I Can’t Breathe
By Suhaib Webb | 2026-01-16T03:24:19.014217+00:00 | Topic: Iman
I Can't Breathe
Opening Supplication
Indeed, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, seek His assistance, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils within ourselves and from the wickedness of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide, and whomever Allah misguides, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone, without any partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, may Allah send blessings and peace upon him, his family, and companions, and grant them abundant peace.
O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims.
O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.
O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.
Now then, the most truthful speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The worst of matters are those that are newly invented, and every innovation is a heresy, and every heresy is in the Fire.
We praise Allah, an abundant praise. We beseech Him to send His peace and blessings upon Prophet Muhammad, his companions, his family, and those who follow them until the end of time.
The Sacred Rulings Revealed in Mecca and Medina
As many of you know, Allah divided the prophethood of our beloved Messenger and his illustrious companions into two historical periods: the 13 years that the Prophet spent in Mecca and 10 years that he spent in Medina. This is the opinion of the majority of the scholars.
Many of you know that there is a common assumption about marhalah makkiyyah, about this period that the Prophet spent in Mecca, that Allah did not send any rulings. There was no أحكام sent to the الحبيب and his companions—this is the common assumption of people. But if you look in greater detail, you'll find that actually there were certain rulings sent in Mecca and sent in Medina. That means that these rulings were sent twice, and the reason for that is because of their importance and their universality.
The Prohibition of Murder: Revealed Twice
One of those rulings that we find that was sent in Mecca and sent in Medina is the statement of Allah, is the sin of murder and killing. In Mecca, Allah explicitly expresses that the act of killing is forbidden, and in Medina likewise, all of that to illustrate the danger of murder and the sacredness of human life.
That's why the Prophet said: (اتَّقُوا الْمُهْلِكَاتِ - Ittaqū al-muhlikāt) (Sahih Bukhari). The Prophet is reported to have said this—not in the exact words—in Mecca, and to have said it, the quote now is from Medina. And the first one he said after associating partners with Allah is murder.
The Honor of Humanity
Allah in the Quran said: (وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ - wa laqad karramnā banī Ādam) (Quran 17:70) - "We honored humanity."
When we talk about the word that's used in the Quran over and over again when we're talking about human life, it is nafs. And that's very important because we believe that Allah gave life to the nafs of Adam in the most remarkable of ways to illustrate the honor of life and the sanctity of existence and living.
The Divine Breath: The Gift of Life
Allah said: (فَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي - fa nafakhtu fīhi min rūḥī) (Quran 15:29) - "And I breathed into him from My spirit."
Allah, after He shaped Adam—and we believe that Adam, as mentioned by Imam Ibn Kathir, was made from all different colors—Allah says: (فَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي - fa nafakhtu fīhi min rūḥī) - "And We breathed into him from Our breath."
Now this is very important in light of what happened to our brother Eric Garner who said "I can't breathe," because we believe in our theology that breath was a gift from Allah. Adam was shaped and created in his form, but until Allah (فَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي - fa nafakhtu fīhi min rūḥī) before Allah breathed into him, I'll explain what that means in a minute—he did not have the ability to breathe.
For that reason, we find that Allah uses what's called إضافة تشريف. The same thing we find in Sahih al-Bukhari, and I'll explain this, pay attention: that Allah, when He says He breathed into Adam from His breath, this is majāz it's a form of rhetoric. What it means is that We gave him the gift of breath, the gift of life, the ability to breathe.
Nafs and tanafus - life and breath—come from the same word in Arabic. And that's why in Sahih al-Bukhari, Allah says: (فَخَلَقَهُ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ - fa khalaqahu ‘ala ṣūratihī) (Sahih Bukhari 6227). In this long hadith, Allah said that He shaped and created Adam in the image of God.
We know that in other traditions they take this to be literal. They understand it to be عَلَى صُورَتِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى حَقِيقَةً. We don't believe that because (لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ - laysa kamithlihi shay’un wa huwa as-samī‘u al-baṣīr) (Quran 42:11) and (وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ - wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan aḥad) (Quran 112:4) - there's nothing like Allah. (وَلِلَّهِ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى - wa lillāhi al-mathalu al-a‘lā) (Quran 16:60)
So what does the hadith mean? According to our scholars, Allah wants to show us the honor of life is such that when Allah talks about giving the ability to breathe and live to humanity, He mentions Himself in that way, in that relationship of life. And that's why we say that no one has the right to take life which Allah has given.
The Sacredness of Those Who Breathe
So first we understand the sacredness of life and the gift of breath from Allah. And that's why in the Quran, Allah didn't say (وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا النَّاسَ - wa lā taqtulū an-nās) or (وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَشْخَاصًا - wa lā taqtulū ashkhāṣan). Allah didn't say "don't kill people." He didn't say "don't kill certain folks." He said—the beauty of Quran, like the beautiful language of the Quran—Allah said don't kill those that breathe. Like that's the literal meaning: don't kill those who Allah has given the ability to breathe.
And that's why the statement of our brother "I can't breathe" is a strong testimony against the injustices we see in our country today.
Killing One is Like Killing All
The second is when Allah talks about killing, He usually does it in a plural form : وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا (Quran 4:29).
In the Quran, Allah doesn't say kill your enemies, kill someone you don't like. He says don't kill yourselves, because our belief is that when evil happens to one person, it becomes systemic and affects everyone else.
In the Quran, because of the murder that happened between the sons of Adam, قابيل وهابيل. We decreed for Bani Israel that whoever kills one soul unjustly, it is as if they killed all of humanity. If they kill one who breathes, it's like they killed all those who breathe. And if they bring one to life who breathes, it's like they brought all of those who breathe to life.
This is the hikmah. Those of you who are Arabs, why Allah said nafs nafs nafs nafs nafs nafs nafs——to remind us of life. And in this verse, Allah didn't say. He said كَأَنَّ. And you know in Arabic, if you say سحيب كشكل سحيب, that means there is differences. But you say سحيب كأن, this means we are ذاتًا وشكلاً exactly the same.
So this is the فرق between and كَأَنَّ for those of you who study the language. So when Allah says that if one who breathes is killed unjustly, it's like all who breathe exactly were killed, and if one is brought to life who breathes, then all of the others are brought to life—that's the strength of the Quranic expression.
Faith and Life
Allah in the Quran in many places alludes to the importance of life, and He encourages us to establish the means which will bring about life for others. Number one is faith. That's why Allah, when He talks about faith, He says: (أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ - a wa man kāna mayyitan fa aḥyaynahu) (Quran 6:122) - "For the one who is dead, We brought him to life."
So as Muslims, when we look now at the social fabric of America and we see this incredible, profound set of structural injustices, we go back to Tawheed. We look for the answer in the oneness of Allah and the sacredness of our Prophet.
Speaking Out Against Injustice
Number two: Allah, as we mentioned before, forbids us to harm others. And as Muslims, we can't be on the fence on this issue. When we see Muslims killing people in cold blood, we have to speak out. When we see that Muslims are involved in acts of murder and killing the innocent, there can be no more dilemma in those issues, especially in the name of religion.
The Prophet, in Sahih al-Bukhari, his Sahabi came to him and he boasted how he killed one man in a battle. And that man, before he died, he said (لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الله - lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāh). And the Prophet said: (أَشْقَقْتَ صَدْرَهُ - a-shaqaqta ṣadrahu) (Sahih Bukhari 4269) - "Did you cut open his heart and see what's in his heart?"
Internal Responsibility
The first part of this khutbah is to understand, of course, the sacredness of human life. But then secondly is to create an internal responsibility in the lives of each and every one of us to be committed to humanity, and to be aware of the evils in our hearts and to see through them.
"to know one another."
And what that means is to know one another, but it means more than that. Because the form تَفَاعُل means اشتراك—means to share, to share in the process of understanding and knowing one another.
And the word تعارف comes from a word معرفة, which means to smell something. We say عَرْف النشر you know the smell that's spreading. So the idea is just as I smell something: is it shy Somali? Is it Mansaf? Is it Biryani? Is it, you know, ribs? Okay, after a while I'm able to understand: is it Anjara?
I'm able to understand. The idea also is that I invest myself in knowing people to the point that I'm able to make a proper decision based on proper investigation.
Investing in the Oppressed
So as I've said many, many times before—and my days here are numbered—as American Muslims, those of you who are not familiar with the cultural realities of this country, you have to invest yourself in the history of the oppressed people of this land. Because as Muslims, our job is to work with the oppressed, not to leave them, to let them lead us, not for us to lead them, but to support them.
And that's why the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said:
(Sahih Bukhari 2448)
"Fear the prayer of the oppressed, because there is no barrier between it and God."
Go, know, go out and visit communities. Make تعرف, go visit other localities. Don't believe the hype of the dominant culture about certain areas, but invest yourself in knowing and loving people.
Standing with Black America
The second is this: this cause is a cause that faces black America today. Nobody can whitewash that. No one can erase it. And we pray for our black brothers and sisters. We ask Allah to give them strength. We ask Allah to
help us as a community not to be asleep at the wheel in the face of structural and economic and political injustices that face the black community in America.
Somebody asked me: "How can you pray for black America?" I said: "I pray for Palestine." They said to me: "But black America, like they're not—what? They're not human? They're not Muslim?"
That mentality, that set of pathologies, is really going to harm us in our relationship with Allah, in our relationship with people. Wherever we see injustice or oppression, we don't have the budget for silence.
So we pray for all of black America, and we pray that Allah will strengthen them and bring justice to them, and let us be supporters of the cause that they want us to follow. You are our leaders in this struggle, and we gladly follow you.
The Warning Against Silence
The last point is this: the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wasallam) warned us about ignoring the plight of the oppressed.
You know, today I was listening to Chris Carter on ESPN commenting on, you know, some of the statements of Charles Barkley. This is Chris Carter, one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of the NFL. And he said something that for many of us we don't understand. He said: "I got pulled over by the police few weeks ago, and the policeman asked me, 'Who are you?' He didn't know who he was. He said, 'You know, Chris Carter, maybe you heard of me. He's played for the Minnesota Vikings.' He said, 'Who do you work for?' I said, 'I work for ESPN.'" This is one of the most prolific color commentators on ESPN. He said to him—so, like, he basically insulted him. His assumption was that, you know, you're not a main figure at ESPN.
Those set of pathologies we as a community have to address within ourselves and then project that tawheed of humanity out to others, because the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wasallam) warned us that if we ignore the plight of the oppressed, if we ignore the plight of those who are subjected to structural violence—just look at the statistics on the incarceration epidemic in America, recidivism in America. Look at the tremendous gap based on race and color, and there's no way anyone can be quiet anymore, regardless of their background.
The Parable of the Boat
And I say this with respect to everyone, but listen to the statement of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wasallam). And I've heard that some masajid are, you know, "maybe we shouldn't go to New York, maybe we shouldn't join the march." If I did not have to go to Detroit tonight, I'm going to New York tomorrow. And last night, mashallah, large number of brothers and sisters, we gathered and went downtown. There can be no silence in front of murder and oppression as Muslims.
So the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wasallam) he said, as related by Imam al-Tirmidhi (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2173), that the likeness of people who ignore other people's challenges and plights and hardships are like people on a boat. And people are asking the people: "Please give us water, please help us, please aid us." And the people at the top are busy, man—busy with iPhones, busy with, you know, Harvard's undefeated, busy with Netflix: "I gotta watch all the House of Cards, you know, gotta hit up the mall."
Busy with so many things that really are just dunya fiction. All that's dunya fiction. You know, dunya fiction is what doesn't bring you hasanat in the akhira. That's dunya fiction. But we need the reality of the hereafter to place what's important in front of us, the miqyas of the akhira.
Honoring Black Muslim Leadership
And historically, the black community has played one of the most important roles in Islam in America, without a doubt, without a doubt. And oftentimes forgotten, not addressed. The leaders are not mentioned.
People like Imam W.D. Muhammad. People like Imam Hassan from New York, who is the first American to go to Azhar, who taught the daughters of Malcolm X Alif Ba Ta Tha. People like Imam Mansoor in Atlanta and Imam Mansoor in Minnesota, who brings massage specialists to the hood and they give people massages in front of the masjid. You ask people in that neighborhood: "Are Muslims terrorists?" "No, man, that's taking me massage. I love those people."
People like Imam Sheikh Abdul Qadir, spent his whole life in the cause of Allah. Imam Talib Mahdi down the street. Imam Farooq, years of service to the community.
I knew an African—my Sheikh was an African American who I became Muslim—and I remember I went to his home. And this is a man who at the age of 60 learned Al-Ajrumiyyah. It's a basic book in Arabic, and he wrote the whole book on a 60 .لوح years! He used to write on a on this, you know, small wood thing.
I went to his house and I found an office refrigerator in his house. I said, "Man, where is your refrigerator?" He said, "You know, this is our refrigerator." Subhanallah! People who sacrifice for Islam in ways that we'll never understand.
The Consequence of Inaction
That being said, the Prophet said if we don't make sure to spread water—and what that means now in the times of injustice: we're not there to support the African American community, Muslim and non-Muslim, and get behind the leadership of the African American community in this plight—then the Prophet said the boat sinks with everybody. We all sink together.
Closing Supplication
So we ask Allah to reform the ummah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wasallam)to bless us to move away from the pathologies out of colonialism, out of all kind of isms that are settled in our hearts. We ask Allah to help us support black America as they face incredible difficulties. Twelve-year-old children are being killed. A man two days ago in Phoenix, unarmed, was shot and killed.
We ask Allah to make us sincere in our service to others around us. We ask Allah to make us ready to follow at a moment's notice. We ask Allah to be pleased with us. We ask Him to unite us with our beloved Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wasallam) We ask Allah to forgive us of our sins, the sins of racism and bigotry that exist in our hearts. We ask Allah to remove the sin of racism and bigotry with the light of tawheed. We ask Allah to grant us success.
أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم