Al-Mu’aanah (suffering):
In the Name of Allah Ar-Rahmaan Ar-Raheem By time. Verily man(kind) is in loss. Except for the one who believes and acts righteous deeds and enjoins to the truth and enjoins to patience (Al- ‘Asr).
When the revelation descended upon the Messenger of Allah (saw) for the first time, his wife Khadijah (ra) took him to see her uncle Waraqah Bin Nawfil to ask him about what the Messenger (saw) saw and heard. Waraqah said: ‘Indeed this is the Naamoos (same Angel) that came down upon Musaa Bin ‘Imraan. If I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly’. The Messenger (saw) asked: ‘O Uncle, will they drive me out?’ He replied: ‘Yes. Never did a man come with something similar to what you have brought but was met with hostility’.
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: (The grinding wheel of Islaam is turning, so turn wherever it turns. Indeed the authority and Qur’aan will separate, so stick to the Kitaab (Al-Qur’aan). Indeed misguided and misguiding leaders will take over your affairs. If you follow them then they will lead you astray and if you opposed them they will kill you. The Sahaabah asked: What should we do O Messenger of Allah? He (saw) said: Do just as the companions of ‘Isaa (as) did. They were nailed to wood and they were split by saws. By the one in whose hand is Muhammad’s soul, death in the path of Allah is better than living in disobedience to him) (Related by Abu Nu’aim in ‘Dalaa’il An-Nabuwwa’).
Additionally Allah (swt) narrated the stories of the Prophets to the Messenger of Allah (saw) to make evident to him that which his brothers from amongst the prophets were exposed to in terms of repulsion, disbelief, denial and harm and how those men of great determination stood up to this. This was in order to strengthen the heart of the Messenger (saw) and make it firm.
Allah (swt) said to him (saw):
So persevere with patience like those Messengers who possessed firm determination (Al-Ahqaaf 35).
This is because people are people and the work for change means that they will face and be exposed to the same as those who engaged in this work before them in the past. This will include being cast aside, being rejected, denied, repulsed and fought. In regards to this; the words that were spoken to Nuh (as) stand out:
We do not see you but as a man like ourselves, and we do not see you followed except by those who are the lowest of us [and who accept] at the first suggestion (without thinking). And we do not see you possessing any merit over us. (Hud 27).
This is the very same speech that the Da’wah carriers of hear today.
Therefore those who are working to revive their Society (Ummah), elevate their status and affair and change what is within it until Allah (swt) changes its reality:
Verily Allah does not change what exists within a people until they change what exists within themselves (Ar-Ra’d 11).
It is obligatory upon those working, to fuel their determination and sharpen their wits so that they can counter their foe and defeat their enemies, whilst following the Messenger of Allah (saw) and relying upon Allah (swt). Allah (swt) has said in His Kitaab Al-‘Azeez to remind the believers of what they will come across in terms of suffering and what they will face in terms of dangers:
And remember when you were few and were reckoned weak in the land, and were afraid that men might kidnap you, but He provided a safe place for you, strengthened you with His Help, and provided you with good things so that you might be grateful (Al-Anfaal 26).
Indeed it is incumbent upon anyone desiring to revive the Society (Ummah) to take into account that which befell the Messenger of Allah (saw) and his noble companions (rah) , the extent to which Allah (swt) put them on trial and tested them and how they stood up to this. How they struggled with their Nafs and built it upon that which Allah (swt) had made obligatory in terms of knowledge (‘Ilm) and action (‘Amal).
Knowledge of what is needed and what is being calling to, and action to bring that into the reality of life. This is performed with all that is demanded in terms of tenacity, perseverance and effort whilst taking all that comes in terms of trials and afflictions. This is because the preparation of the Nafs (elf) and placing it in the central position of responsibility and leadership for this Society (Ummah) makes knowledge of what this responsibility demands an inevitable and indispensable.
From amongst the greatest obligations that responsibility and leadership demands is the responsibility of attending to over one thousand million Muslims and the future responsibility of attending to the affairs of the entire world, so that the words of Allah (swt) can be realised:
And as such we have made you the best (just) nation in order for you to be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger a witness over you (Al -Baqarah 143).
From amongst the greatest obligations that responsibility demands is the acquisition of knowledge for what is required and needed. Otherwise how can the responsible person be responsible over a people if he does not know what this responsibility is and what it entails? And how is it possible for the people to be led by this responsible person whilst he is unaware of what direction he should be leading them? The one who said: ‘The Society (Ummah) does not give its leadership to the ignorant or the coward’ spoke the truth. This does not mean however that the person should remain silent until he has knowledge about everything matter.
Rather the issue from the perspective of the person revolves around making the firm resolution to know what is necessary to know and what he requires in order to fulfil his responsibility and to undertake the work in accordance to the knowledge that has reached him and he has understood. The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to convey what he heard from the Wahi (revelation) and what was revealed to him from His Rabb whilst not waiting for the completion of the knowledge and he continued in the Da’wah, conveyance and implementation for twenty-three years. He would convey the Aayah, Surah or Hadeeth as soon as the Wahi had descended and he (saw) said:
(Convey from me and even if it is one Aayah) (Al-Bukhaari, Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi from Ibn ‘Umar (ra)).
And he (saw) also said: (May Allah illuminate the person who hears a Hadeeth from me and memorizes it so that he can convey it. It may be that a person who carries Fiqh knowledge/understanding) conveys it to someone with more Fiqh than that person and it may be that the carrier of this Fiqh is not a Faqeeh (A knowledgeable person)) (Imaam Ahmad in his Musnad and At-Tirmidhi from Ibn Mas’ood (ra).
This relates to an individual, as for the Kutlah, then it is also of its greatest obligations to understand and be aware of what it requires and needs and to fully comprehend its responsibility, understand its position and the possibility of it taking the leadership over its youth, Society (Ummah) and even the world when it comes within the realm of its actual responsibility. This makes it essential and indispensable to put down a blueprint and complete detailed planning in regards to what it wants to culture and raise its youth with and so that it can earn the trust and confidence of the Society (Ummah) and lead her in accordance to the planning, whilst fully comprehending what is happening in the world around her in terms of realities and events. This is so that the Kutlah is capable of presenting suitable solutions and treatments that are sound and correct whilst realising that the realities and events are always changing and never stop changing. Adopting a position towards these realities and events whilst presenting solutions and treatments is a necessary matter in respect to following the example of what came in the Qur’aan. This is because it was revealed upon the realities and incidents, it exposed the schemes and conspiracies that were being hatched and it addressed what happened intellectually, to the extent that it even addressed the one who forbade another to perform the Salaah:
Have you seen the one who forbids, a slave when he prays (Al- ‘Alaq 9- 10).
Therefore the Kutlah must openly express its view in relation to the events and realities and adopt the positions and stances that it is obligatory for it to take whilst not fearing the consequences or anything other than Allah (swt). As such the Kutlah does not sympathise with the ruler or adulate and fawn the leader and it does not remain silent over a Munkar (clear wrong):
Allah (swt) says:
They wish that you would soften/compromise [in your position], so they would soften [toward you] (Al-Qalam 9).
This is the meaning of the Nafs that strives with knowledge and patience in the face of all hardships. This is demonstrated in the examples of Bilaal Al-Habashiy and Khabbab Bin Al-‘Aratt (rah), who both endured severe beating and much suffering to the extent that one of them raised the issue of their suffering to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and he responded by saying: (I have hope in Allah that a girl will be able to travel between Yemen and Al-Furaat (Iraq) without having to fear anything but Allah and he sheep). These were lessons that the Messenger of Allah (saw) inculcated into his Sahaabah (rah) so that they could be raised to the level of responsibility and leadership. As for his (saw)’s statement to the family of Yaasir:
(Persevere in patience O family of Yaasir for verily your appointed destination is Paradise) (Ibn Hisham).
Which was followed by the reply of Sumayyah in which she said:
(It is as if I can see it in front of me O Messenger of Allah).
So this represents another lesson, of a different kind, which relates to enduring the harm and persevering patiently in the face of hardships.
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