Paris Bombings and the Rise of Islamophobia ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi

In this Khutbah (sermon), Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi discusses the recent trials facing the Muslims at the eve of Anti-Muslim rhetoric in the American Election run-up and the backlash after the recent Paris bombings. Dr. Qadhi provides two practical ways Muslims can face and overcome such trials and challenges in America (and globally).

Some topics covered:

Our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) predicted that as we come closer to the day of Judgment, more calamities and trials would be faced. He (pbuh) said: "Later times are going to be afflicted with trials you are going to find difficult to bare" and "Every time one comes, it will make the previous one look trivial". The people will say "this is the one, this is the one" thinking it is much more than the previous.

We are seeing this hadith enacted before our eyes. Rise of Islamophobia is at its highest levels. Republican candidates have recently called for: (to the effect)
i) All Muslims should be ID'ed and registered in a database (and more)
ii) Shutting down every single mosque in America
iv) Muslims should not run for office.

Islamophobia is not only rampant and acceptable among candidates, but each time they utter a negative comment, their ratings receive a boost.

Muslim American communities should not have a lazy attitude. There are crazy lunatics on both sides. Yet some candidates have said "mosques are centers of radicalization." What a blatant lie! Those of us who frequent the mosques know this is far from truth. If we don't correct this misconception, who will?

One publication in the UK compared Muslims to the rats invading their territories. This is what the Nazis had done to the Jews of their own lands. Nazis made Jews register and wear badges. Now for the last 70-80 years, the motto has been "NEVER AGAIN" yet we are now again hearing the same rhetoric but towards the Muslims. While such candidates are getting called out by a minority few, it has been gentle and trivialized.

What should Muslims do as believers in Allah and as Americans who want to protect our freedoms? The response needs to be two-pronged. Religious and Activist.

Reading the Qur'an and Sunnah and contemplating why this is happening is the religious side. But just being religious isn't going to solve the problem. Our prophet was an activist in Makkah. He preached and taught, but also went around negotiating and getting the freedoms he wanted. When he didn't get it in one place he got it elsewhere (ie, Medina)

We are guaranteed the freedom to be Muslim in this country, that is why many of us came here. The irony is that many of us came here running from religious persecution but are now potentially facing much worse here. Thank God (Alhamdulillah), the situation is not completely dismal. People are speaking out, but now is the time to get our acts together.

While the ahadith (prophet narrations) do appear to be doom and gloom, they were not meant for us to become politically inactive or lazy. These hadith were meant to console us that when times get bad, we were told it would get bad. The Prophet (pbuh) said that near the day of judgement there would be rampant killings. We're seeing both sides of this (innocent civilians being killed by evil individuals and also governments bombing areas causing mass destruction and deaths). Our Prophet (pbuh) even said that a person would kill another and not even know why he did it. He (pbuh) also said that trials would come down on the Ummah (community) like drops of rain, such that no one would escape it. Some trials will be so difficult that a person would wake up a Muslim, but go to bed as a disbeliever. Meaning, a person will leave his beliefs due to the trials. Note, even if a person saves himself in this world for a small period, it will not save him in the hereafter.

Therefore these narrations console us that we knew things would happen, but it doesn't mean we accept status-quo. Therefore we should fight for our freedoms and any type of oppression. We don't let people take away our rights to be Muslim.

Fitna is known as "trials" today, but linguistically comes from Fatana ("to examine"). The goldsmith was called the "Fattan" (one who examines real vs fake gold). Their furnace was called "Fitna" sine it tests the gold - impure gold goes in and pure gold comes out.

Therefore, the purpose of a fitna (trial) is to purify the righteous believers.

...and much more.. including practical religious and activist tips.

Recorded 20th November 2015