THE STREET MIMBAR Khutbah (11 August 2006) e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] webpage: www.geocities.com/khutbahs http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_street_mimbar Suggestions & Criticisms: PLEASE E-MAIL It is such a manner that We make plain our signs so that the course of the criminals may become clear.
Bismillah Ar-Rahmaan Ar-Raheem. Alhumdulillah. Peace and blessings on Muhammad, his Noble Companions and Family. Brothers and Sisters, Muslims whose relationship with Allah is one of responsibilities and duties and one of tasks and obligations.... audio on http://www.islamiccenterdc.com/khutbassermons.htm?archived=1&page=7 (12-16-2005) CONSOLIDATING THE MUSLIM RANK AND FILE PART 15 ABU DHARR (RADI ALLAHU ANHU) AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY With reliance upon Allah, confidence in Allah and with the company of Allah, we will continue to try our best to proceed in areas of information that have been abandoned by our scholars and ourselves for a long time, thus creating a gap for the mischief makers to try to come in and wreak havoc among ourselves today. We cannot afford to have this mental no approach zone where we are not supposed to rethink ourselves, when everyone around us, especially when those with no-good intentions have free access to this area and are trying to implement their devious and destructive plans in our communities, homelands and our holy precincts. With consideration to the details of history, in light of the information and the facts that come to us from Allah and in view of the model and the precedents that were set by Allahs Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam), we said that there was a serious break from the standard of governance that we are instructed to abide by through revelation and by honoring the example and the standards that were set by Allahs Prophet- which is, still up to today un-thought through. This break happened during the time and during the eventual power struggle that was to favor of the 1st king in Islam. Remember, we are saying these words, even though many Muslims have chosen not to say these words when they know the truth. This 1st king in our Islamic history, post the Qur'an and the Prophet, has to be re-evaluated in light of the events that we have to condemn that deviation from As-Siraat Al-Mustaqeem- the standards and the values of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. To understand this a little better, we are going to have to take a look at the principles of Shura. Allah says to His Prophet, Consult with them pertaining to the public affairs of the Muslims (Surah Ahl Imran verse 159) If Allah is giving an order to His Prophet, that order is more binding upon us, the followers of that Prophet- so, this is more of an order to us. From understanding those formative and pioneering years of the early Muslim generation of the Prophet, we understand that the Masjid was the arena for this interaction when Muslims are to make social decisions. The Masjid was a type of "parliament". If we wanted to place todays ideas and jargon, into that time and period, we would say that the Masjid was the place and the convening area for Muslims to make up their mind on decisions that affected their public life. This Shura or understanding of decision making in the Islamic society was honored for the 1st 30 to 40 years of the hijrah, but what happened after this was that we no longer witnessed you and me, the Muslims public, participate in the decision making process when this 1st king in Islamic history became the superior ruler over the Muslims. From here on, the following kings and the following rulers were also to exclude the Muslims from participating in public life that would have an impact on the decisions that affects them all- whether it was an economic, political or military decision- whatever it may have been, the Muslims had been cut-off from all of this. We can all recall a statement that an average or normative type of Muslim said to the 2nd successor to the Prophet. He said to him, in the context of the Masjid, where the Muslim public mind would meet to come to terms with a decision that had to be made one way or another- this mediocre person, history books don't even register for us his name, that's how mediocre he was- he said to Umar (radi Allahu anhu) the highest ranking officer in this Islamic state and society, "If we see that you have deviated, you went this way or that way, meaning if you parted from this Siraat Al-Mustaqim that we know and are familiar with, we will correct you with the blades of our swords." This ultimate ruler of the Muslims didn't say "Where's the security guards? Take him and throw him in jail." He said to him a statement that should be percolating in todays Muslim mind. This statement tells us how they understood their civic responsibilities. This ruler of the Muslims tells this person "There's no good in you if you don't say what you just said, and there's no good in us if we don't listen to what you have to say." Now, this is a standard, and then, the kings that usurped power after the period of Al-Khilafa Ar-Rashida- their tone was a different tone. Muawiya, the 1st king after Al-Khilafa Ar-Rashida was the type who didn't want to listen to any type of criticism. Another king in this dynastic line of ruling, Abdul Malik ibn Marwan said "I am here to take care of the ills of this society with the sword." He said, in the Haram, to the Muslim public, "If anyone of you wants to remind me of TaqwAllah, then I will resort to the sword." He said on another occasion, and this displays this new break-away attitude from the previous one that we should be familiar with- "Whoever goes this way with his head, I will go this way with my sword." This is an area that hasn't been covered and dwelt on by the Muslim public, and because of this, we are having sectarian misunderstandings, sensitivities, ignorance and the opportunity for our enemies to infiltrate our societies and then set us on a course of conflict and internal civil wars. We don't want them to get away with this, and we don't want our ignorance and misunderstandings to feed their plans. That is why we are going to have to do some serious reconsideration and approach these issues with the knowledge that comes to us from Allah and from His Prophet. This is a barometer of what we are speaking about when rulers begin to according to their whims and desires and not according to the instructions and the directives that are included in the scripture and in the unadulterated Sunnah. There was a person who was close to Allahs Prophet. He was one of the 1st 10 to become a Muslim- some may place him as number 5 or 6. He came from outside Makkah, and when he came to Makkah, he began to ask about this person who is called Muhammed. When he was referred to him, he went to him and said "What have you to say?" This person, whose name is Jandab ibn Janadah (radi Allahu anhu)- most of you know him by his title or his surname- very few of you know him by his real name. He asks Allahs Prophet "What have you to say?" Allahs Prophet recites verses from the Qur'an immediately upon which this person says Ash-hadu An La Ilaha Illallah wa Ash-hadu Anna Muhammadar Rasulullah. Then, the Prophet feels an affinity with this person and he asks him "From which tribe are you?" This person answers him and the Prophet smiles, because this tribe was known in the Arabian Peninsula to set up people who were traveling and dispossess them of what they had- that's the best way that we can speak about this tribe without using offensive or negative words. The Prophet smiles and asks him "How would you behave if there were rulers who were to use their upper hand, in other words, they would claim Al-Fay, the revenue of the Muslims for themselves?" (This is the rough meaning of this statement of Allahs Prophet to this person.) He replied, "I would come out swinging with my sword." The Prophet of Allah told him, in todays language "Take it easy. Be calm. Use the word of truth when you encounter this." As if Allahs Prophet was looking into the future and foretelling what was going to happen. Another bit of relevant information- to skip a lot of details- when Allahs Prophet and those who were at the military responsibility of events were preparing to go to encounter the Byzantines in the last military campaign of Allahs Prophet called Tabuk, there were some people who were lagging behind, the Prophet told the warriors around him "Never mind. If they can make up for lost distances or lost time, they will." Once again, we're paraphrasing these events. One of the persons who were lagging behind was this Jandab ibn Janadah. The reason that he was lagging behind was because the means of transportation that he had- whether it was a camel or a horse or a mule is not very much clear- was so weak that it could not keep up with the pace of the army that the Prophet was commandeering, so he lagged behind. Then, after a day or two, in the horizon, people look and they see this person coming. The Prophet of Allah says "Let it be so and so- this person will walk alone, he will die alone and he will be resurrected alone." And, it was that particular person that we are speaking about who is going to have an encounter with the 1st deviation in the administration of Islamic affairs. We have to know that during the time of Abu Bakr and Umar (radi Allahu anhuma), there was no financial and thus social corruption in the austere society of Al-Medinah and Arabia. Of course, we know of the foul elements that were there. There was a class of people there that was called Al-Munafiqin, but their impact or the decomposition that was to inflict Islamic governance had not had its impact yet. One of the statements that the Prophet of Allah gave in those final days of his, he turned around and looked at his company of people and he said "The best one of you is the one who is going to meet me on the day of accountability the same way you are today." ie. You're not going to be spoiled by the world, its wealth, attractions, temptations and riches- if we meet the same way as we are today, then you're the best ones- meaning, that some of you are going to be corrupted by this world. That was the inference in his statement. This stood out and was indelibly etched in the mind of this Jandab ibn Janadah. (We'll mention his name by which you know him in a few minutes.) So, when the Prophet passed away, there was no financial and thus social corruption. The vehicles of state were run in accordance with the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The same can be said of during the time of Abu Bakr. This was a very rich man prior to Islam, but when he died, he didn't have what we can say today "He didn't have a dollar or he didn't have a dinaar when he died." When Umar died, it is said that there was a debt that needed to be paid off. Obviously he didn't have any money. The expansion of the Islamic state was not very significant during this time, it only began to acquire the fertile and resourceful areas, viz. Egypt, Syria and Iraq during the time of the 2nd Khalifas reign, but he was strict, austere and harsh and this corruption could not, up until this point, find a foot hold. During the reign of the 3rd Khalifa though, the issue changed. Now, there began to be manifestations of the materialistic, physical attractions of this world taking there course on these people who were around Allahs Prophet. Unlike in the days of Umar, he did not let many people go to places where they wanted to go to. Some of them wanted to go to Egypt, some of them wanted to go to Syria and Iraq, he said "No. You stay around here, because if you go, I fear you will be corrupted." It was done for their own sake, but during the reign of Uthman (radi Allahu anhu), this was no longer the policy- if anyone wanted to go, they could go wherever they wanted to go. Then, people began to go to places, and unlike the previous policies, now they had the right to claim some of these lands that were liberated. Now, they could say, and some of them did say "This fertile area in Iraq is the orchard of Quraish." - a statement that you would never hear before that time. So, we had fiscal policy becoming irresponsible- this was irresponsible fiscal policy. This person- you know better and you refer to him by the name Abu Dharr. He went to Uthman and he had a very good encounter with him- friendly, there's nothing hostile here- these were not enemies meeting, these were people who were trying to do what was right. To simplify this whole affair, the issue evolved around if a Muslim pays his zakaah, does he have to pay anything more than that. There was a person there by the name of Kaab Al-Ahbaar and Uthman and a few others and they said "No. If you pay your zakaah, you've paid what is due by you." Abu Dharr took issue with them. He said "No. You haven't done your responsibility just by paying the zakaah." and he quoted the ayah in the Qur'an Virtue is not in facing the east or the west. Virtue is to be committed to Allah, the final day, the Angels, the Books, the Prophets and to dispense with what you have in wealth despite loving it for relatives, orphans, poor, travelers, those who ask, freeing slaves... (Surah Al-Baqarah verse 177) He repeated this to Uthman. Kaab Al-Ahbaar wanted to object to this and, it may have been harsh, we're not saying it was- Abu Dharr had a stick with him and he poked Kaab Al-Ahbaar and in another version of this, he hit him on the head with a stick that he had in his hand and said "What do you know you son of a jew?!" The gist or the expression that Uthman uses to Abu Dharr roughly in todays language states "Leave! I don't want to see your face." Abu Dharr leaves and where does he go? He goes to where he suspects that this type of corruption exists. He goes to Ash-Shaam. There, the ruler, the king to be, he was just a governor- speak about fiscal irresponsibility, we're looking at fiscal corruption, estates, mansions and maids. Abu Dharr goes there. There's a statement by Allahs Prophet that says when Abu Dharr 1st became a Muslim, "There is no earth that has carried nor any tree that has shadowed any man who is more truthful in what he says than Abi Dharr." When he goes to Ash-Shaam and he sees this irresponsibility, and he was known for a statement that he used to repeat all over. He used to say "Break good news to those who hoard gold and silver- that theirs are steaming rods of steel." Of course, this is just another interpretation of the ayah Those who hoard gold and silver, monopolize or deter the circulation of wealth- and don't spend them for Allahs course, announce to them a painful torment. On the day when that will be heated with the fire and with it will be branded the foreheads, sides and backs of those who hoarded and it will be said to them, "This is the treasure you hoarded for yourselves." Now, taste what you used to hoard." (Surah Taubah verse 34-35) When he went to this new territory, he also had an encounter with Muawiya. To make a long story short, he more or less repeats to him what he was saying to Uthman, "The wealth that exists now should be distributed among the Muslims." Abu Dharr began to have an audience and popularity among the people there. At the beginning of this new social trend, Muawiya contacts Uthman and he tells him "This person has to go. He's swaying the people in the wrong direction from us." Uthman tells him "Ok. Send him back." Muawiya, once again uses power, wealth, prestige, status and the position that he is in, and he tells Abu Dharr "You have to go- we're sending you back to Al-Medinah." What does he do? He puts him on a horse without a saddle, (it is believed to be a horse). Imagine a person riding on a horse in todays world without a saddle from Damascus to Al-Medinah, and he was in the company of five Caecilians, people of Caecilian origin, who were his guides to make sure that he went back to Al-Medinah. When he arrived in Al-Medinah, in todays words, he was in bad shape. How do you ride on a horse without a saddle?! Only Allah knows how many days it took to go from Damascus to Al-Medinah. Uthman, once again, you see- some people don't understand this psychological dynamic- there was no hostility. When he saw his poor condition, even though he was the one who agreed with Muawiya that "This person had to go back to Al-Medinah.", he took him in and treated him as a guest of honor. With all the differences that they know exist between them, especially when he saw that his physical and health condition were very poor after this long and arduous journey. He received him and tried to have him once again settle in and settle down. But Abu Dharr would not settle in and settle down when there was a discrepancy in society. He had told Muawiya, "You have increased the wealth of the rich people and you have increased the poverty of the poor people." He was repeating this meaning to Uthman. Uthman finally told him, "I don't want you around, you have to leave." Uthman was the one who told him, (according to one source of history)- "Go out to Ar-Rabdah." Ar-Rabdah was a very outlying area from Al-Medinah, that was nomadically harsh. This was the 1st time in Islam that we experienced a ruler who put a committed Muslim into exile. This was in effect a status of being in exile. When Abu Dharr wanted to leave, they didn't want anyone to follow him or to say goodbye to him etc. Ali, Hassan, Husain (radi Allahu anhum) and a couple of other individuals insisted on walking him through and out of Al-Medinah, as to say farewell to him. Once again, there was an exchange of opinions between Ali and Khalif Uthman concerning this type of departure to Abu Dharr. Basically, what Ali said to Uthman was "I wasn't doing this for so and so or for self or selves, This was done for Allah." Abu Dharr goes into this exile where he was to pass on. The gist of this encounter between Abu Dharr and what was becoming a financial problem, we don't want to use other words because they fall into some contemporary political philosophies, we want to avoid that and rather take a hard and close look at some of the deviations that began early on so that we can altogether diagnose this deviation and say it shouldn't have happened, something else would have been better- this is our understanding of Allahs book and Allahs Prophet. Allahs Prophets prophecy came true when he said "He will walk alone, he will die alone and he will be resurrected alone." When Abu Dharr died, he had nothing. When he was expiring or dying, his wife was next to him and she was crying. He looks at her and he says "Why are you crying?! Death is a fact. Death is in-evitable. What makes you cry?" She says, "I'm crying because we don't even have the cloth to wrap your body to bury you in when you die." Now, you tell us- if we didn't have a deviation in our Islamic history at the level of the highest office, why should something like this happen? A lesson we should draw from this is: why can't Muslims communicate with each other. Why does it have to be that almost all the time that people who are in power are less able to communicate with those who don't have power. Wasn't that a fact then, and isn't it a fact today, in the world around us? You take this lesson and you draw it on todays realities and developments- why are those in power incapable or unwilling to co-exist, communicate and interact with those who disagree with them and who don't have power? This is supposed to be an Islamic family, an Islamic household, an Islamic community. Why do we have this? Brothers and sisters- committed Muslims The word of truth, as was the case hundreds of years ago and is still the case today, doesn't find very many supporters to begin with. Much of these supporters begin to come along later on. When the Muslims knew what was happening to their political system early on, they knew that the bai'ah during the time of kings is not the bai'ah that it was during the time of the successors to Allahs Prophet. How did these rulers who usurped power- kings, autocrats, tyrants, oppressors get away with this? They used money- they would pay off people to be silent or to agree with them. They used power- they would frighten people away. They would use the power of state against people who would try to show some resistance. They would use concocted religious opinions to legitimize what they were doing. Then, when the kings began to rule, they told people that you are not allowed to become an opposition. You cannot oppose us, and they had their court scholars concoct these fatwas that Muslims cannot oppose a ruler who is a dhalim. Even though some of these scholars today don't know it, because they haven't read their own sources- Ibn Taymiyah, who is much quoted by these scholars who are bought and intimidated and well received by todays status quo rulers- their scholar number one says "Obedience to a ruler is due when there is justice, and disobedience is due to a ruler when there is injustice." Take todays mindset of the status quo scholars and ask them, if you don't believe in opposition to oppressive and tyrannical rulers, then why do you not object to the opposition that was expressed by Muawiya against Ali when he had the bai'ah of virtually all of the Sahaba. But then, you express opposition to Husain, Abdullah ibn Zubair and Zaid (radi Allahu anhum) who stood up against these foul rulers. There's a double standard here- you have to be consistent with yourself. But no-one is going to understand that there's a double standard and no one is ever going to reach this amount of information if these mimbars and these masaajid are still in the control of tyrants and oppressors. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Save Aceh now! visit http://www.pusatkrisisaceh.or.id Click English section for contact Islam Relief Organizations Want to learn about Islam and Christian? visit: http://come.to/christian-islam Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/muslim/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/muslim/join (Yahoo! 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