The Importance of Civic Engagement in Islam

They, each one of us sitting over here will agree that we all want success. We want to experience success in this dunya we want to experience success in the ark era. There is no doubt about that.

Allah subhanaw taala tells us in the Quran yeah you Halina I'm gonna talk Allah wa Kulu colon sadita. Well May, Allah wa Sula who fought for the affairs of hos and all the email that whoever obeys Allah and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he will not just be given a random or general success. Allah says in the Quran Fosun are Lima.

And in the Arabic language, first of all, Allah said Faza is a verb, the master of divert is foes. When Allah subhanho wa Taala wants to emphasize upon something he doesn't only bring the must the verb, but he brings a master along with that, the root verb or the root word for that verb. Here, he didn't just say Faza Alima. He said, Faza Fosun Alima the ultimate success. You want to succeed in this dunya you follow Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa salam, you want to succeed in the akhira on a bigger level, follow Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

But even though we are followers of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, we tried to emulate this man. There are still a lot of misunderstandings within our understanding of what did the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam do? How did he contribute? What did he teach us? So we studied the Quran, we say the Hadith and resourcer Allahu alayhi wa salam. And there's so many books of Hadith. And then from the books of our Hadith, you have the books of FIP. So we study all this. And we have these discussions amongst ourselves that What did the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam really teach us? What do you bring to us? And your honor MADI say that whether you say the Quran, the

Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, or even the books of FIP everything falls into five different categories of the life of the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasallam. First thing is Imani yet which is spirituality.

Everything there are a lot of a hadith are concerning spirituality. All that falls under the category of falls into the category of Imani yet, then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught us how to pray Salat, he taught us how to perform hij he taught us how to give our zakat. And he also taught us about cm, what is all that that falls into the second category which is a bad debt.

Then the third category is nothing yet how to treat how to treat how to exhibit yourself in the highest on the highest level that's allotted yet.

Then this fourth category is my amyloid. You know when you say the books are FIP keytab uniqa That falls under my amyloid when you study keytab Huhtala that falls under under my eyelid. When you study kita boo boo you're that falls under my eyelid. Anything that we have to work with others that falls under my omelette.

And then the fifth thing that the Prophet salallahu it was something he brought into this dunya was my eyeshadow. He taught us how to be civically engaged in your community. So if a person says that I'm going to focus on my Imani yet in my spirituality, and I have absolutely nothing to do with the community that I live in, then you have really misunderstood what the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has brought, because everything from A to Z falls into one of these five categories and Subhan Allah Subhan Allah what an amazing man, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was that he fulfilled the rights of every single one these five categories is not that he focused so much on

spirituality that he left out the other four, or he focused on two and he left out the other three, or he focused on few and he left the rest out. No. He focused on each one and he fulfilled the potential of each one. And the reason he did that was to show us that this is how you conduct yourself. You have to look after your a bad dad, you have to look after your your spirituality. You have to look at how you conduct yourself with others. What about your Allah the Prophet Allah has some taught us that and what difference what difference you can make in your community, not just Masjid Nam

Majid only community, city, state level, what difference you can make even that was taught to us by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Now because of the time, I'm not going to get into Muhammad, I'm not going to get into a Baghdad. I'm not gonna get into UCLA yet. But I will say this.

When you talk about spirituality, the promise that Allahu alayhi wa sallam came into this world, he came at a time or he was in this world. And during his time, there were so many different kinds of vices and evils taking place in his society.

When Allah subhanho wa taala, gave the Quran to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam, and Allah made it very clear that what is his sole mission of life.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saw that during his time, there was a arrogance. There was anger, there was hatred, there was self infatuation. There was greed, there was envy, of envy, there was love of wealth and power. And there was miserliness and there was so many other vices. But the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he worked hard, and he made an effort. And he was able to transform all these vices into positive things such as compassion, mercy, humility, patience, gratitude, dependence on Allah subhanho, wa, taala, and generosity and the list goes on.

But the point I'm trying to make is this No.

Spirituality is actually connected, it is connected. Spirituality is connected with civic engagement. Let me explain how,

as we see, that part of spirituality like a person is spiritually sick. There's arrogance, there's anger, there's hatred, and there's so many other things.

If you are arrogant, or you arrogant on your own, or usual arrogance towards others, you show arrogance towards others. If you get angry, you're getting angry at others. If you hate, you hate someone else. Meaning that if a person wants to really spiritually succeed, then it only comes when you work with other people. A person cannot say that I'm going to be spiritually successful without without engaging with others, and remaining in isolation. That is not who the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was, you have to be around other people, you have to work with other people. Now, now that we have talked about spirituality, I want to come to the mom and dad part, the Maharashtra

part, the province that Allahu alayhi wa sallam taught us that it is important for all of us to be civically engaged in your community. For example, a story that we have come across many times, helpful for

a man comes into my car, he wants to sell something, he sells something, the person who is the buyer,

he does not pay the person, his money. He says, I'll pay you tomorrow or some other time. The the seller comes to the buyer and says, You owe me money, give me back my money. It's my right. He avoided him. This man, what did he do? He went all the way to the Kaaba. And during that time, if anyone wants to get the attention of anyone, you had to go to the curb and just call out the people and make your proclamation and make your announcement. That is how at that time you will get everyone's attention. This man goes to the Kaaba. And he says the old people of grayish, you have a reputation that many people are deprived from. You have an excellent reputation. And here I have

come into your city as a seller, and one of your people has bought something from me, and he has refused to pay me.

What will you people operation? Do you stand for this? Do you agree to this? And subhanAllah there are people who stood up against this injustice, including who including our Prophet, Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and he knows he was a prophet at that time when this did happen, which teaches us a valuable lesson. The you don't have to be a Muslim, any person who has compassion in his heart, who has love for other people is part of your nature that you have to stand up for justice. So what did the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasallam do? He got involved? And he could have been like anyone else? My brothers and sisters. He could have just sat there and say, You know what?

I'm sure that other people in the community will take care of it. I'm sure the other

People will stand up for his rights. I'm going to sit here and take some rest and just be a spectator. But that's not who he was. Because the promises of some teaches us a lesson that a Muslim is one who gets up and he does action is not only about the talk, he you have to you have to back up your words with action. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam gets up, and he's part of this council, who establishes clear rules for the future and all the leaders of Mecca, all the people living in Mecca, that these are the rules that you have to abide by. No one will do injustice to anyone else. The Prophet sallahu it was send them to actions tell us that he was civilly king. He

was on a civic in perspective, he was engaged in his community.

Now only that the Prophet sal Allahu Allah, he was salam had a reputation of Amin. He was a trustworthy person.

So when he has a reputation, imagine Do you think that doesn't one day he walked out and he built out that reputation? No. It took a lot of effort. It took a lot of hard work to build, build up that reputation. And he builds up that reputation. And then there comes a time, the coincidently and Allah subhanaw taala made this happen. But when the people when they were arguing and bickering and they were in a conflict, that who is going to place the Blackstone on the Kaaba again, after the renovation and after the rebuilding of the Kaaba, because it was damaged. So after it was all done, they want to please the Blackstone, there's a conflict that breaks out who is willing to resolve

this conflict, the province that Allahu Allah He was send them he walked through the door, and they saw him and they knew right away, that if there's a person who can resolve our conflicts, it is this man, this man will take care of our conflict. And sure enough, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he did resolve the conflict. This is the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam being engaged in his community.

When the Prophet alayhi salam migrates to Medina,

who is living in Medina, the Jews are living in Medina primarily. You have three, you have three Jewish tribes living there, you have the people of Osun Huzzah, Raj, living there. You have some people who were formerly from the ocean Hassan who are now the unsought of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he goes to Medina, de to start building his he just built his masjid and call it people to Allah subhanho wa taala. And that is it. No, he got the other people involved. He reached out to the Jewish community, that let's work together. Let's try to create a constitution. I'm not here only for myself. But Islam teaches us that I have

to get involved in my community, I have to make a difference in my community. And before this, if you study the history of Medina, you will come to learn that there were constant conflicts between OHS and cousins, and the Jewish tribes, always conflicts. In fact, the Jewish tribes would always tell the people always and husbands that there will be a final prophet who will come, definitely prophet will come and he will join forces with us and we will defeat you. But when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam came to Medina, and he was preaching something else, they said that you know what, we have nothing to do with this man. And in fact, instead of the people, the Jewish

people accepting Islam, and falling Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, you had the other people, the Olson has Raj, they became the unsired, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. But what is the point of this story? The point of this story is that once again, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam he reached out to his community, he does, he was not isolated within his own people. He just didn't work with it within his own people, but he reached out. Now we as a community here in America, we have to understand this, that I cannot just be worried about myself, I cannot just be a person that I'm worried about my spirituality. Because once again, the life of the prophet

Sallallahu wasallam tells us that is not only about spirituality, it's about all these five things. It's about all these five things. So the problem that we have in our community that I personally see, and I have evaluated, and I'm sure a lot of you will agree to this are three things, the three primary problems within our community, especially when it comes to civic engagement. And I'm going to try to give you a word that you remember these three problems. You know, for those of you who have iPhones, the software is called iOS.

It's called iOS. I'm going to give you something that starts with I, I'm going to give you something that starts with Oh, and I'm going to give you something that starts with S and keep this in mind.

I stands for what being ignorant

you know

ignorance means, you know, there is a problem. You see that there is a problem, but you choose nothing. You choose not to do anything about it.

That is not who the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was, you know, we know very well, the starting the starting this year, that there is an open carry law in effect, people are allowed to walk with open arms, they are allowed to have the gun on the side. What as a Muslim community? Have we done about that?

Have we gone to court one time? Have we expressed our opinion even one time, we want to sit here and complain and complain and complain, but we don't want to do anything about it.

We see the problem and we ignore it. That's the first problem that we have. The second problem that we have, which is oh is being oblivious, mean that we don't want to know what's going on. We don't want to know what's going on. And that is also something that we have to get rid of, for example, here in why the school district not far why the school district we're talking about

the Teach books to our children in school,

which has references to something that is called Dante's and Pharaoh.

Dante's Inferno is something which I'm not going to get into great detail, but when the our children

they read about Dante's and Pharaoh in the book of Dante's Inferno, there are references about Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam being in the fire of Johanna, now with the biller,

our kids, they read these kinds of books, and believe it or not, you may you may see here and say to yourself, Well, how would our kids fall for this? They understand Islam? No, they don't. I have been to some high schools, where kids have studied about a Saudi Islam being crucified. And they believed in that. That's not our belief. That's the belief of some other that's the belief of other religions. That's an our belief, but our Muslim kids, because they don't know well, they read these books, and they feel like that this is the reality. Now, what have we done about that? Let me tell you what happened. There are some people who went and they tried to dispute this. So they went all

the way to Austin. But guess what, they were turned back. And they were turned back. And they were told that these books will remain in effect, they will stay in our high schools, your kids will study these books. Why? Because before this, you never brought this up? Let me ask you a question. I want all of you to think about this. If Muslims were civically engaged, they were aware of everything that is going on. They were involved with their city, in their city officials, I'm sure that even if they had released something in which our kids are studying about Dante's Inferno, and the Muslims took their complaint back, it's very possible that they would have switched the books.

But because we are not engaged, and we don't care about and we are absolutely oblivious about what is going on in our community. That's why these things happen. So as soon as these things come to us, now, imagine a law was passed. The law was this not passed overnight. It wasn't discussed as overnight. There has been a lot of legwork and a lot of discussion in the past. If we were engaged in our community in on a city level, then I'm sure that we could have a voice and they would respect our voices. But because we're not engaged, that's why we can have an effect on our society. So that's number two.

Number three, and please, please forgive me for saying this.

But we are very selfish.

We are extremely selfish.

Why do I say that? Is because

excuse me, we want to live here in this country. We want to benefit from this country, we know very well that the way things work over here is, is in such a professional manner, that a lot of our all of the overseas countries do not function this way. We see that how much life is easier when you have all these policies, procedures, processes in place. We want to sniff here. We want to benefit from here.

But we don't want to give back to our community. That's being selfish.

If I just come to the masjid every day, I go to work. I earn my paycheck. I come back home. I look after my kids, I come to the masjid. I listen to the hara, and I go back home and that's all I do. We're being selfish.

How many times I've been to the Penal Court for invocations, when there is an issue in the society in the community, people they come together they go to court, to voice their concern to vote

wants them to voice and express themselves and how they feel.

You will never see Muslims they're never see Muslims. Is this true the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was no he got engaged, he was an entity, if we are civically engaged, I can tell you this, that we will have a voice, we will be an entity. And when we are an entity and an entity that is recognized by the city in the state, I will tell you that they will look after us. I cannot guarantee that. But let me tell you this, when I say get civically engaged, many of us many of you may think that okay, let's just say I get involved in my city. What effect does that have on Washington DC? Let me tell you that does have an effect on Washington, DC, Ronald Reagan, he said

that politics starts from your city, you want to have an effect on the overall policies, it starts from your city, how

when you get engaged in your community, there are senators, and there are representatives in the House, in the Congress, in the House of Representatives, there are people who are representing you over there. There are people who are representing your state. Now, if you are engaged, and they know that they have your support. And we as a Muslim community know that we have their support. When they go to Washington, DC, they will represent us, they will understand that this is a this is an entity in my community. They will understand that I need to keep the Muslims engaged in my community, I need to do things for them, and they will then fight for us. But if I just if I take a step back and

say, You know what, I don't want to do anything with them. I don't want to I don't want to work with them. I just want to work about myself, then we have absolutely no right to complain about the laws that are being passed in Washington DC we have absolutely nothing to complain about. And think about this.

You don't want to it said I mean the Prophet alayhi salam, he says that when a person he makes dua, when he person makes dua. If a person journey does not make dua, and you only make dua at the time when there is a calamity, or there's a trouble. The angels they say that this is a very strange voice. A very unusual voice is a voice that we don't recognize.

But when a person makes dua all the time, and then there's a calamity that befalls him and then he turns to Allah subhanho wa taala. The angels they say that this is a familiar voice. They go and they plead to Allah subhanho wa Taala though Allah your servant is calling you, please, please accept his dua. Please accept his dua. The same thing applies here too. If we are civically engaged, they know that you are an entity, they will represent you. But if we are not getting engaged in our community, if we are not an entity, then there's nothing that we can complain about. There's really nothing we can complain about. So I want you to all think about this today from starting from today.

If I am not civically engaged, I need to get civically engaged. How many times Alhamdulillah? There were a lot there are not 100. At the tornadoes came, the tornadoes came and handled others. The people stood up, they went and they helped. But that's only a group of people. That's only a fraction of our community. What about everyone else? Why aren't we engaged? We have to be engaged, how many of us we have gone out to retirement homes and just provide our help. How many of us are engaged in our in our HOA? How many of us are engaged, especially when our children go to public schools? We are engaged with the PTO. We're not.

We have isolated ourselves.

Why have we isolate ourselves? If we think that isolating ourselves is part of our deen, then we are wrong. We are absolutely wrong.

So hopefully we understand from now on, that being civically engaged is part of the sealer of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam it's also part of who the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was, and we have to do this because the Prophet alayhi salam, he also did this. May Allah Subhan give all of us ability to be civically engaged in our communities Baraka Hola Hola, Anna, welcome Philippa and Alim when I found out what he accommodated with the can Hakeem and stuff that Allah Hello and welcome what he saw in Messina First off you know, in the whole world before Rahim.

Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah who didn't want to start you know when that stuff you know, when I was in ministry and for cinema Yeah, the love for LA medulla or main yoga and follow her the end

I wanted to do Allah Allah Allah Allah who I know will actually wanted to do I know Muhammad Abdul Rasul Allah Allah. Allah Allah subhanho wa Taala for Quran Majeed what for coin Hamid bada will be learnership on rajim Bismillah R Rahman Rahim in allawah Malayaka Julio Soluna ala Nabi yeah you're ready to eminence Allah Allah He was sitting with us Lima Allahumma Salli ala Muhammad wala Ali Mohammed Kumar Selita Allah Ibrahim Allah Ali Ibrahim and Nicomedia Majeed of adekola Muhammad wa ala Ali Mohammed Coronavirus, Abdullah Ibrahim Allah Ibrahim in the Gambia Majid Amma, but there is a crunch of time so I'm going to get to the my next point very clearly and try to try to express

myself in the best way possible and get this point across.

We are in the year 2016 A year of elections.

And when we talk about democracies, you know, democracy is a man made system, okay, democracy is a man made system. And so therefore, since it is a man made system or the Allah, Ma, they you know, this there is nothing about halal and haram in this manner. But this comes down to the HD heart of the orlimar. There are some orlimar agree with some olema who don't agree with it, but this is what I'll say about voting.

When we are living in a country where each of our voices can be heard,

we have an opinion, we have the right to express our opinion. We are law abiding citizens, then why don't we express our opinion.

The when we you know there's a you we all have heard this, that one time the angels they came to destroy an area there were sent by Allah subhana wa Taala to destroy an area because there was just excessive amount of sins taking place. When the angels they came, they saw a person sitting over there who was an avid

the angels they went back and they said that there's an object over there, you still want us to wipe this area out. Allah subhanaw taala said the start with that person. Start with that person. If we are living here in this country, I'm not saying that we can week I'm not saying that our votes will have an effect on the outcome. But I can tell you this that each one of our each one of our votes can have can have an effect. Our job is not to our job is not to reflect on the results. Results are in the hands of Allah subhanho wa Taala we always complain that I voted and still someone else became the president. That's not our job to dictate the results. Results are in the hands of Allah

subhanho wa Taala Our job is to make the difference. Our job is to do whatever we can in our capacity, the rest of the hands of Allah subhanho wa Taala when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam went, and he tried to convince convince his uncle to take the shahada, and he did not What did Allah say to the Prophet SAW Allah while he was sending them in Nicoletta demon? Well, I can Allah Yachty Manisha, your job is to give Dawa, you gave Dawa Imam was not written for him. The end results were in the hands of Allah subhanho wa taala.

It is our job, the wall, we live in this country, we become registered voters, and we express ourselves. We express ourselves and try to have a difference in the community. Let's do what we can in our power, leave the rest of the hands of Allah subhanho wa taala. But if every person in the community thinks that you know what is not gonna make a difference, it's not gonna make a difference. One person says it 10 People will say it 100 People say it 1000 People say it. There are 1000s and 1000s of Muslims who are not voting 1000s of Muslims who are not voting, I can guarantee you that those 1000s will have an effect, it will make a difference. It will make a difference. You

have to vote, you have to express yourselves.

Because if you don't, and whatever happens if you voted Alhamdulillah and if something and whatever you voted for and whether you voted for it, if they did not become the president that's in the hands of Allah subhanho wa taala. But it becomes our job to stand up and to express ourselves. But this is a this is an issue in our community that each one says I don't want to I don't want to I don't want to

just an example. And I'll finish on this. Use of alayhis salaam brothers they got together to plot about their younger brother. All of them said kill him. All them said kill him. awkward to use of the Quran says Paul occur in Birmingham. Only one of them said who only one of them said Don't Don't kill him not up to the use of while Ophelia after the job. Put him into a well. The voice of one person made a difference. The voice of one person made a difference. Your voice can have a difference. Do what you do what you have to do. Let's do what we have to do. Leave the rest of the handle ALLAH SubhanA

went to Iowa. But living here in this country living here in this society, we need to have we need to make a difference. We need to make a difference. You have a voice express your voice, don't be shy about it. If you're not a registered voter, you you become a registered voter. There is a cutoff date for that you must become express yourself. I'm going to finish on this show Allah may Allah subhanaw give all of us ability to add one who has been sitting hurt, may Allah subhanaw taala give us the ability to to have an effect on the community that we live. May Allah subhanaw taala give us the ability to show the community what true Islam is who the Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam

was, and how in the Midwest behind that gives us the ability to succeed in all of our endeavors in sha Allah.

Allah who must resign one Muslim in alarm Missouri is struggling to see and frequently makan Allahumma sunnah Allah Maha Wofford Billa Donna was the whole was female vana wa female with Allah Anna what Han Mota Anna what could be ID United Aquila Hi walsim Nam and Felicia Wofford naman kaliba Allahumma cinammon harsh Attica Mata who will be being obeyed Mr. Sethi Omen thority kamati been doing ABBYY Genetec when you have to imagine how we will be here. They never saw you but dunya Mattia, Nebia smiley now what was starting our Kuba Tina Hey Tina was the unwary come in Allah and Vamana when Sona alarm and Ida Anna will have to dial musi button if you didn't want to dial it

dunya Homina Homina wala in anonymous Sirona where the senator Elena Mala good Homina Amira al Amin in Allah Yama certainly will eat at the quarterback Willian hand fascia you will monkey well above the ad from Allah from the Quran, but crony at corkum was truly will attack from an optimist Salah