Surah An-Nahl: Do Not Despair | Divine Reminders with Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

Surah An-Nahl: Do Not Despair

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Welcome back to another session of our Read and Reflect Reminders and once again for everyone that's been tuning in — may Allah bless you.

JazakAllah khair for tuning in for as long as you guys have been tuning in, and hopefully you guys continue to tune in until the end of the month of Ramadan. Every day at 2 p.m., inshaAllah, Hafidh Noor and Hafidh Idrees will be blessing us with their beautiful recitation. Hearing the Qur'an being recited in a beautiful tone, a melodious tone — I don't think there's anything more soothing than that. So 2 p.m. every day inshaAllah, make sure you continue to try to join inshaAllah ta'ala.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, alhamdulillah, wa nasalli wa rasoolil kareem. Today the huffadh completed the recitation — or began and completed the recitation — of two surahs. One is Surah al-Hijr and one is Surah an-Nahl. Obviously we don't have enough time to go into both — we hardly have enough time to go into one specific surah.

So I will speak about the theme, or a topic, that I find is present in both of these surahs — where Allah is talking about a specific theme in both surahs and it connects the surahs together.

When Was Surah an-Nahl Revealed?

Surah an-Nahl was revealed post-Uhud — that is the opinion of some people — to explain to the Prophet ﷺ that he should be at ease. But the dominant opinion, rather, is that it was a Makki surah and the last few verses were revealed after Uhud. That is the opinion of Imam Qurtubi and other scholars. Some say it is a Madani surah, but the dominant opinion is that it is a Makki surah and some verses were revealed after Uhud took place.

The Shared Theme: A Tight Chest

So what is the verse — the theme — that is found in both surahs? In Surah al-Hijr, Allah says:

Allah says: "Oh Prophet of Allah, I know that because of what they say, it bothers you inside." يَضِيقُ صَدْرُكَ — it bothers you, it hurts you. The names that they call you, the mockery that they throw at you, the taunts that they throw at you — we know that this is difficult for you. This is hard. This is challenging.

ضاق يضيق means to tighten up, to be constrained, to be tight — that your chest becomes tight because of what they say. Well, Prophet of Allah, we know that happens. But remember that your way out of this, and your way to look beyond this, is to make sure that you continue praising Allah:

Continue to praise Allah, continue to glorify Allah with this praise, and be amongst those that prostrate out of gratitude. That is what will get you over this difficulty and through this difficulty — not you looking at them and feeling bad about yourself, but rather understanding that what you have is because of Allah, and continue praying to Allah. And Allah will bring a solution for you at this difficult time of your life.

And then Allah says:

"And continue worshipping your Lord until you have reached the epitome of conviction and certainty." What does this mean? وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ refers to the idea of continuing to worship Allah until you leave this world — that regardless of what people say and how they taunt you, you don't stop doing what you're supposed to do.

This was a time in Mecca where the leaders are taunting the Prophet ﷺ. Allah literally says to the Prophet ﷺ: We know that it hurts inside. We know it bothers you. We know that you are emotionally challenged by this. To an extent where Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ:

Oh Prophet of Allah, don't worry — you are amongst the messengers, upon a straight path, with revelation from the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful. You are the blessed Prophet and you have been blessed with His revelation.

So Allah is saying to the Prophet ﷺ at the end of Surah al-Hijr: I know you are affected by it — because we all get affected by things — but continue praising Allah, continue worshipping Allah till the last moment. And the way to protect yourself from their taunts, Allah says, is: don't look at what they have, don't give them much attention, don't look at their blessings in dunya and get affected by that. Rather, praise Allah and continue praying to Allah till the last moment.

The Final Verses of Surah an-Nahl: After Uhud

And now the last ayah — the last ayah of Surah an-Nahl — is a very similar ayah, and this ayah was actually revealed after Uhud, where Hamza ﷺ and so many other sahabah became shaheed. The Prophet ﷺ was deeply affected by this.

When Aisha once asked the Prophet ﷺ, "What was the most difficult day of your life?" the Prophet ﷺ responded by saying: in Makkah it was the day of Ta'if, and in Madinah it was the Battle of Uhud, where he lost his blessed uncle Hamza ﷺ and many other companions. This was a very difficult day for the Prophet ﷺ.

Allah says: be patient — it is better for you. And Allah says to the Prophet ﷺ: continue having patience. The people that became shaheed are moving on to better places. Don't have a tight chest. Don't allow your chest to constrain you and bring you down because of all their plots and plans against you. Rather, continue making an effort. And how do you continue making an effort? Continue working with the group of people that you already have. You lost so many, but you have so many — work with them and continue worshipping Allah through this. Don't stop what you're supposed to do.

And just as in Surah al-Hijr, Allah said: don't look at what they have, stay patient, don't have a tight chest — in Surah an-Nahl, Allah says the same thing, but He also tells him what to do. Rather than simply looking away from what they have, Allah says:

Go ahead — continue to call them towards the path of Allah with wisdom and the right demeanor. The right process. The right words. بِالْحِكْمَةِ means saying the right thing at the right time — and that has an effect. Saying the right thing at the wrong time can have the opposite effect.

The Importance of How We Speak

وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ is saying it in the right way. Sometimes saying something which is right, in a demeaning way, in a derogatory tone — in a tone that can make the other person feel humiliated and feel inferior — it would be better if you didn't say that at all. Sometimes we want to correct someone, but the way we correct them in itself requires a correction, because we're saying it in a manner that belittles that person.

So Allah says no — وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ — even though this is the greatest mistake, the worst mistake that one can commit — to associate partners with Allah — when you correct them, do it in a nice manner. Do it in a manner which is respectful, which is honorable to them, so they don't feel humiliated in any way.

Istiqamah: Consistency Regardless of Circumstances

And Allah says at the end of the surah: don't worry, continue having patience. Don't allow your chest to be constrained and bring you down. Rather, be in the company of your sahabah and continue worshipping Allah until you pass away. That's your responsibility — your responsibility is to be patient until the moment that you leave this world, and not to sway away from your ibadah.

I mentioned this a few sessions ago as well — that consistency and istiqamah, by definition, is that when circumstances and situations do not dictate how our relationship with Allah is. Our relationship with Allah — in regards to our amal — is not affected by the circumstances around us.

Yes, iman can go up and down. Iman can be affected if someone belittles me. Iman can be affected if I'm going through a difficulty. Iman can be affected if I'm blessed with a blessing. But it should not dictate whether or not I'm doing a good deed — that should not change based upon circumstances. And that's exactly what the Prophet ﷺ is being told by Allah.

In Makkah, he's being told: you are being taunted, but continue worshipping Allah. Don't allow your chest — even though we know that it's happening — don't allow that to stop you from worshipping. So this tells us that we can feel bad. We can feel low. We can get affected by the things that people say and the way that they treat us. But it cannot stop us from continuing the purpose of our existence, which is to worship Allah.

And in the next surah — Surah an-Nahl — Allah ends it off with a lesson from Madinah, from the Battle of Uhud: even though this is a very difficult day in your life, continue to have patience. Don't allow your chest to bring anxiety to you, and don't allow your heart to bring anxiety to you. Rather, allow yourself to work through this — and how do you work through this? By being with those who are individuals of ihsan and excellence, and those that have taqwa in Allah, because they will have a positive effect on you.

Closing Du'a

May Allah allow us to bring this into our life, and make us people such that the effect of people's words and taunts — if they reach our heart — does not affect our amal. And may:

…become something that we can live by — that we worship Allah till our last breath, until yaqeen comes to us, meaning until we meet Allah.

JazakAllah khair for joining again. Please feel free to comment so I can reply to your salam. Today we also have our Sisters-only webinar at 3 o'clock — I encourage everyone to join. We have Sister Lubna Mulla and Dr. Haifa Yunus — some great speakers joining us today. It's a two-hour session, not too long, not too heavy — just something small and simple, and we do it only for sisters because many sisters have asked if we can do something specifically for them. So inshaAllah, please do join that as well.

May Allah bless you for coming out every day — you and your family — and give us all consistency. Allahi barik feekum. Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.