Prophetic Strength in Modern Times | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed, Sh. Mikaeel Smith, Sh Navaid Aziz

Prophetic Strength in Modern Times

In this session, we want to go over some of the often-asked questions — the FAQs — that are brought up on topics such as prophetic perseverance, or being able to stand and withstand difficult times. We have with us Imam Mikaeel Smith and Sheikh Navaid Aziz. We're going to go ahead and bounce some questions off both of these mashayikh.

The first question — and I'll start with my right and then Sheikh Navaid can continue — is: when we talk about prophetic perseverance, the first word in it is prophetic, which means that this was something that prophets had. And we are quite ordinary people. We are not receiving divine revelation, we are not experiencing things of the unseen. We're people who are struggling in our day-to-day life. We have a difficult time through the simple mundane movements of life, forget the tragedies of life. How are we supposed to connect, or be able to relate, to something so prophetic and divine whilst we are so ordinary?

Imam Mikaeel Smith: Perseverance Is for Everyone — the Question Is What You Persevere For

Bismillah walhamdulillah, salatu wasalam ala rasool Allah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala.

Mufti, I mean that's the whole purpose of the conference I feel — it's to show that while prophetic perseverance sets the standard, the Muhammadan ﷺ level of perseverance, of course we will never ever reach that level. But that doesn't mean we don't strive and we don't grind and we don't try to emulate that model and try to reach up to it.

When I think of the word prophetic perseverance, what I actually think about is that a lot of people in this dunya will have the quality of perseverance, but they'll have it for falsehood. They'll have it for sports maybe — and there's a good level of sports too — but they'll have it for all types of stuff. The thing here is that we want to take that quality and apply it to our spiritual lives, and be persevering for the sake of Allah. For me and you, somebody else might persevere and grind to get their business to reach the point that they want it to reach. Now we grind for a different reason — we grind, we persevere, we strive, we struggle for the sake of Allah. That may mean I'm grinding for my business to succeed, but behind it all is that connection with Allah. So when I think of prophetic perseverance, that word prophetic is everything, because everyone in this dunya perseveres.

We were studying the verse from Surah Sad, where the mushrikeen of Quraysh would say to each other:

"Walk away and be patient upon your gods. Indeed, this is a thing intended." So imshu — let's go, let's leave this gathering — wasbiru — have sabr. And subhanAllah, we would think, oh, sabr is a Muslim quality. No, no. These qualities that humans experience — they're there. Everyone experiences them. The question is not if you have patience. The question is what are you being patient for. That's what we really need to be questioning ourselves.

In fact, I will say — and scholars have said this before me — when we see other people having patience, don't let it be that they love their dunya more than you love your Allah and your akhirah. So prophetic perseverance is about us realizing that we've got to wake up to the call of Allah and the Rasul. And it's not going to be easy — but nothing worth having is easy.

Sheikh Navaid Aziz: The Distinguishing Characteristic of the Prophet ﷺ

Alhamdulillah wa salatu wa salam ala rasulillah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala, amma ba'd.

So I think the first thing that we look at is: was it the Qur'an itself that made the Prophet ﷺ persevere? The angle I'll take is — no, it wasn't just the Qur'an. Because the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ, yes, but the Quraysh were there as well. They heard the Qur'an just as the Prophet ﷺ did. Did that make them persevere on truth? They continued in their falsehood, as Sheikh Mikaeel was mentioning.

So then if the Qur'an alone was not what distinguished them, what was the distinguishing characteristic that the Prophet ﷺ had? This is why it's so important to highlight that several times in the Qur'an, the Prophet ﷺ is told:

"Say: I am only a man like you." Meaning: when you feel pain, I feel pain. This is who the Prophet ﷺ was. The distinguishing characteristic was that the truth aided him — knowing that he was upon the truth facilitated his perseverance. Because he knew that when the truth comes, falsehood will disperse. Sooner or later that was meant to happen. You just had to wait it out. It was a game of patience.

Perseverance Does Not Equate to Victory in Your Lifetime

Number two: when we think about perseverance, does it mean that you will be victorious in your lifetime? If that's what we understand from it, then we need to change that definition. The Muslim state did not reach its peak in the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ. It happened after his death — up to forty years after his death was the pinnacle of the expansion of the Muslim state. The Prophet ﷺ planted the seed and he knew his ajar was with Allah.

So what we want to focus on is not the results, not the victory itself — focus on the effort. This is why Allah tells us that whoever desires the hereafter, works hard for it, and is a believer:

"For those, their effort will be appreciated." Perseverance does not equate to victory. Perseverance means you're putting in the effort to eventually see the victory. It may be in your lifetime, it may not.

And the third thing: the importance of not limiting yourself to the life of this world. While these people struggle and strive for the dunya, we have to struggle and strive harder for the akhirah. Because what is the point of this life if you don't get to Jannah? Focus on the effort and not on the results. May Allah grant us tawfiq.

Imam Mikaeel Smith: The Prophet ﷺ Was Human — He Struggled Too

I like what you mentioned, subhanAllah.

Because I think we have this tendency to almost take away any emotion and human element from the Prophet ﷺ. What I mean by that is: he struggled the way we struggle. We can go through moment by moment in his life — when revelation first came, he ﷺ thought he was going crazy. He didn't know what was going on, and he needed support. When Waraqa ibn Nawfal says, "I wish I was young so I could support you when they kick you out," and he says:

"Are they going to kick me out?" — meaning, how am I going to go through that? And then we move on to even family challenges. If we're honest with the seerah, there are moments where there are difficulties in the household — about money, about rights. So the idea that, "Oh, he's a prophet, I can never be like him" — yes, he was given divine help, but you have to understand he went through much more difficult things. And we can still look to him as an example of how to persevere and get through.

And the point the sheikh made about perseverance — that we persevere with the realization that we might not see the fruits — it reminds me of the verse where the Qur'an says to the Prophet ﷺ:

"Whether We show you some of what We have promised them, or We take you in death." We may show you some of it — some of it you might pass away before you see its reality. But that shows a level of ikhlas too. That I'm grinding for the sake of Allah.

I heard one person say: communities are built by people who plant trees, the shade of which they'll never sit under. It's not about you seeing the results. It's about you putting in the effort and leaving the rest to Allah.

Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed: The Mentality That Unlocks the Prophetic Example

Just one ayah to add. One of the most beautiful ayat in the Qur'an that refers to the Prophet's ﷺ life. Ibn al-Qayyim says about this ayah:

"Verily in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example — for whoever hopes in Allah and the Last Day." The ayah says that in the Prophet's ﷺ life and his seerah there is an amazing example. But then there is a condition. Who is this an example for? Who can actually become prophetic? Who can actually extract benefit from this uswah hasanah — this beautiful, perfected example?

The condition is not about how much we are doing. Rather, it's the mentality that we live with. People in today's time talk more about mentality than action. It's about how to have the mentality of a millionaire. People are making millions of dollars speaking about the mentality and mindsets of leaders and millionaires. The key that the Prophet ﷺ gave to the Sahabah was not necessarily their 'amal, because 'amal differs. Our actions will always differ — someone's actions may be more and others will be less. But that doesn't define one to be better or worse. The mentality is what matters.

The mentality that allows people to engage at the greatest level — because the munafiqoon had 'amal. The munafiqoon prayed Fajr in the masjid because they were afraid. They wanted to be seen as praying. It was difficult for them, but if they didn't come, they would expose themselves. So what's the defining difference? The mentality:

An individual who is looking forward to meeting Allah. This person will always persevere because they're looking forward to their one-on-one with Allah:

"You have come to Us alone, as We created you the first time." You will come to Me and you will have a one-on-one meeting with Me. If someone told us that if we continued doing this, we'd have a one-on-one with the greatest person in this world — whoever that may be — we'd do anything for that. Now imagine: we're going to have a one-on-one with Allah. We're going to be able to ask Allah, and Allah will speak with us. And that moment will be it for us. There will be no more difficulty after that day.

The mentality is that we look forward to meeting Allah. The hadith of the Prophet ﷺ:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6507; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2683)

"Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet them. And whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet them." That's what we look forward to. And for those who don't look forward to meeting Allah — difficulties are hard because they know the end is very near for them. But for believers, difficulties are different because they know the beginning is very near for them. The perspective has changed.

And once we change the lens, we change our mentalities. And once the mentality changes, the body acts differently. The body responds — the mother who was unable to take the pain before, now the mentality changes. Now my child matters more than me, and the pain changes. The aspect of pain is now different for her, because the mentality shifted.

The Prophet ﷺ taught the companions that we live with the mentality that the Akhirah comes first. And with that mentality, difficulties will always be there — but there is a new beginning that's always there for us that we look forward to. And that gives us a sense of peace, sakinah. That is the meaning of:

They believe in the Day of Judgment.

Imam Mikaeel Smith: The Lens That Changes Everything

You know that part about when the mentality changes, the pain feels different? I was remembering that Sahabi — when he was stabbed, he said:

Said by 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) upon being stabbed — referenced in Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3700

"I have succeeded! By the Lord of the Ka'bah!" He said, "I made it." The disbeliever stabbed him, and it was a mortal blow — and his reaction is that? What lens are you wearing? Because the pain feels different based on the lens that you have on.

When you walk into the gym and you start working out and you feel pain in your legs, you're like, "Yeah, finally." But if you were just sitting here and your legs start hurting, you're like, "What's wrong? I'm getting old." SubhanAllah — when we have the akhirah in mind, our pains, our joys, our suffering — it all changes.

And it's not that when you remember Allah in a joyous moment it takes away from that joy. Even your most joyous moment — marriage, children, getting into the school you wanted, the job you wanted — when the akhirah is present, there's a tempering. A controlled, measured joy — not an exuberant joy where you forget God. And like the sheikh said, the pain for the believer — you still remember there's a beginning coming right there.

When a cup gets shaken up, whatever's inside must come out. We're supposed to get shaken. And the people of Gaza have shown us what really should come out of a cup when it gets shaken up. They taught us the realities of prophetic perseverance.

Perseverance in the Face of Sin: Protecting the Akhirah

Sheikh, the reality is that people, when they think about perseverance, they think about worldly difficulties. The first thing we think of when we hear the word perseverance is something that we lose in this dunya. But how many of us think of the word perseverance when we actually face a loss in some aspect of the akhirah? Loss of this dunya is temporal. Loss of the akhirah is forever — everlasting. You can never make up something you lost in the akhirah.

So, can we take the lens of: how should we persevere in the face of sins? How should we persevere in the face of staying committed to our deen regardless of what is happening around us?

Like holding on to a burning coal — referenced in Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2260

Sheikh Navaid Aziz: Three Categories of Patience

Alhamdulillah wa salatu wa salam ala rasulillah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala, amma ba'd.

When scholars break down categories of patience, they highlight three categories: patience in the worship of Allah, patience in obedience to Allah, and patience in refraining from sins. When you are showing patience with regards to sin, what does that actually look like? This is where framing is so important — learning to frame what actually looks good versus what is actually good. What will give you temporary fulfillment and lust versus what will actually get you to Jannah and give you everlasting enjoyment and pleasure.

When we're talking about lenses, it's the ability to see through what is actually in front of you. There's a reason why Allah keeps on telling us that this life is a life of ghurur — a life of deception. Because things look good, people look good, desires look good — but what is the end result of those things? When fulfilled in haram, they only bring about misery and further pain.

So when we're talking about patience, it's about understanding that Allah wants you to have fun, but within the halal means. Allah wants you to enjoy yourself, but within the halal means. You always have that greater purpose of worshiping Allah — are you actually doing that?

Detaching from This World: Focus on the Giver, Not the Gift

Number two: the concept of attachment. We think we own everything that we have. We think we own our houses, our cars, our families, our wealth. But if the people of Gaza have shown us one thing, it is that reality — that one day you will have your family, your home, your business, everything you love — and the next day you will not. Because:

"To Allah belongs what He took, and to Him belongs what He gave, and everything with Him has an appointed time." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1284 — words of the Prophet ﷺ at the death of a child)

Sooner or later, you and I are going to pass away as well. And we're just going to be that fading memory. The things that we have don't actually belong to us — these are loans from Allah that He gives and takes as He pleases. So focus not on the gift, but the giver.

If you attach yourself to Allah, you'll never be disappointed. If you attach yourself to His creation and the gifts He gave you, you'll always be disappointed, and you'll always be coveting more because you'll never be fulfilled. But the individual who attaches themselves to Allah — whether Allah gives them a little or a lot — they know they have Allah, so their heart doesn't waver.

In Kitab al-Zuhd, Imam Ahmad رحمه الله talks about what zuhd actually means. He says zuhd is that whether you gain a hundred thousand dinars or you lose a hundred thousand dinars, you do not get overly happy and you do not get sad. How can you lose ten million dollars and not become angry and upset? Because you're attached not to the money, but to the One who gave it to you. You know He gave it to you in wisdom and you know He took it from you in wisdom. He gave it to you in mercy and love, and He took it from you in mercy and love.

Focus on who the Giver is, and don't focus on what He actually gave. And this applies to all the temptations in life — everything you're coveting, always focus on who is the greater entity who gave you the ability to enjoy whatever you're about to do.

The Consequence of Haram: Deprived in Both Worlds

The third and last thing: whatever you indulge in through haram in this life, there's a punishment that comes with it in this life and the next. Take the example of zina — the individual who indulges in zina in this life, Allah makes halal enjoyment very, very difficult for them. And in the hereafter, part of its enjoyment is that halal fulfillment. Imagine if Allah were to take that away from you because of the fulfillment of haram in this life.

Every time you're indulging in haram in this life, you become eligible to be deprived of its equivalent — which is much, much greater — in the hereafter. What would that do to your level of patience? What would that do to your level of resolve? We would all become pious ascetics.

But the reality is we've got to change the way we think and the way we see first. Without changing the way we think, without changing the way we see, that's never going to happen. And alhamdulillah, that's the beautiful thing about these gatherings — that we're reminded about the hereafter, to change our lens, to change our perspectives on this life. All of this is going to go away one day, and it is the hereafter that is here to stay. What have you prepared for it? May Allah grant us tawfiq.

Imam Mikaeel Smith: Your Talents and Abilities Aren't Yours Either

The topics that Sheikh Navaid is touching upon with attachment — I hope we appreciate what he's saying here. Because we think of it sometimes in materialist terms since we grew up in a very capitalist, materialist culture. So when we say "to Allah belongs everything," we start thinking of cars, houses, things like that. And no doubt those things can be taken away. But what about your talents? What about your talents and abilities?

We think of our beauty, how handsome we are, how attractive we are, our skills of writing, of coding, of sports — whatever it may be. We look at those things and say, "That's mine." And if Allah were to take that away from you, then you're truly tested to see whether you were truly dependent, gaining your confidence from the gift or the Giver.

You know what I relate this to? I have three little ones, and they're little, so they fight all the time. Normal kids. But they fight over stuff — "This is mine, this is mine, this is mine." Now for me as the dad, I'm sitting there like: none of this is yours. Everything in this house is mine. And that's pretty deep if you think about it. Because me and you — we are the children. We're arguing over stuff we don't own.

And what Allah is reminding us is: all this stuff you have — even your own children aren't yours. But we have seen people with more iman than us show us that reality. Your beauty is not yours — it can be taken away tomorrow. Your wealth for sure. Your abilities and skills — one hit to the head and all of a sudden you can't speak, can't do anything. And all of a sudden you realize:

So this attachment — if we all walked out of this gathering with our hearts detached from things and focused on the Bestower and not the bestowed — here's the deal: you don't know where the true blessing lies. So when He takes away, you don't even actually know if that's when He's really giving to you. As a parent, sometimes you take something and the kid trips out, and you're like: literally, I was about to give you something better. I was taking this to put in the microwave for you, and now you're acting up. I wasn't taking it to take from you.

We don't know — when He's taking, He may be giving. Sometimes you're given something and it's actually a gradual leading away:

You want that 100K job? Go ahead. Let's see if you still show up at the masjid. So what I'm saying — this stuff I have ain't mine. I got a friend, he leases everything. I'm like, bro, when you lease, you're wasting money. He's like: we're leasing this dunya, habib. This whole world is a lease. That's a good point. May Allah bless us all.

Closing Remarks

May Allah bless the mashayikh. Hopefully we'll get back and resume our sessions and continue with the sessions we're going to have with the speakers. May Allah allow us to bring whatever was said — all the beautiful gems that were shared by Imam Mikaeel Smith and Sheikh Navaid Aziz — into our lives. May Allah bless you all for listening so attentively. JazakAllah khair.