(Text of the khuṭbah delivered at UBC on Friday, October 19, 2012)
[First khuṭbah]
الحمد لله رب العالمين، والصلاة والسلام على الأنبياء والمرسلين.
We praise God who is the sustainer of all that exists, and we invoke His blessings on His messengers.
When I delivered khuṭbah back in September, I said I would talk about īmān bi‑al‑ghayb the next time I was scheduled as khaṭīb.
But when I got down to prepare for the khuṭbah, I realized that we are approaching ‘īd al‑aḍḥá.
So I thought I would defer a discussion of īmān bi‑al‑ghayb to a later khuṭbah.
And today, I am going to talk about the connection of ḥajj and ‘īd al-aḍḥá with the celebrated messenger of God, the leader of anbiyā’, Ibrāhīm (may peace and God’s blessings be upon him).
Let me begin by recapping some of the rituals in ḥajj and their connection with Ibrāhīm, Hājar, and Ismā‘īl.
As we all know, in the second week of Dhū al‑Ḥijjah, the last month of the Islamic-Hijrī calendar, several million people from all over the world gather in Makkah for the major Islamic pilgrimage.
During the pilgrimage, the pilgrims circle around Ka‘bah, a building erected by Ibrāhīm and his son Ismā‘īl as a center of monotheism in the Arabian peninsula. The practice of circling around Ka‘bah is called ṭawāf in Arabic. The significance of ṭawāf lies in its connection with Ibrāhīm and Ismā‘il.
In fact, the significance of Ka‘bah that serves as our direction in prayers lies in its Abrahamic connection.
(Before Ka‘bah, the sanctuary in Jerusalem served as direction for Islamic prayers, and that too was established by Ibrāhīm along with his other son, Isḥāq, or Isaac.)
The pilgrims also run or walk between Mount Ṣafā and Mount Marwah, and that is called sa‘y in Arabic. This running between the two hills is commemoration of Hājar’s quest for water.
Hājar is believed to have run back and forth between the two hills when she was desperately looking for water to quench her baby’s thirst – after which the source of water called Zam Zam is believed to have sprung in the vicinity of Ka‘bah.
Another two rituals in ḥajj are throwing stones at the pillars and sacrificing an animal. Both of these are commemoration of Ibrāhīm’s willingness to sacrifice his dear son Ismā‘īl when he was a healthy young adult – a source of strength for his father.
Throwing stones at the pillars is called ramy al‑jimār, or ramy al‑jamarāt in Arabic. The pillars represent the spots where Ibrāhīm is believed to have been tempted by Shayṭān not to sacrifice Ismā‘īl. He overcame the temptation each time and moved on to sacrifice his son.
And sacrificing an animal is commemoration of Ibrāhīm’s actual act of sacrifice, at which point God told Ibrāhīm that he had passed the test and accepted an animal in sacrifice instead of his beloved son Ismā‘īl.
And as the pilgrims complete their ḥajj, up to a quarter of world’s population celebrates ‘īd al‑aḍḥá and those who can afford sacrifice an animal to remind themselves of Ibrāhīm and his willingness to sacrifice his son.
Imagine how pleased God was with Ibrāhīm that several millennia after he lived on this planet, human beings continue to celebrate and commemorate his devotion to God.
God has indeed favored Ibrāhīm.
سلام على إبراهيم؛ كذلك نجزي المحسنين؛ إنه من عبادنا المؤمنين. (الصافات 109–111)
Peace be upon Ibrāhīm! This is how God rewards those who strive for excellence. Indeed Ibrāhīm was among those of God’s ‘ibād who truly believed.
وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًا مِّمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّـهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ وَاتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّـهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا (النساء 125)
And who could be better in religion than one who surrenders oneself to God, strives for excellence, and is straightforward in following the path of Ibrāhīm – for Ibrāhīm was a close friend of God!
ومن يرغب عن ملة إبراهيم إلا من سفه نفسه؛ ولقد اصطفيناه في الدنيا وإنه في الآخرة لمن الصالحين (البقرة 130)
And who could turn away from the path of Ibrāhīm except the foolish? Indeed God raised his status in this world; and in the afterlife, he shall be among the righteous.
Now the question before us is: why are so many rituals in the Islamic pilgrimage connected with Ibrāhīm?
To answer this question, we’ll have to examine the significance of Ibrāhīm in the broader Qur’anic discourse.
I have tried to survey passages of Qur’an that help us place Ibrāhīm in the bigger Qur’anic picture.
The passages are numerous, and they are often very long. To keep it brief, I’ve chosen to talk about a stretch of āyāt in the second sūrah of Qur’an, al‑Baqarah. This passage in Sūrat al‑Baqarah that I am talking about pretty much covers all the themes discussed in Qur’an in this connection. To cover themes that are not discussed in this passage, I’ll refer occasionally to some other āyāt too.
In Sūrat al-Baqarah 142–152, God talks about the change of qiblah from Jerusalem to the sanctuary in Makkah, and how that signified a transfer of charge from the Israelites to the followers of Muhammad.
وكذلك جعلناكم أمتا وسطا لتكونوا شهداء على الناس ويكون الرسول عليكم شهيدا (البقرة 143)
And with this change of qiblah, you have been made the ummat wasaṭ that will make the message available to humankind and bear witness against them before God, just as the Messenger conveyed the message unto you and shall bear witness against you in God’s court.
Just before this account of the change of qiblah, in 124–141, God recounts how Ibrāhīm constructed Ka‘bah and established the sanctuary in Makkah along with his son Ismā‘īl.
وعهدنا إلى إبراهيم وإسماعيل أن طهرا بيتي للطائفين والعاكفين والركع السجود (البقرة 125)
The account suggests that Ibrāhīm and Ismā‘īl wished their descendants to be an ummah muslimah – a community of people who surrendered themselves to God.
ربنا واجعلنا مسلمين لك ومن ذريتنا أمة مسلمة لك (البقرة 128)
It is also suggested that Muhammad’s appointment as Messenger is connected with Ibrāhīm’s du‘ā’ to raise a Messenger among his descendants in Arabia.
ربنا وابعث فيهم رسولا منهم يتلوا عليهم آياتك ويعلمهم الكتاب والحكمة ويزكيهم (البقرة 129)
The account further suggests that God’s commission of responsibility and favors did not cover those of Ibrāhīm’s descendants who swerve from the path – لا ينال عهدي الظالمين – which is an appeal to the ahl al‑kitāb, some of whom thought they were God’s chosen ones regardless of what kind of a life they lived.
The account emphasizes that Ibrāhīm and his immediate descendants Ismā‘īl, Isḥāq, and Ya‘qūb (who is also known as Israel) – all of them – invited people to God alone.
And Muhammad (ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam) is urged to reaffirm that he and his followers believe in what was revealed unto Ibrāhīm, Ismā‘īl, Isḥāq, Jacob, Moses, Jesus and all other Messengers, and that they do not distinguish between God’s messengers.
قُولُواْ آمَنَّا بِاللّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالأسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَى وَعِيسَى وَمَا أُوتِيَ النَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ (البقرة 136)
Muhammad (ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam) is urged, thus, to invite his audience to the path of Ibrāhīm (135) – قل بل ملة إبراهيم حنيفا.
In Sūrat Āl ‘Imrān 95–97, in another context of dialogue with the ahl al‑kitāb, God says,
قُلْ صَدَقَ اللّهُ فَاتَّبِعُواْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (آل عمران 95)
Say, O Muhammad, God’s account concerning the teachings of past messengers is true; follow then the creed of Ibrāhīm, who was straightforward in following the truth and did not assume divinity in things or beings other than God.
The āyāt continue,
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِّلْعَالَمِينَ فِيهِ آيَاتٌ بَيِّـنَاتٌ مَّقَامُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمَن دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا وَلِلّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلاً وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ الله غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ (آل عمران 96-97)
Indeed the first temple ever set up for mankind is the one in Makkah. It is blessed and a source of guidance for everyone. It hosts clear signs, and the place where Ibrāhīm once stood. Whoever enters it finds peace and tranquility. Thus, humankind owes God a pilgrimage to this sanctuary – those who can afford to do it. And if some people deny the truth, let them know that God is ghanī ‘an al-‘ālamīn – He is not in need of anything from all that exists; least of all recognition by petty human beings.
Essentially, we notice that these Qur’anic accounts identify the mission of Muhammad (ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam) with that of Ibrāhīm. This has dual implications: First, the identification of Muhammad’s mission with that of Ibrāhīm is part of the Qur’anic assumption of continuity in the missions of all prophets. Besides this, the identification of Muhammad’s mission with that of Ibrāhīm has particular implications too. I’ll talk about both aspects one by one.
Let’s see what the first one means: Qur’an proposes and assumes continuity and essential unity in the missions of all prophets and messengers of God.
The suggestion of unity and continuity in the missions of all prophets makes the Qur’anic narrative more coherent than any other narratives – Jewish, Christian, or otherwise. Simply put, the Qur’anic narrative makes sense; whereas the other narratives are not able to explain a lot of things.
The suggestion of unity and continuity in the missions of all prophets also makes the Qur’anic message more inclusive than any other. Thus, followers of the Qur’anic truth recognize and respect all messengers of God without distinction.
لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله
On the other hand, a follower of the Jewish tradition has to explain how they justify rejecting Jesus, Muhammad, and other messengers of God. Calling these prophets imposters doesn’t explain everything, because historical and otherwise accounts of their lives suggest that they had sublime character and influential personalities.
Similarly, a follower of the Christian tradition has to explain how they dismiss the powerful historical character known as Muhammad; they have to explain how they dismiss Qur’an, which is arguably the most powerful document surviving any prophet.
Clearly, the unity and continuity in the missions of all prophets that is proposed and emphasized by Qur’an lends credibility and strength to the mission of Muhammad (ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam). It is part of the intellectual appeal of Qur’an and Muhammad’s mission.
Now let’s come to the particular implications of identifying Muhammad’s mission with Ibrāhīm’s path.
The Meccans in particular and Arabs in general considered themselves descendants of Ibrāhīm and Ismā‘īl – they were Ishmaelites. And Muhammad (ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam) invited them to return to the path of Ibrāhīm. He invited them to just shun the corruption that occurred in their religion over time. Despite pagan influences in their religion, the Meccans did consider themselves followers of the Abrahamic religion when Muhammad (ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam) announced nubūwah. So there was an element of appeal to the Meccans.
With respect to the ahl al‑kitāb who were predominantly Israelite (which means they were descendants of Jacob and Isaac), Ibrāhīm offered the point of unity where the Israelite and the Ishmaelite lines met. Ibrāhīm could bridge the Israelite and Ishmaelite divide. Many of you would be aware that one of the reasons why many Jews and Christians of the time refused to recognize Muhammad (ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam) as a messenger of God was because he was an Ishmaelite, and they were suffering from an Israelite chauvinism.
So the identification of Muhammad’s message with Ibrāhīm enabled Muhammad (ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam) to reach out to Jews and Christians who considered themselves descendants of Abraham through Jacob or Israel.
And let’s not forget Ibrāhīm is very much respected in Jewish and Christian traditions too. Jewish and Christian texts speak very highly of Abraham.
Thus, we have seen that the Qur’anic assumption of continuity in the missions of all prophets is part of the intellectual appeal of Qur’an and Muhammad’s mission. Also, identification of Qur’anic religion with Ibrāhīm enabled Muhammad (ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam) to reach out to the Ishmaelite Arabs as well as the Israelite Jews and Christians.
With this I conclude the first khuṭbah.
[Second khuṭbah]
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله.
Brothers and sisters, in the first khuṭbah, we have tried to understand the significance of Ibrāhīm in the broader Qur’anic discourse. We have also seen that ḥajj and ‘īd al‑aḍḥá are mostly about Ibrāhīm.
It is the broader significance of Ibrāhīm in the Qur’anic discourse that makes ḥajj and ‘īd al‑aḍḥá very significant for the purpose of reaching out to our non-Muslim brethren in humanity.
The occasion of ‘īd al‑aḍḥá and ḥajj provides an opportunity to remind ourselves of the Abrahamic connection in the Islamic pilgrimage and to educate our non-Muslim fellows about it. This is a potential opportunity to reach out to them. This is an opportunity for da‘wah.
To make full use of this opportunity, I’d like to share with you some of the things we could do on this occasion:
At an individual level, we could greet non-Muslims peers and friends – say ‘īd mubārak to them.
Those of us who sacrifice animals on this occasion could share the meat with their neighbors, and include an introductory note of educational nature about ḥajj and ‘īd al‑aḍḥá, or just talk to them about it – tell them what it is about.
Those of us who are good at writing could write articles for newspapers and popular media educating readers about the Muslim festival that commemorates Abraham’s devotion to God.
Then there are some initiatives that we could take at the community level.
For example, the Muslim Food Bank could distribute food and meat among the needy with introductory notes.
We could make documentary films to be aired on TV channels, YouTube or other media.
We could organize public talks primarily aimed at non-Muslim audiences. Advertise them in mainstream newspapers.
These were some of the things that come to my mind. As a community, we can come up with more ideas.
I’ll conclude by saying that we need to make use of this opportunity to reach out to non-Muslim members of our society. Ḥajj and ‘īd al‑aḍḥá provide an opportunity to introduce Islam to people and to promote inter-religious harmony.
إن الله وملائكته يصلون على النبي، ياأيها الذين آمنوا صلوا عليه وسلموا تسليما.
اللهم صل على محمد كما صليت على إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيد.
اللهم بارك على محمد كما باركت على إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيد.
اللهم ارحمنا بالقرآن الكريم، واجعله لنا إماما ونورا وهدى ورحمة،
اللهم ذكرنا منه ما نسينا وعلمنا منه ما جهلنا
وارزقنا تلاوته آناء اليل وآناء النهار
واجعله لنا حجة يارب العالمين
اللهم أرنا الحق حقا وارزقنا اتباعه وأرنا الباطل باطلا وارزقنا اجتنابه
اللهم إنا نسألك رزقا واسعا وعلما نافعا وعملا متقبلا
ربنا اشرح لنا صدورنا ويسر لنا أمورنا واحلل عقدة من ألسنتنا يفقهوا قولنا
ربنا آتنا في الدنيا حسنة وفي الآخرة حسنة وقنا عذاب النار
سبحان ربك رب العزة عما يصفون وسلام على المرسلين والحمد لله رب العالمين
وأقم الصلاة.
