The Right Intentions

to stir up, we are this way and you are that way and separate the ranks of Muslims, then even the best words can become filthy. Even words that are in Qur'an can become filthy.

Language isn't just about words, language is about what attitudes are behind those words. Just to make that simple to understand, there's different ways of saying, Alhamdulillah. Somebody says they have a problem, how's it going, how are things? Alhamdulillah. How are things? I have a lot of problems. Alhamdulillah, I guess. You still said Alhamdulillah, but you said it in a smelly way. That's not how you praise Allah.

The Same Principle with Salam

The same thing with salam. When you say salam to somebody, there's a way to say salam. When you say salam to somebody, there's no argument left, there's no quarrel left. You basically said, I'm at peace with you and I hope that everything in your life is peaceful. And I pray Allah to send His peace on you too. But we're good, we got nothing. That's when you say assalamu alaikum.

But when somebody says assalamu alaikum, that's not peaceful, that's filthy. It's a beautiful word being used in a filthy way, in a disgusting way. And that's what the Prophet ﷺ is highlighting:

Modern Application - Organizations and Unity

But that's not the entire story. This piece of it, what I wanted you to understand is that we today have Muslims that make different contributions. You're listening to khutbah in Bayyina campus. Bayyina is a name, it's a label. There are other educational institutes. There's Zaytuna, there's Al-Maghrib, there's Mishkat University, there are universities around the world teaching Muslims in some capacity or the other.

There are da'wah organizations, there are relief organizations. In America, for example, we have a lot of four-letter organizations, Isna, Ikna, three-letter organizations, like mass, etc, etc. We have all these organizations. And you know some people sometimes say, why do we have so many different organizations? The Muslims should be united. We should all just be one.

Even in the Qur'an, did Allah separate and distinguish the Muhajirun with a label and the Ansar with a label? Yeah, He did. Based on the contribution they made, isn't it? Every one of these organizations, every one of these efforts has a unique contribution to make. Perhaps even in a unique community.

The Danger of Organizational Competition

We're blessed to live in a city where there are tons and tons of masajid. So what if they're not under one organizational banner? So what? So what if some people came together and started praying inside of a

storefront, and then they raise enough money to build a masjid? That's the story of lots of masajid. But these masajid are not in competition with each other. These are all... And if you're a volunteer at one of them, you're a part of one of them, then you're part of something good.

This is not division. But the moment, the moment you start using these words, these beautiful words, these organizational names, which basically represent a contribution to our deen, an effort that's being made to serve our deen. When you start using these names to distinguish yourself from another organization, and talk about how much better you are, or how in competition you are, then these very Islamic organizational names become filthy words.

If Muhajirun and Ansar can become filthy words, if they can become smelly words, then what's to say of any other label, any other school of thought, any other madrasa, any other masjid? We have to think very clearly about what the Prophet is saying, alayhis salatu was salam.

The Prophet's Wisdom About Minor Disputes

But then when he said this, there's another narration here. Somebody came to Rasulullah ﷺ and said, but you know, he kicked him. He kicked him. And what was the Prophet's response to he kicked him? You know what he said? He said:

"No problem, don't worry about it." No big deal. No big deal.

How is it not a big deal he kicked him? Rasulullah ﷺ is teaching us something very powerful. Sometimes Muslims have arguments among each other. And sometimes things get ugly. And when they get ugly, your temper flares. And you want revenge, you want justice for what happened. Somebody has to pay. And when you're calling for justice, and making your voice heard, and you're raising your voice, and you're gathering people around you, reminding them of what one Muslim has done against another Muslim.

You are creating division in the name of justice. And you need to learn the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, when he says, you need to let this go, and make this not a big deal. Because when you blow this out of proportion, the price will not just be paid. You're not just seeking justice, you're causing a lot of problems in your pursuit of justice. You're making way too much noise for something that can be handled much better. Much more quietly, in a much more civil way, in a much less provocative way.

How Small Issues Become Big Problems

Look, it was two people, arguing with each other at a well. Something bad happened, fine. But it's two people. But in a split second, it's the entire group of the muhajirun, it's the entire group of the ansar. How quickly something small became something big. One can just, man, I lost my temper, sorry, I had a long

day, I had a headache, I don't know what got into me, I apologize, I shouldn't have kicked you. Done. Finished. You don't have to make a bigger deal out of it.

But there are those who would love to make a bigger deal out of it. There are those who capitalize, they hope that something small happens, a spark happens, and they can turn it into a forest fire. There are people who wait for that opportunity. And you have to watch, that is a reality that will always exist. There will be people, that will find the differences.

People Who Seek Division

There are people that are so sick in their minds. They'll say, they'll listen to this shaykh, that shaykh, that shaykh, this imam, that imam, and then they'll know that they have a difference of opinion on some issue. And they'll purposely go, you know, by the way, you know what they say about this issue? They have a difference with you. Because they want to see, they find it entertaining. They don't watch sports when people are boxing each other. They'd rather Islamic groups, scholars, imams, speakers, they argue with each other, they debate with each other. This is their sport. This is their entertainment. It's sick. That's sick.

Abdullah ibn Ubayy's Manipulation

When this fight broke out, the Prophet ﷺ basically gave the advice to defuse the situation. But there was another person on the other side, Ibn Ubayy, Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, la'anahullah, the head of the munafiqeen, who's obviously, he doesn't wear the label of munafiq. He's among the Muslims. He saw an opportunity. He called all the people of Medina that he could, into his camp. His camp was further away from the Prophet's camp. Calls them, sits them down.

"Look at what you did to yourself." These people of Makkah, these immigrants came, they take our jobs, they take our money, they take our homes, we provide them everything, and look at how they treat us. This is what you get? See? All they wanted was your money. All they wanted was your welfare.

The Poisonous Speech Continues

I tell you, we are so dignified. These people are beggars. Because you know, when somebody is a beggar, they're humiliated. When somebody gives, they're the dignified one. These people have no respect. We're the ones that have respect, and they can treat us this way? You know what they remind me of?

He gives a speech and he says, they remind me of the old Arabs saying, when you give your dog until the dog gets fat, and it bites you. He called the Muhajirun dogs. In his speech, in his camp, he did this.

And he's doing this to capitalize, to build the emotion and the sentiment of the Ansar against the Muhajireen. And he swears, he says, you know, the second we go back guys, the moment we go back to Madinah:

"We the most dignified should get rid of these humiliated people."

Watch, stop spending on them. He says, he swears to God, he says, if you just stop giving these people charity, watch them disappear, and they'll live on welfare somewhere else. You know.

"Don't spend on all these people around the messenger. Watch them disappear."

They'll just disappear. Watch, they're only here for your money. And then they treat you like this.

The Young Witness

So he's giving this poisonous speech. See on the one hand, the Prophet ﷺ is saying, let it go, end it. It's a disgusting, filthy word. Don't exaggerate it. And on the other hand, this guy is putting fuel into the fire. He wants to make the fire bigger and bigger.

What he didn't know is there's a young boy sitting there, Zayd ibn Arqam. 10, 11 years old. He's sitting in the audience, listening to this entire poisonous speech. He runs over and tells his uncle, what Abdullah ibn Ubayy said. His uncle goes into the camp of the Prophet ﷺ, where Umar is sitting there too. And he says, this is what Abdullah ibn Ubayy is saying. Who narrated it? This 11 year old Zayd. That's who narrated it.

The Prophet's Trust in the Child

Now, what is the Prophet ﷺ supposed to say? Well, we can't trust a child. Child can make anything up. How can we rely on him? No questioning. Zayd said it. No questioning. As a matter of fact, Umar sitting next to him said, I know a guy, Ammar. I want you to give me permission. I'll get Ammar. He'll walk into their camp. Slowly walk up to Ibn Ubayy ibn Sulul who's giving this speech and slit his throat. Just give the word. I got this. I know just the guy for the job.

Rasul ﷺ says, "La ya Umar." No Umar. That's not what we're gonna do. Because the people will say:

"Muhammad kills his people."

Understanding Umar's Perspective

Before I go any further, why would Umar say kill him? Isn't that barbaric? Like Sharia law gets you to kill people? These, understand what's happening here. They're a military. They went out as a military. And when inside a military, when they're actively on the battlefield, someone within the ranks of the army tries to create discord between the army, that is considered an act of espionage and an act of high treason, punishable by death because you're putting the entire army at risk.

This is military protocol in every military in the world, from history until now. This is considered high treason. So when Umar says kill him, he's not saying some Islamic rule of killing him. He's saying, that's how we deal with treason in the military. But Rasulullah ﷺ says, no, we won't do that. We won't even do that. Even though they're well within their rights, if there was any other military that this happened in, nobody would even say anything. Nobody would say, that's of course, that's what you do. But he doesn't.

The Confrontation

They call Ibn Ubayy instead. Call him, let him explain himself. Because he doesn't know that the Prophet will hear it. But he heard it. So now Abdullah Ibn Ubayy and his supporters, they've come. They come inside the camp. The boy Zayd Ibn Arqam is outside the camp. He has no idea what went on inside. He just told his uncle, remember? His uncle went in and talked to the Prophet ﷺ. The boy didn't go in.

So Abdullah Ibn Ubayy goes inside, starts swearing at the top of his lungs. Wallahi, I swear to God, who made this lie against me? I believe you're the messenger of Allah. Why would I say something like that about you? Why would I say something like that about our brothers? I have given so much for Islam. I came to the battlefield, didn't I? How can you question me like this? Whose word are you taking over mine? Why have I not proven myself? And he starts giving the Prophet a lecture. At the top of his lungs.

And Rasul ﷺ says, you can go. He doesn't want to hear any more nonsense. He doesn't argue with him. We're learning something else. There are going to be people who cause trouble. And when you question them, they get very loud. They get very loud. And when they get very loud, what's the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ? It's okay, you can go. Thank you. Some people are not worth talking to. They're just not worth talking to. That's the sunnah. Let him go.

The Child's Heartbreak

When he lets him go, Zayd ibn Arqam is outside. He sees this man leave. And he says, oh, wait. He's not in any trouble? I told on him. And he's still not in any trouble? So he says:

"A sadness took over me that never hit me before." I was sad that day like I was never before in my life. So he says:

"The Prophet thought that Ibn Ubayy, the guy who was yelling and screaming, was telling the truth. And the Prophet didn't believe me because I'm just a kid." He didn't believe me. That's not the case. The case is actually the Prophet believed him right away صلى الله عليه وسلم. But he doesn't know that because he's on the outside. So he says, I went back to my tent and I just lied down crying. This boy just lied down and he's crying. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has no idea what this boy is feeling. We'll learn about that later.

The Revelation of Surah Al-Munafiqoon

Then Allah revealed Surah Al-Munafiqoon. I told you this khutbah is about Surah Al-Munafiqoon. In Surah Al-Munafiqoon, basically in 11 ayat, Allah Azzawajal quoted Zayd ibn Arqam. Two ayat are quoting Zayd ibn Arqam word for word.

Zayd came and told the Prophet ﷺ or told his uncle who told the Prophet ﷺ. They said:

Words of Abdullah ibn Ubayy. This is what he said. When we go back to Medina, the dignified ones will expel the humiliated ones. That's what he said. Quran comes and says:

"They say, 'If we return to al-Madinah, the more honored [for power] will surely expel therefrom the more humble.' But honor [or power] belongs to Allah and to His Messenger and to the believers." (Quran 63:8)

SubhanAllah. Word for word, the narration of Zayd is now part of the Quran.

They said also, don't spend on the people around the Prophet ﷺ until they disappear:

(Quran 63:7)

The Prophet's Care for the Child

When the surah is revealed to the Prophet ﷺ, he remembers this boy who was crying by himself. He calls Zayd, sits him down, puts his hand on his knees, and says:

"Allah proved that you're telling the truth."

And he recited the entire surah to Zayd, the 11-year-old boy. Before anybody else heard the surah, Zayd heard the surah. This surah, it's like, it has so many purposes, this surah. But one of its core purposes was to care for the sentiments of this child, this kid who spoke, subhanAllah.

Lessons from This Profound Incident

There are lessons after lessons after lessons inside of this surah, and inside of this profound incident. Just these 11 ayahs. But what I wanted to highlight to you as I close is this entire story, what binds it together is one theme, the softness of the heart. Believers are supposed to be brothers. We know that already.

"The believers are but brothers." (Quran 49:10)

But it's very easy to destroy brotherhood. Very easy. It takes very little. And sometimes it doesn't even take bad words. It takes good words said in a bad way. This thing that Allah has given us:

"The love that He put between our hearts" (Quran 3:103) is very delicate. It has to be handled with a lot of care.

Special Care for Those Serving the Deen

Especially those that are serving in any capacity towards the deen. If you're volunteering, working at an Islamic organization, you're affiliated with a school or another, a masjid or another, then you have to be extra sensitive not to become a gang that speaks in any condescending way about anybody else. Extra careful about that.

The Value of Children

And that softness, then if you understand that, then you'll understand the next layer of sensitivity and that's towards children. That even children, we don't dismiss them, we don't think of them as a nuisance. They are a blessing of Allah. Can you imagine? Nowadays when somebody is giving a lecture, there are children in the audience, we keep requesting, please can you keep the kids quiet? Can you put some kind of barbed wire around them or something? Can we have some kind of soundproof, bulletproof, oxygen proof room where we can keep these kids?

If there's a kid in the audience, even the speaker, the scholar, the shaykh, they're not concerned. They're concerned if the adults understand. They're only concerned if the kid doesn't make noise. That's all they're concerned about. And this entire event, it hinges on the contribution of this boy's aid. On this boy.

Bringing Children to the Masjid

Don't dismiss the contribution of our children, the value of our children. Don't underestimate bringing them to the masjid and listening to the khutbah next to you. When you bring your kids, sit with them. Sit with them. Don't have them go on their wander off on their own. Sit with them, teach them the adab of sitting in the masjid, listening.

When you go to a dars, take your kids with you. It's okay they'll be bored one or two times. But some of this stuff will stick in their head and 15 years later it'll save their life. You don't know what will stick and what won't stick.

Closing Du'a

May Allah عز وجل make us soft towards one another and clean in our intentions towards one another. May Allah عز وجل not make us of those who forget that the real contribution to our deen is with sincerity to Allah.

"May Allah bless me and you with the Wise Quran, and may He benefit me and you with the verses and the wise remembrance."