Dealing with Trials - Br Semir Said

Khutbah Opening

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ تَعَالَى مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللهِ وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَإِنَّ كُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ أَعَاذَنَا اللهُ وَإِيَّاكُمْ مِنْهَا

This Life Is a Test

My dear brothers and sisters, this life is a test. Allah says in Surah al-Mulk:

He is the one who created death and life to test you — to see who of you are best in action. And note, He said best in action, not most in action.

Because, you see, my brothers and sisters, Allah tests each and every one of us in a different way. He says:

We test you with evil and good, and to us you shall return. This, my brothers and sisters, is from the wisdom of Allah, because He knows each and every one of us individually. He knows how much we can bear, how much we can cope with, and so He tests each and every one of us differently. And this is from His wisdom and His decree, because everything that happens in this dunya there is khair in it — it is good. Because for a believer there is always khair in whatever happens to us. Whatever happens to a believer, it might seem as something bad, but ultimately there is always something good behind what happens to a believer.

How the Prophet Reacted to Trials

Now, how did Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ react to calamities and trials and tribulations that befell him? One very famous story: when he went to Ta'if and he was treated in a very, very bad way — he was humiliated and insulted and harmed physically as well. But how did Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ react to this? When he was asked by the angel, asking him for permission to squash that whole tribe in between two mountains — what did Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ say? He said: "No — maybe from their offspring in the future will come those who say لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ." He showed patience and forgiveness. This is how Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ dealt with trials and tests.

And in Bukhari and Muslim there is a hadith where the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5641; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2573)

No Muslim is afflicted by any harm except that his sins will be forgiven and nulled as the leaves fall from a tree. This is how the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ looked at trials — that anything that happens to a person, this should be our manhaj in life. This is what we learn from the life of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ. And in another hadith there is an addition that says: even if it's just a thorn — if you are hit by a thorn, even if it's that small, you will have sins forgiven by Allah.

The Reward of Patience

Yes, some things are very hard, very difficult to cope and deal with, very, very difficult to carry on with your life as usual — could be death in the family, a very serious illness. We are overwhelmed by grief and sadness. Remember, my brothers and sisters, Allah says: indeed, those who are patient will be given their reward without account — there is no limit. And this is one of the very few things that Allah has not decided a specific amount of reward for. Whereas other actions that we do, we are given a specific amount — 10, up to 700, and so on — this is one of those few things that Allah says to us: there is no limit. It's open. It's up to Allah to decide how much He gives.

And He also says in Surah al-Baqarah:

And we will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and lives and fruits — but give good tidings and glad tidings to those who are patient; those who, when disaster strikes them, say: "Indeed to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return." Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and it is those who are the rightly guided.

This, my brothers and sisters, is what our salaf understood. This is what Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ taught the Sahaba, and they taught the Tabi'in, and so on and so forth.

And Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ says in another hadith — a very famous hadith:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2999)

Strange is the situation of the believer — everything that happens to him, for him there is khair, there is good, and that is only for the believer. If something good happens to him he is grateful to Allah, and that was good for him. And if a calamity befalls him — a difficulty, a hardship — he shows patience, and that is better for him.

The Example of 'Urwa ibn Zubayr

We can see this in the lives of our salaf — the Sahaba and the Tabi'in. And just to give you an example, my brothers and sisters: a very famous Tabi'i known as 'Urwa ibn Zubayr. He suffered from cancer in his foot and so he was told that they had to amputate and cut it off by the knee, and so they did. On the same night — it was narrated that on the same night — one of his children passed away.

Now, what was his reaction? I want you to think, my brothers and sisters — how would we react to major calamities and tests and tribulations? On the same day, 'Urwa ibn Zubayr said: "Alhamdulillah — praise be to Allah. O Allah, You gave me seven children, You took one and You left me six — Alhamdulillah. You gave me four limbs — praise be to Allah — You took one and left me three — Alhamdulillah." Why? Because it wasn't his. It is something that Allah gave him. He gave me seven children, He took back one, He left me with six — Alhamdulillah. This was his reaction, my brothers and sisters, because he understood the message of the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ — that anything that befalls upon you, there is khair, there is always something good no matter what happens.

Because the life of a believer, as they say, is between sabr and shukr — it is between gratitude to Allah and patience. For anything that He gives you, you are thankful and you show gratitude to Allah. Any calamity and difficulty that befalls you, you show patience — and also gratitude.

We ask Allah to grant us tawfiq and sabr at times of hardship. Indeed He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. Alhamdulillah Rabbil 'Alamin, wal-'aqibatu lil-muttaqin, wa la 'udwana illa 'ala al-zalimin. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. May blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.

Second Khutbah: Finding Solace in the Lives of the Prophets

My dear brothers and sisters, for those of us who are going through difficult times, who are suffering from trials and tribulations, a way to help us cope and to help us overcome these issues is by looking at and reading upon the lives of those before us. Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says in a hadith:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5645; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2398)

Those who go through the most trials are the Prophets, and then those who are nearer and nearer to them.

Ayyub (عليه السلام) — For Those Suffering Illness

Now, for those of us who are suffering an illness, I say: find solace and peace in reading about the life of Ayyub عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ. Eighteen years — he was ill, bedridden, eighteen years. What did he say? What did he do? He had sabr and showed gratitude to Allah. He did not complain. He didn't say: "Why, Allah? Why me? I am a prophet." No. Instead, in the Quran, he says:

That is it. No complaint. He didn't argue. He didn't say why. But he showed patience and gratitude, and Allah then replaced him with better than he had before he became ill.

Yusuf (عليه السلام) — For Those With Family Difficulties

For those of us who are finding difficulties between us and our family members, who have members of a family who show enmity to you, my brothers and sisters, I say: read about the life of Yusuf عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ. Because of his brothers, he was separated from his father and mother for years — years, my brothers and sisters. From childhood, a couple of weeks? No — years. He didn't see them again until he was an adult.

But what was his reaction at the end of Surah Yusuf? What does Yusuf عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ say in response to what had happened? He says:

Shaytan came between me and my brothers. Now this saying indicates that he takes a part of the blame himself. He's saying: maybe I had something in it — there was something that I did wrong. He doesn't blame his brothers — even though the full blame is on the brothers. He didn't do anything wrong, and yet he is also blaming himself. He says: Shaytan came in between me and my brothers.

This is how our prophets, those before us, dealt with these types of trials and tribulations that came before them.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — The Greatest Example

And what better example is there than Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ? We could spend hours going through the difficulties and the trials that he suffered. But I'll give you a few examples.

His father passed away before he was even born. And so for those of us whose fathers have passed away, look at how Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ dealt with it. Rasulullah knows how you feel. For those of us whose mothers have passed away, Rasulullah's صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ own mother passed away when he was still a child. And so Rasulullah has gone through the same as you.

For those of us who have seen a child of theirs pass away — for you I say: Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ saw six of his children die. There is nothing more difficult for a parent than to see their own children die — for their child to pass away before they do. Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ saw six of his children pass away, and some of them at a very young age. And so for you I say, my brother and my sister: find peace, harmony, and solace in looking at how Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ dealt with such a trial.

And for those of you who have family members who have distanced themselves from you, disowned you for whatever reason — to you I say: Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was forced to leave his city. His own tribe disowned him. But how did Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ react to this? At Fath Makkah, when he came back to conquer Makkah, what did he do? Did he take revenge? No. Some narrations mention that he said: "Go, because you are the freed ones." He forgave them — even though they threw him out of his own birth city where he was born, they threw him out and they disowned him. But yet when he came back and now had the power to take revenge, he said: "I forgive you."

Closing

There are many examples, my brothers and sisters, that we can mention from the life of Rasulullah and from the lives of the prophets before him. But know, my dear brother and my dear sister, that there are always people out there who are suffering more than we are. And we have mentioned the virtues of showing patience and gratitude to Allah.

We ask Allah to forgive us all for our shortcomings and grant us patience and reward. And we ask Allah to forgive us all for our shortcomings and grant us patience and reward.