Fitnah: A blessing in disguise

Fitnah: A Blessing in Disguise

None can guide aright, and I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah the Exalted, and that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is his last messenger and servant.

O you who believe, be mindful of Allah and die not except in a state of submission to him alone.

O humanity, be mindful of Allah who created you from a single soul, and from that created his mate, and from that scatters many men and women. O humanity, be mindful of Allah and do not cut off relations with your relatives. Indeed Allah is Al-Raqib — he is the ultimate monitor over you.

O humanity, be mindful of Allah and speak the truth in order for him to accept your deeds and forgive you of any shortcomings. And whoever has obeyed Allah and his messenger has indeed achieved the greatest achievement.

As to what follows: indeed the best speech is the book of Allah and the best guidance is that of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And of the worst affairs in our doctrinal system of Islam are the newly invented ones. For every newly invented affair in this religion is an innovation, and for every innovation is a form of going astray, and for every form of going astray is in the fire of hell.

"I'm Mad at God"

"I'm mad at God." That is what was said to me a couple of weeks ago by someone that was being told about what Islam was. They said, "You know what? I understand the concept of the oneness of God. I get it — as a matter of fact, I agree. But something happened to me when I was young that I didn't even ask for, and I'm mad at God for that. That's the issue that I cannot overcome. So I'm being honest with you — I'm mad at God from that time till now. I'm upset. I'm upset at that which happened to me that I had no control over. I understand this message of Islam — as a matter of fact, I've read about Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. But this happened to me."

It's important that we as Muslims, when we hear things like this — or we hear a young boy or girl saying, "I just can't be in the house," because their parents are consistently, constantly arguing, calling each other names, fighting, sometimes getting physical — we respond wisely and with empathy.

We see on the news what is happening to our brothers and sisters all around the world — in Afghanistan, may Allah protect them; in Uyghur, may Allah protect them; in Kashmir; in Palestine; in Syria. All of this is taking place.

We hear the name Al-Hakim — the All-Wise. We understand it. We subconsciously accept it. But when it is actualized in our lives — when the name Al-Hakim, meaning the All-Wise, who knows what was, what is, and what will be, and as a matter of fact, whose knowledge encompasses the appropriation of what he chooses to allow to happen — what is our response? What is our responsibility in regards to that?

Islam Is Built on Five Pillars

This is why, brothers and sisters, it is very important that we understand the importance of the five pillars of Islam. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said a beautiful statement that many of us know:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 8; Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 21)

"Islam was built on five pillars." The first of them is the Shahada.

Many of us in here were not Muslim — we did not acknowledge ourselves as Muslim. And you know what, many of us right now are thinking, "Oh yeah, the Christian, the American brother, the American sister that embraced Islam." No — I even mean the Arab brother, the Arab sister, the Pakistani brother who never really embraced Islam until there was an encounter: a collegiate friend, a co-worker, an uncle, someone that impacted them and told them something about the relationship between an event in their life and how that is relevant to the name Al-Hakim.

Why is Allah's knowledge and wisdom relevant in my life? When they had that encounter, it was euphoric. It was something that woke them up and made them think: "I have no capability over what just happened. I have to reach out to someone or something — and I'm naturally doing that — but where am I voluntarily submitting and surrendering my will to? Is it money? Is it my intellect? Is it my logic? What is it?"

And the final frontier hits them. And yes, this can be someone that was raised hearing the adhan for 13, 14, 15 years. So when we all come here, recognizing the oneness of Allah, inshallah, hearing this dhikr — hearing this remembrance of Allah — and understanding that these encounters are what Allah has willed and predestined.

Yes, I can sit here and say that easily. I didn't experience what this young lady experienced. But when we look at the beautiful names of Allah and that he is Al-Hakim, we know that it is for an ultimate wisdom beyond my understanding, my perception, my capabilities to totally encompass. Why? — which is the huge question. Why in Afghanistan now? Why in Uyghur now? Why with my parents now? Why was it my sister that died, and she didn't do anything wrong? Or my brother? Or my mother? Why?

The Quranic Primer on Trials

Allah mentions in the chapter of Al-Anbiya (The Prophets), verse number 35, which is a very important primer — a very important general rule for us to understand on why Allah does the things that he does in general. And these general rules — it is very important to look at them, understand them, and try our best to ask Allah: "O Allah, allow me to internalize your intention behind this verse in my life." Literally ask him, because we are human.

Allah gives us a statement — a reality that all of us know will happen. As young kids we didn't know, but there was some time in our life that we were exposed to this reality. Allah says:

"Every soul shall taste death. And We will surely test you with evil and with good as a trial (fitnah). And to Us you will be returned."

Every single one of us here is composed of ruh or nafs and turab — we are composed of clay, for lack of a better word, and a soul. Allah created Adam from clay and then breathed into it the soul — which is the nafs, or we could say the ruh, as some scholars make a differentiation between the two. Most importantly, each and every one of us is composed of these two.

Now, when someone dies, that ruh leaves the body, and that is what is considered death, as Ibn al-Qayyim mentions — he says it is when the soul or spirit, for lack of a better word, leaves the body. Allah confirms and establishes that this will happen.

And then, subhanAllah, after talking about the reality of death — that it will take place — he talks about the reality of life: what will happen during your lifetime? He says: "And We will surely test you with that which is good and that which is perceived as evil." And to us — you will surely be returned. If you want to be particular with the Arabic language, he says "you will be returned" — someone will cause you to return. In other words, it is not up to you when Allah chooses to take you. All of us know this. But when the reality of being taken hits us, what is our response?

Understanding Fitnah

That's why there is a beautiful word that he uses here in the very middle. He says:

Fitnah. "We will surely test you with good and with evil" — the way that he will test you is by means of fitnah. Many of us are thinking of fitnah outside of the masjid — two brothers arguing, finding out what day Ramadan is, two brothers or sisters fighting. We look at the linguistic meaning and carry it over to the technical meaning. So when Allah says fitnah, it means a trial. But in actuality, the goal of the trial is to purify you.

How many of us have gone through a rough situation in our life and we look back and say, "Wallahi, what a lesson learned"? How many of us have told a young man or young woman about something that happened in their lives, and we wake up and say, "You know what, that happened to me — alhamdulillah, I made it through."

So Allah is telling all of us here: yes, there will be a day where Allah will take you. But during this lifetime, you will be tested with what you may perceive as good and evil — as a trial, which is a means of purification for you. And on top of all of that, you will be returned — Allah will take you.

So each and every one of us — look at the things that we perceived as evil or bad at a certain time and now say, "You know what, lesson learned. I'm glad that I went through this. I'm glad that I went through this so I can teach people, so I can remind people, so I can remind myself."

And that's why this Quran is the best form of dhikr — because it tells you about life, it tells you about the Giver of life, it tells you about what he does within this life.

So when we see these good or bad things happen to us, we have to realize — subhanAllah — what is our perception of that? This quote-unquote evil that has happened to me — it will wash over, and I will eventually forget about it, and may be reminded when it happens to someone else.

Allah uses this word fitnah numerous times and in various contexts in the Quran — where he says your money and your children will be a fitnah for you. Something that you love — your child, your money — can be a fitnah for you. All of us need money to fulfill certain needs. But when your child turns 16, 17 and they don't want to pray — when they were two or three, oh subhanAllah — that is the third part of the ayah: "We will test you with the good." But when he is 16, 17, 18, 21, and doing something apparently that you are not pleased with, and you know and they know Allah is not pleased with it as well — that is another fitnah.

How do we understand this word fitnah? Do we look at it as a static trial — as something that is always negative and can never eventually be positive? Or do we look at it as something that will always be a deterrent and will always hold us down, therefore keeping us away from progress individually and collectively?

Aqoolu qawli hatha wastaghfirullaha li walakum wa lisa'iril muslimeen, fastaghfiru innahu huwa al-Ghafoor al-Raheem.

What Is Your Goal in Life?

Alhamdulillah. I asked someone the other day, "What is your goal in life?" And they said, "You know what? My goal is to be happy. My goal is to be happy, that my daughter is happy, and that my sister is happy. That's it — happiness."

When we look at this previous verse and understand fitnah — a trial or tribulation, but ultimately the trial is to get you to a better place — that can be dependent upon our perception.

There's one thing I want us to remember before I move on to three principles — three forms of advice. We should always, in this life, be comfortable with being uncomfortable. I'll say it again: it is important for us, as people striving to maintain our spirituality — our connection with God — to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

When you are uncomfortable waking up for Fajr in the cold weather and making wudu with cold water — that uncomfortability will bring you to a better state. When you are uncomfortable because a relative has passed away — it is human — but that uncomfortable state will cause you to say to yourself, "I want to live the legacy of my beloved relative."

So remember: when these trials happen, Allah is putting something in front of you that will make you uncomfortable. But what is your response?

Three Principles from Ibn al-Qayyim

The response — as Ibn al-Qayyim mentions beautifully — involves three things. He asks the reader in one of his books, after making du'a for them, and says: "I ask Allah to make you — just as Jesus, peace be upon him, said when he asked Allah: 'And make me blessed wherever I may be'" — wherever you are, people remember Allah, or they remember morality, or they remember goodness — because you embody these three things.

1. When Given, Be Thankful

The first thing: when you are given something, you are thankful. Not given something by a human being — given by Allah. Right now, you are in an air-conditioned mosque, listening to a message through a microphone and speakers. Many people do not have that opportunity. Right now, if you are hungry after Jumu'ah, you are able to go and ride or walk to find something to eat easily, because you have the money to purchase that. Many people around the world do not have that opportunity.

Just thinking of those two things, brothers and sisters — food and shelter — that is enough to be shakir, to be thankful to Allah, for the rest of your life. The fact that you can hear me, the senses of hearing and seeing that Allah has given you — he can easily take them away. He can easily take them away. We understand that. But when we put that in our conscious mind, that should elicit an action. That should bring forth a response.

SubhanAllah — Allah has given me intellect, Allah has given me sight. These basic things that I realize and know — what am I doing? The least that I can do is show thankfulness.

And thankfulness — the best way to thank Allah is the way that he showed you to thank him: by the shari'ah, by the religion — by praying, by fasting, by being honest, by smiling at people, by giving salams to those that you don't know, by being a person that is peaceful in society — with the intention to please the one that has given you that virtue. That is how one shows thankfulness to Allah.

Allah says:

"If you are thankful, I will increase you."

2. When Tested, Be Patient

And then Ibn al-Qayyim says: if they are given, they are thankful — and if they are tested, they are patient.

We have a collective aspect of being tested with the fitnah from before. As we see what is going on with our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, in Syria, in Palestine, in Uyghur, in Kashmir — in all of these places they are being tested. We are being tested by watching it on the news. We are being tested because sometimes — let's be honest — we may ask God, "Why?" Your son or daughter may ask Allah, "Why?" They may ask you, "Daddy, why are they doing this? Why is Allah allowing this to happen?"

If they are tested, they are patient — because we understand patience. It is withholding a consistent element of anger from what has been predestined, what has taken place. When you take a step back and realize that name again — Al-Hakim — that the All-Wise has allowed it to happen for a divine reason, this patience requires trust. You trust in God. But guess what? If you do not know who God is, what do you expect? If you haven't taken the time out to learn about God, what do you expect?

And the first step of learning about God is: something happens in your life, and you say, "Okay — how does Allah apply this in my life? What happened to a friend of mine, or a relative? The good thing — Allah has provided it. What has been taken away from me — he took it away for a divine reason. I don't know, but Allah — I'll be patient, to the best of my ability."

3. When You Sin, Seek Forgiveness

And the third: throughout this process of being thankful and being patient — thankful for what he has given you, and patient with what you may perceive as al-sharr, the evil — you have been patient with it, you are still going to make mistakes.

InshAllah, each and every one of us here — when we walked into the masjid, we realized that we are sinners, that we make mistakes, that we have our own individual, quote-unquote, demons in the closet. Our own individual shortcomings that maybe you and your wife know, that you and your husband know, that you and a close friend know, or just you and Allah know. Each and every one of us has consistent shortcomings that we're not working on — or it's a huge shortcoming that we are working on, but we still haven't weaned off of it.

What is important is that you acknowledge your humanness — that you will make mistakes. That when you see a fitnah that has arrived, you may question God. That may happen. But what do you do? You stop and think of the name Al-Hakim — the All-Wise. You say, "O Allah, I trust in you. I trust in you because you have gotten me this far. This is a moment in my life — I was born in 1975 and there is a dash — there is not a date yet. What am I doing in this dash? What is my mentality? What is my approach to God's actions in my life and in other people's lives?"

When I make the mistake regarding that approach, do I ask Allah for forgiveness? Because Allah wants you to seek forgiveness. He knows you will make mistakes. But being arrogant about that forgiveness, or being negligent of that forgiveness — that is what leads to sadness.

And that is why Ibn al-Qayyim ends with these three things:

• If you are given — you are thankful.
• If you are tested — you are patient.
• If you commit a sin — you seek forgiveness from Allah.

Remember these three. Because around this, any fitnah that approaches — by the permission of Allah — will be a means of purification from your shortcomings. A means of purification from those things which would keep you persistent in bad deeds.

Helping Our Brothers and Sisters in Need

So when we see what is going on with our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan right now — there is a lot of confusion, there is a lot of mayhem, there are a lot of questions — what is most important is that we find people who take it upon themselves to help those that are in need. As we understand and know, there are organizations like Islamic Relief — people that have taken it upon themselves to help those that are less fortunate.

Many of us have the intention to help someone — but then Maghrib comes around and we forget, the next day comes around and we forget. We all should do as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said — to help each other in khayr, to assist each other in righteousness and piety. Outside there is a table for those that wish to help and relieve some of the stress on the Muslims around the world.

Just as you individually and secretly help to relieve the stress of your brother, Allah will relieve that stress from you. Allah knows your intention.

Closing Du'a

So may Allah make us of those that practice these three — of those that when we are given, we are thankful; when we are tested, we are patient; and when we commit sins, we ask Allah for forgiveness.

And may Allah make us look at any fitnah — any trial or tribulation — and look at the glass as half full and not half empty.

"And be thankful to him — he will increase you."

And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest thing.