Omar Suleiman – David and Goliath Of Today – Victory Comes From Allah
AI: Summary ©
The history of Islam is revealed to the Prophet Salallahu alaihi wa sallam, with the story being revealed to the prophet Salallahu alaihi wa sallam. The people of the time are driven by factors, not circumstance, and are driven by reasons rather than circumstances. The importance of patience and devotion is emphasized, as it is essential to achieve victory over oppressors and overcome overwhelming numbers of people. The "has been there" in the Bible and world is also discussed, with the "has been there" in the Bible and "has been there" in the world being highlighted.
AI: Summary ©
One of the most powerful things about the
Quran and one of its greatest signs and
testimonies is that if you are a companion
of the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa sallam
living in Mecca or Medina at the time,
you realize that when the Quran
comes to you with a story, when Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala speaks to you with something
specific
at a particular moment in history.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is either giving you
perspective of something that has already passed, meaning
you are feeling a certain way and so
you can draw from the lives of the
prophets of Allah or the lives of those
who came before and develop
perspective
and know how to turn
that moment
into a connection or a deeper connection with
Allah
or Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is preparing you
for something to come.
Something is being foretold
that perhaps you don't even understand in the
moment. And so, for example, when Allah revealed
about Surah Rum,
about the Romans defeating the Persians, fibil al
aisineen,
between 3 9 years,
that in and of itself
would have been a feat
that the believers would find comfort in,
knowing that no matter how defeated they seemed
at the moment,
Allah has promised them victory.
But little did they know that the defeat
of the Persian empire
at the hands of the Roman Empire would
parallel
the battle of Badr.
The day that they would find joy in
the victory of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
and by his help, by his aid, he
gives victory to whom he wills.
And so this story of David and Goliath
is a story
that encapsulates
the ultimate tyrant
and the ultimate hero,
the villain
who has all of the physical constructs of
power
and the underdog
who is fueled by something that is outside
of this world, since everything worldly is to
the advantage of the opponents,
David and Goliath.
When does subhanahu wa ta'ala, reveal the story
to the Muslims and in what context?
I want you to imagine yourself as one
of the muhajireen.
You have just been forced out of Mecca
because of your righteousness.
You have been persecuted
and forced to flee.
And it is not out of any deficiency
of your faith that you are currently living
the circumstances
of diaspora.
And in that moment, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
reveals to the Muslims
the story of a people
that had to stay in Exodus, that had
to stay in diaspora
in the desert wandering
for decades
because of an unwillingness
to move forward for the sake of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala. So when it comes to
that,
if I am
a Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman,
Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman,
Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman,
Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman, Uthman,
a hamza,
I can't relate
to those people
that refused to go forward with Musa, alayhis
salaam, into Jerusalem when Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
told them to go forward. That's not where
the connection
is going to be. Yet somehow, here I
am in this land of Medina
at the mercy of complete strangers
who treat me like family because they love
the same Lord that I love.
Different.
But I'm not like the followers
of Musa, alaihis salaam, who prevented him from
entering into Jerusalem
because of a deficiency
in their faith that led to a devastating
circumstance.
So that's not where the connection is.
But Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, was speaking to
something else.
The story
of David and Goliath
is revealed to the prophet, salallahu alaihi wa
sallam, and to the Muslims right before the
battle of Badr,
foretelling
a moment
in which the believers, being completely outnumbered,
would be able to overcome
an arrogant,
tyrannical
army that never even considered
the possibility of defeat, because everything worldly told
them that it was surely going to be
a victory for them.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says
leading up to these moments.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says, oh Messenger, have
you considered what happened
to the elders of the the children
of Israel, Bani Israel after Musa 'alayhi salaam.
When they asked one of their prophets, Abla
Abna Abbas radiAllahu anhu says this is most
likely the prophet Samuel.
When they asked one of their prophets,
put forth a king
that we can follow
and that we can fight behind in the
way of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
We're sick of living
this reality.
You see, initially,
the people that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala had
just shown a miracle
by drowning
the most tyrannical
army in the history of the world,
the army of Freron.
Those people
refused to go forward. And because of that,
their children grow up in this pathetic situation,
and they're frustrated.
And so they have a different type of
a different type of of energy to them.
They have a different type of vibe to
them. Right? They come to their prophet now
and they say, go ahead and put a
king forward. We're gonna go fight for the
sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says,
Have you considered
that if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives you
what you want that you might possibly refrain
from fighting just like
your elders,
just like those who came before you, refrain
from going forward,
and listen to what they responded.
Why wouldn't we go forth for the sake
of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, when we have
been expelled from our places as well as
our children, subhanAllah, the exact same circumstances that
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala gives permission to the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and the companions
to take up arms against those who have
harmed them because they drove you out of
your homes, and they have oppressed you, and
they have forcibly taken your goods.
So they're saying, why wouldn't we go forward?
Of course, we'll go forward
because we have nothing to lose.
We've already been driven out of our homes.
We've already lived this pathetic situation.
So whoever is put forward, we're going to
find ourselves driven.
But then once Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala gave
them what they wanted,
Allah prescribed
fighting upon them that you now have the
right to go forward.
Then most of them turned away.
And Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is well aware
of the transgressors.
1 of the blessings
or one of the the the reflections that
the ulama take from this ayah in comparing
the companions of the prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam,
to them.
There's a difference
between a people
that are driven by circumstance and a people
that are driven by cause. These
people
were driven by circumstance,
purely because they looked at how bad their
circumstances were, and they said it can't get
any worse than this. Why wouldn't we fight?
It's not like we have anything to lose.
But once
a worse circumstance was put in front of
them, they said, never
mind. We're good. We'll we'll stay in the
desert.
We'll keep wandering
aimlessly because it's better than being killed. There's
a difference between people that are driven by
circumstance
and a people that are driven by cause,
the fa sabi de la part, in which
circumstance
becomes irrelevant
in the face of cause. And that was
the companions of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
When they're told to stay, they stay.
SubhanAllah, the people of Palestine,
even when no bombs are falling. So fanaqaahuna,
we're gonna stay here. They know that they
are an Arduribat,
that they're serving a cause just by their
existence, by their refusal
to leave, that just by them planting their
feet firmly
in a ground that has thousands of craters
in it from the air strikes and refusing
to be intimidated,
that they are serving a cause, fisa bidillah.
So why they're here to stay or go
forward, they're driven by cause, not by circumstance.
Major difference between the two.
This is also the opposite of the people
that Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, mentions.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says to us in
Surat Al Azzaab that from the believers are
those who are truthful to their covenant with
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Some of them have the ability to fulfill
their covenant with Allah right away. Some of
them are made to wait, wama baddalo tabdila,
but their resolve does not change.
Who is this referring to? Referring
to the Sahaba
that missed the battle of Badr and said
to the prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, if
Allah gives us another chance because Badr came
out of nowhere,
if Allah gives us another chance, he will
see what we will do. He will see
our sincerity. You see the difference between them
and this group of people?
They're driven by cause, not circumstance. They said
whatever the circumstances,
the cause is greater. We will go forward
with the faith in Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
and that's exactly what happened. Anas ibn Malik
radiAllahu anhu says about his uncle Anas radiAllahu
ta'ala anhu
that he moved forward and he used to
tell the prophet salallahu alaihi wasalam that if
Allah gives me another chance, then Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala will see my sincerity.
And he moved forward
in the battle of Guhut even when some
of the greatest people in the world fled
at a point when they thought that the
battle was over and Allah
accepted him as a shahid
in those moments.
Their prophet said to them, Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala
has appointed for you Talut
as a king. Talut was a righteous man,
but he was poor.
And he was from, as some of the
Mufastareen
mentioned, the tribe of Binyamin.
He wasn't looked at as being from the
powerful class of Bani Israel, and he didn't
have money and wealth. And unfortunately, you know,
we talk about internalized Islamophobia.
These people had internalized
firaounism
because they only looked at people in accordance
with what they had. They only looked at
people in accordance with their wealth. He didn't
seem to match what a king looks like
because authority to them looked like for their
own even if that authority oppressed them.
They had drunk,
unfortunately,
the poison of Firaoun and started to analyze
the world through the lens of their oppressor.
Why would he be given kingdom over us
when we are more worthy, more deserving
of being in that position?
He wasn't given money like we were. He
wasn't given position like we were.
Allah
chose him over you
and increased him
in strength
and in knowledge.
Allah gives kingdom to whom he wants.
And Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
is all resourceful,
all knowing. SubhanAllah,
they rejected
Taulut
because he didn't match
the mold that they wanted. They were neither
driven
by cause nor were they able to see
past the material world.
They were driven purely by how miserable
they were, and that's only going to get
you so far
when you try to pursue
victory.
So Talut
goes forth,
and he has an army in the beginning
of 80,000 men.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala test them
when they reach a river and they are
exceedingly thirsty.
You have to learn discipline
in accordance with your cause. I want you
to think about the people of Gaza right
now
with everything that's going on. You know, starvation
can drive you nuts.
Hunger can get you to say things that
you don't typically say and do. Hunger
is a war crime for a reason.
Starving people
literally drives them out of their senses.
How in the world do these people, despite
their starvation,
still say
How?
They're unbreakable
because they lean upon the one who is
Al Jabbar.
They lean upon one who is unbreakable.
They're unbreakable.
And so Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, tests them,
and this also is a sign that a
few people that are committed to the cause
and that are sincere
are better than a whole bunch of people
that have lost their identity
and lost their faith and lost what is
meant to drive them.
Allah doesn't need numbers.
It's not about the numbers. Didn't the prophet,
sallallahu alaihi wasallam, say that this ummah would
become like the foam of the sea?
That we would become the feast of nations
around us. It's not about the quantity. It
never was.
So Allah puts them through a filtration process.
They reach a river and in their intense
thirst, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells
or or instructs through Tawut
that they will not drink from that river
at the order of Talut. And the rinamat
mentioned that this is because Talut is most
likely not a prophet according to almost consensus,
something divinely inspired. Put these men through the
test.
You don't drink from this river until I
tell you to.
The vast majority of them fail the test.
So, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, filters through this
test 4,000 graduates.
You need to have sabr. You need to
have patience, discipline,
if you're going to go forth with this.
So 4,000
graduates and then Allah filters out of those
4,000 through another series of tests,
313
people.
Abdulla Abba
says, the people that went forth on that
day were the exact same number as the
companions on Badr. Do you think that the
Sahaba planned that? Think the Sahaba said, alright.
Something's coming up. Let's try to be the
same number as this righteous group of people
that went forth against their oppressor?
Absolutely not. Allah was foretelling
something to come. And that
313 were the most righteous of Bani Isaiil.
There were 313
men that deserved victory.
They went forth with discipline
and devotion
and dedication.
And then as they went forth,
once they faced Goliath wajunudihi
and his army,
They said, our lord, pour upon us patience
and set our feet firm
and give us victory
over an unbelieving people.
Pour upon our hearts, pour upon our beings
patience.
The beauty of this dua.
Let the patience be poured upon
us.
And let it make our feet firm
and grant us victory
over Goliath
and over a tyrannical
people.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala just as he does
in the battle of Badr,
Allah ascribes the victory to the Dura.
When Allah talks about Badr,
it was the night when the prophet was
standing up and praying to Allah before the
battle even started.
After the dua was made,
the angels arrived by the order of Allah
When these righteous people made that dua,
there is no break.
As it then plays out, just like any
sincere du'a that is made, Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala will answer the sincere du'a and it
will play out on the time that Allah
chooses at the pace that Allah chooses. But
once the sincere dua is made, it is
only a matter of time before that du'a
manifests itself, that prayer manifests itself
in victory.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala granted
Dawud alayhislam the ability to kill Goliath and
Allah granted him al mulk, dominion,
wal hikma
and wisdom.
So Allah
gave the believers and this is one of
the fawad, one of the reflections that some
of the scholars mentioned. Allah
gave them material victory and then increased them
in something that was immaterial
but that would increase their rank with Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Some of the scholars mentioned that this is
revelation that then came to Dawud alaihis salam.
Afterwards, Dawud was not yet a prophet. He
was simply a righteous man.
And Allah
mentions
that he imparted to him the knowledge of
whatever he willed.
Dear brothers and sisters,
when you think of Dawud, alayhis salaam, moving
forward
to fight
Goliath,
David and Goliath.
I want you to understand
for a moment
that before
he faces this giant and Goliath
with the faith that he has,
that the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam mentions
that Dawud alaihi wa sallam was a man
who was distinguished
by his prayer,
distinguished
by his fasting. He said sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam
that there is no fasting better than the
fasting of David. He would fast one day
and then he would break his fast another
day. His habit was to fast
alternate days.
And he said, and there's no qiyam better
than Dawud alaihis salam who would pray the
last 3rd of the night. Dawud alayhis salam
is praised in his qiyam. He is praised
in his siyam. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala praises
his righteousness.
There is an engineering that takes place before
these moments actually manifest themselves.
And this is super important because Allah says,
remember our servant Dawood.
That he was a person who possessed great
strength and he was someone who was always
turned towards Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. He was
repentant, turned towards Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. You
know what's so powerful about this? Because if
you look at the biblical version of David,
it's not very righteous. It's a man who's
actually driven by lust and power.
It's a man who had 99 wives
and who looked out and saw a beautiful
woman from his balcony who happened to be
the wife of his commander
and driven by his lust, sends out his
commander, his loyal commander,
to battle so he can die and then
takes his widow as his 100th wife. That's
what they portray
Dawud alaihis salam as. It's not our version
of Dawud alaihis salam.
Dawud alaihis salam was a person who's turned
to Allah Allah repentance. The prophets of Allah
are the most upright people which is why
they were most deserving
of victory.
Now I wanna bring this back in conclusion
to the companions
who perhaps didn't realize because Badr came out
of nowhere.
Here they are, 313
with 1 or 2 horses against an army
of a1000,
well equipped, have all of their military equipment,
have over a 100 horses,
have the camels,
have everything to be able to overcome them.
And Allah
grants them victory.
I wanna conclude and I'm already over time
with a scene.
In every single conflict,
in every single story of an oppressor and
an oppressed,
You have a group of righteous people
and then you have the gems that shine
from that group
and that encapsulate the moment.
And the battle of Badr, Sidawood alaihis salam,
was smaller physically
than Goliath. David was smaller than Goliath, but
he was a man full of gratitude, fasting,
prayer, righteousness.
And that made him far greater in the
sight of Allah than
a man who was physically big but so
small.
Tyrants don't weigh in the sight of Allah
but a wing of a mosquito.
Don't you remember what the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam said about Abdullah ibn Mas'rud alaihi
wa ta'ala anhu? He said about his 2
legs. And mister Oud was a man who
was physically very small,
but he said about his 2 legs
that people laughed at because of how skinny
they were.
That those two legs in the side of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, on the scale of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala are bigger
than the mountain of Uhud. Think of the
scene of David and Goliath in Badr. You
know what I think of? I think of
ibn Mas'ud radiAllahu ta'ala anhu climbing on top
of Abu Jahl.
That's our David and Goliath moment in Badr.
Abu Jahl
stomped ibn Mas'ud almost to death in Mecca
because he read the Quran publicly.
And now it's the battle of Badr, and
Abu Jahl is so big, the firaoun of
this ummah that Ibn Mas'ud radiAllahu anhu climbs
on top of him and stands on top
of him and looks down on him.
And Abu Jahl looks up at him,
You have climbed the difficult mountain, oh shepherd
of sheep.
You little man.
He's talking talking to him that way even
as he's standing on his chest.
And he says to him, Nieman Al Ghalaba,
who's winning the battle? Asking Ibn Mas'ud for
commentary.
Victory belongs to Allah and his messenger, sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam, enemy of Allah. And Ibn
Masrud
ends the firaoun of this ummah. That's our
David and Goliath moment
in Badr. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave the
companions that sight.
And I want you to look at this
picture
on the screen insha'Allah ta'ala if they're able
to bring it up. And I want you
to think about who the David and Goliath
of this day is, if they have the
picture. And if not, then I'll talk about
it Some of you remember in the
in
2000, 24 years ago, there was an image
that was etched into our conscience
of a young boy, Faris Elda,
who was 15 years old at the time,
standing in front of an Israeli tank.
That image
became
part of what inspired us
as an umma.
If that's not David and Goliath, I don't
know what is.
Except we live in a time where Goliath
tries to convince you that he's actually David
and has a PR machine that's almost as
gigantic as him.
But the world has seen too much of
the true Davids and Goliaths
to be able to turn their backs on
it.
That boy, Faris Sauda, would have been 38
years old today
had Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala not taken him
as a shahid in that very moment.
This encapsulates our David and Goliath.
This is our David and Goliath. May Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala put us in the position
of that David
and allow us to overcome this Goliath.