Dealing with Hardships
Transcript of the Friday Sermon delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on July 25, 2014
My dear brothers and sisters, we find ourselves in the last few days of the blessed month of Ramadan. As we celebrate this great month together; as we look forward to celebrating Eid al Fitr, let us remember those members of our human family; of our Muslim family, whose Eid al Fitr will be different than ours. As we celebrate, they mourn and while we plan for the festivities, they organize funerals. They are suffering from instability, from persecution, from oppression, from injustices, and from senseless wars. People’s houses are being blown apart; innocent men, women, and children are being killed. And as believers, we feel it. We feel the pain and suffering of what’s going on in Gazza. We feel the pain and suffering of refugees in war torn Syria. We feel the suffering of those who are living under tyranny and oppression.
We feel pain, confusion, and anguish to what is going on with the ummah. We find ourselves in a dilemma. How do we as believers process and deal with these events taking place all around the world. We do have a bit of a 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?
Brothers and sisters! Let me explain you the three ways in which most of us generally respond, and we should avoid responding in these ways. The first response that we often times find ourselves taking is one of despair. Being so far and so distinct 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 Islamic 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 Islamic way.
A third way we often times find ourselves taking is that of being fanatic; 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 the every detail of what’s going on in each of these conflicts around the world. There is an ethnic genocide of Muslims taking place in Burma. Muslims in China are being persecuted just for fasting during Ramadan, and there are many other situations. My dear brothers and sisters; this is a very understandable response but this too is not the Islamic response.
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 God, for God says,
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
“God 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, God has equipped us with a capacity to bear them. Its part of our human nature to feel the compassion for our fellow human beings and we ask ourselves the question—why is this happening? God has wisdom beyond our capacity to reach. His way of operating the world is beyond our comprehension. We don’t always know why? God 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 God. 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:
“O you who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a painful punishment? You should believe in God and His Messenger, and strive for Gods 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.” (61:10)
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. Let us on this day of Jumu’ah; on this day of fasting in this blessed month of Ramadan call out to our Lord and ask 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. 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 applies particularly during this month, and that is: Offer prayers 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.
Let us pray 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.
O Allah! Help our brothers and sisters who are facing instability, death and destruction in Gazza and in all other areas of conflicts. O Allah! Grant Jannah to those who have passed away because of atrocities inflicted upon them. O Allah! There are so many who have been injured from bombardments on a besieged population. O Allah! give them speedy recovery; give them endurance; give them deep faith. Help us to help them. O Allah! Help us to fulfill our responsibilities by educating ourselves of the circumstances; by serving as ambassadors of the marginalized. O Allah! Let us speak in their name despite the negative media that we face about the conflicts around the world. Let us speak the truth. Let our voices represent those who are not heard. O Allah! Empower us to be of assistance to them. O Allah! Respond to our call and make us respond to your call. Allahumma Ameen.
وَصَلَّ اللهُ عَلَى خيرِ خَلقِهِ مُحمَّدٍ وعَلَى آلِه وأصْحَابِه أجْمَعِين- بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
