Radio sermons (70): s1. Power, s2. Faith is an absolute power
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In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful
The First Khutbah (Sermon):
Power is a Basic Requirement Because It is The Source Of Confidence:Dear brother, in this life, the only Ever-Powerful is Allah the Almighty. There is no other powerful one except Him. Every power on this earth,_being it power of humans or power of objects_ is derived from Allah’s power. This power can serve as a support to His slaves, a gradual punishment to them, or as a subjection to them, for ultimate wisdom that only some people understand it. Read this ayah which states that all power belong to Allah:
((And of mankind are some who take (for worship) sh3er besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as they love Allah. But those who believe, love Allah more (than anything else). If only, those who do wrong could see, when they will see the torment, that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is Severe in punishment.))
This is why the strong believer is more loved by Allah than the weak one. Make sure to be a member in the council of the strong people, and do not accept to be among the weak, even if you are a leader.Sometimes, you feel weak and you ask yourself: “why?” It is simply because you choose to be
weak, so live as you want, but you should know that you can be strong, and recover from your feeling of weakness. In fact, strong people _for the sake of good_ are always happy, whereas weak people _for the sake of falsehood_ are always sad. Be sure that the only thing that you cannot be, is the thing which you refuse to be.
Power is a basic requirement. Our life would have been meaningless without power, because it is the source of our confidence, and confidence cannot be found except in brave hearts. If you want to find the real power, search for a power which doesn’t need for its existence a power other than Allah’s.
Cowardice, helplessness, surrender, defeat, humility, and all the terms in the dictionary of weakness are refused in the life of strong people. You are not created to be disheartened, or to be demoralized. Consider please the following supplication (dua) of the prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him:
In fact, weakness is sometimes a source of a potential power. By no means, speaking about the power which stems from weakness is a call to be satisfied by your weakness, or to keep silent about it; it is a call to feel strength even in weakness. So, we should search in each weakness about a source of a potential power inside it. If Muslims are truthful in their search for this source, they would find it, and weakness would become a power, because weakness consists of a hidden power that Allah maintains to make this weakness suddenly a strong power which is capable of destroying fortresses and devastating mountains, as you see and hear.
You are strong, and this is the secret of your weakness; and I am weak, but this is the secret of my strength. So, we can always face the atomic bomb by another atomic bomb, which is preparing a conscious and conservative generation who can revive this ummah nation, and turn back its leading role among nations.
Power is a basic requirement. Our life would have been meaningless without power, because it is the source of our confidence, and confidence cannot be found except in brave hearts. If you want to find the real power, search for a power which doesn’t need for its existence a power other than Allah’s.
Cowardice, helplessness, surrender, defeat, humility, and all the terms in the dictionary of weakness are refused in the life of strong people. You are not created to be disheartened, or to be demoralized. Consider please the following supplication (dua) of the prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him:
((O Allah! I seek refuge with You from incapacity, laziness, cowardice, senility, and miserliness, and I seek refuge with You from torment in the grave and from the tribulation of life and death))
Don’t hesitate for one single moment to join the club of strong people. You have a giant sleeping inside you; search for it so you do not die when you are still alive, as the poet says in his verse:The true dead man is not he who has passed away, but the true dead man is the one who chooses to die while he is still alive.
Contemplate the mosquito; maybe it means nothing to you, but it is stronger than you when it insists on searching for an access to your blood without any tiredness.Power Has Many Forms:
Monotheism:
There is a precise question that we should ask ourselves: How to seek power while we are weak?In fact, weakness is sometimes a source of a potential power. By no means, speaking about the power which stems from weakness is a call to be satisfied by your weakness, or to keep silent about it; it is a call to feel strength even in weakness. So, we should search in each weakness about a source of a potential power inside it. If Muslims are truthful in their search for this source, they would find it, and weakness would become a power, because weakness consists of a hidden power that Allah maintains to make this weakness suddenly a strong power which is capable of destroying fortresses and devastating mountains, as you see and hear.
You are strong, and this is the secret of your weakness; and I am weak, but this is the secret of my strength. So, we can always face the atomic bomb by another atomic bomb, which is preparing a conscious and conservative generation who can revive this ummah nation, and turn back its leading role among nations.
Power has many forms and different dimensions. It is somehow difficult to talk about them all. So, we will study only the most common ones _studying them in detail sometimes, and in general other times.
The power of monotheism liberates man from all forms of slavery, except slavery to Allah the Perceiver and the Supreme Judge. The One Who has created us, then proportioned us; the One Who honored us and granted us blessings. Monotheism frees our minds from illusion and superstition and liberates us from submissiveness and surrender. It also liberates ourselves from the tyranny of despots, and helps us in building a strong personality whose direction in this life is clear; its goal is unified, and its path is fixed. We have only one Lord Whom we direct to in secret and in open, and we work hard to please only Him in our big issues, and every single detail in our lives. Read this ayah please:
Shortly, the soldiers brought him. A crowd of people gathered there to see what will happen to this poor missioner. All eyes were directed to him, with their hearts secretly beating in fear and sympathy for him. When Hassan saw the executioner waiting for him, he murmured some words that nobody could understand. He approached Hadjadj with steps full of confidence and in a dignified manner that made Al-Hadjadj fear this dignified missioner. To everybody’s surprise, Al-Hadjadj called him by his name, and invited him politely to come and sit next to him. Then, he started to ask him questions about religion and Fiqh that Hassan answered them all, one by one with his large knowledge, and his usual charming style and eloquent tongue. Al-Hadjadj could but acknowledge his vast knowledge saying: “You Hassan, are the master of our Islamic scholars”. Then, he ordered his beard to be perfumed before seeing him off.
No one could believe his eyes. The doorman of Al-Hadjadj was among the people who were so surprised by what was happening. He followed Hassan and told him: “Al-Hadjadj asked for you, not to honor you as he has just done; he called you to kill you, but what happened?! I saw you murmuring when you saw the executioner. For Allah’s sake, tell me what you have said”
Hassan told him that he supplicated Allah saying: “O my Lord! You are the Superb Provider, You are my refuge in troubles, and my companion in my loneliness. Make his curse on me a blessing as You made fire coolness and safety for Ibrahim.
Dear brother, Hassan was among the few people referred to in the following ayah:
Solaiman Ibn-Abd-Al-Malek was caliph. Once he decided to perform Hajj (pilgrimage) with the company of his staff which includes his ministers, captains, and his two sons. When he reached Mecca, as any other pilgrim, he wore only his cloak ; he was barefoot, and without his elaborated turban or expensive jewels. When he finished from Tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka’ba), he turned to one of his men and asked him: “who is Mecca’s Islamic scholar,” the man replied: “Ataa Ibn-Rabah”. Then, the Caliph he ordered him to take him to that man.
When the Caliph met Ataa Ibn-Rabah, he found himself in front of an old black man, with very dark complexion, curly hair, and a large nose. The man resembled almost a crow if he sits among people. Besides, he was penniless and half-paralayzed.
Solaiman approached him and said in amazement: “Are you Ataa Ibn-Rabah whose name is known worldwide?” Rabah replied politely: “this is what they say”. Solaiman asked him again: “May I ask you how did you gain this reputation?” Rabah answered: “through devoting myself to learning for thirty years, and not being fascinated by the indulgences of this worldly life. This is what made people in need for my knowledge”.
After this meeting, it happened that Solaiman disagreed with his sons about an issue related to the pilgrimage. He decided to meet Rabah again to ask him about it. When he reached his place, he found that many people were waiting for their turn to ask Rabah too. As Caliph, it was a blow to his prestige to wait for his turn with ordinary people and he wanted to bypass the people to approach Rabah When Rabah saw him doing this, he shouted saying: “Stay in your place Caliiph, I do not accept that you pass before all these people who came before you. Wait for your turn!” Solaiman waited for his turn until he met him and received an answer to his question. Then, he turned to his sons and told them: “Dear children, fear Allah, and understand His religion, for I have never been humiliated except by this slave. I could have avoided such an embarrassment if I devoted some of my time to learn about religion. Allah elevates whoever He wants, as long as he obeys Him, even if this person is a black slave without money or glory like Rabah, and He humiliates whoever He wants, as long as he disobeys Him, even if this person has money and glory…” Then, he turned to one of his sons and continued: “this old man who humiliated us is the son of Abd-Allah Ibn-Abbass, the dignified companion who was given an understanding of the Noble Quran. He was in fact an encyclopedia of all sciences”. Then, he kept repeating: “you should have some knowledge, for it is knowledge which honors the humble people, and elevates the slaves to the class of kings.
This is why it has been said that knowledge is the highest class. Learn some knowledge; to excel if you are masters, to be masters if you are in the middle, and to survive if you are low.
Once, the prophet asked him: “Why don’t you get married Julaibeeb?”
Julaibeeb answered: “O prophet! And who is going to take charge of my marriage?”
The prophet: “I will”.
Julaibeeb turned to the prophet and said: “you will see I am (He means that no one accepts to marry his daughter to him)”.
The Prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him: “But in the sight of Allah the Almighty you are never ”.
The prophet may Allah have peace and blessings upon him kept waiting for any opportunity to marry Julaibeeb. One day, a man of the Ansar whose son-in-law had died, came to the prophet asking him to marry his daughter. The prophet accepted the offer, saying: “Yes, but it is not me who is going to marry her”.
The Man asked: “So, who is going to marry her?”
The Prophet answered: “Julaibeeb”
The Man: “O Messenger of Allah! you marry her to Julaibeeb. Wait until I consult with her mother”.
When the man went back home, he said to his wife: “The prophet asked for your daughter’s hand”
The Wife replied: “Yes, we will marry her with pleasure to the prophet, and who can say no”
The man: “but, the prophet doesn’t want her for himself”
The Wife: “then, for whom ?”
The Man: “for Julaibeeb”
The Wife in regret: “For Julaibeeb ! No way! I will not marry my daughter to Julaibeeb after refusing men who are far away better than him”.
The man grieved for this reply, and was about to go to the prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him to inform him that his family was against the marriage, when the daughter cried from her room: “who is that who came to propose for Julaibeeb?”
The Father: “The prophet of Allah may Allah have his peace and blessings upon him”
The Daughter: “Then, how can we refuse a request of the prophet. Tell him that I accept to marry Julaibeeb. I trust Allah, and I am sure he is not going to let me down”.
The father went to the prophet to inform him that his daughter accepted the offer. Shortly after that, the prophet called Julaibeeb and married the two. Then, he raised his noble hands to the sky and supplicated Allah: “O Allah! Pour Your blessings on them and don’t make their life hard".
A few days after their marriage, the prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him and his companions went to a battle, and Julaibeeb was with them. When the battle was over, people gathered to account each other to see who were dead, and who were still alive. The prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him asked them: “do you miss any one?” They replied: “O prophet! we miss this person and that…”and they entirely forgot the poor Julaibeeb, because he was not popular among them.
The prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him said: “I miss Julaibeeb, go and search for him”. So, they went to the battlefield to search for Julaibeeb among the dead. They found him nearby. Julaibeeb was martyred! The prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him stood by his cut up body and said: “you are from me, and I am from you”; he sat cross-legged by his body, then, he held him in his hands and ordered his grave to be dug. Anas said: “we kept digging the grave, while Julaibeeb had no other bed than the arms of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace”. Anas added: “we returned to Madinah, and when the Iddah of Julaibeeb’s wife was over (Iddah is The period prescribed by Islamic law for a woman during which she may not to remarry after being widowed or divorced), men rushed to ask for her hand.
Poverty and laziness have never been any hindrance to reach Allah the Almighty. Your weight in Allah’s sight is not according to the amount of money that you have, or according to your house, or your belongings. Your weight is according to your noble character and dignified values.
suddenly inside the mouth of a blue whale? By the way, the weight of the blue whale exceeds one hundred-and-fifty tons (150 t) ; It has fifty tons (50 t) of meat, fifty tons (50 t) of grass, and fifty tons (50 t) of bones. We can extract more than ninety (90) barrels of fish oil out of the blue whale. His minor meal only that is between the two main meals weighs four tons of fish. One suck of the blue whale baby exceeds three hundred liters of milk. In addition that a man can stand on his feet in the whale’s mouth.
If you find yourself inside this creation’s mouth, what do you think will be your percentage of survival? Definitely, it is zero percent (0%). For Allah’s ultimate good and wisdom, and to teach the prophet Yunus a lesson, Allah the Almighty allowed a big fish to swallow his prophet, as described in the following ayah:
When Ribii stood in front of Rostum, he told him: “sit down”. To this Ribii answered: “I haven’t come to you as a guest to sit, but I am a representative”. Rostum said to him through his translator: “I wonder at you Arabs! _then, he swore by their god_ I have never met people more humble and lowly like you. You hungry people who chase camels in the dessert! What brought you here?” Rostum replied: “yes king, we are as you described us, and more: we were ignorant people who worshipped idols, killed our relatives for a sheep, but Allah delivered us from worshipping creations, to worshipping the creator of the creations; and from the hardship of this worldly life to the amplitude of the afterlife”… the story is still long, read it if you are interested.
Some people narrated to me that a dignified scholar was living in the countryside of Egypt. He was an illiterate fifty-five years old man who could not distinguish the sky from the earth, or the length from width. He sent his young son to Al-Azhar Mosque to study Islamic sciences. After several years, his son returned and became the orator of his village.
One day, His father was sitting in the mosque listening to his son’s speech, and instead of being happy for the knowledge that his son had now, and his call for Islam, he became very sad and sorry for the long years he wasted in his ignorance and darkness. So, he made a decision; he rode his miserable donkey starting his journey from the countryside of Egypt to Al-Azhar Mosque in Al-Qahira. The trip took him ten days. When he reached Al-Qahira, he asked: “where is Al-Azaar Mosque? (he didn’t even know how to pronounce the name of the mosque correctly). They told him: “it is called Al-Azhar Mosque” and they showed him the way. There, he started to learn how to read and write. Then, he started to learn the noble Quran, and he kept seeking knowledge, until he became the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, and he died as the Sheikh of Al-Azhar. For your knowledge, Sheikh Al-Azhar is the highest religious position in Egypt; it is like being the prime minister.
power. They obliged her by force to do what they want. Unfortunately, now they are trying to oblige us by their delicate force (through the television) to be what they want. They say: “behind each great man, there is a woman”. Now, without the woman, man would have been great! She is a power of good if she chooses to straighten; and a power of evil if she chooses to deviate. Some of the Egyptian thinkers said: “the best of women is she who adds to her natural beauty the beauty of her ethics. To these two beauties, can be added a third one: the beauty of her intelligence and wisdom. The true female Muslim makes it always easy for the worthy man to marry her, because she sees herself a human being in need for another human being, and not a merchandise waiting for a buyer.
Dear brother!
Call yourselves to account before you are called to do so and weigh your deeds before they are weighed, and you should know that the Angel of Death has been reaching sh3er and will reach us soon, so pay heed. The clever one is he who upbraids himself and works for what comes after death; and the weak one is he who follows his desires and lives on wishful thinking.
The hairdresser of Feraoun’s (Pharoah) daughter was a righteous woman. She and her husband were living under the reign of Feraoun. She was working as a servant and a nanny to Feraoun’s daughters; and her husband was close to Feraoun. Allah had bestowed His grace on them, and they believed in Him. When Feraoun discovered the husband’s belief, he killed him. His wife kept working in his castle to feed her five children.
One day, while this good woman was brushing the hair of one of Feraoun’s daughters, the comb dropped of her hand, and she said: “in the name of Allah”. Feraoun’s daughter said: “Allah! Do you mean my father?”. She shouted: “No, Allah is my god, your god, and your father’s god too.” The daughter wandered how could her barber worship a god rather than her father. She told her father that there was in his castle who worshiped god other than him. Feraoun called this barber and asked her: “who is your god?”. She replied: “My god and yours is Allah”. To this answer, he was extremely angry.
Feraoun ordered a large copper pot filled out by boiling oil to torture the barber, and he stopped her in front of it. When she saw the torment that was waiting for her, she consoled herself by saying that it was only one soul that was going to come out to meet Allah the Almighty. Feraoun wanted to double her torment. So, he ordered her five orphan children that she was striving hard to feed to be brought ( he was undoubtedly trying to put pressure on her). When the five children saw their mother, they held her tightly and started to cry. She herself rushed to kiss them crying. Then, she held her youngest child who was still a baby in her arms, and she gave him her breast to feed him. When Feraoun saw this scene, he asked her again: “do you have a god other than me?”. She replied the same: “My god and yours is Allah”. So, Feraoun ordered to throw her eldest son into the boiling pot. The soldier dragged the boy, and pushed him to the boiling oil, while he was screaming, calling his mother, begging for mercy from the soldiers and Feraoun, and calling his brother. He also tried helplessly to run away, and to hit the soldiers with his little hands, but each time, the soldiers were slapping him and pushing him forward to the copper pot. His mother could but look at him, and see him off. After only a few seconds, he was inside the boiling pot. His mother was crying, and his brother were hiding their eyes with their little hands, until the boy’s slim body melted into the boiling oil. Then, his white bones floated over the oil.
Feraoun looked at her, then he asked her again: “Do you have a god other than me?” She replied the same: “My god and yours is Allah”. He ordered her to utter the word of disbelief, but she refused. Feraoun grew angrier, and he ordered her second son to be thrown into the boiling oil. The soldiers took him away from his mother while he was crying and screaming, and threw him to the pot. After only a few seconds, his white bones floated over the oil to merge with his brother’. The mother was firm in her religion, certain of meeting Allah. Feraoun repeated her the same question: “Do you have a god other than me?” She answered him again: “My god and yours is Allah”. Here, Feraoun ordered her third son to be thrown into the boiling oil. The soldiers drew him and did with him the same as they did with his previous brother. The mother was still firm in her religion. Then, Feraoun ordered her fourth child to be thrown into the oil. This child was still young. When the soldiers came to take him, he kept hold of his mother’s dress, and he threw himself over her, with his tears running. His mother tried to carry him to kiss him and see him for the last time before he would leave her, but the soldiers came in between them. They dragged him from his little hands, while he was crying and begging them with incomprehensible words. They hadn’t any mercy on him. After a few seconds, he sunk into the boiling oil. His voice vanished; his body disappeared, and his white bones floated over the oil. His mother was looking at his bones; he had gone now to the afterlife. She cried a lot over him, and she was remembering how long she held him to her chest, and breastfed him; and how long she stayed awake at nights for him, and cried for his cry.
Now, there remained only the baby whom she was breastfeeding. She was still striving hard to hold on. Feraoun asked her the same question before throwing her last child into the oil: “Do you have a god other than me?”. This time, she kept silent, and hesitated. Here, the miracle that the Prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him told about, happened; Allah the Almighty made this baby talk, saying: “Hold on mother! You are right”. This story is narrated in the book of “Fath Al-Bari to Explain Sahih Al-Bukhari”. So, the mother replied him again: “My god and yours is Allah”. The soldiers rushed to her, and took away the fifth child while he was still holding her breast. He screamed when they took him. The poor mother cried. He was thrown into the boiling oil now, with a rest of her milk still in his mouth. His hands were holding a few of her hairs, and his clothes still bearing some of her tears.
Now, the five children were gone. After a short period, she would be joining them. The soldiers rushed to her as merciless monsters, and they pushed her to the pot. When they held her to throw her, she looked at Feraoun and told him: “Make my bones and my childrens’ in one single grave”.
This hairdresser could have escaped this unbearable torment by saying the word of disbelief to Firaun, but she understood that the (Hereafter) which is with Allah is better and will remain forever. How strong her faith is!, and how great her hold is!
Dear brother, when the man has no arm to defend himself, or to attack his enemy, it is enough to stand firm for his principle and not to humble yourself to a despotic or the tyrannical enemy. As such, he will surely be victorious, even if he dies, because he could stick to his principle to the last minute. He will yield the fruits of this in the judgment day.
On the night Al-Israa and Al-Mi’raj (the night journey of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) from Makkah to Jerusalem and his ascension to the seventh heaven), The prophet saw some of the heaven that this hairdresser will live in. He told his companions:
Allah the Almighty says:
The power of monotheism liberates man from all forms of slavery, except slavery to Allah the Perceiver and the Supreme Judge. The One Who has created us, then proportioned us; the One Who honored us and granted us blessings. Monotheism frees our minds from illusion and superstition and liberates us from submissiveness and surrender. It also liberates ourselves from the tyranny of despots, and helps us in building a strong personality whose direction in this life is clear; its goal is unified, and its path is fixed. We have only one Lord Whom we direct to in secret and in open, and we work hard to please only Him in our big issues, and every single detail in our lives. Read this ayah please:
((Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible?))
Monotheism fills the believer’s heart with confidence and peace. He is not a pray to the fears which are thrown into the heart of the polytheists, because the monotheist closes all the doors of fear that people open for them like fear of poverty, fear of dearth, fear for the safety of their family, fear of people, fear of Jin, fear of death, and fear of the afterlife.The True Believer Fears No One But Allah:
The true believer does not fear but Allah. This is why you find him confident when people are afraid; relaxed when people are worried; and calm when people are anxious. Read what Allah the Almighty says in this ayah:((So invoke not with Allah another ilah (god) lest you be among those who receive punishment.))
Monotheism is a source of power. It gives the true believer an incredible psychological power. It also fills his heart with hope in Allah, confidence in Him, reliance on Him, satisfaction with His destiny, patience for His afflictions, and makes him rich by relying on Allah Alone. So, you find that the believer is as stable as mountains, not being shaken by any accident or disaster. Listen to the following story which is an example of a true believer who feared none but Allah.
Shortly, the soldiers brought him. A crowd of people gathered there to see what will happen to this poor missioner. All eyes were directed to him, with their hearts secretly beating in fear and sympathy for him. When Hassan saw the executioner waiting for him, he murmured some words that nobody could understand. He approached Hadjadj with steps full of confidence and in a dignified manner that made Al-Hadjadj fear this dignified missioner. To everybody’s surprise, Al-Hadjadj called him by his name, and invited him politely to come and sit next to him. Then, he started to ask him questions about religion and Fiqh that Hassan answered them all, one by one with his large knowledge, and his usual charming style and eloquent tongue. Al-Hadjadj could but acknowledge his vast knowledge saying: “You Hassan, are the master of our Islamic scholars”. Then, he ordered his beard to be perfumed before seeing him off.
No one could believe his eyes. The doorman of Al-Hadjadj was among the people who were so surprised by what was happening. He followed Hassan and told him: “Al-Hadjadj asked for you, not to honor you as he has just done; he called you to kill you, but what happened?! I saw you murmuring when you saw the executioner. For Allah’s sake, tell me what you have said”
Hassan told him that he supplicated Allah saying: “O my Lord! You are the Superb Provider, You are my refuge in troubles, and my companion in my loneliness. Make his curse on me a blessing as You made fire coolness and safety for Ibrahim.
Dear brother, Hassan was among the few people referred to in the following ayah:
(( Those who convey the Message of Allah and fear Him, and fear none save Allah.))
Hassan has many other brave stances, like this one. It is narrated of him that once Wali of Basra came to ask him about what to do with an order he was given by the Caliph (Khalifa). If he complies with the Caliph;s Khalifa’s order, he will please him, but he gain Allah the Almighty’s wrath, and if he refuses it, Allah will be pleased, but the Caliph Khalifa will be angry with him, and maybe he will dismiss him too. Hassan answered him by his famous saying: “Be certain that Allah can save you from the Khalif, but the Khalif can never save you from Allah”.2. Knowledge:
Knowledge is an incredible power. It gives us an energy that is not limited by time or space. It also elevates us to a high position and paves the way for our rise in this worldly life, as well as in the afterlife, as stated in the following ayah:((Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do.))
Dear brother, we will see the power that knowledge gives us through the following story. Solaiman Ibn-Abd-Al-Malek was caliph. Once he decided to perform Hajj (pilgrimage) with the company of his staff which includes his ministers, captains, and his two sons. When he reached Mecca, as any other pilgrim, he wore only his cloak ; he was barefoot, and without his elaborated turban or expensive jewels. When he finished from Tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka’ba), he turned to one of his men and asked him: “who is Mecca’s Islamic scholar,” the man replied: “Ataa Ibn-Rabah”. Then, the Caliph he ordered him to take him to that man.
When the Caliph met Ataa Ibn-Rabah, he found himself in front of an old black man, with very dark complexion, curly hair, and a large nose. The man resembled almost a crow if he sits among people. Besides, he was penniless and half-paralayzed.
Solaiman approached him and said in amazement: “Are you Ataa Ibn-Rabah whose name is known worldwide?” Rabah replied politely: “this is what they say”. Solaiman asked him again: “May I ask you how did you gain this reputation?” Rabah answered: “through devoting myself to learning for thirty years, and not being fascinated by the indulgences of this worldly life. This is what made people in need for my knowledge”.
After this meeting, it happened that Solaiman disagreed with his sons about an issue related to the pilgrimage. He decided to meet Rabah again to ask him about it. When he reached his place, he found that many people were waiting for their turn to ask Rabah too. As Caliph, it was a blow to his prestige to wait for his turn with ordinary people and he wanted to bypass the people to approach Rabah When Rabah saw him doing this, he shouted saying: “Stay in your place Caliiph, I do not accept that you pass before all these people who came before you. Wait for your turn!” Solaiman waited for his turn until he met him and received an answer to his question. Then, he turned to his sons and told them: “Dear children, fear Allah, and understand His religion, for I have never been humiliated except by this slave. I could have avoided such an embarrassment if I devoted some of my time to learn about religion. Allah elevates whoever He wants, as long as he obeys Him, even if this person is a black slave without money or glory like Rabah, and He humiliates whoever He wants, as long as he disobeys Him, even if this person has money and glory…” Then, he turned to one of his sons and continued: “this old man who humiliated us is the son of Abd-Allah Ibn-Abbass, the dignified companion who was given an understanding of the Noble Quran. He was in fact an encyclopedia of all sciences”. Then, he kept repeating: “you should have some knowledge, for it is knowledge which honors the humble people, and elevates the slaves to the class of kings.
This is why it has been said that knowledge is the highest class. Learn some knowledge; to excel if you are masters, to be masters if you are in the middle, and to survive if you are low.
3. The Loyal Worship:
One of the prophet’s companions was called: “Julaibeeb”. He was a poor man, always hungry, with worn-out clothes, and bare feet. His origin is unknown, and he has no glory, nor money, or kingship. Julaibeeb didn’t even have a house to dwell in, or any furniture or belongings. He used to drink from public lavabos, and to sleep in Al-Masjeed, using his arms for a pillow, and using the ground of Al-Masjid for his bed. Besides, Djulaibeeb’s face was ugly, but despite all these, Julaibeeb never quitted dhikr (remembrance of Allah), or reciting the Noble Quran, and he was always in the first row of prayers and ghazawat (battles). He was also used to sit close to the prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, whenever possible.Once, the prophet asked him: “Why don’t you get married Julaibeeb?”
Julaibeeb answered: “O prophet! And who is going to take charge of my marriage?”
The prophet: “I will”.
Julaibeeb turned to the prophet and said: “you will see I am (He means that no one accepts to marry his daughter to him)”.
The Prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him: “But in the sight of Allah the Almighty you are never ”.
The prophet may Allah have peace and blessings upon him kept waiting for any opportunity to marry Julaibeeb. One day, a man of the Ansar whose son-in-law had died, came to the prophet asking him to marry his daughter. The prophet accepted the offer, saying: “Yes, but it is not me who is going to marry her”.
The Man asked: “So, who is going to marry her?”
The Prophet answered: “Julaibeeb”
The Man: “O Messenger of Allah! you marry her to Julaibeeb. Wait until I consult with her mother”.
When the man went back home, he said to his wife: “The prophet asked for your daughter’s hand”
The Wife replied: “Yes, we will marry her with pleasure to the prophet, and who can say no”
The man: “but, the prophet doesn’t want her for himself”
The Wife: “then, for whom ?”
The Man: “for Julaibeeb”
The Wife in regret: “For Julaibeeb ! No way! I will not marry my daughter to Julaibeeb after refusing men who are far away better than him”.
The man grieved for this reply, and was about to go to the prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him to inform him that his family was against the marriage, when the daughter cried from her room: “who is that who came to propose for Julaibeeb?”
The Father: “The prophet of Allah may Allah have his peace and blessings upon him”
The Daughter: “Then, how can we refuse a request of the prophet. Tell him that I accept to marry Julaibeeb. I trust Allah, and I am sure he is not going to let me down”.
The father went to the prophet to inform him that his daughter accepted the offer. Shortly after that, the prophet called Julaibeeb and married the two. Then, he raised his noble hands to the sky and supplicated Allah: “O Allah! Pour Your blessings on them and don’t make their life hard".
A few days after their marriage, the prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him and his companions went to a battle, and Julaibeeb was with them. When the battle was over, people gathered to account each other to see who were dead, and who were still alive. The prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him asked them: “do you miss any one?” They replied: “O prophet! we miss this person and that…”and they entirely forgot the poor Julaibeeb, because he was not popular among them.
The prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him said: “I miss Julaibeeb, go and search for him”. So, they went to the battlefield to search for Julaibeeb among the dead. They found him nearby. Julaibeeb was martyred! The prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him stood by his cut up body and said: “you are from me, and I am from you”; he sat cross-legged by his body, then, he held him in his hands and ordered his grave to be dug. Anas said: “we kept digging the grave, while Julaibeeb had no other bed than the arms of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace”. Anas added: “we returned to Madinah, and when the Iddah of Julaibeeb’s wife was over (Iddah is The period prescribed by Islamic law for a woman during which she may not to remarry after being widowed or divorced), men rushed to ask for her hand.
Poverty and laziness have never been any hindrance to reach Allah the Almighty. Your weight in Allah’s sight is not according to the amount of money that you have, or according to your house, or your belongings. Your weight is according to your noble character and dignified values.
D’ua: (Supplication)
Dear brother, do you think that there is a more vulnerable position than a man finds himselfsuddenly inside the mouth of a blue whale? By the way, the weight of the blue whale exceeds one hundred-and-fifty tons (150 t) ; It has fifty tons (50 t) of meat, fifty tons (50 t) of grass, and fifty tons (50 t) of bones. We can extract more than ninety (90) barrels of fish oil out of the blue whale. His minor meal only that is between the two main meals weighs four tons of fish. One suck of the blue whale baby exceeds three hundred liters of milk. In addition that a man can stand on his feet in the whale’s mouth.If you find yourself inside this creation’s mouth, what do you think will be your percentage of survival? Definitely, it is zero percent (0%). For Allah’s ultimate good and wisdom, and to teach the prophet Yunus a lesson, Allah the Almighty allowed a big fish to swallow his prophet, as described in the following ayah:
((And, verily, Yunus (Jonah) was one of the Messengers. * When he ran to the laden ship, * He (agreed to) cast lots, and he was among the losers, * Then a (big) fish swallowed him and he had done an act worthy of blame. * Had he not been of them who glorify Allah. * He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.)).
He said also:((But he cried through the darkness (saying): La ilaha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers." * So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness).))
May be some of you say that when Allah delivered Yunus from his stress, this was an exception made to a noble prophet. We answer him that this story had already passed, but read again the end of the ayah:((And thus We do deliver the believers))
Allah made it as a law that all true believers can benefit from it in each place, and in each time. Dua is the believer’s weapon. So, if you want to be powerful, supplicate The Ever-Powerful, you will be powerful.Being Proud to Be a Slave to Allah the Almighty:
Rostum was the leader of the Persians. There were two-hundred-and-eighty thousand soldiers (280 000 ) under his command. Once, he wrote to Saad Ibn Abi Waqqas the leader of Muslims, saying: "send me one of your soldiers as a messenger to talk to him ". Saad may Allah be pleased with him sent him Ribii Ibn Amer, who was one of the poor companions and he was thirty years old. Before sending him, Saad told him: “go and don’t change one single thing in your appearance, we are a people whom God has honored with Islam. We shall be degraded if we seek honor in any other than Him”. Ribii departed riding his gaunt horse, wearing his worn-out clothes, and simple lance. When Rostum heard that the messenger of Muslims was coming, he gathered his family, ministers and soldiers to frighten this comer and make him stammer in his talk. When Ribii reached the castle, Rostum ordered: “let him in”. Ribii came in driving his horse, and holding his simple lance. He wanted to show them that this worldly life is so insignificant and cheap that Allah gave it to people He does not love, like them. This is why Allah overwhelmed them by wealth, while He kept Saad ibn abi waqqas sleeping on the ground.When Ribii stood in front of Rostum, he told him: “sit down”. To this Ribii answered: “I haven’t come to you as a guest to sit, but I am a representative”. Rostum said to him through his translator: “I wonder at you Arabs! _then, he swore by their god_ I have never met people more humble and lowly like you. You hungry people who chase camels in the dessert! What brought you here?” Rostum replied: “yes king, we are as you described us, and more: we were ignorant people who worshipped idols, killed our relatives for a sheep, but Allah delivered us from worshipping creations, to worshipping the creator of the creations; and from the hardship of this worldly life to the amplitude of the afterlife”… the story is still long, read it if you are interested.
Make to your Lord all your honor,
It will be deeply rooted and firmly established.
But if you seek honor from those who die,
Your honor will similarly die.
6. Persistance:
A philosopher said: “The decision which springs out of strong faith and determination is unlikely to fail”.Some people narrated to me that a dignified scholar was living in the countryside of Egypt. He was an illiterate fifty-five years old man who could not distinguish the sky from the earth, or the length from width. He sent his young son to Al-Azhar Mosque to study Islamic sciences. After several years, his son returned and became the orator of his village.
One day, His father was sitting in the mosque listening to his son’s speech, and instead of being happy for the knowledge that his son had now, and his call for Islam, he became very sad and sorry for the long years he wasted in his ignorance and darkness. So, he made a decision; he rode his miserable donkey starting his journey from the countryside of Egypt to Al-Azhar Mosque in Al-Qahira. The trip took him ten days. When he reached Al-Qahira, he asked: “where is Al-Azaar Mosque? (he didn’t even know how to pronounce the name of the mosque correctly). They told him: “it is called Al-Azhar Mosque” and they showed him the way. There, he started to learn how to read and write. Then, he started to learn the noble Quran, and he kept seeking knowledge, until he became the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, and he died as the Sheikh of Al-Azhar. For your knowledge, Sheikh Al-Azhar is the highest religious position in Egypt; it is like being the prime minister.
7. Beauty:
The woman is by nature beautiful and lovable to her husband. Her beauty is an immense power, and this does not need any evidence to prove it, nor a long explanation for it. This power can be employed for good, as it can be employed for evil. Her beauty can be a tool to seduce, spoil and deceive the sh3er, as we can see around; and it can be a tool to train, repair, and complete the sh3er. The west is acutely aware of this fact; they know that the woman’s beauty is a tremendous power. They obliged her by force to do what they want. Unfortunately, now they are trying to oblige us by their delicate force (through the television) to be what they want. They say: “behind each great man, there is a woman”. Now, without the woman, man would have been great! She is a power of good if she chooses to straighten; and a power of evil if she chooses to deviate. Some of the Egyptian thinkers said: “the best of women is she who adds to her natural beauty the beauty of her ethics. To these two beauties, can be added a third one: the beauty of her intelligence and wisdom. The true female Muslim makes it always easy for the worthy man to marry her, because she sees herself a human being in need for another human being, and not a merchandise waiting for a buyer.8. Chasteness:
A noble prophet, the son of a noble prophet, and the grandson of a noble prophet: Yusuf, may Allah have peace upon him. He was the favorite child of his father the prophet Yakub Yaqoub may Allah have peace upon him too. His brother were jealous of him, and they decided to throw him in the well to get rid of him _the story is well known_, a trailer passed by the well and extracted him out of this well. Then, they sold him for a cheap price.. He ended by being a slave in the castle of the ruler of Egypt. Yusuf was ultimate of beauty, so the wife of Azziz seduced him, but he abstained and said: "I seek refuge in Allah (or Allah forbid)! Truly, he (your husband) is my master! He made my stay agreeable! (So I will never betray him). At the end, he became the strongest man in Egypt; he was the Aziz of Egypt. Allah the Almighty says about him:((…Verily, he who fears Allah with obedience to Him (by abstaining from sins and evil deeds, and by performing righteous good deeds), and is patient, then surely, Allah makes not the reward of the Muhsinun (good-doers) to be lost."))
He also says:((Thus it was, that We might turn away from him evil and illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was one of Our chosen, guided slaves.))
9. Magnification to Allah:
Magnification to Allah is a power, and a way to relief without the need to any human intermediates to strengthen you, and help you get what you want. Read what Allah says about Yunus, concerning the power of magnification to Allah.((Had he not been of them who glorify Allah. *He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.))
10. Asking for Allah’s Forgiveness:
Allah the Almighty says:(("I said (to them): 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; Verily, He is Oft-Forgiving. *'He will send rain to you in abundance))
In the hadith narrated by Ibn Abes, the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him said:(("Whoever persists in asking for forgiveness, Allah will grant him relief from every worry, and a way out from every hardship, and will grant him provision from (sources) he could never imagine."))
11. Piety:
Allah the Almighty says:((And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). *And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him.))
12. Straightness:
Allah the Almighty says:(( Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allah (Alone)," and then they Istaqamu, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): "Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised!. *"We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter. Therein you shall have (all) that your inner-selves desire, and therein you shall have (all) for which you ask for.* "An entertainment from (Allah), the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.")))
The Pride is to Be a Slave to the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth:
All in all, the pride is not in owning houses, castles, money or children; nor in having status and positions. The pride is to be a slave to the creator of the heavens and earth. The pride is to be a wali of the Aulia of Allah, those who work righteous deeds and abstain from evil deeds and sins.Dear brother!
Call yourselves to account before you are called to do so and weigh your deeds before they are weighed, and you should know that the Angel of Death has been reaching sh3er and will reach us soon, so pay heed. The clever one is he who upbraids himself and works for what comes after death; and the weak one is he who follows his desires and lives on wishful thinking.
The Second Khutbah:
All praise be to Allah. I bear witness that there is no god to be worshipped but Allah, Wali (protector or guardian) of the righteous people, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, who is on an exalted standard of character. O Allah! Send your peace and blessings on our prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions.Faith is an Absolute Power:
Let us carry on with our subject. We came to the crucial fact that faith is an absolute power that we can yield its fruits in the afterlife, if not in this worldly life.The hairdresser of Feraoun’s (Pharoah) daughter was a righteous woman. She and her husband were living under the reign of Feraoun. She was working as a servant and a nanny to Feraoun’s daughters; and her husband was close to Feraoun. Allah had bestowed His grace on them, and they believed in Him. When Feraoun discovered the husband’s belief, he killed him. His wife kept working in his castle to feed her five children.
One day, while this good woman was brushing the hair of one of Feraoun’s daughters, the comb dropped of her hand, and she said: “in the name of Allah”. Feraoun’s daughter said: “Allah! Do you mean my father?”. She shouted: “No, Allah is my god, your god, and your father’s god too.” The daughter wandered how could her barber worship a god rather than her father. She told her father that there was in his castle who worshiped god other than him. Feraoun called this barber and asked her: “who is your god?”. She replied: “My god and yours is Allah”. To this answer, he was extremely angry.
Feraoun ordered a large copper pot filled out by boiling oil to torture the barber, and he stopped her in front of it. When she saw the torment that was waiting for her, she consoled herself by saying that it was only one soul that was going to come out to meet Allah the Almighty. Feraoun wanted to double her torment. So, he ordered her five orphan children that she was striving hard to feed to be brought ( he was undoubtedly trying to put pressure on her). When the five children saw their mother, they held her tightly and started to cry. She herself rushed to kiss them crying. Then, she held her youngest child who was still a baby in her arms, and she gave him her breast to feed him. When Feraoun saw this scene, he asked her again: “do you have a god other than me?”. She replied the same: “My god and yours is Allah”. So, Feraoun ordered to throw her eldest son into the boiling pot. The soldier dragged the boy, and pushed him to the boiling oil, while he was screaming, calling his mother, begging for mercy from the soldiers and Feraoun, and calling his brother. He also tried helplessly to run away, and to hit the soldiers with his little hands, but each time, the soldiers were slapping him and pushing him forward to the copper pot. His mother could but look at him, and see him off. After only a few seconds, he was inside the boiling pot. His mother was crying, and his brother were hiding their eyes with their little hands, until the boy’s slim body melted into the boiling oil. Then, his white bones floated over the oil.
Feraoun looked at her, then he asked her again: “Do you have a god other than me?” She replied the same: “My god and yours is Allah”. He ordered her to utter the word of disbelief, but she refused. Feraoun grew angrier, and he ordered her second son to be thrown into the boiling oil. The soldiers took him away from his mother while he was crying and screaming, and threw him to the pot. After only a few seconds, his white bones floated over the oil to merge with his brother’. The mother was firm in her religion, certain of meeting Allah. Feraoun repeated her the same question: “Do you have a god other than me?” She answered him again: “My god and yours is Allah”. Here, Feraoun ordered her third son to be thrown into the boiling oil. The soldiers drew him and did with him the same as they did with his previous brother. The mother was still firm in her religion. Then, Feraoun ordered her fourth child to be thrown into the oil. This child was still young. When the soldiers came to take him, he kept hold of his mother’s dress, and he threw himself over her, with his tears running. His mother tried to carry him to kiss him and see him for the last time before he would leave her, but the soldiers came in between them. They dragged him from his little hands, while he was crying and begging them with incomprehensible words. They hadn’t any mercy on him. After a few seconds, he sunk into the boiling oil. His voice vanished; his body disappeared, and his white bones floated over the oil. His mother was looking at his bones; he had gone now to the afterlife. She cried a lot over him, and she was remembering how long she held him to her chest, and breastfed him; and how long she stayed awake at nights for him, and cried for his cry.
Now, there remained only the baby whom she was breastfeeding. She was still striving hard to hold on. Feraoun asked her the same question before throwing her last child into the oil: “Do you have a god other than me?”. This time, she kept silent, and hesitated. Here, the miracle that the Prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him told about, happened; Allah the Almighty made this baby talk, saying: “Hold on mother! You are right”. This story is narrated in the book of “Fath Al-Bari to Explain Sahih Al-Bukhari”. So, the mother replied him again: “My god and yours is Allah”. The soldiers rushed to her, and took away the fifth child while he was still holding her breast. He screamed when they took him. The poor mother cried. He was thrown into the boiling oil now, with a rest of her milk still in his mouth. His hands were holding a few of her hairs, and his clothes still bearing some of her tears.
Now, the five children were gone. After a short period, she would be joining them. The soldiers rushed to her as merciless monsters, and they pushed her to the pot. When they held her to throw her, she looked at Feraoun and told him: “Make my bones and my childrens’ in one single grave”.
This hairdresser could have escaped this unbearable torment by saying the word of disbelief to Firaun, but she understood that the (Hereafter) which is with Allah is better and will remain forever. How strong her faith is!, and how great her hold is!
Dear brother, when the man has no arm to defend himself, or to attack his enemy, it is enough to stand firm for his principle and not to humble yourself to a despotic or the tyrannical enemy. As such, he will surely be victorious, even if he dies, because he could stick to his principle to the last minute. He will yield the fruits of this in the judgment day.
On the night Al-Israa and Al-Mi’raj (the night journey of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) from Makkah to Jerusalem and his ascension to the seventh heaven), The prophet saw some of the heaven that this hairdresser will live in. He told his companions:
((In the ‘isra’ and mi’raj’, I smelled a scent I had never smelled before, I said: Jibrîl (Gabriel), what is this smell?” a very beautiful smell, he said: “ this is the scent of the hairdresser of Pharaoh’s daughter”)).
In the Hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari, the prophet may Allah have peace and blessing upon him said:((If a woman from among the people of Paradise were to look at the people of this earth, she would light up all that is in between them and fill it with fragrance.))
The Battle Between Good and Evil is an Eternal Battle:
We can learn a lot from this story. Particularly, we can derive from it many lessons that can help us to understand today’s status of Arabs and Muslims in the world. The Pharoahs Farainah who had conspired against the Arab and Muslim nation are a lot, and they can be found in every place, so maybe this parable could be a comfort to every oppressed who died defending his principle, and sticking to his morals.Allah the Almighty says:
((So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers))
He says also:
((Verily, Fir'aun (Pharaoh) exalted himself in the land and made its people sects, weakening (oppressing) a group (i.e. Children of Israel) among them, killing their sons, and letting their females live. Verily, he was of the Mufsidun (i.e. those who commit great sins and crimes, oppressors, tyrants, etc.). *And We wished to do a favour to those who were weak (and oppressed) in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors. *And to establish them in the land, and We let Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and Haman and their hosts receive from them that which they feared.))
And He says also:((And We took the Children of Israel across the sea, and Fir'aun (Pharaoh) with his hosts followed them in oppression and enmity, till when drowning overtook him, he said: "I believe that La ilaha illa (Huwa): (none has the right to be worshipped but) He," in Whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am one of the Muslims (those who submit to Allah's Will)."))
And He says also:
((While an evil torment encompassed Fir'aun's (Pharaoh) people.* The Fire; they are exposed to it, morning and afternoon, and on the Day when the Hour will be established (it will be said to the angels): "Cause Fir'aun's (Pharaoh) people to enter the severest torment!"))
This was the story of the despotic people in the Earth.
