Gratitude and Submission- Standing Firm In Our Islamic Values

Gratitude and Submission

Juma Khutba by Imam Zaid Shakir

Opening: The Testimony of Faith

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah.

The Mercy That Permeates Creation

Mercy precedes every chapter in the Quran except one. They open: (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim). In the name of Allah, for lack of a more studied translation, the one who is inherently merciful, inherently merciful embodies mercy and extends that mercy to others. Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim.

And the one chapter that doesn't open up with Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim, At-Tawbah (Quran 9), many say, is because it's almost exclusively talking about warfare. And it's not to say that there are instances where violence might be merciful. The recent incident in your community, the mass shooting in Allen, Texas. It was an act of mercy to a lot of innocent people that that killer was shot.

What if the off-duty policeman wasn't there? And that person, with his AR-15 and his clips, had another two or three or four or five minutes to continue to shoot. How many more lives might have been taken? So that violence was an act of mercy. So we're not saying there are not instances where violence might be justified, but generally speaking, it isn't.

And so this chapter doesn't start with Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. But all others do. Allah has made mercy something that permeates throughout this creation.

"And My mercy encompasses all things."

And so Allah has been exceedingly merciful to us. And we can enumerate the material manifestations of His mercy.

Material Blessings: Food, Shelter, and Provisions

We are all well fed. And the overwhelming majority of people on this earth are adequately fed. When there's a famine, there's a crisis, that's an anomalous event, and not the norm. We have shelter. We have more shelter than we need.

Many of us, the ceilings in our houses are higher than the ceiling in this masjid. The Prophet ﷺ could barely stand up in his house. Not to make anyone feel guilty or to start redesigning your homes, but just to remind myself and all of you, how thankful we should be for Allah's blessings, graces and mercy.

"And if you give thanks, I will increase you."

But thanks in many instances is sharing. We have so much space in our homes. We have so many clothes in our closets. The imam would be hesitant to say we're gonna have a clothing drive. People clean out their closet, clean out their garages, clean out their attics. Bring all the clothing here. In one week, the whole masjid will be filled with clothing.

Allah has been merciful to us and good to us. We have more food than we can eat. That's why we're running to the gym and looking for diet plans. We have more food than we can eat. The iftar, the dumpsters filled up with what we don't eat. Again, we should be more diligent, but not to try to make anyone feel bad or guilty.

We should try to do better, but more importantly, we should try to share. Because that's the manifestation of our shukr. And Allah has been merciful to us.

I just came from the hospital visiting one of our brothers. We get sick, we have medical care. The overwhelming majority of us. Allah has been merciful to us, my dear brothers and sisters.

Spiritual Mercies: Greater Than Material Blessings

But the material mercies pale into insignificance compared to the spiritual mercies. Those intangible mercies we can't see. Like the mercy of guidance. The mercy of guidance. The mercy of clarity. The mercy of being protected, if we choose to avail ourselves of the protection from the madness that's besieging many people in our society.

The Mercy of Clarity in Faith

A Muslim knows that a man and woman are not alike. Allah tells us:

"The male is in no wise like the female."

A Muslim knows that the sanctity of life extends to an unborn fetus. And there are some nuances, but generally speaking, that's not something we have to debate about. And it's definitely, if someone asked a question that was asked of a panel of experts, and two of the experts refused to say, does a woman's bodily autonomy—and none of us have bodily autonomy, male or female—but does a woman's bodily autonomy dictate that she could abort a baby the day of its birth? I changed my mind, I don't want the baby. They couldn't answer.

Every Muslim would say immediately, no. No it doesn't, of course not. Couldn't answer. Allah has given us clarity.

"Don't take the life that Allah has sanctified, except with a just cause."

These are the mercies of faith.

The Danger of Abandoning Faith and Sanity

Many people are losing their faith, or abandoning it, and as they abandon their faith, they abandon their sanity. So we see insane situations. If I said, six foot three inches tall, I try to stay in shape, if I said, brothers and sisters, I think I'm a woman, I'm going to the sister's bathroom, you guys say, Imam Zaid, you lost your mind.

There are people that would say, oh brother, listen, that's your right. How long have you been feeling this way? We can get you a therapist, to make sure that your feelings are affirmed. I will hope every single one of you say, Imam, you lost your mind. You're going stark raving mad. And I hope the sisters will beat me up and throw me out, if they found me in there. Brother, what are you doing in here?

But is that the dominant opinion in our society today? It's the mercy of Allah that He's given us clarity, He's given us focus, He's given us direction. And brothers and sisters, don't go crazy like all the people in the insane asylum. Because if we do, and they get out of the asylum, who's going to guide them? Who's going to direct them? Who's going to help them retain their humanity?

The Mercy of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

From the mercy of Allah, He sent us a merciful Prophet ﷺ, which is, we all know the verse, he is described as a mercy to all of the world.

"We've only sent you as a mercy to all of the worlds."

And that mercy is embodied in his message. The mercy is embodied in his message. And what is the essence of his message?

"O Prophet, we've sent you as a witness, a deliverer of glad tidings, a warner, one who calls to Allah by His permission, and a lamp spreading light."

Our Role as Witnesses for Humanity

We're witnesses for the people. And if we're not witnessing, who's going to witness? A deliverer of glad tidings. A deliverer of glad tidings. That people, you don't have to be miserable. You don't have to be confused. You don't have to be conflicted. You don't have to be in the dark concerning issues that are as clear as the sun on a sunny day.

A deliverer of glad tidings. There's a source of peace. You don't need the drugs. We talk about the violence of drug cartels in Mexico. These cartels, they're so violent. That violence is rooted in the appetites for drugs right here in this country. Who's going to control the flow of the marijuana? Who's going to control the flow of the cocaine to the United States? Who's going to control the flow of the fentanyl to the United States? That's the source of the violence.

You don't have to. We have to be a living witness that you can live a happy life without drugs, without alcohol. You can be perfectly happy. You can be on a permanent 24-7 natural high. Connect to Allah. Submit to Allah.

The Great Lie of Liberalism

The great lie of liberalism. And all of the issues. What are we talking about in our society today? We're talking about L, G, B, T, Q, I, P, A, plus. You got the P and the A. The pansexual and the asexual. The list grows. That's why they put the plus. They'll keep adding alphabets until you run out of letters. They don't have L squared. The list keeps growing.

I lost my point. But we have to show you can live a happy... Oh, the permanent high. Connect to Allah. Connect to Allah. Oh, the lie of liberalism. The lie of liberalism. You can be happy by worshipping yourself.

At the heart of liberalism is I am the captain of my ship, the master of my fate. And that's why so many ships have shipwrecked. So many ships are wrecked on the coral reefs of life. That's a lie.

The Illusion of Bodily Autonomy

You're claiming autonomy that you don't have. I can't... Oh, that's easier for you to say you're a man. I can't tattoo my body up. If you have tattoos, I'm not talking about you. Don't get any more. But if you have them, that's circumstance. Life took shahada last week. It's fine. It's fine. It's okay. Don't get any more. Because I don't have the right to paint up my body like that.

I don't have the right to pierce my body. So if you got your diamond in your ears, it's okay. It's cool. It's good. You're trying to be like Michael Jordan or somebody. I understand. That's the right women have. Men don't have that right. Men don't have that bodily autonomy. Because why? Why? Allah determines what we do.

Allah, we don't have the autonomy to eat anything we want. Liberals say, eat what you want. Consume what you want. We don't have the autonomy to eat pork. We don't have the autonomy to drink alcohol. Despite the marijuana fatwa, some brothers working with the marijuana fatwa. If it's dry, intoxicating, it's not najis. If it's not najis, it's not haram. No, brother. If it touches you, you don't have to wash that. But you can't smoke it. I'm sorry. That fatwa is no good.

We don't have the autonomy because Allah, who is our Master, determines what we do. Allah determines what we do.

True Liberation Through Submission to Allah

And in submitting to Allah, that's true liberation. That's the key to liberation. And the deeper our submission to Allah, the more thorough our liberation. And the more deeper a person's worship of themselves, the deeper their enslavement.

So we have all this individualism, but we have record high numbers of suicide. We have all this freedom to choose. We have record high numbers of depression. So if doing your thing is the key to your happiness, why are so many people miserable?

"As for the one who fears the time they will stand before their Lord and denies their soul the things it whimsically inclines toward, then indeed, Paradise will be the refuge."

So denying the individual choice, within the parameters of haram and halal, that's the key to true liberation. And this you read in our books of spiritual growth-spiritual growth which leads to true human liberation. Because this flesh is always enslaved.

The Unique Nature of Human Beings

If you don't believe it, go for a week without eating and drinking anything. Your flesh has demands. It will perish. That's what we share with the animals. We share this flesh with the animals. We share this flesh with the monkeys. People say we are just a monkey. And I heard this debate driving in my car. I think it was KGO in California. Big, big radio station. AM station.

And the guy said, OK, you might think you're a monkey. The guy driving, he said, well, you know, you might say the human is special and unique, but I'm just a monkey. And the guy said, you could think that. But I never saw a monkey driving down the highway 70 miles an hour, talking to someone 300 miles away via an invisible beam, beamed up, bouncing off a satellite in geocentric Earth orbit. I never saw a monkey doing that.

We can make a nano instrument you can't even see with your naked eye. All a monkey can make is a tool to break a stick. And that's all a monkey's been doing for as long as we know monkeys. But human beings have been accumulating knowledge. And that's a test for the human being. Because that accumulating knowledge as it grows and grows and grows, leads some people to arrogantly assume they no longer need divine guidance.

Oh, that was for religions for lower stages of human evolution. As we approach the singularity, we no longer need that. We need it more than ever.

The Foundation of Ethics Comes from Revelation

Because what is the mercy of Allah? He gives us a standard for determining right from wrong. And it only comes from Allah. There is no foundation of society-wide ethics without revelation.

We just finished Ramadan. Ramadan starts. The Imam gets up and says, the month of Ramadan is the month of Quran. Brothers, sisters, read your Quran. Come to Taraweeh, listen to the Quran. Guidance for humanity.

So we go back to where we started. The Quran provides our worldview. And it's a worldview where Allah is at the center of that worldview, and not the human being who claims to be the captain of his or her ship, the master of his or her fate. And then we have Allah. And Allah governs our actions. And then we have a criterion for distinguishing right from wrong. And that's the Furqan. And that's the foundation of our ethics, which came from Allah through the Quran. That's the foundation.

The Dangers of Transgressing Divine Limits

And it gives us a criterion for determining, distinguishing right from wrong. And so that checks us. And that says some things we're going too far. And we have to put the brakes on. We're going too far. When we say, we talked about the trans thing. Now they're not talking about transgenderism. They're talking about transhumanism. To mention the singularity.

The merger between the carbon-based biological human and the silicon-based computer. Merging together. And what do the two have in common? Number one, when we say through medicine and personal whim, with no respect for divine guidance, we can alter the human being. We can't change—don't say gender-changing surgery. Because the XX that's at the core of that human's identity and the XY, the female or male chromosomal makeup of that human will never change. So it's cosmetic surgery.

The Assault on Children and Parental Rights

Which is leading to an entirely new branch of medicine. And that's why they're trying to force our children in kindergarten. In California they just passed a law. Without your parental consent. Your first grader goes to school. The teacher can ask them, oh Abdul, do you want to be a boy or a girl today? How's that going to mess that child's head up? Why are they doing that?

Why is Washington State waiting for the governor to sign a bill that says if you're 13 years old, without your parent's consent, you can go to a gender transformation clinic. Without your parent's consent. And get this surgery and the hormones and all of that. And if your parents try to stop you, you can be taken from your parent's home.

Why are they doing that? Because they are opening up an entirely different, a new branch of medicine with 100,000, 200, 300, 400,000 dollar surgeries and lifelong hormone treatment and Adam's apple removing surgery. And so the money, as the case of the war machine, and the politics and the greed merge together.

Resisting with Compassion and Courage

May Allah bless us to resist—not with violence, with bitterness, with compassion—and try to guide people. If they say it's illegal for you to try to guide someone back to their biological roots, you know what you tell them? Tell them you can pass any law you want. You can say anything you want. But I'll go to jail before I go to hell. I will say this.

And I ask forgiveness of Allah for you and the believers. I ask forgiveness of Allah.

Rejoicing in the Grace and Mercy of Allah

I want to end on a happy note. Alhamdulillah, from the mercy of Allah is that He has given us a foundation to rejoice. Say in the grace of Allah and in His mercy-some say in the Quran and Islam—let them rejoice. It's better than anything they can gather from the world.

Dear brothers and sisters, the world can give you everything but it can't give you salvation. The world can't give you everything. It can give you many things. It can't give you salvation. It can't give you guidance. It can't give you peace of mind.

Peace of Mind Through Remembrance of Allah

But Allah gives us peace of mind through His remembrance. Does not the remembrance of Allah bring comfort to the heart? Remember Allah abundantly, brothers and sisters, in all of its forms and manifestations. It gives us peace of mind. The remembrance of Allah relieves us from having to live in this world thinking that justice is a zero-sum proposition.

We strive, we work for justice in the world. But if we don't get it in this world, we know there is perfect justice in the next. And there is no perfect justice here. And there is no complete justice here. And so we don't burn ourselves out trying to seek that which is impossible.

Living a Balanced Life of Worship and Action

We do our best. And then we go drink some tea. And we pray Isha. And we go to bed. We wake up and we say:

"Praise be to Allah who gave us life after causing us to die, and to Him is the resurrection."

And we make wudu. And we pray Fajr. We read some Quran. Make some dhikr. And go to work. And we're relieved. Allah bless us. We come to Jummah on Friday. We see all these beautiful believers. And we're happy.

Building a Merciful, Compassionate Community

And we see the community growing and expanding. And growing and expanding. But as it grows and expands, let us do everything that we can to make sure it's a merciful community. It's a compassionate community. It's a loving community.