Mufti Menk – How did the Prophet ﷺ Deal with Hardship

			Salam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakato Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim al hamdu Lillah wa Salatu was
Salam ala rasulillah who Allah Allah, he was happy Jemaine, my beloved brothers and sisters, the
prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was chosen by Allah. We heard that he was the best of
creation, the most noble of all prophets, the final of all the messengers and prophets of Allah
subhanho wa Taala. And Allah subhanho wa Taala chose for him a path that was considered a path that
we would actually be able to learn lesson from, and we would be able to emulate and follow. And if
we were to look at the issue of hardship and difficulty, something amazing that we are taught by the
		

			beautiful lips of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he says, in Allah, either a hub Baba Danny
but Allah, indeed, when Allah loves a slave or a worshiper of his, he tests him. Testing meaning
difficulty and hardship comes in your life, not because he's punishing you, but he is examining you
testing you giving you opportunity to pass with flying colors, such that you can earn paradise. And
you would have an elevation of status in Paradise, if you had become a person who was forgiven by
Allah subhanho wa Taala. So the ranks in Paradise also differ, those who have been through and
endured much more, and they have been patient and praised Allah and continued to have hope in Allah
		

			calling out to Allah and they died in that condition, Allah will definitely give them a status that
is very, very high, much more elevated than others because of the calamity and the difficulty that
they were chosen to go through. So take difficulty and hardship in your stride. Here is another
narration that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam mentions.
		

			He says, Son, Allahu alayhi wa sallam, or even will
		

			marry when we Liberty law. The greatness of reward is connected to the greatness of the test. The
greater the test, the more the reward, which means when Allah has made you go through huge tests,
great challenges, a lot of hardship, for as long as that is drawing you close to Allah and you are
becoming closer to Allah, you have become a better person. That was never a punishment, but rather,
it was rewarding. It's something that Allah will grant you favor in year of my brothers and sisters
don't think that every difficulty and every hardship is actually a punishment from Allah. It is not
those difficulties and hardships that come about where a person becomes distant from Allah subhanho
		

			wa Taala, a person starts questioning Allah subhanho wa Taala those are the ones that may be a
punishment, but where you are becoming closer to Allah, it brought you to your knees in repentance,
it made you a person who became more conscious of your maker, that was indeed a gift of the
Almighty. subhanho wa Taala. So, the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him went through a lot of
hardship. In fact, there was difficulty that started in his path, even prior to his birth, though he
was the greatest of creation, the most noble of all prophets. His birth was by far one of the
biggest gifts that we, as his oma have been blessed with Subhana Allah. So here goes when his mother
		

			was expecting him, his father passed away.
		

			So his father, who was known as Abdullah, Abdullah Abdullah Ali, this man passed away when the
Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not yet born. Wasn't that a difficulty? One might
say that was a very big challenge. Indeed, it was challenging. Indeed, it was very challenging. But
it goes to show that if you were born an orphan or if you've lost your father, at some point,
perhaps there is a greater chance that Allah loves you more has given you an opportunity to rise and
shine to excel. And he is actually in love with you more than others. He's giving you that chance.
So don't become despondent. Understand. If you've lost a parent Well, someone better than you the
		

			best, actually lost his father as well. And then when he was born, Subhana Allah Some time later, a
lot of incidents happened when he was little, and he went to Halima to study in bardia to Benny sad
which was a place in the
		

			Rural lands. And there, there was an incident that occurred that made Halima a Saudia bring him back
to his mom, there was a point where his mother passed away, he was only six years old. Imagine at
the age of six, you lose your mother, and you have not had a father alive from the point of your
birth. That would mean you don't have any parents Subhana Allah, may Allah subhanho wa Taala, grant
us goodness, yet he was the best of creation, the most noble of all prophets, Allah was preparing
him. In order to
		

			convey this beautiful message to us. This preparation came in a unique way, difficulty upon
difficulty, it is not easy to lose both your parents, for those of you out there who've lost a
parent or both. Be patient, Allah will give you the reward. Perhaps Allah has chosen you above
others. And Allah will grant you something in return that others may not have. When Allah takes one
thing away from you, He gives you something else. But it's up to you to recognize what Allah has
given you. And it's up to you to understand we're all going to pass away at some point, be it now or
after 50 years, whenever it may be. We all have to return to Allah and the day we return to Allah,
		

			if we were true believers would be our best day ever. May Allah make it that way. I mean, my
brothers and sisters, when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was taken care of by his
grandfather, and some time later, not even a few years later, a couple of years later, his
grandfather passed away. So every time someone took care of him, some years later, they passed away.
You have the father who was already deceased, pre deceased, the prophets or synonyms birth, then you
have the mother who passed away when he was six. Then you have his grandfather who passed away when
he was eight. And so panela, a young boy, using those around him whom he loved the most at that
		

			particular time. And Subhanallah my brothers and sisters, imagine the hardship and the difficulty,
not once did he complain? He took it in his tribe, Allah strengthens a person. Allah strengthens a
person and remember one thing, if you'd like strength and comfort, we are taught something amazing.
And levena Manu Adama in.
		

			bv Karim.
		

			Allah bV karela hito, Toma
		

			Polo. Those who believe achieve the comfort of the heart through the remembrance of Allah. For
indeed it is only the remembrance of Allah through which the hearts achieved comfort. Amazing this
amazing this. remember Allah a lot. Praise Allah. Glory be to Allah. All praise is due to Allah.
Allah is the Greatest, there is none worthy of worship besides Allah. There is no mite, there is no
power, except that of Almighty Allah. May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us beauty Subhana Allah when
hamdulillah when a Illa in Allah, Allahu Akbar, Allah how Noah La quwata illa Billah Allah Lee, I
love him, that is Allah, the highest of all the greatest, may Allah subhanho wa Taala make it easy
		

			for all of us going through hardship. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam thereafter, was
known as a sidecar. I mean, he was known as the truthful one, the honest one, the trustworthy one
Subhana Allah among the people. That was an amazing characteristic. And then when he came forth with
the prophethood people belied him, they, they said, He's a liar. And he is not being honest. And
he's a sorcerer, and the magician, they made every accusation they could against him. Yet, Allah
subhanho wa Taala kept him calm. And he was very calm something Allahu alayhi wa sallam, he knew he
had the task. He knew he was upright and honest. And he kept giving the message in a beautiful way.
		

			They tried to harm him, they tried to assassinate him, they tried so many things, and they failed.
Allah has granted him a special protection. Allah subhanho wa Taala blessed him while La Jolla
similkameen and
		

			Allah will protect you from the people. Subhana Allah, when that verse was revealed, the Prophet
Muhammad peace be upon him was even more calm. Not to say he wasn't calm before that, but Subhana
Allah, that was the protection of Allah. He went through hardship in that
		

			The people began to harm the Muslims. They actually surrounded them in Shabbat Abbey Berlin for
almost three years. And they didn't give them any food or drink. They usurped their wealth, they
punished some of them. This type of hardship actually strengthened their faith. The people who
accepted Islam in Makkah, initially, when they were being persecuted, were the ones who were
convinced by the message of Islam such that it was unshakable. Not at all. There was no one who quit
Islam at that stage yet, it was the most difficult stage in the history of Islam. The meccan period,
before the hedgerow was the most difficult time for the Muslims, never has the Muslims or have the
		

			Muslim seen a time more difficult than that meccan period right at the beginning. Yet, Allah told
him and told them to bear patience, Allah told him, your day will come, Allah will take care of
these people. And guess what, a lot of them Allah had written guidance for them, but later on,
sometimes a person shows enmity for a few years. Sometimes that enmity is extreme. And the times
after that, they make amends and they come in such a beautiful way that they become the torch
bearers of the same truth that they will rebelling against. That is the beauty of Allah. Allah
subhanho wa Taala says, I some
		

			jalepeno como abena la Vina de
		

			de la who Cody will love
		

			him. Surah Allah says, Allah is able to create love between you and the one whom you don't like at
all. That your enemies, Allah is all able and will capable Subhana Allah, perhaps Allah may create
that love and it was created in the case of so many of the companions who, before accepting Islam
were enemies, they created hardship for the messenger and those who were around him sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam may Allah be pleased with all of them. And yet, later on, they accepted Islam, and
they became champions of the deen. That was the plan of Allah. So after every hardship, there will
be ease, it's just a matter of time. For in my city you saw in my city you saw indeed with every
		

			indeed with difficulty, there is ease, and with the same difficulty, there is another point of ease,
so two points of ease with the same hardship. That's one of the translations of these beautiful
verses of surah to Shara.
		

			So my brothers and sisters don't use hope. When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and his
companions were persecuted beyond a certain level. He instructed by the will of Allah, his
companions to migrate to Medina to manohara. Some of them had already migrated to Abyssinia or
habashi. In Africa, and the others were told to migrate to Medina it was becoming unbearable.
Imagine the hardship was such that they had to leave their homes, their belongings, they had to
leave their birth place. How many of us have struggled to that point, a small number, but may Allah
make it easy if you have struggled to that point where you've had to leave your birthplace, your
		

			country, you and sometimes your belongings, and so much more than you need to know. Allah is giving
you a chance to worship him with goodness and to thank him for where you are right now and to be
able to appreciate it by becoming closer to Allah and not distant from Allah. When the companions
arrived in Madina, munawwara and when the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, arrived in Madina
munawwara with all that hardship and difficulty. The first thing he did was to build a mustard,
mustard Koba, when we have been driven out of our homes and cities and countries perhaps, and we've
arrived at other places, the first concern we should be having is how are we going to worship Allah,
		

			we need to be steadfast. We need to create an environment for the community. Be consistent in the
sense that don't forsake Allah just because you're now in a comfort zone, but worship him even more.
May Allah subhanho wa Taala bless us. Think about others. Don't be selfish. Be compassionate. Think
about others, bring them together. Always have the community in mind even if they don't appreciate
it. You're doing for the sake of Allah.
		

			So the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him built a Masjid in Cuba. And he spent a few days there,
after which he
		

			arrived in Madina munawwara. Again, one of the first things he did was to put up the house of Allah.
So for him, it was more important to put up a place of worship where they would worship Allah and
thank Allah
		

			than to put up his own home or than to set himself up. Many of us probably would set ourselves up
before we showed any concern for the community or for the house of Allah.
		

			Yes, we may not have such communities or we may be going into communities where there's already a
Masjid, well worship Allah, and thank him and be there for society and community, even if they are
not so receptive at times, you will be your charming self, you will be your loving, kind, selfless
self. But remember, don't let the evil of others change you to a worse person. Rather, it should
modify you to an even better person, the prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Shawn in a way
that he outshone everyone else. Subhana Allah during times of difficulty and hardship, he was in the
front helping assisting when they were digging the trench around Madina munawwara he was one of them
		

			who was digging. When people had tied one one stone on their bellies out of hunger. He had tied more
than one Subhanallah he worked hard. He served the people he served Allah subhanho wa Taala and he
made sure that he delivered the goods. So the difficulty he faced when he arrived in Madina,
munawwara the hypocrites that were around, he always made sure that he was clear in his teachings in
his ways, he had the best wisdom, he was tactful he used methodology that was very attractive. at
that particular time, it was the most attractive way of speaking his words how he carefully chose
them. He never swore and so many characteristics, I'm sure we've heard of so much of the Prophet
		

			Muhammad peace be upon him.
		

			So if we look my brothers and sisters, immediately after that, the people of Makkah decided we're
not going to leave these Muslims alone. We're going to follow them even to Medina. And they arrived,
they arrived. the outskirts of Madina, munawwara Subhan Allah, the first battle was the Battle of
better just to put it into context, because of all the property and wealth that was usurped in
Makkah, the people of Makkah used that wealth to go to a senior in order sorry to go to a sham,
which was Syria in order to actually or the Syrian peninsula to bring caravans with merchandise in
order to trade with that, but the money wasn't there. It belonged to the Muslims. So Allah allowed
		

			the Muslims to go and waylay that caravan, which was headed by Abu sufian 313 Muslims who were not
really armed, well, they didn't plan a war, they simply wanted to intercept the caravan and take
back their own belongings. Allah had a plan that made them arrive in the place known as better. And
there was a war that took place there, and the Muslims one with very little numbers. And yet, the
people of Quraysh were in bigger numbers and they were well armed.
		

			But Allah allowed the Muslims to defeat them. That was victory. It was difficult hardship. But Allah
gave victory. And then there came the Battle of offered which was the next major battle, where the
people of courage had come now to Madina, munawwara and the outskirts, they battled in a place known
as Ohio, which is just in the outskirts of Madina munawwara. And that was a difficulty It was a
hardship. Imagine dealing with so many issues all around. And then there was the Battle of the
trench, and SubhanAllah. Then there was the Treaty of her day BIA. They didn't allow the Muslims to
make their own law that they wanted the minor pilgrimage that they wanted, and they sent them back.
		

			And then Allah gave the Muslims a time and a chance to spread this religion far and wide. So the
difficulty of being stopped from doing ombre or Hodge actually came with a silver lining. What was
that? Allah gave the Muslims an opportunity to expand. So if you have a difficulty where you are
boycotted, you need to know it will always come with a silver lining alone will give you opportunity
to expand for as long as you don't have the self pity. And you actually stand and go ahead, press
ahead, do whatever you can keep moving as they say, don't stop.
		

			And you know, if you were to just think of how bad the situation is, you might become depressed.
Don't do that. Learn from the example of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him he used to say, and
hamdulillah he Anna Callaghan. All praise is due to
		

			Allah upon all conditions.
		

			For as long as Allah is pleased with you, there is nothing that is difficult. So the boycott came
Subhana Allah, they didn't allow people to engage in the pilgrimage, if you for some reason, are not
allowed to go somewhere for whatever it may be, consider it a gift of Allah. If you've been denied a
visa, or if you've been denied entry somewhere, or you've been denied something that you felt was
your right. Remember, it will always come with silver lining a silver lining, if you are going to
take it in your stride and understand, try and understand a lot definitely has a bigger picture.
There is a bigger picture. And we may not know it right now but understand and trust Allah. May
		

			Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us from his mercy. Thereafter the prophets of Salaam went through so
much. In fact I haven't even spoken about but if hoping that someone may have covered the topic, we
probably have heard about what happened when he lost his wife, when he lost his
		

			grip when the uncle who was taking care of him when he went to die if and whatever happened there,
with every hardship came so much of ease thereafter. And to a day came when the Prophet Muhammad
peace be upon him, had fulfilled his duty unto Allah by conveying the message very clearly. And he
did the farewell pilgrimage, they marched through into what was known as the victory of Makkah,
prior to the farewell pilgrimage, and you know what, it was an amazing day. After all that hardship
the ultimate victory belonged to the messenger, sallAllahu, Alayhi, wasallam and the believers. So
after difficulty and hardship for as long as we are steadfast and for as long as we learn from that
		

			beautiful example of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, we will always be victorious at the
end. But some people are impatient, and that impatience leads them to do things that would result in
their downfall, and then they won't see the victory. So keep following the sooner the example of the
Prophet sallallahu sallam, if you think
		

			you've been through hardship, let me tell you, the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him has been
through much more than any one of us. He lost all his children in his lifetime. Besides one, the
boys in their infancy and childhood, the girls when they were adults, every single one of them, he
lost them, they passed away in his life, besides one who passed away a little bit later, that was
Fatima. It'll be a long one.
		

			So these difficulties, this hardship
		

			that the best of creation endured, with a smile on his face, showing gratitude and thanks to Allah
is a big lesson for all of us. The hardship I go through Allah alone knows your smile should
actually cover that hardship you need to understand there is a lot of goodness things could have
been much worse than they are. Others have it worse than you and I, but things could have been
worse. Allah is still there. We're still okay. We will continue to pray continue to try, continue to
do whatever needs to be done in the most beautiful way such that not only do we benefit but even
those who are just onlookers would actually benefit from just watching. May Allah subhanho wa Taala
		

			keep us rightly guided. May we be from among those who learn a beautiful lesson when it comes to the
life of the one who was sent as a mercy to mankind. Look at the mercy, even in hardship. There was
great mercy. Apollo kolyada Salatu was Salam ala nabina Muhammad was Salam alaykum warahmatullahi
wabarakatuh