Mohammed Faqih – Strength Through Community IECPA Annual Conference 2024
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AI: Transcript ©
The very fact that we don't have an
ummah, a true ummah, in its truest sense,
that is, that led to this.
If we were an ummah as we should
have been, or as Allah Subh'anaHu Wa
Ta-A'la commands us to be, and
as the Prophet ﷺ left us, we would
have not, we would have been able to
provide aid and help and rescue innocent civilians
who are being slaughtered.
We can't even get a bottle of water
without someone who really wants to see us
all gone without their permission.
So this is a sad reality, but I
also believe that it starts from here, from
communities like this community, from individuals like you
and I, who really see the importance of
it.
And here I am 25, 20, 25, 28
years later, I'm still talking about the same
topic that we've been talking about.
Almost every Islamic convention that happens yearly, you
will find in the topics of that convention,
a talk about, or two about unity, right?
So as a matter of fact, some conventions,
the entire theme of that convention is unity.
So I'm not against discussing it and talking
about it, but we really need to be
truthful with ourselves, and we need to be
transparent, we need to really be committed, because
all these talks that we're attending, and all
these reminders that we're hearing, and all these
talks that we are given as speakers, and
as imams, and as du'as, and all
of that, they're going to be held against
us on the day of judgment if we
do not practice what we preach, and if
we do not commit to what we already
believe in.
You see, and sometimes, you know, and I
don't, I hate to get philosophical, you know,
people conflate unity with, with, with community and,
you know, other great concepts, but Islam calls
us to come together.
Islam calls us to come together, and there
are multiple, you know, Qur'anic verses that
invite us to come together.
So, and I don't see in any of
them, like, an explicit, an explicit reference to
the word unity in the way many people
understand it.
And again, I'm not saying it's not intended,
I'm just saying that it's very important to
make the distinction between what we are being
invited to do, and what we sometimes mistakenly
assume we ought to do.
So, unity in and of itself, I believe,
is really a consequence.
It's an end.
It's, it's, it's something that, it's a result
that comes out of something else that we
can all commit to.
And that is what is known as coming
together.
Sometimes people call it jama'a, sometimes people
call it ishtima'a, creating assemblies.
And if you look closely into what Allah
and His Messenger ﷺ taught us to do,
even as individuals, for our own health, and
for our own growth, it will lead to
that.
It's meant to teach us that.
So, Allah ﷻ commands us to pray five
times a day.
Even if you pray individually, which is obviously,
it's inferior to praying in a jama'a.
We are highly encouraged and commanded to pray
in a jama'a, especially the men.
Even when you do that, when you pray
individually, you are still practicing a communal act
of worship.
And there is a talk later, I believe,
about act of worship.
Because, you know, at the same time there
are millions and millions of Muslims praying to
the same direction, the same number of rak
'ahs, the same, generally speaking, in the same
fashion.
It's not like everyone has their own prayer.
You can come up with your own prayer,
or your own rituals.
That automatically unifies you.
Only if you really think about it and
internalize and realize that this is one of
the intended objectives of the acts of worship,
of ibadah.
And Allah ﷻ doesn't say that, you know,
pray on your own whenever you feel like
it.
No, five times a day.
So, in a way, it is important for
us to come together, at least spiritually, at
least emotionally.
Think about it.
It's important for us to come together five
times a day.
And then physically, we are commanded to actually
do our best to come together physically.
Many people, again, as I said, many brothers,
and I don't intend to be here to
make a distinction, but we are invited to
pray five times a day in the masjid
if we can.
And if we can't do five times, then
as many prayers as we can.
And, you know, in many communities, alhamdulillah, we
see now this trend of people starting their
day in the masjid and ending their day
in the masjid, coming for fajr prayer and
going to isha prayer as well.
You see this happening in many places, and
I travel quite a lot around the country,
while still there are people who refuse to
be part of that effort.
But that, in and of itself, is supposed
to bring us together and create that sense
of unity or community amongst the believers.
So we find the Qur'an always inviting
us to meet.
Ijtema' means to meet, to have an assembly,
to come together.
Physically, spiritually, emotionally, and if possible, intellectually.
So this is one thing that we find
a lot of emphasis for in the hadith
of the Prophet ﷺ as well as in
the Qur'an.
Number two, the Qur'an and the prophetic
tradition forbid us from doing anything that could
compromise that sense of brotherhood or sisterhood or
that thing that bonds us together, that brings
us together.
Anything that could weaken it, anything that can
break it, you're not supposed to do that.
Even individually, even if it's between you, even
if it's a feud between you and someone
else, you're not supposed to do that.
We are forbidden from doing that.
There is an entire surah that talks about
how Muslims should behave with each other, how
we should avoid doing the things that could
actually weaken that bond that we have.
And the Prophet ﷺ and Allah ﷻ in
the Qur'an, Allah ﷻ first and the
Prophet ﷺ remind us of this very special
bond that we have between us and we
should not do anything to weaken it or
destroy it.
Number three, let me just focus on this
bond that Allah and His Messenger ﷺ talk
to us about and how it was through
obviously different events and acts of worship and
commitment first and foremost amongst the believers, the
Sahaba, the most amazing and fascinating community that
has ever, you know, that we look up
to, they felt that.
And they committed to it.
And they set a great example for us.
And that is this unique and extraordinary understanding
the Sahaba had for Khuwa.
And again, sometimes you use certain words and
people look at you and they're like isn't
that, but I don't know how else to
describe it except as brotherhood.
This bond that the believers have.
Allah ﷻ in the Qur'an says, innamal
mu'minoona ikhwa.
And the Prophet ﷺ in the hadith of
Ibn Abbas repeats that.
He quotes that.
And then the Prophet ﷺ elaborates on how
that should manifest itself.
Innamal mu'minoona ikhwa.
Believers are one brotherhood, one unit.
There is a bond between the believers.
So our community, the unity of our community
is deeply rooted in our faith.
The stronger your faith is, the stronger that
bond that you have with like-minded and
like-hearted people should be.
And if you don't sense it, if you
feel isolated, if you feel that you don't
belong, then there is something wrong.
If you, when you see a believer, a
believing man, a believing woman, when you see
them, if you don't feel automatically, if you
don't gravitate towards them, if you don't feel
a connection of some kind, then there is
something wrong.
Something seriously is wrong.
And unfortunately, more and more people, and obviously
there are all kinds of very, you know,
factors to that.
Many people feel, though they come to the
community and they like to have big gatherings,
they don't feel like they belong.
There is something that is missing.
And I think part of it has to
do with us not really valuing this quality.
Seeing the significance and the importance and the
weight of this quality.
So you really have to do the things
that the Prophet ﷺ talked about that will
actually enhance that feeling.
The Prophet ﷺ, for instance, tells us, and
by the way, look, just if you were
to examine the Qur'anic verses and the
prophetic statements and you can look them up
now, you will see that there is a
lot of focus on emotions, positive emotions, when
it comes to that bond the believers have
with one another.
So for instance, the Prophet ﷺ talks about
love.
Love.
That the believers are supposed to love one
another.
So how do we know if we even
have that love for other believers?
So the Prophet ﷺ says, none of you
is a true believer until he or she
loves for their brethren what they love for
themselves.
So if you want to really see whether
you truly love a believer or not, and
whether you are truly a believer or not,
you should ask yourself, if I love something,
if something is dear to my heart, whatever
that thing is, promotion, status, wealth, could be
something very specific or something very general, do
I love it?
Do I love for my brethren to have
the same thing?
Do I love for others what I love
for myself?
And if that's not the case, then we've
got an issue here.
So the Prophet ﷺ says, well, you're not
going to believe, you're not going to enter
Jannah until you believe.
لَا تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَا تُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى
تَحَبُّوا And you're not going to truly be
believers until you love one another.
Then the Prophet ﷺ says, should I not
tell you about something that if you were
to do, it will actually spread or strengthen
and promote that love amongst you.
أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ بَيْنَكُمْ Spread peace, not only the
greeting of peace, but be peaceful towards one
another.
Harbor nothing but positive, you know, feeling towards
other believers.
Get rid of whatever causes you to have
animosity or hatred towards another believer.
Whatever causes misunderstandings, suspicion, jealousy, etc.
etc.
All these things that many of us fall
into.
Think of others to be as good if
not a better version of yourself.
Show up in the life of another believer,
even if it's just by you're passing by
them.
You're just passing by them.
You're just show up as someone that brings
peace, someone that spreads peace, someone that intends
peace for them.
أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ بَيْنَكُمْ Spread peace.
Another recommendation the Prophet ﷺ tells us, and
by the way, salam is one of the
ways that we actually get to know each
other.
So, you know, and there are other hadith
that talk about that.
Many of us, by the way, we have
very, very superficial relationships.
Even when we go to our community center.
Now, I'm sure, ya jama'a, you're like
me, and I'm guilty of it, and may
Allah forgive me.
I'm sure you've been to the same masjid
for a long time, and you've run into
the same individuals for a long time, and
you don't even know their names.
You don't know their names.
And there are many people, you know their
names, that you don't know what they're doing.
I know people that, you know, prayed next
to each other for years, and sometimes I'm
like, oh, do you know, and I'm like,
astaghfirullah al adheem, I'm bad with names, man.
Do you know the brother that prays to
your left?
That's what I say.
He's like, which one?
The one that was there yesterday at fajr.
He was praying to your left.
He was wearing such and such.
He's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Do you have his phone number?
He's like, uh, no.
In a community where people have been seeing
each other for years, years.
So if we, if we don't get to
know one another, we're not going to really
care for each other.
We're not going to feel that bond.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam actually takes
it a step further.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, exchange
gifts, and you will love one another.
And we know that giving gifts or receiving
gifts is a very powerful love language.
Exchange gifts.
This is the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,
1400 years before Gary Chapman discovered that giving
gifts is a love language.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam talked about
that.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, exchange
gifts, and you will love one another.
But you're not going to exchange gifts with
anyone that you don't know very well.
As a matter of fact, if someone doesn't
know you very well and they give you
a gift, you're like, there may be some
listening device in this gift.
Are you spying on me or something?
So we need to get to know one
another.
We need to do ta'aruf, get to
know one another authentically if we really value
this beautiful gift Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
has given us, the gift of community.
Now, let me move into areas that are
key.
And I'm assuming that you're all, most people
are from Allentown, correct?
Yes?
No?
I'm assuming most people.
I'm not saying y'all are from, most
of you?
Okay.
Now, show of hands, how many of you
are regular visitors of your local masjid, be
it your regular visitors of your local masjid?
You know, okay, during the election years, one
of the stats that really disturbed me within
the most active, again, studies do not, you
know, sometimes they can be, they may not
be very conclusive, but there was something that
really, you know, disturbed me in the past
ten years, that most people that actually consider
themselves to be very religious, that includes Muslims.
I'm talking about Muslims.
This is also true amongst even Christians.
But most people that consider themselves to be
committed Muslims, they do not go, they do
not attend weekly programs in the masjid.
They do not.
Imagine, we're talking about not even Friday, most.
And when I say most, I'm talking about
41%.
Sorry, I'm talking about more than 50%
of those who are, who consider themselves to
be religious.
So, in a study done by Pew Research,
they actually surveyed Muslims, 80% of whom
claimed that they are committed Muslims, 80%
of whom.
And then when they were asked how often,
if they go to their, to a regular
gathering in their community center, once or more
per week, only 39% said they do.
That means 41%.
That means half, if I read it correctly,
if I remember correctly, more than half actually
don't.
They do not associate with their local masjid.
For whatever reason they have.
That's very disturbing.
And that makes me wonder where people get
their religious teachings from.
Obviously online.
And where people get that bond or that
connection to the rest of the ummah.
And I tell people, if you're not able
to get along with your local community, how
should I expect you to get along with
the rest of the ummah?
If you can't get along with your local
community, if you can't feel that you're part
of your local community, how are we expected
to be part of a bigger body with
all its complexities and challenges and issues and
problems?
So the first step towards really being part
of this body that we call ummah is
to be part of your local community.
Build relationships and be part of your local
masjid.
And inshallah ta'ala maybe during the breakout
session we can talk more about this.
I don't have much faith in people who
are really isolated and are not or don't
want to be part of their local communities.
Who are not as excited about it.
I know people that they will flock to
national events and different activities and stuff like
that.
But whatever is happening in their local community,
be it some charity work or youth activities
and other programs, they have no interest whatsoever.
So that's the first step.
And again we find this in the prophetic
tradition that yes, keep going.
Attend, not only the jum'ahs, but attend
as many prayers as you can.
At least start your day in the masjid
and end your day in the masjid.
And be part of that group.
So the masjid alhamdulillah is a great gift
from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
No wonder the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
as soon as he arrived in Medina, even
before he built a place of residence for
himself sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he made sure
that they build a masjid first.
That's what he did.
And he participated in the building of the
masjid.
And by the way it was very very
simple.
It was not as fancy as some of
the masajid that we have including my masjid.
Big huge facility, massive, you know.
It doesn't need to be.
Keep it simple.
Make sure that everyone has that masjid in
their hearts.
They come together.
And then grow organically, gradually and organically.
And as your needs grow, you can grow
your center.
InshaAllah ta'ala I will stop right here.
How much time do we have left?
Six minutes inshaAllah.
Is there a Q&A session now or
later?
I actually put a note for myself here
to take questions from the audience.
What is the format?
After?
After I finish.
Oh later.
There is a separate session inshaAllah ta'ala.
Okay.
I'm going to leave the challenges that get
in the way of our unity for the
breakout session inshaAllah ta'ala.
And I ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala
to bring our hearts together.
I ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala to
help us get through these very trying and
difficult days.
And we ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala
to restore peace and tranquility in the name
of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam.
May Allah azza wa jalla give victory to
the resilient people of Gaza.
May Allah subhana wa ta'ala restore peace
in Lebanon and the rest of the Muslim
world.
May Allah subhana wa ta'ala reunite this
ummah and help us restore that glory that
we once were able to enjoy as believers
whose hearts were brought together.
I'll conclude by saying that do not underestimate
the power of dua.
Do not underestimate the power of dua.
Keep in mind that that love that we're
talking about, that sense of unity and community
that we're talking about, it's all in the
hands of Allah subhana wa ta'ala.
If we do not and again I don't
want to take away from the session that
talks about ibadah, acts of worship and the
role of that to cleanse our hearts and
bring us together.
But Allah subhana wa ta'ala says something
to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam that
is very profound and I've been reflecting on
this a lot lately.
Allah azza wa jalla said to the Prophet
salallahu alayhi wa sallam, huwa allathee ayyadaka binassarihi
wabilmu'mineen.
He's the one that gave you strength or
victory through, Allah subhana wa ta'ala granted
you victory directly and he surrounded you with
the believers.
One of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam's
greatest assets that Allah azza wa jalla reminds
him of are the believers who were around
him.
What was so special about them, oh Allah?
One of the secrets of their strength was
that sense of unity and community, that love,
that bond that they had amongst them.
And it was not only at, it was
at the spiritual level as well as the
emotional level.
Their hearts were combined.
Their hearts were brought together.
There was ta'leef.
They got along.
That doesn't mean that they were all the
same, that they all wore the same uniforms
and that they all grew their beard the
same way and they all wore the same
color of kufi and the sahabiyat wore the
same color or style of scarves and stuff
like that.
That's not what it means.
It doesn't mean that they're all just superficially
and outwardly conformed.
But no, Allah subhana wa ta'ala says,
their hearts were connected.
They had no issues.
The poor did not have any issues with
the rich.
The rich didn't have any issues with the
poor.
And if they ever were to compete, they
only, they would compete in the matters of
akhira.
Which when you compete in the matters of
akhira, it still brings your hearts together.
And the Prophet ﷺ taught them how to
not let dunya, and he used to tell
them, I fear for you.
Dunya is what I fear for you.
So Allah subhana wa ta'ala tells the
Prophet ﷺ that he's the one that actually
brought their hearts together.
When their hearts were connected to Allah subhana
wa ta'ala and attached to Allah, their
hearts came together.
Then Allah subhana wa ta'ala tells the
Prophet ﷺ, if you were to spend all
the treasures in the world, you would not
be able to spend all the treasures and
the wealth on this planet, you would have
not been able to achieve that.
You can't.
You can't bribe people to genuinely and authentically
love one another, care for each other, defend
one another, die for each other, live for
one another, care for each other.
You can't.
Wealth won't do that for you.
It doesn't.
Look what is happening with the hip-hop
culture.
It doesn't do that.
None of these things.
Fame doesn't do it.
None of these things do it.
Worldly matters don't do it.
But the love of Allah subhana wa ta
'ala devoting ourselves to Allah azza wa jalla
will do that automatically.
Allah is capable of doing it.
So turn to Allah subhana wa ta'ala
and make du'a for yourself and for
the rest of the ummah and ask Allah
azza wa jalla to instill in your heart
this deep love and appreciation for the Muslims
and that Allah subhana wa ta'ala endears
you to the Muslims as well.
And inshallah ta'ala that will lead one
day inshallah ta'ala to you not only
feeling the sense of unity but you enjoying
the fruits of that unity.