Urgent Alarm in The Age of Crisis

Urgent Alarm in The Age of Crisis

Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick

Opening and Testimony of Faith

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Allah is the Greatest. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

There is none worthy of worship except Allah. Our praises are due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. And surely the best reward is for those who have taqwa. 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 servant and His last messenger.

Invoking Blessings Upon the Prophet

And may Allah always and constantly send peace and blessings to Muhammad, to his family, to his companions, to all those who call to his way, and establish his sunnah to the Day of Judgment. As to what follows, O you who believe, I begin by cautioning myself and you to have taqwa. Al-khawf wal-rajaa. That we should fear Allah. Hope in the mercy of Allah. And that creates a type of consciousness. The consciousness of Allah. So that we would practice Islam to the best of our ability, not only in the masjid, but outside of the masjid. Not only on special occasions, but in everything that we do.

The Timeless Relevance of the Quran

And Allah has revealed His last testament to humanity, in a form that was not only relevant to the companions of the Prophet, but will continue to be relevant to the Day of Resurrection. And in this mighty text, Allah reveals an extremely important ayah at the end of Surah Al-Hashr, which is of critical importance to us, when we are thinking about time. Because now we are in a time change. Ramadan is over. Shawwal ending. And it is like Ramadan for many people was a long time ago. It's a change, it's a transition that we're going in. But the reality is, or should be, that Ramadan is not ended, it's a doorway to the rest of the year. Because for Allah, the past, the present, and the future are the same. We are the ones going through the transition. And so we need to be aware of this, that these verses revealed to us are not restricted to time. But they are relevant to all times.

Consciousness of Allah and Preparation for Tomorrow

And in this verse, Allah tells us:

"O you who believe, have the consciousness of Allah, and let every soul look to what it put forward for tomorrow, and fear Allah. Surely Allah is well aware of all that you do. And be not as those who forgot Allah, and so He made them forget themselves. Surely they are the disobedient ones."

And so in this ayah, Allah gives us the admonition of being aware of Him, but also tells us that all of us, we should all look to the future. We cannot be restricted in the present. We have to connect ourselves to what is happening, to where we are going as Muslims and as human beings.

Urgent Warning from the North: Climate Crisis

I want to bring you a message from the north, where I am coming, from the far north. From the summit station, which is the highest point on earth, where human beings measure temperature. There were alarm bells that went out two years ago. Last year, they desperately tried to reach out to the world, to make people understand what is happening now. But nobody wanted to listen to them. They told them that with the measurements, since human beings have been measuring temperature, they have never seen the temperature rise, in the way it is rising now. In the northern part of the world, it is five times hotter. The temperature is changing. It is five times the heat change than it is below. And what is happening is that the ice caps are melting. And it is reported that an iceberg twice the size of Manhattan, broke off from a huge glacier, went into the ocean.

What this means is that we are now confirmed, to be living in an age, where we will go through a period of severe, severe weather changes. To the point where relationships between human beings are gonna change. And Allah knows best when it will happen. But it is imminent. And we see it coming closer and closer.

Unprecedented Natural Disasters

We see the rise of earthquakes, which are breaking all records. Flooding, not only happening in Bangladesh, but flooding happening right here in America. In Canada itself, in Calgary, a flood downtown in the area. Unprecedented floods. And many of these crises, whether they are tornadoes, or whether they are floods, or whatever it is, or the dry weather of California, in many cases they are saying, this record, or this temperature, this earthquake, is the worst in living memory. This is how they are speaking. But when people got the message, when the message comes to people, they just turn away, and they continue to play. The people in the north are calling down, to say to the rest of the world, wake up before it is too late. But we continue to play.

Humanity's Heedlessness: A Quranic Warning

And Allah informed us 1400 years ago, again, these verses are not time restricted, but can be applied to situations, that we are in right now on the ground. In Surah Al-Anbiya, right in the beginning, Allah tells us:

Their reckoning has drawn near for the people, yet they turn away in heedlessness. Whenever there comes a renewed message from their Lord, they listen to it while they play.

And so they go from the World Series to the World Cup. They go to the Rugby Championship or the Olympics to the Super Bowl. And continue in sport and play.

The Distraction of Entertainment

And sport and play is a good thing for people. It's part of the sunnah of the Prophet. But if sport and play becomes more important than children being gunned down right in a part of the world or viruses spreading like the Ebola virus spreading or things happening if it's more important when grown men kick a little ball into a net. Something's happening. And we fall under this ayah: (وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ - wahum yal'abun) They play. And so we see it come to pass. An illusion. We are living in an illusion of a civilization. An illusion of peace and security. An illusion of education. And it is crucial for human beings right across the board, not just Muslims. But it is critical for humanity now, to turn around before it is too late.

The Coming Catastrophe

Because when the tidal wave comes, (لا سمح الله - la samah allah). When that tidal wave comes, if the seismic movements are moved to a certain level in the Atlantic Ocean, in the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean, then a tidal wave is predicted to come which would knock out the east coast. For years we have been waiting for the San Andreas fault in Los Angeles. We have been waiting for the big one to come. And so it is time for human beings in general to reanalyze how we spend wealth, our budgets, how we live our lives before it is too late.

Misplaced Priorities: Weapons and Recreation

It is reported that in this civilization that we are living in, the greatest expenditure is weapons. But the second greatest expenditure is recreation. Especially in the western countries. And a startling study came out that showed that from this recreation, the area of pornography, pornography, back in 2006, pornography brought in 97 billion dollars in profit. They made more money from pornography than Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple, Netflix, Earthlink, all combined together. And the frightening thing, who are the ones who are watching the pornography? They said it is mainly young people between the ages of 12 to 17 years old. And so a younger generation whose minds are now being distorted through pornography, that they will be capable of anything.

The Loss of Modesty and Shame

And the video games now, taking life, not respecting women. The Prophet said in authentic hadith:

(Sahih al-Bukhari 3484)

If you don't have haya, if you don't have modesty and shame, then do what you wanna do. In other words, you are capable of doing anything. Capable of anything. And this is what is happening.

The Rise of Islam Despite Opposition

And Muslims come on the scene, rising in numbers. Despite the negative propaganda and negative image given of Islam, Islam is now spreading throughout the world. In Australia, the aboriginal people in Melbourne, I visited there, aboriginal chief, accepted Islam as people coming in in large numbers. In Southern Africa, the Khoisan people, the original people whose DNA goes back probably further than anybody else, are embracing Islam. In Europe, in places like Poland, Greece, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Islam is spreading. Even in the bastion of the Crusaders, Islam is on the rise. We hear about France, and how even laws are made to prevent women from covering themselves up. They wanna ban the hijab completely if they can. But people don't realize what's happening in France. In Paris and Marseille, 45% of the population, 25 or under are Muslims. 45%. In Belgium and Holland, 1 out of every 2 children born in the hospital is a Muslim. 1 out of every 2. And so it is happening all over the place.

In North America, in the Northern part, the Inuits are embracing Islam, in the Arctic Circle region. And so, more and more people are witnessing that there is one God, accepting all of the prophets, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad peace be upon them all. More and more people are praying during the day. More and more people are fasting, are giving charity, more and more people are trying not to be racist. That's a good thing. And for those who believe in civilization and believe in morality amongst human beings, that's a good thing.

Opposition to Islamic Values

That should be something which is applauded by the nations of the world. But for the lovers of filth, for those who make their money on pornography, on the selling of alcohol and drugs, on gambling casinos, this is a problem. This is a problem. What is wrong with being a Muslim? Even the terminology Islam. And now they say Islamists. Don't allow yourself to be called an Islamist. There is no such thing as an Islamist. In the negative image which is being given. Because grammatically it is wrong. If a person is an expert in physics, he is a physicist. Biology, biologist. Chemistry, chemist. Right, from the word Islam, Islamist. But it's negative things being given.

The True Meaning of Islam: Civic Education

What does it mean in the actual root? The Prophet Muhammad, when he came to Yathrib, he instituted a society where people had a civic education. A civic education. How to be a human being who respects other religions, respects the environment, who establishes justice, who helps the poor and the needy. What they call today a civic education was given to the people. And the Prophet said to his people:

(Sunan Ibn Majah 3251, Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2485)

Extend greetings, give the salams among yourself, provide food to the needy, maintain close relationships, observe prayer at night while people are asleep, and then you will enter paradise peacefully. You will enter paradise peacefully. He said to his followers:

(Sahih al-Bukhari 2989, Sahih Muslim 1009)

You are walking down the road, and you see something on the road, glass or something harmful to people, and you move it from the road, that is a form of charity. This is a civic education. He said to them:

(Sunan Abi Dawud 4941, Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1924)

Have mercy on the people of the earth, and then the one who is in the heavens will have mercy on you.

Islam: A Mercy to Humanity

Islam was and still is a mercy to humanity. It is a way to break down racism if it is practiced properly. And again I'm talking to myself and to the Muslims. If we are practicing Islam properly, it is a way to break down racism that we see even here in this society is alive and well. And the situation in Missouri has only brought back to the society some of the fault lines between the races that need to be dealt with. If we are to go forward as a society based on justice, then we have to look at history not as a tired subject. But we have to deal with reparations. We have to deal with the injustices that were done to the native people in these lands. To the African-American people in these lands. To the Hispanic people in these lands. Who used to own California. And used to own the Southwest. It was Mexico. What are the injustices done? When this is dealt with as a country, as a continent, then we can really have peace on the ground. And this is where the example of the Prophet is an example for all of humanity. It is an example for us to see.

Ramadan: A Training Ground for Life

But it is crucial for Muslims for us now to carry this revelation. And Ramadan was a testing ground. Ramadan was a training session. It's like a training session before the World Cup. Before the Super Bowl. And so you train intensively before the big championship match. Because now when Ramadan is over and the forces of evil return, then you are in a pitch battle with the forces of evil. And Ramadan taught us and we should never forget, that the essence of fasting itself was not just staying away from food and drink, it was taqwa. It was the consciousness of Allah. That was the essence. Ramadan also taught us that it is so important, nearness to Allah, that is the most important issue for Muslims today. That is the most important issue for us. To come close to our Creator. So we are not on one extreme or another extreme. It also taught us the importance of our character. That something should be changed.

The True Spirit of Fasting

And the Prophet told us very clearly:

(Sunan Ibn Majah 1690, Musnad Ahmad 8693)

There are some people who fast and they get nothing out of their fasting but that they're hungry. There are some who stand in the night and all they get is sleeplessness. What was he saying? There's something else in Ramadan. A character change. And we cannot expect the help of Allah, no matter how we cry out, unless we work on our hearts, unless we work on what is inside of us, our very conception.

The Principle of Change

Because Allah told us very clearly:

Allah will not change the condition of the people until they change that which is in themselves. Fasting also taught us patience. That if we have patience and perseverance, then we can confront our fears. Many people especially in the northern parts of America, they were afraid of Ramadan. It's too long. We have some areas in Canada where it's 18 hour fast. We have some areas in the north where there is no sunset. Now you really got a problem. And the fatwa was made for the northern territories of Inuvik and Iqaluit, that we would use the closest reasonable city, the south central Winnipeg, was being used for the calendars of the people lived far in the north.

Three Essential Qualities for Muslims

Ramadan also taught us important issues about ourselves as a group. And one of the great scholars of Islam, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, in one of his discussions, he said: What is it that makes people human beings? What is it that makes us human? What is gonna make Muslims to the level where we supposed to be? He spoke about three things. He spoke about ijtema, ta'awwun, and tanasur. Ijtema is collective thinking. That we have to think as a group. We have to think as a group. If somebody is being hurt in Palestine, or in Bosnia, or in Philippines, right? This Ebola virus hitting West Africa. Don't think that it's just some... These are Muslims. Guinea, and Liberia, Sierra Leone. This is the Futa Jalon. This is the Futa Toro. This is the land of the Fulanis. And it's one of the key bases of Islam in West Africa. So don't think that it's just somebody far out there. We have to identify with other people. So ijtema. Second, ta'awwun. And that is cooperation. That we cooperate with each other. And thirdly, tanasur. And that is that we help each other. We mutually help each other. So whenever we have a chance to give, if something is happening in Bosnia, or the Rohingya Muslims in Burma. It shouldn't be just Burmese Muslims who are there. Everybody should feel it. Today there are some sisters collecting for Syria. We should assist this. Even though we are not Syrian. Tanasur is an important concept. And these three are our qualities.

The Path Forward: Unity and Self-Reflection

Shaykh of Islam told, this will make us human. This will bring us back to the path. And this unity is crucial at this point in time. It is crucial for us to go back into our hearts, to reanalyze ourself. And let Shawwal continue the spirit of Ramadan. To continue the spirit of our prayers, and our fasting, and our sacrifice. And may Allah lift this weight off the ummah of Muhammad at this time. May Allah have mercy on the children of the ummah of Muhammad. May Allah protect the dignity and honor of the women of the ummah of Muhammad . May Allah protect the dignity and the honor of the men of the ummah of Muhammad. May Allah raise up balanced leadership in our ummah. Not taking us to one extreme or another. But taking us as ummatan wasatan, as the balanced nation. May Allah help us. For we know not what we do. I say this, and I ask forgiveness for me and for you, and for the rest of the Muslims from every sin. Ask forgiveness. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Second Khutbah: Praise and Blessings

Alhamdulillah al-Wahid al-Ahad, al-Fard al-Samad. Alladhi lam yalid, wa lam yulad, wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad. Wa usalli wa usallim ala khatim al-anbiya'i wa al-mursaleen. Nabiyyina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa ashabihi ajma'een. And after, O servants of Allah, have consciousness of Allah wherever you may be. And the Prophet said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2336)

Every nation has a trial and test. And the trial and test of this nation is wealth.

Sending Blessings Upon the Prophet

And Allah says, informing and commanding:

Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and greet him with peace. Allahumma salli wa sallim ala abdika wa rasulika Muhammad, wa ala alihi wa ashabihi ajma'een. Warda Allahu an al-khulafa al-rashideen, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, wa 'Ali. Wa an jami' al-sahaba ajma'een. Wa anna bi-rahmatika ya Arhama al-rahimeen.

Final Supplications

Alhamdul