Sikander Hashmi – Community of Resilience KMA Friday Message
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In
At every single moment, my brothers and sisters,
every single day, every single minute, every single
second,
we are always at risk of something.
There is always the risk of something happening
to us,
A misstep,
a tragedy,
a challenge, a struggle.
And therefore, everyday as believers, we make dua
to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
asking for various things.
And for many of us that includes dua
for a
life of ease for ourselves and for our
children,
for peace,
for health, for safety,
for stability,
for ourselves, our children, and our future generations.
And we ask Allah
to grant us all of this. Amen.
And indeed we should continue to make dua.
Even when we make dua for things which
seem unlikely,
Allah
will give us something in return for that
dua inshallah.
Right? Sometimes we feel what's the point of
making dua because this matter is so difficult
or it is so unlikely,
it is so impossible. What is the point
of asking Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala?
So let me just just forget about it
and not make dua. But the believers approach
is not that. The believer always has hope
in Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in the mercy
of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
and continues to make dua. If Allah wills
and indeed Allah is capable of all things,
he will grant what you are asking for.
And if he chooses not to grant you
what you are asking for, then certainly he
will grant you something better
or a great reward
So continue to make dua even for things
which seem unlikely.
The prophet has
taught
us supplications.
Duas for protection
to be recited daily
even multiple times a day. But the reality
is my brothers and sisters that this world
is obviously not Jannah. It means
that there will be struggles.
And seemingly
bad things will happen.
Even to good people.
And there will be different types of tests
and trials
and pain
and suffering
and loss and fear as Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala tells us in Surahul in Surahul
Bakkara. We will certainly test you with a
touch of fear
of and famine,
and loss of property, and life, and crops.
But
give good news to those who patiently
endure. So Allah
is giving us a fair warning. He's telling
us very, very clearly
that everyone
will be touched with something. If Allah
has protected you, may Allah continue to protect
all of us, but it is should not
be unexpected for us
that
some sort of difficulty or test or challenge
may come
our way. Despite
our best efforts,
we should expect
the unexpected.
So the question is, my brothers and sisters,
how do we, as a community
and as individuals,
respond
when things don't go our way?
It's
easy to be happy, to be positive,
you
know, to be easygoing,
to be in good spirits, have good character,
all of these things when everything is going
well.
But the real test comes
when a difficulty comes our way. How do
we respond
when we are faced with a challenge individually
and as a community?
And this is where resiliency
comes in,
which is the ability to adapt
to the misfortunes
and setbacks
of life.
Now,
of course, the Mayo Clinic is a famous
medical institution,
and they say that when you have resilience,
you harness
inner strength that helps you rebound from a
setback or challenge,
such as a job loss or an illness,
a disaster,
or a loved one's death.
If you lack resilience,
you might dwell on problems.
You may feel victimized,
become overwhelmed,
or turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms
such as substance abuse.
Now resilience,
if a person has resilience,
it doesn't make the problem go away. It
doesn't make the challenge go away. It's not
like if you have resilience, you know, you
lose your job and the next day you're
gonna find a new job. Or that you
lost a loved one and they're gonna come
back to life. Of course not. Right? So
resilience doesn't mean that the problem or challenges
will go away,
but
resilience can give us the ability
to see past
these tragedies
and challenges
and find purpose
and even meaning in life
and enable us to better handle stress.
My brothers and sisters, it's almost 6 years
since a terribly sad and tragic event took
place.
Sad and tragic in Canadian history and especially
Canadian Muslim history.
And that is when we lost 6 brothers
at the Masjid in Saint Foa in Quebec
City
and 17 children of theirs were left orphaned.
They were offering
on a cold Sunday night.
And
nobody could have expected it. Nobody would have
thought that something like this would happen, but
they went
for and they did not come back home.
They went straight to Allah
The federal government has declared January 29
officially as a day to commemorate the Quebec
City mass shooting and a day of action
against Islamophobia.
And yesterday, the prime minister announced that the
country's first special representative on Islamophobia
will be our sister, Amira Alagawabi,
who many of us know as a former
Canada resident and a former
spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
We thank the government for this move, and
we ask Allah
to ease,
and, and grant success,
to our sister in this new role, Amin.
My brothers and sisters, the threats
that we face as a community
are not going to disappear fully no matter
what we do. And unfortunately,
the reality is there have always been people
who have been opposed to Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala,
to the deen of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
opposed to Islam, and they will continue to
be, and they will harbor enmity against Muslims.
This is something that the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam faced. This is something that his companions
faced. This is something that the earlier prophets
and their followers faced. So this is simply
a reality
of the fact of
being
believers in the message of Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala and the deen of Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala.
What we need to do of course is
respond
positively
and appropriately to them but more importantly,
not allow them to spread their poisonous lies
and hatred.
So
point is we need to stand up, and
we need to be strong together.
As individuals
and as a community,
we must be resilient
in order to cope with difficulties
that may come our way. The tendency is
that then when there is fear,
when there is,
a feeling of animosity,
when there is a threat, especially if it
is an unknown or a general threat, the
tendency is to hide. The tendency is to
try to take cover. That is our natural
response.
But what resiliency
shows us and teaches us is that we
must find strength
in our deen. We must find strength in
the examples of the prophets alayhi mus salaam
in the teachings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
and continue forward
and not hide and not
continue to be afraid. It's natural to have
some fear initially when something happens,
but we must not allow that fear to
penetrate our hearts so that it makes us
weak, and it makes us those who constantly
want to hide and who want to
seek shelter at all times because that is
precisely
what the opponents want. That is precisely
what the enemies want. They want to make
you and me afraid and weak. Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala tells us in the Quran, in
the last verse, the last ayah of Surat
Alia Imran, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says,
Allah.
All believers,
patiently endure.
Patiently endure.
Preserve
or persevere rather
and
stand on guard
and be mindful of Allah. Have
so
that you may be successful. So Allah
gives us the ingredients for success.
So,
the regular or like the normal sabr which
is the ability to endure something and to
continue forward. But on top of that, the
higher level of sabr, which is perseverance,
to stand firm and to keep going
more so than others and to control your
emotions
and keep pushing forward with strong resolve. So
Allah
is calling us to be patient but also
to have this level of
perseverance
which is higher than just being able to
endure.
And on top of that, Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala then tells us to stand on guard.
Stand on guard. Be prepared
against your opponents, against the enemies. But the
commentators of the Quran also explain that this
also may refer to we find some links
to standing in prayer as well. So basically,
be ready and be prepared
in terms
of whatever means that you date to take
that are necessary and that are permissible. And
that includes
spiritual means as well to stand on guard
with our salah as well. And finally, Allah
says,
have taqwa,
be mindful and fearful of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala. And these are the ingredients if you
want to be successful.
Now, we look back and gain inspiration
from the prophets of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
particularly
the
the prophets with strong resolve.
Muhammad
which of the people is tried most severely?
Which of the people are tried or tested
most severely? So the prophet
said
the prophets
that
the prophets and then those nearest to them
and those who are nearest
to them.
That a person, a man is tried, is
tested according to his religion.
A person is
tried and tested according to his religion.
That if he is firm in his religion,
then his trials are actually more severe.
So it may not be what we expect.
Like, you think, okay, I'm gonna become more
pious, more practicing,
and everything's gonna be fine and everything's gonna
go away. No. But
rather the trials, the test, they become more
severe. When
Ganafi
that
if he is frail in his religion, then
he is tried. He is tested according to
the strength of his religion. The prophet goes
on to say, the servant shall continue to
be tried until he is left walking upon
the earth without any sins. So Allah
gives us different ways, different means that he
will be testing us and a person who
is more firm in their religion, in their
deen, it is more likely that they will
face trials and tribulations
and and and tests which are going to
be at the level of their religion. Right?
If a child is in grade 2,
the teachers gonna give them a test
for grade 2.
Right? If a student is in grade 9,
they're not gonna receive a test for grade
9 or for grade 2. They're gonna receive
a grade a level a test according to
their level. So Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala will
test a person according to their level
in their religion. Now in the life of
the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam,
we find multiple hardships
that he and the early Muslims bore, especially
in Mecca.
But that did not stop the prophet
from living his life and of course carrying
out his mission. The hardships came, the year
of sadness came, you know, the struggles and
the challenges came
and the prophet he felt them because he
was a human
being. He was a blessed human being. He
felt those challenges. He had emotions. He had
feelings.
He felt pain. He felt sadness.
But the prophet
continued his mission.
He did not become,
absorbed
or absorbed in his,
in his emotions and the challenge that he
faced. The family
and the companions of the prophet
went through extreme hardships,
but they bounced back. Once again, the hardship
did not consume them once it had passed.
Coming back to what the Mayo Clinic has
said, resilience
can help protect you from various mental health
conditions
such as depression
and anxiety.
Resilience can also help offset factors
that increase the risk of mental health conditions
such as being bullied or previous trauma.
If you have an existing mental health condition,
being resilient could improve your coping
ability.
We have a beautiful example that the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam has given that
that the parable of the believer is that
of a crop.
The parable of the believer is that of
a crop which withstands the wind.
For the believer continues to endure the suffering
of trials.
That the, the believer or sorry, the the
parable, the example
of the Monafi of the hypocrite is that
of a cedar tree for it does not
budge until it is uprooted.
So what we learn my brothers and sisters
is that to be able to bend
and adapt ourselves to difficult situations,
this is actually from amongst the qualities of
the believers.
To be flexible,
to be able to adapt.
Right? Not to be so firm in our
attitudes and in our ways
that
if a strong wind blows, we are totally
uprooted,
right? That is not from the characteristics or
the qualities of the believers, but rather from
the characteristics and the qualities of the believers
is to be like a crop which withstands
the wind. Right? So if you look at
the fields, right, not now obviously, but like
when the crops are out and you see
you know, the wheat that is growing and
you see the corn, the wind blows. Right?
But what happens? It goes down, comes back,
goes with the wind back and forth. But
when the wind stops, it back it's back
upright.
Right. So this is the example of the
believer that the prophet gave
as opposed to the trees that you see
in the forest perhaps.
Right? Similar to the one that
is described that the wind blows hard. It's
not able to withstand much. It it topples
over and it becomes uprooted.
So let us try to be like the
crop that is able to withstand the wind.
So if you'd like to become more resilient,
my brothers and sisters, when facing challenges,
let us consider these tips. So first of
all, when
a challenge
comes our way,
and especially when it is unexpected,
the first
reaction many times is to panic.
And the key is not to panic. Allah
is all aware.
He has written this test. He is well
aware of this test that is coming your
way or that has come your way, this
calamity. And Allah
is the one in charge. And He is
capable of all things.
Right? And even, you know, in emergencies,
right, in an active shooter situation or any
other emergency
on an airplane and the airplane is trying
to go down. Right? The first thing that
everyone is trained
whether it's flight attendants or 911 operators,
the first thing they're trained to do is
to calm people down. Because when you're in
a state of panic, you're not thinking straight.
You're not going to be making the right
decisions
because your emotions have overtaken your mind.
So the first step, the key is to
remain calm as much as possible and not
to panic. Allah
is the one who has decided this. He
is the one who's in charge. And Insha'Allah,
Allah is the one who's gonna figure this
out. He's the one who's going to lead
you out of this, provided
you have faith in him, and then you
can think about what to do next.
Secondly, my brothers and sisters, let us avoid
focusing on what we have lost.
Right? It's natural to feel a sense of
loss when you lose something.
You lose your home, you lose a loved
one, you lose your job, your car, or
whatever the case may be.
But don't prolong
that focus
or
that preoccupation
with what you have lost.
Try to find every opportunity to move on.
Things that will help you move on, like
getting back into your routine, right? Or creating
a new routine.
That is why perhaps in the sunnah of
the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam,
there is no such thing as a death
anniversary.
You know, as, you know, annually or after
a certain period of time continuing
to remember
loss
or people we have lost. That doesn't mean
we shouldn't remember them. Of course, you should
remember them and you should make dua for
them. You should pray for them, you know,
every salah, every time that you make dua.
But renewing and refreshing that sense of loss
and that feeling of grief is not something
which we have been taught to do in
our deen. So try to avoid focusing on
what you have lost and try your best
to move on. That is why the morning
period, right, except for a widow is 3
days. Right? After 3 days, you try to
get back into your routine. And yes, it's
hard, but you try your best to move
on with your life because eventually, you do
need to move on. And the longer you
prolong it, the harder it's going to be
to move on. Thirdly, my brothers and sisters,
looking at others who are worst off. Because
even in this difficult moment,
if you look at others who have less
or who are in greater challenges and struggles,
it will help you find something to be
grateful for because it could have been much
worse. And when you look at it that
way, you're actually able to flip around that
tragedy
and perhaps even say, Alhamdulillah,
Allah
has not tried me
in a worse way, in a more severe
way as he has trying or testing others
at the same time.
So it finds us it gives us an
opportunity
to be grateful to Allah
And as Allah
tells us
that, If you are grateful to Allah
will actually grant you more. So trying to
find
reasons to be grateful
even in the midst of a tragedy or
a struggle.
We can also learn from experience, my brothers
and sisters, if you think about how you've
coped with hardships in the past, right? Consider
the skills and the strategies that you have
used in the past or that helped you
through difficult times in the past.
Some experts even suggest recommend that you might
even write about past experiences in a journal
to help you identify
positive and negative behavior patterns, and that can
guide you in the future. As the Prophet
has
told us that,
That a believer
is not stung twice from the same hole.
So if you've gone through something, and if
you've had an experience,
and you can learn to avoid certain thoughts
or certain behaviors,
that can help you avoid the same or
similar situation the next time around.
We can try to remain hopeful. Of course,
you can't change the past, but you can
always look towards the future and accepting.
Even anticipating
changes makes it easier to adapt and view
the new challenge with less anxiety because change
is often difficult. As as Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala tells us,
do not lose hope in the mercy of
Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala.
And finally, my brothers and sisters, a reminder
which is always relevant to us. Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala says
and whoever has stuck whoever is mindful of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he will make a
way out for them. This is the promise
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. In clear terms,
and provide for them from sources that they
could never imagine. This is for the people
of Taqwa and whoever places their trust in
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala,
then he alone is sufficient for them.
Certainly, Allah achieves his will, and Allah has
already set a destiny
for everything, a measure for everything. We ask
Allah
to protect us and our loved ones and
our future generations from all types of trials
and tribulations
that are to come. We ask Allah to
grant us strength and resilience to face whatever
he has decreed or decided will come to
us no matter what. May Allah forgive
us for our weakness and our shortcomings. I
mean, We'll take a few moments to offer
sunnah for those who like to do so,
and we will continue.