THE STREET MIMBAR – Khutbah (14 October 2005)
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They want to extinguish the light of ALLAH with their mouths but ALLAH will complete and perfect HIS light, it doesn’t matter how averse the kaafirs and the mushriks are there-to 	
Bismillah Ar-Rahmaan Ar-Raheem. 
Alhumdulillah. Peace and blessings on Muhammad, his Noble Companions and Family. 

Brothers and sisters, Committed Muslims…

With Allahs help and with the confidence and reliability in our relationship with Him, we will continue to shed light on the nature, the facts and the impact that the jews had and still have whenever Islam is more than rituals. We will take a sample to add to the others of how they behaved towards the Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam). If they had the temurity, the guts and the gall to behave the way they did with our Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam), then obviously they can behave worse than that, in a more confrontational way and with less guilt and qualms with us than they did with him.

There was a noble (as they would call him) yahudi by the name of Shaas ibn Qais who was known to the yahudi and Muslim community. Even though he was an elderly person, his age was no barrier to his feelings and destructive thoughts. This prominent figure in the yahudi community of Al-Medinah saw how the Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam) brought together avowed enemies- Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj were something like irreconcileable enemies, it was impossible to bring them together, much less to mould them into one society and unite them against outside threats. Shaas ibn Qais was so disturbed and irritated when the Prophet brought Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj together, have their hearts meet, then marginalise all the tension, conflicts and animosity that they had in previous times, that he told one of the younger yahudis in that yahudi community: “Why don’t you go and attend the meetings between Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj?” Something that didn’t happen before- Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj were meeting on the battle-field- not at brotherly sessions, so these yahud were upset because they used to thrive and live off the animosity and hatred between Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj. Now, there was no longer any hatred, so they felt disturbed by this. So he sent one of the younger individuals to attend these friendly and brotherly meetings and he instructed him" “When you are with them and as the occasion presents itself, try to interject into their discussions some of their previous history.” True to these instructions, this younger yahudi goes and sits with the discussants from Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj who were no longer at odds with each other because the Prophet and the word of Allah melted and eliminated the hatred that was there. As is familiar with yahud, they wait for the appropriate moment and then they begin to speak- this yahudi is tuned into the sensitivities of what makes both sides tick and he waited for the appropriate slant of the discussion and then interjected a sensitive issue between the two sides- day in their history called yawm Bu’ath. Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj were new comers to Islam and they carried with them weaknesses, vulnerabilities and issues that can re-surface and have their previous character conquer their Islamic character- and this is what yahud tried to stir in this meeting by reminding them of Yawm Bu’ath- a day in which the Aws scored a victory against Al-Khazraj. Two individuals from both camps who were weak in their Islamic character picked up on these yahudi words and they began to exchange verbal vollies and harsh statements against each other. What was previously Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj before they became Muslims right now seemed like it was going to split the Muslim community again in Al-Medinah. The word immediately went to the Prophet who immediately tried to remedy this cleavage that yahud with their inside knowledge of our psychology were trying to create. If you pay close attention, this is why on certain occasions these yahud  want to know what makes a Muslim tick, and what’s the sensitive issue that will stir your bad feelings towards another Muslim. For you to understand the tension that was there- after the younger yahudi instigated this hatred among them, both the Aws and the Khazraj agreed to meet at a certain place in Al-Medinah and they called their members to carry arms- meaning this is a war-cry. The Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam) came to a people who were characterised by not getting together, and yahud as we stated previously took sides. They’re not squarely with one faction, you’ll find them all over, because they don’t want to lose. Someone is going to win and they will ride that tide of success in their own financial way. The same thing characterised them in Al-Medinah, they were not all with Al-Aws or all with Al-Khazraj- just like they’re not all with the democrats or all with the republicans, they try to find an internal position with all of them. In that way, they’ll know and understand what will upset this faction as opposed to that faction. And you can rest assured that they are trying their best to make inroads among the Muslims to see what will stir the feelings of hatred against other Muslims. This is true regarding the broad Islamic movement, and it is true regarding local affairs of Muslims.  We hear now, that there are two trends in Islamic Iran- and they are trying to figure out what will polarise the feelings of each trend and stir it to the degree that each side will try to defeat the other side by the use of arms. So, when Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj’s pre-Islamic disposition kicked in and their jahili character overwhelmed their Islamic character, the Prophet came to them and said: “How do you do this when I am still in your presence. I remind you of Allah who has brought you this privlege of Islam by which you have relinquished your jahili tendencies and by which your hearts have been brought together.” And when they listened to the Prophet, they understood and figured out how all of this began- it took the Prophet to raise their attention and trace what happened in their conversation and to figure out that it was a yahudi young man who came to them and began reminding them of their days of hostilities. And for this, Allah revealed eternal instructions, if only Muslims could listen to Allah when He speaks. Many times Muslims speak about unity. How many times have you and I heard the ayaat from Surah-Ahl-Imran? I think every Muslim has heard:
WA’ TASIMU BI HAB LILAHI JAMI AW WA LA TAFARRAKU (Al-Qur’an : Surah Ahl-Imran 3:103)
Every Muslim has heard this ayah, but very few Muslims, if any at all, know that this ayah was generated by Allah in response to this yahudi plan to split the new Muslim society in Al-Medinah along jahili lines, with Al-Aws on one side and Al-Khazraj on the other side. When this ayah is mentioned, how many Muslims know the yahudi mind and name who instigated another younger yahudi to go to these Muslim get-togethers and remind them of their pre-Islamic history? Not many! Why?! Because this area in which the Muslim mind needs information is starved of the necessary information. It is sad to say that the Muslims read what Allah has to say, but cannot understand the issues in life that the words they are reading are speaking about. Yahud don’t give up, because when they see Muslims getting together, they agitate.

On another occasion, when the Islamic affair in Al-Medinah was consolidated after the first military encounter with the mushriks of Makkah proved that the Muslims now were a power to be reckoned with, a yahudi says, and he refers to Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj by a name that not even Muslim scholars are familiar with- does any Muslim know that Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj were called “Banu Qayla”? You can go up to Muslim scholars, and ask them, “Respected scholar, who are Banu Qayla?”- and 99% of the time, you’re not going to have an answer. That’s how thoroughly Muslims have become detached and torn-away from vital infomation in our construction as Muslims in the world. This yahudi says at the consolidation of Islam after the military encounter in Badr, “Refering to Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj- when the elites of the descendants of Bani Qayla meet and agree, we (yahud) no longer have any status in Al-Medinah.” They know that when Muslims come together, they no longer have the type of status they had before, so something has to be done about this. 

There were two public figures in Al-Medinah from yahud. At that time, poets were public figures, they are like the propagandists that we have in contemporary society- strategists, commentators, analysts, politicians, spokespersons for the government- all of these were combined in that public image of these poets in Al-Medinah at the time. Then they began to express their hostility to Islam from these positions.  One of them was called (this is also for your memory- you’re a Muslim) Abu Asq. This is how the word comes to us from our history- Abu Asq began producing poetry that was slanderous and defamatory to the Prophet and to the Muslims. In our time, they would use the “Freedom of Speech” issue and say “Well- there’s freedom of speech.” Yes, there’s freedom of speech, but not when you’re in a position that combines a strategist with a commentator, with an analyst, with a politician, and to speak in such terms against the Prophet of Allah and the Islamic State in Al-Medinah. And then, these words began to circulate. There was a Muslim by the name of Saalim ibn Umair who said, “I’ve had enough” and he went to this yahudi and he killed him. You would expect people who are living among other people to respect the society that they are in- these yahud don’t even show any respect for the society that they are in. They speak foul against the Prophet when the majority of people around revere the Prophet, they love the Prophet and they would give their lives to the Prophet- How dare you say such things!

And then, there was another yahudi person in Al-Medinah who some Muslims may have heard of- Kaab ibn Ashraf- who was also in one of these positions. (Remember- yahud in Al-Medinah had an agreement with the Prophet and the Islamic government which spelt out their civil, religious and political rights), after the mushriks lost at Badr, this person went beyond those rights. He left Al-Medinah and joined the mushriks in Makkah. There were no yahudis in Makkah, but this persons hatred for Islam made him leave Al-Medinah and speak very highly of the mushriks of Makkah, and he turned his poisonous words against the Prophet, Muslims and against Muslim women in Al-Medinah, and then, he had the courage to come back from Makkah to Al-Medinah. Imagine- he did all of this to the Muslims  and then he took it for granted that the Muslims are going to be so merciful and they’re going to tolerate the damage that is coming from him. But the Prophet said: “Who can help me against ibn Ashraf?” That was a polite way of saying that ibn Ashraf who has violated our agreement with the jewish community in Al-Medinah has incurred the ultimate penalty which is capital punishment. And a Muslim by the name of Muhamed ibn Muslimah stood up and said: I will- Ya Rasulallah- O Prophet of Allah, it’s my responsibility- I’ll take him on.” And then there were others who joined him, and they went to this yahudi one night and said, “We want to speak to you” and they began talking until the atmosphere was relaxed and they killed that yahudi. Should Muslims be ashamed of killing a yahudi in that position? Remember, if yahud/ the jews have a point in their history with the Prophet and with the Muslims of those days, why don’t they bring this issue up? Have you ever bothered to read what yahud says about those years, that generation and that time? From reading their encyclopedias and history works, you would think they didn’t have contact with the Prophet because there’s nothing to speak about. If they wanted to speak the truth they would condemn themselves- so it’s better for them not to speak about that time and era. But are we to think that yahud in the hundreds if not the thousands who lived in Al-Medinah and the Arabian Peninsula had no contact with the Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam)? And then, when we look a little closer, we find out that it was a contact of hatred, defamation and of lampooning the Prophet and the Muslims. But the Muslims were not going to put up with this. They could tolerate a sentence or a statement or two, but for yahud to try to stir public opinion- they weren’t going to tolerate that. The Muslims didn’t put up with it, and they killed ibn Ashraf, just like they killed his fore-runner. Were the Muslims apologetic for this? No- why should they be? 

We have their equivalent in our time, but where is the Muslim will and determination to eliminate these types? When thirteen spies were caught in their act in the Islamic Republic of Iran, voices from all over the world were being heard to try to intercede on behalf of the thirteen yahudis. There were also non-yahudis- there were “Muslims” who were involved in this syndicate of spies in the Islamic Land. No-one speaks about them- why was all the attention and care concentrated on the thirteen yahudis? What were they upto? Why doesn’t anyone want to speak about it from the Muslim side? Why did the news go concealed? Muslims should have nothing to be ashamed of or apologetic about- this is our history with them. We should either identify them through the words of Allah and their behaviour with the Prophet or the way they act now and today. Look at the guts these yahud have. A few years ago, they came out with a full page in the newspaper against $400million that the United States government wanted to give the Palestinian Authority and Yasser Arafat to act as their guards- they’re not satisfied with that. Yet the Muslims don’t have the courage to come out with the figures and the facts of the tens of billions of dollars that are going to the yahudi establishment in Occupied Palestine through the channels of the United States government. In these ads, yahud tell us that they have 40million american christians who share their opinion and their thoughts. How can yahud- who conspired to kill (in the christian world of things) “the son of God” have 40million supporters, and the Muslims who consider Jesus the son of Mary to be Ar-Rusul and the Messiah himself don’t even have a measely 100 000 americans on our side? What’s happened to the Muslim mind, that it’s not even able to identify those who are the bitter, the historical and the contemporary enemies of As-Salaat and As-Salaam on the Prophet? Have the words become meaningless or so traditional that this tradition and this custom blocks our vision and our understanding of who yahud were then, and who yahud are now. This is not the end of it, they did not give up on trying to frustrate the Prophet and that early expression of Islam and they are not willing to give up frustrating the Islamic movement and the Islamic state now. Have you ever seen the american side and the yahudi side on television? You can understand the yahudi side have jews representing it, but the american side- Dennis Ross, Martin Indick and Madeline Albright- yahud are representing the american side. Yahud represent israel, and yahud represent the United States of America- now do you understand why Allah combines them and says “Ya Ahlul kitaab”? 
Say: (this is for you to say- what’s wrong that Muslims can no longer say what Allah is telling them to say) O people of scripture- you who say you are jews and christians- why do you claim that Allahs words are lies and you defy him and you oppose him while Allah bears witness to everything that you are doing? Say: O people of scripture- why do you try to sabotage Allahs cause? Why do you try to subvert the pace of those who are heading towards Allah? And while you are doing that, you seek to take these servants of Allah astray. And Allah is not oblivious of what you are doing. (Surah Ahl-Imran verse 98-99)
And then after saying this to them, Allah turns the ayaat to us :
O you who are committed to Allah, (whether it was the Aws and Khazraj in the first generation of Muslims or whether it is whatever thought line there is now), if you obey a segment of these people who were given scripture, you will denounce your imaan. (Surah Ahl-Imran verse 100)
Listen to Allah- even though you may be praying, fasting or going to Hajj, you have denounced your imaan by becoming dependant on them and obeying them. They will have you revert to a state of kufr and none of these cultural mechanics are going to disguise your reality.
But how do you revert to kufr, and these ayaat of Allah are demonstrated to you and in your midst is the Prophet? (Surah Ahl-Imran verse 101)
This is not only a verbal tilawah, it’s a practical tilawah. Yahud are demonstrating their kufr today as they did in the presence of the Prophet– and the Prophet is the only personality that lives in our conscience. The fact of the matter is that the ayaat of Allah are not demonstrated in our lives because the only faculty we have to bring the ayaat of Allah to life is our thought and our thinking and when we fail to think, Allahs ayaat fail to have a tilawah or a demonstration on us in practical life. When we have this reality that we all share, and when we have all the forces in the world taking joy in what is happening to us, it is unconscionable in this atmosphere of crisis to have our Masjids in our lands and in our communities (on Fridays in particular) behaving as though nothing is happening. You go to the majority of these places, and they don’t want to speak about Muslims in conditions of duress. What would the Prophet of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say if hundreds of thousands of Muslims became the canon fodder of the militaries of the world? Would he say don’t bring up this issue? Would he say we need a lobby inside of Persia or inside the Roman Empire? Would he say our diplomats are attending to this affair? How do Muslims today act contrary to the sunnah and the out-spoken words of the Prophet that tell us all that we are a brotherhood and that we should care for each other? If you go to these Masjids that are under occupation, you don’t get a sense of caring for or thinking of the Muslims on that level. They want to bury you in cultural and traditional issues, and give it a veneer of Islam by quoting a convenient hadith or ayah out of context. That is why we languish and we linger from one catastrophe to the next. Have the courage to go into the Masjid and say what Allah says with the context that it belongs to and with the relevance of  our day and time. When that happens, we are on our way to fulfilment and actualisation of what we are supposed to be. And because of those who have taken the lead in areas around the world where Muslim blood is flowing, that day is coming and as for yahud and the enemies of Islam- they can stew in their soup of hatred, defamation and malignment of these sincere souls of Allah.