Following the ideals of the Prophet (PBUH) is the only way to bring back peace
Friday sermon: Pre sermon talks
Dr. Mufti Morshed Alam Salehi, Khatib of Shyamoli Shahi Mosque in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, spoke in his pre sermon talk before the Friday prayer yesterday. He said protecting the life, property, honor and safety of people is one of the basic teachings of Islam. Terror, sabotage, arson, unjust killing, spreading fear and creating unrest in public life can never be an ideal of Islam.
He said a peaceful society can be built by following the ideals of peace, safety, justice and humanity that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) set through his words, deeds and behavior. In the Holy Quran, Allah says that whoever kills a person, other than for a life or for spreading corruption on earth, is as if he killed all of mankind. He says whoever saves one life is as if he saved all of mankind (Surah Al Maidah, verse 32). The Prophet (PBUH) linked the safety of people with faith. He said a Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 10; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 41).
Allah also says in the Quran that if they lean toward peace, then lean toward it too and trust in Allah (Surah Al Anfal, verse 61). So when differences or disputes arise, Islam teaches us to choose dialogue, justice and peaceful solutions, not violence. During the Farewell Hajj, the Prophet (PBUH) warned that after him people should not become like disbelievers by striking each other’s necks (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 7077). This hadith shows how terrible bloodshed and violence among Muslims are. The Prophet (PBUH) also gave a strong warning about the lives of non Muslims who have a treaty and are under protection.
He said that whoever kills a person under a treaty will not even smell paradise, though its smell can be found from a distance of forty years (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 3166). So the ideal of the Prophet (PBUH) for a society free of terror and sabotage is clear. It means ensuring the safety of life, avoiding unjust killing and protecting the life and property of people. It also means building peace, showing restraint and justice in disputes, and growing kindness in society. This moral lesson must spread everywhere, from the family to schools, mosques, the media and social institutions. Then a society of peace, safety and humanity will grow in place of fear and violence.
Mufti Abdur Rahim Qasemi, Khatib of the traditional Baitul Mamur Jame Mosque in Mirpur, also spoke yesterday before the Friday sermon. He said there is no way but to follow the ideals of the Prophet (PBUH) to bring peace back to a restless and unsettled society. He said the wind of peace blew across the dark and restless Arabia only because people followed the ideals of the Prophet (PBUH). In that society, a husband had no respect with his wife, a wife with her husband, a child with his father, or a father with his child. Oppression, torture, fighting, killing, terror and robbery were normal.
He said the ideals of the Prophet (PBUH) cracked that rotten society in every part. Thieves, robbers, rogues, terrorists and people who stole the honor of women became civilized, calm and golden people by following his ideals. He asked what a wonderful ideal, what a fine character, what a lovely manner and what a soft message of peace the Prophet (PBUH) had. He said his attractive call turned wild, proud, stubborn and rigid people into gentle, polite, calm people of paradise. A society of terror, robbery, fighting and unrest became a society of peace, wealth and heavenly calm.
So Allah reminded people until the Day of Judgment to follow His law and the ideals of the Messenger. He said those who follow Allah and the Messenger will clearly succeed (Al Quran). He said we must follow the ideals of the Prophet (PBUH) to bring peace to individuals, families and an unsettled society. He prayed that Allah gives everyone the strength to follow the ideals of the Prophet (PBUH). Mufti Abdullah Firozi, Khatib of Baitul Aman Central Jame Mosque in Mirpur, also spoke yesterday before the Friday sermon. He said that after food and drink, clothing is what people need most.
He said wearing clothes and covering the private parts is a natural trait of people. He said shamelessness and nakedness go against healthy nature, mind, conscience and modesty. He said Islam gives some basic rules on clothing so that it becomes a source of modesty and purity. In the Holy Quran, Allah says, “O children of Adam, We have sent down clothing for you that covers your private parts and is for beauty. But the clothing of piety is the best” (Surah Al Araf, verse 26). He said this verse gives one basic purpose of clothing, which is to cover the body and the private parts.
The Khatib said it is sad but true that men and women have reached the extreme of shamelessness and obscenity in the name of freedom of dress. He said women walk around freely in tight clothes. The Prophet (PBUH) said that before the Day of Judgment some women will be dressed yet naked. He said they will not smell paradise, let alone enter it (Muslim 5704). The Khatib also spoke about a recent matter at a metro station. A member of the railway police asked an athlete in shorts to wear modest clothes, and this caused a big uproar.
He said a few anti Islam media outlets and Facebook activists framed this small matter in different ways. He said they announced a program for young people to ride the metro rail in shorts. He said many people online showed a positive attitude toward this event, which goes against Sharia. But he said only a handful of people actually joined. He said a man’s private part is from the navel to below the knee, and covering this part is obligatory. He said showing any part of it in public is haram and a major sin.
He said a grown man walking around in shorts is a grave breach of Islam and human values. He said everyone who supported or joined the shorts program should repent. He said it is not lawful for men or women to wear any clothes they like in the name of freedom of dress. He said the effect of piety should show in clothing and all other deeds. He prayed that Allah gives them the strength to act on it. Mufti Rahmatullah Taqi bin Abdul Ghani, Khatib of Rasulbagh Jame Mosque in Bank Colony, Mugda, Dhaka, also spoke in his pre sermon talk before the Friday sermon.
He said covering the “satr” is one of the main foundations of modesty, self respect and piety in an Islamic society and in personal life. He said the Arabic word “satr” means to cover, to hide or to conceal. In Sharia terms, it means the part of the human body that must be covered before other people, which is obligatory, and showing it is fully haram. He said Islam is not only a religion but a complete way of life. So Islam gives clear guidance on the basic matter of wearing clothes and guarding the private parts. He said Allah has given mankind the rank of the best of all creation.
He said the rule of satr removes animal like behavior from people and gives them a higher human character. He said the Holy Quran names covering the satr as the main aim of clothing. Allah says, “O children of Adam, We have sent down clothing for you that covers your private parts and is for beauty. And the clothing of piety is the best” (Surah Al Araf, verse 26). He said this verse proves that before beauty, the first and main duty of clothing is to cover the satr properly. He said by the agreed decision of Islamic Sharia, a man’s satr runs from the navel to the knee. He said it is necessary to cover the knee too as a precaution.
He said the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said that a man’s satr is from his navel to his knee (Sunan Daraqutni, Hadith 901). He said the Messenger (PBUH) made it clear that no man should look at another man’s satr, and no woman should look at another woman’s satr. The Khatib said that in today’s society, shamelessness and uncovered clothing are growing at an alarming rate in the name of modernity and fashion. He said there is now a visible trend of Muslims moving about freely in shorts or too little clothing. He said some media also present these as modern. He said things have reached a point where people are being pushed toward an open and indecent life.
But he said every Muslim must remember that Islam gives no chance for a man to show the part between the navel and the knee, or the thigh. He said this holds for sports, exercise, the gym or daily work, and no excuse is valid. He said following the rule of satr is not only about outer clothes. He said it is one of the best signs of self purification and piety. He said every Muslim man has a duty of faith to follow the limits of satr strictly and dress in the clothing of piety to protect society from indecency and spiritual decline.
Shaikhul Hadith Mufti Faizullah Jibanpuri, Khatib of Baitun Noor Jame Mosque in North Manda, Mugda, Dhaka, spoke in his pre sermon talk before the sermon. He said in today’s modern and technology age, interest has entered every part of daily life through banking, credit cards, digital loans and online platforms. He said today’s interest based money system is a modern form of the old moneylender system. He said it swallows the biggest share of the hard earned income of common people. He said Islam takes a strict stand against interest to protect mankind from this economic exploitation, and it calls interest a direct war against Allah and His Messenger.
The Khatib said that in Islamic law and Quran commentary, the main meaning of “riba,” or interest, is excess or increase. He said in his historic Farewell Hajj speech, the Prophet (PBUH) struck at the root of all the bad customs of the age of ignorance and the cycle of revenge killings. He declared an end to all discrimination and exploitation. He said that speech at the historic field of Arafat gave a unique message of humanity and justice. To end social and economic discrimination, the Prophet (PBUH) declared an end to interest. He said, “All interest of the age of ignorance is cancelled. And I cancel first the interest owed to our uncle Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib.”
He said the Quran reminds us how terrible interest is and what comes of it. Those who eat interest will rise on the Day of Judgment like a person whom Satan has touched and driven mad. Allah says to the believers in the Holy Quran, “O believers, fear Allah and give up what remains of interest, if you are true believers.” He prayed that Allah protects us from a terrible sin like interest. Amen.
