The Audacity of Hope

No this post is not about Barack Obama (sorry Obamanation, you’ll have to go elsewhere to get your fill). What it is about is a lecture that I had the fortune of attending roughly three years ago. At the time, I was an officer in the MSA helping organize an Islam Awareness Week and the theme of the week was surrounded around the statement of Ibn al-Qayyum Al-Jowziyyah (rahimahullah) in madaarij as-salikeen concerning the heart:

The Heart, in its journey to Allah (subhan wa ta’ala) is like that of a bird:
Love is its head, and fear and hope are its two wings. When the
head and two wings are sound the bird flies gracefully; if the
head is severed, the bird dies; if the bird loses one of its wings, it
then becomes a target for every hunter or predator.”

So we decided to hold three lectures that week, one on love, another on fear, and the last one on hope. Alhamdulillah, all three lectures were incredible, but the one lecture from that week that really got to me was the lecture on hope.

Shaykh Safi Khan (may Allah preserve him) delivered the speech and even though he went over time, I don’t think anyone in the room cared because it was such an awesome lecture. There are days when I still remember his lecture and rather than just talking about it, I am going to post the notes from his lecture below for everyone’s benefit. These notes are strictly based on my memory because unfortunately, the brother who recorded the lecture accidentally deleted the lecture when trying to download it to his PC. If anyone remembers anything that I missed, feel free to let me know.

Bismillah…

The shaykh began by talking about how its so common today that Muslims, particularly practicing Muslims, make statements that reflect a lack of hope in the Mercy of Allah. This is apparent when people persist in sin thinking that there is no opportunity for forgiveness or think that they are all but destined for hell.

He mentioned how some of the sahabah before Islam felt they would never be forgiven because they sinned so much, and Allah Azza wa Jal addressed that concern in the Quran:

“Say: O `Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”. (39:53)

He also encouraged us to look at how merciful Allah Azza wa Jal truly is. When a person sins that sin is only counted once, whereas a good deed is multiplied so many times. In fact, even having the intention to do good is counted as a good deed and having the intention to do something bad but not following through with it is counted as a good deed.

So the only possible way to amass sins is through the intention of sin and fulfillment of that intention. Even then, you have an opportunity to repent. The shaykh said that the mal’aaika wait a period of time for the servant to repent and if its accepted, then only a good deed is written down and no sin is accounted. Even then, if the period of time passes, the institution of forgiveness can always be called upon. That is why Allah Says:

“And My Mercy embraces all things”. (7:156)

Then the shaykh began mentioning instances from the sunnah that illustrated the idea of hope. In fact, he said that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) was a paragon of hope throughout his life.

The shaykh mentioned the story of Suraqah ibn Malik:

It was at the time when the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) had left Mecca and was migrating to Medinah. At that time, a great reward was placed on his head by the Mushrikeen (idolaters). Motivated by the large reward, one of the best trackers in Mecca, Suraqa Ibn Malik, went riding on his horse looking for the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) every which way until he found him. Dressed in his armor and sword, Suraqa attempted to kill the Prophet but as soon as he would approach him, his horse would sink into the sand and not budge. He tried several times and when he realized it was a miracle, he said..

“Oh Muhammad I know that your religion will spread and that your stance shall rise. Promise me that when you have the upper hand and are in power you will treat me well. I would like you to give me this promise in writing.” The Prophet ordered Abu Bakr to give him the promise in writing and asked Suraqa to mislead the enemy away from the Prophets hiding place. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “How would you feel, O Suraqa, when you wear the bracelets of Kisra*?” Several years later, Suraqa converted to the religion of Islam and came to Medinah where the Prophet resided. Years passed, and life went on. It was during the Caliphite of ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattab. The Muslims had prevailed over the Persians in the battle of Qadisiyya and the booty was brought to Medinah. Among them, was the crown of Kisra, his clothes sewn out of gold thread, his scarf adorned with precious jewels, and his bracelets like which nobody had ever seen before. ‘Umar shouted: “Where is Suraqa Ibn Malik?” So he came and dressed in Kisra’s shirt, bracelets, sword and put on his head the crown of Kisra. He walked around with them proudly, tears flooding from his eyes, saying: ” Behold, the honest and the trustworthy Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) has told the truth after 20 years. He has kept his promise.” ‘Umar then raised his head to the heavens above and said: “Oh Allah, You did not reward this wealth to your Prophet, and he was closer to You and loved by You more than I, neither did You reward this wealth to Abu Bakr and he was closer to You and loved by You more than I, and You gave it to me. I seek refuge from You in what You have given me and hope that this is not a test from You in which I fail.” Source:Translated from “100 Stories from the Life of ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattab” by Muhammad Sedeeq Al Minshawi, Dar Al Fadeela Publishing, 2002.

He asked us to imagine being in dire straights, just two men in the middle of nowhere and yet the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) promised Suraqah the bracelets of Kisra! SubhanAllah it was absolutely amazing.

Then he mentioned the story of Taif and how it was the worst day of the Prophet’s (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) life. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) had the opportunity to crush the city, but he stayed patient and hoped that from the children of the people of Taif that righteousness would sprout. As an ethnic Pakistani, I owe my Islam to that single decision as Muhammad ibn Qasim (rahimahullah) was from the people of Taif and was the general in charge of conquering the Indian subcontinent. Many of the natives entered Islam in droves during that time and Islam was introduced to that region as a result of that conquest.

He also mentioned how we hear people always negative about the ummah and how we are being humiliated as Muslims. People don’t realize that the ummah has gone through more difficult times.

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), during the battle of khandaq, would remind the Muslims about how, one day, they would conquer Sham and Yemen and all these other lands. Imagine, in such a difficult and dire situation, being told about these grand accomplishments? SubhanAllah, it infuses one with emaan to think about how the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) always stayed positive and reminded the sahabah that just because they were undergoing difficulties, that ease would soon come.

The shaykh then told us that many areas mentioned from the sunnah as areas that will be conquered have not happened yet. Therefore, there is no reason for us to be so down about the situation. All we can do is hope that perhaps, just perhaps, Allah Azza wa Jal will use us in His Cause to further the message of Islam.

He asked us if we ever observe birds during an eclipse. You will notice that they return to their nest, but never sleep. It is because they realize that light will soon come.

For us today, we have to stay hopeful because there is no reason not to. We have everything going for us and it is only through hope that we can begin to start transforming ourselves for the better.

WAllahu Ta’ala Alim.