Brotherhood, Community and Leadership in Islam

Salam Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

dear brothers and sisters in Islam, this is your brother shefali, you are seen speaking to you from my Facebook Live platform. This is another episode of sky views.

Sky views are my views.

It is my take my spin, my understanding my opinion,

my perspective on various critical issues that are facing humanity and various issues that may be facing the Muslims in the world.

Today I want to talk about a subject

called brotherhood, community and leadership.

I want to talk about the importance of brotherhood, community and leadership in Islam.

And it is unfortunate that we even have to address this topic in such a fundamental way.

And this is because the enemies of Islam

the enemies within and the enemies from the outside

have conspired to undermine these essential values. And without these three essential values, what we are practicing or what we are engaged in and what we call Islam is just the peripherals.

We're just discussing ideas, we're just performing rituals, with this goal going through the motions. And, of course, we're Muslims because we have sincerely embraced the faith, we have sincerely made a commitment to adopt the principles in our life. But without the ingredients without the components of genuine brotherhood community, the aspirations of community and without subscribing to legitimate, clear leadership,

then

the idea of unity remains just that an idea.

Now, you know, this is not like a dialectical discussion. I don't want to bring up a lot of Arabic terminologies and I want to bring up a lot of is of course and and Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and discuss this here from a

sort of like a religious point of view.

It is our religion. It is our faith. It is our platform, it is our system of life. But I want to be a little bit more fundamental about it,

to discuss this now, today,

if any Evam

or leader of the Muslims stood up and discussed brotherhood,

he could be really misunderstood.

It may be thought that he is implying that we should belong to or legitimatize some particular group of Muslims who refer to themselves as the Muslim Brotherhood.

Well, there isn't there is a global organization that is called the Muslim Brotherhood. But when the core and speaks about Brotherhood is not speaking about that particular social political phenomenon,

that's a that's a name that a group of a legitimate name that a group of Muslims chose

some 60 or 70 years ago.

And they began to

implement a social, ideological political platform

to develop what they consider to be a

global system so that they would be able to

manifests their ideological principles, ideas or vision.

It's called the Muslim Brotherhood. But that's not what we're talking about today. And that's not what the core en is speaking when it said, I was a bit late with the chatango regime in the middle of me norrona ecwa wehrli. The relationship of the believers is that of brother.

You know, that's what the Quran says. in so many words, the relationship between the believers is that of brother in the manana network.

And the prophet SAW also described the relationship between the believers as brothers brotherhood.

He said, some among them in so many words,

none of you truly believes until he or she loves for their brother, what they'd love for themselves.

You know, this is an expression of brotherhood.

Now, so obviously today, you know, because of social, political, ideological, governmental

polarizations ambitions and conspiracies, the word brotherhood has now become a trigger terminology

so that Muslims are less likely to use the word brotherhood because of what it may imply. Well,

the use of the terminology brotherhood, from the quarter end and from the Sunnah of the Prophet Salaam is a very classical, profound

correct

inspirational terminology.

You know, the word brotherhood means fraternity.

And there's no gender restrictions here. And the terminology brotherhood. brotherhood also means sisterhood, manhood, womanhood.

You know, it's a it's an expression, okay, of unity between individuals,

based upon a set of unbreakable, immutable principles. brotherhood means fraternity.

brotherhood also implies family. You know, this is why young people who

displeased at home or came from broken homes or

is not getting enough love at home. This is why young people are joining gangs, that they're calling their new family.

So it's a form of social brotherhood, psychological brotherhood. brotherhood means friendship.

brotherhood means trust.

Because who are you going to trust? You know, if you if you can't trust your brother or your sister, So who are you going to trust?

brotherhood means love. brotherhood means loyalty. brotherhood means dependence and support. brotherhood means Association. And brotherhood means companionship. So having defined brotherhood now you should ask yourself, so where is the Muslim Brotherhood? Where's the principle of brotherhood and the mosque that you attend?

me today is Friday. And you you are I, you know, Muslims from all over the world. They go to Juma and hear the hotbar and they pray the slotum Juma on Friday. And they do this with other Muslim brothers and sisters and they stand in the ranks, okay? And they listen to the football. They sit and listen to the football, the sermon, they stand and they pray together, and they supplicate together. And then after the prayers finish, they separate and go in different directions. Now some of them will shake hands and some will hug and some will kiss and some will, you know, they will make promises to see each other later that evening or that weekend or during the course of that

week. And that is it.

That is their weekly expression of brotherhood.

But the monsters you just came from what a monster you're going to today.

Is that your fraternity?

Is that your family that will you find your friendship that

Is that the place where you look for the people of trust, who also trust you that the place that you go to express, you know, where you get your love and your support? And you know, when you express your loyalty and when you get loyalty from others, and you know is that the people that depend upon you and you depend upon them? Is that where you go for your support?

Is that where you really associate? Is that where you look for companionship? Well, if it's not, then that's the problem.

Because the Mosque, the Masjid

is where you spot where you're going to, and bow and down with other people. That should be part of the greater brotherhood. And if it's not, then that's the missing tooth.

That's the dilemma.

And there's a reason why that tooth is missing. And that's the reason why that dilemma exists.

If we are really

sincere, devoted, committed, genuine Muslims, all of us should be seeking to belong to a brotherhood of Islam.

You know, in the Quran, Allah subhanho wa Taala mentions a verse of the

genus level, he says,

What tassimo be hubballi lahaie, Jeremy wahdat of 30 roku?

What does it mean for Roku, so hold on,

to the rope of Allah,

and do not be divided among yourself. So this is a verse of the code an

order from a lot.

So hold on,

to the rope of Allah.

And do not be divided among yourselves. Now this rope of Allah by consensus, it means the rope of the quarter end. And it means the rope of the sooner and the core end. And the sooner is a community is what a principle that the Muslim community relies upon.

You know, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Brotherhood of Islam,

regulates themselves

organizes themselves into a community.

A group of individuals,

families,

groups,

and human resources in a particular neighborhood, an urban enclave,

a geographical area, and ethnic, social or ideological group. People who depend upon one another, are united body of individuals and families. That's the definition of a community. So we all live in some kind of a geographical community, whether it's rural, or urban. We live in an area a geographical area that has been designed and organize to facilitate

a group of people and to provide them with the

resources and the support for their daily living. This is a community.

So a Muslim community is where Muslims have organized and decided to live and interact and develop among themselves, a neighborhood, an urban enclave, a geographical area of ethnic, social or ideological group. Muslims are people whom depend upon one another as a community, and Muslims should be a united body of individuals and families. Now, that's the definition. And the last part of what Allah said, What does the movie habla la he Jamia and Jimmy I'm here. Here. Jimmy I'm here means one united body. It's another meaning another expression for community. So I asked you

the masjid that you attend today or that you attended today. The master you will attend

is that your community?

Is that your

ideological group are those people that are in that community that you're going to pray with, that you did pray with?

Are those people that you depend upon? And they depend upon you?

Do you know them? When you just lean to the left and testament to the right, or to the right, and to the left are these people whom you know them, their parents, their children,

they know you they know your parents, they know your children, you interact with them, you spend money with them, you depend upon them, you have a love for them.

Or this just a group of people that you go to on Friday, and you just pray with him, and you stay with them. And then after that, you leave them and you live among other people. ask yourself that question.

The next question is leadership.

Leadership. You know, our prophet SAW the wall and Sam was our ideological leader.

We say that, you know, in the law, Muhammad Rasulullah. And by making those two statements we are proclaiming that there is none to be worshipped, except a lot. There's absolutely no one no entity to be worshipped, or recognize, or that our ibadah or to be obeyed, except exclusively except Allah. And then we say, Mohammed Rasulullah. And here we are making another statement. And that statement has to do with our social, political, ideological leadership. Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he is our leader.

He's our ideological leader. We take our ideas, we take our behavior from Muhammad, the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wasallam. He's our social leader. He orders us.

He provides for us the inspiration that we need. We follow his lead. We follow his example. Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and also Mohammed Sawsan is our political leader. That is, he's the person that we that represents our policies, government leadership.

He's the one that we pattern, our administration, our behavior and our governments upon him. So leadership in Islam is very important. This is not an abstract issue. When we talk about leadership, we're not talking about leadership inside the mosque.

We are talking about m&ms

inside the mosque. Okay. They are leaders. I mean, technically they are leading, but for how long?

To record for Raka.

What are they what do they need? They have they give me the hook bar. I mean, you have to listen to the cook bond Be quiet. But after the hook bar is over one, how many of you would sit down if the leader said to you don't move?

Yo, the hotbar today

the hottie, the man who like to pray and the hottie who gave the sermon.

After he prayed, he stood up and said,

I want everybody to have a seat. I don't want anyone to move. I don't want anybody to leave. In fact, I'm ordering you I'm commanding you stay where you are? Well,

just think about that.

What will be the reaction of the Muslims in your local area? If you're in Miami, he said that? Well, if your your man was the man was the leader. If he's really the leader, if he's the commander, if he's the one that has the final decision, if he's the one that implements our legislation, if he's the one that arbitrates for us, if he's the one that represents us,

and we respect him, if he tells us to sit, we sit,

stand we stand. He says wait, we wait. Of course he should be polite. Of course he should be well mannered, but he doesn't have to be especially if he has power. And he has influence. And he has policies set up where you get the message even without him saying it.

You know, you feel what I'm saying? They have those kind of leaders. And there are people who have those kinds of leaders where it doesn't even have to be said it's implied and people follow.

New people follow they comply.

You know, and leadership in leadership means an individual or a body that is charged with responsibility, that's leadership.

You know, an individual or a body of people who are charged with responsibility,

authority, and resource management.

Leadership describes a person that is nominated, selected, elected or chosen to make executive decisions. That's what the media is. Now, once that, obviously, that goes way beyond the the prayers and making Do

you know, the person that needs to prayers and recites the Quranic verse beautifully, and makes a very, I mean, just a very inspiring supplication, or gives a very powerful sermon cannot necessarily give anybody in a direct order. In fact, most of the mams most of the fatigues that are leading this giving the sermon and leading the prayers, they themselves are subordinate to another group of people who are leading the people, and executive body of people who set up the corporation who built the mosque, and who brought the Imam to the masjid, who tell them what to say and what not to say, if he goes out of bounds. They send them back home. Now, obviously, that's a different kind of

leader. That's not the kind of leadership that the court is speaking about. That's not the kind of leadership of Muhammad SAW Sam or his companions, or the holder for Rashidi or the Imams afterwards, that's not the proper, that's not the comprehensive idea of leadership. Okay, so I guess you get my drift at this point.

Our problem, our dilemma is that there's a vacuum of brotherhood,

among the Muslims today. There's a vacuum of community structure among the Muslims today. And there's a vacuum of leadership, according to the comprehensive or the classical meaning of leader in Islam. So this is what we want to come back to, you know, now brothers sisters, I want to tell you that

when I became a Muslim in

1965, you know, seems like eons ago. 1965, you know, during those days between 1965 and let's say, 1990, you know, you know, between 65 and 90, you know, somewhere in that area, maybe between 1965 and 1985, those 20 years, we understood, brotherhood,

we tasted it, we lived it, we experienced brotherhood.

We had a community. I mean, we lived in a neighborhood in an urban enclaves, you know, where most of the Muslims who they took Shahada. This is where they wanted to live at.

So a geographical area that was that everybody knew about, and we had an Imam and our Eman. He wasn't just the one who gave the sermon, or the one who just let the prayers. He was the leader. He was respected. As the leader, he was protected as the leader. He was regarded as the leader. And he arbitrated our issues and problems. And he was the one that performed marriages and bury the dead. And that encouraged us to go visit the sick, and he helped raise the money for emergencies. And he was the person that led the initiative to protect the community and to interact with non Muslims as our representative. This was our Eman. This was our leader during those days between 1965 and 1985.

Those were the golden days.

You know,

then another period came in which brothers

left the community and they went overseas or they went some other places to study Islam.

You know, to study Arabic language and to study the classical disciplines of the Quran and and to study the classical

issues in regards to the Sunnah of the Prophet salon in Amsterdam, you know, they went overseas or they went to some other places and institutions

To study Islam with scholars and teachers who themselves were academically trained,

so from

1985 onwards,

brotherhood, community and leadership as we had understood it to be, it started to basically fragment. It started to dissipate, it started to erode. It started to become.

Maybe the word would be abstract. Until now today, the words are hardly even used anymore.

You don't you know, the words have been politicized

the word brotherhood, nobody wants to use it anymore because they're afraid that they might get tagged. You know, they might just keep you start talking about brotherhood. Maybe somebody thinks you have

some, maybe somebody says you're a fanatic. You're an extremist, you know, you you belong to some group that has been banned in most of the Muslim world, because the non believers told the Muslim governments to ban a particular group, but they were dangerous, you know, without getting into the political politicization of the issue. brotherhood has almost died as we had understood it before.

And no one belongs to a community anymore. You know people ask each other you know, yeah, hey, what master do you belong to? What are you talking about?

What are you talking about? What master do I belong to? A loss apotheosis in the middle? And in the massage in the live lab? Very the masjids belong to Allah. Now I belong to a Masjid when the Masters belong to Allah.

Just think about that. You meet a bug or you meet a system they ask you what Masjid do you belong to? I don't belong to know Masjid.

I attended the masjid where I live. That's what