New Zealand Mosque Attack: Thoughts and Reflections

New Zealand Mosque Attack: Thoughts and Reflections

Imam Khalid Latif | ICNYU Jummah Gems

Opening Salutation

I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Opening Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. There is no power nor strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.

And peace and blessings be upon the most honorable of prophets and messengers, and upon his family and all his companions.

And we bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, alone, with no partner. And we bear witness that our master is Muhammad, his servant and messenger.

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. And I bear witness to the fact that Muhammad ibn Abdullah is his servant and final messenger. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and upon all those who choose to tread in his path until the last day.

The Story of Khabbab ibn al-Aratt

It is said that on one occasion in the early years of Islam when the Muslim community was greatly persecuted at the hands of the Mushrikeen of Mecca, a companion by the name of Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, he says to the prophet: Oh messenger of God, why don't you pray for us? Why don't you make dua for us? Why don't you ask Allah to grant us victory in the face of this persecution?

And to understand the kind of tribulation that this man in specific was forced to endure, then on another occasion he was once seen barebacked by another companion and his back was covered with scars and blisters. And they said, ya Khabbab, how did this come to be?

And he says that in those early years of revelation when we were greatly persecuted and mistreated, the Mushrikeen of Mecca, they used to lay me bareback on a bed of flaming coals. And I was made to stay there until the blood from my back extinguished the flames.

And he's now saying to the prophet, why don't you pray for us? Why don't you make dua that things become easier?

The Prophet's Response: A Message of Hope

And the prophet, he says, ya Khabbab, don't say such things. Ya Khabbab, don't say such things because there were those who came before you who had to endure much worse and they did so without question.

When I was taught this hadith, it was taught to me in a way that said you're not supposed to complain or question or try to understand in a way that has no deference or respect for divine decree. That to me contradicted the foundation and fundamental value of this religion of mercy, compassion and understanding. That the prophet of God was sent by the Quran's understanding itself to be nothing less than a mercy to the world.

So now when a man is coming to him and making himself vulnerable and in a place of need to try to understand how to synthesize and process the difficulty of the dunya around him, would it seem as if the prophet was telling him to not say anything at all? But then I remembered who our prophet was. And that the prism of voice should not be my voice that I cast or my insecurity or my anxiety upon him to understand that interaction. But I need to understand his words through his demeanor and his character and what it is that he would want to convey to his people at that time.

What else would we really expect him to say?

• That yes, Khabbab, you're right, things are terrible and we are not going to be able to defeat it?
• That yes, Khabbab, you're right, that we are not in a place where we have the skills, the strength, the understanding, the wherewithal to take on what's ahead of us?

Or will he say a word of hope to his companion? That no, Khabbab, even though today is difficult, tomorrow will be better. That we will do what we have to and sustain what is around us. But with thoughtfulness and strategy we will leverage the best of everything we have. Work with people of good conscience. Not fall into the false realities that this dunya calls us towards. Recognize the presence of bigotry, hatred, xenophobia in all of its forms and do whatever it is that it takes to ensure that tomorrow will be better.

The New Zealand Attack: Our Response

Where you and I likely have felt a heaviness as we came to know of the attacks on our sisters and brothers in New Zealand. May Allah grant them peace and elevate them from amongst the shuhada. Let their passing be a witness that each one of us testifies to. And for their family members, their loved ones, and people all around the world including those hearts that are sitting in this congregation that feel fear and agitation and anxiety, may Allah grant us all a true state of sakinah and calm.

To understand the words of the best of creation where he says, don't say it, ya Khabbab. People that came before you, they went through it too. We have to understand that what we go through today is not the product of today. But where our people came from, it's rooted in everything that was built on many yesterdays ago.

Naming the Root Cause: White Supremacy

That when people say, well what do we do in the light of this reality, I would say to you as people that I have a deep love for, that you and I have to recognize that the strength of our voice is something that we have to share. And we have to let this world know that what took place in that masjid just hours ago is not the product of any sole individual who is plagued by mental health issues or mental wellness issues. Even equating it to that is just a mockery of our sisters and brothers who actually struggle with mental illness.

But everything and anything that that act is about is rooted in the same white supremacist mindset that is underlying the systems and structures of the very country that we live in. And if anything else, on a globalized level, it is running rampant.

And you have to know, first and foremost, that there is nothing that you or I or anyone of our people has done to deserve any of it.

It is not on our shoulders to bear the burdensome onus of a system that is so rooted in a sense of egocentricity that it epitomizes everything that is contradictory to the sunnah that we are supposed to follow. That it idolizes the nafs and it tells us that the primordial state of existence is whiteness.

Speaking Truth to Power

And where you and I are able to be in a place where we no longer silence ourselves. But when your friends, your classmates, your co-workers, your bosses, people in these days who are genuinely concerned and want to stand with you and I, or people who just don't know how to deal with their anxiety and fragility and want to stand so that they feel good about themselves, regardless of the intention and motivation, let them know that that hatred is not something that is just unethical or immoral. But it yields things that are lethal and fatal.

And that if we don't attribute it to what it actually is, we are not going to deal with what the ailment is yielding. And the symptoms, my sisters and brothers, that become this heavy anti-Muslim sentiment, we have to understand as rooted in a deeply entrenched anti-blackness that we as a community have to build ourselves into the strategy of dismantling and breaking down.

Understanding America's Foundation

The aspiration of those who came to this place as a land of diversity and to create immigration as a mode of embracing that diversity was quite unique in comparison to the European context from which people were leaving from. And where people launched in the name of religion and faith and spirituality transatlantic slave trades and crusades, and they then said let us embrace secularism and liberalism as an antidote for all that it is that is wrong in society.

This country did not fight its worst wars in the name of any religion or faith. But this country's bloodiest battle, its civil war, was fought over race. And it's still a battle that wages heavily even till today.

The foundational documents of this country afforded full privilege to white males. Women were given nothing. And black men and women weren't even considered to be a whole person in comparison to their white counterparts.

And you and I can sit and try to understand, well, where do we fit into this? In our shared legacy, in our shared history, in our collective narrative are the realities of slavery, imperialism, colonization. And what it seeks to impose upon our mindset is an idea that we can fit into a good Muslim framework by just towing the line and not letting people understand what it is that is actually taking place.

You don't want to get lost in the mix, but the importance first and foremost is to understand the preciousness of your heart and the hearts of the people that are around you.

Unity Over Division

Now is not a time to fall into spaces that we are accustomed to where our deen is something that we utilize as a weapon to tear each other down. If you want to know what the idiocy is of having conversations that are rooted just in external manifestations of faith where you can look down at somebody who doesn't wear a headscarf or you can say that someone who does is automatically judging you, where you can validate and justify not extending a hand in greeting to somebody whose hand does not match yours in skin color.

You don't wake up about why the basis of our tradition tells us that we won't have complete faith until we love one another. And that our entrance into Jannah is contingent upon having the faith that embodies a love unconditional for people just because they're people.

Hadith:

Sahih Muslim 54

You will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another.

And if you don't see what hate has the capacity to achieve, then in its worst and ugliest of forms, unchecked, unfiltered, is not just an individual who has the audacity to act upon their bigotry in such a way that they can unleash bullets on people while they're in prayer. But there are so many more people who have the capacity to ensure that things like that don't happen and they still sit back and watch and do nothing.

Being the Body of the Ummah

Where and how we become that support mechanism. And we understand what it means to actually be that community that functions like a body that when one part of it is not working the entire body feels fever. That brick upon brick we are meant to reinforce one another as the building that the prophet describes and makes us analogous to.

So you have to check in on people, ask them how they're doing. And if somebody says to you, well, why are you late to work or why are you late to class, you say to them, not in a place of intimidation or any type of trepidation, but you say, you know what, my sisters and brothers need me right now. I had to see if they were okay. That I had to call them, I had to sit with them, I had to speak with them. That the dunya that you offer to me, that's not going to be enough of a reason for me to turn my back on people who are hurting right now.

Caring for Our Children and Each Other

What do you think it's like for our children in these moments? And the solution is not to say to them what they should feel. But if you have a young person in your life, and that's any of us as old as we are, if we have young people, first and foremost, you want to be in a place where you let your own anxiety and emotions be something that you allow for attention to be paid towards.

The world is just going to turn it into a media circus and cycle. So if for a moment you need to turn off the phone, you need to silence the social media, so that you are not constantly bombarded with image upon image upon image that is just putting into your head more and more and more of the same thoughts, turn it off, let yourself breathe.

Create the space where you allow for people to have that moment of refreshment and relaxation. Open up your home, open up your conference room, open up a meeting room in your office and say, anybody that needs a space to just feel safe and at least release that this is that place for it. Nobody else has to do it, you can do it.

And where and how you begin to manage for yourself because you are just as important as anybody else. When somebody comes to talk to you, or they try to open up to you, you let them share their voice and what they're feeling. That listening right now is going to be the most important of skills that we have. Not who can create the best soundbite. Not who it is that's going to get on TV and explain to the world what it is that we feel in the moment.

You want to demonstrate what is really needed? Then you sit down and you absorb where somebody is coming from in terms of their anxiety and let them just express it. And where there's opportunity, you give them the assurance just like our prophet gave to his companion. That as difficult as it is and as hard as it might seem, that we will be able to get through whatever it is that faces us.

Using Our Resources for Good

That we will take the opportunity to recognize what it is that we need to be. To think and reflect deeply about our skills and our credentials and our training and our wealth and our networks and our resources. And everything we have chased after for years and years and years of our life. And say how will we use it now in pursuit of making things better for others.

Accepting Help and Being Allies

And I would say that they are here with a genuine sense of solidarity and support. That they want to show what it is that they can offer. And we have to be comfortable enough to let people actually be there for us. And this

goes into another point: If somebody is offering assistance, you don't have to pretend like something isn't what it actually is.

This is not the time to put on a facade. If you feel like you're in a place of need or you can voice what it is that would actually be critical for people to be allies to us and for us, then let them know. And call it out for what it is. No hesitation, no qualms. You're not offending anybody. What is more offensive is the fact that this structure and system has allowed for itself to exist for the amount of centuries that it has.

Resources and Support

We don't know where and how we can allow for ourselves to be there for our younger people where they need somebody who we might not feel as if we're equipped to handle it. You can come to our center, our staff. We can refer you to agencies, resources, counselors, therapists. If you're an NYU student, we have numerous people from the wellness center on campus here that are ready.

You don't have to go through it alone. And now is not the time to let anybody feel that they have to be alone. It's not the time to let somebody feel as if they have to take the steps towards you. But you should already be checking in on everybody else. You should already be going to them, letting yourself be present in different spaces and gatherings.

If your tendency is to talk to the same five people over and over and over, to utilize your time and the engagement of the same experiences over and over and over, then Alhamdulillah that God gave you a circle that you could turn towards. But there's a lot of people who they feel like outsiders even within the Muslim community, let alone how they feel like outsiders out there. So open it up and just check in on one another.

Strategy and Commitment for 2020

Where and how we start to break it down. And what we do to not let the witnessing of our sisters and brothers be in vain. I'm not saying it to you in a frame that is looming or has doom to it, but just about reality. We are in the beginning of 2019 and 2020 is ahead. And each one of us has to say to ourselves what our commitment will be.

To those of us who some of the power dynamic and privileges in our favor in comparison to other minorities, what we're going to do to ensure that we have strategy and we have presence. And what will likely turn in to a lot of different back and forths of political campaigning.

If you are not of this community or you are of this community but you find yourself in other spaces during the course of the week, this is the time to come together with strategy. Not the time for ego. It's not the time for "I know what to do and I need the spotlight and I need to speak and I need to be this and I need to be that."

Today has to be about thoughts of all of us. So you just think and you rest. And you allow for yourself to say that my decisions are going to be with an understanding that the care of my heart will enable me to be there and to care for others hearts.

Permission to Feel

Where and how we allow for ourselves to break out of some of the shackling that can come from here:

• If you're an angry man, it's okay to be angry
• If you feel scared, it's okay to be scared
• If you don't know what tomorrow is going to be like, we're going to do what we can to make sure that tomorrow is as best as it possibly can be

And you don't need a promise from someone wretched like me, but this is divine promise:

That indeed with hardship there is relief. Indeed with hardship there is relief.

And so where we allow for ourselves to be like those whose worship was enhanced because they utilized the waiting of the ease as a means to draw closer to a sense of self-recognition and to their Lord. Then allow for you and I to be from amongst those who know that His promise is true and we just do our parts.

Never Be Silent

Before I conclude the first part of the khutbah: Don't ever think that silence is the answer.

We do not have to demonstrate loyalty to any administration. And if you are in a place where somebody is telling you that your being acquiescent in the face of inequity is somehow what makes you more moderate or more assimilated or more accepted, then remember the words of our tradition:

Hadith:

Reference: Sahih Muslim 145

That indeed Islam started as something strange and it will go back to being something strange. So rejoice for the strangers.

One of the most American things you could do is speak out in protest against unjust oppressive administration and policy. And if they want to put us in a good Muslim bad Muslim framework and they want to define and say that somehow we are lacking because we will say that we need to have our rights restored and we need to ensure the rights of minorities who are being held down just like us, then be a bad Muslim man. Don't be good by their standards.

Be in a place with a sense of pride and a sense of dignity. You let your Islam be your mantle that you walk on the streets and share with everybody. That you don't sit and put it on a shelf because somebody else tells you when you can engage it and when you cannot. But you be unapologetically Muslim on your terms.

This Is Not the Time to Hide

This is not the time to stay away from the masjids. This is not the time to tell our people that they need to go and be in a place of hiding. This is the time to recognize that some of us have the ability to make ourselves less visible than others. And so if you can walk on the streets without any fear as to what somebody might do with you because they don't know where you're coming from or who you are, you have that much more of a responsibility to go and stand with somebody who isn't able to hide it.

We will get through it. And our efforts inshallah will make it easy for those who come later. And if these people, man, they want to chase after dunya, let them have dunya. You need to work for something that is much bigger than anything that the cheapness and facade of this world can offer to you.

Today let yourself breathe. And allow for yourself to understand that there is nothing wrong with any one of us because of the faith that we choose to practice.

And if anything what would be an antidote to the sickness that is this white supremacy that created that act of terrorism and the same sickness that was upon Charleston and Pittsburgh and Wisconsin where churches and synagogues and gurdwaras are being shot up by white people who believe that somehow because of their whiteness they can treat minorities in certain ways, then embrace everything that you are and allow for us to be that source of hope, that light that is needed to illuminate this darkness that is becoming so heavy around us.

نَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا شَرِيكَ لِلَّهِ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

And we bear witness that there is no god but Allah. And we bear witness that there is no partner but Allah. And we bear witness that our master Muhammad is his servant and messenger.

Practical Action Steps

1. Donate to the Victims

   There is a fund that has been set up on LaunchGood. The proceeds of which are going to the victims, family members, the community in New Zealand. If you have the ability to please share it and spread it, I think the URL is launchgood.com/Christchurch which is the place where the unfortunate terrorist attacks took place.

   And somebody asked me, wouldn't it be good if we just did our own New York City or United States or whatever else localized campaign for the people there? And I said look man, there is a global epidemic of hate that is rearing its ugly head. We need to have a global movement of love to counter it. So unless for some reason we need to be spotlighted as New Yorkers who are doing something special, why wouldn't we jump on whatever it is that is already established so that every contribution we make lets them know that there are people everywhere who are remembering them and have love for them.

2. Share the Right Narrative

   What you want to share is what every Muslim activist, leader, people that you look up to, whatever they might be, that are spreading words and terminologies and understandings and discussions about what is actually taking place. Don't be afraid to share it. Let your entire networks know that this is the result of systemic and structural racism, white supremacist terrorism. When people are calling it out all over the media right now, you retweet, you share, you post.

   At the same time, it's not the time to be sharing images or videos that came from that ugly human being that did these acts. First and foremost out of decency towards the deceased, but beyond that, that's not stuff that we want anybody to see. And we don't want to give that person the quote unquote hero's path that he was looking for in the first place. So if you have to decide what to choose, choose our voice and our narrative that you are pushing, not theirs. Because ours is about compassion and mercy and love. And in order to achieve that, we have to call out the sickness for what it is.

3. Check In on Young People

   I would say check in on your young people, your children and just make sure that they're doing okay. It's not easy to be in elementary school these days, middle school these days, high school these days. And check in on each other. Just create space.

4. Attend the Vigil

   We're going to be doing a vigil at 6pm on the steps of the building next door. It's open to everybody to come to. A place where we'll offer prayers and reflections. Some people who are from New Zealand who are Muslim and who are not will be sharing their thoughts. But come and be with us. Even if you feel like it's not a space that you need, because as much as we feel your presence, we also feel your absence. And you standing there at that time might give support to somebody who's really in need of it.

5. Vote and Be Civically Engaged

And the last thing on a practical level I would say has two steps to it. When you decide who it is that you are going to vote for on a city, state or national level, make sure you are not thinking about who it is that's going to serve your own needs and interests best. And when you think about whether you will actually cast a ballot or not, then understand the importance of why you and I all have to be civically engaged and be a part of the process in every place possible.

And I'm not just talking about the presidencies, because however many of the last presidents, man, have shown us over and over again that they're willing to sell out black people, minorities of all kinds just to get into office. And I'm saying even to the most local of level, somebody's running for something on your local school board, your city council, wherever it is. If you don't get up and start moving, then we can't be in a place where we have anything other than saying our sitting down was a part of the reason as to why those people continue to make the decisions that they do.

So you got to vote. And you got to encourage people towards it. And where we share our narrative and what it is that impacts our community will help people to better understand what it is that we're coming from.

Dua Requests

If you're deciding whether to support our community or to make a contribution to our sisters and brothers in New Zealand, give whatever you can to our sisters and brothers in New Zealand. We need for them to know that we stand with them and encourage others to do as well.

And like I mentioned, we're going to have a vigil today at 6pm on the Kimmel Grand Staircase for the people of New Zealand. So please do try to be there if you can.

Individual Dua Requests

A sister reached out to us who asked to maintain anonymity. She's been diagnosed with depression and anxiety after experiencing a mental breakdown. She's asking that we keep her and everyone else who deals with these types of conditions in our prayers and our duas.

Our sister Basima Yusuf has asked that we make dua for her mother who is now a two-time cancer patient. She was diagnosed in June with breast cancer and more recently was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. Please make dua for a complete shifa and recovery for our sister's mother and may Allah make things easy for her.

Our sister Amna Ahmed has asked for dua for her father Muzaffar Ahmed who is her only parent and is 82 years old now and has a severe amount of water accumulation in his stomach which the doctors are not aware whether it's cancer or not.

Our sister Sana Ibrahim Ahmed has asked that we make dua for her 21-year-old brother Ibrahim Ahmed who sustained a severe brain injury and has been completely bedridden and lost his speech due to the condition. Please make dua for their shifa that Allah grants them a quick and easy recovery.

One of our students Faisal Al-Assad has asked that we make dua for his grandmother Huda who passed away recently as well as his grandfather Shuja Al-Assad who is now sick and is approaching the end of his life.

Our sister Mavish Ahmed who had asked us to make dua for her cousin Mubeen who is 24 years old and was shot in Pakistan recently, said unfortunately he did not survive the shooting and he passed away some days ago and has asked that we make dua for his maghfirah. Please make dua that Allah grants him peace and entrance into Jannah without any judgment.

One of our alumni has asked that we make dua for her sister Nafida Dhaman. One of her aunts is in Bangladesh after a severe stroke. She's currently in the ICU. Please make dua for all of them, their family members and loved ones that Allah gives to them only the best in this world and the best in the next.

Salawat on the Prophet

Allah and his angels send blessings upon the prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him.

O Allah send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad in the beginning and in the end. O Allah send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad and upon his family and companions. Send blessings and peace. O merciful, O Allah you are merciful, you love forgiveness, forgive us.

Closing Dua

We begin this supplication in your name Ya Allah and beseech you to send your choicest salutations upon your most beloved. We ask that you shower your infinite mercy upon this gathering granting each and everyone who is present herein and our loved ones only the best in this world and the best in the next.

We ask Ya Allah that if all of us are meant to be together only at this time, at this place, whether we are young or old, male or female, regardless of our race, our ethnicity, our social class, our country of origin, our cultural heritage, whether we are Muslim or come from a different walk of life, Ya Rabbi, if our individual hearts are

meant to be in the presence of all of their hearts that are gathered here only at this time, at this place, then gather us all together again of peace, strength and support.

For our sisters and brothers in New Zealand, those who were victim last night to an act of white supremacist terrorism, shower upon them and us your infinite mercy and grant all of us only the best in this world and the best in the next.

Guide the footsteps of our brothers and sisters afflicted by this attack and deepen us in our trust, love and care for them and each other so that we might come together and be the best of helpers and supporters. And protect all of us from any further affliction, anxiety or anguish.

Open their hearts to receive all of the love that we are sending them on this day and envelop them in your divine love always, Ya Wudud. Grant them peace, relax their fears and remove from them any impediment that keeps them from doing all that they are able to do.

The burdens of life sometimes seem too heavy to bear. The anxiety and anguish that sits inside of us and the world around us. We seem to be surrounded by a darkness that's impenetrable. Today we ask you for the sake of our brothers and sisters who need us to be better than our best to give us courage.

Our struggles are real but your promise is true. Indeed with hardship there always comes ease. Remove from our hearts any fears or inhibitions and replace them with an ever increasing boldness to live each moment as best as we can.

Fill our hearts with a fire of your love and a desire for nothing less. Make us the conveyors of truth, the purveyors of truth, the couriers, the carriers, the upholders of truth. Let us not be those who are swayed by false fulfillment but make us amongst those who taste true contentment.

Let us never be those who a strong fear of loss in this world or hope of gaining some portion of it keeps us from speaking out and hearing the truth that we yearn for. Keep us, Ya Allah, from being silent when others lie and help us to never lie to ourselves.

Put strength into our voices and grant us the courage to express our feelings. To let those that we love know how valuable they are to us. To seek forgiveness from those that we have wronged and to exert mercy towards those who have wronged us.

Bring people into our lives that we love so much that our love for them moves us to be courageous but not foolish. People who we love so much that our dedication to their well-being is rooted in wisdom and mindfulness.

Make us people who find strength through selflessness, not selfishness. Sincerity and never self-centeredness. Help us to see this world always through hearts that are drawn towards goodness. To silence fear and abolish anxiety. To overpower indifference and break away from greed. To eliminate arrogance and defeat racism.

To be bold enough to ask you, Ya Allah, to make us those who only do good. Help us to be above what is simply normal and to never compromise on who it is that we are to become that which we are not.

Forgive us when we unknowingly or knowingly become the cause of unwanted compromise in the lives of those around us or hurt others in ways that at times we don't realize.

Make us those who are never embarrassed by our faith nor those who embarrass others because of the faith they choose to practice. Help us to see our race, our culture, our heritage, our gender, our class as a means of strength and never something that we wish wasn't a part of us.

Let us not be like people walking on it and bless us with leaders, Ya Allah, to follow who walk firmly upon it. Let our unity be not tied to uniformity of the external but instead make us sisters and brothers of all colors in our unity based off of a uniformity of our values and hearts.

Let our anger be only at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people so that we will work for justice, equality, and peace. Let our tears shed only for those who suffer from pain, rejection so that we will reach out our hands to comfort them and change their pain into joy.

And let our successes be many as we make a difference in this world by doing the things which others say cannot be done.

For our brothers and sisters in New Zealand, their loved ones, their family members and all those who are facing any type of hardship or feeling any fear in the world at this time, we ask Ya Salam simply for peace.

Protect us always from hearts that are not humble, tongues that are not wise. Forgive us for our shortcomings and guide and bless us all.

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