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The means of steadfastness in the face of trials... (Old Sermon)
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Account on Twitter @Dr_EyadQun
All praise is due to Allah. O people, fear your Lord who created you from a single soul and created from it its mate, and from them scattered many men and women. And fear Allah through whom you ask one another and the wombs. Indeed, Allah is ever, over you, an Observer. O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of truth. He will bless your deeds and forgive your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great victory.
To proceed, the most truthful of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family and companions, and the worst of affairs are those that are newly invented. Every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.
O servants of Allah, trials surge like the waves of the sea and the darkness of night. None remains steadfast and safe except whom Allah, the Most High, has guided. The problem is that the human heart is quick to turn. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "The heart of the son of Adam is quicker to turn than the pot that boils over. When water boils and churns, the human heart is more so in its turning, changing, and transforming.
If you look at the people around you today, you will see trials everywhere; on the political level, you see the deceit against Muslims and the plans of strategic planning centers. On the social level, you see the boasting of mixing in universities. In the economic field, they try to involve the Muslim in usury by all means, to the extent that the matter has reached offering the sacrifice in installments with usury! Even on the religious level, we find the Islamic ranks divided, and there is a contradiction between the methodologies, and the Muslim is confused.
We have previously spoken about the danger of these trials, and in this sermon, I would like us to discuss together the means to achieve steadfastness during times of trials, which is an issue you must work on throughout your life to be prepared for the test.
Remember the saying of Allah, the Most High: "Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day the two armies met—it was only the Shaitan who caused them to backslide because of some [worldly] gains." The balance between hope and fear requires that we know that Allah may save you by His mercy despite your sins, but the wise Muslim knows that sin number one hundred may be forgiven by Allah, and sin number one hundred and one may be the cause of your downfall and destruction. Beware of sins, for they are the cause of deviation.
Allah, the Most High, said: "And if only they had done what they were commanded, it would have been better for them and would have strengthened them." Obedience to Allah and His Messenger is your fortress, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Hasten to do good deeds, for trials will come like pieces of the dark night. A man may wake up as a believer and die as a disbeliever... selling his religion for a portion of this world." You are in a race with trials, so increase in good deeds so that trials do not overtake you and cause you to fall.
Steadfastness comes from steadfastness. Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, asked Huzaifa about trials, and he answered with the hadith of the Prophet, peace be upon him: "Trials will be presented to the hearts like the reed mats, one by one. So, any heart that accepts them will have a black spot in it, and any heart that rejects them will have a white spot in it, until they become two types of hearts: one white like the pure white cloud that is not harmed by trials as long as the heavens and the earth endure... and the other black, like a pitch-black pot, not recognizing good nor denouncing evil except what it has accepted from its desires." Minor trials are "appetizers" for major trials; whoever remains steadfast against the trials of desires and minor doubts, Allah will make him steadfast against the greatest trials, such as the trial of the Dajjal.
Allah, the Most High, said: "Say, 'The Holy Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth to make steadfast the hearts of those who have believed.'" The Quran contains the stories of the steadfast prophets to strengthen your heart. In the hadith: "Indeed, this Quran is a rope from Allah and a wisdom from Him. So, hold fast to it." The meaning here is holding fast to the Quran with understanding and action, not just superficial reading. The Prophet, peace be upon him, warned of a time when knowledge would be taken away despite the recitation of the Quran, because people would recite it but it would not go beyond their throats, like the People of the Book whose Torah and Gospel did not benefit them because they did not act upon them. The true honor of the Quran is not in protecting the paper from bullets but in transforming the souls into steadfast souls that trials cannot penetrate.
Judgment about something is a branch of perceiving it. You may think you are steadfast while you are steadfast on falsehood due to your ignorance of reality. Allah, the Most High, said: "O you who have believed, if there comes to you a rebellious one with information, investigate." The media directs thoughts, and it is essential for the Muslim to be an influencer, not just influenced. Some spend their lives on minor historical details that are of no benefit and neglect understanding their reality and knowing right from wrong in directions and events, which leads to taking wrong positions.
Allah, the Most High, said to His Prophet, peace be upon him: "And be patient with what they say and avoid them with gracious avoidance." If the Prophet, peace be upon him, was commanded to keep company with the righteous to be steadfast, what about us? Sometimes your convictions may waver due to the pressure of reality, but if you sit with a scholar of piety or a worshipper of insight, Allah will make you steadfast through him. Ibn Al-Qayyim said about his teacher Ibn Taymiyyah: "When fear intensified for us and our thoughts worsened, we would go to him. It was only that we would see him and hear his words, and all that would go away, turning into relief, strength, certainty, and tranquility."
Absolute trust in Allah is the savior. What drives people to deviate during times of trials is the fear of harm or the desire for benefit. Remember the advice of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to Ibn Abbas: "O boy, I will teach you some words: Guard Allah, and He will guard you... Know that if the nation were to gather to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you except with something that Allah has already written for you. And if they were to gather to harm you with something, they would not harm you except with something that Allah has already written for you. The pens have been lifted, and the pages have dried." When you truly rely on Him, you will attain the goodness of this world and the Hereafter and come out safe with your religion.
Beware of admiring yourself or saying that your steadfastness is due to your courage or upbringing. Always attribute the favor to your Lord, and it was among his supplications, peace be upon him: "Do not leave me to myself for the blink of an eye." In the hadith: "If you did not sin, I would have been worried about you with something greater than that: self-admiration." And Mutarrif bin Abdullah said: "It is better for me to sleep and wake up regretful than to sleep standing and wake up self-admiring."
The reward is of the same kind as the action, and the merciful will be shown mercy. If you see confusion and anxiety in the eyes of those around you, strengthen them with positive words and give them good tidings of Paradise, for Allah will strengthen you in return. As for those who cause the people to waver and despair, how can they hope for steadfastness from Allah?
Contemplate the story of Khabaab bin Al-Aratt, may Allah be pleased with him, when he revealed his back to Umar bin Al-Khattab, and it was a mass of disfigured flesh. Umar asked him about that, and he said: "They would light a fire for me, then I would be dragged over it, and nothing would extinguish it except the pounding of my back." Despite this torture, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to him: "Indeed, before you, there were those who would comb with an iron comb what was between their bones of flesh or nerves... that does not turn him away from his religion." Looking at the lives of these individuals makes our steadfastness seem modest and sharpens our resolve to endure.
This is one of the greatest means, for hearts are between two fingers of the Most Merciful, He turns them as He wills. Among the supplications of the Prophet, peace be upon him, was: "O Allah, Turner of hearts, turn our hearts to Your obedience." And the supplication of the righteous in the Quran: "Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us."
We conclude with the hadith of Shaddad bin Aus, may God be pleased with him, when he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say: "When people hoard gold and silver, then hoard these words: O Allah, I ask You for steadfastness in the matter, and determination to do what is right, and I ask You for gratitude for Your blessings, and I ask You for the goodness of Your worship, and I ask You for a sound heart, and I ask You for a truthful tongue, and I ask You for the best of what You know, and I seek refuge in You from the evil of what You know, and I seek forgiveness from You for what You know, for You are the Knower of the unseen."
O Allah, we ask You for steadfastness in the matter, and determination to do what is right, and we ask You for gratitude for Your blessings and the goodness of Your worship. O Allah, rectify the affairs of the Muslims, and guide us to do good deeds and leave evil deeds and love the poor, and forgive us and have mercy on us.
And send prayers, O Allah, upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, and grant them peace.