Life Is a Test: Lessons from Hudhayfah's Endurance

Opening

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

Amma ba'd.

I know you were expecting Mufti Azeem, but unfortunately he had lost his voice. So we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He gives him complete shifa and sihah. Ameen.

Life Is a Test from Allah

Our entire life, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is watching every single action we do to see how we react. Whether Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives us a favorable condition or Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala puts us in a difficult situation, He is waiting to see how we will respond to that situation. That is our entire life — a test from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So for example, the cold that we see today — this is a test from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Alhamdulillah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us all the ability, He has allowed us all to come for Jumu'ah, to come and spend this time in His house despite the cold, despite whatever is going on outside. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has opened up the masajid and allowed us to come and pray Jumu'ah salah in the masjid. This isn't something for us to take lightly — this is something for us to thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for.

Many people are not given this opportunity, many people are not able to come and pray. So we thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for allowing us to be here.

The Story of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman at the Battle of Ahzab

While I was coming to the masjid this morning, a story came to my mind about a Sahabi رضي الله عنه who went through a similar situation.

At the Battle of Ahzab, there was a Sahabi named Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman رضي الله عنه. He mentions in a story — this is a first-hand narration, meaning he's recounting the story from his own experience. He mentions in a narration in Sahih Muslim and Bayhaqi that at the time of Ahzab, it was a very difficult battle.

The Difficult Conditions

There were many different aspects to it. There was a lot of political maneuvering happening between the Quraysh, between Banu Qurayza, and the Muslims. The Quraysh were in front of them. The Banu Qurayza — the Yahud — were behind them. And both of them were coming upon the Muslims to attack them. The Muslims were in the middle, not knowing when the two enemies would come. They were planning together, plotting together to attack the Muslims. And this battle went on for months.

Around a month in, Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه is telling this story: it was a very cold night. We were all hungry, we had been there for a month waiting to see if the enemy was going to attack. We had trenches built around us. The type of cold that day was such that they had never felt anything like it before. There was wind howling from all sides — so loud it sounded like thunder. There was no thunder in the air, but the wind was so loud, it sounded like thunder. And especially in the desert when the wind blows, the sand starts picking up and it becomes a sandstorm, and you cannot see anything.

Some of the Sahaba mentioned that they would put their hand out in front of them and would not even be able to see their own hand a foot away. This is the type of situation they were going through. And many of them did not have anything to wear. They did not have winter jackets, they did not have thermals, boots. They were just wearing a few pieces of cloth.

Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه mentions that on that day, he didn't have any shield. He did not have anything to guard him from the elements — whether from the enemy or from the actual weather. Rather, all he had was a single piece of cloth that wasn't even long enough to go below his knee. And this wasn't even his own cloth — it was a cloth he was borrowing from his wife. This is all that he had on during that very cold day.

The Prophet ﷺ Among His Companions

On this day, the Prophet ﷺ was going amongst the Sahaba رضي الله عنهم. There were around 300 of them. And he was going to every single one of them individually, talking to them, seeing how they were doing, what their condition was. Here we see the beautiful aspect of the Prophet ﷺ — that he was kamil (complete) in every single manner, whether as a father, as a husband, as a teacher, as a friend to the companions. And in this story we see the Prophet ﷺ as a leader — he wasn't in his own tent with a personal heater to keep himself warm. Rather, he was outside in this cold weather going to every single Sahabi, making sure they were fine, that they had enough to cover them, whether they needed anything, whether they were hungry.

And while he was doing this, he was also announcing that he wanted someone to take up a task. He wanted one Sahabi to go to the Quraysh — to go to the enemy and spy on them and see what they were doing. Because the Muslims had no clue what the enemy were doing. The Quraysh were in front of them, Banu Qurayza were behind them. They had no idea if the enemy was going to attack. So he wanted to send someone ahead to spy on the Quraysh and see — were they going to attack? What were they planning?

The Announcement and the Reward

He announced to all the Sahaba رضي الله عنهم — among them Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, Umar رضي الله عنه, Ali, Uthman رضي الله عنهم — all the great Sahaba were there. And he announced to all of them: who will go and spy on the Quraysh? And as a reward, you will have my suhbah (companionship) on the Day of Judgment.

Now, what could be a better reward? The Sahaba didn't need money, they didn't need fame, they didn't need someone to boast about them. Rather, the most beloved thing to them was the Prophet ﷺ himself. When the Prophet ﷺ mentioned this, the Sahaba رضي الله عنهم who heard it were overjoyed — because all they wanted was to be with the Prophet ﷺ on the Day of Judgment.

So this is the reward he offered to whoever would go spy on the Quraysh. The Prophet ﷺ announced this one time — not a single Sahabi stood up. It shows the kind of conditions that day had reached — so difficult that not a single Sahabi stood up. A second time the Prophet ﷺ announced — again, no one stood up. A third time, the same — who will go and spy on the Quraysh and have my suhbah on the Day of Judgment? A third time, no one stood up.

Hudhayfah Is Called Upon

So the Prophet ﷺ went to Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه. And when Hudhayfah saw the Prophet ﷺ standing above him — he was already kneeling down — he actually shrunk himself closer to the earth to make himself smaller, because he was scared that he would be chosen.

The Prophet ﷺ went to him and said:

He told Hudhayfah: "Hudhayfah, stand up."

Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه stood up. And then he mentions in the story, while narrating it, he says: "La budda min" — that I had no choice. We see his honesty — he's not trying to spice up the story and show that he was all brave and stood up willingly. He's saying it as it was: that he was scared, he did not want to stand up. But the Prophet ﷺ ordered him, so he had to stand up. He had no choice.

So the Prophet ﷺ called him and said: I want you to go to the Quraysh. I want you to go and see what they're doing. And he mentioned one other thing — do not do anything to expose yourself or show that you are from the Muslims and that you're coming to spy on them. Whatever you do, do not show yourself to them.

The Mission Begins

Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه had no protection — number one, he was going right into the midst of the enemy's ranks; and on top of that, he had nothing to protect himself from the elements. But he said: okay, I went.

There is a narration mentioned that as soon as he started on his journey, all the worry and all the cold that he felt completely dissipated. He mentions: it was as if I was walking in a warm bath. I felt no cold whatsoever. And he walked and went to the army of the Quraysh. He saw their little fires set up, them huddling around their campfires. He saw them all gathered around one person, and he suspected that it was their leader, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb.

And here again we see the military wisdom of the Prophet ﷺ — why did he choose Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه? Because Hudhayfah was not from the Quraysh. He also had not participated in Badr, and he had not participated in Uhud. So the Quraysh did not know who he was. The Prophet ﷺ specifically chose Hudhayfah because he knew the Quraysh would not recognize him.

He says: I suspected that this person was their leader. So out of instinct, I pulled out my bow, I placed an arrow on the tip, and I was about to shoot. But then I remembered what the Prophet ﷺ had told me — do not do anything to expose yourself. So I put it away. Then he went into the midst of the army and listened to what they were saying.

In the Enemy's Camp

Abu Sufyan gathered everyone around and said: I have something to announce. But first I want to see if there are any spies among us, because what I want to announce is important. So I want everyone to turn to the person next to them, tell your name, and announce who you are.

Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه mentions: I was a very scared person. I was not a person fit for this job. I wasn't a person of particular bravery. Again, his honesty. But because the Prophet ﷺ chose him for this job, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala placed this courage in his heart. Immediately when Abu Sufyan said this, he turned to the person next to him first and said: who are you? — to show that he had authority, that he wasn't scared. Both of them responded, and he did not say who he was. Because they thought — if this person is so confident, then obviously he's from the Quraysh.

Again — when someone sacrifices for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala takes care of everything.

Then Abu Sufyan announced: because of all this cold, and because of how difficult the situation is, I think we should retreat.

The Return and the Angels

After hearing this, Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه started heading back to the Prophet ﷺ to inform him that the Quraysh were planning on retreating. And on the way back, he actually met 20 horsemen. All of them had their turbans — ima'mah — wrapped around their heads. And these were all mala'ikah (angels). All of them said: go, tell your companion that we have sufficed — that we will take care of the fighting. You all go and rest; we'll take care of the fighting. This was a glad tiding to the Sahaba رضي الله عنهم.

So Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه went back to the Prophet ﷺ. He saw the Prophet ﷺ praying, and on top of him was a quilt — a comfort — to protect him from the cold. Hudhayfah came and sat next to the Prophet ﷺ. After he finished praying, he told the Prophet ﷺ what had happened — that they said this and this.

Then Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه says: as soon as I told the Prophet ﷺ what had happened, I started feeling the cold again. From the beginning of his trip till the end, he had been protected under the protection of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala because he was in the path of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. As soon as he finished his mission, he started feeling the cold again and began shivering.

So the Prophet ﷺ saw this and took the quilt — which was from 'A'ishah رضي الله عنها — and put it over Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه. And then Hudhayfah slept next to the Prophet ﷺ.

Lessons and Application

What we can take from this story is that when a person sacrifices — as Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه did when he was appointed by the Prophet ﷺ — yes, it might be difficult. He did not want to do it. But when the time came to sacrifice for the deen, he was ready. He was ready to sacrifice whatever was needed for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Similarly for us — yes, we might not face it to the same level. But whatever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants from us, no matter the sacrifice, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is just waiting to see: will we take that first step? Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه took the first step — he got up — and then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala took care of everything. Similarly, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is watching us to see: will we take that first step to sacrifice for His sake? InshaAllah, when we do that, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will make the rest of our matters easy.

Preparing for Ramadan

Now, alhamdulillah, as we are getting close to Ramadan, this is an important lesson that we should take to heart. If we start sacrificing from now on, if we start building this habit — that no matter what, whatever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants from me, I will try to go above and beyond — if we start from now, then inshaAllah this will be a habit that we can build. When Ramadan comes, we can start off on a good foot, ready. But if we wait until Ramadan comes, then we will spend our entire Ramadan just building up, building up, building up — and then the end of Ramadan comes and we haven't really gone anywhere.

So from now on, inshaAllah, we start doing our ibadah, we start sacrificing for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Alhamdulillah, as I mentioned, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave us the ability to come out on this cold day and pray Jumu'ah Salah in the masjid. This is already a sign from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He has given us some acceptance.

So if we keep on sacrificing — no matter what it is — then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala inshaAllah will make this, not only now but the next Ramadan and the rest of our lives, a very easy time. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He accepts whatever actions we do. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make this coming month of Ramadan the best month of our lives. Ameen.

Announcements

Please pass the donation boxes. Sadaqah wards off calamities and draws the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Alhamdulillah, this weekend we have a very special no-tech retreat. Our guest this year will be Sheikh Hashim Ahmed. This will be taking place inshaAllah on the 24th and 25th — starting tomorrow. All brothers and sisters are humbly requested to join, participate, and register online. There will be a separate program for the men as well as a separate program for the women, and there will also be accommodation for children with their own programs. This is a wonderful way to prepare ourselves for the month of Ramadan — a way to completely detach ourselves from all our gadgets and technology and truly prepare for the month of Ramadan. This is something we should all do our best to join and take advantage of.

Additionally, inshaAllah this Sunday, Jamia Masjid will be having their groundbreaking event, taking place from 11am to 4pm. The Grand Imam of Faisal Masjid of Pakistan will be the guest speaker. There is also a fundraising dinner for Jamia Masjid taking place on February 15th at 6pm at Shalimar.

We have many different weekly programs:

• Every Monday night — The Compass with Mufti Ali Muddin along with a co-host. The community also has an opportunity to ask whatever questions they would like.
• Tuesdays — Weekly tafsir.
• Thursdays — A shama'il program about Rasulullah ﷺ.
• Saturdays — Team Fajr, currently at 6:15am.

We also have our Tafheem weekend adult classes, which have already resumed as of January 17th. We have multiple options — online and onsite, including sister-only classes. These classes take place from 10am to 1:15pm both Saturday and Sunday. For more details, refer to the website: masjidds.org/tafheem.

We should always regularly keep all of our Muslim brothers and sisters who are suffering throughout the world in our du'as. May Allah grant them aafiyah. May Allah grant them His special assistance. May Allah rid them of their oppressors, rid them of their difficulties, and grant them ease and aafiyah. Ameen.