Words of Encouragement - Sheikh Aqeel Mahmood

Words of Encouragement

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، الحَمْدُ لِلهِ رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى أَشْرَفِ الأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالمُرْسَلِينَ، نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ

Brothers and sisters, I wanted to talk to you today about the power of words and how the slightest comment, the smallest word, can have a very powerful effect. Sometimes it just takes one word for a relationship between spouses to become destroyed, or two friends who have been friends since childhood — their friendship could be destroyed just because of one gathering, one sitting, where one small statement was said. As a result of that statement they never spoke again. Or a person who goes to work and has had this job for many, many years, and one day he says something, he utters something, as a result of which he loses that job.

Brothers and sisters, words can have a powerful effect on an individual. And sometimes words can be harmful. But also, when a person says good words, it can have a powerful effect on whoever it's said to. Allah in the Quran talks about good words, talks about powerful words — when a person recites Quran or does other types of things with his tongue for which he is rewarded.

Good Words Are Like a Good Tree

And Allah gives an example of the one who says good things. Allah says:

"Do you not see how Allah has given an example of a good word — like a good tree, its roots are firm and its branches are all the way into the sky?"

Allah gives this example, brothers and sisters, of good words being like a tree. When a person says good things to his fellow Muslim brother or sister, this individual is known to have good character partly because of the things he says. We look at the things a person does, but we also look at the things he says — the things that come out of his tongue, his mouth. And Allah says an individual who says good things is like a tree which has firm roots, solid roots. We can vouch for a person by the things that he says. And its branches are all the way into the sky — meaning the effects of good words can last a very long time, and they can take a person very, very far.

Brothers and sisters, I wanted to talk to you today specifically about words of encouragement, and how sometimes we can say a small thing on our part — it might be a few words — but because of the positive effects of those words on whoever we say them to, they will never forget the things that we say to them. Even in your own experiences, you may remember a time when somebody said something to you: he congratulated you, he praised you, he said something good about you, he encouraged you to do something. And you remember that even many years later. In fact, maybe you pursue a career in something because of someone's praise about something specific. And maybe you remember that individual not because of anything else, but only because of what he said on a specific day — only because of a few statements, a few sentences, or maybe even one sentence that praised you, encouraged you, motivated you to do something that maybe you weren't comfortable in doing.

The Prophet's Encouragement of Al-Hassan

And brothers and sisters, if we look at the best of examples and we look at the Messenger of Allah, we'll see that there were many instances in his life when he would praise the companions, and the companions would be motivated by his praise. In fact, we'll see companions themselves praising one another, and we'll see even the scholars who came after — some of whom began to pursue knowledge because of what other scholars said about them when they were younger.

The Messenger of Allah was once on the minbar with his grandson Al-Hassan, may Allah be pleased with him, who was very young at the time. And he said, while the other companions were there: "This son of mine is going to be a leader. He is a leader. And I hope that one day he is going to reconcile between two great groups, two great armies of the Muslims."

And Al-Hassan, no doubt, remembered this praise of the Messenger of Allah many, many years later — when the fitnah took place and there was civil war among the Muslims for the first time in Islamic history. You had companions on both sides, and you had Ali and Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with them, in conflict with one another, until Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, himself was assassinated. And then the leadership went to Al-Hassan, may Allah be pleased with him.

And when they came to Al-Hassan, he himself narrated this hadith. He remembered the statement of the Messenger of Allah calling him a leader. And you can only imagine, brothers and sisters, the powerful effect that can have on a child.

And maybe this is something we ourselves lack when it comes to advising, when it comes to encouraging. Imagine someone telling you when you were younger, "You're going to be a great man." A person would begin to think: for sure he's going to become someone of worth. "This man believes I can do it." Now imagine telling somebody — or imagine you yourself were told when you were younger — that you're going to become a scholar, you're going to become a hafiz of the Quran, you're going to be a great and important person when you grow older. Imagine how much encouragement that would give us if we were younger. How much motivation it would give us.

And then we have to think, brothers and sisters, about those we're responsible for. How many times do we encourage our own children, for example? Those of us who are teachers — how many times do we encourage our students? Those who are younger than us? What kind of inspirational words do we give them to encourage them, to motivate them? Instilling these types of words in children when they are young, brothers and sisters, inspires them. And they don't forget this type of encouragement. They'll remember it until they're older.

As I said, maybe there were instances in our own lives where we remember when people said positive things, good things about us. A man once said: "I can live on a good compliment for two months." Because it motivates a person. A person wants to do more.

Al-Hassan, he remembered this statement. And he told the companions and those who were there at the time about this narration of the Messenger of Allah. So he abdicated — he left his leadership, he gave it up, and he gave it to Muawiyah so that there would be no more fighting among the Muslims.

The Companion Who Asked About the Most Beloved

Many other instances exist between the Messenger of Allah and the companions where, because of his statements, their love for him would grow. There is the famous hadith of a companion coming to the Messenger of Allah. Because of how the Messenger of Allah was with people — anybody he spoke to, anybody who interacted with him — it would feel as if that person was the only person on earth. He was given the complete attention of the Messenger of Allah, to the extent that that person would think: "I am the most beloved person to him."

So a companion came and asked, "Who is the most beloved person to you?" And the Messenger of Allah said, "Aisha, his wife." The man said, "From the men?" And the Messenger of Allah said, "Her father." Then the man asked, "Then who?" And he said, "Umar." And eventually the companion said, "I was afraid to ask more, because I thought maybe he might leave me at the end."

But it shows us, brothers and sisters, that the way we behave towards others — and it doesn't take much, it takes a few positive words, a few words of encouragement — the way we interact and behave with others can leave them feeling different. It can change their whole perspective. It can motivate them to do more than they wanted to. Sometimes a person may be insecure. He may not be confident. He may not have the courage to do something he wants to partake in. And all it takes is a slight push — a little push to encourage him, to say good words to him, to inspire him — for that person to summon the courage to do whatever he wants to do.

The Praise of Abu Bakr in the Presence of All

Another instance, brothers and sisters, of the encouragement and praise of the Messenger of Allah was when there was a disagreement and an argument between Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both. Abu Bakr came holding his garments, rushing to the Messenger of Allah. And when the Messenger of Allah saw Abu Bakr coming, he said, "This individual that's coming has gone through something — something has happened." Because he was his closest friend. You can sometimes tell those who are close to you when they don't look right. Something isn't right. Something in their face, something in the way they behave.

When he came, he said, "O Messenger of Allah, I had a dispute with Umar and we had a disagreement — as people do, as best friends even do. He asked me to forgive him because he said some words, and I refused to forgive him." And so the Messenger of Allah said to Abu Bakr, "May Allah forgive you," and he repeated this statement.

When Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, came after searching for Abu Bakr in his house and other places and found him by the Messenger of Allah, as soon as the Messenger of Allah saw him, he became angry — because of the way Umar had behaved towards his closest companion, towards Abu Bakr. And he said in front of the other companions, praising Abu Bakr in front of them all: "Verily, Abu Bakr believed in me when nobody else believed in me."

Imagine, brothers and sisters — somebody you admire, somebody you respect, praising you in your presence. Imagine those who are young — our children, for example. People aspire to be like individuals who are older than them. Praising them sometimes gives them that encouragement. It develops a kind of trust, a kind of bond.

The Du'a of Umar for Al-Hassan Al-Basri

Other narrations are mentioned from the scholars about how the companions would behave when it came to their students. One of the greatest tabi'een who ever lived, by the name of Al-Hassan Al-Basri, grew up around the household of the Messenger of Allah. And Umm Salama, may Allah be pleased with her, Umm al-Mu'mineen, the wife of the Messenger of Allah, would take care of him when he was younger. She would take him out and send him to the companions. And he lived a couple of years during the life of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him — he was born in the last two years of the leadership of Umar.

When she would take him out and the companions would see him, and Umar would see him, Umar himself would supplicate for him. Remember — he was only two years old. You don't notice any specific talent from a child who is two years old. Yet Umar supplicated for Al-Hassan Al-Basri:

"O Allah, give him understanding of the religion, and make him loved by the people."

And this supplication was responded to. When Al-Hajjaj, the tyrant ruler who was known to execute scholars, brought Imam Al-Hassan Al-Basri forward, he said to him, مَا أَمَدَّكَ يَا حَسَّانُ — "What has kept you alive so long, Hassan? How come I haven't killed you yet? How come you're still alive when other scholars have died?" And Imam Al-Hassan Al-Basri said, سَنَتَيْنِ مِنْ خِلَافَةِ عُمَرَ — "Two years from the leadership of Umar." The supplication of Umar. The blessed time I spent during the era when Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was the leader of the Muslims.

Saeed ibn Jubair and the Power of the Tongue

Another scholar by the name of Saeed ibn Jubair, a famous tabi'i, when he was younger he used to have a rooster. And this rooster used to crow in the middle of the night every single night. And instead of Saeed ibn Jubair sacrificing this rooster or giving it away, he would look at the silver lining. Every night when the rooster would crow he would wake up, perform wudu, and offer the tahajjud prayer. And this shows us, brothers and sisters, the importance of always looking on the bright side, always looking at the silver lining, always taking advantage of things even though they may seem like obstacles in our path.

One day in the middle of the night the rooster never crowed. And Saeed ibn Jubair, may Allah have mercy on him, woke up at Fajr time and became angry. He said, "What's wrong with this rooster? May Allah cut its throat." And after he made this supplication, the rooster never made a sound ever again.

His mother, when she noticed what had happened, said to him, "Oh my son, don't ever make du'a against anybody again." Because she recognized the power and the effect of the du'a of Saeed ibn Jubair.

Many years later, Saeed ibn Jubair was also in the presence of Al-Hajjaj. And Al-Hajjaj happened to execute Saeed ibn Jubair, may Allah have mercy on him, as he executed many other scholars of the time. But before he was executed, Saeed ibn Jubair made a supplication, a du'a, and said, "O Allah, do not let Al-Hajjaj execute anybody else after me." When Al-Hajjaj executed Saeed, it is said that Al-Hajjaj felt remorse. He felt guilty. He became overcome with grief because of what he did to Saeed. And he would say, "Where am I with Saeed? What have I done? Why did I execute him? Why did I kill him?" And narrations mention he only killed and executed one more individual, and then he himself died, he himself passed away.

The Story of Imam Abu Hanifa

Brothers and sisters, words of encouragement can have a powerful effect on an individual. And maybe we are where we are today because of some statements of individuals — people we know, relatives, friends — that motivated us to do what we're doing today. Whether that's a specific career, whether that's seeking knowledge, whatever it may be, there are people who direct us in our life and take us on a specific path by the will of Allah. And they may be people who are neighbors to us, family members, even our teachers, or maybe people we hardly ever meet — but we only remember them because of the things they said regarding us.

One specific individual — a scholar in fact from the past who happened to be in a similar situation — was the great scholar and faqih, Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him. When he was young, he wasn't someone who was a student of knowledge. He was just your normal Muslim — he never really pursued knowledge, though he used to attend the gatherings and circles of the scholars. He used to help his father with his business; his father was a cloth merchant. And Imam Abu Hanifa was also involved in this business because of his father.

Once Imam Abu Hanifa was passing by the great scholar Imam Al-Sha'bi. And Imam Al-Sha'bi said to him, "Where are you going? Who are you going to?" So he said, "I'm going to so and so." And so Imam Al-Sha'bi said to him, "Why don't you go and mix with the scholars? Why don't you go to the scholars instead?" And so Imam Abu Hanifa said, "I'm not really someone who goes to the scholars — I'm not really a student of knowledge." And so Imam Al-Sha'bi said, "You need to go and learn with the scholars. Because I see in you enlightenment, awakening, activeness. You're proactive." And it was this specific encounter that made Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, pursue knowledge. And he became the scholar that he became — one of the greatest scholars in history.

The Hadith on the Power of Speech

The Messenger of Allah mentioned in a hadith that two things will cause a person to enter into the hellfire: whatever is between his legs, and whatever is between his lips. Because statements, brothers and sisters, can either be of good — where we are rewarded as a result — or they can be statements of evil and sin.

"Whosoever believes in Allah and the Final Day, let him speak good or remain silent."

And brothers and sisters, if you really ponder over this hadith, there is so much benefit, so much value in the statement of the Messenger of Allah. Because many times we want to put people down — maybe just for the fun of it. Somebody trips up, somebody makes a mistake, somebody literally trips up. We want to say something. We want to make fun of them, make a smart comment so that other people will laugh. But the Messenger of Allah told us about the value of remaining silent if there isn't anything beneficial to say, and most importantly, to say good things, encouraging things instead.

So likewise, brothers and sisters, we need to ponder and reflect that just as those people who praised us — we remember them, and it had an effect on our lives, on what we're doing, and on our motivation — likewise, brothers and sisters, there are individuals who need that motivation. There are those who are younger than us. Not only younger than us, not only children, but even adults need inspiration. Even adults need words of encouragement. There are those around us who only need some words of encouragement so that they can take that one extra step they are looking for. It just takes a few words for a person to reach his true potential.

I say this and ask Allah's forgiveness for me and for you. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Second Khutbah

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. And peace and blessings be upon the most exalted of Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Brothers and sisters, we were talking about the power of words — about how influential and how powerful words can be, and specifically words of encouragement. It may be that people encouraged us, said things to us when we were younger, that we still remember today, even though we don't really know much about those people except for that one specific statement. And because of what they said, we decided to pursue a certain career, decided to maybe even end up memorizing Quran, or following a specific path in the search for knowledge.

We ask Allah that He gives us the ability to inspire others and to encourage others to do good deeds, and that as a result Allah will cause us to enter into Paradise.

"Indeed, Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and giving to relatives, and He forbids immorality, bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you so that you may take heed."

So remember Allah, the Mighty, the Majestic — He will remember you. And be grateful to Him for His blessings — He will increase you. And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest thing. And Allah knows all that you do. Establish the prayer.