Episode 14 - Al-Sheikh Al-Mujahid

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah. Dear brothers, worship is absolute obedience and complete submission, not selective obedience. Sometimes you ask a young man: Do you pray? He says: (Bakatta3), meaning he obeys Allah according to his mood. This mood-based obedience is not called worship. When the Prophet pledged allegiance to the Ansar, he said among other things: ((I pledge allegiance to you for hearing and obeying in activity and laziness)). So in a state of activity, you excel in voluntary and recommended acts, but in laziness, you must at least perform the minimum. Laziness is not an excuse to evade the obedience of Allah the Almighty.

Abu Talhah, may Allah be pleased with him, understood this when he read Surah At-Tawbah and reached the verse: ((Anfiru)) meaning: Go forth for jihad ((light and heavy)). He said to his sons: (Do I not see that my Lord is calling me, whether young or old. Prepare me). Meaning that I understand from this verse that my Lord wants me to go forth for jihad, light as in youth and heavy as in old age. So prepare me with the tools of war, O my children. His sons said: (We have fought with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, until he passed away – meaning he died – and we fought with Abu Bakr until he died and we fought with Umar. We will fight on your behalf). This discussion took place during the reign of Uthman, and Abu Talhah was over seventy years old. His children saw that it was his right to rest after these great sacrifices in the time of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and two of the righteous caliphs. But his father insisted and said: (Prepare me). So they prepared him, and it was a naval expedition. He boarded the sea, but he died, may Allah be pleased with him. They did not find an island to bury him in until after seven days. Allah the Almighty wanted to honor this companion, so He preserved his body for this week, and his body did not change, even though the dead begin to change from the first day in the hot climate. The narration was reported by Ibn Hibban and authenticated by Sheikh Shuaib Al-Arna'ut. And we do not think except that Allah the Almighty, just as He preserved the body of Abu Talhah in this world, will preserve him from punishment on the Day of Judgment, may Allah be pleased with him. We ask Allah to let us live happily and take us as martyrs. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.