The Power of Hidden Deeds | Hidden Treasures Episode 21 | Shaykh Oosman Mustafa

The Power of Hidden Deeds

The treasure I would like to share with all of you today is the quality of the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم to work for the sake of Allah without the need of recognition in this world. Many of the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم would exert themselves, push themselves to the limits and do many acts of deeds that were recognized in the court of Allah but were not mentioned on earth and nobody would know about them. As Ramadan comes along, as opportunities present themselves, we are always looking forward to be able to serve and to make ourselves available.

Whether it's through our a'mal, whether it's being present and volunteering, whether it's the community, whether it's the masjid, whether it's an institute, we are always making ourselves available. And a lot of times we lose the sincerity in our act because of the surrounding that we find ourselves in. Whether it's an institute, whether it's people that we recognize, whether it's a community that we're deeply attached with, we're always doing things that are in front of people.

But there is a certain power, there is a certain acceptance, there is a certain change that happens when an act is done completely hidden, completely in secrecy, in a way that nobody else knows about it except for Allah. And the sincerity that that drives from us and the purity with which we do that act will change our lives and it changes our recognition in the court of Allah.

The Beloved Hidden Ones

One of those qualities — like the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 3989)

The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah loves such people that are pious, that are close to Him, and they are hidden. If they were to disappear and to not be present, people will not look for them. And if they were to be present in a gathering, they're not people that will be called out or be recognized — no one would know that they were there.

But the Prophet ﷺ says:

That their hearts are such hearts — so pure, so powerful — that these hearts are hearts of guidance. They are hearts that Allah has guided. And through them, not only does Allah take them out of every difficulty and hardship, rather they become a means of everybody else also being saved from a lot of fitnahs, a lot of darkness, a lot of problems, a lot of issues — just through that sincerity that they present with Allah.

The Story of Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه and the Elderly Lady

From them we learn the story of Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه — that when he used to go serve this elderly lady outside of Medina, even though he was the khalifa at the time, he would go serve her in the early mornings, in the dead of the night, before the sun would rise. And Umar رضي الله عنه one day found out and he wanted to go and serve this lady also. So when he went to find this lady, he saw that someone else had already reached there and had already taken care of all the affairs.

So he got a little more intuitive and he wanted to find out who it was. So the next day he showed up a little earlier and he was waiting to watch and see who was coming to serve this elderly lady. Nobody knew about her — she was blind, she was elderly, she was outside of Medina. And lo and behold, to his surprise, it was Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه — who was Amirul Mu'mineen, who was the khalifa of the Prophet ﷺ. He shows up in the dark of the night, he goes inside the house, and he takes care of everything there.

A while later, when the sun rose, he left. And Umar رضي الله عنه went inside and asked the elderly lady: "Do you know who this person is?" And she said, "I don't know. He comes, he takes care of my affairs, he cleans my house, sometimes he makes breakfast for me, and then he just leaves the house. I have no idea who this person is, but he comes every single day." And he told her: "This is Amirul Mu'mineen, Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه."

A Du'a for Hidden Service

So may Allah always give us the tawfiq to be able to find that motivation, find that drive, to be able to serve the community, to serve Allah, to be a means of khair for the people in our communities. There are many people that need help, but we are not ready to help them because we don't get recognition out of it. So may Allah give us the tawfiq to be able to serve those people who are unknown, and make us unknown on the earth — but make us known in the skies, in the court of Allah.