My dear brothers and sisters! We feel pain, distress and confusion to what is going on with the ummah. We find ourselves in a dilemma. How should we as believers process and deal with these events taking place all around the world – the sufferings of the Muslims in Palestine, Burma, China, India, Yemen, Syria, Kashmir and so many other parts of the world? We do have a little bit of disconnect because Alhamdulillah, we live here in this place of stability; we live in comfort and prosperity for the most part. But we see images that are hard to believe. How do we respond? The topic of my khutbah is: ‘Responding to hardships.’
There are ways in which most of us generally respond. The first response that we often times find ourselves taking is one of losing hope. Being so far from the place of conflict, we feel ourselves incapable of making any change with our hands physically. We can’t stop the bleeding that’s going on. So we give up hope. We feel hopeless. We feel that we can’t do anything. We find ourselves confused not knowing what to do. This feeling of depression is understandable, but this is not the best response.
Another response that we often times find ourselves making is a response of trying to ignore the situation. It’s too overwhelming; it’s too painful; so we choose not to watch the media; not to read about what’s going on; not to face the injustice in the world. We find ourselves avoiding the reality on the ground, and this too is not the proper way to respond.
A third way we often times find ourselves taking is that of being hyper-focused on the issues to the point that we get overwhelmed. We find ourselves fanatically trying to engage with these issues and troubles, and begin to consume every piece of news and follow every detail of what’s going on in each of these conflicts around the world. This is an understandable response but this too is not the correct way to respond.
Let us know that with mostly bad news all around us, we also have good news at the same time. Despite the trials and tribulations that we find ourselves in as an ummah and as a human race; despite the challenges we find ourselves in here—gun violence, domestic violence; homeless people by the thousands; despite all of this hardship, we have good news and that is a promise from Allah, for Allah says,
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
“Allah does not charge a soul with more than it can bear.” (2:286)
So despite all of the hardship, pain, and suffering that is going on, Allah (SWT) has equipped us with a capacity to bear them. It’s part of our human nature to feel the compassion for our fellow human beings and we ask ourselves the question: Why is this happening? Allah has wisdom beyond our capacity to reach. His way of operating the world is beyond our comprehension. We don’t always know why? Allah allows certain things to unfold that we do not know. But we do know this—that He has given us the capacity to bear whatever He puts before us.
Our only question should be: How do we respond to the challenges we face in a way that’s most beautiful and pleasing to Allah (SWT)? How do we respond to these instances of brutality, inhumanity, indignity that we inflict upon one another as human beings? How do we respond to those instances with a mannerism; with a mindset, and with a heart that is pleasing to our Creator; who has placed us in these circumstances and is telling us that we have the capacity to bear them? Allah (SWT) offers us a promise; a contract; a covenant; an agreement that we can enter into with Him, and that helps us in answering the question as to how we can respond to the hardships in life. Allah says in ayah 10 of Surat As-Saff, the translation of the meaning of which is:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى تِجَارَةٍ تُنْجِيكُمْ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ () تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ () يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَيُدْخِلْكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ ()
“O you who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a painful punishment? You should believe in Allah and His Messenger, and strive for Allah’s cause with your possessions and your lives. That will be better for you, if you only knew. And He will forgive you your sins and admit you into Gardens with rivers flowing under them. He will lodge you in fine dwellings in the Gardens of Eternity; that is indeed the supreme achievement.” (As-Saff, 61:10-12)
There is a bargain; a trade; a transaction that Allah (SWT) wants us to enter into with Him to be successful, and that is to struggle with everything that we have; our whole self; our whole soul; our whole spirit. For doing this, He will forgive our sins; He will enter us into paradise, and He will give us victory. This is what we are in need of.
What defines success? What is it that will help us achieve success? As long as there is life on earth, there will be struggles. There will be struggles against one another. It is the nature of human beings. We have to strive and struggle against illness, we have to struggle economically; we have to struggle in our relationships, we have to struggle against our lusts and desires. Success in absolute terms comes from responding to these difficult circumstances to the best of our ability in the way prescribed by God. We should keep on calling to Allah asking Him to assist us and aid us in our response to these difficult circumstances that we find the ummah in.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
The good news is that as long as we put in our best to do what is right, we are promised success and victory, and that is to struggle in God’s path with our possessions, with our money, and with our whole being, and as long as we put in our best efforts, we have achieved success, even if we don’t ultimately change our fate. Because ultimately, we will stand before our Creator individually on that day when everyone will be concerned about one’s own reckoning and accounting so much so that a nursing mother will abandon her child, and a brother will run away from his brother.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) apart from outlining the political foundations had also laid down the social foundations of the new Muslim community in Madinah. What were the first words that he uttered upon his arrival to Madinah? Imam al-Tirmidhi reported that the Prophet said: “O people! Spread the greeting of peace, feed the poor, behave kindly to your relatives, offer prayer when others are asleep, and (thus) enter Paradise in peace.” Following this hadith in letter and spirit is a gateway to paradise; to ultimate success.
The first advice is to spread the greetings of peace amongst us. We come from so many different backgrounds. Sometimes we don’t know each other. We don’t understand each other. Peace is an activity; an action. We have to proactively establish peace. We have to make each other feel welcome. We have to greet each other; hug each other; love each other; know each other. This is the foundation of a healthy community.
The second advice is to feed the people who are hungry. The Prophet (SAW) arrives in a city where there is economic injustice and we see this here and everywhere in the world—the disparity between the have’s and the have not’s. What is implied in the Prophetic advice is to bridge the gap; to bring the people together; to address each other’s needs. This is the second step in creating a coherent society.
The third advice is to behave kindly towards one’s relatives. Maintain family connections. So often times the challenges that we face are our own making. We create hostility between one another as brothers as sisters; as husbands and wives, as parents and children. We cut ties. Don’t cut ties with one another. Maintaining healthy and harmonious family relationships is vital for a healthy community.
The fourth advice is about praying while others are asleep. This is to gain spiritual strength, because making peace amongst ourselves, sharing our wealth, maintaining the ties of kith and kin; all this is an exertion on our spiritual energy. And after we spend it, we replenish the source of our spiritual energy through our connection with Allah (SWT). And the best time to that is through the remembrance of Allah in those moments when others are asleep.
We should always be praying to Allah (SWT) for His forgiveness of our shortcomings and for His help in achieving a healthy community and in responding to the overwhelming hardships that we face in this world.
