Courage Through Faith | Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed | Mercy to Mankind 2024

Opening

(Sahih Muslim, Book 46, Hadith 52)

Brothers and sisters, dear friends — when a person is going through difficulty or through a tragedy, and we've been speaking about different topics throughout the evening, and I've been sitting there listening, one word keeps coming up. This is the word that we need to conquer. We cannot say this word, we have to conquer this word. And in my short session today I will highlight two qualities that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had, by which he was able to be the most dynamic, most effective, most empowering human being to ever walk on the face of the earth.

The Prophet's Memory of His Difficulties

It is not as if he forgot his challenges. It is not as if he forgot his difficulties — that's not true. They say childhood trauma is real. What you went through in your childhood, it comes back, you think about it, you remember it. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to walk around in the streets of Medina and he used to tell people, "My mother taught me how to swim in this well." He used to tell people, "That house is where my father's grave is. My mom and I went to visit my father."

When you go to visit a cemetery to locate your loved one, it is also a mission. Even though we have headstones and we have the names — but you go to the Dearborn Cemetery, every time I'm visiting my brother, may Allah give him Jannatul Firdos, Ameen — you have people walking around looking for their loved ones, going by 2018, 19, 20, by the years of the graves in that cemetery. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم located his mother's grave by memory, in the middle of the wilderness. His memory of what he went through was very clear. But also what he had with him was the promise of Allah.

He had the promise of Allah with him. When he was going through difficulties calling towards Allah early on in Makkah, he knew what Allah's promise was. When Zaynab Ibrahim came and was washing his beard, washing the dirt off of his face, she was crying and giving her father water. The father said to the daughter: "Oh my daughter, don't cry. Allah's promise is true. A day will come where the deen that I'm calling towards, the kalimah لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله, will spread in every corner of the world."

The Word We Must Conquer: "When?"

The question is — when? That is what we have to conquer. When? We have loved ones who are incarcerated and people always ask, "When will they be free?" When? The Sahaba asked, "When will Gaza be free? When will this loved one of yours come home?" Why does that matter? Why does it matter when? This quality has to be implemented in our lives.

Of knowing that Allah is Al-Latif. Allah is not denying your prayers. Don't think Allah is denying our prayers. No — Allah is delaying it. Allah is not saying no. Allah is just saying, "Not yet." Allah is never saying no. He's just saying, "Not yet. I love to hear your cry. I love to hear the way you speak to me. So — not yet." Allah is Al-Latif.

The First Name: Allah is Al-Latif

Al-Latif is the first name of Allah that I'm mentioning in this talk today. The first name of Allah that the Prophet was taught, by which he had strength to move on. Latif means الرِّفْقُ فِي الْفِعْلِ — Allah has kindness and gentleness in all of His actions and decisions. And number two: الْعَلِيمُ بِدَقَائِقِ الْأَحْوَالِ — Allah knows the intricacies of every single situation. So He is kind, and He knows the details of the details. We don't know them.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not know when. He did not know when he had to leave Makkah to Medina. Allah told the Prophet, "A time's going to come when you have to go." When, oh Allah? "That's not important — just wait." Then the time comes. When Mufti Asim was speaking — "Oh Prophet of Allah, I thought you promised us Umrah?" "I didn't say this year. Allah promised that we'll go for Umrah. I did not say when."

Yusuf, peace be upon him, was given the promise that a time will come where these people will do sajdah in front of you. Did Allah tell him when? Did Allah tell him how? If you look at his story, he went from bad to worse. And at the end of his entire story he says:

"Allah is Al-Latif. Allah knows the details. Allah is kind, Allah is gentle. He knows what's going on." So Allah's delaying is through His Hikmah. Allah is Al-Latif — meaning the One who delays, to fast-track you.

Yusuf, peace be upon him, told his bunkmate in the prison: "When you get released, please tell the king about me." That person forgot to inform the king about him. Now think about this for a second — if he remembered, do you think Yusuf would have had any honour? The king didn't have a dream yet, he had no need for Yusuf at that time. He would have gotten released and gone back to his family. But many years later, the king sees a dream. And once he sees that dream, he's perplexed — he wants to know the interpretation. Allah delayed the freedom of Yusuf from prison to fast-track him to get closer to the king, because now the king needs him. So sometimes Allah delays to fast-track.

This is how the Prophet lived. There was no question of when. "When will your loved one be freed?" Why does that matter? Because during the difficulty that you're going through right now, there are also blessings. There are also opportunities to get closer to Allah.

When my youngest brother Abdul Rahim passed away, we were lying down literally paralysed in the room of my mother — all of us brothers were there. And after a few days of doing nothing, one of my brothers said, "Your mother is still alive. Yes, you lost your brother — but Jannah is under the feet of your mother. So take this opportunity to comfort her." So even in that difficulty, Allah is telling us — Allah is Al-Latif. Don't get narrow-minded, narrow-sighted about the opportunities that Allah is presenting to you in those difficulties — that this is the time to help each other.

The people of Gaza are not asking when, nor are they asking if. They know for sure Allah is going to bring victory. But in these moments — Sheikh Abdulaziz was speaking to me about his talk — how the physicians, the nurses, the medical workers in those hospitals have been paid for all these years. Now a time came for the last 7 months that they're working there and they haven't been paid — just serving the people over there. It's not about when, it's not about if. Allah is Al-Latif. Allah knows exactly when.

The Du'a of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz

That is why one of our mashaykh used to make this du'a. This hadith is narrated back to the Prophet, but Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz is the one who is known to be making this du'a. He used to say in his du'a — listen to the wording:

"Oh Allah, make me content with whatever you have decided for me already. And oh Allah, put barakah in that which you are going to decide for me." In this context, qadha means that which you've already decided for me — that which I've already gone through in my life. "Oh Allah, put barakah for me in what's going to happen." And then he says: "To a point where in my heart I do not wish that which has been delayed comes to me earlier. You are delaying it with your love for me. You are delaying it with your knowledge about my situation."

"If I'm supposed to get out in 8 years, or 20 years, or 30 years — that's up to you, oh Allah, you know better about me. If this sickness is supposed to last for 1 month, 1 year, 2 years. If I'm trying to get married for 1 year, 2 years, 3 years. If I'm trying to have children for 1 year, 5 years, 10 years — oh Allah, I want to be in a state that I do not want that which you prefer to be delayed to get accelerated. Nor do I want that you delay what you have already written to come to me earlier."

You should recite this du'a frequently. So the first quality of Allah is Al-Latif. We call upon Al-Latif to take us through our difficulties and tragedies. And this is how the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم lived his entire life.

The Second Name: Allah is Al-Qawiy

The second quality, in the short time I have, is Al-Qawiy. These two names of Allah are mentioned together in one verse:

Allah is Al-Qawiy. And Allah loves those who are strong. What does that mean?

(Sahih Muslim, Book 46, Hadith 52)

"A believer who is strong is better and more beloved to Allah than the one who is weak." And in every believer there is khair.

What does Qawiy mean here? Qawiy means, number one — the one who is strong in their belief in the promise of Allah. Their strength is not in numbers, but the strength is in conviction in the promise of Allah. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is not getting more people to go with him to Medina — rather it's only a few people. And Abu Bakr is the one who is looking around trying to figure out what's going on. Then he gets into the cave and he's worried, he's perplexed. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم knows — he has firm belief, he has strong conviction in the promise of Allah that Allah is going to take him to Medina. So what does he say?

"O Abu Bakr, why are you worried? What do you think about those two people that have Allah as their supporter? No one can do anything to us, no one can touch us. Allah is with us." That's the first component of it.

The Strength of Courage

The second component, which I want to spend the next few minutes with you all on, is the strength of courage. It takes courage. You know, a UN official wrote an article in which she titled it: "The Courage of Gaza's Women Will Change the World." You can read it — the courage of Gaza's women will change the world.

It takes courage for a mother who lost her husband, lost her children, and she's holding her only child left in her arms on the hospital floor — but because she needs to give strength to her child, she holds her tears back and she says, Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. It takes courage — not even just Iman at that point.

When you see videos of young siblings — a 9, 10 year old child who comes out of a house demolished by those people who are carrying out this genocide — he comes out of the house, he loses his parents. He has his young sister gripping his hand, and in the middle of this chaos he's looking for his other brother. He's asking, "Where's my brother? I saw him coming out of this house." And he's crying. And finally he finds him, and he's walking like a boss — and he's only 9, 10 years old. There's a picture that came out of this child waving a Palestinian flag, and there are IDF soldiers looking at him. That takes courage.

The Prophet ﷺ was the most courageous man to ever walk on the face of the earth. He wasn't fazed by the conditions around him. Ali ibn Abi Talib says, "People say I'm brave — but wallahi al-azeem, in the most difficult moments, all of us brave men would take shelter behind the Prophet ﷺ."

A time came — one of the Sahaba narrates a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ — that one night there was a false alarm. They heard a noise from outside of the masjid and everyone was scared. So they're all getting together, gathering reinforcements, getting on the backs of horses, getting their arms together to see what was happening outside. And as they got there, the Prophet ﷺ was coming back — alone. He said, "Don't be afraid, everything is good. It was a false alarm." He was riding the horse of Abu Talha and he had a sword around his neck. No issues.

It takes courage to be the one who can stand up for justice. I believe courage is the most integral quality. It takes courage to forgive — it's not easy to forgive. But the Prophet ﷺ forgave because he was courageous. The Prophet ﷺ was the most generous because he was the most courageous. The people said about him, "This man gives so much —

لَا يَخْشَى الْفَاقَةَ — he has no fear." Because when Allah is with you and you're calling upon Al-Qawiy, then what strength of the world can faze you?

The Prophet ﷺ said, "Wallahi, I wish I would die for the sake of Allah and live again, and die again and live again — and this is how I would love to live my entire life."

The Prophet ﷺ said: "A time will come in Jannah where Allah will call somebody and say to him, 'How do you find this destination of yours?' And this man will say, 'Oh Allah, خَيْرَ مَنْزِلٍ أَجِدُهَا، خَيْرَ مَنْزِلٍ — I find it to be such a beautiful abode. But oh Allah, I have one request.' Allah will say, 'What is your request?' 'Oh Allah, send me back to the earth so I can become shaheed again. I want to do this at least 10 more times.'"

That is why, in all the aspects of our life, the second quality the Prophet ﷺ had — from which he was moving through the tragedies of his life — was to be courageous, to be brave, to be strong. It takes courage to forgive. It takes courage to be generous. It takes courage to be the one who can sit in those encampments and maybe risk your life, risk your jobs, risk your careers. It takes courage to be a child who listens to his parents. It takes courage to be someone who overlooks people's mistakes. It is courage that directed the Prophet's entire life — so that when he was going through difficulties, he was brave enough to go through them.

What Is the Worst That Can Happen?

This is how we look at difficulties: what's the worst that's going to happen? Based on what the worst possible outcome is, you make an informed decision of what to do right now. What's the worst that can happen — get into an accident? What's the worst that's going to happen if I drive this Tesla without any supercharger all the way to Chicago? The worst — we get stranded. Based on that, you say, "You know what, I'm not going to take an EV car." I've been through this situation a few times — don't drive it. Based on the worst outcome, you make an informed decision.

What is the worst possible outcome of having the courage to serve the religion of Allah? Death? Well, who cares — that is the best possible outcome.

A poet says:

Hum na baaz aayenge muhabbat se, jaan jaayegi toh aur kya hoga.

"We will not stop loving Allah. We will not stop being courageous and brave for the deen of Allah. If that means I'm going to die for the sake of Allah, then that's a beautiful outcome." What is a better outcome than that? Based on that, we make informed decisions right now.

Brothers and sisters, those who cannot be courageous enough to leave a bad habit — for example, a bad habit of backbiting, a bad habit of smoking, a bad habit of doing some sins — at that moment it will take courage for a person to stand up and say, "I'm going to leave it." Because those who can't leave their bad habits, how can they give their life for Allah? Those who can't get up to pray salah, how will they get up to stand in the saff to fight for the deen of Allah?

Hum na baaz aayenge muhabbat se — we are not going to stop. Hussain, when he was in the battle of Karbala, he says to Shimr: "Go ahead and kill me, but also let me be free. Now from this covenant of Karbala..." — he was doing sajdah in the middle of the battlefield, praying salah.

In the battle of Siffin, Ali ibn Abi Talib was on the back of his horse. Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, says: "Wallahi, that day I could not see the sky because of how many arrows were being shot — like the drones in Gaza right now. I couldn't see the sky. And I see my father, in the middle of the battlefield, understand that it is time for salah. He jumps off of his horse and he prays salah. I said, 'Dad, you could die if you do this.' He said, 'Son, what else do you think I'm doing here? What else do you think I'm doing here?'"

Khalid ibn al-Walid on his deathbed — he's saying: "Oh Allah, the most hopeful deed I have is that I've said the kalimah لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله. But after that — oh Allah, you're my witness — I used to get up at night when everyone was sleeping, even if it was cold, if it was raining. I would get up, get my horse ready, get my armour ready, get on the back of the horse, and I would search to die in your path like a thirsty person searches for water. But oh Allah, here I am dying on my death bed."

Are you willing to give up anything for the sake of Allah? That takes courage. When Hussain was doing sajdah he said, "I'm doing sajdah — go ahead and kill me, because that's what I want. I want to be shaheed for the sake of Allah. Release me from this world of difficulties."

The Promise of Allah: Sawfa

The difficulties will never end if we expect that our difficulties and challenges will end in this world — they're not going to end. Allah promised the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in His love letter to the Prophet, in Surah Ad-Duha:

"Indeed, soon you will be given and you will be pleased." But Allah's words are so perfect. He said, "You will be given" — but He did not use the word سَ. He used the word سَوْفَ. Because when you say سَ it could have the meaning that it will happen soon. Allah promised the Prophet — but He said سَوْفَ because سَوْفَ means there will be a delay. And Allah is telling the Prophet — "You will be given, but there is a delay. And I want to see: are you ready to sacrifice everything you have for me during that delay?"