Mohammad Badawy – Embracing the Hijri Calendar & Muharram’s Blessings
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Oh Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
allow this year to begin, to come upon
us
while we are
in safety
and faith
and peace
and submission to you and protection from the
shaitan
and
in the pleasure of the most merciful.
We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make
this year
such for us. And
that begs the question, what year is it?
I want you to think for yourself what
year is it. And you can cheat a
little bit. You have this clock here that
has the hijri calendar.
But if you had to think for more
than a second
that it is 14:46,
this is the first stop. I have 5
stops together in this blessed day of Jummah,
in this khutba.
5 lessons around the hijri new year, around
the month of Muharram, around the Ashura
as we are coming to the conclusion of
one blessed season, the mid season of the
Hajj, and entering into another blessed season of
the holy month of Muharram.
So the first lesson is, what year is
it? It is 1446.
What are we counting?
1,446
years since what?
That is something for all of us to
consider.
If we had to scratch our heads for
an instant
about what year it is or what we
are counting from or what is the importance
of this time, that is a red flag.
The first lesson,
the first stop is that the people who
do not know their history
have no future.
If we do not have a strong connection
to our history,
a strong relevance of the Hijri calendar, of
the Hijri dates, of the sacred months, of
the holidays as they come in year in
year out,
if we don't have a strong connection to
that,
that is our lifeline to our identity.
Our connection to this legacy that we invoke
in the beginning of almost all of our
speeches,
sending peace and blessings upon our prophet Muhammad
salallahu alaihi wa sallam, his companions and followers,
and that legacy that we pray to be
a part of.
If we do not know our history, we
are in danger.
For most Muslims, you have the seerah of
the prophet salallahu alaihi wa sallam which itself
is in gaps. Revelation,
sometime in Mecca persecution, hijrah,
bedr, uhud, khandaq,
conquest of Mecca.
And the middle 23 years is missing, the
majority of it. Then from there, they go
on to perhaps the time of the Sahaba.
They know that there was 4 Khalifa,
and then after that a question mark. Until
maybe Salahuddin Ayyubi, and then a question mark
until
the Ottoman Empire.
What's that gap? What happened? How did Islam
reach me and you?
How did this deen develop into what we
have today?
If we do not know that, if we
are not connected to it, 2 things will
happen. Number 1, it will be filled in
by others.
That gap will be filled in by others
and we'll be forced to accept it because
we're empty slates.
And the second thing that will happen is
this deen will still continue.
This deen is not in danger of faltering.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tasked himself to take
care of it. But the baton will not
be passed by us.
It has been handed by the previous generations.
Those who choose to take it seriously
will hold on and hand it on to
the next generation. It will happen.
Whether me and you have a role in
it, whether me and you will be relevant,
will be significant in the legacy of this
deen, in the perseverance
of these principles
is a choice we have to make. And
that begins with knowing our history, being in
line with our holy dates, being in line
with our at least our calendar.
That is why Umar Radha Anhu is the
one who said it to begin with Muharram.
And he's the one who said it to
begin from the hijra because he wanted everyone
to know this is when everything changed for
this ummah. This is when the history of
this ummah truly started.
Because other options were laid before him. They
told him choose the birth of the prophet
choose Ramadan,
choose the day that revelation began.
And it was Ali who's suggesting they should
choose the hijrah because of how significant
the change that occurred for this ummah's legacy,
the beginning of its history, and Umar agreed.
He want us to commemorate that every single
year.
The stories that resulted in this dean reaching
me and you centuries later.
What share of it do you know?
What share of it do me and you
share with our children?
Connect them with. That is the first point.
That is something we should all ask ourselves.
The second
point out of 5 is that Muharram is
a sacred month. In its very meaning, it
means that which has been made
sacred. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala chose will to
make the advent of the year one of
the sacred months.
Not just one of the sacred months but
one of the
most sacred of the 4 sacred months. Where
he said, salallahu alaihi wa sallam, the
most sacred or the most
rewarding, the most virtuous of fasting is the
fasting that you do in this month. The
month of Muharram.
That we are now about 2 weeks in.
And it was narrated about him
that he would not fast any month in
its entirety except Ramadan, and the closest 2
that he would come to fasting all of
them were Muharram and Sha'aban.
And the reason for that,
as he mentioned in another hadith, when a
man came to Ali and asked him which
month should I fast should I devote to
fasting after Ramadan? And he said, I didn't
hear anyone else ask this question except one
man who once came to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi
wasallam to ask him the same question.
Which month should I fast after Ramadan? Which
month should I devote to fasting besides Ramadan?
And he replied, salallahu alaihi wasallam,
If you're going to choose a month to
devote to fasting besides Ramadan, choose this month.
Why? What is the significance? What is the
merit?
Because it is the month of Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala.
And it is a day that he accepted
the repentance of people and he will continue
to accept the repentance of others.
It is a month that Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala forgives you. He wanted you to start
off the year with forgiveness.
New year, new you for real.
Not because of some meaningless party or shooting
off some fireworks or doing what people do
weekend in week out weekend out anyway.
No. Because you begin by starting over a
new leaf
that we will all face 1445
on the day of judgment.
It'll be a folder that we're all handed.
A book that we will all read.
And this is the time to analyze and
say 14:45.
Is it in the green or is it
in the red?
What do I have to atone for?
What do I have to be thankful for?
What commitment to Allah must I renew in
this year?
What broken promises do I have to mend?
Because he would stand in front of the
people,
the one who set this calendar, and he
would tell them,
Put yourselves into account.
Take yourselves into this account before it's taken
upon you.
Because today is deeds without accountability
and tomorrow is accountability without deeds. There'll be
no rectification.
There'll be no overtime.
And the Muslim that does this year in
year out will fare through it successfully.
We'll be okay.
That we cannot allow time or holy seasons
to pass by us heedlessly. So it was
a message from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
for those who are doing well, for those
who are taking advantage of these opportunities. This
is a chance to put the brick on
the gas pedal.
To do even more, not just for ashlarat
which has already passed, but for the entirety
of the month.
For those who are struggling,
progress in, progress out,
they're cyclical in their
commitment to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is
your chance to advance even further forward.
This is your chance to fix that cycle,
to push it into the green for a
bit so that this year can start off
on a high. They don't just wait for
Ramadan.
You start off high from now
trying to renew your commitment to Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. It's even a message for those
who don't care, for those who are uninvolved,
for those that holy season comes in and
out and they're unaware, oblivious,
heedlessly
indulging. Muharram is for you as well.
A man came to Ikrima, ibn Abi Jahal.
One of the worst who is the son
of the absolute worst.
He came to him and he said, Ashura,
ma'amruh. What is the deal with Ashura? What
is the deal with this holy day and
this holy month of Muharram? All by
itself. And he said,
Quraysh lived the way of life
a sinful way of life,
a criminal way of life before Islam.
And that was a big deal in their
chest. They couldn't just brush it under the
rug. They couldn't just go in day in
and day out knowing what they've done. They
regretted it.
And so they asked, how can we repent?
How can we make amends? And Allah
told them, revealed to them fast the day
of Ashura.
Devote yourself in these holy seasons. Allah will
forgive you.
So it is even for the people who
are unaware, for uninvolved.
And that brings us to the 3rd point
which is like every holy season, it has
a focal point and that focal point was
on Tuesday, the day of Ashura.
And just because it has passed and the
fasting opportunity has passed us, doesn't mean that
the rest of the month is void of
opportunity for fasting or that we can't still
extract the lessons.
And we'll talk about it a little bit
more tonight inshallah in our gathering. But the
point of Ashura
is it's a day of gratitude.
He saw
the Jews fasting in Madinah. He told them
why are you fasting? They said out of
gratitude that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala on this
day saved Bani Israel and Musa alaihi salam,
drowned Firaun, saved Nuh alaihi salam.
And he said we have more of a
priority over them than you
because of our connection to their way of
life, their actual teachings. But the point here
is that they said it was out of
gratitude.
Because when we are blessed with something,
we show Allah's gratitude
through 2 main ways. The first is that
you initiate a new act of worship. So
let me ask you this and let us
ask ourselves, 1445,
what blessing
new came into your life? A new blessing
or a renewed blessing.
Was it a new child, a new job,
a new home, a new car?
Make a list of that. And each one
better have a new act of worship in
1446
that you didn't do before to show Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala that you're grateful.
A new ritual.
A new recurring ritual that you add to
your regiment to show Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,
I am grateful for this new blessing that
I didn't have in the previous year. And
the second way is that you use that
same blessing
to please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Don't use
it to disobey
him. Don't use it as a distraction. Don't
let it distract you, allow you to become
heedless.
Make sure that that very blessing, that very
car, that very child, that very home has
a utility, a benefit that the Muslims see
that you devote for the sake of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala in some form or some
fashion.
The day of Ashura is a day of
victory.
That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala granted the believers
victory
with Nuh alaihis salam, with Musa alaihis salam.
And that begs the question for us, what
new victory
will 1446
bring to this ummah?
What are we expecting?
We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make
1446
a year of victory for the Muslims in
Palestine.
A year of victory for
the Muslims in Yemen. A year of victory
for the UHRA Muslims. A year of victory
to the Muslims who have been long waiting
for worldwide,
entrenched in darknesses for decades. May Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala make the year 1446 the illumination
of their situations.
The
day of Ashura is a day of repentance,
a day of forgiveness. As Ibn Abbas
said, is the day that Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala forgave Adam alaihis salam.
That after he sinned and he was distressed
and alone for over a week,
in fear, in anxiety,
as many of us experience at the end
of the sin.
In guilt,
in trepidation.
That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala doesn't want to
see us like that. That Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala sees the distress that we're in,
and sends us opportunities after opportunity like Muharram.
Adam received words from Allah. It was revelation
from him
that caused Adam to repent and know what
to say, know how to apologize.
And the invitations for every single one of
us.
Ibn Rajab Rahim Allah
on the entry of this day, the day
of Muharram and the day of Ashura, the
month of Muharram and the day of Ashura.
He says, it's this time that Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala taught Adam these words
to repent to him, to accept his repentance.
And Umar al Aziz used to send these
words as a letter to the governors of
the cities to recite amongst the populace. Announce
it in these seasons. Tell the people to
follow the example of their forefather, Adam alaihis
salaam.
Say as your forefather Adam said in these
days, oh Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, we oppressed
ourselves in this past year.
We did it to ourselves. We transgressed. And
if you do not forgive us and show
us mercy, we will be the losers.
And say as Nuh alaihis salam said,
If
you do not do not forgive me, show
me mercy, I'll be of the losers. And
say as Musa alaihis salam said,
Oh Allah, I oppressed myself this past year
so forgive me. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
said, so he forgave him.
He said, say as Yunus alaihi salam said,
there is no god except you. I was
amongst the oppressors. I did wrong. I fell
short. I transgressed.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive you because
he said
For the sinner to acknowledge their sin with
regret
is a sign of accepted repentance because Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala said,
It was Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala who said,
those who have mixed
between the deeds,
between good and evil.
They've made a cocktail of their lives.
They fell short. They've been through the circuit.
Those that have mixed between the good and
evil in their lives, perhaps Allah will repent
upon them.
Perhaps he will show them mercy.
Despite the mix of what they have to
present before him,
it is likely he's telling you that he
will forgive you.
And he chose to put this entry here
at the beginning of the year because it
should be a new year and a new
you.
One of the righteous was seen in a
dream and asked about his state in the
hereafter. He said, Allah forgave me 60 years
of sin
for my fast on Ashura.
Why not you?
Why can't 1446
be your year? It's a decision and a
choice that you make now. And that is
the 4th point that Ashurah teaches us which
is
there's no such thing as chosen people.
He encountered the Jews and he asked them,
why do you fast this day? They said
out of gratitude, out of following the legacy
of Nuh and Musa alaihi salam. And he
said, we have more of a priority over
the both of them than you. Because chosen
people is not about the color of your
skin, not about your ethnicity, not about the
country you come from, not about your name,
not even about your religion.
Being the chosen people
is about choosing to do the right thing.
It's a choice you make,
and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala responds to.
He guides you when you make that decision,
that choice to do the right thing,
To believe,
to persevere,
to act, to commit,
to repent,
to change.
When you make that choice, he chooses you.
It's not something you take for granted.
It is not something you're entitled to. It
is something that could be pulled out from
underneath your feet
based on the wrong choice.
So he clearly told them that
has nothing to do
with ethnicity or who you are. But we
have more of a priority, more of a
right to these people because we choose to
follow their legacy
while they don't.
That is the differentiating
factor. So do not take it for granted.
Do not enter 4040 1446
with the assumption
that you'll be entitled to anything
that we just mentioned.
The victory, the gratitude, the commitment to Allah
is a choice you make now in the
beginning of the year and you commit to
to the coming months and for the rest
of your life. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
choose us to be of those who commit.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reinforce
our hearts and our actions.
The 5th and final point that Muharram and
Ashura teach us
is
the end of all tyrants.
That this faith didn't come
to be a personal ritual that me and
you devote ourselves to in our personal spaces,
in our houses of worship, in our communities,
and a full stop.
That every single
oppressor,
every single
propagator of injustice,
of harm to others should sleep
uncomfortably
knowing that Islam is out there.
Because
in its core,
it comes to challenge these systems and these
oppressors.
That the rituals and the devotion and the
spirituality
are components
of a greater
belief,
a greater
concept.
Islam is all encompassing,
and it has come to challenge those
who made systems besides it. For those who
choose to oppress others. For those who choose
to subjugate others through their own beliefs.
Their own
personal
whims and desires.
And that is the story of Firaun.
It's a lengthy story that we don't have
the time to do in a khutbah or
one sitting. It's the most mentioned story in
the whole Quran.
But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells Musa alaihis
salam, your first job
Take your tribe. Take your people out of
the darkness to the light. This faith, this
purpose, everything that we've been talking about.
And remind them of the days of Allah,
the holidays,
the special times of devotion and submission. But
what after that is his main mission?
Go to pharaoh. He has transgressed all bounds.
He has passed all limits. That is your
job as the Muslim.
You are the carrier of that legacy. The
baton is in your hands to challenge oppression,
to challenge injustice,
that it is part of the very fabric
of your faith from day 1.
What are you doing about it?
The world is dark. The work the world
is a mess. What are you doing about
it
with your wealth,
with your time,
with the causes that you choose to amplify,
with your physical body?
Those calling out in pain from injustice, what
is your role in it all?
It's not an option.
It's not in your free time.
It's not if you're interested.
This is a fundamental part of our faith
that Islam is the end of all tyrants.
The end of all oppression.
And more important actually than the oppression of
the world,
and the governments and the rulers that most
of our minds go to when we talk
like this is that you don't be a
mini firaun in your home.
You don't be a mini firaun in your
community.
That whatever authority or power or wealth that
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala showed you favor by
bestowing you with, you don't use to oppress
others.
You don't use to take that which you
have no right to take. You do not
use it to deny the rights of those
that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala granted them these
rights.
We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to instill
in this ummah, the courage,
the fortitude,
the faith to
confront oppression
in our own lives
from ourselves,
from our own, and all over the world
making us a force of justice for the
Muslim,
a mean.