Muiz Bukhary – Integration – The Middle Ground

			smilla rahmanir rahim al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa salatu salam ala nabina Muhammad wa ala
alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.
		

			Allah la junta Baraka Tyler O'Neill Aziz.
		

			Amina chiffonier virgin.
		

			Dina Deena man otaku long ha ha Pato cohorting.
		

			In
		

			Muslim
		

			I commence by praising Allah subhanho wa Taala. I asked him the almighty the Lord of all words the
exalted to Shama, his choices of blessings and salutations upon the final messenger, our beloved
prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa seldom his family members, his companions, and all
those who tread upon his path with utmost sincerity until the day of my dear respected elders and
brothers in Islam. First and foremost, I remind myself, I advise myself and then all of you all
present here to adopt a life of taqwa. And that is to be conscious of your maker, during every
single second of your lives, if you wish to attain success, if you wish to attain victory in this
		

			world as well as the hereafter May Allah subhanho wa Taala make us all from the people of taqwa. And
may He make us from the victorious and successful ones. I mean,
		

			the topic for today's sermon is integration, the middle ground.
		

			Given that the fourth of February is just around the corner,
		

			I thought it appropriate to touch on citizenship,
		

			to touch on integration, to touch on patriotism.
		

			And all of this through an Islamic light in sha Allah, Allah, what does Islam have to say in this
regard for us as Muslims?
		

			Interestingly, if you look at our community, in this country, we are a minority and that is
established.
		

			So how do we Muslims behave? How do we conduct ourselves? Has Islam decreed this for us? Can we
deduce lessons from the life of the Prophet sallallahu? alayhi wasallam. In this regard? How are we
to carry ourselves? Can we be a Sri Lankan citizen? Can we identify ourselves as such? Or do we have
to go with the term Muslim? Only? can we can we can we have
		

			patriotic feelings in our hearts towards our country? towards our motherland? Is it possible is it
permissible in the light of Islam?
		

			So you have for example, independence day, a day, a national holiday, basically, where we have
people from around the country, celebrating commemorating the independence from the British rule. So
how do we Muslims carry ourselves on such a day? Do we isolate ourselves? Do we isolate ourselves?
Where we disintegrate, we remove ourselves from the community is that the part that we Muslims need
to take? I mean, where we we shut ourselves up at home and we have no integration whatsoever?
		

			Or do we integrate so much to the extent that even the word integration is no longer used? We
assimilate ourselves with them, is that how we go about with it? So inshallah a few minutes that I
have with you and I would like to shed some light and again from the teachings of the Prophet
salallahu alayhi wasallam, my dear respected elders and brothers in Islam, when you go into the
books of Sierra, when you look at the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. It was through
the Divine Wisdom of Allah subhanho wa Taala, that the mission of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam was divided into two phases, you have the meccan period, and then you have the period in
		

			Medina, Subhana, Allah, the meccan period and then the period in Medina, when you analyze the life
of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in Medina, a strict analysis if you're going to deduce
lessons from this perspective, from this angle, you will find a plethora of lessons from the life of
the Prophet sallallahu Sallam teaching us how we Muslims need to conduct ourselves as a minority in
a country like that of ours. We see the strategy of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, we see
his code of conduct. We see how he can
		

			himself. There are so many lessons he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he behaved well with people of
the other faith. If you look at the period during the time when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi
wasallam, he was in Mecca, he had the bulk of them being polytheists, ie they had ascribed partners
unto Allah subhanho wa Taala. But that did not equate or that does not equate that they will all
have the same fate, as in in polytheism in ascribing partners unto Allah, there were divisions
amongst themselves as well. Because you had so many items that were being worshipped. You had one
faction worshipping one particular idol, or another faction worshiping another particular idol. You
		

			had another faction, perhaps worshipping the sun, you had a faction worshipping fire.
		

			Then you had the Christians, you had the Jews. So you had so many factions, and then the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he comes with the teachings of Islam. And he said, Allah and he, when
he was lm did not go, pursuing hope it's not an interference. He did not go pursuing the light.
		

			But instead, he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam became the light, he became the guiding light and lanten
he did not isolate himself from that community where he removes himself, you know, maybe maybe
putting forth excuses as saying that, you know, I just can't take the trials and challenges that I'm
witnessing. I can't, I can't, I can't bear the Fitton that I can see happening in front of me. So I
need to isolate myself, I need to alienate myself from this community. I cannot integrate, I cannot
work with them. So panela No, today you have you know, brothers at times saying that, you know,
today we can't walk on the streets. You ask them Why? Well, because the opposite gender is half
		

			naked, almost, you know, naked, they're wearing clothes, but almost as if they're not wearing
clothes at all. So it's very difficult. I just need to shut myself away. And I feel like you know,
running away into the jungle perhaps.
		

			If you look at it at the time of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, there were fitna there
were Phaeton during his times as well. Many brothers in Islam. They used to make tawaf around the
cabin naked. They used to make tawaf around the Kaaba, naked men and women. It was part of their
rituals. They would do tawaf naked around the cabin, you've been to Mecca, you've seen the Kava,
you've seen the numbers, you've seen the crowds, amassing and making tawaf around the house of
Allah. So now just picture and imagine if they were all doing it naked. So Panama, what a fitna, but
none of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, leave everything and run away. Now, he integrated
		

			himself, he reached out to the non Muslims, he reached out inviting them to Allah subhanho wa Taala.
And that too, in a beautiful way, and he taught the Sahaba they were facing persecution, they were
facing oppression.
		

			But he sat alone, while he when he was sent them did things in a very diplomatic way during the
Mexican period. They used to give to one another, they would honor the invites of one another, they
would share the sorrows of one another, they would attend the funerals of one another, the
celebrations of one another.
		

			The profits of the long run.
		

			You know, one instance where a Jew invites the Jewish lady, a woman she invites the Prophet
sallallahu Sallam home to partake of a meal. And he honors the invite, and that's when she got an
opportunity to poison the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam but in the first place, he honored the
invite, he accepted it. He went ahead to go and eat at her house.
		

			You know, the instances where we have red days there was this lady who should dump garbage on the
profits. Elisa llamo used to she used to put harmful things in the way of the Prophet sallallahu
Sallam one day. She is not there. And he asks the people around ways the lady who used to you know
generally always dump garbage on me. He was told she's fallen ill he said allamani when he was 11,
did not kiss did not swear under his breath did not say Serbs no well Subhan Allah No. He went on to
go and visit her because she was ill. It was this conduct of the Prophet sallallahu Sallam that
attract so many people think about it, the prophet and a small band of followers initially a small
		

			band of followers, how did they grow? How did Islam grow?
		

			Today, some of us as Muslims, we tend to go back to the books of history. We tend to read the golden
pages of Islamic rule, which is a good thing. It should not forget your history.
		

			But we tend to only look at things from that perspective when we were in control.
		

			When we were in dominion, you should things were different then you can't try to apply those those
principles and those values that were applied in a context where perhaps the Islamic rule was
prevalent, where perhaps the Muslims were a majority in a context where we Muslims are a minority.
		

			You can't. And that's why you even have a science I want you to pay an attentive ear at this point,
you even have a science dedicated to us minorities, known as aka Leah is
		

			the face of the minorities, the legal theory of the minorities, the jurisprudence of the minorities,
		

			you have now you see the thing is this, this needs to be clearly understood. We are in no way trying
to reinvent the Sharia. The Deen of Allah is the deen of Allah. You see when you talk about fifth,
fifth is the jurisprudence the understanding of the Sharia, through jurists through the fuqaha
through the scholars, you have interpretations, you have a variety of opinions put forth by the
scholars, and that's how we have the four schools of thought, we have Mr. Musharraf. We have Mambo
hanifa, Imam madama Malik, and at times, you would see opinions contrasting one another like chalk
and cheese. This is true for the science of fit. And within this science, you have a category known
		

			as the fifth of the minorities, there are rules, there are ways to deduce rulings in the context of
minorities. Let's say for example, take the case of voting, the case of voting, some people firmly
believe that you cannot mess up but I mean Muslims, that you cannot vote for a non Muslim party or a
non Muslim, because we as Muslims should not take a non Muslim as our patron as our well III, mean,
I will Yeah, as our protectors. With the panel, when you look at it in the context of calaca liegt.
The fifth that has been established for minorities, you are allowed to vote, you are allowed to vote
and nominate a non Muslim or a non Muslim party. The the the the guidance in this regard is that
		

			you're supposed to choose to the best of your knowledge, the party that you believe the individual
that you believe you believe, serves in the best who will serve in the best interest of the Muslim
own, or overall the community at large, you are allowed to vote.
		

			And in a court in this in this way, you have many other rulings that are deduced by the scholars.
And this is why it's important in our context that we relate to the scholars of local scholars, you
need scholars who understand the local context, who understand what we as a community are going
through
		

			the rulings that are then applied come from these scholars, sometimes some of us we tend to, you
know, Google
		

			rulings verdicts fatawa, that are you know, at times applied in different contexts and try to apply
it in our own lives, which is a times problematic. You see, you have a difference of opinion and we
need to be able to appreciate the difference of opinion. In the deen. The difference is if Allah
Subhana Allah had wanted, he could have had the deen just one way, no difference of opinion. But it
is out of his infinite wisdom that he has established a difference of opinion. One scholar says this
or another scholar says this it is to accommodate people from different walks of life. It is because
Islam is such a broad religion. And Allah says workers alika janicoo Martin Vasa, that we are a
		

			balanced nation. And that's why I started off by saying that integration is the middle ground
because you have a spectrum, you have one end of the spectrum where people like I said, isolate
themselves, they don't integrate in any way. They alienate themselves. And then the majority looks
at this community, why have they alienated themselves, they seem problematic, and it strikes fear in
their hearts, and and they look at it like a tumor, you know, a tumor in your body, you want to get
rid of it. And that's how they look at you if you isolate yourself, on the other hand, is not also
this is not an advocate advocate for assimilation. The proper ceylonese lmsc said in terms of the
		

			speed, we are not supposed to be similar in terms of our belief in terms of our faiths in terms of
our conduct. We're not supposed to photocopy the Christians or the Jews. Why? Because we have our
own principles that we stand up for our own values that we stand up for.
		

			So that's the middle ground but maintaining those principles and values. We are supposed to
integrate into the community integrate into the society
		

			I think it was last year.
		

			In one of our neighboring countries, they actually passed a law
		

			that Islamic institutions
		

			need to video record there Independence Day celebrations in the institution and produce it at the
closest governmental office.
		

			It was a law that like say, for example, this Masjid
		

			would have to conduct an Independence Day celebration, and to prove that they did to prove their
loyalty to the country. Because at the end of the day, if you look at the definition of a citizen,
it's being loyal to your country. You understand? It's being an individual who has rights. Yes, we
tend to sometimes focus on the rights only
		

			losing focus of the responsibilities that you also have as a citizen. They were forced, there was
this law that was enforced that you're supposed to video record the celebrations and produce it at
the closest governmental office to prove that you have celebrated Independence Day. If you look at
our country, my dear brothers in Islam, we have been given so much of freedom in terms of practicing
our Deen and that's why I started off with this particular topic title and the basis the premise for
the title is the ayah in chapter number 16, Allah subhanho wa Taala says Lyon Hakuna lohani Latina
lamb bupati lucam feedin. Allah does not forbid you to be kind and equitable to those who have not
		

			fought you in terms of your deen in terms of your religion? Well, I'm afraid you come in via Rico,
and they have not driven you out of your homes. Allah does not forbid you from being kind and
equitable unto them.
		

			But what does Allah subhanho wa Taala forbid he forbids you to be allies with those who have fought
you because of your religion. he forbids you to take them as friends to take them as protected as if
they have fought you in regards to your religion, if they have driven you out of your homes in
Allahu Hepburn, local city, and Indeed, Allah loves those who are just warfare. So in our context,
we need to be able to preserve this harmony, we need to be able to preserve this coexistence not
only for our generation, but the generations of the future for our children, for their children. You
know, if you are 60 if you are 50, you've got a little more time and then you are going to move on.
		

			But what about your children they need to have a safe place to live in to call themselves a citizen
of this country, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he prided himself over being a quraishi.
And Allah says which Allah
		

			because you didn't have States during the time of the Prophet sallallahu Sallam didn't have nations
through the time of the Prophet sallallahu Sallam what was prevalent at that time, were tribes and
the Prophet was from the Quraysh.
		

			And he would introduce himself that I am the son of Abdullah, I'm the grandson now I'm from the
lineage of Abdul muttalib. And from this clan, the harsh me I'm a quraishi.
		

			So from this, we understand that there is no harm in introducing yourself as a Sri Lankan.
		

			There's no harm in being proud in that regard. Some of us at times we have this again, skewed
understanding of pride, the prophet defined pride.
		

			Pride, arrogance is problematic. The definition of pride is turning away from the truth.
		

			When the truth is presented, you refuse to accept it. That is pride. On number two, you look down
upon people, you consider yourself superior, and you look down upon people that is pride, by let's
say, a father, at his son's graduation, he's crying tears of happiness. And he says, I'm proud of
you, my son.
		

			He says, I'm proud of you, my son. Islam does not forbid that.
		

			Islam does not forbid that. Now, if he takes the pride to heart and thinks of his son as being
superior than other children, and it looks down upon other children, then it is problematic.
		

			If you consider yourself proud to be a citizen of a particular country, that doesn't seem to be a
problem with that.
		

			And to even hold yourself as a citizen of a country, there is no problem with it.
		

			So rather than Islam is simply put, as long as it does not compromise in terms of your principles of
faith, as long as you're not compromising in terms of your beliefs and to Allah subhanho wa Taala
you stand firm. And as long as you're not giving into injustice, if injustice occurs, you stand up.
Islam tells you that if they are depriving you of your rights as a citizen, if they are depriving
you of your rights to practice your religion in freedom
		

			Then yes we as a community we need to stand up. But when we don't face problems of that nature we
need to integrate. If not, if we do not integrate, we are going to be facing problems, unnecessary
paranoia, unless unnecessary phobias, unnecessary Islamophobia, unnecessary fear gripping their
hearts in regards to us Muslims in regards to what is being shared through the, through the pulpits.
You see non Muslims, they generally have this column, they have this fear, they say what do they
say? We don't know what is being shared on a weekly basis. They see the Muslim moon, all coming out
of the massages in bed numbers, but they don't know what is being shared from the pulpit. They think
		

			that it is hatred that is being shared, firsthand, Allah in all actuality, if these sermons were to
be televised, and if people were to actually witnessed what is being preached, they would understand
Islam better. We are not, we're not enticing or inciting hate. We're not asking people to indulge in
hatred, negativity and toxicity now, but instead, we're promoting love, by promoting peace, by
promoting care by promoting kindness through the teachings of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam. Now, before I conclude just one final thing, my dear brothers and sisters, I don't think
there are some of us who think, who who fall back onto this excuse, where they say, you know what,
		

			all of this has been decreed by Allah just from the signs of the day of them, and there's
technically nothing that we can do about it. Or you know what, I'm just powerless. It's a trend
where I cannot contribute in any way. So I'm just going to be a passive individual in this regard,
or even a passive citizen. No, my dear brother, as Allah says, in the Koran, when evil takes place,
you cannot blame Allah subhanho wa Taala be Marchesa, but Id commit is what your own hands have
earned.
		

			You need to take responsibility for it. And you should know that you have the potential within you
to change it. For example, if all of us were to envision a country that is free of litter, free of
litter, that
		

			and if each and every one of us, if we were to take a conscious decision to reduce waste, to make
sure that we don't just chuck waste out of our cars, whilst we walk on the streets, if we all take a
conscious decision to try and prevent open urination, open defecation. And maybe if we were to
resort to alternate ways of disposing our waste, like recycling, composting, etc, if all of us do
it, we can work towards a cleaner country, we can.
		

			Yes, perhaps all of us would love to switch to electric cars, but the infrastructure is not in place
to do that. But still in small ways we can contribute towards a better country. You see, the other
day I was reading in regards to the signs of the day of
		

			the major signs are trending number one sign is a Doohan that a smoke will fill the entire planet.
Interestingly, you have the majority of the scholars who state that it will literally happen one
day, you'll wake up and you will see this big mug of smoke covering the entire planet. But there is
a minority opinion. And in a way, it's an interesting opinion. And that's why I'm sharing it with
you all. There are some scholars, a minority, but the opinion is out there. And that's why it's
interesting, who are of the opinion that this sign
		

			has already been activated.
		

			household in the form of pollution.
		

			According to them, it's not going to happen overnight, where you wake up in the morning and see the
entire planet covered in smoke. They say it's gradually happening in the form of pollution. You go
to certain countries, you get down from the plane, you can't even walk, there is no clarity in front
of you. It looks all blurred because of the smoke because of the pollution. And according to these
scholars, this is what this is one of the things that will lead to the destruction of this planet
and Don't you see it happening? Do you see how pollution is contaminating our planet? Don't you see
global warming climate change the ozone layer disintegrating, all through pollution.
		

			So for some of us, that live in a third world country, we don't tend to think of it as being
something important but do you know the Prophet sallallahu Sallam was an environmentalist, the
prophet was concerned about the environment. The Prophet is reputed to have said that even if you
know that the day of tiama is commencing SubhanAllah. Think about it. Think about the mentality of
the Ummah is commencing what can
		

			Have a mental state would you be in and if you have a plant in your hand a tree in if you have the
opportunity to plant it before the day of the AMA begins plant it
		

			Subhana Allah, the day of karma is about to start, you've got the notifications, you've got the
announcements, and now you have a plant in your tree, the properties teaching you plant the tree,
look at the teachings of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam
		

			protect the environment, protect your country. This is a blessing from Allah subhanho wa Taala.
There are Muslims living in other countries where they have been stripped
		

			from their rights in regards to fasting practicing their religion, prayer Salah so many things.
		

			So let's let's think in a pragmatic way, let's think in a proactive way each and every one of us
please, if we do so we can work towards a beautiful country as intellectuals we are a beautiful
community we can show the other communities the model of the prophets of Allah, Islam, the model of
Islam and we can attract them towards Islam. So let's work towards that inshallah. Tada. With that I
conclude I ask Allah subhana wa tada to forgive all of us is to accept our good deeds to help us to
become better citizens of this country to help all of us to unite to push this country forward. To
take us from strength to strength, may Allah subhanho wa Taala broaden our visions May Allah
		

			subhanho wa Taala open our hearts and give us the proper understanding of the deen May Allah
subhanho wa Taala help us to stay away from narrow mindedness. May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us
to stay away from hatred, violence and and all kinds of toxic qualities. May Allah subhanho wa Taala
just is how you and I to see in this message may unite us in the gardens of Genoa our beloved
prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam