Vile leaders: Signs before the arrival of Dajjal
Before the appearance of Dajjal we were told that we would endure years of betrayal:
There will come to the people, years of treachery, when the liar will be regarded as honest, and the honest man will be regarded as a liar. The traitor will be regarded as faithful, and the faithful man will be regarded as a traitor; and the Ruwaibidah will decide matters.’
It was said ‘Who are Ruwaibidah?’
He said: ‘Vile and base men who control the affairs of the people.’ (Ibn Majah and Ahmad)
The reign of the scum
We have seen this rule by corrupt leaders throughout our history and sadly history keeps repeating itself. This misfortune is one of the signs of the Day of Judgement. Before Dajjal comes certain signs will appear and one of these is that truthful people will not be considered truthful and trustworthy, while the public will trust the untrustworthy and accept the liars. The one who will represent the public will be the worst of the public.
Despair is debilitating
Having evil people in control is common. Look around us in different countries, we see the same political scenario being replicated just as the Prophet (peace be on him) described.
Yet, whatever the situation, we cannot lose hope, as the Quran says:
Do not waver and do not feel sad. You are the superior ones, if you are believers. (3:139)
The Prophet (peace be on him) used to say in his dua:
Oh Allah I seek refuge in you from worry and grief. (Bukhari)
Severe sadness blocks us and paralyses us – we cannot move forward or think, because we are overcome by grief and despair. Comfortingly, the Quran says:
‘Do not worry, Allah is with us’ (9:40)
Allah Almighty is with us on the condition that we are with Allah Almighty and that we follow His guidance and follow His commands.
Wake-up call for the ummah
Widespread atrocities, calamities and tests are a wake-up call for Muslims. For decent people, the time has come to think, cooperate, help and support one another against injustice, oppression, poverty, extremism, racism and any form of aggression. For too long we have allowed injustice to prevail.
In Surah Shura, Allah Almighty says:
Whatever misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned; and yet He pardons much. (42:30)
Unless we respond to this wake-up call, we will continue to be disunited, fragmented and act like the disjointed limbs of a body.
Unite in the face of challenges
The Prophet (peace be on him) mentioned in the beautiful hadith:
The example of the believer in their mercy and compassion is like one body. (Bukhari and Muslim)
The limbs of the body have to function as such, but we are not functioning in this manner. This is why we are weak. We are disunited. Let the atrocities and tests unite us. Let’s come together and organise our communities and establish our priorities. Not just on a personal level, but on a city level, and national level. This is how we can move forward.
Unity is not homogeneity
If we learn anything from recent events, it is that being divided is deeply damaging. Instead, co-operating with one another, with our differences, is the only way out of this disaster. When the Prophet (peace be on him) used the analogy of the body, he brought to our attention that the body is composed of different parts, with different functions, yet to survive they have to work together. Sadly we are not functioning as one body. We need to stop seeing our differences as a problem, and start realising that they are a strength. Our differences enrich us and, as long as they are within the boundaries of Islam, are simply different ways of applying the deen.
What we don’t like can be good for us
Whenever we have a test the ayah that comes to my mind is:
It may be that you dislike something, while it is good for you and it may that you like something while it is bad for you. God knows, and you do not. (2:216)
We cannot comprehend Allah Almighty’s wisdom, or His plan.
But they plan, and Allah plans and Allah is the best of planners. (8:30)
Rising from the ashes of defeat
In Surah Ale Imran, in over 60 verses, Allah Almighty talks about the physical defeat in the Battle of Uhud. He explores this in great deal over 60 verses! Worse than physical defeat is psychological defeat. It is not the end of the world to fail to achieve what you wanted. Rather what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Strength will come when we analyse why we are not doing well; identify our gaps, and figure out how we can improve our situation. We have to be active – not lazy, not apathetic or despairing.
This is why the Prophet (peace be on him) used to pray for refuge in Allah from incapacity and laziness.
Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated the Prophet (peace be on him) said:
Oh Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by (other) men.’ (Bukhari)
Unfortunately these two qualities are very much among us – inability and laziness. The difference between inability and laziness is that laziness is when you have the ability but you do not have the will. Inability is when you have the will, but you don’t have the ability to do it.
We ask Allah Almighty to always make us active members of the community and grant us real understanding of the deen, so we apply it, promote goodness and forbid what is evil. This is our motto forever. Unless we come back and revive this, we are not going to achieve success.
Allah Almighty said:
Hold fast altogether to the rope of Allah and do not be disunited. (3:103)
Unless we do that we will be eaten by the dogs. We can only be strong through our unity and through coalitions with those who are seeking goodness in the community.
We ask Allah Almighty to open our eyes, our hearts and our minds to see the truth and follow the truth and make us understand what really matters to our community, rather than prioritising our interests over our community. At times, we know what is the right thing to do but we sacrifice it for our own gain. We have to back principles over self-interest. Believers have to follow the principles of Islam even when they do not serve their own interests. When you follow the principles, Allah Almighty will serve you without doubt in the akhirah as well as the dunya.
Khutbah delivered at the Albanian Mosque on 12th December 2019 by Shaykh Haytham Tamim
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Shaykh Haytham Tamim
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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