Be a True Follower of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Be a True Follower of Prophet Muhammad

Imam Zaid Shakir

Opening Praise

All praises are due to Allah who has guided us to this path and we would not have been able to guide ourselves without Allah guiding us. All praises are due to Allah who has revealed the scripture unto His servant and has made no crookedness therein. Among His words, His actions and His states.

The Corruption on Land and Sea

Allah mentions in the Qur'an:

"Corruption has appeared on land and sea based on what the hands of humans have wrought. Thus do We give them a taste of the consequences of their deeds in order that they may return."

Allah mentions the corruption. There are many understandings of corruption. For example, Ibn Abbas mentions corruption in the sea. One of the meanings of that is that the sea will no longer yield its harvest.

Environmental Destruction as a Sign

So we see this form of corruption as we live in a time where they say that 90% of the species in the sea have been extinguished, are extinct. Others that we rely on for food such as blue fin tuna or yellow fin tuna are rapidly approaching extinction. Fisheries that were once so abundant and teeming with fish, it would be inconceivable to conceive of their harvest ever being exhausted.

Such as the great banks off the coast of Newfoundland, which have been closed, or recently may be reopened, but were recently closed to commercial fishing. Because the overfishing was leading to the extinction of the fish and no harvest whatsoever could be taken. But generally the corruption is the disruption of the natural order that Allah has established for this world.

Corruption in Cities and Countryside

The natural order existing in the land and the sea. The natural order that exists in our societies. One interpretation of the land and the sea is in the towns and the villages.

It's interesting to think about that. (الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ - al-barri wa al-bahri) - in the towns and in the countryside. Why is that interesting? It's interesting because normally we conceive of the towns, the cities, as the places of corruption.

And the countryside being isolated from the city, being isolated from the dislocations that the city represents. Dislocation of traditional religion, dislocation of traditional social structures. As that not existing in the countryside, therefore the corruption that those dislocations breed in the cities and the towns is absent from the countryside.

But now we see a common affliction. The cities are afflicted with drug addiction, alcoholism, as is the countryside. In fact the countryside in terms of this recent opioid crisis is suffering even to greater extent than the city.

The cities are afflicted with pollution and now the countryside. Due to industrialized farming, pesticide use poisoning the groundwater. So we see the same ecological challenges that are facing the cities, facing the countryside.

Divine Warning Through Consequences

And so Allah is reminding us, is reminding us that we will suffer for what we do. We'll suffer personally, we'll suffer societally and we'll suffer globally for what we do. And Allah says He will give us a taste.

In other words Allah will not destroy us in one fell swoop as happened to earlier people. One of the manifestations of the mercy of our Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was to his enemies. Was that when they rebelled against him, when they fought him, when they rejected his mission Allah didn't destroy them in one fell swoop.

As He destroyed the people of Lut or the 'Ad or the Thamud or others. When He said turn the cities upside down or sent devastating winds. No, Allah, the enemies of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) were given respite, they were given time to repent.

They were given time to return to the path of right guidance. They were given time to leave their enmity against the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). And so we see his most bitter enemies such as Amr ibn al-As, Abu Sufyan or his wife Hind.

Others leaving their enmity to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and then themselves becoming believers. This is from the mercy of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). And so we see this reflected rather in this verse.

A Taste of Consequences, Not Complete Destruction

Thus we give them a taste, we allow them to experience something, a portion of what they've done. But we will not bring down upon them the full consequence. And so Allah is giving us a taste.

He's letting us see the harbingers of the full destruction that will come if we don't change our ways. Literally we see how our greed, how our neglect of the stewardship that we should be exercising in this earth. How it contributes to these devastating fires such as what we witnessed here a couple weeks ago.

And literally we tasted the consequence of that. As the smoke was filling our nostrils and our mouths and put it in the taste of it as the days wore on. Literally, this is a wake up call for us.

This is a warning for us. And so Allah, He gives us respite. (لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ - la'allahum yarji'un) - "In order that they will return to the path of guidance."

Our Role as Witnesses and Warners

We as Muslims should be people who are exercising the prophetic responsibility of warning people. As we celebrate the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) during these days of Rabi' al-Awwal, we should be celebrating the fact that he was a witness.

"O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of glad tidings and a warner." (Quran 33:45)

"And one who invites to Allah by His permission, and an illuminating lamp." (Quran 33:46)

We should celebrate his witnessing and we ourselves should be a witness. Which is a responsibility our Lord has given us:

"And thus We have made you a middle nation that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you."

This is primarily speaking of our witnessing against other nations in the hereafter. Witnessing that Allah indeed sent their messenger to them to guide them and they have no excuse. But there is a manifestation of that in the world.

Being Witnesses for Truth and Justice

We should be witnesses for truth and witnesses for justice.

"O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah."

So there is a worldly manifestation. So we should be witnesses as he was a witness. (وَمُبَشِّرًا - wa mubashshiran) - And we should be givers of glad tidings.

Living the Message We Preach

But to truly and effectively give that message, we ourselves have to be recipients of those glad tidings. If you don't need alcoholism, if you don't need drug addiction, then you can have inner peace such that you don't need those things. You don't need alcohol, you don't need opiates to deal with the pain of living.

You don't need these things. And this isn't just something we talk about, this is something we should bear witness to through our very being. That the serenity, the peace that they see within us, the calm that they see within us, convinces them that we are speaking the truth.

And this was the witness of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He witnessed, he was a witness, a living witness to what he called to. (وَمُبَشِّرًا - wa mubashshiran) - Glad tidings. You can have a good life, you can have a wholesome life, you can have a productive life without these things.

(وَنَذِيرًا - wa nadhiran) - And a warner. If you don't return, there are consequences. If you continue down this path, there are consequences.

The Power of Communal Witness

Far too many Muslims, because we're not witnesses, because we're not practicing what we're preaching, and of course this isn't everybody, it's not most of us, but there are enough of us that it dilutes the power of our communal message. (أُمَّةً وَسَطًا - ummatan wasatan) - A balanced middle community. So we have a communal message.

We can be scattered individuals, but we will not impact our society until people say, look at those Muslims, not look at Ahmed. My co-worker, Ahmed, Abdullah, Fatima, Aisha, Masha'Allah, she, he, such a pious person, such an honest person, a person of so much integrity. Our strength and our contribution and our corrective effect in our society will not be actualized until people say, look at those Muslims.

They have so much integrity. They have such sterling character. They are so honest in their dealings.

They are a community that are not afflicted with drug addiction and alcohol. Those Muslims don't drink. Those Muslims don't lie.

Those Muslims, they're not affected by the things that are driving us crazy. That's when we'll have an impact. And that's when the warning we give will be heeded.

That's when the glad tidings that we offer will be accepted. So we should be a community that is warning people. A community that is leading people.

Leadership Starts at the Top

And it starts at the top. (الْعُلَمَاءُ وَرَثَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ - al-ʿulamāʾu warathatu al-ʾanbiyāʾi) - "The scholars are the heirs of the prophets." (Sunan Abi Dawud 3641, Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2682)

As they say, (زَلَّةُ عَالِمٍ زَلَّةُ عَالَمٍ - zallatu ʿālimin zallatu ʿālam) - The scholar slips, the whole world follows. The whole world slips. This is a collective endeavor. But it's an endeavor we must challenge ourselves with.

Muslims Are Not Responsible for Modern Corruption

And one of the most important things for us to realize is that the facade that is threatening the existence of our nation, that is threatening the existence of our world, is not something we Muslims are responsible for. So why are we so ashamed of being proud? Or why are we so ashamed of saying we're Muslims and we have solutions?

We're not responsible for this opiate crisis. We didn't create the conditions that drove people to the lengths of despair that are manifested in opium and other diseases, addiction and other diseases of despair.

Alcoholism, drug addiction, suicide. We mentioned these earlier, a few weeks ago. We're not responsible for those conditions.

So why are we so hesitant to say that perhaps we can address them? Perhaps we have something that can lead or provide insight as to how we might surmount them. We're definitely not responsible for the resurgent racism that's tearing this country apart at the seams. It's been here from the beginning of the country before there was any significant Muslim population.

Other than the enslaved African Muslims. So why are we, as opposed to representing and presenting and being proud and calling people, why are we following people and the things that are leading them to their destruction?

Why are we so eager to jump onto the Titanic after it's hit the iceberg?

Being True Followers of the Prophet

We should be helping people to get off of that ship. Because we, generally speaking, we are not actualized to the depth of our souls what it means to be a follower of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

If we actualize what it means to follow Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), everything we need as a community, Allah will give to us. Starting with the confidence to proudly say, I'm a Muslim. There'd be no hesitation.

There'd be no hesitation. There'd be no hesitation to point out to people destructive things. And there'd be great hesitation to abandon.

Returning to What Has Been Abandoned

(لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ - la'allahum yarji'un) - In order that they return. Meaning we're going back to something of value that's been abandoned. And again, that has to start with us as Muslims. The values. The customs. The traditions.

The way of seeing reality that our forebears had. It's something of tremendous value. Only when it's abandoned do we see what we see.

Only when it's abandoned do we suffer from what we suffer as Muslims. In our Muslim lands. And many Muslims in these western lands.

It's not working. So perhaps, when there was greater stability, when there was greater self-confidence, when there was stronger faith, when there was less hesitancy to jettison our religion. One person's a Muslim today and they read something, a tweet.

And the tweet was so discombobulating, tomorrow they're not even a Muslim. Our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) warned against that. And he taught us to protect ourselves against it.

Seeking Protection from Wavering Hearts

Why did he teach us to pray:

"O Turner of hearts, confirm my heart in Your religion." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2140, Sunan Ibn Majah 3834)

The One who can turn the heart in an instant - confirm my heart in Your religion. Individuals repenting.

Going back to that state of purity that existed before the sin. La ilaha illa Allah. Societies going back to those values, to those beliefs.

The Need for "Reactionary" Muslims

Far too many Muslims want to be progressive. I'm a progressive Muslim. We know what that means.

I'm a licentious Muslim. I'm a Muslim that doesn't value the things of the past. That gave us the strength, the fortitude to live in this world as dignified human beings.

We need reactionary Muslims. Muslims who want to go backwards. Because we see where this forward march is leading us.

As an ummah.

Second Khutbah

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

"Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace." (Quran 33:56)

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا

The Weight of Responsibility and Divine Assistance

Sometimes when people hear what you just heard, the weightiness of it all can be overwhelming. And indeed it can be if one endeavors to assume those responsibilities. To carry those loads by themselves.

But Allah has not enjoined upon us to assume that responsibility alone. To carry those loads alone. Allah has asked us to depute the affair unto Him.

To allow Him to carry the load. To allow Him to bear the burden. And to allow Him, or not to be an obstacle within our realm of initiative.

In our realm of creation. In our realm of choice. To the ability to do what we have been enjoined to do.

This is easy. And where does that ease come from? That ease comes from living the life and assuming the responsibilities that we assume. To bear the loads that have been placed upon our shoulders.

Finding Peace Through Remembrance of Allah

With the remembrance of Allah in our hearts:

"Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured."

Is it not the remembrance of Allah bringing comfort, tranquility to the hearts?

So no matter what the world places upon us, by the will of Allah, no matter what challenges we are presented with, no matter what obstacles are in our course, if we bear them and approach them and deal with them with a heart that is filled with the remembrance of Allah, then we will be at ease. The vicissitudes of the day will not tear us apart.

They will not break us down. They will not crush us. (أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ - ʾalā bi-dhikri-llāhi taṭmaʾinnu al-qulūb)

Finding Joy in Allah's Blessings

We will be people, where do you find joy? How do you find joy? In all that is going on around us. The news is so bad. One reason the news is so bad is the means that convey the news to us are so bad.

If it bleeds, it leads, as they say. And once you are caught up in this cycle of sensationalism, it needs more blood to be interesting.

There are good things happening in this world. There are good things happening in your life. There are good things happening in our communities.

And there are definitely challenging things. But no matter what the challenges, if we reflect on the grace and mercy of Allah, we're all here, we're all clothed. The rain didn't penetrate this roof.

We're not sitting in puddles with buckets all over the place. We're not sitting in mud. We're sitting on carpets.

We came here in cars. We're going home to refrigerators and cupboards that are filled with food. We have good health.

When our health fails, we have doctors and access to doctors. If we find our energy lagging, we go up the street to Whole Foods and buy some vitamins. Or some moringa powder.

And our energy is restored. We're surrounded by the blessings and the graces and the gifts of Allah. And if we give thanks for those gifts:

"Say, 'In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy - in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate.'"

Say, in the grace of Allah and in His mercy - and the greatest grace and mercy is Islam and the Qur'an and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). But in those beneath that, that we enjoy every day. In this, let them rejoice.

Shifting Our Perspective

How can we not rejoice? Well, we invert things. We invert things and look at them through the wrong prism. We look at them through the prism of the dunya.

We look at them from the prism of the finitude of the dunya, as opposed to looking at them through the infinity of the akhira. We look at them from the prism of man's shortcomings and man's imperfections.

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