I attended the Jumm’ah prayers at the Masjid Al-Taqwa in Altadena. Here is an abridged version of the sermon.
The Imam read out a message from a family in the neighborhood. They had left a card as well : “We stand with you on this sorrowful day, we hope you can find some peace.” – A Pasadena Jewish family.
“This is the result of the tireless efforts of local mosque. May God bless our mosque and may god bless our administrators, who connected with members of other faiths. This is who we are, we are a peaceful people. I will remind us, that the Prophet said that the parable of Muslims is to one another is that of a human body: when a part is sick, the whole body will feel the pain.”
“The shooters in Christ Church were not born to hate, they were taught to hate, just as all terrorists. To hate everyone else, than their color or ethnicity.”
We pray that the deceased are in the highest level of paradise. We ask God to bless those who are left behind. The Muslim community is in grief and in pain, we feel this for our brothers and sisters in that community. We must stand united, unshaken. We will fill our mosques, we will fill our homes with happiness and religion. WE will teach our youngesters what islam is We teach Islam. We teach peace.
The hate of Islam is 1400 years old and will never go away, till end of days. As long as there is truth and falsehood, falsehood will try and cover the truth with darkness. Eventually, truth will prevail, as Allah has promised.
The final victory is for righteousness, Insha Allah.
No place for victimhood, we must act and not react. We must all manifest that in our interaction with our co-workers, on a small scale and a bigger scale. On a community level as well.
Hatred, violence, ugliness oppression and racism have no place in our lives. They do exist However. There is also beauty, belief, faith, generosity, courage, honor and many other wonderful things.
We as Muslims must embody them. Those characteristics that the Prophet taught us. Dear brothers and sisters, Muslims of old were tortured, from the Seerah, we have a lot of stories of Bilal, how he was tortured, in the middle of the desert – heat of mid-day. Stones were put on his chest just to make him disbelieve.
“Ahadun ahad, fardan samad.” That’s what we have to endure, brothers and sisters.
These people who love to hate, do not want to see the light. We have to rejoice that ‘Inna ma al usri Yusra. “ With every calamity there is ease.”
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In Surah Al Baqarah Allah says, that have you do you think that you enter Jannah without being tested? And without experiencing calamities before you? They were suffering from adversity and hurt and they were shaken until the prophet said “And those who believed him from out of frustration of human frustration. They said, when is Allah granting us victory?” Allah reassured them that victory will come.
Surah Azhab , #53, “They came onto you from above and below you.”
Prophet Muhammad and his companions were tested severely. Ibn Ummar was tortured and the Prophet and his companions were weak. He had words telling them “Glad tidings to you, Yasar, definitely your abode is in Jannah. We ask Allah to grant them Jannah. Those who are in hospital, we ask Allah to grant them speedy recovery.”
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God has his own way to reveal things. I just wanted to mention to you, one story that a family, the father was Abu Hamza, from Syria fled in 2013 and were in refugee camps in Jordan; the Zaatari camp. They suffered a lot. Eight months ago, they were granted a refugee camp and were in Christ Church. The father and his two kids were in the mosque and they all died. Regardless of how we run away from our destiny, Allah has his plan. The plan for these people is to be in Jannah. We grant Allah to grant them peace and protection.
