Sikander Hashmi – Indian Muslims & the 10 Best Days KMA Friday Message
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AI: Transcript ©
We currently find ourselves
in the midst of various challenges and struggles,
and this is something
which is a reality of our life in
this world. That at every time, we will
be faced
with some struggle or some challenge, whether we
realize it or not.
That being said, my brothers and sisters, it
is important that when we are embroiled
in an issue or a situation
that we find opportunities
to step back.
Because once
when we are focused on something,
it takes over our life in a certain
way.
In some ways, it takes over our life
becomes our preoccupation. It becomes something that we
are constantly struggling
with and we are focused on. And this
could be for communal issues,
this could be for family issues, this could
be for individual issues,
whatever the issue may be. So it is
important that we find the time
to balance ourselves because we know that the
results
are in the hands of Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala. And our job is to make a
effort.
The effort is physical in nature many times,
but it has to be backed up with
or based upon a spiritual effort.
Because in the end, the results are going
to come from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And therefore, we need to establish,
reestablish,
and reconnect
with Allah
so that we have we have his divine
assistance.
So now, my brothers and sisters, we find
ourselves at the cusp of a great opportunity
because the month of Hajj is about to
start, inshallah.
This is the month when many of our
brothers and sisters
will be heading or have already headed
towards
the holy land, towards,
the, towards Makkatul Mukarrama and the surrounding areas
to perform their Hajj. And we ask Allah
to make this journey easy for them.
For those of us who are not able
to go,
this time is not
one to be lost.
Rather it is also for us an opportunity
to gain blessings and to strengthen our relationship
with Allah
The 10 days of Hajj are expected to
start in the month of
is expected to start on, Monday
on Sunday night, but of course, that is
pending official confirmation
Allah
my brothers and sisters highlights
the importance
of these days, the value of these days
when he takes an oath by them by
saying and
he says that the 10 nights here refer
to refer to the first 10 days 10
nights of the month of Hajj Abdul Hijjah.
And this was an opinion which was held
by some of the great early Muslims and
companions of the prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,
including Dolaib N Abbas, Nain al Zubayr and
others
The,
reported that the prophet
said that
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said that there
are no days
in which righteous deeds are more beloved to
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
than these
10 days. In another narration,
That there is no deed
more precious
in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Look at this. There is no deed that
is more precious in the sight of Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
nor greater in reward than a good deed
done during the 10 days of sacrifice, meaning
this 10 days of the beginning of Dhul
Hijjah. Ibn Hajjah
he says that the most apparent reason for
the 10 days of Dhul Hijjah
being distinguished in excellence
is due to the assembly
of the greatest acts of worship
in this period. Meaning, salawat,
the prayers,
fasting,
sadaqa,
and hajj,
all coming together during this period. And he
says that in no other periods do these
great deeds
combine, meaning in terms of
obligation and in terms of virtues that have
been told to us by the prophet
Now what's interesting my brothers and sisters is
if we reflect and we compare this period
of 10 days, the first 10 days of
Dhul Hijjah, and we compare it to the
last 10 days of Ramadan or last 10
nights of Ramadan
or Ramadan in general, we find that here
there is no force upon us. There is
very little obligation upon us,
especially those who are not going for Hajj.
Right? Whereas in Ramadan, of course, you have
to be fasting
and, you know, we know that there's, you
know, prayers that are mandated
and and so on. Right? So there are
many things that are,
but we are told we need to do
in the month of Ramadan. But when it
comes to Dhul Hijjah, for those especially who
are not traveling for Hajj,
you know, all of these most of these
actions
are
voluntary.
Right? You're not required to do them. So
they're not forced upon us, but we can
think that this is a test to see
how much of a desire we have.
How much of a desire we have to
get close to Allah to
become a close friend of Allah
and of course, this, has a special significance
because it is linked to Sayna Ibrahim Alaihi
Salam who had the title of Khalilullah,
the close friend of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So this is an opportunity for us to
use
this, this,
this time and the virtues associated with it
to do the actions
that we feel like doing. So it's not
forced upon us, but the actions that we
feel like doing to get closer to Allah
and taking advantage of the things that we
are encouraged to do in terms of specific
actions.
So we think of it as a scheduled
test and opportunity 60 days out of Ramadan.
The month of Ramadan ended 60 days ago
or 57, 58 days ago, and now this
is an opportunity
or you can say a test from Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala to see where we are
at and how much of a desire we
have to reconnect with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
once again.
So
the some of the ways that we can
do this, and again, it is quite general.
It is quite general. It is not very
specific in the way that we find it
to be specific in the month of Ramadan.
So for example, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says,
mention the names of the name of Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
on appointed days. And there's a difference of
opinion, but the majority of scholars believe that
this is
referring to the first 10 days of the
month of Hajj of Dhul Hijjah. The prophet
has recommended abundant
recitation of
the praises of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala on
these days.
To increase the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala to increase the of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala and to try to do it with
our hearts. Right? We start with our tongues,
of course, but we also try to elevate
our to the point where our heart is
also engaged in the remembrance of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. If you do not feel that
your heart is engaged, you should still do
it with your with your tongue, with your
lips, right? You start, but the objective, the
aim being that the heart engages in the
dhikr of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. So you feel the greatness of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You feel the blessings
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and want to
thank him with your heart when you praise
him and you
you remember him,
you are thinking of all the praises and
the blessings that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has
has blessed you with and you feel like
you are favored and therefore you want to
give thanks to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You
feel passion for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The
prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said,
during this time, recite a great deal of
tahleel, takbir and tahmeed. And tahleel is to
say, la illaha illallah. What is tahleel? To
say, la illaha illallah.
Tahbir
to say Allahu Akbar. And tahmid, to say
Alhamdulillah.
Right? So, la ilaha illallah, allahu akbar, and
alhamdulillah.
And it comes together beautifully in Allahu Akbar,
Allahu Akbar,
Right? So we find all 3 mentioned in
this beautiful phrase. It is related by Imam
Abu Hari that Ibn Umar and Abu Hureira
that
the 2 of them used to go out
to the marketplace during the last, the the
first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah,
saying the Takbir.
Reciting this, and this would cause the people
in the marketplace to also say it as
well. So they were setting this example. It
doesn't mean they were, like, shouting it, but
they were, you know, reciting it softly. And
when they would go out so we learned
2 things. First of all, that they would
still go out and take care of their
business and do whatever they needed to do.
Right? Take care of their needs. So they
would go to the marketplace, but they would
be reciting, the Takdir and they would be
engaged in the of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala
in a manner that encourage others to do
it as well. Right? So they would be
engaged in the of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
You could do it softly, of course, and
then people would hear them and see them,
and they would also be encouraged to do
the same. So, this is the first thing
my brothers and sisters, increasing the remembrance and
the praise of Allah Subhanahu
wa ta'ala particularly by reciting
this beautiful phrase. Number 2, fasting is also
something which is highly
recommended until the 9th day of the. Right?
Because we know that the 10th day is
the day of and
therefore, fasting is forbidden on that day and
the days that follow. But,
fasting during the 1st 9 days is, likely
the practice of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam. Imam An Nawwirahmatullahi
alaihi he says the so it is highly
strongly recommended, but it is not at the
level of
obviously. Right? So if someone is not able
to, you don't need to feel bad about
it. If someone chooses not to for whatever
reason, maybe it's too hot and the days
are long, and they are focusing on other
acts of worship, that is also okay.
Right? We don't want we wanna make sure
we don't look down upon anyone because they
are not fasting, especially,
I mean, generally, when they have a valid
reason, but especially during this time because it
is not an obligation. Right? Even when it
comes to the the the status of this
fasting, right? It is described as a strong,
you know, mustahab, a strong act which is
virtuous, but it is not even to the
level of an established sunnah, right? So we
have to be, we should do it, but
we should keep this in mind, inshallah.
The fasting of 9th of Dhul Hijjah, which
is the day of Arafa, of course, is
especially emphasized and the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam
was asked about it specifically.
That the prophet was asked about this fast
of 9th day of Dhul Hijjah, meaning the
day of Arafa, and he said that it
expiates for the sins of the previous year
and the coming year, Insha'Allah. So here we
find something specific that the prophet sallallahu alayhi
wasallam has said with regards to fasting on
the day of Arafa, meaning for the people
who are not in Hajj. Right? For those
who are in Hajj, doesn't apply, but for
those who not who are not in Hajj
and who are at home, then there is
this, special emphasis. So even if you're not
able to fast on the 1st 8 days
for whatever reason, we should certainly make an
effort to try to fast on the 9th
day
for the virtues and for the blessings of
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, not as an obligation
once again.
Apart from these, my brothers and sisters,
any other acts of worship, you know, repentance
and virtue may be done on these days,
and they will be greatly rewarded by Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala Insha'Allah
because as we have learned, the prophet
said that there are no days which are
greater in terms of virtue and reward in
the sight of Allah
but the scope is open for us. Right?
We've been told about the and
the We have been told about the fasting.
But other than that, the scope is open
and, the hadith that we have mentioned is
general,
in nature. Now, of course,
like I said, there are many types of
deeds, of righteous deeds, that we can do.
And among them, I want to mention specifically
my brothers and sisters, as you see when
we think of the Hajj
and its beautiful,
unifying characteristic, how the Hajj brings Muslims together
from all around the world. And it is
extremely powerful when you see people from all
ethnicities, all corners of the world, you know,
various,
social, and economic statuses. Right? And they are
there there
and all united, all praying together, all doing
the monastic together. And it reminds us of
the beauty of the diversity of our ummah.
So one of the things I want to
highlight
is that during these days, my brothers and
sisters, we do not forget our oppressed brothers
and sisters around the world. And, you know,
what happens often is that naturally, we are
inclined towards certain causes maybe because they are
closer to us, maybe they have affected us
more, or perhaps they are they have affected
our family and our relatives and our friends
more. So we tend to gravitate towards those
causes. It doesn't mean that we don't care
about the others, but generally, that, you know,
tends to be the focus.
But
let us try during these 10 days, especially
to, to to broaden the scope of our
dua and our of our concern and to
try to think of all the various,
regions and places where our brothers and sisters
in faith and also in humanity, of course,
are being affected and being oppressed.
One of the things I want to mention
is that we should always
try to make some effort.
We should always try to make some effort,
which is permissible
and reasonable and wise, of course, should make
some effort to assist even if it is
something very small. Because as believers, we understand
and we believe that the results are only
in the hands of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And sometimes all what is required is for
us to take a step.
All what is required is for us to
take a step. Right? Like say, now Musa
Alaihi Salam told his people. Right?
Yeah. Right?
You know, told them and told them that,
you know, enter.
Enter this this this blessed land Allah has
written for you. And and they didn't want
to go, and they were afraid. Right? And
the instruction was that if they had just
taken the step, it was written for them.
Right? It was done. They just had to
move themselves.
Right? So we should never underestimate
actions, even small actions, because the results will
come from Allah
We can make a small action and Allah
can put all the barakah in the world
in it, and it can have the most
greatest of impacts and of effects.
So going back to what I was saying,
let's try to broaden our dua to include
all of our brothers and sisters. One of
the,
situations that is very important to be aware
of as Muslims,
regarding our brothers and sisters is the humanitarian
and human rights crisis
that impacts at least
220,000,000
Muslims.
Talking about 220,000,000
Muslims who have been forgotten
for a long time in the world's so
called largest democracy, and this is our brothers
and sisters, in India. So today,
over a 100 imams and khadibs in the
US across the US and Canada are showing
solidarity as part of a national khutbah campaign
to raise awareness,
regarding this issue organized by Justice For All
in the US and in Canada.
220,000,000
Muslims. They are the largest minority in the
predominantly
Hindu majority country. And, of course, there are
other minorities as well. It's a very diverse
society. There are Christians, there are Sikhs, there
are Buddhist, There are Dalis, and there's others
as well. India has the 3rd largest population
of Muslims in the world.
The 3rd largest population of Muslims in the
world after Indonesia and Pakistan, and there are
more Muslims in India than almost every Muslim
or Arab country. So it's a very large
number of Muslims,
And in fact, the earliest Muslims
came to India for trade in the coastal
state of Kerala during the early 7th century.
And in the 1st masjid that was built
in India was actually built
when Rasulullah
Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was alive. And it
is called the Chiraman Jumah Masjid in Kerala
which dates back to 6/29 AD. And it's
actually a very
inspiring. It's a very a remarkable story of
how the king at the time there, he
saw the splitting of the moon, the miracle
of the splitting of the moon. And
he asked about it, and he took he
embarked on a journey to meet Rasulullah Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam. And it is said that he
actually perhaps accepted Islam as well, but on
the way back, he passed away.
He passed away. And therefore, he sent instructions
before he passed away that
be established, and this was the first that
was, established
at that time or around that time. So,
you know, there's a a very early presence
of Islam
in the area. Now what's happening is that
the lives and the homes,
the shops, the masajid of the Muslims are
under attack in India on a daily basis,
unfortunately. And Muslims are not the only victims.
There's other minorities as well who are also
being targeted
by these, nationalist groups, unfortunately.
And there's an organization called Genocide Watch in
Washington DC, and they've actually issued 2, not
1, but 2 genocide alerts for India because
of the persecution of Muslims,
in the country.
There are 220,000,000
Muslims
there, but they are now called foreigners who
do not belong there. And every day, almost
every day, there are reports
of Muslim men being lynched
by mobs
of of haters
on the suspicion of eating beef,
on the suspicion of eating beef because we
know that cows are are sacred in in
in the Hindu religion, and this accusation is
made against them and they're actually killed
because of this accusation.
And they face discrimination in employment and education,
housing,
Muslim businesses being the target of social boycotts,
and so on. At least 50,000
halal meat shops and restaurants
have been shut down in one state alone.
Their citizenship is being questioned,
and there's 30 plus laws
in India attacking Muslims.
And when Muslims protest, in many cases, they
are beaten or their houses are actually being
demolished
as well.
The attacks on Masajid have become rampant. So
last Ramadan,
several,
Masajid and and and Madaris were were vandalized,
including the Aziziyyah madrasa that was burnt down
in the city of Behar Sharif in in
Eastern India. More than 4,500
printed books, masahif of the Quran,
manuscripts
manuscripts of Islamic books and heritage were lost
and damaged in the fire due to the
attack.
You know, there's the the banning of the
hijab
for our sisters in schools and colleges in
one of the states just to appease the
fanatics, and therefore, thousands of Muslim sisters are
being deprived of education as well. There are
different groups at play, you know, one of
them being a Hindu nationalist group, the RSS,
which is based on the Hindufta ideology.
They were behind the killing of the the
one of the founders,
or you could say, one of the leaders
of India, Gandhi,
and,
they they now control India, not founders, but,
of course, one of the great leaders of
India. And
they're almost always responsible for attacks on Muslims,
and the concerning part is that that group
also has branches now in the US and
in Canada as well. A 170
branches in North America as well, and they
have, in some cases, openly began opposing
things like Muslim prayers in schools in North
America, in Canada,
and, things like public event during COVID. They
were strongly opposed to this. The building of
even new Masajid in North America, in Chicago,
in Toronto,
in the Toronto area, they are actively opposing
such things based on their ideology and their
hatred towards Muslims. I have to say, to
qualify this, we are not talking about all
Hindus.
We don't like it when people stereotype us.
We are we don't like it when people
say that Muslims are doing this to someone
else because of some people or some groups.
So we are not talking about all Hindus
here. Right? We are talking about a specific
group based on specific ideology,
which sadly is spreading very rapidly, but it
does not mean that all Hindus are supporting
this or that they are a part of
this. And there are many other,
players at play, religious leaders, a 10,000,000 rupee
award for Hindu suicide bombers to attack Muslims.
And their strategy being that kill 2,000,000 Muslims
out of the 220
so that the other 2 218,000,000, they run
away due to the fear. These are strategies
that have been used in other places, and,
unfortunately, they are trying to do the same
thing to our brothers and sisters in India
as well. The police is not protecting the
Muslims. Unfortunately, in many cases, involve themselves in
attacks against Muslims.
The judiciary, the courts, not always helping either.
So my brothers and sisters, it is important
that we try to educate ourselves
about what is happening there, and, of course,
in other places as well. Learn from our
brothers and sisters who have roots in India
directly.
Learn from credible
organizations
and their reports.
And there's a website called saveindia.ca
to send letters and call your local, MP
and ask the Canadian government
to act because there's a lot of trade,
a lot of interaction that is happening with
India, and there's a certain amount of pressure
that can be put, on, the government to,
to ensure that these things stop happening.
Of course, donating and as I was mentioning
making dua. So make dua for her brothers
and sisters in India, especially during these 10
days. And for all of our brothers and
sisters in the various parts of the world,
try to find out where things are happening
and
include them in your dua and, we ask
Allah
to make us from all of those who
will be forgiven and accepted at this time
of year. We ask Allah
to grant relief and protection to our brothers
and sisters in India and all other parts
of the world.
We'll take a quick break, and we will
continue.