Submission Faith and Beauty

Submission, Faith, and Beauty

Imam Zaid Shakir

Introduction and Welcome

Now, to our program for this afternoon, we are really blessed and honored to have with us two most distinguished scholars here in North America and to have this opportunity to benefit from them on a most comprehensive of topics, faith, submission, faith, and beauty. This topic inspired by the famous Hadith Jibreel, alayhi salam, in which it demonstrates the comprehensiveness of the Deen of Islam. Our first presenter this afternoon, and I will just say a few words I didn't introduce him before.

Yes, we know Imam Zaid is here from Zaytuna Institute, but really for us here, he needs no introduction. I'm the Imam, he's the Imam. Founder of the New Brunswick Islamic Center, Masjid al-Huda here, and also here at Rutgers University, the founder of the Muslim Student Association, many, many eons ago. Decades. Decades, decades. Alhamdulillah.

And it's really an honor and a pleasure to have him back here on the East Coast. And on behalf of Rutgers University and the brothers and sisters here, we'd like to welcome you back to your roots, and inshallah ta'ala we will hear from our beloved Shaykh, Imam Zaid Shakir. Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala Sayyidina Muhammad, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallim tasliman kathira.

Opening Praises

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Alhamdulillahi thumma alhamdulillah. All praise is due to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, who has blessed us to submit to Him as Muslims.

All praise is due to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, be He mighty and majestic, or be He glorified and exalted, who has guided us through the light of faith. And all praise is due to Allah, be He glorified and exalted, who has beautified us with Ihsan. Alhamdulillah, this is a topic that I'm sure you've heard many different discourses, lectures concerning it.

The Contextual Verse

What I'd like to do is contextualize this around the verse in Qur'an that was actually the subject of the most recent khutbah that I did, which was Friday in New Haven, Connecticut. And that's the following verse:

So this verse to provide a rough and brief translation: O you who believe, turn to Allah with a sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will expiate your sins, wipe out the effects of your sins, and enter you into gardens beneath which rivers flow. On a day, Allah will not humiliate His Prophet by punishing him, nor those who believe along with him. Their light precedes before them and to their right. And they say, Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Verily, You over all things have power.

The Three Elements: Faith, Submission, and Beauty

So the reason we chose this verse to provide the context for making a few points about submission, faith, and beauty is because it contains all three of those elements. First of all, Allah Ta'ala is addressing the faithful. He's addressing those who have made a commitment to follow the guidance that He has sent through His Prophet Muhammad, who have made a commitment to believe in what the Prophet has brought. So He addresses them and they are us.

O you believers, O you who believe. And then He encourages us and stimulates us to do the most profound and fundamental act that we will ever do if we want to move along the path to Paradise.

The Analogy of the Highway

If we from this point, where we're located, New Brunswick, New Jersey, want to go to Philadelphia, so we go out to the nearest highway, I-95, and the signs we pass are saying, I-95 North, I-95 North, Newark, Jersey City, Teaneck, I-95 North. Are we going to make it to Philadelphia? We're not going to make it, not on that road. What must we do? Exit off, turn around, and go in the opposite direction.

So many of us, all of us, through the fact that we're Muslim, or maybe there are a few people who aren't Muslim, if you want to join up afterwards. Very simple process. If you're inspired, you feel inspired. Are on the path to Paradise. On the path to a meeting with our Lord. And faith, submission, faith, and beauty. Faith and submission are what have placed us on that path.

Oh you human, you are toiling to reach your Lord, and surely you will reach Him. We're moving towards a meeting with our Lord. However, many of us are on the wrong road.

Signs on the Wrong Road

Because as we move down the road of life, we see signs that say lying. We see signs that say duplicity. We see signs that say fornication. We see signs that say alcoholism. We see signs that say drug use. We see signs that say or indicate things that indicate to us, or should indicate to us, that we're proceeding along the wrong road.

Now our Lord in His infinite mercy, does not call for our destruction because of that. In an immediate sense, our Lord does not condemn us because of that. Our Lord asks us to exit off, turn around and move in the opposite direction.

The Essence of Repentance (Tawbah)

And that's what Tawbah is. That's what repentance is. And until we make that exit, turn around and go in the opposite direction, we're deluding ourselves. If we think that the path we're on leads to Paradise. So Allah Ta'ala, He doesn't say, Oh you believers, you're destroyed and ruined because of your sins. He says, Oh you believers, repent from your sins.

This is emphatic language in that, He uses the adjective describing the penitent person, to describe the repentance itself. A repentance of one who is sincere in repentance. تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا. He mentions this even more emphatically in another verse.

Turn to Allah in repentance. To convey that message in the Arabic language is sufficient to say وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ. But Allah Ta'ala emphasizes that, and emphasizes He wants us to do it.

وَتُوبُوا All of you, that's implied in the وَتُوبُوا. All of you إِلَى اللَّهِ To Allah جَمِيعًا Again emphasizing all, every one of you. And every one of you who? أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ Obelievers لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ in order that you be successful.

Allah's Mercy and Opportunity

So Allah Ta'ala wants us to take advantage of this opportunity. He's extending to us. He's not, as we said, saying, I'm going to destroy you because of your sins. You are believers, you're a bunch of hypocrites, you're slackers, you're half-steppers, you're finished. Next thunderstorm, don't go outside. There's a boat of lightning waiting for you. No. He just says, implicitly, I know you sin.

Because if it weren't for the fact of sin, He wouldn't ask us to repent. But He's saying, in spite of your sin, I'm giving you a tremendous opportunity to remove the effects of those sins through repentance.

He's addressing us believers as sinners. Because He's asking us to repent.

The Call to Humility

Now, there's an implicit message in this that shouldn't be lost to any of us. Is there anyone here who would deny that we sin? None of us. So, why aren't we humbled by that fact? Why aren't we humbled by the fact that each and every one of us, myself included, that we sin? Consciously and unconsciously. Why aren't we humbled? Why do we arrogate ourselves above the next person? Muslim or non-Muslim. As if we're faultless. As if we're sinless. I'm better than this person. As if Shaytan is our role model.

What prevented you from prostrating yourself to Adam, O Satan? When we ordered you to do so. He said, I'm better than him. You created me from fire. You created him from clay.

That's what we're saying essentially. Because of something that has absolutely nothing to do with the situation. I reserve the right to arrogate myself over my Muslim brother or sister. Over my non-Muslim brother or sister.

Recognizing Good in Others

We should see good in non-Muslim. We should see non-Muslims being better than us. We should hope that non-Muslims are better than us. Because we're not doing too great a job to lead this world. We're not doing too great a job to address the inequities and injustices of this world. We should hope that some people will come behind us who will do a better job.

And our Prophet mentioned:

النَّاسُ مَعَادِنُ كَمَعَادِنِ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ، خِيَارُهُمْ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ خِيَارُهُمْ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ إِذَا فَقِهُوا

(Sahih Muslim 2638)

People are like mines of ore, of metal. Loads of gold and silver. They vary in their purity. You can hit a load that's 90% pure, very little slag. 10% pure, a lot of slag. And very little gold or silver or lead or copper or whatever you're mining. Therefore the best of them, of the people before Islam will be the best in Islam. If they gain a sound understanding of the religion.

The Example of Praying for Guidance

A Muslim who's praying for the destruction of America and death to Americans is a fool. Is a fool. Why? Because if America is running the world and the people become Muslim what are the implications of that? The best of you before Islam will be the best of you in Islam. If they gain a sound understanding of the religion.

Secondly, so why pray for people who have potential to bring the positive skills they have to the service of Islam? Our Prophet recognized that. When he was being and his followers were being brutalized by Omar and Abu Jahl, Amr bin Hisham. He was praying for their guidance. Why? Because number one, he realized if they're Muslims they won't be brutalizing the Muslims anymore. And secondly, he realized they have a skill set we can use.

So he prayed even as they were brutalizing the Muslims:

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الْإِسْلَامَ بِأَحَبِّ الرَّجُلَيْنِ إِلَيْكَ

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi 3681)

Oh Allah strengthen Islam with which of these two men are most beloved to you? Omar or Abu Jahl? Omar or Amr?

And Allah Ta'ala brought as you all know Omar. What if he prayed for Allah to destroy Omar? Ya Allah destroy Omar bin al-Khattab, that enemy of Islam. Then all of what Omar brought to Islam as the second Khalifa as the one described if there were any Prophet after Muhammad who would it be? It would have been Omar, may Allah be pleased with him. That skill set of the love for justice, love for equity, humility, empathy with the people, sweets were brought to him. Have these sweets been made available to the generality of the people? No, I'm not eating it. May Allah be pleased with him. All of that would have been lost to Islam. We must be people of wisdom.

The Prayer Against Converts

Secondly, if they made that prayer, Sami I'm not saying how many years ago then they would be praying against me becoming Muslim. They'd be praying against all of these converts out here against this sister, Iman Sutherland of Appleton, Wisconsin becoming Muslim. We're Americans born and raised here. Maybe not as American as apple pie. The question is why? Because of the blues. Why should the blues be so at home here? Because America provided the atmosphere.

So some of us were blues Americans. We lack the red and the white but we were Americans nonetheless. And that prayer would have been against us. That prayer would have been against us. We have to be people of wisdom. And we have to be people of humility.

The Power of Self-Recognition

And we have to be people who have the power to recognize our faults and shortcomings. And that's an integral part of real faith. Real faith. As Sheikh Nuh mentioned earlier in another venue or in a private conversation we had. Humbles you. Or in his talk. Real faith. Real knowledge. And by meaning true submission.

How can true submission not humble you? So Allah Ta'ala addresses us as sinners.

Surely your Lord, (عَسَى - ‘asā) usually understood when it applies to us. Will wipe out the effects of your sin. (عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ - ‘asā rabbukum) Your Lord will wipe out the effects of your sin. So the sin is there. The sin has been committed. But it is the effect of the sin that will ruin us. And if Allah Ta'ala wipes out the effect of that sin it's like the sin never occurred.

The Lasting Effects of Good Deeds

Similarly, it is the lasting impact of our good deeds that benefits us.

That the lasting effects of the good deeds that remain are better with your Lord as a reward and that is the best thing to hope for. So the effect of sin, Allah Ta'ala as affirmed at the end of the verse:

Allah Ta'ala has power over everything and He can wipe out the effects of our sin.

The Problem is Not Sinning, But Failing to Repent

So sinning is not the problem. The problem is if we sin and fail to repent. If we sin and fail to repent.

So that's the faith. (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا - yā ayyuhā alladhīna āmanū) And that faith has to contain a firm unshakable belief that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala can wipe out our sins, that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala through His Lordship and His Power, His Dominion can enter us into gardens beneath which rivers flow.

The Day of No Humiliation

On a day Allah will not humiliate through punishment the Prophet and those who believe along with him. (يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِي اللهُ النَّبِيَّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ - yawma lā yukhzī Allāhu al-nabiyya wa-alladhīna āmanū ma‘ahu). This is the submission. Faith, Iman.

So as Sami mentioned, the book Submission, Faith and Beauty based on Iman, Islam, Ihsan. (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا - yā ayyuhā alladhīna āmanū) This is the Iman. Confidence and belief that Allah has the power to wipe out our sins.

This is Iman. The affirmation of Allah Ta'ala's Lordship. That Allah Ta'ala has created and has the power to enter us into gardens beneath which rivers flow.

On a day Allah will not humiliate through punishment the Prophet and those who believe along with him. This is belief. (وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ - wa-alladhīna āmanū ma‘ahu) This is submission.

Belief Implies Following

Because our belief in the Prophet implies our following him. Our belief in the Prophet contains our following him. Our love for the Prophet, this is the point. Our love for the Prophet is a false claim. Again as Shaykh Muhammad mentioned earlier, it's a false claim if we don't follow him. If we don't love him. Our claim of love is false if we don't follow him.

إِنَّ الْمُحِبَّ لِمَنْ يُحِبُّ مُطِيعٌ

The lover obeys the one he or she loves. And why does the love come in at this point? Because we believe along with him.

The Hadith: When is the Hour?

It's related by Anas bin Malik that a man came to the Prophet and he asked him (مَتَى السَّاعَةُ؟ - matā al-sā‘atu?) When is the hour? Doomsday. (فَقَالَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَا أَعْدَدْتَ لَهَا؟ - faqāla ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallama: mā a‘dadta lahā?) (Sahih al-Bukhari 6171) In his wisdom. He didn't say no when this sign occurs or when that sign occurs.

In his wisdom, he empowered the man. What have you done to prepare for it? This is empowering. Because this lets the man know that there is something I can do to benefit myself when it does come.

The Obsession with Signs

Knowing the sign might not benefit you. I was talking to one of the brothers earlier and he mentioned how he was listening to a tape. And in the tape, the speaker said that some people are obsessed with the dajjal. When is the dajjal coming? Is he a person as described by the Prophet? Is he a system? Is America the dajjal? They have the one eye on the dollar bill. He's gonna have one eye. He has two eyes, one bad eye.

There was a picture. It was in one of the Arabic papers. The dajjal is here. He's in Pakistan. They had some cyclops in Pakistan with one eye. The dajjal is not a cyclops. Why? Because based on the evidence, people are confused. They're looking for the cyclops. So they saw the movie, The Cyclops. I saw it when I was little. Like the one eyed cyclops. And I was really scared.

The dajjal is not a cyclops. He has two eyes. One eye is bad. It's going bad and raising light. And between his two eyes is kafir. So if you have one eye, you can't have kafir between your two eyes. He has two eyes. One is a bad eye. The dajjal is not a cyclops.

So you can relax. If you saw that picture of the one eyed baby in Pakistan. It's not the dajjal. But some people are obsessed with it. Was it the dajjal? You know. And they want to know. Want to know.

The Real Protection from Dajjal

But they've never taken the time as the brother pointed out to me, as the speaker said, to learn the first ten verses of surat al-kahf. Why is that important? Because the first ten verses of surat al-kahf are protection against the dajjal.

So what does it benefit to know all the signs of the dajjal? What he's going to look like? How tall he is? What's between his eyes? One eye is bad. One eye is not. What good does that benefit a person if he does come and that person hasn't prepared for him to defend and ward off, protect themselves from his mischief.

Empowerment Through Preparation

So the Prophet empowered the person by not mentioning the signs but by mentioning what have you done to prepare for it. (مَا أَعْدَدْتَ لَهَا؟ - mā a‘dadta lahā?) And the man said in one version (حُبُّ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ - ḥubbu Allāhi wa-rasūlihi) (Sahih al-Bukhari 6171). And there are different versions in terms of his response but they all boil down to this. (حُبُّ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ - ḥubbu Allāhi wa-rasūlihi) The love of Allah and His Messenger and the Prophet mentioned:

(أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ - anta ma‘a man aḥbabta)

(Sahih al-Bukhari 6168)

You will be with the one you love. You will be with the one you love.

Being With the Prophet

So when Allah mentions (يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِي اللَّهُ النَّبِيَّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ - yawma lā yukhzī Allāhu al-nabiyya wa-alladhīna āmanū ma‘ahu) (Quran 66:8). If we want to have this togetherness, if we want to be with the Prophet, the Prophet said:

(أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ الْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ - anta ma‘a man aḥbabta al-mar’u ma‘a man aḥabba)

(Sahih al-Bukhari 6168)

A person will be with the one he or she loves. So if we love the Prophet we will be with the Prophet. And if we're with the Prophet we won't be humiliated on that faithful day. So our love involves following. Our following involves action.

The Essence of Submission: Action

And that's the essence of submission. That's the essence of Islam. When in the hadith of Gabriel the Prophet is asked by the angel Gabriel (فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ - fa-akhbirnī ‘ani al-islām) (Sahih Muslim 8) he mentioned a list of things you have to do. Mentioned a list of things you have to do.

أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةَ، وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ

(Sahih Muslim 8)

Etc. That you believe, bear witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. That you establish regular prayer. That you pay the zakat. Etc. Things to do.

فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ

(Sahih Muslim 8)

When asked about faith he gave a list of things to believe in.

أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ، وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ، وَكُتُبِهِ

(Sahih Muslim 8)

Etc. So he gave a list of things to believe in. So, belief involves affirming certain things. Being with the Prophet involves doing things. We have to do things. In this regard, talk is cheap. In this regard, talk is cheap.

Why Do You Say What You Don't Do?

Believers, again. Why do you say that which you don't do? What we do is important. And the most important thing we can do in this regard because it propels us to the other things is to love our Prophet. And if we love our Prophet we will be with our Prophet. And if we're with our Prophet we won't be humiliated on that day.

The Believer's Light (Ihsan)

Their light precedes before them and to their right. The believer is beautified by the light that Allah gives to the believer. And that light emanates from the heart. And it shines through every aspect of the believer's being. And that light beautifies the believer.

And just as that light in terms of what nurtures it and what strengthens it in our hearts is following Allah, believing in Allah and following the Messenger, then that love is reciprocated. That love is manifested for us by Allah.

The Reciprocation of Love

Say to them, O Muhammad, if you love Allah, then follow me. Then Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.

JazakAllah khair. Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah.