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Why Ashura is so important | Khutbah
In this khutbah, Dr. Omar Suleiman looks at the deeper lessons that tie together the stories and the qualities that should be acted upon from this day.
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. We begin by praising Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for him. And we bear witness that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam is his final messenger. We ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon him, the prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him, and those that follow in his blessed path until the day of judgment. And we ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahumma ameen. Dear brothers and sisters, as we come to the sacred occasion of Ashura, there are many different things to decipher and to talk about, but I wanted to focus on one thing that ties together the incidents both of the Hijri calendar and the incidents of Ashura specifically. And subhanAllah, there are many different things to take from this occasion that we could speak about in regards to the virtues of the day as it exists now, which is obviously that first and foremost an opportunity to have your sins forgiven. Another mercy from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that he has sent to us one of his nafahat, one of his seasons of mercy, that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam spoke about, that if a person fasts this one day, then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala expiates an entire year worth of sins. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive all of our sins. Allahumma ameen. So another thing to thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for, but specifically when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam enters into Al-Madinah and the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam finds that the Jewish community of Al-Madinah is fasting this day in gratitude to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for the victory of Musa alayhi wasallam over Firaun and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam says, نحن أولى بموسى منكم. We have more right to Musa alayhi wasallam. We are closer to Musa alayhi wasallam than you. We love Musa alayhi wasallam and we celebrate as well, and he ordered it to be a day of fasting.
But there's a quality here, and subhanAllah we come into the Hijrah, which is of course what we mark our years by, and we come specifically into this tenth day, and there was something that stood out to me about this, and it ties what Ashura is attributed to in the athar, in the narrations before this incident of Musa alayhi wasallam, and what we know of what happened historically on this day. All the way from whether the narrations of this being the day in which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala saved Nuh alayhi wasallam and his people, to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam making the Hijrah, to Musa alayhi wasallam being given victory, to Al-Husayn radhiAllahu ta'ala anhu and his martyrdom on this day, on a day of Friday, on the day of Ashura. There's something that ties all of it together, and that is with whom is Allah's favor and support and aid, and what qualities bring about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's support. Something striking in the Quran about that. There are only two occasions in the Quran where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala speaks about his ma'iyya, his being present with a people or with a person on the tongue of a Prophet. Only two occasions, and they both specifically tie into this span of two weeks that we're speaking about. The Hijrah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and Musa alayhi wasallam. When Allah says that he is with someone, he is with someone. Typically we find this with qualities in the Quran. InnaAllaha wa'annaAllaha ma'a almu'mineen. Allah is with the believers. InnaAllaha ma'a as-sabireen. Allah is with the patient. Wa'annaAllaha ma'a al-muttaqeen. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is with the people of piety. InnaAllaha ma'a allatheena taqaw wa allatheena hum muhsinoon.
Allah is with people who have taqwa, who have piety, and those who excel in good deeds. Allah is with these categories of people. But to specific incidents, there are only two. One of them is when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is in the cave with Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radiAllahu ta'ala anhu in the Hijrah as they are on their way to Al-Madinah and they hear the footsteps and they see the feet of those that are trying to kill them. Effectively, this is the end of the journey. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam says to his companion, La tahzan innaAllaha ma'a anna. Do not grieve, Allah is with us. So this is one occasion where we find Allah's being with someone on the tongue of a Prophet of Allah being established. With our messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam in those moments where he and Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radiAllahu ta'ala anhu can see the feet of the enemy and danger is imminent. It's a matter of moments, it's a matter of them looking down, seeing them in the cave and ending them. There was no secret about what their intentions were when they found the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. The intention was to kill him. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam in those moments says to Abu Bakr radiAllahu anhu, InnaAllaha ma'a anna. Allah is with us. And the other incident happens to be Musa alayhi wasallam. The only other incident. The Prophet Moses peace be upon him, when he is at the final moment of being pursued by the army of Fir'aun. Danger is imminent once again. You are about to be killed and your people are saying, Inna la mudrakoon. We've been caught.
Imagine hearing the army of Fir'aun behind you. And they make no secret of their intentions. They will mutilate you, they will cut you into pieces, they will do all sorts of horrible things with you. And in that moment, Musa alayhi wasallam says, Kalla inna ma'i rabbi sayahdeen. He says, No, no. Allah is with me and he will guide me. SubhanAllah. The two incidents both tied to the moment that we are in right now of Ashura in the beginning of the Hijri year. Both of those moments involve Musa alayhi wasallam and Muhammad salallahu alayhi wasallam. And both of them speak to the most vulnerable and dangerous and desperate moments when both of those prophets were able to say, Allah is with us, it's okay. Allah is with us. And when they say that, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala brings about the victory. He brings about that goodness. SubhanAllah, that courage, that certainty that they had in those moments. It is something that once again ties together all of the historical incidents that take place. Whether before the day in which Ashura becomes legislated or after. That when believers face their most desperate moments, they are able to lean on the fact that Allah is with them so long as they exhibit the qualities that bring about Allah's favor upon them. It's what ties the Hijra. It's what ties Musa alayhi wasallam. It's what ties Al-Husayn radiAllahu ta'ala anhu. And all of these incidents into one. Is Allah with us or not? Because if Allah is with you, you are victorious.
Whether that victory is one that has a material consequence in this life or not is irrelevant to the discussion. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's being with someone does not always mean that that is imminent victory in the material worldly sense. But sometimes it is. And it happens to be so with Musa alayhi wasallam and with Muhammad salallahu alayhi wasallam. But if Allah is with you, you don't lose. You actually attain victory. And subhanAllah you then go into all of the qualities where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions he is with a people. And as Ibn Abbas radiAllahu ta'ala anhuma says commenting on the ayah, when Allah says to Musa alayhi wasallam, Go you and Harun to Fir'aun, inni ma'akuma, I am with you. Qala Ibn Abbas radiAllahu ta'ala anhuma, ay inni mu'inukuma, I am your supporter. Asma'u wa araa, I hear, I see, I'm there with you with my knowledge and with my support. You have my support as you go forward. Why do you have the support of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? And how is this relevant to us? It's very easy for us to look at these historical incidents and to say, All we take from it is alhamdulillah for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala giving victory to Musa alayhi wasallam. Wanahnu awla bi Musa. We are closer to Musa alayhi wasallam than anybody else. We love Musa alayhi wasallam. We are closer to him. We have a great right to Musa alayhi wasallam. Therefore when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives victory to Musa alayhi wasallam, that is our victory. Alhamdulillah for that. And indeed, as for the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, Hua awlaa bil mu'mineen. He is closer to the believers than their own selves. And so surely when Allah gives victory to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam,
then that is something that we celebrate and we are happy about and we are proud of. But then you ask yourself, do I have the qualities that establish Allah being with me? See it is very interesting, you know, if you watch a football game or a basketball game or when the winner comes out on top and the winner says, if God is for you, who can be against you? Right? And everyone sort of claims God is with them. Right? Because I won a football game. Therefore God is with me. When two people face off, when two groups face off, when two armies face off, it is very easy for the one who is victorious to say, well God was with me. Therefore I won. Right? For the believer, you do not measure whether or not Allah is with you by the outcome of victory or defeat. You measure it by the qualities that Allah mentions in the Quran about whether or not He is with a person in their situation. What does that mean? When you are going through a hardship or a struggle, when you are being oppressed, when you are being wronged, when you are facing a difficult long tribulation, and you start to ask yourself, is Allah with me or not? How do you even determine that? That is when you go back to the qualities. Now what are the qualities? SubhanAllah, they boil down to three qualities that are repeated over and over and over again in the Quran. Number one, الَّذِينَ تَقَوُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ Allah is with people of piety. What is taqwa? To leave off sin. To leave off sin. No person can be engaging in disobedience, in a dispute with someone else, or in their own personal battle with the shaitan, and claim that Allah is with them.
No matter what the material outcome is in those moments. Is Allah with those who murdered Al-Husayn radiAllahu ta'ala? Absolutely not. Is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala murdered with those who won the battle of Uhud? Absolutely not. Was Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with the crusaders in the battle of Al-Mu'arra? Absolutely not. Is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with the Zionist aggressors that killed more children of Gaza today? Absolutely not. We don't measure this stuff by outcome. We don't measure this stuff by the way that it comes out. Is Allah with the person who is able to overcome someone by resorting to sinful tactics? Whether it's a dispute between believers or not. Absolutely not. InnaAllaha ma'a al-ladheena taqaw. InnaAllaha ma'a al-muttaqeen. Allah is with the one who leaves off sin. Therefore Allah is with the one who is seeking to overcome the shaitan, their enemy, even in a very personal battle with their shaitan, so long as they don't engage in sin. Wal-ladheena hum muhsinoon. And Allah is with the good doers. Those who do good. So those who leave off sin, those who do good. Wa innaAllaha ma'a al-sabireen. And more often than any other phrase Allah repeats in the Quran in regards to his being present, Allah is with the patient. And subhanAllah there's a very beautiful way that Imam al-Qurtoobi rahimahullah ta'ala ties us together. Allah is with those who are patient with their leaving off sin and doing good. What does that mean? That no matter what the circumstances are as they're evolving in our lives, happening to us collectively or as individuals, when we don't resort to what contradicts taqwa, or leave off doing good, and we are patient with that methodology of life, patient with the leaving off of sin and the performance of good deeds, patient with the adversity that comes with that, Allah is with us.
How do I know if Allah is with me? If I have the quality of taqwa and ihsan, and I am patient, I have sabr with those two qualities. Not by the outcome as it pertains to material success. However I'll end with this. When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does give those outcomes that are pleasing to us, we respond to those outcomes with gratitude. And subhanAllah there is something very beautiful for you to take from this inshaAllah ta'ala, and for me to take from this as well. If you saw the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam, in a moment of sajda, in a moment of prostration, I want you to imagine walking into a masjid nabawi, walking into the masjid of the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam, and seeing the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam in a state of prostration, and crying. Would you be able to tell if something really bad happened to him, or if something really good happened to him? Would you be able to tell if he just got the news of having a baby, or if he just lost a child? Would you be able to tell the difference if this was after Badr or after Uhud? The answer is absolutely not. Because the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam, in both of those outcomes, whether great tribulation had come to him, or great joy had come to him, he was always in sujood. It would lead him to a place of prostration and shedding tears, and showing either gratitude to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for something great that came to him, or patience with something hard that had happened to him. But the outcome of it with the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam as himself, was the same every time, which was, you would see him in sujood, bawling his eyes out, and remembering his Lord. So the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam exemplifies them, عَجَبًا لِأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ What an amazing state the believer is always in. And only the believer has this gift.
When something good happens to him, he thanks Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and that's better for him. When something bad happens to him, he has patience, and that is better for him. What an amazing state of affairs. The believer is always in. And so what's the lesson that underlines Ashura for us dear brothers and sisters? When you hear Allah is with, is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with me in the moment that I'm going through? You don't have to sit there and measure the outcome, and say it's been this many years, or this is happening, or that's happening. You measure your taqwa, you measure your ihsan, you measure your sadr. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us people of all of those qualities that he loves, people of all of those qualities that establish his presence, and his support, and his aid. Allahuma ameen. Ameen. Ameen.
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