If You Can't Be Ahmad Then Be Abu al Haytham

If You Can't Be Ahmad, Then Be Abu al-Haytham

My dear brothers and sisters, let me take you back 1,200 years ago to a dark cell in Baghdad. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal — the one who is considered one of the greatest scholars of Islam ever known, the man whose school of thought millions follow until today, a man scholars called Imam Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, the Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah. To the extent some of the ulama said Allah has saved Islam after the Prophet ﷺ twice: with Abu Bakr on the day of Riddah, when tribes declared that they left Islam and they started fighting Muslims, and Abu Bakr stood up, stood his ground, and unified the Muslims again.

And the second time Islam was saved was on Yawm al-Mihna — the inquisition, the trial of Ahl al-Sunnah — when the leader of the Muslims at that time, the Abbasid caliph, changed the religion and claimed that the Qur'an is not Allah's words, but one of His creations. And people were forced to believe in that, and he tried to change the doctrine of Muslims by force. And the one who stood against all of this was Imam Ahmad.

Now he is about to face one of the worst days of his life. Tomorrow morning, by order of the khalifa himself, he will be publicly flogged for refusing to say Al-Qur'an is created. That is what they called the mihna — the inquisition.

By the way, it lasted about 20 years, and he stood his ground for 20 years, resisting any change to the belief of Islam: interrogation, imprisonment, house arrest, forbidden from teaching, cut off from the students and the people who needed him. And on that particular night, he was told that he would be whipped publicly.

A Night of Fear in the Dungeon

And brothers and sisters, Imam Ahmad was terrified. This was not a man of steel with no emotions. He was afraid of the pain. He was afraid that his garment would fall off and he would be exposed in front of people — or even worse, that he would be stripped while being flogged. He was afraid he would break. In that moment, when the first lash hit his back, he was worried that he would be weakened and might give in.

He was making du'a that night: "O Allah, conceal me, cover me, don't let me be exposed, give me strength, keep me firm." While sitting in that dungeon alone in the dark, the greatest scholar of his age was shaking with fear, begging Allah not to let him fall apart the next day.

Someone nudged him in the darkness. "Are you Ahmad ibn Hanbal?" "Yes, I am." Then the voice said: "I am Abu al-Haytham — a thief, a highway robber, a drunk. I have been arrested more times than I can remember."

And then, like a veteran coaching a rookie, Abu al-Haytham gave him practical advice. He said: "Listen to me. I've been hearing you making du'a, worried about the whipping tomorrow. Listen to me: the first lash is the worst. It burns. But after that, your body adjusts. The pain lessens. Trust me — I know. I have been through this more times than you can count. The lash never stopped me from going back to what I do."

Then he said words that changed history.

"I have taken 18,000 lashes for nothing — for the lies shaitan fed me. I took all of this for the money I used to steal, for the lifestyle I lived. And I never broke, I never gave up what I was doing. And look at me — I end up in prison, again and again and again. I am nobody. I am just a thief. But you, Ya Ahmad — I heard you. You are known to people. You are standing for the truth. You are standing for Allah. If someone like me could hold firm for garbage, surely you can hold firm for something real. You are better than me, Ya Ahmad. You are on the right path. Don't let them break you. Don't let them break you."

The Morning of the Mihna

Now here is what happened the next morning. They brought Ahmad out. They tied his hands. The executioner himself later said: "By Allah, I was striking him with lashes that would have broken an elephant's back." The khalifa was there himself, and he kept saying: "Harder. More." Ahmad fainted not once or twice, but multiple times that day. They would throw water on him, he would wake up, and the lashing would continue. But every time the whip came down, Ahmad would say to himself: Be patient in the path of Allah, Ya Ahmad — the words he heard from Abu al-Haytham playing on repeat in his mind like a lifeline. He held firm. He never broke. And he never surrendered.

And for years after that, as his son Abdullah tells us, Imam Ahmad would constantly make du'a: "O Allah, forgive Abu al-Haytham. O Allah, have mercy on Abu al-Haytham. O Allah, guide Abu al-Haytham." Abdullah asked him: "Father, who is this Abu al-Haytham that you always make du'a for?" He said: "He is a man whose face I never saw. I did not even see his face. I just heard his voice. I remember his touch."

Brothers and sisters, he never saw his face. It was pitch black. But he never forgot his words.

Abu al-Haytham was not a scholar. He was not an imam. He was not a council member. He was in that cell for the wrong reasons. But at the right moment, he said the right thing. And those words carried one of the greatest men in history through a beating that would have broken an elephant. And he came out standing.

Imam Ahmad himself said: "Abu al-Haytham's words were the single greatest thing that kept me firm throughout the entire mihna." A thief, a dark cell, and a few words that held up a man the entire ummah depended on.

You Don't Have to Be Famous to Be Impactful

So here is my question to you today: Who in your life said the right word at the right time and kept you going? I even have a better question for you: Have you been that person for someone else? And just to be clear, I am not telling you to be a thief when I say be Abu al-Haytham. I am telling you to be the person who shows up at the right moment with the right word.

My brothers and sisters, we live in a world that measures people by their platform, followers, titles, credit lines, fame, power, positions, degrees. And when you don't have those things, it is easy to think: "I am nobody. What can I possibly do?" What I want to say to you through this story is that you don't have to be famous to be impactful. You don't have to be a scholar to support the truth. You don't have to be perfect to be part of something great.

Abu al-Haytham didn't have a degree, a title, or any credentials. He had a criminal record. But one sentence, spoken in a dark prison, has echoed for a thousand years. It is still echoing today, even in our own masjid here in Clear Lake.

The Unnamed Heroes of the Qur'an

The Qur'an is filled with unnamed heroes who changed the course of history.

A believing man from the family of Pharaoh stood up against the injustice being done to the Children of Israel — a man who concealed his faith, who never publicly declared that he was a believer. He said to his own people: "Do you kill a man merely because he says my Lord is Allah?" We don't even know his name, but his courage spoken inside that very court is recited until the Day of Judgment.

Three messengers were sent to a city, yet the Qur'an documented for us in Surah Ya-Sin: a man came running from the farthest end of the city. He said: "O my people, follow the messengers — follow those who ask no reward of you, and they are rightly guided." Again, no name. He ran from the edge of town. Nobody invited him. Nobody asked him. He saw injustice and he moved. He was not on the board. He was not on the committee. He was just a man who cared enough to run.

And then there is the bird — a tiny bird — who flew over 2,000 kilometers, discovered an entire civilization worshipping the sun, came back and reported to Sulaiman:

"I have encompassed knowledge which you have not encompassed, and I have come to you from Saba' with certain news." A bird saying to a prophet and king: "I know something you don't." That tiny bird didn't say: "I'm just a bird, what do I know?" It didn't wait for permission. It saw something wrong and acted. And we should ask ourselves: if a bird can bring the truth to a king, what is our excuse?

From Spectators Back to Players

There are three kinds of people in the world, in the community, in society: those who make things happen, those who watch things happening, and those who say "what happened?" Too many of us are spectators in our own ummah. We watch the news, we share posts, we say subhanAllah, لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ, and keep scrolling. We watch other people do the hard work and we think that is enough. We scroll more than we serve. And yes, some of us get more emotional over Wi-Fi speed than over oppression and injustice happening to our brothers and sisters. لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ.

Watching instead of doing. Commenting instead of contributing. Complaining instead of finding solutions. Consuming instead of producing. We went from players to spectators, from builders to just customers. I think it is time to flip that back.

And you don't have to do everything. Abu al-Haytham did not lead an army — he spoke one sentence. That believing man in Pharaoh's court asked one question. The man from the edge of the city delivered one message. The bird gave one report. You don't need to be the whole fire. Just be a match.

Don't Let Shaitan Disqualify You

One of the traps shaitan sets for us: he whispers, "You are a sinner — who are you to speak up? Who are you to care about justice? Fix yourself first." You know — "I'm just a young man," "I'm just a kid," "I'm just a college student," "I'm just a doctor," "I'm just a small business owner" — whatever you are doing in life, "I can't contribute much. I'm not educated, I'm not in politics." You can find many excuses for yourself. And we internalize that. We tell ourselves: "I'm not an imam, I'm not a speaker, I'm not knowledgeable enough," and we step back, we sit down, we go quiet. Sometimes it sounds logical, but believe me — it is poison.

When Hassan al-Basri asked Mutarrif to give people advice, Mutarrif said: "I am afraid that I will say what I don't practice." Hassan said: "May Allah have mercy on you. That is exactly what shaitan wants. If everyone waited until they were perfect, no one would ever command good or forbid evil."

Imam Malik said it best: "Who among us has nothing wrong with them? Love the truth, even if you are struggling with falsehood. Love the people of obedience, even if you are deep in disobedience. Support the ones doing the work, even if you can't do it yourself." Your imperfection is not a disqualification — it is the human condition.

Abu al-Haytham was a thief and a drunk, and yet from the depth of his own brokenness, he delivered a word that held up the backbone of Sunni theology for generations. If he didn't disqualify himself, neither should you.

Even the Giants Need Support

Everyone needs support, my brothers and sisters. Even the giants need support. Even Ahmad ibn Hanbal needed a word in the dark. As they say: behind every great servant of Allah are people who held him there.

You know, last year I traveled to so many communities and delivered lectures to thousands of people. And I know one person who came to me and said: "Sheikh, I would like to sponsor some of your traveling. Whenever you go to a community, don't charge them for the ticket, don't charge them for the hotel — I'll pay for it. Here is an amount of money you can use for your travel expenses. I can't travel to give lectures, I'm not a sheikh, but I want to be part of every trip. Just make sure you don't use it for vacation trips." Just a small gesture like that.

And I want to give a real, real example that happened to me. I know one person who showed so much support to one of my cousins. And when I asked that person what made him so supportive, he said: "I will never forget — I visited your community a few years back. You guys honored me, you guys hosted me, you guys were very hospitable. You took me out for lunch. That year in particular, something happened that had never happened before. Somebody said, 'Sheikh, I want to put a budget of $2,000 — I want you to be responsible for this $2,000 for hosting anyone who comes as a guest. Take them to a restaurant, feed them, give them this.' Who would think about that? It is a small gesture." He said: "I know you guys take people out many times and pay for it from your own pocket, but I want to make that possible." That person still remembers — that little gesture of taking him to eat. It paid back. Not every time it pays back in the dunya, but it pays back in the akhirah.

I'm just giving you a real, real life example that happened right here. And I can think of so many. But what I want to say before I end my first khutbah today — you need to think about this: everybody, no matter how big they are, no matter how well-structured the institution is, needs your help.

Let me bring this home. Your father goes to work every day, provides for the family, handles the pressure. Maybe he is successful in his business, alhamdulillah, makes money and everything looks good. But does that mean he doesn't need a kind word from you? When you graduate and start earning income, say: "Mom, I want to give you my first paycheck." Even if he is rich, that means a lot. Your masjid has a good team, alhamdulillah. But does that mean they don't need your help, your time, your ideas? You pray here and you just walk past them. A word means a lot. You pay your employee well, but does that mean you don't need to encourage them? A word of appreciation, someone who notices their effort — everyone looks strong until you find out what they are carrying. No one is so great that they don't need support. And no one is so small that they have nothing to give.

Not everyone will be a scholar. Not everyone will be an activist. Not everyone will run for office. Not everyone will be a leader. But you can support them with your time, with your du'a, with your money, with your ideas, with your presence. You may not lead the ummah, but you can lift someone in it.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not belittle any act of goodness." (Sahih Muslim, Book 45, Hadith 144)

That is my message for you today.

Second Khutbah: What Will You Do This Week?

Brothers and sisters, everything we said in the first khutbah leads here to this practical question: What will you actually do next? This week — not next Ramadan, not next year, not next week — this week.

Speak one word of truth when it is easier to stay quiet. Support someone doing good work with your money, your time, your expertise, or just your du'a. Stand up for someone being wronged, even if it costs you something. Get involved in your community. Show up to a city council meeting. Vote. We have brothers from our own community — people we have known for years — running for office. Go and investigate. Go and support. Run for a school board. I am proud of people from our community running for positions. It doesn't matter if you win or not — you did something.

Abu al-Haytham spoke up in a dungeon. You have the right to speak up in a ballot box, in a courtroom, in a town hall. Use it. Reach out to someone struggling and say: "I see you. You are not alone." Remember, every one of you is a shepherd and every one of you will be asked about their flock.

You may never see the fruit of your words. Ahmad ibn Hanbal never saw Abu al-Haytham's face, but he carried his words through the flogging post and beyond. Your one act of courage, your one moment of support, might be the thing that holds someone together on the worst night of their lives.

So if you can't be Ahmad ibn Hanbal — and most of us cannot — then be Abu al-Haytham. Be the unnamed voice in the dark that keeps someone standing.

Du'a

O Allah, give honor to Islam and the Muslims. O Allah, give victory to those who are oppressed in every place. O Allah, bring relief to our brothers and sisters who are going through suffering — in Palestine and everywhere, O Lord of all the worlds.

O Allah, bring ease and relief to the innocent men and women in the places of war, especially what we see today in Lebanon and everywhere. O Allah, we ask You to protect the mujahideen, the mu'mineen, the muslimeen, and bring peace to the whole world. O Allah, we ask You to give relief to those who are unjustly and unfairly treated.

O Allah, forgive us and our parents and our family and our spouses and make all of us righteous. O Allah, keep us on the straight path until we meet You. O Allah, forgive Abu al-Haytham, and forgive and support and have mercy on him and on everyone who stands up for the truth. O Allah, give us in this dunya goodness and in the akhirah goodness and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. Ameen.