Remaining Firm in Faith Against Challenging Ideologies

Remaining Firm in Faith Against Challenging Ideologies

Imam Siraj Wahhaj

Opening Greetings

(السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ - as-salamu alaykum). (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim). (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ - alhamdulillah).

Brothers and sisters, I'm so happy to see so many people showing up in this last session. And I can tell you I have had a blast. You all think that the speakers come here to give you speeches, right? It's true. But we ourselves come to listen to other speakers, right? Umar Suleiman, you know how many pages of notes I have on these speakers? So, we've been blessed.

The Story of Jackie Robinson and Number 42

Now, I'm going to talk a little bit about sports. So, sisters, don't get angry at me. You can listen as you like. Every team sport, whether it's basketball, football, hockey, all of them, every player wears a number on their back to identify them. And every team player has a different number. This year, I think, was on Monday, April 15th. Major League Baseball. Every player on every team wore the same number. What number was that? 42? Who said that? Correct.

I want you to explain to them why every baseball player on every team wore the number 42. So, there was an African American player on the team, right? And at that time, there was a lot of bias and prejudice going on. So, to support their own team member, everyone wore 42 so that people on the bleachers and on the seats, they couldn't really identify what number is from what. They wanted to show that everyone supported the same player. Very good. Not quite. But very good. Let me teach you.

The Arc of the Moral Universe Bends Toward Justice

You know, first of all, I'm going to make a point that I want to make and I want you to understand. Something that Martin Luther King, Jr. said, and he was quoting a philosopher named Theodore Parker. He said, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. And what that meant is that ultimately, no matter what happens, justice will prevail. Because justice is one of the names of Allah.

Number 42 is the number of an African American baseball player who became a major league baseball player in 1947 and wore the number 42. His name was Jackie Robinson. Black people were not allowed into baseball, major league baseball. So the Brooklyn Dodgers, for the first time in the history of major league baseball, hired an African American named Jackie Robinson. The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. And this man's number was retired, which means nobody, no baseball player, no team could ever wear the

number 42 except on April 15, the day that he became a major league baseball player to celebrate him. They wear the number 42.

Muslims: Be Confident in Your Faith

I want you as Muslims to be confident. You are on the right path. Don't you ever fear anyone. You are the best of those who evolved from mankind. Not because you say you are the best, but Allah says that you are the best because you enjoin the good and you forbid the evil and you believe in Allah.

"You are the best nation produced for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah." (Quran 3:110)

The Parable of the Elephant and the Rope

Two women went to a circus and they saw a huge elephant. And that elephant had a little flimsy rope to hold it. They looked at each other and said, how could this little rope hold that elephant? So they went to the trainer. They wanted to understand why. The trainer laughed and said, you are right. When that elephant was a baby, we put that rope around it and it tried to move and couldn't. So when it becomes old and big and strong, it doesn't even try because it doesn't believe that it can break free.

You have no idea who you are. Because you know why? You look around and you look at the conditions of the Muslims and you are nervous. The arc of the moral universe is long and bends towards justice.

The Example of Nelson Mandela

How many of you heard of Nelson Mandela? Raise your hand. In Robben Island, Nelson Mandela was in prison for how many years? 27 years in prison. Why was he in prison? Because he robbed a bank? Because he hurt someone? No, he was in prison because he was a political prisoner fighting against the injustice of apartheid. 27 years. I went to visit South Africa. In the very prison that Nelson Mandela spent 27 years, now it's a museum. Thousands of people a day go to the prison that Nelson Mandela was in. And then we went to Soweto and visited the home of Nelson Mandela. Years of oppression. And now look what Nelson Mandela has become.

A good friend of mine died this year. I was out of the city and I couldn't make it in time. I felt bad about it. A good friend of mine. But I want you to imagine Nelson Mandela dying. And they had a memorial service for him. And 91 heads of state came to that memorial for Nelson Mandela. A man who was oppressed in prison for 27 years. Four United States presidents. President Obama, President Clinton, President Bush, and President Carter came. 26 congressmen.

And I want you to know that there are only 195 countries. 91 heads of state including the heads of Muslim countries. They came to honor this man who became a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Who became the first African

black president of South Africa. And ended oppression and this apartheid. You know why? Because the arc of the moral universe is long and bends toward justice. You may think that you are at the bottom. But then comes justice.

Be Non-Conformists: Follow the Prophets

My admonition to you, youngsters, is that you are called upon in this time to be non-conformists. I'm not trying to be like anybody in this society. I want to be like Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. I want to be like the messenger of Allah. I want to be like the prophets. A man came to the prophet, peace be upon him, and said, "Ya Khaira al-Bariyya" - O best of creation. I want you to know how our prophet responded to being called the best of creation. You know what he says? "Dhalika Ibrahim" - That is Ibrahim.

Why did he say that? Although I can make a compelling argument that the prophet, peace be upon him, was the best of creation, I can make a compelling argument. He says that out of humility. Why is he like that? Would you agree with me this morning that every human being will die? Every human being except Allah. And did you know that everyone who dies will be resurrected by Allah? Did you know that? And did you know that when Allah resurrects us, He resurrects us naked? Did you know that? And the prophet, peace be upon him, says, "Verily the first one to be clothed on the Day of Judgment will be Ibrahim."

The Special Status of Prophet Ibrahim

Five minutes? Are you kidding me? This is like the Day of Judgment? This is the Day of Judgment? Five minutes? Are you serious? You want me to finish in five minutes? I don't care. I'll try.

You know the prophet, peace be upon him, says, "One prayer in my masjid is better than a thousand prayers in any other masjid except Masjid al-Haram." (Sahih al-Bukhari 1190, Sahih Muslim 1394)

The masjid of Ibrahim. One prayer in that masjid is better than 100,000 prayers in any other masjid. Yes, I did. And I found the ayah in the Quran. Why Ibrahim, peace be upon him, is given this special position.

"And when his Lord tested Ibrahim with commands, and he fulfilled them." (Quran 2:124)

He passed every test. He did. And one of the tests, I want you to remember this as I try to come to my conclusion, which is like no joke. Really, it's so serious. I am not laughing at this time. This is serious. This is a conversation that Ibrahim had with his wife Sarah. And this is what he says: O Sarah, there is not one believer on the face of the earth other than you and me.

Stand Firm in Your Islamic Identity

I make this pledge. If everybody leaves Islam, I don't intend to leave. I intend to die as a Muslim. This is my belief. I don't care how many people in my city, how many people in my neighborhood, how many people in my

country. I am a Muslim. And I want to believe in the religion of Islam that Allah has given us through the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

I want you to go to the Quran and read every verse of the Quran. And sometimes Allah tells the Prophet, peace be upon him, what to say. I give you one example.

"They said, 'Be Jews or Christians and you will be guided.' Say, 'Rather, the religion of Ibrahim, inclining toward truth, and he was not of the polytheists.''' (Quran 2:135)

Allah tells them, the Prophet Muhammad says, "No, no. It is the religion of Ibrahim." Which means that you are not following a new religion. You are following the same old religion.

Islam: The Continuation of the Prophetic Tradition

And you go to the Quran over and over again and you read. And this is why the Prophet says, "The Prophets are brothers. Their mothers are different but their religion is one." (Sahih al-Bukhari 3443, Sahih Muslim 2365)

It is not a new religion. And you got to teach the American people that this is not a new religion. This is the same religion. And this is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "My comparison and the comparison of the Prophets that came before me is the comparison of a man who built a building. And the building was perfectly put together. It was beautiful. And the people that go around the building marvel at the building and say, what a beautiful building. But there is one brick missing and I am that brick." (Sahih al-Bukhari 3535, Sahih Muslim 2286)

No, it is not a new religion. It is the same old religion. And this is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, says, "I hope that you will be one half of the people of Paradise." (Sahih Muslim 220)

Who is the other half? The other half are those who followed the Prophets. All of them have the same religion.

The Power of Confidence and Self-Belief

And the thing that is missing with us, my conclusion, is one thing. You have two people having the same ability. What makes one great and another mediocre? You know what it is? It is up here. It is in here. It is what you think about yourself. It is confidence.

And I am going to read this that a man named Daniel Pipes wrote. And if you know something about Daniel Pipes, you know that he has said things against Islam. But listen to what he said:

"Adding to this internal confidence was the fact that Muslims enjoyed outstanding success during the first six or so centuries. To be a Muslim meant to belong to a winning civilization. This pattern of success started right at the beginning in AD 622. Muhammad left Mecca as a refugee, then returned to Medina in 630 as its ruler. By

the year 715, Muslim conquerors had assembled an empire that reached Spain in the west and India in the east. Muslims boasted some of the most powerful armies, the highest standards of living, the best health, the most impressive rates of literacy, and the most impressive scientific and technological advances. In the words of one renowned historian, had there been Nobel prizes in the 1000s, they would have gone almost exclusively to Muslims."

You know what your problem is? You don't see it. You don't see it. Because you see Muslims are suffering all over the world. But the arc of the moral universe is long and bends toward justice.

Hope for the Future

Think about this. Those who don't understand history, when President Obama became president, do you know that black people, you know that they suffered. And sometimes you can't forget. But you know he tried? And when he announced that he was going to run for president, I said he's not going to make it. But look. President of the United States now.

My opinion, you don't have to accept it. I believe that one day, without a doubt, there will be a Muslim president of the United States of America. And it may be one of you. There will be Muslims on the Supreme Court. I'm telling you. You'll see. All you got to do is hold on and believe.

Muslim Population Growth

I leave you with this. Muslims are growing in their populations. I'm going to put this in front of your eyes. Hold on. Let me show you. You want to give me a Muslim country? I can give you any Muslim country. Pakistan? Okay. Bangladesh. You know the population of Bangladesh? 157,826,578.

I study demographics. I study not only where countries are, where they came from, and where they're going. It is predicted by 2050 that the population of Bangladesh will be 193,092,768. We're growing fast. It's good. It's wonderful. But I don't want us to only grow in population. I want us to grow in strength. You all have different qualities that make great strength. The truth. The theology.

The Fate of Churches in England

We will never be like what happened in England. I'm walking off the stage. No, no, let me tell you this. I was in Scotland this year. One o'clock in the afternoon when I was driving down Princes Street and I looked to my right and I noticed a church. And I saw a lot of people going into the church. I said, Naeem, what denomination is that? So many people going into the church at one o'clock on a Saturday. He said, Imam, that's not a church. He said it is a pub. You know the pub where people drink? He said, in England, the rule is if someone builds a church, even when it's abandoned, you can never change the exterior. Even though it's no longer a church, the buildings must remain the same.

Since 1960, 10,000 churches have closed in England. And another 4,000 will be closed by next year. People are leaving the churches, leaving the synagogues. We hope they will never leave the mosques because we are confident, not really in ourselves, but confident in Allah and His Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Closing: Return With Strength and Confidence

You go back to your cities. Go back to New York City. Go back to Massachusetts. Go back to Connecticut. From this conference here, this MYNA conference, realize that I am somebody strong, I'm a Muslim. And if black people can ascend despite their oppression, Muslims will ascend because of Islam.

May Allah bless you. Bless the MYNA and the organizers.