Your vote is an Amanah – Ummah of activism
Allah Almighty said in Surat Ale Imran, the very beautiful verse about our Ummah, the final Ummah, the Ummah of goodness. He said:
كُنتُمۡ خَیۡرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخۡرِجَتۡ لِلنَّاسِ تَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَتَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ وَتُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِۗ وَلَوۡ ءَامَنَ أَهۡلُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ لَكَانَ خَیۡرࣰا لَّهُمۚ مِّنۡهُمُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَأَكۡثَرُهُمُ ٱلۡفَـٰسِقُونَ
You are the best ‘Ummah ever raised for mankind. You bid the fair and forbid the unfair, and you believe in Allah. If the people of the Book had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them, there are believers, while most of them are sinners. (Āli-ʿImrān, Ayah 110)
In many verses, Allah instructs us to do good. The divine message is all about delivering Allah’s words to people and telling them to follow the manual He sent, because it will bring benefit to them,
وَتَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلۡبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقۡوَىٰۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلۡإِثۡمِ وَٱلۡعُدۡوَ ٰنِۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِیدُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ
Cooperate in righteousness and piety, and do not help each other in sin and aggression. Fear Allah. Surely, Allah is severe at punishment. (Al-Māʾidah, Ayah 2)
The Quran repeatedly reminds us to be an active Ummah, not a passive Ummah. Among the best verses on activism in the Quran is the verse in which Allah Almighty says:
الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَوَلۡتَكُن مِّنكُمۡ أُمَّةࣱ یَدۡعُونَ إِلَى ٱلۡخَیۡرِ وَیَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَیَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِۚ وَأُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ
Those who spend their wealth [in Allah’s way] by night and by day, secretly and publicly, they will have their reward with their Lord. And no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve. (2:274)
What is so sweet and beautiful about this ayah is that Allah Almighty refers to spending in the night, before he talks about spending in the day. Why does He mention the night first? Because it shows activism and dedication. It is not just about praying in the night, but spending your wealth in the night. It means these people are proactive and diligent, not lazy or complacent.
Allah calls them the best Ummah, not because of their ethnicity or race, but because of their actions. In fact, in Surat Ale Imran, Allah He did not say they ARE the best Ummah, but they BECOME the best Ummah, when they apply the Quran to their lives. Best Ummah is not a title you get for doing nothing; it is earned through what you do and what you stand for. You cannot hold this title if you are engaged in evil, promote evil or turn a blind eye to evil. It is reserved solely for those who are active during the day and the night.
Thus the Quranic Ummah keeps active even during the night, not just the day. It is not the Ummah that is apathetic. Passivity is not part of our religion. Activism is essential.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said you cannot attain the highest level of faith unless you want good for everybody. Goodness is not restricted to us, or our family or community – it is for everybody (linas) without discrimination. If you want to attain the highest level, then be active for all people.
” لا يبلغ عبد حقيقة الإيمان حتى يحب للناس ما يحب لنفسه من الخير “.أخرجه الإمام أحمد في المسند.
A servant does not attain the truth of faith until he loves for people what he loves for himself of goodness.” (Imam Ahmad in Al-Musnad)
It is easy to practice taqwa in the confines of your room, but real taqwa is when you practice it in the streets, in the market and in your transactions. This is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
وقال صلى الله عليه وسلم: المؤمن الذي يخالط الناس ويصبر على أذاهم أعظم أجرا من الذي لا يخالطهم ولا يصبر على أذاهم. رواه أحمد وغيره وصححه الأرناؤوط
The believer who mixes with people and is patient with their harm is greater in reward than the one who does not mix with them and is not patient with their harm. (Ahmad)
Isolation is not a feature of the believer. The one who mixes with others is therefore better than the one who isolates himself. We become the best Ummah when we deliver the message of Allah, of peace, fairness, justice equality, mercy and harmony to all people. The Prophet (peace be upon him) therefore encouraged us to busy ourselves in delivering goodness.
Allah Almighty stated in the Quran:
وَلۡتَكُن مِّنكُمۡ أُمَّةٌ یَدۡعُونَ إِلَى ٱلۡخَیۡرِ وَیَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَیَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِۚ وَأُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ﴿ ١٠٤ ﴾
There has to be a group of people from among you who call towards the good, and bids the fair and forbids the unfair. And it is these who are successful. (Āli-ʿImrān, Ayah 104)
The elections are upon us. We, as Muslims, have a responsibility to choose the right people with the right character and the right attitude towards humanity – those with dignity and a sense of justice.
Allah will ask us about this Amanah. Allah will question us on what we did with our vote. Did you choose an evil candidate or the lesser of the evils, or the one who will bring benefit to the community?
If you neglect to exercise your right to vote, you are wasting this opportunity and you will cause harm to the community. Vote sensibly. There are different opinions, but it is your choice and Allah will ask you if you carried the responsibility you were given or if you were passive. We have been instructed to do our best to remove evil in our midst.
Abu Sa`eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَقُولُ: “مَنْ رَأَى مِنْكُمْ مُنْكَرًا فَلْيُغَيِّرْهُ بِيَدِهِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِلِسَانِهِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِقَلْبِهِ، وَذَلِكَ أَضْعَفُ الْإِيمَانِ” . رواه مسلم.
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, “Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.” [Muslim]
We ask Allah to enable us to choose the right people to represent us. Ameen
Based on the Khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim 28th June 2024
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Shaykh Haytham Tamim
Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.
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