A Call to Support the Muslims in India

A Call to Support the Muslims in India | Juma Khutbah

Opening Testimony and Praise

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, He has no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, peace be upon him, and upon his family and his companions, and upon those who followed his invitation and established his Sunnah until the Day of Judgment.

And surely there is no animosity except for the oppressor. And I bear witness that Allah is one and has no partners, and that Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, is his last messenger, his servant. May Allah constantly, always send peace and blessings to Muhammad, to his family, to his companions, and all those who called to his way and implement his Sunnah to the Day of Judgment.

The Divine Warning and Our Times

As to what follows, Allah has revealed to us in His mighty book:

"O mankind, fear your Lord. Indeed, the convulsion of the [final] Hour is a terrible thing."

O you who believe, as we approach the month of Dhul-Hijjah, ending the month of Dhul-Qa'dah, we recognize that we are living in traumatic times, changing times, eventful times. And it is critical for us, personally, with our families, with our communities, to strengthen our connection with the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.

Because ultimately the bottom line rests with Allah. And we will not be struck by anything that Allah had not willed.

The Prophetic Gift of Concise Speech

And our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was blessed with Jawami' al-Kalim. He was blessed with a type of speech that with a few words encompassed a great meaning. These words not only were relevant in his time, but will continue to be explaining things to the believers to the Day of Judgment.

The Hadith About This Ummah's Test

Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in speaking about our ummah, our nation - and we have reached now close to two billion people - but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in an authentic hadith reported in Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and Imam Ahmad:

(Sunan Abu Dawud 4278, Sunan Ibn Majah 4019, Musnad Ahmad 19608)

"This ummah, my nation, is a nation that has mercy on it. Its punishment is not in the next life. But the punishment is in this world: trials (fitn), earthquakes (zalazil), and killing (qatal)."

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this ummah, my nation, is a nation that has mercy on it. Its punishment is not in the next life. But the punishment is in this world: fitn, zalazil, qatal.

Understanding the Three Tests

Fitn is the plural of fitna - trials, tribulations, confusion. And the world we are living in today with social media gone out of control is a world of temptations and confusions, misunderstandings. It's a fitna. And sadaqa Rasulullah, alayhi salatu wa salam - the Messenger of Allah spoke the truth - it has never been seen on such an international level as today.

And then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said we would be struck with earthquakes. An earthquake we can take literally and reflect upon what we have just experienced in Turkey. Or we can take it in a general sense of natural catastrophes. And so these events would come upon us.

And finally he said, qatal, and that is murder. And organized murder, slaughter is genocide.

A Time of Purification

And so we have to recognize that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not speak from himself. And we are going through what we could call a tamhees, a purification. I believe that we are being purified for something. Our numbers have gotten to the highest level ever. Our strategic positions have become more important than ever. The mineral resources lying under our countries have become more vital for society than ever before. But yet we are not feeling the benefit from it. As a matter of fact, with all the great potential, our nation is in crisis. It's a purification.

The Global Crisis Affecting Muslims

A recent study looked at the most severely affected areas in the world in terms of crisis. And a crisis could be natural disasters, it could be famine, it could be war. And they listed some of these countries and they said the top eight was: number one, the Horn of Africa; two, the Sahel region, which is the savannah region going across Africa, the Sahara; three, the Democratic Republic of the Congo; four, Afghanistan; five, Yemen; six, Pakistan; seven, Ukraine; and eight, Syria.

And you can see of the eight listed crises, six of them are Muslim countries. And this is not somebody who has a bias. This is somebody who is looking at the issues facing humanity today. And so something is coming upon us.

Reaching the Critical Point

Historically, it has happened before to our nation. We have been pushed into the corner. We have been pushed to the point where there's nothing left but:

"When is the help of Allah?" (Quran 2:214)

Even the Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them all) said that. They reached the point where they just raised their hands: Where is Allah's help? And so we are reaching that critical mass that brings about a serious change.

The Focus on Genocide

The issue, the third issue from amongst the three - fitn, zalazil, qatal - the last was murder or genocide. And that is the area that we have to keep our eyes focused on. It is a great test to all of us when it happens to somebody within our nation.

And today we want to lift up our voice with over a hundred imams all over Canada to recognize the presence of genocide in our nation. Not Muslims inflicting it upon other people, but genocide coming upon our innocence. And especially we wanted to look at the case of India.

The Forgotten Genocide in India

Because India with over 220 million Muslims incorporated within the subcontinent is usually not mentioned when the word genocide is thought of. But yet what is happening there today requires us, along with remembering all our other areas, to take a little focus upon this. Because what is happening is horrendous. And it's hard for us to imagine something like this as we sit in a relative state of calm and peace here in Canada. It is hard for us to imagine this when we hear the international media talking about other places.

But the reality on the ground for us would be like flying to another planet. And when you hit down, you are in a state of confusion.

The Ten Stages of Genocide

And it is reported, you need to think about the concept of genocide itself. What does it actually mean? And the experts who have studied genocide, which is organized slaughter, they looked at ten stages of genocide. And you think about these stages and what is happening:

Number one, classification. People within a country had to be classified as the other, as the enemies. That's the first way they start the genocide.

Two, symbolization. So the symbols of the people in our case, the symbols, our masjids, minarets, the hijab being worn by Muslim women, that has to be demonized or it has to be negated as though it doesn't exist.

Three, discrimination. Exclusion from civil rights. So the body that genocide is going to hit, they are excluded from their civil rights.

Four, dehumanization, equating them with insects and animals.

Five, organization, special militias sent out against the targeted people.

Six, polarization, hate speech, propaganda.

Seven, preparation. The victims are identified and mass killings are planned.

Number eight, persecution, forced displacement, shelters, concentration camps.

Number nine, extermination. Now the actual extermination takes place.

And ten, and this is part of genocide, denial, where they deny the fact that the genocide actually took place.

The Reality of Muslims in India Today

And so we see the situation right in front of our eyes. Those who are living, Muslims living in India are subject to daily attacks. People's homes, shops, the masjids - daily attack as though we are here in peace. Imagine a mob coming at our masjid.

Muslims are now considered in India as foreigners, they're outsiders. They're not actually Indians, although India has always been a melting pot of so many different nations and religions over the centuries.

Daily lynch mobs - remember the genocide, the organized militias - lynch mobs being sent out of Hindu extremists. And it's hard to even think. We here have our halal shops, all different types of halal. In one state alone, 50,000 halal meat shops were closed. And their crime was eating beef - a crime punishable by death.

1.9 million Muslims in Assam are now stateless. Officially their citizenship taken away, stateless. Masjids under attack. Qurans being burnt. This is a daily reality.

The Prophetic Command to Stand Against Evil

And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and this is speaking not just to his companions, he's talking to us:

(Sahih Muslim 49)

"Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue; if he is not able to do so, then with his heart - and that is the weakest of iman."

If you see evil, change it with your hands. If you cannot do that, then say something. If you cannot do that, then hate it in your heart - not just saying the word, but feel it. But that is the weakest form of faith. So we can't sit still.

Our Duty: Dua, Donation, and Advocacy

We have to make du'a for our people on the ground, everywhere these organized genocides are taking place. We need to donate. We need to give of ourselves, especially to groups in advocacy. It is now not just the time to give to relief organizations. That is important. But those who advocate.

Because these genocides in most cases are stopped when an organized power stands in the way of the genocide. So those groups who are advocating, donate to it. Because they are doing right here in Canada what we could call (فَرْضُ كِفَايَةٌ - fard kifayah). And fard kifayah means it is an obligatory action that the community has to do. And if somebody stands up and does it, it can shield the rest of the community. Otherwise we are living in sin. And so support those who advocate.

Education and Awareness

Educate ourselves. Educate our children. Educate our communities as to what is actually happening. Many of our children are lost in space, lost in false constructs, when the reality on the ground is very much different.

And one of the websites we can confirm is www.saveindia.ca. Go to that website. Educate yourself. Educate your family, your community as to what is happening right in front of us. Because as they say, when it happens to somebody else and you don't do it, you can be next. So when they come to your house, when they come to our masjid, then we cry out. We need to be proactive.

Taking Action: Using Our Rights as Canadians

And there is hope. There is hope on the ground. Seminars, social media use it in a positive way. There are those amongst us who are skilled with social media. Use it in a positive way to remind people of what is happening to the Muslim world.

And here in Canada, we have the right to pressurize government officials. We can send letters. We can visit MPs. We can go directly to the Prime Minister to remind them of what is happening. And our right as Canadians to demand that our country should not do business with extremists. Not do business with people who are committing genocide right in front of our eyes.

And our country, if it really does stand for freedom, justice, equality, it should be banning all extremist groups. So any of these extremist groups that show their heads right here, they should be banned by the society. And if we don't stand up and demonstrate and contact and do something, nobody is going to listen. It will be wiped out. It will be pushed to the side.

The Test and the Strength of the Oppressed

This is a test that we are under. This is a test that we are seeing our people going through. But in many cases, those people who are under the gun turned out to be the strongest at the end. Those who thought they were safe get confused when the fire touches them. And so this is a reminder from the members all over this country today. It's a reminder about the situation in India. And it's also a reminder of the situations happening throughout the Muslim world. That we should not forget this. That we need to make this part of our identity.

What Does It Mean to Be Muslim?

What is it to be a Muslim? Is it only to fast? Is it only to pray? No, being Muslim means that you see evil and you do something. You don't sit still.

Taqwa is made up of khawf and raja. It is the fear of Allah. It is the hope in Allah. It's a stimulant. Taqwa should stimulate us to be aware of what is happening right around us. And to be constantly vigilant as to what is happening in the world.

We Are One Ummah, One Body

Because we are an ummah. And an ummah is a nation just like your body. And as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, if part of the body is in pain and suffering, then the body reacts to that. And fever comes and different actions go inside your blood. We are one nation and we need to react to what is happening to Muslims wherever it is on this planet.

I leave you with these thoughts.