Part One
Praise be to Allah! He ordained that tribulation be an eternal law to put to test His
servants, the believers. I praise Him (May He be glorified); indeed, praise is due to Him everlastingly.
I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, the One with no
associate; He is the Sovereign, the Quintessence of Truth; and I bear witness that Muhammad
[May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] is Allah’s Servant and Messenger. He is the noblest of His
creatures; the Imam of all divine messengers and the commendable model for the persevering
Muslims. O Allah, send your Salat (Graces. Honours, Mercy) and Peace upon Your Servant
and Messenger Muhammad, his family and Companions, those virtuous and rightly guided
Imams, the tabi’în (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat
and Peace be upon him] after his death), and all those who righteously follow in their
footsteps till Doomsday.
Now then,
O servants of Allah! Hold fast to taqwa (fear of disobeying divine commands). Seek the
means of approach to Him,1 feel His omniscient presence, return to Him in repentance, rely
on His support whenever you are engaged in action, and bear in mind that you shall appear
before His Supreme Being on the Day of Judgement: That Day shall a man flee
from his brother. And from his mother and his father. And from his wife
1 The Sheikh’s statement is inspired from the Holy Qur’ān: O you who believe! Do your duty to Allâh
and fear Him. Seek the means of approach to Him, and strive hard in His Cause as
much as you can. So that you may be successful. [Al-Māedah: 35]
٢
and his children.Everyman, that Day, will have enough to make him
careless of others. [‘Abasa: 34-37]
O Muslims!
When afflictions befall people, ordeals strike them hard, and adversities encircle them
tightly, some of them experience a sense of disillusionment and get so much astounded that
they grow oblivious of most of the truth of which they were once cognizant. Therefore, they
fall prey to perplexity. In addition, scepticism prevails, truth is relinquished, suspicion is
fostered, groundless judgements are made, unfair verdicts are delivered, and people forget
that Allah’s unfailing law of trial through predicaments will continue to affect the lives of His
creatures.
This divine law has been explicitly and unequivocally mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān,
without the least mystification. Our Lord (Glory be to Him) said: Alif Lâm Mîm. Do people
think that they will be left alone because they say: "We believe," and will
not be tested. And We indeed tested those who were before them. And
Allâh will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true,
and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars,
(although Allâh knows all that before putting them to test). [Al-‘Ankabūt:
1-3]
Allah (Glory and Majesty Be to Him) also said: You shall certainly be tried and tested in
your wealth and properties and in your personal selves, and you shall
certainly hear much that will grieve you from those who received the
Scripture before you (Jews and Christians) and from those who ascribe
partners to Allâh, but if you persevere patiently, and become Al-
Muttaqûn (the pious - see V.2:2) then verily, that will be a determining
factor in all affairs, and that is from the great matters, [which you must
hold on with all your efforts]. [Āl-Imrān: 186]
Allah (May His Name Be glorified) equally said: And certainly, We shall test you with
something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad
tidings to As-Sâbirin (the patient ones, etc.). Who, when afflicted with
calamity, say: "Truly! To Allâh we belong and truly, to Him we shall
٣
return."They are those on whom are the Salawât (i.e. blessings, etc.) (i.e.
who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are
those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones.
[Al-Baqarah: 155-157]
O servants of Allah! It is then a general divine rule from which Allah has not exempted
even His prophets and messengers notwithstanding their venerable status, lofty rank, revered
record, and Allah’s high esteem for them. In fact, Allah commanded that they should endure
tribulation more than anybody else. This is affirmed in the hadith reported via an authentic
chain of narration by Imam Ahmed in his Musnad, as well as Al-Tirmithi, Al-Nassāe, and Ibn
Mājah in their books titled Sunan on the authority of Saad Ibn Abi Waqqās [May Allah be pleased with
him] who once said to Prophet Muhammad [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him]: “I said, ‘O Messenger of
Allah, who is the most harshly stricken by ordeals?’ He said, ‘The most harshly stricken by
tribulation are prophets; then come the rest of mankind, depending on their degree of
piety. A man is subjected to tribulation in proportion to his adherence to religion; if he
holds fast to his religion, then stricter tribulation will befall him; if, on the other hand, his
religious faith is tainted by frailty, his trial through tribulation will be in proportion to his
faith. Indeed, by the time tribulation is lifted, the person tested will have resumed his
normal life cleared of any single sin.”
In this respect, Prophet Muhammad [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] did experience the harshest
forms of tribulation. Suffice it to know what he suffered from the harmful acts of his own
people when they disbelieved him, mocked him, prevented people from embracing his
religion, urged him to emigrate from his native place, waged war on him, incited people to
oppose him and his divine message, conquered his hijra residence (that is Madinah) where his
family and Companions lived. They even tried to assassinate him, eradicate his budding
religion and uproot its very existence, mobilised his enemies among the Jews and the
munāfiqeen (hypocrites among the Muslim community then) against him in Madinah,
conspired with their allies against him, plotted schemes against him, breached their covenants
with him, formed coalitions with the polytheists to fight him, and premeditated to kill him.
Thus, just like the prophets before him who were put to test through tribulation, Prophet
Muhammad [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] had shown, in such times, perseverance, patience and
an authentic sense of jihad in the cause of Allah until divine triumph was bestowed upon him.
That is to say, until people massively converted to Islam, Allah perfected His religion and
completed His bounties proffered to His creatures, and the radiance of divine guidance and
genuine faith filled hearts with joy.
Eventually, Prophet Muhammad [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] departed this life to join his
Lord in total satisfaction and unrivalled contentment, leaving behind two things for his
Ummah. As long as they hold fast to them, they will never go astray: the Book of Allah and
the Prophet’s Sunnah [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him].
٤
O servants of Allah!
Following the Holy Qur’ān and the Sunnah in times of tribulation and showing patience
when facing predicaments testifies to the unshakable certitude that Allah (May He be extolled) has
only preordained His creatures to face tribulation for innumerable and unlimited magnificent
reasons and grand aims.
One of the greatest reasons behind perseverance in times of tribulation is, says Ibn Al-
Qayyim, may Allah bless his soul, “that Allah gauges the patience of His servant to ascertain
whether or not he deserves to be one of His loyal worshippers and is therefore counted as
member of His party. Thus, if he perseveres in the face of adversities and proves to be patient
in tribulation, then Allah will select him as His devout servant, bestow on him a status of
honour, assign to him the attributes of veneration, decorate him with the bounty of reward,
grant him the favour of acceptance, seal his lifespan with divine satisfaction, and mobilise
His loyal worshippers as well as His Party to serve and support him.”
Conversely, if the person fails to withstand hardships and therefore reverts back to
disbelief,2 he will be dismissed and literally excluded. He will also be denied divine
satisfaction, doomed to divine wrath, encumbered with the double burden of tribulation, and
defeated by the armies of misery. In the beginning, this person does not experience any sense
of weakness and defeat; but he soon realises that the originally single adversity has multiplied
in his own case.
What actually makes the difference between these two ranks −that of perseverance and
that of wrath− is perseverance for some time, trying to encourage oneself during such time.
As a rule, the adversity will eventually fade away in both cases: perseverance and wrath.
Nevertheless, in the first case, it loosens its grip thanks to Allah’s numerous blessings and
bounties and, in the second case, because of deprivation and abandonment. That is Allah’s
ordainment; He is the All-Mighty and the All-Knowing. This is because Allah’s favours are
only bestowed upon those whom He wills; for Allah is the Owner of infinite Bounty.
2 The Sheikh’s expression is literally drawn from two separate verses of the Holy Qur’ān (without direct citation):
See the underlined sections of the verses below: And among mankind is he who worships Allâh as
it were, upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt); if good befalls him, he is content therewith;
but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts to disbelief after
embracing Islâm). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss.
[Al-Hajj: 11]. And (remember) when Shaitân (Satan) made their (evil) deeds seem fair to
them and said, "No one of mankind can overcome you this Day (of the battle of Badr)
and verily, I am your neighbour (for each and every help)." But when the two forces
came in sight of each other, he ran away and said "Verily, I have nothing to do with
you. Verily! I see what you see not. Verily! I fear Allâh for Allâh is Severe in punishment."
[Al-Anfāl: 48]
٥
As stated in the hadith reported by Al-Tirmithi and Ibn Mājah in their books entitled
Sunan (via a good chain of narration), Anas Ibn Malik [May Allah be pleased with him] said, “Prophet
Muhammad [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] said, ‘The magnitude of recompense goes hand in
hand with the magnitude of tribulation; once Allah loves a community, He puts them to
test through tribulation. He who accepts it (with perseverance) will get Allah’s
satisfaction, and he who does not will get wrath.” Thus, servants of Allah, it should be no
surprise that the reward of patience is the best recompense one can ever obtain. This is
affirmed in the Sahih books of Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari who reported that Abu Said
Al-Khudri [May Allah be pleased with him] narrated that Prophet Muhammad [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him]
said, “No one can be offered a better and more abundant bounty than patience.”
Servants of Allah! Notice that one of the most significant wisdoms behind tribulation is
the fulfilment of total servitude to Allah, since Allah (Glorified be He) initiates His servant to adapt
to sorrow as well as joy, blessing as well as tribulation in order to exact servitude from him in
all circumstances. In fact, the true servant is the one who constantly experiences the state of
servitude regardless of fluctuating affairs.
By contrast, the slave of bounty and joy whose faith is vulnerable and who always
worships Allah reluctantly, sceptically, and anxiously –that is, if he gains favours, he is
content therewith, and if tribulation befalls him, he reverts to disbelief3− will never be the
servant of Allah (May He be extolled) whom He selected and honoured from among His creatures to
be His true servant, promising him a happy ending in the herein and the hereafter.
Also, part of the wisdom behind tribulation is that it serves as precursor for earning the
servant such a high and honourable status in the eyes of his Lord; a status he would not be
able to reach on his own. As stated in a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah [May Allah be pleased with him],
the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: “One is graciously awarded lofty
status by Allah; a status one would never be able to reach on one’s own. Then, one is
trialled time and time again with what one would hate until one reaches such status."
[Reported by Abu Ya’la in his Musnad and by Ibn Habbān in his Sahih via an authentic chain
of narration]
Therefore, it is only ironic that tribulation be part of the goodness Allah has willed and
ordained for His servant albeit it does not look as such. As stated in a hadith narrated by Abu
Hurairah [May Allah be pleased with him], the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: “He
for whom Allah has willed goodness shall be made to suffer from afflictions”; that is he
shall undergo calamities and tribulation. [Reported by Bukhari in his Sahih]
3 Again, the Sheikh’s expression is literally drawn from two separate verses of the Holy Qur’ān (without direct
citation): See the underlined sections of the verses below: And among mankind is he who worships
Allâh as it were, upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt); if good befalls him, he is content
therewith; but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts to disbelief
after embracing Islâm). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident
loss. [Al-Hajj: 11].
٦
O brothers and sisters in faith! Tribulation thus represents the purifier of the heart, the
touchstone of belief, the utmost token of integrity, an attestation of acquiescence and
evidence of submission to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Indeed, it may be likened to a
wholesome medication being administered to a patient by a physician so merciful, so sincere,
and so knowing of what would best work out for him. Therefore, it is only cogent that a
rational patient would seek to observe patience and endurance taking the medication in order
to overcome his affliction and morbidity rather than throw it up with indignation and
dissatisfaction.
Glad tidings! Glad tidings, indeed, to those who have been subjected to tribulation from
among fellow Muslims in Palestine, Syria, Burma, Central Africa and elsewhere in the world;
those who have been ousted from their homes, have had their possessions confiscated, their
sanctities violated and no prospects of safe refuge! Ultimately, the divine outcome shall be –
Allah willing– a blessing with triumph and empowerment in the Herein as well as a higher
level of paradise in the Hereafter: it may be that you dislike a thing and Allah
brings through it a great deal of good. [Al-Nisā’: 19]
May Allah benefit you and me with His Book's guidance and the Sunnah of His Prophet
(May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)! I say this, and I ask Allah, the Almighty, the Glorious, to forgive
my sins, yours and those of all Muslims; He is truly Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful!
٧
Part Two
Praise be to Allah! We thank Him, seek His assistance, and repent to Him. We also have
recourse to Him against the evil in ourselves and the wickedness of our deeds. Whoever
Allah chooses to guide to the right path may never be misguided and whoever He causes to
go astray shall find no guide to help him. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah Who
has no partner and that Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) is Allah’s Servant and
Messenger. O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy) and Peace on Your Servant
and Messenger, Muhammad!
Now then, O servants of Allah!
There are preconditions that would help one ensure and maintain self-composure and
steadiness whenever tribulation and scourge strike. The most significant of these
preconditions include the following:
The unswerving trust in Allah Almighty, utter reliance on Him, firm obedience and
devoutness to Him as well as true repentance and resolve to abstain from all forms of sinning.
In this regard, the Commander of the Faithful, Ali Ibn Abi Ṭālib [May Allah be pleased with him] put it
thus, “each striking adversity is but a divine retribution for a certain act of sinning and,
conversely, the lifting thereof is but an entailment of one of repentance.’
The reflection on the situation of those who had or have endured tribulation from among the
Prophets, Messengers, and the truthful servants of Allah as a means of seeking solace and
self-comforting and following the example of their patience and devoutness (to Allah
Almighty) which they took as the basis for their character and the impetus for their face-off
with tribulation whenever it befell them.
The feeling of trust vis-à-vis fellow Muslims, notably the scholars and leaders, by
approaching their words and deeds with heed and reverence, in addition to making recourse
to those among them who are well-versed in religious matters for clarification and
information.
Exercising caution against self-conceit and observing sobriety in judgment and restraint in
interpreting situations not to be driven by one’s passions or influenced by the so-called
analytical appraisals that come in diverse forms and from a multitude of sources. Most likely,
such appraisals are motivated by personal interests, ambitions and desires and are thus prone
to dishonesty, lying, faults and injustice.
Avoiding gossip, a habit Allah hates for His servants to follow. This is pointed out in the
hadith narrated by the two Sheikhs (Bukhari and Muslim) in their respective Sahihs as
reported by Al-Mughīrah Ibn Shu’bah (a Companion [May Allah be pleased with him]) who stated that the
Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: “Allah the Almighty has made it
prohibited for you to be disrespectful (showing undutiful behaviour) to your mothers, to
bury your daughters alive, to refuse others (their dues), and to demand things from others
٨
(which are not worth demanding), and He hates that you engage in gossip, asking many
questions and wasting wealth.” This also includes talking about everything one hears as is
mentioned in the hadith narrated by Muslim in his Sahih in which Abu Hurairah [May Allah be pleased
with him] reported that the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) had said: “It is enough falsehood
for a man to relate everything he hears.”
Therefore, if it is incumbent upon every Muslim to adopt such a rationalistic approach at
all times, then following it during times of affliction and tribulation becomes a much more
pressing and greater obligation.
Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, and you should beseech Him to protect you against all
forms of scourge; you should also thank Him in weal and woe.
O Muslims! Do send your salat and peace on the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers as
you have been ordered to do so by the Lord of the Heavens and Earth (May He be extolled) thus:
Allâh sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet
(Muhammad), and also His angels (ask Allâh to bless and forgive him). O
you who believe! Send your Salât on (ask Allâh to bless) him
(Muhammad), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islâmic way of
greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum). [Al-Aḥzāb: 56]
O Allah! Send your Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace on your servant and
Messenger Muhammad, and be pleased with his four successive caliphs: Abu Bakr, Omar,
Othman, Ali, and all his family, Companions, tābi`în (the contemporaries of the Prophet's
Companions) and those who followed them righteously till the Day of Judgment, and us
through your forgiveness, generosity, and benevolence, O You the Most Generous!
O Allah! Glorify (empower) Islam and Muslims, O Allah! Glorify Islam and Muslims, O
Allah! Glorify Islam and Muslims, and protect your religion, destroy its enemies and all
tyrants and corrupters! O Allah! Bring into harmony the hearts of Muslims, unite their forces,
make righteous their leaders, and unite their word on the truth, O Lord of Alamin!
O Allah! Grant victory to your religion (Islam), your Book (The Qur'ān), and the Sunnah
of your Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him), and give victory to your servant
believers and the truthful Mujahideen (those who fight in the path of Allah)!
O Allah! Make us safe and secure in our countries, make righteous our imams and
leaders, support with the truth our imam and leader, and make available for him a righteous
retinue, guide him to do what you love and accept, O you who hear our supplication! O
Allah! Guide him, his Crown Prince and his brothers to do what is good for Islam and
Muslims and to what will lead to the benefit of the people and the country, O You, to whom
we shall return on the Day of Judgment!
٩
O Allah! Make better our religion which is our bond, and make better our Dunya (life in
this world) which is the source of our living, and make better our Hereafter to which we are
returning, and make life an increase of everything that is good, and death a relief from every
evil!
O Allah! We ask You to guide us to do good deeds, forsake reprehensible actions and love
the needy! O Allah! We ask You to forgive us and have mercy upon us! O Allah! If You
want to send an affliction on a nation, please make us die before your affliction was sent!
O Allah, our Lord! Grant our selves their taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah), purify them
for You are the best Who does so; You are their owner and Lord!
O Allah! Protect us against Your enemies and ours in any way that pleases You! O Allah!
Protect us against Your enemies and ours in any way that pleases You! O Allah! Protect us
against Your enemies and ours in any way that pleases You! O Allah! We leave Your
enemies and ours to You (to deal with them) and seek refuge in You from their evils! O
Allah! We leave Your enemies and ours to You (to deal with them) and seek refuge in You
from their evils!
O Allah! Grant victory to Muslims wherever they may be! O Allah! Protect them and stop
their bloodshed! O Allah! Stop the bloodshed of Muslims in Palestine, Syria, Burma, Central
Africa, Iraq, and everywhere in the world. O Allah! Stop their bloodshed and reconcile their
differences; grant them victory against Your enemy and theirs, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Cure those of us who are sick, have mercy on our dead, help us fulfil our hopes
in accordance with what you please, and make our last deeds good ones!
Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and
bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.[Al-
A'rāf: 23]. … Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the
Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!
[Al-Baqarah: 201]
May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy) and Peace on our Prophet,
Muhammad, on his family and all of his Companions, and all praise be to Allah, the Lord of
the Worlds!
