The Unwavering Sacrifice That Built The Deen Of Islam

The Sacrifice Behind Greatness

If you take a look at anyone in the annals of history who has achieved something great, then you will see that he had to put in a great deal of sacrifice. By way of example, you look at a person who becomes a scholar of deen. He doesn't just become a scholar of deen all of a sudden, but rather there are many years of sacrifice that go on behind the scenes, that for years he has to endure, and he has to study, and he has to pass his exams, and only after going through a number of years of education can he be qualified to be called a scholar or an alim.

Likewise, a person who wants to become a doctor, then he has to go through elementary school, middle school, high school, he goes through college, he does his pre-med, he gets into med school, then he does his residency, and only after all of these years of sacrifice, then he is qualified to hold the title of a doctor. Likewise, if you take a look at this deen of Islam which Allah has blessed us with, this deen didn't just come about all of a sudden, but rather you will see that it was built upon great, great sacrifice. The Prophet ﷺ himself had to endure so much in conveying this deen, in bringing this deen alive amongst the people.

Thirteen Years in Makkah

For 13 years in Makkah Mukarramah, you see that the Prophet ﷺ was calling the people day in and day out:

"O all mankind, just say لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ, accept this deen of Islam, and you will be successful." After 13 years of hard work, of effort, of sacrifice, then the Prophet ﷺ began searching for another place, for the kuffar, the mushrikun of Makkah, were simply not willing to accept this message of Islam. And the Prophet ﷺ would go to the different tribes at the time of Hajj, during the days of Mina, and he would invite them towards this deen of Islam.

And it was the decree of Allah that He had chosen the Ansar of Madinah Munawwarah to be the fortunate individuals who had the honor and the sharaf of hosting the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. It was Madinah Munawwarah that Allah chose to be the Darul Hijrah.

The Unique Sacrifice of the Ansar

Now if you look at the Ansar, then they were extremely unique in many ways. In particular with regard and respect to the sacrifice that they gave for the deen of Allah. Whatever came, at every instance, whenever there was any opportunity, there was any need for the deen of Allah, then you see that the Ansar were at the forefront.

They never backed away, they never shied away, they never made excuses. If the opportunity arose, if there was some need for the deen of Allah, they were always ready to serve the deen of Allah.

The Battle of Badr: Sa'd ibn Mu'adh Speaks

You take a look at the Battle of Badr in the second year after Hijrah. When the Prophet ﷺ was leaving Madinah Munawwarah, he decided to make mashwara (consultation) with his companions. In particular with the Ansar, because the agreement that he had with the Ansar was that they would protect Nabi ﷺ in Madinah Munawwarah. But now Badr is very far away from Madinah, it's well outside of the city. And therefore Nabi ﷺ wanted to see — will my Ansar come with me to Badr or not? So he made mashwara with them.

So the Muhajirun, they stood up and they said, "Ya Rasulullah ﷺ, we are with you." Again Nabi ﷺ asked his companions, again the Muhajirun stood up and they said, "Ya Rasulullah ﷺ, we are with you." A third time the Prophet ﷺ asked the companions for mashwara.

And this is when the Ansar, they understood that Nabi ﷺ is hinting towards us. He wants to know about us — are we going to come with him or not to Badr. So Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, who was the leader of the Aws tribe, he stands up and he says:

(Reported in Sirah Ibn Hisham and referenced in Sahih al-Bukhari; the words of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh before the Battle of Badr)

Powerful, powerful words. He says, "Ya Rasulullah ﷺ, if you want to know about us, the Ansar, then let me tell you, let me speak on behalf of all my Ansar brethren. I will tell you that wherever you want to go, we the Ansar, we will come with you. If you want to join ties with anyone, we the Ansar will also join ties with that individual. If you want to break ties with anyone, then we the Ansar will also follow suit."

And then he says:

"You can take whatever you want from our wealth. Our wealth is yours — take whatever you want." And then he says something even more profound: "Whatever you take from our wealth, that is more dear to us, that is more beloved to us, than whatever you leave behind." In other words, that amount of wealth that you take from us — that is being given, that is being spent in the path of Allah. So we are happy with that, happier with that, than the amount of wealth that you leave behind for us and for our families.

He says, "Ya Rasulullah ﷺ, even if you were to jump into the water, we the Ansar would jump in with you. And Ya Rasulullah ﷺ, if you were to travel all the way to Birk Min Ghamdan" — which was a very, very distant place — "we the Ansar, we will follow you and we will come with you. In any situation, no matter what happens, we the Ansar, we will be by your side, O Rasulullah ﷺ."

This was the commitment, this was the dedication of the Ansar. This was the sacrifice that they were willing to make for the deen of Allah, for the preservation and the propagation of the deen of Allah.

The Spoils of Banu Nadir: A Third Option

You move ahead a few years later when the spoils of Banu Nadir were being distributed. Nabi ﷺ called the Ansar.

And he thanked them for their efforts and for what they had done in hosting the Muhajireen. And then Nabi ﷺ presented the Ansar with their choice. He said:

(Referenced in Sirah Ibn Hisham and related narrations; the Prophet ﷺ's address to the Ansar regarding the spoils of Banu Nadir)

"If you so want, then I can take all this wealth, all this ghanima of Banu Nadir, and I can distribute it amongst you and amongst the Muhajireen — half to the Ansar and half to the Muhajireen. But if I do that, then the Muhajireen will not be able to be independent and they will continue to be dependent upon you, they will continue to benefit from your wealth, they will continue to stay in your homes. But if you want, the other option that I give you is that I can take all of this wealth, all of these spoils, and I can give it completely and totally to the Muhajireen. And then they will have enough to be self-sufficient, they will no longer be dependent upon you, they will no longer have to take from your wealth, they will no longer have to stay within your homes. So you have one of these two options — which one do you want?"

So Sa'd ibn Mu'adh رضي الله عنه, the leader of the Aws, and Sa'd ibn Ubadah رضي الله عنه, the leader of the Khazraj, both of them stood up and they said:

"We want to present a third option. We will take all of this wealth and give it to our Muhajireen brothers. But despite that, we want them to continue to stay within our homes. We want the sharaf and the honor and the privilege to continue to spend upon them." SubhanAllah.

When the Prophet ﷺ heard this, he made du'a for them:

"O Allah! Have mercy upon the Ansar. Have mercy upon the children of the Ansar. And O Allah! Have mercy upon the grandchildren of the Ansar." They were so selfless — they were willing to give everything and yet they continued to want to spend upon the Muhajireen.

Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, when he heard this, he thanked them and said:

"If our own mothers were asked to sacrifice the way you the Ansar have done, even our own mothers would not be able to do so. The way you have spent upon us, the way you've taken care of us, the way you've hosted us — this is unprecedented."

Normally, if you see, immigrants are always treated as second-class people. They are not given the same rights, the same love, the same respect as those who are native to that land. But when it comes to the Ansar, then this was that one group which was exclusive in the annals of history — unprecedented — that they gave everything to those who had migrated, the Muhajireen, and yet they had so much love for them.

Allah praises them, praises the Ansar, for how they so selflessly gave everything away to the Muhajireen. And they continued to make these sacrifices for the deen of Allah.

The Battle of Hunayn: "Return with the Messenger of Allah"

If you move forward to the Battle of Hunayn, after the conquest of Makkah, in the 8th year of Hijra — after the battle, when the spoils were being distributed, there were many who were hadithu ahdin bil Islam, they had just recently converted to Islam. So Nabi ﷺ distributed the wealth amongst them primarily, and the Ansar were not given much — in fact, they were hardly given anything.

So some of the Ansar found it within themselves: "How is this? All these years we've been sacrificing, we've been giving, we've been fighting for the cause of deen. And yet now when this ghanima, when this wealth is coming in, Nabi ﷺ is giving it to these other individuals — we didn't get anything." So some of them began to speak amongst themselves.

The news of this got back to Rasulullah ﷺ. And he called Sa'd ibn Ubadah رضي الله عنه and told him to gather the Ansar in a particular place, saying, "I will come and I will address them." This was an exclusive gathering between Nabi ﷺ and the Ansar. Nobody else was allowed to be present at that gathering.

Nabi ﷺ came to them, and he addressed them, and he asked them: "What is this that I'm hearing about you, that you have felt within yourselves that I've given everything away to others and I haven't given anything to you from the spoils of war?"

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3147; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1061)

"Is it not that I came to you when you were misguided, and through me Allah granted you guidance? Was it not that you were poor, and through me Allah made you self-sufficient? Were you not enemies of one another, and Allah brought your hearts together?"

So the Ansar were quiet, they were taken aback. The Prophet ﷺ told them:

"Why don't you people respond to me?" So they said, "What are we going to say?" He said, "If you wanted, you could have said:

'Yes, you came to us when nobody believed in you, and we were the ones — we the Ansar — who verified your message. We believed in you. When the people of Makkah wanted to expel you, we the Ansar were the ones who took you in. We were the ones who gave you refuge.'"

And then the Prophet ﷺ told them something very profound:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3147; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1061)

"Aren't you people happy that all these other individuals are going to return with the spoils of war — some of them with goats, with camels, with some wealth, whatever it may be — but you the Ansar have this privilege and this honor, that you will return with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?"

"I swear by Allah, what you are going to return with is far better, is far greater, than what everyone else is going to return with."

And then the Prophet ﷺ told them:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3147; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1061)

"If it was not for the Hijrah, I would have chosen to be from amongst the Ansar also. And if the Ansar were to tread a particular path and everyone else, the rest of humanity, was to take another path — I would take the path of the Ansar. I would go with the Ansar."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3147; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1061)

And then the Prophet ﷺ again made this du'a for them: "O Allah, have mercy upon the Ansar, have mercy upon the children of the Ansar, and have mercy upon the children of the children of the Ansar."

The Reward of Sacrifice: Honor in This World and the Next

My respected brothers and sisters, this great fadila, this great virtue which we see of the Ansar, didn't just come about out of nothing. It came about when the Ansar gave for the deen of Allah — time and again, time and again. When they sacrificed for the deen of Allah, this is what Allah gave them in return.

This honor in this world — that they were to be the host of Nabi ﷺ. Even after the conquest of Makkah, when Nabi ﷺ came to Makkah victorious, the Ansar started to speak amongst themselves: "Now Nabi ﷺ has returned to his people — maybe he's just going to stay here, he's not going to come back with us to Madinah." Nabi ﷺ told them:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3147; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1061)

"I will come back to Madinah Munawwarah, I will live in Madinah, and I will die in Madinah Munawwarah amongst you also." And true to his promise, the Prophet ﷺ returned to Madinah, he lived amongst the Ansar, and he was buried in Madinah Munawwarah also.

On the Day of Qiyamah, the Prophet ﷺ had promised the Ansar:

"After me you will go through many trials, but just remain patient, and you will meet me at my Hawd (Pool)." So on the Day of Qiyamah, inshallah, when we will see our beloved Nabi ﷺ at the Hawd, we will see this large gathering of the Ansar of Rasulullah ﷺ, the Ansar of Madinah Munawwarah, surrounding the Prophet ﷺ. Such a great honor Allah gave them — when? When they sacrificed for the deen of Allah. Whenever there was any need for the deen of Allah, they were the first to stand up.

The Promise of Allah: Support His Deen and He Will Support You

Likewise, this is something which Allah mentions in the Qur'an:

"O you who believe, if you will help the deen of Allah, then Allah will also help you." So whenever we have an opportunity to serve the deen of Allah in any way, in any shape, then we should always stand up to that opportunity. And inshallah, through that, we will receive the help of Allah. We will receive the barakah and the blessings of Allah.

As all of you are aware, inshallah tomorrow will be the annual benefit dinner from Masjid Darussalam, which will take place at Shalimar Banquet. Everyone is humbly requested to please keep this event in your du'as, that Allah makes it a major, major success and makes it a means of the preservation of deen for the many decades and many centuries to come.

Announcements

Please pass the donation boxes from left to right and donate generously. Sadaqah wards off calamities and draws the mercy of Allah. There is no curb parking. Please do not park on the curbs behind the seminary building or on the Swift Highway. We have additional parking spaces in the used car lot. Please do not park in the condos parking lot.

We are also seeking businesses to sponsor our upcoming annual banquet on December 9th. Please see the brothers outside on your way out if you are interested.

We are delighted and privileged to welcome you to our annual benefit dinner on Saturday, December 9th. Alhamdulillah, this event is fully booked. If you have purchased a ticket, we kindly ask you to arrive at Shalimar Banquets by 5 p.m. This year we have two separate raffles — one for our brothers and one for our sisters — each offering a chance to win a $2,500 Umrah voucher, for individuals who arrive before Isha Salah, which will be performed at 5:45 p.m.

Please save the date for our sixth annual winter intensive from December 23rd to December 25th. You can register at the Masjid Darussalam website.

Please continue to join us for our weekly programs. Team Fajr will continue tomorrow, Saturday, inshallah. Fajr Iqama is at 6:15 a.m. The Tafsir of Surah Al-Qasas continues every Tuesday after Salatul Isha. Salatul Isha Iqama is at 7:30 p.m. The weekly Salawat and Khatira every Thursday continues after Isha Salah also at 7:30 p.m.

The Darussalam Community Center has the following programs: Tuesday — Women's Basketball, 7:00–9:00 p.m. Sunday — Women's Badminton, 7:45–9:45 p.m. Sunday — Women's Volleyball, 6:00–7:45 p.m. Wednesday — Men's Volleyball, 7:45–9:45 p.m. Thursday — Men's Basketball, 7:45–9:45 p.m.

Du'a Requests

There is a shifa' (healing) request. Mufti Azim's mother is hospitalized. Everyone is requested to keep her in your du'as. May Allah grant her shifa' kamilah. Her brother Hanif has stage 4 cancer — please make du'a for him also. Also, our brother Azhar from Shalimar has cancer — please make du'a for him also. As well as for all those who are sick in the Ummah of Nabi ﷺ. May Allah grant them all shifa' kamilah. And for all the marhumeen — we ask that Allah grants them Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen, Ya Rabbil Alameen.

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and the end is for the righteous. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and upon his family and companions.

O Muslims, if we look at the Ansar in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, we see that they were always supporting the religion of Allah in all situations and at all times — they were with the Prophet ﷺ in hardship and ease. For example, before the Battle of Badr, when the Prophet ﷺ consulted them, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh رضي الله عنه stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah, it is as if you are opposing us — perhaps you fear that the Ansar will not support you except in Madinah. I speak on behalf of the Ansar and I answer for them: put the rope wherever you want, and tie the rope to whoever you want, and cut the rope to whoever you want, and take from our money whatever you want, and give us whatever you want — and whatever you took from us was more dear to us than what you left. Whatever you order, our order follows your order. And if you walk until you reach Birk Min Ghamdan, we will walk with you, and if you want to cross this sea, we will cross it with you."

And so will all those who support the religion of Allah — they will have victory from Allah, as He says:

May Allah bless us and you in the great Qur'an. And may we and you benefit from what is in it, from the verses and the wise remembrance. So ask forgiveness of Allah for me and for you and for the women of the Muslims. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And peace and blessings be upon the Messenger Muhammad and upon his family and all his companions.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims. So fear Allah in secrecy and openly, and leave the immoralities — that which has appeared of them and that which is hidden.

And know that Allah says in Surah Al-Ahzab:

"Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, send blessings upon him and send peace upon him." And the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah sends blessings upon him ten times." And he ﷺ also said: "The stingy one is the one to whom I am mentioned and he does not send blessings upon me."

O servants of Allah, may Allah have mercy upon you — indeed Allah commands justice, goodness, and giving to relatives, and He forbids immorality, bad conduct, and oppression. He admonishes you so that you may remember. Remember Allah the Most High — He will remember you. Call upon Him — He will respond to you. And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest of all things. And Allah knows what you do. Establish the prayer.