Sheikh Abdurrahman Al-Sudais – 02 Rabiul Awwal 1435

His Eminence Sheikh Abdurrahman Al-Sudais delivered this Friday’s Khutbah titled “Our Lifeboat: Following the Two Divine Revelations (the Holy Qur’ān and the Noble Sunnah).” He spoke about the Ummah’s salvation from various types of affliction and gloomy fate. The key to such salvation, he insisted, consists in a sincere return to the Holy Book and the Noble Sunnah, in addition to unity and convivial solidarity among Muslims. Conversely, he cautioned his audience against disunity which has allowed enemy infiltrators to disperse Muslim ranks and disrupt their unity. In his khutbah, the Sheikh exhorted Muslims to unify their position in alignment with the righteous teachings of Islam and the path of guidance.

Praise be to Allah, in all sincere truthfulness. We thank You, our Lord! We seek Your assistance! We implore Your pardon and return unto You in repentance! We express gratitude to You, for You are the source of every good!

(The Sheikh reads two lines of poetry paraphrased as follows):

Ceaseless words of gratitude are due to Allah;
Nay, boundless flows of thanks fail to meet His abundant blessings.
We supplicate Him to forgive our past sins
And the sins of those who are ducking under such heavy burdens.

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah alone, with no associate, a testimony whereby we aspire to glory and reverence, and I bear witness that our Prophet and Master, Muhammad, is Allah’s Servant and Messenger, whom Allah had sent to guide perplexed souls. O Allah, send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy) and Peace upon him, his family whose radiant reputation stands elevated in prestigious horizons like lustres, his virtuous Companions whose unparalleled piety resonates in the four corners of the earth, the tābi’īn (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death), and all those who righteously follow them in pursuit of gaining Allah’s bounteous favours in the blessed rivers of Paradise. O Allah, send upon them Your unremitting divine Salat as long as the sun and the moon keep alternating.

Now, then, O Servants of Allah!

The best thing ever in any initiation or closure of whatever action is to observe Taqwa vis-à-vis Allah (to Whom belong Might and Majesty) as observance of taqwa is the most credible proof of faith and the greatest binding covenant: “O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islâm (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allâh.” [Āl-Imrān: 102]

(The Sheikh reads two lines of poetry paraphrased as follows):

The essence of life is to observe taqwa vis-à-vis Allah.
So, make taqwa your provision for a righteous life.
Hasten resolutely to obey Allah’s commands,
For you never know when your lifetime expires.

O Muslims!

When the Ummah sinks into massive quagmires of ordeals and its boat gets stricken with the tempestuous waves of predicaments, then it will be in dire need of groping for its salvation route in order to be on the safe side of the shoreline. Quite certainly, the Ummah will find a way in the noble Sunnah and the honourable biography of Prophet Muhammad whose sweet fragrance radiates across the atmosphere of the entire world.

(Again, the Sheikh reads one line of poetry paraphrased as follows):

The Universe is luminous and the Space is fragrant.
Behold! The horizon is veiled with happiness.

Allah sent His Messenger Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) to reveal true religion and divine guidance through the righteous Sunnah and the fragrant and majestic biography of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him). His mission started from Makkah Al-Mukarramah”. Then, a number of Arabs believed him and embraced his creed. Later, the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) migrated with them to Madinah where he founded the State of Islam. Allah empowered them and subsequently endowed them with authority under the banner of the Holy Qur’ān and in accordance with the Message of the Chosen Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him): “Indeed Allâh conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad SAW) from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Qur’ân), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur’ân) and Al­Hikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW (i.e. his legal ways, statements, acts of worship, etc.)], while before that they had been in manifest error.” [Āl-Imrān: 164]

O Muwaḥḥid” (unitarian) Muslims!

All human races actually became brothers and sisters thanks to this Great Islam and its Sunnah. All people became equal under the banner of Islam: No discrimination between Arabs and Non-Arabs except on the grounds of taqwa (piety): “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. one of the Muttaqûn (pious – see V.2:2). Verily, Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” [Al-Ḥujurāt: 13]

Then, Allah granted Muslims victory and enabled them to spread Islam in further territories. Consequently, they managed to conquer vast expansions of land across the world, from Orient to Occident. This gigantic achievement of Islam and its followers caused a horrendous shock to those who used to enjoy privileges and swagger in arrogance in former civilisations. Then, Muslims inherited their territory and wealth. As a result, people formerly belonging to such vanishing civilisations have been, ever since, harbouring a grudge and a deep-rooted enmity against this Ummah despite the beneficial acts performed by Muslims in the acquired territories, such as championing the faith of monotheism and preaching the message of goodness, mercy, tolerance, and innovation. However, those peoples strove for weakening Islam and taking it back to its initial status of vulnerability. They wanted to reduce this Ummah to an inchoate mass of warring factions, but Allah will not allow except that His Light should be perfected.1

O Muslims!

As soon as the golden era of Islam elapsed, a series of afflictions befell the Ummah. The rightly guided Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) was assassinated, and the vogue for schism and collective affliction, once inaugurated, has never been renounced. In the post-Omar Al-Fārūq era, the Ummah was governed by Othman (May Allah be pleased with him and may He grant him satisfaction). At first, things soon went back to normal, as the Ummah regained its former strength and glory. However, the enemies of the Ummah were lying in ambush. They sowed the seeds of schism during the era of Othman (May Allah be pleased with him) and enticed the masses in the Muslim community into engaging in an unwarranted and undisciplined fit of zealous religious devotion in total discord with the noble Sunnah. Such zealous behaviour led them to become puppets in the hands of the enemy already lying in ambush to harm Islam and its followers. So, they assassinated the Caliph of the Muslim Ummah, Othman Ibn Affān (May Allah be pleased with him).

(The Sheikh reads three lines of poetry paraphrased as follows):

They sacrificed a slim man with a mark of prostration;
Who spends the whole night glorifying Allah and reciting Qur’ān;
They opened a closed door for evildoers,
When they dissented and rebelled against their leaders;
On purpose, they deviated from Heavenly teachings;
They deserted the Holy Book to spur a devastating sedition.

The rhythm of divergence gained momentum inside the Ummah after the assassination of Thū Al-Nūrain (i.e. Othman Ibn Affān)” until it reached its zenith with the assassination of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali, father of Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein (May Allah be pleased with them all).

(The Sheikh reads one line of poetic verse paraphrased as follows):

By a single stab from a wretched chap whose sole
Purpose was to destroy an edifice of the Throne Owner.”

Subsequently, the cornerstone of Islam and the very essence of faith were desecrated and their advocates were assassinated during one of the worst epochs of history. Then, part of the Muslims’ qiblah (the Kā’bah, the Ancient Sanctuary of Allah) was destroyed and another was catapulted. All such dramatic events were caused by serious divergence among the Ummah which fell victim to the enemy’s conspiracy. There was a total consensus among all the enemies about how to machinate against Islam and its followers. They were the defeated bands whose power, sovereignty, and privileges had been withheld and whose monarchies had been demolished: “They intend to put out the Light of Allâh (i.e. the religion of Islâm, this Qur’ân, and Prophet Muhammad SAW) with their mouths. But Allâh will complete His Light even though the disbelievers hate (it).” [Al-Ṣaff: 8]

O believers!

Subsequent to all these successive adversities, the Ummah soon realised that the elixir of life and the secret of its glory and victory in its old history was the noble and venerated Sunnah. Thus, much more attention was paid to it in order to preserve it. Successive generations from the Ummah devoutly served the Sunnah in order to defend it and protect it from predators.

Furthermore, some of those who had fallen easy prey to affliction by virtue of their deviation from truth literally caused detrimental damage to the whole Muslim society. They self-authorised the violation of rights and the sanctity of truth; and in so doing, they massacred its advocates with their heartbreaking conspiratorial record and savage conduct throughout history: “Allâh has full knowledge of your enemies, and Allâh is Sufficient as a Walî (Protector), and Allâh is Sufficient as a Helper.” [Al-Nissā’: 45]

O Muslim Ummah!

After successive eras and long ages of such afflictions which interlaced with daily events, we witness during the last century a wave of Islamic revival advocating the glory of religion, the propagation and encouragement of good deeds, and the championing of Prophet Muhammad’s (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) Sunnah and venerated biography. Thank Allah for all such blessings! Such a blessed move towards hoisting the banners of Sunnah and Sīrah (biography) has taken place thanks to autonomous Islamic efforts and to endeavours made by whomever Allah willed to guide of its leaders and scholars, including those whom Allah (Be He Extolled) engaged in contributing to the honourable mission of calling to Islam, protecting it, and safeguarding its sanctity.

Thus, Islam has regained its vigour, and its formidable power has been resuscitated in the whole world. Among the reasons of such revival one may cite the government of this blessed country. Its policy focuses on taking care of the venerable Sunnah and the prestigious Sīrah. Consequently, security has reigned over the territory, the mission of the Ummah has been vested with further significance, and the Message of Islam –which originates in venerated Makkah: the qiblah of Muslims all over the world− has revived in the hearts of all Muslims devout love of the Holy Book, the Sunnah, the Islamic vision, and the qiblah.

This Message includes motivating people to regain lost glories and to revive Islam’s glorious history. In addition, it boosts people’s morale in the process of regaining psychological, scientific, economic, and political empowerment. These resources belong to the state of Islam and will remain the stronghold of the Ummah thanks first and foremost to Allah’s bounteous blessings, then to the care provided by the country of the Two Holy Mosques, and also to the sense of solidarity and harmony between Muslim rulers, religious scholars, and people in Islamic countries. The rebirth of this latent force –which is a generous divine gift– has robbed anew the enemies’ sleep of modern times. Most of those enemies are more cunning than a fox; indeed, history repeats itself!

The enmity harboured against Muslims in previous centuries has been resumed in the guise of an avid desire to divide the Ummah and split it into minuscule entities and factions. Their scheme starts with partitioning the countries of the Arab Levant through spreading the logic of warring sects and conflicting parties engaged in a process of mutual extermination. Their second step is to split Ahl Al-Sunnah and Al-Jamā’ah (the Sunnis) into parties and groups in the purpose of dispersing their ranks just like what they did during the rule of Caliph Othman (May Allah be pleased with him). The stratagem is to make Muslims suffer from the same phenomenon experienced by their forefathers, namely the insufferable ordeal and chaos attendant upon the emergence of khāwarij (Dissenters) and other different splinter groups. The outcome is that Muslims have been reduced to conflicting sects and factions. This emerging Arab-Islamic power has anew disintegrated and the bravura of Ahl Al-Sunnah and Al-Jamā’ah –which was otherwise invincible– has been gravely enfeebled.

O Ummah of faith!

It is really painful to see in recent history that certain descendants of the early Muslim generations have relinquished the approach of salaf (i.e. earlier generations of Muslims serving as model of best practices in religion). These groups blindly rushed into imitating the practices of the misguided and the deviant. In so doing, they committed the fault of deviating from the well-traced and transparent path trodden by their industrious ancestors. As a consequence, they thrust themselves in the lethal abyss of blind affliction ‒so to speak‒ whose tumultuous eruptions are uncontrollable. By the same token, they have induced some of those who belong to this Ummah into error through urging them to hastily swarm into certain hot localities of conflict and tribulation under the banner of misleading slogans and unwarranted Jāhilī (pre-Islamic and pagan) claims. By so doing, they have clearly deviated from religious moderation and temperate faith have tarnished the pinnacle of Islamic rites ‒that is, Jihad in the cause of Allah‒along with Islam’s prescribed rules of conduct.

Even worse, they have induced them into perpetrating some terrorist acts, such as demolishing property, blowing up mosques, universities, and hospitals by using explosive devices, in overt transgression of authentically reported texts of divine revelation (i.e. the Holy Qur’ān and the authentic Sunnah) and all forms of reasonable thinking. This also contradicts the highly refined approach of the salaf, the major guidelines and spirit orientating the rules of Shari‘a, and the precept of politics according to the rightly guided logic of Islam. This is unquestionably the fundamental nature of capricious minds whose avidity to satiate impermissible desires has led to incurable ailment and insurmountable turmoil. It goes without saying that the most serious of disasters is deviation from the words of Allah (May He be extolled), the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him), and the way of our early model generations.

As narrated and authenticated by Al-Tirmidhi, the Messenger of Allah [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] said: “so you must keep to my Sunnah and to the Sunnah of the Khulafā’ al-Rashideen (the rightly guided caliphs), those who guide to the right way. Cling to it stubbornly [literally: with your molar teeth]”.

Imam Ashāfi’ī –may Allah bless his soul– wisely put it thus: “Anything contravening the command of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] must be brought down, as such a command is not subject to rhetorical theology or analogical deduction. Verily, Allah (May He be extolled) has made it so that no plea could stand a chance against the command of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him].”

(The Sheikh quotes two lines of poetry paraphrased as follows):

The way of dissenters manifested itself from their mouths,
No difference between their deeds and their opinions.
Is it for the sake of leadership
you’re competing, just like the ignorant?!

The religious scholar, Ibn Al-Qayyim –May Allah bless his soul– said: “The top-most ranks as to the glorification of Al-Haqq (one of the attributes of Allah) consist in the ennoblement of those things He Almighty has commanded and those He has prohibited. In accordance with his respective degree of glorification the believer would be accredited as one among those righteous believers.”

The religious scholar, Ashāṭibī –May Allah bless his soul– said: “The ultimate (legal) goal behind the establishment of Sharia’ law is ousting the person in question from the arena of his whims and passion so he could be a servant of Allah (May He be extolled) by choice as he is so by obligation.”

(The Sheikh quotes a line of poetry paraphrased as follows):

Disgrace is indeed whim, meanings reversed,
So, by following your whims, you will definitely meet disgrace.

Fellow Unitarian Muslims!

At a time when tragedies are befalling the Muslim Ummah in every corner of the globe, there is nothing one ought to seek with more hope and certainty than the model set forth in the Sīrah and Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad (May the purest of peace and most incensed of greetings be upon him) for these constitute the focus of glory and triumph and the most articulate tongue of modern times whereby the Ummah will be able to achieve sublimity and enablement and restore its past prestige and time-honoured glory.

This, however, may never substantiate save through making recourse to the guidance and Sunnah of the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) and imbibing from the springs and Salsabeel” of his Sīrah within the framework of unity and accord and clear from all ideological, sectarian and ethnic differences. In this context Allah (May He be extolled) says: “And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Qur’an), and be not divided among yourselves.” [Āl-Imrān: 103]

Therefore, O you, Sunnah followers and people of the Faith! Let the Prophet’s incensed Sunnah and Sīrah be the fresh and thirst-quenching spring down the road of redemption for all of those who are thirsty and a frame of reference for those adhering to his guidance or seeking to promote it. Only then will we be able to avert perdition and wretchedness and achieve happiness and prosperity in the realms of glory. This, by and large, is the strongest evidence as to the truth of adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him).

(The Sheikh quotes two lines of poetry paraphrased as follows):

Hold tight to the Rope of Allah and follow the Guidance.
Never seek innovation, perhaps you shall succeed.
Make your Faith the Book of Allah and the Sunnah that came
From the Messenger of Allah, so that you shall be saved and be a winner.

I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan: “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad ) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.” [Al-Aḥzāb: 21]

O Allah! We implore You to bless us by the Noble Qur’ān and the Sunnah and to make them beneficial to us through the verses and wisdom they contain! This being said, I ask Allah, the Almighty, to forgive you and me and all Muslims of all sins; so ask Him for forgiveness and turn in repentance to Him, for my Lord is Most Forgiving.