The Hardships of Practicing Islam- Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed

The Hardships of Practicing Islam

By Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, respected elders and young friends and students — السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ.

We Are All Being Tested

Indeed, all of us in this life — that short life that we have been sent into this world — are undergoing a test and a trial. And there is no one who is exempt from this test and trial. And this test and trial that comes from Allah takes various forms and shapes.

Allah sometimes tests through blessings, through health and wealth and prosperity, to see if we will be grateful to Him and offer shukr to Him — and recognize that He is our benefactor and bow our heads down in gratitude to Him. And likewise, Allah sometimes tests His slaves by bringing adverse conditions upon them.

And this is not something that we should be frightened of or unaware of. Rather, this is something that Allah in very clear terms has promised us with emphasis. In the ayah of Surah Al-Baqarah that I have recited, Allah mentions with emphasis and taqid:

"I will definitely and most surely test you." But right away the first word He says is بِشَيْءٍ — "with a little bit." Allah knows how much we can bear; He will not test us beyond our limits. He says: with some khawf and fear, and ju'a, hunger, and decrease in wealth, life, and fruits. "But give the glad tidings to those who remain patient."

The Current Climate and Our Response

Of course, these last weeks, the rhetoric against Islam and Muslims has been reaching unprecedented heights. We have not seen the likes since after the 9/11 attacks. And this is a time where many Muslims are soul-searching, and they are getting confused, and they are being frightened — especially for their children, and for their women, for their family members. How will we continue to practice our deen? What should we do?

There are many things that we can do to elevate the situation and make it better. But before we come to those steps, the first thing is that we have to stop and pause and realize that one thing which is not negotiable for us — which we should not even put on the table or consider — is that a person falters in his deen and stops practicing because of these conditions. We have to remain strong under all trying circumstances.

We should gain inspiration from Rasulullah ﷺ and the Muhajireen, and read their history, and see how many sacrifices our noble predecessors underwent for the sake of Allah. Far worse than just the fear that we might be feeling — this was an actual reality for them. How they were tortured in Makkah al-Mukarramah.

Islam Began as Something Strange

We can gain inspiration from the virtues that Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned — for those people at the early times, and he also included us, those who will come in the end times.

Rasulullah ﷺ has said that Islam began as a very strange concept — something which was new, something which was unique, something which was against the norms and against the convention of the people. And a time will come when it will again begin to be regarded as something very strange and foreign.

When it began, it began in the land of shirk, in the center of shirk, where the entire economy revolved around shirk. The economy of the Meccans and the Quraish was really tied up with the revenue they would receive from all the different idols. The people would be coming and giving offerings to the idols, and as the caretakers of the 360 idols in the Ka'bah, they would be making huge profit. That's why they said, "How can this Muhammad make all the gods into just one god? This is something very strange. How are we going to survive?" It was a matter of survival for them.

So this was a very strange concept when it began. Believing in Tawheed, believing in the oneness of Allah was a very strange beginning. And then Allah gave victory to Islam. Within a few years, the Fath of Mecca occurred. Mecca became a capital of Tawheed once again. And Allah united the entire Arabian Peninsula under the banner of Rasulullah ﷺ. And Islam began to spread in the east and the west, and it became the dominant way of life. It became easy to practice the deen.

Skipping over that period of time — in those centuries when Islam was the dominant way of life in the world, we had the Banu Umayyah Khilafah, the Banu Abbasi Khilafah, the Uthmani Khilafah — all these great, true Islamic states. The term "Islamic state" itself has become a bad word, unfortunately. They were true, genuine Islamic states — not bandits and murderers who call themselves an Islamic state, who do not have any sanction from any ulama or any scholar, but are denied by everyone. Those who are misinterpreting the ayat of the Quran. Those who are the modern reincarnation of the Khawarij and the rebels in the time of Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), who were complete anarchists. Not this so-called Islamic state, but the genuine Islamic states were there — and the time of prosperity was there.

It was easy to follow the deen, because a person would be going along with the way of life that was dominant in the world. But then Rasulullah ﷺ said:

A time will come when once again it will become very difficult to practice the deen. So then Rasulullah ﷺ linked the people in the beginning era and the people in the last era, and he said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2630)

"Glad tidings and bashara for those who are considered strangers by others — those who others fear or hate — those in the early times and those who come in the end times. They are those who will be holding firmly to my Sunnah at the time of the fasad and the corruption in the Ummah."

The Higher Status of Those Who Sacrificed Most

This distinction between those in the early times and those who come in the end times is given by Allah in different ayat as well. For example, in Surah Al-Hadid, Allah says:

Those who accepted Islam and spent in the path of Allah and strived in the path of Allah before the conquest of Mecca — their status is at another level, much higher than those who accepted Islam after the conquest of Mecca. Those who came later can never equal the former.

Number-wise, those who accepted Islam in the beginning were very few. Only 313 Sahaba participated in the Battle of Badr. Only 700 Sahaba were in the Battle of Uhud. Very few in number. And after the 8th year of Hijra, when Rasulullah ﷺ conquered Mecca and then when he comes in the 10th year of Hijra, there are 124,000 Sahaba. Where did this 124,000 come from?

It is because many, many tribes were waiting and watching what was going to happen — sitting on the fence. They saw that the Quraish were defeated. They saw there are two powers: the people who believed in the old school of shirk in Mecca, the mushrikeen; and this new religion with their leader Muhammad ﷺ in Medina. They saw that in the Battle of Badr, the people of Medina won. Then in the Battle of Uhud, the mushrikeen won. Then in the Battle of Khandaq, the Muslims won. So they're watching, going back and forth. And they said, "Let's wait and see who wins. And then we'll join the winning side. It will be easier to be with the winners."

And finally when Rasulullah ﷺ was granted the Fath of Mecca, then the people entered the fold of Islam in large, large numbers because it was now easy. It was not difficult. In the beginning, it was very difficult — you had to go against the consensus of the people, against the society. They were treated as outcasts. This negative campaign and propaganda and this wrong portrayal of Muslims, being given wrong names and being mistreated and being lumped together — all of these things are not a new phenomenon. This happened right from the beginning.

The Prophet ﷺ — Al-Sadiq Al-Amin

We don't have to get scared and say this is something new that we are facing. No one was as popular as Rasulullah ﷺ. No one was as beloved to the Meccans as Rasulullah ﷺ. Muhammad ibn Abdullah ﷺ was known as Al-Sadiq Al-Amin — the most truthful, the most trustworthy.

One time, when they were having a big debate which was actually going to end up in a war — when they were rebuilding the Ka'bah ten years before the Prophethood of Rasulullah ﷺ, when he was 30 years of age — the whole battle that was about to start was just regarding a very simple matter. But they were taking it out of context and making it a matter of honor: who would have the privilege of placing the Hajar Al-Aswad back in its place during the reconstruction of the Ka'bah?

The different tribes of the Quraish were ready to fight. They actually brought skulls filled with blood, dipped their hands in the blood, and swore by the blood of their forefathers: "We will die and be slaughtered before we allow anyone to put the stone back besides our tribe." This was their condition.

Somebody proposed a solution. He said, "How about this? We are all sitting here in Dar Al-Nadwa — the house of Qusai ibn Kilaab, the forefather of Rasulullah ﷺ. His house was the meeting place, the parliament of the Quraish. Whoever is going to be the first person who enters into Dar Al-Nadwa after we decide now — whatever he says, we will decide. Does everyone agree? We will make him the arbitrator." The randomness of it just appealed to their minds. They said, "That sounds great. Whoever comes — could be a slave, could be a master, could be a leader, could be an ignorant person — no one has cell phones, no one has the opportunity to contact anyone. You are just sitting here waiting. Whoever is the first person, we will go with whatever he says."

It just so happened that the first person to enter was Rasulullah ﷺ. So unanimously they all exclaimed, "Radheena bil-Amin!" — "We are all pleased with the most trustworthy person, of course." And then Rasulullah ﷺ told all the leaders of the different butoon of the Quraish, of the different sub-clans, to grab the sides of a large sheet, all together pick up the stone, and together they all walk towards the Ka'bah. And then he picked it up with his own noble hands and placed it.

So they loved him and they honored him. But when Allah gave the command to Rasulullah ﷺ, the command started first:

"Warn your family members." Then:

"You should warn the people of the city of Makkah and the surrounding areas." Then finally:

"Say: O mankind, I have been sent by Allah for your guidance — all of you, all of mankind."

So when he was commanded to invite his family, he invited them to a feast and then gave dawah towards Islam. They all rejected him. Only Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), a young boy, stood up and said, "I am very weak and I am a young boy, but I will support you, O my cousin."

Then Rasulullah ﷺ was ordered to invite the people of Makkah. So he climbed on the Mount Safa and he said, "Ya Sabaha!" — which was a battle cry when a warner had to bring the attention of the people. The people ran out, and he said, "I am standing at such a vantage point, I can see behind the mountain and you cannot see." He gave them this physical representation and said, "If I tell you that there is an army behind this mountain ready to attack you, would you believe me?" They said, "Of course. You are al-mukhbir al-sadiq — the truthful narrator. We have never seen you ever lie." Then he said, "I am warning you that if you do not believe in the Tawheed, the oneness of Allah, there will be a great punishment hereafter. Just as I am in a position here to see what's behind the mountain, likewise I have been informed by Allah and I see that which you cannot see. So believe in me."

Now — the most beloved person — what happened? Abu Lahab, right there in front of everyone, his own uncle, said: "Then may you be cursed the whole day! You have gathered us for this futile talk!" So Rasulullah ﷺ was classified by some as sha'ir — a mad poet; majnoon — a crazy person; and kadhab — a liar; kahin — a fortune teller. All of these are rejected in the Quran:

"It is not a statement of a poet — very few of you are believing. And it is not a statement of a fortune teller — very few of you take heed. It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds."

So he was called all these things. He would be inviting towards Allah in Makkah, giving dawah towards Allah, and behind him would be Abu Lahab and the enemies of Allah attacking him and his personality. These attacks were far more severe upon Rasulullah ﷺ and the Sahaba than we can ever imagine to face.

They were boycotted for three years in the Shi'b Abi Talib — no buying, no selling. They were expelled as some political leaders have made comments that Muslims should not be allowed entry. They said those who are citizens can stay in the country but those who want to come from outside cannot come. Here Rasulullah ﷺ is a born citizen of Makkah — he has more right to Makkah than perhaps we have right here. He was from the Banu Hashim. He was Muhammad ﷺ ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf ibn Qusay ibn Kilaab ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Luway ibn Ghalib ibn Fahr ibn Malik. The descendants of Fahr ibn Malik are the Quraish. He is a Quraishi, he is a Hashimi, he is a Muttalibi. He is from the most noble family of the Quraish. Yet he was boycotted by the Quraish, sent out into the valley — him and his family, the Banu Hashim and the Banu Muttalib as well. No one is allowed to buy from them anything, sell them anything. And they did not have any food. The children would be crying from hunger. They underwent such great torments for the sake of Allah.

In fact, Rasulullah ﷺ said: "I have been tormented for the sake of Allah in such a manner, no one has ever been tormented for the sake of Allah. No one has been tortured like me. I have been threatened for the sake of Allah in such a manner, no one has been threatened like me."

And Rasulullah ﷺ said: "People will be tested based on the strength of their deen. If a person has strengthened his deen, then the test will be increased even further. The severest trials are upon the Anbiya, then those next in rank, then those next in rank."

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4023)

Allah says: "Do people think that they will be let go without any test and trials regarding their faith? We have tested and put to trial people before them, and Allah made it apparent who are those who are true in their faith and those who are liars in their faith."

This is something that has happened. The test was before too. Tested in good times to see whether we have shukr or not. Tested in bad times to see whether we will have patience or not. The test is always there — the nature of the test changes.

So Alhamdulillah, they were successful in that and they gave us a standard to follow till the Day of Judgment — that we should never, ever, ever waver in our faith, lose our iman, or lose our practices of the deen because of what other people are going to say. That's the first thing.

The Iman Most Beloved to Allah

Rasulullah ﷺ has given bashara. He asked the Sahaba a question: "Who do you think has the most beloved iman in the eyes of Allah? Whose iman is most beloved to Allah?" So the Sahaba were asked to come up with something. They said: "Perhaps the angels' iman is most beloved to Allah." Rasulullah ﷺ said, "Why would they not believe when they are with their Lord?" They said: "Perhaps the prophets' iman is most beloved to Allah." Rasulullah ﷺ said, "Why would they not believe when the Wahi is being sent down upon them?" So then the third option — they said: "Is our iman most beloved to Allah?" He said, "Why would you not believe when I am amongst you and you see the signs of revelation upon me? You see the miracles with your own eyes."

So then whose iman is most beloved to Allah? He said: "A people who will come after me. They will not have seen me. They will find the Book of Allah. They will believe in it without having seen me. Their iman is most beloved to Allah." SubhanAllah.

Rasulullah ﷺ Longs for His Brothers

One time Rasulullah ﷺ was sitting with the Sahaba and he said, "I would love to see my brothers." So naturally the Sahaba felt a twinge of jealousy and they said: "Alasna ikhwanaka ya Rasulallah?" — "Are we not your brothers? We are ready to sacrifice our lives for you. What you take from us is more beloved to us than what you leave behind. Fidaaka abi wa ummi ya Rasulallah" — "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, Ya Rasulallah." That is the common refrain of the Sahaba. "We love you more than our fathers and our mothers, more than our lives. And now you are wishing for someone else?"

This is like a husband who loves his wife — if he says he wishes for someone else, how hurt they will be. Likewise, the Sahaba felt hurt and said, "Which other brothers are you looking for?" Then Rasulullah ﷺ said, "No, no — you are not my Ikhwan, you are not the brothers I am referring to. You are my Ashab, you are my companions. My Ikhwan — my brothers — the ones that I am looking forward to meet and greet and hug and give the drink from Hauz al-Kawthar and embrace on the Day of Judgment — they are those who will come after me in difficult times. They will believe in me even though they have never seen me with their eyes."

Holding on Like a Burning Coal

Rasulullah ﷺ prophesized that a time will come when it will be more difficult to practice the deen like a person holding a live, burning charcoal. Live charcoal — you are holding it — how hard it is to hold it. You would wish to drop it every second, it is so difficult to hold. Likewise, it will be difficult to hold on to my Sunnah. But those who do so and persevere on the Sunnah and have istiqamah — their reward is also much greater, because the reward is based on the level of sacrifice.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2260)

Reward is Proportional to Sacrifice

For example, sitting here in the house of Allah — the house of Allah is Ahabbul Bilaad ilallah — the most beloved place on the surface of the earth in the eyes of Allah. If we recite:

You will receive one reward for this. But this same Kalima — this Tawheed and Tasbeeh and Tahmeed and Takbeer — this very comprehensive Zikr — if you recite it in the marketplace, you will receive one million Hasanat. One million Hasanat to recite this Tasbeeh in the marketplace!

Whereas Rasulullah ﷺ has said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 671)

"The most despised place on the earth in the eyes of Allah is the marketplace." So reciting Zikr in the marketplace is more rewarding than reciting Zikr in the Masjid. How is that logical?

In the Masjid, you make wudu and you come — the purpose of the Masjid is that it has been permitted to be erected to remember Allah. So you do the Zikr in the right place — one good deed. You do the Zikr in the marketplace, you get one million good deeds — magnitude multiplied to one million. The simple logic behind this is that in the house of Allah, there is no show going on, no live entertainment, no musical session. This house of Allah — you see the names of Allah around you, you see the Masjid, you see the Musalla, you see the Mihrab. What else are you going to do? So your action here is in accordance with the environment — so it's one good deed.

Whereas in the marketplace, people are selling their wares, inviting towards dunya and material. In the place where the dunya is being praised, people are saying, "Buy my product," and there are ads all around you — over there in that place you remember Allah — that reward is much greater.

Just like the ibadah of an old person versus a young person. The person who has all the shahawat — all the physical needs — and all the good of the world attracting him, but he remains chaste and pure in his youth and he worships Allah. Compare that to the person who is already halfway into his grave, whose companions and brothers and sisters and cousins and colleagues and classmates have all died, who is left alone from his generation, who knows his death is about to come around the corner — if he remembers Allah. Of course, the ibadah of the youth, of the young person, is far more valuable in the eyes of Allah.

So likewise, the sister who is wearing Hijab in this environment — we expect that she will receive more reward than the sister who is wearing the Hijab while making Tawaf of the Ka'bah. Keep in mind the fact that the ibadah done in the Haram is multiplied 100,000 times — but the reward of the amal being done here can be multiplied millions of times. We saw the one hasana becomes a million when it's done in the marketplace. So yes, it is difficult, and yes, you might be afraid — but this should not let us waver in our practice or become weak in our practice.

Test as Elevation or Punishment — It Depends on Our Response

Because these tests that come — there are two types: either they are there to elevate our status, as I spoke about the Anbiya and the Sahaba; or they can be a test and trial as a form of adhab from Allah. How do we know if it is an adhab of Allah upon us? It is if we lose our practice. The same word Ibtila comes.

For example, Allah says: "Ask them about the village that was near the sea — when they transgressed regarding the Sabbath, when the fish would come to them abundantly on the day of their Sabbath, and on the day they did not observe the Sabbath they would not come."

"Thus We tested them because of their fisq and their transgression." This is a form of adhab. Because of their disobedience to Allah, as a form of adhab upon them, Allah tested them by making it difficult to follow the deen. And they failed in that — one group failed in that and they faced the adhab of Allah. But one group was successful. Those three groups are mentioned in the Quran.

So if the practice of the deen becomes difficult and a person fails, then that means this was an adhab of Allah upon the Muslim Ummah. Whereas if a person is successful, that means this was there to elevate his status and make him amongst the beloved ones. May it be that these difficult times be a means of elevating our status rather than being a means of adhab upon us.

How will we determine that? By our response, by our own action. Will we remain steadfast or will we let go? Will we change our name? Will we change our identity? What type of surgery is possible to change the color of your skin? What are you going to do? How far are you going to go to erase your identity and become someone else? People are ready to do that. Or will we remain steadfast? So this is one thing that we have to do.

The First Step: Remaining Steadfast

So this is just the first step that I want to talk about. There are a number of steps — what are action items to do. But the time is now ending, just with the first step. We will continue this discussion insha'Allah in the coming days.

But the one thing, at least, if we learn this one first lesson today in Jumu'ah insha'Allah and remind ourselves — is that in these times of trials we have to remain steadfast. Rasulullah ﷺ had prophesized that a time will come when it will be difficult to practice the deen, like a person holding a live burning charcoal — how hard it is to hold, you would wish to drop it every second. Likewise, it will be difficult to hold on to his Sunnah. But those who do so and persevere on the Sunnah and have istiqamah — their reward is also much greater, because the reward is based on the level of sacrifice.

May Allah make it easy for all of us to remain steadfast in these times. JazakAllah. Let us pray Sunnah.