My dear respected brothers and sisters! The title of the topic of today’s khutba is: ‘Human Beings Are One Family.’ We often forget that all human beings come from the same source and from the same first human family. They are all children of Adam and Hawwa (Alaihimussalam), who were the first parents of all later generations to come till the end of times. Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ وَأُنْثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
“O mankind! We created you from a single man and a single woman, and made you nations and tribes so that you may know one another. The best among you in the sight of Allah is the one who is most mindful of Allah. Allah is All-knowing and All-Aware.” (al-Hujurat, 49:13)
Being the offspring of the same parents, all humans share this earth. It does not belong to any particular person or any particular group of people. It belongs to the Creator of the heavens and the earth – Allah (SWT). Each and every human being has a right to be on earth. The lines that we find dividing us are political lines. Countries and boarders have been created later on for political reasons. Whether a person is a Muslim, Christian, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist or follower of any other religion or even if one is an agnostic or an atheist, everyone has exactly the same right to inhabit the earth wherever he wants to, provided he meets a few basic requirements of the land where he wants to live.
No one has the right to hit, harm or attack anyone because he chose to believe something different than what you believe. If I have a problem with you, I don’t have the right to hit you, harm you or kill you; nor do you have the right to do that to me. We have to understand that we belong to the same Maker and come from the same family – the human family. Even those who don’t believe that they were created by God Almighty, they do believe that the human species comes from the same source.
People may disagree with each other, but that disagreement has to be with respect, and not by hurting, harming or killing those with whom we disagree. If I disagree with someone’s ideology, I need to challenge it with respect, and not with hate. Bigotry, racism, and hate crimes have risen to an alarming degree, reminding us how quickly hate can transform into violence.
Sometimes, immigrants of a particular race, ethnicity or color decide that other immigrants who are not of their race, ethnicity or color or who came later than them are less entitled than them to live in that country and to seize the opportunities that it offers. They forget that they themselves were not originally from that place. The original people of New Zealand were the Maoris, the original people of Sri Lanka were the Sinhalese, the original people of the USA were the native Indians, and the original people of Australia were the Aboriginal people. All other people living in these lands are immigrants. So how does one group of immigrants have the right to supremacy over another group of immigrants in the same country?
Remember, all of us have come from somewhere. We don’t know where our forefathers and ancestors might have been. Adam (AS) was not from this part of the globe but he was on this globe. So people cannot discriminate on the basis of their original homeland. We condemn the recent violent incidents and killings that have taken place on basis of this discrimination and on the basis of religious discrimination. Terrorists are a very minute fraction of the peace loving mainstream population of any country. The crimes committed by terrorists often in the name of their religion are against the teachings of their own religious traditions. They become hateful and hurtful towards others because of negative stereotypes, malicious propaganda, and racist rhetoric of demagogues and politicians over a long period of time against people of color or people of a different religion, race, or ethnicity.
We don’t need to insult or attack people while we are disagreeing with them. We must be respectful to each other. That’s what we are taught as human beings. When Allah (SWT) speaks about discussing the differences between us and the ‘People of the Book,’ mainly the Jews and the Christians, He says:
وَلَا تُجَادِلُوا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ
“And do not argue with the people of the Book except in the best manner.”(al-Ankabut, 29:46). At another place, Allah (SWT) says:
ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ
“Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and kind advice and argue with them in the best manner.” (an-Nahl, 16:125).
Sometimes when we are talking or arguing with people, we are convinced that we are right and they are convinced that they are right. So what do we do? Leave it to Allah. Never become so passionate that it leads you to violence, which may further lead you to even attack or kill someone. The giving and taking away of life only belongs to Allah.
هُوَ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
“It is He Who gives life and causes to die and to Him you will return.” (Yunus, 10:56)
If Allah had willed, he would not have created them in the first place or He would have made all humans into a single community.
وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آَتَاكُمْ فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ
“Had Allah willed, He would have made you a single community, but He wanted to test you regarding what has come to you. So compete with each other in doing good. Every one of you will return to Allah and He will inform you regarding the things about which you differed.”(al-Ma’idah, 5:48). Muslims are people who respect life and the Muslim community is a moderate community. Allah says:
وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا
“And thus, We have made you a moderate community.” (al-Baqarah, 2:143)
Do we have any problem to live with people who work with us, who are around us, who live in our societies, or who happen to have a different faith than ours or who don’t follow any faith? NO! Whatever be our belief and practice, we are all part of the same human family. So it is absurd for someone to seek revenge because of what happened due to the act of someone. Acts of few evil people do not justify generalizing their action to the entire people of their thought or faith tradition. Anyone claiming that Muslims and non-Muslims do not have a right to co-exist is a deviant ideology.
The recent massacre of Muslims in New Zealand on a Friday, when they had assembled to offer their Jumu’ah prayer in congregation, the suicide bombings in Sri Lankan churches on Easter, the holiest day of the Christian calendar, the shootout and killing of Jews inside a Pittsburgh synagogue, and other such incidents have made houses of worship worry – who’s next. All this is a reflection of bigotry, racism, hate, and intolerance coupled with misinformation about various faith traditions.
The fact that these horrific evil acts have multiplied of late highlights the critical need for proper moral education rooted in the belief in a Supreme Being. The consciousness that God is watching should prevent anyone from unjustly taking away the life of another human being. We need to promote Islamic literacy and mutual respect and counter prejudice and discrimination through education about Islam and Muslims. We should also learn about other people of various faith traditions and worldviews who make up our country. And this has to be done within the framework of the First Amendment of religious freedom and pluralism. The U.S. was founded on the concept of religious pluralism, and presenting Islam in that context makes it easier for your audience to relate to Islamic beliefs and practices. May Allah grant us a deep understanding of our deen.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! Fear and intolerance seem to dominate the news and social media, with churches, synagogues and mosques increasingly being targeted. Considering the scale and proximity of violent acts at places of worship, and as the month of Ramadan approaches, mosques across the country are having conversations about where they are going to get more resources for security. Some mosques have applied for government grants for security cameras and guards. Others are holding fundraisers. They are trying to do everything they can to ensure the safety of all congregants. We at AMDA are also trying to do whatever we can with our humble means and meager effort. We are in desperate need of healing, and healing comes with love and forgiveness. It does not come with revenge and retaliation. It is peace that we all require and it is peace that we should all aspire for.
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلَامُ وَمِنْكَ السَّلَامُ، تَبَارَكْتَ يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
“O Allah! You are peace, and peace comes from You. Blessed You are, O Possessor of Glory and Honor.”
اللَّهُمَّ أَلِّفْ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِنَا وَأَصْلِحْ ذَاتَ بَيْنِنَا وَاهْدِنَا سُبُلَ السَّلاَمِ وَنَجِّنَا مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَجَنِّبْنَا الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِي أَسْمَاعِنَا وَأَبْصَارِنَا وَقُلُوبِنَا وَأَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ وَاجْعَلْنَا شَاكِرِينَ لِنِعْمَتِكَ مُثْنِينَ بِهَا قَابِلِيهَا وَأَتِمَّهَا عَلَيْنَا
“O Allah, join our hearts, mend our social relationship, guide us to the path of peace, bring us from darkness to light, save us from obscenities, outward or inward, and bless our ears, our eyes, our hearts, our spouses, our children, and turn toward us; truly you are Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. Make us grateful for Your blessings and make us praise it, so that we may continue to receive it and complete Your blessings upon us.”
