Sikander Hashmi – The Strong Believer KMA Friday Message
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Respected elders, your brothers and sisters, my young
friends,
In the world today,
we see
that the powerful
rule,
and very few
have the courage
to challenge those with power.
And they generally get their way, and in
many cases,
with impunity.
No one is able to do anything or
challenge
those who abuse and misuse their power.
But my brothers and sisters, this has been
the norm
in the world, and it is nothing new.
The reality
is that Allah
has given each of his creation,
each of his living creation,
some form of strength,
power,
and ability.
Some
of these living creatures,
whether they are human
or animal or others,
will have
some type of strengths and abilities and power,
and others will have perhaps some other types.
And the levels between them will also vary.
Meaning, everyone will have different strengths because not
everyone is created
equal. Right? Even amongst the human beings,
some will have some strengths and others will
have other strengths.
But what happens is
is that in society, we generally focus on
a few types of strengths
and disregard the other strengths that Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala
may have given us.
Now each will have a basic level of
strength, ability, power that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
has given. And the way that people normally
describe it these days is to say that
it is by nature.
It is by
nature.
And then there will usually be some more
that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
gives after making effort
and through some training,
after making some struggle.
And
that is generally referred to as nurture. Right?
They ask a question. Is it nature or
nurture?
So some of it is nature,
and some of it is nurture.
Then there will be a limit or ceiling
set by Allah subhanahu
wa
ta'ala that one cannot go beyond,
regardless of how much one tries or trains.
You know how they say the sky is
the limit. That's not true.
The sky is not the limit. The limit
is what Allah
has set as the limit. It could be
the sky. It could be below the sky.
It could be above the sky.
The limit is in the hands of
Allahu And this goes for physical strength.
This goes for mental strength. This goes also
for spiritual strength. So, for example,
human beings can lift weights.
And the world record, surprisingly, I didn't know
this, for weight lifting is £6,270.
Okay?
This record may be broken by a bit,
but there's a limit to that to that
limit being broken by a human being.
Right? For example,
if it's an extremely
heavy weight, like an airplane or a mountain,
we can safely say that a human being
is not going to have enough stress to
be able to lift that up because it's
it is beyond the limit that Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala has has decided for the human
beings.
Similarly, in terms of intelligence, the highest reported
IQ is 263.
So maybe someone will be able to beat
that by a bit, but even with our
intelligence,
there is a ceiling, there is a limit.
That is
that is by design from Allah Subhanahu wa
ta'ala.
Spiritually as well, we can keep getting closer
to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala by making
and by trying to get closer to Allah
especially through,
first of all, the obligations as Rasulullah
has told us, and then by optional deeds,
by doing the nawafil, the extra deeds, and
a person get keeps getting closer and closer
to Allah
until Allah loves them. However, there is a
limit to that as well for us because
a person can become the greatest value of
Allah
the greatest friend of Allah, but can never
reach the level of the prophets or the
Sahaba
So even spiritually, there is a limit to
how far we can ascend and how far
we can progress.
Now in this world, people equate
equate strength
and abilities
with success.
What does Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala say? Now
the prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, shared something
very profound with us
regarding strength.
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said that a
strong believer
is better
and is more lovable to Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala than a weak believer,
and there is good
in everyone. And then the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam goes on and he says, but cherish
that which gives you benefits, meaning true benefit,
meaning in the hereafter.
And seek help from Allah
and do not lose heart.
And if anything, meaning in the form of
trouble, comes to you, in the form of,
challenges and struggles comes to you, don't say,
if I had done this or if I
had done that, it would not have happened
so and so. But say instead
that
he
said,
Right? That that that Allah
did,
what he had ordained
to do,
and your if, the saying of the using
the word if, thinking of
challenges that have come to us, it opens
the gate for shaytan.
It opens the gate for
shaytan.
So as we know, we often hear the
or. So this should be our approach
to,
challenges,
struggles,
tragedies that come to us
despite
our wanting to avoid them, despite our efforts
of trying to
protect ourselves from them, and we accept the
Qadr, the decision of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. And the prophet
said that if you start thinking dwelling too
much, thinking of if I had done this,
if I had done that, then that opens
the door
for shaitan. So we learn a few things
from this hadiths. First of all,
a strong believer
is more,
loved, is better
in the eyes of Allah in the sight
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala than a weak
believer.
Okay? A strong believer is better and more
loved by Allah as compared to compared to
a weak believer. Number 1. Number 2,
there is some goodness in everyone.
Right? It doesn't mean that if someone someone
doesn't consider themselves to be strong or considers
themselves to be weak, that they're written off,
it is not like that. Rasulullah, he sallallahu
alaihi wasallam has said that everyone has goodness
inside of them. Think of it like a
seed. There is a seed of goodness inside
of you that Allah
has put,
particularly
by virtue of your iman.
So now you need to work to grow
it, to nurture it, to feed it, to
give it the ingredients that it needs so
that it can flourish.
So don't let it die off. There is
some goodness inside of you, regardless of how
strong or how weak you may consider yourself
to be.
So continue to work towards that. Thirdly, cherish
the things that give you true benefit.
Cherish the things that give you true benefit.
So be focused.
Have a laser like focus
on the things that benefit you truly, meaning
the things that are actually gonna have a
positive impact on your hereafter.
Be focused. Cherish those things. Value those things.
Don't disregard them. Don't think of them as
secondary. Don't overlook them. Don't leave them as
an afterthought,
but rather,
cherish those things and focus on the things
which are gonna grant you true benefit.
Fourthly, seek help from Allah
Right? Nothing can be achieved
without Allah's permission and Allah's support.
Right? We are nothing.
We
and our efforts
are nothing.
If it's not for the permission and the
support of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So
seek help from Allah.
Do not lose heart.
What does that tell us? It tells us
that we will face challenges. We will face
troubles, but don't give up.
Stay positive
and keep going.
Right? And finally, if any trouble comes to
you, accept it as the decree of Allah
Subhanahu wa ta'ala. Don't say if this or
that. Now, by the way, just as a
side note here, doesn't mean that we should
not reflect over our decisions
and that we should not take lessons from
our mistakes.
It doesn't mean that.
Yes. You can do a postmortem. You can
look back and say, okay. What could have
I done better?
Okay? But don't dwell on that with regret
and continue to think about it constantly. That,
oh, if I had done this, if I
had done that. K. Don't go into it
too much. Yes. You learn some lessons, and
then you accept it as the decree of
Allah,
and you move on.
Why? Because doing so gives shaitan an opening
to play with your iman and to play
with your mind. Now
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala already knows
that some people will be stronger than others
and others will be weaker than others. Right?
Of course, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is our
creator. He is all knowing, so Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala knows that already. But as mentioned
earlier, each person
is given some strength to start off with
and then needs to work to get more
from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So here, we are getting encouragement
to not just remain
at the level that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
has given us to start off with,
but rather work to build our strength to
whatever limit that Allah
has set for us.
And so don't be stagnant.
Don't be stagnant.
Don't be stationary, but rather keep working
in trying to build up
and gain that which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
has given you the potential from for, but
remember that it will come only from Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala. We make the effort, the
results are always in the hands of Allah
no matter what it may be.
Now when we think of strength, my brothers
and sisters, the first type of strength, of
course,
that peep most people think of is
physical
strength. Right? Naturally, that is what most people
will think of. Now in a few places
in the Quran, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks
about physical strength.
So for example, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says
in Surah Fusilat number 15,
As for 'Ad, the people of 'Ad, they
acted arrogantly throughout the land with no right,
without any justification.
They were boasting. And these to say, who
is superior to us in might? Who can
be more powerful than us? Who is more
powerful than us in
strength, in Huwa, in might?
Allah says,
Did they not see that Allah himself who
created them was far superior
to them in might? Still, they persisted
in denying our signs.
So we learn from this that strength and
power
can lead to arrogance,
and arrogance is hated by Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala,
and can lead eventually to denying Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. And we have many other examples
of this misuse of power or, you know,
power driving people towards arrogance and disbelief
and examples in history as well. So, therefore,
we must be very careful that as we
try to build up our strength
beyond what Allah
has given us to start off with, we
must be careful that we do not become
arrogant, and we do not become deniers in
Allah
And in fact, Allah
tells us that if they had believed and
repented,
then Allah would have actually granted them more.
If they had submitted, they would have actually
received more.
In Surahood, 52.
Prophet Hudalayhi Salaam told his people, and all
my people, seek your Lord's forgiveness.
Dostafa,
Seek your Lord's forgiveness. Turn to him in
repentance.
What will happen? He will shower you with
rain and abundance, and add strength
to your strength. Allah will
will increase you in the strength that you
already have. So do not turn away persisting
in wickedness.
Allah
also tells us, ayat 13 in Surah
Muhammad. Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala says, how many
societies we destroyed
that were far superior in might than your
society which drove you out addressing Rasulullah hisaallahu
alaihi wasalam, and there was not to help
them. Now during the context of the battle
of Badr, which occurred on 17th Ramadan,
in the 2nd year after Hijrah, Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala revealed the worst in Suratul Anfal,
a number 60.
During the course of the battle, Allah subhanahu
wa
ta'ala
revealed
that prepare
against them, meaning your enemies who wish to
harm you, prepare against them what you can
of power and cavalry to deter Allah's enemies
and your enemies as well as other enemies
unknown to you, but known to Allah. Whatever
you spend in the cause of Allah will
be paid to you in full, and you
will not be wronged. So we learn from
this, my brothers and sisters, that strength, physical
strength, is also a form of deterrence
akin against those who wish to cause harm,
but it should not be used for aggression.
It is a form of deterrence,
of keeping those away who wish to cause
harm,
but it should not be a form of
or should not be used for aggression because
in the next verse, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
says,
If the enemy
who wishes to cause you harm is inclined
towards peace,
then make peace with them and put your
trust in Allah. So we learn from this
that we have been taught to be self
sufficient. We have been taught
to have strength, to build strength individually, collectively,
so that we can defend ourselves and we
can serve Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, better. Now
scholars mention that one of the reasons that
Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, loves strong believers more
is because perhaps they have more stamina and
more energy to do more good and to
strive harder for the sake of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. But also remember that strength and
weakness are relative terms. So it may be
that, you know, it may be just that
someone who has, you know, more it it
may be just referring to or it could
include someone who just has more strength,
more resolve,
and more focus to do more good for
the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
relative to those
who are around them or who are in
the midst of them.
Now, also, in order to be strong, one
has physically strong, one has to have good
health.
And
it is commendable. It is encouraged to put
effort into maintaining good health, developing, maintaining good
health with this intention.
Because Rasulullah
once,
came to the to the companions,
with traces of water on his head, related
by Ma'azib Nabla ibn Khubaib from his father,
that his paternal uncle said this reported this.
So the companion said one of the companions
said that we see that you appear to
be in high spurts high spirits today. So
he said to Rasulullah, sallallahu alaihi
wasallam said that, yes, Alhamdulillah,
then he spoke to then then the people
spoke about riches. And he said there is
nothing wrong with riches for one who fears
Allah. Meaning there is nothing wrong with being
wealthy
for one who fears Allah, but good health
is better for one who fears Allah than
riches,
and being in good spirits is a blessing.
So good health is important. It is a
great blessing from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It
should be maintained. And if it is maintained
with the right intention, then, insha'Allah, it will
be rewarded as well.
Now the scholars also mentioned that this strength
does not have to be. The strength being
referred to in the hadith does not have
to be physical.
Because can
be a strong believer who is strong in
their iman.
Can be a person who is, has strength
in their iman, in their faith in Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And a strong indicator that this could be
the intended meaning or one of the intended
meanings of the words of Rasulullah
alaihi wa sallam in this hadith lies in
the fact that the hadith goes on to
talk about
faith and not physical strength.
Right? All the things that we talked about
in, you know, seeking help from Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala and not thinking about ifs. If
I had done this, if I had done
that. All that has to do with Iman,
has to do with faith,
not with physical
strength.
Or it could be that the rest of
the hadith helps us navigate through challenges
that may come as a result of a
lack of physical,
as a result of physical weakness or as
a result of a lack of physical strength.
But spiritual strength can help help alleviate and
resolve
those challenges that a person might face because
they are not physically
strong. In any case, for both physical and
spiritual strength, my brothers and sisters,
efforts must be made to become
stronger.
Efforts must be made to become stronger. Someone
wants to become physically stronger. What do they
do? They sign up. They go to the
gym. They go for a jog outside. You
know, they're coming for fajr. So I'm amazed.
Coming for fajr in the wintertime.
Right? Like, out there at 5:30 in the
morning in a snowstorm, this is one person
who's constantly jogging every single morning,
even the coldest of days.
Coldest of days, the snowy of days still
out there doing their job, doing their morning
run.
So effort has to be made for the
physical strength, but also for the spiritual strength
as well. So 2 things
to reflect upon and think about. First of
all, how can we build our physical strength
with the right intention
so that we can serve Allah
better and protect ourselves and the vulnerable when
needed and get rewarded as well if the
is correct. Right? Imagine, you go to the
gym for half hour, an hour a day,
whatever it is. Okay? Or you're working out
at home. You have the right knee, insha'Allah,
that becomes a means of reward for you.
That becomes a means of
for you. Right? Or a form of for
you. So do it with the right intention.
Right? You take care of your health. You're
dieting. You're looking at what you're eating. Do
it with the right intention.
Inshallah, it also can become a means of
reward for you. And secondly, how to build
spiritual strength?
Reflect upon that as well, which is the
core and foundation of true success in this
world and especially
the next. How can we take ourselves
from the starting point that Allah has given
us or where we are now and get
closer to Allah,
get stronger
spiritually, and also get stronger
physically
so that we can serve Allah
better,
in a greater way,
more, longer, with more quality, with more quantity,
and we can be able to protect ourselves
and those who are vulnerable
from the oppressors. May Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
make us people of strong iman. May Allah
make us people of strong taqwa. May
Allah make us people of strong iskapama.
May Allah
grant us strength
physically,
spiritually, and in every way for the pleasure
of Allah.
We had, some sad news.
The passing of the, father-in-law of our brother,
Mazin al Husi.
So make for him and all of those
who have passed away.
Also had a request for a young girl
in our community, 3 years old, Salwa who
will be having a a oral surgery,
soon. So we ask to make that surgery
for her easy.
Grant her a speedy and complete recovery. And
for all of those who are ill in
our community and elsewhere, I mean,