To the Defenders of Homs and Ghouta, Why Are You Sad?
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Peace be upon you, this is a message to my brothers, the mujahedeen in Homs and the Ghoutas. I send it to you with shame, but this is the utmost I can offer you. O those for whom I would sacrifice myself, to supplicate for you, to contemplate the meanings of faith with you, and to strive in guiding the jihad so that efforts are directed towards your victory, and to clear myself before Allah from abandoning any of you.
O my masters, the mujahedeen in Homs and the Ghoutas, what saddens you? The length and severity of the trial? For you have striven, and you have accepted Allah as your Lord. You know that your Lord has not made this world a place of reward, but a place of trial. He has not promised you that you will not be tested, but He has promised that He will test you: "Do the people think that they will be left to say, 'We believe,' and they will not be tried? But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make evident the truthful and will surely make evident the liars."
The Children of Israel endured the slaughter of their sons and the humiliation of their women for longer than you have. Each of them would see his son killed before him, and his wife taken before him to be raped, then he would be tortured. This happened more than three thousand years ago. But as soon as the believers died, they were in bliss in the life of the grave. And as soon as Pharaoh and his soldiers perished, they were in severe torment. It is of Allah's wisdom that He made there be bliss in the grave and torment in the grave, and He informed us of this so that it may be a great consolation for us.
Among the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were those who endured a life of hardship in Makkah for ten years before the Hijrah, until they said to the Prophet, "Will you not seek help for us? Will you not supplicate for us?" So he reminded them of people before them who were more severely tried; they were crucified and their flesh was torn from their bones while they were alive, yet this did not deter them from their religion.
O brothers in faith, we who have accepted Allah as our Lord know all of this, and Allah has not promised us anything other than Himself, and He will not break His promise, far is He from that. Your brothers who have died before you and those who will die, where are they now? And where are the vultures of your enemies?
Why are you saddened when our Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "If a man were to fall on his face from the day he was born until the day he dies as an old man in obedience to Allah, that would be considered insignificant on that day"; that is, his deed would be accepted on the Day of Judgment, and he would wish that he had been returned to the world so that he could increase his reward and blessing. I have never experienced poverty nor seen hardship.
Why are you saddened when you know that the Day of Judgment is fifty thousand years long, as mentioned in Sahih Muslim? Your sufferings for months will be lightened for you in that difficult situation, by the permission of Allah, and your victory will be resounding. Are you saddened, my brothers, because you see souls dying in vain, not having caused a defeat for the enemy nor brought a victory for the Muslims? No, by Allah, it has not been in vain. Whoever dies for the sake of his religion and honor is a martyr, even if he dies of hunger and siege.
These are souls chosen by Allah from among His creation. Allah has no need to take revenge on the enemy, nor are you obligated, if Allah has chosen you, to bring victory to the Muslims. Rather, your rewards have been recorded with Allah, and Allah will not let your faith be lost.
In the hadith narrated by Muslim, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "There is no raiding party or army that goes out and conquers and returns safely except that they have been hastened two-thirds of their rewards. And there is no raiding party or army that goes out and fails and is struck except that their rewards are complete."
In the story narrated by Bukhari, seventy of the best companions were called "the reciters" - that is, those who were frequent in reciting the Quran and stood in prayer at night. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent them to the tribes of Ral, Dhakwan, Usayyah, and Banu Lahyan to teach them Islam. They were betrayed, and one of them was stabbed in the back with a spear that came out of his chest, and he said, "I have won, by the Lord of the Ka'bah." He won because he was killed in obedience to Allah, then the betrayers killed the rest of them.
Imagine, my brothers, this painful incident; seventy of the best companions were killed and they did not teach the people their religion, nor did they cause a defeat for their enemies, nor did they achieve a clear victory for the Muslims. And yet, what was their fate? Anas bin Malik said, "We recited the Quran for them, then that was raised: 'Tell our people that we have met our Lord, and He is pleased with us and we are pleased with Him.'" Verses that the companions recited for them before they were abrogated. What greater victory is there than this?
By Allah, the souls of those who die from among you do not go in vain. By Allah, with their blessing and the blessing of others, they will establish glory for the Muslims, even if it is after some time. They do not find what to eat, and they are shaken by a severe earthquake, and Allah takes them in this state, believing, patient, and accounting themselves. Or Allah may make for them an exit from where they did not expect.
You, my brothers, are the makers of glory and the beacons of steadfastness. And if you have accounted yourselves for the reward, perhaps Allah will make those who follow your example until the Day of Judgment in your records of deeds. And look at the companions of the ditch, whom Allah has set as an example for the believers until the Day of Judgment.
Therefore, I direct my speech to you now, and I leave aside those who are not in your situation, who have fallen short in supporting you. You are of higher status, more enduring, and more honored in the hearts of the believers. Are you saddened, saying, "We wish we had not started the revolution nor participated in it"? This is but the whispering of Satan, who saddens those who believe. So hold fast to the guidance of your Prophet when he said, "Do not say, 'If I had done such and such, it would have been such and such,' but say, 'It is the decree of Allah, and He does what He wills.'"
Regardless of the beginnings of the revolution, you are now in a state where you can make it a triumph for yourselves. How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for all of his affairs are good, and this is not for anyone except the believer. O my masters, are you saddened because you expected an imminent victory? By Allah, your individuals are the closest to victory. It is only a matter of months, days, or hours. Whoever dies among you after that from shelling, confrontation, or hunger, patiently, then congratulations to him for the saying of his Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He: "So whoever is removed from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has certainly been successful."
As for the general victory of the Muslims, its affair is with Allah, and He has the perfect wisdom. The Muslims have not completed the causes of this victory so that Allah may fulfill His promise for them. Are you saddened because most people have abandoned you? And because some of those who are relied upon have been preoccupied with fighting each other instead of supporting you? O my brothers, it is better for you to despair of them and their support, whether they are oppressors or oppressed. For whoever cuts off hope from the creation and attaches his heart to the Creator, on the severity of the trial, his ranks are raised, and you come to your Lord with hearts pure from attachment to other than Him, Glorified is He. And do not forget that you have brothers who have not abandoned you but are trying to support you. And Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.
Are you saddened when you see yourselves eating what is not suitable for humans? By Allah, this does not diminish your worth. You know that the believers, when besieged in the valley of Abu Talib, used to eat the leaves of trees, yet they were more honored by Allah than you. The important thing is what you will eat afterwards, if Allah grants you martyrdom upon faith, while your enemies will be eating from the tree of Zaqqum. They will fill their bellies with it, then drink from boiling water, drinking a dreadful drink. This is their abode on the Day of Judgment.
O my brothers, do not be sad. Verily, Allah is with you as long as you are pleased with His decree, Glorified is He. O my brothers, be among those about whom our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There will always be a group from my nation standing with the command of Allah. They will not be harmed by those who abandon them or those who oppose them until the command of Allah comes to them while they are upon that." Whether the command of Allah that comes to you is relief you did not expect or death in any preparation, the important thing is that you remain standing with the command of Allah.
And remember what Muslim narrated from the hadith of Jabir (may God be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say three days before his death: "None of you should die except while having a good opinion of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime." Did you hear? None of you should die except while having a good opinion of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime. None of you should die except while having a good opinion of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime.
So die; may Allah forgive you, accept your deeds, compensate you for your hardships, make you forget your pains, raise your ranks, gather you with the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous, and show you His noble face.
O Lord, grant relief and an exit to my besieged brothers. O Lord, for those of them whom You give life, decree it by Your decree, attach him to You, bind his heart, and remove his sadness. And for those of them whom You cause to die, accept him, and make what he encountered a cause for Your mercy upon the entire nation of Muhammad. O Lord, forgive us our shortcoming towards our brothers and help us in supporting them.
And our final invocation is that all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.