of the extremes, left, right, north south, we need a balance.
And that is why Allah describes the oma as being one of balance. gallica Delica janicoo, Martin was the Taku Shahada, Allah nas punarvasu aleikum shaida,
Allah made us the oma
was
the balanced nation was it means in the middle, you're not too far to the right. You're not too far to the left. You're not extreme in your practices in your beliefs
in your life.
It is that balance which Islam calls for.
And it is here that human beings find
a proper life
where the goals the needs of human civilization, human society are protected, where the balance is maintained.
And that's why we find in so many places, Quran and Sunnah, etc.
We're where a law stresses
the lack of extremism that we should avoid extremism.
Lots of blue
v de nickel.
Prophet Mohammed Salam told us
el Gamal beware of extremism,
because it destroyed the people before you.
The Christians were destroyed because of their extreme view concerning aisa Jesus, Elisa Lam,
where they gave him the attributes of Allah
and they worshipped him. They went to extreme and that is destruction, because there is no sin greater than shark.
So we're wanting to avoid that extremism to be away from it.
And today,
we also have Muslims who have gone to extremes with regards to Prophet Mohammed salsa.
Where instead of praying to the God who we pray to they pray to Him
in order to pray to God.
These are extremes, extreme views.
We have Muslims who will stand up and say if you say that Mohammed Salam is dead. You are a disbeliever.
But Abu Bakar
when he heard of the news, and came to Medina came into the city. He found Omar Al Kitab, threatening anybody
who said that the prophet SAW Selim was dead.
He pushed him aside went in check the Prophet wa salam removed the garment kissed him, came back out, pushed Omar aside and said whoever was worshipping Mohammed know that Muhammad is dead.
But whoever was worshipping the God of Muhammad know that he is ever living.
But we have people today saying Mohammed Salim is not dead. And to say he is dead is a statement of copper.
This is extreme.
This is extremism in the religion.
Allah told Mohammed Salim in the Quran
to emphasize that he was a man
in the MMA national myth locum you highlight
this was the command to say I'm a man like you. The only difference is that
revelation has been sent to me.
So, extremes can be extremes of religious thought.
It could be extremes of material, materialism and material and finances etc. Where Riba has become the norm for our society.
Our banks,
everything is functioning with rebar.
This is an extreme
and it's harmful and destructive.
And the nations of the world that are currently struggling under the burden of debt, it's all a result of Riba.
So Islam
has
forbidden Reba
amapola horiba your misurata God, Allah has taken all good out the river.
So we have to find alternatives. And Islam does have alternative solutions.
But we should always as we
strive to establish
that middle and moderate path, we should always try our best to stay balanced. One of the struggles that we're facing today in the Muslim world also, that has put us off balance is the imbalance of the math hub.
where a person feels, you know,
I'm a Hanafi.
And
I'm not going to follow anything else.
This is an imbalance because Prophet Muhammad SAW Salaam
Prophet Muhammad SAW Salam
did not teach Hanafi ism.
Abu hanifa was not a hanafy.
Abu hanifa was not a Hanafi
and also some of you might say what he wasn't the Hanafi know
Abu hanifa was not a Hanafi
Mr. Malik was not a Maliki
of Medina humble was not a humble he
and a mama Shafi wasn't the Shafi
that's the reality. So really what was their method, then? Their mantra was the madhhab of Rasulullah sallallahu wasallam. It was the same mantra baba baba of Omar and Ali, that was there madhhab they were trying to follow Rasulullah sallallahu wasallam as closely as they could,
people followed them
and they gave names to that following.
But you will not find in any of the writings of the great demands.
We had a few years we do this, you will never find that nor in this the statements of their students you will not find it.
So, we have to also be aware of the extremes that come out of Methodism,
where, up until the 20th century, for almost 500 years.
For almost 500 years.
Muslims prayed for different prayers
around the Kaaba for each Salah
where they are then went for Salatin, Asia.
All the HANA V's would line up behind the Hanafi Imam.
They would pray when they were finished. Then the shofar, a mom would go under what was called macom Shafi and all the shaft phase would pray. And when they were finished, then the Maliki's and then the humbleness
for hundreds of years that went on.
It was ruled in the Hanafi madhhab that it was not permissible for a hanafy to marry a Shafi
is that extremism or not?
That is extremism.
You could marry a Christian and a Jew but you couldn't marry a Shafi
extremism.
Something went wrong.
And to recognize what went wrong is nothing against Imam Abu hanifa
or Imam Shafi if we recognize that a ruling which is commonly attributed now to their school is not correct.
Nothing wrong.
As a practical example,
personal experience yesterday I went to the Faisal mosque to pray
and
from the time you get to the main
courtyard,
shoes and socks had to be taken off
I said what why
The courtyard is cold. It was raining cold rain. How many people went in there and got sick? Me, I got sick. I got a cold now My throat is sore. I've asked the people divided in some, some vitamin C to try to deal with this cold
because of this extreme view
of the concept now called Pac.
Pakistan,
the place you're going to play pray on has to be Pac. Right?
Okay, what does this pack mean? According to Sharia, what does it all mean?
I mean, does it mean that the place must be spotless? Not a single grain of dirt or dust on it?
You can't walk on your shoes on it. No, no, no.
I know people, friends of mine, Pakistani friends of mine in Canada, etc. If they they don't have a white cloth to put on the ground. They will not pray them. They'll delay the supply even Mr. Sala rather than pray on the ground when they didn't have a white cloth to put on it. This is extremism.
The prophet SAW Selim said Jew and Utley allowed the masjid and motomura Allah made the whole earth a Masjid for me and a place of purification, the whole earth is the masjid.
He prayed on the ground.
If you do not see what is the principle in Sharia concerning cleanliness of a location, if you do not see feces,
or urine, or blood on the ground, then the ground is clean enough for prayer. That's enough.
So we didn't need to take our shoes off and walk on you know, cold, so cold and walking on the edges of my feet
is horrendous.
Torture
in extreme views.
So
Islam is the solution.
It is the solution.
From a principle
of governance.
It is the solution from the principle of balance. These are the two concepts which I have tried to get across to you today. One that when we compare
secular democracy to sherea
sherea wins out. If we look at it practically.
Sharia wins out. Because revelation is preserved. Human beings need the guidance of Revelation. Without it, they will go astray.
If they're left to their own, they will go astray.
On the other hand,
the practice of Islam has within it a balance because the Sharia puts everything in place. It provides the essence of the balance.
So Prophet Mohammed saw salam, when he went into the masjid, and he told his companions, pray with your shoes on.
They prayed with their shoes on
during the prayer. On one occasion, he took his shoes off.
So they all took their shoes off. This is in Sahih Bukhari at the end of the prayer. He asked him, Why did you take your shoes off? So because we saw you taking your shoes off your rasulillah
He said, I only took my shoes off. Because Angel Gabriel informed me that I had stepped in some
poor dog
feces. It was on the back of my shoe. I didn't realize it. So I took it off.
One, he didn't repeat this a lot.
To he didn't go and check the bottom of his shoes to find out about cleanliness. He didn't go to the point of checking the bottom of his shoes. When he went he had his shoes.
It was a gravel Masjid. I'm not saying now go marching into the masjid with your shoes on okay. I'm not, don't say Dr. Pillai said it was okay. No, no. I'm not saying that. mustards have changed in their quality. We have carpets now and all these kinds of things. But if you found yourself outside time for prayer came you can pray with your shoes on know that it's okay. It's not a problem.
That is the balance. That is the simplicity of Islam. Yes.
Solomon said make things easy.
The Dean is about ease, it is not about difficulty. And with that inshallah
we pray that Allah gives us the Sharia again in our lives and gives us back that balance with which the Muslim Ummah can come together.
You unity that you spoke about in your,
the your basic emblem of the conference,
United We bow that is an expression of the same concept that our unity in religion.
worshipping of a law is where success ultimately lies. We have two written questions.
First one is the verse 159 of Surah Al anon applicable in this era. I have memorized what the verse numbers were. So I don't really know what first 159 is. So whoever was writing this, if you want to stand up and say, what, what the verses then we'll know, laws are in place against Islamic teachings in the Pakistani constitution, should Muslims in Pakistan vote in elections, so that we get to select good leaders? Or should we abstain from voting? Well, I would say you need to vote.
You need to vote. Because if you don't vote, and those people who vote, vote in things which are against Islamic teachings, etc, then you're at fault. You're at fault. You know, we have a duty to come together to try to correct this. It's the way to do it is in a manner which is peaceful. We don't need to be shooting killing each other, etc. Over matters, these matters. And voting is the route by which we can express our opinions. I would say that it is the duty of every Muslim in the country to vote for what is correct, and to vote against what is incorrect. This is first 159
first 159 verily those who divide their religion and break up into *, you Muhammad wa salam have no concern in them.
In the least there are fairies only with a law.
Who then will tell them what they used to do. Yeah. In the Latina for codina. Home, or can Russia last the main home? Yes, those who divide up the religion. This is this is the opposite of the Sharia. This is the opposite of the balance, breaking up into various different *. We are one oma, we are one in our followship because this is what our declaration of faith is. When we say Lyla Mullah Muhammad Rasulullah sallallahu sallam, that is our commitment to follow Rasulullah as one. It doesn't mean that we may not have different interpretations, different views, but we still do it in a United Way. Accepting differences where differences are possible, and correcting where errors are
made. barakallahu li combs Salaam Alaikum warahmatullahi.
seeking knowledge and obligation made easy. Thought about studying for a long time. tuition fees keeping you from actually starting. Islamic online university has led a revolution in online learning.
The world's first tuition free degree BA in Islamic Studies, access to the knowledge anyplace, anytime, anywhere. It just doesn't get any easier than that. Classes texts, assignments completely online. Set your own schedule for the semester. No overseas travel required for the exams.
Subjects taught by qualified English speaking scholars weekly live sessions and virtual classrooms with a curriculum based on those in El Medina University in Saudi Arabia, as har University in Cairo
and other reputable institutions around the world. Why wait any longer, he pages a symbolic registration fee and are ready to begin the adventure of higher education.
The most diverse student body of any university in the world 130,000 plus registered students from 217 countries login to the website for more details www dot Islamic online university.com