Contentment For Being Your Brother s Keeper

Khutbah: Contentment For Being Your Brother's Keeper

Imam Khalid Latif

Opening

(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim)

(وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا مَوْلَانَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ - wa ashhadu anna sayyidana mawlana muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh)

Khutbah al-Hajah

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Universe, the Master of the Day of Judgment. I bear witness and testimony to the Oneness of Allah, to His Magnificence, His Omnipotence, His Might, His Glory, to His being the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the Giver of Life, the Guider of Hearts, the Master of the Day of Judgment.

I bear witness to the fact that Muhammad ibn Abdullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is a servant and final messenger. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and upon all those who choose to tread on his path until the last day.

The Eloquent Speech of the Prophet

It is said that the speech of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was the most remarkable and magnificent thing. That this man (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was able to talk to any person from any walk of life, young or old, male or female, Arab or someone from a different cultural background, people who were Muslim and people who were of other faiths. And no one would come and talk to Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and walk away saying that, I didn't understand what he was saying.

That his speech is qualified as being so concise, so remarkably magnificent, it is called jawami in its nature. That he used very little words, but they carried deep meaning. And it was so impactful and so unique that 14 centuries ago the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) shared pearls of wisdom that resonated with the companions that were around him. But you and I, 14 centuries removed, are still able to derive benefit and meaning from those words.

And some of us don't even access them in terms of their original language. We utilize translations and they still move our hearts. That's how beautiful his speech was.

Five Advices to Abu Hurairah

So one day he's sitting with his companions and he says to them that, who will take something from me? Who will take something from me in Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه - radiya allahu anhu) without knowing what the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is about to give to him? Says, Ya Rasulullah, give it to me, I will take it.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) he says to his beloved companion (رضي الله عنه - radiya allahu anhu) that if you were to act upon five things that I will give to you now, for yourself and you will teach them to others, that you will have benefit not only in this world but in the world beyond this one. He takes his beloved companion's hand and he begins to give him these five advices.

First Advice: Refrain from Haram

The first that he says to him is:

"Refrain from that which is haram, you will be the most virtuous of people."

It's an interesting frame for us to be able to understand because much of the time when we think of somebody as being good, when we think of somebody as having piety, somebody as being virtuous, we qualify them based off of actions that they actually do. Mashallah, look at how much Qur'an they read.

Mashallah, look at how much they fast. Look at how generous they are with their wealth. Look at how charitable they are. Look at how much they pray.

But here the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is saying that a good person, a virtuous person, a person who is elevated in the eyes of the Divine is not somebody who is actively going out and doing something, but somebody who keeps themselves from doing, somebody who does not engage in the haram. And for us to understand and deepen a recognition of what the word haram means is imperative.

That these are boundaries that are set for us not so that we would be restricted, but Divinely guided measures for us to understand and truly reflect upon that if we were to adhere to them, the benefit would not be for anyone other than ourselves. And the haram is not just the consumption of alcohol or the eating of pork. The haram is not just committing zina.

May Allah protect us from these things. But gossiping is haram. Backbiting is haram.

Lying is haram. Breaking promises and oaths are haram. To engage in arrogant acts of racism is haram.

To be in a place where we elevate ourselves by denigrating somebody else, believing that we are better than them by virtue of our wealth, our class, our profession, the color of our skin. This is haram. And it's from

nothing other than shaitan.

The Sin of Arrogance and Racism

May Allah protect us from it. That his action was one of arrogance. His action is one of flawed logic.

His action is one of racism. When he is told to prostrate along with everyone else, to Adam alayhis salaam. And he says that I am of fire and he is of dirt. Why should I prostrate to him? He believes by virtue of what he is made of. He is better than Adam alayhis salaam.

You think and you reflect at a time when many in this country are talking about race and ethnicity and what that means. That we in the Muslim community are not somehow protected from this. But if we don't deal with our own microaggressions and racisms, some of us believe that our Islam is better by virtue of the country that we came from. Some of us would never pray behind somebody simply because their color of their skin is black.

Some of us would never let our children get married to those who come from a different cultural background. That we believe there is inadequacy and deficiency simply based off of things that, not in our wisdom, but by the wisdom of the divine, he mandated who our parents would be and what part of the world we would be born into.

But the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) he is the one, a man of mercy, not someone wretched like me, who is telling his companion: (رضي الله عنه - radiya allahu anhu)

"Refrain from that which is haram. You will be the most virtuous of people."

There are things beyond what we listen to, what we watch, what we eat, that fall into the categories of halal and haram. And a lot of it has to do with the hearts that are in our chest.

And may Allah remove from our hearts any feelings of arrogance or racism.

Second Advice: Be Content with What You Have

As he continues, he moves forward with his companion and he says:

"Be content with that which you have been given. You will be the most satisfied. You will be the richest, the wealthiest of people."

Ghina in our tradition is not tied to the acquisition of the material. That you will never find anything of real contentment if you put your trust only in the houses that you live in, the clothes that you wear, the cars that you drive.

Because the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) he tells us in another hadith:

"The true richness is not having an abundance of things from the earth, but true richness is having a richness of your soul."

Ali (رضي الله عنه - radiya allahu anhu) he says that to be in a place where you are without being possessed by, to be in a place of true zuhd is to not have no possessions of the world. But it's not to let anything of the world possess you.

And when the acquisition of the material comes so much out of our hands into our hearts, as the poet says, likening it to a boat that is traveling upon the water, saying that as long as that boat is upon the water, there is no problems. But once the water starts to seep into the boat, that's when it starts to sink.

So much of our drive is by the dunya. So much of our drive is to have more of this world. That the realities of the world beyond this one are things that never bear presence in our deeds and our decisions. And to understand that truly Allah has given to you and I so much.

Reflect on Your Blessings

Do we not have eyes to see with? Do we not have feet to walk with? Do we not have the blessing of being in a place like this? That there are people on this day of Jummah today, some from the countries that you and I bear our origins from, who are being prevented from going to the masjid, simply by virtue of the fact that the governments that are in control do not want them to do so.

There are mothers who are in this world right now, who are walking miles and miles and miles to find some food or water for their children to eat and drink. And they will then have to make the decision which of their children they will watch starve in front of their eyes, and which of their children they will actually feed with the few morsels that they have.

There are people who have very little, but their contentment does not come from the world. It comes from a recognition with gratitude and appreciation of what they have been given.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) he says:

"The best of remembrance is saying لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ and the best of dua is saying الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ "

What our teachers tell us is that you say this word الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ with such an intention, such a motivation, that you are praising God for everything that He has given to you. You are saying,,يا ربي,continue to give me more so I can continue to praise you more.

"Be content with that which you have been given. You will be the richest of people."

Take moments in your day to reflect and understand. And the tie between this advice and the previous advice, where he says, refrain from the haram.

If we knew what we actually had and we truly valued it, we would never have to turn towards the impermissible to gain more. Because our desires are never quenched, we have no qualms in mistreating others to be able to get more from us.

Our Uniqueness in Creation

We are unique in terms of creation. We are not the fastest of creation. We are not the strongest. We are not the ones who can fly or swim under the ocean without having to come up for air.

But we are the only elements of creation that even when our stomachs are filled, we still try to put more into them. And we don't take anything other than what we can from anyone else.

Really think about the state of humanity right now, that we might be months removed from it. But it took the washing up upon a shore of a 3-year-old boy drowned in the sea for the people to understand what is happening to our brothers and sisters in Syria. May Allah make things easy for them.

But how many of us remember that image? Or how many of us have forgotten it and went back to the place that we were in?

It's not the hearts of the oppressors that I'm worried about, but those of us who are watching it happen and doing nothing in terms of what we can, what does it say of our hearts?

Third Advice: Give Your Neighbor Their Rights

The third advice that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gives to his beloved (أبو هريرة - Abu Hurairah) (رضي الله عنه - radiya allahu anhu) he says:

"Give your neighbor their rights, you will be a believer."

The key word in this part of the hadith is the word Ihsan. We're in a foundational hadith in our tradition, the Prophet ﷺ is visited by the angel Jibreel عليه السلام, he is asked multiple questions and he is given his responses, what is Islam? What is Iman? And when he is asked, what is Ihsan? He says:

"That you worship Allah as if you can see Him. Because you understand although you cannot see Him, He can see you."

The mindset that is exerted here is not one that has to be utilizing a perception of the Divine that He is an angry old man in the sky looking for reasons to punish us and send us to hellfire. But our God, the one that we want to have a consciousness of who is watching us in comparison to watching over us, is a God of mercy, the most merciful of those who show mercy. The source of an unconditional love, He is الْـلَّطِيفُ, the most gentle, He is رَحْمَنٌ He is رَحِيمٌ compassionate beyond any understanding we can fathom, loving of us and more merciful towards us than a mother is towards its child.

And when you have that understanding and recognition of the Divine, there is no way you will go and walk on that earth in denial of the rights that the rest of creation has over you. Everything in our tradition has rights. Everything in our tradition has some bearing upon us.

The Rights of Animals

To the extent that we have narrations that tell us how we are meant to treat animals that we are about to slaughter to consume. That the Prophet ﷺ sees a companion who is about to take the life of an animal in order to eat it. And this man is sharpening the blade by which he will take this animal's life in front of the animal.

And the Prophet reprimands him and says, why are you torturing this beast?

Umar رضي الله عنه sees a man who is about to slaughter an animal so that he can consume its meat. And this man has his foot on the face of the animal. Umar starts to beat this man and says, why are you not giving this animal its right?

If this is the right that animals that we are about to eat have over us, can you imagine the right that people have over us? Do we give them their right? Do we provide for them what it is that we are meant to provide for them?

Remembering Recent Tragedies

We are about a year removed where three beautiful souls were taken from us in North Carolina. A young man by the name of Diya, his wife and sister-in-law, Yusra and Razaan. May Allah have mercy upon them and give

them nothing less than Jannah.

We are only about a week and a half removed where three young Sudanese black men were executed in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Two of them were Muslim. How many of us made du'a for them? How many of us took a moment to hold vigil for them?

We put conditions and qualifications on the honoring of rights. We look to see if the hand that is extending a hand to us matches us in terms of the color of skin, in terms of the culture of heritage and country of origin.

True Brotherhood in Islam

Our brotherhood and sisterhood should not be connected simply by virtue of the fact that we share some variables to our identity. Especially as Muslims, when we only connect by virtue of shared color, then we are not connecting based off of Islam. And then we are not the brothers and sisters that the hadith over and over mentions the benefit that is derived if you truly love your brother and sister for a certain sake.

And then beyond that, you have an understanding of the society on a whole.

Fourth Advice: Love for People What You Love for Yourself

And in the fourth advice, the Prophet ﷺ he alludes to this, to his companion Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه. Where he says:

"Love for the people what you love for yourself, you will be a Muslim."

Our beloved ﷺ constantly thought of others before he thought of himself. When he had the opportunity to be a means of benefit for anyone, he would not see where there was detriment to him. If there was something to give, he would give it.

Imam Nawawi رحمه الله when he comments on a hadith that many of us know, where the Prophet ﷺ says, you will not enter paradise until you believe. And you will not believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself. In his commentary on this hadith, the word brother is not your brother in faith, but it is your brother in humanity.

Our Myopic Understanding

Our understanding of our giving, our presence towards others is so myopic and it is so contained by arrogances that exist in our heart.

When I look and I see faces across the table in my home where I'm eating a meal, is it only people who enter into my home who look like me? Who have as much money as I do?

Five times a day we sit in gatherings like this where we are meant to be in the presence of the Divine and you can have gatherings like this where the best of creation and the worst of creation are given entrance into it because nothing takes away from the majesty of Allah. His mercy, His love, His compassion is beyond our ability to comprehend. Anybody and everyone can come into Allah's house, but they can't come into our houses.

They can only speak the language that we speak or dress the way we dress or again have the same color of skin as we do.

That is the legacy of Muhammad ﷺ. Without condition or qualification, he truly loved people.

Following the Sunnah of Love

If your hearts are not moved when you see injustice and oppression taking place against people who come from different backgrounds than your own, then you do not love people the way the Prophet ﷺ loved people. If you only stand when it's people from your community who are being held down, if you only give if it's from people from your country who are in need, if you are only in a place where you open your doors to people who come from similar socio-economic and cultural backgrounds as your own, then whose Sunnah are you following?

Our beloved ﷺ thought of others always before he thought of himself. To the extent that when we go and stand in front of Allah جل جلاله on that day of reckoning, that day of judgment, he will be thinking of others there as well.

The Day of Judgment

That he tells his beloved Aisha رضي الله عنها that that day will be most severe, most serious. That the men and women, they will be standing wearing no clothes. And she says, Ya Rasulullah, how will this be? Won't the men and women look at one another? He says, Ya Aisha:

"It'll be more severe than that."

That they will go to the likes of Adam عليه السلام seeking intercession. And Adam عليه السلام will say that Allah is more angry today than he has ever been. And he is more angry today than he will ever be.

They will go to the likes of Musa عليه السلام Ibrahim عليه السلام each and everyone, saying that they have to think of themselves, نفسي، نفسي, myself, myself. Because there is only one owner of that day. There is only one master of that day.

There is only one possessor of that day. That is Allah جل جلاله Himself. You and I won't even have clothes to wear.

And amidst all of it, where everyone is saying, نفسي، نفسي myself myself. The Prophet ﷺ will uniquely be saying أمتي، أمتي my ummah, my ummah. Even to that place, thinking of others before he thinks of himself.

What Drives You?

You got to think about what drives you and motivates you. What's really pushing you when you make your decisions. It's not okay to be arrogant in our tradition.

And racism stems from arrogance. It's not okay to just justify and validate because that's how the people who came before did it. Because the people who said that to the Prophet ﷺ the people who said that to Ibrahim عليه السلام, they were not the ones who were thinking about Allah.

They were thinking about the satisfaction of their nafs. May Allah protect us from it.

Fifth Advice: Do Not Laugh in Excess

And then the last advice, the fifth advice that the Prophet ﷺ gives to his companion, Abu Hurairah. رضي الله عنه He says:

"Do not laugh in excess because indeed in excess of laughter, it weakens the heart."

To understand the Prophet ﷺ here is not saying that it is haram to laugh. Because the Prophet, he played games with his companions. He ran races with his wife.

He stopped to joke and kid with children. We have beautiful narrations that describe the smile, the laughter of the Prophet ﷺ. May Allah make us his companions in the world beyond this one.

But to understand the recognition, the importance of the most critical part of us that is not anything external but internal, the hearts that are within us.

The Heart: A Morsel of Flesh

Where he says:

"Indeed in your being there is a morsel of flesh. If it is good, then the entire being is good. If it is corrupted, then the entire being will not be good. Indeed it is your heart."

Our hearts, they're likened in our chest to a piece of land that is seeking to harvest some crop. And if that land is not struck by any rainfall, it's not going to grow anything.

But similarly, if that piece of land is only struck by rain upon rain upon rain, it's not going to yield you anything either. There has to be a balance. And sometimes, you and I have to be willing to raise our hands to the skies and let some tears drop from our eyes and uniquely call upon Allah for those whose names we only know that nobody else is praying for them.

Caring for Your Heart

We have to take care of our hearts. We can't be in denial of the importance of them. And if I was to ask you right now, what do you do for your heart? How do you take care of it? How do you nourish it? How do you cultivate it? What would you say?

The reality is such that we look to satiate our stomachs at the expense of the satisfaction of our souls. But real contentment does not come from having full stomachs. Real contentment comes from having full hearts.

These five advices, if we were to reflect upon them and think about them and how we can implement them into our lives, I'd always guarantee to you that you would see a categorical difference in the way you approach your living in this dunya.

The Five Advices Summarized

Five things the Prophet ﷺ tells his companion Abu Hurairah.

"Refrain from that which is haram. You will be the most virtuous of people."

"Be content with that which you have been given. You will be the richest of people."

وَأَحْسِنْ إِلَى جَارِكَ تَكُنْ مُؤْمِنًا

"Then give your neighbor their rights. You will be a believer."

أَحِبَّ لِلنَّاسِ مَا تُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِكَ تَكُنْ مُسْلِمًا

"Love for the people what you love for yourself. You will be a Muslim."

And lastly he says:

وَلَا تُكْثِرِ الضَّحِكَ فَإِنَّ كَثْرَةَ الضَّحِكِ تُمِيتُ الْقَلْبَ

"That do not laugh in excess. For indeed an excess of laughter, it weakens the heart."

It's something that we should think about when we have the time to do so.

Closing

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End of Khutbah