I heard a beautiful khutbah (sermon) recently and was so touched by it that I felt it necessary to share the message with others. This isn't a transcript of the khutbah; just some of the points I remember and some of my reflections on what was said. So, I ask Allah, most high, to forgive me if I have misunderstood anything and protect me from conveying any errors.
 
On Friday, 5 Nov., Imam Ahmed Limame, may Allah protect him, gave the jumah (Friday) khutbah at the Gatineau mosque. As we were nearing the beginning of the new Islamic year, the theme of the khutbah was the hijra (migration of the Prophet, may peace be upon him, and the early Muslims from Mecca to Madina).

After the prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him, had received revelation, he was offered a proposal by the elite of Mecca. He would be provided with great wealth and comforts of this world if he would only leave spreading the message of Islam. The response of the Prophet, may peace and blessings be upon him, was to confirm his commitment to God’s message and affirm his independence from what was being offered to him. All of us are confronted with similar temptations every waking moment of our lives – the choice between indulgence in the dunyah (worldly pleasures) or commitment to the Creator of the dunyah. The first is easy and the second requires much more effort and dedication; and is more rewarding.

Many Muslims who made hijra here may have envisioned only being here short-term and eventually returning to their home countries. The reality is that for the majority, Canada is now a permanent home and in this reality, Canadian Muslims are responsible for not only taking on the identity of the Muhajirun, but also that of the Ansar.

The hijra, which marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, was an effort to take those who carried the message of Islam away from those who were fighting and oppressing them. It was a flight from a constricting situation, to one which provided Muslims with freedom and enabled the message to be furthered. The hijra from Makkah to Madinah was a monumental effort where the Muslims of Makkah left everything they had established in their lives to establish something completely new.
 
There are two types of hijra: the physical hijrah and the spiritual hijrah. The physical hijra is akin to migrating to a new and better place, seeking refuge from oppressive and difficult living conditions. The spiritual hijra is when one forsakes what displeases Allah (most high) and turns towards that which brings him/her closer to Allah, most high. More precisely, it is the immigration from a state of disobedience to a state of obedience to Allah. It is a true obligation on every single Muslim to undertake a spiritual hijra.

Many Muslims who live in Canada are immigrants or descendants of immigrants, who came here looking for a better future and livelihood and, in many instances, were trying to escape oppression. What is engraved in the history of the movement of Muslims to other places, is the improvement of the quality of life they bring to the communities they inhabit. And there are plenty of examples of this, such as in Islamic Spain, Northern Africa, China, India, etc. Muslims not only made hijra for their own benefit, but they benefitted those who took them in.

This is a key lesson for all Muslims wherever they may be. Our community is very talented and ought to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life in our society. Whether it may be through improving medicine, human rights, engineering, teaching, building, helping the needy, and so on -- it’s what we must do as Muslims. This is a legacy and identity which we are indebted to revive, through true concern and a concerted effort towards improvement wherever Allah (most high) places us. Similarly, on a personal level, we must continually endeavour to be on a spiritual hijra, seeking better states and conditions in our relationship with Allah, most high.
 
The beauty of Madina, the home of the Muhajirun (emigrants from Mecca) and the Ansar (native people of Madina), is that it is the first city in history, to be established based on tawheed (belief in One God) and not on common race, culture or nationality. And as a result, it was a diverse community, with people of all backgrounds living together, united through Islam.

It's also worthy to mention that Madina was one of the first, if not the first city in history to give minorities official rights.  And the beauty of Madina is that when the Muhajirun from Mecca came, the Ansar established in Madinah literally split (shared) their wealth in order to give the Muhajirun an opportunity to establish themselves and become independent. The Muhajirun in turn respected this generosity by taking only what they needed.
 
Many lessons are derived from the way life was lived in Madina. It is truly the best example of a city of Islam in history. One important lesson is in how the Muhajirun and the Ansar, who had different backgrounds and customs, came to live as though they were one family.

We, as a Muslim community here need to apply this lesson and erase the barriers people harbour in their minds and hearts towards other Muslims who may not be exactly like themselves.

Unfortunately, many Muslims nowadays divide their communities by emphasizing their differences whether it be by race, school of thought, dress, etc. And this is not what the example of Madina teaches us. We urgently need to stop judging each other. We should all strive to treat each other in a way that is dignified, respectful and compassionate; learning from the example of the prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him, who was full of concern for the improvement of life of each and every human being.

Leave the judging to Allah, most high. Live and let live. Only Allah knows the sincerity of the hearts in their worship of Him and each individual should be critical of his/her own standing with Allah. This point really touched me as people have been increasingly dividing and fracturing the community while remaining completely blinded to the states of their own hearts. Unity and inclusion is a sign of a healthy and prosperous community.
 
So, as Muslims, the lesson of the hijra is a part of our identity. And we desperately need to take our community on a hijra from an ill state to that of one which is thriving and growing.
 
Many Muslims who made hijra here may have envisioned only being here short-term and eventually returning to their home countries. The reality is that for the majority, Canada is now a permanent home and in this reality, Canadian Muslims are responsible for not only taking on the identity of the Muhajirun, but also that of the Ansar. As they were welcomed and provided for when they arrived in this new land, there is a for them to provide the same level of care and support to the constant influx of new immigrants into the Muslim community.       

At this point in the khutbah, Imam Ahmed, spoke of a man, his wife, and their three year-old son who had very recently arrived in Canada (Gatineau) as refugees from Iraq. The nature of refugees is that they arrive with very little or nothing to begin their new lives. But this state has been magnified by the sudden death of the man. He had passed away about a week after the family’s arrival (may Allah grant him forgiveness, mercy, compassion and paradise). Now, his wife and child are on their own in a new land and surrounded by uncertainties. This is a situation that exemplifies the need for us to take up the identity of the Ansar and show gentleness and generosity to this family and other families in similar situations.

The day the khutbah was given, all donations collected at the Gatineau mosque were channeled to the mother and child. The two have now moved into an apartment and some Muslim women from the area are making sure their needs are looked after.

After the khutbah, as I reflected about the situation of this mother and her child, I was struck by the similarity of their situation to that of Haajar, the wife of Prophet Ibrahim, and their son, Ismail, peace be upon them. Of course, the circumstances are only slightly comparable, but they are similar, as the Iraqi mother and son have come to establish their lives in a new land, which is completely foreign to them and where they have no one who they feel close to or lean on for support.

When Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was commanded by Allah to leave his wife and child alone in a barren land (Mecca), he asked Allah: "O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka'bah at Makkah); in order, O our Lord, that they may perform as-Salat (establish prayer), so fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and [O Allah] provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks." (Quran, ch. 14: v. 27)

There are numerous examples in our community of individuals and families who are in need of support and this is just one area of many where Muslims need to be proactive in finding solutions. Each Muslim in the community has a talent and passion, whether it’s in human rights, helping the needy, saving the environment, business etc. Cultivating these talents and sharing them for the improvement of everyone’s future is the way of the Muhaajirun and Ansar; torchbearers who set an example that is worthy of being followed. May Allah, Most High, enable our community to make a successful hijra to that which is better and more pleasing to Him, and may we prosper like the early Muslim community of Madina. Ameen.

To donate to the widow mentioned in the article, please contact the Outaiouis Islamic Centre, Gatineau.