Sikander Hashmi – Embracing Persons Disabilities KMA Friday Message
AI: Summary ©
AI: Transcript ©
As we gather here today and as we
speak,
the attacks on the people of Gaza have
begun once again
after a 1 week truce.
The numbers are staggering so far, killed
at least 15,000
including at least 6,100
children,
6,100
children
and 4,000
women
injured at least
36,000
with more than 75%
being children and women,
missing
close to 7,000.
Around 1,000 or so
of the injured children
have had to had
amputations,
losing legs or arms.
In some cases,
surgeries
had to be performed
without anesthesia.
We ask Allah
to accept the innocent, martyred civilians of Palestine.
We ask Allah
to grant relief
and ease to the injured and afflicted. Amin.
My brothers and sisters,
everyone is susceptible
to one day
becoming or being
a person with a disability.
Like
these 1,000 children, 1,000 or so children
who probably never imagined
that they would be
having a disability
at this stage in their lives.
So everyone is susceptible.
If not today, then at some point in
our lives. And we ask Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala to protect us and make it easy
for all of us.
We are having this discussion today because December
3rd is the International Day of Persons with
Disabilities
as declared by the UN in 1982.
Dean Support Services is a local
Canadian Muslim
organization committed
to offering support to persons with disabilities.
And they have asked
imam's Khatib's across Canada to participate
in their campaign,
to get our community to understand
disability from an Islamic perspective.
Now as we know in many cultures,
persons with disabilities
are shunned,
disregarded,
ignored,
or pushed to the fringes
of society.
But when we look at the guidance given
by Allah and his messenger
we find acceptance
and support
for persons with disabilities.
For example,
Saydah Musa Alaihi Salam
had a speech impediment.
Right? For which for which he asked he
made dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
But it didn't stop him from continuing his
mission, his very important mission as a prophet
of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Abdullah ibn Maktoum.
Abdullah ibn Maktoum Radiallahu Anhu.
He was blind
from a young age, perhaps even
from birth.
Yet he was appointed as
one of the 3 Mu'adins
in the city of Madinah
by the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam. And this
was a great honor.
This was
a great honor to be the person or
from amongst the people, the few people
handpicked by the prophet
to call the people of Madinah for salah.
Another responsibility that the prophet
placed upon him was that he put
Abdullah ibn Umatu radiAllahu anhu, the blind Sahabi
in charge of the city of Madina
during his absence.
And it is said that this was done
more than 10 times.
More than 10 times the prophet made him
in charge of the city of Madinah in
his absence, including when the prophet
had left Madinah
for the
for the opening of the city of Mecca,
for the conquest of Mecca.
There's also
a man by the name of
who
was you can say a a virtual virtually
a social outcast in some ways due to
his disabilities
which are not really described in in specific
terms.
But it seems that he was of significantly
short stature.
And he may have also had some other
differences. The prophet
took special care of this young man. He
even arranged marriage for him. Right? The prophet
out of his way
to to find a bride for him and,
and it was actually someone who was, you
know, very special.
And many people, you know, when I wanted
to to marry her, yet because of the
suggestion of the prophet
she married Jibril Julebi Radiullah.
He took part in a battle
in which he fought heroically
At the end of the battle, no one
noticed that he was missing
except for the prophet
who mourned his loss and said
of that he is of me and I
am of him to show his special care
and affection
for the
famous early Muslim jurist
and hadith transmitter.
He served as the Mufti of Makkah in
the 7th 8th centuries.
He was known to walk with a limp
and to also have
paralysis
in part of his body.
And he says, he narrates that
said to me
that that shall I show you a woman
of the people of paradise? And he said,
yes.
And
told him of a lady who had come
to the prophet
and she said that I get attacks of
epilepsy.
And my body becomes uncovered.
So please
make dua to Allah for me. Invoke Allah
for me.
And the prophet
said to her
That if you
wish, be patient
and you will enter Jannah.
And
if you wish,
I will invoke Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to
cure you. So the prophet
didn't actually just answer her request right away
but he gave her a choice.
He said you can either bear patiently what
Allah
has willed for you, has has has written
for you,
and you can secure your Jannah that way.
Meaning this illness that you have, this, you
know, this
form of, of of this this trial, this
challenge that you have. You can ask Allah,
I can ask Allah,
to either cure you or you can bear
it with patience
and have Jannah.
So, she said, I will remain patient. So,
she chose the first option that she bears
what Allah has willed for Jannah.
But then she added that I become,
you know, but I become uncovered. So, please
make to Allah for me that I may
not become uncovered. So the prophet
then
regarding that. But not for her to be
cured because she wished to be to to
bear what Allah had willed so that she
can have Jannah.
Now an interesting point is that Dean Support
Services notes that it is hard to find
clear references to disability
in early Islamic history. Why? Because people with
disabilities
were
normally integrated
and included in Muslim society.
And it is also worth noting that the
focus was not on
people's,
disabilities, but rather on their abilities. Right? Because
when Allah
gives a person a challenge, a struggle, a
weakness of sorts,
Allah also compensates that in many cases
with
other strengths,
with other skills,
in many cases. So the focus
is on the abilities of the person. What
they are able to do, right, as opposed
to what they may not be able to
do. Right? And this requires a mindset
shift. So what do we need to do?
First of all, my brothers and sisters, we
remember the hadith of the prophet
that those who show mercy to others,
the Rahman,
meaning Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the most merciful,
shows mercy to
them. So, show mercy to those upon the
earth and the one in the heavens will
show mercy to you. Right? This is a
beautiful teaching of the prophet which
does not single out Muslims as only being
recipients of our mercy. Does not even,
single out only human beings being the recipients
of our mercy, but rather all of those
who are upon the earth.
Is general, including the animals, any of the
creation of Allah.
So be merciful towards others. And in today's
context,
our brothers and sisters who are persons of
disabilities,
be merciful towards them. Allah
be member will be merciful to you
inshallah. Therefore,
as people of mercy, we must show love
and care, concern.
There are laws in place. So for example,
there is the convention on the rights of
persons with disabilities
just tabled by the United Nations to make
sure that people with disabilities
can fully participate in community life with dignity
and respect around the world.
But we shouldn't need laws.
We should not need
laws and guidelines
to force us to make our facilities and
our programs,
most importantly,
our attitudes
open and welcoming towards people.
So I ask you to
be careful not to stigmatize,
stigmatize or sideline people who have disabilities,
you know, or treat them as outcasts,
who be afraid of them or be rude
to them, especially children.
Right? So let us be inclusive in all
of our activities and planning. Right? And
there are many families,
you know, who have children with autism, for
example.
Right? And a lot of times, they're really
worried about taking their children
to the masjid
by bringing those children, our children to the
masjid.
Right? Or going to an event
because they're not always, you know, able to
control their their behavior and their movements.
Right? And sometimes, you know, people will get
upset. But, you know, why is your child
running around? You know, why are you not,
you know, you shouldn't be bringing your child,
so on and so forth. Right? So let's
be
mindful
and and and respectful and understand
that there are a growing number of cases
where where people are in these situations.
And the behavior is not because,
you know, it's anyone's fault, right? But it
is actually is a condition because of which
the child is is behaving like that.
So this is just one example,
right? And also making sure that our masjid
is is accessible, right? Simple things like where
we put our shoes,
Right? How we put our shoes. So we
leave the entrance,
you know, clear and open for someone who
may be coming with with a walker or
a cane, for example.
Treating
everyone with dignity and respect, you know, avoiding
inappropriate
or offensive names,
making sure that our brothers and sisters with
disabilities
are not pitied or shunned away
when they have an intellectual disability
or a mental illness.
Trying to make sure that sisters and brothers
who are deaf or blind
get the services that they need to learn
about Islam, especially through our.
You know, building our facilities to be inclusive
and accessible
so that those using wheelchairs and crutches and
canes
are able to safely enter and move around
within the houses of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
And that's one of the things that we
really focus on focusing on with our upcoming
new construction
for the new building and ensuring that there's
actually no steps going into the building. Right?
So it's flat access.
No ramps, no steps, you know, so people
can go straight in, and not have to
worry about, about these things, you know, as
much as possible.
I wanna make sure that
families who are caring for children with severe
disabilities
find supportive environments on Muslim events
and gatherings.
Right? So that we are welcoming,
inclusive, kind,
supportive,
but not in a in a pitiful way.
Right? Not making it come across that, you
know, we're we're doing it as an act
of charity. Right? Because that's that's hurtful too.
Right? But actually doing it genuinely because
we are caring and we are welcoming and
inclusive. We ask Allah
to grant relief and ease to all of
those who face challenges and disabilities.
We ask Allah
to give us the patience and wisdom and
understanding to support one another and ask Allah
to keep us and our loved ones well.