Sikander Hashmi – Negotiating Fundamental Beliefs KMA Friday Message
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AI: Transcript ©
We all know
we are in need of a new Masjid
we
have
and our community, 10,000,000
one con
and that condition
that we make some changes to the Quran.
Perhaps to make it a bit more appealing
to people's attitudes today.
10,000,000
no more fundraising.
You don't have to worry about anything else.
Take it
love. We need
don't have to worry about
but just
so that it becomes a little bit
more appealing.
Would we do it?
Of
Right? Even if it was a minor change
that
when we testify
to the oneness of Allah
Allah and the messengerhood
messenger of Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam
that going to submit
the will and the decision and the decrees
of Allah sub
without
any changes on our part.
Even if it was a minor change, we
know that changing the book of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala
is unconscionable.
This is something
that doesn't
cross our minds
because we know that Allah says in the
Quran
Right? A small gain
price. Even if it's $10,000,000
in front
of
it's nothing.
So they seek a small
so they're them for
because this was something
which
people used to do.
Today,
there may be people who do this where
they claim that there is scripture from Allah,
from God,
and then
they change it around
or they reinterpret it. They revisit it
and present it
intended
by the legislator, the ultimate legislator with
God Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Sometimes it is through
actually changing
the mean
the actual
interpreting,
revisiting
what
and how
by their prophets.
And this is some do because even the
Quran and the message of the Quran,
we believe in
it heard
and we believe in it in how it
was believed and explained Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
What was the purpose of Allah
a messenger
to accompany the book
if
the book could be interpreted in any way
that a reader wanted?
According to their own
according to their own design,
according and their thought.
So our
is in
as it has been revealed
and in the way as it has been
understood by the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam,
his companions,
and the early Muslims.
During the time of the messenger of Allah,
the people found his message to be problematic.
The message of Islam regarding the oneness of
Allah
went
against
and
their
and justice
the teachings of Islam
are are about
discussed last week.
Are about establishing
good conduct
and justice for all.
And that posed a threat to the prestige
of
the leaders of Mecca and their cronies. The
leaders
and their cronies.
Because there are people who in every time
try to take advantage of
and
unfortunately
will also use religion or beliefs
to exploit others
happening in the days of ignorance before Islam.
That the leaders,
the top upper class of the Meccans
was
exploiting
those who had less, those who did not
have the same level of prestige,
and especially those who were from
So the teachings of Islam pose a threat
to their power and their prestige.
Everything
Islam.
They tried
single possible
tactic that they could have come up
with to squash
obligation of
After all, Islam
was and is the original way of life
mandated by Allah
by the creator,
which has been
religion of all the past messengers of Allah,
starting from Adam,
prophet Adam alayhis salam through Noor, Noah,
Raheem, Abraham,
and Musa, Moses,
and Aissa, Jesus
and
taught us peace and blessings be upon them.
All.
So these leaders
of
the
in Mecca,
they tried
bullying and intimidation tactics.
They tortured,
mercilessly beat many of the Muslims.
They imposed a crippling embargo
for 3 long years.
They mocked the messenger of
Allahu alaihi wasallam and his message,
and all sorts of propaganda
to
to not listen
to
from
Right? They even hired singers
out loud when the prophet
of the Quran that were revealed to him
so that people could not hear him and
they could not be the
power of
the verses of the Quran, the words
of to distract them and drown out
the recitation.
And then when nothing worked, when none of
this worked, what did they try to do?
They tried
so they tried to squash it in different
ways.
People of Mata gathered in the enclosure
and
chief amongst them
off
to approach the prophet
to make a deal with him.
And the idea was
that they would give him whatever work
for.
They would give him whatever he wanted.
Condition
that he keeps silent and no longer proclaim
Islam.
We'll give him whatever he wants,
make him as rich as he wants
He stopped
Islam. He stayed
And the people of Quraish, they endorsed
and
requested
to go ahead and to start this negotiation
and to to to undertake this task.
So Utbah approached the prophet, sallallahu alaihi was
He said, if you are doing
all of this with the view of getting
wealth,
then we will join together all of the
people of of Makkah, all of the Quraysh,
we will gather.
We will join together to give you greater
wealth
than any of us has ever possessed.
Wealth
wealth
us that.
If it is
moving
our chief, and we will never decide any
referring to you what you want. If you
want power and leadership, we'll make you our
leader,
and we won't make any decisions without you.
If you desire kingship, if you want to
be a king,
readily offer you that, and we will accept
you as our king.
But if it happens that maybe you're under
some power of, you know, an evil spirit
or something which
and dominate you and you can you're not
off,
we should some skill
the people who can do so that it
can cure
you. Now, of course,
the messenger of Allah salallahu alaihi wa sallam
any of things. So they tried to tempt
him with many different things, but he was
not interested in any of those. So he
and instead, he recited Surah Fusilat,
which
stunned.
And he returned
and advised his fellow leaders
not to oppose the prophet.
This is not gonna work. Okay? So whatever
you're trying to do, just stop
because either way
opposing.
Now group of leaders also approach the messenger
of
and proposed a compromise
said, you know, yes. So this group, they
said,
you know, why don't you worship,
you know, our idols for a year,
and we will worship Allah
alone for a year. So we'll alternate.
When you're idols,
when you're Allah, when you're idols, when you're
Allah.
Relates that the
of what we have that we shall give
you so much of wealth become the richest
person
We shall also give you whichever will marry.
We are willing to follow you and obey
you as our leader on condition that you
do not speak ill of our gods.
If you do not agree to this, then
let us agree that you worship our gods
for a year and we would worship your
At one point,
the Polytheists of Mecca are reported to have
made the following proposal
for compromise.
They got really desperate. So at least
and
was revealed as a response from Allah sub
to all these attempts
of Makkah to find a compromise with the
prophet
said, he told the messenger of Allah
respond in this way to the polytheists who
were making these overtures and trying to come
up with these deals.
Oh, prophet say, oh, you disbelievers.
I do not
nor do you what I worship.
I will never
nor will you ever worship what I worship.
And at the end of the surah, Allah
chapter Allah
says, your way and I have my way.
To say to these people who were trying
to
beliefs
your way and I have my way. Right?
Is often
but it's actually broader than religion.
Right? Religion, when we think of religion, especially
in today's context,
we think of, you know, some beliefs, some
practices, maybe uncertain
about it.
Dean is really
of life. Right? A way, a path, a
way
So you have your way,
your faith, your beliefs, your origin
my way
cannot unite
because
mentally opposing beliefs on this matter.
So never
try to negotiate
or convince me because it's not happening.
Right? So this surah,
was the final word when it came to
these types of overtures
and these types of attempts to try to
negotiate the fundamental core beliefs
of the message of Allah
of the deen of Allah
Now in one of his teachings, the
has lay
principle with regards to agreements,
relations,
and peace treaties.
And that is
the
prophet had reported from different different chains of
narration.
That reconciliation
or agreements, you know, are permissible
between the Muslims. And the scholars of hadith
say that this is not just limited to
Muslims. The prophet said,
It's permissible between Muslims, but it actually applies
between Muslim a Muslim and anyone else. Doesn't
have to be another Muslim. So agreement
are permissible between
Muslim which makes the unlawful
something which is lawful. So it changes something
which is haram into halal
or which makes something lawful
to something which is unlawful.
Right? So
others have understood this, that when it comes
to negotiations between people or between groups, right,
business agreements, because this hadith is also found
in the chapter with willing to business transactions.
So when it
between 2 parties, 2
party
everything is
Right? You can agree to agree upon whatever
you both
to agree upon. It's all good.
Except
this. Except that which makes
the unlawful
into something permissible
or which makes something which is lawful into
impermissible. Right? Other than that, you're fine to
make whatever agreements you want.
Mufti Shafi'a Uthmani, he writes in his great
Tafsir,
if the various peace proposals made by the
polytheists, meaning of Mecca
carefully
Certainly and definitely
element
of beliefs and practices
with
Islam practice,
thus creating
confusion.
And in some cases,
they required Muslims to renounce Islam, albeit temporarily,
maybe for a year, and commit themselves to
polytheism. And Surah al Kafirun
denounces
such treaties.
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam also instructed
us
that that there is no
creator.
Right? This is a golden principle
teachings. There is no obedience
to the creation
in the disobedience
of the creator.
Why? Because the creator, Allah
is the ultimate legislator.
And if you follow
the creation, which he has created
in disobeying him,
then you are essentially
putting more faith, more
Right? So the creator comes first
and then
any
his creation.
Without saying that Islam teaches us to live
in peace
with everyone who wishes to live in live
in peace with us.
Right? We are not taught to be people
who are looking
to start
grudges or to start issues,
to start problems,
to initiate,
you know,
of unrest. This is not
with
those who wish to live in peace with
us.
To harm others, to do
others is not part of our ethos
character.
But all of this is based on the
fundamental
right to believe
and to practice and to share our beliefs.
Of course, without imposing our beliefs on others
because Allah also tells us in the Quran,
compulsion in religion.
There is no compulsion
in
religion.
Right? And we find even in the case
of the Prophet
Right?
Who acting
him when they were alone. When the prophet
was resting, this man comes and he threatens
him.
Save you now. And the prophet
says, Allah will save me. There's no one
else around.
And he drops his sword.
And the prophet picks it up. He says,
okay. Who will save you now?
Tables have turned immediately, instantly.
And he says, I'm sorry.
No. Sorry, you know, it's your mercy now.
So the
and I'll let you go. He says, no.
No. Essentially, in a vulnerable position, prophet tells
him to believe and he says, no.
Believe I'm not gonna cause trouble.
I'm not going to believe
I'm not gonna believe in Allah
even though you have the upper hand now,
but
I will not cause any disturbance. I will
not align with your opponents.
I will mind my own business. And the
prophet
let him go.
There is no compulsion in religion.
So each person
will bear the consequences of their actions and
their decisions
each one of us, each of
are ultimately accountable
law Allah.
So this is the reason, my brothers and
sisters, why the majority of Muslims
and especially the Muslim scholars, the Islamic scholars
have not accepted any compromise to the fundamental
teachings of our faith.
This is the core reason behind that. Of
course, there is room to adapt
secondary teachings
teachings. Those that have been interpreted in different
those that have been open to interpret
who
were pious and known for their knowledge.
Defer
differ on on various matters, but these are
matters which have been open to interpretation.
But when it comes to the fundamental
and clear teachings
of our faith,
are nonnegotiable,
and they can never
change. And this is part of our since
and our commitment to what we have believed
in. Even if we feel like changing those
things, we cannot
because we
our
to believe
in our messenger
and to accept
not just but to submit to the of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And this is from
among the signs of true iman. May Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala always grant the Muslims and
business now until the day of judgment. May
I ask Allah
to make us
every single Muslim a source of goodness, of
justice,
passion wherever
we are.