11/24/2006
IWDM Study Library
Jumuah
Chicago IL

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Bismillah, Her Rahman, Nir Rahim, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alamin, La ilaha Illallahu Wadahu La Sharika lahu, Al Khaliqa Kulli Shay, Al Khaliqa Ma fisamawati wal Ard, again assalamu alaykum, the Praise belongs Allah. Lord of all the worlds. There was no deity other than Allah. No G-d other than Allah, the creator of the heavens and the earth.
We salute the last prophet Muhammad, salalahu alayhi Wa Salaam, with the traditional salutation, the prayers and the peace be upon him and what follows of this salutation. Allah most high says in the Quran; "Surely, the self is inclined to sin, except for whom G-d has shown the mercy or bestowed mercy upon". As an explanation for, and a clarification, the original human family and the belief in original sin is not accepted in Islam. The first man created by G-d named Adam, is not to be remembered for sin. Our father, Adam upon him be peace, is to be remembered for his role in the creation as a servant of G-d. Further, Adam is to be remembered for his unfailing tendency to repent for his sin, or for sins committed. And this picture of Adam as revealed in the Quran, Adam lived with the word from his Lord and his Lord forgave for his sin.
Again, regarding sin, and the belief that sin is original in man's life or in man's nature, the brother who slays his elder brother and spills his blood on the ground without covering or burying his brother properly. In the Quran, this issue is treated very much as an issue of original sin.
We find the Bible reference for this issue, giving as a story of Cain and Abel. Whereas Adam upon him be peace, meets with a word from his Lord, according to G-d's word in the Quran asking him to repent for his sin. The younger brother, witnesses the acts of a bird that is a younger brother who would be in the Bible language Cain. Pardon me, yes, Cain. The bird or the crow (Gurab)in the language in the Quran (Gurab) A crow scratching the surface of the earth to show, the wrongdoer, how to bury or put away his sin affected brother, his brother who had committed sin.
You'll notice that the Quran presents these two, the younger brother and elder brother and applies different issues. Those seems to be very similar, it's not. The Quran is saying that sin is not inherent. You're not born sinners and the Bible is giving the impression that sin is inherent, that is in man's nature to sin and that you're born sinners. As we know the proper expression in Christianity you're born sinners. And both reports of Adam with his human defect and Cain of the Bible with his human defect, we ought to be aware of humans as imperfect beings. Thirdly, we ought to be aware of humans as imperfect beings for Allah most high says that the human soul is inclined to sin, except for those on whom G-d has shown mercy. However, in the same instance, we ought to be aware of the indestructible moral excellence and inscribed by G-d upon the soul of G-d's servant.
This propensity for sin or propensity for excellence, both are there to protect the propensity for excellence or the inclination or tendencies to go for excellence to eventually overcome the inclination and the passion to commit sin. Certainly the passionate human soul it has a tendency to sin except for whom G-d has shown mercy in the words of the Quran. Allah highly glorified is HE, is the creator of both the material and human system of matter, the universe. The natural inborn attributes of human kindness and thankfulness received great support from the beautiful wonders of nature and also from philosophical insights into all matter as a systemic whole and also as a scientific whole. That is to say, nothing in the material world is closed to scientific inquiry. The above brings to mind the words of the most high in the Quran; Quote "Everything in creation exists for the purpose of broadcasting knowledge and mercy." End Quote. There is no need to strain our imagination to come to the conclusion that the progress opened by the scientists is also progress for human pioneers and better human conditions on this beautiful planet, earth.
Progress for systems of transportation have taken the misery out of travel, progress for the fabric industry have taken misery out of providing clothing and housing, et cetera. Progress for healthcare have taken misery out of the effort to fight diseases. This line of reason reasoning extends indefinitely as it is for G-d's attributes of mercy, hence the words of G-d in the Quran referring... G-d Referring to himself; Quote "My mercy extends beyond my wrath."End Quote.
We really appreciate G-d and his creation both. We don't think that G-d is a good G-d, but his creation had bad influence, and if we don't detach ourselves from His material world or His material system, we will be corrupted by material. No, we are corrupted by wrong thinking. We are not corrupted by what G-d has created. So we end that and we pray that G-d will always guide us to his mercy and forgive us our sins and extend always his mercy to us and guide us back to the right way and we pray that we do not let our hearts deviate after he has guided us. And that we ask him to grant us from his presence, mercy. Ameen.
We pray to Allah to increase us in faith and increase us in understanding.
We ask G-d to show us the way of Muhammad so that we will be able to follow his guidance to Quran in the proper way. Without us seeing Muhammad the prophet, we can not see how to follow G-d's guidance in the Quran, in the proper way. There is no way. For G-d didn't reveal the Quran to me and he didn't reveal it to you, He revealed it to Muhammad the Prophet of Arabia. May G-d... May peace be upon him and may the prayers of the peace be upon him.
We are given a prayer, a prayer it is called the Salat of Ibrahimiya and it says; "Oh Allah, Oh G-d, make Muhammad successful and the followers of Muhammad successful as you did make Abraham and the followers of Abraham successful and bless Muhammad and the followers of Muhammad, as you did bless Abraham and the followers of Abraham for surely in all the worlds, you all the most praised and magnified." That is a prayer given to us.
That prayer connects us with the people of the book, Oh, Allah bless... Make us successful and bless us. How? As you bless the people of the book, Abraham, is the leader of not only Muslims , Abraham is the leader of Jews and Christians as well. He is a father and leader of mankind, really all people, if we understand. And we know that long before the Quran was revealed, there were people following in the way of Abraham. So, we asked Allah to make us successful as he made those people successful. So how can we separate ourselves from them? And we ask Allah, according to the instructions of Muhammad, the prophet Salalahu alahi wa Salam]. He was asked how the Christians, they prayed, they had a prayer, they prayed the Lord's prayer. How should we pray for you? They asked our prophet, peace be upon him.
And that's where he gave them that prayer just as Jesus Christ gave the Lord prayer, according to the Bible to his followers that prophet Muhammad gave Salatul Ibrajhimiy to us the followers... His followers, all Muslims. If you go anywhere around this planet, earth and you find Muslims, you will find them saying that prayer. They say that prayer. You don't finish your prayer until you say that prayer. You'll know you can finish it, but you shorten it in the case of urgency. You're sick, you have to run to an urgent matter, you can shorten it. You can stop with Shahadah Ashadu an la illaha illallah Wadahu La Shareeka lahu Wa Ashadu Anna Muhammadur Rasulillah.
You can stop there and say As salaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah, As Salaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah, you can do that. But the prayer complete is to say Salatul Ibrahimiya, so the last thing we say in making our prayer, it connects us with the people of the book. And ask G-d to make us successful as he made them successful. Were they successful? And they still are successful, we are living under them right now in the United States of America we're depending on them for life, living here in the United States of America so certainly G-d made them successful and certainly G-d blesed them, and we have to get the ignorance out of our heart first and then out of our minds, so let us pray to G-d Rabbana Atina Fid Dunya, Hasana Wa fil Akhirati Hasana wa qina adhbannar. Rabbana La tuzigh quloobana baaada ith hadaytana wahab lana min ladunka rahmatan innaka antal wahhab.
Amen


