Yasir Qadhi – Contemporary Lessons from the Seerah

			Salam alaykum. warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
		

			Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah Ali, he was a happy woman whether
		

			the Sierra of our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is one of the most important sources of our
religion, it is supposed to inspire, to guide to empower us to be better Muslims. Yet for many of
us, the stories of the theater are abstract tidbits historical facts that might sound good, but bear
little relevancy to our modern lives. And this is a mistake and a shortcoming from our part, for the
Sierra is supposed to be a lived message, where we connect the dots from the past to our lives here
in the present. So in today's talk, I want to discuss a number of incidents from the life of the
prophets of the law where it was said them and draw parallels with specific events and circumstances
		

			of our own time, so that the Sierra becomes not just Tales from the past, but lessons for our
contemporary lives. From the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, we learn that the
single most important aspect of our faith is the Kadima of La ilaha illAllah. Muhammad Rasul Allah,
there is no deity worthy of my unconditional servitude or obedience or worship other than Allah. We
learned that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam spoke out against all false gods against all
idols that threatened this kalama and that he persevered in this message from the beginning to the
end, we learned that most other people's societies, cultures, they create false gods, they love gods
		

			that are not true. And those Gods divert them from the worship of the true God. And Islam is sent to
liberate the minds of people from those false gods and call to the worship of Allah alone. Now, in
our times, it is true that the type of idolatry that was practiced in Arabia is almost gone,
especially in the world around us. But many of us don't realize that we are living at a time and a
place in a society where there are many other types of false gods that prevent us that hinder us
from the worship of Allah Subhana, which Allah, a lot of times those modern gods, our modern gods
are not constructed of bricks and stones, but they are concepts and ideas, whether it is the idea of
		

			materialism, whether it is the veneration of the nation state to the point of almost worship, we as
Muslims need to constantly think to ourselves, do we truly believe that there is nothing greater
than Allah Subhana Allah subhanahu wa Tada. And we also always need to prioritize worship to Allah
subhana wa Tada. From the zero we learn that our religion is not just about theology, but there's
also morality and ethics. It's not just good enough to believe in a lump. We need to strive to be
better in our actions. And that means preaching and practicing morally upright beliefs and practices
from the Sierra, we learn that of the earliest teachings that our Prophet says that I'm taught was
		

			female infanticide is how long was that racism is an affront to human dignity. these teachings were
highly unpopular at the time, they were politically incorrect, they turned many people off. And yet
the Prophet salallahu either he was seldom remained firm and did not waver. In our times. In our
times, we do have many aspects of morality that people find politically inconvenient, we as Muslims,
we have a different view of morality, of sexuality, of gender roles, and even of gender. And if we
want to learn from the syrup, then we need to learn that our job is to preach the truth and to stick
by it, no matter how unpopular those truths may be. morality is not defined by a majority vote. It's
		

			not what is politically correct. It's not what happens to be in vogue. Even if all of mankind agrees
that the immoral is moral for us as Muslims, the immoral shall remain immoral. And we have clear
definitions of how we practice our understanding of marriage, our understanding of gender, our
understanding of gender roles, and if we want to remain faithful to the Shetty and faithful to the
Sierra, then it doesn't matter what the criticism of the critic says. It doesn't matter what is
politically correct or incorrect. We will stand by our values as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam taught us from the zero. We learn that most
		

			times our Prophet Sall. Allahu Allah he was selling them was offered gifts. He was offered bribes,
he was offered money, he was even offered leadership. If he only remained quiet and stop preaching
his message, the Quraysh were willing to make him their leader to make him their richest, if only he
compromised on the teachings of Islam, and he said that famous phrase to his uncle, or my uncle, if
there were to put the sun in my right hand in the morning, my left hand, I would not stop preaching
what I am doing. So we learned from the Sierra brothers and sisters, that the goal is never just to
be accepted by society. The goal is never just to live a comfortable life. If that had been the goal
		

			of the prophets of the law, he was setting them he would have accepted any one of these compromises,
but the goal is never acceptance. The goal is to be role models of truth to be pinnacles and
Paragons of virtue in our community, to preach the truth, and to make sure that we follow in the
footsteps of the Prophet. From the zero we learn that sometimes believers will face persecution,
they will have to flee from their lands, as the Muslims had to flee from Mecca, first to Abyssinia
and then to Medina, we learned that the Muslims faced much hardships and sacrifice. So when we look
at the Sierra, we remind our brothers and sisters in Burma, our brothers and sisters in Syria, our
		

			brothers and sisters around the globe, that being persecuted for one's faith is nothing new. That
migrating for one's religion is of the highest acts of worship, and that those who migrate shall
attain Allah's rewards in this life and eventual victory in this life and the next. But we also
learn from this era, that those who are not being persecuted like the unsought of Medina, they need
to make space in their own homes for the refugees. They need to welcome them. They need to share
their wealth with them. They need to make their own communities safe and open for those that have
fled persecution. And that job is here on us now. We cannot sit in silence when our country wishes
		

			to build walls and shut refugees out. We cannot sit in silence when the Muslims of Myanmar the
Muslims of Burma are being persecuted when the refugees of Syria are not given given safe haven when
the refugees from Central Africa are not being allowed to worship Allah subhanho wa Taala It is our
job like it was the job of the unsought of Medina to open their doors to put pressure on their
societies and to make room for their brothers and sisters. From the Sierra. We learned that hatred
blinds people to the point of separating mothers from their own children. Ole Miss oedema, who
eventually becomes our mother, the wife of the Prophet, solace, seldom, or miss oedema. When she
		

			wanted to perform his or her people prevented her from doing so her son and child was taken away
from her. She was separated from her own flesh and blood, and she was kept locked up locked up away
from her own child for many months on end, just because of the hatred they had for the new faith.
And that same irrational hatred, that same bigotry and xenophobia of the other, it is now being
practiced domestically as well. Immigration and Customs Enforcement commonly known as ice have
separated 1000s of parents from their own children, and have kept children incarcerated in kennels.
To this day. We don't know how many 1000s were subjected to emotional, physical and even sexual
		

			abuse. We don't know how many hundreds and 1000s have yet to be reunited with their own mothers and
fathers are Muslims. We cannot stand by in silence as our own country does this barbaric deed. Our
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Whoever separates a mother from her child shall be
separated from his own loved ones on Judgment date. So let us make sure that we do not remain silent
in the face of this adversity and this evil. And I say brothers and sisters, that it is truly
terrifying to see that these agents, many of whom are parents themselves, would obey orders and
follow commands so blindly. And this is a wake up call for those amongst us who believe that
		

			intermittent camps that may be even worse would not happen over here. If an entire bureaucracy
willingly and blindly followed orders to physically separate crying toddlers from their mothers. Do
you think they would hesitate when the orders came to arrest Muslims? Do you think they would
hesitate when the orders came to round up people of a certain ethnicity or even more than that?
		

			This, this is food for thought for us Muslims and all minorities. And we learned this from the
Sierra. From the Sierra, we learn that many times those who oppose Islam, they attempt to smear it
with the very crimes that they themselves are guilty of. A few months before the Battle of butter.
An incident occurred where an expedition party outside of MCC got involved in a small skirmish in
which one person of the orange lost his life. Immediately the orange raised the hue and cry, they
accuse the Muslims of breaking the sanctity of the harem. They accused the Muslims of killing and of
wreaking havoc and of creating chaos. They accused the Muslims of bloodshed. And it was true that a
		

			minor incident had occurred. Allah revealed in the Koran
		

			located on fee kebele say, it is a major sin that this life was taken. But oh Quraysh what you have
done, of preventing people to worship a lot of killing an entire group of expelling an entire
civilization is much bigger crime in the eye of Allah than the crime you're accusing the Muslims of
doing. So we learned from the Sierra brothers and sisters, that it is a common tactic of the enemies
to smear the Muslims with what they themselves are guilty of, in our times, millions of Muslims are
being persecuted in China, the Muslims of Kashmir, we know what's happening with them. Palestine is
an apartheid state. And an apartheid state has taken control of that region for over 60 or 70 years.
		

			Yet, it is the Muslims who are called terrorists, we are being asked sometimes by those from within
our own, to compare the crimes of Zionists with those of the Palestinians and to sympathize with
both sides in the name of fairness, but the two are not the same. And you cannot compare one side
with the other just like with the Quran and the Muslims, they are not the same. For on the one side
you have the occupier on the other you have the occupied on the one side you have the oppressor. On
the other you have the oppressed. On the one side you have an apartheid, systematic oppression of an
entire civilization. And then on the other side, you have resistance to occupation, the two are not
		

			the same, and to prevent an entire people from flourishing is a bigger crime than anything you
accuse them of doing. We learn this from this era from the zero. From the zero we learn that during
the incident of her day via a companion by the name of Abu gendell had been unjustly imprisoned, and
he managed to free himself for a while and back the Muslims to save him. The Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam attempted to negotiate the freedom of Abu jandal with the kurush he pleaded his
case and pleaded and pleaded, so much so that one of the companions said that I have never in my
whole life seen the Prophet sallallahu either he was said them beg and plead so much as he did for
		

			Abu genda. It didn't work or regenda remained a prisoner for a period of time. But the profitsystem
tried his utmost and even when I will, gender was taken away back to Mecca, the professors and
raised awareness about him may do our for him, and eventually Allah azza wa jal created a way for
agenda to be freed. So we learned from this era, that when a Muslim is unjustly in prison, prophetic
guidance dictates that we attempt to negotiate to petition to bring awareness and to call out that
injustice around the world brothers and sisters, there are prisoners who have been jailed for no
crime they have been convicted up merely for being Muslims. And where does one begin? As we stand
		

			here today, 16 years have gone by, and Guantanamo is still open. Dozens of human beings, all of them
Muslim languishing conditions worse than how animals are treated in this land. The rest of the world
might have forgotten them. But the CLR teaches us We will never forget about them, they are going to
be an hour, two hours, and we will continue to try whatever we can to free them. And another case
that we should all be aware of, we have in our midst, Sister, I have an American citizen. Her mother
is Rudolph qaradawi her father's has some hot stuff, and they are the daughter and son in law of
shift qaradawi and they have been imprisoned for no crime other than for the crime of being the
		

			daughter and the son in law of Schiphol qaradawi. And as speaking of Muslim prisoners, how can I not
mention one of the most prominent political prisoners of our times someone who has spoken on this
very platform multiple times, and who would be eagerly invited
		

			By any and all Muslim organizations, and I refer to Dr. Thought as Ramadan. Let me be clear here.
This is not about what he has been accused or not accused. This is not about the alleged crimes.
This is about the very clear fact of him being treated differently simply because he is Muslim of
having been dragged into custody put into isolation in solitary confinement deprived and denied of
medication for months on end without even being convicted of a crime, whereas many other people
accused of much worse in that land are walking away scot free. I say this loud and clear. are Muslim
organizations who are so eager to invite Dr. orthotic Ramadan, who are so prominently advertising
		

			his presence on your own stage. Your silence in the face of this travesty of justice is deafening.
Is it so easy for you is it's so easy for you to abandon your own Muslim brother, what a shame and
we learn from the Sierra, we will not be silent from the Sierra as well. Speaking of self criticism,
we learned that sometimes you need to criticize your own for wrong that they have committed. When
Holly dibner worried as a brand new Muslim, was sent out on an expedition, he made a major mistake.
And he took the lives of some innocent people that had the answers in Bahati and I've spoken about
this in my theater lecture. He made a mistake. He was a new Muslim, and he took the lives of people
		

			who shouldn't have taken when the news reached the Prophet Sall, Allahu Allah he was sent them and
this is called a diviner worried by the way, this is the sort of a law when the news reached the
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he turned his back on Hadith, or the Allah one, he raised his
hands to the Qibla to Allah subhana wa Tada. And he said, Oh Allah, I distanced myself from what
Khalid has done over law, I distance myself from what Khalid has done, meaning I have nothing to do
with this action. So he took a public stance against someone who was highly respected and highly
beloved to many people. And this teaches us brothers and sisters, that we cannot let our past ties
		

			and our loyalties blind us to the false of our own. Each and every one of us in the clerical circle
by virtue of our studies and interactions has ties with other lands and other regimes. And when
those lands commit mistakes, those who wish to walk on the prophetic path must criticize their own
before they accept their criticism of others. When MFIs have some lands, legitimize the army
attacking 1000s of people in a Masjid, callously calling for them to be murdered than those who
associate with that strand of Islam need to stand up and dissociate from those types of people. When
other Mufti is praise tyrants and butchers, who got their own people who support the most tyrannical
		

			for ironic regimes, then it is time for our real scholars to stand up and wipe their hands of them.
And when those who claim to be custodians of the sacred mosques and protectors of the harem, when
they bomb innocent Yemeni schoolchildren, and they shed the blood of innocent women and children
under the false pretense of sectarianism, then those who have ties with those lines need to stand up
and make their stance crystal clear. Brothers and sisters It is reported in the sun and ever been
measured that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was doing pull off around the Kaaba, he looked
at the Kaaba and he said, ma, ma, ke how great are you? How majestic are you? How beautiful are you?
		

			But by Allah, the life of one Muslim is more precious to Allah than you. Anyone who claims to be the
custodian of a sacred mosque yet massacres innocent Muslims is no custodian of any Mosque of Allah
subhana wa Tada, Muslims, Muslims. The Sierra is a spring that always gives us water. It is a never
ending source of wisdom and gems from the Sierra. We learned that sincerity to Allah is the most
precious commodity, that the pleasure of the people is never a praiseworthy goal, that the worship
of Allah is the most satisfying nourishment that adversity only increases the piety of the pious
that Dora is the weapon of the oppressed. That help comes from Allah, sometimes from the most
		

			unexpected of sources. That victory only comes to those who are patient, that with every difficulty
comes ease and that Eman and taqwa shall always be victorious in the end, from the CRR we learn from
the CRR we learn Jazakallah heroin was set on Mar a Lago Baraka