Social Awareness

Khutbah: Social Awareness and Community Engagement in Ramadan

Opening Praise and Blessings

الله أكبر، الله أكبر

Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest.

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

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and upon all who believe. We praise Allah, we seek the blessings and peace of Allah upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and all of the Prophets of Allah, from Jesus, Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses, till the end of time, ameen.

Ramadan: A Powerful Tool for Social Engagement

We will discuss now inshallah, this tool of Ramadan, this powerful tool that's in our hand, and how this tool should encourage us to engage in society, and be part of the society.

The Challenge of Isolation in Western Muslim Communities

Especially in the West sometimes, maybe we feel that as Muslims we need to be isolated. I remember when I wanted to become Muslim, I couldn't even find a sign in front of the local mosque. I used to drive by the building like a hundred times, there was no sign there.

Then I looked in the local yellow pages, and I couldn't find a phone number for an Islamic center. So I realized at that time that the Muslims were mudathiroon, that they were completely covered. And Allah orders the Prophet ﷺ to throw off his mantle, throw off this mudathir, and stand and warn.

"O you who covers himself [with a garment], arise and warn."

Overcoming Fear and Sharing Our Beautiful Message

So I realized after becoming Muslim as an American, living in America, that the Muslims were very frightened of the society. After 9-11, for especially those brothers and sisters who have migrated to America, and not lived maybe the American experience completely, that fear was even further heightened.

So you'll find parents telling their kids, don't join your local mosque, or the MSA, we're going to see you in Guantanamo Bay if you do it, and so on and so forth.

But that's not the case, dear brothers and sisters. Our message is a lovely message, our message is a beautiful message, our message is a balanced message. And this message we want to use to reach the people and to show them a godly way of life, the way of Islam.

A way of life which represents the last reservoir of prophetic guidance on the face of the planet, is the message of Islam.

Ramadan: Catalyst for Social Awareness and Action

The month of Ramadan and Ramadan itself encourages us to be active in society. One of the wisdoms of the month of Ramadan is that while you feel hungry, when you're hungry, and for example you see now that only 60% of the residents of New Orleans have gone back to their homes.

And the people who live, for example, in New Orleans are still living a very difficult existence. People even who have gone back are being threatened that their homes that they've moved back into are going to be taken from them. When we see that, we should feel as we're hungry and we're suffering in the daytime, we should see those people.

Whether Muslim or non-Muslim, it doesn't matter. We feel their pain and we should be concerned and informed in society institutions which serve the populace of people. So this month of Ramadan encourages not only to have introspection on ourselves, but to look at the society and see the needs that we feel during the day.

Being the Best Ummah Through Service

And serve the needs of the people and bring good to the people because we believe we are khayru ummah, we are the best ummah. And the Prophet ﷺ said the best of you is the one who benefits al-naas, all people, the most.

خَيْرُ النَّاسِ أَنْفَعُهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ

"The best of people are those most beneficial to people."

So this month of Ramadan we increase the taqwa. And taqwa is our relationship with Allah. But at the same time we increase al-khidmah. Khidmah means to serve the people around us so we can also bring good to them and please Allah.

The Path to Paradise: Taqwa and Good Character

And that's why when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was asked about the things that will take people to paradise, the easiest he said:

اتَّقِ اللَّهَ وَحُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ

"Taqwa Allah wa husnu khuluq" - being mindful of Allah and good behavior.

The scholars commented on this and said, being mindful of Allah means to observe those things that Allah ordered us to do. Prayer, salah, zakah and hajj. Husnu khuluq means to observe the rights of people around us.

Thus when someone observes the rights of Allah and fulfills the rights of those around him, inshallah he will go to jannah because he completed everybody's rights.

Rights of Allah and the rights of the ibad, servants of Allah.

Being a Living Reflection of Islam

Are we reflecting the light of the Prophet ﷺ onto society that they can see for real who the Muslims are, what type of people they are beyond terrorists, beyond violence, beyond acts of orchestrated evil aggression. We have the true message of Islam underneath all of that.

And it's your job as a young Muslim or as an old Muslim, as a woman, as a man, as a child, as a youth to be a tafsir. You are a walking tafsir of Islam for the people. So in this month of Ramadan, you increase your reading of Quran and I encourage you to read the Quran in a language that you understand.

And then you become an explanation of that Quran for people around you. They see the teachings of Islam through your actions.

Building Institutions That Reflect Islamic Values

And then on a greater level by establishing institutions in the society, which we don't have to have Quran written on top of the institutions, we don't even have to have an Islamic name on the institution.

We reflect the constructs found in the book of Allah, the Quran and the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ back into society like the rays of the sun. Those rays are reflected through these institutions into the society and people are overwhelmed by the power and the beauty and the authenticity and the integrity and the fidelity of the message of the Prophet ﷺ.

Real Examples: Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts

Without you having to say anything during the Hurricane Katrina. A brother was there serving non-Muslims from a local Muslim organization. And they were giving out food and drink and so on and helping people. And the non-Muslim man, he came to this brother and he said to him, This is the image that should be on television.

This is who your community is.

This is who your people are. This brother here, this Muslim brother who let me and my family stay in his hotel for free. Even before the government promised to subsidize letting people stay in his hotel, he allowed people to stay in his hotel for free.

The True Nature of Muslim Generosity

And this is the nature of the Muslim. Allah says:

إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ

"Indeed, We only feed you for the sake of Allah." (Quran 76:9)

We don't want any reward or anything from you. We do this for the sake of Allah.

Ramadan's Call to Altruistic Action

So the month of Ramadan, this Taqwa that we find in the month of Ramadan and this increased Ibadah should cause us to reflect the beautiful, altruistic nature of the month of Ramadan back into the society. Thereby showing people the articulation of Islamic values and morals without having to say anything.

And now the Quran becomes alive.

Challenge to the New Generation

So that's why I challenge this generation of 40 and down. You are the generation of institution building. You have to start building institutions. Like the Ummah Clinic, for example, we have here in South Central Los Angeles. Mass Youth Give.

We have our brothers in Miami who are doing operation downtown. Our brothers Iman in Chicago who are serving the community, bringing good to the community. So I challenge you in the month of Ramadan to do something, some type of volunteer effort to serve your community and bring good to them and reflect the light and the beauty of Islam into your society.

Closing Supplication

I ask Allah to bless all of you. May Allah accept our fasting and may Allah forgive us of our sins.

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah