As salaamu 'alaikum! Peace and blessings of God be upon you.
Below you will find two new lectures. They can be accessed on Facebook, and does not require any log-in ID to listen to them.
Where do we go from here?
(Thursday, May 13, 2021 at Masjid Ibrahim, Las Vegas, Nevada)
This is a recording of the Eid prayer service, which commemorates the end of the month of Ramadan. The recording includes The Takbeer chant, salaat al 'eid (starts at 21:30) and the Khutbah (sermon), which starts at 28:00)
The Priorities of and within Revelation
(Friday, May 14th, 2021 at Masjid Ibrahim, Las Vegas, Nevada.)
This is a recording of Friday Khutbah, which argues mainly that the religion has priorities built therein, and that those priorities are what should be focused on. Lessons from Ramadan are also explored in this Khutbah. Khutbah starts at 2:50)
The Priorites of and within Revelation khutbah
11 comments:
Did you say that the most important priorities are worship of Allah and the giving of Zakat?
What about taking a more active role?
Doesn't the Qur'an say: "So when you meet those who disbelieve, then strike their necks until when you have inflicted slaughter upon them, then securely bind their bonds, and either a favor afterwards or ransom until the war lays down its burdens. That. And if Allah had willed, surely He could have taken retribution from them, but to test some of you with others. And those who are killed in the cause of Allah - then never will He cause to be lost their deeds."
Is that a priority?
Thank you for your comment.
The verse you are citing has reference to war, which in itself is a rare occurrence.
The Qur'an repeatedly speaks on prayer and charity, on justice, things of that nature.
It also says "And follow the best of what has been sent to you from your Lord..." We should follow that which is applicable and beneficial for us, keeping in mind the overall priorities given within the faith. In one place, war maybe necessary, when facing a situation which requires defense, and the religion gives some information about that. But there is a big picture, and that big picture is NOT war.
Do you really think that war is a rare occurrence?
During the time of the Qur'an, didn't the Muslims face constant threats from different enemies? After the Muslims were expelled from their homes, was there ever a time of peace for them?
Today, can we pursue our own priorities when there are so many places where Muslims face oppression, often violent?
Hello Anonymous,
Certainly there were threats from different enemies at the time of the Quranic revelation, but it would be incorrect to suggest that the Quranic focus was on war and violence.
What I'm saying is, essentially, look at how often the Qur'an speaks on worship, Zakaat and the like. Look at how often it speaks on God. Look at how it speaks on the importance of studying the universe ("The signs of Allah").
Also, it is important to look at what is applicable in one's own circumstances. "Follow the best of what has been sent to you from Your Lord.."
Do you not think that we have an obligation to all of Islam, wherever the oppression is happening? Isn't that what was meant when these verses were revealed?
"O you who believe! What is with you that, when it is said to you, march forth in the cause of Allah you cling heavily to the earth. Are you satisfied with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But what enjoyment of the life of the world in the Hereafter except a little.
If you do not march forth He will punish you a painful punishment and will replace you with another people and you can not harm Him in any way. And Allah is over everything All-Powerful."
Hello Anonymous,
You are quoting these Quranic verses, and we don't deny their presence in the Qur'an, nor do we deny that these verses teach that there are times when fighting would be necessary.
However, it is not a Priority of the Quranic revelation! What I mean by that is that the revelation did not come in order to simply advocate fighting. Fighting is a consequence of oppression and the like. The revelation came and prioritized things such as prayer and charity.
Is there a verse that says "fighting is not a priority" or is that a personal opinion?
Does the Qur'an say both "if you do not march forth He will punish you" and "fighting in the cause of Allah is not a priority"?
We don't deny that the Qur'an says that there are times when fighting would be necessary, but where does the Qur'an say that there are times when fighting is not necessary?
Hello Anonymous,
I think you are misunderstanding what I am saying here, or perhaps you are playing devil's advocate?
The Quranic revelation did not come down in order to cause warfare. It allows fighting when under certain conditions, but what I'm saying, once again, is that as a "priority", a primary or even secondary goal, fighting is not even present in that way.
Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory. (Qur'an 22:39 Saheeh International translation).
Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors. (Q 2:190 Yusuf Ali translation).
Qur'an also says And if they incline to peace, incline thou also to it, and trust in Allah. Lo! He, even He, is the Hearer, the Knower ( Q 8:61 M.M.Pickthall translation).
So, the answer to your question is very clear, fighting is not necessary when others aren't fighting you, when in battle, don't go overboard (as another verse says "don't allow the hatred of a people to swerve you to injustice"), and be amenable to peace.
I don't know what you mean by "devil's advocate"
Are you saying that Allah did not know that the Quranic revelation would cause warfare?
Hello Anonymous:
"Devil's advocate" is a term in English used to describe arguing just for the sake of arguing, even if the argument is extremely flawed or obviously incorrect. I assumed that English was your first language, and you would be familiar with that expression.
In reply to your query, Quranic revelation did not "cause" warfare, but it does reply to the environment of oppression and destruction. This should be obvious.
While it is true that Islam does not teach pacifism, it does teach us to not be aggressors.
I'm glad you clarified that, Waheed. I, too, was confused by what you meant by "devil's advocated". Normally, it's a position taken by someone in order to have a debate with someone else who holds the same view. For example, if two Muslims wished to debate whether or not Islam is aggressive and inevitably leads to fighting, they would have to take opposite positions in order to have a meaningful debate. If they both held the same view, one would have to volunteer to be "devil's advocate" and argue against what he believes in order to fully explore the question. The "devil's advocate" would be expected to argue the opposite viewpoint in good faith.
When you suggest that someone is playing "devil's advocate" when they are not, you are insinuating that they are being dishonest.
To answer Anonymous's question: either Allah knew that the Quranic revelation would lead to warfare or it is wrong to believe that Allah meddles in human activities in the way that Islam presumes. The Quranic revelation replied to the environment of oppression and destruction with even greater oppression and destruction. This, too, should be obvious.
I'm glad that you, Waheed, at least admit that Islam does not teach pacifism. I'll take that up in the context of another thread.
Post a Comment