We are Losing the Sunnah
Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani

Today we are not doing even one percent of that. Nothing. People are very busy in their worldly lives. And today as time passes, our children are forgetting the Sunnahs completely because there are no more scholars teaching the importance of the Sunnah. They are only teaching the five obligations. They are not remembering the Sunnahs of the Prophet (s). All this tradition we are losing. So if we think about how much we have to improve ourselves, like we see today, that people’s main concern is who is going to be sitting and running the affairs of countries.  Nothing else. There is no more we are doing something for Allah swt. Everything we are doing for politics. That politician or that politician… Islam became a tool or instrument in the tool of leaders in order to sit on a chair of politics.

	Muhammad Hisham Kabbani speaks with attendees at Masjid Khalilullah.
		Shaykh Muhammad Yar speaks with Shaykh Hisham.

Islam and religion, has become a tool in the hand of people to manipulate their political agendas, nothing else. And in politics it is well known, you have to lie. How do you say it? A white lie? There is no white lie.

There are only three lies which the Prophet (s) recommended. The first is when you are reconciling between a husband and a wife: You can say to the husband one thing and to the wife one thing in order to reconcile them. The second is if you are facing the danger of attack, you can lie in order to protect yourself. The third is to make peace between two groups who are fighting. [From this we see the Prophet's stress on the importance and emphasis on peace and harmony - when these are in jeopardy, we are allowed to do our utmost to restore them.]

But political lies are not white lies, they are dangerous lies. They are trying to take advantage of the religion and in what people have trusted them in.

So let us go back in this, the month of the Prophet (s) Rabi` ul-āwwal, and recall the importance of this month, which is to remember the life of Sayyidina. Muhammad (s), and what things he has done in his life for the benefit of the whole Ummah. The Prophet (s) did not breathe one breath without the benefit of the Ummah. That is why Allah said, bil mu’mineena ra’ufun raheem - "to the Believers is he most kind and merciful." [9:128] And those names are from Allah’s Names. Allah dressed His Prophet (s) from these attributes, with that tajalli. The Prophet (s) was ra’uf for everyone. Soft with everyone. That is why he never closed the door to non-Muslims. He never said, “I am going to fight you.” No. He was trying to guide them to Islam.

I will say the last thing before I end, about the Prophet (s). When we say that there is a drought, what do you need to cure a drought for the earth to get life another time? What do you need? You need water. So the rain is known as a mercy of Allah swt in order that it will give life back to this world.

Without water, nothing can live. Is it not correct, Shaykh Muhammad Yār? So when water comes, leaves on the trees they bloom, sprout back. And when someone will think a little bit, he will see that subhānAllah, in which month was the Prophet (s) born? In this month which is Rabi` ul-āwwal. Rabi` in Arabic is the spring. Is it not?

What comes before spring? Winter. Rain. So winter comes with rain; then everything comes back to life - trees, forests come back to life. Before they were dead. So the rain is mercy. And what is Allah’s Mercy? Sayyidina Muhammad (s)!

So Muhammad came as a mercy for giving back life to the whole Ummah, after a drought of ignorance, and after having been completely lost as if in a jungle. There was nothing that you can accept before the time of the Prophet (s). Everything was lost: humanity was lost, women’s rights were lost, men’s rights were lost. It was the life of the jungle; the survival of the fittest. That was in these times before Islam - It was nothing but the survival of the fittest in the time before the Prophet (s).

The Prophet (s) came like a merciful rain giving light to humanity and that light is continuing up to Judgment Day. That light is there, but no one is looking at it. And so today we are beginning a new ignorance. There is no longer that light of Islam, the human rights, the women’s rights, of Islam. Now it is lost. Can you see it anymore? It is a drought now. Religion is in drought. Only the elders come to the mosque. Where are the young?

They are in demonstrations, running in the streets. That is where they sent them. To rebel, against anything and everything. That is a Sign of the Last Days.

That is why the Prophet (s) mentioned in his hadith that in the Last Days, yakthuru al-jahl - "There will be too much ignorance." If you have a little Islamic education they are happy; if they teach a little bit of Qur’an. Where are the Islamic schools as before? Now everyone is running after secular science. We are not saying not to study secular studies, but you must study religion strongly.

We say we are Ahl as-Sunnah, making poetry for the Prophet (s), and so on, and yet we are not following. It has become a profession. There is no more any longer real `ishk. There is no  more a real experience of that love. You cannot find that anymore, it is impossible.

When people want to build a mosque, what do people give in a fundraiser: 10 dollars, 20 dollars? We are not in a bazaar, where they sell vegetables and you bargain. There is no more love in the Way of Allah swt. And the Prophet (s) said, "There will be too much ignorance." Do we have ignorance or not? Anywhere you turn your face there is ignorance. There is no more real, basic study of Islam.

The Prophet (s) never instigated hate towards anyone. Today we are full of hate in our hearts to each other. For what?

Politicians we understand, because they are afraid for the chair. But normal Muslims like us - why do Muslims need to have hate? We should all be in the same boat. May Allah swt give us the shafa` of the Prophet (s). Because without that shafa` it is very difficult to win Paradise. Don’t think by our `amal we can deserve to win Paradise. And that mercy He dressed on the Prophet (s). That is why he (s) said, Ādam wa man dūnahu tahta liwa’ī yawm al-qiyamat. – “Adam and whoever is other than him will be under my flag on Judgment Day.” Why then are we running from the presence of the Prophet (s) today?

That hadith means for ādam and everyone other than ādam - all human beings. Why are we trying to eliminate that shafa` from the Prophet (s). And he said, shafa` li-Ahl al-kab'ira min ummatī - "My shafa` is for the big sinners of my community."

O Muslims. On one side we must be very happy, because we are the first Ummah to enter Paradise, by shafa` of the Prophet (s). And on the other hand we must be sad that we are not trying to do better in order that our Creator will be happy with us and the Prophet (s) will be happy with us.

May Allah forgive us and bless our meeting more and more, and make those who love the Prophet (s) increase more and more.

Look today - you have Central Asia, near your country, Afghanistan. Before they were into a communist regime, but now alhamdulillah, Islam is moving back in. And slowly, slowly they are penetrating into these countries. And what is penetrating more is Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama`at. Because the tradition of Central Asia is classical and traditional Islam. And they have that tradition that they inherited form their parents, which they kept for one hundred years secretly and now they cannot accept any ideology that is coming from a different view, especially from some Arab countries.

Now unfortunately for Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama`at, a little of different ideologies are beginning to infiltrate through these countries. And I will tell you, that there are delegations coming to you from these countries, coming to see how Muslims live in America with whatever they are free to say. And they come here, and mostly they are interested to visit Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama`at. They don’t want to hear the extreme views of people. And that is why the delegation of Kyrgyzstan came to visit your mosque, and they are interested to document that Ahl as-Sunnah are strong, and to learn how Muslims live and see how the Muslims enjoy of what they have of freedom. We have to say that clearly, we cannot hide.

We see that kind of opening to Islam in America. They don’t go to Arab countries to see Islam there. They come here as if Islam is coming from the West. They want to learn from the Muslims of the West. As is mentioned - Islam will be rising in the West. And that is why they are coming with the sponsorship of State Department many delegations, coming and they are meeting with us. They go from mosque to mosque to learn about Muslim life. What is that influence of Muslim life in the US for Muslims from Central Asia? They like to see young people, old people, converts all integrating, lā farqa bayna `Arabīyyan wa `ajamīyyan illa bit-taqwa. – “There is no difference between and Arab and a non-Arab except in respect of God-consciousness.”  Look at all the races in this mosque. that is the beauty of Islam.

May Allah forgive us. Bi-hurmatil fātiha.