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Praise be to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls, and the adverse consequences of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, there is none that can misguide him, and whomsoever He misguides, you will find no protector to guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah; He is alone, having no partners, and I admit His Lordship, compelling this truth for those who denied Him and disbelieved in Him. And I bear witness that our Master Muhammad, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, is the Messenger of Allah; the Master of the created and the human race, and I keep professing that for as long as sight can be seen with an eye and for as long as news can be heard with an ear.
O Allah, our Lord, have peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad, his Folks, his Companions, his descendants and those who allied with him and followed him until the Day of Judgment.
O Allah our Lord, teach us what is useful for us, let us make use of what You have taught us and advance us in knowledge. O Allah, show us the righteous things as righteous and help us do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us keep away from them. O Allah our Lord, make us amongst those who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of It, and admit us, by Your Grace, to the ranks of Your righteous servants.
Reasons behind Muslims' weakness:
Dear noble brothers, the main reason of this Khutbah is a letter I received from an Arab Muslim country. The one who sent it asked 500 people who worked in the field of Da'wah, me included, about the reasons behind Muslims' weakness. I have prepared some answers, and I would like to discuss them with you.
Let me think with you about this question: What are the reasons behind Muslims' weakness?
Our wrong idea about our weakness:
Dear noble brothers, today, the Muslim world is mere separated fragments and disparate parts. It is different from what it used to be in the golden eras, it is not as it is supposed to be although it is the world to which Al-Haqq from heaven has been sent, and it is not as we wish it to be, so where is the fault? In every assembly in any Islamic country, this issue is raised. What are the reasons of the frustration and backwardness we suffer from?
Dear noble brothers, when we talk about the fault, we do not refer to a specific Islamic country, but rather we mean to talk about all the Islamic countries and all Islamic peoples whose population is more than a billion and 300 million Muslims.
Unfortunately, in every assembly, we underestimate ourselves, and we talk about our faults, problems, and weakness. Some intellectuals called this situation "self-underestimation".
Dear noble brothers, let me give you an example: If a vehicle, which is manufactured according to an advanced science, and which has highly precise and complex devices and connections, stops moving, I should study the principles of movement and the system of connections, and I should check that the devices operate properly until I find the problem to start fixing it.
This is the scientific attitude towards the vehicle when its engine stops. Likewise, when we want to discuss the current miserable situation of the Muslims, we should start thinking of Muslims' principles, goals, and values, and then we realize our shortcomings and faults. After that, we come up with a solution to our problems.
Dear noble brothers, if the engine of the vehicle, which is manufactured accurately, and has delicate devices and connections, stops working, and we just stand beside it shouting, making Du'a to Allah to fix the problem, complaining and crying, the vehicle will not move. This is not a scientific attitude, but rather it is an emotional one.
Dear noble brothers, we should look for the main reason of problems. We should ask: What is the fault? How can we fix it? How can we get rid of this situation? These questions should be considered by all Muslims in the Muslim world with no exception whatsoever.
Key questions help us think correctly:
Why was our past prosperous, while our present is backward? Why do we not have the upper hand anymore nowadays? Why do the other parties control us in several aspects? Why are we not victorious as we have been promised to be in the Noble Quran, although terminating the entire universe is easier to Allah than not fulfilling His Promises to the believers ?
Dear noble brothers, there are still more questions concerning the same issue: is the purpose of looking for the faults to find a way to fix them, or is it just to know the faults and stay unable to fix them? Is the nature of the faults unknown to us, or is it clear but we cannot find the solution? Is the difficulty in analyzing the problem, in finding the remedy, or in believing in the need of a treatment? Is the reason of our problems the absence of the one who can realize the main fault, or is it the absence of the ability to uproot the problem? Is it possible that the ill (the Muslims) are unable and unwilling to take the medicine? Is it the fault of the one who is trying to find the remedy, the fault of the healing medication, or the fault of Muslims themselves?
Dear noble brothers, the problem can be solved by realizing the fault, looking for a solution to fix it and convincing the ill that there is something wrong with them, and it should be fixed.
Mending one's own self:
Let us begin to mend ourselves and to realize that faults lie within us, in our families, and in our jobs. The first step towards reform is to start with one's own self. You, O Muslim, the weak individual, possess the seeds of reform: think of the flaw in your belief, the flaw in your knowledge of Allah the Almighty, the flaw in your behavior, the flaw in your family, the flaw in your household, and the flaw at your work. Start mending yourself, your family, and your work. If every Muslim who is concerned about this great religion does this, we will be, in a short period of time, in a better situation than this.
Dear noble brother, if you are serious about improving the Muslims' situation, you should start with yourself, and if you are serious about supporting Muslims, you should resolve your differences with them. Also, if you are serious about caring for Muslims, you should start with your household and work place. If each one of us does this, we will have a basic solid ground for Muslims' progress.
The hidden reasons behind Muslims' weakness:
Dear noble brothers, this is a delicate fact; the behavioral faults are easier to avoid, because they are evident, but the faults that are related to beliefs, such as having a weak belief in Allah, in the Last Day, and in monotheism and having thoughts that are based on polytheism are among the most dangerous problems Muslims face.
I repeat this fact once again: the faith-related faults, lack of strong belief in Allah, in the Last Day, in Allah's Monotheism, and having polytheistic thoughts are the most serious problems Muslims have nowadays.
Some Muslims say that the problems are more serious than this fact. Well, when you ask yourself where the fault is, you know the clear goal and the paved way to it. However, in the case of the vehicle that stops working, if you do not know the destination of your journey, you do not know whether the way to it is paved or not, and you do not know why the engine stops working, then you are in trouble.
Dear noble brothers, the issues we are discussing are major, so we should find answers to the questions we have raised so far. There is an absence of Islamic awareness, and there is ignorance about the truth of Tawheed (believing in Allah's Monotheism), the truth of the Hereafter, and the truth about man. In fact, the absence of the Islamic awareness means losing the Islamic identity.
The Muslim today is a westerner dressed in an oriental dress-code. In other words, his life-style is western but his outfits are eastern. Also, he has western principles that are covered with a fragile Islamic cover. I am just mentioning some of the features of the problem we face at present. We perform Salah (prayer), observe Siyaam (fasting), and perform Hajj (pilgrimage), but at the same time we imitate westerners' traditions and values.
Our intellectual structure is not monotheistic, our interests are not centered on the Hereafter, but rather on the worldly life, and our sense of inferiority is destructive, because we evaluate ourselves according to the standards of the people of the worldly life. By using these standards, we discover that there is no way to reach the level of the west, and it seems to be impossible. Some aspects of the problem include the absence of the path that leads to the goal and the loss of the means.
Dear brothers, Muslims confront many serious problems which have come to the surface during the latest events. Our weakness which was concealed has become apparent as a result of the west's attempt to annihilate our identity, distort our culture, interfere in our affairs, and attack our sanctuaries.
Muslims' backwardness exists wherever they might be:
Dear noble brothers, once again, I am not talking about a specific Islamic country, but rather about the situation of all Muslims, which you can find in the far east and far west. Unfortunately, when I travelled to countries in the far west and the far east, I noticed that the problems of Muslims were moved from their home countries to the Muslim Communities in the countries they live in. I noticed that they had conflicts with each other, they were divided into sects and fanatic groups, , they accused one another of being infidel and polytheist, and they innovated in religion and so on.
In fact, the problems we suffer from in our countries have become graver since they have been transmitted to the Muslim Communities in the west. This is serious, because all the people of communities cooperate with each other, particularly those of a small number, but the Muslim communities, is contrary to the general rules. The people of the Muslim Communities have conflicts with one another, and this is unbelievable.
Dear noble brothers, Muslims in certain far western countries offer Salah facing two Qibalh (the direction which the Muslim faces when he performs Salah, and it is Makkah, where the Sacred House of Allah is) one towards the east and the other towards the west, and there are still debates about this issue. Moreover, in most far countries in the east and the west, Muslims disagree with one another on the day when they should start observing Siyaam or on the day when they should break it. Let alone, they do not agree on the day when they should perform Hajj. What irony!
We should face the problem:
Dear noble brothers, I always say that the painful truth is a thousand times better than the pleasant delusion. Thus, the first step towards solving a problem is to recognize it. When does someone treat himself from high blood pressure, which is called the silent killer? He does so, when he realizes that he has high blood pressure. So, let us identify the problem, discover it, and face it instead of fleeing from it and act like the ostrich with its head buried in the sand in order not to see the problem.
Some of the characteristics of the Ummah which Allah expects:
Allah the Almighty says in the following Ayaat:
﴾ You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad PBUH and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind ﴿
﴾ And verily! This your religion (of Islamic Monotheism) is one religion… ﴿
﴾ And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. ﴿
Pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "How will it be for you when your young men commit major sins and your women become transgressors? The Companions asked inquisitively, "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Yes, and worse than that is going to happen." How will it be for you when you stop enjoining Al-Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar?" The Companions asked inquisitively, "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Yes, and worse than that is going to happen." The Companions asked again, "What can be worse than that, O Messenger of Allah." The Messenger, peace be upon him, replied, "How will it be for you when you enjoin Al-Munkar and forbid Al-Ma'ruf." The Companions asked, "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Yes, but worse than that." The Companions asked, "What is worse than that, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger, peace be upon him, said, "How will it be for you when you perceive Al-Ma'ruf as Munkar and Al-Munkar as Ma'ruf?" ))
Some deduced behavioral shortcomings:
What is the connection between the things we have mentioned previously and the following Ayah:
﴾ You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad PBUH and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden), and you believe in Allah. ﴿
The reason of being the best of people ever raised up is mentioned in the Ayah itself:
﴾ You enjoin Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden ﴿
Muslims are afflicted with the following matters:
1- Abandoning enjoining Ma'ruf and forbidding Munkar
As long as we enjoin Munkar and forbid Ma'ruf, and since Ma'ruf is considered Munkar and Munkar is considered Ma'ruf, how can we be considered the best of people? Women nowadays walk in the streets exposing their beauty, so do we take the following Hadith into account?
(( Abdullah ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Three persons will not be looked upon by Allah Almighty on the Day of Resurrection: one who disobeys his parents, a woman who imitates men, and a man who allows his women to fornicate. Three persons will not enter Paradise: one who disobeys his parents, a drunkard, and one who reminds others of his charity." ))
Do you not think that this Hadith is applied to whoever walks with his wife while exposing her beauty publicly, or to the mother who lets her daughter walk with her in the streets while she exposes her body.
2- Performing acts of worship carelessly:
Dear noble brothers, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.] and have followed lusts. ﴿
Scholars said that giving up Salat does not mean not performing them, but it means performing them carelessly.
(( Not all those who pray are prayers, as I accept Salat from only those whose Salat make them humble to My Greatness, who do not follow their desires, who do not insist on disobeying Me, who feed the hungry, who cloth up the needy, who are merciful to the injured, and who house the stranger. Only if all are done for my Sake, by My Glory and My Loftiness the light of his face will be to Me brighter than the sun. I will turn his recklessness to patience and darkness to light, and if he supplicates Me, I will answer him, if he asks Me, I will give him, if he swears by My Name, I will respond to him. I will keep him close to Me and let My angels protect him. He is to Me like Paradise whose fruits do not lack and whose state never changes. ))
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.] and have followed lusts. ﴿
3- Having the heart filled with grudge and lusts:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail* Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifaq (hypocrisy)]. ﴿
The clean heart never longs for a forbidden lust, always judges according to Shari'ah rulings of Allah and never believes whatever that contradicts Allah's Revelation.
4- Claiming closeness to Allah the Almighty:
The Jews and the Christians said as Allah the Almighty narrates:
﴾ And (both) the Jews and the Christians say: "We are the children of Allah and His loved ones." ﴿
This is just a false allegation. The poet said:
All claim that they love Laila
But Laila never confirms that
I repeat the Ayah:
﴾ And (both) the Jews and the Christians say: "We are the children of Allah and His loved ones." ﴿
How does Allah the Almighty respond to them? Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" ﴿
If the Muslims say, "We are the Ummah of Muhammad, peace be upon him, upon which Allah the Almighty has sent His Mercy, the Ummah of the seal of the Prophets, peace be upon them, and the Ummah of the Noble Quran", then the response to those Muslims who fall short in their religious duties can be in this Ayah:
﴾ Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created… ﴿
The Islamic Ummah has become like other deviated nations in the sense that Muslims no longer abide by Allah's Orders and Prohibitions, so Allah the Almighty no more cares for them:
﴾ Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created… ﴿
Dear noble brothers, the reasons behind the destruction of other nations are the same of the destruction of our Ummah. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ They used not to forbid one another from the Munkar (wrong, evil-doing, sins, polytheism, disbelief, etc.) which they committed. ﴿
5- Practising oppression against others:
As the Prophet, peace be upon him, "…when a person of rank among them committed a theft, they left him alone, and when a weak one of them committed a theft, they inflicted the prescribed punishment on him." Here is the incident of the Hadith:
﴾ A'ishah said: The Quraish were anxious about the Makhzumi woman who had committed theft, They said: Who will speak to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) about her? Then they said: Who will be bold enough for it but Uasmah bin Zaid, the prophet's (PBUH) friend! So Usamah spoke to him, and the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Are you interceding regarding one of the punishments prescribed by Allah? He then got up and gave an address, saying: What destroyed your predecessors was just that when a person of rank among them committed a theft, they left him alone, and when a weak one of them committed a theft, they inflicted the prescribed punishment on him. I swear by Allah that if Fatimah daughter of Muhammad should steal, I would have her hand cut off. ﴿
Due to the current situation of the Muslims, the scholars divided Muslims into two groups. The first group contains the Muslims who act upon Allah's Order, so this Ayah is applied to them:
﴾ You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad PBUH and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind… ﴿
The other group contains those who are supposed to convey Da'wah, but they deviated from the Path of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He.
6- Neglecting Da'wah to Allah the Almighty:
One more point indicated in the following Ayah:
﴾ Thus We have made you [true Muslims – real believers of Islamic Monotheism, true followers of Prophet Muhammad PBUH and his Sunnah (legal ways)], a Wasat (just) (and the best) nation… ﴿
Are we working on conveying this religion to other nations and peoples? Do we seek spreading this religion all over the world? Do we pay effort to become the messengers of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He (through Da'wah)?
7- Sowing conflicts among us:
One more thing, Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ Truly! This, your Ummah (Shari'ah or religion (Islamic Monotheism)) is one religion, and I am Your Lord, therefore, worship Me (Alone). (Tafseer Ibn Katheer).﴿
Are we united? Did we cancel the differences among us? Do we favor the interest of the Muslims over the personal one? Do we belong to the Muslims or to other groups which work on disuniting Muslims?
8- Avoiding to get back to religion regarding key issues:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And be not like those who forgot Allah (i.e. became disobedient to Allah) and He caused them to forget their ownselves, (let them to forget to do righteous deeds). Those are the Fasiqoon (rebellious, disobedient to Allah).﴿
Dear noble brothers, when we tackle an issue or handle a case on any level, we forget about the Divine Way, the Noble Quran or the great religion! By Allah, I attended a conference in an Arab country about the family, during which more than 10 lectures were given. Yet, in none of those lectures was the Name of Allah, the Noble Quran and Islam mentioned.
﴾ And be not like those who forgot Allah (i.e. became disobedient to Allah) and He caused them to forget their ownselves, (let them to forget to do righteous deeds) ﴿
We are not considered monotheists if we deal with our issues without returning them to the Revelation from Heaven and Allah's Way. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Truly! This, your Ummah (Shari'ah or religion (Islamic Monotheism)) is one religion… ﴿
We hardly mention Allah's Way, Book, great religion. Let alone, we are no more the messengers who are supposed to be at the disposal of this great religion.
9- Wasting time:
Dear noble brothers, there are other problems the Islamic Ummah have. For instance, time is worthless to us; it is not precious at all, so we waste it on frivolous activities, on gossiping, on useless meetings and on nonsense. We waste most time on worthless matters, while the other party (our enemies) keep up all night planning against us. Moreover, we sleep until noon, while our enemies work hard until a late hour at night although neither the Divine Revelation nor the Noble Quran has been sent to them. Unfortunately, we have the Divine Revelation and the Noble Quran sent to us, and we have a crystal-clear Divine Way, but we are careless and lazy.
Dear noble brothers, the Quran is in our hands, and in it, Allah the Almighty orders us to prepare whatever means of power we have against our enemy. Unlike us, they have prepared all means of power against us, and throughout 200 years, they have been working hard, so they have become in control, and they have imposed their indecent manners and culture on us. In addition, they have intended to change our religion, and what helps them in doing so is our weakness, which is the result of keeping the Quran away from our daily life activities. Because of our weakness, they dare to desecrate our Qur'an, and we are the ones to blame.
Dear noble brothers, we do not appreciate the value of time, and we soon get bored from working. Well, man is the most precious creature on earth, the utmost one and the main target of all systems and changes. Yet, in the societies of backward people, he is a victim who is always destroyed, and whose fears and worries are neglected. Bear in mind that when man weakens, the entire society gets weak, and when he gets strong, the entire society gets strong.
10- Imitating others' inventions instead of inventing:
Dear noble brothers, all we do is imitate others instead of being creative. We just imitate rather than innovate, and we memorize things without thinking about them. We use others' ideas to solve our own problems, which is ridiculous. The first Ayah that has been revealed in the Noble Quran is:
﴾ Read! ﴿
You should learn and read faith-oriented kind of reading, and you should ponder over what you read. Seeking knowledge should be based on religious purposes.
﴾ Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists)* Has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood)* Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous* Who has taught (the writing) by the pen [the first person to write was Prophet Idrees (Enoch)]* Has taught man that which he knew not. ﴿
[Al-Alaq, 1-5]
There are different types of reading; you read to ponder over what you read and to believe in what you read, you read to be grateful to Allah the Almighty, and you read to consider the matters mentioned in the Noble Quran and Sunnah. Unlike us, the west read to oppress others. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Nay! Verily, man does transgress all bounds (in disbelief and evil deed, etc.)* Because he considers himself self-sufficient. ﴿
11- Innovation in religion:
Dear noble brothers, understanding things is the basic element for progress. We should have the correct understanding, the right balance and the right standard. Therefore, we should seek the comprehensive knowledge, know Allah the Almighty, know His Way, know the purpose of our existence and move according to the right way.
We innovated in Allah's religion and innovation in religion is to stray . We are only concerned about the matters of the worldly life, which is the reason of our ignorance. We innovate in religion and imitate others' worldly matters and become their followers, while it is for a greater reason better to us to follow the steps of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and be innovators regarding the worldly matters.
Allah the Almighty created us to see who is the best in deeds, which means that success is evident, but the test is for the purpose of distinguishing the most successful people from the others. The proof is that Allah the Almighty does not say that He tries us to see who will succeed and who will not, because basically we should all be successful.
Pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( Anas Ibn Malik reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If the Final Hour comes while you have a shoot of a plant in your hands and it is possible to plant it before the Hour comes, you should plant it." ))
This is the Prophet's guidance, peace and be upon him, and it is a call to reform our world, to provide others with job opportunities, and to guarantee our food. An author said, "Woe to a nation that eats what it does not plant, and woe to a nation that wears what it does not weave", and we would like to add this: Woe to a nation that uses equipment that it does not manufacture. The largest flight fleet in the Middle East of an Islamic country has been disrupted because spare parts were prevented from being sent there, and there is a conflict over spare parts, water, wheat, and oil although the Muslims live in the most prominent spot in the world where the greatest natural treasure exists.
12- Words are not aligned with actions:
Dear noble brothers, some people say, "The Islamic Ummah gives and works less than other nations, but she speaks and argues more than them." We work less than others, and rarely do we do anything significant. Instead, we do trivial things.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, was described as a living Quran Nowadays there is a wide gap between the Muslims' words and their actions. If this is our situation, how do we expect Compassion and Care from Allah?
The entire world is turning the barren lands into green pastures, whereas we do the opposite, turning our lands into deserts! We cut the trees to build buildings, causing by that the global warming and pollution.
13- Not making use of the available means:
Listen to the following Hadith, please:
(( Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet used to say, "O Allah! I seek refuge with You from helplessness, laziness, cowardice and feeble old age; I seek refuge with You from afflictions of life and death and seek refuge with You from the punishment in the grave." ))
Dear noble brothers, the stronger believer is better and more beloved to Allah the Almighty as it is mentioned in this Hadith:
(( It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said, attributing it to the Prophet (PBHU): "The stronger believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive to seek that which will benefit you and do not feel helpless. If something overwhelms you, then say: Qaddarallah, wa ma sha'a fa'al (It is the decree of Allah and what He wills He does). And beware of (saying) 'If only,' for 'If only' opens the door to Satan." ))
Dear noble brothers, the problem with us is that we usually attribute our mistakes to Allah's Qada' and Qadar (the Divine Decree and Will):
(( 'Auf b. Malik told that the Prophet gave a decision between two men and that when the one against whom the decision had been given turned away he said, "My sufficiency is God, and good is the Guardian." Thereupon the Prophet said, "Allah the Most High blames for falling short, hut apply intelligence, and when a matter gets the better of you say, 'My sufficiency is Allah, and good is the Guardian.)' ))
Accordingly, if a student fails in the exam for which he does not study, and he "My sufficiency is Allah, and good is the Guardian", his reaction is ridiculous.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, wanted to discipline whoever misuses the principles of Islam. He said:
(( "Allah the Most High blames for falling short, hut apply intelligence, and when a matter gets the better of you say, 'My sufficiency is Allah, and good is the Guardian.)' ))
When we receive the results of our mistakes, we say, "Our sufficiency is Allah, and good is the Guardian. This is what Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, wills and decrees", which is absolutely wrong to say. When you make a mistake, and you are punished for it later on, this is what you deserve and not due to Allah's Qada' and Qadar as you think.
Allah's Decree is manifested in the slander incident, and the one who brought it forth will be punished as Allah the Almighty menaced him. Allah the Almighty says about that incident:
﴾ Verily! Those who brought forth the slander (against 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) the wife of the Prophet PBUH) are a group among you. Consider it not a bad thing for you. ﴿
This is called Allah's Qada' and Qadar. Yet, Allah's Qada' and Qadar never exempt you from your responsibility. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be a great torment. ﴿
Muslims advance by getting back to Allah's Way:
Dear noble brothers, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "And verily, this (i.e. Allah's Commandments mentioned in the above two Verses 151 and 152) is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path… ﴿
As long as we are all on the Right Path, we are always united, because the war between two parties is never launched if both of them are on the Right Path. On the other hand, the war between two parties; one of whom is on the Right Path, and the other one supports al-Batil (falsehood) ends shortly, but the war between two parties never ends if both of them support al-Batil.
Let us assume, dear noble brothers, that we are in a circle, the center of which is al-Haqq (the truth), and from it the lines emanate as rays towards the periphery. You are on one of the rays or the lines, so as you approach the center, the distance or gap between you and your fellow brother gets shorter till we reach the center, and all the distances disappear. In other words, when we reach the pure al-Haqq, we must be 100% united, but since there are gaps among us, there is weakness.
Dear noble brothers, I keep repeating this fact: there are four major matters in your life, if one has a flaw, it is reflected on the other three. These matters are: Your relationship with Allah the Almighty, your relationships at your work, your relationship with your family, and your relationship with your health. Set specific goals for yourself based on these matters, and reconcile your relationship with Allah by obeying Him properly, perform your duties towards others, mend the relationships with your colleagues at work, mend your relationship with your family and take care of your health
The current situation of Muslims is indicated in this Hadith:
Dear noble brothers, pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The people will soon summon one another to attack you from every horizon as people when eating invite others to share their dish." We asked: "Will that be because of our small numbers at that time?" He, peace be upon him, replied: "No, you will be numerous at that time, but you will be scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the breasts of your enemy and last wahn (enervation) into your hearts." They asked: "What is wahn (enervation)?" Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, replied: "Love of life and dislike of death."))
This is exactly our current situation.
The concluding Du'a of the 1st Khutbah:
Dear brothers, call yourselves to account before you are called to do so, and weigh your deeds before they are weighed against you, and you should know that the Angel of Death has reached others and will reach us soon, so pay heed. The wise man is the one who calls himself to account (and refrains from doing evil deeds) and does noble deeds to benefit him after death; and the foolish person is the one who subdues himself to his temptations and desires and seeks from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds
***
The 2nd Khutbah:
Praise be to Allah, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Protector of righteous people; and I bear witness that Prophet Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, whose character is exalted. O Allah, our Lord, have peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad, upon his Folks and upon his Companions.
The miracle of plants' prostration to Allah the Almighty:
Dear noble brothers, the result of a scientific research was published in a famous magazine, and
according to it, a team of experts discovered that some tropical plants release ultrasonic vibrations, which were monitored and recorded by the most advanced scientific devices. The scientists spent nearly three years investigating and studying closely this perplexing phenomenon. Eventually, they could turn those pulses into optical signals using an electronic monitoring equipment. Scientists noticed that those pulses were repeated more than 100 times per second.
Brown, the well-known scientist and the head of the specialized team of scientists who studied this phenomenon, indicated, "The results of our study could not refer to any scientific explanation for this phenomenon. Furthermore, after having presented the results of our research to a number of universities and specialized scientific centers in America and Europe, they all failed to explain this phenomenon."
The secret of this phenomenon is in the Noble Quran:
During the last time that experiment was performed in front of a British scientific team, one of the team was a British Muslim scientist of an Indian origin. After five days of laboratory experiments, the British team was confused, but the British Muslim scientist stood up and said, "We Muslims have an explanation for this phenomenon, and it has been referred to since 1.400 years." The scientists were taken aback by that scientist's statement, and they pressed him to explain what he meant by his words. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him and there is not a thing but glorifies His Praise. But you understand not their glorification. Truly, He is Ever Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving. ﴿
Silence and astonishment filled the hall where the Muslim scientist said those words. It was a clear example of one of the true miracles of this religion. Everything glorifies in the Name of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He.
Scientist Brown, the head of the team, talked to the Muslim scientist to know more about Islam and the miracle the illiterate Prophet predicted 1.400 years ago. The Muslim scientist explained Islam to him, and then he gave him a copy of the Noble Quran and an English interpretation of it
A western scientist embraced Islam because of this phenomenon:
A few days later, Professor Brown gave a presentation at a British institution, saying, "I have never seen such a thing throughout my thirty-year profession, and none of scientists on the earth have been able to explain it. The only explanation to this phenomenon is in the Quran, and so all I can say is: I bear witness that there is no Deity worthy of worship but Allah Alone and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger." At that moment Professor Brown announced embracing Islam.
For many years, the photovoltaic waves have been recorded at a consistent rate of a hundred waves per second. This result has been presented to most universities without giving any explanation, but the Noble Quran has the explanation, glory be to Allah:
﴾ We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their ownselves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Qur'an) is the truth. ﴿
Du'a:
O Allah, we beseech You to show us the way of righteousness together with those to whom You showed it; and to give us good health together with those whom You have healed; and to be our Protector, as You are of those whom You protect; and to bless what You have bestowed on us; and to save us from the affliction that You have decreed –for You rule with justice and You are never judged; and he whom You protect shall never be humiliated, and he whom You make Your enemy shall never be elevated, blessed and dignified are You. We thank You for what You have decreed, we ask You for Forgiveness for our sins, and we repent to You.
O Allah, please lead us to the good deeds, for no one leads to them but You; please lead us to the good conduct, for no one leads to it but You; please make us do well in the Deen, which is our dignity, make us do well in our worldly life, in which we dwell and grant us safety on the Day of Judgment for it is our Final Destination. O Allah, please supply our life with all good things and make our death a rest from every evil.
O our Master, the Lord of all Worlds, please make us desire what You have made lawful and reject what You have made unlawful, make us by Your benevolence independent of all others and make our obedience to You turn us away from our disobedience.
O Allah, send Your Peace and Blessings on the illiterate Prophet and and his Folks and Companions.
