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Be Islamic, Don't
Panic*
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By
Arshad Gamiet
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January
25, 2006
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Editor's
note: This khutbah was delivered in July 2005, shortly after
the London bombings.
My
respected brothers and sisters, recently the BBC showed a
documentary about Muslims in Britain today. Its title was Don't
Panic, I'm Islamic. My khutbah is going to
rearrange that title, and say to the Muslims whose lives are
being turned upside down, "Be Islamic, Don't
Panic."
They
say a week is a long time in politics. So much has happened
in the last few weeks. Our lives have changed dramatically
in a very short time. We were still trying to digest the
news that some of our young people were prepared to commit
acts of mass murder. Then we hear that the police have shot
and killed an innocent Brazilian. It seems that he was
mistaken for a terrorist. All this is very worrying.
Tensions are running high and no one feels safe any more.
Muslims in particular are now open to abuse, injury, and
worse.
Fingers
of blame are pointing in all directions. The invasion of
Iraq, British foreign policy, Al-Qaeda supporters, imams who
preach hate and violent jihad, the CIA, Mossad [Israeli
intelligence agency], the mosques that have failed our
youth, and so on. But we really need a period of reflection.
We need time to engage in an honest discourse about the
problems we face.
Where
did it start and where is it going to end? If any failings
in our own community have contributed to the problem, then
it does not help for Muslims to be in denial and to point
fingers at others. Similarly, it does not help for our
politicians to be in denial of their mistakes which they
committed by pursuing an unwise foreign policy and applying
double standards abroad.
Saying
this is not to justify or even explain the actions of people
who commit mass murder. Terrorism is indefensible. All those
who kill innocent people are criminals, whatever they choose
to call themselves. The Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet
can never be invoked to justify crimes against humanity.
However, we need some humility and openness from all sides
if we are to stop the situation from sliding into further
disaster and chaos. It is time to [be
conscious of Allah, and to speak a straightforward word]
(Al-Ahzab 33:70).
These
are indeed difficult times for all of us, for Muslims and
for our neighbors in the wider community. But we should not
let our troubles drive us to panic and despair. The Creator
of the heavens and the earth is still firmly in control.
History is still in safe hands. It always has been and
always will be.
This
is a time for us to turn away from life's many distractions
and to focus ourselves on the main agenda. What does God
want from us? What is our particular role in the great
cosmic scheme of things? Where should our energies and
resources be deployed?
Brothers
and sisters, you and I will have to work hard in our
communities, to engage one another in open and honest
discussion about the way forward. We need to persuade our
young people that the way to put perceived injustice right
is not by bombing innocent people and inviting Allah's wrath
on themselves. The way to put things right is to work within
the moral framework of Islam and the legal framework of this
country, to appeal to hearts and minds. This is the only
way. We have the Qur'an and Hadith, backed by 1,400 years of
Islamic scholarship to guide us.
I
remember hearing in my youth a beautiful quotation by the
Islamic scholar Mawlana Fazlur Rahman Ansari. He said
that a diamond, as we all know, is pure carbon and coal is
also pure carbon. We are human beings, just as our noble
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his
noble Companions were human beings. But they were like
diamonds and we are still like coal. We need to endure the
heat and the pressure that turns coal into diamonds. We need
the rigors of life to be purified and beautified.
When
we recite our Shahada (testimony of faith in Islam),
we bear witness that no one deserves worship except Allah.
Now it's high time that the movements of our lips begin to
match our thoughts, our feelings, and our actions. We have
to trust in Allah completely and to make sure that we do
nothing to arouse His anger. Above all, we must be fair and
uphold justice, as He commands us in the Qur'an:
[O
you who Believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses
to fair dealing, and let not the hatred towards a people
make you depart from justice. Be just, that is nearer to
piety. And, fear Allah, for Allah is well acquainted with
what you do.]
(Al-Ma'idah 5:8)
If
we consider the implications of this verse, it is clear that
even if someone hates us and behaves unjustly towards us, we
have no right to behave unjustly towards him or her. We must
be shining examples of justice, perseverance, and restraint,
even under the most difficult and provocative conditions. We
have to study the life examples of Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him) and his noble Companions to find
lessons for today.
We
must spend more time learning and understanding Islam
properly so that we can fulfill God's purpose. We are here
today by His permission, and we must cast aside the many
distractions of life and the many false interpretations of
Islam so that we can help to make our neighborhoods safe for
everyone.
I
conclude with the Qur'anic verses:
[Then
do ye remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me,
and reject not faith. O ye who believe! seek help with
patient perseverance and prayer; for truly, Allah is with
those who patiently persevere. And say not of those who
are slain in the way of Allah, "They are dead."
Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not. Be sure
we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some
loss in wealth or lives or the fruits, but give glad
tidings to those who patiently persevere. Who say, when
afflicted with calamity: "To Allah We belong, and to
Him is our return." They are those on whom (descend)
blessings from Allah, and mercy, and they are the
followers of the right course.]
(Al-Baqarah 2: 152-157)
*
Based on a Friday sermon delivered at the Royal Holloway
University of London, UK, on July 29, 2005. Courtesy of
http://www.khutbahbank.org.uk
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