Episode 16 - On the Events of Syria and Egypt

Introduction: Turning Pain into a Driving Force

Subscribe to the channel. But what after the pain? Doubting Allah's mercy and wisdom? Then you have fallen into the trap of Satan. Rather, we want to turn this negative feeling into a driving force.

Trials are a Sunnah of Allah in His Creation

Brothers, trials are a Sunnah of Allah in His creation, not something new. Allah the Most High said: {And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.} And Allah the Most High said: {Allah will not leave the believers in the state you are in [now] until He separates the evil from the good.}

Examples from the Quran and Sunnah

Allah has informed us about the story of the Ditch and His worshippers who were burned for His sake, and the magicians of Pharaoh when he said to them: {I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides and I will crucify you upon palm trunks.} And the Children of Israel whose sons were killed and whose women were disgraced in their sight. One of them was raised and killed before him, and his wife and daughter were taken to be violated, and then he was tortured.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, informed us about people who were spread out with saws and their flesh was torn from their bones while they were alive, and that did not deter them from their religion. When we are pleased with Allah as our Lord, we know all of this. We are pleased with a Lord who tests with great trials, but He grants patience to His believing servant and rewards him for it, making him wish on the Day of Judgment that his trial had been even greater.

The Blessing of the Patient and the Punishment of the Tyrants

When were the believers burned in the Ditch? It is estimated that this was about 1500 years ago. When did Pharaoh torture the Children of Israel, kill their sons, and disgrace their women, and cut off the hands and feet of the magicians and crucify them? More than three thousand years ago.

Imagine, for thousands of years, the believers of the Ditch, the believers of the Children of Israel, and the magicians of Pharaoh have been in bliss. And for thousands of years, Pharaoh and his soldiers and those who burned the believers have been in painful torment. For thousands of years until now, and their torment will continue until the Day of Judgment. Do you now pity the believers of the Children of Israel or the believers of the Ditch? Or do you envy them for what they are in?

Lessons from Recent History

Abu Jahl tortured Yasir and Sumayyah, and their father Ammar, may Allah be pleased with them, and killed them. Then Abu Jahl perished after them by a few years. More than 1400 years have passed, and Yasir and Sumayyah are in bliss, while Abu Jahl is in painful torment. And now we envy Yasir and Sumayyah.

In the 1950s and 1960s of the last century, scholars and callers in Egypt, such as Sayyid Qutb and Abd al-Qadir Oda, may Allah have mercy on them, were tortured and executed. Then, more than fifty years after them, the criminals received the reward for their actions and their war against the religion of Allah, while the callers who were tortured and executed are in the bliss of the Barzakh, as we count them, and Allah is their Reckoner. And now we envy them.

Every Muslim who is tortured and killed now in Syria, patient and seeking reward, as soon as he dies, he is blessed, while his killer awaits the painful torment at the moment of his demise.

The Wisdom of Allah in Trials

Do you not see that among the wisdom of Allah the Most High is that He has made there to be bliss in the grave and torment in the grave, and He has informed us of it and told us about it so that there may be great patience for us? We do not wait for the believers to be blessed and the criminals to be tormented only after the establishment of the Hour, but these are now in bliss, and the others are now in painful torment.

Now it is said to your brother and sister who are killed in Syria for their faith: {O [you] the one in contentment, return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing [to Him], and enter among My [righteous] servants and enter My Paradise.}

Brother, do you wish that what happens to your family in Syria happens to you? Perhaps you would shudder and your body would tremble at this question. In reality, you will wish for that one day, and the one who tells you this is the truthful, the trustworthy, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, who said: "The people of ease will wish on the Day of Judgment that their skins had been flayed with scrapers for what they see of the reward of the people of trials." May the people of ease wish on the Day of Judgment that your skin had been peeled piece by piece with tweezers for what they see of the honor of Allah the Most High for those whom He has tested. I ask Allah for you and for the Muslims safety.

But the meaning is that Allah is more merciful to His servants than we are. {Only the patient will be paid their wages without account.} We are pleased with Allah as our Lord, pleased with Allah as our Lord. Did Allah tell us that this world is a place of reward so that we doubt what happens? Never. Rather, this is a place of trial. To the Day of Gathering we proceed, and at Allah the enemies will be gathered, there is the reward. We are pleased with a Lord who tests but grants patience and rewards.

Stories of trials are spread throughout the Quran, but we do not feel the horror of the suffering of the believers in them, because this suffering has ended thousands of years ago and their bliss and honor have remained. These days will pass, and after many years, someone will say: "Ah, so many years have passed, and the people of the Sunnah who were killed and tortured in Syria are now blessed in the life of the Barzakh, and their killers, the criminals, are now tormented in the life of the Barzakh."

The Steadfastness of the Believers

Brothers, an important question: Have you seen any of the Muslims of Syria, while being tortured, complain about the judgment? No, but they say: "O Lord, O Allah, O Lord, O Allah." And among them are those who do not take the concession and do not prostrate to the image of the criminal, even though Allah has permitted it to them in compulsion. And Allah hears their supplication and will avenge them, even if it is later. He feels that what is happening to him is like what happened to the Companions, and he finds pleasure in being tested for Allah.

Of course, this does not mean that we do not feel pain for the situation of our brothers and sisters, and say: "Since Allah grants them patience, there is no need to support them." Of course not. But the goal of this speech is to reach the following conclusion: Allah the Most High is more merciful to His servants than we are. He tests but grants patience to His believing servants and rewards them. It is not logical that they are patient while you, who look from afar, are lacking in patience and doubt the wisdom and mercy. Is this reasonable? Their Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He, grants them patience, and He is more merciful to them and more worthy of them. And we, from our place, doubt and complain on their behalf, seeking refuge in Allah.

If one of our brothers in Syria said in his torture something that complains about fate, these criminals would rejoice and spread it. Do you not see the kindness of Allah to His servants that He inspires them to cling to Him and seek refuge in Him in these difficult moments? How many of our Egyptian sisters, originally Christian, who converted to Islam, were converted by the soldiers of Hosni Mubarak, the perished Shenouda, and his minions, so that they would torture them and turn them away from their religion. We were very sad when we saw a sister of ours being shown a video of her saying: "By Allah, I will not apostate, I will not return from my religion, and O Muslims, save me." And yet, when they were arrested and handed over to Shenouda and his minions, they did not find a single word of apostasy from our sisters, and if they had, they would have brought it to the public to announce her apostasy. {Allah will keep firm those who believe with the firm word in this world and in the Hereafter.}

Conclusion: Do Not Suspect Allah

Therefore, O brother and O sister, beware of suspecting Allah. We must feel pain for our brothers, we must grieve for what happens to our brothers and sisters, but beware that this pain and grief turn into suspicion of the wisdom and mercy, but turn this pain into a positive driving force. How? This is what we will talk about next time, God willing.

I ask Allah the Great, the Lord of the Noble Throne, to grant might to the Muslims and to save our brothers and sisters in Syria and to destroy their enemies. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.