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, either the coming Tuesday or the coming Wednesday will be the first of Muharram, the start of the year 1432 hijri. In other words, 1431 years have passed since that day the Prophet made hijra from Makka to Madina. But what is so significant about the hijra that makes it worthy of being the starting point for the Islamic calendar? Why did the Muslims choose it and not the birthday of the Prophet or the day he first received the Message and started to call people to Allah? 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 is it about this event that makes it so pivotal to the history of Islam and made the Prophet describe it in a hadith narrated by Amr ibn Anbasa as being the very best of actions?

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. Despite the fact that it appeared to be an act of flight and running away, it in reality marks the point when Allah’s long-awaited 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.” For the hijra was not an act of fleeing from creation as might be supposed, but rather an act of fleeing to Allah. And any act of fleeing to Allah is a victory, even if it ends in death, for He is the source of guidance and success. Allah says,

 

وَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ قُتِلُوا أَوْ مَاتُوا لَيَرْزُقَنَّهُمُ اللَّهُ رِزْقًا حَسَنًا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ

 

the translation of which is, “Those who make hijra in the Way of Allah and then are killed or die, Allah will provide for them handsomely. Truly Allah is the best Provider.”

And that was especially true of the hijra of the greatest of creation - it, more than any other event in his lifetime, represented the great victory the Muslims had hoped for. And as such it is imperative for 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 we as Muslims 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, keep their politically incorrect views to themselves and pay their taxes.’ We are welcome so long as we accept the status quo and become cobs in the system, accepting the hegemony of godless usurers and faceless corporations without demur. 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.” And, unfortunately, all too many of us seem content to do that, just as the Prophet warned us,

 

لتتبعن سنن الذين من قبلكم شبرا بشبر وذراعا بذراع حتى لو دخلوا جحر ضب تبعتموهم قلنا: يا رسول الله اليهود والنصارى ؟ قال: فمن 

 

“You will follow the ways of those who came before you, inch by inch and yard by yard until, even were they to enter the hole of a lizard, you would follow them.” They asked, “Do you mean the Jews and the Christians?” He replied, “Who else?” Too many of us accept the status quo, perfectly content to live lives in which our deen is compromised, justifying it to ourselves by saying that we are near to the end of time and there is nowhere for us to go and nothing that we can do. There is nowhere out of the cell in which we find ourselves and so all we can do is make ourselves comfortable in it and change it cosmetically in a way that makes it appear to conform to the Command. Hence the appearance of a new type of fiqh, the fiqh of aqalliyat - the fiqh of minorities. Hence the appearance of ‘Islamic’ banks. ‘Islamic’ stock markets and ‘Islamic democracy’. Hence the abandonment of amirate, zakat, and the fiqh of mu’amalat and the rise of groups such as the Tablighi Jamaat who despite their huge numbers talk solely about ibadat and never of jihad or muamalat. Hence the deen of Allah becoming simply a religion and the only that differentiates a Muslim from a non-Muslim his name, clothing, diet and the fact that he prays and fasts. In all other aspects he is just like non-Muslim work colleagues and neighbours.

All of this has come about because we have abandoned the Prophetic sunna of hijra. We must follow his example 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 or such a place does not exist, for the milla of kufr is just as evident in the so-called Muslim countries as it is anywhere else, then we must work tirelessly towards creating such a place or a situation whereby such a place can come into being. For although hijra primarily refers to a physical emigration from one place to another, that emigration starts with sincere intention and turning fully to Allah. It is no accident that the word ‘hijra’ features prominently in the famous hadith about intention:

 

إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوى فمن كانت هجرته إلى الله ورسوله فهجرته إلى الله ورسوله ومن كانت هجرته لدنيا يصيبها أو امرأة ينكحها فهجرته إلى ما هاجر إليه

 

“Actions are by intention, and people only get what they intend. If a person’s hijra is to Allah and His Messenger, then his hijra is to Allah and his Messenger, and if his hijra is to get something of the dunya or to marry a woman, then his hijra will be for what he has made hijra for.” That hijra to Allah and His Messenger starts with leaving all that Allah has forbidden, no matter how impossible it may seem. The Prophet said, 

 

والمهاجر من هجر ما حرم الله عليه

 

“The muhajir is the one who leaves what Allah has made forbidden for him.” This hijra is not something optional, but is obligatory on every Muslim. It is the duty of every one of us to see that Allah’s deen, in all its glory, is once again established on the earth.  It is the duty of every one of us to take that step towards Madina, towards that complete deen that impacts and governs every aspect of our lives. The deen is more than dhikr circles and study circles, the deen is more than the mosque. That is the Islam of Makka before the hijra. The deen is hijra, the deen is muamalat. That is Madina and that is where we must all go. And that is where our Shaykh, Shaykh Abdalqadir as-Sufi’s teaching is taking us. So let us put that teaching into practice. Let us bring back the zakat, let us bring back the gold and silver and let us live as Muslims. 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. Now all that is needed is courage and a firm himma.

 

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.

 

I mentioned at the end of the first khutba that what we need is courage, for that quality is sorely lacking from a great many of the Muslims. And the reason for that is because they are afraid of other than Allah - they are afraid of losing their job, losing their home, being ostracised etc. etc. This fear and anxiety that has infected the hearts of so many of us has but one cure and that is fear of Allah, for true fear of Allah leaves no room for fear of anything else. This fear of Allah permeated the hearts of the Companions, giving them a degree of courage unparalleled in the history of mankind. And it was that courage that enabled them to make hijra, with many of them leaving behind everything that they owned and loved - their homes, families and possessions, and arriving 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. And in that there is a lesson 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.

 

إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً. اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ  أَجْمَعِينَ. 

وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ.

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ.  

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ (3) وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى.

رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ. 

اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَدَعْ فِي مَقَامِنَا هَذَا ذَنْباً إِلاَّ غَفَرْتَهُ، وَلاَ عَيْباً إِلاَّ سَتَرْتَهُ، وَلاَ مَرِيضاً إِلاَّ شَفَيْتَهُ وَعَافَيْتَهُ، وَلاَ مَسْجُوناً إِلاَّ طَلَقْتَ سَرَاحَهُ، وَلاَ مُسَافِراً فِي بَرِّكَ وَبَحْرِكَ إِلاَّ سَلِِمْتَهُ وَغَنِمْتَهُ.

إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.