Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 15. October 2021
God reminds us in Surah Hijr, in the miracle words of the Qur'an, that this earth was spread before us, unfolded like a meticulously organized plan created by God, in order to create for us a habitat and a living space. God created on this earth everything in a meticulously balanced fashion. The way that the earth has been calibrated for our lives, as well as the lives of all living things on this earth, is an absolute miracle because, given to its natural processes, it is an earth that...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 09. October 2020
I received a considerable amount of correspondence. Every week, Muslims of different orientations with different issues write to me. Among the most challenging correspondence that I receive are from women who present a problem that, by this day and age, should no longer exist. These are women who find themselves locked in marriages that they did not desire in the first place, that are abusive or that they were forced into, often by their parents. It is remarkable that a lot of these women are...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 02. October 2020
Of all the religions of the world, there is one religion that sanctified the role of the intellect. There is so much in our Islamic tradition that honors and elevates the role of the intellect in human affairs. The true nature of piety is not ignorance or obliviousness, but a fully engaged intellect that is disciplined in the path of God, wrestles with the challenges that thinking poses to human beings, and employs the gifts of the intellect in a relationship with God. It is easy to be dumb and...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 25. September 2020
The Islamic tradition is full of pearls of wisdom born directly from the Qur’an, like rays of light influenced by the guidance of the Quran. These pearls of wisdom, partly because of the nature of historical progression, and partly because of the way that Muslims have failed to take care of their own tradition, are not always easily located or appreciated. They are often scattered, sometimes even submerged in accumulations of dust, mud, ignorance, and misguidance. To locate, understand and...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 18. September 2020
Among all the hubris that surrounds our affairs, and a lot of the nonsense that one finds in the world that we live in, there was a curious decision made by the White House and the Office of Management and Budget to ban the teaching of anything related to Critical Race Studies (CRS) in the U.S. government. The government also gets to define what falls under the large category of critical race studies, so any critique of power dynamics inspired by racial relationships, including possible...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 11. September 2020
So many things happen these days that it is sometimes difficult to keep up. But from my perspective, the most pressing issue was – and remains – the type of Islam that people possessed of money wealth are trying to craft and shape for generations to come; the type of Islam that is being carefully and meticulously engineered so that it can become the faith that all Muslims are supposed to embrace. What is the earmark of this Islam? To understand this type of Islam, look at its consequences...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 04. September 2020
An issue that Muslims struggle with constantly, at least in the modern age, is the issue of democracy. Recently, people have again asked me if it is haram to vote in elections because there are forces in the Muslim world that have a vested interest in perpetuating the idea that democracy is antithetical to God's will, therefore Muslims should not aspire for democracy; that even if they live in a nation-state that has any type of democratic governance, Muslims should abstain from being involved....
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 28. August 2020
For Americans, and perhaps American Muslims, no recent event has been as impactful as the unfortunate developments in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Yet again, a black man was shot by law enforcement. This man apparently stopped to break up a fight, wanted to get back in his car, and officers ordered him to stop. According to the police narrative, he continued getting into his car, so they shot him seven times in the back, in front of his children. Jacob Blake is alive, but likely paralyzed for the rest...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 21. August 2020
We are in the month of Muharram, the beginning of a new Islamic year. With everything that entails, we must always think about the legacy we leave behind in years past as well as the trajectory of our future. It is of great significance that the Islamic year begins with Muharram, a month that starts the year with a strict prohibition against everything that is conducive to rancor, struggles, fights and violence. It is also a month in which committing major sins is a more serious offense. In the...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 14. August 2020
There are events so important that not talking about them in a khutbah would be malpractice. The very purpose of jumu'a is for the Muslim ummah to be aware of Islamically pressing ethical issues that are of intimate concern. Jumu'a was never intended to be a form of escaping the demands of the world, like Sunday services are to many modern Christians. Jumu'a is the way that a community comes together to address matters of public concern at the heart of the ummah. Recently, the United Arab...