khutbah1 （1st session Khatib: Abdullah Cheng 鄭平）
2/9 主麻講稿 khutbah1 （1st session Khatib: Abdullah Cheng 鄭平）
Dear brothers and sisters in Islam,
One of the rising problems in the world, including in our country in Taiwan, is that more and more people, especially the young generations are getting farther away from religion. People are getting distracted by the materialistic world and denying the idea of the existence of a higher power or God in this world. And this is not a trend only in the Muslim communities, but also in all other religions, and even more serious than the Muslim communities. At least with the blessing of Allah, many of us are gathered here today for the sake of Allah while we are having a holiday, which we could have spent this time for many other occasions, but we chose to be here because we have our priorities in life.
We understand that spending time here at the Masjid at this moment is more important than anything else we have in our hands right now. But, unfortunately, not everyone think the same way we do, not everyone prioritize things the same way we do. A lot of people can feel that they are already living a good life, they are already getting the things that they want, they just want to spend their time in this life peacefully. Why would they bother themselves and look for a religion? Why do we need a religion? And this is a very common question in the mind of many people around us. Why do we need a religion? Why can't we just live in peace?
As Muslims who understand the value of Islam, as well as parents who have children, we have to take this question seriously instead of ignoring it or even blaming the person asking this question, because this is a valid question.
When we approach this question, we have to first clarify: what do you mean by religion anyway? Because we can all agree, that all religions are different, and we are not saying that simply following any religion is enough and the end of the story.
In our understanding, the word ‘religion’ simply means a way of life, and Islam is a way of life. From this perspective, we can say that everyone has a religion, whether they are aware of it or not. When someone says that he doesn't believe in a Creator or a higher power, he still has a religion, he still has a way of life, but a way of life that could be based on his own desires, or based on the society values, or based on his own interpretation of moral values. And this is the problem. Because when we say we don't have a religion, in fact we are still living a way of life, but a way of life that is not based on the truth, a way of life that is not based on the guidance that is designed and approved by the Creator of this world.
For us Muslims, being good is not enough, we also have to be correct. Living a peaceful life that brings success in money or status or relations with others is not enough, we also need to understand what is the meaning and purpose behind all of that. Defining the purpose of our life by ourselves is just like a person with no medical background telling others how to cure diseases. Just like what Allah says in the Qur’an:
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُجَادِلُ فِي اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّبِعُ كُلَّ شَيْطَانٍ مَّرِيدٍ
There are people who dispute and argue about Allah without knowledge and follow the devil. [22:3]
Some people bring their own explanation of how this life works and how it should be followed, yet they have no evidence nor do they have any idea about what they are talking about.
So the question is not whether we need a religion or not, but what kind of religion do we need? Which way of life should I follow? At this point, it already makes more sense to compare the different options we have.
Imagine if there is a brand new technology product in front of us, how exactly do we know how to use this product? We can try to figure it out by ourselves, but we can simply read the manual guide and instructions written by the designer that comes with the product. The same goes for our life. Perhaps we can try to figure out how to live our life by ourselves, or we can simply follow the manual guide that comes with our life, which is the guidance from the Creator of this world, and for us, this guidance is the Qur'an. And this is the religion that we need. We need a religion that is based on the manual and guidance that comes with our life, not based on our own interpretation of the guidance.
When we think about us human beings, we have to agree that it is the most complicated creature in this entire universe. Not only limited to our body functions, but also our emotions, our psychology, our soul, the relations between them are uncanny, it’s absolutely amazing. With such a complicated existence, is it logical that there is no guidance on how to live correctly at all?
Allah (SWT) poses certain questions in the Qur’an for us to reflect and ask ourselves.
أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى
Do people think they will be left without purpose? [75:36]
In another verse:
أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ
Did you then think that We had created you without purpose, and that you would never be returned to Us? [23:115]
If the Creator of this universe created everything without giving them a purpose, then there is simply no meaning in life at all. When you don’t believe in a Creator, when you don’t believe in life after death, when you don’t believe in human souls, then this life is all just a coincidence and accident, and we are no more than flesh and bones, and simply just combinations of atoms and molecules.
It’s not because we feel empty and hopeless, and that’s why we need religion; it’s because we are created with purpose, and that’s why we need the correct guidance and the right religion, the right way of life.
Our Prophet (SAW) said:
إِنَّ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَأَحْسَنَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
The best speech is the book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. (Sahih Muslim 867)
Let us strive to stick to the way of life that is meant for us and designed for us. May Allah (SWT) guide us to the straight path, may Allah make us among those who understand the message of the Qur’an and implement it, and may Allah make us among those who are successful in this life and the hereafter.