By Imam Murtadha Gusau
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy
All praise is due to Allah, lord of all worlds, the creator of everything, who gave us every thing, and honoured us with Islam.
Dear brothers and sisters! Allah Almighty says:
“if you would count up the favours of Allah, you would never be able to numerate them.”
In my previous sermons, I discussed about the subject on “how to reestablish a powerful Muslim Ummah (nation).”
Actually, we are now followers than leaders, imitators rather than creators, and this is not the proper condition for this Ummah (nation). Allah Almighty says:
“You are the best people evolved for mankind.”
But now, none can say that Muslims are the best people among the different nations. So, there is something we should do to re-correct our condition.
In those sermons, I have mentioned some points that may draw to us the right way to bring this dream into reality; to reestablish a great and powerful Islamic Ummah.
But I know the subject was too condensed to be squeezed in just few sermons, and because of its importance, I will pick up just one character of this way and In Shaa Allah I will try to discuss the other points in other sermons if possible.
Respected brothers and sisters! The purpose of this sermon or any other sermon is to achieve benefit. Do not consider the sermon just a part of Juma’ah prayer, so you should listen to it, read it; try to benefit from this sermon.
As long as you spent some time, and some effort in something, you should benefit from it, as this is the wisdom.
So, try to concentrate carefully, and follow what you learn if it is the right way.
Dear brothers and sisters! When we mention our history and when we say that Muslims used to lead the world for years, and when we go into the details of our previous success, this does not mean we just cry over the spilt milk, rather we mention that to learn from it and the wise is who learns from his mistakes. Allah Almighty says:
“There is, in their stories, instructions for men endowed with understanding.”
Dear servants of Allah! Whoever does not follow the means will never get the results. This is the way of Allah:
“You will find no change in Allah’s way.”
My beloved people! The responsibility of our situation is the responsibility of all of us. None of us is free from responsibility. All Muslims should work to correct our position.
So before describing the first character of our way to reestablish our strong Islamic Ummah. I want to summarise these four important facts:
1. You should benefit as much as you can from this sermon or any other sermon or lesson you attend.
2. We should learn from our history, do not repeat your previous mistakes.
3. To accomplish the results you want, you should follow the correct means.
4. The responsibility of reestablishing the great Islamic Ummah is the responsibility of all Muslims including all of us.
So the first means to change our situation is to be positive: To be positive is not easy job, so difficult job, so be prepared to suffer. Allah Almighty says:
“The merchandise of Allah is expensive, the merchandise of Allah is the paradise.”
So, what is the positivity? The positivity is to carry your responsibilities without waiting someone reminding you. Remember this fact. And the facts are always better explained by stories, so back to our history, not to entertain but to learn.
If you look to the life of any companion of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), you will find the positivity in every step in this life. Because of time, I will mention only two stories:
1. In the battle of Al-Qadisiyyah, between Muslims and Persians, Persia at that time was one of the most powerful empires on the earth. Actually Persia and Rome divided the world between them.
2. The leader at that battle was Sa’ad Ibn Abi Waqqas and he decided to send a group of messengers to the leader of the Persian army to invite them to Islam. A Muslim soldier, Rib’iy Ibn Amir said to him:
“I think it is better to send just one messenger not a group, so that they will know that we are not afraid of them. It was a good opinion. So this is the positivity, this is the responsibility of every Muslim to give the advice to other Muslims. However, the story is still incomplete. Sa’ad asked Rib’iy: who we can send alone? He is afraid to send one messenger to the Persians. Look to Rib’iy. He continued his positivity and said: let me be that person.”
Here, the responsibility is not of Rib’iy himself, however, he obligated himself with a responsibility that may be carried by any other Muslim. This is an extra positivity!
The second positivity is that of the battle of Tabuk, one of the most difficult battles of the Prophet:
“The Prophet asked the companions to donate to prepare the army. So Uthman started the donation and said: I will pay one hundred camels. This is the positivity of Uthman, he did not wait till the Prophet ask him “how much you will pay”, but he started quickly. Again the story is incomplete. The Prophet asked again for donation, and again Uthman said: I will pay more one hundred camels. Moreover, he went and brought one thousand dinar and put them in the hands of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). This was too much to the degree that the Prophet looked to the camels and said: “Nothing will harm Uthman after that day whatever he did.” This is an extra positivity, and the surprise was that the story is incomplete; Uthman is still donating till it reached 400 camels, 100 horses, and 1000 dinars. This is an extreme positivity.”
Dear brothers and sisters! From these stories, we can understand that positivity is grades or dangers.
1. The least degree in positivity is to participate in the activities that done by other Muslims. Just to participate. Just be with Muslims Ummah.
This is what I call “passive positivity.”
How we called the positivity passive? Let me give you a practical example.
Today In Shaa Allah we have a lesson from Islamic history after Isha’ prayer. To come to this lesson, this is a positivity. To participate by your presence, this is positivity. Yes, you are not participating in preparation of this work. Yes, you come alone without inviting your friends to come with you. Your coming is positivity because this will encourage people do this work to refine their work and this will make other people to attend the lesson and this will spread the knowledge of this lesson and will make us feel as being an Ummah rather than individuals. Your coming is certainly a kind of positivity.
2. A higher degree of positivity is to respond quickly to the one who ask you to do something for Islam, which is one of your duties usually. So this is an active positivity so if I asked you to attend the lesson, you should respond quickly. If I asked someone to help us in typing or clearing, he should respond quickly and so forth.
3. The higher degree of positivity is to do your duties without waiting for someone to direct you, so this is initiative positivity.
You should think in a work that benefits Muslims without delay. Someone thinks in a project for the Muslim youth and he started to do it. Someone has some knowledge in the religion and started to teach others. Someone has money and started to give without waiting someone to ask him repeatedly. Someone started to clean the premises without waiting others ask him to do so. Someone started to regulate the premises in our crowded parking a lot.
4. The last degree and the most difficult in positivity is to carry the responsibilities of other if they denied them as Uthman and Rib’iy, may Allah be pleased with them, did. It is not his responsibility to spend all this wealth, but he did his job and that of others who either denied or were unable. This type is what we need to reestablish our strong Islamic Ummah.
If at this bad time a lot of Muslims decided to carry their responsibilities, we should have the Muslims who carry their responsibility and those of others. I know it is difficult, but wallah, “the merchandise of Allah is more precious.”
To complete this subject of positivity, I have to mention two things:
1. Every one of us has something to do for Islam. None is deprived from the ability to serve Islam. So do something, do not hesitate, one of you has knowledge, another has a skill in computer, another has money, other has ability to talk to people, some know typing, expert in sports, so look inside yourself, and do not wait, as none know when he will die.
2. If you decided not to be positive, and chose negativity, please do not follow to the mistakes of others.
Any active work will have some mistakes but too much criticism may lead to frustration, so do not take the responsibility of stopping an Islamic work.
I ask Allah to make us positive and make this positivity in His cause, and to make paradise the price of this positivity, Ameen!
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation; may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels, bless him and give him peace and security―and his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly and sincerely until the establishment of the Hour.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.
This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today Friday, Rajab 26, 1444 AH (February 17, 2023).