Courage

Courage (الشجاعة)

Brothers and sisters in Islam, our khutbah is about something that is sorely needed in our ummah. Our men need it and our women are in need of it. We need it to raise our children properly.

It is needed by our political leaders, by our khateebs and religious leaders. And it is needed to ascend in any situation. Our topic today is ash-shaja'ah, which is courage.

And it is a topic that is not spoken about much anymore. If you go on YouTube and search ash-shaja'ah in Arabic, you will get 6 lectures only on courage. And if you search the opposite, al-jubn, which is cowardice, you will get 100 videos on cheese and how to make and process cheese — al-jubn. But nothing about cowardice.

And we have chosen this topic because Muslims are living in a constant state of fear all around the world. Fear of discrimination, fear of the possibility of being attacked, and now the fear of being shot.

Last weekend we had our conference here in the masjid, and the babysitters passed out balloons. And every time a balloon popped, the whole masjid jumped up. Whereas by comparison, a friend of mine told me he was in Jerusalem at a café, just having coffee. And a loud sound, something that sounded like a gunshot — he said within an instant, every man, every woman jumped from their purse, and everyone had their gun out instantly. So this khutbah is not a pro-gun message, but just look at the comparison.

And what kind of life is this? Where one would live in constant fear, and not even of an immediate threat, but of a potential threat. If that coward in New Zealand causes you to live in fear, then he has defeated you. And he has defeated the entire ummah. One coward defeats an entire ummah.

The Illusion of Fear

People are living in constant fear of: what if the house burns down? What if my store burns down? Fear of attackers, fear of accidents, fear of something might happen to the children. One of the famous authors who constantly writes about positive thinking, his name is Norman Vincent Peale. He met an old man that did something very unique. This man that he met, whenever he worried about something happening in his life, he wrote it down in this notebook. So if he feared his house might burn down, he would write it down. He feared that his car might be stolen, he would write it down in this notebook. And towards the end of his life, he says, 92% of the things that I worried about never happened — and never even came close to happening. 92% of them.

But what a waste and what a shame to live your life constantly afraid of things that could happen when there is no immediate threat — just living in a constant state of fear of things that have a 92% chance of not even happening.

It is not from the way of the believers to live in a constant state of fear. And imagine we dedicated all this fear that we have given to random things and just dedicated all of it to Allah.

Even fear of Allah — speakers don't like to call it fear of Allah. They say, translate taqwa as being God-conscious, but not being fearful of Allah. So they are challenging the only fear that is beneficial and praiseworthy. Whereas the other fear, Allah does not praise it.

In Surah Aal-Imran, Allah says:

"This is only the shaytan frightening his followers. So do not fear them, but fear Me, if you are true believers."

To be constantly afraid of things or possible events is not one of the signs of the believers. And Allah mentions this in the Quran as one of the signs of the hypocrites — one of the descriptions of the hypocrites. Allah says in Surah Al-Munafiqun, the chapter of the hypocrites:

"They think that every cry is against them." Every cry — meaning every declaration, every announcement, every message — they think it's about them. The hypocrites are the ones that are in constant fear.

Fear Is Not Absent from the Believer

To be clear, we're not saying that the believer does not experience fear. Because Musa, alayhi salam, and he is one of the five greatest prophets of Allah, he experienced fear. And you will find that no other prophet had fear described — or his fear described — as much as Musa, alayhi salam, in the Quran. And the scholars say because he was sent to the biggest of all tyrants. So Musa, alayhi salam, was at different times and in different events afraid, and Allah would strengthen his heart.

We're not talking about fear of an incident or something specific, but someone living in constant fear — afraid of what might potentially happen. And unfortunately we're in the age of movies and Hollywood, and courage now is just synonymous with aggression, and physical altercations, and rude discourse. This is "courage." And for young people — for young men, for young Muslim men — courage is jihad only, as if there's no other form of courage whatsoever.

The Courage of Opinion

But there's also courage of opinion — al-ra'i — and speaking the truth. The famous poet, al-Mutanabbi, said:

He is saying that the courage of opinion comes before the courage of the brave ones on the battlefield or physically being courageous. He says this is first, and that is in the second place. So giving value to that.

And we see that historically in the life of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, rahimahullah. His courage was not that of physical courage — physically he was actually a weak man, rahimahullah. But his courage was that of sticking to his opinion. And that's why the scholars and historians say there are two incidents through which Allah saved Islam.

Because Islam was never under threat of actually changing. Many times in history, Muslims' lives were under threat, their livelihood. But in all these events, Islam would have been unaffected and unchanged. But they said there are two stances where Allah saved Islam through two men:

Allah saved Islam through Abu Bakr, radiyallahu anhu, on the day of Ar-Ridda. Because if he didn't stand firm on his view, we would have received an Islam today that had no zakah. And then Allah saved Islam through Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Because if he didn't stand firm on his beliefs and his view, we would have received an Islam where the Quran was not the speech of Allah.

The Source of the Believer's Courage

So what then is the source of our courage? What is the source of the courage of the believer? And the courage that opposes natural fear, which Allah instilled and created human beings with?

Allah says in the Quran:

"Indeed, man is created of a hasty temperament." But هَلُوع means: if calamity befalls them, they panic instantly — or before calamity, they're stingy, they're fearful, they're extra cautious.

But Imam at-Tabari says this verse is not talking about the believer. This verse is talking about non-believers. So what makes the believer different? What makes the believers different would be their principles, their values and their beliefs — their iman in Allah, their iman in Al-Qadr. That everything has been pre-written. 50,000 years before Allah even created this earth, it was written. That iman gives courage.

The fact that your ajal — meaning the exact time of your death — is written, and that nothing changes that. It will not change for one second more or one second less. And being brave does not bring your ajal closer. And cowardice doesn't push it back either.

Courage Does Not Mean Abandoning Preparation: The Hijrah

Being brave and courageous doesn't mean ignoring all the physical means and preparations that one has to do. And the best example of that is in the hijrah of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, wants to go to the house of Abu Bakr and inform him that it's time — that tonight we will leave to go to Medina. So he leaves, the narration says, to go to the house of Abu Bakr at the time of Zahira. And the time of Zahira is the time between Dhuhr and Asr — that is the hottest time of the day. And those of you who have been in the Middle East at that time, there is usually not a living thing out during that time because of the extreme heat. So the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, leaves at the time of Zahira, where there will be less traffic, less people to see him going to the house of Abu Bakr.

But on top of that, even though there were not many people, he covered his face, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Then he entered the house of Abu Bakr. And he said as a precaution: send everyone out — what I'm going to tell you is top secret. Then Abu Bakr told him it's okay to speak in front of them.

Then they left. The plan was he leaves Ali, radiyallahu anhu, to sleep in his place — and that's another story of courage on its own. Because Ali, radiyallahu anhu, sleeps in the bed of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, explained to him: I need you to sleep in my bed because there are some people who are going to attempt to kill me. So you would not sleep a wink if that's the position. But Ali, radiyallahu anhu, said he'd never ever slept a better sleep in his life than that night.

Then the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and Abu Bakr headed out in the opposite direction of Medina. Look at the precaution and the preparation — being courageous doesn't mean ignoring all the physical preparations and the means. They didn't head towards Medina; they headed in the opposite direction where nobody would think to look for them.

And they left at a time of night somewhere near the second third of the night — there are some people who are early risers, and there are people who stay up late, and then there's that moment where the people who stay up late have gone to bed and the early risers have not woken up yet. And that's the exact time that they left.

Then they had Amr ibn Fuhayrah bring goats, and he would walk them over the tracks to cover all the tracks of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and Abu Bakr as they were heading towards the cave. Then they would stay in the cave for three days — because the first day the search is intensified, and the second day it still might be intense, but the third day the search will decrease. And so they stayed for three days and then they left.

In the meantime, Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr, who was a small boy — the son of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq — was precocious. He was mentally way ahead of his age. So he was young enough to walk amongst the Quraysh and they wouldn't suspect him of understanding anything. But he would come back at night and report everything to them.

Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr, would bring them food in the cave during the three days. And no one would suspect her because she was in her third trimester of pregnancy — so no one would expect this pregnant woman to go out into the desert and climb this mountain in the dark. No one would suspect. The plan was perfect.

And then three days later, Abdullah ibn Urayqit, who was experienced — he knew the terrain and he knew the way — would come with the camels.

But despite all this preparation, Allah decreed that the Quraysh would make it all the way to the door of the cave. Despite all this preparation. So the question is: why would Allah allow that? Despite all this preparation, there must be a message. Why did Allah allow them to come all the way in front of the door of the cave?

Abu Bakr and the Prophet on the Journey

Before we answer that — on the way to the cave, look at the situation of Abu Bakr and compare it to that of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, was doing nothing but making dhikr of Allah and calmly riding his animal towards the cave. In the meantime, Abu Bakr narrates: I would think to myself, what if there is an ambush ahead and they would capture the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam? So for a while I would be way ahead of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam — so if there is anyone in ambush, they capture me and he is alerted and he can escape. Then I think: what if they catch up with us from behind? So I'll go far behind the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Then I think: what if they catch up from the right? So I'll go far to the right. Then I think: what if they come from the left? So I go far to the left. So he is just moving right, left, front, back. And the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, is calmly just making dhikr of Allah.

The Battle of Badr

Fast forward to the Battle of Badr. Now the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, is making du'a and he is raising his hands so high that his cloak falls off his blessed shoulders. And now Abu Bakr, radiyallahu anhu, is lifting the cloak and putting it back on the shoulders of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And he is telling him: enough of you calling upon your Lord — Allah will give you what He promised.

So the scholars say: what is the difference between the behavior of Abu Bakr and the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, in these two different instances? And why did Allah allow the Quraysh to reach the mouth of the cave?

So that we can see a practical application of relying on Allah. Because on the way to the cave, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, had done everything humanly possible — there is nothing else you could have added to his list of preparations. He did everything he could. So the only thing left was to completely rely on Allah.

But at the Battle of Badr, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, was expecting his 313 men to overtake a caravan of 60 poorly armed men. So he had not made preparations to meet an army of a thousand. So because he did not make the full preparations, he made up for it with much du'a to Allah.

So Allah allowed them — after all this preparation — to get to the mouth of the cave. Because after you've done everything, what is there left to do? Nothing but to put your tawakkul, your complete trust and reliance upon Allah. And that's why Abu Bakr said: "Ya Rasulallah, if they just look down, they'll see us." There was no spider web — that's a very weak narration. There was nothing to stop them from looking inside and seeing them. And then the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, told them to keep quiet. Because he said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3653; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2381)

"What do you think of two whom Allah is their third?" When there is nothing left to physically do, you put your tawakkul on Allah — and you don't falter and you don't shake after that.

Suraqa ibn Malik

But not only that — on the same journey, Nabi, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, then continues towards Medina, and Suraqa ibn Malik puts on his full armor and weaponry and comes to capture the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And in the story that everyone knows, in the end the Nabi, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, asks him:

"How will you feel, O Suraqa, when on your wrists will be the bracelets of Kisra?" So the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, is telling him: you're not going to capture me. And I'm going to get there. And I'm going to start a new nation. And it's going to become powerful. And it's going to bring down one of the two superpowers on earth. This is the reliance on Allah — this is the confidence and strength that it gives.

Warranted vs. Unwarranted Fear

And we see this again and again in the seerah of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. There were times when the companions were in constant fear — but that's because there was an actual threat that they were aware of. When Ghassan, which is a large Christian Arab tribe in the area of Iraq, was going to attack them — it wasn't just a rumor but an actual possibility. They were during those times constantly aware and cautious. But this is not to compare to the type of unwarranted fear that people are living in today.

Just last week a young lady came to my office. And she said she wants to wear hijab but her mother doesn't allow her to. Why? Because she might get attacked. Nobody sent her a note saying you'll be attacked — but she's just afraid. And if you do the numbers: if you look at the millions of people who are in America, and if you look at the few incidents here and there of a woman who had her hijab pulled or was physically struck, that's such a small, negligible number. But to avoid putting on hijab because maybe someone will attack you — and then to have the fear of a hijab being pulled off or being physically struck, and then have no fear of the punishment of Allah — that is the wrong balance entirely.

Brave Men and Women in Our History

We have a nation with a history of brave men and brave women.

Safiyyah, Radiyallahu Anha

Safiyyah, radiyallahu anha, saved the Muslims on the Battle of Al-Ahzab. Because they were all guarding the ditch and there was no one to guard the back. And some of the Jews of Banu Qurayza came, and they were trying to see if there were any men in the back so they could attack them. So Safiyyah goes and tells Hassan ibn Thabit, the poet of the Prophet ﷺ — and he was physically incapable of doing anything.

And she found that the situation was one of two: one, she will do nothing, and then they will know that the Muslims are uncovered, and then they will attack them from the back. Or two, she has to do something and save the Muslims, save the ummah. And so she took one of the poles of one of the tents and struck this man who was coming to spy — on the top of his head. And then she cut off his neck.

And it's not a common thing for a woman to just easily chop off a man's head and then throw it back to his comrades. But she mustered up the courage — and this is something that even men cannot tolerate, to chop someone's head off. But she gathered her courage and she threw it back to them. So when they found the head of their companion, they said:

"It's full of men." So they decided not to attack.

Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum, Radiyallahu Anhu

And it was never about physical size. It was never about muscles and physical ability — courage was never about physical size and muscles and physical ability. Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum, the blind companion, radiyallahu anhu, held the standard — which was the most difficult job — during the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah. They told him: you're not able to see. He said: that's even better. So I will hold the standard and stand. And even if we lose and we retreat, I can't retreat because I don't know where I'm going.

Al-Bara' ibn Malik, Radiyallahu Anhu

Others, like al-Bara' ibn Malik, during the battle against Musaylimah al-Kadhdhab — there was an intense moment where Musaylimah and his people were in a garden that was fortified and the Muslims couldn't get to him. And they described al-Bara' ibn Malik, radiyallahu anhu:

Meaning he physically wasn't impressive — he was small physically. But he said: bring a shield. And they brought a shield. And he stood on top of that shield. And he said: lift it with your spears. So many men gathered, lifting the shield as high as possible with their spears. And then he jumped inside. Not physically strong — but courageous.

Physical Size Means Nothing Before Allah

But if it were just about physical size — in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4729; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2785)

"A man who is great and fat — physically large — will come on the Day of Judgment, and he, with Allah, is not equal to the weight of a mosquito's wing." So it is not about physical size. But it's about a quality that we are sorely in need of.

Raising Courageous Children

And we're in need of it also when it comes to raising our children. Not just courage in the playground, but courage to speak the truth and to stand up for the truth. Back to Safiyyah — the aunt of the Prophet ﷺ — she raised one of the most fierce warriors in the history of our ummah: al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, radiyallahu anhu.

And when he was a young boy, she would leave him in the desert, in the dark, and he would cry for long periods of time. And people would come and tell her: look at what you're doing to the child. As we say now — traumatizing. Everything now is traumatizing. You're traumatizing the child, in our terms. And she would say: rather, I am making him a courageous warrior. So he grew up not afraid of the dark and not afraid of anything else.

In Sahih al-Bukhari, in one of the battles, he entered into an army of 240,000 by himself and cut through the entire army — all of its ranks — and then turned around and cut through again and made it back to his camp. Radiyallahu anhu.

Summary

In summary, brothers and sisters: we are not to live our life in constant fear of potential bad things that might happen. This is not a description of the believers. We have tawakkul in Allah — we rely and trust upon Allah. We believe in Al-Qadr. Things were written 50,000 years before the earth was created. We know our ajal, our time of death, is written. So it's not a matter of will you go or not — it's are you ready to meet Allah? And that is what is inevitable. So we shift our focus from being afraid of things that could happen to having our fear of Allah and preparing to meet Allah.

And we saw that having tawakkul doesn't mean ignoring physical preparations and the physical means.

And finally, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, used to seek refuge from al-bukhl wa al-jubn — he used to seek refuge from being stingy and from cowardice.

"O Allah, I seek refuge in You from miserliness and cowardice." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2822)

I say this saying and I ask Allah's forgiveness for me and you from all sins. So ask His forgiveness, O winners of those who ask His forgiveness. Ask Allah for His forgiveness — indeed, those who ask for His forgiveness shall prosper.

Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasoolihi al-ameen, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'een.

Do Not Mistake Anger for Courage

The last point here is to not mistake anger for courage. And this is something that is very common. Psychologists mention that what anger does is it gives a person a false sense of control. So they lose their temper, they use choice words, and in their mind they feel that they weren't defeated — they controlled the situation, they yelled at everyone. But in the end what really happened is they just lost their temper. And that is not courage, and that is not strength.

We have the famous hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said:

"The strong person is not the one who can out-wrestle people. But the strong person is the one who can control himself at the time of anger."