Br Khalid S Lateef quoted several relevant Ayahs from the Quran: Q22: 49-52, Q3-102-104 Q49:13
Q5:82-83. Elaborating further Br Khalid S Lateef stated:
Being a Muslim started by the simple act of a good human being (Prophet Mohammed) going into
seclusion regularly to seek to know his Creator and to ask his Creator for help. Eventually, he began
to share the right-guidance he received; the verses that became The Quran. The Quran did not
drop out of the sky… It was dropped into a human body, Prophet Mohammed Ibn Abdullah.
After receiving the first divine revelation the Prophet returned to Khadija-his wife- while his
heart was beating rapidly. She took him to Waraqa bin Nawfal who was a Christian convert and
used to read the Gospel in Arabic. Waraqa asked (the Prophet), "What do you see?" When he told
him, Waraqa said, "That is the same angel whom Allah sent to the Prophet) Moses. Should I live till
you receive the Divine Message, I will support you strongly."
Prophet Mohammed promoted the idea of “each one teach one”; any Muslim that learned a verse of The Quran was encouraged
to teach it to someone else, which evolved into the Muslims love for learning. Muslims became the best examples of
good character and academics. Muslims use to be the best examples of civility; justice, fairness, freedom, liberty, equality,
brotherhood, peace, etc.
The “Tool Box” that has been created and called “Islam” is very large. We’ve gone from simplicity to complexity. We say
there is only suppose to be 2 tools in the box: The Quran and The Sunnah. But, all the Schools of thought say they follow
Quran and Sunnah, ISIS says they follow Quran and Sunnah and Al-Qaeda says they follow Quran and Sunnah.
Prophet Mohammed accepted the input of individuals who had just been converted from Paganism, Christianity, Judaism,
etc. What if he was like some of these individuals from today’s “Schools of Thought” who claim a Muslim can’t have anything
to do with anyone outside the Ummah or can only accept advice from “Islamic Scholars”?
When Prophet Mohammed was being persecuted and threatened with violence by his relatives and the Arabs of Mecca, he
sent his early followers to Negus the Christian King of Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia) for protection. He told them that
they would "find a king there who does not wrong anyone." Negus, the Christian King, was a person renowned for justice
and in whose land human rights were cherished.
In recognition of Negus kindness, when it was revealed to the Prophet that the Ethiopian king died, the Prophet offered
the First funeral prayer for one not present (Salatul Ghaib) for the king, who had accepted Islam and became
known as Ahmed Al-Najashi.
Recently, Dr. Abiy Ahmed became the first Muslim prime minister of Ethiopia. Ahmed was born to a Muslim father
and Christian mother. He was a member of the peacekeeping force that was deployed in Rwanda.
Hadiths Used in the Khutbah :
This event attracted a large gathering, received extensive TV and print media coverage in Newsday, Long Island Press and Islamic Horizon magazine.
Earlier this year when we heard about the visit of Pope Francis we extended an invite for him to formally launch the interfaith institute at ICLI which he was unable to accommodate.
The presentation was very well received. We were able to share a short video from the Oct 25th launch of the interfaith institute of ICLI
See full storyWhen some countries began to ban the hijab of Muslim women and attack the Islamic dress code, Dr Larycia Hawkin, a Christian and former associate professor...
John Andrew Morrow speaks during interfaith event at the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury on Sunday 25, 2015. (Credit : Steven Sunshine)
See full storyDr. Farooque Ahmed Khan is shown in front of the triple arches that lead into the newly constructed building that will house the Islamic Center of Long Island...
See full story