Trials and Tribulations
The imam began this week’s reminder with ayat 140 from Sura Imran which is translated to say:
If a wound should touch you – there has already touched the [opposing] people a wound similar to it. And these days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the people so that Allah may make evident those who believe and [may] take to Himself from among you martyrs – and Allah does not like the wrongdoers
Dear brothers and sisters, it is the decree of Allah SWT that He will test his subjects to difficulties and tests. He will do so with all types of tests and this is to ensure that those who are honest and truthful come out as successful in the next life.
If we look around the world, we can see powers that have never been seen before, being used for destruction, and that no one person or groups can do anything about them. What is worse, there are people or groups who will side with the afflicter of these trials just so that they themselves are spared.
Allah SWT warns us against doing this act of cowardice. The imam referenced this by reminding us of ayat 52 of sura Al Maida in which it says:
So you see those in whose hearts is disease hastening into [association with] them, saying, “We are afraid a misfortune may strike us.”
Dear brothers and sisters, we need to be of those people who speak out against injustices with our actions, our words or our duas to our Lord.
We live in a time and a place where this is needed more than ever. Due to the information age, we all have full visual and auditory access to events happening all over the world, often in real time. We are able to see the atrocities taking place and the trials that are on groups and nations all over the world and like never before.
We need to be of the group who believe in Allah SWT and Judgement Day, who have firm belief, and belief in what their Lord and His Messenger has promised them. We need to be of the people who would follow the guidance that they have been given, and act accordingly, and be patient until the victory comes from their Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters, we need to be mindful of this and remind ourselves that with hardship comes ease and to be patient. A great example of this is delivered via our beloved Prophet SAWS.
Who knew, that at a time when the prophet peace and blessings be upon him was calling to the Oneness of Allah, to get rid of idolaters, andwith the harm the non muslims tried to inflict on the Muslims and their Prophet, that time would come where they would own the world in few short years!
Dear brothers and sisters, we will all go through trials and tribulations but some can be avoided and this concluding part of the reminder touches upon those in history and what lessons we can derive from them.
So, the first question is “Why does Allah SWT allow Muslims to be defeated?”
The answer to this comes as early as during the time of Prophet Muhammed SAWS. We need to remind ourselves that Allah SWT has a plan for everything and good comes from whatever Allah SWT decrees. The defeat in the battle of Uhud due to some Muslims disobeying the commands of the Prophet SAWS is a whole khutba on its own, but it’s lesson is summarized by Allah SWT in the glorious Quran and was referenced by the imam today in Sura Al Imran, ayat 65 which says:
How is it that when you are afflicted with a loss, after you yourselves had inflicted losses twice as heavy upon your enemy in the battle of Badr, you exclaimed: “Whose fault was that?” Say to them: “It was your own fault,” Allah has power over everything.
Dear brothers and sisters, the ayat directly deals with disobedience and its consequences. But alongside that we ought to look at the other reason and that is guarding against arrogance.
And so, this reminder concludes with 5 quick reminders on how to deal with trials and tribulations.
- To have firm belief in Allah SWT and his decree.
- To be keen on doing what is right, regardless of the situation because if it wasn’t a difficult situation then it wouldn’t be a trial.
- To have the desire to be strong in the face of tribulations and to avoid being weak and lazy
- To have conviction that losses are temporary and that they are a test from Allah SWT
- And finally, to have certainty over what Allah SWT has promised us.
Dear brothers and sisters, we need to remember that this world is a test and to treat it as such. We have to think of the bigger picture and understand that in order to achieve the higher pass marks, we may have to sit the harder tests. And by doing this we can aim to be of the people who Allah SWT speaks of in Sura Al Noor, ayat 55 which says:
Allah has promised to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds that He will of a surety grant them in the land inheritance (of power) as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their state) after the fear in which they (lived) to one of security and peace: `They will worship Me (alone) and not associate anyone with Me.’ If any do reject faith after this they are rebellious and wicked.
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Allah SWT says in the opening ayats of Sura Ankabut:
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 those who are truthful, and he will surely make evident the liars.
Dear brothers, in this life we have issues that affect us all. We have problems that we have to deal with, either as an individual in our personal lives or as a community or Ummah, problems that affect every Muslim alive today.
When faced with such scenarios, it’s very easy to get caught up in the moment. These problems cause us difficulty and they seem to be overpowering at the time and begin to play on us.
Some can fall into the trap of thinking that there is no light at the end of the tunnel or that their problems are too severe or that their issues cannot be resolved.
This can then lead to a range of issues If not addressed through an Islamic framework of thinking, they can lead to depression, anxiety, fear, and a weakness in imaan.
So, what is this framework of thinking that we need to establish in order to avoid falling into this trap.
The first is the pondering and understanding of the opening ayat to this khutba. This opening ayat is explaining to us that we will be tested as life is about a great test. This is a hard thing to remember when people around us are not thinking this way.
More and more in this life and this society, we are faced with the underlying tone of those who are only living for this life.
Materialism is one of the biggest illnesses of our time. And when asked this question of what it means to be materialistic, the common answer is to talk of cars, houses and money.
But materialism is a wider problem then goods that we can purchase. The materialism that needs to be addressed is one of our faith.
Dear brothers, as Muslims we need to be aware that this materialism can span also to our perception of Islam.
This life is a test and to focus on making this life better for ourselves, our community and our Ummah is a great thought to have but it should not be the priority in our thinking.
Instead, as Muslims we must understand that Allah SWT tells us in the Quran that our living is not for this world. The materialism that is shown by those around us who don’t believe in His word is not a mode of thinking we should adopt.
Our living is for the next life. Our mode of operation should be for the next life. With hardship comes ease and that ease, for those of us who operate correctly in this life, will be everlasting in the next life. Only Allah SWT can change what is happening in this world and we need to accept that and focus on the next.
That first ayat explains to us that we should expect to face challenges in our personal lives and as a community. The ayat is explicit in stating that the declaration of belief is not enough for us as Allah SWT poses a question to us and then addresses it by reminding us of the tests that previous nations went through.
And Allah has said in Sura Al-Imran:
O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims.
Dear brothers, this ayat is poignant if we ponder as Allah SWT is talking about the end of our test. When the exam is about to come to an end and all the hard work has been done, He reminds us to die as those who submitted their will to Him. Those who believed, accepted and coped in His will, His decree, His plan and His test for us.
None of know when that test is coming to an end. It will come at different times for us all. But we need to be mindful of the fact that it will come one day and we need to be ready for it in our minds and in our hearts.
So how do we practically apply this to our test? What is it that is needed practically to achieve the peace in our hearts and belief in our Lord?
This khutba ends with 2 things we can all begin to do today to achieve this:
- Increase in your supplication and remembrance of your Creator. This can range from starting every day tasks with Bismillah to duas from the heart when in sujood or after salat.
- Understand that the primary dunya or material connection we have to Allah SWT is the Quran. Take a few minutes a day to ponder of an Ayat of the Quran. Ayat means sign and there is a sign in each and every ayat revealed so begin the journey. And our website has resources to help you begin whatever level you are at so start today.
May Allah SWT give us ease in our trials. May Allah SWT enable us to cope with our trials and may Allah SWT reward us for coping with our trials
Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.
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