By Sheikh Osama ibn Abdullah Khayyat – 22 Shawaal 1436

His Eminence Sheikh Osama ibn Abdullah Khayyat – May Allah protect him – delivered the Friday Khutbah titled “Prohibition of Injustice and Choosing a Sanctified way of Life” in which he spoke about the injustice and aggression that killed and wounded many security men. The Sheikh explained the prohibition of taking a sanctified life and the grave danger and severe punishment of double-dealing on the Day of Resurrection. He also quoted what the scholars said about the Kharijites (dissenters from religion) and their maleficent sect. At the end of the Khutbah, he warned against not doing enough about educating the youths so that they may resist extremism and delinquency.

Praise be to Allah, the Possessor of all Glory, the Sovereign, the All-Powerful and the Omnipotent. I Praise Him – May He be extolled. With His Might and Supreme Power, He subdued transgressors and menaced them with severe chastisement and humiliating rebuke. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate. He will mark off every perfidious person with a recognisable banner on the Day of Judgement whereby Allah’s Beautiful Cover will be lifted off that treacherous so that he may suffer the consequences of his sinful deeds and realize the serious outcome of his double-dealing and cunning. I also bear witness that our Master and Prophet Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah who, in his comprehensive speech, explained to the Muslim Ummah the features of radicalsand renegades so that the believers may be aware of what is going on. O Allah! Send your profuse and bountiful Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy) and Peace upon him, his family, Companions and all those who followed in his footsteps for as long as he is remembered.

Now then,

I exhort you – O Servants of Allah – to observe Taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah). For Taqwa is the best provision for travellers and the best equipment for those plodding their way towards the Lord of the Worlds. Blessed be those who observed taqwa of their Lord and garnered provisions from the Herein for the Hereafter!

O Muslims!

Caution against jeopardising one’s good deeds and apprehension of going astray are the procedures of the sagacious, the paths of the servants of the Compassionate, and the ways followed by versed scholars whereby they seek to be with their Lord and hope to secure divine proximity and occupy an honourable position next to His righteous servants and select creatures.

This is because they are certain that happiness is couched in divine guidance to know the Truth,adhere to the path of Allah, and be guided to the Straight Path, and avoidtripping and erring. This is achieved by worshiping Allah with clear insight and drawing near Him through adherence to what He- May He be extolled- has revealed in His Book or what has been brought by His Messenger (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him).

This carries protection for the servant and precaution against joining the bunch of the “greatest losers” whom Allah – May He be extolled – has revealed to us in His following Words ‒ May His Name be glorified:

“Say (O Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam): “Shall We tell you the greatest losers in respect of (their) deeds? “Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds!” [al-Kahf: 103-104]

According to the opinion of the great scholar, Imam Ibn Jareer ‒May Allah bless his soul‒whose opinion outweighs other scholars’ opinions, these “great losers” are: “All those who, in performing deeds, believe that their action is appropriate and that they are thereby showing obedience to Allah and seeking His satisfaction, but their deeds in actual fact only incur the wrath of Allah and take them off the right path of faith, whatever their religion might be.”

This is – O Servants of Allah – a divine expression of the state of those losers in their worldly lives. Yet, they fool themselves with a belief that is unsubstantiated by reality, unsupported by their state and unconfirmed by their actions.

Strayed efforts are multifaceted, take many forms and are indescribable by words. However, the most hideous and harmful forms of such vain efforts is renouncing allegiance, defecting from the congregation, falling into the abyss of rebellion, civil disobedience, shedding sacrosanct blood and taking life which Allah has sanctified except for a just cause. Such acts are committed under false interpretations, fallacious opinions, biased and unfounded fatwas unsupported by sound evidence, jurisprudence or common sense.

Never have killing and terrorizing people been lawful in this religion as it is clear in the Holy Book revealed by the Wise and Praise-worthy. Our Lord‒Glorified be He‒ says:

“Because of that We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind” [al-Ma’idah: 32]

Since when have injustice and aggression against Muslims been a path to Allah’s satisfaction and a road to His Gardens? Besides, who are the beneficiaries from all these acts as such – O Servants of Allah?! Who are the beneficiaries?

How can anyone accept to be a pliable tool in the hands of the enemies of his religion and the adversaries of his homeland and Ummah using it to fulfil their evil purposes while they remain secure and escape unscathed?

Such maniacs will certainly feel ecstatic seeing others fighting their battle for them, wielding their weapons and taking their side!

Besides, didn’t our Lord warn us against submission to Satan and order us not to follow in his footsteps? He, the Almighty, said:

“Surely, Shaitân (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire.” [Fatir: 6] “O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islâm (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islâmic religion) and follow not the footsteps of Shaitân (Satan). Verily! He is to you a plain enemy.” [al-Baqarah: 208 ]

What would such acts, and more others before, be other than loyalty to Satan, submission to his instigation, and following in his footsteps? Haven’t those culprits thought of the terrible fate awaiting those who shed innocent blood as in the Hadith narrated by al- Bukhari in his Sahih, quoting Abdullah Ibn Omar ‒May Allah be pleased with both of them‒ who reported the Prophet – May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him- as saying: “The believer will still remain within the confines of religion as long as he has not shed innocent blood.”

Hasn’t the perpetrator of this hideous crime heard the dreadful warning given by the Prophet of mercy and guidance – May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him- to anyone who takes a life unlawfully? Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, Ibn Majah in his Sunan and Ibn Habban in his Sahih (with an authentic chain of narration) reported that Amru Ibn Al-Hamiq heard the Prophet – May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him- say: “He who kills someone after having entrusted him with his life, will come on the Day of Judgement carrying a banner of double-dealing.” Ibn Habban’s version reads: “I would repudiate the man who kills another man after having entrusted him with his life even if the man killed were a non-believer!”

Quoting Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ it is mentioned in the two Sahihs that the Prophet – May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him- said, “A banner is raised for the perfidious person on the Day of Judgement and a voice publicly announces: ‘This is the double-dealing of so-and-so’.”

O Servants of Allah! Could there be a worse disrepute or a worse scandal than this on Doomsday, not to mention the awaiting severe chastisement?

Yet, these misguided transgressors are in continual pursuit of sinning insisting on their most hideous and evil aggression and sinful acts. They do not hesitate to kill Muslims bowing and prostrating themselves to the Lord of the Worlds, seeking to be close to Him by performing one of Hisprescribed religious duties. In a hadith, Allah ‒May He be exalted‒ describes the sublimity of these duties as, “No worship brings my servant closer to me than that of a duty I prescribed to him.” [Narrated by Imam Bukhari in his Sahih quoting Abu Hurairah ‒May Allah be pleased with him]

The Prophet of guidance – May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him- also describes the sanctity and sublimity of this worship in his Hadith: “Keep to the right path, and you won’t miss the reward awaiting you! Let it be known to you that salat is the best of your deeds, and none but a believer maintains his ablution.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, Ibn Majah in his Sunan and Al-Darami in his Sunan. It is an authentic Hadith by unanimity]

O Servants of Allah! What a hugedifference thereis between thosewho come to their Lord bowing and prostrating themselves, and thosewho come to Him after they had opposed Him and His Messenger by taking their own lives and the lives of others without a just cause, violating Allah’s prohibition in this respect! Between the two final stages, there is a lesson to be learned for those who think wisely.

This is best put by some of the righteous ancestors describing Kharijites. They are those referred to in the Qur’an in the verse:

“Say (O Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam): “Shall We tell you the greatest losers in respect of (their) deeds? “Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds!They are those who deny the Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their Lord and the Meeting with Him (in the Hereafter). So their works are in vain, and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall not give them any weight” [al-Kahf: 103-105]

They are the greatest losers since they falsely believe that killing those who supplicate their Lord in their prayers will satisfy the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth! They have no idea that such a crime is one of the deadly sins – an act embellished and beautified by the satins from among the humans and jinn. Allah is Whom we ask, by His Might and Power, to protect us from their evil machinations!

How relevant what Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiya – May Allah bless his soul- said: “The Kharijites’ glorification of religion lies in departing from the Muslim Community and in regarding the Muslims’ blood and possessions (wealth) as Halaal (lawful).” So, look at how they glorify religion – O Servants of Allah!

O Servants of Allah!

The fire of malevolence has great flames that burn out human minds, deafen ears, blind eyes in such a way that a malevolent person cannot benefit from his mind, hearing, or eyesight. He does not benefit from his mind because he does not see things as they are in their proper places, and does not think of their consequences or where they might lead. He does not benefit from his hearing because he turns a deaf ear to advice and turns away refusing to hear reminders that benefit the believers. He does not benefit from his eyesight because he closes his eyes and refuses to see the signs and guidance that show him the path of Truth.

Therefore, the end result is evil and disastrous for him. It is permanent loss and aberrance that are wrought on him. It is a terrible, dark and disappointing ending that is awaiting him, as this is the state of those who have gone astray.

Dear brothers and sisters!

These tragic events that keep people ofunderstanding sleepless in their beds, and shake the minds of the wise, and this aggression that hit this blessed country are acts we reject. There is no doubt that theyare rejected by all sane people. They are strongly rejected and denied because they are prohibited by the Book of Allah (the Qur’an) and the Sunnah. They are rejected because they constitute a transgression of the limits set by Allah, a violation of His prohibitions and an aggressive attack on His servants. They represent a form of corruption which Allah warned against and told us that He abhors and will not make good the deed of corruptors. Because of this, Allah has threatened to inflict on them severe torment.

Therefore, the one entrusted by Allah to lead this country – thanks to Allah- has done and will still do what he has to in order to extinguish the fire of dissention, protect religion, keep the Ummah’s unity and safeguard its existence through implementing the Rule of Allah and following His Sharia. By doing so, he will be able to put an end to corruption and corruptors and restore justice.

In this way,our country can always remain as it has always been and as Allah wants it to be, a place of guidance, a source of light, a resort to people, and a fortified castle on whose rocks the waves of seditions are wrecked, and against which the arrows of wickedness will be broken. Thus, the evil intentions of those corruptors will absolutely come to nothing. This is so because it is the decree of the All-Mighty and the All-Knower, because it is the blessing of Allah which He gives to whomever He wishes, and because Allah is the owner of great favours.

Therefore, fear Allah – O Servants of Allah- and beware of double-dealing or of following the path of the perfidious! Beware!In the ugliness and great harm of double-dealing in the Herein and in its hideous outcome and great punishment in the Hereafter there is indeed a deterrent lesson for sagacious people:

“And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allâh are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him” [al-Nisa’: 93]

What an ending it is, O Servants of Allah! May Allah protect us against the evil of this ending, and help us avoid the causes leading to His wrath, punishment, and severe torment; and may He grant us a good ending! Amen! Amen!

May Allah benefit me and you from the guidance of His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him! This being said, I ask Allah to forgive you and me and all the Muslims, for He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful!