Global Peace and Unity Conference 2006

Global Peace and Unity Conference 2006

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi

Introduction

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, it is indeed a great honor and pleasure to be back here for the second global peace and unity event. And I don't know how many of you are aware of this, but this event is the largest event of its kind in the western world.

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, you are making history right here and now. There is no other conference, auditorium, lecture that even gathers a fraction of the 30,000 Muslims that are sitting here today, much less all of the Muslims all over the world. So may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reward Islam Chandler and all those who have made this effort into a reality.

The Current State of Affairs

And of course, personally speaking, it's always a pleasure for me to come back to England, this great and beautiful country. The vibrancy and multiculturalism of England, the prevalence of the Muslim presence in this land, especially in London, is I think unparalleled in the western world. The United Kingdom, England, one of the great superpowers of today, a country that once ruled most of the world and administered over a dominion over which the sun never set.

Yet, yet I must confess that I was rather startled and surprised that last month this mighty superpower felt threatened. Last month a certain incident occurred where this huge and powerful nation felt endangered. They felt their values were being shaken, their identity challenged.

The Hijab Controversy

This huge country was scared of this. This huge country was shaking in its feet and wondering whether this piece of cloth could challenge its power and identity. An innocuous black piece of cloth, 12 inches by 6. As you all know the story, one of our sisters was wearing one of these cloths, minding her own business, teaching students in a school, when somebody wanted her to take it off.

And the matter reached higher and higher levels. The media got involved in America. This was front page news. Ministers, even the Prime Minister himself felt the need to comment on this cloth, saying that seeing the veil made him feel uncomfortable. This thing makes him feel uncomfortable. And you know what's even more sad is that some countries, including France and the Netherlands, felt so threatened by this piece of cloth that they had to convene a gathering of ministers and pass a law, pass a law prohibiting our sisters from wearing the niqab or even the hijab.

And correct me if I'm wrong here, but the way I see it is that if you feel threatened by this piece of cloth, if you think that this is shaking your identity and challenging who you are, then I think that that shows your own prejudices and your own fears and your own xenophobia and your own hatred of our religion.

The Challenge Facing Muslims

This recent fiasco that occurred here and similar fiascos that occur around the rest of the world really and truly brings to mind a very important question. And that is that what should we as Muslims do in the face of all of this xenophobia, in the face of all of these attacks, some of them much worse than this? What is happening in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo and Iraq and Palestine? What do we do with all of these issues, all of these scenarios, one after the other, which only makes us more depressed? We turn on the news, we surf the internet, we open the newspapers, all we see are Muslims in the headlines, usually in very negative ways.

So what do I do, what do you do to counter-react all of this that is occurring?

Three Types of Reactions

First Reaction: Violence and Extremism

Muslims react in various ways. Some Muslims, a very, very, very small minority, very rare, react to such hatred and violence with hatred and violence. They react to such xenophobia and anger with militancy and extremism.

And we saw the evil effects of this type of reaction on the 7-7 London bombings. And this type of reaction, not only is it un-Islamic, it is also foolish and counterproductive. It is un-Islamic because there is no religion on the face of this earth, especially the religion of mercy and the prophet of mercy that allows you to go indiscriminately killing civilians and women and children and people who have nothing to do with anything that is happening in the Muslim world.

But it is also foolish. It is foolish because it is counterproductive. 5 Muslims or 10 Muslims do a militant crime, an evil crime, and 5 million or 10 million Muslims suffer as a result.

Laws are passed, extradition treaties are enacted, the civil rights are stripped away more, and who suffers in the end? We suffer sitting here today. So this is one extreme reaction, and this is incorrect.

Second Reaction: Apathy and Defeatism

The other extreme on the opposite side of the spectrum is pure apathy, nothing. We think the situation of the Ummah is so hopeless, there is nothing I can do. What can I do? One person against an entire national, international forces, intellectual, psychological, militant, all of them have gathered. What can I possibly do? And so this person throws in the towel and says there is nothing I can do to cause a change.

But this attitude, oh Muslim, this attitude, not only is it pessimism, it is defeatism of the worst kind. And whoever answers this question in such a manner is simply not conforming to the rules of Islam and the power of Iman. A Muslim is never pessimistic.

A Muslim by nature is optimistic, proactive. He sees what change he can do. A Muslim realizes that everything is in the hands of Allah and not a leaf falls except with his will and pleasure.

So a Muslim by nature is optimistic. And let me reassure you here, oh Muslims, that there is no need for pessimism. That the future is indeed for our religion, no matter what anybody else does about it.

Allah's Promise to the Believers

And this is not an idle slogan or a cliched catchphrase. It is a promise from Allah and His Messenger. For Allah says in the Qur'an:

They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their tongues and mouths. But Allah has refused except to perfect His light, even if everybody else hates that to happen.

So we have Allah's promise on our side. But that still leaves us the question, what do I do?

Third Reaction: Waiting for a Savior

Yet a third response, there's militancy, there's apathy. The third response, some people say, let us wait for some great Muslim ruler, a leader. Let us wait for Khalid ibn al-Walid or Salah ad-Din al-Ayubi. Let us wait for the Mahdi himself.

And when he comes, everything will be solved. But even this response is foolish. Because you shift the responsibility from yourself to some mythical knight in shining armor who may or may not come.

The Correct Response: Individual Action

The answer to this response, the answer to this question, oh Muslims, is quite simple. And that is that every single one of us sitting here today, every single Muslim, man, woman or child, doctor or engineer, whatever your profession is, you need to do what you can according to your capacities, according to your abilities. We need to do something, anything that we are capable of doing.

Even if it is small in the sight of other men, it will be great in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Oh Muslim, do not trivialize your role. Every one of us has a role to play.

Who knows what you will do? Who knows what change you will cause? Realize that we sitting here today make up the ummah. We are the ummah of Islam, oh Muslims. We cannot shift responsibility to another person, another being. Put together, when we collaborate, then and only then will a change come about.

The Analogy of Light

Let me give you an analogy, oh Muslims. Imagine that this entire hall was plunged into darkness, sheer and pitch darkness. Somebody might think, what can I do to bring about the light? I don't know. I don't know where the switches are, the electricity are and they remain in the dark. But another person, a real Muslim, he thinks and he switches on a flashlight, small light.

What good will it do in this hall? Nothing. But another person sees him and turns on a lighter and a third lights a match and slowly but surely hundreds and thousands of Muslims all light a small torch and put together. The room shines bright with light.

This is our role, oh Muslims. This is our role. Oh Muslims, realize, realize that just like a picture is composed of small bits, just like the ocean is composed of molecules of water, so too the ummah is composed of me and you.

Unity and Individual Responsibility

The ummah is composed of me and you. We are all bricks in the ummah. When we strengthen one brick, the entire structure becomes solid.

Therefore, oh Muslims, what we must do to face this challenge is to better our own lives, to come closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, to realize that we are a part of this big puzzle and until I change for the better and you change for the better, nothing will change for the better.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran:

Verily, Allah does not change the state of a nation until they change what is in themselves.

Change begins here. Change begins with me. Change begins with you. When we all change, the ummah will change.

Conclusion

My brothers and sisters in Islam, much is going on in the world today, but remember that the life of this world is temporary and transient and the real life is the life of the hereafter. And remember too, oh Muslims, that Allah does not burden a soul with more than it can bear. Therefore, oh Muslims, be Muslims, not in name, but in action and belief.

Be real Muslims, not passport Muslims. Be Muslims in your belief and faith and be Muslims in your worship of Allah. And this is what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants us to do.

This is all you need to do. This is all the ummah wants for you. I pray that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grants us all peace and harmony, and I hope to see you all next year.

Closing Dua

And until then, may the peace and blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala encompass us all.