In the Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Ever Merciful

All perfect praise is due to Allaah The Almighty, Whose help and forgiveness we beseech. We seek refuge in Him from any evil that our hearts conceal and from the consequences of our bad deeds. Whoever Allaah The Almighty guides will never be led astray and whoever He allows to deviate will never find guidance. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah The Almighty and that Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger. O Allaah! Send Your peace and blessings upon him, our master, Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam; and upon his wives the Mothers of the believers and his offspring and family, as You did on the household of Prophet Ibraheem (Abraham), may Allaah exalt his mention. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. {O you who have believed, fear Allaah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].} [Quran 3:102] {O mankind, fear your Lord, Who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allaah, through Whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allaah is ever, over you, an Observer.} [Quran 4:1] {O you who have believed, fear Allaah and speak words of appropriate justice. He Will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allaah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.} [Quran 33:70-71] In proceeding; [I say] the most truthful speech is the book of Allaah The Almighty and the best guidance is that of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam. The most evil of matters are newly introduced practices in religion, for every such deed is considered Bidah (religious innovation), and every Bidah is a deviation and every misguided act is in Hell.

O Allaah, send Your salutations upon Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and his household, as You did upon the household of Ibraheem (Abraham), may Allaah exalt his mention; verily, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allaah, bless Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and his family as You conferred Your blessings upon Ibraheem and his family; indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. ******** I have come to deliver the Khutbah (sermon) today, yet I am still consumed by the scenes and memories of Hajj. The year has suddenly drawn to a point where it is time to turn to Allaah The Almighty in repentance. At the turn of the year, one is expected to call him/herself to account for past actions, contemplate which deeds to do for the sake of Allaah The Almighty to gain His pleasure and have a strong intention to do what will illuminate his or her face upon seeing the Lord. Since one is not certain as to when that moment will arrive [after death], he or she must always be ready, careful and alert for that meeting. Furthermore, with the coming of the new Hijri year, I am supposed to resume my talks discussing the Hijrah (emigration) of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and his biography. All of those thoughts gather in my mind, evoking my passion and memories, some of which I wanted to express today. What prevented me from doing so, though, are the recent offenses against the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, Islam and the Quran. These events have greatly pained and saddened me, converging with my aforementioned feelings, only to confirm that all the varying meanings of Hijrah, repentance and scenes of Hajj, and matters concerning the Hereafter and Muslims, are interrelated. I have not read, revised or prepared anything to say to you today. I am simply desolate and confused. Although my nostalgia about the sacred House of Allaah urges me to talk about it, I am overcome by these current events. Therefore, I feel compelled to discuss the lessons we should learn from them to explain our appropriate response, which must be

compliant with Islam; and also, in realization that these incidents are actually an admonition from Allaah The Almighty to us, so that we might understand. As I stated before, these issues are interconnected, so even a discussion of Hijrah may take me to bringing up these events. The opposite is equally true, because its levels, repentance and Hajj memories are all linked. However, the most relevant topic that relates to the contemporary situation is the Hijrah. Hence, in light of Quranic guidance, I am presenting to you this reminder about it.

The grounds of, and wisdom behind, Hijrah must be learned by heart, as Allaah The Almighty has cited it in such a manner that it will be remembered eternally. Many years after its occurrence, plenty of Quranic verses were revealed regarding it and all this time later, they still hark back to it. These verses remind Muslims, generation after generation, and time after time, that there are lessons to be learned from the Hijrah until the Day of Resurrection. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {If you do not aid the Prophet Allaah as already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allaah is with us."} [Quran 9:40] Toward the end of the life of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and during the battle of Tabook, Allaah The Almighty evoked for Muslims the narrative of the Hijrah and the cave [he hid in]. He also reminded them of the victory that He granted to the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, when the believers were hesitant in supporting the religion of Allaah The Almighty and thought that the time was not suitable to fight His enemies.

Then, verses of the Quran were revealed to address those who wanted Jihaad (fighting for the sake of Allaah The Almighty) to be delayed so that they could be prepared. They wanted to avoid a war in the hot weather and the troubles of the long journey, including the scorching heat and the shortage of food and water, which they would experience if they rushed to encounter the Romans in the battlefield. These people also wanted to stay

home until harvesting season when the fruits would ripen and they would have plenty of provisions to sustain them on their expedition. The Quran responded negatively to their wishes in the verses (that mean): {O you who have believed, what is [the matter] with you that, when you are told to go forth in the Cause of Allaah, you adhere heavily to the earth? Are you satisfied with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But what is the enjoyment of worldly life compared to the Hereafter except a [very] little. If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment and will replace you with another people, and you will not harm Him at all. And Allaah is over all things Competent. If you do not aid the Prophet - Allaah has already aided him.} [Quran 9:3840]

These verses informed them that Jihaad would not take place in conformity with their desires and level of preparation. Rather, they were to set out, as ordered in the verse (that means): {Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the Cause of Allaah. That is better for you, if you only knew.} [Quran 9:41]

At the same time, the Quran told them that their reluctance to defend the religion of Allaah The Almighty would not fail it. If they supported the religion, they would only be aiding their own selves; and if they did not, it would be to their detriment. The Quran also told them that the religion gains victory only through Allaah The Almighty, and if they do not exert any effort to that effect, He will substitute them with other people whom He Loves as He says (what means): {And if you turn away, He will replace you with another people; then they will not be the likes of you.} [Quran 47:38] {O you who have believed, whoever of you should revert from his religion Allaah will bring forth [in place of them] a people He will love and who will love Him [who are] humble toward the believers, powerful against the disbelievers; they strive in the Cause of Allaah and do not fear the blame of a critic. That is the favor of Allaah; He bestows it upon whom He wills. And Allaah is AllEncompassing and Knowing.} [Quran 5:54]

Hence, these verses of the Quran cite the first lesson to be drawn and acted upon, in the face of current offensive events, as the disbelievers seem to have collaborated to affront Islam and Muslims and fight the religion of Allaah The Almighty. They have mobilized their forces to flagrantly declare their animosity towards Him and Islam, defining the latter to be their mortal foe. In fact, they also declare Muslims as their enemies who have pushed them to this conflict and led them to publish those provocative, anti-Islamic materials. Let us come to the meaning of the aforementioned verses that should not be forgotten; Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {If you do not aid the Prophet - Allaah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allaah is with us.} [Quran 9:40]

It means that if Muslims do not maintain the religion of Allaah The Almighty, He guarantees to support it and elevate its status, as He Says (what means): {It is He Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although they who associate others with Allaah dislike it.} [Quran 9:33]

Therefore, Muslims should know that their defense of the religion of Allaah The Almighty is in their best interest. That is, if they aid it, He will support them; and if they fail it, they will in no way be harming Allaah The Almighty, as from Him alone comes victory.

This leads us to what we are to discuss today: the lesson that Muslims should learn from current events, which lies in realizing how criminals have dared to blaspheme the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, or the Noble Quran.