Corrected Khutba About TN Anti-Sharia Legislation
By Yasir Qadhi | 2026-01-07T18:56:33.932248+00:00 | Topic: Iman
Khutba: About the TN "Anti-Sharia" Legislation
Sheikh Yasir Qadhi
Opening of Khutba
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ، وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
"O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him]."
"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."
أما بعد
Current Crisis Facing Muslims in America
My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, if we look at what is happening around us, during this time frame, both at a national level and at an international level, we find that the Muslims of this land, the Muslims of America, are currently undergoing a crisis the like of which probably even we haven't had it since 9-11.
The Anti-Sharia Bill in Tennessee
If you look at, for example, at the state level, in our own state of Tennessee, one of our state senators is trying to introduce a bill that will ban shari'ah. And of course, for us, shari'ah means our way of life. For us, when we say the word shari'ah, what we think of is honesty and virtue and being good and being studious. What we think of is praying and giving charity.
This is our understanding of the shari'ah. But when you read this bill, you find that the definition of shari'ah is a violent political system, a methodology whose goal and aim is by any means necessary, including terroristic means, the overthrow of our government and the establishment of Islamic law in its place. This is their definition of shari'ah.
And because of this, they now wish to ban it and make it a criminal offense. So basically, if this bill does pass, perhaps for doing wudu, you will be jailed for 15 years or something like this.
Congressional Hearings on Muslim Radicalization
If this is bad enough at the state level, yesterday, this paranoia was even prevalent in Washington itself. Yesterday, Congressman Peter King held a series of congressional hearings to look into the quote-
unquote growing problem of Muslim radicalization. And of course, the hearings are a stepping stone to further scrutiny and further political pressure.
And subhanallah, the blatant racism, the xenophobia, the blatant discrimination seems to be lost on many of our fellow Americans. Do we interrogate every single Italian because of what the mafia does in New York? Do we pull aside every single Irish American because of what the IRA used to do? No right-minded American would ever think like this.
Do we interrogate every evangelical Christian because of the murders that happened to abortion doctors? No, of course not. Because the average human being understands that a fringe minority understands that one apple that is corrupt and bad does not ruin the entire barrel. You cannot stigmatize the entire community. But when it comes to Muslims, unfortunately, it seems that there's a different law.
The California Student Case
Right now as we speak, there's another case going on in California. 11 students last year stood up and protested verbally, just verbally. They protested when the Israeli ambassador was invited to their campus and they shouted things against Israel and against the ambassador.
Now you can call this rude, you can call this disruptive, you can call it unwise. I'm not defending or condoning what they did. But now they're facing criminal charges, criminal. If the students were tapped on the shoulder, said this is bad, this is rude, even if they were expelled from the campus, that might have been harsh.
But to face criminal charges in a court of law for speaking, and in California of all places that is well known to be the most liberal and the most open in opposition to any policy. The opposition to Vietnam began in California. What did the students do? Much more than just speak.
What happened to the first amendment? What happened to being allowed to say what you want? And now these 11 students, not only have they been expelled, not only has the MSA been banned, the MSA has been, there is no MSA now on campus because of this incident. But these 11 students are now going to be tried in a court of law and perhaps jailed for merely speaking.
Even though there is clear cases of protesters protesting against Muslims, against Muslim children walking into a fundraiser. And there are protesters trying to disrupt that and calling much worse to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). And that goes away scot-free, not a single criminal charge. Why? Because they're within the law. They're just protesting. They're simply saying what they want.
Two Approaches to Analyzing These Events
The double standards are so shocking that wallahi one wonders what is going on. And there are two broad ways to analyze these events going on. The first of them is a purely spiritual analysis, purely
religious. And the second of them is a purely, if you like, worldly or non-religious analysis.
The Spiritual/Religious Perspective
Generally speaking, when you hear a khutbah, when an imam, when a cleric, when a da'i, when a scholar preaches about these things, he concentrates on the spiritual side. And so he says, for example, that these are fitnas, great trials and tribulations that are happening. And they are happening because of our sins. And they are a punishment for what we have done.
And so our job is to come closer to Allah and to establish a relationship with Him. And He gives you religious advice about how to counter trials and tribulations. And this is what you generally hear from clerics and preachers.
The Political/Activist Perspective
On the other side of the spectrum, you have Muslim political activists. You have people who are involved in the media. You have people who are involved in politics. And their whole premise is, this is happening because we are not involved in the government. Because we don't care about our own elective representatives.
Because our tax dollars which are being used to pay for our congressmen and senators, we don't care to call them up and say, hey, hold on a sec. You're my representative representing Tennessee. How could you do this to us? Because we don't care. Because we see what's happening and don't write letters, don't make phone calls.
We don't have a media presence. This is our main problem. And there's hardly any mention of religion.
The Combined Approach
And the fact of the matter, brothers and sisters, is that both of these camps have an element of truth to them. The fact of the matter is that they're both right. And rather than presenting an either-or situation, the true Muslim realizes that yes, every problem has a spiritual component, but it also has a worldly component.
Every problem has a religious component. You must have a relationship with Allah. You must re-establish that connection. You must turn to Allah. If Allah doesn't help you, who's gonna help you? So of course there's a religious element. But there's also the physical element. There's also the worldly element.
There's also, okay, fine, we want Allah's help, but now what am I gonna do? What am I gonna do as well? And so Allah will bless me in that effort. And the fact of the matter is that we as Muslims need to benefit from both sides of these camps if you like. From our ultra-religious and our ultra-secular or progressive. They both have elements of correctness in what they're saying.
The Religious Paradigm in Detail
Trials as Divine Reminders
And it is absolutely true that Allah says in the Quran that no musiba happens to you. No problem happens to you except because of your own attitude and your own state. Allah says in the Quran that it is because of our apathy that He will send punishments upon us. It is because we have turned away from Him that He will send punishments to remind us of Him.
Because subhanAllah at times of distress we all remember Allah. When our child is sick, that's when we become ultra-religious. When we're going through financial hardships, that's when the hands go up, O Allah help me, O Allah help me. And so Allah knows our weaknesses. So He prods us, He puts us in trial and tribulation in order that we come closer to Him.
The Story of Khabbab ibn al-Arat
And the purpose of every trial is to remind us of Allah. And therefore if the trial takes place without any reminding, without any religious benefit, then the intensity is increased. And we thank Allah that the trials that we're facing in this land, no doubt they're very bad from what we had pre 9-11, no doubt. But in the relative scale of things and what's happening around the world, they are very trivial.
Once Khabbab ibn al-Arat, the famous companion, came to the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). This was in the early Meccan phase. Do you know who Khabbab is? Khabbab is one of the first ten converts to Islam. Khabbab was a slave. Khabbab was one of those who was tortured like Bilal, like Ammar, like Sumayyah.
He was one of those who was tortured almost to the point of death. His master would take iron coals or take iron, put it in the coal, and then brand his body with it and tell him to leave Islam. And till the day he died, he would have scars, he would have burn marks on his body, and he would carry them till the day he died.
So Khabbab came to the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was sitting in the shade of the Ka'bah, taking some rest on his back. And Khabbab said, Ya Rasulallah, ala tastansir lana, ala tad'u lana.
O Messenger of Allah, why don't you ask Allah to help us? Why don't you make dua? Why don't you do something? Look at our state, don't you see what we're in?
The Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was leaning back, he came forward, and he said, Wallahi, the people before you, they were tested and tried in manners you could not imagine. And it would even happen that one of them would be brought forth, and an iron rod or comb would be used to split his body in half. But
even that would not prevent him from worshipping Allah. But rather you are hasty, you're impetuous, you're not patient enough.
(Bukhari 3612)
Wallahi, the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) swore, Wallahi, this religion will become perfected. When is he speaking? He's speaking when Islam was persecuted. He's speaking when Muslims didn't even know they would survive till the next day.
And he gives a prediction the likes of which nobody could believe. Wallahi, this religion will be protected, and Allah will fulfill His promise to the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to protect Islam until a rider, in one version he says, until a female rider will go from the two cities of Hadramaut to Sana'a, which is in the far places of Yemen. And she will fear nothing from her safety, other than the wolf attacking her sheep.
Allah's Promise to Preserve Islam
In other words, religion will be established so securely, we're in Mecca now, eventually even in Yemen, Islam will be prevailing and flourishing, and it will be so safe and secure that a woman can leave from point A to point B in the fringes of the Islamic land, and she's not worried about anything, because we shall have Izzah one day.
So he's telling them, you're worried about the religion? No. Don't worry about the religion. Allah will protect the religion. Worry about yourselves. What have you done? This is really the point of this hadith. Don't think that Islam will go away. No, Allah has promised in the Quran, Allah has promised in the Quran:
They wish to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it. You cannot extinguish the light of Allah, no matter how much people puff and blow and huff, it's not going to be blown away.
The religion will be preserved. The question is, what is your relationship with the religion? The question is, what have you done to preserve religion in your life? Allah will take care of the religion, but you, what have you done? And what will you answer to Allah? And this is basically the point of trials and tests.
The Hadith About Rushing to Good Deeds
This is the point of fitna, because during these times when the pressure increases, the mu'min increases his relationship with Allah. And that is exactly why the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) told us that rush to do good deeds before trials come, which prevent you from worshipping Allah.
(Muslim 118)
Rush to do good deeds.
And in another hadith he said, and he was looking at the city of Medina, he said, I see trials will come to this ummah, one after the other, like the drops of rain that fall onto your houses.
And no one will be able to save themselves from it. Trials will come like the drops of rain, meaning quantity, meaning the quality, meaning everybody will get wet, everybody is gonna get affected. And in another hadith the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, that every time a trial comes, the believers will say, this is too much, I can't bear it, it will destroy me.
But Allah will give them the patience, and they will go over that trial, then the next one will come. And then they will say, oh this is the one, this is the oneهذه مهلكتي، this is the one that will destroy me. And so forth, one trial after another.
The Purpose of Trials
The purpose of this life brothers and sisters is not to have a Jannah on earth. The purpose of this life is to earn the real Jannah. And did you think that you would earn that Jannah by living a Jannah on earth? The purpose of this life is to earn the real Jannah, and that Jannah is earned by showing your dedication to Allah.
By living through trials and testing times, having your faith in Allah always rejuvenated and renewed. Allah says in the Quran:
Alif Lam Mim. Did mankind think that they would be left alone, Allah would leave you alone, simply asking or simply seeing that you say we believe, without testing that belief.
Did you think that all Allah wanted from you was to say, oh Allah, I'm a Muslim. Oh Allah, I'm a Muslim, don't test me, I'm a good guy. No, actions speak louder than words, talk is cheap. This is something we know in our daily life. And Allah's sunnah proves this. Did you think that all Allah wanted to see was you say we are Muslims? No.
Surely we have tested and tried those before you. Why? So that Allah could see those who are telling the truth from those who are lying meaning in their claim to be Muslim. From those who are lying meaning in their claim to be Muslim.
Call to Action and Self-Reflection
So brothers and sisters, to translate this into reality, let me be as blunt as I can. Anybody who is living through these trials, anybody who is seeing the increased persecution, and seeing all that is happening,
and yet it is not affecting him, and yet he seems to be oblivious, then be prepared for some more fitnas coming.
Because it hasn't worked apparently. Because you haven't got the message. This is just the heat simmering right now. This is nothing compared to what many other nations as we speak are facing. Look at our brothers and sisters across the world, what is happening to them.
We thank Allah that we still have so much freedom, and so much peace, and so much security in this land. And we will fight on behalf of these freedoms and securities that nobody will take them away from us. These are our God-given constitutional rights, and nobody will take them away from us.
But unfortunately brothers and sisters, as people are encroaching on our rights, to be brutally honest, it's as if we are an apathetic nation. It's as if we couldn't care less. It's as if we have no clue what's going on. Today they're taking away one right, if we remain quiet, tomorrow it will be more.
Wallahi brothers and sisters, no other community, no other religion, no other ethnicity could possibly be tried the way we're being tried right now. Nobody could be having a congressional hearing over Italians, or the Irish, or the African-Americans, or the Hispanics. Everybody would say this is racist.
Are we gonna call every single Roman Catholic, because of what's happening with some priests and their pedophilia? Are we gonna blame all of the Roman Catholics and say, oh we need to have a congressional hearing about the Roman Catholics, because there's a problem with some of their priests.
Wallahi no community, no religion, no ethnicity could be giving this level of scrutiny and got away with it, except for us. Except for us, why? Wallahi there's a spiritual and there's a realistic practical element.
The Worldly Approach and Islamic Activism
Learning from the Prophet's Example
So as for the spiritual, as I said, there's no question, there's a strong element of truth there. That when these trials happen, when these fitan come, we need to reestablish our relationship with Allah. And that is the purpose of these trials.
And the point being that, if we don't have that relationship with Allah, we can't move to stage two. Stage one is the spiritual one. Stage one is making sure, okay, am I understanding what's going on here? Do I have Allah's help? Have I earned Allah's help? Do I deserve to be helped by Allah? Because if Allah doesn't help you, believe me, nothing's gonna happen.
If Allah helps you, no one can possibly win over you. But if Allah abandons and humiliates you, who is there after Him that can help you?
So the first point as we said, and it's absolutely valid, 100% true. We need to reestablish that connection with Allah. We need to be Muslims basically. Not just in word, but in deed. We need to start reassessing our commitment to Islam.
How often do I pray? What is my relationship with Allah even during those prayers? How much charity do I give? Do I really have a merciful and tender heart? Am I really a representative of this religion on this earth? And if the answer to those questions is no, well, then the very first step is we need to make sure that that relationship is there.
The Prophet as an Activist
Getting on to the second point, and that is the understanding of the worldly means to get things done. Unfortunately, many times our clerics and our imams, and I'm not criticizing all of them, but some of them unfortunately this is true. They seem to neglect and ignore this side of things.
And it is as if all the solution of the world will happen if you come to the masjid on time and you pray regularly. Wallahi, it's very important to come to the masjid on time and you pray regularly. But the world will not change simply by you coming to the masjid.
And in fact, our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) didn't just worship in the masjid. No, he was an activist in every sense of the term. And this is why I think that there's elements of truth in both of these perspectives.
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) didn't just tell the Muslims, Oh, go worship in your houses. Oh, pray. Oh, give zakah. No, he preached, he went from tribe to tribe. He would go during the hajj and he would tell the people, look at what the Quraysh is doing.
The Quraysh is being unjust to me. He's calling out their hypocrisy. And he's preaching to the people. And he's doing what he can to establish his credentials, to spread the message of Islam.
If that is what the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did in his time, and in his time he would approach the elite of the Quraysh openly and privately. He would go to them one on one and he would try to convince them. If he couldn't convince them of Islam, at least he would convince them that I should have the right to preach this message. I am a Qurayshi, I am a citizen of Mecca. This is basically what he's saying.
I am a member of your tribe, why am I not allowed to preach this message? And when they finally prevented him from preaching, he would then go to the other tribes and he would say, My own people have prevented me from speaking the truth. Will you allow me to come to your land and speak the truth?
Subhanallah. If he could do this in his time, wallahi the exact equivalent, the exact equivalent in our times, is to get involved in the political process, to get involved in the media, to communicate, to preach.
Understanding the American Political System
This is exactly what the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did in Mecca. And the fact of the matter as we all are so painfully aware that our sense of apathy, our sense of not raising a finger, is one of the ultimate causes of us being in this situation.
Brothers and sisters, we need to understand the way that this country works. It's not rocket science. Our taxes are used to pay our representatives. Our representatives are our spokespersons. They're our servants. They're people that should represent us. And we don't understand this point.
They are not people that we need to look up to in the sense that, oh, you're our bosses. No, wallahi they are our servants in the sense that they're taking from our taxes. They're supposed to represent us. Not just in the state level, in the national level, in the congress, in the senate.
When things like this happen, if an entire community got together and said, look, you're supposed to be our congressman, do something about this. If you don't, hey, we don't think you represent us. We're gonna get somebody else in office next time. We're not gonna vote for you. Voting speaks, it does. It's the language of politicians.
Going to the people publicly and privately, spreading our message through the media. We all need to become ambassadors of our faiths. Brothers and sisters, we can't pass the buck to somebody else. There is nobody else. If you as a Muslim are not gonna live up to your responsibility. If you as a Muslim will say, oh, let's let somebody else do it.
There are only so few of us in this land. What is our percentage? 2%, 3%? Some people even say 1%. No doubt we are very, very minuscule of a percentage in this land. If this 2% wish to pass the buck on, say, oh, not me, I'm too busy with my life, I'm too busy with my earnings, I'm too busy with my job. Who do you think will fight for your rights if you're not gonna fight for them?
Brothers and sisters, there is no magic solution to the problem. There is no easy way out.
Learning from the Civil Rights Movement
When you look at the struggles of other nations, of other peoples, when you look at the struggles of other indigenous Americans, whether they be African American, whether they be people of other faiths that were considered to be non-mainstream. Every one of those communities, we are here in Memphis, one of the lands of the civil rights movements.
We should learn from this. Do you think that the leaders of the civil rights movements just sat back and said, oh, tough luck, we have to sit at the back of the bus, may God help us, but what can we do? They're the majority. Is that how they acted?
Or did they understand we need to mobilize, we need to show the people we're human beings, we need to show the people there's nothing wrong with us, we deserve the same rights as they do. And it was
difficult, there were sacrifices involved, people did not like it in the beginning, but in the end, look at it, by and large, the civil rights movement is one of the most successful movements for championing rights in this country, compared to any other movement.
And how did they do it? Wallahi, they didn't have mega million bucks, they didn't have the clout and the power that perhaps other groups might have, but they had a vision. As Martin Luther said, they had a dream. And they persisted in spreading that dream. They persisted in inspiring people of all faiths, of all religions, to come and rally behind their dreams. And slowly but surely, bit by bit, eventually they won the people over.
Why? Because in the end of the day, humanity overall is good. Wallahi, brothers and sisters, it's difficult to hate. It's difficult to hate. And the average American, if he hates Islam, it is because he doesn't know what it is. If he has this fear, it's because he's never met a practicing Muslim.
Why? Because the Muslims in his workplace, me and you, we're too scared to tell them what our religion is. Me and you, we haven't done our job. If every American actually knew who we are, if they interacted with us, they might not agree with our theology, they might not agree with maybe praying five times, they did this and that, but they wouldn't be scared of us, they wouldn't hate us, they wouldn't be stereotyping us.
There is a natural fear that people have of a minority that they're not familiar with. It's natural to be at some point racist or stereotypical, the job is then on us as well to counter that racism, to counter that stereotyping.
Individual Responsibility
And the question is very blunt, what have I done and what have you done to counter that stereotyping? Perhaps you're not gonna be interviewed on the media, perhaps you're not gonna speak to Congress, but wallahi, brothers and sisters, nobody will come to your office other than you. Nobody will interact with your circle of friends other than you.
Do not trivialize your role in all of this. Because the circle of friends that you have, the circle of acquaintances that you have, your area of influence, no other human being could take your place in that. Think about it, stop daydreaming of grandiose solutions, that's not gonna happen.
No one person is gonna come and snap his fingers and solve the problem. The solution is gonna be bit by bit, slowly but surely, me and you, we come together, we do what we can with our elected officials, with our state congressman, with our congressman elected in Washington, with our senators.
Additionally, what we can with our friends and neighbors. If we're interviewed by the media, alhamdulillah. If not, as I said, your circle of friends and acquaintances is unique to you. Nobody can take that responsibility away from you.
Making America Home
And you can't pass the buck, that is your buck, that is your responsibility. Brothers and sisters, many of you here came from other lands to this country. And many of you might not have thought of settling. Maybe you came to study, maybe you came to spend 5-10 years.
But the fact of the matter is, now we are a part of this land. Now we need to stop thinking about back home. Because home is not where your grandfather was born, it is where your grandson will die. That is where home is. And this land is now home for us.
I speak as a person born and raised here. I have no attachment to any other land. This is my country, this is my land. I know where my father and mother came from, but what connection does that land have with me? This is my land and country.
And for those of you who immigrated from other lands, you need to understand every one of your children is thinking like I'm thinking. Your own children and grandchildren's lives and religions is at stake here. And I cannot emphasize this enough.
Brothers and sisters, what we're seeing now, we were hoping that from 9-11 to now, things would get better. We were hoping, okay, 9-11 happened, very big tragedy, but America should be educated about Islam and Muslims. Unfortunately, we have not seen such xenophobia and racism since 9-11. And things don't seem to be getting better, they seem to be getting worse.
Each and every one of us, brothers and sisters, has a role to play. Don't trivialize that role and don't pass it on, because nobody else can take your responsibility.
The Spiritual Response to Trials
The Prophet's Inner Struggle
And you know what? In the end of the day, let me get back to the spiritual side. In the end of the day, even if the situation gets worse, even if you weren't able to cause a cataclysmic change and correct the whole world for the better, if you tried your best, and you strove to be a good Muslim, and you gave that vision of Islam to your friends and neighbors, on the day of judgment, you could stand with humility and pride.
And you could say, Oh Allah, maybe I didn't change the world, but I tried my best, and I did what I could. And Allah will judge you based upon what you've done, based upon what you've accomplished, based upon your capabilities and skills. And if you did the best that you could, well then alhamdulillah, Allah will give you the best that you deserve.
May Allah make us amongst those who strive for this religion, who perfect our Islam, who show it the best way possible. May He make us the best ambassadors and the role models that this ummah has ever seen.
My speciality and my expertise is more on the spiritual side. So I must concentrate more on this because that is who I am. But no doubt we need help from those who are involved in the political process and the media as well. But let me conclude the khutbah by going back to the paradigm that I'm more comfortable with and that is the spiritual side.
(Source Name)
Our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) suffered more than we could ever suffer. And he bore the brunt of that pain and that humiliation and that stereotypes and the tactics. He bore all of this with the dignity, with the maturity that made him the best role model for us.
Outwardly you could never tell that he was affected. Outwardly he bore it like a man with ultimate dignity. But Allah revealed in the Quran something in his heart. Allah revealed in his Quran in Surah Al- Hijr, the conclusion of Surah Al-Hijr. Allah says:
And of a surety we know that what they say about you causes you a lot of grief and pain. We know the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) didn't show it. He would not want to show it to us. Why would he? But Allah revealed in the Quran from above the seven heavens. And he told us the inner thinking, the inner mechanism, the heart and soul of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). And he said, we know that your heart is grieved. We know you find it difficult what they say about you.
His humanity is being shown here. Our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) wasn't superhuman. Wallahi anybody insults us, we go to bed hurt and thinking about this, how could he say this about me? When he insults our religion, when he insults our God, when he insults our Prophet, our whole minds are now, what are we going to do about it?
Our Rasul (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was no different, when they insulted him, when they ridiculed him, when they said what they said about him. Outwardly you thought, mashallah, nothing is happening. But inwardly Allah revealed, we know it hurts you. We know you find your heart constricted, you can't breathe normally. His humanity is shown.
Allah's Command to the Prophet
What does Allah tell him to do in response to that? And wallahi this is exactly what we need to think about. Our Prophet is being smeared and stereotyped. Our religion is being characterized by negative adjectives. Our God is being mocked. It's a sign of iman to feel hurt. It's a sign of iman. It's a sign of iman to think, a'udhu billah la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah.
But what is the response? What did Allah tell him to do? Listen to this:
Praise your Lord. When they make fun of you, don't even respond. You have better things to do. When they make fun of you, praise your Lord. Fall down in prostration. You have a better thing to do with your life. And that is to worship Allah.
If they don't understand, if they're wasting their lives, trying to extinguish the light of Allah, you have a better goal. You have a higher cause. And that is the worship of Allah.
So when they do this to you, as a response to that, praise Allah, and fall down in sajdah, and continue worshiping your Lord until yaqeen, until death comes to you. The more they increase in their attacks, the more they make fun of you, the more they ridicule you, you need to maintain your dignified appearance and increase in your worship of Allah.
This is exactly what the Quran has told no less a figure than our Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Therefore, how about me and you? How about me and you?
Our Response to Current Attacks
When we see what's happening around us, when our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is being rebuked, when he is being cursed in the most vulgar manners, wallahi our bloods boil, and they should boil. But what is the response? What should we do?
Firstly, and as I said, let's not ignore the second step, but first thing is, increase our tasbih, increase our sujood, increase our ibadah. We cannot move to level two, we cannot start doing anything else until we perfected this.
And brothers and sisters, the fact of the matter is, let me be as brutal as I can. Hardly ever before has our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) been ridiculed and made fun of at the global level that he is being made fun of now. Hardly ever have people written and drawn diagrams and done this and that about him the way that is being done now. Because of the internet, because of the media, because of the video, every small incident is being spread across the world.
My question to myself and to you, has that caused you to increase your tasbih, to increase your sujood, to increase your ibadah? Has it done anything of that? Because this is exactly what the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is being told.
No doubt we have to move to level two, no doubt we have to get verbal, no doubt we have to speak, no doubt we have to defend, we have to write, but that's level two. Level one, the fundamental point, we need to make sure that we have earned, we have deserved, we have striven to please Allah, so that Allah will bless us when we get to level two.
And the fact of the matter is, brothers and sisters, that unfortunately many of us seem to be completely unaffected by what is going on. And the bottom line is, if you remain unaffected now, then wait for more to happen even yet. And if you are affected now and it causes you to change for the better, then alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah.
Even if you can't change the world, you've changed yourself. And in the end of the day, when all is said and done, and when you are resurrected in front of Allah, if you've changed yourself for the better, you've gained everything. And that's all you need to gain.
Closing Duas
May Allah make us amongst those who are of the salihin, the righteous.
اللهم صل وسلم وبارك وأنعم على عبدك ورسولك محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين