Khutbahs
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"What's the Point?" | Khutbah
"I don’t feel like my efforts really mean anything for Gaza right now. Destruction seems inevitable, and I’m losing the motivation to continue."
So what do we do? In this khutbah, Dr. Omar Suleiman explains how our commitment and perseverance to the truth are vital.
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 wa sallam is his final messenger. We ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon him, the prophets, 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 some of you may have been following the news, the power and all communication has been cut in the Ghazla. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give victory to the people of Ghazla. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give them patience, make their seats firm. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala foil the plot of the evildoers. Allahumma ameen. And I want to begin, as this is heavy on our hearts in this moment, by reminding each and every single one of us that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has his ways, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has his soldiers, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala biiznillah will make a way for them in ways that we cannot understand. And it's important for us to understand that if they could cut them off from the world, they cannot sever the connection that those people have with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. If they were able to cut off their phone lines, they're not able to cut off their dua. And if they think that the people of Ghazla are people who will submit themselves to this type of cruelty, then they do not know the special people that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has placed in that small piece of land, who have big hearts, and whose hearts are full of iman, whose hearts are full of faith. But I wanted to address a sentiment that many people have felt perhaps in the past few weeks, which is, what is the point?
What can I possibly do? The more our efforts ramp up, the more casualties we see. It feels like there's an insignificance to the things that we are trying to do for them on their behalf. And I want to speak directly to that sentiment. But first and foremost, I want you for a moment to put yourself in the shoes of a very specific person. Imagine being a doctor at Ashifa Hospital right now in Ghazla. No electricity, no fuel. You have all sorts of patients with all sorts of issues. At any moment, an airstrike can come. You don't have anesthesia. You may have just found out that all of your relatives died a minute ago, but you do not have the time to mourn or grieve them. You have to get back to operating on your patients. I want you to think about what type of willpower it takes to still go there and operate on patients and try to help someone maintain their leg or their arm after it's been damaged in an airstrike, or try to help someone live through even if they don't have any limbs at all at this point, or try to help a three-day-old fetus survive in that monstrosity, and at the same time carry the grief of your own relatives that have already been killed, as well as knowing that at any moment, an airstrike can come. And can wipe all of you off of the face of this earth. I want you to think about that. If there's anyone that would be asking, what's the point? It would be that doctor. But they're still going. They're operating kind of well with their cell phones.
While we check our batteries to make sure that we can still use our phones so we can check the Internet or do whatever it is that we're doing, they charge their batteries off of their cars, and they come back and they use those to perform operations in the darkness of the night while bombs continue to fall on them. What's the point? And this is a sentiment that Allah and the Messenger ﷺ addressed so many times throughout the Qur'an and the Sunnah. What is the point? And I was thinking about Yusuf ﷺ. When he speaks to his brother at the end of the ordeal. And he says, إِنَّهُ مَن يَتَّقِي وَيَسْقُدْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُذِيرُ أَجْرًا مُخْسِنِي That whoever is God conscious and patient, Allah ﷻ does not let the reward of the good doers go to waste. Allah ﷻ Himself says, وَاللَّهُ مَن يَتَّقِي وَيَسْقُدْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُذِيرُ أَجْرًا مُخْسِنِ Be patient because Allah ﷻ does not let the reward of the good doers go to waste. The patience of the people that are under this savagery and this brutality and what they are facing right now is to stay steadfast and know that Allah ﷻ will not let a single moment of pain that they experience go without a taunting on the day of judgment and go without a tremendous reward for them. The patience, the وَالسَّبِيل, the patience of those who are doing what they can on their behalf is to know that every single moment that you spend in their cause, Allah ﷻ will not let it go to waste.
And Allah ﷻ may put something in your small effort that has major impact. What's the point? We are always looking for that immediate change, that immediate visible change to happen right in front of us. But Allah ﷻ says, وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَارَ ذَرْوَةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَى And whoever does an Adam's worth of good will see it. وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَارَ ذَرْوَةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَى And whoever does an Adam's worth of evil will see it. Allah ﷻ, He speaks about these ayats in a very profound way. He says that on the day of judgment, you won't just see the Adam's worth of good that you put forward. You will see what it actually meant in the sight of Allah ﷻ. You'll see its full value. You see that hasanah that you put forward, that qindid that you put forward, that seems to be so insignificant. An Adam's worth in this life, on the day of judgment you will see its full value. What it really meant. And you will see that Allah ﷻ did not omit a single part of it. And He says, even for the disbeliever, there's a pay-forward concept. That even that person, yarah, they will see the goodness of their good deeds in this dunya. The believer will see, yarah, will see the effect, the impact of their good deeds in the hereafter. Whereas the disbeliever, because Allah ﷻ is just, will see the impact of their good deed in this life. But even then, whoever does an Adam's worth of good will see it. Because sometimes you need to see something to know that it's effective, to know that it means something. And Allah, al-basir, who sees all,
is promising you that you will see it on the day of judgment. That every single small thing put forward will mean something, and you will see it in its full value. What's the point of your du'a? What's the point of your efforts, whether it's in protest, or in changing the narrative, or trying to change the narrative, or in educating even one person. What's the point of the collective will of a community? Allah ﷻ will not let it go to waste. And you need to understand that just as Allah ﷻ has promised victory, Allah ﷻ has promised that it will not go to waste. Just as Allah ﷻ has promised reward for the good doer on the day of judgment, that nothing will be omitted from the scrolls, Allah ﷻ has promised that the evil doer will be brought forth, and every single moment of arrogance, and every single deed of evil will confront them on the day of judgment, and they will be punished. وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًا And your Lord doesn't forget. If they turn out the lights, يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطُفِي أُمُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَسْوَارِهِ وَاللَّهُمُ تِمْمُرُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَهَا الْتَافِرُ They wish to extinguish the light of Allah ﷻ, but Allah ﷻ will preserve His light, even if they hate it. And there is this concept that we find present in the surah of the Prophet ﷺ, that if you can't pay someone's debt off, then at least advocate on behalf of them so that maybe the debtor will release his debt, or maybe you can ease his anxiety while he is in debt. If you can't cure someone who is sick, then at least care for them while they are sick.
Give them compassion, and give them support, and give them your presence, even if you can't give them a cure to the disease that they are yearning from. If you can't free the captive, at least feed the captive. SubhanAllah, one of the most profound ayaat, وَيَتْعِمُونَ الطُّعَامَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ that the person feeds despite their love of what they have. الَنِسْكِينِ وَالْيَتِينِ وَالْأَسِيلِ These three categories of people that are given. The poor person, the orphan, and the one who is a captive. And one of the implications of that that they're gonna mention is that, people used to send their prisoners out to the street, their slaves out to the street, to beg for food during the day. SubhanAllah, look at the cruelty. They wouldn't feed their slaves. They'd send them out into the streets to beg during the day. And a person might think, what's the point of me feeding that person if I can't free that person. Allah SWT is saying, that matters. If you can't get them out of that situation altogether, at least dignify them, by giving them whatever food you have, so that they can at least have that part. But don't belittle the good that you are capable of doing. Don't belittle the effort that Allah SWT has put in front of you. Not only is it going to be rewarded on the day of judgment, but if you persist with it, it will be effective in this dunya. I want you to understand something. And I want us to feel it with a great sense of confidence, even though there's a great sense of pain right now for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. This enemy is losing. This enemy is a coward. The narrative is changing. The ummah is rising.
And they know, they know that our hearts are going to remain connected to that place. And as long as we continue to insist that we are not going away, they can use their bombs. But just like Allah SWT has invisible soldiers, invisible angels, invisible ways in which He works. Allah SWT has brought out of this ummah a very visible solidarity with Palestine that's been missing for a very long time. They're losing. And we have to keep that in mind. And we are able to process this on an individual level and on a community level. When the Imam bin Taymiyyah says, what can my enemies do to me if they kill me, it is shahada, imprison me, it is a chance to be secluded with my Lord, if they expel me, that it is a chance to contemplate on the signs of Allah SWT, it is shahada or qalwa or siya'a, tadabbur. When Ibn Taymiyyah says that on an individual level, we say that as a community level right now. And you can see it in the people of Gaza. They're saying it. They're saying it. Subhanallah. I want you to ask yourselves, that man, Wa'id, the journalist that you all saw, our dear brother Wa'id, may Allah SWT make it easy for him and have mercy on his family. What human being can pick himself up on the same day that he buries his wife and children and still report on the crimes towards the people of Gaza? Where does that come from? But he knows
that every minute away from that camera, exposing the crimes against the people, is a moment of joy for that man. And he doesn't want to give it. He feels the responsibility of being there. I take us back to that and we ask ourselves, if we were nurses and doctors right now in Ash-Shifa, and we were running around those hospitals trying to cure the patients, and we were digging in the rubble to try to find the child knowing that there are maybe 300-400 children in this aisle, but I can get one. وَاصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجَلَ الْمُحْسَنِينَ Be patient. Allah does not let the reward of the good doers go to waste. Brothers and sisters, this is a time that our faith requires something stronger from us. This is a time that we do not cower. This is a time where you are going to be intimidated, where you feel the full thrust of the political establishment and the media establishment against you. وَاصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجَلَ الْمُحْسَنِينَ Be patient. Allah will not let the reward of the good doers go to waste. This is not the time for us to lay down and say it's over. We prepare ourselves for moments like this in history. And for every period in history, there are people that rise to the occasion. And that's not always someone with a large platform. That's someone with a persistent heart. SubhanAllah, the efforts of people over years and years and years and years. Because they know that they are not investing into a waste gas.
They know that they are investing in their book of deens with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and that they will see each and every single one of them on the Day of Judgment. We're a people who when we make du'a, no matter how small we feel. You know, I'll tell you something that I was thinking about and it is a trick of Shaytan. As I raise my hands to make du'a one of these nights, I thought to myself, what is my du'a to one of those people in Gaza? How small am I that my Allahumma in the comfort of my home is even in the same league as that woman in Gaza? And I realized it's a trick of Shaytan. Because he does not want us to make du'a. Dear brothers and sisters, it might be your du'a, it might be your tear, it might be your message of awareness. Right now what we are all doing is we're putting forth sparks. Trying to spark the fire of change. And we believe Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is not just in charge of it all, but He is musambi wal-asbaab. He is the one who causes means to come into play. He is the one who makes means effective and He is the one who determines outcomes. وَاصْبِرُ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُذِيرُ عَجَبَ الْمَحْسَنِينَ Be patient. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will not let your efforts go to waste. I want to end with a story just from right here in Arizona. There is a prisoner that you have in this state of yours. I don't know if he's been transferred to another high security prison and not Imam Jamil Amin. And there was a protest two years ago
in front of the maximum security prison where Imam Jamil is being held in. And the sudden attention that was directed to him at least led to enough pressure that was created that a surgery, a cataract surgery was done to where his vision was at least restored. You know what? If he's not free from prison and I hope that bi'idhnillahi ta'ala we will be freed one day and that Allah Azawajal will use us for Him and for all of the innocent people. At least he can see now. Now insha'Allah ta'ala we need to make sure that he sees the skies again and that he sees his family again. But at least he can see. If you can't free the captives, feed the captives. If you can't cure the person, care for the person. If you can't change their circumstance, walk with them in their circumstance. If you can't pay their debt, advocate on their behalf to the debtor. Wa astaghfirullah. FainnaAllaha alayhi al-wajh al-mahsin. But be patient dear brothers and sisters. Every single good effort that we have ahead of us is important right now. Do not let the shaytan come in between you and those atmaad and those good deeds because just like he tries to disconnect you on an individual level from doing the things that will bring about more benefit in the hereafter, he tries to disconnect you from the things that are important on a community level that bring about glory and victory to the Sunnah. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give victory and glory for our brothers and sisters in Hasani. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala foil the plot of their enemy. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala seeing them where they have been starved. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala comfort them where they have been hurt. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make their feet fur. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow them to find nothing but His rahmah, nothing but His mercy
in the places where cruelty has been shown. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala put in their hearts certainty and may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant them martyrdom, grant them shahadah when they are killed, and grant them healing when they live. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala write down for them the full reward. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us from a distance to be in their service right now. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala guide us to the ways in which we can be helping them most effectively. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept their du'as and accept our du'as. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala unite their ranks and unite our ranks. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bring about us at a community level and an individual level that which brings about His blessing and His favor. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala purify us and purify them from the things that bring about hardship upon this earth. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow our brothers and sisters in Palestine to see full freedom. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the face of an enemy that wishes us nothing but death give us nothing but life as an ummah. Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to give victory and life to this ummah. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to give liberation to Al-Aqsa and to allow us to pray in a free Masjid Al-Aqsa. And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to destroy every tyrant. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala follow their plans. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make this Ummah their means of power futile. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala render them the weak ones. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give victory to the oppressed over their oppressors in Palestine and all over the world. Allahumma Ameen.
Allahumma Ameen. Allahumma Ameen. Allahumma Ameen.
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