Every Bright Ending Has a Difficult Beginning

Every Bright Ending Has a Difficult Beginning

It was attributed that he said, a beautiful statement — whoever does not have a burning beginning or start, will not have a bright ending. Like if you don't start with burning fire, if you don't go through a lot of difficulties and hardships so you can make the best out of you towards the end, you're not going to have that bright end.

If you think that everything comes easy, and if you'd like to live a life of comfort and convenience all the time, what do you expect the result is going to come out of that? How do you think you're going to have that bright ending in your life? Brothers and sisters, Ramadan is coming soon, insha'Allah, in the next two weeks. That Ramadan, we should be prepared for the beginning of it. We say, how do you prepare, how are you going to start Ramadan? But in this khutbah, I would like to share with you how you need to think about the end of it.

When Ramadan comes to an end, how do you want this to be a bright ending for you? What exactly should you keep in mind in preparation for that bright end at the month of Ramadan? Especially nowadays, we need people in our ummah, not just our community. We need people in our ummah who will be truly bright people among the darkness of the people we see around us these days, including Muslim leaders, unfortunately, who are really embarrassing when it comes to issues related to the ummah. They come out with results that make you think — how is that even something they think is right to say or do or even behave in that fashion? We need leaders of jama'at among ourselves.

People who really care about that ummah, about the deen of Allah. We need these people. But without having that burning start, you're never going to have that ending that is so bright.

And I don't want anyone here to say, look, that's not for me. I've never been designed to be that leader. Many of the leaders we know today, or at least in history, they did not even design themselves to be leaders. But they went through the path and Allah at some point gave them that bright ending.

So my dear brothers and sisters, Ramadan is a catalyst for many, many of us. Ramadan will surprise you. You're going to see yourself in Ramadan just like you've never seen yourself before — doing things, hopefully in ta'a and ibadah insha'Allah, that will really impress you and surprise you that you are capable of doing all these things. So if that's something we all have seen throughout the month of Ramadan, but every year when Ramadan comes to an end, that burning fire, unfortunately, it doesn't last long for many.

How can I ensure that my burning fire insha'Allah through Ramadan will continue after it? Here are a few things I want you to learn about life so that you prepare yourself for a rough start so you can have a bright end insha'Allah.

Point One: Trials Are the Sunnah of Allah in This Life

The first thing we need to understand about this life is that it is sunnatullahi tabarak wa ta'ala fil hayat al-ibtila' — that it is the sunnah, the way of Allah, to subject people to trial, to go through trials. So those who try to always escape difficulties and hardships — what are you talking about? Finding ease is good, alhamdulillah, if you can find two ways and make things easy, alhamdulillah. But always expecting comfort to be the way of life — that's not how we were designed as human beings.

Our bodies were not designed for so much comfort, jama'ah — we get sick. We were designed to go through some hardships and difficulties to adapt and become empowered. So trials are part of this life, and Allah even mentioned that clearly in the Qur'an when He says:

He said in Surah al-Balad: "Indeed We have created man in hardship." But actually the meaning of kabad comes from mukabada, which means continuously going through trials — from one hardship to the other, from one difficulty to the other, from one task to the next. You are in continuous motion from one point to the other. And if you ever think it's time to retire at 30 or 35 or 40 because you're making so much money, alhamdulillah rabbil 'alamin — that's the beginning of your decline. Intellectually, mentally, and health-wise as well. You need to continue working from one point to the other in this life, hopefully growing with that insha'Allah.

Brothers and sisters, Ramadan in itself is a trial. It interrupts your routine. You're going to be fasting and staying away from the comfort of your life and the things that you desire the most for 29 or 30 days — that in itself is a trial. When Ramadan starts coming closer and closer, one of two things happens: either you rejoice at the opportunity — "Oh man, I'm waiting for Ramadan to begin insha'Allah so I can have a better version of myself" — or, when Ramadan starts coming closer, you start kind of crying and whining and wanting to catch up on some of the pleasures of the dunya before Ramadan starts.

Where are you? Which of those two are you? Are you one who genuinely rejoices at the beginning of Ramadan — getting ready by rolling up your sleeves and preparing for the trials and difficulties of fasting, tahajjud, qiyam, time management, family life, and balanced priorities? All these are part of the trials. Be prepared. It's not the time to escape from these things, rather to go through them insha'Allah.

And if you need an incentive to help you go through this, remember the hadith of Nabi ﷺ when he said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 38; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 760)

Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan — imanan, out of faith and belief — wa ihtisaban, hoping for the reward from Allah, meaning you overlook all the difficulties you go through while hoping for the reward — ghufira lahu ma taqaddama min dhanbihi: Allah will forgive you the sins that have passed. What an unbelievable incentive and act of generosity from Allah at the beginning of the month of Ramadan.

Point Two: Patience Is the Key to a Bright Ending

The second thing I want you to think about as we prepare insha'Allah for that burning start: understanding that as-sabr — patience — is the key to that bright ending. And Nabi ﷺ said it clearly in the hadith:

(Musnad Imam Ahmad, Hadith 2804; also reported in similar wording in Sunan al-Tirmidhi)

You need to understand that victory and triumph come with patience. What does that mean? Things that come so quickly probably end so quickly as well. You know when you acquire something swiftly, you rejoice — you have this adrenaline rush for a few hours, a few days — and then what happens to it? That's it, it dies out. But something you endured years to accomplish — forget about the destination, it's the journey that matters to you at that moment. You start reminiscing all those moments and times, the sleepless nights, the difficult weather, the people you dealt with — all of that becomes part of the journey, part of the memory, and makes you so proud of the accomplishment because it was worth it.

So brothers and sisters, Ramadan is the time for this. And there are so many stories we know about the salihin and the salaf who prepared themselves for that beautiful bright end at the end of Ramadan. And remember, as the Prophet ﷺ said, victory comes with patience.

And subhanAllah, that is the sunnah of Allah, even with the anbiya before us. He said:

When the messengers came to a moment where they almost despaired — istas'yasa al-rusul — and they even had those thoughts: despaired and thought that they had been denied the nasr, the triumph, the promise of Allah — Allah says, "Our victory came to them." And ironically, this ayah was mentioned in Surah Yusuf. And we know what Surah Yusuf is all about. All the trials you can think of and imagine that would happen to anybody in their life — it happened to him, alayhis salam. Everything you can imagine: family issues, financial issues, injustice, imprisonment, temptations. And the greatest of all these trials is the trial of being given power. You get the power, and you can make things good for the world — or, like some people today, you make it even worse, because you were not qualified for that. You did not go through the polishing to become a leader with such power in your hand. But if you have been prepared for it, you can make better decisions insha'Allah.

Brothers and sisters, Ramadan is coming and it requires a lot of patience. So be prepared from now. You have two weeks — start working on this, start preparing yourself with patience insha'Allah.

Point Three: Success Always Comes with Struggle

If you look at the history of people, and the history of successful people, you will rarely — if ever — find anyone who succeeded without going through difficulties. That is like an impossible mission. Which means you have to understand: success is always preceded by effort and struggle. So that struggle is actually meant to be. Trying to always avoid going through some difficulties, always looking for the comfortable path to success — you might get there. But will you enjoy it? Are you going to sustain it? Would that be something you would be proud of as an accomplishment? Or would you just feel that you cheated the whole world?

Sometimes, going through difficulties and hardships is necessary. Imam al-Shafi'i, rahimahullah, he said:

"Lofty goals can only be acquired and achieved in proportion to the effort you put in — and whoever seeks greatness must stay awake through the nights." Like, if you would like to accomplish something high, you're going to have to endure sleepless nights. When everybody else is sleeping, you're going to be working so hard on that accomplishment.

Brothers and sisters, part of this, as we know, is tahajjud. Ramadan is going to deprive you from some of those moments of enjoying sleep at night. At the beginning it's going to be difficult. I've seen that with a lot of people, subhanAllah — we get fatigued halfway through Ramadan, but towards the end, you don't want Ramadan to come to an end, even though you're not sleeping at all. It becomes so sweet to be awake, alhamdulillah, in the masjid, doing ibadah and ta'a, and just worrying about nothing. In that moment it creates a kind of bubble for many people. But the joy of being in that environment for the sake of Allah — even though you're tired, exhausted, fatigued — you realize, alhamdulillah, I made it through this night. Two more nights, insha'Allah. One more night, insha'Allah. Laylatul Qadr, insha'Allah — you always have that on your mind. And again, success — you're going to have to endure some hardship for it as well.

Brothers and sisters, without sacrifice there will be no meaning to that success. We have to accept that. And subhanAllah, some of the ulema went through all of these things, and so did the salihin.

The Example of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal

Look at the example of Imam Ahmad, rahimahullah. Imam Ahmad was not among the famous ulema of his time at the very beginning. But he became famous for something interesting — his fame came from the fact that he stood against the tyranny of his time. The leaders of his time insisted on pushing an ideological agenda on the community, forcing people to accept that the Qur'an is a creation of Allah rather than the words of Allah. And many scholars caved in — under pressure, under temptation, some of them in prison. Imam Ahmad, rahimahullah, said: no, it is not the creation of Allah. The Qur'an is the words of Allah. Allah said that in the Qur'an — "until he hears the speech of Allah" (hatta yasma'a kalamallah) — in a manner that befits His majesty.

So he insisted, and he became — if not the only — one of the only prominent names among the scholars of his time who stood for this mas'alah against the tyranny of the leadership of that era. So he went to prison. And there in prison he had his struggles, subhanAllah. He was like anybody else — afraid, scared, perhaps thinking twice about it.

And then on the way to prison, while he was in chains being taken away, he met an old man who said to him: "Listen to me — the whole ummah is waiting for what you're going to say. Don't fail us." He said, wallahi laqad qawwa 'azmi — "He made me feel strong, like I am standing for justice, standing for the right thing."

And in prison, when he was told he would be beaten and tortured, a drunken man came to him and said: "Listen to me — I'm not worried about dying, but I am worried about the lashes on my back." The man replied: "Look, I have been beaten for drinking. You are going to suffer for something way better than my crime. But let me tell you — it's only the first two or three lashes, and then the rest of it you won't even feel." Imam Ahmad said, subhanAllah: "I learned to be patient from someone considered to be a drunken man." And he endured months in prison, rahimahullah.

But then, when that mihna — that trial — was lifted, he became who we know him as today: Imam Ahl al-Sunnah, rahmatullahi 'alayh.

Brothers and sisters, his bright ending did not come without going through those trials. Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, the same — rahimahullah. He did not get Jerusalem back by simply enjoying his time and being a leader. No, no, no — he endured all the hardships you can think of, all the sacrifices, to get to that point, rahimahullah.

Point Four: Believe Firmly in Allah's Promise

And finally, my dear brothers and sisters, if you truly believe in Allah's promise, insha'Allah — I hope that will be an incentive enough for you to go through all the difficulties of fasting, giving your money for the sake of Allah, sacrificing some of your comfort for the sake of Allah, helping other people by volunteering in your masjid, praying tahajjud, doing all the good things you expect to do in Ramadan insha'Allah — so that you can have a bright end to this month of Ramadan. But you need to have that strong belief and strong faith in the promise of Allah that you will be rewarded for this. Because if we don't have that, I'm not sure how we'll be able to go through all these difficulties and hardships.

May Allah make it easy for us to fast Ramadan, ya Rabb al-'alamin, and give us the ability to thank Him in the way that is most pleasing to Him.

Second Part of the Khutbah: Fasting Is the Highest Form of Patience

My dear brothers and sisters, fasting in itself — the essence of fasting — is patience. It's all about patience. And Nabi ﷺ said, man sama Ramadana imanan wa ihtisaban — you fast, you hope for the reward. Nothing tangible you will probably see in your life, but you hope for the reward from Allah. It requires a lot of patience.

The Prophet ﷺ tells us, and Allah says in the hadith qudsi:

All good deeds are for the person himself — except for fasting. There is no tangible worldly incentive for it; you do it sincerely for the sake of Allah alone. It is a secret ibadah, a secret act of worship. Who knows you are fasting unless you declare it? So you will be going through day after day after day and no one knows that you are fasting. That is why it belongs to Allah — only for Allah do you do it. And you do it sincerely. And you do it with joy as well.

And the Prophet ﷺ even mentioned to us — on a social level, when you are fasting, people are going to push your buttons. They are going to provoke you. They are going to upset you. He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1894; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1151)

If you are fasting and someone starts cursing at you or hurting you — say: "Inni sa'im — I am fasting." You could retaliate, but you choose not to. It is a lesson in patience. Fasting is all about patience, my dear brothers and sisters.

Ibn Rajab, rahimahullah, in his Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam, says: wa afdalu anwa' al-sabr — the best form of patience is as-siyam, fasting. Because it combines all three dimensions of patience: enduring patience through worshipping Allah, patience in abstaining from sins that may displease Allah, and patience upon the decree of Allah.

So my dear brothers and sisters, remember: if you would like to have, insha'Allah, a bright ending this month of Ramadan, you have to prepare for a burning start insha'Allah. And it doesn't start when Ramadan begins. It starts from today, insha'Allah.