Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings to our Master Muhammad, the Faithful and the Honest. O Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us, You are the All- Knower, the Wise. O Allah our Lord, teach us what is useful for us, let us make use of what You have taught us and advance us in knowledge. O Allah, show us the righteous things as righteous and help us do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us keep away from them. O Allah our Lord, make us amongst those who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of It, and admit us, by Your Grace, to the ranks of Your righteous servants.
O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and knowledge, and from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity.
The reason behind choosing this chapter:
Dear brothers, transgression is prevailing nowadays and the weak Muslims feel humiliated, so I would like to discuss the chapter "The Virtue of Being Obscure Weak and Poor Muslims" from Riyadh As-Salihin. Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, 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. ﴿
Allah the Almighty also says:
﴾ …And the (blessed) end is for the Muttaqun (pious)." ﴿
He the Almighty says:
﴾ Let not the free disposal (and affluence) of the disbelievers throughout the land deceive you* A brief enjoyment…﴿
[ [Aal-'Imran, 196-197] ]
The worldly life is a temporary and evanescent abode, and the main thing in it is striving in order to save yourself from Hellfire in the Hereafter. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing). ﴿
The worldly life, as said, tempts man, hurts him and then passes. Furthermore, the worldly pleasures are temporal.
The Muslim, at a moment of heedlessness, admires the strong arrogant Kafir who does whatever he wants, so I have chosen this chapter for our discussion today to draw the attention of Muslims to the main points discussed in the chapter, so that they would not feel any sense of weakness and would not be tempted by the behavior of the Kafir.
The key point of the following Ayah:
Dear noble brothers, Imam An-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy upon his soul, always starts chapters of Rihadh As-Salihin with a Noble Ayah, and the chapter of our lesson today starts with the following Ayah:
﴾ And keep yourself (O Muhammad PBUH) patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, etc., and other righteous deeds, etc.) morning and afternoon… ﴿
Those who call on their Lord, hope for His Mercy, act upon His Order, and keep obeying Him, are never afraid of the blame of the blamers ( i.e. they remain steadfast on Allah's Orders regardless of any criticism or blame they might face from others). They ignore the worldly affairs if the latter veil them from Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, because they fear Allah's Punishment. So, keep yourself patiently with those who seek Allah's Love even if they are not rich and socially prominent. Just keep yourself patiently with them and stay away from those who favor the worldly fortunes over the Hereafter.
When a rich person invites people to a feast, everyone responds to his invitation, since they know that the food will be tasty, the view will be beautiful, and the hospitality will be excellent. On the other, when a poor man invites others to his house, some of them apologize under the pretext of having no time to come. Actually, you will not be rewarded in the Hereafter for responding to the invitation of a rich man, but you will when you respond to the invitation of a poor man, because by going to his house, you will lift his spirits, showing him that you do not care about the worldly life and its enjoyments, and that you do care for him.
In fact, responding to the invitation of your fellow brother is a manifestation of obeying Allah the Almighty as implied in following Hadith:
(( Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The worst food is the food of the marriage banquet from which those are left out who would like to come; and to which those are invited who refuse to come. He who rejects an invitation disobeys Allah and His Messenger". ))
[ [Muslim, on the authority of Abi Hurairah] ]
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And keep yourself (O Muhammad PBUH) patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, etc., and other righteous deeds, etc.) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face, and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost.﴿
You should be careful about choosing your companions. If you befriend the people of the worldly life, they will make you neglect the Hereafter and be excited about the worldly life to such an extent that they will make you commit an act of disobedience, considering it insignificant, and so making you indulged in the pleasures of the world life like them. In contrast, if you befriend the people of the Hereafter, you will not be fascinated by the worldly life, but rather, you will strive for the Hereafter. Also, those people will make you believe that richness should be spiritual rather than secular, and that the achievement of man's main purpose in the worldly life is manifested when death comes to him while Allah the Almighty is pleased with him.
The difference between believers and non-believers:
Dear brothers, there is a big difference between the believers and the disbelievers. While the believers invite you to Jannah (Paradise), the disbelievers invite you to Hellfire. Also, the believers invite you to keep close to Allah the Almighty, whereas the disbelievers turn you away from Him.
In life, there are binary oppositions according to philosophers. For example, there are al-Haqq (the truth) and al-Batil (falsehood), and you are in between, but the closer you are to al-Haqq the further you are from al-Batil, and vice versa. Furthermore, there are good and evil, values and desires, principles and interests, honesty and lying, loyalty and betrayal, kindness and rudeness, courage and cowardice, generosity and stinginess, and so on. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (…And of every kind of fruits He made Zawjain Ithnain (two in pairs – may mean two kinds or it may mean: of two sorts, e.g. black and white, sweet and sour, small and big, etc.)…) ﴿
Had Allah the Almighty mentioned the two pairs of everything, He would have referred to all pairs of characteristics and traits. There is no in-between situation; you belong either to the people of al-Haqq or to the people to al-Batil. One may ask, "Why should we see things strictly as such?" Well, to know the answer, listen to the following Ayah, please:
﴾ So after the truth, what else can there be, save error? ﴿
Here is another Ayah regarding the same point:
﴾ But if they answer you not (i.e. do not believe in your doctrine of Islamic Monotheism, nor follow you), then know that they only follow their own lusts. ﴿
How clear the meaning of this Ayah is! There are Haqq and Batil, and you must belong to one of them. If you do not belong to the people of al-Haqq, then you definitely belong to the people of al-Batil. The issue is as simple as this.
The two types of people in this era:
Dear brothers, at present, the time when things go to either extreme, we do not have in-between situation. In other words, you either meet a religiously committed person who goes to the Majid regularly, acts upon Allah's Order and follows the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, or you meet a morally deviated person who does not believe in anything related to religion. Let me repeat the Ayah, I have just mentioned:
﴾ But if they answer you not (i.e. do not believe in your doctrine of Islamic Monotheism, nor follow you), then know that they only follow their own lusts. And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah? ﴿
Here is the other Ayah, I have mentioned earlier:
﴾ And keep yourself (O Muhammad PBUH) patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, etc., and other righteous deeds, etc.) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face, and let not your eyes overlook them…﴿
There is a Masjid, and there is a club, there is a mixed meeting where women are half-naked, and there are debauchery and laughter, and there is another meeting where you can feel reverence due to the religious discussion about the Quran and Sunnah. You have the choice; the gates of good are open, and the gates of Batil are open too. I mean the paths to Allah the Almighty are open, and the paths to Hellfire are open too. Moreover, there is a good word and there is a malicious one, there is a man who defends exalted principles and there is another one who cares only about his interests no matter what. Besides, there is a person driven by his lusts, and there is another one of religious values. The main point, I would like you to understand, is that if you ponder over the principles, behavior, customs, traditions, education, professions, and morals, you will notice that there are two paths; the path of al-Haqq and the one of al-Batil, right and wrong, and good and bad. You have those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, etc., and other righteous deeds, etc.) and those who are after the adornments of the worldly life. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And keep yourself (O Muhammad PBUH) patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, etc., and other righteous deeds, etc.) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face, and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have found heedless of Our Remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost. ﴿
This man has been found heedless and a follower of his lusts. As a result, his affairs have been lost. The household of such a man is destroyed morally, and his social relations are based on moral deviation and personal interests instead of moral values and principles.
This is the Ayah with which Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy upon his soul, started this chapter "The Virtue of Having Obscure Weak and Poor Muslims" with.
The meaning of these two Ahadeeth
Pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( Narrated Harithah bin Wahb Al-Khuza'i: I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying. "May I tell you of the people of Paradise? Every weak and poor obscure person whom the people look down upon but his oath is fulfilled by Allah when he takes an oath to do something.))
[ [Al-Bukhari, on the authority of al-Harithah bin Wahb Al-Khuza'i in Sahih] ]
As a believer, you never accept to earn unlawful money, to be hypocrite, or to smuggle narcotic substances in order to have a great fortune. Also, you never run after the worldly pleasures at the expense of your religion, you do not make a false statement, and you do not use your social position to harm people and blackmail them. As a result, you find that your religious commitment and your fear of Allah the Almighty weaken you, but how great such weakness is! You should be proud of it, because it honors you in Allah's Sight. Perhaps if you were hypocrite, or if you used illegal ways to earn a lot of money, you would have become powerful, socially speaking, whereas being a religiously committed person will not let you have such a position. I am not referring to the physical weakness, but rather I am referring to the one that is resulted from your religious commitment.
There are people who reach their goals by any means, justifying this by saying, "The end justifies the means". Unlike those people, the believer rejects resorting to devious means, believing that noble goals are only achieved by noble means. It is reported in the Hadith that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
(( (Faith prohibits assassination; no believer should resort to that.) ))
Besides assassination, the believer should never resort to twisting ways. Unfortunately, most interests are achieved through deception and cunning in order to collect money and make a fortune.
One of the reasons for the weakness of the believer is his commitment to Shari'ah rulings which restricts him. In other words, his compliance to the permissible and the impermissible matters weakens him (in the eyes of the people of the worldly life). Had he not abode by Shari'ah rulings, he would have preceded the richest people in power.
Due to Allah's Profound Wisdom seeking Halal is difficult, whereas seeking Haram is easy. I mean, in order to make a living and live a decent life, you may work for an entire year exerting a great effort while receiving certain goods and selling them, to take the money after having problems with those who buy them, but at in the end, you receive your income. In contrast, someone turns a blind eye to something illegal about the goods, gaining by this ten times your profit in the year. Notice how Halal is difficult, while Haram is easy, but Allah the Almighty makes them so for profound Divine Wisdom according to which people are put to test.
To clarify, if Allah the Almighty made Halal easy to obtain and Haram difficult to obtain, people would strive to gain Halal, not due to their love to it, to Allah the Almighty, to religion or to the Hereafter, but rather, because it is easy to obtain.
A woman who seeks making a living from Halal source works long hours as a maid to get at the end of the day a small amount of money, while another woman gets this same amount of money in ten minutes through Haram ways.
The woman whose husband died, leaving behind children works as a maid to spend money on her children. You find her wearing Hijab, and she is disciplined and religiously committed. Such a woman is a heroine, because she works hard in order to provide her children with sustenance, and so she occupies a prominent position in Allah's Sight. In this respect, the critical point that I would like to make clear is that being weak means you have moral limits and boundaries, and you are restricted by your good morals, steadfastness, and Shari'ah rulings.
Pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( Narrated Haritha bin Wahb Al-Khuza'i: I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying. "May I tell you of the people of Paradise? Every weak and poor obscure person whom the people look down upon but his oath is fulfilled by Allah when he takes an oath to do something. May I inform you of the people of the Hell-Fire? They are all those violent, arrogant and stubborn people."))
[ Al-Bukhari, on the authority of al-Harithah bin Wahb Al-Khuza'i in Sahih ]
An old man once told me, "I am 96 years old, but praise be to Allah I have good heath, and I do not suffer from any disease. By Allah I have never earned Haram money, nor have I had any illegal affairs with women."
﴾ Is then he who is a believer like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? Not equal are they. ﴿
Allah the Almighty says in another Surah:
﴾ Shall We then treat the (submitting) Muslims like the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers, etc.)?* What is the matter with you? How judge you? ﴿
Here is another Hadith that I would like to discuss:
(( Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd As-Sa'id: A man passed by Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked a man sitting beside him, "What is your opinion about this (passer-by)?" He replied, "This (passer-by) is from the noble class of people. By Allah, if he should ask for a lady's hand in marriage, he ought to be given her in marriage, and if he intercedes for somebody, his intercession will be accepted. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) kept quiet, and then another man passed by and Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) asked the same man (his companion) again, "What is your opinion about this (second) one?" He said, "O Allah's Messenger! This person is one of the poor Muslims. If he should ask a lady's hand in marriage, no-one will accept him, and if he intercedes for somebody, no one will accept his intercession, and if he talks, no-one will listen to his talk." Then Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "This (poor man) is better than such a large number of the first type (i.e. rich men) as to fill the earth." ))
[ [Al-Bukhari in Sahih, on the authority of Sahl bin Sa'd As-Sa'id] ]
The Prophet never speaks of his own desire. Some people are admired and respected for their appearances; they are rich and elegant, they wear clothes of the best fashion starting with their shirts to their shoes, and they have luxurious cars. On the other hand, other people are disdained due to their poverty, old clothes and weakness. However, this type of people is represented like the poor man the Noble Prophet, mentioned in the Hadith. He, peace be upon him, said:
((This (poor man) is better than such a large number of the first type (i.e. rich men) as to fill the earth.))
[ [Al-Bukhari in Sahih, on the authority of Sahl bin Sa'd As-Sa'id] ]
What is real success? It is belonging to the people Allah the Almighty loves, the ones to whose Du'a Allah the Almighty responds, those who strive for the Hereafter, the ones who will be in a seat of truth (i.e. Paradise), near the Omnipotent King (Allah, the All-Blessed, the Most High, the Owner of Majesty and Honour). In brief, the one who is steadfast, who is always repentant to Allah and who loves Allah the Almighty and His Messenger, peace be upon him, is better than such a large number of heedless people.
Some indications of these Ahadeeth:
Pay attention to the following Ahadeeth, please:
(( Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "Many a person with shaggy and dusty hair, dusty and driven away from doors (because of their poverty and shabby clothes) were to swear by Allah (that something would happen), Allah will certainly make it happen." ))
[ At-Tirmidhi in his Sunan, on the authority of Abi Hurairah]
(( Anas bin Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "How many are there with dishevelled hair, covered with dust, possessing two cloths, whom no one pays any mind to - if he swears by Allah then He shall fulfill it. Among them is Al-Bara' bin Malik." ))
[At-Tirmidhi, on the authority of Anas bin Malik ]
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ As for man, when his Lord tries him by giving him honour and gifts, then he says (puffed up): "My Lord has honoured me."* But when He tries him, by straitening his means of life, he says: "My Lord has humiliated me!"* Nay! ... ﴿
)
As for the believer, by Allah the only Deity worthy of worship, he respects all people, because he thinks that anyone can be better than him (in the Sight of Allah the Almighty). In fact, people are assessed by Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, according to certain measures of value that have nothing to do with the worldly interests, and this is indicated clearly in the above-mentioned Hadith.
A doorkeeper of the director of a university can be a million times better than the director himself. Also, a simple employee in a commercial establishment can be a thousand times better in Allah's Sight than the owner of the establishment. An animal can be better than the own who rides it. The believer is well-behaved, so he never despises others, neither for their poverty, for their ugliness, for their disability, for their lethargy, nor for their weakness. Regarding this point, listen to this Hadith, please:
(( Abu Hurairah said that a negress (or a youth) used to sweep the Masjid. Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, missed her (or him), and when he asked about her (or him) the people told him he (or she) had died. He asked why they had not informed him, and it appeared as if they had treated her (or him) as of little account. He asked the people to lead him to the grave, and when they did so he prayed over her (The wording (( o )) f this tradition causes some difficulty owing to the indefiniteness as to whether the person was a man or a woman. Sometimes the alternative is mentioned, as in the translation, but sometimes merely the masculine singular pronoun and at others merely the feminine singular pronoun is used) and then said, "These graves are full of darkness for their occupants, but Allah will illuminate them for them by reason of my prayer over them." ))
If you have a poor dustman in your neighborhood, you should, as a believer, ask about him, respect him, and be kind to him. Listen to this Hadith, please:
(( It is narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) observed: He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise.))
[ [Muslim, on the authority of Abdullah bin Mas'oud in Sahih ]
Pride is a seriously bad characteristic, and it spoils man's good deeds. To clarify, suppose that some of your friends visit you, and you have nothing to offer them, except for a kilo of yogurt. So, if you add to it some water, salt and ice to offer it as a cold drink, it will be delicious and its taste will not be affected negatively by the added water. However, if one drop of oil is added to this drink, you will spill it at once. Pride is like this drop of oil, since it spoils man's good deeds, just as vinegar spoils honey.
Listen to the following Hadith, please:
(( It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "It is sufficient evil for a man to look down on his Muslim brother." ))
[ Abu Dawood, on the authority of Abi Hurairah in Sahih ]
Here is another Hadith:
(( Narrated A'ishah, Ummul Mu'minin: I said to the Prophet (peace be upon him): "It is enough for you in Safiyyah that she is such and such (meaning that she was short-statured)". He replied, "You have said a word which would change the sea if it were mixed in it." ))
[ Abu Dawood, At-Tirmidhi, and Ahmad, on the authority of A'ishah ]
Women in their gatherings backbite and mock others, while doing these things is forbidden. Our religion teaches us not to judge people according to their appearances, and in this regard Allah the Almighty says in the following Ayaat:
﴾ So let not their wealth or their children amaze you (O Muhammad PBUH) .﴿
﴾ Let not the free disposal (and affluence) of the disbelievers throughout the land deceive you* A brief enjoyment; then, their ultimate abode is Hell; and worst indeed is that place for rest. ﴿
﴾ Consider not that Allah is unaware of that which the Zalimun (polytheists, wrong-doers, etc.) do, but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror. ﴿
No matter how weak you are and how powerful your enemy is, you are victorious over him as long as he is disobedient to Allah the Almighty.
What is the final destiny of man?
Dear brothers, fortunes in this world are distributed as a trial, but the fortunes in the Hereafter will be distributed as a reward. Furthermore, the fortunes of the worldly life are temporary, but the ones of the Hereafter are eternal. How foolish it is to keep running after the worldly pleasures and enjoyments, because the minute death comes, all man's properties are no longer his. Man may collect huge wealth, but when death comes, he will leave all his wealth behind and his soul will go to Her Lord. How fast the coming of death is!
In Masjid At-Tawoosiyah in one of Damascus neighborhoods, after praying, people went back to their work, but the Masjid-keeper found a coat and shoes, and he could not find their owner in the Masjid. He went down and checked the bathroom, but all toilets were empty except for one that was locked from inside. He told the police who came and opened the door of that toilet only to find a forty-five year old man dead. He had a heart attack. What a life!
Like that man, one of the brothers died while he was sitting in Masjid Nabulsi, listening to Friday sermon. Therefore, beware, death comes unexpectedly, and the grave is the container of one's deeds, so do you get yourself prepared for the moment of death?
When man gets old, he starts having health problems, such as poor sight, poor hearing, gray hair, false teeth, backache, and many other diseases. An old man may complain to you saying that he has joint problems, back discs, excess triglycerides, cholesterol, or symptoms of diabetes. These health problems are gentle signs from Allah to tell you: O My servant, the meeting between us is coming soon, so are you ready for it?
I am very much concerned about lifting your spirits. Allah the Almighty:
﴾ So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers. ﴿
Allah is Al-Haqq (the Ultimate Truth), and your future is determined by your deeds. Listen to what Fir'aun said as Allah the Almighty narrates:
﴾…Killing their sons, and letting their females live.﴿
In the news, you can see homeless people with no food and water in the cold, rainy and snowy days, and you can see how their children are dying in such bad circumstances. What is the crime they have committed to receive such harsh punishment? Being Muslims is their sole crime! Whoever oppresses Muslims only because they are Muslims will receive harsh Divine Punishment besides being admitted to Hellfire forever. Accordingly, man should not oppress or kill the obscure weak and poor Muslim, because life is short and temporary. It is said, "Glory be to Allah Who has subdued His servants by death."
The reason of the argument between Jannah and Hellfire:
Pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Paradise and Hell-fire disputed together, and Hell-fire said: In me are the mighty and the haughty. Paradise said: In me are the weak and the poor. So Allah judged between them, [saying]: You are Paradise, My mercy; through you I show mercy to those I wish. And you are Hell-fire, My punishment; through you I punish those I wish, and it is incumbent upon Me that each of you shall have its fill. ))
[ Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri]
In the Hereafter some people will be brought low, although they were in high position in the worldly life, which could be likened to the 'Ferris Wheel' !. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ When the Event (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) befalls* And there can be no denying of its befalling* It will bring low (some); (and others) it will exalt. ﴿
If you are treated as an inferior person in your society just because you are religiously committed, you should be happy about this, since you will be exalted in the Hereafter, whereas those who consider themselves superior although they are not steadfast will be brought low. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ It will bring low (some); (and others) it will exalt) ﴿
This is a great moral lesson one should learn:
(( Paradise and Hell-fire disputed together, and Hell-fire said: In me are the mighty and the haughty. Paradise said: In me are the weak and the poor. So Allah judged between them…))
[ Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri ]
When is weakness accepted in Islam? Is power accepted in all aspects of life if it is gained and used as Allah the Almighty orders? Well, dear brothers, the strong Muslim is definitely better than the weak one as reported in the following Hadith:
(( It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said, attributing it to the Prophet (PBUH): "The stronger believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer…" ))
[ Sunan Ibn Majah, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
However, if the power one has is based on disobeying Allah the Almighty, then weakness is better than it.
Actually, the Prophet, peace be upon him, loves to see all Muslims strong in terms of money, high position, or knowledge. The strong believer has wider range of choices regarding good deeds, and his capabilities and abilities to perform good deeds are greater. Yet, if the power he has is based on hypocrisy, committing sins and misdeeds, abandoning Salah, abandoning religious manifestation, or collecting money through Haram (unlawful) means, then this power should be rejected. In this respect, if you are weak, this weakness is a badge of honor for you. I am not saying that such weakness should be desired, of course not; because a Muslim can be strong and religiously committed at the same time. What I am saying is that when religious commitment, like saying, "I will never ever sell my religion in exchange for secular interests", restricts man's position in a morally deviated social environment, he will be weak and inferior in others' sight.
The weakness I am referring to has nothing to do with the one that is based on man's laziness and lack of being active, and this weakness is neither excused nor desired. I once mentioned three types of poverty, and one of which is desired. We have poverty that is caused by man's laziness, and the poor man of this type is dispraised, we have poverty that is decreed, and the poor man of this type is excused, and we have poverty that is caused by spending the precious and the cheap, the soul and the precious thing in Allah's Cause, and the poor man of this type is praised.
If you are weak because you are a believer, because you adhere to your religion, or because you are pious, this weakness is a badge of honor for you. However, this does not mean you cannot be strong. Of course, you should be strong, because your strength will give support to other Muslims.
I would like to repeat this point one more time; I am not saying that weakness is acceptable, and this is indicated in the following Hadith:
(( It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said, attributing it to the Prophet (PBUH): "The stronger believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer and there is good in everyone…" ))
[ Sunan Ibn Majah, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
The point that I keep stressing is that if power is based on sinning, then never gain it. The believer is restricted by Shari'ah ruling, he adheres to the lawful ways, and he earns his money lawfully, and these things cause him to be weak.
Someone other than the believer can cheat Muslims without letting anyone notice that, and he can get a lot of money from cheating, but can you do this as a believer? Of course you cannot. For instance, the one who is not religiously committed, buys a bad quality fabric but he puts a sticker written on it "Made in England" to sell it for ten times its price. Can you do that as a believer? Absolutely, you cannot.
I was told about a lottery in America that costs one dollar, but the prize for it is 34 million dollars. Well, will you, as a believer, think of buying it? You will never do this, because you know that lottery in general is Haram. This is how, as a believer, you are restricted by Shari'ah rulings. However, what are you supposed to do if the means to gain power are available to you? Of course, you will use them to gain power. For examples, if you have a Halal business from which you make lawful profits, master it and go on with it, so that you can benefit the believers, feed the poor, the orphans, and the needy, help young men get married, and establish a charitable project. The main thing is investing money in lawful projects.
You can be a trader of the first class, and invest your money in lawful projects, and by doing so, you will have done something better than the Du'aat (Islamic missioners) in helping Muslims. In this regard, pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "There should be no envy except in two (cases): A man whom Allah has given (knowledge of) the Quran, and he recites it during the night and day, and a man whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it during the night and day (in a rightful way)." ))
[ Al-Bakhari and Muslim, on the authority of Abdullah bin Umar ]
Some rich believers spend money on establishing a hospital, on an institute for Islamic studies, on an orphanage, or on a project that helps young men get married. If you support young men to establish a household that is based on affection and mercy, then you are a strong believer who is better than the weak one as indicated in this Hadith:
(( Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "A believer who is strong (and healthy) is better and dearer to Allah than the weak believer, but there is goodness in both of them. Be keen on what benefits you and seek help from Allah, and do not give up. If anything afflicts you do not say, 'If I had done such and such things, such and such would have happened.' But say, ‘Allah decrees and what He wills He does,' for (the utterance) 'If I had' provides an opening for the deeds of the devil." Related by Muslim. ))
[ Muslim in Sahih, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
When gaining power is done through sinning, there is no need to seek it; better yet, weakness in this case is preferable. I repeat, if power is gained through Haram means, refuse it. In other words, if it is gained by cheating, by hypocrisy, or by sinning, reject it all together. Yet, if the lawful means of gaining power are available to the believer, then it should be used in the benefits of all Muslims.
Personally, I wish to see a great industrialist Muslim who is not seeking a worldly interest by his position, but who works hard to support believers. There is a big difference between the supporting believer and the supported one. The supporting believer helps other financially, supports them, and contributes in projects that help them with his position, money, or knowledge. Unlike him, the supported believer cannot support others, and he needs help from others. The Prophet, peace be upon him, prefers strong people, and this is implied in the following Hadith:
(( Narrated Ibn 'Umar: that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "O Allah! Honor Islam through the dearest of these two men to you: Through Abu Jahl or through 'Umar bin Al-Khattab." He said: "And the dearest of them to Him was 'Umar."))
One of them used to be powerful and the other used to be respected among his people.
I wish to see the believer occupy the highest degree, such as being a brilliant doctor, a smart lawyer, a great industrialist, or a well-known merchant but according to Allah's Way. I never accept to see a believer whose position is occupied through suspicion means.
Being a powerful believer enables you to help other Muslims. A rich believer paid about 5 million liras to establish a high school for Islamic studies, which is great by Allah, because it is a fortress of religion. He said, "I will be responsible for all expenses in this school."
The rich believer can establish a high school or a hospital, and he can provide Muslims with strength, and so he will be rewarded with the best reward by Allah the Almighty. There are thousands of stories about poor and weak people who have become rich and powerful either by their knowledge or by their steadfastness.
I have a comment: Some of our brothers are doctors in America, and they reached high positions in universities, but they left them and preferred to work at private clinics. Do you know who have occupied those high positions? The Jews, and because of them, it becomes almost impossible for any Muslim doctor to be Board Certified there. Had Muslims preferred the pleasure of their Lord to their fortunes, and they stayed in those critical positions, Muslims would have had better chances to be Board Certified. The power of the believer represents the power of all Muslims.
Dear brothers, when I discuss the chapter of poor and weak people, I mean those who are weakened in a morally deviated society due to their steadfastness and religious commitment. Thus, if you are weak because of being a believer and a steadfast person, then this weakness is a badge of honor.
Do not worry if you are treated as an inferior person, and it is enough victory over your enemy that he is a sinner, while you are not. May this weakness turns into power insha' Allah.
I am told many amazing stories about the victorious poor and weak steadfast people. Whoever is completely steadfast has a great position in Allah's Sight, and Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, makes people respect him, and so he may achieve all his noble goals.
