Build Your Resolve & Courage - Shaykh Ahsan Hanif

Khutbah al-Ula: Build Your Resolve & Courage

Amma ba'd: Indeed the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, and the worst of affairs are newly-invented matters, and every newly-invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

The Reality We Face

We live in increasingly complex times where we face challenges that are not only becoming greater and bigger but that they are changing rapidly as well. It is part and parcel of our lives now to know that we as Muslims and our religion Islam is under the microscope. These events that took place last week in Las Vegas are an example of that.

The way that the media portrays an incident when a Muslim is involved and when a non-Muslim is involved — when Islam comes into the equation and a Muslim is involved, the reaction around that incident — and both of them are equally wrong when there is violence and injustice being involved — but the way that the reaction is, is far different. There is a reality that we have to face.

The rise of Islamophobia within our communities, within our countries, within our societies, it is something that all of us have to contend with. With all of this backdrop and all of this going on, it is increasingly important for all of us — each and every single person sitting in this masjid and listening to this khutbah — that we know how to build our resolve and our courage. We know how to have that determination and steadfastness that we need as Muslims in order to fulfill the command of Allah.

When He said, addressing each and every single one of us in the Quran:

O you who believe, save yourselves and your families from the Fire. That is our role as a father, as a mother, as a husband, as a wife, as a son, as a daughter, as a brother and a sister. It is our role and one of our first priorities in this life that Allah has placed upon our shoulders — that we, together within our families and our family units, are able to support one another to save ourselves and our families from the Fire of Hell.

But in order to fulfill that commandment, in order to be able to do and reach that milestone, we need to know how to build our resolve. Because in times of trial, in times of difficulty, in times of challenge, those people who don't have strong resolve, who don't have their feet firmly planted in the ground, they don't have steadfastness amongst them — and no doubt that is from Allah first and foremost and then through our own efforts. But those people that don't have that, you find that they are people who wobble, people who are shaken, people who just go whichever way they're pulled or they're pushed.

The Froth of the Ocean

And that is why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said to us — he foretold from the signs of Yawm al-Qiyamah — that we will suffer these trials and these challenges, and they will be big challenges, major issues that we will have to contend with. The companions who heard the hadith, who listened and heard that narration firsthand, they said: "O Messenger of Allah, is it because the Muslims of that time and that place will be few in number? Is it because they are the minority?" The Prophet said: "They will be many in number. Over a billion strong across the world, one-sixth or one-fifth of the planet."

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4297)

"They will be many in number. But they will be like the froth of the ocean and the sea." The froth of the ocean is when you have the waves and you see those bubbles at the top — that's the froth of the ocean. It is where the seaweed is taken right and left, back and forth, wherever the current pushes and pulls it. And that's how the vast majority of us have become. There's a challenge, there's a trial, there's an issue that we have to face and we don't know which way to go. We don't know how to respond, because we didn't take the time and put in the effort to build our resolve and our iman.

The Ulul 'Azm — Messengers of Strong Resolve

Allah in the Quran gives the example of many prophets and many messengers. Many of them — some of them — their stories are mentioned explicitly and many of them we don't know by name. "We have sent before you, O Messenger of Allah, many prophets and many messengers. Some of them, their stories have been narrated to you and others, their stories have not been narrated to you." Allah gives us those stories — those that are mentioned and narrated in the Quran — so that we can take lessons from them. We can learn and benefit from them. We take them as our role models, because one thing that all of them had in common was that all of them suffered trials and tribulations. All of them went through challenges. All of them had to navigate through this dunya.

And from amongst all of those prophets and messengers, Allah selected five and called them the Ulul 'Azm — the messengers and prophets of high resolve and determination. Allah calls them people of resolve. Those five are our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the prophets Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, and 'Isa عليهم الصلاة والسلام.

Allah says, instructing the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the Muslim community at large:

Be patient as those messengers of strong resolve were patient. Follow their footsteps. Be like them.

How Do We Build Our Resolve?

So how do we build our resolve? How do we take that courage, that strength, that sense of strong iman so that when those trials — and we're facing them on a daily basis, and it's not just at that major overview level of the problems that we face as a Muslim ummah, but even as individuals within our families, with our parents, with our children, with our spouses, with our friends, within our communities and our families, with our neighbors, with our money and our health — all of these issues are trials. They are problems that we have to face head on. But how do you build that resolve?

Allah in Surah Ali 'Imran, verse 186, when He speaks about the context of the battles of Badr and Uhud — those challenges that the early Muslims faced in those early years of Islam, the difficulties, the trials, the tribulations — when we compare our situation and put it into perspective and compare it to what they went through in the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, our sacrifices and our issues seem to pale into insignificance. They're nothing in comparison. And may Allah keep it that way and keep us safe. May Allah protect us and our families and our communities. And that's why they are examples. That's why Allah chose them to be the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — because they would be tested.

So Allah, when He instructs that community of Muslims — and by extension me and you as people who will take them as role models — Allah gives us two things that we need in order to build that resolve and that courage, to have that sense of thabat, of being firm and steadfast upon our religion by the permission of Allah. Allah says in the conclusion of that verse 186:

And if you have patience and you have piety, then indeed that is from the 'azm of all affairs. That is how you build your resolve. The Ulul 'Azm — this is how you get the 'azm. This is how you build that resolve, that courage, that determination — by having patience and by having piety.

The First Element: Patience (Sabr)

Allah brings forward patience before He does piety. He gives preference and mentions patience first and then He mentions piety, because you need to know how to be patient in times of trial. When trials come, you need to know how to exercise patience. That's the first rule of a trial — that you don't just react because something has come to you. You're not trigger happy. You're not someone who acts before they think. You're not someone who makes a decision before they go back and place it against the text of the Quran and the Sunnah: Is it something which Allah wants and loves and is pleased with, or is it something which Allah will be displeased with? You need to have patience.

When those Muslims used to come to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in the early Meccan days and they were suffering persecution and torture — they were being split from their families, their wealth and their property and their possessions were being taken from them unjustly, they were being tortured physically, in pain, some of them were being killed unjustly — they would come to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, as is collected in Sahih al-Bukhari, in the hadith of Khabbab ibn al-Aratt رضي الله عنه.

When they came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم whilst he was leaning in the shade of the Ka'bah and they said: "O Messenger of Allah, would you not make du'a for us? Would you not seek Allah's help and assistance for us? You know what we're going through. You know the challenges that we're facing. You know the persecution that we're suffering. Why don't you ask Allah to help us?" The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم sat up and he said to them: "Indeed, from those who came before you, a hole would be dug and a man would be placed in that hole and a saw would be brought and he would be sawn in half, but still he wouldn't leave his religion. And from those people who came before you, a man would be brought and a metal comb would be taken and his skin and flesh would be raked from his bones, but still that wouldn't make him leave his religion. But you are a people who are hasty."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3852)

You need to exercise patience. You need to have that sense of patience. Allah tells us in the Quran:

Do the people think that they will simply make the claim of iman — they will say "we believe" — and then they will be left without being tried and tested? And of a surety We tested and tried those who came before them, so that Allah would make known those who are truthful and those who are untruthful. Every single person is tested, and their tests were greater, and their trials were far more than what we are experiencing within our lives and within our current situation.

Allah describes them and He says they would be afflicted with trial and with calamity and with affliction, and they would be shaken to their core. This isn't a small issue that they were dealing with. It wasn't just something that they would be able to pass by if they let time just go. It is something that would shake them to the core. Zulzila is the same word in the Arabic language that is used for earthquakes — to show you the gravity, to give you the imagery of how difficult it is.

And that's what exactly Allah says in verse 186 of Surah Ali 'Imran. He tells us to have patience and piety. But if you look at the beginning of the verse, Allah lays out this fact as bare as daylight:

Of a surety you will be tested in your lives and in your wealth. You will be tested. It is a part of your religion that you are tested, and the result — the way that you react to that test, the way that you deal with that test — that is what Allah wants to see. How you deal with these issues and with these problems.

You have people, when a test comes to them, because their resolve is already so weak, because their foundation is so fragile, because they are so volatile — they go from one extreme to another and they have no sense of balance. They have no sense of perspective. They don't know how to ground themselves because they haven't taken that time and put in that effort to do the homework. The homework is the piety that Allah will mention and we will speak about shortly.

Allah says of a surety you will be tested and you will be tried. And if anyone were to have been saved from tests and trials and affliction and calamity and problems, it would have been the prophets and messengers of Allah عليهم الصلاة والسلام. It would have been our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. But he lost wives and he lost children and he lost close family members. He had problems with his community and had issues that he had to deal with amongst the Muslims. There were hypocrites in Medina, and so on and so forth. And then he was waging battles and wars against the enemies of Islam. All of this whilst he's a father, whilst he's a husband, whilst he's a friend, whilst he's the imam of the community, whilst he's giving the khutbahs on Friday, whilst he's doing every single other thing that he needs to do عليه الصلاة والسلام.

Indeed, you will be tested in your wealth and in your families, in your lives. And the second thing is: not only will you be tested, but sometimes you will be harmed as well. Part of that test and part of the process of going through trial is that sometimes you're harmed. Sometimes you come out unscathed by the permission of Allah through His mercy and blessings, but sometimes you're harmed. And indeed you will hear from those who were given the scriptures before you and from those who disbelieve much harm, much evil.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, as we know, used to walk in the streets of Mecca and they would ridicule and mock him. They would call him names — that he was a magician and a sorcerer, that he was crazy or a madman, that he was a poet, and so on and so forth. And not only would they call him names, but then Allah would reveal verses of the Quran that would be recited in the salah, that the Muslims and the companions would recite as they're reading the Quran — verses that take those statements and place them therein. "They call you, O Messenger of Allah, crazy. They say about you that you're a poet. They say that you're a madman." So not only does the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم hear this on the streets of Mecca from his enemies, it is also mentioned within the Quran itself.

You will hear much harm. You will hear much evil. The things that they used to say about the Muslims, the things that they used to say about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم during his lifetime and after his lifetime — throughout the generations of Islam until today — there is much harm. And if that is how the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is being treated, then what about me and you?

In the early days of Medina, as is collected in al-Bukhari, in the hadith of Usama ibn Zayd رضي الله عنهما — when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would go to the different groups of people as they were sitting in their majalis and in their gatherings, he would go to them to speak to them about Islam, to teach them about their religion. He would take the initiative صلى الله عليه وسلم and he would go to those people. But the hypocrites, when he would come to them, they would say: "O Muhammad, this is something which is good. But why do you come to us? You're bringing the dust with you" — because he would ride on a camel or on a donkey, and the dust that would come from the hooves of his animal — they would say: "Why do you bring dust? You're disturbing our majlis. You're making dust. You're causing issues. Why don't you go back to your place and when we need you, you are welcome." And this would upset the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He's coming to teach them about their religion. He's coming to guide them to Allah. And this was the response that he would receive.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6254)

You will hear much harm. And that is when Allah then says: "But if you have patience and you have piety, you fear Allah, then indeed that is from the greatest of affairs." That you have patience and that you have piety. That you're conscious of Allah. That the way that you respond in those challenges and in those trials — in those times of calamity, and yes, in those times of ease as well — it is in accordance with what is pleasing to Allah. You've already done that homework. You've already taken the time to learn about what pleases Allah. So that when the time of calamity strikes, you know how to deal with it.

When the time of calamity comes, it is too late, my dear brothers and sisters, to try to learn what to do. It is too late for you to try to protect yourselves and your families. And this is unfortunately something which has become all too common in our times — that we don't really spend enough time learning about our religion. We haven't learned how to give our own families and our own children that tarbiyah, that upbringing, that nurturing that they require in order to give them a firm footing as well. So that when those issues and when those trials come, our families will emulate the families of the companions — that even though they were shaken to the core, they were still able to stand firm and upright, because by the blessings of Allah, Allah gave them thabat — He made them firm upon their belief and their iman.

The Second Element: Piety (Taqwa)

So when you have taqwa of Allah, when you fear Allah, when you know that your lifespan is limited, that your days are few in number, that you will stand before Allah and Allah will hold you to account for every single action and every single word that came from you — that gives you resolve. It gives you determination and courage. It tells you that even though, yes, you're going through trials and difficulty, perhaps you're suffering harm and a great amount of harm — it is limited and it is not the final picture. It is a temporary phase. And Allah, for every single small amount of harm that comes to you, as our Prophet told us صلى الله عليه وسلم, even a thorn that pricks you, Allah will expiate your sins. But you have to have that resolve. You have to have that patience and that piety. That combination is important and crucial in order for that result to take place.

Every Soul Shall Taste Death

In the verse before — verses 185 — Allah tells us:

Every single soul shall taste death — old and young, male and female, rich and poor, Muslim and non-Muslim, every single living, breathing thing will taste death. And then you will be given your full recompense, your full dues on the Day of Judgment. That is when Allah will look at your deeds and your actions, the way that you reacted, the way that you interacted, the way that you dealt with these issues and these trials, and Allah will give you your full compensation. So whosoever is drawn back from the Fire and is entered into Paradise, then they have indeed attained victory. They are the successful.

And Allah mentions both because both are great blessings of Allah — not only do you enter into Jannah, but you are taken away from the Fire. Both of them are great blessings and great rewards from Allah. And the life of this world is nothing except for mere jest and play.

Our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, in what is authentically established from him, passed by a grave with some of his companions and said to them: "Who is the person in this grave?" So they told him: "So-and-so, the son of so-and-so." The Prophet said صلى الله عليه وسلم: "By Allah, two rak'ahs are more beloved to him right now than everything else in this life and in this world." If he could just come back and pray two rak'ahs. In another narration he said صلى الله عليه وسلم: "Two rak'ahs that me and you will think to be nothing, insignificant — they are fast, they're not even long, they're two quick short rak'ahs — to pray those two is more beloved to him than everything else in this world." Because this is what will count and this is what will matter.

So when we have our families and we come together with that vision and that goal of saving ourselves and our families from the Fire, and we come together and learn to build our resolve so that when we have these issues and problems that we're facing, these trials and these challenges that we're encountering, we're able to come together to support one another. We're able to come together to help one another. We're able to remind and advise one another. We have built within ourselves that combination, that formula of taqwa and sabr — of patience and piety — so that we are able, insha'Allah, by the permission of Allah, to be steadfast in those times of trial.

And that is why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, from the most common and frequent du'as that he used to make — even though he's the Messenger of Allah, and even though Allah had already given him that divine protection and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had that thabat and that firmness from Allah — as a lesson for me and you to teach us, one of his most common du'as was:

O the One who makes the hearts firm, make our hearts firm upon Your religion.

We ask Allah to give us thabat, to make us and our families firm upon this religion, and to protect us and our families from the traps of Shaytan, and to help us to navigate through the trials that we face and the challenges that we encounter.

Khutbah al-Thaniyah: The Example of the Companions

When we look at the lives of the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم رضي الله عنهم أجمعين — and I don't mean just them as individuals, Abu Bakr as an individual, 'Umar as an individual, 'Uthman and 'Ali as individuals — but I mean them as family units: Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه with his children, 'Ali رضي الله عنه with his family, the companions and their families, their spouses and their children — you see the way that they would come together at times of difficulty and trial.

When you look and you take an overview of the Seerah, those 23 years of prophethood, and you look at the challenges and the calamities and the difficulties that befell that early generation of Muslims, the companions رضي الله عنهم أجمعين — there were times when they lost battles and wars, there were times when their loved ones were killed and martyred, there were times when they were harmed and persecuted. Every single type of trial that you can imagine, someone within that community went through, someone within that community encountered. But the way that they would overcome them, the example that they give to us, the resolve and the determination that they would have — it is something which is a lesson for us.

I don't have the time to go through examples and go through the lives of those companions. But we need to be more proactive. We need to take the initiative. We need to take the reins in our hands and take out that time and effort to research ourselves. We can't always expect to be spoon-fed. We don't live in a time and we don't have the luxury to be able to go and have someone come and feed us everything. If you're not going to take that initiative for yourself and your family, then that is a problem that you will have to deal with ultimately.

Our Prophet told us صلى الله عليه وسلم:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 118)

Be hasty — perform your good deeds, hasten with good deeds — before trials come like the pitch darkness of the night. Meaning: there are no streetlights, there's no moonlight, there's no stars twinkling in the sky — it is pitch black dark. You can't see where you're going, you can't see where you're stepping, you can't see the pitfalls that are in front of you. That is the time that we live in, where it is difficult to know the difference between right and wrong unless you study and you learn and you equip yourself. You don't know which way you're going and which direction you're being pulled in.

The Prophet told us صلى الله عليه وسلم — he's foretelling us, this is a prophecy — a person will wake up as a believer and by the evening they will be a disbeliever, or they will be a believer in the evening and by the morning they will be a disbeliever. They will sell their religion for one of the worldly gains. Because when trials came to them, they didn't know how to react to those trials. They didn't know how to make themselves firm and steadfast. They didn't know what they were doing.

The Night the Prophet Woke in Fear

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, in the hadith of Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها, in what is collected in Sahih al-Bukhari — he was sleeping and he woke up in the night. He woke up and he was afraid, in a state of fear. And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 115)

"How many are the treasures that Allah has caused to descend upon the earth, and how many are the trials that have also come to the earth! Who will go and wake up my wives?" Who will wake them up — and why? So that they can pray during the night, the qiyam al-layl. "Perhaps a person is clothed in this life but they will be naked on the Day of Judgment." Perhaps in this life you enjoy the blessings of Allah, but you didn't use those blessings to come close to Allah. You didn't build your resolve and your courage and your determination with patience and with piety. So on the Day of Judgment you're naked. You don't have any good deeds. You have nothing to present before Allah.

A Collective Responsibility

You want to be someone who is able to keep yourself and your family safe from the Fire. These are important issues that we need to think about, that we need to plan from. There is a great responsibility upon our masajid, upon our Islamic centers and our mosques, upon our imams, upon our religious leaders. But there is also a great responsibility upon each and every single one of us as Muslims as well — as parents, as elders and as youngsters, as a community. Until we come together and we face these challenges and support one another, it is something which will make this whole community — or all communities — shake from their very foundation.

We ask Allah that He makes our affairs easy for us, and that Allah protects us from every single type of evil trial, and that Allah gives us patience and piety, and that Allah allows us to see the truth for what it is and falsehood for what it is, and He enables us and guides us to what is good for us in this life and the next.