Ibraheem Menk – With Difficulty Comes Ease
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the struggles of the previous week, including the loss of a deceased man's name and the use of the word Islam in the media. They emphasize the importance of forgiveness and offer advice on what to do when it comes to pursuing Islam. The speaker also emphasizes the need for forgiveness and apologizes for actions that cause harm. They remind people that forgiveness is not a personal matter and can be addressed through actions, and that they have the power to turn to Him for forgiveness and the ability to do so.
AI: Summary ©
Indeed, after difficulty
comes ease.
Indeed, after difficulty
comes ease.
In fact, the Ayah says
indeed with difficulty
comes ease.
So as we can see Allah
has promised us victory.
And similarly, Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam
went through difficulty,
hardship,
trial and tribulation.
But the ultimate
was that he was victorious.
And we find that Quraysh actually broke the
truce that was between them and Muhammad sallallahu
alaihi wasallam.
They had a truce where they would not
fight Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
And anyone who aligned to Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam. But they helped some people fight those
who are aligned with the messenger sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam. So they broke the truce.
So Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam began to
prepare an army
to fight
Quraysh.
And he did not inform anyone as to
what he was going to do or where
he was going.
But he simply told them prepare for battle.
And one of the companions of Rasulullah
known as
He had family in Makkah.
So he got worried for them
and he told one of his maid servants
that go to Makkah with this
message.
Telling them that Muhammad
is
coming to fight Quraish.
So she went.
And in the meantime, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
receives revelation.
That this is what Hatib has done. So
he says, he sends Ali and a Zubayr
after this woman chasing after her. And they
chased after her and they caught up to
her. And they said, bring the letter that
you have.
So she says, I have nothing with me.
So they tell her that bring that letter
or we will strip you and take it
off you Because this is
a serious harm to the believers.
So she took out the letter and she
gave it to them. She had hidden it
in her hair
somewhere. So she took it out and she
gave it to them. And they returned to
Rasulullah
with this letter.
And the messenger
summons Haltig.
He says, why did you do this?
What is it that made you go against
the believers? So he says, I did not
leave Islam, O Messenger of Allah.
Nor was I from those who despise
the Messenger
and Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. But
what happened is I had family in Madqah,
so I feared for them and their lives.
So I was trying to protect them.
So, Umar ibn Khattab radiAllahu anhu being the
fierce man that he was, he stands up
and he says,
Let me kill him, oh messenger of Allah.
So the messenger of Allah
he says,
what is it that makes you know O
Umar?
That what is it that makes you know
O Umar? Perhaps Allah look at the people
of Badr and says that I have forgiven
you, so do as you please.
So this was the response of Rasulullah salallahu
alaihi wa sallam.
Because this man was a Badri,
he was a man who
had fought with Rasulullah
in the battle of Badr,
then he tells him that, how do you
know? Perhaps Allah has forgiven him. Leave him.
And this was the clemency and the tolerance
of Rasulullah salallahu alaihi wa sallam. He knew
that even good people make big mistakes.
Good people commit huge sins. This was a
sin because he was actually putting the whole
Muslim army
at peril. He was putting them in danger.
So Rasulullah salallahu alaihi wa sallam says, forgive
him. It doesn't matter. Let it go. Why?
Because
he was from those who attended the battle
of Badr. We know that this man is
sincere.
So let it go. Even
good people make big mistakes at times. And
as a leader or a person in the
position of leadership, we need to understand this.
Sometimes our children come to us and they
have done something very bad.
Very very bad.
Sometimes they have impregnated
another person. What do we do? What are
we going to do at this time? Are
we going to roar at the top
of our voices and shout and say what
you have done is bad and it's evil?
Or we say yes, it is a mistake.
Seek forgiveness for your sin. Ask Allah
to forgive you, but
you can carry on beyond this. A man
comes to Rasulullah
And he says that,
Purify me, O Messenger.
Purify him from what? From the sin of
from the sin of And he knows what
that means. He knows that it means giving
up his life. So Rasulullah salallahu alaihi wa
sallam says, go away.
Go away. Seek forgiveness for your sin. So
the messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, he
had
mercy upon his companions.
And this is the role that we should
play in our homes, in our businesses, amongst
our peers. People have made mistakes. People have
done something wrong. They come acknowledging,
you know, I've done wrong here.
Forgive them. Let it go. Move past it.
Make them feel like there is life beyond
that sin. I remember receiving a message from
a sister who says, I committed a very
bad deed and now I don't know whether
Allah will forgive me or not. And then
I told her look, seek forgiveness from Allah
and Allah will forgive you.
And I am not the one who says
this. Allah says,
And who is it that will forgive the
sins except for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And
they don't insist on committing that sin while
they know. They don't insist on committing that
sin while they know. So Allah will forgive
you. And I remember her saying
that it is too big.
It is too great.
Allah won't forgive me. I'm worried. And then
she says, okay. I will seek forgiveness. And
comes back again and says, ah.
I have committed this sin. I fear Allah
will not have forgiven me. And this is
the plot of shaitan. You saw sought forgiveness.
Allah promised to forgive you if you turn
to
him. Allah wants to forgive you. You
have turned to Allah
Know that Allah has forgiven you. At least
have that belief, have that hope that Allah
has forgiven me. She came back and she
says, no I'm losing hope. I'm lose And
I kept telling her until it reached a
point where I could not say it any
longer. I said, you sought forgiveness. Allah has
forgiven you and I left it. I blocked
that person
because at this juncture, I'd have I don't
know how to deal with the situation. We
should never allow ourselves to get to that
point. Allah says
Indeed Allah will forgive all of the sins.
So turn to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and
if you have harmed someone,
my dear
brother, my dear sister,
go back to that person and seek their
forgiveness.
Your ego
doesn't matter as much as standing before Allah
It is easier for you to stomp on
your ego and even if that person is
smaller than you in age. You know sometimes
we harm a youngster who is lower than
us in age and we think how can
I say sorry to him? How can I
apologize to him? You can even apologize to
your own son, your own daughter. There is
nothing wrong with that. In fact, you should
make it a habit when you have wronged
them then apologize to them. Not only are
you stomping on your ego, but you are
also teaching them a lesson that when you
have done something wrong, seek forgiveness from
the person. He seeks forgiveness from Rasulullah
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Seeks forgiveness from Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala and he is forgiven by the
will of Allah
The messenger marches
forth to Mecca
with 10,000
men. 10000
men. He marches forth to Mecca with a
huge army.
Now,
as he is entering Makkah,
Sufyan, Abu Sufyan, he is coming out of
Makkah and he is leaving. One of the
narrations makes mention that he is leaving. He
didn't come to Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam,
but he was leaving with his family and
saying, you know, if Muhammad gets hold of
me, then he will punish me
severely
because of what I have done to him.
And how I have opposed Islam.
So
sees him and says, why are you
going? Go to Muhammad
and just seek forgiveness. Tell him
that Allah has preferred you over us and
indeed we were the wrongdoers.
Just go to Muhammad and see what he
will say. So he goes to Muhammad
and he says Allah has preferred you over
us. And these are the famous words of
Yusuf
The famous words of the brothers of Yusuf
When
they knew that they were wrong, they now
went to Yusuf
alaihis salatu wasalam. Allah has preferred you over
us and indeed we were the wrongdoers. So
he went to Muhammad
and repeated these words. What does Muhammad salallahu
alaihi wa sallam do? This was not a
personal
matter. He didn't want to revenge this man
because he had harmed him or his family.
But he was there because it was for
Allah
The minute he sees that this man has
come, he says,
There is no harm upon you today. No
retribution.
Allah will forgive you. May Allah forgive you
and he is the most merciful of those
who are merciful. Who is this man? A
man who has killed companions of Rasulullah salallahu
alaihi wa sallam. Yet he makes dua for
them. He has a big heart and he
forgives him.
And this is the attitude of the believer.
When he sees those who have wronged him,
he makes
dua for them. He forgives them. He allows
them to continue. Why? Because you have come
seeking forgiveness. Who am I not to forgive
you when Allah can forgive you? When Allah
can grant you that pardon? So he pardons
Abu Sufyan
And he became a man whom after which
we say,
May Allah be pleased with him. You see
how he had a past but Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala forgave him and he turned over
a new leaf. Muhammad marches
forth into Makkah.
And he took over Mecca without much of
a struggle. He took over Mecca.
And he enters into Mecca so humbly,
placing his head onto as close as possible
to the mount, to the horse.
He placed his head as close as possible
to it and he enters Makkah in this
manner. Why?
Because he is not arrogant.
He is not there to show that you
see, I told you so many years ago.
Accept my message.
No. What is the message? A message of
peace, a message of forgiveness,
a message that you have a chance to
attain the forgiveness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So there he goes and he enters into
Makkah, and it is said
that he gets to the Kaaba. And he
tells
Ali go and get the keys from the
one who has the keys.
And Ali
goes to Uthman
who had the keys and he says, give
me these keys. So, Uthman refused.
So, he snatched the keys from Uthman
and he went to Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
The messenger of Allah opens the doors of
the Kaaba and he breaks the idols that
are there.
And he performs 2 rakaats of salah and
then he comes out
and here,
in fact in the Kaaba, he receives revelation.
Indeed Allah commands you to return the to
those who it is belonging to. What is
that? The key of the Kaaba that was
snatched from
So he tells Ali, go back and give
him the key. Go back and give him
the key and seek forgiveness from him. So
Ali goes back and he gives him the
key and he seeks forgiveness from him. You
see, the message throughout Fat Makkah is when
you are victorious
and when Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala has given
you
that victory,
then you should forgive your enemies. You are
now in a position of
power. You are now in a position to
punish them
but forgive them. Let it go. Why? That
spreads a great message of Islam.
And what is that? The message of forgiveness.
Allah will forgive you no matter what you
have done. Come back to Allah
You are living. You are breathing.
Then come back
to Allah Muhammad
he comes out of the Kaaba, and then
he tells
What is it that you think I will
do to you today?
What do you think I'm going to do
to you today? This is the man whom
they pouted in Taif. This is the man
who
Abu Lahab would walk around the city of
Madi of Mecca,
pouting him saying
calling
him names. You are a liar. You are
a magician.
You are one who has turned away from
the deen of your forefathers.
Imagine
the rage that Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
could have felt at this time.
Imagine the retribution
and revenge that he would he could have
taken.
He could have even easily said, yes. Let
us punish them 1 by 1. Bring them
here. Bring them into the Haram and execute
them 1 by 1. Each one of them
who has criminal record, execute them. Don't let
them go. But what does he say? He
says, what do you think I will do
today to you today?
And Quraysh
immediately
say, and,
they say, Khair. We think you will do
goodness.
You are an honorable man, the son of
an honorable man.
These are the people
who fought Muhammad salallahu alaihi wa sallam, who
spilled the blood of his companions.
And today, they change all of a sudden.
And this is what happens when a person
who is in power and authority oppresses
and now they are lower. They immediately turn
the No. You are a good man. You
are a good person. Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam repeats his words to that he had
said to Abu
There is no retribution upon you today. There
is no hate upon you today. Allah will
forgive you.
The messages turn back to
Allah He will forgive you. And it is
a dua as well. May Allah forgive you.
And He is the most merciful of those
who are merciful.
At this juncture where there is
serious concern as to what will happen to
them. Allah reminds them through the blessed lips
of Rasulullah salallahu alaihi wa sallam. He is
the most merciful of those who are merciful.
No matter what you have done
in your life, my dear brother and sister
in Islam, no matter what it is, Allah
is the most merciful of those who are
merciful.
Turn back to Him, seek forgiveness from Him,
ask Him
to enter you into Jannah and you are
not beyond repair. You are not beyond forgiveness.
You are not beyond the mercy of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala. He created you. He is
your Lord. He placed you on earth. You
made mistakes. He gave you the ability to
make those mistakes. Do you not think that
He has He will forgive you when you
turn to Him? He has also given you
the ability to turn to Him and to
seek forgiveness from Him. So seek forgiveness from
Allah
And never let anyone convince you. Never let
anyone. It doesn't matter who it is. Your
father, your mother, your uncle, your aunt, your
brother, your sister. No matter who it is,
don't let them ever convince you that you
are unforgivable.
Allah forgives
all of the sins.
Allah forgives
all of the sins. So no matter what
you feel, how you feel, who is influencing
you? You know, at times it is shaitan
simply whispering into our hearts.
You've done this. You are unforgivable.
And no matter whom you have wronged as
well, go back to them and seek forgiveness.
It is not too late. You are living,
you are breathing, you are eating, and you
are surviving. You are breathing the air of
Allah
Go back and seek forgiveness from them. And
Allah
will forgive you. Muhammad tells
them,
Go for indeed today you are free.
You are free.
Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam forgave them and they
went free.
Left that majlis. People that are completely forgiven
by Allah and
His Messenger.
My dear brothers and sisters in Islam,
Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
began the message all alone.
He stood up on the mount of Safa
and he told the people, called them to
Islam, said,
if I were to
warn you of an army that was coming
from behind, would you believe me? And they
said yes most definitely. You are Asadi
You are.
You are the truthful and the trustworthy.
So we will believe you.
And immediately as soon as he warned them
of a painful punishment, they turned against him
and they called him a liar. But today
in Mecca, they there they are calling him
You are the honorable and the son of
the most honorable.
When you have a mission in life,
don't focus on who is against you. When
you have a mission in life and you
want to accomplish it, then go forth with
the name of Allah
Go forth with with sincerity
and your mission will be accomplished.
Why? Because you are doing it for the
sake of Allah.
It doesn't matter whether that is business or
whether that is something that you want to
achieve in terms of charity or something you
want to achieve in terms of an Islamic
mission of dua.
Go forth and make your effort, and then
leave it to Allah
He will take your message. Look at
Muhammad
and look at how his message has become
fruitful. And Allah
reveals the verses.
The victory comes,
then glorify
and play praise your lord.
Grow glorify and praise your lord. Why? Why?
It is not you, O Muhammad.
It is not you that achieve this. It
is Allah
also glorify
Praise Allah
Acknowledge that the victory comes from Allah
You see many people work hard at something
but they achieve nothing.
And they get nowhere.
Why? Because victory is not in our hands.
The effort is in our hands. And victories
was Allah
We must work and then leave it to
Allah
And now you see the people entering
into the deen of Allah
in droves.
Gathering after gathering, coming to Rasulullah
We believe in your message. We believe in
Allah
So seek the forgiveness of Allah
Indeed, He is the most forgiving. Again the
message is one of humility. Be humble. At
your time of victory, be humble. Acknowledge that
this is from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And
this was actually
an announcement
that Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Salam would soon
be departing this world. This was a message
that Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam's mission was over
so he would leave this world. Why? There
was a better place
waiting for him. May Allah
grant us the ability to live like Muhammad
and to be like him and to aspire
to him.