Khutba on Fear of Allah and Courage (5th May 2013)
الحمد لله، الحمد لله الذي نزع خوف الدنيا من قلوب أوليائه المومنين، وجعل مكانه خشية السميع العليم، نحمده تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير، ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين. أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم. ومن يطع الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما. اتقوا الله فيما أمر وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر.
Last week, we mentioned that there has been in recent years, a concerted attempt by the media and enemies of the deen to make Muslims ashamed of their deen, or at least ashamed of elements within it, and this has led to some Muslims being afraid to do what Allah has commanded them to do in public, fearing a negative reaction from their fellow countrymen and thus retreating into ghetto-like communities, isolated from society at large. Now, while it is true that every act must be governed by wisdom and a person should not put himself needlessly into danger, the majority of these fears are baseless and the dangers are imagined and not real. Indeed, for the person of inner sight, all dangers of this world are illusory and baseless. When Musa expressed his apprehension about approaching Pharaoh and calling him to the deen, knowing Pharoah’s capacity for violence and going beyond the limits, Allah said,
لا تَخافا إنّني معكُما أَسْمَعُ وأَرَى
the translation of which is, “Have no fear. I will be with you, All-Hearing and All-Seeing.” ‘No harm can come to you while I am with you except if I will it or allow it. I am your protector, and nothing can get past my guard for I see and hear all’ This, in effect is what Allah is telling Musa. That there is nothing to fear when you are with Allah. Allah says,
أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
the translation of which is, “Yes, the friends of Allah feel no fear and know no sorrow.” Musa understood this well and when his people were panicking and losing hope, he simply said, inna ma’i rabbi sa-yahdin, obeyed the command of his Lord, and he and his people were saved.
We have a similar example in Ibrahim when he showed his people the absurdity of worshipping the sun, moon and stars. They argued with him and warned him against incurring the wrath of their gods. He replied,
وَسِعَ ربّي كلَّ شيءٍ علماً أفلا تتذكَّرونَ وكيف أخافُ ما أَشْرَكْتُم ولا تَخافونَ أنَّكُم أَشْرَكْتُم باللهِ ما لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطاناً فأَيُّ الفَريقَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بالأَمْنِ إن كنتم تعلمونَ
the translation of which is, “My Lord encompasses all things in His knowledge so will you not pay heed? Why should I fear what you have associated with Him when you yourselves apparently have no fear of associating with Allah partners for which He has sent down no authority to you? Which of the two parties is more entitled to feel safe, if you have knowledge?” Allah provides the answer,
الذين آمنوا ولَمْ يَلْبِسوا إيمانَهُم بظُلْمٍ أولئك لهم الأمْنُ
the translation of which is, “Those who believe and do not mix up their belief with any wrongdoing, they are the ones who are safe.” There is nothing to fear in this world so long as we fear Allah.
We do not have to fear harm because He is our protector and He alone has power. Ascribing power or cause and effect to anything else is a form of shirk. We do not have to fear poverty because He has undertaken to provide for us and give us whatever we need. Allah says,
وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللهِ رِزْقُهَا
the translation of which is, “There is no creature on the earth whose rizq Allah has not undertaken to provide.” We do not have to fear success or fear failure, because the outcome is out of our hands and beyond our control, and we trust that Allah wants the best for us and will bring about the most beneficial outcome. He loves those who love Him.
All fears other than fear of Allah are distractions, standing between us and complete obedience to our Lord. They are whisperings of Shaytan, dampening and weakening our resolve. Allah says,
إنما ذلكم الشيطانُ يُخَوِّفُ أولِياءَهُ فلا تَخافوهم وخافونِ إن كنتم مؤمِنينَ
the translation of which is, “That is only Shaytan frightening you through his allies. Do not fear them – fear Me if you are believers.”
How do we resist those whisperings? How do we banish those fears that paralyse us and leave us cowering behind the bushes or standing stock still like a rabbit caught in the headlights? How do we rid ourselves of those fears that stop us from openly practicing our deen and proudly announcing our love of Allah and His Messenger? This aya provides us with the treatment and cure: ‘Fear of Allah’. What is fear of Allah? Qurtubi says in his tafsir,
ليس الخائف الذي يبكي ويمسح عينيه، بل الخائفُ الذي يترك ما يخَافُ أن يُعذَّب عليه
“The fearful person is not the one who weeps and rubs his eyes, the fearful person is the one who leaves what he fears he will be punished for doing.” The one who truly embodies fear of Allah is the one who does what his Lord commands and avoids what he prohibits, the one who is aware that he is being watched at every moment and takes great care to conform to what is required of him. And to do that, he makes sure he learns the rules and knows the limits and boundaries. For, in reality, true fear of Allah is only possible for those who have knowledge – direct knowledge of their Lord and knowledge of his ahkaam. Allah says,
إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ
the translation of which is, “Only those of His slaves with knowledge have fear of Allah.” That knowledge and the fear it brings cure them of all other fears. For they know that if they obey Allah, He will be with them and enough of a protection against anything and everything that comes up against them. Allah says,
وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ وَلِيًّا وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ نَصِيرًا
the translation of which is, “Allah suffices as a Protector; Allah suffices as a Helper.”
أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم.
الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين. أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته.
A small group of people equipped with fear of Allah can accomplish anything, for they view the world in a different way. They are nothing like the hypocrites whom Allah describes as,
يَحْسِبُونَ كُلَّ صَيْحَةٍ عَلَيْهِمْ
the translation of which is, “They imagine every cry to be against them.” No, those who fear Allah do not see obstacle after obstacle, they do not see enemy after enemy, they do not see failure after failure, they see opportunity after opportunity. They do not see a hopeless situation or closed doors, but a sea of endless possibility. They have a courage placed into their hearts by a Lord who strengthens them at every turn and weakens all who conspire or work against them. And it was that courage, that unparalleled bravery that enabled the Prophet and his Sahaba to conquer and overcome two great empires that had endured for centuries in but a few short years.
This quality of courage about which we speak is a stage further than lack of fear, for it implies action – standing firm in the face of great odds and not turning one’s back and fleeing but instead confronting them head on. This is no easy thing, for there is a certain level of frightenedness that is imprinted onto the human being, an impulse that comes to us all to flee when the going gets tough, an impulse that feeds upon itself and grows until outright panic can ensue and an entire army can turn on its heels. It is not necessarily a conscious fear but an unconscious reaction. The ability to withstand this is rare and is called courage. Amongst the Arabs it was one of three characteristics that alone were enough to make a man great, and it is a characteristic that every Muslim must acquire and cultivate. It is a part of our heritage and a part of our deen. As we mentioned, those whom we take as guiding stars, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, conquered the known world with it, defeating armies up to ten times their size and many times better equipped. And chief among them was the Messenger of Allah himself. At the battle of Hunayn, when the fighting grew fierce, some of the Companions retreated, leaving the Prophet alone surrounded by the enemy. But the Prophet himself did not falter or retreat, but continued to fight on, proclaiming,
أنا النبي لا كذب أنا ابن عبد المطلب
“I am the Prophet and that is no lie. I am the son of Abdal-Muttalib.” When the Companions heard his words, they immediately came back to him and fought on until victory was theirs. The Prophet was the bravest of men in all circumstances. When the Muslims were beset and impoverished and his own life was threatened in Makka, he never held back from calling to Allah. Even when a mushrik surprised him while he was sleeping and took his own sword and held it to his neck. The mushrik said, “Who will protect you from me now?” The Prophet calmly replied, “Allah”, and the man found himself unable to use his hand and the sword dropped from it.
This courage stems from complete reliance upon Allah and a conscious and unconscious realisation that the outcome is in His hands and so long as we have done what He requires of us, we will be safe. And it is not limited to war or fighting, but applies to every aspect of our lives. Without it, nothing can be accomplished and we will not obtain success, not in business nor in our family lives. Without going to extremes or recklessness, we must be prepared to stand up and do what needs to be done and say what needs to be said.
We ask Allah to place that courage in our hearts and free us of worry, fear and cowardice. We ask Allah to place us at the forefront of the Muslim umma and re-establish the deen through our efforts. We ask that He return us to a position of strength and place us above the unbelievers. We ask that He give victory to all of those who are struggling and fighting in His way and that He free the tongues of the ulama in those lands so that they can speak the truth and champion His deen. The Prophet said,
أفضل الجهاد كلمة صدق عند سلطان جائر
“The best form of jihad is speaking the truth to the unjust ruler.”
إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ. وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وعن أم المومنين عائشة التي أمرنا الله في سورة النور أن ندافع عنها، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ.
اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ، وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى.
رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ.
إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.