Sadullah Khan – 16th Post Witr Talk Ramadaan 14442023
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AI: Transcript ©
We continue our theme
moral guidance from everyday experiences.
We often observe in our own lives
how there is a tendency
even for ourselves or those around us
to side with people
not because
it is right or because it is just,
but because it suits us
or
because it is our friends
or it's our family
or because of our social circle or our
group or our jama'a or whatever it may
be.
So we don't associate or participate or
support because we truly believe it to be
the right thing to do, but because we
want to be partisan
because of our friends
and because of our social circle.
Allah
remind us about the importance of standing up
for truth or injustice
at all cost, whether it be with yourself
or your friends or your family
or even if it not be in their
favor.
Stand up for what is right and what
is just, Allah says, even against your own
self,
even if it be against your near and
dear ones, whether it begins the rich or
the poor, without being swayed by your emotions
or by your inclinations
and your own interests.
Now this brings me to an exemplary story
of a very unique person who lived in
the time of Rasulullah
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam,
And his name was Muqaydik.
He was a wealthy date farmer,
well learned in scripture,
highly respected by the people in Madinah at
the time of Rasulullah,
and he was a leader of the Jewish
tribe
of the Sa'alaba clan in Madinah.
He was a very knowledgeable
religious leader besides being a businessman and a
farmer
and a principal scholar of the Torah. In
fact, he was a Jewish rabbi.
So when the Meccans were about to attack
Madinah
after the defeat of the Battle of Badr,
this is around the 3rd year of Hijri,
he urged, mister Muhaydic urged the Jews of
Madinah to join the Madinan army
under the leadership of Rasulullah
to protect the Madinans
from the attack of the Meccans.
And the attack happened and the battle took
place which is the famous battle of Uhud,
the 2nd major battle in the history of
Islam.
Remember the Prophet
had implemented the constitution of Madinah,
which was based on agreement between
and concluded by the way by the law
wasallahu alaihi wasallam
were the various tribes and clans and groupings
in Madinah.
And this also included
the Jewish tribes and the Jewish groups who
were dominant in Medina prior to the Rasul's
arrival there.
The agreement included that the communities of Madinah,
irrespective of their religious background,
would stand together,
defend one another
if ever attacked by an outside army. This
was the agreement and it was a principle.
Mokayrik
principally
considered fighting alongside prophet Muhammad
as a leader of the Madinan group and
fight what he believed was in support of
monotheism.
When the day of battle of Uhud occurred
and the battle of Uhud occurred on a
Saturday,
so he urged his congregation and the other
Jewish people and even his tribe, his clan,
the Salaba clan.
You know, in the Katalam, Anahu Muwajib
Muwajibat Musa'at al Muhammad,
you know it's your duty to fight with
Muhammad, he told them.
But they said,
we cannot fight today. It's Sabbath.
On Sabbath, the Jews don't do anything. We
don't do business, we don't trade, and we
don't fight.
So he said,
today
there is no
Sabbath. Today, there is no Sabbath.
And he severely criticized his congregation
and his plan
for not understanding the deeper meaning of what
they believe the Sabbath to be, and more
importantly
for not keeping the word
according to the agreement that they have made
with Rasulullah
And taking his sword,
he said that if he was slain,
his property was to be given to the
prophet Muhammad to be distributed as the prophet
wished.
Muhayr to join the battle at Uhud.
He fought
alongside the Sahaba, the dua alaih Taj
Mahin under the leadership of Rasulullah. And don't
forget Uhud, Muslims were losing then they were
winning. Initially there was a bit of a
drawback and
he fought until he was killed. He died
on the battle of Uhud.
And Rasool sallallahu alaihi wa sallam you know
said, mukharik bin nadeer khairil yahud. Mukharik is
the best of all Jews. In fact some
scholars say, oh well shahid yahudi
yukati yukati yukati yukati Islam, muhaydik. The first
Jewish person to die fighting for Islam, dying
a Jew I knew, was mukhirik.
He left 7 gardens,
mostly dead palms and other wealth for the
prophet to distribute. And this was used by
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam for the establishment of
what we call Waqaf.
In fact, according to historians,
this was the first ever documented wakaf
charitable endowment in the history of Islam. Rasulullah
took his wealth, which he gave and of
course established that.
And it's regarding people like him, Rabbi Mookherikh,
that Allah says in the holy Quran,
And they are certainly among the Jews and
Christians,
those who believe in God, in the revelation
that you have received and the revelation that
was sent to them.
Bowing in humility to Allah,
they will not sell the signs of Allah
for a miserable price.
For them is a reward with their Lord.
Rabbi Muharikh's story is a story of an
individual's ability
to transcend
community and communal divides. To transcend
communal divides. He was a Muslim.
He was head of the Saliba tribe. He
was a Jewish rabbi,
but he kept his word
that he was supposed to keep.
And though nobody fought with him from his
people, he went and he died in the
cause to fight for a more inclusive idea
of community.
He was a true citizen of the state
of Madinah and he gave his life in
the defense of Madinah.
He was a principled man
who did not compromise. He never compromised
due to
prejudicial reasoning or excuses.
A rabbi who died a Jew, but also
a Muslim hero in a way in the
history of Islam. And his story must never
be forgotten. In fact, it should be told
and retold. When Muslims you see forget to
remember
these kind of stories
and other stories that epitomizes
interfaith relationships.
They diminish the legacy of Rasulullah
and of Islam, and they betray the inclusive
nature of our faith and they undermine the
attitude
and of gratitude
that comes with appreciation of people who are
truly genuine in the midst of a sea
of people who may not have been genuine,
appreciation of the efforts and sacrifice
of principled people
from whom we can learn
and we can learn how to stand by
our word
and fulfill our promises.
May Allah
grant that you learn, you know,
There Rasul said, take wisdom from any source
and certainly
there is wisdom for us here that principled
triumphs partisanship.
What is right and just, you stand by
it irrespective
for who it is or against who it
is. Provided it for the truth and it's
for justice.