Discipline and Consistency | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed | Friday Reminder

Discipline and Consistency

We find that we are able to reach the desired outcome with such little effort. In moments of motivation, we're able to reach the intended outcome with less effort. And then in moments of dullness, in moments where we lack inspiration, in moments where we lack that same motivation, reaching that same outcome requires much more effort.

And this is a norm in every field in life. This is a norm in every niche in life. This is a norm in relationships. In relationships, there are moments where everything flows with ease. And then there are moments where more work is required in order for the relationship to grow. This is the same in a business, where there are moments where the business is blossoming and growing in times of sales. And then there are also moments where we just want to survive.

The same notion is present within our spirituality. That there are moments of motivation. And there are moments where we are so inspired that we are ready to do anything to reach our outcome. And by doing so little, we're able to feel so fulfilled — like how it is in the month of Ramadan.

However, greatness is given to us in our religion not simply because we do what we do since we are motivated. A business does not become successful because it only moves forward when it's inspired, when the business people and the entrepreneurs are inspired. Or where the relationship only blossoms when people are excited. Rather, in order for things to continue moving forward — where there is an absence of motivation — there needs to be a presence of consistency. Where there is an absence of inspiration, there needs to be the presence of a dedicated outcome that we work for, regardless of how much effort is needed.

Now the amount of effort may need to increase for that same outcome. But that is the definition of consistency. That is the definition of what our deen has given us, in the form of istiqamah. In the form of what the Prophet ﷺ was told:

"So remain on a right course as you have been commanded."

That you remain consistent, like how you were commanded.

The Peaks and Valleys of Iman

What the Prophet ﷺ says in a hadith — that this deen has high points, it has peaks and valleys. Where there are moments where we feel like we're flying, and there are moments that we feel like we're struggling just to make it to our obligations of our deen.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2453)

This is a norm of our spirituality. Where Handhalah once leaves his home and starts walking to the Prophet ﷺ's masjid, and he feels like he has reached a level of hypocrisy. And as he's walking, Abu Bakr meets him on his path towards the masjid and says to him, "Where are you going at this time?" He says, "I'm going to the Prophet." He says, "Why?" Because:

"I feel like I have become a hypocrite." "Just why would you say such a thing?" "Because when I'm with the Prophet, and I'm sitting with him, and I'm in his presence, it feels like I am literally seeing Jannah in front of me. And I can feel the beauty of Jannah. I can smell the fragrance of it, and I can see Jahannam in front of me. I'm so inspired. And the moment I leave his presence, and I go back home, and I sit with my family and my children, I am overwhelmed by joy and relaxation — that I feel like I have forgotten about that feeling of Iman, that euphoric experience of sitting with the Prophet ﷺ. This is hypocrisy, Abu Bakr."

Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه looks at him and says, "Well if that's the case, then I'm a hypocrite too." And they both come to the Prophet ﷺ, and they share their concern and voice their issues. And the Prophet ﷺ smiles at them and responds by saying, "This is not hypocrisy. If you were to stay at the level of Iman that you were at when you're sitting with me —"

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2750)

"You would have angels come to shake your hands." Because that constant peak is not an intended goal. The intended goal is to remain consistent and dedicated to the cause and the outcome. And that cause and outcome is the pleasure of Allah.

Consistency After Ramadan

In the month of Ramadan, we require less effort to come to the masjid. But the outcome is to come to the masjid — now regardless of how much effort is needed, we will still need to fulfill that same outcome. And this is what allows us to become consistent. In the month of Ramadan, reading Quran requires less effort. And outside the month of Ramadan, it requires a little bit more effort. But the outcome is the same, and the outcome is needed for us regardless of what part of the year that we're in.

And the beauty of it is that regardless of the difficulty, based on how difficult it is for us, Allah gives us more reward. If it's more difficult for us, there's more reward for us. And that is the beauty of istiqamah.

The Prophet ﷺ speaks about a person who walks and comes from further from their home to the masjid — the further they are, the more reward they get, because it's harder for them to come. The Prophet ﷺ speaks about people who struggle to recite the Quran because they don't have the fluency and the ability to just open it up and confidently recite it. And he says about these people:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4937; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 798)

These people have double the reward. The reward of our deed is doubled — it increases when the act is more difficult for us. So in the absence of the natural motivation and inspiration that we had in the month of Ramadan, there needs to be a presence of consistency which drives us towards reaching the pleasure of Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ in His Moments of Difficulty

This is why the Prophet ﷺ, whenever he dealt with low moments in his life — as all of us deal with — moments where he lost his inspiration, where that inspiration diminished, where he felt cornered and isolated, where people started saying things about him and mocking him. It is one thing to call someone a name that perhaps the community sees him to be. And the other is being a Sadiq al-Amin — the greatest person living in that community — and then having your name completely changed, with people chanting slanders against you that you would never have imagined, such as مَجْنُون — or such as كَاهِن — sorcerer, and a crazy person. Attacking his family, physically and verbally, mentally being abused, emotionally being drained.

At this moment, the Prophet ﷺ is told:

"And We already know that your breast is constrained by what they say."

We know that the going has become tough. We understand that it's not as easy to wake up in the morning and pray Fajr. We understand that it's not as easy for you to walk the streets of Makkah and not feel like you're being attacked. We understand it. But recognizing that doesn't mean that it diminishes the need of doing it. Recognizing the difficulty does not become a scapegoat for not fulfilling the task that is at hand — that Allah has given us. It's difficult because it's supposed to be difficult. It's difficult because it requires a sense of effort that warrants a sense of reward that nothing else will give us in this world.

"We know that that happens to you. But it's okay."

"And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (death)."

You continue making your effort and you continue plowing through until you reach the level of conviction that you need to reach — and this يَقِين is in reference to death. You continue making your effort. You continue trying regardless of how difficult it becomes.

Abu Bakr: The Symbol of Consistency

And one of the greatest mantles and symbols of this consistency was Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه — that his support to the Prophet ﷺ was not associated with or contingent upon the state that he was in. It wasn't that his support was present because his life was easy. It wasn't that his support was present because he had wealth or because he had other forms of support from his community. His support for the Prophet ﷺ was consistent throughout his entire life that went through many conditions.

In Makkah al-Mukarramah, when the Prophet first announced his prophethood, Abu Bakr was the first supporter. And one could say, "Well, yes, he was the first supporter because he had everything." He was very wealthy in Makkah — one of the wealthiest merchants of Makkah. And at this moment of being at the mountain top, at the peak that a person could aspire to be at financially, and also in terms of the respect he was given from his community — he goes out and uses all of his wealth to buy slaves and to free them, to see people who are struggling and support them.

When the Prophet ﷺ walked by Bilal رضي الله عنه as he was being tormented by his master Umayyah ibn Khalaf — as he was being tortured — the Prophet ﷺ walks by and he sees him, and he hears the voice of Bilal echoing, where he continues to say أَحَد، أَحَد. He looks at the companions around him and says, "Is there no one amongst you that will wish to go and help this person and free him?" And Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه saw that as a moment of opportunity — rushed towards his home, took his money out, rushed towards Bilal and his owner Umayyah ibn Khalaf, and said, "I wish to purchase this slave of yours." And he responded, "I will give him to you for ten dirhams."

Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه takes the money out of his pocket and gives it to him. And Umayyah — this disbeliever and oppressor — says to him, "Oh Abu Bakr, I saw you to be a very intelligent person, I thought of you to be very smart, but perhaps I was wrong." He said, "Why would you say that?" He said, "Because if you had haggled and bargained with me and asked me to sell this slave of mine for a single dirham, I would have sold him to you for a single dirham. He has no value in front of me. He is worth nothing to me. I would have given him to you for a single dirham. But you chose not to haggle and bargain."

Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه looks at him and says, "Well Umayyah, let me tell you something. I thought of you to be an intelligent person. I presumed you to be intelligent. But you obviously showed that you are not. Because if you had haggled and bargained with me and had demanded a hundred dirhams, I would have given you a hundred. But you settled with ten — because I recognize his value."

Abu Bakr and the Night Journey

In Makkah, his support was consistent. When the Prophet ﷺ went for Mi'raj and returned — having traveled throughout the lands of Makkah and Baitul Maqdis, then ascended through the seven heavens, and returned in a portion of the night — when the people of Makkah were informed of this, Abu Jahl scoffed at him and started to mock him. He said, "You think we are crazy to believe that you can travel all of this land and ascend to the heavens and return in a portion of this night? Who do you think we are?" And he laughed at the Prophet.

In his mind, he takes it as such that this is a moment to expose this man — a moment to finally tell the people how outlandish his claims are. And he rushes to Abu Bakr, because if he can convince Abu Bakr, everyone is convinced. He rushes to him and says, "Oh Abu Bakr, what would you say about a person who claims to travel from Makkah all the way to Baitul Maqdis in Palestine, and in that same portion of a night ascend the heavens, meet the Creator, and return in the same portion of that night? What would you say about that person?"

Abu Bakr — once again grounded in his consistency, not simply in his motivation — answers. Motivated people have hits. Disciplined people who have consistency will always make it to their desired outcome, because they don't care how much effort it takes to reach that outcome — they're consistent in their approach. And he says, "Well, who made this claim?" "Your friend, your companion." And Abu Bakr says, "If he said it, I believe it. I don't need him to tell me even if it comes from the tongue of a person like you, Abu Jahl — who is amongst the worst people who have walked this earth after Fir'awn. I will still believe it because the Prophet said it."

Abu Bakr and the Hijrah

Consistency. When the Prophet ﷺ was given permission to perform hijrah, at this time Abu Bakr does not have wealth. He does not have the community's support. He does not have the same level of pull that he used to have. Our strength and our talent should be used to support our deen, but even when we are low it doesn't mean that we can't support the deen. The strength that we possess is not through our abilities that are exterior to our deen. The strength that we possess is confined to, and synonymous with, our strength in our deen. The presence of our deen is what gives us strength. The presence of our iman, the presence of our spirituality — that is what allows us to walk with confidence, what gives us a presence to walk with, what gives us a passion to live with.

And Abu Bakr, although he has lost so much, he still has his passion. He will still be consistent. The Prophet ﷺ walks into his home, knocks on the door, enters, and says, "Ya Abu Bakr, Allah has granted me permission to perform hijrah." Abu Bakr has very little to give, but he still has himself — a companion. He looks at the Prophet of Allah and says:

"Please let me be with you on this trip. Allow me to be your companion on this trip." Not on a journey where there are roses and rivers and different things you would look forward to — but on a trip where all of Makkah is looking for you, dead or alive. "Let me go with you on this trip." And the Prophet of Allah nods his head in approval. And Aisha رضي الله عنها says, "I didn't know that it was possible for someone to cry out of happiness until that day" — because the moment the Prophet informed him that he could accompany him on this trip, he cried out of joy.

All he needed was the Prophet, because the Prophet became his motivation. He became his strength.

Abu Bakr in Madinah

And we fast forward to Madinah, and now Abu Bakr has absolutely nothing. He has left everything. He is walking through the streets of Madinah looking for food, where Umar walks outside of his home — and hunger removes him from the comfort of his bed — and in the middle of the night he is walking through the streets and he bumps into Abu Bakr. He says, "Ya Abu Bakr, what are you doing?" He says, "Hunger has forced me to leave my bed."

The same Abu Bakr — the same person who was one of the wealthiest in Makkah. So the state wasn't the same, but the response was the same. Our responses to Allah should not change based upon the states that we live in. Our response to Allah needs to be consistent. In moments where we are at the mountaintops, there is shukr. In moments that we fall, there is sabr. That is why Ibn al-Qayyim says that a believer is not recognized by their states — they are recognized by their responses. A believer is identified through the way they respond to Allah, not the way that they are living. Because a poor person and a rich person could equally be at the same level of belief — if the person struggling is patient, and the person who is thriving is grateful to Allah.

The Battle of Tabuk: Umar and Abu Bakr

In Madinatul Munawwarah, the demand came in the Battle of Tabuk where money was needed. Umar was doing well, and on that day he said to his companions, "I spoke to myself and I said that today will be the day that I defeat Abu Bakr, that I move past him." As Ali used to say — that in the galaxy of the companions, there was Abu Bakr and Umar who were competing, and the rest of us were just watching, because it was their show to run.

Umar says, "Today I will defeat him." And he comes with so much money for the Battle of Tabuk — which was a very difficult battle and expedition. And after presenting everything that he had to present, Abu Bakr walks in and comes in front of the Prophet ﷺ and presents what he has brought. And the Prophet does not ask him, "How much wealth have you brought?" — because he brought very little. Rather, he asked him, "What have you left for your family?" And he responds:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1678; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3675)

"I left them Allah and His Prophet." Similar response, different state.

Istiqamah: The Path Forward

The month of Ramadan comes and it goes. The state changes, but the response needs to be the same. The response still needs to be such that we work towards pleasing Allah. And this comes with a demand of istiqamah. And that istiqamah doesn't mean that we do everything we were doing in Ramadan — but we do a portion of it. And that portion is enough to earn the pleasure of Allah.

It is impossible to remain at the same state. But it is also impossible for us to fall back to where we were. There needs to be a sense of progress, because progress is synonymous with success. If we are not progressing, we are regressing.

May Allah make us amongst those that Allah speaks about — people that live with Allah in their life and remain consistent with their effort, consistent with their belief. Allah says about these people that when they leave this world, they are showered with blessings from angels, and they are entered into Jannah with ease, and they are told that there is no grief and no sorrow for them today.

May Allah make us amongst those people. Ameen.