Walking in Prophetic Footsteps | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed | Friday Khutbah

The Ecosystem of Believers

My dear brothers, youngsters, elders, and sisters, we know from a scientific point of view that there's a concept and a construct in which we live in that is called an ecosystem. And the ecosystem is of such a nature that we understand that everything affects everything. The presence of one creates an absence of another. And the absence of one can create the presence of another. Something faltering here can affect something far away from it. The entirety of the planet is built upon the foundation of what we've been taught as an ecosystem.

That life on this planet, life for the animals, life for these plants and trees revolve around an infrastructure that is completely interlocked and interlinked. One which is harmed, the other is also harmed. My dear friends, thus is the infrastructure of believers. Thus is the system of our ummah, that we are also like an ecosystem. We are also like one body.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6011; Sahih Muslim, Book 45, Hadith 84)

The believers are like one body. Believers are not like one body because they share the color of their skin, because their ethnicities match and their DNA is similar. They're like one body, not because of what they look like externally, but because the DNA of their heart matches. Because their level of ethics and values and ideals are absolutely synonymous. We're inclusive, not based upon ideals and values — we're inclusive based upon ethnicities, backgrounds, color of a person's skin. But we're very exclusive when it comes to ideals and values.

The believers are like one body. We're an ecosystem. That when one is harmed, the pain of that, the hurt of that, the empathy of that, is felt all across the world. It's felt all across the waves where believers are living. The sound waves carry this pain. Not because we know the person, but simply because we know of them. We know that they went through something of a calamity, something of trauma.

This is an ecosystem that matters. This is an ecosystem that should be spoken of, that we affect one another. Our presence and absence has an impact upon one another. A family — the father leaves, the mother leaves, the son leaves — it affects everyone. Everyone is impacted. Similarly, Muslims suffering in Morocco, Muslims suffering in Libya, and Muslims suffering all across the world. The reality of the matter is that the pain of that should be felt here. And if the heartbeat isn't being impacted, the question becomes, are we even a part of that ecosystem? Because why are we not being affected? How is it not impacting the heart when it sees the things that it sees? How are the eyes and the heart not in sync — that the eye sees trauma, but the heart feels a sense of comfort? That the ears hear yelling and screaming, and the heart feels that this is just child's play, and it will continue to move on.

We are an ecosystem. كَرَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ. The Prophet ﷺ says:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 45, Hadith 84)

That if the eye starts to hurt, and if the eye begins to pain, the entire body feels the discomfort of it. And if the head starts to hurt, the entire body feels the discomfort of the head hurting. Similarly, when a single individual, a community, a country is hurting, an ecosystem will say that the entire community is hurting. There is pain that is felt within the hearts of believers.

The First Question: Why or What?

Oftentimes, when these concepts, when these challenges come about the Muslim ummah — when we hear about these natural disasters or these hardships that the believers or disbelievers are going through — the first question that we ask, and the first thing that leaves our tongue is why? Why did it happen? Why did this occur? The "why" is okay, but it shouldn't be the first question. The first question through our prophetic model is: what should and can we do at this point? What is our responsibility?

Great people are not made in situations. Great people are made by their response to situations. A believer is not gauged, a believer is not made because of the state that they're in. A believer is made because of their response to their states. That a believer could be impoverished, but he or she is grateful, he or she is patient — that is a response of a believer. A believer could be wealthy, living in a sense of luxury, but they are grateful to Allah — that is a response of a believer. The response dictates where their heart stands. The response dictates what the title holds.

The Two Prophetic Responses

First Response: Turning to Allah in Prayer

What is our response? And through the prophetic model, we see two responses. The first response was:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 2, Hadith 1319)

That the first response of a believer, if we are a part of that ecosystem, is that instantaneously, there is a demand in my heart that I must turn to Allah. The Prophet ﷺ, even when the slightest discomfort would fall upon his ummah — when there was rain that would not come down from the skies, and when there was a drought that would touch the community — it was well known that that discomfort, though it is not directly impacting me, I'm a part of that ecosystem. فَزِعَ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ — he would rush towards prayer. He would call the entire community out to an open land, and urge them and encourage them to call upon Allah, to turn towards Allah.

The response to these calamities is not necessarily asking why. It is as Allah says:

Imam Ghazali says that the default state of life is difficulty. There's not a single person that is perhaps sitting here that has not seen challenges, that has not experienced difficulty. The default state of life is difficulty. The concession is ease and happiness. And hence those moments of concession are met with a great sense of gratitude, because we know it's not a default state.

Allah says when these people go through this state, what is their response? "I am turning back to Allah. Allah is my return."

The return becomes Allah. The mentality shifts. The mindset that is crafted is a mindset of a person who lives for the Akhirah. Not that these challenges don't matter. Not that these challenges don't touch the heart and impact the mind.

Ask a mother who has lost her child. Ask a father who has lost his son. Ask someone who is living in that flood what it feels like to hold their children above, and their children have left this world. Ask that child who looks in the rubbles for their parents and finds them to be gone and left this world. To say that it doesn't affect the heart is being naive to the reality of what this world is.

To say the Prophet ﷺ wasn't affected by burying his six children is removing the nature of being a man from him. He was impacted. And hence he cried. And when he would cry, people would look at him and say, "Why is it that you are crying? You know that this is all coming from Allah." Knowing that it's coming from Allah does not remove the impact that hits the heart. And he would say:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1303)

The eyes will still tear and the heart will still yearn. And Ya'qub will still cry. For 40 years in the absence of Yusuf, he cried till the point — ابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ — that his eyesight was lost. Ya'qub will still cry. Muhammad ﷺ will still tear over the loss of Ibrahim. He will force a smile when he loses Khadija. It will be difficult for Fatima to simply exist in the absence of her father, رضي الله عنها.

This is a reality of discomfort and challenges. But the response is not necessarily contingent upon the feeling. The response is what challenges the feeling. The response is what mitigates those feelings — that this is from Allah and I have to turn back to Allah. Anytime that a difficulty came to Medina, a challenge came upon the Sahabas, the first response was: how can I reconnect myself to Allah?

When we ask the question "why," it's because we feel like we are not responsible. Using the "why" is a cop-out for us. Asking the question "what can we do" builds a certain level of liability and responsibility. Not that what we can do can change anything — but what we can do can bring ease to those people. The response can affect those people.

Second Response: Empathy and Presence

This was the first response. And the second prophetic response that was found throughout the Prophet's ﷺ life — not when he went through trauma, but when others went through difficulty — when the others went through challenges, when the ummah was crying out of pain, the second response was a response of empathy. Was a response of presence. Was a response that you do have a shoulder to cry upon. That your loss does matter to me even though I don't know who you are. Your loss does impact me even though I know that you lived your life disliking me.

Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Sulul, the leader of the hypocrites in Medina, who caused discomfort to the Prophet ﷺ like nobody else, who was a source of tyranny for the people in Yathrib in Medina — when he left this world, and it was well known that this person was an enemy of Islam, but he lived with the veneer of a believer. So when he left this world, the Prophet of Allah still stands up and intends to pray janazah upon him.

"Ya Rasulallah, why are you praying janazah upon him?" "Because I am allowed to." Revelation comes down:

It doesn't matter how much forgiveness you seek for this person — Allah will not forgive him. He says, "Ya Umar, I still have been given a choice." Then revelation comes down:

You are not allowed to pray janazah upon this person. But the empathy of the Prophet ﷺ was such that if it could bring peace to the son of this man, he wished to pray upon him. Because a son will feel that "he cares for me." The empathy is not for those who have left. The empathy is for those who are still alive, who can still see us and interact with us and can feel our presence.

The Battle of Mu'tah: Empathy in Action

When the Prophet ﷺ was sitting in the masjid during the battle of Mu'tah, the screen was open for him and the covers were removed for him. And as he's sitting in the masjid alongside all of his companions, what is happening on the battlefield is being shown to him. Play by play, the Prophet ﷺ is describing what is happening — what is taking place in this specific battle and expedition.

He is saying that right now, the leader of this army is Zayd ibn Harithah رضي الله عنه. And Zayd ibn Harithah is with such bravery, tenacity, and strategy, walking through the lines of the enemies, shifting through them and swiftly going through them. And as Zayd is going, the Prophet ﷺ says, "Zayd's arm is cut off." And then he takes the flag of the believers and places it on his opposite hand, on his left hand. And the Prophet ﷺ then says that his left arm is cut off. And he continues — and then the Prophet ﷺ says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4261)

Zayd has become shaheed. And Aishah رضي الله عنها says that as the Prophet ﷺ is narrating the story of what is happening, and he comes to the juncture that Zayd has become shaheed, the complexion of his skin fades away. And as he is standing and doing this play by play, he doesn't have enough energy to stand, and he is forced to sit. Because Zayd has left this world. And this was the Prophet's ﷺ beloved. The only two men the Prophet ﷺ ever told that "I love you" were Zayd ibn Harithah and Mu'adh ibn Jabal.

Ja'far al-Tayyar: The One Who Flies in Jannah

And then Ja'far رضي الله عنه, the cousin of the Prophet ﷺ — the man that he loved so much. In the battle of Khaybar, when the Muslims conquered the forces of the enemies of Islam and were given much to be proud and happy of, Ja'far رضي الله عنه returned from Habesha, six years into Medina. And as he returns to the Prophet ﷺ in this moment of happiness, the Prophet ﷺ gets up, greets him, hugs him, kisses him between his eyes, and he says:

(Mustadrak al-Hakim, Hadith 4977)

"I don't know which of these two things makes me more happy — was it the return of Ja'far, or is it the conquest of Khaybar?"

Ja'far رضي الله عنه is in this battlefield. And as he is fighting in the battlefield, Allah takes his life. And after this expedition is completed, the Prophet ﷺ goes to the house of Asma رضي الله عنها, the wife of this man who has just lost his life and become shaheed. And he turns towards them, looking for words to tell them that their father won't come home, that their husband won't come home. And he's thinking: what can I say to this family that will ease the blow and the challenge of their husband and their father not returning home? Because the pain is real, it's raw. Having belief doesn't remove the emotions — it simply mitigates the emotions.

He comes to them and the children are dressed up happily, playing around and enjoying child's life. The Prophet ﷺ tells them, and he tells Asma رضي الله عنها, that Allah has taken the gift of Ja'far back. In the narration of Ibn Hisham, she actually passes out unconscious. And she is raised and the Prophet ﷺ tells them again. And he tells a woman of the city of Medina, and he tells his daughter and wife Aisha and Fatima respectively, that "your job is to provide for this house, your job is to take care of these children."

And he looks at the children. Abdullah ibn Ja'far, the son of Ja'far, says: "When the Prophet ﷺ came to us after three days, we looked very raggedy — our clothes were dirty, we looked as if we had not taken a shower for days." The Prophet ﷺ came to them and he didn't say to the mother or the uncle, "What is wrong with these children?" He simply came and he said, "Can I please take these children with me?" And he took them to a barber, bought them new clothes.

He said that they don't have their father with them anymore. And as he tells them where their father is, he explains to Asma that Ja'far رضي الله عنه — his arms were cut off. And he says to them: "Don't you worry. Your father lost his arms, but he was given wings in Jannah." And therefore the nickname he was given was Ja'far al-Tayyar — Ja'far, the one who is flying, simply enjoying flying in Jannah.

Empathy vs. Sympathy

Empathy was a response — that we go out of our way to meet those people, we go out of our way to try to impact those individuals. However we can, we live in a universal village. Our impact is felt. The words that we say are felt. The du'as that we make are felt. The donations that we give are heard and felt. But more importantly, what we hold in our heart — though it cannot be seen — it shows that we are a part of that ecosystem, that we actually care.

The Prophet's ﷺ response to every challenge that someone went through was to make them feel that he is with them in that challenge. To make them believe that he is experiencing it with them. "I am right by your side, and I will walk you through this journey. I will be with you every step of the way."

Empathy is different than sympathy. Sympathy is saying that I acknowledge someone's pain. Empathy is saying that I am with you every step of the way, while you are in your pain. The Prophet ﷺ introduced the concept of empathy — that when people struggle, we will be empathetic towards them. And he experienced this his entire life.

Though he struggled the way he struggled, he did not allow his response to be dictated by his emotions. Because if we were to say you can only care if you're in a state of wellness, the Prophet ﷺ was never truly happy. How could a man be happy if he lost six of his seven children? If you look at the Prophet's ﷺ life, you don't see a happy person looking back at you. You see a person being content with life. But his smile was not contingent upon his happiness. His smile was dependent upon making other people happy. Allowing other people to experience those emotions.

True Greatness: Raising Those Around You

Oftentimes, greatness is alluded to a person's skill set. Greatness is attributed to a person's abilities — which is true to a certain extent. But true greatness is not attributed to a person's skill set. True greatness is attributed to the fact that a person can use that talent and skill set to raise the people around him. A father is not called a father because he has a child. A father is called a father because he raised a child. We're not great because we live amongst the people. We're great because people benefit from our presence — maybe our children, our families.

How is it so that this man ﷺ was able to convince an entire nation — despite the fact that they were never together — to live upon one concept, one ideal, one paradigm? Despite the fact that they had nothing in common. And despite the fact that he gave them nothing monetarily. He gave them nothing of physical comfort. How were they able to give up so much to gain nothing in monetary gain or in physical comfort? Because he gave them a sense of value, a sense of presence, which even a father or a mother will tell you no money can buy.

Parents who have lost their children within this world — they will buy that child anything to be able to experience that hug once again, to be able to experience that kiss once again. But they won't get it. Because people will not remain just because you give them something. People will remain because of how you make them feel.

Empathy Regardless of Who They Are

And this is our time, this is our moment — while living in this country, in America — that we see the struggle and the plight of these believers. And yes, there is a difference to a certain extent that these are believers. Of course, we are lovers of humanity, we love everyone. But the Prophet ﷺ says believers are brothers and sisters in faith because they believe together. So while we live in this country, and while Allah has given us the ability not to simply give, but to truly care — to truly allow ourselves to feel that empathy — that regardless of what they have or haven't done for us, I will still care about their emotions.

One day Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl came to the Prophet ﷺ after Fath Makkah — after the conquest of Makkah. Ikrimah, the son of Abu Jahl, the man who literally tortured the Muslims in Makkah, who was the killer of the first shaheed — his son is coming to visit. And the Prophet ﷺ says to the Sahabas around him: "Perhaps he is coming to accept Islam, so don't stop him. Let him come." And then he says to those people around him: "When Ikrimah comes, do me a favor — don't refer to him as Ikrimah the son of Abu Jahl. Because his father's name was not Abu Jahl. That was a nickname given to him. When you refer to him as the son of Abu Jahl — 'the father of the ignorant people' — perhaps that will make him feel uncomfortable. It won't sit right with him. So when he comes into the gathering, refer to his father by the name that his mother gave him: Ikrimah ibn Amr ibn Hisham. Don't call him Abu Jahl."

This is called empathy at the epitome of it. Even if the person harmed you — and he harmed the Muslims — we care about their emotions. What about a person who loved us? What about a group of people who believe like us? What about a nation that shared the same kalima as us? What about a group of people that left this world as shuhada? Does it not demand from us that the heart does grieve? That the heart does yearn? Not because we know who they are, but because we know that they existed — and they still exist, fluttering in the gardens of Jannah, like Ja'far رضي الله عنه.

Closing Du'a

We ask Allah to grant them the highest levels of martyrdom and shuhada. We ask Allah to allow us to respond in the prophetic response — which is: A, returning to Allah ourselves, and allowing that to be a moment of reflection and introspection; and B, letting that moment be a moment to remind ourselves that we live in an ecosystem. And if we don't feel what we're supposed to feel, perhaps we need to include ourselves back in that ecosystem.

May Allah make us amongst those great people that can help others, be a source of comfort, be a source of ease, be a source of happiness for all of those Muslims and non-Muslims living around the world.