Mohammad Elshinawy – Islams Unique Liberation Theology
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the unique value of Islam, including providing people in actuality and being a liberator to avoid becoming a liability. They also emphasize the importance of serving oneself and being a liberator to avoid becoming a liability. The segment touches on the negative impacts of culture, including racism and nationalism, and the physical and mental limitations of human nature. The speakers emphasize the need for people to be open-minded and not just look at the material world, as it is impossible to see everything without effort.
AI: Summary ©
Although salam ala Rasulillah neosurf veterinarian begin the name of Allah All Praise and Glory be to Allah and these find his peace and blessings be upon His messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and his family and his companions and all those that treacherous path. May Allah azza wa jal grant us and He will life upon his path, and the death upon his religion and our union and within around him alone, I mean,
how Islam offers meaningful, comprehensive liberation to human beings in society.
They say that one time, the famous artists, the Picasso once drew
a very impressive sketch to one of his admirers. But when she took it, he said to her, that'll be $10,000 or pounds or liras or whatnot. So she was shocked, he said, but it took you five minutes to make that work of art. And he said to her, it's true. It took me five minutes to make it. But it took me 30 years to make that in five minutes. Why do I start with this? The idea of Islam being pro freedom, pro liberation, who isn't? That's not something unique to Islam, at least in concept. It's a buzzword nowadays, everybody's with it, but how to actually provide that to the world.
The devils in the details, that's what we want to speak about the unique value of Islam in offering people in actuality, meaningful, long lasting, comprehensive liberation.
Let's at least start by saying that we know that Allah revealed the Quran and revealed this religion and wanted its adherence to the degree that they adhere to be a liberating force for humanity, literally Janessa so that you may remove people I'm gonna follow Mattila know from darkness to light, contemplado, Medina, collegiately, nurse, you are the best model community for the sake of humanity, even by the way, the quote unquote offensive jihad, like why did Muslims early Muslims go on expeditions? Why didn't they just mind their own business? The Quran speaks about the fact that they were not given the luxury to mind their business. Allah subhanho wa Taala said, when I let them
let's party, Luna visa vie the law. Why don't you go forth and fight in the path of Allah one mustafina And for the pat and for the sake of the press, of men, women and children who say, Oh our Lord, remove us from this town of oppressive people. And grant for us a victor. Allah is saying, You need to be the dua of that people, you need to be the answer to that derive.
So the Quran is clear on this. The Sunnah is clear on this, the Muslims in their earliest best generations were crystal clear on this, but how did they get it done?
I want to borrow or begin with the statement of Arabia and that which is very well known, who was one of the companions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, a commander of a Muslim army who said to them, a commander of the Persians when he told him Listen, man, just go away Mind your business. You don't want to fight us. We are an empire, none of your business what we do to our people and how we subjugate them. So in a very, he said to him, and I wish for this to be the skeleton of my talk, three statements he said to him in to Athan, Allah, Allah sent us forward to the world. Lino Khadija, a bird when a bird that's very badly in Arabia that you have believed that
to remove people liberates them from being enslaved to slaves into being enslaved, serving the Lord of the slaves, woman God at the end, either ugly Islam and to remove them from the injustice of other systems, to the justice of Islam.
Women laity, duniya Illa, CRT dunya will ask era and from the limitations, the tightness of this world, to the vastness, the opportunities, the breadth of this world and the next. And so one by one, the first of them, he said, Allah sent us to remove people from being enslaved to slaves. Keep in mind, he didn't say from being enslaved to other slaves. Because
Islam did not just come to liberate you from being abused at the hands of others escaping the abuse of others. And it didn't come to liberate you just from you abusing others.
It also came to liberate you from being a captive of yourself from self the self harm of devoting your life to yourself
How do you do that by being overly focused on yourself because your function you were created your programming sorry if I borrowed it term, right. Your programming your function is to serve Allah and his right is that
You serve Him. And so that is why shake is the greatest injustice because it infringes on the greatest right? Allah's right, and it infringes on your right to serve your, your purpose. And so it makes you dysfunctional.
You were created for him, you were not created for you.
And some people may like be a little bit superficial about this, like, What do you mean serve myself? The Fortran liberates us from serving ourselves and emphasizes that so much because we don't realize how far it lurks within us, and how many aspects of our life It affects. And I'll give you an example. Our fixation on other people in reality is a fixation on our self.
It is still self serving, it's about my self interest, my self perception, my self worth, when you're always chasing people's pleasure, that they are pleased with me, right? When you're always fleeing from people's anger, make sure they're not upset at me. When you're always desperate for people's appreciation that they value me it's all about you. That is really an issue of you, your self interests, your self worth you serving yourself.
And this makes a person so debilitated Allah liberated us from that revolving around yourself. It makes you so vulnerable. That's why I own Ignacio de la Rhino Allah He beautifully says that thinking about people too much is a is an illness and thinking about Allah is a remedy.
vitro NASCI that was the Corolla he already met Muhammad Rahim Allah you know the the tale of courageous Imam Muhammad and his fearlessness. When people told him that they were afraid what did he tell them?
He said, Laos or Haftar massive that I hadn't had you been healthier, you would not have feared anybody.
A sign of the illness of the heart is when you have over regard for Allah's creation, at the expense of your regard for the risk for the Creator when you allow things to crowd or contend with the number one spot in your life that is borderline Shiite, and it's a great injustice to Allah's right and to you and it makes you a captive of it.
You know in a beautiful story and what I love is Khalifa once went to a jabya a region that was governed by Abu Zubaydah, one of the Great's companions sent promise Jana and I will obey the received almost welcomed him happily, he said, Take me to your house. Or Omar had heard that Edward obey this wife was leaning on him basically to use his position to give them a little bit more comfortable for life. So you wanted to check what their house looks like what kind of lavish mint they have kind of furniture, so he went into the house and when he sat down in the house, his wife came out. And he said to her Falana you're so and so. Ahmad was very tough on his governors, and
they accepted it from him because they knew he was suffering himself that he wasn't them. May Allah be pleased with them all. So he said you're so and so she said yes, Carla. Hola Hola, Su and Nikki. I'm going to make you Sorry, I'm gonna humiliate you.
She said Wallahi netzach that wala you will not be able to
Ahmad was able to before he was Khalifa. So like what happens when Omar is the number one men in the state? He said let us see Nikki I'm going to make you sorry.
She said you will not be able to. So her husband jumped in he said in New York didn't know he's able to
because fallen again to a kid.
So he she said what law he will not be able to. And then she explained she said I have to do and yet Zeon nearly Islam faith he will be he can he stripped me of my Islam do away with it.
Almost said no. She said that. I don't care what you do after that.
So he realized this is not the language of a woman who is materialistic. And so he said a spell for Allah seeks forgiveness from Allah for trusting the testimony that came his way and he left
or like Kobe Nadi very similarly, when he was executed for defense, his defense of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
Kobe said what right before they killed him, he said fella who barely hanging out a potato Muslim and Allah agent Ben can lead him astray. I could not care less. At the moment that I'm being killed as a Muslim. In what way I'm being killed. It's just details so long as it's for Allah that I'm being killed. So that idea of really simplifying consolidating all of your concerns, all of your pursuits. I only seek validation through him. That is liberation. I only fear him. I only answer to him. I only have vulnerability in front of him. subhanho wa taala. Because if you don't, you're gonna have vulnerability with an in front of everything else. And when you give to people, let's
just be honest with each other human beings, all of us we take from each other
There's so much and we return to each other so little, right? This whole nature of this world is like that. It takes so much from us and the returns are so little.
Whereas Allah azza wa jal, the deen is easy. He takes from you so little, and the returns are so great.
That's why one of the the poet's he says, Well, I learned of my theology. I'm totally I'll spare you the Arabic. He says, and perhaps you will find me despite my need to stick around and socialize. It's a human need, right? But he was recognized that he has a greater need. He says, you will find me despite my need to stick around disappearing, and seeking refuge in my prayers and in my moments of intimacy with Him.
Then He explains why he says unanswered Judo nearly Ibiza hidden Allahu Akbar, only Allah allottee people, no matter what you do for them, they walk away from you for one mistake sometimes. Whereas Allah accepts me with all of my flaws. Isn't that the truth? He accepts you as you are. It's kind of volatile. And so Islam liberates you from being dependent on these things. And Allah azza wa jal tells you if you don't, you're going to be abusing yourself. You're going to be serving yourself a shallow service. And it will be a disservice in reality because Allah subhanho wa Taala said, Well, maybe you should it could be law whomever set equals with Allah.
For can Namaha Ramana Sana it's as if they fall from the skies. They're just descending plummeting for the buffalo who played and it says if the birds are pulling him in every direction you feel just so strained. el-tahawy be re huffy, McCann and Sahib or the wind just removes him to a far off remote place. May Allah never allow us to sit and get stuck and be captive that experience.
Also, by the way, being liberated from from yourself,
is important when you want to resist the oppression that's happening from others, like when you're pushing back against oppression by people, when you are pursuing justice in society like social justice, if that's not grounded in a connection with Allah, defined by Allah driven by Allah, like an authentic God centric spirituality, you will fall into injustice against yourself and against others. I'll give you an example. Which if I was talking about
when, all throughout human history, the phenomena of people that are economically disadvantaged, the poor,
lowest class of society when they become the angry mumps, when they become the hungry mobs, as they call them, what do they say, down with the rich? That's an imbalanced reaction, right? Because it's not God centric. It's based off of you and your experience and what you want to be there. And so it will ricochet you'll get the opposite extreme. When women have gone through centuries, if not millennia of injustice, and the Women's Rights Movements begin. If they are not centered in a god centric relationship, you're going to ricochet into the opposite extreme. The same way with the rich and the poor. You'll have reverse classism. Here, you're going to have reverse sexism all men's
think, right. And the ugly cycle will continue it will not stop there. Or take a third example the African American experience just here in the United States. What did that breed?
reverse racism right? Those that said that the black man is inferior produced as an imbalanced overreaction, another ism, black nationalism that saw the white man is the devil, right? Why do all these things happen? Because in each one of these, you see yourself as the center. And so depending on how people are close and far from you, that's their rights. That's their regard. That's their humanity. That's their dignity, all of that.
That's egocentrism, like think of all the damage the call of tribalism, racism, nationalism have done to the human experience, how many wars how much exploitation? How much of all of that is what it's egocentrism, its egotism, my race, my tribe, my nation.
That is why Dr. Ahmed Lashkar
right in the hola he used to say the ego is like this little idol inside of you that you circle around. It is the worst idol ever worshipped in human history. May Allah protect us from worshiping our egos? How does Islam get us to not worship our egos so that we don't transgress against ourselves and transgress against others, even in the pursuit of justice sometimes, while like pushing back against their injustice, you fall into counter transgression.
Living for Allah, even the acts by the way, acts of devotion, whether we're talking about ritual devotion, or service of his creation, devotion, these things get developed in a person
recognition of Allah and it helps you develop a grip on your lower appetites Right? the appetites of the ego, as Allah Subhana Allah Allah says Allah or Salah T or Tebrau shall let other people that when they were careless with their prayers, they fell prey to their desires for more more me, me all of that. But when you are devoted to Allah, it restores your certainty. It enhances like your moral drive, right, your moral fortitude, it gives you more resilience, it gives you greater willpower. So you are enslaved from the slaves and truly someone that is devoted to the Lord of the slaves. May Allah make us and you worthy to be slaves.
How much time do we have?
20 minutes. Okay, so we're halfway through the second statement. He said what anyone remember?
Yes. And to liberate people from the injustice majority at the end the injustice of other systems to the justice of Islam.
Somebody here might be wondering why keep translating at the end, as systems because you're saying at the end is the plural of Dean and Dean is religion? Well, Dean comes from the same root as the word Dane, what's the dean?
A debt? A debt is What is something you are committed to something you don't see it within your agency, your right to break away from something you're committed to. And so if that's a legal commitment, it's called a political system. A government system, right? That's why by the way, you find this in the Quran, even that usage,
Makana Leah, who the who the dean in Malik, Yusuf was not able to take his brother apprehend him in the dean of the king, he met in the law of the kink in Egypt. So that's a system, a legal system, political system. There's also other systems that we are committed to like our cultural value systems, right? What society accepts and rejects. And then there's also the religion sense of Deen, right? Because that's a religious belief system. All of those systems, legal, cultural, religious, all those systems are bound to be imperfect in actualizing, justice, all of them
because they are all a product partially or fully of men. And it man is an imperfect creature, whereas only Islam can be perfect, because it is as flawless as the one who revealed it. subhanho wa taala. So from the injustice of other systems, to the perfect justice that Allah revealed in Islam, Allah azza wa jal says about this, why is Islam so perfect? He says what Tim met Kelly Metro Vika Sadiq Khan, where Adela the word of your Lord has been perfected in truth, and inequity injustice. So every statement Islam says is true. Okay, and every rule Islam gives us just unfair. That is very liberating, isn't it, though they say the truth will set you free, right? You are liberated from the
lies, liberated from the falsities that hold you back? Right? Don't you go on a wild goose chase when you assume that something is there, when in reality, it's not there? I'll give you just some very practical examples in our time, city. Don't people debate on human nature? What is human nature is inherently good or is inherently evil? Based on what you believe about human nature, you're going to act accordingly. Right? Human nature is always good than if it feels right. That's right, and feels good. It's good. Yes, live your truth. Yes. And if it's inherently evil, you're going to feel guilty for doing things that are naturally just tendencies inside you, which may also be a wrong
assumption about your nature. Do human beings have a soul or not? Based on whether you believe you have a soul or not, you're going to behave accordingly. Right? If you don't believe you have a soul, you're not going to cater to it, you're not going to nourish it, you're not going to address it, you're not going to refine it, you're not going to feed it yet you don't believe it exists. Is there a hereafter not? Based on your belief about that? There's a true answer. It either exists or doesn't exist, one of them is true, based on the truth of that matter, you will act accordingly. It's consequential. So Allah azza wa jal actually draws two images very quickly. I want to read them to
from the Quran about the people that live their lives, captivated by wrong captivated by falsehood, captivated by incorrectness and how the truth would liberate you on the opposite side. Allah azza wa jal says in one area, well, Lavina Cafaro and those who rejected faith disbelieve here and this particular eye and he's rejected faith, the if there is those that accepted the religion of the masses, those who rejected faith
their actions
are like Kisaragi in Bucky. It is like a mirage. You guys know what a Mirage is? Hussein in the desert when you're thirsty is like a mirage in a low land yes several Willem Andrew Matt, that the thirsty person assumes his water when you're thirsty in the desert you see a mirage on the brink of death what do you do to it?
What do you do? You run to it right? This is the image that was drawn the person assumes its water. So he full throttle the floors it gives every last ounce of energy for the potential the hope the chase of survival. He says had either Jaya who and so when he finally gets to it lemmya Jade who shader he finds out it was nothing yeah allah how difficult that is.
And then Allah azza wa jal switches the scene right away he says, Some alleged Allah Endo, and then he finds Allah in front of him. The parable jumps to the Day of Judgment, the reality now
and then he finds Allah in front of him right after death fellow affair who has ever who and he gives him his payment in full. They allowed him to believe the lie he wanted to believe. And so he acted on it until there was no more chance to act, he discovered the truth. Or the other idea that says that the person who acts on falsehood, karabell City Cafe he Ilana is like someone who stretches out his two hands to water, Leah blue Hoffa to bring that water to his face. When Matt who will be barely read and it never reaches every time he reaches for the brains, it it flows between his fingers. This is the reality of living in a world where you don't know truth.
It is devastating. Consider our times when we talk about the relativity of truth, like your truth and my truth, when they call it the post truth era where everyone just has their own Subjective Truths. The idea that there is no real truth, there is no objective truth to be found. That is the bedrock of injustice. Right? And we're living this aren't we like, if you want to find proof that marijuana or intoxicants are not that bad, you'll find that proof. Yes. And if you want to find proof that they're bad for you'll find that proof.
And then multiply that by 1001 things. That is the injury because subjects you to your biases, when you don't have any source of pure a filtered source of truth. You're a captive of your biases. You're a captive of your limitations. You're a captive of your social conditioning, all of these things will hold you back. And then you get tossed from one system of injustice to another from one unjust system to another. Can I be a little bit controversial here?
You promise you'll give me the benefit of the doubt. And if you think I'm saying something toxic, you're going to like wait till the paper comes out called Gender uniqueness. Gender series, part two, wait for it. Like that plug Dr. Julio. I'll invoice you.
women's liberation movements happen in very different ways. Okay.
In the time of the Prophet salallahu, alayhi wasallam.
Women were subjugated by a system that sewn that saw no value in human beings except the ability to defend the tribe, and the ability to earn bread, make money for the family. And so naturally, the women in that society were disadvantaged because of their inability to do that, in the same way that men were doing it.
When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as we all no liberated women from this many injustices that were present in that cultural value system, how did he do it? Did he make the mistake of what we do nowadays in the materialistic society, how similar yesterday's today of saying, a woman has no worth unless she does everything that the man does as good as the men.
That will be a big problem because that would be setting the man as the ideal, and she'll forever live in his shadow. That is not equality, that is not liberation. That's a ruse.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not make that mistake, because he does not utter he does not propose he does not endorse, he does not bring to the world his own system, because he is a human being Alex AutoSelect himself, he brought to them a system from Allah that said, that they are inherently valuable for their uniqueness and they are relevant for their uniqueness. And the same way that men can provide for society in a unique fashion. Women can also provide for society in a unique fashion. And so each of them is ranked based on how they live up to equal in their humanity equal in their dignity, all this that you know already, but in the parts, the aspects of dimensions
that are unique, that is justice.
Otherwise, you'll just flip from one injustice to another. Some can claim that women have no
Ever been more oppressed than being subjected to the standards of like to do today? But that's a subject for another day. So Islam came to liberate them from the injustice of all other systems to the justice of Islam. Lastly, because I have nine minutes left, really
I made that up.
It's fine. The third and last River, he said, trust him. He said to him, and Allah sent us to remove people to liberate people, from the suffocating nature of this world, the tightness of this world, to the vastness of the hereafter. No, no, he didn't say that. He said, the vastness of this world and the hereafter. So Islam came to liberate people in this world and in the next from the tightness of this world.
That means two things Islam came and told us at this world was created by and large for you.
And part of that is a test, test of gratitude, a test of respecting boundaries and all of that, but at the end of the day in Islam, the halal is wider, more vast than the Haram rice. You guys know this. It's Halal in terms of dunya this worldly, the worldly matters, it's halal until proven haram. So like what's the ruling on Orange Juice answer? Pineapple juice, avocado smoothie.
Everything is had except for what like toxic and blood filth right. And so, everything is for us unless otherwise stated. And when otherwise stated, it is because that is not wholesome for you, it will restrict you. It is not good for you, it will harm you. So the vastness of this world means in terms of quantity, and also means in terms of quality.
The second part and the more important part of the vastness of this world is that Islam guided us to the most vast the widest resource in this world. Which is what
connecting with Allah subhanho wa Taala Islam came and told us that if you overly depend on this world to please do it will break you.
Islam told us that the more you look outward at this material world, the wider your eyes open, the tighter your chest becomes.
And that the true vastness the true horizons are by looking inward, not outward, finding Allah azza wa jal and a relationship with him. That's what I beloved Nevada him a whole lot who was very wealthy by the way.
He used to say Miss Aquino and it dunya these poor people who are obsessed with this world, they walked out of this world they exited it without tasting the most delicious thing in it. They said what is that? He said Malika toma getting to know Allah getting acquainted with him so kinda without being content with Him above all.
And it was said that a lesson was Rahim Allah He used to say that if the kings and the princes knew what we experience, meaning of the sweetness of faith, they would chase us for it with their swords. You know why he's saying that because the kings and princes have what they have everything money can buy. But this is the one thing that money can't buy. May Allah grant us and do it. So the vastness of this world in terms of the halal and the good being for us, and also teaching us that the greatest of this world is getting to know Allah and longing to meet him. subhanho wa taala. And then he said, The next the vastness of this world and the next.
And the next world is not to be compared with this world. How many of you have ever
seen a scene?
In a movie?
That you said, Oh, my God, how did they even think of that? You were just blown away by the creativity. Raise your hand.
Creative Directors, by the way, have some of the highest IQs in the world. Look it up because I didn't.
This I heard but it's pretty obvious. These people have a very unique imagination. None of that will exist in Jannah because it dawns upon the imagination of a really creative human being or as Allah azza wa jal promised us that in Jannah, is what no eye has ever seen. With no ear has ever heard. What is more vast, it's not limited by human creativity not limited by the most impressive human imaginations. No AI has ever seen. no ear has ever heard never dawned upon the imagination of a human being. And that's Jana, but vaster than Jana, the only thing vaster than Jana is not getting to know Allah, not just longing for him, but getting to be with Allah and getting to see him. May
Allah azza wa jal grant us and view a moment to see him. One of the early Muslims he used to say, after lifelong toiling in the service of Allah if Allah makes my
reward. One glanced at him, and then says to me die, I'll be satisfied.
It's worth
and I'll end with this because I have five minutes left. I'll take three
there's q&a After this insha Allah you're fine. Even 100 Rahim Allah Allah was the
is the greatest, most popular commentator wrote the most famous commentary on our most famous collection of a hadith of Sunni Muslims Sahih Bukhari right. He wrote an article about the explanation of cyclic allottee in the hajj, it was a judge in Egypt.
And judges, in many parts of the Islamic world at the heights of you know, Islamic governance, were paid very highly
and dressed very nicely.
Why not because they were so materialistic, but it was to deflect and discourage people from trying to bribe them. Like relaxed course, I got more than you're just like, don't even try it.
So even hijacking a long day was dressed in very fancy clothing, he was riding a luxurious chariot, or horse carriage.
And so as he was riding through the streets of Egypt, a man who was Jewish, who was obviously a hard labor, just close the narration, measures were stained and seemed to have a very difficult labor or laborious life.
And so the man stopped in Hazzard in the street. And he said to him, doesn't your Prophet claim that the dunya this world is the prison of the believer and the paradise of the disbeliever?
He said, Yes, he does. He said, Well, look at you and look at me.
Of course, yeah, like you're, you're trying to stump the wrong guy. He's like the comment on the book of Hadith. About You know, Allah, and seven had just said to him something very beautiful. I wish to close with it. He said to him, what awaits me in the hereafter? If I make it? May Allah Allah all of us to make if I make it? I'm in prison right now.
And what awaits you if you continue to reject faith? You're in paradise right now.
He said to him, is that what your Prophet man he said, certainly, that's what he meant.
He said to him that I testify that none is worthy of worship of Allah and I accept that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, so Allah Allah who it was me
and that is why the Quran came to tell us to say what are bene attina for dunya has granted the good of this world, or Phil FLT Hassan and the good of the next world working as ever, not on protect us from the tournament of the fire.
And so Islam came to liberate us from being enslaved to the creation, whether it's others or ourselves, and all the debacle that ensues from there, and from the injustice of the imperfect systems that will always be imperfect if they're not divinely filtered to the justice of Islam and from the limitations the suffocating nature of this world to the vastness of this world. And the next Socratic Lama Hambrick should or Mr. Furukawa will exactly