Friday prayer with Imam Asi 5-4-2018 "Mining The Ayat about Isra"

https://soundcloud.com/user-874547054/mining-the-ayat-about-isra-5-4-201...

\"Dear Committed Muslims -- Brothers and Sisters.\"

\"As you know, we are living now very critical days, the climax of sorts, as we approach the month of Ramadan, as we approach a very significant shift in policies towards the Holy Land or some what say the Holy Lands and as we are approaching the anniversary of an-Nakba, the day in which international THIEVES colonized the Holy Land.\"

\"We spoke previously that we are not reactionary. Many Muslims...Something happens and then they react to it. Someone is put in jail, they react to it. Some organization goes in the wrong direction, they react to it. Some war erupts, they react to it. It's almost always a mentality and an attitude of reaction. And it is high time we extricated ourselves from that psychology of reaction and had enough confidence in Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and in our humble relationship with Allah Jalla Wa Ala, that we are no longer the types who REACT. And the first step in that direction is to solidify our relationship with our Almighty Creator! That's the first step in the right direction; Where no one is going to come and threaten us with some worldly developments because we are post-worldly subjects of Allah.\"

\"So in our previous Khutbahs in the past few weeks or so, we tried as much as possible to prepare ourselves and we will continue to do that for what seems to be for any muslim who has opened his eyes and activated his mind, to see that something BIG IS IN THE OFFING!!; Something REALLY BIG IS IN THE OFFING!!; Something on the range of a CATASTROPHIC MILITARY DEVELOPMENT -- in the Holy Land and around the Holy Land!! So for us to be guided in these type of events, we need the information that has come to us from Allah Azza wa jal and so we took the first Ayat from Suratul Isra  سُبۡحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسۡرَىٰ بِعَبۡدِهِۦ لَيۡلاً۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡأَقۡصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكۡنَا حَوۡلَهُ ۥ لِنُرِيَهُ ۥ مِنۡ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ‌ۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡبَصِيرُ  We explained these hopefully in a way that will unshackle our psychology. And we will continue with these Ayat because this is what happens: Yumul Quds is approaching, the last Jumaa in Ramadan and then the Jumaa before that or the week or two before that everyone goes into a frenzy of what can we do and how we should go about doing it and all of these other things, once again a type of reactionary attitude. Instead of being principled and consider most of the year the days of Quds especially if you can't, and some of us are human beings and vulnerable to our weaknesses. Okay -- Dedicate the Jumaa of the week to say that you understand what is going on whether you belong to a minority whatever that minority might be or whether you come from a broken background whatever that background may have been; Can't you at least express yourself in the face of those who have taken away all the facilities in your life that gave you the status that has been imposed upon you! And it all culminates in the occupation of the Holy Land North and the Holy Land South, to be more specific, in Palestine and in Arabia.\"

\"In this Khutbah, we will try as faithfully as possible to convey some of the meanings that are imbedded in this Ayat.\"

\"....As we said in a previous Khutbah, India now is flying over Saudi Arabia to Israel and the Minister of Transportation in Israel just this week, yesterday or today; It's in today's news. He said he's confident that the Israeli airlines will be able to fly over Saudi Arabia. Now who is here, not us personally, but who is here among the Muslims especially the organizations and associations and lobbies and what not who have resources and all of this. Who is there who is going to trace why are you doing this? Who's doing this? Where are these airplanes flying exactly? Could you explain to us! Mecca doesn't belong to you! Mecca is not your personal property!! But we have surrendered that to them. They can do whatever they want!! And what helps them out in that regard is that we have Jumaas that are STERILE. That's right...Our Jumaas, the Khutbahs and all of this...No information that touches on reality; Information that goes into the imagination part of our comprehension. Nothing that goes to -- What is our responsibilities? What has to be done? Where are we wrong? How can we correct ourselves? Nothing of that nature...\"

\"Now what is the meaning of Barakah? The simple meaning of barakah is: You get more than what you calculate or anticipate. A good example of that is...You have a car. The car gives you 30 miles per gallon of gasoline. You put gasoline in the car and you realize it went 50 miles. You say, That gasoline had barakah in it! Another example...You have food that can only feed 4 or 5 individuals. Then you have 10 or 15 individuals coming over and that amount of food was enough to satisfy 10 or 15 individuals instead of 3 or 4 individuals. You say, This food has barakah in it! Allah is saying concerning this geography of the Holy Land, Al Masjid Al Aqsa...al-ladhi barakna hawla -- We've made its surrounding territories territories of Barakah!!! And this Barakah we will not understand as long as we continue to withdraw ourselves from our God-given responsibilities as has been the case so far by most of us. It's not; We're not going to see it. We're not going to understand...\"

\"So Allah Subhanna is saying about this journey from Al-Mecca to Al-Quds to Heaven...\"

\"....A lot of money now is going into the entertainment industry. Many Saudis go to Bahrain; They built a bridge between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and many Saudis they go to Bahrain not only to watch movies, but to have sex. So what are you doing with your new policy? Your making Saudi Arabia a large Bahrain!! And no one is supposed to THINK of this!\"

\"This crown prince; Look Muslims. We're approaching the month of Ramadan. We should be sensitive to the issues of poverty and hunger. He comes over here for three weeks and spends $250 million dollars on his public relations campaigns...\"

\"....And because these type of Islamic Centers and Masajid...They dumb people down, they think they can get away with it!!\"

\"Should we shut our eyes and close our ears and make believe there are no hostile policies that are going to begin here in Washington towards the Muslim East. The person at the State Department, the person head of National Security, and head of CIA -- All of these are known for their animus toward the Muslims. They're going to kill us!!! And we say in our Masajids, Shhhh....Don't say anything about this. They're going to kill us!!! Not 1 or 2 or 10 or 20. In the 100s of 1,000s, if not millions!!! And all of this began during the first Neoconservative control of policies in the United States. They said this is a war against terror by which they meant this is a war against Muslims. They designated 6 or 7 or 8 countries in the world as being evil and terroristic and these other things. All of them are Muslim countries except for North Korea.\"

\"Who's against equality? Who's against justice? Who's against racism? Who against exploitation? Is it the Muslims?!! Are we Muslims? You go to our sources...Our references -- the Quran and the Prophet. Is there anything in there that makes Islam an enemy of social justice? Is there anything?!! And the answer is a solid NO!! But we have. You see. Look at the world around you. Who is pro-racism. Look how racism is making a come back. Inequality is making a coming back. The military industrial complex is making a come back. Wars are being planned. Are Muslims doing all of this? Who's doing all of this?\"

\"I want to take a quote from the Pope himself; July 7th 2015 in the city of Santa Cruz in Bolivia. He said, \"We are in need of change. Rather we want change and I insist that we say it without fear and with the loudest voice. We want real change in the structure of the global system. The current system is no longer tolerable. We need to change the system at the international level. The relationships between the peoples of the world in the age of globalism needs international solutions.\" They gave us this term, the clash of civilizations, and they said fifteen years ago that this is going to be a LONG!!! war and it's turning out to be an extended one indeed.\"

\"They think we are out to Islamisize the geography and the history of the world. All we are out to do is to explain to them Allah's guidance and direction and that's how they interpret it.\"

\"Billy Graham's son, Franklin Graham said, \"God put Trump in office.\" This is a religious person. \"God put...\" Who's Trump? Has he ever asked himself, Who is this person? Morally, socially, in his family, in his country!\"

Imam Asi (\"Mining the Ayat about Isra\" Friday Prayer 5-4-2018)

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Imam Asi always ends every Khutbah with dua including recitation of some Ayat. One of the Ayat he recites in Arabic is the following:  

                     وَمَنۡ أَظۡلَمُ مِمَّن مَّنَعَ مَسَـٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ أَن يُذۡكَرَ فِيہَا ٱسۡمُهُ ۥ وَسَعَىٰ فِى خَرَابِهَآ‌ۚ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ مَا كَانَ لَهُمۡ أَن يَدۡخُلُوهَآ إِلَّا خَآٮِٕفِينَ‌ۚ لَهُمۡ فِى ٱلدُّنۡيَا خِزۡىٌ۬ وَلَهُمۡ فِى ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ۬ 

And who is more unjust than he who forbids that in places for the worship of Allah His name should be celebrated? Whose zeal is (in fact) to ruin them? It was not fitting that such should themselves enter them except in fear. For them there is nothing but disgrace in this world and in the world to come, an exceeding torment. (The Holy Quran, Sura/Chapter 2, Ayat/Verse 114)

This is the harsh unjust reality in the Holy Land or Holy Lands (in Palestine and in Arabia) and this is the harsh unjust reality in Washington, D.C. at the Islamic Center on Embassy Row.

Peace be with you,

Najwa Kareem

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For the past few days, I’ve worked on listening to this Khutbah or Friday prayer of Imam Asi's and writing verbatim some of what he said. I post this today on my birthday. It so happened to work out that I’m finished with this today.

I think it’s interesting that it worked out this way and proves how Allah works in interesting ways and in ways that make us ponder because doing things for Allah Subhana wa ta alla and His cause is the best way to celebrate life. It’s the best way to honor life. It’s the best way to honor Allah, the One who gave me life and to show my appreciation for all of what He has given me and gives me. I cannot thank Allah enough for advancing me in my deen and in nearness to HIM in a way that He has. I am thankful that He gave me the desire, the fortitude, the opportunity, the time, etc. to respond to HIM more. It will be in my duas and hopefully in the duas of those who love me and care about me, my security, status, well-being, etc. in this life and in the next that Allah continue doing this for me.

As far as I see it, this day is not about celebrating me. It’s about celebrating Allah because without HIM there would be no me. Without HIM, I would not have had committed Muslim parents to facilitate my coming to this life and being raised a practicing, well-rounded Muslim. Without Allah The Most Loving, The Most Loyal, I wouldn’t have seen today.

It is Allah Al-Kareem, The Most Generous who puts all the people in our lives, all of the special people in our lives. People like my honorable and respected parents who taught me so much about and role modeled for me and my siblings in so many ways, in ways I could never I think, what Islam is in a real, practical sense. They taught me and my siblings to know the value of Islam, that is, what we have so that I know to appreciate it and stand up for it. People like my dear and valued siblings and other dear and valued family members who have been instrumental in shaping me and whom I have learned so much from; They have helped me understand phenomena and the world around me better; They have helped me understand Allah, His beloved Prophet, and my deen better and to appreciate each. People like my respected and honorable Imams specifically Imam Asi, my most favorite Imam in the whole wide world and the one who has helped me the most and in the most significant ways to be the person I am today; An Imam I respect for his bravery and committment to Allah, to Allah's chosen Messenger, to the religion of Islam, to his and committed Muslims' 35 year long struggle due to a Saudi Masjid occupation, to oppressed people, etc.; For his sincere care and concern for Muslims and humanity regardless of who they are, where they come from, what background they come from, etc., and for his desire and tireless effort in sharing all of what he has to offer in a resolute, consistent, principled, and honest manner, and for many other reasons. And no I don't regard Imam Asi because he has a thousand or more \"likes\". I regard him because unlike many Imams with 1,000 or more \"likes\" and whose contributions may or may not only last the length of their leadership or the length of their lifetime, his and his legacy will stand the test of time. Because like our beloved and impeccable Prophet (P.B.U.H) whom we claim to or say we love, revere, and aspire to follow didn't have many followers or supporters at the time of his Prophethood and leadership. He didn't have many \"likes\" as would be said regarding his favorability or popularity using today's social media verbage. Our beloved Prophet didn't speak words to impress. He spoke the truth. He spoke truth to power. He spoke truth at all costs. He didn't speak words to pamper or soothe or bring one to feelings of ectasy. He didn't have organizations backing him or sponsoring him or giving him money or resources to fuel his public relations and publicity or visibility. This is too the case with Imam Asi. And lastly, people like my many dear friends and associates, immediate ones, and ones in distant places whom have added variety and perspective to my life and with whom I have gained many experiences which have helped me grow.

I’m not attached to this life. I’m really not. If Allah would have taken my life today, I would have been okay with it except for a concern that I may not have done enough good works and earned enough good deeds but since Allah Most Merciful didn’t or hasn’t yet, I hope that I will have another year to grow further in understanding and connecting with Him and assisting and furthering HIS cause in small and humble ways; to make up for past mistakes and disobediences, to do more works to earn more good deeds, etc.

Allah put me through a lot this past birth year. A generous and kind hearted friend here in Germany (Meriem) who I told when I ran into her one evening that I had thought of something she had said to me before in conversation earlier in the day when I was busy doing a number of things and thinking of a number of things; She said it was Allah that put me under pressure in order for that thought to come to me/to be drawn out…She said like how a diamond is produced under pressure.  

Allah puts us through a lot of rigor; He puts us through a lot of tests, He puts us through a lot of hoops, a lot of difficulties and challenges to help get us somewhere. He wants to help shape us into diamonds. He wants to help us to realign ourselves with HIM. He wants to teach us that this life is not about us but rather about serving HIM and serving our fellow man. He wants us to realign ourselves with our Fitra (our nature -- which is to be one with Him, to be close to Him, to be near to Him) by doing what He and His beloved Prophet (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him and his) has asked of us to do. This is the concept from which Eid ul-Fitr comes from; A celebration of the correct practice of fasting and participation in Ramadan having returned us to our Fitra, our nature. 

In putting us under pressure, Allah wants to help us all become diamonds.

With the best of greetings this month of Ramadan,

Najwa Kareem

*completed & posted on May 19, 2018