[0:23]Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.
[0:28]Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar. Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah. Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah. Ashhadu anna Muhammadar rasulullah.
[1:38]Hayya al-Salah. Hayya al-Salah. Hayya al-Falah. Hayya al-Falah. Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar. Lailaha illallah. Innalhamdalillah. Innalhamdalillah nahmaduhu wa nasta'inuhu wa nastaghfiruhu wa nu'minu bihi wa natawakkalu alaih. Wa naudhu billahi min shururi anfusina wa min sayyi'ati a'malina. May yahdihillahu fala mudilla lah wa may yudlilhu fala hadiya lah. Wa nashhadu an la ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah. Wa nashhadu anna sayyidana wa nabiyyana wa qurrata ayyunina Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh. Sallallahu tabaraka wa ta'ala alaihi wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa baraka wa sallama tasliman kathiran kathira amma ba'd. Faqad qaalallahu ta'ala fi kitabihil aziz ba'da a'udhu billahi minash shaytanir rajim bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Ya ayyuhalladhina amanu idha qila lakum tafassahu fil majalis fafsahu yafsahu Allahu lakum. Wa qaalannabiyyu sallallahu alaihi wa alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam. Innash shaitana dhaybu al-insan kadhiybu al-ghanam. Ya'khudhush shatatal qasiyata wan nahiyah faqawwu washi'ab. Wa alaikum bil jama'ah wal ammah wal masjid. Aw kama qala alaihis salatu wassalam.
[4:15]My khutba today, brothers and sisters, is about the most quintessential element that is necessary for us to grow spiritually together. It's about community building. We can raise all the funds that we want. We can build the biggest masajid around the world. We can have the most beautiful infrastructure. But if we don't have the ruh, if we don't have the soul, and if we don't have the connection, that prophetic connection between us, our masajid will be large but empty. Our classes will be filled but no guidance. And if we study the problem that we have today. The crisis of our time is not the crisis of poverty. The crisis of war, it is the crisis that we all feel invisible. We are surrounded by people, by others, our masajid are full. But we feel alone. We are connected more now than ever. But if we were to take a survey on the number of us that feel lonely, isolated, by ourselves. We would find the overwhelming majority of us feel that way. I read a quote that shook me. Of a contemporary sociologist who said that humans don't mind hardship. In fact, they thrive on it. What they truly mind, what truly shakes them, what truly keeps them up at night, is not feeling necessary, feeling invisible. As we study the life of the Rasul, I ask myself the question. How did he create such a community? A community that shaped the world. A community that stood for one another. A community that the, the Hadith says, when one part is aching, the other part stays up at night, how did he create that community? And the secret lies in the fact that everyone around him truly mattered. So our Prophet Alaihis Salatu was Salam. He is our exemplary and he has given us the path. I began this khutba with a verse of the Quran. So that we can explore this idea of building community. Not building these large masajid but truly building human connection. Dallas has become known across the country as the place of these large masajid, but do we have community? We have raised funds, but have we raised esteem? Have we raised morale? Have the ones who feel left out, felt included? Because if we raise funds but don't raise morale, if we raise funds but don't raise self-esteem, if we raise funds but don't build inclusivity, we have not built community. We have built structures. And I warn you as the prophet warned us Alaihis Salaam. He said that a time will come. Oh how true are his words. A time will come where you will build massive masajid. But they will be empty of true guidance, empty of true connection. I began with a verse of the Quran. Where Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala begins this dialogue for us. And he says, Ya Ayyuhalladhina Amanu, idha qila lakum tafassahu fil majalis fafsahu yafsahu Allahu lakum. Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala he says, oh you who believe, when you are asked to make space for people. Fafsahu, who make space for people. Make space for them in your schedule. Make space for them in your calendar. Make space for them in your life. This verse we can take it literally. When we say brothers fill in the gaps, move up. But there's more than that because all of us have proximity to other human beings, but we feel distant. So this verse should not be restricted to the understanding of literal space-making. But the reality is that tofasahu means to open up. To make space in your heart for another person. To make space in your schedule for another person. As I was preparing this khutba, I had noticed that my mom called me this morning. And like every other mother, she calls at the wrong time every day. Mashallah. Every day, mom, every day. And as I was looking at these words, make space. I put down the khutba. And I called. Because I realized that I have to make space in my busy life for other people. That is how community is built. That is how family is built. So Allah says when it is said to you to make space, when someone stops you and says, brother, do you have a moment to talk? Sister, do you have a moment to to to just listen to something for a moment? Do you have a moment to do this? Make space. Make space for people. And the logic is so profound. The logic is profound, Allah says when you make space for others, when you accommodate others, when you make others feel seen, valued, yafsuh Allahu lakum, Allah will do that for you. In one narration, a well-known narration, a Bedouin man. A Bedouin man, entered into the masjid. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam jalis. The Rasul alaihis salatu wassalam, he was sitting down. The man came into the masjid, he's a Bedouin man. He doesn't really know a lot of the adab, he doesn't really know a lot of the manners and etiquette's. And he stuck on the kind of jahili old traditions. The narration says that he walks into the masjid. He prays two rak'ah. And then he makes a dua out loud. See, he had experienced a little bit of uh, what's the word? He had experienced a little bit of roughness in the community. And so he was a bit jaded, we could say. He was a bit jaded. So he came into the masjid, he prayed his two rak'ah, the Prophet is sitting right there, and he makes this dua loud. And I feel as if he did it on purpose, loud. He said, Allahumma irhamni. Wa Muhammad wa la tarham ma'ana ahadan. He says, Ya Allah, have mercy upon me. Have mercy upon Muhammad and don't have mercy on nobody else. Don't have mercy on no one else. But this, this jadedness, this constrictedness that he was feeling inside. Was the result of not getting that inclusivity, not feeling a part of the community. And this is my point. Community is not built with money. Community is built with the vastness of your heart, welcoming another person in, letting them know that they are seen and felt and heard. How many times have you walked into a massive masjid and felt small? And walked into a small masjid and felt big. Allahu Akbar. So he says, Allahumma. Have mercy upon me. Have mercy upon Muhammad and don't have mercy on no one else. The Rasul alaihis salam, rahmatan lil alamin. Rahmah is something that expands. Rahmati wasi'at kulla shay'. Allah says, my mercy expands into everything. We have to have people that make space, we have to become people who make space in our hearts. So Rasul said, he says to him, laqad hajartal wasi'. You have constricted something that is vast. Don't do that. You have constricted something that is vast, don't do that. The rahma is infinite, it is wide. If we try to hoard it, if we try to make our masajid exclusive to a certain demograph, if we try to make exclusivity in these places, uh-uh, laqad hajartal wasi'. Laqad you have limited that which is vast. And because you are small, Allah's blessings upon you will be small. What happens, brothers and sisters, if we don't make space? If we don't let other people feel seen. Which is the prophetic quality of making someone feel part of the community. The Hadith is clear. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam warns us in this Hadith and is found in uh Riyadus Salihin and another in Musnad Ahmad. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, he said, Ash shaitana dhi'bul insan ka dhi'bul ghanam. Shaytan is like a wolf to humanity. Praying on us. And then the Rasul he goes deeper into the metaphor sallallahu alaihi wasallam, he says kadhi'bul ghanam, the same way a wolf goes after sheep. He says, the wolf doesn't attack the herd, it doesn't attack the flock. The wolf doesn't go after the flock because there's strength and inclusivity. There's strength there. Which one does the wolf go after? The one on the outskirts. The one that doesn't feel included. The one that doesn't feel part of the group. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, he says, Ash shaitana ya'khudhu shatal qasiyah, the one at the furthest extent and nahiyah, the one on the edges. The Prophet said, fakum. He said, beware, y'all. And he said, kum, beware to everyone. And I'll put a bit of poetic license into this if I must. Beware of making people feel that they're on the outskirts of your community. Be make beware of making people fall prey to Shaytan. Because we have built the center, but we haven't built the heart. We have expanded the square footage, but we haven't expanded the heart. What was the prophetic model? I want to leave you with a prophetic picture. I want to leave you with a picture of who Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam was, how he embodied making community, how he embodied making people feel visible. I'll share with you a profound Hadith. The Hadith is from Wathila Al ibn Al Khattab. Narrated in Shu'ab Al Iman. Rasul sallallahu alaihi wasallam, he says, I want you to picture this moment. Dakhala rajulun ila Rasul sallallahu alaihi wasallam wa huwa fil masjid qa'id. A man walks into the masjid. And the Rasul alaihis salam, the Prophet is sitting by himself. The masjid is absolutely empty. The Rasul is by himself. This man walks into the masjid. So now there's only two people in the masjid of the Rasul. The masjid of the Rasul was small, y'all. You've been there maybe, maybe from this wall to that wall right there, maybe the next one. Small masjid. But it's not the size of the house that matters, it's the size of the hearts. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, the narration says, as the man walked into this empty masjid with one man sitting. The narration says, fatta zanzahalahu Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. I want you to picture this. The Rasul alaihis salam, he must have looked over and saw him walk into the masjid. So the Hadith says, fatta zanzahalahu, the Prophet scooted over. In an empty masjid. The Prophet scooted over. The Hadith says that the Prophet, the man, he looked at Rasulullah and he said, Ya Rasulullah. Innal fil makan sa'ah. He said, Ya Rasulullah, in one narration he says, Ya Rasulullah, the masjid is empty. There's a lot of space and I'm not that big. You moved over as if the masjid was empty. You scooted over. As if the masjid was empty. So he says, Ya Rasulullah, innal fil makan sa'ah. There's tons of space in this room and I'm not that big of a guy. Rasul sallallahu alaihi wasallam he taught us something profound, he said, la. He said, innal lil muslim haqqan la haqqan idha ra'ahu akhihu ayyatazahza lahu. Rasul sallallahu alaihi wasallam taught us about making people feel visible, making people feel seen. He said it is the right on a Muslim. The right on a Muslim that when you see them, you make some movement for them. That you make some adjustment for them, that you make something to notify the person that I see you. Have you ever walked into the home? Walked in the house and nobody moved. You walk in the house, wife is just sitting there. And you're like, hello. You walk in the house, kids just. How do you feel? You feel unseen. You feel invisible. Rasul sallallahu alaihi wasallam, he said, no, the right of a believer is that you let them feel seen. The masjid was empty, there was no pragmatic reason for the Prophet to move over except to make a man feel seen. Except to make a man feel seen. That was the only reason. Because that is how you build community. You make people feel seen. So he moved. The Hadith tell us that when you would speak to the Rasul sallallahu alaihi wasallam, what would he do? He would turn his whole body towards you. And he would give you his full presence. No one left his presence feeling rushed. No one left his presence feeling as if he didn't have enough time for me. Another narration says that explicitly. That he was so available for people. That an elderly woman could grab him by the hand and take him on the way to help her do what she needed done. And he would walk with her. Yeah, sister, what do we need? How can I help you? Everyone felt seen. Everyone felt that they mattered. And perhaps one of the most profound examples, though it may seem a bit abstract, it's not abstract. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, when he first got to Madinah, he used to give the khutba leaning up against a tree. And he would just, you know, lean against a tree. After a long khutba, it would be difficult. After some time, the Sahaba, they said, Ya Rasulullah, we need to build a member for you so that people in the back can see you. He said, this is a great idea, let's do it. They got to work, they built it. And the day came for the first Juma that they would have on this member. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, he ascended the member. And as he began to speak those beautiful words. Everyone began to hear the sound of a baby crying in the masjid. Everyone was shocked. Not because the Prophet's masjid didn't have babies crying. But because they couldn't figure out where the sound was coming from. Where is that sound coming from? But there was one heart in the room that saw everyone, saw everything, made everything feel seen. It was Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. He descended down the member. And he walked over to the tree. And he held the tree. Because the tree was what was crying. The Sahaba, the masjid was full. They said, we heard the tree, you know, back in the day when. When you used to really cry and you're trying to hold it, you know what I mean, when you were a kid. No, all right, whatever. We used to get, never mind, that's not politically correct no more. The tree was trying to hold back its crying. As the Prophet held it. He was holding the tree and and he didn't say these words, but he's letting the tree know that I see you. You're visible to me. And this is what the next point is. Is that everyone in the community must not only be seen but feel needed in the community. Feel that they have a place in the community. It is not not enough to see me, but I need to know my place, where do I fit in? How do I fit in into this community? So the Rasul sallallahu alaihi wasallam, what did he do? He came down and he hugged the tree. Because he was present with it. And he spoke to the tree. And he said, well, we could do one of two things. The narration says, he said to the tree, we could dig you up and place you right next to the member, so you'll be with me my whole life. Or we can dig you up and bury you and you'll be a tree with me in Jannah. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam then came back and said, everyone, the tree chose to be with me in Jannah, dig the tree up. My point is that everything, everyone felt included, felt seen, and felt that they had a place in the community. He taught us that you are only as valuable in this community, as much as you make other people feel valued. You are only as valuable to a family, as your ability to make everyone else in the family feel valued as well. I share with you the narration of Zahir, which I've narrated many times, but it fits the occasion. Zahir was a man from the outskirts of Medina. He was a man by his own description that was not very physically attractive. By his own description. And one day he was in the Madinah marketplace selling his goods at his booth. But Rasulullah, I told you, he did not let anyone feel unseen. And he specifically made sure to see those who feel unseen. So he goes up behind Zahir and he bear hugs him from behind. Imagine Sheikh Abdu Nasir just walking up behind you, bear hugging you. How would you feel? Like yeah, yo, Sheikh Abdul Nasir, bear hug me, yo. You feel great. Allahu Akbar. Then the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam continues the joke. He's holding him. The narration says, the first thing that Zahir did, got bear hugged, he said, get off me, get off me. But then he looked down at the hands and he saw it was the hands of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, so he leaned back into him. He leaned back in. Then the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, what did he say? He said, man yashtari al-abd minni, man yashtari al-abd minni. He's at the marketplace, he's joking with him. He says, who wants to buy this guy from me? Who wants to buy this guy from me? Zahir, feeling invisible. He says, if you try to sell me, you won't get much for me, no one values me. That's what he said. But you are only as valuable in this community as your ability to make people feel valued. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam turned him around. He looked him in the eye, he said, bal anta ghali indallah. He said, no, you are priceless in the sight of God. You are priceless in the sight of God. This community needs you, this community thrives on you, Zahir. You are a key part of who we are as a community. Our modern society has made us feel that people are dispensable. Replaceable, interchangeable. But the prophetic model is the exact opposite. Every person in the community knew they had a role. Every person had a name. And every person had a place. This is what Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam did. This is what he cultivated. As I mentioned in the beginning of my khutba, that loneliness is not about physical distance. It's about emotional absence. I mentioned the narration and I want to go deeper here so that we can work to build not a beautiful building, but beautiful hearts that make everyone in this room feel included. I came across a narration that was shocking. And it taught me about how to make space in our community. The narration is found in different books of Hadith. And the narration says about the Rasul, listen closely and assess yourself. Wa kana yatafaqqadu ashabah. He would miss people when they were absent.
[27:01]He would miss people when they were absent. When they weren't around, when they didn't show up, he would say, where's such and such? I haven't seen them in a while. Where are they at? Subhanallah, we don't notice people in our presence. But Rasulullah would notice you if you were missing. The narration says, fa man kana maridan, whoever was sick, he would go visit them. Wa man kana ghaib da'alahu. Whoever wasn't present, he would make dua for the person. He would make dua for them. Wa yatafaqqadu ahlo. Wa man mata, and whoever passed away, he would say innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un. And he would make abundant dua.
[28:02]He would check on them, he would look for them, he would ask about them. No one in the community felt that they didn't matter. Everyone understood that he loved them and cared for them. And this to me was what was so profound. The narration says, and then if there was someone they didn't see for a while, he would say these words. La'alla fulanan wajida alaina fiyi shay'in. Aw ra'a minna taqsir, innaliqu bina ilaih. Subhanallah, he would say, perhaps such and such is upset with us. Perhaps such and such is not happy with us. Think about it, it's the Rasul Alaihis Salatu Wasallam, who could be angry with the Rasul? But look how he made people feel valued. He said, perhaps fulan is upset with us. Perhaps he saw something from us that he didn't like. Innaliqu, hey, let's go visit him. This was Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. It was not passive hospitality. This was the active pursuit to make people feel seen, to make people feel part of the community. And I'm going to conclude, Inshallah, as my time is is is running out. That we want some practical steps to building this community. As I mentioned, we live in a time of individualism. Our homes are designed to keep us away from neighbors, our phones are designed to distract us. Our schedules are designed to get the most out of every moment. But our community must be different. To build a prophetic community which is Qalam's goal, is not about efficiency. It's about making every person feel seen. Making everyone in this room feel that this is your community. You are seen, you are part of it. And so I leave you with this final narration.
[30:28]Kanal Rasul sallallahu alaihi wasallam. One time the Rasul sallallahu alaihi wasallam was traveling. Fa amara bi islah shat. He said to everyone, hey, let's cook a a goat, we're hungry. So one of the men, he says, Ya Rasulullah, alaya adh-dhabah, dhabahah. He says, Ya Rasulullah, I'll slaughter it. Wa qala akhar alayha sal'huha. Another one says, Ya Rasulullah, I'll I'll skin it. Wa qala akhar alayha tabkhuha. On third man said, Ya Rasulullah, I'll be the one to cook it. The Prophet said, he looked at everyone, he said, okay, I'll go get the firewood. I'll go get the firewood. Faqalu, they said, Ya Rasulullah, nahnu nakfika. We could do everything for you, relax. Faqal, qad alimtu. He goes, I know. Annakum takfuni. I know you'll do it for me. Walakini akrah an'atamayyazakum. Inclusivity builds by becoming part of the community. By everyone seeing themselves as an intrinsic part of it. He says, I know you could do it for me, but I don't want to be ta'ayyazakum. On the outside, I want to be part of it too. I want to get my hands dirty too. I want to be part of it. Even Rasul, he says, ana ana akrah an'atamayyazakum. And then he says, fa'innallahu yukrihu min abdihi ayara'ahu mutamayyazan bain ashabih. Allah dislikes to see someone who sees themself as distant from the community. Oh, they can do that, I don't have to. Brothers and sisters, I'm afraid that our focus on being seen has stopped us from being able to see people. I'm going to repeat that line. I'm afraid that our focus on being seen has cost us to make those around us feel invisible.
