The Power of Conviction | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed | Friday Khutbah

The Power of Conviction

My dear brothers, sisters, elders, and youngsters, one of the most elusive concepts and outcomes in life is the outcome and the intended goal of finding conviction. When a person lacks in conviction, they lack in commitment. There is no istiqamah without yaqeen.

There is no commitment to any aspect of life — as trivial or as mundane as it may be — without having a form of conviction. People are unable to choose a career path without conviction. They're unable to choose a spouse without conviction. They're unable to choose which house or car to purchase without conviction. Because without conviction, there is no commitment.

But dear friends, how would it be possible — if we recognize that these mundane, trivial commitments in life are difficult to make, become challenging, and even at times become burdensome to make without clarity and conviction — then I ask you and myself: how would it be possible for a person to make their commitments to Allah? For one to make their commitments to their deen through their children, through their talent, through their wealth, through their life without conviction?

This concept that is put on a pedestal for believers — to recognize and intend to bring into their life and make it a part of their day-to-day life — that my life, my day, my movements, my wealth, everything that I own belongs to Allah. To the extent that even when a person leaves from this world, we say:

For Allah is what He gives, and for Allah is what He takes.

Conviction is the Root of Commitment

How are the people of Gaza so committed and continue to be committed? Commitment is only a by-product of conviction. When a person lacks in conviction, they lack in commitment. When a person lacks in their conviction that my Salat is what solves my problems, they will lack in their commitment to Salat. When a person lacks in their conviction that charity purifies wealth, they will lack in their conviction to commit to it.

This is the name of the game. Anywhere where we struggle in life — within the aspects of our deen or outside of it, in aspects of our dunya — it's because there's a lack of conviction. And confusion and a lack of clarity can be paralyzing. That a person becomes... it becomes difficult to make the simplest decisions. And when it becomes difficult to make the simplest decisions, we seek clarity from outside. But the reality is that I'm unable to commit because I don't have conviction in that which I'm pursuing.

My dear friends, the Sahaba, radiallahu anhum ajma'een, were people that were struggling with life before Islam came. They struggled to know which decisions to make and how to make their decisions. Because the reality of life is there is no possible pathway — there is no possible pathway of conviction without having Allah in our life.

Every other fasad, every other trend and fad is simply a form of deterring us from recognizing what brings conviction. Beyond the aspect of Allah's presence — which is the ultimate truth — every other attempt is simply a form of deterrence. It's simply a form of taking us away and moving us away from the ultimate truth.

Before Islam, these individuals were not seen to be of value. These individuals could hardly survive in their own difficulty and trauma. These are people who would bury their daughters. These are people who would steal from the wealth of orphans. These are people who the Persians and the Romans would say, "They're not worth exhausting our resources upon because they will give us nothing in return."

The shift didn't take place because conviction came through wealth. The shift did not take place because conviction came through education, though there are factors to be recognized. Conviction came because:

Conviction came because Allah gave them the Quran. Conviction came because Allah gave them the life of the Prophet ﷺ, which meant that whatever he taught us to do, I have yaqeen that there is goodness in this for me.

How Yaqeen is Built

Children search for conviction through their senses. Adults search for conviction through their logic. As we grow, knowledge is what provides conviction. When individuals begin their journey to Allah, they will ask: Can I see the truth? Can I see Allah, as the people of Bani Israel said? I want to see Jannah so I can sacrifice for it. If the prerequisite of conviction was sight, there will be no one sitting here that has yaqeen.

The condition for yaqeen was never seeing it. The condition for yaqeen was having belief simply by receiving the knowledge that Allah gave us. Therefore, wahi was empowering. It was powerful because it gave yaqeen.

The Story of Harithah

The Prophet ﷺ came to a man by the name of Harithah and he said:

"How did you wake up today, O Harithah?"

All of us today are sitting here — we all woke up today. May Allah give us all long healthy lives, and our families and children. But when we wake up in the morning, the Prophet ﷺ is asking — after Fajr prayer — "How did you wake up today?" And Harithah understood that the Prophet ﷺ wasn't asking him about his physical being, but about the most important aspect of his life. He recognized it. He said:

He said, "Ya Rasulullah, I woke up as a true believer. I have complete yaqeen in Allah. I have complete belief in Allah. And my iman is strong. I know who I am."

The morning affirmations teach us not to be confused about life. And in this country — all across the world — confusion has become the natural response of every decision, of every question that made us doubt the purpose of life, which is the clearest answer.

The clearest answer is that the pursuit of life is Allah's rida — the pleasure of Allah — whether it is in moments of ease or discomfort, whether we can see the effect or we can't see the effect.

Obedience creates conviction. When a person commits to obedience, they find yaqeen.

There is no yaqeen by philosophy. There is no yaqeen by theory. The Sahaba were not theorizing iman in Mecca. When they would ask the companions, "What did you do in the 10 years of Mecca where there was no salah, there was no zakat, there was no siyam, there was no physical display of being a Muslim?" They would say:

"We learnt what conviction was. We learnt what iman was."

Umar and the Conquest of Jerusalem

So when Umar رضي الله عنه is entering into Baitul Maqdis to conquer the lands of Quds at the hands of Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah رضي الله عنه — and the Christian generals and the leadership say that they will hand over the keys without any battle or any form of engagement, "This is your land" — and after Umar رضي الله عنه reaches the camps of the Muslims and the next day he is preparing to approach the Christian leadership, he is dressed in a simple way, the way that he chose to dress.

Being poor or being rich in itself is not virtuous. Poverty and wealth are simply a form of a test from Allah.

"A person who eats well but is grateful has the same rank as a person who is poor and is patient." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2486)

Our situations are not definitive to our outcomes. Our responses are. How do we respond to a moment of struggle? How do we respond to a moment of ease? Our situations are simply a test. But Umar chose to be simple. He was wearing clothes that had patches upon them. And Abu Ubaidah said:

"O Commander of the Believers, if I'm not overstepping, would it be possible for you to change your clothes?"

Would it be possible for us to change the way we pronounce your name? At home, you're Muhammad. But was it okay if at work we call you Mo? How could there be dishonor in the name of the beloved? How could there be humiliation in the name of the Sahaba? How could there be a lack of privilege and reverence in the identity of being a Muhammadi ﷺ?

The poet says: We have not praised the Prophet by honoring him and by naming our children after him. Naming our children after the Prophet ﷺ is a form of me saying to Allah that I want my lifestyle to be that of a Muhammadi. I want my family's life — I have conviction — that raising a child with the qualities and the pursuit of the Sahaba's characteristics, there is conviction in there. So there is an intended goal of success. Where there is conviction, there is commitment. Where there is commitment, there is success.

Without conviction, there is no commitment. And without commitment, there is frivolousness. There is flippantness. We just move with the trends and fads of time.

So he says, "Is it okay if you change your clothes? Would it be okay if you pray but you don't pray in front of people? Would it be okay if you just shift the way you hold your identity to the point that we can't recognize you — because we don't want you to be recognizable." Falsehood and batil is so insecure that the slightest presence of the truth makes them feel vulnerable. Like the person lying and cheating in their exam — though they're getting good grades — they are:

They're so vulnerable that the slightest approach of the truth will make them feel weak.

The Yaqeen of Bilal

How is it so that the whispers of Bilal saying "Ahad" made the mountains of Makkah shake? Whispers! The man is being persecuted and belted and tortured — they say that to hear him say "Ahad", we would have to bend down and listen to him. It wasn't a loud protest. It wasn't a presence of Bilal. It was a presence of his yaqeen — Ahad. So soft, yet so powerful. Because decisions in the courts of Allah are not made by being loud. Loudness is not synonymous to being heard. And silence is not synonymous to weakness. We simply speak to Allah. A soft "Ahad" — but the entire leadership of Makkah is shook.

Because falsehood is always going to be insecure from the presence of the truth. We don't need to be as loud as them and have the same numbers as them. We simply need to have conviction. Because people who stand on falsehood will never have conviction. How can they? Having conviction in something which is built upon a fallacy is the ultimate failure. And lacking conviction upon the premise of the truth is also a failure.

Umar's Response: Honour Through Islam

And he responded to Abu Ubaidah by saying:

"We were the lowest of people, and Allah gave us honour through Islam." (Mustadrak al-Hakim, Hadith 207)

"Hey my brother, we know who we are."

We know who we are. Our strength is not because of who we are. Our strength is because we have Al-Qawiyy on our side. Our trust that comes through Allah is what propels us. The delusion of me being a source of goodness in the world is a fallacy. Allah uses us not because of who we are — despite our flaws.

"O Allah, do not deprive us of the good that is with You on account of the evil that is within us." — a du'a of Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه.

He says: "We were the lowest of people. We had nothing going for us." People claim that bringing Allah or the Prophet's sunnah into their home will limit their children's potential. I ask myself and yourself — where is my yaqeen? People of Gaza will not leave their homes because they have yaqeen that Allah has Jannah waiting for them. And we are unable to leave frivolous things for our families and children. We're unable to leave them because our yaqeen is still not built.

We're fortunate that we're able to build our yaqeen on the backs of the people of Gaza. Otherwise, we would have had to build our yaqeen upon the stories of the Sahaba. But we see living Sahaba in front of us who have similar yaqeen. Building yaqeen is the goal of the father and the mother for their children and family. And one cannot give that which they do not possess.

There was yaqeen that the lifestyle of the Prophet ﷺ was going to give success. There was yaqeen that avoiding haram was the right thing. There was yaqeen that before I even take medicine, I will call to Allah:

We speak about the importance of prayer — but what is prayer without conviction? We speak about the importance of reading Quran — but what is Quran without conviction? When Allah begins Surah Al-Baqarah, He speaks about all the physical forms of worship. These are people who pray. These are people who give zakat. These are people who recite the Quran. But ultimately, He concludes that entire discussion by saying:

These are people who have conviction in Allah. And through that conviction, they're able to continue worshipping Allah.

How Did You Wake Up Today?

We ask ourselves — how did we wake up today? Did I wake up hoping that the world was on my side, or did I wake up hoping that Allah is still on my side?

Which of these qualities will I embody today? Which of these characteristics will I teach my children to live with today?

Yaqeen is when a father and a mother — their children missed their prayer in the morning — yaqeen is to tell them that without your prayer, you cannot succeed in school. Yaqeen is telling ourselves that the pleasure of my boss and employer cannot substitute the rida of Allah. That's yaqeen.

Ibrahim عليه السلام recognized that "I placed this knife that is sharp on the neck of my child, but I have yaqeen — that even in this, there is a pleasure of Allah. There is success. There is success because the obedience of Allah is there."

Harithah's Proof of Conviction

He said, "I woke up having true belief." The Prophet ﷺ said to him:

"Verily every statement of truth has a proof — so what is the proof of your iman?" (Bayhaqi, Shu'ab al-Iman; also referenced in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir of al-Tabarani)

It's very easy to say that I woke up with conviction. What is some proof that you have? A very heavy question — the Prophet ﷺ is questioning him. He said:

"O Prophet of Allah, my soul has turned away from the dunya, I have kept my nights awake, I have kept my days in thirst, and it is as if I can see the Throne of my Lord, and as if I can see the people of Jannah visiting one another, and as if I can see the people of the Fire crying out." (al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, al-Tabarani; also cited in Bayhaqi's Shu'ab al-Iman)

He said: "O Prophet of Allah, my entire life is in Allah's obedience. My nights have become similar to the nights of the people who love Allah. My days have become similar to those who believe in Allah. And I live my life as if I can see Jannah in front of me and Jahannam hurling behind me. So every decision that I make is with Jannah in front of me and Jahannam behind me."

Ali رضي الله عنه used to say that if today he were able to see Jannah and Jahannam, it would make no difference. Because his conviction in it was so powerful and so cemented, that seeing it or not seeing it wouldn't change the reality for him. He knew that it exists. It's in front of him.

Umair ibn Hammam at the Battle of Badr

There was a companion by the name of Umair ibn Hammam رضي الله عنه at the Battle of Badr. The Prophet of Allah is encouraging the Sahaba to sacrifice, and he mentions that in front of them — though there is a battlefield — there is Jannah:

There is conviction that there is Jannah ahead. We see a grave — but there is conviction that for a believer beneath, if we were to flip the grave, we would see a garden of Jannah. There is conviction there. And because of that, we commit to Allah.

This ayah was revealed to teach the companions about yaqeen — that even death isn't as real as we think it is. It is simply a transition. That every aspect of this person's soul continues to rise or decline. Though their body is resting, their soul is ascending.

So the young companion is hearing the Prophet ﷺ speak about Jannah. And he is holding dates in his hands. He says, "Ya Rasulullah, a Jannah that is 10 times the size of this world — how is that possible?" The Prophet ﷺ says, "There is a Jannah waiting for us." And he holds these dates and puts them aside. He says:

"I don't need these dates for now." And he enters the battlefield and becomes shaheed — because there was yaqeen in this. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1901)

Bilal's Final Moments

When Bilal رضي الله عنه was leaving this world — he was the Prophet's ﷺ companion throughout the time in Mecca. The Prophet's ﷺ source of comfort:

"Bring us comfort, O Bilal."

At the end of his life in Sham, he is about to pass away and his wife says to him, "What a day of grief! What a day of sorrow!" And he says:

"What a day of joy! What a day of excitement! Tomorrow I finally get to greet my companions again. Tomorrow I finally get to drink from the water of Hawd al-Kawthar. Tomorrow I finally get to feel the palms of the Prophet ﷺ upon my hands and his warmth against me."

Conviction Comes from Obedience

Conviction comes from obedience. And through conviction, there is commitment. As believers, wherever we lack in commitment — as all of us do, every one of us — it is simply a by-product of not building conviction. The Prophet ﷺ spent his entire 23 years pursuing and teaching the Sahaba how to have conviction. Therefore, when he left this world, there was no fear that they would not be committed.

When Abu Jahl came to Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه and said to him, "Would you believe that there is a man who can travel in a portion of a night to Baitul Maqdis, go meet Allah, come back, and still return in a small portion of that night? Would you believe in this person, or would you say that something is wrong with him?"

Conviction does not need sight. It needs trust and obedience. He says:

"If he said it, then he has spoken the truth." (Sirah Ibn Hisham; referenced in al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah of Ibn Kathir)

We don't need to test whether or not Salat works — it works. We don't need to test whether or not the Prophet ﷺ brings compassion — it brings compassion.

Allah brings compassion. Allah brings intimacy. Allah brings growth. All of this is a by-product of conviction.

The Story of Fatimah and the Five Du'as

One day — and I'll end with this story — Fatimah رضي الله عنها comes to the Prophet ﷺ and she is struggling. Her hands have become torn up because of the chores and the household responsibilities. She comes and says:

"Ya Rasulullah, give me some support. I need some help. I can't manage. This is too much. And you have the means to support me."

In one narration, he tells her: "O Fatimah, I can give you the support that you want — the maids and the servants. Or I can provide to you statements that if you were to use them, you will never find fatigue to be a part of your life." This requires conviction.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Call upon Allah while you are certain of being answered." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3479)

That the condition of a du'a being answered is that a person — before he drops his hands, while the tears are still rolling down their cheeks — believes that Allah accepted their du'a. It comes from conviction.

She said, "Ya Rasulullah, give me the statements that will benefit my akhira as well." And the Prophet ﷺ taught her:

He said: "O Fatimah, whenever you call upon Allah with these five beautiful comprehensive calls, any du'a that you make, Allah will accept it." She said, "Ya Rasulullah, I don't need any support because I have these statements."

Closing: The Goal of Shaytan and the Goal of Allah

My dear brothers and sisters, the ultimate goal of everything in this world is to take away from our conviction — to take away from our yaqeen. Shaytan's goal is to simply create doubt. And Allah's goal is to remind us that every aspect of this religion leads towards the truth. And no aspect of it — as difficult as it may be — takes us away from the truth of al-Haqq, which brings conviction, which allows people to be committed.

Hence, people make sacrifices for dunya because they have conviction in dunya. Similarly, people make sacrifices for Allah because they have conviction in the promise of Allah.

May Allah make us amongst those people that we have clarity. With clarity, we have commitment. And through that commitment, we're able to live a life that till our last breath, we are obeying Allah's commandments in the life of the Prophet ﷺ.