INVINCIBLE!
According to a tradition narrated by ibn
Sinaan, the Prophet said: "How amazing is
the case of the believer; there is good for
him in everything, and this characteristic
is exclusively for him alone. If he
experiences something pleasant, he is
thankful, and that is good for him; and if
he comes across some diversity, he is
patient, and that is good for him." [Muslim]
Success is a trait that is generally lacking
in the Muslim community. A Muslim is frequently caught between two traps while
attempting to traverse a path exceedingly
narrow. On one side, an individual is
afflicted with calamities, and hence becomes
spiteful. On the other side, a
Muslim is trialed with all sorts of
worldly temptations, and easily loses sight
of the bigger picture. Yet in this hadith,
the Prophet gives a simple formula, which
solves this problem and provides the
believer with comfort and assurance.
"How amazing is the case of the believer;
there is good for him in everything, and
this characteristic is exclusively for him
alone…"
The peculiarity of this statement from the
Prophet is that it can only possibly work
for a believing
Muslim. Only the believer has
absolute certainty in Allah, His most
perfect Names and Attributes, and the life
of the Hereafter. Conversely, Allah
describes the disbelievers by saying:
"They follow nothing but conjecture; they do
nothing but lie." [Surat
al-An'aam 6:116]
It is amazing how often the disbelievers
criticized the
Muslims for being backward and
uncivilized; but how often is the light shed
on how Muslims suffer. A Muslim does not slit his wrists or jump out of a
building when things get really tough. A Muslim knows that there is good in everything.
"If he experiences something pleasant, he is
thankful, and that is good for him…"
Of the two tasks the Prophet sets here
(patience or thankfulness), this is
perhaps the more difficult of the two when,
oftentimes, a
Muslim who attains some
worldly gain and then attributes his success
to his own abilities, or to luck, just
forgets altogether the One who bestowed it
upon him. That is the catch to any form of
triumph. Indeed Allah says that:
"Most men are not thankful." [Surat Yusuf 12:38]
Recognizing that it is Allah who has blessed
us with all these things is a cause for an
increase, whereas forgetting Allah will not
stop any gain, but it will result in a
recompense in the Hereafter, as Allah says:
"If you are thankful I will add more
(favors) unto you; but if you show
ingratitude truly My punishment is terrible
indeed." [Surat Ibrahim 14:7]
This is why scholars have pointed out that a
rich and thankful slave is preferable to a
poor and patient slave, and this is
supported by an incident when some
Companions came to the Prophet ,
complaining:
"O Messenger of Allah, the affluent have
made off with the rewards. They pray like we
pray, fast like we fast and they also give
charity from their extra wealth." [Muslim]
In addition, there were Companions of the
Prophet who were wealthy. Yet they knew
where to spend their money, and who to thank
for it.
"And if he comes across some diversity, he
is patient, and that is good for him."
"Companions of the highest status such as
Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman were all wealthy.
Yet they knew where to spend their money,
and who to thank for it.."
Patience is another trait that is sadly
lacking among us. Yet consider the Seerah of
the Prophet: There was hardly a time during
his illustrious life that this essential
quality was not apparent. For thirteen years
the Prophet remained at Makkah, calmly
bearing the vilest of emotional and physical
abuse. Once, it was all too much for some of
the companions, and they approached the
Prophet while he was sitting in the shade of
the Kaa'ba, asking him to pray to Allah to
quicken their victory. The Prophet did not
oblige them, but instead told them (and
subsequently us):
"From among those who have preceded you, a
man would be caught and held in a pit dug
for him in the earth and he would be sawn in
two by a saw placed over his head, or his
flesh would be combed away from his bones
with iron combs, but none of this would tear
him away from his faith. Allah will surely
help Islam complete its mission, till a
rider will proceed from San'aa' to
Hadhramaut, fearing nothing save Allah and
the wolf eating his sheep. But you are in
too much of a hurry." [Bukhari]
So what are our feeble daily inconveniences
compared to the sufferings of these
exceptional individuals —those who
sacrificed their lives wholly for the sake
of Allah, Most High. Muslims in this generation are in need of achieving
this goal. Once an individual realizes that
this life is transient, that the Hereafter
is eternal, that Allah is the sole Being who
provides and sustains, and that to Him is
our ultimate return, there is nothing that
can possibly concern a
Muslim except the pursuit
of Allah's pleasure.
Once a Muslim
is both thankful and patient, he
becomes…invincible!