In the name of Allāh, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy
All praise is for Allāh, we praise Him, we seek His aid, and we ask for His forgiveness. We seek Allāh’s refuge from the evils of our selves and from the evil consequences of our actions. Whomever Allāh guides, then none can misguide him; and whomever He misguides, then none can guide him.
I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, alone, having no partner; and I bear witness that Muḥammad (ﷺ) is His slave and His Messenger, and His chosen beloved (‘Khalīl’), and the trustworthy conveyor of His Revelation. Allāh sent him before the Last Hour as a bringer of good tidings and as a warner, and as a caller to Allāh – by His permission, and as a shining lamp. So he conveyed the Revelation; and fulfilled his trust; and sincerely advised the Ummah; and strove and fought fully for Allāh’s sake: he strove and fought himself, and did so with his wealth, and with his call, right until death came to him.
So may Allāh extol and bless him with peace and security, and likewise his family and true followers, and his Companions, and whoever follows them until the Day of Resurrection.
To proceed, then on this night – the night prior to the Jumuʿah (‘Friday’) – the 26th of Rabīʿ al-Ākhir of the year 1421 [Corresponding to the 27th July 2000CE] – I speak to my brothers —
[in which city are you?… ‘We are in Birmingham in Britain.’]
Fine, I speak to them via the telephone, hoping that my words are met with attentive ears, heedful hearts, and that Allāh causes this to be of benefit.
O my brothers in that distant land which is filled with wave upon wave of rampant corrupt ideas and false and futile, beliefs —
Persevere with patience and endurance, and guard the frontiers by obediently worshipping your Lord, and fear and keep your duty to Allāh in order that you may be successful.
Gather together upon the word of truth, and do not exchange it for anything else. Do not dispute and fight one another within Allāh’s Religion, and do not split and divide yourselves in it – just as Allāh (the Mighty and Majestic) has commanded you. So Allāh (the Most High) said:
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا
[meaning:] “And cling all of you together to the rope of Allāh, and do not split and be divided.” — Sūrah ʾĀl-ʿImrān (3):103
And Allāh (the Most High) said:
شَرَعَ لَكُم مِّنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّىٰ بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ ۖ أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ
[meaning:] “Allāh prescribed for you the same Religion which He ordained for Nūh, and that which We ordained for you – O Muḥammad (ﷺ), and that which We commanded Ibrāhīm, and Mūsā and Īsā with: that you should establish the Religion and do not split and divide within it.” — Sūrah ash-Shūrā (42):13
Indeed splitting apart within Allāh’s Religion is to let the Religion down, and to degrade the Believers, and is a cause of failure, and removes ones strength, and causes the enemies to rejoice.
O my brother Muslims! Come together upon Allāh’s Religion, in ʿAqīdah (creed and belief), in worship, in manners, in mutual dealings, in everything – as far as you are able; and whatever you differ about, then its judgement lies with Allāh. If you dispute about anything, then refer it back to Allāh and His Messenger – if you truly believe in Allāh and the Last Day. That is best and produces the finest outcome.
I do not say: be united upon a single view, because this is not possible. There will certainly be differences in views. But be together upon a single manhaj (way and methodology).
None should separate and be aloof from the others; even if you differ in a view. So we see that the Companions (may Allāh be pleased with them) would have different opinions, but their manhaj (methodology and way) was one, and the Ummah was one. The Companions (may Allāh be pleased with them) disagreed about some of the greatest of affairs, and that was that when the Prophet (ﷺ) returned from the battle of ‘al-Aḥzāb’ (the Confederated tribes) – Jibrīl (peace be upon him) came to him, and ordered him to go out to attack Banū Quraiẓah: the Jews, the farthest tribe from al-Madīnah, and this was because they had broken their treaty. He ordered them to go out to attack Banū Quraiẓah and to fight them. So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Let none of you pray ʿAṣr Prayer except at Banū Quraiẓah.”[1]
So they went out and the time of ʿAṣr time [entered]. So then they disagreed: should they pray the ʿAṣr Prayer in its time, before reaching Banū Quraiẓah; or should they delay the ʿAṣr from its time and leave it until they reached Banū Quraiẓah?
So this was a difference of opinion concerning the ʿAṣr Prayer, which is one of the most excellent of the Prayers – indeed it is the most excellent Prayer. But the Prophet (ﷺ) did not reprimand any of them, because this occurred through ijtihād: such that whoever is correct in that receives two rewards, and whoever is mistaken in it receives one reward.
O my brother Muslims, especially in the lands of unbelief, come together upon Allāh’s Religion. Do not give the enemies the chance to rejoice because of you.
Do not make men into figure-head: allying yourselves to whoever is their ally, and being an enemy of anyone they are enemies to. That is pure error.
Because men are sometimes correct and sometimes wrong.
Rather take as your objective the truth. Accept it from everyone who says it, and reject falsehood from everyone who speaks with it.
Do you not see that the Prophet (ﷺ) placed Abū Hurairah (may Allāh be pleased with him) in charge of guarding the ‘Ṣadaqatul-Fiṭr’, and one night someone came in the form of a man and began taking from the food. So Abū Hurairah caught him. So that person claimed that he was needy, so Abū Hurairah let him go. Then in the morning, Abū Hurairah went to the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ), and the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him: “What did your prisoner do last night?”
He replied: “O Messenger of Allāh, he claimed that he was needy and had dependants.” So the Prophet (ﷺ): “He had lied to you and he will return.”
Abū Hurairah said: “So I knew that he would return because of the saying of the Prophet (ﷺ): ‘And he will return’.”
So he looked out for him on that second night, and he came and started eating from the food, and he claimed he was needy and had dependants. So Abū Hurairah let him go, since the Prophet (ﷺ), when he had said: “And he will return”, did not say: ‘And do not release him’.
So in the morning, he went to Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ), and he said: “What did your prisoner do last night?”
So he replied: “He claimed that he was needy and had dependants, so I released him.” So he said: “He had lied to you and he will return.”
So when he came back on the third night and claimed that he was needy and had dependants, Abū Hurairah said to him: “I will not release you until I take you to Allāh’s Messenger.”… So the person said to him: “Shall I not indicate to you an āyah in the Book of Allāh which is such that if you recite it during the night, then Allāh will provide one who will continue guarding you, and no devil will approach you till the morning?”
Then he mentioned Āyatul-Kursī to him. So in the morning, Abū Hurairah informed the Prophet (ﷺ) of what had happened. So the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him: “He has spoken the truth to you and he is a great liar.” [2]
So the Prophet (ﷺ) confirmed this truth: that whoever recited Āyatul-Kursī at night will be given a guard by Allāh who continually guards him. Even though this was said by a devil.
Also when the Mushrikūn used to do evil and foul actions they used to say: “We found our fathers doing this, and Allāh has commanded us with it.” So Allāh said:
قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ
[meaning:] “Say: Allāh does not command evil acts.” — Sūrah Al-Aʿrāf (7):28
And he did not say anything about their saying: “We found our fathers doing it”, because that was true, so he confirmed it.
Also when a Jewish rabbi, a Jewish scholar came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: “O Muḥammad, we find (it written that) Allāh will place all of the heavens upon one of His Fingers, and all the earths upon one Finger.” – to the end of the ḥadīth.
So the Prophet (ﷺ) laughed in confirmation of the saying of the Rabbi, then he recited:
[meaning:] “And they have not given Allāh the respect He is due, and the whole of the earth will be in His Grasp on the Day of Resurrection, and all of the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand.” — Sūrah al-Zumar (39):67
— So he accepted the truth from a Jew.
O my brothers we do not have the right, not to mention it is not being an obligation, to set up figureheads —
And to ally ourselves with those who ally themselves with them, and to be enemies of whoever is an enemy of theirs, even when the enemy is upon what is right.
So this manifestation which is to be found in the youth today is an evil manifestation.
It is obligatory that we put an end to it, and that the leader of all becomes the truth; whoever it comes from; and that falsehood is rejected by all: whoever it emanates from.
O my brothers. O youth. I call you first of all to the correction of your condition: through having ‘taqwā’ of Allāh (the Mighty and Majestic), and to being constant upon obedience to Him, and being far removed from acts of disobedience to Him; and to having the finest character and manners. To being cheerful, and smiling, and being one who pardons others, and does good to others, and the rest of the praiseworthy characteristics.
Then, I invite you to call the creation to the truth. I invite you to call the creation to the truth.
But in the manner that is best. By convincing them. By giving them the textual proofs and the intellectual proofs.
So the textual proofs are the Speech of Allāh, and the speech of His Messenger, and the speech of the Companions – may Allāh be pleased with him.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allāh have mercy on him) said in ‘an-Nūniyyah’:
“Knowledge (‘al-ʿIlm’) is what Allāh said, what the Messenger said, and what the Companions – the people of understanding said. Knowledge is not that you foolishly raise up differences of opinion, bringing the saying of so and so in opposition to the Messenger.”
And also by means of the intellectual proofs, which are convincing; since one who does not believe in the sayings in the Book, the Sunnah and of the Companions, it is possible that he will believe intellectual proofs – and then enter into the Religion of Islām, being convinced by it.
Also I invite you, O my brothers, callers to Allāh, that you do not enter into any affair which is such that you do not know how you will be able to come out of it. Since this will cause failure for you, and it will degrade what you are calling to. Only enter into that which you know how to come out of, until you are able to attain dominance over that field.
And be very careful that the start of your call is not to abuse the Religion and the belief of what others are upon, since this will necessarily repel them, and cause them to move further away from the truth. Therefore Allāh (the Mighty and Majestic) said:
وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ
[meaning:] “Do not abuse those whom they invoke besides Allāh so that they then abuse Allāh is vengeance, without knowledge.” – Sūrah al-Anʿām (6):108
كَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِم مَّرْجِعُهُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
[meaning:] “Likewise we made the deeds of each nation seem pleasing to it. Then their return will be to their Lord and He will inform them of the deeds they used to do.” — Sūrah al-Anʿām (6):108
Likewise, I invite you to have respect for those people who have the right that they should be respected, from those between you and whom there is an agreement of protection. For the land which you are living in is such that there is an agreement between you and them. If this were not the case, they would have killed you or expelled you. So, preserve this agreement, and do not prove treacherous to it, since treachery is a sign of the Hypocrites, and it is not from the way of the Believers.
And know that it is authentically reported from the Prophet (ﷺ) that he said: “Whoever kills one who is under an agreement of protection will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.”[3]
Do not be fooled by the sayings of the foolish people: those who say: ‘Those people are Unbelievers, so their wealth is lawful for us.’ For – by Allāh – this is a lie. A lie about Allāh’s Religion, and a lie in Islamic societies.
So we may not say that it is lawful to be treacherous towards people whom we have an agreement with.
O my brothers. O youth. O Muslims. Be truthful in your buying and selling, and renting, and leasing, and in all mutual transactions. Because truthfulness is from the characteristics of the Believers, and Allāh (the Most High) has commanded truthfulness – in the Saying of Allāh (the Most High):
[meaning:] “O you who believe – fear and keep your duty to Allāh and be truthful.” — Sūrah al-Tawbah (9):119
And the Prophet (ﷺ) encouraged truthfulness and said: “Adhere to truthfulness, because truthfulness leads to goodness, and goodness leads to Paradise; and a person will continue to be truthful, and strive to be truthful until he will be written down with Allāh as a truthful person.”[4]
And he warned against falsehood, and said: “Beware of falsehood, because falsehood leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to the Fire. And a person will continue lying, and striving to lie until he is written down with Allāh as a great liar.”[5]
O my brother Muslims. O youth. Be true in your sayings with your brothers, and with those Unbelievers whom you live along with — so that by that you will be inviters to the Religion of Islām, by your actions and in reality. So how many people there are who first entered into Islām because of the behaviour and manners of the Muslims, and their truthfulness, and their being true in their dealings.
So if you seek this you will find it.
O Muslim youth, do not be deceived by what you witness from the adornment of this world and its allurements. Since Allāh said to His Messenger:
[meaning:] “And do not stretch your eyes to the worldly adornments which We have given to others, in order for it to be a trial for them. And the provision of your Lord is better and longer lasting.” — Sūrah Tāhā (20):131
Do not be misled by this worldly life, for it passes away. How quickly a person who gives precedence to it over the Hereafter.
Behave in a good manner, just as Allāh has been good to you in how He has treated you, and do not leave your due share of this world. But do not give it precedence over the Hereafter.
O Muslim youth. Establish the Prayer in Congregation as far as you are able. Because a person’s Prayer in Congregation is better than his Prayer alone by 27 times.
And do not be lax about the Congregational Prayer, because the Prophet (ﷺ) had the intention of burning down the house of those who stayed away from the Congregational Prayer.
O Allāh, unless a person has a valid excuse, such as being far away, and his fearing that he will miss a lesson which he cannot attain except in that time, and the like of this.
Lastly, I advise you to have ‘taqwā’ of Allāh (the Mighty and Majestic) which covers the details that we have mentioned. Allāh (the Most High) said:
وَلَقَدْ وَصَّيْنَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنِ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ وَإِن تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ
[meaning:] “And We ordained those who were given the Book before you, and you also that you should fear and keep your duty to Allāh. And if you reject, then to Allāh belongs everything in the heavens and everything upon the earth.” — Sūrah al-Nisā (4):131
I ask Allāh for myself and for you — that He grants us firmness upon Allāh’s Religion, and that we die upon it, and that He raises us up amongst those whom He has blessed: the Prophets, their true and truthful followers, and the martyrs, and the righteous.
Translated by Abū Ṭalḥah Dāwud Burbank.
[1]Bukhārī (no. 4119).
[2]Bukhārī (no. 5010).
[3]Bukhārī (no. 6914).
[4]Bukhārī (no. 6094).
[5]Ibid.
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