Standing Together for Peace, Justice and Tolerance
Khutbah at ISOC – Dhul Qa’dah 26, 1438/ August 18. 2017
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ(النحل 90)
Surely Allah enjoins justice, kindness and doing of good, to kith and kin, and forbids all that is shameful, evil and oppressive. He exhorts you so that you may be mindful. (Al-Nahl 16:90)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ إِنْ يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَى بِهِمَا فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَى أَنْ تَعْدِلُوا وَإِنْ تَلْوُوا أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا (النساء 134)
O you who believe! Uphold justice, bearing witness to Allah, even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or your close relatives. Whether the person is rich or poor; Allah can best take care of both. Refrain from following your own desire, so that you can act justly - if you distort or neglect justice, Allah is fully aware of what you do. (Al-Nisa’ 4:134)
The world in which we live today is rightly called a “global village”. The modern means of transportation and communication have narrowed the distances and brought together people of diverse faiths, cultures and colors. Modern political and economic conditions have moved millions of people of different faiths and cultures to work and live side by side. Whatever may be our background, we are all neighbors now and we should treat each other as neighbors. It is the duty of religious people of all faiths to provide the moral vision for the inhabitants of this global village. We must learn to live with all our neighbors practicing justice, peace and tolerance.
1. Islam emphasizes that we are created by Allah and the origin of all human beings is from the same parents. Allah created all of us from the one and same pair of a male and a female (al-Nisa’ 4:1).
2. All human beings are honored by Allah (Bani Isra’il 17:70)
3. Human beings are diverse in their colors, races and speak different languages. The varieties among human beings are not a curse but a sign of divine creative power and blessing. The diversity should be respected (al-Hujurat 49:13).
4. All human beings are equal, regardless of their races, colors or languages. There is no superiority of any race or color over another. No one is better than other because of his/her gender, race, color or nationality (al-Rum 30:22 and the Last Sermon of the Prophet –peace be upon him).
5. Allah commands justice and fair dealing with all people. Justice is the foundation of a good society. Justice is the balance of God on this earth. Justice must be done to all even to those who show animosity. (al-Ma’idah 5:8).
6. All human beings have certain inalienable rights. These are rights given by Allah for the benefit of all people. Those who believe in Allah must establish these rights for all humanity. The basic rights are five: 1. Right of Life, 2. Right of Family, 3. Right of Property, 4. Right of Dignity, 5. Right of Religion
There are many religions, sects and denominations in the world today. Among them are similarities and differences. The existence of so many religious views is a proof that we human beings are religious by nature (al-fitrah) (30:30). Islam teaches that Allah chose many prophets and messengers from among the human beings at different times and in different places. The messages of all prophets of Allah were identical as far as the fundamental beliefs were concerned. Religions share many common values. Judaism, Christianity and Islam, in particular, have many things in common. Jews and Christians are "People of the Book" according to the Qur’an. We have one and the same God. The names Allah, Elohim and Eloh come from the same Semitic root and mean God. We have many common prophets and common stories of the prophets: Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Lot, Moses, David, Solomon, Jonah, Job and others –peace be upon them all, are mentioned in the Qur’an. Prophets Moses and Jesus are mentioned many times in the Qur’an. Islam recognizes the Torah, Zabur, Injil as divine books. There are many similarities between Islamic law (Shari’ah) and the Jewish Law (Halakha). With Christianity, there are also many similarities. Islam accepts Jesus as a great prophet, recognizes his virgin birth, highly respects his mother Mary, accepts his miracles, accept that he was given a gospel; ascended to heaven; he was the Messiah; and he will come back before the end of the world. There are many moral and ethical teachings of Jesus that are common between Islam and Christianity. We do have our differences but there are many things in common. Islam also recognizes the diversity of views among human beings, their groups and communities. If Allah had so willed, says the Qur’an, He would have forced people to be guided, but He allowed them to use their own free will to choose the right path (al-Ma’idah 5:48; al-An’am 6:107; Yunus 10:99 etc.) Islam teaches Muslims to respect the people of all religions and to have good relations with all people. One should not bear false testimony against other people. This means that one should not misrepresent other people’s faith and religious views. The religious discourse and dialogue must be respectful and in the best possible manner (al-An’am 6:108; al-Nahl 16:125; al-‘Ankabut 29:46).
It is imperative that we all live as good neighbors in this shrinking world of diverse faiths and cultures. This can only happen if we recognize the rights of others and treat each person and group with honor and respect. All our religious traditions teach love and respect of others. Love of God and love of the neighbor, do to others what you would like others do to you, love for your brother what you love for yourself etc. are our common teachings. These should not be just slogans, but they should be put to practice on all levels. We should not only talk about them, but should also apply them in our social, economic, political policies and in our national and international relations. We should take practical steps to:
1. Respect the life and honor of all people
2. Look for common ground and have dialogues
3. Avoid propaganda and demonization of others
4. Be just and fair to all people
5. Use the resources to take care of the poor and needy
6. Work to establish peaceful and moral civil societies everywhere.
Last Saturday, August 12, hundreds of white nationalists, ex-Nazis and members of other extremist racist groups held a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. They clashed with other peaceful counter protestors that resulted in a death and injury of many people. The whole country was shocked to see that such violent racism still exists in America. The groups that held this rally are planning to hold more and larger rallies countrywide. They have a bigger agenda against the pluralistic America. The beauty and greatness of America is that here people of many races, colors and religions live together in peace. We must preserve this pluralism for the benefit of all of us. It is very important that we Muslims join with others in opposing this phenomenon. It is divisive and harmful to everyone. We Muslims are even more vulnerable, because we are already the targets of Islamophobia, anti-Islamic bigotry and hate. We need the cooperation of all people in this work of peace, justice and tolerance. No one group or community can do all this work. It requires the collaborative efforts of all of us.
…وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ (المائدة 2)
…Help one another in righteousness and piety; do not help one another towards sin and hostility. Be mindful of Allah, for Allah’s punishment is severe. (al-Ma’idah 5:2)
