Hujjatul Islam Ustad Syed Jawad Naqvi
(Principal Jamia Orwatul Wuthqa – Lahore)
Delivered at: Masjid Baitul ul Ateeq
Lahore – Pakistan
Friday Sermon – 24th November, 2023
Sermon 1 : Apathy – A social diseases of Ummah exposed by Gaza
Sermon 2 : Progress of Muslims is blocked by sanctimonious personalities
I invite you all and myself towards divine Taqwa and establish you lives in accordance with Taqwa which is the security , protection plan for all comprehensive dimensions of human life. Every aspect of life is part of system of guidance and there is a security arrangement made by Allah. Life, Guidance and protection are all related but in understanding of religion differences and disassociations have come. Religion has been confined to only certain limited aspects of life and majority of sects consider religion only for worship. Taqwa has been limited to the lowest possible level in our understanding of religion. It is like preparing an infant dress for a young man. Taqwa is widespread to the extent human life is spread. The way life gets wasted without guidance similarly guidance gets wasted without Taqwa. We can see we ourselves and others are wasting their lives and guidance both because they have not adapted the security mechanisms in both.
We make home and create a boundary wall for protection but when dangers increase we place barbed wires on wall, and further if danger enhances we deploy security cameras. Allah has made similar arrangements for security. Generally people like life but not guidance but religious people they like life , guidance both do not go towards protection of these.
The resemblance of society is made to human body in the teachings of Islam and Prophet (s). The way body is made with connection of different parts the society gets formed like this. One important aspect of body is health for which you need to take safe, pure food and then other part of health is with treatment and medicines. This way human body becomes secure through various dangers in atmosphere. Man has made such an organized system for the health though in reality Allah has made all these nutrition in food etc. and man has studied, discovered and then developed a beautiful system for health. In our lives man has to visit thousands of time to doctors take medicines and becomes secure. Today’s medical science protects man from dangerous diseases. The society is also like this only and similar laws like body is there for society as well. Like body society also has a body and soul. The society is not a collection of individuals but it is mechanism of the individuals in a particular manner. If you bring pieces of slaughtered parts of animal and place together it won’t be considered as animal. The animal is a living reality other than the parts of body. A family is not individuals staying under roof but it’s a special relationship and mechanism, formula under which they live they become family. The family is another reality.
The way body becomes sick the society also has diseases. To understand diseases of body there is a system of diagnosis in medical science which is termed as pathology whereby tests are done to find out the disease and its cause. This has fundamental importance and the dependency of body is on this. The society is also a body whose parts are all human beings like this society of Pakistan is having 250 million and if they establish a specific relationship amongst themselves then it can be termed as society which is not there right now. They gather together in places like stadium, mosques but are not connected with each other to form a society. When a society gets formed its safety and protection is a very important stage. If there is no mechanism for safety then society gets endangered with various threats and calamities. A healthy person can be identified by his face, voice and movements as compared to a sick, weak body. Similarly a society can be identified by witnessing it.
The safety of body has been systemized whereby all safety rules have been adopted , hospitals are made, doctors are present and diagnosis methods are all present, executed and every human being is taking advantage from that. But when it comes to society there is total negligence. We have not found the rules, principles, methods for formation and protection of society from which , how diseases come and methods of protection. It is a big negligence that there is no society for preserving its health. Hence when society becomes sick, then one after another disease catch and entire society becomes sick. Certain societies have been inflicted with diseases like cancer but they are negligence and eventually such societies die. The Quran has mentioned about death of societies like community of Lut got destroyed due to disease of lust.
Today’s society is a sick society and on certain incidents the diseases gets revealed. Like when some people think they are healthy but when they have to run or climb upstairs they find that they are weak. Similarly the society has ups and downs from where we can find out if the society is weak or healthy.
If we follow the principles of division of society as per sociology we can divide the society as religious, non-religious, secular, poor, urban, rural which are all various faces of society as the principles remain the same. At times the diseases which were concealed come out and then we know that this person is severely sick. Some people have TB which is a silent disease that catches from inside but when blood comes out in coughing it is detected. If we look at the source of religion then we can see Quran, Sunnah, Aql from where religion seems very vast, but in sectarian religion it is small like a match box. There is a difference between religion and the teachings, understanding of religion. If we see Quran as an example the worship of Friday and the teachings which are done, there is a big difference. We are habituated to take religion from means and not directly from Quran. There is a complete social system in Quran and its principles for protection of society which is Taqwa. The Quran has mentioned the sickness of society, its causes are all openly and clearly expressed by Quran as Quran is Bayyanah (clearly elaborated without any confusion). We have placed veils on these clear things presented by Quran. As my teacher says the Quran came down from the unseen world to this seen world and made it easy for people to understand we have again sent it back to the world of unseen such that no one can understand it.
The religion of Quran is very clear and the social system is very clear and enlightened specifically the social diseases, its pathology and treatment. In this pathology Quran says look at the face of society which are some people as samples from where you can understand the type of disease in this society.
Today the tragedy that is going on in Palestine, Gaza where barbarism is going on. Israel and their supporters Jews Zionist, Christian Zionist, Hindu Zionist and Muslim Zionists are all barbaric. Zionist is not a religion but it is related to the mountain Zion in Palestine where there would be a final encounter after which they will establish Jews state globally. They started this Zionist movement 100 years back whereby they wanted to establish a state in Palestine. This would be done by killing and eradicating their entire lineage. It is not that they want to remove Palestinian but they want to kill everyone because even if one child remains they would return back some day. Anyone who is part of this movement is a Zion whether he is Jew or not that is anyone who wants to finish Palestine and strengthen Zionists. Till day Muslims have helped to kill more Palestinians. Today’s Hamasa has unveiled them and also discovered a big disease of human society.
There is one cruel, tyrant group who are eradicating the Palestine lineage. The other group is the entire world. Quran has specified to distance from Taghoot so that it does not dominate you to this extent that they terminate your existence. But the situation of Gaza has unveiled the curtains from the human society which was mentioned by Quran. We did not take these from Quran and considered only as a book of rewards and not for guidance. As Ali (a) says if you would have made Quran as your Imam then it would have made you reach where Allah wants you to be. The Quran has presented a law under which the human society should be established. That is Tarabut which is relationship amongst people, and then Taawun that is supporting each other, and then third is Tarahum which is being merciful relationship and also termed as Sila e Rahm.
The Quranic Fiqh does not start with Taharat from water. The religion of Quran starts from Amr Bil Maroof and Nahy Anal Munkar, the foundation of religion is based on this. You have to summon Maaroof which is a duty of society and Ummah and not Ulama. You should become an Ummah who should do Amr Bil Maroof and Nahy Anal Munkar. And this Nahy Anal Munkar should be done across the world. Every individual is responsible for doing Amr Bil Maroof and Nahy Anal Munkar across the world. Wherever Maroof is not seen summon there and wherever there is Munkar go there to stop it. In the chapter of Amr Bil Maroof , Nahy Anal Munkar interesting things have been spoken by our elders. The best Ummah as per Quran is one who does Amr Bil Maroof and Nahy Anal Munkar. The ideal society is one who does Amr Bil Maroof and Nahy Anal Munkar.
Imam Hussain (a) started his uprising with the statement that I am leaving to do Amr Bil Maroof and Nahy Anal Munkar and to reform the society from sickness. What is that? Yazid’s governance has exposed the disease of Ummah who has remained silent on Yazid becoming ruler. This is the corruption in the Ummah and I have to end this corruption in Ummah. The name which Quran has given to his corruption is being unconcerned, insensitive that is apathy. This means whatever is happening you are unconcerned. When soul becomes victim of apathy it becomes insensitive. The sympathy ends in society and becomes unconcerned , insensitive and in the state of depression. The situation of Gaza is highly anxious. The oppression on Gaza is one grievous state but the rest of the world has become unconcerned, insensitive. There are people dying there, they look at pictures but still we are living our lives comfortably in unconcerned state. In depression eventually man does suicide. These people who are insensitive are going towards death. A healthy society is not like this. It is the sick society where people are not concerned. You would have seen in our society dacoits come in public place to steal a mobile from someone, to rob someone, but no one stops them instead just make a selfie. Few days before a child killed six persons in accident on street and we all look at this. They are criminals and we are sick. Israel is a criminal and we are all sick. It is confirmed that for people of Gaza there is salvation after death and if they have committed sins they have achieved this status that they are secure from punishment of hereafter. These sick people will suffer both in the world and hereafter. These sick people need treatment. We want to stop someone doing suicide. This society who is a victim of apathy is a bigger criminal than Israel. The Syrians were killing in Karbala and Kufians were making selfies in Kufa. The entire world has turned into Kufa. Since we are unconcerned from society and lost in materialistic world hence day by day the human society is becoming sick. They are under a serious situation from where we have to get out. Prophet Isa came to give cure to sick and Allah (s) arouses such saints in communities who become victims of such diseases. Imam Hussain (A) did this uprising to awaken the Ummah and cure this disease. If we ask Quran then all the realities are present in Quran, but we consider reading Quran without some means. I remember in a foreign trip , one woman pleaded to get some time. She met me and was crying, then said I had desire to read Quran which I started to read and I love Quran and its my life. She said one lady orator has come to recite Majlis and I recited Quran , she told me that you are dwelled for Hell because your Makharij are not correct. She said I was happy that I was living my entire life with Quran and she has told me you will to go hell because you cannot differ between Seen and Swaad. Hence we don’t read Quran with the fear that we cannot recite the letters properly. This is oppression on Quran. The Muazzin of Prophet (s) was from Ethiopia, he would not say Sheen, but seen. He is delivering Azaan for 5 times and the prophet is asking him to recite Azaan. The Prophet (s) would love his Azan, when the time for prayer would come he would say Come Bilal , recite Azaan. The Prophet loved his Seen, and if our Qari’s would be present they would give Fatwa of hell to Bilal. Read Quran where all the cure of diseases is present in Quran. Imam Hussain (a) is the physician for this disease to get the society out from Apathy and they develop sympathy, support truth and for this treatment he started this uprising and not for what we are doing in the name of Imam Hussain (a).
SERMON 2
When human life and society becomes insecure then it does not need external enemies. A sick person is killed by sickness and not killer from outside. We refer to our problems outside. Discord (Tafarqa) has made Muslims reach today to this state. We have made sects in the name of religion and elements of religion, then making these sects fight with each other. This is the sickness which has destroyed the Muslims of today. Their intellect and understanding has been destroyed. If you do Tafarqa Quran says you will become weak due to which you will get destroyed and this has happened today.
Today these Muslims need more mercy than Gaza whereby they are indulged into Tafarqa when this oppression is happening. Apathy, being unconcerned is a devasting sickness even though he has done the make up of worship, ethics outwardly. In reality he is indulged into this big sickness of apathy. Shaheed Motahari is a pathologist and Imam Khomeini (r.a) addressed youths to read Motahari for understanding religion. He did not address Ulama as they would not listen. Motahari sense of diagnosis of sickness was very high. He says that I went to Mashad to study religion and in the very beginning I realized that the religion which I am studying in book is much different from what is happening in society. I was astonished that there are abundant scholars who are reading these books but the religion of people is different and no one is sensing this? I started to understand this difference and then he diagnosed the sickness of various categories of people. At one stage he says that the Muslim Ummah state of lowliness today is not due to external factors like other powers are doing this with us. He says the internal virus are more dangerous and one element he mentions is highly courageous to speak. He says that Iranian society has not been stopped by communists, capitalists but its progress has been stopped by sacred unconcerned, irresponsible personalities whom people love and follow. They consider them as role models for religion, they ask them to pray for them whereas practically these sacred people do not care for any corruption in society. These unconcerned , irresponsible people are sick and when they put on the attire of being elites then people around them also become sick due to following them. Today this insensitiveness for Gaza is due to the people whom they are following. This train of Ummah has been stopped by sacred, sanctimonious people. This is a big calamity and is a big diagnosis. Shaheed Motahari has mentioned something which everyone sees but to speak about this need courage. Today why people are unconcerned about Gaza, because the sects are saying that we have nothing to do Palestine. Anyone who is unconcerned from Palestine has nothing to do with Islam, Allah, Prophet and Imam Hussain (a). Allah does not consider anything for these creatures are who are deaf, dumb and blind. They have put on the attire of religion and distanced people. There are jews, film actors in America who are speaking and are in prison. The Indian actors have spoken, but these Muslims are silent. Imam Hussain (a) awakened this Ummah so much but they did not wake up. These are those devasting sickness from which you have to secure yourself. These sickness destroy your hereafter and become counted with oppressors. The Ahlulbayt (a) have not shown this path to us. The silence is the supporter of oppressor. This has been reminded to us, that there are three killers of Imam Hussain (a), the curses are on killers, oppressors and all those who remained silent despite of listening and knowing. Killers are Israel, America and Oppressors are Muslim rulers, the OIC and third accursed are ulama, intellectuals, scholars, politicians who listened and did not allow the people to speak.
Allah’s promise is to make those who show patience, perseverance as inheritors of land and Allah will grant them big success. We pray to Allah to destroy Israel with is active and silent supporters.