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The World Must Rise To Rescue the Oppressed -By Imam Murtadha Gusau

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The Value and the Power of Words In Islam By Imam Murtada Gusau

 

 

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

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All thanks and praise is due to Allah, we seek His help and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and the consequences of our evil deeds. Whoever Allah guides will never be led astray, and whoever Allah leads astray will never find guidance. I bear witness there is no God but Allah, alone without any partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

“O you who have believed, fear Allah 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 Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Verily, Allah is ever watching over you.” [Quran, 4:1]

“O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. He will then amend for you your deeds and forgive your sins, and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.” [Quran, 33:70-71]

Verily, the most truthful speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (Pbuh), and the worst affairs are newly invented matters (In religion). Every newly invented matter (In religion) is a religious innovation, and every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Hellfire.

To proceed:

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Servants of Allah! Know that Islam was revealed to protect the natural rights of all human beings, their inalienable rights to life, property, and freedom. Violating these rights for any reason without a just cause is a major sin and it is a betrayal of Islam if Muslims claim such injustice is legislated by the Quran and Sunnah.

Brothers and sisters! An oppressor is someone who treats people in an unfair and cruel way and prevents them from having opportunities and freedom. While oppressed is someone governed in an unfair and cruel way and prevented from having opportunities and freedom.

In summary, the meaning of oppression is to take away other people’s property without right; to beat, abuse, attack, kill, maim and mistreat them; and to take advantage of the weak.

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Allah says in Quran:

“Do no suppose that Allah is unmindful of what the unjust do. He only gives them respite until a Day when the eyes will stare in terror as they come hurrying on in fear, their heads upraised, their gaze not returning to them, and their hears blank. And warn mankind of a Day when the punishment will come upon them, and then those who commit oppression will say: “O Lord, give us respite for a little while. We will respond to your call and will follow the Messengers.” Thereupon they will be told: “And did you not swear earlier that there would be no ending for you? And you dwelt in the dwellings of those (earlier peoples) who wronged themselves (and were destroyed), and when it was made clear to you how We dealt with them and We set forth examples for you.” [Quran, 14:42-45]

And Allah says:

“The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress people.” [Quran, 42:42]

And He the Most High says:

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“And those who do wrong will come to know by what a great reversal they will be overturned.” [Quran, 26:227]

Allah’s Messenger (Pbuh) said:

“Allah grants the oppressor respite, but when He finally seizes him, He will not let him escape. He then recited “And such is the grasp of your Lord when He seizes them while they are doing wrong. Truly, His grasp is painful, strong.” [Quran, 11:102]. [Sahih Bukhari]

The Prophet (Pbuh) said:

“If anyone has done wrong to his brother with regard to his honour or anything else, he should make reparations to him before a Day in which there will be no Dinar or Dirham. If he has any good deeds to his credit, they will be taken from him to the extent of his wrong-doing, and if he did not have any good deeds, the evil deeds of the wronged one will be loaded upon him.” [Sahih Bukhari]

The Prophet (Pbuh) said:

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“Allah says ‘O My servants, I have prohibited oppression to Myself and have made it prohibited among you, therefore, do not oppress each other.” [Sahih Muslim]

Allah’s Messenger (Pbuh) asked:

“Do you know who the poor is?” The Companions said: “The one who is without wealth or property”. The Prophet said: “Among my followers, the poor one is that person who will come on the Day of Resurrection with prayers, fasting, zakah and hajj, but also with injustices against others; abusing this one, taking the property of that one, slandering another, hitting another, shedding the blood of another. Then his good deeds will be taken away from him one by one and given to this person and that person (whom he wronged in this life). If his good deeds are exhausted before all his wrong deeds are settled, some of the evil deeds of those whom he wronged will be allocated to him, and he will be thrown into the fire.” [Sahih Muslim]

When the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) sent Mu’adh to Yemen, he told him:

“Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, since there is no veil between him and Allah.” [Sahih Bukhari]

Aisha (RA) reported the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) as saying:

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“If anyone wrongfully takes even one span of another person’s land, on the Day of Resurrection his neck will be encircled by it to the depth of seven earths.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari]

Jabir (RA) reported that:

“When Makkah was conquered, the Muslims from Abyssinia returned and came to the Prophet (Pbuh). He asked them to tell something of interest about the Abyssinian people. They said: “A very old woman was walking by with a jug of water on her head. She passed by a young man, who put his hand between her shoulders and pushed her so hard that she fell down and broke the water jug. Then she stood up and looked at him, and said: ‘You treacherous young man, you will learn! On the Day when Allah will gather the former and latter people together, and your hands and feet will speak about what they did. You will know! That day, the matter between you and me will be settled.” The Prophet (Pbuh) remarked, “She spoke the truth. How can Allah bless a nation which does not help its weak ones against its strong?” [Ibn Majah and Baihaqi]

Allah’s Messenger (Pbuh) is reported to have said:

“There are five person with whom Allah is angry. He may punish them in this world, or may postpone their punishment by fire in the Hereafter:

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1- A leader of a nation who takes from the people but does not share with them nor remove injustices from them.

2- A leader of a people whom they love and obey but who does not deal equitably between the strong and weak and speaks according to his selfish desires.

3- A man who does not order his wives and children to obey Allah and does not teach them their religious duties.

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4- A man who hires a worker, and after the work is completed, does not pay him his full wages.

5- A man who unjustly keeps his wife’s mahr (Dowry).”

Abdullah Ibn Salam said:

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“When Allah created people, they stood upon their feet and lifting their faces toward the sky, they asked, “O Lord, who are you with?” and He replied: “With the oppressed one until he is given his rights.”

● It is not allowed to socialise with the oppressors

Allah the Most High says:

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“Assemble the oppressors and their cohorts.” [Quran, 37:22]

Allah the Almighty says:

“And do not lean toward the oppressors, lest the Fire touch you and you have no protecting friends against Allah, then you will not be helped.” [Quran, 11:113]

Ibn Abbas elaborated:

“Do not lean toward them with love, do not support them, nor soften your speech with them and show kindness.” Al-Suddi and Ibn Sayd said: “Do not flatter the tyrants.”

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Ikrama said:

“It is leaning toward love of them when you obey them and show affection to them.”

Abu Aliyah said:

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“Do not be pleased with their deeds.”

“Lest the Fire touch you” means that you will be scorched. In the explanation of “You have no protecting friends against Allah” Ibn Abbas says: “There will be no one to prevent Allah’s punishment from reaching you.” [Tafsir Ibn Kathir]

Sa’id Bin Musayyib said:

“Never be pleased with the supporters of tyrants, but oppose them in your hearts; otherwise your good deeds may become as nothing.”

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Makhul Damashqi said:

“On the Day of Resurrection, a caller will call, ‘Where are the tyrants and their supporters? If anyone who is present who so much as gave them ink, or filled their bottle with ink, or sharpened their pen, or anything greater than that, he will be gathered with them under the dome of fire and thrown into Hell.”

A tailor came to Sufyan Thawri and asked:

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“I sew the Sultan’s clothes, am I a supporter of the tyrants and oppressors?” Sufyan replied, “You are amongst the tyrants! The supporters are those who sell the needles and threads to you.” [Taken from book The Major Sins by Muhammad bin Uthman]

The Prophet (Pbuh) is reported to have said:

“On the Day of Resurrection, among the first people to enter the Fire will be the floggers who have whips with which they flogged people wrongfully.”

Ibn Umar said:

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“On the Day of Resurrection, the aides of the oppressors and their police will be the dogs of Hell.”

The Prophet (Pbuh) said:

“Do not stand around in a place where an oppressed person is being beaten without coming to his defense. because Allah’s curse descends upon such a place.”

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● The position of the oppressed in relation to the oppressor

Allah the Almighty says:

“And those who, when tyranny strikes them, they defend themselves. And the retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation – his reward is [due] from Allah. Indeed, He does not like wrongdoers. And whoever avenges himself after having been wronged – those have not upon them any cause [for blame]. The cause is only against the ones who wrong the people and tyrannise upon the earth without right. Those will have a painful punishment. And whoever is patient and forgives – indeed, that is of the matters [requiring] determination [i.e. on the part of those seeking the reward of Allah].” [Quran, 42: 39-43]

Theses verses include two matters:

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First: Taking revenge from the oppressor.

Second: Forgiveness on the part of the oppressed.

Ibrahim may Allah have mercy upon him said:

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“The believers hated anyone to humiliate them, but whenever they had the chance to take revenge, they would forgive instead.”

Allah praises the believers in the abovementioned verses for having the strength and power to avenge in a just manner, for restoring their rights, and for not allowing aggressors to take advantage of them. They are by no means incapable, weak or humiliated, and they are quite capable of exacting revenge, yet they forgive and forget.

This is how Prophet Yusuf may Allah exalt his mention acted with his brothers despite his ability to take revenge from them. Likewise, the Prophet (Pbuh) forgave the man who attempted to kill him whilst he slept; the man was suddenly overcome with fear of the Prophet and therefore dropped the sword from his hand, and the Prophet took hold of it and forgave him, even though he (Pbuh) could easily have killed him.

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Brothers and Sisters! There are many Quranic verses and Prophetic narrations addressing this issue and encouraging the oppressed to forgive the oppressor when he is in a position to exact revenge, as this will boost his record of rewards on the Day of Resurrection. On the other hand, if the oppressed insists on revenge then this is his right and it is perfectly permissible to do so, but the revenge must be strictly limited to the extent that he was wronged. If the wronged person is one of two wives, it is permissible for the husband to enable the wronged one to gain revenge, as the Prophet (Pbuh) permitted one of his wives to get back at another one who had badmouthed her.

● The Supplication of the Oppressed Against the Oppressor

My respected people! It is also permissible for the oppressed to supplicate against the one who transgressed his rights, and this is a form of revenge. The wronged person has the choice to avenge, to supplicate against the one who wronged him, to persevere and wait until Allah returns his right for him in the Hereafter, or to forgive. The best of all of these is to forgive and to do so would attain the greatest reward from Allah in the Hereafter.

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● The permissibility of the oppressed to take what was taken from him by his oppressor if he finds it.

It is permissible for the oppressed to do this, and it is also permissible for him to take something of the same value of the oppressor’s property, but he may not go beyond that. Similarly, if someone was badmouthed, then he may badmouth the one who badmouthed him but may not say more than what was said to him, or else he is a sinner, as the Prophet (Pbuh) said:

“Whatever two people say (from ill words) then both their sins lie with one who initiated, as long as the wronged does not transgress (i.e. exceed the extent to which he was wronged).”

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This means that whatever they say to one another will all go into the record of the one who initiated, as he was the cause of all of it, but if the wronged person retaliates with more than what he was wronged with, then this is a sin on his part which the other person will not bear.

Along the same lines, one should not supplicate against the one who wronged him with that which would neither yield benefit to him nor help him retrieve his rights that were taken; it is better for him to simply supplicate to Allah for his rights being returned. The only exception to this is when the person being supplicated against is a disbeliever, in which case he may do so.

● Forgiveness versus revenge

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In the last two verses [42-43] of Chapter Ash-Shuraa’ which were mentioned above and which mean:

“The cause is only against the ones who wrong the people and tyrannies upon the earth without right. Those will have a painful punishment. And whoever is patient and forgives – indeed, that is of the matters [requiring] determination [on the part of those seeking the reward of Allah].” [Quran 26: 42-43]

My people! These verses confirm that the blame lies with the one who initiated the oppression and transgression, while the one who perseveres through it, is doing something praiseworthy, and will be highly rewarded.

Al-Fudhayl Ibn Iyadh may Allah have mercy upon him said:

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“If a man comes to you complaining about another man who wronged him, then advise him to forgive him. If he says, I cannot bring myself to forgive him and would rather utilise the right granted to me by my Lord to avenge then say to him: If you can limit yourself to avenging in a fair manner, without transgressing the limits to which you were wronged, then proceed; but if you cannot control yourself, then it is safer to return to the option of forgiving him as the reward for the one who forgives is great with Allah.”

The one who forgives can sleep at night in a relaxed manner with no fear that he may have exceeded the extent to which he was wronged, because he did not avenge at all. However, the one who sought vengeance will agonise and think to himself: “Did I transgress? Did I go beyond my limit?”

Servants of Allah! Forgiving is a high rank which the callers to Islam should possess as it is a rank that only those with a high status attain, and they are the ones whom people take as examples to follow.

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Abu Hurairah may Allah be pleased with him narrated that a man once badmouthed Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him while the Prophet (Pbuh) was sitting with them, and the Prophet expressed wonder and smiled. The man continued, and after he had said much more, Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him retorted with some of the same, which caused the Prophet to get up (to leave) with an angry expression on his face. Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! He badmouthed me while you were sitting there! Why did you become upset and leave when I answered back to some of what he had said?’ The Prophet said: “You had an angel retorting on your behalf (when you were silent), but when you began answering him back (i.e., the man), Satan arrived, and I was not going to sit in the presence of Satan.” Then he (Pbuh) said: “O Abu Bakr! Here are three matters, all of which are true: Whenever a man is oppressed but forgives for the sake of Allah the Most High and the Almighty, then Allah will honour him with victory…” [Musnad of Imam Ahmad]

● The obligation upon an oppressor

Brothers and Sisters! The one who oppresses others should fear Allah and beware of transgression, because it will be counted as multiples of transgressions on the Day of Resurrection: one for him disobeying Allah, another for him oppressing his fellow Muslim, and a third for initiating and opening the gate of transgression and oppression for others to imitate. The wronged person could even eventually die as a result of the oppression, and the transgressor would bear the consequences of this.

Just look at what Umar may Allah be pleased with him did with the public property of the Muslims: Aslam may Allah be pleased with him narrated:

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“Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab appointed a freed slave of his, called Hunay, as manager of the Hima (i.e. a pasture devoted for grazing the animals of the Zakah or other specified animals, such as those used for Jihad etc.). He may Allah be pleased with him said to him: ‘O Hunay! Do not oppress the Muslims and (be sure to) ward off their curse (i.e. invocations against you), for the invocation of the oppressed is responded to (by Allah); allow the shepherd having a few camels and those having a few sheep (to graze their animals in that land), and take care not to allow the livestock of Abdur-Rahman Ibn Awf and the livestock of Uthman Ibn Affan may Allah be pleased with them (to graze their animals in your land), for if their livestock should perish, then they still have their farms and gardens, while for those who own only a few camels or sheep, if their livestock should perish, they would bring their dependents to me and appeal for help saying: ‘O Chief of the Believers! O Chief of the Believers!’ Would I then neglect them? (No, of course not). So I find it easier to let them have water and grass than to give them gold and silver (from the Muslim treasury). By Allah! These people think that I have been unjust to them. This is their land, and during the pre-lslamic period, they fought for it but then they embraced Islam (willingly) while it was in their possession. I swear By Him in whose Hand my life is! Were it not for the animals (in my custody) which I give to be ridden for Jihad (i.e. fighting in Allah’s Cause), I would not have turned even a span of their land into a Hima.’” [Sahih Al-Bukhari]

This was said regarding a matter that was not personal and he may Allah be pleased with him was merely being careful not to utilise the Muslim property in an incorrect manner, and yet he feared being unjust in any way. Therefore, those who transgress other people’s rights should fear Allah and fear the oppressed supplicating against them, as this is a very dangerous matter.

Mu’adh may Allah be pleased with him reported that the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) dispatched him (as governor of Yemen) and instructed him thus:

“Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

In another narration, the Prophet of Allah (Pbuh) said:

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“There are three persons whose supplications are never rejected: The just leader, the fasting person when he breaks his fast, and the oppressed when he supplicates and whose supplication is raised above the clouds and the gates of heaven are opened for it, and (to whom) Allah will say: ‘By My Glory! I shall assist you, even if it is after a while.’” [At-Tirmithi]

Abu Hurairah may Allah be pleased with him reported that the Prophet (Pbuh) said:

“He who has done a wrong that affects his brother’s honour or anything else, let him ask his forgiveness today before the time (i.e., the Day of Resurrection) when he will have neither a Dinar nor a Dirham. (On that Day), if he has done some good deeds, a portion equal to his wrongdoings will be subtracted from them; but if he has no good deeds, he will be burdened with the evil deeds of the one he had wronged in the same proportion.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari]

Abu Hurairah may Allah be pleased with him reported that:

“The Messenger of Allah (Pbhu) said:

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“Do you know who is the bankrupt one?” The people said: ‘The bankrupt among us is the one who has neither money nor property.’ He (Pbuh) said: “The real bankrupt one of my nation would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection having (performed) prayers, (observed) fasting and (spent in) charity, (but he will find himself bankrupt on that Day due to depleting these good deeds) because he despised others, uttered slanderous terms against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others, and beat others. Therefore his good deeds would be credited to the account of those (who suffered at his hand). If his good deeds are exhausted, their sins (i.e., those he oppressed) will be entered in his account and he will be thrown into the (Hell) Fire.” [Sahih Muslim]

● The transgressor must return the rights of people to them or their equivalent

Brothers and Sisters! How can the transgressor free himself from his transgression? Imam As-Safarini may Allah have mercy upon him said:

“The rights of people are either of a type that can be compensated for by an equivalent, like wealth or ruined goods, or by a type that cannot be compensated for.”

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This means that if a person has unjustly taken wealth, then he should return it; if he ruined something, then he should replace it; if he took something and used it, then he should return it and compensate the owner for the usage. These steps should all be accompanied with sincere repentance to Allah.

That is in the case of it being something that can be compensated for, but what should the transgressor do in the case that it is of the other type, which cannot be compensated for? Slandering a person or backbiting him are not things that can be compensated for, and in such a case one should first of all regret what he did and repent, then he should supplicate for the forgiveness of the one whom he slandered or backbite. If the person falsely accused another of adultery or fornication, then he should go back and inform those in front of whom he made the accusation that he was lying.

Furthermore, he should seek the pardon of the wronged person unless he knows that by informing him things would only get worse, in which case he should refrain from telling him and simply supplicate earnestly to Allah for the wronged person’s forgiveness; he should also praise the wronged person in front of those same people that he had defamed or slandered him.

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Imam Ibn Taymiyyah may Allah have mercy upon him said:

“If what was taken is of the type that can be compensated for, then one must return it, and if the owner has died then he should return it to his heirs. In addition to this, he must supplicate for the deceased, because he had deprived him of his right to benefit from his property for the period he was alive in, during which the property was in the possession of the transgressor.”

● How should people deal with the transgressor and the transgressed

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Servants of Allah! After knowing the positions of the transgressor and the transgressed against, we need to know the stance that people should adopt towards each of them.

Anas may Allah be pleased with him reported:

“The Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) said:

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“Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or is oppressed.’ A man asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah! I (know how to) help him when he is oppressed, but how can I help him when he is an oppressor?’ He (Pbuh) said: ‘You can restrain him from committing oppression. That will be your help to him.’” [Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

Al-Bara’ may Allah be pleased with him reported that:

“The Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) commanded us with seven things (one of which is): “Support the transgressed.”

Ibn Umar may Allah be pleased with him and his father, reported that the Messenger of Allah said:

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“A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. (So) he should not oppress him, nor should he forsake him (i.e. when he is being oppressed).” [Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

Therefore, one must support the oppressed and the one who is being transgressed against; the one who refrains from supporting an oppressed person, whilst being able to, is committing a sin.

Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him said:

“O people! You recite this verse: “O you who believe! Upon you is [responsibility for] yourselves. Those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided…” [Quran 5:105] (but misinterpret it) for I have heard the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) saying: ‘When people see an oppressor but do not prevent him from (doing evil), it is likely that Allah will punish them all.’” [Abu Dawud and At-Tirmithi]

One should prevent the oppressor physically if possible, and this responsibility is greater with respect to the leaders and those in authority. If one cannot stop the oppressor physically, then he should do it verbally.

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● An oppressor must not be supported and assisted

Brothers and Sisters! Helping an oppressor is from the gravest of disasters; people should not imitate an oppressor and must prevent him and make him realise the wrong that he is doing; if people assist the oppressor then they will not get to drink from the fountain of the Prophet (Pbuh) as he (Pbuh) himself informed us of this being the case.

Some people support a transgressor because he is a relative or a fellow tribe member, but the Prophet (Pbuh) warned against such oppressive behaviour.

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● A believer should not be deceived

All that has been mentioned thus far does not suggest that one should be easily deceived by someone who claims to have been oppressed, for it is not necessarily true that every person who claims to have been oppressed has actually been; the following is a case in point:

“During the era of Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him a man whose hand and foot had been amputated came to Madinah from Yemen and went to Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him complaining that the governor there had wronged him. A few days later, a necklace of Asma’ Bint Umays may Allah be pleased with her the wife of Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him was stolen and so people began searching for it. The Yemeni amputee assisted in the search and supplicated: “O Allah! Punish the one who stole from this righteous household.” Finally the necklace was found in a jewellery store. After investigating the matter, the jeweller claimed that the man from Yemen was the one who brought it to him, and when he was questioned he confessed to his crime. Therefore, Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him commanded that his other hand be amputated and said: “I swear by Allah! His supplication against himself was worse than his theft.” Although this man claimed that he had been oppressed, it was subsequently discovered that he had not been, and that his hand and foot were in fact rightfully amputated.”

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My people! Below are the quotes from even the non Muslims about oppression:

“I believe that there will be ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those who do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the system of exploitation. I believe that there will be that kind of clash, but I don’t think it will be based on the colour of the skin…” – Malcolm X

“Within a system which denies the existence of basic human rights, fear tends to be the order of the day. Fear of imprisonment, fear of torture, fear of death, fear of losing friends, family, property or means of livelihood, fear of poverty, fear of isolation, fear of failure. A most insidious form of fear is that which masquerades as common sense or even wisdom, condemning as foolish, reckless, insignificant or futile the small, daily acts of courage which help to preserve man’s self-respect and inherent human dignity. It is not easy for a people conditioned by fear under the iron rule of the principle that might is right to free themselves from the enervating miasma of fear. Yet even under the most crushing state machinery courage rises up again and again, for fear is not the natural state of civilized man.” – Aung San Suu Kyi, Freedom from Fear

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“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organised conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” – Frederick Douglass

“Human beings are so made that the ones who do the crushing feel nothing; it is the person crushed who feels what is happening. Unless one has placed oneself on the side of the oppressed, to feel with them, one cannot understand.” – Simone Weil

“All oppression creates a state of war.” – Simone de Beauvoir

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“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousand fold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers, we are not simply protecting their trivial old age, we are thereby ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations.” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956

“They will hate you if you are beautiful. They will hate you if you are successful. They will hate you if you are right. They will hate you if you are popular. They will hate you when you get attention. They will hate you when people in their life like you. They will hate you if you worship a different version of their God. They will hate you if you are spiritual. They will hate you if you have courage. They will hate you if you have an opinion. They will hate you when people support you. They will hate you when they see you happy. Heck, they will hate you while they post prayers and religious quotes on Pinterest and Facebook. They just hate. However, remember this: They hate you because you represent something they feel they don’t have. It really isn’t about you. It is about the hatred they have for themselves. So smile today because there is something you are doing right that has a lot of people thinking about you.” – Shannon L. Alder

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Wassalamu Alaikum, success comes from Allah, and Allah knows best.

I ask Allah to assist us in living by the Quran and Sunnah. I pray that He lets us recognise the truth for what it is and helps us to follow it, and that He lets us see falsehood for what it is and helps us to avoid it.

O Allah! Guide us and protect us from the causes of ignorance and destruction! Save us from the defects of ourselves! Cause the last of our deeds to be the best and most righteous! And forgive all of us. Ameen Yaa Rabb!

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My respected people! Anything good I have said in my today’s Khutbah (Sermon) is from Allah the Almighty, and any mistakes are my own and we seek refuge in Allah from giving wrong advice and from all forms of calamities and fitnah. And I ask Allah’s forgiveness if I stepped beyond bounds in anything I said or I do.

May Allah be praised; and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His Messenger Muhammad and upon his family and Companions.

With this I conclude my Khutbah (Sermon) and ask Allah, the Almighty and the sublime, to forgive all of our sins. So seek his forgiveness, He is all forgiving and Most Merciful.

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This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday Sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Zul-Hijjah 24, 1438 AH (September 15, 2017), By Imam Murtadha Muhammad Gusau, the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and late Alhaji Abdurrahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene Kogi State Nigeria. He can be reached via: +2348038289761.

 

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