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Rioters beware

Rioters beware
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August 09, 2024
in Khutbah
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As Allah stated in the Quran in Surat Anfal:


وَإِذۡ يَمۡكُرُ بِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِيُثۡبِتُوكَ أَوۡ يَقۡتُلُوكَ أَوۡ يُخۡرِجُوكَۚ وَيَمۡكُرُونَ وَيَمۡكُرُ ٱللَّهُۖ وَٱللَّهُ خَيۡرُ ٱلۡمَٰكِرِينَ 

And ˹remember, O  Prophet,˺ when the disbelievers conspired to capture, kill, or exile you. They planned, but Allah also planned. And Allah is the best of planners. (8:30)

This ayah shows us that Allah has reassured us that no matter what evil schemes and plots individuals, groups, or think tanks devise or execute, ultimately their own plans, plots and schemes will backfire on them.

In Surat an-Nisa, Allah Almighty also says:


يَسۡتَخۡفُونَ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَا يَسۡتَخۡفُونَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ وَهُوَ 

مَعَهُمۡ إِذۡ يُبَيِّتُونَ مَا لَا يَرۡضَىٰ مِنَ ٱلۡقَوۡلِۚ 

وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا يَعۡمَلُونَ مُحِيطًا

They may hide (their crimes) from men, but they cannot hide (them) from Allah, for He is with them (by His Knowledge), when they plot by night in words that He does not approve, And Allah ever encompasses what they do.


هَـٰٓأَنتُمۡ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ جَٰدَلۡتُمۡ عَنۡهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا فَمَن 

يُجَٰدِلُ ٱللَّهَ عَنۡهُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ أَم مَّن يَكُونُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَكِيلٗا

Lo! You are those who have argued for them in the life of this world, but who will argue for them on the Day of Resurrection against Allah, or who will then be their defender? (4:196-107)

Evil plots backfire

These verses refer to the period before the Hijra. The Quraysh were plotting and scheming to kill the Prophet (peace be upon him). Ultimately their machinations were not successful and the Prophet (peace be upon him) was unequivocally victorious. The Prophet (peace be upon him) conquered Makkah and Islam spread throughout the region.

In the UK, this past week, rumours and fear were spread by the Far Right, with an explosion of feral hatred fuelled by lies and backed by external agents. Yet, those who came out triumphant were not the perpetrators of fear and violence.

Rather the victors were the peaceful, the compassionate and the courageous – those who organised the counter protests, and those who stood by the Muslims and defended them physically, verbally, or by sending messages of support to their Muslim neighbours and friends.

The plots backfired because they exposed those who allowed themselves to be manipulated as well as those who orchestrated the violence. It also exposed the racism and Islamophobia of certain politicians in their responses.

Misplaced arrogance

The rhetoric of the rioters was based on their false sense of superiority. However, it is not race that makes one person better than another person, it is their character, their behaviour and their manners. It is how they carry themselves and how they extend kindness to those around them.

Allah Almighty as the Creator gave honour to each one of us. It is not a privilege one can take away and give another. Or that one country or race can strip from another. Allah Almighty honoured every single one of the children of Adam.

Some people down look on others as if they are third class citizens. This is pride (kibr). They discriminate against others, because of their language, their deen, their race, their nationality, their poverty. The punishment of arrogance is Jahannum.

Yet every human being has a god-given right to be respected and honoured and treated well and not be discriminated against. Regardless if you agree or disagree with them.

Yet those sadly deluded rioters allowed themselves to be persuaded that the removalof Muslim immigrants would somehow transform their lives and opportunities.

Gullibility is no excuse

The rioters did not question the assumptions that were fed to them by people who were furthering their own agendas and deflecting attention from their own selves, by a scapegoating an easy target. In the Quran, Allah talks about the inmates of the depths of hell and how they will be asked why they are there and they will reply that they are there because they followed the crowd. Did they not realise that they were accountable for their own selves?

Allah relates to us what they will say:


وَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّآ أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَآءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا ٱلسَّبِيلَا۠

And they will say, “Our Lord! We obeyed our leaders and elite, but they led us astray from the ˹Right˺ Way. (33:67)


In Surat al-Muddaththir, the people of Saqar (the lowest rank of hell) will be asked how they came to be there. The response from the dwellers of Saqar will be that were just following the crowd:

مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ
“What drove you into Saqar?”
قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ
They will say, “We were not of those who prayed.
وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ الْمِسْكِينَ
Nor did we feed the destitute.
وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ الْخَائِضِينَ
And we used to follow the crowd. (74:42-45)

The disavowal of Shaytan

The inmates of hell will go to their leaders who led them astray.

In Surat Ibrahim, Allah says:

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]

When their leaders absolve themselves of responsibility they will go to Shaytan. He is the boss of all evil, hoping he can do something to save them and shoulder the blame for their actions.

Imam al-Baghawi says in his tafseer that Shaytan will have mimbar on the Day of Judgement, and he will deliver a khutbah in Jahannam. He will the inmates of hell that they have no one to blame but their own selves. If they thought he had control over them, he didn’t. It was their choice to accept his call. He will not be able to help them – nor does he care about them. He will rejoice at their disgrace and misery.

He will disassociate himself from those who were stupid enough to follow his bidding.

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 Surat 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 it will be too late to change their destination.

We see that Allah is teaching us that we are responsible for our own choices. Be careful who to follow.

Whether it is in the UK, or in Gaza or anywhere else in the world, the good news is that evil plots may be some wins but they will never prevail.

In the end, Allah Almighty said in the Quran that truth will smash falsehood:

بَلۡ نَقۡذِفُ بِٱلۡحَقِّ عَلَى ٱلۡبَـٰطِلِ فَیَدۡمَغُهُۥ فَإِذَا

هُوَ زاهق وَلَكُمُ ٱلۡوَیۡلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ

Instead, We launch the truth against falsehood, which gets it smashed, and in no time it is gone. Alas to you for what you describe! (Al-Anbiyāʾ, Ayah 18)

Based on the teachings of Shaykh Haytham Tamim

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