Hazratji Speech – Facebook original

Assalaamalaykumwarathmatullahbarakuhu,

I am simply posting the speech Dr. M. Ali Hazratji delivered On behalf of the Board of Hampshire Mosque Inc. on February 12, 2010 in regard to the decisions made by the board and the reasons for them. InshAllah posting a side less represented will allow educated and inshAllah a nuanced but compassionated opinion regarding the future of our mutually beloved community.

Feel free to discuss or post, respectfully, of course:

We have gathered tonight to inform you of the decisions of the Board, the process involved in it, and what work has gone into it, in order to address your questions and concerns, and insha-Allah to keep unity in the community. We also hope and pray for the continued help and blessing of Allah, SWT for this community, which we have experienced in the last couple of years, al-Hamdulillah.

I wanted this also to be a practical learning experience for all of us in our path to Allah, SWT, as a continuation of the theory we have been talking about and learning together. The actualization in our lives of what we learned theoretically , as we have studied the topics of akhlaq, adab, ikhlas, tawakkul, and learnd hopefully, to recognize and rectify our ailments of arrogance, excessive talking, miraa –argumentation, backbiting, hawa , taming our base nafs, thru the process of tazkiyah in our journey to and for Allah, SWT.

First, I free myself of any claim of superiority over anyone of you in knowledge, taqwa, or the practice of Islam, however , since I have been given a position of responsibility for Hampshire Mosque by its founders and its board , I will try my best to keep this community together and do the best for Islam and Muslims in this community.

I seek Allah’s help in this, and His protection from Shaitan, from my own weaknesses, and any traces of jahiliyyah in me. I ask you to listen carefully with your ears and with your hearts. May Alllah inspire me to present this to you so our hearts are united and our purpose is one, as one community; not fractured disputing groups. Remember, the help of Allah is with the jama’ah. Remember the importance of unity and having hearts together. Also, The help of Allah is with those who listen and obey Allah and His messenger and have no resistance in their hearts to what they order, as He says:

وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا مُّبِينًا (33:36)

Now whenever Allah and His Messenger have decided/ decreed a matter, it is not befitting for a believing man or a believing woman to claim freedom of choice in their affairs…

Prophets as shepherds.

Two lessons from Islamic history:

Hunain : Afetr the spoils were distributed “ this was a division devoid of justice. It was not done for the sake of Allah”

The fitnah and division caused by Abdullah bin Saba ( Ibn Sauda’ a Jew from San’a during the Caliphate of Othman , RA leading to the Martyrdom of Othman, RA, subsequently Ali, Husain, RA

Why we did not delay: don’t want Shaitan to cause more rumors, disputes and groups to develop, each with their own advocate and agenda. Anything that has the potential for dividing a community should be addressed immediately. We learn this from Hunain, as well as the fact that things sometimes seem unfair, but there may be a reason and wisdom behind it. From the nefarious moves of Abdullah ibn Saba we learn how to be careful of dividing forces that instill discontent with the leadership and rebelliousness and how to prevent it.

“Masha Allahu Kan wa ma lam yasha lam yakun”

What Allah wants happens, and what He does not want , does not happen. The Heavens and earth belong to Him and He chooses who He wants, when He wants, and where He wants.

e.g. Kaaba and Ibrahim , AS in the middle of a desolate valley

وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ مَكَانَ الْبَيْتِ أَن لَّا تُشْرِكْ بِي شَيْئًا وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْقَائِمِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ (22:26)

وَأَذِّن فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ (22:27)

22:27 (Y. Ali) “And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways;

Masjid -e- Nabawi: Where Allah guides the camel to sit. Who made the choice of place.

He also tells us about our own ignorance and our limitations.

كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تُحِبُّواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ وَاللّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ (2:216)

What has khair and what has sharr in it, is only known to Him, not to you and not to me, not to the Board of HM.

Since we do not know the unseen and don’t arrogantly claim that or to know what is best,

how do we deal with situations and make decisions both of private and public impact:
SHURA.

وَالَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَى بَيْنَهُمْ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ (42:38)

42:38 (Asad) and who respond to [the call of] their Sustainer and are constant in prayer; and whose rule [in all matters of common concern] is consultation among themselves; and who spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance;

Shura of the prophet: At Badr, Uhud, khandaq, ifk –Ali $ Osama, hudaibiyah

Etiquette of shura. Purpose is to bring hearts together and to bring all angles to the fore so the best decision can be made while seeking help and guidance from Allah, SWT.

H: AH “al-mustashaaru mu’tamun” The one whom advice is sought from is to be entrusted. AD, T, N, IM

Istikhara

Du’a of Istikhara: Jaabir ibn Abdullah: The prophet SAW would instruct us to pray for guidance in all our affairs just as he would teach us a chapter of the Qur’an. “If any of you intends to undertake a matter then pray two rakahs and then supplicate :

O Allah, I seek Your counsel by your knowledge, and by Your power I seek strength, and I ask You from Your immense favor, for verily You are able while I am not, and verily You know while I know not, and You are the Knower of the unseen.

O Allah, If in your knowledge , this affair…..is good for me in relation to my religion/deen, my life, and end, then decree it for me, facilitate it for me, and bless me with it. And if in Your knowledge this affair is ill for me harmful to my deen, my life, and end, then remove it from me and remove me from it and decree for me what is good , wherever it be and make me pleased with it.

Whoever seeks guidance from His Lord, consults fellow believers and remains firm in his resolve does not or will not regret for Allah says:

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ (3:159)

3:159 (Asad) And it was by God’s grace that thou [O Prophet] didst deal gently with thy followers: for if thou had been harsh and hard of heart, they would indeed have broken away from thee. Pardon them, then, and pray that they be forgiven. And take counsel with them in all matters of public concern; then, when thou hast decided upon a course of action, place thy trust in God: for, verily, God loves those who place their trust in Him.

When people in authority have made a decision , then we have resolve and Compliance with the decision and show obedience to people charged with authority:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلاً (4:59)

O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination.

Hadith:

Abu Hurairah: From the prophet, SAW,: “Whosoever obeys me, obeys Allah; and who disobeys me disobeys Allah; and whosoever obeys the Ameer, in fact , obeys me; and he who disobeys the Ameer, in fact, disobeys me.” Muttafiqun ‘Alaihi
Ibn ‘Abbas: From the prophet, SAW: “If a person notices in his Ameer what he dislikes, he should show patience, because he who departs from the Muslim community a span, ( shibran), dies like those who died in the days of Jahiliyyah.” Muttafiqun ‘Alaihi

We have learned: importance of unity and jama’ah. Allah ability and control over everything. Allah’s knowledge and our ignorance of what is good for us. That results don’t always follow logical reasoning. We have learned the process of shura, the decision making process, and istikhara. Obedience to Allah, His Rasul and the Ameer.

Now let me get to how the board came to the decision to make an offer on the property on Harkness.

What have we done?

Meeting with Town manager

Gave specifications of our needs to realtor

We had a fund-raiser during Ramadan and raised about $50K in pledges and payments.

Looked at properties in Hadley, UMass area, land on the other side of UMass, houses in Amherst: 2 on rte 9 across from CITGO and Dunkin Donut, one on Dickinson St. near the Chevy dealership, the Harkness property and 758 N. Pleasant St.

758 N. Pleasant St. was first brought to our notice on Dec.29th, the day it was listed, by a sister, who is properly grounded in the deen, with the proper understanding and adab, who sent me this e-mail: We looked at it the next week and evaluated it in a board meeting, based on our requirements, and concluded it was a good location for students, overpriced and did not meet our requirements for space and future expansion. It is not a new find that people have just discovered. We have looked at it inside and out and even considered how the prayer areas could be used, how the bathrooms could or could not be used , what the proper flow would be, how to keep the Islamic etiquette of gender separation etc, the location of class rooms etc. In our deliberation we consider everything and don’t jump up and down on emotion and impulse . Our Board members have looked at it, I have personally looked at it, so it is not some wonderful God send that just showed up. We have already considered it and I can tell you more about this building than its most vocal proponents, some of whom have just discovered it and are making such a big deal out of it. We know the facts on the ground. A fact remains a fact, if one person has said it or fifty come to reinforce it, it stands on its own, it does not require repetition and reinforcement with signatures and rallies and petitions.

There are proper ways, in observance of Islamic etiquette, which have been ignored. Unfortunately, some misguided people have adopted means that cause dissension and are even threatening to split the community , with wanton disregard to any semblance of Islamic etiquette and certainly no fear of Allah regarding the consequences of their actions. Even telling the board that they will be punished for this decision in the dunya and akhirah. Astaghfirullah. We forget we are Muslims, insha-Allah.

You do not know what our requirements are, or what criteria we use to screen properties. A lot more goes into this than just finding a listing and running with it just because the location is good. If you want to be helpful come to us and learn.

Positives : Excellent Location, One usable large room 943 sq feet 41×23 9 ( our room here is 42×26 =1092sq ft. although we include the bathrooms and storage space in it).

Negatives: No land (0.44 acre), no room for expansion, No additional parking( a total of six), No place for community activities, No place for building a future Community hall, No significant additional space than what we currently have other than a few small rooms, three of which are upstairs. Why are they selling it : problems with parking, mould , some asbestos in the basement. All the beautiful hardwood floors would be hidden after the additional expense of carpeting these areas for prayer. Access to the two main bathrooms is only from one area which would be the brother’s prayer area and two additional bathrooms, one upstairs. The ceiling and plumbing needs to be fixed because there is a major leak from the bath room upstairs and possibly the roof which we are not sure of. A traffic rotary being built on top of it.

So what are we getting for $ 464,500 : some additional small rooms on the second floor; just stay here: same prayer space, easy access to students at a very reasonable cost with no maintenance or utilities . We have it here at our present location.

We look at these properties objectively without personal agendas or bias , with the future growth options as an essential prerequisite. We are not going to keep changing locations when we outgrow this small house. I consider the welfare of the community and I prefer not even to divide it into the resident community and the student community, for that is the first step of division.

These are the reasons we considered 758 N Pleasnat and rejected it much before all the hype and promotion. It is not a consideration for Hampshire Mosque to purchase. However, if some other persons or groups want it they are free to raise funds on their own and purchase it. We wish you all the best.

Specifics of 264 Harkness: Negatives: Are we aware of the negatives : yes.

Have we considered solutions: yes. Are we sure it will work: no

Negatives: One word: Location: rest are details

Not in the Center of town, 3.7 miles from the Amherst green to be exact, and 3.5 miles from our current location. Not on Bus route little over a half mile from the current bus stop location.

Harder for students to reach from U Mass, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Amherst , People with no cars

Possible solutions:

Bus service extension – being investigated, van service, car-pooling. Vans available for student transportation at Mt. Holyoke and Smith. These students only come for special events, and halaqas max. once or twice a week and arrangements can be made for their transportation from school or if one student has a car she can bring the others.

Harder to establish 5 Salahs : distance of the hearts. Evidence from the Hadith

Solution: Maintain a second Musallah at the present location for daily prayer for convenience of people working in the neighborhood. We have this for the next 7 months anyway so we can try it out.

Structural concerns etc. : have already been addressed and cleared on structural inspection..

We have looked at the land fill which is almost a half mile away, and there are million dollar homes there. We have checked with the health dept in the town of Amherst about the safety issues and have received clearance for all health , safety and contamination issues.

We have investigated the well issues that were falsely raised and are satisfied with both wells. The water test has been done.

Zoning and approvals : in process

Positives:

We plan for the long term, especially for growth…every community is growing and expanding, e.g. therefore space is essential : land acreage. If you wanted an assembly hall or a community center where would you build.
Expansion for future school . This property has 3.15 acres of excellent flat , cleared land, free of wetlands.

Privacy : with conservation areas behind.

Space in the back for children to play , sports activities, family and community barbeque etc. all the space a growing community needs and a place where children can run around, play, enjoy and be safe.

Price is way below market value it is a steal and is a sign of facilitation. This sold for 395K, then 345K, I think, but did not go thru.
Opportunities like this do not come often. Those of us who deal in property purchase and sales and construction know. Waiting a few years , the markets will start going back up . Real estate is at a low point with all the financial crises. Once banks start lending again, prices will rise.

No property of this type with 3 acres or even with 2 acres exists in the center of town and if it did it would be at least 750,000 which is beyond our reach. We have looked at properties in the center of town and found none of them satisfactory for our need, not enough parking , not enough usable space, need for remodeling that would run into hundreds of thousands of additional expenditure on top of the prices that start at $464,000. So you cannot get the value for the money.

Ready to use without any additional major expenditure other than cleaning, minor plumbing repairs and any minor alterations we want. Any remodeling to accommodate growth of the community need not be done for a few years at least.

Residential neighborhood, not commercial, no music, fitna of partially dressed people walking around etc. conducive to retreat, and to be a sanctuary for prayer, dhikr, learning, teaching.

Plenty of Parking on the grounds
So after evaluating all these facts, and debating the pros and cons, and considering the community feed back, we, at the board, did what Allah and His Rasul order us to: we did shura, as we are commanded to do, for the good of the greater community, disregarding our individual likes and dislikes, then we did istikhara, as we are taught to do, and we are now waiting for Allah’s, SWT, decision. With Istikhara, we have handed over the decision to Allah, being content with whatever He chooses: Whether He facilitates the acquisition of 264 Harkness for us or not, we will be equally pleased with whatever He decides for us, pleased knowing it is from Him. We love Him and His pleasure with us, not 264 Harkness. We have no attachment in our heart to it, Our hearts should be attached only to Allah and what He loves.

Let me also remind you that the funds raised at the fund raiser are an amanah. They were given for a specific property after personally convincing people, especially the major donors, about the virtues of this particular property. What I raised thru personal contacts from the West Springfield Masjid community are in excess of 140,000 out of the 160,000. If we decide against this property , we have to offer to return these donations or ask the donors if they still want their donation put towards something else in the future. We have discussed in the Board before this that some people of the community have also offered to buy the property themselves if HM does not and lease it to HM for its use, because they do not want this opportunity to be wasted.

Finally, let us ask a fundamental question. Why are we looking to establish a Masjid and a community? To learn and to practice our deen. So if in the process we deviate from all the teaching that have come down from us from Allah and His prophet, SAW, we disregard and disobey, and divide into groups and disobey the people in charge, we should quit. We are not ready for it, nay we don’t, as a community deserve it.

We don’t lie to make a point or strengthen a position, and we don’t tolerate lies either.

We still don’t know, as we wait for other approvals and paperwork, if it goes thru. We say Al-hamdulillah if it materializes, and work to make the house of Allah the best we can and populate it with deeds and piety and taqwa and unity and with akhlaq that He loves. If He decides it is not for Him, AWJ, then we say Alhamdulillah and keep looking and wait for Him to facilitate something better for us.

Will we make everyone happy: NO. Will everyone agree on any one issue: NO. Let us learn and follow the ethics of disagreement in Islam. Let us agree to agree on One: The ONE, Tawheed of Allah, ‘Azza wa jalla, and submit ourselves to His orders and the sunnah of His beloved prophet, SAW. In the mean time, we put our trust in the One we asked, for His approval and His decision. And we remain united waiting for His decision.

Dr. M. Ali Hazratji

On behalf of the Board of Hampshire Mosque Inc.

over a year ago

OMG! JazakAllah Ilana for doing this. I was planning to write a lengthy email myself to people but then realized that I didn’t want to frustrate them by being verbose. But this is cool. All we have to do is refer people to this link.

May Allah bless you. Amen.

over a year ago

Ilana how in the world did you get this speech?

over a year ago

Hahahaha! She got it from Dr. Ali? I don’t think she was writing all this…or was she? 😉

over a year ago

haha lol if so she must have written super fast! 🙂

over a year ago

Yeah, I have an amazing memory 😉 j/k… I asked brother Ali to email it to me.
Waiyykum may Allah bless you too Sidra & Mariam. 🙂

over a year ago