Responding to Trials and Tribulations

Transcript of the Talk delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on Jan 08, 2016 on occasion of AMDA’s Friday Family Night Event

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين.

There are times when we feel the pain, confusion, and anguish for what the   Muslim ummah is going through. Muslims are suffering from instability, persecution, oppression, injustices, and senseless wars. Innocent men, women, and children are being killed. How should we process and deal with these events taking place around the world.  Living here in America, we do have a slight disconnect because Alhamdulillah, we live here in peace; we live in comfort and prosperity for the most part. There are periodic incidents of harassment, discrimination, profiling, hate crimes, constant media attention, surveillance, and bigotry. These are some of the challenges that Muslims in America face today. Like our predecessors in Makkah, we have begun to face stress, anxiety, and pressure, perhaps more than ever before.  We get into debates and discussions as to why Muslims alone among all people have to face trials and tribulations day in and day out, and what is to be done to overcome this situation? 

Some of us may think that we are being punished for our disobedience to Allah (SWT) as a consequence of our not following Islam in letter and spirit. Some others may blame the rulers of the Muslim world for the current situation. Some may attribute this crisis to centuries of western domination and colonialism over Muslim lands. Others may argue that the primary reason for our problems is the lack of initiative and effort to acquire religious knowledge. Yet others may point towards sectarianism and parochialism prevalent amongst Muslims. There are some who relate the problems to the disunity among Muslims. Then there are those who say that the tests and trials come because of a general erosion of moral and ethical values. Others think that we are not progressive enough in our thoughts and actions. Some other reasons that are attributed are said to be our dependence on the West--politically and economically.

Thus, there are many reasons--historical, social, economical, political, moral, and more, that are put forward to make a case for the trials and tribulations that we are facing and these are manifested in many ways. I will hasten to add, that Muslims too are part of the problem because the Qur’an says very clearly,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ  

“Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Ar-Ra’d, 13:11)

If we are worried about the state of the world, then we should ask ourselves: Is our community part of any peace movement? Are we part of an interfaith group with an agenda of peace and justice? Are we working with a group fighting discrimination? If our answer is no, it is time that we sit down to plan our share of time and money in finding solutions to the problems we face. This means that as an ummah, we are primarily responsible to bring about a positive change in ourselves and our present condition.

Having said this, how should we know whether any trial that we are confronted with is a punishment from Allah, a wakeup call from Him, or simply a test of our patience so that we may show patience and get closer to Him?  It is actually the condition of the heart that determines whether you are undergoing a test or a punishment with every trial that comes. If you are grateful to the Creator, and at peace with life regardless of how bad things are; if you keep saying Alhamdulillah (all praise and thanks are for Allah), then know that you are getting closer to Allah with every test that you endure patiently.

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ

“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient ones.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:155) 

One should always think positively of one’s Lord, in all situations, for whatever comes from Allah, is good in the ultimate analysis. Let us analyze our response to the trials, tribulations, and challenges that we face?  One of our responses is reflected through despair and dejection. We feel ourselves incapable of making any change. 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 way we respond is 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 is 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 or emotional or both; of being hyper-focused on the issues to the point that we get overwhelmed. We find ourselves obsessively trying to engage with these issues and troubles, and begin to consume every piece of news and follow every detail of what is going on in each of these conflicts around the world. We begin giving vent to our emotions by making our lives to appear as a pathetic tearful story, which then leads to the development of a victimized mindset. Sometimes we may even channel our emotions by acting uncontrollably and irresponsibly. This too is not the Islamic response.

Then how do we respond to the challenges with a mindset, and with a heart that is pleasing to our Creator?  Basically, we should exhibit patience or sabr in times of trials and tribulations. Sabr means to restrain oneself. In the spiritual sense, it means to stop oneself from losing hope and panicking, and to stop one’s tongue from complaining. It means that we act wisely and restrain ourselves from doing things that will cause more harm. Islam emphasizes patience and perseverance in adversity or calamity.

 وَاصْبِرُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ

“And be steadfast. Allah is with the steadfast.” (Al-Anfal, 8:46)

Today as we are confronted with bigotry, rejection, hatred and even physical abuse, we should remain steadfast and patient. Throughout history, all believers have been put to tests and tribulations whether they were prophets and messengers of Allah (SWT) or ordinary believers like us, living as individuals, as families, as communities, and as an ummah.

Patience leads to intelligence in thought and action. One of the major factors preventing people from acting intelligently is their impulsive thinking and behavior brought about by impatience. Sudden anger or desire shuts down the mind and pushes people to act without thinking. Every single time we practice patience Allah (SWT) removes our sins from us. A hadith tells us, “No fatigue, disease, sorrow, sadness, hurt, or distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick of a thorn, except that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.” How do we acquire the patience that is required of us in times of trials and tribulations? One of the best ways is to engage in dhikr or the remembrance of Allah (SWT)

أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

“Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” (Ar-Ra’d, 13:28)

It is important to bear in mind that we should remember Allah (SWT) during good times and difficult times. 

One of the six articles of the Islamic faith is to have iman in Qadr or faith in Divine destiny. If we are firm in our belief that only Allah possesses knowledge of the past, present, and future, we will be able to put our trust in Him. Allah’s wisdom is beyond the reach of our rational capacities. It is important to remind ourselves that we don't control all the variables in the world. Allah does. So having faith in Qadr instills patience in us. However, although Allah’s decree is ordained, there are things we can do beforehand to influence the outcome of our efforts, and thus prevent problems from piling up. First, we should never forget that Allah has provided us with a free will and associated faculties to think and act. As the prophet had stated, while we should fully trust Allah, we should tie our horse first, meaning we should use all our Allah-gifted faculties and exercise due diligence.

Another effective way of acquiring patience is to take lessons from the sirah of the Prophet (SAW). During his lifetime, when the adversaries of Islam began to see that their own kith and kin had started to enter into the fold of Islam, they launched a malicious campaign to distort Islam and its teachings. They managed to create conditions that were conducive to people's accepting anything said about him and the Qur’an without independent judgment. All this was done to discredit the prophet (SAW) and his teachings. But how did he face up to this campaign of distortions? Although he was on the receiving end, he took everything that was thrown at him and kept his spirits high. He did not react angrily, as do those Muslims who are easily agitated when they are provoked and start trading insults with the opposite side. He was calm and collected in all his exchanges with the adversaries of Islam. As a result of his perseverance and endurance, Muslims have grown up to a figure of over a billion and a half.

Unfortunately, recently, especially in the presidential debates, Islamophobic remarks have intensified, notwithstanding the fact that Muslims were here in America long before Christopher Columbus set foot on these shores. However, we should know that there are numerous sincere people in our society among atheists, agnostics, humanists, and followers of other religions and belief systems who are in search of truth.

The negative stereotypes and vicious propaganda against Islam and Muslims have dramatically brought Islam into limelight. People have become curious about Islam. They want to learn about Islam. And what is the outcome?  Besides a multitude of ordinary people, numerous elite among those who are in search of truth including clerics, judges, scientists, doctors, scholars, politicians, academicians, journalists, professionals, technocrats, artists, athletes, and celebrities have embraced Islam, and are continuing to do so. You have just to read their stories to know how they were captivated by the truth of Islam.

Be reminded of this amazing hadith from Musnad Ahmad, which says, "This message (of Islam) will reach to wherever the night and day have reached. Allah shall not leave any home built by clay or stones or by animal skin (tent) except that Allah will make this religion to enter it.” Brothers and sisters! We may not always be able to control what happens to us, but we can always control our attitude towards what happens to us. A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty. I will leave you with a beautiful verse from Surat Aal-‘Imran that says,

وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

“Do not be weak, and do not grieve, for you will have the upper hand, if you are believers.” (Aal-‘Imran, 3:139).

O Allah! Give us the strength and the courage to bear the trials of this world with patience and perseverance. Forgive us our shortcomings. Do not place on us a burden greater than we can bear. O Allah! We beg for your mercy, here in this life, and in the hereafter. O Allah! Make us consciously realize the enormity of the day when You shall individually summon each one of us to give an account of our stay on this earth. Allahumma Ameen. 

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