Seek Assistance through Sabr and Salaah, Duaa and Desiring Martyrdom

Oct 18, 2023 | Posters

Transcribed from the Islaahi Majlis conducted on 12/10/2023

In this verse of the Quraan, Allah Ta’ala tells us how to conduct ourselves when afflicted with hardship. Currently, the Ummah is going through a difficult time with the war in Palestine. If these events don’t affect a person’s heart or emotions, a person needs to self-reflect as to what is the condition of his Imaan. Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned that this Ummah is like one body; if one part of the body is in pain, the entire body is affected by it, so the difficulty of the Ummah should affect us.

The Quraan states:

يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلاةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ [الْبَقَرَةِ: 153]

Here, Allah Ta’ala tells us to seek help through two things; Sabr and Salaah. Sincere Dua to Allah Ta’ala will have more effect than protesting, burning flags, marching to the embassies or posting on social media.

Allah Ta’ala further says, “Verily Allah is with the patient ones.” Be patient and the help of Allah will eventually come. In another verse Allah Ta’ala says:

أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُمْ مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ مَسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَاءُ وَالضَّرَّاءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا حَتَّى يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ مَتَى نَصْرُ اللَّهِ أَلَا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ (الْبَقَرَةِ: 214)

Do you think that you will just enter into Jannah, and the likeness of those who passed before you have not come to you. The previous Ummats were afflicted with hardship and difficulty until the Rasool and those who brought Imaan with him would say, when will the help of Allah come? Allah Ta’ala says, “The help of Allah Ta’ala is close.”

During the battle of the Trenches, Allah Ta’ala speaks of the Sahaaba Radiallahu Anhum being violently shaken up. This is mentioned in Surah Ahzaab.

هُنَالِكَ ابْتُلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَزُلْزِلُوا زِلْزَالًا شَدِيدًا (الاحزاب11)

The Ummah will go through difficulties and it is for us during that time to make Sabr while waiting for the Help of Allah Ta’ala.

The Disastrous Consequences of Mocking the Sunnah

There was a person called Abu Salamah from Kufa who would make a mockery of the Sunnah of Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Someone had made mention of the many benefits of the Miswaak, when this person started to mock at it. He said that he would take the Miswaak and enter it into his rear passage. So he did this abhorrent act and immediately he experienced pain in his back and his stomach. His stomach bloated and he remained like that for nine months, similar to a pregnant woman. After nine months passed, he gave birth to a creature much like a rat, with the mouth of a fish, through his back passage. This creature screamed and three days later, this man died saying that the creature had killed him. This was the result of making a mockery of the Sunnah.

Nevertheless, Allah Ta’ala says, “Seek assistance through patience and Salaah; Allah Ta’ala is with the patient.” Then Allah Ta’ala says:

وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ يُقْتَلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتٌ بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ وَلَكِنْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ (الْبَقَرَةِ 154)

“Don’t say regarding those who have been killed in the Path of Allah that they are dead. In fact, they are alive.”

In another verse, Allah Ta’ala says:

فَرِحِينَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ (اٰل عمران170)

These martrys are extremely happy with what Allah Ta’ala has given them out of His grace.”

Then Allah Ta’ala says:

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ (الْبَقَرَة ِ155)

You are going to go through tests in your life, sometimes it will be a little fear, hunger, loss of wealth, loss of life and wealth. Glad tidings to those who are patient.”

The Beauty of Inna lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Ra’jioon

وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ الَّذِينَ إِذا أَصابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ راجِعُونَ (الْبَقَرَة ِ156)

“When these calamities befall them, the patient one’s say, ‘To Allah we belong and to Him is our return.'”

Every person comes with a stipulated period of life and eventually, we will all die. We belong to Allah Ta’ala and we will return to Him. Those who adopt Salaah and turn to Allah Ta’ala in their hardship, Allah Ta’ala says:

أُولئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَواتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ (الْبَقَرَة 157)

“Upon them is a special Mercy of Allah Ta’ala and the general Mercy of Allah Ta’ala.” These are the rightly guided people.

The Ulama say that Inna lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Ra’jioon was a great bounty given to this Ummah only, and not to the previous Ummats.

وَأخرج الطَّبَرَانِيّ وَابْن مرْدَوَيْه عَن ابْن عَبَّاس قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِي صلى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسلم اعطيت أمتِي شَيْئا لم يُعْطه أحد من الْأُمَم أَن يَقُولُوا عِنْد الْمُصِيبَة إِنَّا لله وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُون

Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, “My Ummah has been given such a thing that no other Ummah has been given. When they hear of a difficulty, they say ‘To Allah we belong and to Allah is our return.” Those who go through difficulties, be they a lot or a little, on the Day of Qiyaamah there is a great reward in store for them.

It is mentioned that, for certain people Allah Ta’ala has written a very high stage in Jannah. But, due to our weakness, we fail to reach that stage. So, Allah Ta’ala puts his servants through difficulty with their bodies or their children. Like the people suffering at hands of bombs, missiles etc. For them, due to their patience, they will have direct entry into Jannah, Insha’Allah. Their wounds will be shining and the fragrance of musk will emanate from it-all this for those martyrs who have given their life in the Path of Allah Ta’ala.

عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس قال، قال رسول اللّه صلّى اللّه عليه وسلّم: «أول من يدعى إلى الجنة يوم القيامة الحامدون الذين يحمدون اللّه في السراء والضراء (احمد)

It is recorded in one narration that the first people to be called to Jannah are those who praised Allah Ta’ala in times of both contentment and hardship. Allah Ta’ala reward the commentators of Hadith for the way they have explained the Ahaadeeth to us. Imagine a person losing his child, and by us misunderstanding the Hadith, we say to him, “Alhamdulillah, your child has been martyred!” How hurt wouldn’t the person feel. What the Hadith refers to is that a person should seek solace in that it is the decision of Allah Ta’ala and He should not object to the decision of Allah Ta’ala, even though he may cry and become emotional when experiencing the calamity.

Wisdom in Allah’s Decision and Timing

Maulana Thanwi Rahmatullahi Alaihi mentions, at one time there was severe drought which affected the animals and crops. Then Allah Ta’ala sent the rain. When the rain came and brought lushness, a pious person of the time looked up to the sky and said “O Allah, what a perfect time you sent rain. When we were in difficulty, You sent rain.” A voice came from the unseen, “Did you ever see Me doing anything at the wrong time, O disrespectful one?” So the atrocities committed against the Muslims at this time might not be understood, but we know there is wisdom in Allah’s decision and timing. We empathize and sympathize with them, but the reality of it, we leave in the Hands of Allah Ta’ala.

Dr Abdul Hayy Aarifi Rahmatullahi Alaihi told Hadrat Hakeem Sahib that he was working for the court in India. It was not permissible at that time to work in the court for certain reasons. When he left that job, immediately he was given Khilaafat by Maulana Thanwi Rahimahullah. It was as though Maulana Thanwi Rahimahullah was waiting for him to leave that job so that he could grant him this Ijaazat. Dr Sahib says that he went through a period of financial difficulty, and then his health was affected as well. He wrote a letter consisting of several pages to Maulana Thanwi Rahimahullah recounting all the difficulties he was facing.

The reply of Maulana Thanwi Rahimahullah shows what a great Sheikh he was. We would lament with the person and sympathize with him, but Maulana said to him, “It seems like all the problems of the world are on you. Are there no Nimats of Allah Ta’ala that you enjoy at this moment?” When Dr Abdul Hayy Sahib received the reply, he contemplated on it, recounting all the Nimats he enjoyed, from his physical abilities, to his family, his home etc.

Even if a person loses everything, he will still have his Imaan and that is the greatest Nimat. So no matter what affliction a person is enduring, even at that time there is definitely some Nimat that a person is enjoying. Maulana Thanwi Rahmatullahi Alaih explained that when a person goes through difficulty, he is allowed to grieve and to cry but he should not exceed the bounds because then it becomes a sin. Normally when a person commits a sin, he gets some enjoyment from it, but in this sin of excessive grief, he will experience no enjoyment. A person should grieve within the confines of the Shariah and he should contemplate over the Ayah:

مَا عِنْدَكُمْ يَنْفَدُ وَمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ بَاقٍ، وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ} [النحل: 96]

“Whatever you have in this Dunya will perish, and what is by Allah Ta’ala will remain.”

Just like a person who offers a child money in exchange for his sweet; the child knows no value of the paper, he prefers to keep his sweet. But when it is explained to him that if he takes the money, he can get many more sweets than just the one he has, he will accept it. And so, everything that Allah Ta’ala takes away from us in the Dunya, is banked into the Aakhirah. Hadrat Sheikh says that when a person sees what has been stored for him in the Aakhirah, he will say, “I wish I was cut up into pieces with a scissor, so I could attain all the reward today on the Day of Qiyaamah.”

Hadrat Shah Ahmad Shaheed and Hadrat Shah Ismail Rahmatullahi Alaihuma

Hadrat Shah Ismail Rahimahullah and Hadrat Shah Ahmad Shaheed Rahmatullahi Alaihi were great saints. Hadrat Shah Ahmad Shaheed Rahmatullahi Alaih was a person who acquired his knowledge directly from Allah Ta’ala. Allah Ta’ala states in the Quraan Sharif:

وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِنْ لَدُنَّا عِلْمًا [الكهف: 65]

This knowledge is far superior to the knowledge acquired through studying Kitaabs. At some point, Hadrat Shah Ismail became a Mureed of Hadrat Shah Ahmad Shaheed Rahmatullahi Alaihi. The people queried why would he become a Mureed to someone who isn’t a proper Aalim. He replied that Hadat Shah Ahmad is a recipient of Ilm-e-Ladunni and there is great wisdom in the knowledge that he has. Where the Jamia Masjid of Delhi was located, Hadrat Shah Ismail Sahib would take off his shoes during the hot afternoon, and he would walk on the burning sand. He would remark, “How will we be fit for the battlefield if we cannot bear even this much?” So this was his training for Jihaad. Today, we can’t even walk 100m without catching our breath, or carry a box to the car. And yet these were the exercises and training that the Akaabireen did in preparation for the battlefield.

During the Monsoon season, the currents of the rivers would be so strong due to the heavy rains in India. Despite this, Hadrat Shah Ismail Shaheed Rahimahullah would swim in the River Jamna to Agra and back, approximately 200kms. When the Battle of the Sikhs took place, both of these Buzurgs were martryed, and it is mentioned that if you visit the place of their martyrdom, it is as though the Rahmah of Allah is still descending there.

Hadrat Mus’ab bin Umair Radiallahu Anhu

It is mentioned regarding Hadrat Mus’ab bin
Umair Radiallahu Anhu that he was such a wealthy Sahaabi, the Itr he would wear was of such good quality that when he would pass a place, the scent would linger there for a while that people would know that he had passed there. Each set of clothing worn by him was worth 200 Dirhams. After accepting Islam, his mother and uncle took away all of his expensive attire. He would be seen walking without shoes and his legs would be swollen and cracked because he was not used to the hard ground. He wore a rag as a piece of clothing on and he removed the buttons and replaced them with thorns instead. Once, when he came into the company of Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, the Sahaaba Radiallahu Anhum commented, “O Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam! Here comes the prince of Madinah.” Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam started to cry, but it was not out of pity. Rather, it was due to him reaching the ranks of being a great Wali of Allah after giving up the Dunya.

When he passed away during battle of Uhud, there wasn’t enough Kafan to shroud him. So Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said to cover his head and cover the feet with some Izhkir leaves. On this occasion, Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam cried again, not because of his condition, but due to the existence of such great Awliya in the Ummah.

Hadrat Amr bin Jamooh Radiallahu Anhu was a lame Sahaabi who asked Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam if he could participate in Jihaad. Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam told him that he was excused. He told Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam that his family were picking on him for not participating in battle. So Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam permitted him and he made Dua not to return to his family. When he was made Shaheed, the camel on which they placed him did not move when faced in the direction of Madinah Sharif, but it would move when facing in the direction of the battlefield.

This desire needs to be kindled in each of us that if the call comes and my brother needs to be defended, I will give my life! Allah Ta’ala grant us the Taufeeq to practice and to recite the Qunoote Naazilah in the Fajr Salaah during this trying period. Ameen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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