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Don’t choose bad leaders and the khutbah of Shaytan

Don't choose bad leaders and the khutbah of Shaytan
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May 21, 2023
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Two scenes from the Day of Judgement

In Surah Ibrahim, Allah highlights one of the very scary scenes from the Day of Judgement.

وَبَرَزُوا۟ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًۭا فَقَالَ ٱلضُّعَفَـٰٓؤُا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًۭا فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّغْنُونَ عَنَّا مِنْ عَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍۢ ۚ قَالُوا۟ لَوْ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ لَهَدَيْنَـٰكُمْ ۖ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْنَآ أَجَزِعْنَآ أَمْ صَبَرْنَا مَا لَنَا مِن مَّحِيصٍۢ

They will all appear before Allah, and the lowly ˹followers˺ will appeal to the arrogant ˹leaders˺, “We were your ˹dedicated˺ followers, so will you ˹then˺ protect us from Allah’s torment in any way?” They will reply, “Had Allah guided us, we would have guided you. ˹Now˺ it is all the same for us whether we suffer patiently or impatiently, there is no escape for us.” [14:21]

In Imam al-Baghawi’s tafseer, he commented that this scene takes place in Hell, after the people of Jannah have got into Jannah, and the people of Hellfire have got into Hellfire. Allah also mentions this scene in Surah Ghafir, where He says, ‘when they will argue with each other in the Fire.’ [40:47]

وَقَالَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لَمَّا قُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ ٱلْحَقِّ وَوَعَدتُّكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ لِىَ عَلَيْكُم مِّن سُلْطَـٰنٍ إِلَّآ أَن دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَٱسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِى ۖ فَلَا تَلُومُونِى وَلُومُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُم ۖ مَّآ أَنَا۠ بِمُصْرِخِكُمْ وَمَآ أَنتُم بِمُصْرِخِىَّ ۖ إِنِّى كَفَرْتُ بِمَآ أَشْرَكْتُمُونِ مِن قَبْلُ ۗ إِنَّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ

Shaytan will say to them after their issues are settled, “Allah promised you a truthful promise while I gave you a promise and did not fulfil it. I had no authority over you, except that I invited you and you accepted my call. So, do not blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot save you, nor can you save me. I reject your associating me with Allah in the past. Surely, there is a painful punishment for the unjust.” [14:22]

Personal choices

When we look at this scene from Surah Ibrahim, and Allah is warning us that it’s all about our personal choices. Those who were blindly following their leaders, without questioning their actions, will end up in Hellfire and wonder how they got there. They will have been inspired by the believers, who had the Prophet (peace be on him) intercede for them, and ask who will intercede for them. They will go to their leaders from the dunya – and this is where the conversation in the first ayah will take place. The leaders will say they can’t protect them. They did not benefit even themselves from the guidance of Allah, and stupidly, the people followed them. This is the consequence of their own choices.

The disavowal of Shaytan

When they have given up on the leaders, the people will go to Shaytan. He is the boss of all evil, maybe he can do something. Imam al-Baghawi says in his tafseer that Shaytan will have mimbar, and the second ayah will be the khutbah he delivers in Jahannam. You have no one to blame but yourselves. Don’t blame me. You deceived yourselves and thought I had control over you, but I don’t. It was your choice to accept my call. I can’t do anything for you, you failed yourselves. I cannot help you in anything.

We see that Allah is teaching us that we are responsible for our own choices. Be careful who to follow. Be careful how to take your decisions. Because the people of Jahannam will regret it when it’s too late.

Be careful whom you follow

Today we have the Arab summit and the G7. All these leaders meeting all over the place, with their followers blindly going behind. This week we’ve also seen elections in Turkey. Be careful whom you follow, and whom to give your vote. On the Day of Judgement, you will be responsible for your choices. Whether you followed this leader, or took that decision, it’s your responsibility. Allah will ask you, and He will know. Shaytan will say, ‘I can’t help you. You are to be blamed, not me.’

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌۭ

There is indeed a good model for you in the Messenger of Allah [33:21]

This is why the Prophet (peace be on him) is our role model. Allah says that if we follow him, we will be guided. And Allah’s promise is a truthful promise, while Shaytan’s promise is a false promise.

Intercession: the importance of good companions

On the Day of Judgement, the Prophet (peace be on him) will intercede for the believers. And intercession has different levels. Great Intercession will be for all humanity, from Adam until the last person. He will intercede for all of them for the Reckoning to start. And then later, when believers will go to settle their accounts for bad deeds, he will intercede for them as well.

The Prophet (peace be on him) isn’t the only one who will intercede. Good friends will also be able to. Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be on him said):

“’No one of you disputes more intensely for something that is rightly his in this world, than the believers will dispute with their Lord for their brothers who have entered the Fire. They will say: ‘Our Lord, our brothers used to pray with us and fast with us, and perform Hajj with us, and you have caused them to enter the Fire?’ He will say: ‘Go and bring forth whomever you recognise among them.’ So they will go to them, and will recognise them by their appearances. Among them will be those who have been seized by the Fire up to the middle of their shins, and some among them those whom it has taken up to his ankles. They will bring them forth, then they will say: ‘Our Lord, we have brought forth those whom You commanded us (to bring forth).’ He will say: ‘Bring forth everyone in whose heart is faith the weight of a Dinar.’ Then He will say: ‘Everyone in whose heart is faith the weight of half a Dinar,’ until He will say: ‘In whose heart is faith the weight of the smallest speck.'” Abu Sa’eed said: “Whoever does not believe this, let him read the Verse: ‘Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills up to a tremendous (sin).'” [Nasa’i]

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا مُجَادَلَةُ أَحَدِكُمْ فِي الْحَقِّ يَكُونُ لَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا بِأَشَدَّ مُجَادَلَةً مِنْ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِرَبِّهِمْ فِي إِخْوَانِهِمْ الَّذِينَ أُدْخِلُوا النَّارَ قَالَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا إِخْوَانُنَا كَانُوا يُصَلُّونَ مَعَنَا وَيَصُومُونَ مَعَنَا وَيَحُجُّونَ مَعَنَا فَأَدْخَلْتَهُمْ النَّارَ قَالَ فَيَقُولُ اذْهَبُوا فَأَخْرِجُوا مَنْ عَرَفْتُمْ مِنْهُمْ قَالَ فَيَأْتُونَهُمْ فَيَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِصُوَرِهِمْ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ النَّارُ إِلَى أَنْصَافِ سَاقَيْهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ إِلَى كَعْبَيْهِ فَيُخْرِجُونَهُمْ فَيَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا قَدْ أَخْرَجْنَا مَنْ أَمَرْتَنَا قَالَ وَيَقُولُ أَخْرِجُوا مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَزْنُ دِينَارٍ مِنْ الْإِيمَانِ ثُمَّ قَالَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَزْنُ نِصْفِ دِينَارٍ حَتَّى يَقُولَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَزْنُ ذَرَّةٍ قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ فَمَنْ لَمْ يُصَدِّقْ فَلْيَقْرَأْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ إِلَى عَظِيمًا [رواه النسائي].

This is the importance of having the right companions around you. They will intercede for you in Jannah. When they miss you, they will ask for you. And Rasul Allah (peace be on him) will intercede for all of us. So be careful in your friends and your decisions. We ask Allah to enable us to be among the righteous people and among the people of Jannah.

Shaykh Haytham Tamim – 19th May 2023

Transcribed by Hana Khan

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Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.

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