‫اهلل َّار ْح َم ِن َّار ِح ْي ِم‬

ِ ‫بِس ِم‬
ْ
Khutbah Al Haajah
.‫له نَ ْح َم ُد ُه َو نَ ْستَ ِع ْينُهُ َو نَ ْسَتغْ ِف ُر ُه َو نُؤ ِم ُن بِ ِه َو َنَت َو َّك ُل َعلَْي ِه‬
ِ ِ‫اَلْحم ُد ال‬
َْ
All Praise is due to Allah: We Praise Him: We beg assistance of Him:
We ask Him for forgiveness. We have faith in Him: We have reliance
on Him.
ِ ّ‫اهلل ِمن ُشرو ِرأَْن ُف ِسنَا و ِمن سيِا‬
.‫ت اَ ْع َمالِنَا‬ ِ
َ ْ َ ْ ُ ْ ِ‫َو َنعُ ْوذُ ب‬
We fly for refuge unto Him (to deliver us) from the mischief of our minds and from
the evil consequences of our actions.

ِ ‫ضلِلهُ فَالَ َه‬

ُ‫ادئ لَه‬ ِ ‫من َّي ْه ِد ِه اهلل فَالَ م‬
ْ ُّ‫ض َّل لَهُ َو َم ْن ي‬ ُ ُ َْ

Whomever Allah directs shall not go astray: and whomever He allows

to go astray, no one can guide.

ِ ِ ِ
َ ‫ َو نَ ْش َه ُد اَ َّن ُم َح َّم ًد‬.‫َونَ ْش َه ُد اَ ْن آلّالهَ اآلّاهللُ اآل‬
ُ‫اع ْب ُدهُ َو َر ُس ْو لُه‬

We profess that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, and

we further profess that Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger.

‫آمنُواْ َّات ُقواْ اللّهَ َح َّق ُت َقاتِِه َوالَ تَ ُموتُ َّن إِالَّ َوأَنتُم ُّم ْسلِ ُمو َن‬
َ ‫ين‬
ِ َّ
َ ‫يَا أ َُّي َها الذ‬

(O you who believe! Fear Allâh as He should be feared, and die not
except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to
Allâh.)’ [Aal ‘Imraan 3:102],
َّ َ‫اح َد ٍة َو َخلَ َق ِم ْن َها َز ْو َج َها َوب‬
‫ث‬ ِ‫سو‬ ِ َّ
َ ٍ ‫َّاس َّات ُقواْ َربَّ ُك ُم الذي َخلَ َق ُكم ِّمن َّن ْف‬
ُ ‫يَا أ َُّي َها الن‬
ِ ِ َّ ِ ِ ِ
َ ‫ساءلُو َن بِه َواأل َْر َح‬
‫ام إِ َّن اللّهَ َكا َن‬ َ ‫م ْن ُه َما ِر َجاالً َكث ًيرا َون‬
َ َ‫ساء َو َّات ُقواْ اللّهَ الذي ت‬
‫َعلَْي ُك ْم َرقِيبًا‬

(O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single

person, and from him He created his wife, and from them both He created
many men and women, and fear Allâh through Whom you demand your mutual
(rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship) Surely,
Allâh is Ever an All-Watcher over you).’ [al-Nisaa’ 4:1],

‫آمنُوا َّات ُقوا اللَّهَ َوقُولُوا َق ْواًل َس ِدي ًدا‬

َ ‫ين‬
ِ َّ
َ ‫يَا أ َُّي َها الذ‬
‫صلِ ْح لَ ُك ْم أَ ْع َمالَ ُك ْم َو َيغْ ِف ْر لَ ُك ْم ذُنُوبَ ُك ْم َو َمن يُ ِط ْع اللَّهَ َو َر ُسولَهُ َف َق ْد فَ َاز َف ْو ًزا‬
ْ ُ‫ي‬

‫يما‬ ِ
ً ‫َعظ‬

(O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him, and speak
(always) the truth70 ‫ز‬. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds
and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allâh and His
Messenger (SAW) he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will
be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise). [al-Ahzaab
33:70].” (Sunan al-Nisaa’i: Kitaab al-Jumu’ah, Baab kayfiyyah al-
khutbah).

Many of you probably saw the news piece on fox news “Metro Muslims
Battle Prejudice for their beliefs” The story featured two of our local
Muslims reverts and why they came to Islam.

- Talk about why Tess Koppelman was doing the report

o Boss wanted to know why so many were coming to Islam.

The first revert was brother Rashid Nuradeen who before coming to
Islam was Phil, a nd said that, “I saw truth, I saw miracles in the book
and couldn’t disagree with anything I learned about,” and I got to the
point where I wanted to convert”

Sister Susan Basheer said that the hijab she wears is like a billboard,

“I says I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t cuss, I don’t touch men, I
don’t eat pork, I am a Muslim and my life is centered around doing
good what God wants us to do.

Brothers and sisters in Islam as one who was born into a Muslim
family, I am always amazed at the story of non-Muslims who revert
back to the religion of their birth which of course we believe is Islam.
The reason I am amazed is to me their stories are really their quest for
the truth.

So I like to relate to you today the one of the best examples of the
quest for truth and that is the story of Salmaan Farsi, and then I will
offer some reflections on his story.

Salmaan Farsi related his story to Ibn Abbas and the following:

I was from a village in Isfahan called Jee in Persia, which modern day
Iran and parts of Afghanistan. My father was the Dhaqah and keep of
the fire. So his father was the authority in agricultural matters and
also along with Salmaan charged with keeping lit the fire. Recall that
the Persians of that time were Majoos or Zoroastrians, or in others
words fire worshippers. I was the most beloved son of my father, and
my role of custodian of the fire, was to never let the fire that we
worshiped to go extinguished.

So Salmaan who lived a very sheltered life knew nothing but the
Zoroastrian religion due his fathers protective care of him.

My father had an estate. One day, he sent me there. I passed by a

Christian church and heard them praying. I went in and saw what they
were doing. I was impressed by what I saw in their prayers. I said,
"This is better than our religion." I did not leave them until sunset, nor
did I go to my father's estate, nor did I return to my father until he
sent people to search for me.
I asked the Christians about their affair and prayers, which impressed
me, and about the origin of their religion. They answered, "As-
Shaam." As-Shaam is now Syria and Palestine and of course that is
land of origin for Christianity.

So Salaam returned home and when questioned by his father Salmaan

answered and said, "I passed by people praying in a church of theirs,
and I was impressed by their prayer, and I could see that their religion
is better than ours." His father replied stay away from them your
religion is better than theirs. And when Salmaan diagreed with his
fathers, his father put him in chains and locked Salmaan in his house.
So basically Salmaan was imprisoned.

Salmaan says that he was able to get a message out to the Christians.
The message being if you get a caravan going to Syria and please
inform me.

So when a caravan came from Syria Salmaan was able to escape and
he accompanied the caravan to Syria. So you can see how Salmaan
had deep in his heart is quest for truth. Salmaan gave up everything
he left his position as the family his land his wealth all to search for
the truth and Syria. When he got to Syria he went to a church and
asked the people for their leader. So the people referred Saddam and
to a particular Bishop in a monastery. Salmaan went to the bishop and
said I came here to learn about your religion and I want to be your
student and will also serve you. The bishop agreed.

After spending some time with this Bishop Salmaan said that he had
never met someone as evil as this man. This bishop was not faithful in
his religion, because he used to gather money from the people to
distribute it, but he would keep it for himself. Salmaan relates that he
could not tell the people about the evil bishop, due to their respect for
him. So look at the condition of Salmaan he gave up everything to
search for the truth and ended up with a hypocrite. Nevertheless
Salmaan was sincere in his quest and he made sabr.

After some time this man died. And when Salmaan infomed that
people of the bishops misdeed and showed them the evidence the
people become very angry and did not even bury the body of the
hypocritical bishop. They appointed a new leader in his place. I have
never seen a man more rightoues than he in his religion, nor more
active in his bid for the Hereafter, nor more pious in the world, nor
more punctual at worship. I loved him more than I had ever loved any
other person before. So look how Allah Tala reaffimed the sincere
seeker of truth by rewarding Salmaan with this pious bishop.

When his fate came, I asked him, "To whom would you recommend
me? And to whom would you leave me?" He said, "O my son, I do not
know anyone who is on the path I am and who leads the kind of life I
lead, except a certain man in Mosul."

When he died, I went to that man in Mosul, and told him the story,
and I stayed with him as long as Allah wished me to stay. Then death
approached him. So I asked him, "To whom would you advise me to
go to?" He directed me to a pious man in Nisibean." So I went to him
and told him my story. I stayed with him as long as Allah wished me to
stay. When death overtook him, I asked him as before. He told me to
meet a person at Amuriah in Byzantium. So, to Byzantium I went and
stayed with that man, earning my living there by rearing cattle and
sheep.

So look at Salmaans persistences in seeking the truth, he runaway

from Isfahann, goes to Damascus, then Mosul, the Nisibean and
Amuriah – always seeking the good pious companship, of learned
scholars.

So in Amuriah when death approach that Bishop, Salaman asked him,

"To whom should I go?" He said, "O my son,1 know no one anywhere
who is on the path we have been on so that I can tell you to go to him.
But you have been overtaken by an epoch in which there will appear a
prophet in the pure creed of Ibraahim (Abraham). The bishop told
Salmaan that this prophet will be from the from the Arabs. And that
time that meant the Arabian peninsula. The bishop further told
Salmaan that this Prophet will migrate to the place of palm trees.

Then the bishop told him that this Prophet will have three signs, he
does not eat of charity, yet he accepts gifts, and between his
shoulders is the seal of Prophethood. When you see him, you will know
him."

So Salmaan found an arab caravan and he offered all his wealth if they
could take him to the Arab lands. The caravan people agreed and they
took Salmaan to Wadi Al-Quraa which some palm trees, and Salmaan
thought could be the city that the bishop described. Here the people of
the caravan betrated Salmaan and sold him as a slave to a Jewish
man. I saw many palm trees and cherished the hope that it was the
land that had been described to me and which would be the future
place of the advent of the prophet.

So look as Salmaans sacrifices at this point he sells all his wealth in

Amourih, and becomes a slave all in search again for the truth.

I stayed with this Jew who bought me until another from Bani
Quraidhah came to him one day and bought me from him. I stayed
with him until we came to Al-Madiinah. By Allah, I had hardly seen it
when I knew that it was the land described to me.

I stayed with the Jew, working for him on his plantation in Bani
Quraidhah.

One day, when Salmaan was the top of a palm tree with his master
sitting below. His masters cousin came and said, "May Allah destroy
Bani Qubaa'. They are spreading a rumor about a man at Qubaa' who
came from Makkah claiming that he is a prophet." By Allah, he had
hardly said it, when I was seized by a tremor, and the palm tree shook
until I almost fell on my master. I climbed down quickly saying, "What
are you saying? What news?" My master gave me a nasty slap and
said, "What have you got to do with this? Return to your work!"

So, I returned to work. At nightfall I gathered what I had and went out
until I came to the Prophet (PBUH) at Qubaa'. I entered and found him
sitting with some of his Companions. Then I said, "You are in need and
a stranger. I have some food, which I intend to give out as charity.
When they showed me your lodgings, I thought you most deserve it,
so I have come to you with it." I put the food down. The Prophet said
to his Companions, "Eat in the name of Allah." He abstained and never
took of it. I said to myself, "This, by Allah, is one sign. He does not eat
of charity!"

I returned to meet the Prophet (PBUH) again the next day, carrying
some food, and said to him (PBUH), "I can see that you do not partake
of charity. I have something which I want to give to you as a present."
I placed it before him. He said to his Companions, "Eat in the name of
Allah" and he ate with them. So I said to myself, "This indeed is the
second sign. He eats of presents."

I returned and stayed away for a while. Then I came to him, and I saw
him sitting, having returned from a burial, and surrounded by his
Companions. He had two garments, carrying one on his shoulder and
wearing the other. I greeted him, then bent to see the upper part of
his back. He knew what I was looking for, so he threw aside his
garment off his shoulder and, behold, the sign between his shoulders,
the seal of Prophethood, was clear just as the Christian monk had
described."

At once I staggered towards him, kissing him and weeping. He called

to me to come forward and I sat before him. I told him my story as
you have already heard me describe the events.

Rasullah told Salmaan “Free yourself from slavery” and when he went
to his master to ask for his freedom, his master said, a huge sum of
300 palm trees, and 40 oho-qee-yah or we could say 40 ounces of
gold. So when Salmaan reported his conditions of freedom to
Rasullah, Rasullah announced to his sahaba you brothers needs your
help. So the sahabah responded to Rasullahs and started bringing
seedlings of palm trees to Salmaan. Some 10, 20, 30 depending on his
means. When Salmaan had gathered the 300 seedlings Rasullah
instructed him to dig the holes for each but do not plant them. Then
Rasullah with his own blessed hands planted each tree, and Salmaan
reported that by Allah all 300 seedlings survived. After some years
those seedlings grew into palm trees, and at point Rasullah helped
Salmaan by giving him some gold donated to him reported to be the
size of a small egg. Salmaan reports that he thought it was not
enough. But Rasullah told him take and it will be enough and low and
behold when the gold was weighed by Salmaans master it was exactly
40 ounces.

Now slavery had prevented me from taking part in the battles of Badr
and Uhud. But we all know that Salmaan played a crucial role after
becoming free and participating in the battle of Khanaq. For it was
Salmaan who give the idea of digging a ditch around Madina as
defensing to the invading pagan Mecaans.

With these simple clear words, Salmaan spoke of his great, noble, and
sacrificial adventure for the sake of Allah, seeking after the reality of
life that led him to Allah and helped him to find his role in this life and
place in history.

Some reflections and lessons we can learn from Salmaan Farsi’s story:

Number one:
19:76 "And Allah doth advance in guidance those who sincerely seek guidance: and the
things that endure, Good Deeds, are best in the sight of thy Lord, as rewards, and best in
respect of (their) eventual return."

So those who seek guidance Allah will for sure Allah will guide them.
Rasullah says in hadith Qudsi, that Allah Tala says, if you walk towards
Me I will come to you at speed.

So if we take one step towards Allah, Allah will take many steps
towards us. But we must show the willingness, we must take the first
step.

Example is Mosa AS who when fleeing from Pharoh they got trap with
the Red Sea in front of them and Pharoh’s army behind them. The
children of Isreal was trapped. But with the firm believe, Allah Tala
instructed Mosa to hit the sea with his stick.

Mariams example
Brothers and sisters in Islam the fox news piece I talked about in the first part of the
khutbah reported that statistics are hard to come by but it is estimated that 38,000
people come to Islam every year. To me that is an amazing figure, and is further
confirmation of the truth of Islam. That an age where Muslims and Islam is getting
virtually nothing but bad press, negative image, reports of sucide bombers, Islam
being equated to terrorism, Islam being equated to fascisam, an age where many
Muslims many times are Muslim only name and not action, with all this negatism still
thousand are entering into the fold of Islam. That to me is a further confirmation of
the truth of Islam. So we thank and glorify Allah for guiding us to the path of Islam,
we Ask Allah to keep us on and to ordain for us to die as Muslims.