Sikander Hashmi – Navigating Political Differences KMA Friday Message
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of protecting one's emotions and partnering with others to ensure diversity and acceptance. They stress the need to be mindful of people who may cause conflict and ways of life to be directed, and emphasize the importance of patientism and not disputing differences of opinion. They also advise being careful with actions and not sharing false information, and stress the importance of building a sense of pride and brotherhood to avoid becoming a force of goodness.
AI: Summary ©
Respected elders, dear brothers and sisters, my young
friends,
If we look
at our hands,
we notice that each finger is different,
and even the same finger on opposite hands
are not exactly the same.
Yet,
our hands are able and our fingers are
able to work together as part of 1
body
for the same purpose,
each contributing
in their own way.
My brothers and sisters,
our hands
are a sign, a reminder from Allah
regarding
diversity and acceptance.
And there are indeed
many differences
that we find amongst ourselves.
And most of the differences
normally, usually do not bother us
because
they are not very substantive.
You know? It's maybe differences in the different
types of food we like, maybe affiliation with
regards to sports teams, maybe that bothers us
sometimes,
and so on. But, really, they're not really
that substantive,
and they are not related usually to matters
that are close to our hearts.
Now religious differences
fall in the latter category, meaning for people
who
value their faith, people who value their religion
and their relationship with Allah
They can sometimes,
you know, find that these differences
are seen or are are felt to be
serious
because they have to do with faith and
religion
and values and beliefs, and these are things
that they hold very dearly which is a
good thing.
But my brothers and sisters, if we are
sincere,
if we are sincere,
we can turn. Alhamdulillah,
we have available for us, and we can
turn to the guidance of Allah and His
Messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam
to address those differences.
And we know that scholarly differences
within a framework, within a certain ream of
acceptability
are to be tolerated. And this is something
that we have seen,
our pious people, our people of knowledge, and
taqwa from the past live by this, and
we have many examples over the past 1400
years to guide us and navigate
these
these types of issues and challenges.
However, my brothers and sisters, when it comes
to political differences,
especially in the spirit of truth and justice,
right, it's one thing to have a certain
political opinion. But when it has when it
comes or when it is driven
by a sense or a feeling of truth
and of standing up for justice, then it
can get a bit complicated sometimes.
You see, during the time of the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, there were some instances
when his companions
had different opinions
even to the point
even to the point of some companions,
even someone as great as Sayidina Umar
having difficulty
accepting the decision of the prophet
For example, at Hudaybiyyah.
Right? So when the believers were going to
perform, you know, Umrah after a long time,
they're gonna go visit the Kaaba,
and they were not allowed by the polytheist
of Mecca. The prophet
made a strategic decision, right, to accept the
terms and to go back and to return
the following year. And this was very difficult
for the companions because they had put on
their Ihram. They had brought their animals like
they were fully prepared.
And for them, this feel like
felt like they were, you know, backing off
from their position of truth. Yet the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam
accepted that, and as we know over the
course of history as it turned out, it
was for the net benefit of the Muslim
community.
So in that situation and in examples like
that with the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam,
they accepted because, of course, they trusted the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, and they knew that
they had to follow his lead, they had
to follow his decisions as believers.
But after the passing of the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wasallam,
differences arose on a few occasions,
and some of those occasions became
a source of a huge trial
for the companions who were still alive
and
for this ummah.
Now, of course, we have the highest regard
for all of the companions of the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. So we know that
they were all sincere. We trust and we
believe fully that they were all sincere
in their positions.
But it goes to show that even the
best of generations,
even the best of people can be pulled
into disputes
and even bloodshed, sadly,
backed by their sincerity,
but also instigated by troublemakers.
So, therefore, it is no surprise
that when today we find the same,
except
none of us are as good as the
Sahaba.
And while at the same time, society in
general has degenerated, has degraded massively since their
time. So we are dealing with people, us,
me and you, who cannot reach the status,
of piety of the companions of the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. And at the same
time, we are in a society, in a
world that is very, very different from the
time of the Sahaba and not different in
a good way, but actually different in a
bad way or many bad ways.
All this is to say that differences and
conflicts
due to differing opinions
will continue
and
they should while they should sadden us, they
really are not unexpected.
Right? We should expect these things because we
know, naturally, as communities grow, as people grow,
as new issues come up, there will be
differences and there will be challenges and, you
know, these things will come up. And sometimes
it can be very personal and emotional.
Right? If you personally have been affected
by some form of injustice or oppression or
your family members have been and lives have
been lost or people have are oppressed and
they are, you know,
languishing in prison
or they have been wronged in other ways,
then, of course, it is deeply personal, and
it can be very emotional as well.
But despite that, my brothers and sisters, we
should try
as much as possible
to shield ourselves
from being drawn, being pulled into unnecessary
and pointless
debates and disputes.
Why? Because they often create rifts
and they fuel animosity. What do they do?
They create rifts.
They fuel animosity,
and, usually, they will never lead. Most of
the time, they will not lead to any
positive conclusion.
They will not lead to something productive
happening.
And overall, this harms us as believers as
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us in verse
46 of Surah Al Anfal, al
Anfal. Allah says, obey Allah and his messenger
and do not dispute with one
another,
or
you would be discouraged
and weakened.
Persevere.
Surely, Allah is with those who persevere. Now,
of course, this is from Suratul Lanfahl. This
ayah is revealed in a context of war,
but it contains an important lesson. And that
is that in all situations, we are to
put Allah and his messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam
first. So their guidance comes first. Our love
for for for for them and our adherence
to their guidance comes first,
and our reverence
for those who share the same beliefs also
comes first.
Following that, we learned that we are not
to dispute.
Otherwise, what will happen, it will lead us
to become weak and discouraged.
We will lose motivation
and the focus to deal with the bigger
challenges because we will get entangled
in these disputes
and these differences.
And finally, we learned that we are to
be patient because if you have patience and
perseverance,
then Allah
will be with you, and there can be
nothing nothing greater than that. And, subhanallah, we
see this until today that believers
easily get embroiled in disputes.
And those who wish harm,
they take advantage of that, and they cause
us great harm. Regarding this injunction of
and do not dispute, it is stated in
Tafsir Ma'arif al Quran
that what has been prohibited here
is mutual disputation
and not any difference of opinion or its
expression. K? So this is important to understand.
When Allah tells us that we are not
to dispute, it does not mean that Allah
is telling us that we cannot have any
differences and that we must have complete uniformity
or that we cannot express our opinions. That
is not what is meant here. But rather
what is meant here is disputation. And to
quote from the tafsir,
difference of opinion which is prompted
by honesty and sincerity
never develops into disputation.
Quarrels and disputations are generated
when things go beyond ordinary difference of opinion,
particularly when gripped by the emotional attitude
of making the other person accept what one
says and not to accept what the other
person says or does. And this emotional attitude
is what the holy Quran has eliminated
by saying
and be patient. Then at the end, by
pointing out that the most sublime gain to
be made from the observance of patients,
it removes whatever unpalatable there may be about
it. It was said
in
that they, Allah is with the patient so
that they have the company, the people who
persevere. They have the company of Allah
all the time and under all conditions.
And this is so great a wealth
that the wealth of the world and beyond
are just nothing as compared to that honor,
meaning the honor of having Allah
on our side,
end quote. Brothers, if I can please ask
you to fill in the gaps and to
come forward, and we also have space in
this corner as well to the left side
of the hall. So if anyone would like
to come, brothers who are in the kitchen,
you can also come join us here
right beside the main hall.
Please try to fill in the gaps, move
forward, squeeze in a little bit so then
we can fill in everyone.
So my brothers and sisters, we learned that
sincere and honest differences of opinion are fine
while disputes
and quarrels are not okay,
and patience is what gives the ultimate or
gives us the ultimate advantage. We have space
here. Brothers, please. Come come forward. Come join
us over here,
There are a few golden principles, my brothers
and sisters, that we learn from the Quran
and the sunnah. There's space here in front
as well, and on the side as well.
So please,
come forward. Come forward.
There are few golden principles we learn from
the Quran and the sunnah space here as
well.
That can help guide us when facing such
differences.
So first of all,
it must be clear and probably doesn't need
to be said, but we'll say it. There's
absolutely no room or justification
for killings and oppression.
Because the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has told
us,
In the final and the final sermon of
the prophet
made it clear that your blood, your property,
and your honor are inviolable to you all
like the inviability
inviolability
of this day of yours, the city in
the city of yours and in this month
of yours. Right? Because we were all sacred.
This location was sacred. The time was sacred,
and the month,
the day was sacred, the location was sacred,
and the month was sacred as well. And
Jabbir radiAllahu anhu relates that Rasulullah
said,
Beware of injustice
for oppression.
Justice will be darkness on the day of
resurrection.
So there is a very severe warning for
all of us to steer clear of
being,
those who cause injustice or oppression
and those who support injustice or oppression. May
Allah protect us all. So anything that leads
to the above from any side, whether it's
the killing or the torturing of innocent people
regardless of their faith or the harming of
property or attacking, you know, places of worship
or any other type of injustice or repression,
these are all totally unacceptable. So that's number
1. Second reminder, my brothers and sisters, is
that we are instructed
to help each other in goodness and justice
and not in aggression. You know, sometimes our
sense of loyalty, whether our connections,
whether it's to our land or maybe,
a certain party or a certain group can
lead us to support those who we affiliate
ourselves with even when they are causing aggression
and when they are doing things which are
prohibited.
Right? Allah tells us very, very clearly,
Help each other in righteousness and piety, and
do not help each other in sin
and aggression
and fear Allah
Fear Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. So regardless
of our connections and our affiliations,
we are always called upon
to help each other in righteousness and piety.
So if you see something which is good
and positive, which is happening, which is pleasing
to Allah
encourage it, participate it. But if you see
something which is sinful or involves aggression, then
step back and do not participate in it.
Simple as that. Regardless of who is calling
you to it, regardless of who is doing
it, even if there are people who are
close to you. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also
tells us,
All you who believe, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
calls upon us, says, all you who believe,
be steadfast for obeying the commands of Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and be witnesses for justice.
Malice against the people.
Malice against a people should not prompt you
to avoid doing justice.
Do justice,
that is near to Taqwa. So Allah specifically
addresses this point
of being just even with those people who
you don't really get along with, who you
don't see eye to eye with, who you
don't really align with in terms
of your views or your values and your
opinions. Yet still, we are called upon to
be fair and to be just. In another
verse, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala tells us similarly,
Oh, you have believed,
be persistently
standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah
even if it be against yourselves
or your parents or relatives.
So here we are told even if we
find ourselves, right, to be
doing something which is wrong or unjust, Allah
tells us stand firm for justice even against
yourselves,
even against those who you love. Right? So
affiliations,
relationships,
and even one's own consideration and self interest
are not to be considered when it comes
to standing up for justice. So beware of
injustice,
Beware of promoting injustice and supporting those who
are responsible for injustice
regardless
of which side is perpetuating the injustice. The
prophet
famously said,
help your brother whether he is an oppressor
or is being oppressed. And, of course, the
companions wonder that, you know,
oh messenger of Allah that we help the
one being oppressed, but how do we help
an oppressor? Because surely, the messenger of Allah,
sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, can't be instructing us
to help an oppressor in their oppression. So
the prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said,
that by seizing his hand, by stopping the
oppressor from committing the oppressor the oppression is
assisting them as well because you are assisting
them in,
in moving away from the oppression that they
are causing. So let us always try to
be a force for good and betterment,
especially
within our own people, our own group, those
we have affiliation with. Thirdly, my brothers and
sisters, and very quickly, don't take information at
face value.
And Allah
has told us, it's part of the Quran
during the time of the prophet
verify
information,
and this could not be more important today.
Right? Because
we know there is an information overload. There's
tons of channels, videos on YouTube
making all types of claims and on other
platforms.
And then there's tons
of what's of forwards, you know, on WhatsApp
and on other platforms
making the rounds every single day all around
the world. K? So do not be gullible
in accepting everything that you see and everything
that you hear. We live in the time
of falsehood. We live in the days
of deep fakes. We live in the time
of deception.
So be very, very judicious about what you
believe. Right?
Before passing on news, before acting upon news,
verify to ensure that it is 100%
accurate,
and there can be complex situations. Right? May
there may be many elements and not even
2 sides, more than 2 sides perhaps.
And there's often players with hidden interests, so
it is very easy to manipulate
the situation to one's advantage and cause trouble
and blame someone else to make them look
bad. Propaganda is something that is used as
a tool across the board when it comes
to conflicts. This is an established fact. Everyone
knows about this. So be careful about being
pulled into believing propaganda
and believing things, which may be totally false
or may have an element of truth mixed
with falsehood.
And also realize that when it comes especially
to large conflicts with many people involved,
no one's side is going to be perfect.
Right? There are ignorant people and troublemakers and
people who cannot contain their anger and their
emotions
everywhere, on every side, in every party, in
every group, for every cause. So be judicious
and understand
this point. Also, if you are far away
from the situation and even when you are
close or when someone is close, it can
be difficult,
if not impossible, to get a completely accurate
picture of everything that is going on because
there are so many layers.
So be very careful about what you believe
in and especially about what you pass on
to others. And finally, my brothers and sisters,
as the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has instructed
us,
Whoever believes in Allah in the last day
should say something good or he should keep
silent. Right? And this is really the best
policy. Now all this being said, it does
not mean that we should not speak up
for truth and justice when we see an
oppression occurring. Certainly, we should, and indeed we
are called upon. However, when we are doing
that,
be careful
about branding others.
Be careful
about harboring malice and animosity towards others, meaning
those who are removed from the situation,
who may not have a full picture of
the situation, and who may hold an opinion
that is different than yours or does not
fully align with yours. Do not let these
differences, these tensions
be a cause of
instilling animosity in our hearts, especially during between
believers
and leading us to that which the prophet
have prohibited. As we know, it is not
permissible,
you know, to,
to to,
to to to dessert, to leave our brother
or sister in faith for more than 3
days. Right? To not respond to their salaam.
Right? To not meet with them. This is
something which has been prohibited by the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Right? We know
that, you know, such situations
go lead to more harm, and the injunctions
with regards to brotherhood and togetherness,
these are more powerful and more important than
these differences. We ask Allah
to grant,
unity in the hearts of the believers in
goodness. We ask Allah
to grant mercy and forgiveness to our innocent
brothers and sisters who have lost their lives
under oppression. Ask Allah
for peace and security for the innocent everywhere,
for their lives, for their homes and properties.
Ask Allah to bring true peace and stability
and justice
all over the world and particularly
in the Muslim countries. So when you see
someone, a brother or sister, a community member
who has a different opinion on a matter,
you know, don't
let them be defined by their opinion.
Don't let them be
defined. Do not define them by their opinion,
but rather understand that this is one part
of them based on their lived experience and
what they are hearing and what they are
seeing
and what they understand to be best and
try to leave it at that and still
continue to maintain
and indeed promote
the, the the sense of togetherness and brotherhood
to the best of your ability. Be a
force of goodness that brings people together as
Allah tells
us,
make peace between your brothers, you know, make
reconciliation between your brothers. That is what our
approach should be. Try to find common ground
and build togetherness always. May Allah
guide us and assist us in doing that.