The Impact of Stability ( Eed al-adhaa 1435h)

Transcription

1 ijk The Impact of Stability ( Eed al-adhaa 1435h) Khutbah from al-masjid al-haraam delivered by ash-shaykh Su ood ash-shuraym 10 Thul-Hijjah, 1435h (4 October, 2014) Translated by Aboo Shaybah 1

2 All praise is due to Allaah. He is the First and nothing is before Him; the Last and nothing is after Him; al-thaahir and nothing is above Him; al-baatin and nothing is nearer than Him. He rewards those who obey Him and forgives those who sin. All praise is due to Him in this world and the hereafter. All command belongs to Him, and you shall all return to Him. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah alone, without any partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the worshipping servant and Messenger of Allaah, His Khaleel, and the best of all creation. He was the best of all who stood in prayer and performed Hajj at the sanctified House of Allaah. He conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust, sincerely advised his Ummah, and struggled for Allaah as He rightfully deserves. May Allaah send abundant salaah and salaam upon him, his righteous family, his wives the mothers of the mu mineen and upon his Companions, and all who follow them in goodness until the Day of Reckoning. Allaah is the greatest, and I declare His greatness as much as He is glorified in the masaajid and streets; as much as the Hujjaaj raise their voices with the talbiyah; as much as people declare His tawheed and invoke Him in Arafah; as much as all the Hujjaaj in Muzdalifah and their pebbles collected to stone the jamaraat; as abundantly as the number of His creatures, as much as pleases Him, as great as the weight of His Throne, and as infinitely as His inexhaustible words. Allaah is the greatest, and none is worthy of worship except Him. Allaah is the greatest, all praise is due to Him, and may He be glorified at the beginning and end of the day. I counsel you all, as well as myself, to observe taqwaa of Allaah. You must adhere to the religion of Allaah before you leave this world, as that will be your salvation on the Day of Judgement. When you observe taqwaa, you complete your acts of worship according to guidance from Allaah, hoping for His reward and fearing His punishment. Taqwaa also produces patient perseverance and leads to the best outcome. If someone observes taqwaa and patiently perseveres, Allaah would not cause his reward to go to waste if he worshipped Allaah in the best possible way. Dear Hujjaaj, in this Hajj of yours, Allaah blessed you with two Eeds. The first was Friday, the weekly Eed, which coincided with the Day of Arafah. The second is Eed al-adhaa which is the greatest day of Hajj, when Jamarah al- Aqabah is stoned, animals are sacrificed, and people end their unkempt state. It is a day of rejoicing over completing the rites including being present at Arafah, spending the night in Muzdalifah, stoning the Jamrah, and sacrificing. It is a day of declaring Tawheed, and renouncing all that is worshipped besides Him. This is a proclamation from Allaah and His Messenger to all people on the greatest day of Hajj, that Allaah and His Messenger have nothing to do with the mushrikoon. It is a day of declaring tawheed, without which Allaah does not accept beliefs and deeds. Allaah originated the creation so they would establish His tawheed, and He does not accept any deeds without it. Thus, if someone hopes to meet his Lord, he must do righteous deeds and he must not worship anything other than Allaah. Tawheed means to obediently submit to Allaah, to disavow shirk, and to worship Allaah based on what He and His Messenger r have prescribed. This is the tawheed for which His sanctified House was built, and for which He called people from all ends of the Earth to perform Hajj here. Remember when We designated for Ibraaheem the site of the House, saying, Do not associate anything as a partner with Me. And purify My House for those who perform tawaaf, stand, bow, or prostrate themselves. 2

3 Dear Hujjaaj, Allaah has made the Ka bah, the Sanctified House, as well as the inviolable months and the sacrificial animals, sources of safety and well-being for mankind. He prescribed those things which serve your interests so that you would realize that Allaah knows all that is in the heavens and the earth, and He has complete knowledge of everything. This is the noble building called the Ka bah. It is the Qiblah for Muslims all over the world. People come time and time again, generation after generation, crowds upon crowds. The location of this Ka bah used to be a tree near the Zamzam well, which none saw except the affectionate mother who migrated with her still nursing infant son to the then uncultivated valley. As a result, Allaah made this place a destination sought by people. They eagerly look forward to being within its precincts and performing the rites of Umrah and Hajj. It began with one woman and her infant son, and ended with millions upon millions. It used to require an arduous journey covering long distances, traversing deserts and seas, taking perilous paths with no guarantee of return. In those days, it was a journey with unpredictable circumstances and high likelihood of danger. There were hills and valleys which the Prophets and Messengers of Allaah tread, raising their voices proclaiming the talbiyah: Labbaykallaahumma labbayka, labbayaka laa shareeka laka labbayka, innal-hamda wanni mata laka wal-mulka, laa shareeka laka (I obediently answer Your call, O Allaah, I obediently answer. I obediently answer Your call, testifying that You have no partner, I obediently answer. To You belong all praise, favour, and dominion. You have no partner.). This magnificent act of worship reminds us of the Prophet Moosaa u whom Allaah spoke to directly. He descended from the valley to perform Hajj, proclaiming the talbiyah about which the Prophet r said, When anyone proclaims the talbiyah, the rocks, trees, and bricks to his right and left proclaim the talbiyah along with him as far as his sight or voice reaches in all directions. Collected by ibn Maajah. The Messenger of Allaah r also said, As for Moosaa, it is as though I can see him descending into the valley, proclaiming the talbiyah. Collected by al-bukhaaree and Muslim. Ibn Abbaas narrated that seventy Prophets prayed at Masjid al-khayf in Minaa. Collected by al-bayhaqee. In another narration collected by al-bayhaqaee, Urwah narrated that there was no Prophet except that he performed Hajj at the Sanctified House. Recalling these events of the past is one of Allaah s favours to us which ties our current time to our past, making us feel proud about this magnificent religion and encouraging people to come to this blessed House until the final hour. The Prophet r said, I swear by the One in whose hand my soul lies, the son of Maryam will assume ihram from the mountain pass of ar-rawhaa for Hajj or Umrah Collected by Muslim. Eesaa will perform Hajj after he descends to the earth towards the end of time. Laa ilaaha illallaah! This is an incredibly magnificent House about which Allaah has said, The mounts carry your luggage to a distant location which you would be otherwise unable to reach without tremendous difficulty. Indeed, your Lord is Most Kind and Most Merciful. Scholars of tafseer explained that this refers to Makkah. Laa ilaaha illallaah! It is truly incredible that blessings continued to inundate it after it was in a valley without vegetation, until Allaah made it feasible for people to reach it with comfortable means of transport and dwell in pleasant accommodation. This land, which Allaah has entrusted with serving the Hujjaaj, gives what Allaah has blessed it with in order to serve all who come for Hajj. Development has taken place in such an unparalleled manner that if mentioned to previous generations, they would have considered it a mere figment of the imagination. However, Allaah spoke the truth as He said, He creates what you have no knowledge of. 3

4 Dear Hujjaaj, the value of safety and stability is highlighted thru some of the rulings and wisdom associated with this magnificent act of worship. Within the boundaries of the Haram, Allaah has protected humans, birds, wild game, and other animals, so that people would appreciate and grasp the dire need for safety and stability in their lives. Without stability, the government, economy, and education system cannot function. Stability leads to the prevalence of safety and security which, in turn, allow people to fulfill all they need to for their religion and their lives in this world. The Prophet r concisely explained the value of stability when he said, If someone reaches the morning with his family and dwelling safe, his health intact, and possessing his provision for that day, it is as though the entire world was gathered together for him. Stability of a society is a key element of the success which realistically satisfies that society s needs. Lack of stability is a failure which prevents life from running properly, and undermines all constructive projects. Recognize that if stability was a stick, and its fruit was the shadow, there is no way the shadow could be straight if the stick itself was crooked. Allaah gives the parable of a town that was secure and peaceful, its provision coming to it abundantly from every place. However, its people denied the blessings of Allaah. As a result, Allaah punished them with hunger and fear due to the wrong which they did. Dear Hujjaj, when performing the rites of Hajj, every Muslim calls to mind the impact justice has in regulating the affairs of life and stability of societies. Every Muslim calls that to mind in light of the equality between all the Hujjaaj. None have any special rites or attire, that distinguish them from others. They were all born unclothed, and their attire during Hajj reminds them of being unclothed. The heavens and earth were founded upon justice. Allaah revealed an aayah with reference to the key of the Ka bah, and in it He commanded His Prophet to uphold justice. Allaah indeed orders you to return trusts to those entitled to them, and to judge with justice between people. The command Allaah gives you is certainly best and, indeed, Allaah hears and sees all things. Servants of Allaah, justice maintains balance in the world, while oppression is nothing more than an instrument of destruction which demolishes every creature upon the earth. One of the greatest manifestations of oppression which completely counteracts justice is the aggression of a Muslim against his Muslim brother where he considers it acceptable to violate his reputation, life and property. This leads to corruption pervading the world, and splitting its people into factions where the weak are victims of the strong. This is why the Prophet r decisively prohibited such aggression when he stated during the Farewell Hajj, Indeed, your lives and property are inviolable, just as the inviolability of this day of yours in this month of yours in this land of yours. Dear Hujjaaj, Allaah has honoured the Muslim Ummah by commanding them to uphold justice absolutely, not relative to people or circumstances. Upholding justice is the least a Muslim must do when dealing with others friends or foes, allies or enemies implementing the statement of Allaah, Do not let your dislike for a people cause you to be unjust to them. Rather, be just. That is nearest to observing taqwaa. The quality of justice beautifully adorned the early generations of Muslims. They are cited as being the most outstanding examples of upholding justice between themselves and with their enemies, whether at peace or at war. Dear Hujjaaj, we live in a time controlled by unprecedented levels of materialism, 4

5 philosophies, information revolutions, as well as selfish and aggressive military might which seeks to dominate the earth while destroying all crops and livestock. However, Allaah does not love such corruption. Such a civilization is incapable of satisfying the soul s need for mercy, tranquility, wisdom, justice, and selflessness. The most glaring proof of this fact is that the aforementioned materialistic civilizations have produced a vicious arms race which has been given precedence many times over basic human necessities like ethics, physical well-being, family, and a decent livelihood. The stiflingly destructive trio of empty souls, fabricated historical narratives, and military aggression has overtaken world politics. As a result, weapons of mass destruction were invented and forcefully used other against nations of the world. That civilization portrays peace as foolishness, mercy as inability, justice as humiliation. They want others to be weaklings who fall to their knees and cry in submission before ever resisting or retaliating. This has been done to the point where the world is now filled with many types of destructive wars, and it is rare to find any country or area that is safe. To many societies, safety is like a mirage off in the distance which a thirsty person perceives to be water. There is no better proof of this reality than what was done decades ago by one of the world powers. A large number of containers carrying terrifying levels of chemical agents to be used as weapons were dumped into the ocean. This was done after that nation found it had an excess of that weapon, enough to destroy the world six times. May Allaah protect us all from every evil and turmoil, whether apparent or concealed. Nothing can protect us from those things unless we commit to true peace which unites our souls before our bodies. This true peace is Islaam. Allaah described it to His Prophet r saying, If you were to spend all the earth contains, you would be unable to unite their hearts. However, it was Allaah who united them. He is the Almighty and Most Wise. True peace happens when subservience is directed to Allaah. People of eemaan, enter Islaam completely. And do not follow the footsteps of shaytaan, because he is an open enemy to you. Dear Hujjaaj, there is a most outstanding example in the Messenger of Allaah r for all who hope in Allaah and the Last Day, and who remember Allaah much and make plentiful mention of Him. Every good lies in following the directives of the Messenger of Allaah r and avoiding his prohibitions. While performing Hajj, the Prophet r repeated Learn your rites of Hajj from me, emphasizing the obligation of obeying him and following his guidance, and that true love for him is manifested through emulating him. Say: if you truly love Allaah, follow me. As a result, Allaah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allaah is the Most Forgiving and Most Merciful. He directed his Ummah to everything good, and warned them from every evil. If someone is heedless of the Sunnah, he is most certainly deprived. How could someone know he was the last Messenger sent by Allaah and know about his Sunnah, yet choose to not follow it? Moreover, how could someone ever prefer the hellfire over Jannah? However, there are actually people who do that, and the Prophet r said about them, All of my Ummah would enter Jannah except those who refuse. He was asked, Messenger of Allaah, who would refuse? He replied, If someone obeys me he will enter Jannah, and if someone disobeys me he has refused. Collected by al-bukhaaree and Muslim. Servants of Allaah and dear Hujjaaj, keenly and sincerely emulate the example of the Prophet Muhammad r and follow his Sunnah. When you love someone, you try to be close to them and follow their example. Do not let the animals have better grasp of the status our Prophet r holds and have more love for him than you do! They would race to him, each wanting to be touched by him r first. Ahmad and Aboo Dawood collected a narration where the Prophet r said that the days which have the greatest standing with Allaah are the Day of Sacrifice followed by the day after it. Also, five 5

6 or six camels were brought near the Messenger of Allaah for him to sacrifice, and each tried to come nearest to him in order to be the first sacrificed. O Allaah, bless us to be among those who follow the guidance of Your Prophet r and allow us to drink from his hawd such that we would never be thirsty afterwards. O Allaah, You hear our call and answer our prayers. Eed has come upon the Hujjaaj bringing mercy, and we rejoice with the mercy that comes with every Eed. This Eed is Adhaa and the masses are engaged in the remembrance and mention of Allaah which polish and rejuvenate the heart. Multitudes have come from all places, their steps directed by their yearning. They obediently and tirelessly answered the call of the Lord of this House, hoping to attain all they desire. They fled to Allaah who would never shatter their hopes or reject anyone who calls upon Him. Allaah is Most Kind and Generous, He is never is exhausted, and His benevolence extends to all former and later peoples. They call upon their Lord to pardon their errors and remove rancour from their hearts. They say, Our Lord, we have come today dishevelled. Thus, grant us a pure return as the day we were born. Our Lord, accept the Hajj of all who hope in You, and grant them success on the day they return to You. Allaah is the greatest. * * * * * All praise is due to Allaah, a pure, blessed, and abundant praise as He has commanded. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah alone, without any partner, in spite of those who disbelieve and deny Him. May Allaah send salaah and salaam upon His Chosen Messenger, who shall intercede and whose request shall be granted by Allaah when He gathers us all after restoring us to life. Servants of Allaah, observe taqwaa of Allaah. Realize that Allaah has blessed you with this tremendous day, the Greatest Day of Hajj: the day of stoning Jamrah al- Aqabah, offering sacrifices, and performing Tawaaf at the ancient protected House. One of the best deeds performed on this day is the rite of sacrifice. The Messenger of Allaah r was asked, Which deeds are best in Hajj? He r responded, al- Ajj and ath-thajj. Collected by al-haakim, at-tirmithee, and ibn Maajah. Al- Ajj refers to raising one s voice while saying the talbiyah, and ath-thajj refers to slaughtering the sacrificial animals. May Allaah protect you all. You must realize that your Lord has prescribed the act of sacrificing on this day in order for you to draw closer to Him. Say: Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my life, and my death are for Allaah, Lord of all creation. He has no partner. This is what I have been commanded, and I am the first to submit to Him in Islaam. Offering a sacrifice is an emphasized Sunnah. The Prophet r did it, and encouraged those who can afford it to do so as well. It is also the practice of our father Ibraaheem u. Sacrifice consists of a sheep which a man sacrifices on behalf of his household. He must ensure that it has attained the age specified by Islaam: five years for camels, two for cows, one for goats, and six months for sheep. It must not have any defects, such as being limp, ill, cross-eyed, or underweight. It must be offered at the specified time, beginning after the Eed prayer and ending at sunset on the thirteenth of Thul-Hijjah, for a total of four days. The animal being sacrificed should be treated gently and the knife to be used should be sharpened beforehand, as these are part of the ihsaan (proficiency and excellence) commanded by the Prophet r. The name of Allaah must be said at the time of sacrifice based on the statement of Allaah, Do not consume what Allaah s name has not been mentioned over. Doing so is disobedience to Him. It is recommended to eat from one s 6

7 sacrifice, give some to others as a gift, and give some in charity. Thus, sacrifice, and may Allaah accept what you offer. And proclaim Hajj to mankind. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; and they will come from every deep and distant mountain pass, so that they may witness things of benefit to them, and mention the name of Allaah on appointed days when they sacrifice the camels, cows, sheep, and goats which He has provided for them. Thereafter, eat of them and feed the unfortunate and poor. Then, let them end their unkemptness, fulfill their vows, and perform Tawaaf at the ancient, protected House. Dear Hujjaaj, you must know that the first rite to be performed today after leaving Muzdalifah is to head to Minaa calmly, without harming others, pushing, or arguing. Then, Jamrah al- Aqabah is to be stoned with seven pebbles which are neither excessively large or small. Stoning is to be done with pebbles only, nothing else. Allaahu akbar is to be said when throwing each pebble. After stoning, sacrifice is to be offered by those from whom it is required. Then, the hair of the head is to be shaved or shortened, though shaving is better since the Prophet r prayed thrice for those who shave and once for those who shorten. With that, the preliminary stage of exiting ihraam is complete, making permissible what was previously prohibited except for marital intimacy. If one is performing Ifraad or Qiraan, he still has to complete Tawaaf al-ifaadah as well as Sa y if not already completed with Tawaaf al-qudoom. If one is performing Tamattu, he still has to perform Tawaaf and and Sa y, independent from those done for Umrah. After Tawaaf al-ifaadah, the things prohibited in ihram return to being permissible, including marital intimacy. The order in which the Hujjaaj perform the rites is of no consequence. The Prophet r was asked about doing some of these rites before others and he replied saying, There is no harm in doing so. This is ease which is legislated, not ease which is random and based on people s whims. The concept of ease in rulings must be implemented based on the explanation of the Prophet r. The nights of tashreeq must be spent in Minaa, and all three jamaraat are to be stoned after midday on the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth of Thul-Hijjah. Each jamrah is stoned with seven pebbles, beginning with the sughraa, then the wustaa, and then aqabah. Once all of that is done, Tawaaf al-wadaa must be completed, though women on their menses are exempted, due to the concession which affords them mercy and ease. Such is the command of Allaah, and when someone reveres all that Allaah has made sacred, that is best for him with his Lord. Cattle are lawful to you, except those which are recited to you. So avoid the abomination of idols and avoid false statements. Worship Allaah alone, not associating partners with Him; and whoever ascribes partners to Allaah, it is as though he fell from the sky and was snatched by the birds, or the wind blew him off to a distant place. Such is the command of Allaah, and when people revere the rites of Allaah, that is indeed a reflection of taqwaa in their hearts. The sacrificial animals contain benefits for you until an appointed time. Then they are brought for sacrifice to the ancient, protected House. May Allaah accept Hajj from all who have come to perform it, and may He bless all efforts that have been expended and guide all our steps. May Allaah reward all who have contributed to serving the Hujjaaj, including the authorities, security forces, educators, and all others whom we may not know, but Allaah knows. And whatever good you do, Allaah most certainly knows it. [followed by du aa ] 7