What is True Strength & Honour? - Shaykh Ahsan Hanif

What is True Strength & Honour?

What is the meaning of strength and power and might and honor? In what is collected in Sahih al-Bukhari and the hadith of Zaid ibn Arqam, he brings to our attention a story, an incident that took place in the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, that deals with this issue. What is strength? How do we define strength and power, honor and might, izzah in the Arabic language?

The Incident of Abdullah ibn Ubayy

He says that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was returning from a battle with his army of companions, رضي الله عنهم أجمعين. And amongst those companions and within that army were also some of the hypocrites, the munafiqun of Medina. Some of the scholars said that this incident took place after the battle of Banu Mustaliq, which took place in the sixth year of the Hijrah. They were returning from the battle and they were going back towards Medina. And two people had a dispute — two men within the army had a dispute with one another.

And that dispute was brought to the attention of the leader of the hypocrites of Medina, a man by the name of Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul — a man who was a hypocrite. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم knew that this man was a hypocrite. He knew that his followers and his supporters were hypocrites. And Allah عز وجل had told him that they were hypocrites in the Quran.

This issue was brought to his attention and he said two things, made two statements. The first of them was:

"Don't spend on these Muslims. Don't support these Muslims." Or rather, "Don't give your money to the Messenger of Allah until all of these people abandon him." Don't spend on these people until they leave the Prophet of Allah. Don't support them anymore. These were people — Muslims for the majority, or in many cases the Muhajirun who migrated from Mecca to Medina. They were penniless. They had nothing, no possessions, no wealth, no homes. "We gave them shelter. We gave them refuge. We took them and we gave them asylum. Don't give them anything more until they leave. Until they abandon the Prophet of Allah." That was the first statement.

And the second statement that he made:

"Once we get back to Medina — we're traveling, we're on our way — but once we reach Medina, the strong and the mighty will expel the weak. We'll kick them out of the city of Medina." And he's referring to himself, Abdullah ibn Ubayy, as being the mighty, and the Muslims and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم as being from amongst the weak.

Zaid ibn Arqam رضي الله عنه, the narrator of this hadith, said: "I heard this with my own two ears." But Zaid ibn Arqam is a young man, a young companion. So he said that he went to his uncle to tell him, so that his uncle could go to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and inform him of the words of the hypocrites. He told his uncle, his uncle went to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and told him: "O Messenger of Allah, this is what my nephew Zaid heard Abdullah ibn Ubayy say."

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم called Abdullah ibn Ubayy, and he called with him some of his friends that were with him. And he said: "This is what has come to my attention that you said concerning me and concerning the Muslims. So what is your response?" Abdullah ibn Ubayy, being a hypocrite, being someone who's not invested in Islam, doesn't believe in Allah, doesn't believe the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, said: "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I didn't say that." He took oaths by Allah, swore by Allah that he never said such a thing.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم knows that this man is a hypocrite, and he knows that Zaid is a Muslim, a believer, a companion. But the justice of Islam is that if someone comes to you and you have one word against the other and there are no witnesses, you can't just judge based upon one word over another without any additional evidence. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم let him go.

Some of the people said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم rejected Zaid — that he didn't consider him to be truthful, didn't accept his version of the story. Zaid ibn Arqam رضي الله عنه — and the hadith is in Sahih al-Bukhari — says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4902; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2772)

"I was overcome with grief and sorrow, the likes of which I've never experienced." I came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with something that I considered a pressing issue, and he didn't accept my version. Didn't do anything about it. Now the people are saying that he rejected me as a witness. He said that he went home and stayed there. Didn't come out. Overcome with grief and sorrow.

The Revelation of Surah al-Munafiqun

But Allah عز وجل revealed the 63rd chapter of the Quran, Surah al-Munafiqun, a whole chapter about the munafiqun, the hypocrites. And in verses 7 and 8, Allah عز وجل says:

"Those hypocrites — they're the ones who say, don't spend upon the Messenger of Allah until his followers leave him. But to Allah belongs the treasures of the heavens and the earth. But the hypocrites do not understand. They're the ones who say that when we return to the city of Medina, the strong from amongst us will expel the weak. But all might and honor and strength belongs to Allah, and it belongs to His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, and it belongs to the believers — but the hypocrites do not know."

Zaid ibn Arqam رضي الله عنه says that when these verses were revealed, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم came to him and recited them before him. And he said: "O Zaid, Allah has attested to your truthfulness."

The True Definition of Strength

This story and this incident, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, highlights this issue. What is strength? What is power? What is the reality of these words and these emotions and these feelings that all of us experience or want to experience? People have many different definitions, variations of what they consider to be might and strength and honor and power.

Some people think like the hypocrites of Medina, Abdullah ibn Ubayy. Why did he consider himself to be stronger than the companions and the Muslims? Because it's to do with number. Or it's to do with wealth. Or it's to do with the nobility of my lineage and my ancestry. Or it's to do with those other materialistic things. And that is the way that many of us consider the definition of strength and power to be. Who's got the most money? Who owns the most houses? Who drives the most cars? Who has the most friends? Who has the most followers? Who's the most popular? These are all variations of the same thing.

But what does Allah عز وجل tell us in the Quran? True power and strength and might belongs to Allah. In the religion of Allah, in the book of Allah, believing in Allah, loving Allah, fearing Allah عز وجل, trusting in Allah سبحانه وتعالى, believing the promises of Allah, in everything that Allah commands or He prohibits — that is where true strength and power lies. And that power and strength comes from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when you follow his sunnah, and you love him, and you emulate him in your character, and your dealings, and your interactions. That iman that you have from the love of Allah and the love of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — that's what makes you a mu'min, makes you a believer.

True strength and honor belongs to Allah, His Messenger, and to the believers.

The Prophet's Simple Life and True Honour

In the hadith of Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه, collected in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was at his home one day, and Anas ibn Malik was with him. He says that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was sleeping on the floor. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم didn't own a bed, didn't sleep on a king-size mattress — he slept on the floor. And he describes his mattress, and says that it was made from the fibers of the date palm tree. Rough to sleep on, uncomfortable. No mattress, no blanket, nothing.

A group of companions entered upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and amongst them was the noble companion Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم sat up in order to greet these companions and to speak with them. But as he got up, his side where he had been lying was exposed, and the companions saw — Umar saw — that the pattern of the mattress upon which he had been lying had meshed itself into his skin صلى الله عليه وسلم.

When Umar رضي الله عنه saw this, he began to cry. The Prophet said to him صلى الله عليه وسلم: "Why are you crying? What makes you cry?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah, the leaders of Persia and the leaders of the Byzantine Romans have all of their treasures and all of their pleasures in this life. And you are the Messenger of Allah, the greatest of Allah's creation, the most beloved of them to Him سبحانه وتعالى. And this is your situation."

The Prophet said صلى الله عليه وسلم: "Are you not pleased and happy that Allah only gave to them the life of this world, but He gave to us the life of the next?" So Umar رضي الله عنه said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah, that pleases me."

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is teaching his companions — and by extension me and you — that those so-called definitions of power and strength, those structures that we have within our society that define where strength is, where power is, who's strong, who's weak — that's not the definition of Islam. True strength and power isn't about the palaces that you live in, the houses that you have, the cars that you drive. If those people have no iman, no belief in Allah, no understanding of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, all of that might and power is irrelevant in the sight of Allah. Insignificant, means nothing.

But the poorest from amongst the Muslims who have that love for Allah and His Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, who believe in Allah, who strive by day and by night to worship and please Allah — even if it may be considered demeaning by other people. They consider it demeaning that our women wear a scarf, that men have a beard, that we pray five times a day. They may consider it to be demeaning, but within it is izzah. Within it is might and it is power. And it is that confidence, that iman, that strength of the heart that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم placed within his companions.

He showed them by example. He's telling Umar رضي الله عنه — that's not might, that's not power, that's not strength. True might and power and strength comes from Allah. And it only comes when Allah is pleased with you. Everything else is feeble. Everything else finishes. Everything else is finite and limited. Everything else will stop and it will cease to exist. But Allah's love, Allah's pleasure, Allah's mercy and forgiveness — that's something which you will benefit from long after you pass away and leave this world.

The Prophet Stands Firm Before Quraysh

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم showed us this by example. When you have that strong iman and confidence in belief in Allah and His Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, you can stand in front of all of creation. The whole world can gather before you and their power and their so-called strength will do nothing to faze you.

Didn't the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم stand by himself in front of all of the people of Mecca, all of Quraysh — and amongst them were his own family, his own kin, his own relatives, his own friends, his own neighbors, even his own uncle, Abu Talib? The people of Quraysh came to Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, the leader of Quraysh, a man who was honored and respected and revered amongst Quraysh. They gave him rank and honor because of his seniority in age and because of his family. They came to him and they said: "O Abu Talib, your nephew Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم has disregarded the path of our forefathers, and he has made our youngsters and our slaves turn against us, and he has criticized the gods that we worship. So either you stop him, or we will deal with you and him — both of you."

Abu Talib is a man who's respected amongst his people. These are not just people that live in the same city. They're not just people who he happens to see one day or another. These are his blood relatives. Quraysh is a family and he is one of their most honored leaders. So he called the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم after they had left, and he said: "O son of my brother, these are the leaders of your people. These are the honored leaders of our tribes, and they have all come to me with a single complaint — that you criticize our forefathers, our gods, and our youngsters are turning against us. So why don't you respond to some of that which they say? Listen to some of their feedback, take it on board."

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — the narration says — feared at this moment that Abu Talib, who was his public defender after Allah عز وجل, the only man who had the power and the ability to stand in front of Quraysh and protect the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — none of them, not Abu Bakr, not Umar — none of them had that ability. But Abu Talib, because of his position and his seniority, could do that and Quraysh would respect him. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم thought that now that he had made this statement and come to this point, even Abu Talib was going to turn his back.

Now was the time that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had to decide. Abu Talib is the man who had cared for him from childhood, looked after him, spent upon him, reared him as if he was his own son. He said:

"Ya 'Amm, O my uncle, if they were to place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand so that I leave this religion, I would never do so."

If they could bring the sun with its might and its strength and its power and make him hold it, and on the left the moon, he would still never leave this religion. And then the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم left, turned around and walked off. So Abu Talib called him back and he said: "Continue what you're doing, for as long as I live, they will never harm you."

That is izzah.

That is strength and power — to have the confidence of your convictions and your iman, such that even when all around you say otherwise. And I'm not just talking about the non-Muslims — sometimes even the Muslims, our own family members, when you start to practice this religion, or you leave off something that you know isn't from Islam, or practices and cultures that have come and crept in under the guise of Islam, and we stand up and we have the confidence to say: "No, that's not my religion. You're my father. You're my mother. You're my uncle. You're my grandfather. I respect you. You have your position. But when it comes to Islam —"

Honor, power, strength comes from Allah, belongs to Allah, His Messenger and to the believers.

Examples of Izzah from the Companions

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — all of the Quraysh were against him. Their leaders, their noblemen, their chieftains — all of them were his enemies. But that wouldn't stop the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم from practicing his religion where he needed to. He would go during the day to the Ka'bah, and he would pray and recite the Quran in front of them. And they're gathered there waiting, listening, amazed that this man has the audacity — despite being weak, alone, few in number — and even those few followers were mostly slaves, women, and children — that he has the courage to come and do this.

So one day they decided that they would take the entrails of a camel — akramakumullah — and place them on his back while he was in sajdah, in prostration. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه narrates this hadith and says: "I saw them do this with my own eyes before me, but I didn't have the strength to stop them." He couldn't get up and help. He's a Muslim, a believer, a companion. But that's how weak the Muslims were.

But the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم understood the meaning of izzah, knew where it came from. So they put those entrails on his back, and they were removed by his daughter, Fatimah رضي الله عنها. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم stood up, and he didn't just hurry away, didn't just put his head down and walk away. He went to those chieftains of Quraysh, and he named six of them — Abu Jahl, Utbah, Rabi'ah, Shaybah — and he said: "All of you — Allah will destroy you." Ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه says: "By Allah, I saw all of them die on the day of Badr. All of them." That du'a of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was answered.

But the point here is: look at that izzah.

This is what the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم embodied.

Bilal and the Meaning of True Strength

When Bilal رضي الله عنه became a Muslim — one of the earliest to openly profess their Islam — his master, Umayyah, would tie a rope around his neck and give it to the children of Makkah to drag him by the neck as if he were an animal and play with him in the streets of Makkah. And he couldn't do anything. But he would raise his voice, because he had iman and he understood that even though they were humiliating him in this way, true izzah — what does it mean to have true strength and power? He would raise his voice and he would say:

"There is only one God. There is only one God." And then Umayyah would take him into the middle of the desert at the height of noon, when the sun is at its strongest, at its peak. He would make him lie down upon the scorching ground, and then he would place a boulder on top of him. Some of the scholars, in their explanation of this incident, said that the desert sun in the middle of the day makes the ground so hot that if you were to crack an egg on it, it would fry. And they would place a boulder on top of him and tell him to leave his religion — being humiliated, tortured, persecuted. But all he would do is raise his voice:

"Only one God. There is only one God."

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud Recites the Quran Openly

The companions gathered together one day, and they said: "These people of Quraysh have yet to hear the Quran from one of us. No one from amongst us, the companions, has read the Quran out loud." Abdullah ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه stood up and said: "I will go before them and read the Quran." They said: "Not you, Abdullah — someone else." Why not you? "Because you're a weak man. You have no family in Makkah. You have no tribe to support you. You have no relatives that will rush to your aid when they start — and they will start to beat you and hurt you. Not you, someone else." He said: "I don't need anyone. I don't need family. I don't need a tribe. I don't need anyone."

He went to them and he started reciting:

He started reciting Surah ar-Rahman. The chieftains of Quraysh — the first couple of minutes, they were mesmerized. "What is this?" And then one of them said: "These are the words of that man Muhammad. He's teaching us, telling us, reciting to us the words of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم." So they stood up and they started to beat him and beat him and beat him, until he eventually managed to escape, bloodied and hurt. The companions said: "We told you. That's what would happen. We told you — don't go. This is what will happen." He said: "If you want, I'll go back tomorrow and do it again."

True honor, true might, true power — it comes from Allah. It belongs to Allah and to His Messenger and to the mu'mineen.

Mercy Is Not Weakness

So this is what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would teach his companions openly. And what we think sometimes to be weakness — those parts of our religion that other people, and not even other people, sometimes even we ourselves think to be weakness — mercy, gentleness, kindness. Sometimes we think that it is weakness. If you want to have strength and power, you want to be respected, you have to show that you're tough, that you don't let anyone get away with anything. And those arbitrary measurements of strength and power is what leads us to so many issues.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was the most aziz — the one who had the most strength from Allah's creation, the most honor from Allah's creation. But when it came to dealing with the elderly, with orphans, with widows, even with his enemies, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would show us the honor of Islam.

The Conquest of Makkah

And in the hadith in Sahih Muslim, when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم came for the conquest of Makkah, he said to the people of Quraysh:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 4544)

"Whosoever enters into the house of Abu Sufyan, he will be safe from me." His archenemy — a man who, from more or less the beginning of Islam, plotted by day and by night to kill the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and destroy this religion. But at this time, when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has power, when he is in charge, when the reins of authority are in his hands — whosoever enters into this man's house, he will be safe.

And then when the people of Quraysh gathered — all of their harm: how many hundreds of Muslims had they persecuted? How many Muslims had died because of them? How many were oppressed? How many lost their family members? How many were separated from their wealth? And now all of them are under the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. "What do you think I will do to you, O people of Quraysh? What do you think you deserve for all of these years of harm that you caused to us?" And he said: "You are our brother, a good noble brother, the son of our good noble brother."

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "I won't say anything more to you than what the Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام said to his brothers when they came back and acknowledged their mistakes:"

"Today, no revenge will be taken upon you."

To Allah, His Messenger and the believers — they are the ones who have izzah, strength and power and might. May Allah make us from amongst those people.

Second Part: Humility Before Allah Is True Strength

Might, strength, power belongs to Allah, His Messenger and the believers. Part of the meaning of that verse — part of the meaning of Allah عز وجل having strength — is that when you humble yourself before Allah, when you submit yourself before Allah. Many of us consider humbling ourselves before someone or something, or submitting ourselves before someone or something, to be the epitome of weakness. And that may be true. But when it comes to Allah, it is not true.

The Prophet told us صلى الله عليه وسلم, the meaning of which is:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 6264)

"Whoever humbles and submits themselves before Allah, Allah will honor them and raise them."

So when you know that by following this religion — when you respect your elders and your parents, and they may be saying something that isn't even correct, but you show them that respect and that honor not because they just happen to be your parents but because Allah عز وجل commanded you to do so — that is izzah, that is strength, that is power.

Imam Abu Hanifa and His Mother

Imam Abu Hanifa رحمه الله تعالى — one of the greatest scholars of Islam to have ever lived, one of the four Imams. Imam al-Shafi'i رحمه الله used to say that everyone is dependent upon Abu Hanifa after him — everyone is dependent upon his knowledge. One of the greatest scholars of Islam, and despite people from all across the world traveling to him to seek knowledge, to learn, to study, despite his position of knowledge and his status as a scholar being universally accepted amongst the Muslims, the rulers, and the other scholars — Imam Abu Hanifa رحمه الله had an elderly mother.

And when she would have a question that she wanted to ask — a fatwa, a ruling, an Islamic question — she would say to her son, the Imam: "Take me to so and so, I have a question." And that "so and so" was a storyteller — he would gather the people and tell them inspiring Islamic stories, but he wasn't a man of knowledge. He was just someone eloquent who would tell stories and the general folk would enjoy his stories.

"Take me to so and so, I want to ask him a question." And Imam Abu Hanifa رحمه الله would take his mother, hold her, and guide her towards this man, and sit there quietly and wait until she asked her question. And the storyteller would turn around and say: "Do you not know who your son is? Your son is the Imam Abu Hanifa — people from across the world come to him." And he would say to Abu Hanifa: "Why didn't you just answer her question?" And Abu Hanifa رحمه الله would say: "Because she didn't ask me. She told me to bring her to you, so that's what I did."

That is not weakness. That is not weakness. That is the epitome of izzah.

Allah عز وجل is the one who has all honor and might. And when you submit yourself before Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Allah عز وجل raises you in status. And the strength of the heart and the confidence of iman is a greater asset than physical strength, or wealth, or people who follow you and claim to support you.

The Angels and the Greatness of Allah

The Prophet told us صلى الله عليه وسلم in the hadith of Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه — and I conclude with this hadith to show you the greatness of Allah عز وجل — the Prophet said صلى الله عليه وسلم that there is not a single hand span upon the heavens except that there is an angel upon it worshiping Allah, prostrating before Him سبحانه وتعالى. The angels are from the greatest of Allah's creations. Allah says in the Quran:

"All praise is for Allah, Originator of the heavens and the earth, who made the angels messengers with wings — two, three, or four. He increases in creation what He wills."

There are angels of Allah — like the angel Jibreel عليه السلام — whom the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم described by saying: "When I saw him in his original form, he covered the horizon — covered what is between the horizon, the east and the west." Such a magnificent creation of Allah. The scholars said that when Allah commanded Jibreel عليه السلام to come to the people of Lut and to destroy them — by raising them into the sky, turning the ground upon them, and dropping them back — Jibreel only did so with the tip of his wing. One wing from the hundreds that Allah has endowed him with. Such is his power, such is the strength with which Allah has endowed him.

But when it comes to worshipping Allah — he submits. When it comes to worshipping Allah — he humbles himself. When it comes to worshipping Allah عز وجل — he dare not speak out of turn before the Lord and Creator of the heavens and earth جل في علاه.

Conclusion: Where to Find True Strength

All of us have people who look down upon us, who attack us, who may call us names. We have difficulties and issues that we go through. And one of the ways that we have to try to grapple with those issues is to figure out how to strengthen ourselves, what we can do to show strength towards others. But what I want to remind myself and you with today is: remember always that true strength and true power, in any and every situation, belongs to Allah عز وجل. And it belongs to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. And it belongs to those who embody that love and that iman in Allah and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — and they are the believers.

May Allah عز وجل bestow us with that strength — us and our families and our children. May He strengthen us and our communities. May Allah عز وجل endow us with that sense of honor and pride that we have been chosen by Him to be from the followers of this religion — those people who believe in Allah and who follow the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. May Allah عز وجل give us the strength to overcome those difficulties and hardships that we face. And may Allah عز وجل make us from amongst those who find our strength and our izzah by turning back to Him and turning back to His Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.