Sermon's Title: In the Footsteps of the Qarmatians
Themes of the Sermon:
1- Warning against division within the Ummah (the global Muslim community).
2- The danger of the Qarmatians.
3- Cautioning against the deception of contemporary Qarmatians.
4- Factors for Muslim unity.
All praise is due to Allah, who is unique in His Majesty, having no partner or helper. He sent down His Book with the truth and preserved it from the hands of those who would tamper with it. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without any partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his pure family, and his noble, illustrious companions—those whom Allah chose and through whom He granted victory to Islam and the Muslims. He made love for them a core part of the religion and hatred for them a sign of the hypocrites.
To proceed:
O servants of Allah, fear Allah with the true fear He deserves, and remain mindful of Him in secret and in public.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
"O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him]" [Sūrat Āl ʿImrān: 102].
Servants of Allah:
Al-ʿIrbāḍ ibn Sāriyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led us in prayer one day, then he turned toward us and delivered an eloquent sermon that caused eyes to weep and hearts to tremble. Someone said, 'O Messenger of Allah! It is as if this is a farewell sermon, so what do you enjoin upon us?'
He said: “I enjoin you to fear Allah and to hear and obey, even if [your leader is] an Abyssinian slave. For indeed, those of you who live after me will see much disagreement. So, you must follow my Sunnah (prophetic way) and the way of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. Hold fast to it and bite onto it with your molar teeth (meaning, cling to it firmly). And beware of newly invented matters [in religion], for every newly invented matter is an innovation (Bidʿah), and every innovation is a going astray” (Narrated by Abū Dāwūd).
It has been the established way of Allah in His creation that this Ummah is tested with trials like patches of a dark night, through which the wicked are distinguished from the good, and the truthful from the liars. Among the greatest things our noble Prophet ﷺ warned us against is division, fragmentation, and turning away from the clear path trodden by his Rightly Guided Caliphs and the first generation of those who followed true guidance.
The Prophet ﷺ clarified for us the outcome of this disagreement and its scale, saying: “Indeed, the Children of Israel split into seventy-two sects, and my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects; all of them are in the Fire except for one.” They asked, "And who is that one, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "Those who follow what I and my companions are upon" (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi).
Brothers in faith:
The most dangerous threat the Ummah has faced throughout its history is not just the obvious external enemy, but rather groups who appeared like a dagger stabbing into the side of Islam. They wore the cloak of Islam to destroy its pillars.
Among them were those who took up arms, declaring other Muslims to be disbelievers (Takfīr) and killing them; those who denied Qadar (divine decree); those who denied the attributes and perfection of Allah; those who slandered the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them); and those who went to extremes regarding righteous people or the Āl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s family), calling upon them instead of Allah the Almighty. Some groups combined all these evils together.
The Bāṭinī groups have, both in the past and present, been founded upon the rejection of truth and the rejection of the leadership of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them).
They fabricated lies against the Book of Allah, claiming it was altered or changed, and they spoke wickedly against the honor of the Mothers of the Believers (the Prophet’s wives, may Allah be pleased with them) with clear slander. Consequently, they deemed the blood of Muslims lawful to spill and divided their ranks.
Among them was the sect of the "Qarmatians" (al-Qarāmiṭah), who followed this path. In the fourth century of the Hijri calendar, their actions culminated in an assault on the Sacred House of Allah (the Kaʿbah).
They killed pilgrims within the courtyard of Ṭawāf, threw their bodies into the Well of Zamzam, and then uprooted the Black Stone from its place, keeping it hidden for twenty-two years!
Every people has its heirs, and today we see those who walk in those same Bāṭinī footsteps: showing extremism regarding human beings by raising them to the level of Lordship, slandering the honor of the Prophet ﷺ by cursing his wives, and declaring his Companions—who opened lands and guided people—to be disbelievers.
However, they have covered themselves with a new cloak to deceive the ignorant and the rabble. They raise slogans of Jihād, resistance against Zionism, and the victory of Jerusalem and Palestine. They claim to be "Islamists" and trade on the pain of the oppressed to numb people's emotions and throw dust in their eyes.
Yet, those far and wide have seen how they joined hands with the West in invading Muslim lands, planted their poisoned daggers in the chests of their peaceful neighbors, revived the grudges and turmoils of buried history, and moved their proxies to torment the vulnerable. Their hearts are filled with hatred and resentment; they have stripped themselves of humanity, showing neither mercy nor kindness.
Then, Allah caused circumstances to turn against them by His justice and wisdom, fulfilling His word:
وَكَذَلِكَ نُوَلِّي بَعْضَ الظَّالِمِينَ بَعْضًا بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
"And thus We will make some of the wrongdoers allies of others for what they used to earn" [Sūrat al-Anʿām: 129].
He set against them an enemy even more disbelieving and tyrannical than they are. They then cried out to those they worship (besides Allah), hoping for support and empowerment, and called out seeking help from the Muslims.
Yet, they had only recently turned against those same Muslims with hateful and sinful aggression, fighting them even more than they fought the disbelieving enemies, targeting homes, public interests, and peaceful civilians.
How can one hope for victory from Allah while seeking help from others among the helpless created beings? Allah the Almighty says:
فَلَوْلَا نَصَرَهُمُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ قُرْبَانًا آلِهَةً بَلْ ضَلُّوا عَنْهُمْ وَذَلِكَ إِفْكُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ
"Then why did those they took as gods besides Allah to draw them nearer [to Him] not aid them? But they had abandoned them. And that was their falsehood and what they were inventing" [Sūrat al-Aḥqāf: 28].
And He says:
وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَكُمْ وَلَا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَنْصُرُونَ
"And those you call upon besides Him are unable to help you, nor can they help themselves" [Sūrat al-Aʿrāf: 197].
How can one hope for victory from Allah while deserving His curse by harming His Messenger ﷺ through slandering his wives, his companions, and his beloved ones? Allah the Almighty says:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا مُهِينًا
"Indeed, those who abuse Allah and His Messenger—Allah has cursed them in this world and the Hereafter and prepared for them a humiliating punishment" [Sūrat al-Aḥzāb: 57].
How can one hope for victory whose hands are stained with the blood of Muslims in various places, who has shed sacred blood, and has acted with oppression and aggression? Allah the Almighty says:
لَنُهْلِكَنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ
"We will surely destroy the wrongdoers" [Sūrat Ibrāhīm: 13].
And He says:
فَذُوقُوا فَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ نَصِيرٍ
"So taste [the punishment], for there is not for the wrongdoers any helper" [Sūrat Fāṭir: 37].
Servants of Allah:
Despite how clear the reality of these people is to anyone with insight, groups of Muslims are still blinded by the false claims of these people belonging to Fāṭimah, her husband [ʿAlī], and her sons [al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn]—may Allah be pleased with them all. Their ears are deafened by the chants of "liberating Jerusalem" from its occupiers, and they are deceived by the claims of fighting the West used to justify aggression against the Gulf states and those living within them.
Have these deceived people forgotten that these criminal traitors were fashioned under the very eyes of the West and in their lands? They threw themselves into the arms of foreign powers whenever it suited their interests, conspiring with them to invade Muslim lands, dismantle them, and weaken them.
How can any sane person believe that those who killed Muslims in Baghdad, Damascus, Sana'a, and Beirut—and who today rain down missiles on peaceful people in their homes—are the same ones who will liberate Jerusalem?
Indeed, Jerusalem will not be liberated by those who show enmity toward its first conqueror, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb. It will not be purified by those who defile the mosques of Tawḥīd with Shirk and disbelief. The honor of its conquest will not be attained by those whose hands and hearts are stained with malice and treachery!
Awareness of the danger of the "Safavid project" is a duty upon all Muslims. Warning against being captivated by them or sympathizing with them is the vital mission of Islamic callers and people of influence.
May Allah bless me and you through the Great Qur’ān and benefit us all through the verses and the Wise Remembrance within it. I seek Allah’s forgiveness for me and for you; so seek His forgiveness, for He is indeed the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
The Second Sermon:
All praise belongs to Allah. May peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his family, his companions, and those who follow him.
Servants of Allah:
Alongside the clear and definitive matters that do not accept change or relativity, it cannot be denied that in other matters there is a natural space for differences in reasoning and diversity in understanding. In such matters, people of sound intellect accept differing viewpoints when they are built upon proper understanding and sound evidence.
By His mercy, Allah has allowed room in some rulings for scholarly reasoning. Scholars may differ in how they understand the evidence. A scholar’s opinion may be correct yet still carry the possibility of error, and he excuses those who differ from him.
However, it is a mistake to confuse matters. This acceptable form of disagreement applies only to the people of knowledge, and only in certain details and secondary issues—not in the foundations of the religion, its clear and decisive matters, and its firm principles, which do not accept compromise or change, such as matters of creed, the obligation of prayer, and the prohibition of ribā and immoral acts.
We have an example in the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. When the Prophet ﷺ returned from the battle of al-Aḥzāb, he said to them: “None of you should pray ʿAṣr except in Banū Qurayẓah.”
Some of them reached the time of ʿAṣr while still on the way. Some said, “We will not pray until we reach it,” while others said, “We will pray, for that was not what was intended from us.” The matter was later mentioned to the Prophet ﷺ, and he did not criticize either group. Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
This difference among the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, was acceptable because the words of the Prophet ﷺ could be understood in more than one way. In this manner, the Sharīʿah (Islamic law) allows room for scholarly differences in matters of ijtihād—issues understood by qualified scholars—while remaining firm and unshakable in its core principles and major truths.
O Allah, grant victory to Islam and honor the Muslims. Destroy the disbelieving criminals. O Allah, send tranquility into the hearts of the believers. Raise high the banner of the religion by Your power, O Most Strong, O Most Firm.
O Allah, restrain the hands of the oppressors from us. Grant us from Yourself a protector and grant us from Yourself a helper.
O Allah, grant us security in our homelands. Rectify our leaders and those in authority over us. Place our leadership in the hands of those who fear You, remain mindful of You, and follow what pleases You.
Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
All praise is due to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. To proceed:
Servants of Allah:
In the midst of this unjust aggression, believers must not overlook the lurking of the greatest enemy, the most disbelieving, tyrannical, and cunning foe: the Zionist Jews and their allies. They are the ones who ignite wars and stir up unrest, then capitalize on them to implement their expansionist projects and fulfill the fabricated "biblical prophecies" they have invented. They have plotted a mighty plot, but:
وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ
"And they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners" [Sūrat al-Anfāl: 30].
By Allah, there is no salvation for us except by returning to the fortress of unity and faith, and by repenting to Allah from the causes of division and abandonment. The unity that Islam calls for is not merely slogans; it is a structure built upon pillars without which it cannot stand:
First: Adhering to the Book and the Sunnah. There is no true unity except upon pure revelation and the Straight Path of Allah. Allah says:
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا
"And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided" [Sūrat Āl ʿImrān: 103].
Second: Avoiding what angers Allah, such as Bidʿah and newly invented matters, as well as sins and prohibited acts. Allah’s anger is a cause for His withdrawal of support and the empowerment of enemies. Innovations cause division, while sins lead to calamities and the loss of success. Allah says:
أَوَلَمَّا أَصَابَتْكُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَدْ أَصَبْتُمْ مِثْلَيْهَا قُلْتُمْ أَنَّى هَذَا قُلْ هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِكُمْ
"Why [is it that] when a [single] disaster struck you [at Uḥud], although you had struck [the enemy in the battle of Badr] with one twice as great, you said, 'From where is this?' Say, 'It is from yourselves'" [Sūrat Āl ʿImrān: 165].
Third: Bringing hearts together and averting conflicts. This is done by uniting hearts upon faith and loyalty to it, and by being wary of those who call to Fitnah (tribulation/strife) and division—those who see nothing beyond their own national borders and feel no pain for the suffering of their Muslim brothers. This is a duty at the level of states, and at the level of individuals and peoples. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمْ فِئَةً فَاثْبُتُوا وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ * وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَا تَنَازَعُوا فَتَفْشَلُوا وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ
"O you who have believed, when you encounter a company [from the enemy forces], stand firm and remember Allah much that you may be successful. And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart" [Sūrat al-Anfāl: 45-46].
Fourth: Staying with the Jamāʿah (the main body of Muslims) by obeying the Muslim leader in that which is right. Rallying around legitimate leadership in Muslim countries is a safety valve against chaos and a barrier against those who incite strife, who care nothing for the higher interests of the Ummah and seek only the destruction of Muslim lands.
Finally: Identifying the enemy, striving against them, and remaining cautious. We must realize our true enemies on all sides. We declare our innocence before Allah from showing loyalty to those who oppose Allah and His allies.
We must understand that both the Zionists and the Safavids are our enemies; each has their own project. Their interests may clash and their projects may conflict, but as for us, we are a third party. We belong to neither of them; rather, we are the target and the prize for both sides.
Let us beware of taking sides or leaning toward either of them, lest we be stabbed in the back, or lest we obey them by abandoning any part of our religion and creed—only to reap thorns and regret. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تُطِيعُوا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَابِكُمْ فَتَنْقَلِبُوا خَاسِرِينَ * بَلِ اللَّهُ مَوْلَاكُمْ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ النَّاصِرِينَ
"O you who have believed, if you obey those who disbelieve, they will turn you back on your heels, and you will [then] become losers. But Allah is your protector, and He is the best of helpers" [Sūrat Āl ʿImrān: 149-150].
And He says:
وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنْصَرُونَ
"And do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest you be touched by the Fire, and you would not have other than Allah any protectors; then you would not be helped" [Sūrat Hūd: 113].
O Allah, show us the truth as truth and grant us the strength to follow it, and show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the strength to avoid it, and do not let it become confused for us lest we go astray.
O Allah, make us guides who are themselves guided, not those who are lost or leading others astray. Make us at peace with Your allies and at war with Your enemies; we love for Your sake those who love You, and we take as enemies for Your sake those who oppose You.
O Allah, grant us security in our homelands, rectify our leaders and those in authority over us, and protect us from the evil of the wicked and the plots of the corrupt. O Allah, whoever intends harm toward our faith or our security, keep them occupied with their own troubles and turn their plots back against them.
Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
