His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Humaid -May Allah protect him- delivered this Friday’s khutbah titled “Life of Faith versus Life of Materialism” in which he made a comparison between life in light of faith, work, ethics and values and life in light of materialism, egoism, and selfishness, with separation of religion from people’s lives. The Sheikh explained that life of faith is the ultimate reason behind man’s creation and existence in this world, urging people to learn and develop modern sciences while keeping ethics and values.

Praise be to Allah to whose glory everything submits and to whose greatness everything succumbs. There is no other deity except Him. He causes things to proceed in accordance with what He has predestined and with His infinite might. I praise Him (May He be extolled) and I thank Him as He bestowed his bounty and grace on us, and promised the thankful more of them. I bear witness that there is no other deity worth worshipping except Allah alone with no associate in His Names and Attributes and in His Divinity and Sovereignty.  I also bear witness that our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, is the Servant and Messenger of Allah Almighty Who bestowed upon us the favour of sending him to us as the last Prophet and made his Message the last of all Messages. May Allah send his bounteous Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his Companions, family and Tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death), and upon all those who righteously followed in their footsteps, heeded his guidance and adopted his Sunnah (tradition).
 
Now then, O People!

I counsel you and myself to abide by taqwa (fear) of Allah Almighty. Observe Taqwa -May Allah have mercy upon you! Happy is the one who is in a good health, feels secure at heart, has enough food for the day, and worships his Lord in peace. Glory will he have achieved he whose wealth is rather in his heart and is content with his earnings. Such a man certainly knows that life in the herein is treacherous and not worth an hour’s worry, so he exploits it in obediently worshipping his Lord. His heart is full of rapture and contentment; his soul is tranquil succumbing to fate and Allah’s decree. He is neither whimsical giving in to his whims nor materialistic distressed with worldly affairs. His prudence outweighs his foolhardiness, and his patience surpasses his desire. "Is one who is obedient to Allâh, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allâh's Signs and Verses)." [Al-Zumar: 9]

Fellow Muslims! Allah’s wisdom has decreed that man be responsible and accountable in the herein. "And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth." They said: "Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, – while we glorify You with praises and thanks (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners) and sanctify You." He (Allâh) said: "I know that which you do not know."" [Al-Baqarah: 30]

The significance of man lies in the purpose for which he has been created and for which he is living. It has to do with faith, intellect and thought. "And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.? [Al-Dh?riy?t: 56]. "Have they not travelled through the land, and have they hearts wherewith to understand and ears wherewith to hear? Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind." [Al-Hajj: 46] "And Allâh has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allâh)." [Al-Na?l: 78]

Man’s humanity cannot be fulfilled and his life may never be set right without faith and good deeds: "Verily! As for those who believe and do righteous deeds, certainly! We shall not suffer to be lost the reward of anyone who does his (righteous) deeds in the most perfect manner." [Al-Kahf: 30]. If he neglects that, he will be like "… a donkey that carries huge burdens of books (but understands nothing from them)." [Al-Jumu’ah: 5] or like "… a dog: if you drive him away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls his tongue out." [Al-A’r?f: 176]

A good man is one of faith, morals, values, principles, honor, virtue, dignity, honesty, truthfulness, straightforwardness, and responsibility.

The human mind alone, my brothers in Allah, is unable to make right decisions and judgments. "And if the truth had been in accordance with their desires, verily, the heavens and the earth, and whosoever is therein would have been corrupted!" [Al-Mumin?n: 71]

Man has narrow beneficial tendencies. With his despotic and crooked mentality, he even tries to usurp and pilfer what he can.

With his absolute reason and highhandedness, man is incarnated in a host of phenomena of present-day civilization, rejecting the world of the unseen or the metaphysical world as they call it and accepting nothing but the tangible, i.e. what is perceived by the senses.

Having been considered the maker of his own values, man has taken a methodology and followed a path that led him astray from faith and religion, and from what messengers have brought and away from the books revealed. They even claim that there are no constants regarding justice and freedom; no criteria for ethics and interests. This is lethal relativity par excellence. There are neither constant hostilities nor constant friendships and not even truthful relations. It is the interests of the strongest, the verdicts of the most oppressive, and the whims of the most tyrannical that prevail.  

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Because of following the reason, or rather the whims, values have been weakened and materialism enhanced to the extent that racism and fanaticism have resurfaced. You would witness a man of science and knowledge harbouring bigotry for his colour and nation despite the material progress that he has achieved.  He has even fought against religion and the religious; he has been ensnared by the material and the tangible, achieving therein undeniable success. Yet, he meets with ignominious failure in safeguarding human dignity vis-à-vis those belonging to other races and nations. Such people have globalized wars, conflicts and disputes. The more lethal the aspects of materialism get and the greater the reliance on stark power, the worse and more severe the situation will be. There are now millions of weak and miserable effeminate, naked, sick and helpless people.

You would see the inventor, the discoverer, or the manufacturer seeking through their inventions, discoveries, and products to serve the wellbeing of mankind with respect to nutrition, clothing, and medicine which would help enhance health and safety conditions. However, such plants, laboratories and factories produce -at a greater, more hideous and flagrant rate- poisonous, lethal gases and weapons of mass destruction threatening the world with chemical, microbial and nuclear warfare. Arms race knows no limits. Allah, the Ever-Exalted, the Ever-Magnificent, said: "They know what is apparent of the worldly life, but they of the hereafter are unaware." [Al-R?m: 7], "And a disaster will not cease to strike those who disbelieve because of their (evil) deeds or it (i.e. the disaster) settle close to their homes" [Al-Ra’d: 31]

O fellow Muslims!

Stripping modern sciences from faith and sublime values has plagued this age with barrenness and degradation, and led to a cul-de-sac. It is a world where freedom has become open-ended, justice loose, interests with no criteria, and the ends justify the means.

This -I swear by Allah- would not have happened had not there been a separation between science and belief, religion and life, and science and ethics. It is a world where there are neither friendships nor hostilities, but only interests run by the strongest and controlled by the richest. Science is nothing but postulations, theories and phenomena isolated from values. The coup de grace comes when they decide that these have nothing to do with religion or life.

O People of reason!

Knowledge without faith lacks insight. Nay, it is but a monster wreaking havoc. Man without faith is also a wild, fierce monster. "And he goes away, he strives throughout the land to cause corruption therein and destroy crops and animals. Allah does not like corruption." [Al-Baqarah: 205].

Certainly, when science chose this materialistic path, its results led to destructive consequences that horrified all humanity both in practice and theory. Therefore, all human legislations, covenants, and agreements would soon disappear and their defects, gaps, oppression, and partiality would begin to surface.

Would that civilised people know that there is a tight connection, or rather a constant and strong covenant between faith and life, faith and science, and creed and work: "And (remember) when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from you (O Muhammad), and from Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), and Isa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary). We took from them a strong covenant." [Al-A?z?b: 7] "Verily, those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, their Lord will guide them through their Faith." [Y?nus: 9] "Whoever works righteousness- whether male or female- while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i. e. Paradise in the Hereafter)." [Al-Na?l: 97]

Great values such as: piety, charity, truthfulness, sincerity, faithfulness, respect of human dignity, humbleness, cooperation, self-denial, love of good for people, patience during hardships and ordeals…etc, can never be achieved truly except if fenced in by faith in Allah, taqwa vis-à-vis Him, devotion in worshipping Him, and desire and fear of what He has for us in the Herein and in the Hereafter.

O People of reason! O Muslims!
    
This becomes even clearer when we investigate the status of one special human institution; how it has come to be nowadays and how it should normally be. It is namely the institution of marriage and its goal. Marriage as it is properly construed is a strong covenant "…while you have gone in unto each other, and they have taken from you a firm and strong covenant." [Al-Nis?’: 21], lineage and relationship by marriage, building a family, a bond and kinsfolk, family members and relatives. Marriage also means intimacy and good companionship, kindness and benevolence, keeping (one's wife) amicably, perseverence and responsibility. Family becomes (in light of all this) a shelter and a school, a warm hug and a loving home providing care.

However, nowadays, and according to what the materialists of this age desire via their materialistic values and their selfish and prejudiced disposition, marriage has become but a dull contract, an insensable relationship, devoid of all family responsibilities. In this kind of marriage, both the husband and the wife are but ghosts that are together in such a cold rapport to the extent that, in many cases, they substituted children for domestic animals!

As for the family responsibilities, they have been assigned to various associations and foundations; thus care homes increased in number in order to take care of foundlings, the elderly and the handicapped, while social security has become exclusively the responsibility of the government or social associations.

In modern families when the parents become too old and helpless to take care of themselves, their children would take them to one of those homes where they would have to spend the rest of their lives, not being able to visit or be visited. Occasionally, their children might drop by to pay them a visit, to give them a rose or (send them) a post card.

In such families, when children reach maturity, they lose all connections with their families and  parents; they bear no responsibility nor do they have any consideration for relatives or in-laws. Unfortunatly, this aspect of the analogy is not exclusive to one particular region; it is rather almost all encompassing.

Here is another picture or value, if you wish, to be taken as analogy; it is the value or the moral principle of chastity. Does chastity really exist in this modern life? Chasitity -may Allah protect you- means selfcontrol and moderation in seeking physical and psychological pleasures in terms of food, drink, earning, communication, and emotions.

The contemporary path is deeply involved in pleasures with endless avidity and unquenchable thirst. Why is this? It is because life for them does not reach beyond the domain of the earth. This is indeed abominable submission to the bottomless world of materialism, not to mention the law: “the end justifies the means” which can lead to total chaos and destruction when it shows its ugly teeth!
 
Thus, you see the image of modern man with empty cups, dry lips, shiny  from the outside but dark inside, weary eyesight, feeble faith, and much pessimism. You see eyes that cannot refrain from looking at Haram (what Allah has prohibited) and hearts that are not deterred by calamities. All they have of science, art, politics, education, intellect, and heart revolve around materialistic things.

Now, then -may Allah protect you:

Man is being killed without war and tortured without beating; it is now time for the people of  intellect and reason to know the signs of true civilization and the whereabouts of the desired development paths and the effects and importance of values.

I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan:  "By Al-Asr (the time) (1) Verily, man is in loss (2) Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth [i. e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Maruf) which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar) which Allah has forbidden], and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah's Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad)." [Al-Asr: 1-3]

    May Allah benefit me and you with the great Qur’?n and with the guidance of Prophet Mohammed [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him]! I say this and ask Allah to forgive you and me and all the Muslims! So ask Him for forgiveness; He is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful!