Khutbah on Evil which I delivered on 24th November 2017 for Inclusive Mosque Initiative.

Khutbah means Sermon in Arabic

This was the first part of Khutbah.

What I am going to talk to you about today is a topic that many shun or shy away from.  It is a strange choice perhaps for a Khutbah but something lately I have been grappling with.  Maybe because I started preparing the Khutbah in Halloween season 

Evil is usually discussed in narratives about the other. Rarely do we look at evil within ourselves or near us. Ghouls and goblins make a lot of money for Hollywood and the Halloween or Horror industry. This horror captures our imaginations.  But it is not ghouls and goblins and vampires I want to talk about today.

“I know there’s evil in the world, and there always has been. But you don’t need to believe in Satan or demons to explain it. Human beings are perfectly capable of evil all by themselves.” 
― Tess Gerritsen, The Mephisto Club

Yes that evil in our families in our communities in our work place and within ourselves. 

“Evil is unspectacular and always human,
And shares our bed and eats at our own table ….” 
― W.H. Auden, Collected Poems

Too often we talk about the evil governments or foreign governments. Usually a lot is written and said about the evil at that level.  Today I want to focus on the evil that is ordinary that is normal that is not even criminal but it nevertheless has devastating effects and causes trauma for generations.

Indeed as  Simone Weil says “Imaginary evil is romantic and varied; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren, boring. “ Imaginary good is boring; Real good is always new, marvelous, intoxicating.” 

So in the first part of Khutbah I am going to try to define evil then describe the  every day and ordinary  evil and in the second part of the Khutbah I am going to suggest what is our responsibility if we sense it see it, feel it and hear  evil and how do we heal from evil? 

Definitions of Evil 

1.  M Scott Peck of the Road Less Travelled fame definition
2. How is evil depicted in the Quran

M Scott Peck wrote a book entitled the People of the Lie. It was first published in 1990. I am going to quote from it today. His definition is very close to my understanding of evil . Evil people are usually entrenched in lies. Indeed the second definition of Evil is the Quranic understanding of evil  using words such as Kufr . I wanted to look at Shar but will not have time today. Perhaps another time if God permits. 

3. Lastly I want you to remember evil is perhaps defined as narcissism especially malignant narcissism epitomised by the Quranic Archetype Pharaoh

Kufr is usually translated as disbelief or unbelief. I have even seen misbelief. I want you to understand in speaking to those who have studied Quranic Arabic I know that  Iman and Kufr have absolutely nothing to do with belief. In fact or in truth Kufr comes from the Arabic root word KA FA RA which means

To cover

To deny

To reject

Like most Arabic words Kufr can be positive and negative

For example one can reject injustice. One can cover the mistakes of the vulnerable if they are too weak to fight for themselves .  

However as this Khubah is about evil I am going to ask you to focus on understanding  KUFR as denying, covering or rejecting truth. And as I said to some extent we all do this.  It is the extent we do this is the key. 

Indeed “We all have a Monster within; the difference is in degree, not in kind.” 
― Douglas Preston, The Monster of Florence

But please remember to cover or deny the truth does not necessarily mean we are being cruel to others;  we may just be denying truths within ourselves and prolonging being cruel to ourselves or prolonging intolerable situations because we cannot face the cruelty being done to us. 

M Scott Peck book the People of the Lie which starts with the words “ This is a dangerous book.” So I will say too this is a dangerous Khutbah. M Scott Peck continues 

“ I have written it because I believe it is needed I believe its overall effect will be healing I have written it with trepidation It has potential for harm it will cause some readers pain worse some may misuse its information  to harm others….. I apologise to my readers and to the public for the harm it may cause and I plead with you to handle it with care. One meaning of care is love. Be gentle and loving with yourself if you find what is written causes you pain. And please be gentle and loving with those neighbours you come to understand as evil. “

“Be careful and full of care” Friendly words of advice by M Scott Peck . He also says evil people are easy to hate. “But remember Saint Augustine advice to hate the sin but love the sinner. Remember when you recognise an evil person that truly there but for the Grace of God go I.” 

So why am I focussing on the ordinary nature because this is what most of us come across and I hope by describing it this can help you name it then you can sense it. Most of the time it is just that awful feeling in your gut, that bitter taste in your mouth! Indeed Evil can confuse. Often it manipulates. Most of us when we see it or feel it we are disgusted or we want to run a mile. Most of the time it really disturbs  us and makes us very uncomfortable. 

Lets look at some examples of this ordinary looking evil

We all know the familiar workplace scenario there is Dan who just started a few months ago and he raises the culture of bullying very generally in a team meeting. No one says anything in this meeting instead Dan is scapegoated as being the Trouble maker. He bravely launches a complaint against a particular Manager Iris that was bullying him. This manager has been bullying various members for three decades  but everyone is  terrified of her. An investigation is launched by Senior Management as there is confidentiality guaranteed every one then starts disclosing how Iris made their lives hell. Dan’s courage ends decades of bullying culture in this office.  The evil is the silence and the collusion admist the bullying. 

In the mosque

There have been complaints against a particular teacher but he  is respected in the community, idol-worshipped even. Girls have disclosed sexual abuse but the Mosque committee decide to cover it sweep it underneath the carpet again. “He is a good teacher” “ He couldn’t have done that”  “The Girls are lying”.  The evil is the covering of the truth, the evil of denying the truth 

In families

Jamal ridiculed and putdown Jamila again in front of her family for the dinner having less salt and not being up to scratch. Her family which should stand up for her are silent. Jamal they say is a good husband so what if he criticises her cooking at least he is not beating her up After all most Asian men  are fussy about their food?  The evil of silence and not speaking up when one hears someone being abusive. The evil is the minimising of the harm and making emotional abuse normal and acceptable.   

Within ourselves

Jane is with Tom but Tom is really weighing her down. Every time Jane is with Tom and tries to express a thought or opinion, Tom ridicules it. Jane likes to keep the peace but finds  Tom exhausting. To cope with his put downs, Jane has started to have that extra glass of wine on a Friday evening to cope.  Jane knows deep down that staying with Tom is toxic for her but she finds it difficult to leave him, she thinks she is in love with him and she cannot live without him. This is the evil  of denying the painful truths of toxic relationships we have. 

Of course the narcissism and toxicity illustrated by Tom exists within us all. We all need to be a little narcissistic  to survive but malignant narcissism is a whole different kettle of fish and very few of these people are diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the public needs to be  protected from them.  Research recently states that narcissism is on the rise. Selfie culture and electing people like Donald Trump proves a case in the point. But for me what really stings is that these people are toxic and cause toxicity in others.  Their targeting others to get their narcissistic supply as they feed off others by putting people down, blaming and shaming  to feel good about themselves means many lives are ruined for generations via Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse, Alcoholism, drug taking and gambling.

I am sure most of us see these every day examples of evil . Let us take a few moments of silence to sort out our thoughts, process our emotions  with this difficult subject and use this time for general prayer for ourselves and loved ones .  

Second Part of the Khutbah

I am sure having described evil to you. Most of you are thinking of that often quoted quote

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” 
― Edmund Burke

Indeed I am reluctant to divide humanity in such a binary way. 

“Since then I have come to understand the truth of all the religions of the world: They struggle with the evil inside a human being (inside every human being). It is impossible to expel evil from the world in its entirety, but it is possible to constrict it within each person.” 
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956

Indeed

“Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all hearts, there remains … an unuprooted small corner of evil. 
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956

But I instinctively know one thing 

 “In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousand fold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers, we are not simply protecting their trivial old age, we are thereby ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations.” 
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956

I am no expert on evil but I have a few suggestions that you may want to take away with you. I speak from my gut and personal experience but one thing I know We need to name evil:  say what we see, feel or hear! Is it Abuse? Is it Targetting? Is it exploitation?  

I have seen even in Professional circles the difficulty in naming evil for what it is. Sometimes we don’t want to name it! I have often seen in naming it we then can start to sense it. Sometimes it is the other way round we feel it in our gut then we start on the process of naming it. 

To tackle evil sometimes we need to report it to ourselves, to our family members  and friends, those  responsible or caring for them, those affected as well as to the authorities . We need to protect those affected but we also need to equip them to love themselves to escape the toxicity they are surrounded by and to stop trying to heal those that are harming them. Sometimes the healing is to walk away and let go. The antidote to toxicity is water, when it comes to acid the antidote is alkaline. There needs to be fluidity, movement. To stay stuck or attached to that toxic relationship is not the solution. One needs to be fluid not rigid.  One needs courage and strength to move away, walk away perhaps to run away. 

We need caring and patient friends and families to listen and understand. One who has been harmed by evil people needs a space to heal, time to heal and develop skills and knowledge and willingness and vision to want to not rescue, persecute or be a victim of that evil person.  

Indeed I have often seen when dealing with evil there is this drama triangle. 

Stephen Karpman  talks about the Drama Triangle which has three roles:  Persecutor Rescuer and Victim.  Most evil people have entrenched themselves in so many lies, they have forgotten what the truth is and most lack the will to escape from that triangle. Most do not want to be healed. 

I really believe  Evil requires strategy. Moses was given a strategy when dealing with Pharaoh. God advised him  to speak to Pharaoh gently. Indeed  we need to speak to those that are harming others gently. Sometimes we need to report them to the authorities to protect the vulnerable. Sometimes we need to show them what they are doing. Do you remember the Exodus story Moses is the Prophet mostly cited in the Quran. I do not think it is an accident that Pharaoh was inflicted with frogs and locusts are mentioned in the Bible. 

So in dealing with toxic people some words of advice

“Save your skin from the corrosive acids from the mouths of toxic people. Someone who just helped you to speak evil about another person can later help another person to speak evil about you.” 
― Israelmore Ayivor

The key is we must not hate no matter hard that may be. We must not plot revenge because that is feeding into the toxicity and we continue on the drama triangle! Do we turn into the persecutor? Do we want to carry on being the victim? Do we want to keep trying to rescue the one that is trying to harm us?  Or do we try to rescue ourselves.  

One of the ways of rescuing ourselves and protecting ourselves from evil is by reciting the four Quls: Perhaps this translation which I have attempted helps :

Surah Kafiroon

 Say to Those who cover the truth 

I serve what you do not serve 

And you do not serve what I  serve

And I will not serve what you serve 

and you will not serve what I serve

To you your way and to me my way.

Surah Nas

Say I seek protection from The Cherisher and Sustainer of Humanity

The Owner of Humanity 

The God of Humanity

From the evil of the sneaking whisperer who whispers into the hearts of humanity and Jinn

Surah Falaq

Say I seek protection from the Cherisher and Sustainer of Day break

From the evil that is created

From the evil of darkness as it overspreads

From the evil of those who blow on knots  

And from the evil of the envier as they envy

Surah Ikhlas

Sat He is God the One

God The Cause of all Causes

She is not the parent of anyone and he is not the child of anyone

And there is nothing  comparable to the One

What I find so fascinating is that I publish this Khutbah/sermon on the Day I just watched Zone of Interest the film about the Commandment of Auschwitz.

I publish this article amidst what is happening in the world with the rise of Neo Fascism across the world and the rise of Techno-facism.

© Taniya Hussain

28th May 2024

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