Sikander Hashmi – Agents of Effective Positive Change KMA Friday Message
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Respected elders, dear brothers and sisters, my young
friends,
Assalamu alaikum.
Imagine if someone came into the masjid and
put up
a poster
for something haram,
like maybe a lottery,
even if it's for charity,
or maybe a beer tasting event,
or perhaps they left some bottles of beer,
or a flag or a symbol that is
associated with haram.
The moment I see it,
I would remove it.
The moment I came across
such a thing in the Masjid, I would
immediately go and remove it from the Masjid.
And you would probably do the same as
well.
On the other hand,
if someone came into the Masjid
with
such haram items or symbols,
we would speak to them
and advise them that such things
are not appropriate in the masjid.
Yet, if any of this
were to happen outside the masjid,
on the street,
on the sidewalk,
at the park, across the street,
we would not like it.
But
we would not say anything,
even though we would consider it to be
wrong in
our hearts.
So you see this my brothers and sisters
is a simple and practical explanation
of the famous hadith of the Prophet
as narrated by Abu Saeed al Khudri radiAllahu
anhu and recorded in Sahih Muslim.
That the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said,
Whoever among you sees
the word used is
whoever amongst you sees,
let him change it with his hands.
If he cannot do so, then with his
tongue.
If he cannot do so,
then with his heart,
which is the weakest level of faith.
Now you see here my brothers and sisters,
the operative word, the key word here is
monkar.
And we translate it often as evil.
Munkar is that act or utterance
on which there is unanimity
of opinion of all religious jurists as being
impermissible
or being haram.
Something
which
is uniformly
accepted as being wrong and as being haram.
There is no difference of opinion
on Amunkar.
It is something which is
universally understood
to be forbidden and to be wronged.
Therefore, if there is
a difference of opinion
by the religious jurists,
then none of their views can be regarded
as being.
If there is a difference of opinion amongst
the then
their views cannot be deemed as being
because clearly there is no unanimity then with
regards to the religious jurors, the scholars, not
just, any Abdullah or Fatima, but we're talking
about the religious authorities and the religious scholars.
Thus,
we are talking about something
that is soundly rejected
by all religious authorities. And some will say,
in addition to that,
which is naturally repulsive.
That is kabi, meaning
to a person of sound fikra.
A person of sound natural disposition,
they found they find or they would find
that action to be repulsive.
They would find that action to be repulsive
and and unacceptable.
So some scholars would also include that in
the definition
of.
Then the word that is used
is seeing.
Whoever for amongst you sees
evil. The commentators of hadith mentioned
that literally seeing the evil with your eyes
is not necessary,
Right? Even though the hadith says,
even though it is mentioning
meaning seeing,
it does not
It's not necessary that a person literally sees
the evil, You know, knowing about it to
a level of certainty
without seeing it firsthand
also counts.
Once again, knowing about
be have, you know, knowing about an evil
to a level of certainty, not doubt, but
certainty
without seeing it firsthand also counts. Now as
we learn
from
2 surahs,
and
There
are how many degrees of certainty of
There are 3 degrees
of certainty.
The first is reasonable
certainty,
when you are reasonably certain about something. The
second is the certainty from
seeing or you can say empirical
certainty through observation.
And the third is ultimate certainty or
so these three degrees
of certainty. So point is that the
evil,
the should be confirmed
without doubt.
It should be confirmed without any doubt that
that evil,
that has occurred
or is occurring
before we take any action.
This is actually very important because Allah
instructs us in Suratul Hujurat, in the 6th
ayah, Allah
says,
Allah gives us the instruction
to verify,
to investigate
before acting upon any news. And as I've
mentioned many times, especially in today's world, this
is very important
because there has probably never been a time
in the history of the world where there
has been so much misinformation
spreading so quickly
because of all the networks and all the
ways that people are able to
interact and communicate with one another. And especially
with artificial intelligence,
so many AI tools,
photos that can be
created or doctored by AI, even on your
cell phone nowadays, if you have a new
phone or the new updates, right, you can
manipulate easily manipulate images even on your own
phones.
Yes? Even fake videos,
right, deep fake videos where you see there
was a case of a a, a corporate
official who was defrauded by well, how much
was it? $25,000,000,
I think.
Right? When he was brought into a meeting,
and he thought he was seeing his president
and all the key people in the company
talking, asking him to make this payment, and
it was none of them.
He was seeing it.
You would say it was almost like,
but it was virtual.
It was virtual, and they were all fakes.
It was deep fake, and he actually got
defrauded in this way. So we live in
a time
of great
fraud
and great,
trickery, essentially. So we must be very careful
that when we hear some news
And there's people who will willfully twist, misinterpret,
or quote out of context, or quote one
piece. So that's why whenever I hear something,
even if someone posts a picture of an
article or something, I like to go look
it up myself.
I like to go listen to the clip
in full myself to really understand the context
because there's a lot of picking and choosing,
which sometimes, you know, takes it out of
context. So it is very important that before
we act upon something,
on some news, we verify first to ensure
that what is being reported actually happened
as the way it is being
related before we act upon it. So if
you know
that something
that is that is soundly rejected in Islam
is happening,
and you are a witness to it, right,
whereby seeing it either firsthand
or through confirmed information,
then you must change it.
So if these two things are true, that,
yes, the had if something has happened, which
is
and it is confirmed,
then the responsibility is upon you and me
to change it. Now the question is, my
brothers and sisters, is how do you go
about changing it? How do we go about
changing it? Now, 3 options are given.
Prophet
has first mentioned
hands,
which signifies
physically
taking action to bring about positive change.
The second
that is mentioned is the tongue. So meaning
through words, it doesn't have to be necessarily
spoken. It could be typed as well or
written.
And the 3rd, with the heart.
That is the
and that is the weakest or,
I don't wanna say lowest, but the weakest
form of faith. Now what is interesting
is that these,
you know, appear to be in order of
priority.
Right? Because the prophet
said,
is
used for if you're not capable of doing
it, then the next and then the next.
So it appears
to be in order of priority. But some
of the scholars mentioned
that there are examples when the prophet
himself
chose to speak first
rather than act physically to stop something that
was wrong.
There are examples when the Prophet
himself,
he spoke first
as opposed to physically taking action even though
he could have. So for instance, we have
the famous incident of the Bedouin
who walked into the Masjid. And what did
he do? He started urinating in the Masjid
of the Prophet
And the companions wanted to stop him, and
naturally they were getting upset.
And they could have dealt with him right
away and kicked him out of the Masjid.
They could have physically stopped him and taken
action, yet the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
let him finish, and then he advised him
through words.
And, of course, he had the place,
that where the where he had urinated, he
had that cleaned. Now in another narration from
Abu Hurayrah and
this also recorded in Sahih Muslim, a man
came to the prophet
And he said, yeah, Rasulullah,
o Messenger of Allah,
That what shall I do if someone comes
if
a man comes to me with the intention
of taking away my wealth, taking away my
property.
What should I do in that situation?
So the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam says,
He says that do not hand it over
to him. You know, if he comes seeking
your wealth, he wants to take it from
you unlawfully. Don't give it to him.
So then he says,
What shall I do if he fights me?
So the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
said,
that if
he's fighting with you, then you fight with
him. Then
Then he says, then says, what? You know,
what if he ends up killing me? The
prophet
replies, and he says,
you will be a martyr, you will be
a shahid.
And then he says,
and what if I end up killing him
in the course of this fight? So the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said,
that he will be in the hot fire.
So you know here my brothers and sisters,
that the Prophet
did not instruct him to fight back immediately
if someone tries to take your wealth. He
didn't say that if someone comes
seeking to take your wealth from you unlawfully,
your property from you unlawfully, you should immediately,
you know, slap him across the face, you
should immediately, you know, fight with him and,
you know, get him away from you. That's
not what he advised. The first thing he
advised was to not give it to him,
talk, you know, just deal with it without
the fighting part, if possible. But if he
attacks, then you can fight back.
So we learn that what is preferred this
is important. What is preferred
is the path of least resistance
that is most effective in achieving positive change.
What is preferred? The path of least resistance
that is most effective
in achieving positive change. If the positive change
can happen without using hands,
meaning without physical effort, just by words, then
that is preferred. If physical actions
will make the positive change harder to achieve
or cause greater harm than physical actions
should not be used. So it depends on
the situation, it depends on the context. So
the point
is that the hadith lays out a general
principle that if the evil is present, the
munkar is present,
and you must absolutely
use physical,
actions,
physical
act you know, physical effort to change it,
and you have the ability to do so,
which includes authority,
and it is the most effective way of
getting change, then go right ahead. You have
permission to do that. If you are able,
you have the authority, and that is the
most effective way to do it Immediately, quickly,
you go ahead and you do it. No
problem, you have the permission.
But there is also a recognition,
which
I believe is quite significant. When the Prophet
says,
Meaning, if you're not able, if you're not
capable
of changing it, right? This is a recognition
that there can be times when one is
limited in bringing about positive change. There can
be, there will be times when
our ability is limited to bring about positive
change.
And we learn the point is not just
to do something,
anything to respond to evil.
The point
is not to just do something or anything
to respond to evil. You know? And this
is one of the challenges I see is
that when we get upset,
we want to respond. It's good. Like, we
recognize evil. We get upset by evil. Like,
it bothers us. Right? It causes discomfort.
We feel that it is wrong, and that
is a good thing. Right? Because we need
to recognize wrong is wrong. Okay? But then
a lot of times,
we get excited about it, and we just
want to do something for the sake of
doing it.
And what we learn is that is not
the point. The point is not just to
do something or anything to show a reaction.
That is not the objective.
But rather,
the objective is to do something that has
the best chance of bringing positive change under
the circumstances.
That is meant to be the objective
of responding
when we see evil.
The scholars also mentioned that the words
that are used, if words are being used,
should be gentle at first.
Why? Because gentle words are more likely to
be better received,
and thus, it is the better way of
achieving the objective. If you can achieve an
objective by using harsh words,
or you may achieve it or maybe even
achieve it quickly and in a better way
by using more gentle words, then, of course,
the gentle words are more preferred.
And they give the example of Firaun who
was committing
perhaps, you know, based essentially the greatest the
greatest of by claiming to be God
and by inflicting horrible oppression.
Yet, Sayyidina Musa and Haroon were
commanded by Allah
to speak to him gently.
And why?
Allah
commanded them to speak gently to Firaun,
so perhaps he may be mindful or fearful.
Right? It's because it had a better chance
of bringing about positive change. Finally,
my brothers and sisters, we learn
that there can be situations
where even
speaking is not possible,
either
due to lack of ability
or a lack of authority,
or perhaps because doing so may cause even
greater harm. There can be such situations.
And in that
case, even recognizing
as
recognizing evil as evil
in
the heart
is considered to be
an act of positive change.
Right? Because we think about the heart and
you say, okay. Well, how is that an
action?
Right? But the prophet
is linking it back to
to bringing about change.
If you're not able to do it even
with your tongue, then in your heart, how
are you changing it with your heart?
So if the heart accepts this evil,
think about it. If the heart ends up
accepting the then
when it becomes possible
to change it through physical or through words,
through physical action or through words,
then there will be no effort to challenge
the evil and bring about positive change. Why?
Because the hearts would have already accepted it.
Right? If the hearts have accepted, then you're
not gonna go back to saying, Okay. Now
we need to challenge it and now you
know, because you've already accepted it.
So the heart is the last stand. What
is the heart? The heart is the last
stand
where resistance
to evil to
must continue.
Otherwise, if the heart gives in, then evil
in will triumph
fully and completely.
So the the
heart is the last stand. Even if you're
not able to do anything about the situation
around you, and there's great evil in around
you, and you're not able to effectuate any
positive change,
then even
recognizing it as evil as in your heart,
that is a form of resistance
to and that is a form
of positive
change because by re recognizing
it as such,
one refuses to become part
of the of the evil, which means that
the munkar, the evil has one less supporter
or acceptor.
And that too is an act of positive
change,
incremental positive change. Because if your heart accepts
it, if a heart accepts it, then that
is one more person who has accepted it.
And it is one more person who may
possibly become a promoter of it.
So by keeping the heart in check, ensuring
that the heart is still resisting,
then that is still pushing back and thus
an act of positive change. But there is
an important warning, and that is
this,
It is the weakest
level of faith.
Meaning,
if you and I find ourselves in this
situation
where we are only limited
to to responding
to evil, to with
our hearts,
then it means that we are in a
really precarious
situation.
We are in a really precarious situation
if we find ourselves at that stage and
it needs our utmost
attention and concern because that is the last
stand. And there is nothing else after that.
If the hearts go,
then
it's a done deal.
So it is the weakest
form of faith. So my brothers and sisters,
as we see continued evil
being inflicted
upon our brothers and sisters in different parts
of the world, especially in Palestine,
and we are coming upon
the celebrations,
the marking
of of of Faisha.
Let us remember
this golden guidance from the words of the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Let us resolve
to be advocates of positive change in the
face of evil, in the face of Munkar,
in ways that are most effective and that
are most suitable
based upon the guidance of Allah and his
messenger We
ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to guide us
and to bless our efforts. We ask Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala to turn those who practice
and promote
into doers and promoters of good. We ask
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make us all,
every single one of us a means of
positive change.