By Shaykh ‘Alee Al-Hudhayfee

 

All praise is due to Allaah Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Prophet, his household and companions.

 

Brethren in faith! Fear Allaah and obey Him. Return to Him in repentance.

 

Fellow Muslims! The highest goal of Islaam is reform the hearts and refine conducts. Islaam reforms the heart through belief in the Oneness of Allaah, loving that which He loves and abhorring that which He abhors of all sayings and deeds.

 

The Messenger of Allaah said: “Both legal and illegal things are evident but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honour. And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near private pasture of someone else and at any moment he is liable to get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every king has a private pasture and the private pasture of Allah on the earth is His illegal (forbidden) things. Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

 

 

 

Also, among the noble goals of Islaamic law is unity among Muslims. For it is through unity that their worldly and eternal good can be achieved. Allaah says, “And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allaah (i.e. this Qur’aan), and be not divided among yourselves.” (Aal ‘Imraan 3:103)

 

Allaah also says, “And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path.” (Al-An‘aam 6:153)

 

He also says, “The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islaamic religion). So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear Allaah, that you may receive mercy.” (Al-Hujuraat 49:10)

 

The Messenger of Allaah said, “You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

 

In another hadeeth, the Messenger of Allaah said, “The believers are to one another like a building whose various parts strengthens one another.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

 

Among the things prohibited most by Allaah and His Messenger is disunity. Allaah says, “And do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength depart, and be patient. Surely, Allaah is with those who are the patient.” (Al-Anfaal 8:46)

 

He also says, “And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment.” (Aal ‘Imraan 3:105)

 

In the hadeeth, the Messenger of Allaah used to say, “And do not disagree lest there is disunity in your hearts.” ‘Abdullaah bin Mas‘ood said: “There is nothing good in disunity.”

 

Al-Hasan bin ‘Alee said: “O you people! That which you dislike in being together is better than that which you like in being disunited.”

 

All these great concepts are obligatory on the Muslims at all times. They are however more binding during times of hardship and crises in order to protect the Muslims and safeguard Islaam. For unity is strength and disunity is weakness. That was why the Messenger of Allaah commanded that the Muslims should obey their rulers and stick to the community. He said, “Whoever dies without having a leader, he dies in the state of ignorance.” (Ahmad)

 

The Prophet also said, “I am commanding you to do five things which Allaah commanded me to do. They are: sticking to the community; to hear and obey; to make hijrah and to do jihaad in the way of Allaah. For whoever abandons the community even for an inch, such has thrown himself out of the fold of Islaam until he goes back from his decision. And whoever makes the proclamation of the time of ignorance; he is of the group that will enter the Fire.” People said: “O Messenger of Allaah! Even if he makes fasting and prays?” The Prophet answered: “Yes, even if he makes fasting and prays and claims to be a Muslim.” (Ahmad)

 

The Messenger of Allaah said, “Do not ask of three people: A man who abandons the community, disobeys his leader and then dies in the state of disobedience; a slave who escapes from his master and dies in that state and a woman whose husband goes away to look for something with which to feed her and she then engages in illicit affairs in his absence.” (Ahmad) The Prophet’s word ‘Do not ask of them’ means: ‘They are perished because of the gravity of their disobedience.’

 

The Messenger of Allaah also said, “The Hand of Allaah is with the congregation.”

 

It is therefore of the perfection of Islaam that it makes unity and obeying the constituted authority compulsory on the Muslims. This will make them strong in the face of any crisis or hardship. It will also preserve their religion from alterations and corruption and safeguard for them their worldly affairs. Al‘Irbaad bin Saariyah said: “The Messenger of Allaah gave us a sermon which shook the heart and made the eyes shed tears. We them told him: “O Messenger of Allaah! It seems like a farewell sermon. Please admonish us.” The Prophet then said, “I admonish you to fear Allaah and to hear and obey even if a slave makes himself the ruler over you. Certainly, whoever lives longer among you shall see a lot of disagreements. Therefore hold fast unto my Sunnah and that of my rightly guided and guiding successors. Hold unto it tenaciously and beware of innovations. For every innovation is error.” (Aboo Daawood)

 

Fellow Muslims! Among things that Islaam forbids is wading carelessly into events and crises. Allaah says, “And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not) that of which you have no knowledge.” (Al-Israa 17:36)

 

The Messenger of Allaah said, “Beware of crises. For the tongue is as harmful as the sword during crises.” (Ibn Maajah) The Muslim must therefore restrain his hand and tongue from wading into forbidden things during times of trials.

 

We are warning all Muslims and the youth especially from being carried away by false rumours and destructive ideas spread by some websites and satellite channels. These channels and sites only want to demean Islaam and cause disunity and fear among Muslims. They also aim at attacking Muslim rulers and their scholars. The scholars and the rulers are the standard for the well being of the ummah. If they are upright the ummah will be upright. We should therefore pray for them and not against them. The rulers must be assisted to carry their all-important responsibility. The scholars must also be assisted in explaining the injunctions of Allaah to people.

 

Brethren in Islaam! We should all join hands to face the challenges. Let us also thank Allaah for all His favours on us. Let us turn to Allaah in repentance. Allaah says, “And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them, (till his death).” (Taa-Haa 20:82)

 

Fellow Muslims! Many calamities and hardships are afflicting the ummah presently and the only way out is to make a sincere repentance and hold fast to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Prophet.

 

Dear brethren! Human beings of today have disobeyed Allaah and rebelled against His will more than their predecessors. It is in this age that narcotics are allowed to ruin the world and man transgresses against his fellow man. Powerful nations wrong the weak ones. Destructive wars are being waged and human lives as well as the crops are being wantonly destroyed. Weapons of mass destructions are used to threaten nations and individuals and immoralities and major sins have become widespread all over the world. Danger alarms are being raised all over the world warning mankind of their closeness to the abyss of perdition as a result of what they have created with their own hands. The oppression has become so much so that residential houses and places of worship are carelessly destroyed. But Allaah will certainly reward every one for what he did in this world. Allaah says in His glorious Book,

 

“It will not be in accordance with your desires (Muslims), nor those of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), whosoever works evil, will have the recompense thereof, and he will not find any protector or helper besides Allaah.” (An-Nisaa 4:123)

 

Brethren in faith! You should however pray to Allaah to remove the calamity off this ummah and to make the rulers and the scholars do only that which lead to the pleasure of Allaah. Let us also pray for our brethren in Iraq that Allaah should protect them from the evil of this war.

 

Do not also forget your Palestinian brethren and other suffering Muslims all over the world. Pray that Allaah protect them against the Zionist enemies and others. For the Prophet has said, “Confront the waves of calamities with supplications.”