New short talks given by Shaykh Aḥmad Mūsā Jibrīl حفظه الله in 1443 (2022).
S2 Gems of Ramaḍān, Part 3: Walā and Barā is our backbone
There's no īmān or love of Allāh سبحانه و تعالى that can be combined with the love of the enemies of Allāh. Walā and Barā is to love and to despise. It's to have loyalty and it's to disavow. It's to adhere and to repudiate. It's a principal of Islām whether you like it or not.
Ibn Taymiyyah defined it simply and clearly. He said Wilāyat is the opposite of 'Adāwāt. Wilāyah is love and nearness. And 'Adāwāh is Barā'ah and it's despising and farthering and distancing.
Tribes have Walā and Barā based on tribalism. There's no way they can exist without it.
Nations have Walā and Barā based on nationalism. They can't exist without it.
Sports teams of various sports need Walā and Barā for the team.
Political parties must have Walā and Barā for their parties to exist.
The crusaders had Walā and Barā to their faith.
The gangs in the streets can't exist without Walā and Barā.
They all have Walā and Barā. Their Walā and Barā is on a low, earthly—dunyah foundation. It's free and far from truthfulness and justice, and far from the Guidance and Revelation of Allāh سبحانه و تعالى of course.
The world has no problem when Walā and Barā is based on any foundation so long as it's not based on لا إله إلا الله .
Walā and Barā is the back bone of this Ummah. Walā and Barā defines who the enemies are and our stance towards them. That's why they request of their agents to remove it from curriculums, and then they go tell the other agents to dilute its meanings.
What's amazing about our Walā and Barā is, yes, we must despise but it has teachings and limits. There's no oppression or transgression in it.
Walā and Barā teaches you do repudiate and to despise but gives you the limits so you'll not oppress or wrong anyone.
Their Walā and Barā, to their democracy for example, has no Iimits. We seen a sample of it in 'Irāq, Sūriyyah, Afghānistān, Kashmīr, Falasṭīn and elsewhere.
If you don't have a backbone, what are you? You are paralysed. And that's what they want this Ummah —a paralysed Ummah.
There's absolutely no way this Ummah can elevate or stand without Walā and Barā. And pure Walā and Barā for that matter.
A broken back are those who have no Walā and Barā, they are paralysed. An unhealthy backbone is when Walā and Barā is diluted or its meaning is tainted. It makes it a hunchback Ummah. A bent spine syndrome Ummah. An Ummah always walking in hunchback rukū' to their enemies.
Walā and Barā is why the softhearted, fearful Abū Bakr as-Ṣiddīq turned angry and admonished. And it is why 'Umar threatened. And it's why Khālid roared.
رضي الله عنهم اجمعين
Now no one cares if Walā and Barā is slaughtered or uprooted or attacked or diluted.
To show you how significant this aspect is, the United States officially, and through their officials, and official releases, requested of their stooges in Bilād al-Ḥaramayn to take Walā and Barā out of the school curriculum. And I studied grade school in Madīnah in the early 80s. The Islāmic studies curriculum of the public school I was in, and all of them, was focused on Tawḥīd and Walā and Barā. I memorized most of al-Uṣūl ath-Thalāthah in second grade. And it was part of the public school curriculum.
The United States Department of States ambassador, Hanford was among the first, or maybe among the first who publicly requested that the Sa'ūdī stooges remove Walā and Barā from the curriculum — and he confirmed the progress.
Some Murji'ah will say how you take the word of a Kāfir or Kuffār released statements.
When we left Madīnah to return to the United States, my father developed a very — may Allāh سبحانه وتعالى give him a long life full of deeds — he developed a very strong bond with the Principal رحمة الله تعالى عليه, of the school that I was in. It was the first school that was part of the regular public school system that was very unique and special and being the only one in Bilād al-Ḥaramayn at that time like it.
It was a public school but it combined to the regular public curriculum and added emphasis on Qurān. When someone reached junior high, he must memorize the entire Qurān. And in high school it was devoted and focused on Qirā'at. That's in addition to the regular worldly sciences and other islāmic studies. We had three hours of a day of Qurān. The rest of the public schools had the same or similar Islāmuc study curriculum, except for the three hours of Qurān per day, our school was special for.
When we were about to return to the United States, my father asked the Principal of the school — Ubayy Ibn Ka'b — that's the name of the school. He asked him to give him a copy of the entire curriculum from 1st grade to 12th grade.
My father wanted to continue teaching us the curriculum at home after we returned to the United States and to teach it to others which he did.
The Principal gave the entire curriculum from 1st grade to 12th grade. Tawḥīd, Fiqh, Tafṣīr, Geography, History, Science, Math, Physics. It's very easy to compare and see the difference back then and today.
Shaykh Nāṣir Al-Fahd فك الله بالعز أسره, he took that to heart and he mentioned it many times, if you pay attention, in many of his writings.
In fact, many heads of so-called 'Ulamā, they wrote a unified statement, protesting this change years and years ago.
Walā and Barā irritates them so much that one time they want it out of the curriculums and another time, they direct the munāfiqīn to dilute or take it's pure meaning. Elsewhere, they want to defame or silence or imprison anyone who speaks about it.
Walā and Barā is serious. It's not for recreational and leisure study in reading. It's Kufr and Īmān. It's Jannah and Jahannam. It's victory and failure of this Ummah. They try to give the illusion thay Walā and Barā started with Imām Muḥammad Ibn 'Abdul Wahhāb رحمه الله تعالى— a few hundred years ago. And they think it ended or it's on the verge of ending with the rise of the recent interfaith movement. I got bad news for them. Walā and Barā came with the word of لا إله إلا الله. It's the age of لا إله إلا الله. Walā and Barā has been around way before Muḥammad Ibn 'Abdul Wahhab and even before our beloved, honored, noble Rasūlullāh ﷺ.
Messengers specifically mentioned it in detail before our Rasūl ﷺ did.
قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِىٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُۥٓ إِذْ قَالُواْ لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَءَٰٓؤُاْ مِنكُمْ وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ كَفَرْنَا بِكُمْ وَبَدَا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ ٱلْعَدَٰوَةُ وَٱلْبَغْضَآءُ أَبَدًا حَتَّىٰ تُؤْمِنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَحْدَهُۥٓ
(Mumtahanah: 4)
Note down that interfaith is on the rise, due to the rise of the munāfiqīn who attribute themselves to this Ummah.
But Walā and Barā can't be extinguished. If they are able to take the Qurān out of the hearts, and off the shelves, and out of existence, then they will be able to take Walā and Barā out of existence. And that is brighteness that can never be extinguished and it will remain until the angel blows in the trumpets.
https://youtu.be/74KfNq37Y0s