All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and the most Truthful Speaker. He said, “Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-haram to al-Masjid al- Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.”[1] We testify there is no god worthy of worship but Allah, alone with no partner in His sovereignty nor an adversary in His highness, Almighty; and we testify that our master, leader, and great Muhammad is our Messenger, the Messenger of Allah whom He, Almighty, chose. He is our gift and bounty of mercy from Allah. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon you, o messenger of Allah. May Allah confer His pleasure upon your family and your companions who followed your guidance until we meet you.
To proceed,
Nowadays, Muslims commemorate the journey of Isra’ and Mi’raj. Sermonizers and scholars relate to people the plentiful lessons taken from this journey. I believe a genuine celebration of our religious occasions is through adhering to the true Islam, illustrating its principles and values, and redressing misinformation infused by the corruptors in the minds of people that impute to Islam the image, not only of an enemy to all except those who follow it and those who follow their line of thought. However, our Islam and Sharia completely disavow such ideology. Our religion is peaceful, and we praise Allah for being followers of this religion. We ask Allah, Almighty, to make us follow genuine Islam. Allah commissioned His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to invite the people through saying, “And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds”[2] and, “So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter.”[3]
As our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) invited the people to his religion, his Lord taught him the proper means to address the people with mercy, leniency, and fair preaching: “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.”[4]
Upon the Prophet's presentation of the invitation, some people accepted it and thus became Muslims and Companions of his. As for who rejects, Allah thus informed him, “But if they turn away - then We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], over them as a guardian; upon you is only [the duty of] notification.”[5] And, “so whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve."[6] And, “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion."[7] This is the speech of Allah, Almighty, to His Messenger, unfabricated by a human, forming the basis of Islam. These are clear verses, debated only by those deviating from the straight path in learning the religion. Our religion of Islam features no compulsion in belief, “There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion.”[8] Allah is the One stating this in His Book, “upon you is only [the duty of] notification.” The mission of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is to convey the message, makes it clear, gives glad tidings of Paradise, and warns against Hellfire. After undertaking his duty, he should accept people’s choices, and upon each is the responsibility of their decisions. Never had he compelled anyone to adopt Islam, nor did any of his companions. Instead, they followed his path and the guidance of the Book of Allah, Almighty, before him. They invite people, inform them about the true path of Allah, enlighten them on its fruit (i.e. Paradise), and warn them against deviation and its consequences (i.e. Hellfire). This is [literally] the mission of scholars after the passing of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Were we to tread the path of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), people would follow suit as was the case with our predecessors, after which people embraced the religion of Allah in flocks.
Why did some of the followers of our religion deviate from this true path, showing our Islam as if it purposefully aims at mass murder, bloodshed, extortion of wealth, and violation of honor, despite the fact that one of the primary objectives of our pure religion is to ensure protection of all of these things? Such fact is crystal clear to any learner, let alone a scholar. Why did some people disfigure the facts? Our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hands the people (Muslims in other version) are safe.” ‘People’ is a generic word encompassing every single human being; a Muslim or a non-Muslim. Accordingly, why did some people distort this concept, making the Muslim a person who insults, abuses, and drives people away from our religion? They inflict harm, killing, and intimidation on the Muslims, claiming it is Jihad for the sake of Allah. By Allah, they have lied. Jihad in our Islam is legislated to fend off transgressors, without posing any aggression or murdering people.
Learning about our religion is truly sought from its main sources, namely the Book of Allah, Almighty and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). We should follow the ideal of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); how did he react to the disbelievers of Mecca who inflicted the kind of severe torment on him and his followers only he can endure? He had not invoked Allah against them, but did the opposite. He (peace and blessings be upon him) visited a disbeliever, who used to act maliciously against him, after he learnt of his illness; this is the Messenger of Islam, and none is ever more caring for Islam than he. We should learn how our Messenger dealt with the Jewish tribes residing in Madinah after his migration fleeing from the torment posed by the disbelievers in Mecca. He neither beat nor compelled anyone to embrace Islam. Instead, he concluded peace treaties, securing their faith safe from any violation by Muslims.
Our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) broke no treaty ــــas he would never do such thing. The Jews, however, broke their treaties with the Muslims and transgressed against them. It was only natural that our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) responded by expelling them; isn’t he the Messenger of Islam. Who claimed murdering people is a kind of Jihad? Every misdeed is liable to be forgiven by the Lord save “killing a person not in retaliation of murder, (and) or spreading mischief in the land;” this is the literal statement of the Book of our Lord. Killing one person is equivalent to killing the entire humanity. Allah said, “Because of that We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind.”[9]
Killing one soul is equivalent killing all mankind; Muslim or non-Muslim. This is the Book of our Lord pronouncing the truth in an undisputed clarity. The Book of Allah, the Sunnah of our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Ijtihad (individual reasoning) of our righteous predecessor are all available; so, why do they veer away and follow vain desires, legislating on their own, and judging their non-followers as sinners, and probably disbelievers? Who entrusted them with the power of judging others as disbelievers? We are aware of the Prophet’s strong reproach of his beloved Usamah, son of his beloved, Zayd when he ـــduring the battleــــ killed a disbeliever acting fiercely in killing Muslims who pronounced ‘there is no god but Allah’ only to save himself, as Usamah thought, not out of true belief. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “you killed him after pronouncing there is no God but Allah?!” He replied, “Messenger of Allah, he only said it after he was certain of his death.” He said it after becoming certain of his death, not out of true belief. He wanted to save himself. However, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disapproved his action although his excuse was significantly reasonable. Had that disbeliever desired to become a Muslim, he could have become one before engaging in battle against Muslims. Our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “did you know what was in his heart?! Did you know what was in his heart?!” He kept repeating it until Usamah said, “I wished I hadn’t embraced Islam before that day.” Do you know why he wished it? Simply, because he thought he would never be forgiven. The Prophet’s strong denunciation of his act led him to wish being a non-Muslim until that day, only to embrace Islam and be forgiven for his past sins.
Furthermore, you are familiar with how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reacted to the incident when Khalid ibn al-Walid killed a group of disbelievers, who had fought against the Muslims, after they stated, “we renounce our religion, we renounce our religion” at the moment they became certain of their death. Their declaration is not explicit in embracing Islam. Arabs used to use those very words to describe anyone embracing Islam. Similarly, Muslims used them to describe anyone apostatizing from Islam. Generally speaking, the words describe anyone abandoning his religion for another, thereby applicable for both situations. Although killing them was a kind of Ijtihad, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) strongly denounced it, saying, “O Allah, I did not order it, nor I was present, and I am not pleased since it has come to me! I’m free from what Khalid has done.”
Thereafter, the Prophet withdrew the blood money from the Muslims’ public treasury, considering their killing as unintentional. This is our religion. How is it the case, then, with those accusing Muslims professing there is not God but Allah, praying, and fasting with disbelief? How could this be possible when our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said anyone professing no God but Allah shall enter Paradise. He also said, “I have been ordered to fight the people until they say: ‘La ilaha illallah’ (there is no God worthy of worship but Allah). So when they say that, their blood and their wealth are safe from me, except for a right, and their reckoning is for Allah.” People misinterpret this hadith, employing it to prove that a non-Muslim is fought to acknowledge Islam, which is incorrect. Fighting is not killing, as it means we are to fight those fighting us. This rule applies to all the verses advocating fighting in the Book of Allah. Once the other party professes there is no God but Allah, fighting must be ceased immediately, even if they do not observe prayer, fasting, or Hajj. These are the teachings of Islam; so where is the source of the teachings they cling to? And who gave them the authority to legislate in the religion of Allah, following a different path than the one designated by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
Muslims, let’s all adhere to the voice of Islam and reveal its tolerance, coexist with non-Muslims as our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did, and nourish good thoughts about our fellow Muslims even if they display otherwise; for Allah, Almighty, is the One, not humans, judging the people. Why wouldn’t you show the treasures of our Sharia such as the Prophet’s saying about killing a Mu'ahid (a person who is granted the pledge of protection by the Muslims), who is obviously a non-Muslim, even if from an enemy state with whom there is war, asking permission to deliver a message, possibly a threatening one, and soon to return as a combatant against Muslims. The Prophet said regarding killing him, “Whoever kills a Mu’ahid (covenanted non-Muslim) shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise though its fragrance can be smelt at a distance of forty years (of traveling).” Do you see now the greatness of Islam? Is there any man-made law on earth as strongly equal as this legislation produced by the most truthful of creation (peace and blessings be upon him)?
And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
All praise is due to Allah, alone, and may peace and blessings be upon the seal of the Prophets. We testify there is no God worthy of worship but Allah alone with no partner, and we testify that our master and leader is Muhammad. We profess these two testimonies until Allah inherits this earth and whoever is above it.
Welcome to adherence to the religion. We should, however, adhere to its authentic elements, instead of the interpolations alien to it. Our religion promotes tolerance, mercy, justice, and kindness towards Muslims and non-Muslims alike, except those acting hostilely against us, at which time we deal with them in accordance with the legislation of Allah. In this regard, the Qur'an reads, “whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you.” Were we to manifest the tolerance of Islam and our adherence to the ideals of the Prophet’s companions, extremism would meet its end and extremists would disappear, failing to find any way to mislead the people. We ask Allah, Almighty, to save us from them and from every deviant, innovator, disobedient person who impute to Islam that which is alien to it. Indeed, Allah is All-Powerful. We ask Allah to forgive our sins, set us on the right path, raise the flag of Islam, empower the Muslims, make stronger the connections between the Muslims countries, show the Muslim rulers the good for their nations and aid them with righteous retinues that direct them to work for the good of the people.
Stand to pray! May Allah, Almighty, forgive me and you; and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.