Sikander Hashmi – Positive Change Through Words KMA Friday Message
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AI: Transcript ©
Respected elders,
dear brothers and sisters, my young friends,
The situation
in Mecca becomes severe for the believers.
And for the second time, the prophet
permits a group of believers
to seek refuge
in Abyssinia,
to flee Mecca,
and to seek refuge in Abyssinia.
This time, a group of 83 men
and 19 women crossed the Red Sea to
seek refuge under the Christian,
rule of Najashi.
Hot in the pursuit of the believers
are 2 staunch envoys of the Quraish
who are pursuing the group of believers
to demand their extradition
that they be sent back to Mecca.
And they bring with them valuable
gifts
for the king and his clergy.
And they have already been able to win
some of the courtiers over to their side.
The king summons the Muslims
to the court and asked them to explain
the teachings of their religion.
And the Muslims choose
to
speak for them.
And he says, oh king,
we were plunged in the depth of ignorance
and barbarism.
We adored idols.
We lived in immorality.
We ate dead bodies, and we spoke abominations.
We disregarded
every feeling of humanity,
and the duties of hospitality
and neighborliness were neglected.
We knew no law
but that of the strong,
but Allah raised among us a man
of whose birth,
truthfulness,
honesty, and purity we were aware,
and he called to the oneness of Allah
and taught us not to associate anything with
Allah.
He forbade us from the worship
of idols, and he enjoined us to speak
the truth,
to be faithful to our trust,
to be merciful,
and to regard the rights of the neighbors
and family members.
He forbade us from speaking evil of woman
or consuming the wealth of orphans.
He ordered us to avoid vices, to refrain
from evil,
to offer prayers,
to give charity,
and to observe fasting.
We have faith in him, and we have
accepted his teachings
and his command
to worship
Allah and not to associate anything with him.
We have allowed what he has allowed
and prohibited what he has prohibited.
For this reason,
our people
have risen against us.
They have persecuted us in order to make
us abandon the worship of Allah
and to return to the worship of idols
and other abominations.
They have tortured
and harmed us until we found no safety
among them. So we have come to your
country, and we hope that you will protect
us from
oppression.
So the the said
to them,
do you have anything with you from Allah?
And Jafar
said, yes.
And then the king said, then recite it
to us.
And then, Jafar
recited
from memory the verses of Surat Mariam.
The Najashi along with the bishop bishops in
his room removed to tears
due to what was recited to them until
their beards became wet. And then the king
said,
verily,
this is what has come from Moses, from
Musa, alayhis salam,
have emerged
from the same lamp. You are released And
by Allah, I will never surrender them surrender
them to the Quraish.
My brothers and sisters, through this incident
and through others over the course of history,
we are reminded of the importance
of good speech
in preserving the teachings of Islam, in defending
the Muslim community,
and those who who are vulnerable.
Hassan
was Islam's
earliest poetic
defender,
and he would compose poetry
in the defense of Islam, and it was
approved and indeed ordered at times by the
prophet
So clearly,
the use of words
written and spoken
has played
an important role in defending Islam
and the Muslims
and the oppressed.
We learn
that speaking and words are important.
They are valuable
and they have transformative
power.
The prophet
of course was told the first word in
the first revelation,
the
read, which of course has to do with
words.
His preaching
was done through words.
He was sent with Jawami Al Kalim,
the shortest expressions
with the widest meanings, meaning efficient,
optimized speech.
Whether it was in person
or letters
that he dictated
to world leaders.
A man wants to ask the messenger of
Allah that
what is
the best jihad?
What is the best form of struggle? And
the prophet, sallallahu alaihi wasallam said,
a word of truth in front of a
tyrant ruler.
And that was the position, my brothers and
sisters, that say, now Musa alayhi salam
found himself in when he was sent to
Firaun.
He had a speech impediment
for which he made dua to Allah
That
Allah opens the knot in his tongue.
And then of course, there is the famous
hadith of the prophet
when
he said,
that whoever amongst you sees
a, an evil, something objectionable,
let him change it with his hand.
And if he is not able to, then
with his tongue.
And if he is not able to, then
with his heart
and that is the the weakest, the latter
is the weakest form of faith. So my
brothers and sisters, we are told
that if you have the ability,
if you have the authority,
if you have the skills to to bring
positive change
with your hands,
and if it's going to make a difference,
it's going to make things better, then that
is your first option.
If you are unable to do that, either
because you do not have the authority,
the opportunity,
or the strength,
then you do it with your tongue.
And if you cannot even do that, then
with your heart,
knowing and believing in your heart that something
is wrong
is also
a form
of
faith and positive change.
But it is the weakest,
the lowest level of faith, the least a
believer can do.
When we witness something which is wrong, When
we witness evil
is to recognize it in our hearts
and believe
that it actually is wrong.
This hadith also my brothers and sisters are
further evidence that using words
is high in terms of importance.
And all of this tells us
that response
to
attacks
on Islam,
on Muslims,
and injustice
should be countered in different ways
depending on what
is most appropriate
under the circumstances.
Now what should the response be like when
we respond with words?
In multiple places, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells
us to interact
in the best possible
manner.
For example, Allah
says in Surat Isra,
aya number 53,
Tell my believing servants
to say only what is best.
And then in Surah Al Nahal,
Allah says, I number 125.
Invite to the way of your lord with
wisdom
and kind advice
and only debate with them in the best
of manners.
And when we are especially dealing in situations
or dealing with people who are ignorant of
the teachings of Islam, who do not know
any better,
then the first course of action is to
actually
educate
and invite them towards that which is true
and towards that which Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
and his messenger Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam have commanded.
And Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala tells us that
we are to do this in the wisest
way, in the best way. And if we
are to engage in a debate, in a
discussion,
then that too should be done in the
best of manners.
Allah tells us in Surat Fusilat, a number
34.
Good and evil cannot be equal. So respond
to evil with what is best. Now in
some instances, the prophet
did instruct
Hassan Ibn Thabit radiAllahu anhu to use satire
in his poetry,
which was meant to strengthen the convictions
and boost the confidence of the believers
by exposing
the faults
of idolatry.
But nonetheless, this was not the norm. So
the first
response
from a believer
should not be one that is demeaning,
one that is
satirical, one that is,
low, but rather we should always respond and
make our first approach
and as many approaches as we can in
the best way possible. Allah
explicitly
prohibits us from mocking
the beliefs
and
the gods,
the deities
of those who do not believe.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us. Do not
mock what they worship other than Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. Why? Because in response,
they will do the same and they will
respond in kind by mocking Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala. So do not become a means
for the mockery of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
by going low. And thus, we learn
that Allah
has instructed us that we should be conscious
of the possible consequences of our words and
our actions. And that they should not lead
others to respond in ways
that are demeaning
and that will be harmful towards us.
As we speak, my brothers and sisters, and
from time to time, we face new and
emerging challenges
in society
that have to do with our rights,
that have to do with our religion, our
beliefs,
our values,
or that have to do with oppression.
In nearly all cases,
we should speak up.
We need to speak up,
But
in a wise and appropriate
manner. Because Allah
tells us to be conscious and mindful of
him
and to say what is right.
To have
straight, correct speech.
And then Allah
tells us as a result of that, of
having
consciousness and mindfulness of Allah
And by saying what is right, Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala
will rectify our actions and our affairs,
and he will forgive us
our shortcomings,
Insha'Allah.
So we do need to speak up, but
that speaking,
that communication
needs to be in a manner that is
wise and appropriate.
If speaking up is likely to cause more
harm to a situation overall,
then we need to find a better response.
The point is not to simply say something.
The point is to try to say something
in an appropriate way at an appropriate time
that has the best likelihood
of actually
effectuating
positive change.
Now among some of the tips
regarding communication that we find in the Quran
and in the sunnah of the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wasallam
are for example,
when we are speaking and are approaching someone
and we want to bring about positive change,
it is a good idea
to have a positive demeanor,
to smile,
to speak
softly,
right, to speak in a measured manner, and
to be conscious
of our tone and our volume, especially if
we are upset or if we are excited.
Right? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us,
right? It's from the advice of
Luqman.
Right? Lower your voice.
Lower your volume. Right? And when Sayidna Musa
alayhi salaam was sent to Firaun Right? We
have discussed this before. He was instructed to
both of them, Musa and Haroon alaihi was
salam, they were instructed to speak softly to
Firaun.
Right? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told them to
speak
softly so that perhaps it would
make him realize his mistakes.
Try to thank the other person for any
good that you can find.
Try to be positive and try to thank
them even if you are dealing with a
problem.
Even if there is an issue that you
want them to address,
there is a challenge, a problem that you
want to talk about.
Start off with positivity.
Right? Start off with a smile and thanks
for their efforts or whatever good that they
may be doing. And then go into raising
the challenge.
Also, remember that not all people are the
same.
The prophet would consciously address the audience
according to their level and their situation.
He would speak to people
according to their stature, according to their position,
according to their level of education,
and according to their background.
Because not every person is the same and
not
every person can then be addressed in the
same way.
Also,
try to make a persuasive
case that appeals to the audience.
You see, in the Quran, of course, which
is the best speech because it is the
speech of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
We find that Allah
uses
different approaches
at different times. Sometimes there is,
there are incentives
and, you know,
invitation or promises of reward.
Sometimes there is,
fear of punishment,
right? There are warnings
and sometimes there are glad tidings,
right? Sometimes people are encouraged
to observe their surroundings and look for the
signs of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Right? So
there are different approaches, different means
that Allah
has used
to appeal to the senses
of the reader and to appeal
to the the fair mindedness of the reader
so that it is a compelling message. And
indeed, we know that a person who reads
the Quran with sincerity,
it not only appeals to their mind, but
it speaks to their heart.
And that is
the
type of speech that we should always try
to aim for to the best of our
ability.
And finally, my brothers and sisters, choose
try to choose simple and concise words.
Effective communication
is not about using big complicated words
that make you look and sound intelligent.
That is not good effective communication.
Good communication is to use words that are
simple and concise
and that convey
precisely what you are trying to say.
So, what can we do my brothers and
sisters? Of course, make dua that is a
given, turn to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala for
assistance when facing challenges and struggles.
But in the short term,
first of all, start paying attention,
right? So start paying attention to public discourse,
current affairs,
media,
to understand
what hate, propaganda,
ideologies
threaten us
and our deen.
Educate yourselves
with the intention of rebutting,
not with the intention of winning debates so
that you feel good about yourselves,
right? It's not about our egos,
but rather it's about learning and equipping ourselves
so that we are able to respond in
the best way man manner
in the best manner possible
to address
the challenges that we are facing.
Secondly,
try your best to acquire the tools.
So
try to improve on your communication skills,
finding tips and resources that can help you
become a more effective communicator.
Number 3,
when you come across something,
say something appropriate and wise
and positive
that can actually make people reflect and make
them think about what they are doing.
We would say, you know, write a letter
to the editor and you can still do
that. You know, you can contact the editor
of a new site. You can reach out
to the writer.
You can reach out to politicians and other
decision makers.
And especially when they do something positive,
when they say and do the right thing,
it is really important that we reach out
and we thank them and appreciate them for
what they have said and what they have
done because that gives them positive encouragement.
That encourages them and shows them that there
is value in standing up for what is
right.
Because usually what happens,
they get a lot of hate instead.
So if they stand up and say something
right, or stand up for what is right,
and then they get a barrage of hate,
but they hardly get any thanks or any
appreciation for what they have done, is that
going to motivate them to continue
standing up for what is right?
Probably not. So please
look out for these opportunities and do take
a few moments to send an email or
send a note or a call to thank
and appreciate those who stand up for what
is right.
That was in the short term. In the
midterm,
perhaps
try to support Muslim organizations
and those who are speaking up for our
community, for our faith, and speaking up for
what is right.
And in the long term, you know, encourage
your children especially
to gain good communication skills, to acquire good
communication skills, become writers, perhaps journalists
who have a good understanding
of faith, who have a good understanding of
our values, our beliefs in our community, and
who are able to then
speak effectively
on our behalf.
And finally, work on strategic campaigns
to educate and to do outreach. A lot
of times we find or we feel that
people are against us, but rather the reality
is in most cases or many cases,
not much of an effort has actually been
made to educate and to do outreach and
actually present
and share what we believe in and why.
If we have done that and then
people
stand against us,
then
it's understandable that, okay, we have a major
problem. But if we have not even made
the effort first, how can we expect
that
people who are not familiar with our belief
and our, our beliefs, our religion, and our
values will have a good understanding and will
act,
in a manner,
that is inclusive. So we have to make
the effort to do to educate and to
do outreach first. May Allah
guide us always to say that which is
appropriate and that which is wise.
May Allah protect us from all types of
evils, all types of plots, and all types
of harmful ideologies. May Allah
make us those who always speak the truth
in the best manner in every situation.