Why We Demand Rights But Dodge Responsibilities

Alhamdulillah.

[Silence]

The verses that we heard for the first and beginning opening verses of this chapter of the Quran is referred to as orah And this is the first chapter of the Quran that was revealed to the prophet sallall.aii wasallam upon his arrival in Medina. Upon his arrival in Medina when he left from Mecca to Medina the first chapter revealed to him was Abbas tells us that the first chapter revealed to the prophet Sam upon his arrival to Medina was. Other companions mention that it was the last surah revealed to him in Mecca and some scholars view that it is one of the chapters that was revealed more than once. But they all agree that it was either the last chapter of Mecca or the first that was revealed to him in Medina. That's really significant. Why is that? When we look at the history of legislation in Islam, Mecca and Medina, those are two very different eras. And the scholars starting with the companions gave a lot of attention and meticulously documented which chapter and even which verses were revealed in Mecca and which were revealed in Medina. to the point that most of the mus that are printed today have in the index or the table of contents or even at the page marker of each chapter it will either say Mecci or Medini meaning that this chapter was revealed during the Meccan era or it was revealed during the Medina era. This is not a reference to the place where these chapters were revealed. When the scholars say this chapter is mechi or this chapter is Medani, it's not a reference to the place. It is a reference to the era in which this chapter was revealed. Was it the era of Mecca or the era of Medina? Why is that so important? It's very important because a lot of things changed between Mecca and Medina because of those who the verses and chapters were speaking to predominantly in Mecca as opposed to Medina. In Mecca, the most important tenants of Islam and most basic constructs or most basic pillars of belief were focused on and detailed in Mecca. And the only two pillars of Islam that were that were given to the prophet sallall.aii wasallam in Mecca before his hij were the first two. the testimony ofahill. And then way later during the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam was commanded to make the five daily prayers. Anyone can tell us when is what year? Take a shot. How many years did he spend in Mecca? Huh? 13 years, right? 13 years in Mecca. What year did the happen? You got to talk louder. Eight. No, we only have 12 choices now. So, anyone else? Six. There's a there's different opinions. Some some historians say three, but the majority of the scholars and historians of Islam tell us that was in the 10th year after before the 10th year after his prophethood. That's right after the ninth year. What was the ninth year? The ninth year is what is referred to by historians as right the sad year or the year of grief because Abu Talib passed away and Khadijah both passed away months apart in the ninth year. And so Allah never takes something without replacing it with something equal or better if it is not being taken as a punishment. And so yes, he took from him Abu Talib because he was his his journey didn't need them anymore. But he was then given and given five daily prayers. But overall, those were the only two pillars of Islam in Mecca. In Medina, the rest of the pillars of Islam were commanded. And that is where the details of law started to be legislated in Medina, right? Zaka, fasting, Hajj and Omrah. And also the rules and laws and regulations of marriage, the rules and laws and regulations of transactions, of sales, of ownership, of hud of punishment. All of these things were detailed and began in Medina. And so it's important for us to know what was the first thing of that era that was revealed. Meaning you have to see it from the prophet's perspective. Sallallahu alaihi wasallam. He arrives at Medina and now he is speaking to a people that are predominantly Muslim. They are predominantly Muslim or they are on the verge of becoming Muslim. And now whatever details or laws they are commanded with, they're going to uphold because we've spent 13 years purifying our hearts and preparing ourselves for the details. So from his perspective when he made his hij the first revelation to come to him to mark the beginning of those details and laws was that is what all the laws of Islam are predicated upon. So the beginning of those laws, the laws that have to do between you and I, between a man and his wife, between a merchant and his customer, between a landowner and his neighbor, between a farmer and his crops, between a shepherd and his herd. All of these things were based and built and started with these verses. If we want to speak about the rights that we have over each other, we begin by looking at these rights and taking these laws upon the basis of woe to the is plural for Allah goes on to explain who are. So he says woe to this type of person. This type of person has a terrible punishment awaiting him when he meets his creator. What is what who are these people? these dreadful individuals. Allah tells us those who when they seek their rights from others, they want them completely. Not one little right missing, not one grain of rice, not one morsel of salt, not one thing missing. I want my money's worth. But when it's time for them to give the rights of others, they only give the bare minimum and they take whatever extra they can get. They try to take skim a little off the top. So they expect forgiveness from others, but they have no forgiveness for anyone else. They want their rights completely but they are unwilling to give the rights of others. This person is referred to as a this word linguistically where does it come from? What is its etmology? The scholars tell us that the Arab linguists tell us that al- is taken from the root word And or is the extra little amount that is found on top of a heap when its volume is measured. So let me give you an example of that. Let's say we take a a a cup of rice, right? Some of the middle of that cup, if it's completely full, will go past the top a little bit, right? That heap on top. And if you wipe your hand over the top of it and level it with the rim of the cup, that extra that comes off the top, that is referred to as a. And so a is someone who eagerly and unremittently seeks that extra. I need to have that and I will sneak it in wherever I can and I will also sneak it out of whoever I have to give it to. This is where the essence of this word comes from. So a maf is a person who seeks his full rights from others, but he as long as he can and get away with it, he or she will take away or deplete the rights of others for their own gain. Even if it is petty and even if it is something very trivial. If it's a penny for me, it's better in my pocket than his. This kind of thought, this kind of attitude, this is a mut. Now, that is in a physical transaction of volume or weight, right? However, the meaning is much more broad than just that. It's referring to anyone who seeks their full rights from others but do not give others their full rights in return. Who is more important for us to learn? We can't learn everything together at the same time. We have to learn one thing before the other. When I come to ask and what is most important to me if I believe in Allah in the last day, what is more important for me to know? My rights that are owed to me or the rights of others upon me? What's the answer? It's more important for me to learn the rights of others because that's what I'll be asked about on the day of judgment, not my rights and what am I owed. This is a disease. It's a disease. It's a disease that is taken straight out of the playbook of the hypocrites. And it is a disease almost taken directly from the rats and the cockroach because this person has no problem degrading himself and taking away from his dignity to get all worked up over a grain of rice because it's not about the grain of rice. It's the principle they'll say. And so this idea of what am I owed and this obsession with what what do I get out of it? That is exactly what the hypocrites base their religion upon is what can I gain from becoming Muslim. Not what can I offer, not what what's what am I responsible for, not what am I supposed to do, it's what can I get out of it. And that's why Allah describes the hypocrites in the Quran that when the Muslims win, they say, "Weren't we always with you? I'm one of youallah." But when the Muslims lose, they stand back and say, "This doesn't concern me. This is none of my business." Right? And so it goes. When it's time to celebrate, they show up. when it's time to roll their sleeves up, they disappear cockroaches. And so this is the essence of the attitude of a notice when Allah revealed it to the prophet sallall.aii wasallam as if to say now I'm going to teach you how to perfect all matters amongst each other. However, the responsibility of each and every one of you is not to police others on your rights, but to get your own self to fulfill the rights of others. Focus on that. And if we can just get the majority of you, not every single person, but if we can get the majority of us focused on what is required from us rather than what is for us, we will have no direction to go but up. That's the idea. That is why it was revealed to the prophet sallall.aii wasallam. Look at how this sickness, this illness has seeped in and crept into the Muslim psyche. I tell you what, if I sat in this chair right now and talked about the rights of the husband over the wife, I will get almost stoned to death. I will be chased out of the masid by sisters telling me, "What about the men? What if they don't do what they're supposed to do?" We're not talking about that. Why is it that we cannot learn what is required from us? And also if I sat in this chair right now and talked about the rights of the wife over her husband, 20 brothers are going to stop me and tell me, "But you know what, you left out the rights of the husband over the wife because a lot of, you know, blah blah blah blah blah. This is not our subject. Why are we so adverse to learning what is required from us? It's a disease. It's a sickness that we have to work out of ourselves. No one is going to be in his right mind and have his religion intact and dignity intact and expect to get all that he is owed in this dunya. A person who believes that is living in fantasy land. It doesn't work that way. There's a rope between people. When that person pulls it, you let go a little bit. It's okay. And when you pull it, they let go a little bit. And this is how marriages succeed. This is how brotherhood , you know, is maintained. This is how good things are made. But everyone becomes obsessed with what they're owed. And so you ask a brother, what are the rights of a wife over her husband? Silence. Very few brothers know the answer to that question. But ask them, "What are the rights of the husband over the wife?" They can recite it to you as if the books are open in front of them. And vice versa. You ask the sisters, "What are the rights of a husband over her wife over his wife?" Well, you know, general generalized, "What are the rights of a wife over her husband?" specifics, details, knowledge will gush forth. Why? Because we are obsessed with what is for us, not what is upon us. However, we should always, a person who believes in Allah in the last day is terrified of not knowing what he owes other people because he doesn't want to meet Allah having to owe anyone. However, a person who is more focused on the dunya, they will be more focused on what is for them. And so in closing, we'll end with this narration. The prophet sallallah.aii alaihi wasallam tells us in he told the companions once he said after my passing he's speaking to the companions he said after my passing there are going to be leaders that are going to take hold of the government over you and they will govern you in a very one-sided manner. They will take all of what is theirs and not give you what is yours. And they'll even take what is supposed to be yours and put it in their own pockets. And so the companions asked, "What should we do? How should we respond to a governing force over us that deprivives us our rights but takes their own? And the prophet Sam said.

[Silence]

He said, "Give the rights that are upon you by Allah. Fulfill what is upon you and ask Allah for what is yours." And he added in another narration, be patient and maintain said patience until you meet me on the lake on the day of judgment. The lake that comes from alther that gush gushes forth from Jenna. If you are patient and you fulfill the rights of others not when they only when they give you your rights. No, you fulfill the rights of others especially when they don't fulfill your rights because you're dealing with Allah. You're not dealing with human beings. You're dealing with Allah. If you maintain that patience and that moral compass, you will meet me on the lake of Alcar on the day of judgment. That is the place where when we come, if we are allowed on the shores and the banks of that lake, the prophet Muhammad Sam will give us to drink from his own hand sai. Now, what kicks in? What kicks in is all of the brainwashing that the Muslims have been through in the last couple of centuries. I mean, we've all come from countries ravaged by colonialism, ravaged by television and thoughts that aren't our own and don't come from our book. We live in that time. And so the idea is, you know, this is this is what rich people tell poor people to keep them poor, right? Stuff that. Things taken straight out of the Marx brothers playbook. This is not what our prophet sallall.aii wasallam has commanded us. The dunya will never be perfect. It's never going to be a perfect place. There's always going to be a problem with someone no matter who it is. But what the only person we can change is ourselves. And so you never want to be caught as the person pointing your finger whilst in reality fingers point back at you in the court of Allah. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to teach us those rights that are upon us to grant us the strength to give those rights not only when we are given our rights in return but especially when we are not fulfilled our rights. We ask Allah to give us that deep deep conviction of belief that we will be rewarded and compensated by Allah. That we will be entered into paradise and that we will be included in the intercession of Muhammad Sam. and a Muhammad while early. He was.