In God We Trust

In God We Trust

Imam Zaid Shakir - 55th Annual ISNA Convention

Opening Praise and Gratitude

Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah. May Allah reward all of you for taking time off from your busy schedules, traveling from far and wide to attend ISNA in Houston.

The Prophetic Legacy of Trust in God

In God We Trust. When we're saying "In God We Trust," we aren't saying anything new. We're reminding ourselves that this work is the work that we have inherited from the prophets.

Prophet Nuh (Noah) and Divine Trust

When Nuh, peace be upon him, was commanded to build an ark and to collect the animals, and when the waters started to rise, he trusted in Allah, trusted in Almighty God that his actions and everything happening around him, no matter how imposing the situation was, that it was part of the divine plan.

Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and His Family

When Ibrahim, peace be upon him, left his family in that barren valley in the Arabian Peninsula, he left them there trusting in God, placing his trust in God, understanding that his actions were part of a divine plan and that his actions would lead to great good. And indeed, his actions led to great good, for out of that action would eventually rise our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

The Mother of Musa (Moses) and Her Trust

When Musa, Moses peace be upon him—even before him, when his mother placed that basket in the Nile River and left her baby—she didn't leave her baby to just drift down the river aimlessly, not knowing if the baby would survive. She left her baby in the care of God. She placed her trust in Almighty God, and out of that action, the great tyranny of Fir'aun was undermined and brought to an end.

Prophet Musa Fleeing Fir'aun's Army

When Moses was fleeing from the army of Pharaoh, and when he went into the sea and struck the sea, he placed his trust in God, understanding that everything that was happening was happening according to a divine plan.

Maryam (Mary) and the Divine Plan

When Mary found herself with child, not being touched by any man, she understood that what was happening to her was part of a divine plan. She trusted in God that good would come out of what was happening to her, no matter how inexplicable the situation was.

Prophet Muhammad's Early Life and Prophethood

When our Prophet Muhammad was in the desert and his heart was extracted from his breast and cleansed at that young age, he didn't panic because instinctively, if not intellectually, he knew that a divine plan was unfolding.

When the angel came to him in the cave and he was disturbed, and he was comforted by a loving, compassionate, wise wife, Khadijah, he came to understand that everything happening to him—the consultation of Waraqah—it was all part of a divine plan.

The Prophet's Trials and Steadfastness

When the Prophet was encountering difficulties, when he was boycotted and blockaded by his own people, when he was chased out of Taif, when he was spat on and stoned and insulted by the children and imbeciles of the city, he did not panic. He did not despair because he understood it was all part of a divine plan. And he beseeched his Lord: "Are you angry with me? If you're not angry with me, I don't care about this which is transpiring," because he understood it was part of a divine plan and he placed his trust in Almighty God.

Understanding Our Time Through Divine Trust

So brothers and sisters, as the events of our time unfold, no matter how imposing, no matter how intimidating, and sometimes in some instances no matter how unsettling those events may be, understand that they are part of a divine plan. They are part of a divine plan, and it is our responsibility to trust in God, to trust in God, and to understand that a divine plan is unfolding.

Our Role in the Divine Plan

Our part in that plan is to be steadfast. Our part in that plan is to continue to be proud, to be strong, to hold our heads high, to understand that we are the heirs of a prophetic mission. And like the prophets, we must place our trust in God and understand a divine plan is unfolding.

The Moral Mission of the Prophets

When we talk about our mission, we talk about the mission of the prophets. First and foremost, it's not a political mission, it's not an economic mission, it's not a social mission. First and foremost, it is a moral mission.

The Need for a Revolution of Values

If ever there was a time when our society, our country—even more so when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed that change in this country would require a revolution of values—if ever there was a time when a revolution of values was needed, the time is now.

As we see the instability, as we see the crudeness, as we see the coarseness in our public discourse, as we see the resurgent racism that's gripping our society, as we see the gaping gaps between the wealthy few and the multiplying multitudes of the poor—if ever there was a time for a revolution of values, a revolution of morality, an ethical revolution, the time is now.

Our Responsibility as Heirs of the Prophets

If ever there were people who dedicated themselves to the divine, to the mission of the prophets, those people are us, brothers and sisters. So we have a responsibility to place our trust in God and not to despair, understanding that despair is not a quality of God-fearing people. It is not a quality of believing people.

The Lesson from Prophet Yaqub (Jacob)

Despair, desperation, panic cannot be the way of our people because it is not the way of a believing people. When Yaqub instructed his sons to return to Egypt and to search for their brothers, at the end of his instructions he said to them:

"Don't despair of the mercy of God, don't despair of relief from God, because no one despairs of relief from God, no one despairs of mercy from God except a disbelieving people." (Quran 12:87)

And they were a believing people, and we are believing people. And as such, we cannot despair of God's mercy. We cannot despair of the mercy of God, brothers and sisters.

Making God Real in Our Lives

As we go forward during this critical time we find ourselves in, as we say "place our trust in God," what does that mean? For many people, God, Allah, Almighty God becomes an abstraction. It becomes something we might view as an intellectual construct, but it's not something that becomes internalized in the depths of the souls and the hearts of many people.

How do we make it real, brothers and sisters? One way that we make it real is by reflecting on the names and attributes of Almighty God.

Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim (The Most Merciful, The Most Compassionate)

When we read amongst the names of God, the names of Allah, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim—the Merciful—then we understand that God is merciful to us. Despite the challenges, despite the struggles, despite the difficulties, hardships, or obstacles we might find in our way, if we look deeply at our situation, we can see in real, tangible, palpable ways the mercy of God manifesting itself in our lives.

And we realize the power and the truth of the statement of Almighty God:

"And He is merciful to the believers." (Quran 33:43)

He is Rahman, He is Rahim.

Embodying Mercy in Our Actions

One way to make that real—another way to make that real—is not just reflecting on the reality as it pertains to our Lord, but to reflect that reality ourselves to the extent humanly possible. So as we see people struggling,

people challenged by the ravages of our time, then it is our responsibility to extend mercy to them. It is our responsibility to be individuals whose actions are qualified by mercy and to become a community that coalesces around the value of mercy, brothers and sisters.

Al-Malik (The Sovereign)

He is Rahman, He is Rahim, He is Malik. He is the Sovereign. He is the Sovereign and we—we are not the Sovereign. We are not the owner of the heavens and the earth, but we have a responsibility. We are placed in situations which demand us to respond and to carry ourselves with the dignity of a king.

Each and every one of us must possess the dignity of a king. And a king is a noble person. We must have nobility. We must hold our heads high. We cannot hang our heads in sadness and despair, overwhelmed by the tsunami of negativity that sometimes washes over our community. We must hold our heads high. We must be Malik in that sense. We must be dignified people.

Al-Quddus (The Most Sacred)

He is Al-Quddus. He is the Sacred One, Allah, and we have no human share of that sanctity. But we must honor and respect the sanctity of God. We must magnify the sanctity of God. We must commit ourselves to upholding—in human societies, as many people move away from God—finding ourselves the people that extol and magnify and honor the sanctity of God, Al-Quddus.

Al-Mu'min (The Bestower of Security)

Al-Mu'min—He is the one that extends safety and security to others. A'man, Al-Mu'min, the one who extends that Amana, that A'man. And we must be Al-Mu'min. We must be individuals that do not harm people.

The Prophet reminds us, peace and blessings be upon him:

(Tirmidhi hadith 2627)

"The Mu'min, the believer, is one from whom people are safe from any evil."

We must be individuals and a community that not only through our speech, not only through our deeds, but through our very state of being exude peace and security, safety and security to people.

Creating Safe Communities

We must struggle because people are being increasingly rendered unsafe. We must be the people, we must be the community that let people know it is possible to have an environment where people can feel safe and secure in their persons, they can feel safe and secure in their possessions, and they can feel safe and secure in their honor. And that as Muslims, we will not violate any of those in any of our fellow citizens—not just the citizens of our city or the citizens of our state or the citizens of this nation, the citizens of this global community we find ourselves situated in.

As-Salam (The Source of Peace)

He is As-Salam. He is the one free from defects and imperfections, As-Salam. And we will always be defective as long as we are in this world. When we are in Jannah, Dar As-Salam—that's the abode of perfection—the

defects that we exhibit in this world won't exist there. In this world we get sick, and there there will be no disease. In this world we die; there there will be no death. In this world we eat and we pass waste; there we won't pass waste. That's the abode where there will be no defects and no imperfections.

Our Lord is As-Salam. He's free from defects and imperfections. We should be the ambassadors of Salam.

Being Ambassadors of Peace

When we say "As-Salamu Alaikum," we're saying to our fellow Muslims, first of all—we're at a time when we see Muslims destroying the lives and homes and nations of their fellow Muslims. The bombs might be purchased from America, but the pilots dropping the bomb in far too many instances are Muslims. The missiles might be purchased from America, but in far too many instances, the one pushing the button to launch the missile is a Muslim. The ships might be purchased from America, but in far too many instances, the one navigating the ships to institute the boycotts and the blockades that result in entire nations starving or suffering from diseases, ravaged by cholera, as we see in Yemen—in far too many instances, the pilots are Muslim.

We have to say no. We are the ambassadors of Salam, the ambassadors, the people who won't render people defective, the people who won't impose diseases and hardship, death and destruction on other human beings. The people of Salam—that's who we must be, brothers and sisters.

Internalizing God's Names

That is our calling, and that is how we internalize the meaning of the names and attributes of Allah. And that's how Allah becomes more than an abstraction with us, more than an intellectual construct with us, but a living God—a God who's living and a God whose presence in our lives influences our actions, influences our decisions, influences how we interact with our fellow human beings, with our fellow denizens of this planet: humans, plants, animals, everyone, the seas, the wind, the air, the sky. This is who we are. This is who we must be, brothers and sisters.

Al-Mutakabbir (The Supreme)

Al-Mutakabbir—the one who arrogates power to Himself. This is our Lord. And many people say, how could a human being be Mutakabbir if they are indeed godly people?

Al-Izz ibn Abd As-Salam, in his book Shajaratul Ma'arif wal Ahwal, asked that question rhetorically, and he says it appears there's no human embodiment of Mutakabbir, but in reality there is:

"He's the person that arrogates himself above petty, vile, unbecoming behavior."

Rising Above Pettiness

We're too good for that, you know. The young people, they might be hanging out and one insults the other. He says, "You know, your head is so big, it makes the Goodyear blimp jealous." And the other starts to think, "You know, man, how could I top that?" Then he realizes, "I'm better than that." This is Yatakabbur. "I'm above that. I don't need to respond to that. You know what? The person said my head is so big it makes the Goodyear blimp

—tell that person I love them for the sake of Allah. Tell them I look forward to going somewhere to sit down to have a cup of tea and discuss the issues of the day, see how they're doing, catch up with them. Do that for me."

That's Mutakabbir, brothers and sisters. This is who we are. This is who we are. We should strive to be a people who, to the extent humanly possible, reflect the names and the attributes of Almighty God.

Making Trust in God a Living Reality

When we can do that, that's when it will be very easy to place our trust in God, because God will be living—Al-Hayy, Al-Hayy, the Living—and living will impact our lives, impact our decisions, impact who we are, how we carry ourselves, how we conduct ourselves, what we represent to our nation at this critical time in its history.

Conclusion: Trust in the Divine Orchestration

Brothers and sisters, in conclusion, let me say this: Trust in Allah that He is a good orchestrator of history. Despite the challenges, despite the hardships and difficulties, Allah is still the master of this ship. He is still the master of our fate—not ourselves, not our government, not this or that political party, not this or that politician. Those are all means that Almighty God uses to implement His will in His creation as He desires. And we have to understand that.

Responding to the Divine Test

Understanding that, we understand that this is just a test and a trial decreed by Almighty God. How will we respond?

We respond with the dignity of kings. We respond with the mercy of merciful people. We respond with the responsibilities to others that's embodied in our greeting: As-Salamu Alaikum.

The Meaning of As-Salamu Alaikum

I will not render you defective. I will not lessen your dignity. I will not usurp your wealth. I will not encroach on your property. I will not violate your honor. I will not do anything to lessen you in any way, shape, or form whatsoever.

Peace be upon you. Peace be upon you. Peace be upon you. As-Salamu Alaikum.