16
By
Imam Murtadha Gusau
Sunday, March 24, 2019
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessing be upon whom Allah sent as a mercy to the Worlds, upon his Family, his Companions and his Brothers till the Day of Resurrection.
Dear brothers and sisters! In response to Friday’s massacre of Muslim worshippers, New Zealand broadcast a national call to prayer (Adhan) at 1:34 PM local time, marking exactly one week since the attack. It was live, with the entire nation watching in the presence of their Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and right in front of Masjid Al-Noor, where an Islamophobic white supremacist tried to terrorise the world.
Alhamdulillah, New Zealand is rising with love to drown out hate and violence. New Zealanders are trooping to investigate and find out what Islam is? And many of them are converting to the religion of peace, mercy and truth; the religion of Jesus, Moses and Muhammad (Peace be upon them).
The way Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, handled the situation has brought the country closer to the heart of the world. Contrast this with India, which has stripped the citizenship of four million Muslims; China, which has jailed three million Muslims in concentration camps, and Burma, which has thrown 1.1 million Muslims into the largest refugee camp in the world. It is striking to see a leader standing up against Islamophobia. She must be recognised and appreciated. I pray for her for Allah’s guidance.
– The Prime Minister visited Christchurch three times in a week.
– She banned the video in which the terrorist live-streamed his violence.
– She plans to ban assault weapons.
– She called for better controls of social media.
– She donned a scarf out of respect as she comforted the families.
Now, as Muslims, what are your individual plans to fight hate? What is your Mosque doing about it and how can your interfaith group fight Islamophobia.
Is your Masjid thinking beyond a security camera to protect itself from attacks?
Most Mosques I visit keep their doors open, even at night when no one is there.
It is critical for the leadership of Mosques to invest in security the way synagogues do. Perhaps meet with local synagogues to get ideas on how to ensure the security of congregations.
Here are types of security issues you need to discuss with security experts:
1. Periphery definition and surveillance.
2. Tactical surveillance methods.
3. Soft spot identification.
4. Entrance access management.
May Allah keep us and our neighbours safe, ameen.
Respected brothers and sisters! Every day, a brutal crime is committed somewhere in the world. Beautiful and valuable souls are taken away from us by the hands of evil politicians, political thugs, armed bandits, kidnappers/abductors and ignorant terrorists who act individually in the name of a certain group, party or entity. They leave an empty void in our hearts forever which can never be filled. These terrorists and criminals not only commit crimes, but they spread hatred among mankind by causing hate between followers of certain groups. These terrorists and criminals don’t think much about the consequences of what they do. Very often, they are very ignorant human beings that act selfishly, hoping to achieve their agenda which is based on a false premise.
Terrorists come in many different flavours. They come from different cultures, religions, tribes, regions and nations but do not represent them. They all commit crimes individually but often in the name of a large groups hoping to gain followers and media coverage. Its a good strategy. Use the name of a religion or some other large group to recruit more and justify their actions by false power that it gives them. But lets be clear. All terrorists share one thing in common; they are all terrorists who lack happiness in their lives. They are worthless human beings whose only hope of being known and remembered is by committing evil actions.
Terrorists, armed bandits, evil politicians, political thugs and kidnappers commit evil crimes every day hoping to be noticed because deep down they know they are cowards. When you can’t change the world for good and be known and remembered for a good cause, its easier to do bad and be noticed. That’s why the majority of terrorists and criminals are either young ignorant men who have been recruited by fear or false hope of attaining a certain reward, or other men who have no sense of peace and happiness in their lives. These people are often oblivious of the fact that they will truly be accountable for their actions when they return to Allah in the hereafter. But terrorists don’t really believe in Allah because to believe is to do what Allah has told us to do through many religious scriptures.
Dear brothers and sisters! Why do terrorists and other criminals commit crimes. What fuels their actions? These are good questions and I will attempt to answer them In Shaa Allah. Most crimes committed by terrorists and criminals are often committed by hate filled individuals or mentally sick people who don’t think about others but themselves. These individuals either have a mental disease, or develop hatred for a certain group of people. As usual, it is the media instilling hate in peoples hearts by spreading false propaganda to achieve their own political agenda. Politics, Power and Greed is truly the culprit of terrorism.
Not all terrorists are terrorists. Some terrorists as the media likes to label them, are truly independence fighters hoping to achieve freedom and a better life. And according to them, when you have been oppressed all your life and have no rights to education, lack food and good social amenities, and your human rights are being violated, the only way to achieve change is through violence. But we are outsiders and judge by what the unoppressed tell us. When we look at the terrorists through one media, we are merely looking at an object from one distorted angle. We need to look at the so called terrorists for whom they really are. We could be seeing an innocent person acting out of fear and persecution because their loved ones have been kept hostage and they have no choice but fight. That can be an opportunity to help them not judge them.
As I said earlier, all terrorists are truly terrorists. Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and many other religions are not terrorist groups. They are here to share the message of hope and righteousness for all mankind. Terrorism and religion are two complete different things and we should never mix them.
Lets remind terrorists and all the criminals that Allah is the giver of life. His are everything that exists. We have no right to take anyone’s life but Him. Our whole life is to be lived in a way that brings honour and glory to Allah. Killing and terroristic actions are not approved by Allah as predicated by many religions.
Allah has shown us why we exist and how we are to live in the noble Qur’an. He has instructed us to turn to Him for guidance and mercy. If we obey Him and put all our trust in Him, we are guaranteed eternal life after this life. So lets abstain from evil actions and honour Allah by spreading love and righteousness.
I would like to leave you with a beautiful message on the value of life as portrayed by Allah the Almighty in the Glorious Qur’an:
“We decreed for the Children of Israel that whosoever kills a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.” [Qur’an, 5:32]
Dear brothers and sisters! Wallahi I can’t stand on the fence, I can’t fold my arms and I can’t keep quite at this trying time for our brothers and sisters in Kano!!!
Wallahi, if yesterday’s Kano re-run election is accepted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as a free and fair election, then what I can simply say is we are doomed as a nation. I say this because today a complete new chapter in political thuggery is added to the book of political history in Nigeria. What really happened was not even an election talk less of calling it free and fair. You may choose to say it differently perhaps because of your allegiance to the government, but if the truth is to be told, you know that what happened was not anything near election, but something alien to the elections process.
If a whole ward will be taken over by imported miscreants from a different local government, and voted as the registered voters of that ward or on behalf of the registered voters of that ward, stopping all the true registered voters of that ward from even accessing the PU not to talk of voting, and you call this election, then I think something is definitely wrong with you upstairs no matter your allegiance. All these happened to the glare of the security personnel, and you called this an election, then I am really sorry.
This is new to northern Nigeria politics and if it is allowed to stand because of our political inclination, then we must expect a very terrible outcome in the very near future. You may think differently from me because we may not be sharing the same ideology and thoughts, but what happened today is surely dangerous to democracy and we will definitely reap a very unfavourable result in the near future In Shaa Allah!
You may be happy now because you are now a beneficiary but be rest assured that it will consume us all if allowed to stand. It is not about opposing or loving one individual, no, but it is about democracy and our region as a whole. Kano state must be accepted to be bigger and more important than anybody’s selfish and myopic interest. Democracy must be allowed to grow and flourish, if this infringement is accepted, then only disaster awaits us. Allah forbid!
Mr President must hear this, that what happened in Kano state yesterday was subversion of people’s will and wish, and not election. If this is allowed to go, then like I said we should expect a very terrible result.
Souls were lost and many people were injured. The blood of those innocent souls will also be part of the gains or losses.
And we are always deceiving ourselves and claiming to be unaware of the root causes of Boko Haram, kidnapping/abduction, armed banditry, poverty and general insecurity bedeviling northern Nigeria while our politicians are patronising thugs and criminals for their selfish interests.
O Allah, I pray, as they are destroying the lives and futures of other people’s children, May Allah the Almighty deny them the pleasure of having obedient children!
May Allah guide us all in the true path and fill our hearts with love and hope. Ameen!
* Always be with Allah!
Respected brothers and sisters! Know that walking with Allah is the best walk anyone could ask for. It is the best experience any human being can have. It is the walk of true life. But what exactly does walking with Allah mean. Depending on who you ask, you may get a different answer. In my version, walking with Allah means living your life according to His will, by His guidance, for His glory, and being Allah-conscious in all that you do. It means to listen to your inner calling and embrace the Allah given purpose that is in you. It means to live by Allah’s commandments and remain righteous throughout the walk of life.
Walking with Allah is the walk of true life where we get to know our creator and ourselves. It is very beneficial for our growth as human beings. It can be very rewarding and transformational at times, as well as difficult. We will be presented with great opportunities that will make us shine in the eyes of others, and difficulties that will makes us want to hide from the rest of the world. But it is all worth it, because the Allah whom we walk with is the one Allah who walks for us when we need it the most.
Walking with Allah does not assure us that we will avoid life’s major problems. No! There is no exception to the rule. Allah’s creation has been created for a purpose and each must traverse their own path to discover themselves. Walking with Allah is necessary to find fulfillment and purpose in all that we do. The walk determines where we will go and who we will become because it is the only walk that makes complete transformation in us.
We all have a purpose that we must strive to find. We all exist to be tried and tested and to understand the attributes of Allah by the testing that happens to us. When we walk with Allah, we position ourselves to find the inner purpose in us. We align our passion with our purpose and will achieve fulfillment and satisfaction with our lives. That is what Allah wants for all His creation, fulfillment and satisfaction. He created us and He knows whats best for us.
The walk with Allah is our purification and refining process. We will be tested and tried until we are made the beings Allah wants us to be. We will be subjected to many situations that will force us to move from our comfort level and step up to the NEXT uncertain LEVEL. The testing is our opportunity to improve ourselves. We will get to know Allah and hopefully become worthy of the hereafter where we will live eternally.
While walking with Allah, we will be faced with situations that will test our Iman (faith), our patience, our thankfulness, our appreciation, our fear of Allah, our trust in Him, our purpose and question ourselves. We will face situations that will make us angry at Allah. We will be confused as to why He isn’t helping us when we chose to obey Him. We will be frustrated with confusion and lack of action on Allah’s part, which will make us question our own Iman (faith). We will eventually realise our own limitations and accept our human nature. We will understand that our limited knowledge will only allow us to grasp what Allah has made visible for us. The invisible comes through life’s experiences as we grow and mature into beings that Allah wants us to be.
Never doubt Allah’s ways. Just because you don’t see the full picture don’t negate His ways. He can surprise us in ways that will seem unreal. When the timing is right, all events will be aligned perfectly to create a free flowing path for the plan of Allah to come to life. I remember when I was trying to get a better job, I kept being rejected and frustrated but I never gave up. Throughout the process of walking with Allah, I learned about my abilities. I was rejected to only receive the job that I love today. The job that I have today forces me to step up to the NEXT LEVEL. The job that Allah destined for me caused a chain of events that allowed me to meet the right people. It was almost like a drawing force. I can best describe it like fate. Things just work in your favour no matter how difficult and improbable they seem. So don’t judge the only real Judge because the most difficult path is your greatest journey that will yield the greatest fruit.
Yes, its true, external forces will be against you trying to stop you from achieving your destiny. But no matter the obstacles, they will not stop you from going where you are meant to be. What Allah wills will come to pass. He will use the opposition to shape you and keep you on the right path until you meet the path of your destiny. Through failure in your part and inability to succeed on your own, you will come to the realisation that everything that is going to happen has been decreed by Allah. Your share has been precisely planned. Nobody can take the share of someone else. Everyone’s share is measured precisely.
One of the most confusing parts when walking with Allah is understanding Him. Communication is key. You may think that Allah wants you to do something when in fact it is your wishful thinking. You may take your desires as a promise from Allah to engage in an event and expect a promised outcome. But remember, Allah speaks through actions. If it comes to pass, Allah destined it, otherwise, it never was in His will, for whatever Allah wills, it shall come to pass.
Respected brothers and sisters! The walk with Allah is the best walk of life. It is the walk that will transform you into a complete being. It will cause you to grow and develop into a better you. The walk will shape your future. It will shape your morals. You will become more in tune with Allah’s plan for your life. You will understand Allah’s love and greatness while you struggle with the walk. No matter how difficult it is, the walk will become your destiny, because anybody who walks with Allah will never be the same.
The perfect knowledge belongs to Allah the Almighty. Our last prayer is all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessing be upon our Prophet, his Family, his Companions and his Brothers till the Day of Resurrection.
Imam Murtadha Muhammad Gusau, sent this piece from Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached through: [email protected] or +2348038289761
