A’udhu Billahi min ash-shaitan ir-rajeem

Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim

Ash-hadua la ilaha il allah, wah-dahu la Sharik allah; Wa Ash-shahadu anna Muhammadan ‘Abduhu wa Rasoollahu wa’al Mustafa 

I seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan, the rejected

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful,the Most Compassionate.

I bear witness that there is nothing to be worshiped except Allah, One without any Partner or Associate. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger, Chosen by Allah.

Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil ‘Alameen. Ahmaduhu Subhanahu wa T’ala wa Ash-kuruhu wa Huwa Ah-lulhamdi wa th-thana

Al hamdu Lillahil-Lathi Anzala ala ‘Abdihil-Kitaba wa lam ya jal-Lahu ‘Iwaja

All praise belongs to Allah, the Guardian, Protector, Sustainer of all the worlds. I Praise Him, the Exalted, the Most High, and thank Him; and it is He Who deserves all Praise and Thanks

 

Praise be to Allah who sent down the Revelation of the Book upon His Servant, and Who allowed no distortion or error to appear in it.

Allahumma Salli wa Sallim ala ‘Abdika wa Rasoolika Muhammadin wa ‘Ala Alihi wa Sahbih wa Sallim

 Oh Allah, send Your Blessings and Greetings upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad and Send Your Peace to his family and to his Righteous Companions

Rabbi-’shrah li sadri wa yassir li amri  wa-hlul’ uqdatan min lisani yafqahu qawli Ammaa ba’da  fayaa ‘ibaada-llahi uusiikum wa nafsee, awwala bi taqwaa Allahi ta’alla wa taa’atihi

 My Lord! Expand my chest for me, and ease my task for me, and loosen any impediment from my speech for me, that I may be understood.

Oh servants of Allah, I advise you as well as I  advise my own self, to first have taqwa, regard for Allah, and obey Him.

We greet you with the greeting of Peace from the Holy Qur’an in the Arabic language: A Salaamo Alleikum!   – and we add to that, wa Rahmatullahi wa barakata Hu! – And may the Mercy of Allah be with you, and His Blessing!

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Imam Malik (ra) one day entered the Masjid after Asr. Towards the front of Masjid An-Nabawee he drew closer and sat down. Rasul Allah (saw) had commanded that anyone who enters the Masjid should not sit until he first prays 2 rakas as a salutation of the Masjid. Imam Malik (ra) was of the opinion however that Rasul Allah’s (saw) forbiddance of praying after Asr took precedence and so he would teach his students to not pray the tahiyyatul Masjid if they entered between the Asr and Maghrib time.

At that moment that Imam Malik (ra) sat down, a young boy had seen him sit without first praying the 2 raka’s of Tahiyyatul Masjid. The young boy scorned him, “Get up and pray 2 rakas!”

Imam Malik (ra) dutifully stood up once again and began praying the 2 rakas. The students sat stunned: What was going on? Had Imam Malik’s (ra) opinion changed?

After he had completed the salah, the students swarmed around and questioned his actions. Imam Malik (ra) said, “My opinion has not changed, nor have I gone back on what I taught you earlier. I merely feared that had I not prayed the 2 rakas as the young boy commanded, Allah may include me in the Ayah…

wa- ‘idhaa qila la- -hum irka3u laa yarka3un

[And when it is said to them, ‘Bow (in prayer)’, they do not bow.]

–         al mursalat 77/48.

Imam Ahmad (ra) held the opinion that eating camel meat nullifies ones Wudu, an opinion that the majority of scholars differed from. Some students asked him, “If you find an Imam eating camel meat in front of you and – without first making Wudu – then leads the Salah, would you pray behind him?” Imam Ahmad (ra) replied, “Do you think I would not pray behind the likes of Imam Malik (ra) and Sa’eed ibn Al-Musayyab (ra)?”

Allah (swt) created humans with differences. It is the law of creation. Different tongues, different colors, different cultures… all that on the outside. On the inside, humans were created with many degrees of knowledge, intellect, and comprehension of concepts. This is all a sign of Allah’s (swt) all encompassing power to do whatever He wills:

wa- min ‘aayaat -hi khalq as- samaawaat wa- al- ‘ard. wa- ikhtilaaf alsinah -kum wa- alwaan -kum ‘inna fe dhaalika la- ‘aayaat li- al- 3aalamen

“And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colors: verily in that are signs for those who know.” [30:22]

Humans shall differ, that is not the issue. The issue is: How as a Muslim should one confront these differences of opinions and what should be our relationship with someone of a different opinion.

Allah ta’ala commanded us to call and advise people in this Deen of Al-Islam. Many Muslims set off on this mission blindfolded, not realizing that the map was there in the Qur’an also. In fact, in the very same verse where Allah (swt) commanded us to call and advise people in this Deen, Allah (swt) taught us how to do it. Read the following verse carefully:

Id3u ‘ilaa sabel rabbika bi- al- h.ikmah wa- al- maw3iDH.ah al- h.asanah wa- jaadil -hum bi- ‘allate hiya ah.san ‘inna rabb -ka huwa aclam bi- man d.alla can sabel -hi wa- huwa a3lam bi- al- muh’taden

Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best who have strayed from His Path and who receive guidance

There is no need to philosophize. No need to talk in the flower gardens. It is right there, plain and simple for anyone who would take heed.

There in that Ayah are the three ingredients to apply when we disagree with someone. The same Allah (swt) that taught us to debate the truth, taught us how to do it:

With Hikmah (wisdom)

With good instruction, and to argue in a way that is best.

What does it mean to have Hikmah when differing with someone?

The nephews of Rasul Allah (saw) once set one the most beautiful examples of Hikmah in advising others. Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn (ra) – in their young age – once saw a senior man performing Wudu incorrectly. Together they arranged a plan to teach the man without insulting him, advising him in a manner befitting of his age.

Together they went to the senior and announced, “My brother and I have differed over who amongst us performs Wudu the best. Would you mind being the judge to determine which one of us indeed performs Wudu more correctly.”

The man watched intently as the two grandsons of Rasul Allah performed Wudu in an explicit manner. After they had completed, he thanked them and said, “By Allah, I did not know how to perform Wudu before this. You have both taught me how to do it correctly.”

We must understand that there are two dimensions to Hikmah. Firstly, there is the Hikmah of knowledge – Hikmah Ilmiyyah. And secondly, there is the Hikmah of Action – Hikmah Amaliyyah.

Some people may have Hikmah of knowledge. But we see that when they try correcting others, advising them, they lack the Hikmah of Action. This causes many a common folk to reject the Hikmah of knowledge.

To illustrate this hikmah of knowledge without Hikmah of action, a brother once completed the Salah in a local Masjid and then proceeded to shake hands with the people on his right and left. The brother to his immediate right slapped his hand and snapped, “That is not part of the Sunnah!” The man replied most correctly, “Oh, is disrespect and insult part of the Sunnah?”

To show Hikmah when we differ requires the following:

Sincerity

One: If we differ, our intentions should be that we are differing in the sincere hope of coming away with the truth. Our intentions should be sincere to Allah.

We should not differ just to release some hate or envy in our heart. We should not differ to embarrass someone like we may have been embarrassed.

Rasul Allah (saw) said, “Whoever learns knowledge – knowledge from that which should be sought for the sake of Allah – only to receive a commodity of the material world, he shall not find the fragrance of jannah on the day of resurrection.”

An authentic hadith narrated by Abu Dawood (ra) in Kitab Al- Ilm.

Kindness and Gentleness

Two: To have Hikmah when differing means we should rarely depart from an atmosphere of kindness and gentleness, we should seldom allow ourselves to become angry and raise our voices.

Pharoh was one of the evilest people that lived. Musa (as) was one of the noblest. Look at how Allah (swt) told Musa (as) to advise Pharoh…

[Go, both of you, to Pharoh. Indeed, he has transgressed. And speak to him with gentle speech, perhaps he may remember or fear (Allah).]

Take Your Time and Clarify

Three: To have Hikmah when dealing with others is to be patient and clarify things before snapping to conclusions.

Speak Kindly 

Fourthly, never trade in kind words for harshness, especially when dealing with other Muslims.

Look at the power of a sincere and polite word:

Mus’ab ibn Umayr (ra) was the first of ambassador of Rasul Allah (saw) in Madinah. Before Rasul Allah (saw) had arrived in Madinah, Mus’ab taught ahl al-Madinah about Islam and they began to enter the Deen.

This enraged Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah, one of the chieftains of Madinah. He sheathed his sword and set off for the head of Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr. When he confronted Mus’ab he threatened, “Stop this nonsense you speak or you shall find yourself dead!”

Mus’ab replied in the way that should be a lesson for us all. This man before him did not stop at rudeness and ignorance, he wanted to slit his throat.

When Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh heard what was happening, he was infuriated. He left his home to go and kill this man called Mus’ab ibn Umayr for the dissention he had caused. He entered upon Mus’ab and announced, “You shall desist of this religion you speak of or you shall find yourself dead!”

Mus’ab replied, “Shall you not sit and listen for a few moments. If you agree with what I say then take it, and if not, I shall desist from this talk.” Sa’d sat.

Mus’ab spoke about Allah and His messenger until the face of Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh’s face shone like a full moon and he said, “What should a person do who wishes to enter into this Deen?”

Look at what a kind word did. Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh went home to his Madinan tribe that night and announced to them all, “Everything of yours is Haram upon me until you all enter into Islam.”

That night, every home in Madinah went to bed with Laa ilaaha illa Allah … all because of a kind word.

Part II: Who wins?

Islam showes us how to differ with one another. Some people think that we should never differ at all and all disagreements should be avoided. Nay, this is an incorrect assumption, for the Qur’an and Sunnah show clearly that when a mistake is made it should be corrected. Indeed helping others do what is right is a requirement of the Deen, sincere Naseeha. However, the method of correction is what needs our attention.

Whenever Muslims argue, it is as if each party carries a banner of: ‘I must win and you must lose!’ Careful study of the Sunnah however shows us that this is not always the case with the way Rasul Allah (saw) acted. Consider the following examples:

A Bedouin came to Rasul Allah (saw) and told him, “Give me from what Allah gave you, not from the wealth of your mother nor from the wealth of your father.” The Sahaabah were furious at the man and step forward to discipline him for what he said. Rasul Allah (saw) commanded everyone to leave him.

Then by the hand, Rasul Allah (saw) took him home, opened his door and said, “Take what you wish and leave what you wish.” The man did so and after he completed, Rasul Allah (saw) asked him, “Have I honored you?” “Yes, by Allah,” said the Bedouin. “Ash hadu an laa ilaaha illa Allah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadar Rasul Allah.”

When the Sahabah heard of how the man changed, Rasul Allah (saw) taught them. “Verily the example of myself, you and this Bedouin is that of a man who had his camel run away. The townspeople tried capturing the camel for him by running and shouting after the camel, only driving it further away. The man would shout, ‘Leave me and my camel, I know my camel better.’ Then he took some grass in his hand, ruffled it in front of the camel, until it came willingly.

‘By Allah, had I left you to this Bedouin, you would have hit him, hurt him, he would have left without Islam and eventually have entered hellfire.”

“I win and you win!”

I shall end with this shining example of how to act with other Muslims from our role model, Abu Bakr (ra):

Abu Bakr (ra) once disputed with another companion about a tree. During the dispute Abu Bakr (ra) said something that he rather would not have said. He did not curse, he did not attack someone’s honor, he did not poke a fault in anyone, all he said was something that may have hurt the other companion’s feelings.

Immediately, Abu Bakr (ra) – understanding the mistake – ordered him, “Say it back to me!” The companion said, “I shall not say it back.” “Say it back to me,” said Abu Bakr (ra), “Or I shall complain to the Messenger of Allah.” The companion refused to say it back and went on his way.

Abu Bakr (ra) went to Rasul Allah (saw) and related what had happened and what he said. Rasul Allah (saw) called that companion and asked him, “Did Abu Bakr say so and so to you?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “What did you reply.” He said, “I did not reply it back to him.” Rasul Allah (saw) said, “Good, do not reply it back to him (do not hurt Abu Bakr). Rather say, ‘May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!’”

The Companion turned to Abu Bakr (ra) and said, “May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr! May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!” Abu Bakr (ra) turned and cried as he walked away.

Let us leave today with a resolve to revive this air Rasul Allah (saw) and his companions breathed, an air of mercy and love and brotherhood.

And Allah (swt) knows best.

Allahhuma ma inni as’aluka min khairi ma sa’laka min-hu nabiyuka Muhamadun (saw) wa a’uudhu bika min shar-ri mast’aza min-hu nabiyuka Muhammadun (saw)

wa antal musta’an, wa ‘alaikal balagho, wa la haula wala quwwata illa billah.

Rabbana la tuziqh qulubana ba’da idh hadaitana wa hab lana min ladun-ka rahmah, innaka antal Wahhab.

Oh Allah, I beg of You all the good things that Your Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) sought from You and seek Your protection against all the evils from which Your Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) sought Your protection. You are the only Helper who we ask for help, and it is only You who answers our prayers, and there is no strength or power except with Allah.

Our Lord! Do not make our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and grant us from Thy Mercy, Surely, You are the most Generous of those who Give.

Allahuma’ Eghfir Lil’ Mus-limeena wal Muslimat….

Wal Moumineena wal Mouminaat… “

Al-Ahya’ee minhum wal amwat… “

Innaka samee’un mujibul dawat… “

Almighty God, forgive the Muslim men and women,

Forgive the believing men and women,

Those who are alive and those who died,

You are indeed the One who listens and accepts all supplications

Inna Allah Ya’a  muru Bil Aadli wal Ihsan, wa Ita’ee Zil Qurbaa

Wa Yanhaa Anil Fahshaa’ee wal munkaree wal bagh’yi

Ya’I zukum La’allaykum tazakkaroon

Indeed Allah orders us to be just and to excel in what we do,

Be generous and to take care of our kin and relatives,

Never do what is forbidden of all sins and

Not to transgress,

He almighty advises you so you can remember