Modern Day Idolatry

Transcript of the Friday Sermon delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on Sept 9, 2016

Today is the 7^th of Dhul-Hijjah. The month of Dhul-Hijjah calls for asserting the message of the Oneness of Allah (SWT), which Prophet Ibrahim (AS) preached and practiced throughout his life. InshaAllah, today’s khutba will focus on the relevance of Ibrahim (AS)’s message of Tawheed to our contemporary times. It will also mention some forms of modern day idolatry, and the need to turn away from them.   

Allah (SWT) mentions the origins of the hajj in Surat al-Hajj. Some four thousand years ago, He ordered Ibrahim (AS) to proclaim the hajj to mankind.

وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ

“Proclaim the hajj to mankind; they will respond, coming to the Sacred House on foot, riding every possible conveyance; coming from every distant path.” (al-Hajj, 22:27)

When the Ka’ba was built, the hajj was performed in accordance with the rites prescribed by Ibrahim (AS), but after he passed away, and gradually with the passage of time, both the form and the spirit of hajj were changed drastically.

As idolatry spread throughout Arabia, the Ka’ba lost its purity and eventually over 360 idols came to be placed around it. During the hajj season, the atmosphere around the sacred area of the Ka’ba began to give the appearance of a show. Men and women would go round the Ka’ba naked, arguing that they should present themselves before Allah in the same condition as they were born. Their prayer became devoid of all sincere remembrance of Allah and was instead reduced to a series of hand clapping, whistling and the blowing of horns. Singing, drinking, and other acts of immorality were widespread amongst the pilgrims. Poetry competition became a major hajj event in which poetries were sung to praise the bravery and splendor of one’s own tribe and criticize the cowardice and miserliness of other tribes. The chief of each tribe would feed the pilgrims, just to become well-known for his generosity.

The House that Ibrahim (AS) had made pure for the worship of Allah alone had been totally desecrated by the pagans, and the rites which he had established were completely distorted by them. This sad state of affairs continued for nearly two and a half thousand years. But then after this long period, the time came for the supplication of Ibrahim (AS) to be answered, and the supplication was,

رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آَيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

“Our Lord, raise up among them a Messenger from them to recite Your Signs to them and teach them the Book and Wisdom and purify them. You are the Almighty, the All-Wise.” (al-Baqarah, 2:129)

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was born in the very city in which Ibrahim (AS) had made this supplication centuries earlier. For twenty-three years, Muhammad (SAW) spread the message of Tawheed—the same message that Ibrahim (AS) and all other prophets came with, and established the law of Allah upon the land. He made every effort into making the word of Allah supreme. Truth prevailed over falsehood. The Ka’ba was purified of all the idols in and around it, and once again it became the universal center for the worshipers of the one True God. Not only did Prophet (SAW) rid the Ka’ba of all its impurities, but he also reinstated the rites of hajj which were established by Allah’s permission, in the time of Ibrahim (AS). Specific injunctions in the Qur’an were revealed in order to eliminate all the false rites which had become rampant in the pre-Islamic period. All indecent and shameful acts were banned. The Qur’an declared,

فَلَا رَفَثَ وَلَا فُسُوقَ وَلَا جِدَالَ فِي الْحَجِّ

“There should be no vulgarity, bad behavior, or quarrel during the hajj.” (al-Baqarah, 2:197)

Muslims around the globe answer Allah’s call to make hajj, at least once in their life time.

In choosing Ibrahim (AS) to make the initial awesome call to hajj, Allah honored him with one of the most profound descriptions ever given to a human being. Praising him, Allah says,  

إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً قَانِتًا لِّلَّهِ حَنِيفًا وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

“Truly Ibrahim was a nation, devoutly obedient to Allah, a man of pure natural belief. He was not one of the idolaters.” (an-Nahl, 16:120)

Allah describes Ibrahim (AS) as a nation. One interpretation is that he was a repository of all good human traits and virtues. During his long and distinguished life, Ibrahim (AS) demonstrated characteristics such as sacrifice, patience, hospitality, graciousness, and most importantly, an uncompromising commitment to upholding the Oneness of Allah. We, as Muslims, should exert our utmost to embody these and other prophetic virtues. Furthermore, we should realize that it is our duty to call humanity to these virtues. Allah orders us in Surat Aal ‘Imran,

وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

“Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. And it is these who are successful” (Aal ‘Imran, 3:104).

Naturally, Ibrahim (AS) was a strict monotheist. The magnitude of this characteristic is brought home to us when we realize that Ibrahim (AS) was all alone in a world of idolatry. Despite that, he was prepared to sacrifice his life to defend and uphold the standard of the Oneness of Allah. In his days, the idols that people worshipped were idols of wood and stone.

Today, the idols people worship have changed. The modern and postmodern conditions have handed down to humanity a variety of idols, which are worshipped besides the One Supreme God. The term ‘idol’ has come to be used in a wider connotation and need not necessarily imply an image or symbol; it can also mean a cause or idea.

Nationalism, for example, is a form of modern day idolatry. Humanism is another example of idolatry. Under the banner of humanism, man becomes the measure of all things. When man is no longer directed by God and His commandments, man replaces God with an idol of his own making. In the modern hall of idols, art also has its place. People speak with awe of music, painting, poetry, regarding their creators as some sort of divine intermediaries.

Celebrity worship is also idolatry. More and more people want to look like their favorite celebrity on TV. People's minds are absolutely saturated with celebrities. Everything, from the clothes they wear to the cars they drive is affected by the film industries. But, perhaps the greatest idol arising from our condition is the individual’s worship of himself. A contemporary American historian and sociologist describe the present modern culture of the West as a culture of narcissism or self-centeredness in which there is an excessive love and admiration for oneself. In the light of this observation, it is easy to appreciate the penetrating question asked by Allah (SWT) in the Qur’an,

أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ

“Have you seen him who takes his whims and desires to be his God?” (al-Jathiyah, 45:23).

Many of the problems facing humanity, such as grinding poverty, growing disparities between the rich and the poor, the continued and accelerating destruction of the environment, and our enhanced ability to kill each other with increasingly sophisticated weapons are all facilitated by an international environment shaped by dominant corporations and institutions. Devout people fear that corporations, and virtually all giant organizations, have become ‘idols.’ The corporation has become a false god that promises the moon, but brings sorrow and grief.  

While acknowledging and benefiting from the much positive advancement given to humanity by western civilization, we should have the vision and courage to work to minimize the damage caused by its negative and darker innovations.

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! The Qur’an speaking about Ibrahim (AS) says in Surat al-Nahl, “He (i.e. Ibrahim – AS) was thankful for the blessings Allah had bestowed upon him.” (an-Nahl, 16:121).

Gratefulness and thankfulness to Allah should have a high place in the life of every Muslim. As Muslims living in western lands, we have more to thank Allah than any other group of Muslims on earth. We have experienced the fullness of the meaning conveyed by the following verse of Surat Luqman,

وَأَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَبَاطِنَةً

“He has completed His Blessings upon you, in open and hidden ways” (Luqman, 31:20).

Among the open blessings we could mention are food, drink, clean water, sanitation, health, wealth, shelter, clothing, security, education, and despite certain well-publicized abuses, the overwhelming majority of us live under the protection of the law. Among the hidden blessings, we could mention understanding, discernment, psychological stability, and faith—the greatest blessing of all.

All of these blessings, and countless others that could be mentioned, are subordinate to two other blessings, which are frequently completely taken for granted—the blessing of our existence, and the blessing of sustenance. No matter what heights of arrogance and ingratitude a human being may reach, there is no one who will go so far as to claim that he has brought himself into existence, or that he sustains his own life. Regarding our existence, we are reminded in Surat al-Insan,

هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الْإِنْسَانِ حِينٌ مِنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُنْ شَيْئًا مَذْكُورًا

“Was there not a period of time when man was nothing to speak of?” (al-Insan, 76:1)

It is certain that the physical world existed long before man was ever heard of or mentioned, as geological records prove. And regarding our sustenance, we are told in Surat Hud,

وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا

“There is no creature on the earth which is not dependent upon Allah for its sustenance.” (Hud, 11:6)

Therefore, we should passionately and whole-heartedly express our gratitude to our Lord through pure, unadulterated worship and devotion. We should rededicate ourselves to the worship of the only One God. This is what Ibrahim (AS) stood for.

Let us also remember, that Allah does nothing in vain. Our being Muslim at this critical juncture in history is not without purpose. Our existence here is part of a divine plan, and the deeper our understanding of that plan, the deeper our realization of the tremendous responsibility we shoulder. Our situation presents us with overwhelming challenges. However, if we take up those challenges with even a fraction of the courage, determination, vision, and patience that Ibrahim (AS) and Muhammad (SAW) displayed throughout their lives, we may be blessed to change the course of history.

We have the divine guidance—the Qur’an with us; we have the millah (the way) of Ibrahim (AS) with us. We have the Sunnah and the uswah (the example) of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) with us. We just need to be sincere, work in earnest, and have full faith and trust in Allah (SWT).  

Let us pray to Allah (SWT) to accept the hajj of all the pilgrims; to accept their tawaf, their sa’y, their sacrifice, their rukoos, their sujood, and their duas. May Allah (SWT) forgive our sins and help us to turn to Him by making us more devout and better Muslims. May He protect us from idolatry, both in its manifest as well as in its hidden forms. May He give us the tawfiq to work sincerely and seriously to enable us to contribute towards the betterment of the society at large. Allahumma Ameen. 

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