In the name of Allah, and praises and peace be upon the Prophet of Allah. I advise us all to fear Allah, and to be conscious of his omniscience, for whoever does so, Allah will provide for him a way out of trouble.

There is no God but Allah the Kind and Merciful, and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the Great Throne. We ask that you bring upon us your mercy and the doors of your forgiveness, and protection from our own sins, and forgiveness of our minor transgressions.

I declare that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad was his servant and messenger. I declare that the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) fulfilled the trust, and conveyed the message, and we are witnesses to that reality.

Whom Allah chooses to guide, there is nothing and no-one that can mislead him and whom he chooses to mislead, there is nothing and no-one that can guide him.

Following that:

First Khutbah

Today, in sha'Allah, I will be discussing some of the verses of surah Al-Hujarat, or ``The Apartments''.

I have selected a few of the verses as the focus of this khutbah which I believe are most applicable to us. Although Surah Al-Hujuraat is only 18 ayahs long, each ayah can in itself be the topic of a Khutbah. For those who are interested, there are many tafseers available for Surah Al-Hujuraat, including a very good one available in English.

Why Surah al-Hujuraat? This Surah is as important today as it was in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was revealed to cover a set of circumstances that did occur in the Prophet's life, but the concepts discussed are general. They include much guidance on the topic of living together as a Muslim community. The Surah lays down the code of behaviour and the moral ideals for Muslims, that should be the foundation of any strong Muslim community. And I believe that we should be reminded of what these foundations are.

The first verse reads:

O Believers, do not be hasty and forward in Allah and his Messenger's presence, but instead fear Allah; for verily Allah is The Hearer and The Knower

Surah 49 (Al-Hujurat) Verse 1

Although this ayah initially appears to refer to the situation in which the Prophet was, about not interrupting the Prophet, peace be upon him, the implications are general. This is that we should respect what the Prophet says and what Allah says, as revealed to us in the Qur'an. By implication, this means we should not say or do anything that contradicts any of the sources of Islam. Today, ``Allah and his Prophet's presence'' can be interpreted as the Qur'an and Hadith that they have left behind.

Therefore we must pay due respect to both the Qur'an and Hadith. How? By obeying their commandments, as well as by listening carefully when they are read. In Surah Al A'raf we are told:

So, when the Qur'an is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy

Surah 7 (Al-A'raf) Verse 204

Similarly, if we give preference to our own cultural norms over that of Islam, then we are also being forward in the presence of Allah and his Prophet. Just because our parents did it does not mean that it is right. In fact, the cry of the non-believers was:

Nay! They (i.e. the non-believers): ``We found our fathers following a certain way and religion, and we will guide ourselves in their footsteps''

Surah Surah 43 (Al-Zukhruf) Verse 22

Are we any better than the non-believers if we do this? Clearly, blindly following the way of our ancestors is not always going to be the same as following the path of the Prophet and the Qur'an. In such cases, the Believers choose to follow the path of Allah.

Another verse which I feel is currently important to us is verse 6:

O Believers, if an unrighteous person comes to you with information, you should verify it or else you might inflict harm on a people in ignorance and then end up regretting what you have done.

Surah 49 (Al-Hujurat) Verse 6

This ayah was revealed in specific circumstances. The Prophet had been at war with a tribe called Bani Mustaliq. However, the Mustaliq tribe had, after being caught by the Muslims and released, adopted Islam, and agreed to pay zakat.

The person sent to collect the zakat, al-Waleed ibn 'Uqbah was delayed, and the people of Bani Mustaliq sent a party to the Prophet to find out why they had not been visited by a person to collect zakat. When al-Waleed heard that Bani Mustaliq were sending out a party of men, he was scared that they might be coming to attack and kill him (although there was no evidence of this). So he returned to the Prophet (PBUH) and told him that Bani Mustaliq had refused to pay zakat and had threatened his life, which was a reflection of al-Waleed's fears, rather than the reality. When the representatives of Bani Mustaliq arrived to meet the Prophet, the Prophet questioned them accusingly, because he assumed al-Waleed was telling the truth, then this verse was revealed, reprimanding the Prophet for his snap judgement of Bani Mustaliq.

But again, the implications are much wider than this individual incident. If someone who is unrighteous or whose integrity is not known approaches you with some information, you should not just accept it at face value. You should try to verify it before acting on the information. If the Prophet, the most perfect of the creation can make this mistake, then we certainly will. We must do our best to be wary of sources of information we receive.

This was despite the fact that al-Waleed was Muslim, and, indeed, one of the Sahabah. But his feelings of fear got the better of him; and so he acted in the way he did. Al-hamdulillah, in the above case, the truth became known. But as the verse says, if the truth were not to have become known, what would have happened? As the verse says, you might harm a people in ignorance and later come to regret. How many people would have been killed in the above case, had it not been for the wisdom, or hikmah, of Allah?

I therefore urge myself and yourself to be cautious of individuals providing us with information, and to consider their integrity, ulterior motives and any stresses they may be under. Be cautious of anyone providing you with information that could be detrimental to your relationship with someone, and just as the Prophet was instructed to seek confirmation before committing an action that would later be regretted, so should we. It's amazing how many feuds, wars and battles have been started on this basis along.

Another interesting verse is verse 9. It reads:

And if two factions of the Believers fight, you should make peace between them. But if one of them continues to do wrong to the other, fight the transgressors until they return to Allah's command. If they then do so, make a just peace between them, for verily, Allah loves the just ones.

Surah 43 (Al-hujurat) Verse 9

Again, here we see how we should act if a violent fight occurs between groups of Muslims. We should do our best to bring peace between the two groups, regardless of blame, and if there is a peace, to negotiate fairly between them, without blaming either of the two parties. If, however, one one of them continues to fight, we should fight the warring party until it surrenders, and then negotiate a just peace between them.

In another hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) made his position on this clear. The Prophet said: ``Help your brother, whether he is oppressing or being oppressed.'' One of the Sahabah asked: ``It is clear how to help your oppressed brother, but how do you help someone who is oppressing?'' The Prophet replied: ``By preventing him from oppressing''.

If the Muslim community had stuck to this, would we still be in the mess we are in today? Muslim countries are so weak, that they are not willing to do even this, to act as mediaries between warring Muslim groups. Instead, they support the side that, should it win, would offer them most advantage. Is this Islam? Is this the way they should be behaving?

Then there are three verses which emphasise brotherhood. I'll read all three together, because they present a divine plan for a unified brotherhood of Muslims.
 

Verily, the Believers are brothers, so make peace between your brothers so that you may receive mercy. O believers, people should not scorn others, for perhaps they are better than them. Neither should women scorn other women, for perhaps they may also be better than them. Neither should you discredit each other or abuse each other with nicknames. The worst title is that of ``immorality'' after that of ``belief'' and whoever does not repent is truly  an oppressor. O believers, avoid most forms of suspicion, for verily  in some suspicion there is sin. Neither spy on each other nor backbite. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would detest it, so fear Allah, for verily, he is Oft-forgiving, most  merciful.

Surah 43 (Al-Hujurat) Verse 10-12

How often do we hear the first verse? Indeed, Muslims are brothers. Occasionally, we hear the second part, about making peace, but frequently we are unwilling to get involved. There is an important hadith from the Prophet (PBUH) which states: ``The person who interacts with people and is tolerant of their irritating behaviours is better than the person that does not interact with people and is not tolerant of their irritating behaviours''. Clearly brotherhood is the key to community. The second part is also important, that Muslims must make peace with each other.

In fact, there is a hadith that states that: ``It is not permissible fore a Muslim to break relations with his brother Muslim for more than three nights, each turning away from the other. And the best of them is he who is first to greet the other.'' So even if a Muslim brother has wronged you or upset you in some way, you can not ignore him for more than three days. This verse lays down the key principle. Following this basic principle are the necessary conditions required to implement this principle, explained in the next two verses.

Step 1 of the plan tells us not to scorn each other and dismiss each other lightly, because we think we are above them in stature. This is personal pride getting in the way; and as you all know, pride was what caused Iblees to be thrown out of heaven. When Allah SWT instructed Iblees to make sujood to Aadam, Iblees said, ``I am created from fire and he is created out of mere clay''. For this, he was cast out of heaven. Are we going to fall into the same trap? In another hadith, the Prophet said: ``One who has even a tiny amount of pride in his heart will not enter heaven''.

In addition, who are we to judge who is good and who is bad? Do we know everything about an individual. As the verse says, it may be that they are better than you.

Step two in the plan is that we should not discredit one another, slandering and defaming our brother Muslim. In fact, Muslims should cover up each others' faults, except in very particular circumstances, such as for marriage or for Islamic courts. Similarly, one should not call one by a name that that person does not like, labelling him in a manner which upsets him. The verse quite clearly states that anyone who does so will be losing his title as a Believer and will be reverting to the behaviour of those that are immoral. Do you want to be considered by Allah to be immoral?

Step three (and this for me is the most powerful verse) is that we do not suspect each other. In particular, in the context of unrighteous people providing us with information and people that are discrediting others; it is difficult not to suspect other people of particular things. If everyone is suspicious of everyone else, how can we develop trust for one another? How can a community grow if noone trusts anyone else? If it does, it will collapse. Unfortunately, this is also affecting our community.

The Prophet said, for example, that: ``If your Muslim brother makes an ambiguous statement (i.e. a statement that can be interpreted two ways) for you, you should only interpret it in the best way possible.'' It is also prohibited to spy on one another.

Finally, the topic of backbiting arises. Allah reserves the most detestable criticisms for this behaviour. A definition of backbiting is provided by the Prophet (PBHU). The Prophet was asked ``O Messenger of Allah, what is backbiting?'' The Prophet replied: ``It is mentioning something about your brother which he dislikes'' The Prophet was then asked ``What if what I said were true?'' to which the Prophet answered ``If what you have said is true, you have backbitten, and if it was not, you have not just backbitten, but lied as well''. This backbiting can eat away at the trust that Muslim brothers have for each other.

The terms used in the verse absolutely hammers the point home. I'll remind you what those words are: Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? By backbiting about someone, this is what we are doing. At one time, the Prophet was visited by two fasting women who were dying of thirst. Initially the prophet refused to help them, but eventually, he said to one of the women to vomit into a bowl. She did, and out came a mixture of vomit, blood, pus and half-digested pieces of flesh. He asked the other woman to do the same, and a similar thing happened. When the Prophet saw this, he said: ``Verily, these women have fasted from what Allah has made Halaal and broke their fast on what Allah has made Haraam. They spent their fast eating the flesh of others.''

Backbiting in Islam is not to be taken lightly. If someone is going to make an accusation, that person should hold proof, or should not make the accusation. In Surah al-Noor, verse 4 it says:

And those who accuse chaste women and produce not four witnesses flog them with eighty stripes and reject their testimony forever, for they are faasiqun

Surah 24 (Al-Nur) Verse 4

This punishment is almost as bad as the punishment for fornication itself! So we can see how bad backbiting is. Eighty whips! Imagine today if every time we made an accusation without proper evidence, if we got whipped eighty times. Backbiting is a habit that has contaminated our community and corrupted us. We must do our best to eradicate it at all times.

And finally, Verse 13 of the Surah says:

O mankind, verily we have created you from a single male and female and made you into peoples and tribes that you may know  each other. Verily, the most noble of you is the most God-fearing and Allah is Most Knowledgeable, Most Aware.

Surah 43 (Al-Hujurat) Verse 13

Allah in this verse says that all humanity was derived from the same male and female, Adam and Eve.  Thus we should not feel we are better than any other group, just because of our lineage and race. In fact, the real reason that there are different tribes and races is that we may get to know each other and learn from one another. Each tribe has a certain way of doing things, from which other tribes can benefit. Allah then lays down the criteria for who is best. It is the most pious among us; he who fears Allah the most; not he who is smartest or wealthiest or has the best lineage or any criteria like that.

We should get to know our fellows, and try to learn of their culture, so we may benefit Islam. Clearly, even the very first Muslim communities were multicultural. Among the Sahaabah were Bilal from Ethiopia, Salmaan from Persia, and representatives from almost every Arab tribe at the time. Don't think that the problems of multicultural Islam are new in any way. They were also multicultural in the time of the Prophet. The difference between today and then was that people understood this verse, and understood that the only criteria for judging a person's worth is their Taqwa.

Second Khutbah

I ask Allah's forgiveness, Allah whom there is no God other than He, the Merciful the Beneficient. I declare there is no companion for him, and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger.

Following that, dear brothers. We hear this advice from the Qur'an, telling us, for example, that talking about a brother in a way he would find unpleasant is like eating his flesh once he has died; but do we take any heed?

We have become so used to it, this idea is so insidious that we don't even realise it when it happens. When someone tells us a rumour, we accept it gratefully, like the person has done us a favour by doing so! We shouldn't be grateful; the person telling us the rumour is damning us to Hell! Instead of just quietly accepting the rumour, we should be telling the individual to stop in his act of eating his brother's flesh! The ayah is crystal clear: Would you like to eat the flesh of your brother? Well, do you?

Do we have to look very far for this? No! It happens on a daily basis. I plead with all brothers to be aware of this, including myself.

And you want to see the impact this has, when backbiting and slander run riot? All you have to do is look at the local Muslim community, the divisions, the fights, and the disunity that is completely unislamic. Even on campus here, in the very Islamic society we have today, there are individuals backbiting, and the people who run the Islamic Society have to waste many, many hours trying to fix the problems this has caused; hours which could have been spent on Da'wah, our primary function on campus.

Backbiting is the most destructive force possible in the Muslim community, it undermines the trust and love that Muslims have for each other. It takes many years to build something, but one malicious individual spreading rumours and backbiting can destroy it all. But it is not just the fault of the person spreading the rumour; it is the error of the person who listens and believes them is just as guilty.

Closing du'a

I say this and I ask for Allah's forgiveness.

O Allah, forgive Muslim men and women and believing men and women, the living and the dead, whether they be Arab or non-Arab, o Most Merciful of the Merciful.

O Allah, help all of those who strive in your path wherever they may be, in Palestine, in Afghanistan, in Kashmir and in Bosnia-Herzegovina or wherever they may be.

O Allah, give us in this world your blessing and in the hereafter your blessings and make the punishment of Fire less upon us.

O Allah, whosoever wishes evil upon Islam, make him obsessed with his own matters.

O Allah, whosoever wishes evil upon Islam, make him obsessed with his own matters.

O Allah, whosoever wishes evil upon Islam, make him obsessed with his own matters.

O Allah, help us in guiding the people to your blessed religion.

O Allah, to you is this Du'a made and from you is the reply.

And praises be upon the Prophet Muhammad and his family and followers.