Practicing Islam in Difficult Times

Practicing Islam in Difficult Times

الحمد لله، الحمدُ لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره ونؤمن به ونتوكل عليه، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهده الله فلا مُضِلَّ له، ومن يُضلله فلا هادي له، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، ونشهد أن سيدنا وسندنا وشفيعنا وحبيبنا ومولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله تعالى عليه وعلى آله وأصحابه مباركاً وسلَّم تسليماً كثيراً كثيرا، أما بعد.

Allah says in His Noble Book — after أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم، بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم:

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

Respected elders, brothers and sisters in Islam — many of us are aware, and keeping with the theme of this year's retreat, a topic that is very pertinent to all of us. It deals with each and every single individual of the Ummah of Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم — dealing with our faith in the face of difficulty, and particularly in light of Surah Al-Kahf. Some of the aspects we will hear in detail over the weekend, over the next three days. But in general, Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned in the hadith:

He said: Hasten to do good deeds before such fitan — such trials and tribulations — come, which will be similar to the darkness of the night. A person understands this — that from the time of Maghrib, when the sun sets, as the night goes on, each portion of the night is darker than the previous portion. So as the sun sets, there is some light that remains, and then as the time of Isha comes closer, that light gets darker, and slowly darker, until midnight comes and it is pitch dark.

Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم said the trials will not get easier. It is not that there is one dark period and then everything is fine — he said it will get darker and darker, and more and more difficult.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 118)

A person will wake up in the morning as a believer, and by the evening he will be a disbeliever — he will have lost his iman. In the evening a person will have iman, will be a mu'min, but such events will transpire over the night, over the evening, that by the time morning comes around the person will no longer have iman. Then Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم said he will sell — the person will sell their iman — بِعَرَضٍ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا — for some cheap, valueless property of this world. And we see this happening right and left in today's time.

The point that we should all come into this weekend with is knowing that these topics deal with me. I need to know how to protect my iman, because every single individual will face trials and tribulations. This is from the promises of Allah. Allah asks us in the Quran: do you think that you will not be tested, that you will say that you are a believer, you have iman, but Allah will not test you? So we need to understand that these trials and tribulations that face us — it is not that there is no way out of them. All of the comparisons, the examples, and the lessons that we can draw from the Quran, from the teachings of Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم, from the lives of the Sahaba — we have to understand what they are and how they apply to me.

The Meaning of Taqarub al-Zaman

Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم in the hadith mentioned that a time will come, and one aspect of these fitan is what we refer to as taqarabuz zaman:

Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم said: the Day of Judgment will not come until the time comes when taqarub of zaman — of time — takes place. And what does this literally mean? If you translate it literally, it means that time will get closer, will be shorter. So we could ask: does that mean that instead of 24 hours in a day there will be only 12? Or that a person will have fewer minutes in an hour, or fewer seconds in a minute?

We understand this from the lives of the Sahaba. It is a concept that many of us very vaguely understand, and the concept is referred to as barakah. Because we all make dua for it. We come to a gathering and say: make dua for barakah in their house, or I started this business venture, make dua that we get barakah in the venture. But literally what barakah is translated as:

A lot of benefit through very little means. It is not just an increase. The Sahaba رضي الله عنهم had such barakah in their lives that in the short period of time that they lived on this earth, they made an effort that they are still earning from today.

The Story of Tufayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi

Imagine the likes of Tufayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi رضي الله عنه. He comes to Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم, and his story is also an amazing story. He is travelling to Makkah al-Mukarramah for the purpose of business. He is not a believer, he does not have iman. And as he is approaching Makkah, before he even gets there, the people of Makkah are aware that this person is coming — he was a very well-known businessman, very respected in society. So they sent a delegation out of Makkah al-Mukarramah to go greet him outside.

When they met him, the first thing they told him was: there is a man in Makkah al-Mukarramah who has started calling to a religion other than the religion of our forefathers. And because of him, families are being divided — some fathers are accepting and the sons are not accepting, the sons are accepting, the daughters are accepting and the parents are not accepting, husbands are accepting and the wives are not accepting. Families are being ripped apart. And this is how they put it.

Allah even told Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم: so far, what you have been through — all of that difficulty — it is not going to stop. Your effort of deen, your calling to Allah, requires:

It requires for you to face a lot of hardship. People will say negative things. And Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم went through it his whole life.

So anyway, Tufayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi رضي الله عنه is warned: don't go listen to this person. Don't hear anything that he has to say. And then they called him names — he is a kahin, he is a sha'ir, a sahir. He uses magic, he uses poetry, he uses fortune-telling. These are the tricks that he plays to lead people towards his religion — which was the religion of Haqq.

And so Tufayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi رضي الله عنه narrates the incident himself. He says:

(Sirah Ibn Hisham; referenced in Musnad Ahmad and related sources)

He says: I was so afraid of even accidentally hearing what this man — Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم — had to say, that not only did I say I am not going to go sit with him or talk to him, he says: فَحَشَوْتُ فِي أُذُنَيَّ قُطْنًا — I shoved cotton into my ears so that I would not even accidentally hear what he had to say.

And then he goes into Makkah al-Mukarramah, does his business, and as was the custom even before Islam, they would visit the Baitullah — the Ka'bah. When he comes into the confines of the Ka'bah, he sees a man. And Allah — when He guides somebody — then against all means, Allah can guide somebody. He sees this man and he is attracted to him. Then it strikes him: this must be that man they were speaking about. All of the apprehension and all the protection he has taken is there — he has cotton in his ears, he has made up his mind, he is not going to hear anything this person has to say.

But he sees him once, and the thought crosses his mind: he looks like a beautiful person. And I am intelligent. He starts reasoning with himself: so I can decide whether what he is saying makes sense or not. So he removes the cotton, goes to Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم, and hears the few words that he has to say. And Allah had written hidayah for him. A man who had been afraid to even meet Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم accepts Islam.

And the first thing out of his mouth is: Ya Rasulullah, give me permission. This is something we need to understand — that today it is not enough for us to say we are Muslim, or to claim that our family is Muslim, or just to say the kalimah. But until we stand up for what we believe in and make an effort on it, we are not protected from the trials and tribulations that we face in society today.

He is so driven. He says: Ya Rasulullah, give me permission — I am going to go back to my people, the people of Daws, and I want to invite them to Islam. They need to get this also.

So Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم gives him permission. We know what dedication Tufayl ibn Amr رضي الله عنه showed, and such hardships he faced. Today we might say: Islamophobia, it is hard to offer my salah at work, it is hard to keep the sunnah at work, I will not get a job if I practice like this. And these are challenges that we face. Tufayl ibn Amr رضي الله عنه went alone and went back to his tribe of disbelievers, who for generations had lived in ignorance.

He sees his father and the first thing he tells him: I have nothing to do with you — me and you, no more conversations, nothing. His father says: what happened, what is going on? He says: I have been to see the greatest man on the face of this earth, and I have brought iman in him. Until you also bring iman, I have nothing to do with you. And so his father accepts.

His wife comes into the house, he tells her the same thing: I have nothing to do with you, don't talk to me. She says: what happened, what did I do? He says: I have accepted the religion of this man Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, and until you also do so, I have nothing to do with you. His wife also accepts.

But then Tufayl رضي الله عنه continued. He went to the people of his town and spoke to them similarly, but nobody accepted. And not only did they not accept — we know that everybody in that time, from Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم down to all of the Sahaba رضي الله عنهم — faced hardship and ridicule because of their iman. Hardship after hardship.

Today we say our challenges are what? It is difficult to make wudhu in public. It is difficult to offer salah in front of our co-workers. Or because of certain people and what they are saying and doing, it is hard to practice Islam, we are afraid.

Literally, Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه — when he accepted Islam and he stood up for Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم — they beat him until he almost died. He was three days in and out of consciousness. They were afraid that his tribe had already taken a vow that if he passes away, they are going to take revenge, take the payment in blood from those who committed this crime. And when he wakes up and comes to consciousness, the first thing out of the mouth of Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه is: how is Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم?

This oneness of purpose, this drive that the Sahaba had. Tufayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi رضي الله عنه was not discouraged — he continued. All of them were making fun of him. For a year he continues, and then he comes back to Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم saying:

These people of Daws are rejecting my message and they continue to transgress. There is nothing that can be done for them. I give up. One year — they are giving me a hard time, they are making fun of me, they are making our lives difficult because of our iman. So make dua against them, curse them.

Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم — the narration mentions — turned towards the Qiblah, raised his hands, and the dua of a Nabi:

O Allah, guide Daws, give the people of Daws hidayah, and bring them to me.

So Tufayl رضي الله عنه interjects: Ya Rasulallah, I said make dua against them, and you are making dua for them! Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم replied: Allah did not send me as somebody who would curse others. Oh Tufayl, you go back and you continue making your effort.

Tufayl ibn Amr رضي الله عنه went back to his people. And in time, he came back to Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم, and along with him came the entire tribe of Daws, and they all accepted Islam at the hands of Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم. And amongst them were the likes of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه — because of whom, nobody amongst the Sahaba has narrated as many Ahadith.

The great collections of Ahadith we have — they are dependent on Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه. More than 5,000 Ahadith narrated by Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه. And all of his effort, his teaching, and our benefit from it is going straight into the account of Tufayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi رضي الله عنه — because he did not give up. Because when the going got tough, he got going. He said: I am not going to give up.

So many examples. The era that we live in is not an excuse — rather it is an opportunity for us to learn what we need to do. We make it an excuse to stay away from deen. But when the situation gets difficult and it is more difficult to practice our deen, that is an opportunity for us to learn what the solution is.

The Poetry of Imam al-Shafi'i

As Imam al-Shafi'i رحمه الله so beautifully puts it in his poetry — he says: let the days pass as they will. Continue following the commands of Allah. Be a person who, in difficulty, is very steadfast. Don't be like a person who gives up — be the one who stays steadfast. And towards the end of the couplet, Imam al-Shafi'i says:

There is no grief that remains forever. وَلَا سُرُورُ — nothing of happiness is also forever. In other words, don't get too high on your achievements and accomplishments, and don't get too low on difficulties and hardships.

No difficulty is forever, no ease is forever.

And then Imam al-Shafi'i closes by saying, in essence, that a person who makes qana'ah — being content with whatever they have — their staple, that person lives like the king of this world, regardless of whether they have a lot or very little.

That person whom death visits — there is no portion of the earth, no heaven, no part of the sky that can protect a person from death.

The earth is very vast. We think it is so big. There is so much to achieve. We have so many goals, so much to do. But when death comes to a person — regardless of what they have and what they have achieved — the very environment they are in, the very air that they are breathing, becomes very difficult for them.

Leave the days — they keep fooling everybody. Every new advancement in technology, every new discovery, every new gadget that comes out — it constantly continues to deceive and fool you. Leave it. Don't pay it any attention. No matter how much you achieve and how far science and technology takes us, and how far the fields of medicine and science advance — فَمَا يُغْنِي عَنِ الْمَوْتِ الدَّوَاءُ — there is no medicine that can cure death.

As Imam al-Shafi'i رحمه الله says in another set of couplets about a doctor:

He says: the doctor — with his science of medicine, all of his certificates, all of the effort that he has made in the field of medicine — لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ دِفَاعَ مَقْدُورِ الْقَضَاءِ — even he does not have the capacity to take away the decree of Allah when it comes. When Allah has decreed death, there is no treatment for it.

He says: what is wrong with the doctor? He is dying with the very sickness that he used to cure other people of. He was a cancer specialist and then he got cancer. He used to give prescriptions to people for a certain sickness, and then that same sickness came to him. What is wrong with this doctor — he is dying with the sickness that he used to treat?

هَلَكَ الْمُدَاوِي وَالْمُدَاوَى — says the mudawi, the one who gives the treatment; وَالْمُدَاوَى — the one who receives the treatment; وَالَّذِي جَلَبَ الدَّوَاءَ — the one who even made the medicine — these pharmaceutical companies, the people who are constantly in the lab checking sicknesses and finding their cures; the one who invented the medicine; جَلَبَ الدَّوَاءَ وَبَاعَهُ وَمَنِ اشْتَرَى — the one who went to the pharmacy and bought the medicine, and the one who stood behind the counter at the pharmacy and sold it. Says: هَلَكَ كُلُّهُمْ — all of them ended up dying.

The Promise of Allah for the Righteous

So at the end of the day, we have to recognize what is the qadr of Allah. In the time that we are on this earth, we will definitely face hardships. The test is not that we give up when hardships come, but that when hardships come, we use them as a means to drive ourselves forward, to understand and learn what Allah wants from us in that case and in that situation. The Sahaba رضي الله عنهم faced the hardships and gave us the solution.

And the promise of Allah is there:

Allah says: a person who does righteous deeds from amongst the men and amongst the women, وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ — and they are a believer — فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً — Allah says: in this very life, they will get a life of beauty, a beautiful life, a perfect life. What every one of us doing our nine-to-fives is searching for is peace, security, being content — that we do not have to worry about the next bill, we do not have to worry about where our children are in the morning or the evening, we do not have to worry about the safety and security of our family. That is what every one of us is chasing.

And Allah gives us the solution in the Quran: مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا — do the work of deen, make effort to do righteous deeds — فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً — Allah says: I will give you a good life in this world. وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ — and their reward will be given even more so in the hereafter. When the Sahaba understood this, Allah showed them honor in this very life.

The Story of Abdullah ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi

And with this I will close. Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه — in the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه — he is sent towards Rome as the head of a huge expedition, the leader. They are captured by one of the Roman generals, and Abdullah ibn Hudhafah — along with all of his expedition — is in captivity.

The king summons Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه into his court and he is brought in shackles. The king first entices him. He says: all I want is for you to denounce your belief in this religion of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. Claim our religion. Leave this deen of your one Allah and your Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, and I will let you go. Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه said: no.

He said: I will give you half of my kingdom and your choice of women and wealth and riches if you just renounce the religion of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه said: no. To them it was a very easy choice. There was no hesitation, no weighing of benefits and harms.

He said: if you do not, then we are going to torture you. We are going to put you on the cross and execute you. Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه said: so what? These are the tests of shaytan — sometimes it is wealth, and sometimes it is difficulty.

So Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه is literally put up on a cross and told: we are going to execute you. He stood there and said nothing. So the king instructed his archers to line up as though they were going to execute him, but when they shoot, to just miss him — to the right, to the left, above, below — just to scare him.

Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه sees the archers line up. He sees them pull their bows and arrows. He watches the arrows come at him and just miss — one after another, by his head, by his legs, by his arms. And he is not moving.

So the king says: this is not working. He says: bring him back. When he is brought back, the king says: if you do not renounce your deen now, here is your last chance. He has a huge pot of boiling oil prepared. He says: if you do not renounce, then your companions — one by one — will be thrown into this boiling oil in front of you.

Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه stayed firm. One person was dragged and thrown into the pot of boiling oil in front of him. Another person was dragged and thrown in. And he did not shake, he did not move.

The king says: fine, just take him and throw him in himself. He is grabbed, dragged, taken towards the pot of boiling oil. And as he is being taken, Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه starts crying. The king sees this and says: now I have won. He says: bring him back, bring him back.

He comes back to the king. The king says: now you recognize. He is gloating — I broke you.

Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه looks at the king and says: you have misunderstood these tears coming from my eyes. You have no idea what you are talking about. As I was being dragged, a thought came to my mind. I saw the hairs on my arm — the hairs that were standing up on my arm — and I thought to myself: how wonderful would it be if Allah would give me as many lives as I have hairs on my body, so that I could give each and every single one of them for the sake of Allah, the same way that I am giving just this one life. But I started crying because I only have this one life to give.

The king was amazed. What do you say to a person like this? I am threatening you with your life, and you say you wish you had more lives to give.

The king said: fine. Then all I ask from you is — you are not going to shake, you are not going to move — just kiss my forehead and I will let you go.

Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه said: will you allow my companions to go free as well? Look at that — he is in the middle of this turmoil and this difficulty, and the first thing he is worried about is his companions. The king says: if you kiss my forehead, I will let all of them go. Abdullah ibn Hudhafah comes forth, kisses the forehead of the king, and they are all set free.

As they are returning to Madinah al-Munawwarah, the news reaches Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه, the Amir al-Mu'minin. Can you imagine that return? We dream of being successful, having our name said with respect, people recognizing us, all of these dunya titles — the graduation ceremony, the ten-year certificate, this accomplishment and that accomplishment. But Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه is returning to Madinah al-Munawwarah, returning from the jaws of death, having protected his iman.

Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه hears the news of what happened and makes an announcement, decreeing this order: every Muslim in this kingdom must kiss the forehead of Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه. وَأَنَا أَبْدَأُ — and I will be the one to start.

Abdullah ibn Hudhafah رضي الله عنه enters. The whole court of Umar ibn al-Khattab stands. And Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه himself comes down first and kisses the forehead of Abdullah ibn Hudhafah. And one by one, the great Sahaba رضي الله عنهم and all of the Muslims lined up and kissed his forehead.

When? When they made sacrifices, and when they prioritized deen.

Closing

So this weekend, and this program that is here — the question is: how can I learn to prioritize my deen before everything else? Everyone faces their own tests, everybody faces their own challenges. But the test is: in that challenge, in that difficulty, in that test, how do I please Allah? How do I follow what is the sunnah of Rasulallah صلى الله عليه وسلم?

May Allah give me this reality, and give all of us this reality — that whatever we face, may Allah make it easy for us first and foremost. But whatever test we do face, that we pass it in a way that Allah becomes pleased with us, and we leave this world in a state that Allah is pleased with us. May Allah give me the tawfeeq, and all of us the tawfeeq.

If I could request all the brothers to quickly fill in the gap, stand up and move forward, so we can accommodate the brothers that are outside as well. جزاكم الله خيراً. And we can pray our sunnah — we have a few minutes. جزاكم الله خيراً.