The World Must Change
Eid Mubarak to you all.Ý I congratulate you on this blessed day of Eid.Ý May Allah make it a very happy and blessed day for you, your families and for the whole Ummah of Islam. May Allah give you many Blessed Eids in your life.
We thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He gave us another opportunity in our life to witness Ramadan, to fast in this month and to enjoy its countless blessings.Ý We pray to Allah to accept our humble devotions and humble actions of obedience to Him. We pray to Him to grant us also the benefits of these good deeds. We pray to Allah to transform us, individually and collectively, as the people of truth and righteousness, as the people of goodness and virtues, among ourselves and for the whole world.
We are one Ummah
Brothers and Sisters: It is so nice to see so many of you here today.Ý You represent the Ummah of Muhammad -peace be upon him. You are the community of Islam.Ý Here I see so many races, colors and ethnic groups. Here I see a variety of dresses from all over the world.Ý Here I see such a variety of people from east and west, from north and south.Ý We are from so many different backgrounds, but we are all one people. We believe in One God, Allah. We have the same faith, Islam. We have one message, the Qur'an. We are the community of all the Prophets and Messengers of Allah, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and the Last and Final Prophet and Messenger Muhammad the son of Abdullah - may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of them.ÝÝ
Our gathering today
We are gathered here today not to celebrate the birthday of any person.Ý
We are not here to celebrate any national day. We are not here to celebrate the change of some season or to celebrate a new year, a new century or a new millennium. We are here to celebrate, at the conclusion of the month of fasting, prayers and devotion, the praises of our Lord.Ý We are gathered here today to glorify Allah, our Lord and the Lord of the Worlds. We stand shoulder to shoulder, we prostrate on the ground and we sit together on this ground.Ý We raise our voices to praise Allah and to thank Him for His many blessings.Ý He gave us our existence.Ý He gave us all that we need and ask for.Ý He gave us the guidance and He helps us to live by His guidance.Ý Let me say how Prophet Ibrahim -peace be upon him- said, as mentioned in the Qur'an:
"He created me and it is He who guides me.Ý He gives me food and drink.Ý When I am ill, He cures me.Ý He will cause me to die and then He willÝ make me live again.Ý And He I hope will forgive me my faults on the Day of Judgment." (al-Shu'ara' 26:78-82)
"Praise be to Allah, Who guided us to this (way): never could we have found guidance, had it not been for the guidance of Allah..." (al-A'raf 7:43)
Islam is Allah's Guidance
Brothers and Sisters:
- ÝIslam is the divine guidance. It is not a man-made system or ideology.Ý It is given to us by the Creator and the Lord of the worlds. It is the most universal guidance. He gave this guidance to Humanity through His many Prophets and Messengers, from Adam to Jesus - peace be upon them all.
Ý Finally, He gave this message to His Last Prophet and Messenger Muhammad -peace be upon him.Ý
- ÝIslamic Message is authentic.Ý It was preserved in its originality as it was given, without any changes and alterations.Ý
- ÝIt is the most comprehensive guidance. It includes beliefs, acts of worship, moral and ethical teachings as well as social and political guidance for all affairs of life.Ý
- ÝIslamic guidance is most compatible for all times and it is the most balanced guidance.ÝÝ It keeps a balance between things spiritual and material, between this world and the hereafter, between the individual and the society, between freedom and responsibility.
- ÝThe principles of Islam are all universal.Ý They are not limited to one race or one color or one nationality. Its Shari'ah is the most comprehensive and capable to solve the problems of human beings in any place and time.
The basic principles of Islam are:
- Ý Oneness of God,
- Ý Oneness of humanity,
- Ý Development of body and mind,
- Ý Preservation of the rights of the individual, family and society,
- Ý Cleanliness, modesty, justice, truth, equality
- Ý Recognizing the rights of Allah, the rights of self, the rights of other human beings and the rights of all beings and things.Ý
All human beings are in need of this guidance. They need Islam to live happily and successfully in this life and they need Islam to find salvation in the life to come. Islam is the religion of truth and it guides to all that it good. The Qur'an has mentioned in three places: It is He Who has sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it).
(al-Tawbah 9:33 see also al-Fath 48:28; al-Saff 61:9)
Has the world changed?
ÝÝÝ Many people in the world just celebrated the beginning of a new Gregorian year. They talked about a new century and a new millennium. People were counting down every day, every hour, every minute and every second.Ý There was a great excitement and even fear in the minds of some people.Ý Billions were spent to welcome this new century and new millennium and the celebrations will continue for the whole year.Ý
But, for God's sake, tell me what has changed.Ý The only thing that is changed is some digits on your calendar, in your computer.Ý
... Is there any change in the attitudes and the minds of people?Ý
... Are human beings going to be any better now then what they were in the past century?
... Is there less racism in the world today?Ý
... Will there be more morality now than in the past?Ý
... Are we going to see the end of pornography?Ý
... Are we going to have better families?Ý
... Will there be less violence in our cities and in the world?
...Are the people going to care for the poor and needy more then they did before?Ý
... Are the rich going to share their wealth with the poor?Ý
... Will there be justice in this world?ÝÝ
... Has the war on Chechnia stopped?Ý
Ý... Are sanctions lifted against the people of Iraq?Ý Are the children of Iraq now getting food, nutrition and education?Ý
... Is there justice for the people of Kashmir?Ý
Ý... Has the problem of Palestine been solved?Ý
... Has the Western propaganda against Islam and Muslims stopped?Ý
... Are the Crusades that began at the beginning of the second millennium and continued until its end, going to stop now?
The past century was the bloodiest century in the history of humankind.Ý The top nations involved in wars were: Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Japan and USA.Ý The European powers caused 60 million deaths in World War I and II alone in the 20th century.Ý Muslim countries also had wars of independence from Western colonialism and some civil wars.
Let us see what will change in this century.Ý And if there is change for the better then of course we have a reason to celebrate and feel happy and be proud.Ý At the moment the record of humanity is abysmal.
The World Must Change
The change is necessary.Ý The world has to change.Ý Corruption, immorality and injustice must not continue too long.Ý Individuals must change and the unjust and oppressive powers have to change their attitude and style.Ý The wrong doers must learn the civilized behavior. The powers that are terrorizing Muslims must stop calling Muslims terrorists. Muslims and non-Muslims we all must learn to live in peace and harmony with each other.
The Role of Muslims
We Muslims should also change ourselves.Ý We must come back to Islam, not only in rituals but also in reality.Ý We must be in the forefront of the struggle to make this world a better world for all to live.Ý We are the Ummah of Muhammad - peace be upon him.Ý Allah sent him as "Rahmatullil 'alamin" (A Mercy to the Worlds) (al-Anbiya' 21:107).Ý We must bring Allah's love and mercy to the worlds.Ý We must give Allah's guidance to humanity.Ý But, we cannot do it unless:
- First we must practice Islam in our own lives.Ý We say in our prayers, "O Allah, make us guides who are themselves guided."Ý One cannot be a guide (hadi) unless one is guided (muhtadi). We must take Islam seriously in our individual life as well as collective life.
- We must pay attention to our families:Ý "O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families from Fire." (al-Tahrim 66:6) We should have good families.Ý We must take care of the proper Islamic education and upbringing of our children.
- We should be the role models of truth, justice, and righteousness in our personal lives, in our families, in our communities and every where in the world.
- We should be united and we should take care of our own people in Chechniya, Kashmir, Kosovo, Palestine, and in other countries wherever they are suffering. We must show kindness and courtesy to each other.Ý We must observe the human rights of our own people.Ý
- We should be in the forefront of movements of peace and justice in the whole world.Ý We must see that the world is out from the grips of immorality, drugs, narcotics, hatred, violence, racism and all kinds of injustices.Ý Wherever we live, we should make that society a better society.
- Da'wah is a must and every Muslim must invite people to the way of Allah.Ý But this should be done with great care and wisdom.Ý Our way of guidance should be gentle and compassionate. There is no need to be apologetic about Islam and there is no need to be aggressive when presenting the message of Allah.
- We Muslims of America can play a very important role in giving the message of Islam to the world.Ý We have many opportunities and many resources that others do not have.
- But our voices will be heard more and will be more effective if we mould our lives in accordance with the teachings of Islam, and if we work together united on our local level as well as on the national level.Ý We all should be involved with our local Islamic centers and mosques and we should also work with and support our national Islamic organizations, such as the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).Ý These organizations are necessary for our organized and unified actions.
As President of ISNA, I have requested all Islamic centers and mosques in North America to pass the following resolution in support of our brothers and sisters who are suffering under the Russian invasion of their land.Ý
WHEREAS; Russian military forces have invaded the Islamic Republic of Ichkeria (Chechniya), in violation of the Russo-Chechen Peace Treaty signed on May 12, 1997; and, WHEREAS; Chechniya is now a sovereign and independent nation with its own elected government and right to self-determination under International Law; and, WHEREAS; The invasion and occupation of Chechniya by Russian troops is a violation of International Law; and, WHEREAS; The Russian Government has used the excuse of "fighting terrorism" to justify its invasion and genocidal attack on civilians in Chechniya without any evidence or proof of terrorism having been committed by Chechens; and, WHEREAS; Many Russians themselves, including General Alexander Lebed, a popular candidate in the upcoming presidential elections, believe that the so-called "terrorist bombings" in Russia last summer were actually fabricated by the Kremlin itself; and, WHEREAS; The Islamic Republic of Chechniya condemns all acts of terrorism against civilians, regardless of who commits them; and, WHEREAS; The terrorist attacks by Russian aircraft and artillery on Chechen villages and in the city of Grozny have killed thousands of civilians and forced more than 300,000 from their homes; and, WHEREAS; This genocide is being committed to further the Russian Imperialist plans to pipe oil from Azerbaijan to the Russian port of Novorossisk. By demanding a fair deal for themselves, the Chechens' independence is a major blow to Russia's plans to retain monopoly of energy transportation to the West NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, THAT THE COMMUNITY GOES ON RECORD TO:
- Condemn Russian military attacks on innocent civilians.
- Urge the United States Government to demand the complete withdrawal of Russian military forces from Chechniya and to suspend all economic aid to Russia until they withdraw and negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict that recognizes self-determination for the Islamic Republic of Chechniya.
- Declare Saturday, January 8, 2000 as CHECHNIYA DAY to focus on the Chechen struggle. We remember the Chechen Shaheeds in our prayers. We urge our elected representatives and media to make our voices heard.
- Urge the United States Government to place Russia under all sanctions and boycotts until Russia vacates the Islamic Republic of Chechniya and agrees to compensate it for all destruction inflicted upon it.
I pray to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to bless you all.Ý Id Mubarak. Wassalam 'alaikum wa rahmatullah.