20161111- 2nd Khutba - Shaykh Arsalan

Khutbah: Responding to Trials with Trust in Allah

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, we ask for His help, we ask for His forgiveness, and we ask for His guidance. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. And whosoever He misguides, none can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that our master Muhammad, peace be upon him, his servant, and his messenger, and his chosen one, and his companion, delivered the message, and fulfilled the trust, and advised the Ummah, and strived in the cause of Allah for the truth of his Jihad, until the certainty came to him.

O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad, and upon his pure and good people, and upon his righteous companions, and upon those who followed them with good till the Day of Recompense. Indeed, the truest hadith is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of our master Muhammad, peace be upon him. And the worst of things are its innovations, and every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the fire.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and you will not die except as Muslims. O you people, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul, and created from it its mate, and spread from it many men and women.

The Dominion Belongs to Allah

Brothers and sisters, Allah says in the Qur'an, at the beginning of Surah Al-Mulk:

He says: Blessed is He in whose hands is the dominion of everything. The dominion, the rule, the authority is in the hand of Allah عز و جل. And He is capable of everything. The One who created life and death to test you — which of you is the best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, the Irresistible, and the Oft-Forgiving.

In this ayah, first Allah عز و جل asserts the reality that all rule belongs to Him. He says in the Qur'an:

You give rule and authority to whomever you want, and you take it away from whomever you want. And you give honor to whoever you want, and you give humiliation to whoever you want. Allah does what He pleases. We don't ask Him questions, but we know that He is wise.

And Allah عز و جل says: بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ — From Your hands only good comes out. Anything that comes out from the hands of Allah is good. You give rule to whom you want, you take it away from whom you want, you honor whomever you want, you humiliate whomever you want. But from Your hands comes only good. All goodness is in Your hands and only in Your hands. إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ — You are capable over all things.

This Life is a Test

But the next part of the ayah that we began with in Surah Al-Mulk states another reality: الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا — He, the one in whose hands belongs the dominion and rule and dispenses it as He pleases, He is the one who created life and death to test you, to see which of you will be the best in actions.

لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا — This life, brothers and sisters, is not meant to be easy. It's not meant to be full of prosperity only. It's not meant to be a smooth sail to the hereafter. This is not Dar al-Salam. Dar al-Salam is the afterlife. It's Jannah. That's the life of eternal bliss. That's the life where there is no khawf and there is no huzn. There is no fear and there is no grief. This life is Dar al-Bala'. This life is the life of trials and tribulations. This is the abode of tribulation. This is the life of challenges. That's the reality of this life.

Allah عز و جل also says in the Qur'an — and He swears with lam al-qasam here, then follows it up with nun al-tawkid al-thaqila, emphasizing the oath that we will try you, we will subject you to trials and tribulations, and challenges and difficulties, and hardships:

We will test you with some fear, and some hunger, and a decrease in wealth and lives and fruits. But give glad tidings to the patient ones — those who, when they are afflicted with an affliction, say: إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

We belong to Allah. We're His property. We're owned by Him. And so we're in good hands. If we're in the hands of Allah, do we need to worry? إِنَّا لِلَّهِ — We belong to Allah. We're Allah's property. We're Allah's slaves. Our master is Allah. وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ — And we're all going back to Him. This is all just ephemeral. This is all just temporary. Ultimately, we're going back to Him.

Shaytan Wants You to Be Afraid

Allah عز و جل tells us in the Qur'an that Shaytan wants you to be afraid. Allah says:

It's only Shaytan and his troops that want you to be afraid. Don't be afraid of them. Be afraid of me. Don't be afraid of the devil — whether it's the shayateen al-jinn or shayateen al-ins. Don't be afraid from the shayateen of jinn. Don't be afraid from the shayateen of human beings. Be afraid of Allah.

If Allah is not on your side and my side, then I should be afraid. But if Allah is on my side, what am I afraid of? And how do I know whether Allah is on my side? Am I on His side? How do I know that Allah will support me? Do I support Allah's cause? If Allah is on my side, what do I need to be afraid of? وَخَافُونِ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ — Be afraid of me, if you are true believers.

How Do We Respond?

How do we respond to fear? How do we respond when things don't go the way we expected them to go? How do we respond when we see challenges looming on the horizon? How do we respond when we see that difficult times are imminently ahead of us?

A few things, brothers and sisters, as reminders to myself and to you.

First: Realize These Are Tests from Allah

As I already recited from the ayah — لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا — realize, brothers and sisters, that these are tests from Allah to see how we will respond. Which of you are going to be the best in actions? These are tests to see: will we persevere with patience, or are we going to complain to Allah and say, "Why are you doing this to us?" These are tests to see whether we will hold on to hope or will we fall into despair. These are tests to see whether we will put our trust in Allah or will we fall into paranoia and anxiety and depression. These are tests to see whether we will turn back to Allah and ask Him for help and ask Him for forgiveness, lest it be a punishment from Him for something that we have done. Whether we're going to ask Him for help and forgiveness or are we going to simply remain glued to the news channels on our TV sets or the internet. These are tests to see whether we will show people what it truly means to be a Muslim by our own behavior and actions, or are we going to crawl into our holes to hide and become isolated. These are tests from Allah to see all of that. أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا — How are we going to respond?

We have to realize, brothers and sisters, that this is not the first test. We're not the first people to be tested. This is not the first test. This will not be the last test. Allah عز و جل says in the Qur'an:

Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe," and they are not going to be tested? We have certainly tested those who came before them. Indeed, Allah will make evident those who are truthful and indeed He will make evident those who lie.

Put Your Trust in Allah and Maintain a Positive Attitude

We have to put our trust in Allah and we have to maintain a positive attitude. Allah is in control. Don't think that these things are happening without His control or despite Him. He is in full control of what's going on. As Rasulullah ﷺ said to Abdullah ibn Abbas:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2516 — graded Hasan Sahih)

"O boy, I am teaching you words. Remember Allah, He will remember you. Remember Allah, you will find Him facing you. If you ask, ask Allah. And if you ask for help, ask for help from Allah. And know that if the Ummah gathers to benefit you in any way, they will benefit you only in a way that Allah has written for you. And if they gather to harm you in any way, they will harm you only in a way that Allah has written for you. The pens have been lifted, and the pages have dried."

احْفَظِ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْكَ — Literally it means: guard Allah and Allah will guard you. But what it means is: guard the instructions of Allah, guard the obligations of Allah, guard the rights of Allah, guard your duty to Allah, and Allah will guard you and protect you. احْفَظِ اللَّهَ تَجِدْهُ تُجَاهَكَ — Do those things, and you'll find Allah before you, protecting you, taking care of you, looking out for you, being with you.

وَإِذَا سَأَلْتَ فَاسْأَلِ اللَّهَ، وَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْتَ فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ — When you ask, ask Allah. If you seek help, seek help from Allah. Don't put your trust in a group of people or in an individual, no matter how powerful they might be. Don't put your reliance on them. When things don't go the way we expected them to go and we feel anxious, that's a sign that we weren't asking Allah for help — we were turning somewhere else for help. And when help didn't come from there, then we fall into despair and anxiety. But if we were expecting help to come from Allah, and we are relying on Allah, then Allah is there. He hasn't gone anywhere.

Allah is in control of everything, brothers and sisters, so we have to put our trust in Him. The Prophet ﷺ also said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2999)

Amazing is the affair of the believer, because all of his affairs are good. Anything that happens to a believer is good. What does that teach us? That teaches us to maintain a positive attitude, even when things don't seem to be so easy and beneficial. We have to believe in the words of Rasulullah ﷺ. We have to maintain a positive attitude.

Allah عز و جل says:

It may be that you dislike something — yes, you don't like it, it doesn't make you comfortable, it makes you anxious and uncomfortable — it may be that you dislike something, but in reality it is good for you. In the long run, it is good for you. Allah knows and you don't know. We don't know. Allah knows.

Brothers and sisters, we have to maintain a positive attitude and trust in Allah. Every Jum'ah, Rasulullah ﷺ recommended to us, encouraged us to recite Surah Al-Kahf. Why? Because this is meant to be a weekly reminder for us for something that happens to us all the time — things like this. The story of Musa and Khidr. What does it teach us in Surah Al-Kahf? Doesn't it teach us that things aren't always what they seem? That there is a grand purpose behind what's happening in front of our eyes that we're not privy to — that Allah knows what we don't know. The story of Musa and Khidr is a weekly reminder for us if we recite Surah Al-Kahf, to remind us of this reality, brothers and sisters.

With every hardship, there is ease. For every bigot who is out there, there is a supporter. لَيْسُوا سَوَاءً — They're not all the same. Not all people are there to hate us. Not every person is against us. Not every person is a racist. For every one of those people, there is another one who is not like that. And I'm sure you witnessed it with your own eyes as you drove into the parking lot of our masjid — people standing outside with signs of support. This is from Allah. These are signs from Allah.

And more than that, Allah is the guardian of the righteous. وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ — We don't even rely on these. These are just signs from Allah عز و جل to bring some comfort to our hearts. But the true support is Allah. وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ — Allah is the guardian over the righteous.

Know, brothers and sisters, that victory ultimately belongs to Allah and His Messenger and the believers. And everything before that is simply leading up to that. That is a reality even though we may not perceive it. We may not have the farsightedness to realize it. That is the reality.

The companions of Rasulullah ﷺ realized that truth. That's why when they saw the sea of disbelievers marching towards Medina in the battle of Ahzab — the disbelievers had banded together and brought the confederate armies to attack Medina to wipe out Muslims once and for all. And when that small community of Muslims in Medina saw with their eyes the sea of soldiers, fully equipped and armed, marching to Medina in an army that was several times the size of the Muslims — what did they say? Allah عز و جل says in the Qur'an:

The believers, when they saw the confederate armies marching, they said: "This is exactly what Allah and His Messenger had promised us." What promise? That they're going to be wiped out? No. This test that is before us — and beyond this lies the victory of Allah. They were far-sighted, brothers and sisters.

هَٰذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ — They maintained a positive attitude in the face of challenge and tribulation. They put their trust in Allah. صَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ — Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. وَمَا زَادَهُمْ إِلَّا إِيمَانًا وَتَسْلِيمًا — And that only increased them in their faith and in their submission to Allah.

So that is the first response that we have to have in the face of trials and tribulations — we have to put our trust in Allah and we have to maintain a positive attitude.

Second Part of the Khutbah

الحمد لله رب العالمين وأفضل الصلاة وأتم التسليم على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين.

Brothers and sisters, for the sake of time, I'm going to summarize just a couple more things that we need to do to respond to what we're facing.

Second: Return Evil with Good

There may be incidents where the evil of people becomes exposed to us. There may be occasions where people deal with us in a way that is provocative, that is hateful. That may happen. Realize that that's from Allah as a test to see — أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا — how are you going to respond? And therefore, repel evil with good. That is an opportunity for you to show the teaching of Islam. Allah عز و جل says in the Qur'an:

Repel evil with that which is good. We know what they are saying. That doesn't mean that we turn the other cheek necessarily. That if somebody harms us that we don't approach the authorities. No, we do that. We try to protect ourselves and our children and our families and our communities. But we don't respond to evil with evil. We don't respond to profanity with profanity. We don't respond to hate with hate. We don't respond to violence with violence. We don't respond to ugliness with ugliness. We respond with beauty. We respond with composure. We respond with trust in Allah عز و جل — with the prophetic response ﷺ.

Third: Strengthen Your Relationship with Allah

In these times especially, when things become difficult and challenging, it is even more important that we strengthen our relationship with Allah. So instead of remaining glued to the TV screen, turn it off. Instead of going through your news feed — news article after analysis, after commentary, after analysis — turn it off and open the Qur'an. Read this book that Allah revealed for you and I to find guidance for moments like this.

This Qur'an is full of ayat that were revealed to a people who were going through challenges like we're going through challenges. In fact, the challenges that they went through were much greater than what we're facing. Allah عز و جل has so many gems in the Qur'an that bring solace to the heart of a person going through challenges. Just pick it up and read it with reflection, with understanding. Read Surah Yunus, read Surah Hud, read Surah Al-Rum, read anything of the Qur'an and Allah عز و جل will communicate to you and I, and put our hearts at rest — as He did with the Prophet ﷺ with those very ayat, and with the companions رضي الله تعالى عنهم.

Reconnect with Allah through His book, through prayer, through du'a. Rasulullah ﷺ, before the battle of Badr — the night before Badr, when he knew that the next day would be do or die for Muslims, do or die for Islam — what did he do that night? He didn't spend the night in anxiety and fear. He spent the night in prayer to Allah. And he did the same after Ta'if. After he faced the difficulty of Ta'if, he turned to Allah, reconnected with Allah and prayed to Him.

Fourth: Continue the Work and Da'wah

And lastly, for the purpose of this khutbah — even though much more can be said — the last thing we must do is continuous work, continuous da'wah. Rasulullah ﷺ said that even if you see the hour coming — the Day of Judgment — and you have a plant in your hand that you're about to plant, go ahead and plant it. The work has to continue. It's not all over. It's just the beginning.

This is an opportunity. Why do we have to look at it as a tragedy? It's an opportunity for us to show people what our deen truly teaches us. As the saying goes, brothers and sisters, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Get going, brothers and sisters. This is not the time to hide and become isolated. This is the time to come together as a community — in the masajid, as brothers and sisters — and then to go out and show people through our own behavior and actions the beautiful teachings and the reality of this deen that we believe to be true.

Du'a

عِبَادَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ ۚ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ. وَقُومُوا إِلَى صَلَاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمْكُمُ اللَّهُ.