Raising Leaders to Be Al-Muttaqeen
Dr. Hamed Ghazali
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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
إن الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا من يهده الله فلا مضل له ومن يضلل فلا هادي له..وأشهد ان لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله.
All praise is due to Allah, we seek his refuge, and ask for his forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from our own bad deeds. Whoever Allah guides, no one can misguide him, and whoever Allah misguides, no one can guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah Alone, and I bear witness that Muhammad is his messenger.
Raising Leaders to Be Al-Muttaqeen
- We make du‘ā to Allah ﷻ to be leaders for Al-Muttaqeen, the God-conscious. The Prophet ﷺ is our ultimate example in that.
- There are two kinds of people:
- But in addition, this second type of person also cares for the Ummah, their community. They are giving, compassionate, and concerned for others around them.
- This is a critical part of our community. It’s clear that the second type, the one who adds the interests of their community to their family responsibilities, makes a much greater impact around them.
- Many Muslims today do not pay much attention to the world around them. They live inside their own small bubbles.
- This does not mean such a person is not good, but it means they are missing a key teaching of the Prophet ﷺ, to care for others and look beyond oneself.
True vs. False Hope
- In Surat Al-An‘ām, we learn about halāl meat, to eat only from that upon which Allah’s name has been mentioned. But it is easy to overlook the main message of Surat Al-An‘ām.
- The deeper message is about those who fabricated laws in the religion and imposed them on the people without any authority from Allah. People followed them blindly, and Allah rejected their false authority and reclaimed the right of legislation for Himself alone.
- Surat Al-An‘ām is about Allah ﷻ restoring power and sovereignty to Himself; that authority belongs only to the Creator, not to those who invent laws or manipulate religion for personal gain.
- So while people pay close attention to the ayāt about halal meat, they often miss the broader message of divine justice, power, and truth.
- Similarly, in Surat Al-Kahf, we often say it contains the stories of the fitan (trials) of life:
- The fitnah of ‘aqīdah (faith): those who fled to the cave to preserve their belief in Allah’s oneness.
- The fitnah of wealth: the man of the two gardens who was ungrateful.
- The fitnah of knowledge: the story of Al-Khiḍr and Mūsā عليهما السلام.
- The fitnah of power: the story of Dhul-Qarnayn.
- But the overarching message of Surat Al-Kahf is the preparation of the Muslims for their new life in Madinah.
- Allah was teaching them to understand nuance, to see the gray areas, in addition to black and white.
- Before migration, in Makkah, things seemed simple: believers versus disbelievers.
- But in Madinah, they would face hypocrites, traitors, and moral complexity.
- Surat Al-Kahf taught them to develop wisdom, patience, and depth, to see beyond appearances and maintain faith through the trials of life.
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