Sheikh Ali ibn Abdur-Rahman al-Huthaifi – 05 Rabiul Thani 1437

His Eminence Sheikh Ali ibn Abdur-Rahman al-Huthaifi, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday khutbah entitled, “The Virtues of Applying Allah’s Shari‘ah and Rulings,” in which he talked about the mercy of Allah, Exalted be He, towards His servants, as manifested in His pure Shari‘ah, in which He has prescribed penalties for the crimes committed in this present world so that people may lead a good life under the umbrella of Allah’s prescribed legal penalties (hudud), laws, and rulings. He also said that Allah has prescribed such penalties in order to preserve the five necessities recognized in Islam, quoting some evidence from the Qur’an and the Sunnah to this effect.

Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, Who has had mercy on His servants through His Shari‘ah and lavished upon them the treasures of His munificence, generosity, and grace. He takes charge of every person and knows what he has earned. He records all His servants’ deeds, rewarding them for their obedience to Him, and showing forbearance to whoever commits an evil deed by not inflicting the punishment on him immediately, so that he may turn to Him in repentance, with which Allah becomes happy. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners in His Divinity and Lordship. I also bear witness that our prophet and master, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger, whom Allah favoured to the rest of His creation. O Allah! Bestow Your prayers, peace, and blessings upon Your servant and messenger Muhammad and upon his family and Companions.

Now then,
Fear Allah, Exalted be He, and implore Him by your piety to Him, and you will attain His protection, mercy, and good pleasure and escape His wrath, punishment, and disgrace.

Fellow Muslims!
I remind you of the mercy of Allah, Exalted be He, of which He gives glad tidings to His servants in the beginning of every chapter in the Qur’an, when He, Glorified be He, says: “In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” (Al-Fatihah)

He attributes mercy to Himself in many verses. The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, also attributes mercy to our Lord, Majesty and Glory be to Him, in many hadiths. Allah, Glorified be He, says:

“… and My Mercy embraces all things. That (My Mercy) I shall ordain for those who are pious, and give Zakat, and those who believe in Our signs.” (Al-A‘raf: 156)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “Allah wrote before He created the creation, ‘My Mercy precedes My Anger.’ This is written on His Throne” (Reported by al-Bukhari on the authority of Abu-Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him).

The greatest mercy that Allah has bestowed on His servants is His clarification of the means by which they obtain all good, happiness, and honour in their life and after their death; namely, obedience to the Most Merciful Lord and His trustworthy Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he (peace and blessings be upon him) calls you to that which will give you life …” (Al-Anfal: 24)

Allah, Glorified be He, also says,
“Say: “Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), but if you turn away, he (Messenger Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him) is only responsible for the duty placed on him (i.e. to convey Allah’s Message) and you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on the right guidance. The Messenger’s duty is only to convey (the message) in a clear way (i.e. to preach in a plain way).”” (An-Nur: 54)

Through the Law of the Lord, Majesty and Glory be to Him, a Muslim attains a safe, tranquil, and happy life, and Allah wards off punishments in this life and the hereafter from him. Whatever Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, has prescribed for the morally accountable, including obligatory commands and recommended acts, prohibitions, prescribed legal punishments (hudud), warnings, and ta‘zirs (discretionary punishments), is indicative of His mercy, grace, blessing, ease, and justice, Blessed and Exalted be He. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you.” (Al-Baqarah: 185)

He, Exalted be He, also says: “And We shall make easy for you (O Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him) the easy way (i.e. the doing of righteous deeds).” (Al-A‘la: 8)

Allah, Exalted be He, also says: “… Allah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favour to you that you may be thankful.” (Al-Ma’idah: 6)

Allah, Exalted be He, also says:
“Verily, Allah enjoins Al-‘Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allah Alone – Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan [i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allah, totally for Allah’s sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a perfect manner] …” (An-Nahl: 90)

Allah’s Shari‘ah, therefore, enables man to lead a good life in this world and enjoy the Gardens of Bliss in the hereafter. By means of the legal punishments and prescribed penalties, Allah wards off preordained natural catastrophes. Thus, if people apply the Islamic Law, Allah will avert the consequential punishments of sins from them, will ward off catastrophes and disasters away from them in this world, and will save them from torment in the hereafter. If people neglect the provisions of the Shari‘ah, they will be subject to preordained punishments, by virtue of which Allah has a recompense to each sin. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“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 Allah.” (An-Nisa’: 123)

Preordained punishments for sins are severe and painful. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the (population of) towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful, (and) severe.” (Hud: 102)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “Allah gives respite to the oppressor. But when He seizes him, He does not let him escape” (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Abu-Musa, may Allah be pleased with him). Allah, Exalted be He, also says: “Verily, (O Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him)) the Seizure (punishment) of your Lord is severe and painful.” (Al-Buruj: 12)

Allah, Glorified be He, also says,
“Say: “He has power to send torment on you from above you or from under your feet, or to cover you with confusion in party strife, and make you to taste the violence of one another.” See how variously We explain the Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), so that they may understand.” (Al-An‘am: 65)

One sign of Allah’s mercy to His servants is that He does not haste to inflict the punishment upon them, but gives them a respite until an appointed time. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“And your Lord is Most Forgiving, Owner of Mercy. Were He to call them to account for what they have earned, then surely, He would have hastened their punishment. But they have their appointed time, beyond which they will find no escape.” (Al-Kahf: 58)

Allah, Exalted be He, also says:
“And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving (living) creature on the surface of the earth; but He gives them respite to an appointed term …” (Fatir: 45)

When Allah, Glorified be He, sends down natural disasters and preordained punishments on those who deserve them, such punishments act as a reminder of greater ones, so that the wrongdoer may stop committing crimes and the one who does whatever displeases the Lord may turn to Him in repentance. Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, says:

“Evil (sins and disobedience of Allah) has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned (by oppression and evil deeds), that He (Allah) may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return (by repenting to Allah, and begging His Pardon).” (Ar-Rum: 41)

Allah, Glorified be He, also says,
“And verily, We will make them taste of the near torment (i.e. the torment in the life of this world, i.e. disasters, calamities, etc.) prior to the supreme torment (in the Hereafter), in order that they may (repent and) return (i.e. accept Islam).” (As-Sajdah: 21)
Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, also says:

“See they not that they are put in trial once or twice every year (with different kinds of calamities, disease, famine)? Yet, they turn not in repentance, nor do they learn a lesson (from it).” (At-Taubah: 126)

As for those who repent of their sins, Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, will accept their repentance, while those who insist on their sins and who Allah knows will never return to the right path will receive Allah’s painful punishment through His fate and divine decree. The greatest punishment in the hereafter is Hell and Allah’s wrath. Legal punishments and implementation of prescribed legal penalties are nothing compared to the preordained punishments in this worldly life and the punishments of the hereafter.

Therefore, O man, think of Allah’s encompassing mercy and kindness; He has given you commands and prohibitions and has prescribed provisions and legal penalties to protect you from preordained punishments and avert painful torment away from you in your life and after your death, to bring forth every good to you through the Laws He has laid down, and to guard you against every evil through the Shari‘ah.

Consider and learn from the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and those who followed them in righteousness, when they responded to the call of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and loved and applied the Shari‘ah. Allah averted preordained punishments away from them in this world and in the hereafter. He protected them from what had befallen the previous nations, including disgrace, torment, and punishment by drowning, the awful cry, stoning, the wind, burial, transformation into animals, and utter destruction. In addition, Allah blessed them with the best life in this world and provided them with glory, empowerment in the land, and victory over the enemies, even though they were few in number and without adequate armament. This was attained because of their belief in the Oneness of Allah and because of their purity of faith, trust in their Lord, and obedience to Him.

In his letter of advice to his military commander, Sa‘d ibn Abi-Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, the Leader of the Faithful, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote:

Now then, I advise you and your soldiers to fear Allah in all cases, for fearing Allah is the best armament against the enemy and the most effective tactic at war. I also advise you and your men to be warier of sins than of your enemy, for the sins of an army are more threatening to them than their enemy. Without this, we will not be able to defeat them, since our number and arms are not as great as theirs. If we were equal to them in sins, they would exceed us in power, and if we were not granted victory over them by virtue of our obedience to Allah, we would not defeat them by virtue of our power.

In Islam, the reward of the Companions and those who follow them in righteousness is what Allah has promised in the Qur’an:
“And the first to embrace Islam of the Muhajirun (those who migrated from Makkah to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (the citizens of Al-Madinah who helped and gave aid to the Muhajirun) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success.” (At-Taubah:100)

Have you seen how holding on to this true religion brings forth every good and averts every evil and how blessings are sent down and preordained punishments are warded off in this world and in the hereafter?

Consider the destiny of those who have abandoned the call of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, opposed the Shari‘ah, fought against the teachings of Islam, and showed hostility to Allah’s auliya’ (His believing servants who love and obey Him much). They have been overwhelmed with preordained punishments, have led a life of misery, and Allah has made them taste disgrace, torment, humiliation, scarcity, dishonour, abasement, loss, misery, evil, and diseases in this worldly life. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“… and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowermost, while the Word of Allah that became the uppermost …” (At-Taubah: 40)
Allah, Exalted be He, also says:

“Verily, those who oppose Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) will be disgraced, as those before them (among the past nation), were disgraced. And We have sent down clear Ayat (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.). And for the disbelievers is a disgracing torment.” (Al-Mujadilah: 5)

Allah, Exalted be He, also says:
“Those who oppose Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him), they will be among the lowest (most humiliated).” (Al-Mujadilah: 20)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Humiliation and lowliness have been ordained on whoever opposes my command.” In the hereafter, the preordained punishment for the disbeliever is Hellfire. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“Say (O Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him) to those who disbelieve: “You will be defeated and gathered together to Hell, and worst indeed is that place to rest.”” (Al ‘Imran: 12)

What can you aspire to, O Muslim, after such honour? Is there anything superior to the mercy of your Lord, Who enjoins you to do every good and prohibits you from all evil, Who shows mercy to you, and Who has detailed the legal rulings and prescribed legal penalties and punishment for your own good?

Allah’s commands aim to prepare man for a perfect status – they aim to clean and purify his body, ameliorate his soul, strengthen his good will, raise him to every noble attribute, set his heart firm, and honour him. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“… And he who purifies himself (from all kinds of sins), then he purifies only for the benefit of his ownself. …” (Fatir: 18)

Allah, Glorified be He, also says,
“Indeed whosoever purifies himself (by avoiding polytheism and accepting Islamic Monotheism) shall achieve success, and remembers (glorifies) the Name of his Lord (worships none but Allah), and prays (five compulsory prayers and Nawafil – additional prayers).” (Al-A’la: 14-5)

Allah, Exalted be He, also says:
“Indeed he succeeds who purifies his ownself (i.e. obeys and performs all that Allah ordered, by following the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds). And indeed he fails who corrupts his ownself (i.e. disobeys what Allah has ordered by rejecting the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism or by following polytheism or by doing every kind of evil wicked deeds).” (Ash-Shams: 9-10)

The first of Allah’s commands is to believe in His Oneness (true monotheism (tawhid)) and to worship Him alone. He who establishes tawhid will purify himself, and Allah will guarantee security for him in this world and in the hereafter. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong, i.e. by worshipping others besides Allah), for them (only) there is security and they are the guided.” (Al-An‘am: 82)

Commands are repeated in the Qur’an and the hadiths to establish the pillars of Islam, namely, the two testimonies of faith, the prayer, zakat (obligatory charity), fasting the month of Ramadan, and performing hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), and to show the physical and spiritual purity inherent in them, as well as the great reward, benefits, and blessings these pillars are bound to bring forth to individuals and societies. Whoever reads the Shari‘ah texts will discover this. They are the pillars on which every command is based and to which every hope of reward is attached.

As for prohibitions, they are meant to protect people’s hearts from the diseases of doubts and evil desires and to preserve them from wickedness, harm, corruption, and evil. Just as prohibited acts are like poison to the body, commands are like nourishment to it. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“Verily, Allah enjoins Al-‘Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allah Alone – Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan [i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allah, totally for Allah’s sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered you to give them, e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help): and forbids Al-Fahsha’ (i.e. all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right), and Al-Munkar (i.e. all that is prohibited by Islamic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression) …” (An-Nahl: 90)

The first thing which Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, has prohibited is associating partners with Him (shirk), as this embraces all forms of corruption, harm, and evil in this life and in the hereafter. This sin is never forgiven except by repentance to Allah. What all sins other than shirk have in common with it is that they involve following one’s evil desires, obeying Satan, and engaging in a great deal of evil deeds. Some sins are more grievous than others as to the corruption and harm they cause, although they do not turn the person who commits them into a disbeliever as long as he does not associate partners with Allah.

As for the prescribed legal penalties (hudud), they have been ordained by Allah, Exalted be He, for the preservation of religion, life, honour, mind, and property. They are not subject to anyone’s desires or personal views. The legal penalty for apostasy (riddah) has been prescribed to ensure the preservation of the religion. The legal penalty of qisas (equality in punishment) has been prescribed to ensure the preservation of human life. The legal penalty for zina (adultery or fornication) has been prescribed to ensure the preservation of honour. The legal penalty for consuming intoxicants and drugs has been prescribed to ensure the preservation of the mind. Finally, the legal penalty for theft has been prescribed to ensure the preservation of property.

These five necessities are protected by the sense of religious self-restraint and commitment. However, the greatest way to preserve them is to implement the prescribed legal penalties; for Allah deters through the state-authority those who are not deterred by the Qur’an. Scholars of the Islamic fundamentals have paid much attention with these necessities, and thus whoever speaks unfavourably of the prescribed legal penalties and rejects them by resorting to his personal reasoning has invented a lie about Allah and has dared to challenge Him by alleging that they are violations of human rights.

Who is more merciful than Allah? Who knows better than Allah? Who is wiser than Allah? Who is fairer than Allah? Allah, Exalted be He, says: “Who is better in judgment than Allah for a people who have firm Faith?” (Al-Ma’idah: 50)

The prescribed penalties serve as effective deterrents against committing acts necessitating the infliction of such penalties. They also serve as expiation for sins and protection of human life from abuse and aggression. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “Implementing a prescribed legal punishment in the land is better for the people of that land than being granted rain for forty days” (Reported by an-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah on the authority of Abu-Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him).

When carried out on a Muslim, a prescribed legal penalty serves as expiation for his sin, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said about al-Aslami whom he ordered to be stoned, “By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, he is now in the rivers of Paradise plunging into them” (Reported by Abu-Dawud). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, performed the funeral prayer over those on whom legal prescribed penalties were inflicted.

The life and the property that are protected under the Shari‘ah are considered among the five necessities extolled by every divine law, including the Shari‘ah of Muhammad, the master of all mankind, peace and blessings be upon him. Present-day Kharijites have belittled human life, whose taking is prohibited, and have assailed it by shedding blood; they have assailed property by destroying it, as well as destroying mosques and institutions.

Terrorism is one of the devastating trials of this time, perpetrated by some non-Muslims, and some who affiliate themselves with Islam while Islam is free from their aggression, oppression, and crimes. Terrorism is abhorred by people as it has caused them a great deal of harm. Many people have been affected by it in various places, and the country that has been most affected by it is the Land of the Two Holy Mosques. The formation of the Saudi-led Islamic military alliance has been intended to protect people from terrorism. Indeed, people have attached great hope to this Islamic alliance, which has started to bear fruit. The allied Muslim countries have the right to protect their communities, safeguard their youth, preserve their creed from deviation, watch over their interests, consolidate security and stability, and study the ways that bring forth all that is good and beneficial for their people and lands.

It is, first and foremost, the duty of all Muslim countries and peoples to support the causes of Muslims and to protect their youth from the invasion of deviant ideologies which contradict the Muslim creed – the creed of the Companions and those who accompanied and followed them, the creed of justness and moderation. It is also the duty of rulers to protect their peoples from abandoning the teachings of Islam and from inclining to evil desires and prohibited acts. We ask Allah, Exalted be He, to benefit our countries and peoples by this Islamic alliance. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“O you who believe! Fear Allah (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 Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allah. And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Qur’an), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allah’s Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islamic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) clear to you, that you may be guided.” (Al ‘Imran: 102-103)

May Allah bless you and me with the Great Qur’an and make us benefit from its verses and wise words and benefit from the guidance and right sayings of the Imam of all Messengers. I have said what you have heard and I ask forgiveness of Allah for myself, for you, and for all Muslims for any sin we have committed. Ask Allah for forgiveness. He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.