Honoring the Houses of God

Honoring the Houses of God

Opening Praise and Testimony

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to God. Praise be to God. We praise God Almighty. We ask for His help and forgiveness. We ask for His guidance. We seek refuge in God from the evils of our souls and from the evils of our deeds. Whomsoever God guides, none can misguide him. And whosoever He misguides, none can guide him.

And His blessings and peace be upon the best of God's creation, upon our Master and Beloved, the Messenger of God, Muhammad ibn Abdillah, and upon his family and those who follow him.

As for the rest of you, O servants of God, I advise you and myself to fear God in secrecy and in public. Indeed, fear of God comes only with good. And God Almighty has instructed us in His Book in several places that we should fear God.

Allah's Direct Address in the Quran

Allah Almighty says in the Quran that He says, Allah Almighty sometimes addresses people directly in the Quran. Other times, He uses the second or the third person. But in this case, He's using the first person. Declaring that I am your God, I am Allah. That's what Allah Almighty is telling us.

"Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance."

There's nothing worthy of worship except Allah Almighty, me here, He says. Except me alone. And then He says, so worship me. And establish the prayer for my remembrance.

The Houses of Allah

Allah Almighty says:

"In houses which Allah has permitted to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings."

Allah Almighty says that the masajid are biyut, houses that Allah has permitted to be erected for Him. And that in those houses, His name is mentioned. And they worship Him in those houses. In the morning, the early morning period, and in the afternoon period. Because these are the two most important times of ibadah.

The Importance of Fajr and Isha

The Prophet ﷺ mentioned the fajr and the isha prayer. They're the hardest prayers for the hypocrites. The early prayer and the late prayer. So these two times in particular are times, even the birds, if you listen in the morning, early morning, in the late afternoon, even the birds gather in the trees. And you can hear them doing their tasbih.

The Prophet ﷺ loved the frogs. He said of all the creatures, he loved the frogs the most. Because they did the most tasbih. And you can hear them in the early morning and in the evening, doing their tasbih.

Men Not Distracted from Remembrance

So Allah جل جلاله says about these people:

"Men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts them from the remembrance of Allah."

That they are not preoccupied from their commerce and their trade, from remembering Allah جل جلاله. It doesn't preoccupy them. They remember Allah.

The Story of the Andalusian Traveler

One of the Andalusian travelers went to Mecca. And when he came back, people used to ask the question, "What's the strangest thing you saw?" He said, "I saw an old man, clinging to the Kaaba, asking for dunya." That was the strangest thing that he saw. An old man, clinging to the Kaaba, asking for dunya.

And he said, "And then I went into the souq and I saw a young man, in the midst of his trading, remembering Allah جل جلاله." Subhanallah. The heart, if it's connected to Allah جل جلاله it remembers Allah جل جلاله

The Heedlessness of Humanity

People don't think about what Allah has done for them. They don't think about it. They're in heedlessness. There are people now that haven't remembered God for years. They don't even think about Allah جل جلاله. And yet every instant is completely and utterly dependent on Allah جل جلاله. Your breath your lungs, your kidneys, your digestion. Everything is dependent on Allah جل جلاله

He is the one who has ordered the universe. He is the Qayyum. He is the one who has set it up. Allah جل جلاله is doing everything for us. And then He asks for us to do some things for Him. To remember Him at least five times a day. That's minimal. He is remembering us in every instant. Because if He didn't remember us, we wouldn't even exist.

"So remember Me; I will remember you."

That is a higher remembrance. If you remember me in this way, then I'll remember you. If you remember me:

مَن ذَكَرَنِي فِي مَلَإٍ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي مَلَإٍ خَيْرٍ مِنْهُ

"Whoever remembers Me in a gathering, I make mention of him in a gathering better than that gathering."

(Sahih Bukhari 7405, Sahih Muslim 2675)

Amongst the angels. There's people unknown to everybody that are known to the angels. Because they're simple people that nobody even thinks about or gives the time of day. But they're up in the night before Fajr calling on Allah جل جلاله. And Allah knows those people. And Allah جل جلاله makes those people known to His mala, to His assembly.

The Sanctity of the Masajid

So Allah has given us masajid.

"And the masajid are for Allah, so do not invoke with Allah anyone."

The masajid are for the sake of Allah. Do not call upon other than Allah in the masajid. Whoever says that I lost something in a masjid, according to the hadith, you're supposed to say:

لَا رَدَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ ضَالَّتَكَ

(Sunan Ibn Majah 769)

"May Allah not return the thing you lost."

لِأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لَمْ تُبْنَ لِهَذَا

Because masjids were not built to ask people if they know where you left your such and such. They were built for Allah جل جلاله. Or they were bought for Allah جل جلاله.

Buildings and Divine Decree

People build things. They don't know why they're building things. Somebody had an idea here, and it's become another idea. The architects, when they built this, they didn't think about Qibla, but it's maqdur. It's something Allah decreed people one day would be praying in this building. Subhanallah.

Muslims in America

People in this country, you know, Islam is showing up everywhere. You can't get away from Muslims in America. I can't. Wherever I go, I see Muslims. You can't get away from Muslims.

So even America, who would have thought? Well, actually, they thought early on about Muslims here because it's mentioned in the earliest documents about making it a safe place for Jews, Christians, infidels, and

Mohammedans, Hindus. Jefferson mentioned Mohammedans and Hindus. That was his idea.

And there were already Muslims. They knew there were Muslims. George Washington, in a letter, was requesting somebody to go find workmen for his plantation. And one of the things he said, "I don't mind if there are Mohammedans." Why would he even mention that if there weren't Mohammedans around offering their services?

So there have been Muslims here from the very start. But now, increasing numbers, and masajid are being built or bought in different places. But the masajid have a hurma. And a lot of Muslims don't think about this anymore.

The Etiquette of Jumu'ah

I'll give you an example. The Prophet ﷺ said:

مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ فَأَحْسَنَ وُضُوءَهُ وَلَبِسَ أَحْسَنَ ثِيَابِهِ وَتَطَيَّبَ إِذَا كَانَ عِنْدَهُ طِيبٌ ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ وَلَمْ يَرْكَبْ وَدَنَا مِنَ الْإِمَامِ وَلَمْ يَلْغُ

"Whoever does wudu and perfects his wudu, and wears his best clothes, and applies perfume if he has it, then goes to the masjid and doesn't ride, and sits close to the Imam and doesn't engage in idle talk..."

(Sunan Abi Dawud 351)

Whoever takes a ghusl on the Juma, like Janaba, as if he was in Janaba. And then he goes to the first hour:

فِي السَّاعَةِ الْأُولَىٰ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَرَّبَ بَدَنَةً

(Sahih Bukhari 881, Sahih Muslim 850)

"In the first hour, it's as if he gave a camel, a big camel, in sacrifice."

Dressing with Dignity for the House of Allah

But in this hadith he said, whoever does ikhtasada or does the wudu, and then wears his best clothes:

لَبِسَ أَحْسَنَ ثِيَابِهِ

"He wears his best clothes."

See, like Haroon, we were Christian before we were Muslim. I was a Christian before I was Muslim. We had to wear what was called your Sunday best to go to church. You didn't go to church wearing a t-shirt. In fact, you wouldn't even think of that. And if somebody did, people would have stared at them, shocked. Like, why are you showing such disrespect to a house of God? That's how Christians would look at it. Why are you showing such disrespect to a house of God? By not even bothering to dress appropriately. By not even bothering to dress nicely.

One day out of the week, well, it's a casual day at work. We don't have to wear nice clothes. We've been doing that all week. That's not, that's not, the Muslims have a, we have a sanctity to the day of Jumu'ah.

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ

"O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid."

(Quran 7:31)

Oh, children of Adam, ornament yourselves in every masjid where you go. Ornament yourselves. Wear nice perfume for other people.

The Prohibition of Offensive Odors

The Prophet ﷺ said:

مَنْ أَكَلَ الْبَقْلَةَ النُّومَ أَوِ الْبَصَلَ وَالْكُرَّاثَ فَلَا يَقْرَبَنَّ مَسْجِدَنَا

(Sahih Bukhari 855, Sahih Muslim 564)

"Whoever eats garlic, or leeks, or onions, let him not come near our masajid."

فَإِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَتَأَذَّى بِمَا يَتَأَنَّى مِنْهُ النَّاسُ

"The angels are harmed by what harms people."

So if you come to the masjid smelling like last night's meal, and then you pray next to a person who's thinking about paradise, and you're reminding him of hell. Seriously, we have a problem. We have a problem.

The Masjid as a Place of Spiritual Repose

The masjid is supposed to be a place where you come for spiritual repose. It's a place of dignity. It's a place of sakinah. The Prophet ﷺ said, if you come into the masjid, don't raise your voice, don't talk. He said you're in prayer until you leave the masjid.

He said one of the signs of the end of time is voices would be raised in the masajid. He said one of the signs of the end of time is people would talk about worldly affairs in the masajid. You have the whole world to talk about worldly affairs. Leave the house of God to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

"And the masajid are for Allah, so do not invoke with Allah anyone."

What Kind of Islam in America?

So you can see Islam spreading in America, but the question, what kind of Islam? What kind of Islam? Is it going to be slacker Islam? Is it going to be like the slacker culture that's out there? Or are we going to be shuhada' ala nas? People that still have human dignity in an age of utter and complete human degradation. That's the question to ask yourselves.

Human Billboards and Degradation

They never dress wearing billboards selling people's products that they don't even get paid to do. People wearing billboards, wearing all these things on their, you know, Nike and Tommy Hilfiger or whoever. I ask people, are they paying you? Do you have a contract? You're a human billboard.

They pay money to put their name on billboards, cardboard boxes out there. They put money, they give money to put their names on billboards. They give money to put their names on pixelated images on the internet and yet you're allowing them for free to put their name on your body created by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and you don't even think about it. Human billboards. Total, complete, utter human degradation.

The Dignity of Bani Adam

This is what's happened to Bani Adam. The khalifa. The khalifa of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The only creature that walks upright, straight, mustaqeem, with dignity. The only creature that can articulate his needs. That can complain if he has complaints. That can praise if he feels a need to praise. That can give thanks and gratitude.

We're the only creature that can do that. Other creatures, dogs can show some gratitude but they can't write a thank you note. Human beings are something exalted. We're an exalted species and yet we've allowed Iblis to completely and utterly abase us. To rub our noses in the dirt, not for the sake of Allah in sajda, but to show what utterly degraded creatures we are. Because that was his claim.

Iblis's Mission

He said, you're choosing him over me? I'm a high thing, he's a low thing, he's nothing. And Iblis has been given respite until the end of time to prove to God that God was wrong. That's what Iblis wants to do. He wants to prove to God, to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, you were wrong in choosing Bani Adam. You should have chosen me and my progeny. I'll show you really how to worship you.

Envy. And so, that's his mission. Seven, twenty-four. Seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. To degrade human beings. Strip them of their ornaments. Make them naked.

Signs of the End Times

The Prophet ﷺ said, one of the signs of the end of time is you'll see people walking in marketplaces, meaning they're not aboriginal people. Where aboriginal people are like children. They have a purity, so they dress, they have so attained. They're not in marketplaces.

The Beauty of Modesty

Shame is a beautiful thing. Haya, modesty. Every religion has a quality and a characteristic and the quality and characteristic of my religion is modesty. A sense of shame.

The Prophet ﷺ, they said that he was more modest than a virgin that was still cloistered, that hadn't come out. That was his modesty.

The People Sitting in the Masjid

One day he went to the masjid, and he found people in the masjid, and he said:

"What has brought you sitting here in the masjid?" (Sahih Muslim 2701)

And they said, the only thing that brought us here was we came to remember Allah. He said, "Allah! Allah!"

"That's the only reason you came?"

And they said:

"Yes, O Messenger of Allah."

He said, "Wallahi, I didn't ask you in this interrogative, you know like, out of suspicion. But Jibreel came to me and said that Allah was making mention and proud of those sitting in the masjid." So he wanted to go see who they were and what brought them there.

The Hours of Jumu'ah

The Prophet ﷺ said on يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ if you come in the first hour and there's 12 hours of the day, 12 in the night and they differ because we don't have 60 minute hours in traditional reckoning. The hours are based on the maghrib and isha. So you can have an hour that's 30 minutes one part of the year and it's 70 minutes another part of the year. That's the way it works.

So when you look at these, he mentions 5 hours before Juma. That's the idea that Fajr was at 6 o'clock and then the Juma is at 12 o'clock. So there's your 6 hours. But if Fajr is at 4 o'clock and Dhuhr is at 1 o'clock then the hours are extended. So that's how you have to figure it out.

He said if you go in the first hour which is the hour after Fajr on يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ to wait until the Imam. This is what Muslims used to do. He said it's as if you sacrificed a camel. If you go in the second hour it's as if you sacrificed a cow, a بَقَرَة. If you go in the third hour:

"It's as if he brought a horned ram."

In the fourth hour it's as if you brought a chicken. And if you come in the fifth hour it's as if you brought an egg. That's it. It's as if you brought an egg. And then when the Imam comes out there's no more gifts to bring. Once the Imam's out. If you come at that point it's closed.

What We're Giving to Allah

That's what we're giving to Allah these days. The best of us are giving eggs. Seriously. And then you wonder the state of the Muslims. Seriously. People wonder like what Ibn Atayla said: if you want to know where you stand with God look at where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is with you. Where is he on your list of priorities?

If he's number one priority then you're number one priority with him. If he's number five on the list, my work, my money, my wife, my family, whatever. Everybody has their priorities. Then that's where you stand. And if he's not even in the list of priorities it's just lip service. So that's something for Muslims to think about.

Consecrating Our New Place of Worship

So as we embark on a new place of worship in our community may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make it a safe place, a blessed place, a respected place. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala put respect of these places in our hearts. Because now it's consecrated for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Whatever it was before:

"Actions are but by intentions." (Sahih Bukhari 1, Sahih Muslim 1907)

It was bought with an intention and then that intention manifests. So people should think about that.

A Reminder, Not a Rebuke

And then also about clothes istanbihal ghafil. Alhamdulillah your people praying Juma there's lots of Muslims out there right now they're not even bothering praying Juma. The good people, inshallah we ask Allah to be

amongst the good people. But the good people come, even if they come in less than the highest desirable state.

So I'm not in any way it's not for ta'iyyir to make fault or blame anybody. It's just istanbihal ghafil to remind people. Wallahi, it's my intention. It's not to expose anybody or make any fault. It's just a reminder.

"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (Quran 51:55)

But I have to be honest with you, I've mentioned this people come up to me afterward, "Don't tell me how to dress." I'm doing it out of ghayra. You know you have that word in Urdu for people who speak Urdu. Ghayrat. Ghayrat.

The Concept of Ghayra

Ghayra is a beautiful word in Arabic because it's the idea of a protectiveness that you have for something that you hold dear and if anybody tries to diminish the respect of that thing, you feel angry. Ghayra is that feeling that comes inside of you when you see like your family member, your wife, your child being dishonored or disrespected, you feel ghayra.

The religion of Allah is more worthy of our ghayra than anything in this dunya. It's more worthy of our ghayra than anything in this dunya.

Closing Du'a

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم وصل اللهم صل وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم كثيرًا ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله العلي العظيم اللهم افتح علينا حكمتك يا الله اللهم يا الله أنزل علينا السكينة والرحمة اللهم أمن هذا المكان وأمن الأمناء على هذا المكان اللهم اجعلنا من الجوادين على هذا المكان اللهم اجعلنا من الذين ينفقون في سبيلك على هذا المكان اللهم احفظ نساءنا في هذا المكان وفي كل مكان اللهم احفظ أولادنا في هذا المكان وفي كل مكان اللهم طهر قلوبنا اللهم اجعل المساجد أحب إلينا من الأسواق يا الله اللهم اجعلنا زيارة المساجد أحب إلينا من الأسواق يا الله اللهم إن أحب الأماكن إليك يا الله المساجد فاجعلها أحب الأماكن إلينا يا أرحم الراحمين اللهم افتح علينا يا الله اللهم افتح علينا وارددنا إلى دينك اللهم اجعل الإيمان في قلوبنا وكرّه إلينا الكفر والفسوق والعصيان اللهم اجعل الإيمان في قلوب شبابنا يا رحمن رحيم اللهم إنك قضيت وقضاؤك الحق

"Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace."

اللهم صل وسلم على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم تسليمًا كثيرًا والحمد لله رب العالمين واذكروا الله واذكركم واشكروه ولا تكفروه وأقيموا الصلاة يا كرام