One-Minute Khutbah Recap
“Do Not…Each Other”
Feb. 4, 2022, Kanata Muslim Association
– World is increasingly polarized and competitive
– Narrowing middle ground, us vs them mentality, each side claiming to be on the absolute truth and other side on absolute error
– In politics, religion, social issues, other conflicts
– Competition due to: increased cost, increased desires, financial pressures
– Sadly, these realities lead to rise in negative sentiments inside people for others
– Having ill feelings inside of us is a problem
– Tied to illnesses of the heart, barrier to having a pure heart that – so important for our spiritual well being in this world, esp in hereafter
– Allah’s forgiveness suspended for those holding grudges
تُفْتَحُ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ يَوْمَ الِاثْنَيْنِ، وَيَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ، فَيُغْفَرُ لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ لَا يُشْرِكُ بِاللَّهِ شَيْئًا، إِلَّا رَجُلًا كَانَتْ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ أَخِيهِ شَحْنَاءُ، فَيُقَالُ: (1) أَنْظِرُوا (2) هَذَيْنِ حَتَّى يَصْطَلِحَا، أَنْظِرُوا هَذَيْنِ حَتَّى يَصْطَلِحَا، أَنْظِرُوا هَذَيْنِ حَتَّى يَصْطَلِحَا
Abu Hurayrah (RA) reported, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The gates of Paradise will be opened on Mondays and on Thursdays, and every servant [of Allah] who associates nothing with Allah will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother. [About them] it will be said: Delay these two until they are reconciled; delay these two until they are reconciled. (Reported by Muslim and others)
– Ill feelings rob us of our peace of mind and heart, create discontent, animosity
– Drive actions that take us further away from inner peace and spirituality, actions that can hurt others
– Clouding our judgment, increasing our burden of sins and staining our spiritual hearts further
– When tensions are high, people are tired, anxious and frustrated, on edge – we need to be extra careful
– What are the behaviours we have to watch out for?
– Prophet ﷺ has given us a list of do nots, list appears short but impacts us in so many ways and requires a lot of mindfulness and effort to practice
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا تَحَاسَدُوا وَلَا تَنَاجَشُوا وَلَا تَبَاغَضُوا وَلَا تَدَابَرُوا وَلَا يَبِعْ بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَى بَيْعِ بَعْضٍ وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ لَا يَظْلِمُهُ وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ وَلَا يَحْقِرُهُ التَّقْوَى هَاهُنَا وَيُشِيرُ إِلَى صَدْرِهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ بِحَسْبِ امْرِئٍ مِنْ الشَّرِّ أَنْ يَحْقِرَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ كُلُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ حَرَامٌ دَمُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَعِرْضُهُ
On the authority of Abu Huraira RA who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Do not be envious of one another; do not artificially raise prices against one another; do not hate one another; do not turn one’s back on each other; and do not undercut one another in business transactions. And be, [O] servants of Allah, bretheren. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He does not wrong him, nor fail him [when he needs him], nor look down upon him. Piety is here” – and he pointed to his chest three times. “It is enough of evil for a person to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. All of a Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim: his blood, his wealth and his honor.” (Recorded in Muslim)
– Do not do hasad لَا تَحَاسَدُوا: Hasad means that a person should feel unhappy regarding blessings and good quality that Allah has given to another; wishes that it should be taken away from the other person and given to them instead, or at least should be taken away from other. Hasad in this sense is totally forbidden and a major sin. Trait of iblees and Qabil (1 of 2 sons of Prophet Adam [AS], first murderer who killed his brother out of hasad)
– Do not do najsh لَا تَنَاجَشُوا: person who’s neither buyer nor seller, bids up price of an item, without the intention of buying it – robbing the buyer of some of their wealth
– Also more general: we should not deceive each other, or work in underhanded ways, or harm. Iincludes every type of transaction and behavior in general.
– Do not hate لَا تَبَاغَضُوا: Do not hate over a difference of opinion, or due to their origin or the colour of their skin and so forth. Doesn’t mean you have to absolutely love every single person…can have different personalities, not really get along, widely differing opinions, annoying traits but don’t truly hate the person for that, esp leads you to act in a manner that hurts them or deprives them of goodness, or wish ill for them. Separate their opinions, beliefs, actions from them. Hate the sin, not the sinner.
– Do not turn away لَا تَدَابَرُوا: “… do not turn one’s back on each other…”
Should never cut off relations. Should always strive to greet with a smiling face and respond to greetings given by others. Spread salam, as it brings peace and brings hearts together. Also ask yourself, “Is this matter so serious that I’m not afraid of being found guilty in front of Allah?”
– Do not interrupt agreed sale وَلَا يَبِعْ بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَى بَيْعِ بَعْضٍ: Buying something for agreed price, then another comes and offers something better or for less, the person returns item to first seller and buys from other. Cause grief, misgivings to original seller and therefore forbidden. Also: buying an item and another interject and offers to buy it for more, so sells it to other.
– Do not wrong/oppress لَا يَظْلِمُهُ: Wrongdoing towards others will not be overlooked by Allah, must be corrected. Taken from a person’s rights or honour by wronging them, must restore what was taken. Either seek forgiveness from wronged person or do something to restore injustice.
– Do not abandon وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ: Mutual support, aid and assistance is a vital aspect of the brotherhood and sisterhood in Islam. Not only does it join hearts, and work to prevent evil, but also, by blessing of Allah, that if one helps another, Allah will help them in return.
– Do not look down وَلَا يَحْقِرُهُ: an arrogant or proud person thinks that they are better than others. Wealth, education, home, car, opinions, skill, ability, fame, knowledge.
– “It is enough of evil for a person to hold his Muslim brother in contempt.” بِحَسْبِ امْرِئٍ مِنْ الشَّرِّ أَنْ يَحْقِرَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ
– Imam Al-Nawawi: No Muslim should ever look down on, or belittle anyone else, and they should never think that they are better than others. They should either assume that others are better than them, or have no opinion on the matter. This is because we have no idea where the final resting place of a human being will be. Even if it is a non-believer, Allah may guide them to what is better. If it is a youngster, they may have committed less sins than us. If it an elder, they have been in Islam longer than us. If it is a non-pious, Allah may guide them to what is better. We do not know the heart or the final end of anyone, so it is not our place to judge or look down upon anyone else.
– In these times my dear brothers and sisters, we may have disagreements with others – whether it is about vaccines and mandates, protests, politics and so on.
– We must never let that get deep inside of us, give others benefit of the doubt and accept everyone is different and thinks differently
– As long as it does not involve disobedience of Allah and His Rasul ﷺ with contempt, we must learn to tolerate and accept
– This applies to others in the community, but also within our families esp among spouses
– Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The first batch (of people) who will enter Paradise will be (glittering) like a full moon; and those who will enter next will be (glittering) like the brightest star. Their hearts will be as if the heart of a single man, for they will have no enmity amongst themselves (Bukhari)
– may Allah unite our hearts, may Allah increase us in our love for each other, and may He protect us from all evils, from the most deeply kept inside of us to the most prominent
