Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 27. September 2023
Dear Friends, Greetings of Peace (al salamu 'alaykum)! I pray you are well! This past week was a very special and momentous one for us at Usuli! Our oldest son, Cherif, gave the Friday khutbah, and it was amazing. First, my kindest thanks and appreciation to all those who checked in to make sure that it was not because Shaykh was ill. Alhamdulillah (Thank God), it was not due to illness, but in truth, the idea for Cherif giving the khutbah came up in part due to the accumulated exhaustion of...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 16. September 2022
Like many others, most of the khuṭbahs that I give repeat a supplication that the Prophet would often make in his khuṭbahs, paraphrasing the Qur'an. It is a simple statement: “Whoever is guided by God cannot go astray, and whoever is misguided can never find their way.” That is one possible meaning of the Arabic. The other possible meaning is: “Whoever finds guidance in God will never go astray, and whoever fails to find God can never find their way.” In either case, we often repeat...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 09. September 2022
The power of the single word: Allah. So many people who pursue big ideas or grow up in a layered cultural system are accustomed to the complexity of their cultural surroundings. They grow up with habits, practices, and social mores. They grow up hearing stories from the deep past. They grow up with aspirations and political frustrations. If they pursue an education, they are introduced to theologies, philosophies, political ideologies, social theories, and anthropological studies. But I want to...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 02. September 2022
Once we recognize the Qur’an as a constant companion, its lessons never run out. The Qur’an can be endlessly read and mined for lessons, inspiration, and direction. I often wonder what the impact of this book would be in our modern world if it was in the hands of a people who had a clear sense of the message they bear and the critical role that they play in representing this message. God reminds us in Surah al-Rum, for instance, that among the signs of the majesty of God is the creation of...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 26. August 2022
An interesting study has recently come out that has caught my attention. Although the sample of the study is not large and the methodology is not enough for us to build many conclusions, the preliminary indications of the study from at least the 1000 people sampled, pointed to some dangerous, painful facts in our lives as Muslims. In this study, people from different religions and backgrounds were sampled, including Jews, Protestants, Catholics, what the study categorized as “white...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 19. August 2022
In Surah Al-Hajj [verse 41], God tells us about the concept of tamkeen [empowerment]. Those, who when empowered, possess autonomy, self-determination, the ability to direct their own affairs. God does not tell us to what extent, but the context seems to be quite clear that if you are enabled with any amount of power, any degree of self-determination, any degree of autonomy, any extent to which you are able to decide upon your own affairs and determine your own direction in life, God lays it...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 12. August 2022
In essence, the sum total of our journey on this earth, of this miraculous event that gives us consciousness - and we enjoy this consciousness for a period of time until it slips away - the truth of the matter is, with all the speculation and all the attempts at insight and perception, what awaits us after this consciousness slips away is only truly known to God and God alone. After this consciousness slips away, is it a state of sleep until resurrection? Do we acquire some level of...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 05. August 2022
A reflective, Qur’anic human being is a human being that handles life on earth as God repeatedly reminds us to. When God asks us to engage in ta’aqqul (to reason), tafakkur (to ponder/reflect), and tadhakkur (to remember, literally: to do dhikr), it is, in essence, a constant reminder of the reflective life. That you are not simply like so much that is led by instinct and engineered by habit; you are not simply a phenomenon, something that manifests on this earth to enjoy a momentary burst...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 15. July 2022
This jumu’a, there are a considerable number of events and issues that are transpiring, all of direct concern for Muslims that we could speak about. But as with all affairs, we reflect upon the challenges that the world presents us with in light of the foundations that the divine revelation has left us with. There is, or at least there should be, a constant conversation in the mind of a believing, faithful Muslim between the lived experiences in the world and the wisdom imparted through...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 08. July 2022
We are approaching the days of Eid. The Eid known as the Eid-al Akbar, the bigger Eid. Of course, it is the Eid at the end of the pilgrimage period where Muslims are supposed to think and act in a way that goes beyond themselves and to take care of others. The whole point of Eid al-Adha, the Eid of sacrifice, is that we do not simply celebrate by taking care of our family or worrying about the happiness of our family, but we go beyond ourselves and make it a point to take care of those who are...