الحمد لله، الحمد لله الذي أذن لعبده بالهجرة، وجعلها السبيل إلى إعلاء كلمة الإسلام والنصرة، نحمده تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير،  ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم. ومن يطع 

الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما. اتقوا الله فيما أمر وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر.

 

Muslims, today is the first of Muharram and the beginning of the year 1431 according to the Islamic calendar, a calendar that starts with the Hijrah of the Prophet from Makkah to Madinah. But why does it start with the hijra instead of, say, one of the great military victories of the Muslims or the birth of the Prophet? What makes the hijra so pivotal to the history of Islam?

Well, first and foremost, the hijra marks the point that the deen went from being a private religion practiced by a few individuals to being a fully functioning political reality. It marks the point when the Muslims went from a position of division and weakness to one of unity and strength. It marks the point when Allah’s long-awaited promised aid and victory arrived. Allah says:

 

إلا تنصُروهُ فقدْ نصرَهُ اللهُ إِذْ أَخرجَهُ الذينَ كَفَروا ثانيَ اثنينِ إِذْ هُمَا في الغَارِ إِذْ يقولُ لصاحبِهِ لا تحزَنْ إِنَّ اللهَ معَنا فأنزلَ اللهُ سكينتَهُ عليهِ وأيَّدَهُ بجنودٍ لمْ تَرَوْهَا وجَعَلَ كلمةَ الذينَ كفَروا السُّفلى وكلمةَ اللهِ هيَ العُليَا واللهُ عزيزٌ حكيمٌ

 

the translation of which is, “If you do not help him, Allah did help him when the kuffar drove him out and there were two of them in the Cave. He said to his companion, ‘Do not be despondent, Allah is with us.’ Then Allah sent down His serenity upon him and reinforced him with troops you could not see. He made the word of the kuffar undermost. It is the word of Allah which is uppermost. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.”

The Hijrah of the Prophet was the turning point for the fledging Muslim umma and as such it behooves every one of us to study it in detail and learn well the lessons that it teaches us:

The first thing it shows us is that as Muslims we cannot accept to remain in a situation where we are powerless or our deen is compromised, but must look for alternatives. The Prophet could have remained in Makkah and could have become a great and wealthy man there - all he had to do was to keep his deen a private affair and stop openly calling people to it. But the deen of Islam was not a private religion, it was an all-encompassing way of life that encompassed every aspect of a Muslim’s life and could never truly be in place unless Islam was uppermost in the land. So the Prophet made hijra to a place where that could happen - al-Madinat al-Munawarra.

Today, the parallels with the situation of the Muslims in Makkah are uncanny - once again we live in a state where the word of kufr is uppermost. Once again we live in a state where we are being told to keep religion private and out of the public sphere. ‘You are free to practice your religion,’ they say, ‘but only those bits which are palatable to modern, secular society and compatible with the doctrines of human rights. Muslims are most welcome so long as they keep their religion within the walls of their mosques and homes.’

In a khutba my father delivered here three years ago, he summed up perfectly the role of Muslims in modern society as defined by by the kafir powers that be:

“They must submit to the justly established authority of the state, play their part by working hard and effectively in the communities where they live, pay their taxes, get any social benefits they are allowed, and provide a much needed moral element, in return for which they will be permitted to worship in their mosques as long as that does not interfere with the right of anyone else to behave in almost whatever way they like. These are the good Muslims. They accept the status quo, become good citizens, tow the global line and on no account rock the boat.” In other words, the kuffar want us to compromise our deen in order to fit in with the ‘values’ of their society, no matter how warped or corrupt. They want us to adopt their milla. Allah says,

وَلَنْ تَرْضَى عَنْكَ الْيَهُودُ وَلَا النَّصَارَى حَتَّى تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ

 

the translation of which is, “The Jews and the Christians will never be pleased with you until you follow their religion.” But we must not do that. We must follow the noble example of the Prophet and make hijra to a place where the deen is not compromised but is established in full. And if we do not find such a place, then we must work tirelessly towards creating one. We have no excuses. We are the inheritors of Allah’s deen on the earth at this time and we have the support of the one to whom all strength and power belong. We have the knowledge and we have the people. All we need is the himma and courage to take that extra step.

And it takes a great deal of courage as we saw from the story of the hijra, for many of the Companions left behind everything that they owned and loved - their homes, families and possessions, and arrived in Madinah with nothing but the clothes on their back. They relinquished everything they had and put their trust in Allah and in the end, received both the dunya and the akhira. There is a lesson in this for all of us - it is not until we are prepared to give up everything in the Way of Allah that Allah will give us anything. There is only space in our hearts for one. Allah says:

مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِرَجُلٍ مِنْ قَلْبَيْنِ فِي جَوْفِهِ

 

the translation of which is, “Allah has not allotted to any man two hearts within his breast.” So long as the dunya is in our hearts, Allah will not be. So we must make hijra in our hearts  to Allah from all that is other than Allah - only then will we be guided and have success. Allah says:

 

قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ آَبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ

 

the translation of which is, “Say: ‘If your fathers or your sons or your brothers or your wives or your tribe, or any wealth you have acquired, or any business you fear may slump, or any house which pleases you, are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and doing jihad in His Way, then wait until Allah brings about His command. Allah does not guide people who are deviators.’” In other words, Allah does not guide people whose hearts are occupied with this world.

But that does not mean that we abandon the means altogether, for another thing which the hijra teaches us is the importance of making use of the means available even though we know that it is not they that grant success to our endeavours but Allah. Despite the fact that Allah had guaranteed his safety and promised him victory, still the Prophet made thorough preparations for his journey - he bought the two camels he would need for the journey and saddled them in advance, he left town by means of a seldom frequented path, he hired an expert guide to show him the way and hid in the cave of Thawr. He did all of these things, despite the fact that Allah was with him and had promised him victory, to teach us the importance of forward planning and making use of the means with which Allah provides us. As Ibn Umar said, we should live in this world as if we were going to be here forever, and live for the next world as if we were going to die tomorrow. Relying on Allah means using whatever means are available to one, but realising that it is not them that bring something about but Allah. 

But, before doing anything of any import, we should wait for idhn - permission - from Allah. Despite being surrounded by his enemies and despite the grave danger which his life was in, the Messenger of Allah would not leave Makkah until he had express permission from his Lord, as he said to Abu Bakr when he came to ask about making hijra,

 

على رسلك فإني أرجو أن يؤذن لي

 

“Wait a bit, for I hope to be given permission to go.” And for another four months he waited until that permission came, for he knew that it was only with idhn from his Lord that he could hope to have success. And Abu Bakr waited with him, for the Messenger of Allah had invited him out of all his Companions to be his companion on the hijra - had invited him to be thaani ithnayn - the second of two. And that fact has led many of the people of knowledge to say that Abu Bakr was the most beloved of the Companions to the Messenger of Allah and therefore the most deserving of becoming the khalifah after him. Indeed the Prophet said about him on another occasion, 

 

لو كنتُ متخذا خليلا لاتخذتُ أبا بكر خليلا

 

“If I were to take a close friend, I would take Abu Bakr as my close friend.” So the hijra provides clear proof of the status and merit of Abu Bakr and his superior right to the khilafah. These are but some of the lessons that we can learn from the greatest event in the history of Islam, the Hijra of the Prophet, but there are many more for those who read the accounts of it and pay heed.

So we ask Allah to give us the necessary himma and resolve to emerge from the corner into which the kuffar have painted us and once again firmly grasp hold of the guidance we have been given. We ask Him to enable us to create a safe haven for all those human beings who desire to worship their Lord and follow the path of His Messengers. We ask Him to make us people of hijra.

 

أقول قولي هذا و أستغفر الله لي و لكم و لسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم.

 

 

الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته.

 

Muslims, as I mentioned, we have today entered into the month of Muharram, one of the four sacred months of the year and thus is one of those months in which both good actions and bad actions are magnified. The Messenger of Allah said,

 

أفضل الصيام بعد رمضان شهر الله المحرم، وأفضل الصلاة بعد الفريضة صلاة الليل

 

“The best fast after Ramadan is that of the month of Allah, Muharram; and the best prayer after the five obligatory ones is the night prayer.” This month is most famous because it contains the day of Ashura, generally said to fall on the tenth of this month. This is one of the auspicious days in the year for it was on this day, according to some of the people of knowledge, that Allah honoured ten of his Prophets: He accepted the tawba of Adam, raised up Idris to a high place, brought the Ark of Nuh to land at al-Judi, gave Ibrahim a son, as well as taking him as a khalil and keeping him safe from the fire into which he had been thrown, forgave Dawud, raised up Isa to the heavens, saved Musa from the sea and drowned Pharaoh, saved Yunus from the belly of the whale, returned Ayyub to his family, health and wealth, and restored Sulayman’s kingdom. Thus it is a day that Allah bestows immense blessings upon creation and so it is highly recommended to honour it by fasting it. That was the practice of the Prophet and His Companions. 

 

عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: قدم النبي  المدينة فوجد اليهود صياما يوم عاشوراء، فقال لهم: ((ما هذا اليوم الذي تصومونه؟)) قالوا: هذا يوم عظيم، أنجى الله فيه موسى وقومه، وأغرق فرعون وقومه، فصامه موسى شكرا فنحن نصومه، فقال: ((نحن أحق بموسى منكم))، فصامه  وأمر بصيامه

 

Ibn Abbas narrated that when the Prophet arrived in Madinah, he found the Jews fasting the day of Ashura, so he asked them, “What is this day that you are fasting?” They replied, “This is an immense day, for on it Allah rescued Musa and his people, and drowned Pharaoh and his people. So Musa fasted it out of thanks to his Lord and we fast it as well.” So the Prophet said, “We have a greater right to Musa than yourselves,” and started to fast that day and commanded the Muslims to fast it.

And over and above this, there is a tremendous reward for fasting it:

 

عن أبي قتادة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله  سُئل عن صيام يوم عاشوراء، فقال: أحتسب على الله أن يكفر السنة التي قبله

 

Abu Qatada narrated that the Messenger of Allah was asked about fasting the day of Ashura and replied, “I have hopes from Allah that it will expiate the sins of the past year.”

The Prophet also recommended that we fast either the day before it or the day after it as well in order to avoid imitating the Jews.

It is also a day when one can guarantee one’s provision for the rest of the year. Muhammad ibn Maysura reported that, 

 

من وسّع على عياله يوم عاشوراء، وسّع الله عليه سائرَ السنة

 

“Whoever provides generously for one’s dependents on the day of Ashura, Allah will provide generously for him throughout the rest of the year.”

This is the source of the practice of Muslims, here in Cape Town and throughout the world, of celebrating this day by preparing feasts and giving presents, especially sweets and nuts, to the children. 

May Allah give us the strength and knowledge to keep the sunna of His beloved Messenger alive, and may He protect us from engaging in reprehensible and repugnant practices that will take us away from Him. May He make this month a time of renewal for the Deen and a time in which the hearts of the Muslims are reunited. We ask Him to bring ease to those who are in difficulty, victory to those who are struggling in His Way and good health to those who are ill. We ask Him to bless the Muslims of this city and bring its other inhabitants to Islam in their droves. We ask Him to give us the best of seals.

 

إنَّ اللهَ ومَلائِكَتَهُ يُصلُّونَ على النَّبِي يَا أَيُها الذينَ آمنوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وسَلِّمُوا تَسْليماً. اللهمَّ صَلِّ وسَلِّم وبارِك عَلَيْهِ وعلى آلِهِ وصَحْبِهِ  أجمعين. 

وارض اللهم عن الخلفاء الراشدين أبي بكرٍ وعمرَ وعثمانَ وعلي ، وعن سائر الصحابة أجمعين، خصوصا الأنصارَ منهم والمهاجرين، وعن التابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

اللهم اهد ولاة أمور المسلمين لما يرضيك ولاتباع سنة نبيك صلى الله عليه وسلم  وثبت أقدامهم على الصراط المستقيم وأصلحهم يا رب العالمين.

اللهم بارك على شيخنا، و على أميرنا، وعلى جميع أمراءِ وزعماء المسلمين.  

اللهم بارك على المسلمين في هذه المدينة ووفقهم لما تحبه وترضاه يا أكرم الأكرمين. 

اللهمّ أَعِزَّ الْلإسلامَ والمُسِلمينَ (3)  واَخْذُلِ الكُفْرَ والكافِرينَ، وانْصُرِ المُجاهِدينَ في سَبِيلِ اللهِ. واجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وكَلِمَةَ الكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلى.

ربنا ءاتنا في الدنيا حسنة وفي الأخرة حسنة وقنا عذاب النار. 

اللهم لا تضعْ في مقامِنا هذا ذنبا إلا غفرْتَه، ولا عيبا إلا سترْتَه، ولا مريضا إلا شفيتَهُ وعافيتَه، ولا مسجونا إلا طلَّقْتَ سراحَه، ولا مسافرا في برِّك وبحرِك إلا سلِمتَهُ وغنِمْتَه.

إن الله يأمر بالعدل والإحسان وإيتاء ذي القربى وينهى عَنِ الفحشاءِ والمُنكَرِ والبغي، يعظكم لعلكم تذكرون، ولَذِكْرُ اللهِ أكبر والله يَعْلَمُ ما تَصْنَعُون. وقُومُوا إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يرحمكم الله