Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 15. November 2019
"WHAT GOD EXPECTS FROM US" 15 November 2019 Dr. Abou El Fadl reminds that Allah gave humans the blessing and charge of caring for this earth until the Final Day, when we will be held accountable for how we discharged this obligation. Allah directed us to create divinity on this earth. Allah tells us it is impossible for the Divine to be unjust because God will never allow Godself to be unjust. Injustice, oppression, and tyranny (zulm) is forbidden for God and by God, and thus, apriori, justice...
Circles of Learning (Halaqas) · 09. November 2019
Part 1: In the introduction to the halaqa to conclude Surah 92 Al Layl (The Night) and begin Surah 91 Al Shams (The Sun), Director Grace Song reacts to a recent Facebook post about the state of communicating with Muslim teens, and shared some personal stories, insights and ideas about how she approached parenthood and the challenge of teaching her kids to love God, Islam and being Muslim.
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 18. October 2019
Dr. Abou El Fadl begins with a reminder that we remain committed to the truth that everything is from Allah, and everything will return to Allah. One of the central narratives of the Quran, that many Muslims learn and often repeat, is Ayat Al Kursi (Chapter 2, Verse 255). It is a monumental reminder of the truth of our existence and our relationship to our Maker. The wisest of Muslims are the ones who reflect even just on this verse, for the amazing amount of insight it yields into our Maker...
Circles of Learning (Halaqas) · 12. October 2019
Part 1 of 3: In the introduction to the halaqa on Surah 92, Al Layl (The Night), Director Grace Song talks about her early experiences and expectations as a new convert entering the Muslim community for the first time, in light of the increase in attention on stories of trauma and healing among new Muslim women converts. She shares stories of her own journey of healing along with important lessons learned along the way. Dr. Abou El Fadl elaborates further on the topic of his khutbah from Friday...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 11. October 2019
Dr. Abou El Fadl reminds that Allah has given us the Shari’ah, a path, a guidance, like a map. So, follow it and do not follow the whims of those who do not know. If you enter into a relationship with the Divine, you will feel the Divine and the Divine will guide you. The unjust are supported by the unjust. The nature of injustice is like an infection. It starts small but grows and extends, and when supported, results in further injustice. It is not just a theological principle; it is a...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 04. October 2019
Dr. Abou El Fadl reminds us that Allah in the Qur’an gave us Shariah, a path that we are instructed to follow. There are many people who think that Shariah is something as simple as a group of positivistic laws. However, laws that lead to practices are only half the process, because any practice decreed by law must have a purpose. If one is not following these laws with an understanding of why, how it fits in within the Shariah of Allah, then there is a fundamental breakdown. If it was simply...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 27. September 2019
Dr. Abou El Fadl reminds that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in his persona sums up the entire legacy of the entire line of prophets. He has embodied all of them in his single being as the last and final prophet. All of the prophets came with a singular message to humanity, and it was perfected over a long, protracted educational process about the implications of creation and being God’s creatures. Muslims are told that the Prophet Muhammad perfected the message, and that after the death of the...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 20. September 2019
Dr. Abou El Fadl reminds that the very idea of a responsibility is a very serious matter. None of us exist simply within the boundaries of the time and space that we occupy. Rather, all of us come to this world and immediately impact everything around us in perceptible and predictable ways, but also in imperceptible and unpredictable ways, although we don't reflect upon all the ways that the reality of responsibility is created. If one is a reflective and moral human being, one will consider...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 13. September 2019
Khaled Abou El Fadl reminds that every generation of Muslims confronts their own set of challenges. Allah gave us the intellect and the word, and this intellect can either elevate us to the greatest heights, or it can in fact take us to the lowest levels. He reminds that Allah does not change the condition of the people until they first change what is in themselves. This is a very heavy burden and responsibility. He explains that recently, there has been a tendency for Muslims in the West to...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 06. September 2019
Dr. Abou El Fadl reminds that in the age of information, when we live in a frenzy of data, and claims and counterclaims, the anchor of one’s life is one’s relationship with God. It is often difficult to navigate through the seismic activities of data that come like endless floods. If one’s relationship with God is built on sound foundations, then one has the ability to stand strong in the face of trends, fashions and intellectual pretenses that human beings are prone to engage in. If...