Hope in Times of Despair (with British Sign Language) - Shaykh Aqeel Mahmood

Khutbah al-Hajah (Opening)

Praise be to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the evils of our deeds.

Whomsoever Allah guides, no one is misguided, and whomsoever He misguides, no one is guided. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

O you who have believed, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul, and created from it its wife, and spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah, to whom you ask for help and mercy. Verily, Allah is ever watching over you.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say a firm word. He will amend your deeds for you and forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great triumph.

As for what follows: the best speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And all newly-invented matters are innovations, and every innovation is a going astray, and every going astray is in the Fire.

The Islamic Calendar and the Spirit of Hope

Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, when he was the leader of the Muslims, he called all the companions together to discuss when the Islamic calendar should begin. And different suggestions were given to Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. And Uthman ibn Affan suggested that the Islamic calendar should begin with the month of Muharram — the month we are in at this moment in time.

Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, agreed, saying:

"Because this is the month that people are returning after having performed Hajj."

What was the wisdom behind starting with the month of Muharram? The companions had hope and optimism in Allah that those who had just performed Hajj will go back like newborn babies without any sins — that they will be turning over a new leaf in their lives. So this new calendar, this new Islamic year, should begin with hope. Just as these people are coming back from performing Hajj, just as these people were worshipping Allah, they can return home with the hope that Allah has forgiven them of their sins.

The companions, brothers and sisters, had this hope in Allah. It was ingrained in everything that they did. The Islamic calendar itself was begun in the month of Muharram as a result of the hope that the companions had in Allah. It was instilled in them by the Messenger of Allah.

Musa and the Sea: Hope in the Face of Destruction

The month of Muharram itself — the 10th of Muharram — why did we fast on that day? Musa, when he was confronted with the ocean in front of him, the sea in front of him, the companions of Musa said, "We are going to be overtaken, we are going to be destroyed." Musa said, "No, verily Allah is with me — He is going to guide us." And sure enough, Allah split the sea for them so that they would be saved from Fir'aun.

Hope is an Act of Worship

This idea of hope — ar-raja', amal, optimism in Allah — is in fact an act of worship. It's an act of worship of the heart. The believer has hope in Allah. And in fact, this is what distinguishes the believers from the disbelievers. It's something which was a trait of the Prophets and Messengers who came before.

Ibrahim and the Gift of a Son

Ibrahim continued to have hope in Allah that he would be blessed with a son until he was an old man. And he continued to make du'a. The angels came, giving him glad tidings. And Ibrahim was surprised — even though he had been making du'a for so long — because he was an old man and his wife was an old lady.

And so the angels said, "We have given you glad tidings of the truth. Don't be from those who despair." Ibrahim straight away responded and he said:

"Who is the one who despairs from the mercy of his Lord? Except for those who are astray." Meaning, from the traits of those who are astray is that they don't have hope. The believer has hope in Allah. It's part and parcel of being a Muslim.

Ya'qub and the Hope for Yusuf

Ya'qub — for years, he hoped that his son Yusuf was still alive. And then his sons came back informing Ya'qub that his other son had been left behind in Egypt. But Yusuf had kept him behind for a purpose, for a wisdom. And Ya'qub knew that something else was at play. Because the believer isn't stung from the same hole twice. And so he told his sons:

"O my sons, go and find out about Yusuf and his brother. And do not despair of the relief from Allah. No one despairs of the relief from Allah except the disbelieving people."

Meaning the believer — the one who has iman — always has hope in Allah. Regardless of the circumstances, regardless of what's happening, regardless of the problems and the trials and the tribulations the believer is going through as an individual or as an ummah. The Muslim knows that Allah always has a plan.

And Allah's plan is the best of plans. He is the best of planners. And this is the mindset of the believer.

Examples of Hope from the Life of the Prophet

Visiting the Sick Bedouin

The Messenger of Allah — so many examples we can give from his life of him showing hope and optimism in Allah. One of those examples is when he visited a Bedouin man who was sick. And as you do when you visit somebody who is sick, you make du'a for them — and this in and of itself is a sign of hope. The Messenger of Allah made this du'a:

"Never mind. Let it be a purification, if Allah wills." Even in times of sickness, when we're in pain, suffering from fever or broken bones or whatever the case may be, we have hope that there is some benefit in this illness.

The Bedouin man, however, responded: "Rather, it's a fever which is harassing an old man, until he visits his grave." He didn't have hope. He wasn't optimistic. The Messenger of Allah heard what he said and responded: "Then yes, if that is the case — if that's your mindset, if that's how you're going to assume this illness is going to be for you, if you're not going to have hope in Allah making it a means of purification for you — then this is what it's going to be."

And this is why Allah says in the Hadith Qudsi:

"I am however my slave perceives of me." When the slave of Allah is optimistic, hopeful in the relief and the help from Allah, Allah will reciprocate. When a person is negative, he despairs, he's in desperation, doesn't think Allah will help — he loses all hope in Allah and in everyone else — then Allah likewise will reciprocate. And the believer never loses hope in Allah.

The Hijrah: In the Cave with Abu Bakr

The Hijrah itself. When the Messenger of Allah — with only a few of the Muslims in Mecca at the time — escaped with Abu Bakr, making the Hijrah to Medina. The Quraysh were hunting them down, trying to find them, and they were going to kill them. They were in the cave, as we know. The Quraysh came to the cave. Abu Bakr told the Prophet: "O Messenger of Allah, all they have to do is look down and they'll see us. It's going to be the end of us."

The Messenger of Allah said:

"What do you think of two people when Allah is the third? Don't be afraid, don't be sad. Verily, Allah is with us."

This kind of optimism, brothers and sisters, it boggles the mind. When you're outnumbered, when you're running for your life, and yet you have hope in Allah. But this is the power of the believer — the belief that regardless of who is against you, if you have Allah on your side, no one can cause you any harm. You could be undefeatable. If Allah is supporting you, helping you, protecting you, then anything is possible by the permission and power of Allah.

The Battle of Badr

We look at the first battle — the Battle of Badr. The Messenger of Allah and the companions were not expecting to fight the Quraysh, who were one thousand strong — three times the number of the Muslims — fully prepped, prepared for battle, coming in their armor and their weapons from Mecca, marching to Badr to fight the Muslims. The companions were not ready. They were not prepared for this to be a full-blown battle. And so the Messenger of Allah continued to make du'a for the whole night. And just before the battle started, the Messenger of Allah recited the ayah:

"They will be defeated and they are going to turn around and flee." And sure enough, this hope of the Messenger of Allah became a reality. The Muslims defeated the Quraysh. They were outnumbered three to one, yet they still defeated the Quraysh — outnumbered, outgunned, the Quraysh having more weaponry. And even in those circumstances, the believer doesn't lose hope.

Optimism and hope, brothers and sisters, is something which is part and parcel of us being Muslims. It's part and parcel of us being believers in Allah. Because it shows us that Allah is capable and willing to do anything — and whatever Allah plans, it's always for the best, even if we don't realize it, even if from our perspective it doesn't look like there's any good or benefit to come from something.

Ta'if: Hope Even for One's Enemies

In Ta'if, the Messenger of Allah went to call them to the worship of Allah when the Meccans had rejected him. And they responded by sending their children and their thugs to throw stones at the Messenger of Allah until he was bleeding from head to toe. As he was leaving the city — completely rejected, humiliated by the people of Ta'if — Jibreel came to him with another angel. The other angel said: "O Messenger of Allah, I am the angel of these two mountains surrounding the city of Ta'if. Give me the command and I will destroy the whole city for what they've done to you, O Messenger of Allah."

And the Messenger of Allah said:

"No, rather I hope that from their descendants there will be people who will worship Allah alone and they won't commit shirk." This was the hope of the Messenger of Allah — even of those who were his enemies. And indeed, the Messenger of Allah conquered Ta'if and its people actually became Muslim in his very lifetime, a short number of years later.

The Battle of Khandaq: Prophecies of Future Victory

In the Battle of the Trench, the Muslims — 3,000 in Medina — were surrounded by the Quraysh and other tribes numbering 10,000 or even more. The Quraysh had cut off supplies. No food entering the city of Medina, no water. The Muslims were suffering — hungry, feeling weak — and there was no one externally who could help them.

The Messenger of Allah was asked by the companions: "O Messenger of Allah, there is a huge rock in the trench. We cannot destroy it." And so the Messenger of Allah went and he struck the rock once, and there was a flash of lightning. And the Messenger of Allah said: "Allahu Akbar! I have been given the keys to Syria, to Sham. One day we are going to be conquering Sham."

The companions were only 3,000, surrounded in Medina, with no one to help them — the Quraysh and the other tribes blockading the city, with no supplies able to enter. Nowhere else in the world were there any other Muslims. And yet the Messenger of Allah was saying that one day they would be conquering Sham.

He struck the rock again. There was another flash of lightning. And he said: "Allahu Akbar! I have been given the keys of the Persian Empire. We are going to conquer the Persian Empire." And again, for a third time, he struck the rock and there was a flash of lightning, and the Messenger of Allah said: "Allahu Akbar! I have been given the keys to Yemen." And indeed, a number of years later, during the reign of Umar ibn al-Khattab, all these places came into the lands of the Muslims — the Muslims conquered all of these places that the Messenger of Allah had prophesied.

But this shows us the optimism of the Muslims. It shows us the amount of hope that the Muslims should have, even in spite of the circumstances that a person may be going through — everything seeming like it's against the Muslim — yet he always has hope in Allah.

Hudaybiyyah: Victory Disguised as Defeat

The treaty of Hudaybiyyah — when they tried to perform Umrah and they were turned away. The Messenger of Allah agreed to conditions which many of us would think were unacceptable from the Muslim perspective: the Muslims were told they could not do Umrah now, to go back home and come back next year; anyone who joins the Muslims from the Quraysh must be returned, while anyone who joins the Quraysh from the Muslims would not be returned. And as they were leaving, Allah revealed:

"Verily, We have given you a clear, manifest victory." This peace treaty — under which they would not fight for ten years — enabled the Muslims to call others to the worship of Allah without any harm, without fighting, without being afraid for their lives. So many people accepted Islam as a result of this treaty. And it was actually the downfall of the Quraysh.

So sometimes, brothers and sisters, things may seem like they are going to harm the Muslims, that they are not beneficial — but there is always some khair, there is always some good. Even in moments of defeat there is always some good.

The Battle of Uhud: Our Dead Are in Jannah

At the Battle of Uhud, when the Muslims were defeated, Abu Sufyan — who at the time was the leader of the Quraysh — was boasting: "This is for better. Now we've got our revenge." The Messenger of Allah responded:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3039)

"Our dead are in Jannah. And your dead are in Hellfire." There is no comparison. You can't compare the two. You haven't won. You've lost in this life and you've lost in the Akhirah. The believer, regardless of his circumstances, is always victorious — always hopeful of relief from Allah, of reward from Allah, of help from Allah.

Hope is an Obligation Upon the Believer

Brothers and sisters, we were speaking about the importance of having hope and optimism in Allah regardless of the circumstances. We look at the lives of the Prophets and the Messengers, the life of the Messenger of Allah, the companions themselves — and how they would show optimism, they would show hope, ar-raja', in Allah. And it's an act of worship in your heart to have hope in Allah despite and regardless of the circumstances that you may be facing as an individual or as an Ummah.

The Messenger of Allah was full of hope and optimism throughout his life despite the obstacles which came his way. And this is a beautiful example — and he is the best example for us to follow.

When Will the Help of Allah Come?

Allah speaks about those who ask when the help of Allah is going to come:

The believer doesn't ask if the help of Allah will come — he only asks when the help of Allah will come. Why? Because the believer knows Allah will help. The believer knows that the help of Allah will come — it is just a matter of when, not if. And this is why Allah responds:

"Verily, the help of Allah is near." When the believer has hope and optimism in Allah and he knows Allah will help, then the help of Allah will come.

We ask Allah that He gives us the ability to have more hope in Him.