Zaynab Ansari – Appalachian Retreat Following Our Prophet PBUH
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AI: Transcript ©
That's a really beautiful recitation. I would prefer
if you could come and just give us
a Tajweed lesson.
I would rather that you do that as
opposed to that. Just sit down and inshallah
and learn.
You did different qira'at, if I may ask?
That's really fascinating. So as you can see,
Pavel Zarbam was kind of implementing some of
the various,
or the variant readings or recitations of the
ra'at,
Hamdulillah. Really, really beautiful.
Because they're actually schools, you know, just as
there are schools, for example, in jurisprudence
and filth, there are schools within the, the
science of recitation of the Quran.
So just to inshallah, get us, started.
So I will be,
just kind of doing an introduction to the
topic of,
of today's discussion trials and tribulations. But before
I do that, I just want to kind
of give some advice
to those who are thinking about maybe driving,
I don't know, a front wheel vehicle into
mud. Really bad, bad, bad idea. So, yeah,
if you're wondering if this car is, stuck,
it's yeah.
Okay. Just wanted to throw that out there.
Okay. I think next time, like, 4 wheel
drive with chains. Is that how we need
to come in next time to make sure
that you win? Okay.
Okay.
So,
there is
a really beautiful series of verses in the
Quran, which I think really helped to encapsulate,
the theme of tonight's discussion.
And for those of you who'd like to
copy this presentation,
just inshallah, come and get my card and
email me, and I'll be very happy to
share it with
you. So we have in Suratul Balarah, the
chapter of the cow,
this really beautiful series of verses that really
is prefaced with, language
that it was sort of echoed in the
hadith that we heard earlier this afternoon where
the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,
is engaged in a thought provoking conversation and
dialogue with young Ibn Abbas who at the
time was 10 years old. And the prophet
gives him his advice to always be aware
and mindful of Allah and that in turn
Allah will be responsive
to to, to his needs and will be
of assistance.
So and as you can see, and as
chef Abdul Nasr mentioned, the the the ideas
that in a sense, really, the the Quran,
you know, the hadiq in a sense really
kind of echoes the Quran. That's why that
notion of we can just strictly go with
the Quran and don't need to rely on
the hadiq is really an erroneous one.
That the 2 really kind of need to
be understood
and read in tandem because honestly the life
of the prophet
is like opening the book. It's like looking
at the Quran,
in a sense,
brought to life.
So from the Quran, we we read that,
Allah
issues a command to to human beings, to
humanity,
to remember him. So remember me, it says,
I will remember you, and that's really a
beautiful thing that you have the Lord of
the universe
in this dialogue with humanity saying,
if you remember me, especially in your times
of ease and difficulty, then I will remember
you. It's a very kind of intimate,
form of conversation discourse.
Be thankful to me, God says, and never
ungrateful.
And you know that one of the definitions
of of the term kufur is actually someone
who is ungrateful,
someone who tries to deny
the blessings,
that are so evident in front of us.
Oh, you who believe, seek help through steadfastness
and prayer. Again, these are themes that are
kind of echoed in the hadith. Right? This
idea of being kind of steady and consistent
and always turning to god.
And do not say that those who are
killed in God's claws are dead. They are
alive though you do not know it. You
might not realize it. We shall certainly test
you. Again, this idea that everything that happens
on some level is going to be a
test,
of the firmness and the steadfastness
of our faith, of our attachment to Allah,
of our,
of the way we internalize this to them.
Right? It shall certainly test you with fear
and hunger.
So these are things that human beings on
varying levels are going to experience.
Loss of property,
life, and crops.
But give good news to those who are
steadfast.
So there is
in the end, you know, this sense of
it's really fascinating. There is this sense of
optimism that
god is telling us don't despair because despair
is really sort of, is really kind of
an aspect
of of unbelief. It's not becoming a believer
to to be a person who is despairing
of a God's mercy in other names. But
give good news to those who are steadfast,
those who say, when inflicted with a calamity,
we belong to god, and to him, we
shall return.
These are the people who've been given blessings.
It literally says, Salawat from Allah. This is
so beautiful that Allah actually sends Salawat to
one of these kinds of people, and in
his name who are rightly guided.
So we know the prophet going back to
this particular ayah, look at these things 1
by 1. Fear,
hunger,
loss of property,
wealth, status,
loss of life. All these things, the prop
the prophets, all of them believed to have
experienced various aspects. We know that, for example,
some prophets dealt with health challenges.
Many prophets dealt with,
rebellion within the the ranks of their family
and certainly within their community. They dealt with
a lot.
And the prophet Muhammad,
and when some of these are focuses on
following his footsteps, you can see if you
look at Hasidah, I mean, he is really,
really this person that we as 21st century
people can can relate to. It's really interesting
sometimes, you know, when you meet people and
they say, well, I just feel like I
just don't understand the prophet. I feel so
detached from him. I feel like he lived
in 7th century Arabia, and I live in
21st century
United States or Europe, and I just don't
really understand. And it's it's interesting that people
would would say that because if you open
up a book of of Sarah, I mean,
you you really see so many experiences and
I think it kind of translate
into our context. I mean, the prophet, peace
and blessings be upon him, dealt with family
issues. On so many different levels, he was
tested.
Now unlike other prophets, you know, he was
not tested with, for example,
disbelief, you know, in his sort of in
the ranks of his immediate family. But certainly
there were people in his extended family who
posed that type of challenge. Abu Lahab, for
example, being an ardent,
enemy sadly of the prophet. He said, blessed
the prophet of Islam.
You know, we know that, you know, as
we discussed, someone clarifies to me Zainab that
one of the daughters of the prophet. Her
husband eventually did did become Muslim, but their
story in Medina
know, they were kind of divorced and sent
home. And in the in the context of
that community, that was a very kind of
harsh blow for the prophet Dylan to have
his daughters kind of similarly divorced because he
was bringing this message of Telkhet. So, you
know, these are sort these are the things
that he dealt with. And he dealt with,
things, you know, kind of have I I
think sometimes when you talk about marriage and
family in Islam, we're gonna talk more about
that term, but sometimes you kinda uphold a
very kind of cookie cutter model of what
a family looks like. Right?
You know, mom, dad, you know, 2 and
a half kids. It's really interesting that we
kind of have this picture almost sort of
a Victorian
model of marriage and the prophet experienced being
a widower.
You know, he saw,
for example, you know, like I said, his
his daughter's being divorced. You know, he he
went through these kinds of things.
He experienced losing his own children.
You know, so he knew what it was
like to grieve the loss of an of
a of a child. I mean, he lost
his his baby boys,
in in infancy.
So this is something he dealt with. The
blood of Tunisia. I mean, then his very
first love. And the woman who really kind
of voluntarily
supported him, in the early days of the
smile because she was wealthy and she was
very giving.
You know, Subhanallah, you know, she was and
that that struck the plot that I think
probably hardest of all to lose Khadija,
not in the the death of Abu Muhammad.
So and as we know, I mean, look,
go back to this ayat, this loss of
property,
It's not just literally someone coming in and
taking things. It's it's it's also a loss
of kind of like one statue or random
community. You know, one of the things that
we learned in an earlier lesson was that
people explode the virtues of the prophet
before prophecy.
And the same people who loved him it's
so ironic that these people loved him before
he became a prophet, but then when he
came and warned them of what was to
come and they needed to take heed and
they needed to reassess their life and they
needed to
drop all these deities they were worshiping and
turn their worship to
all of a sudden, the Meccans did not
wanna hear that, and they started to revile
him. The same people who embrace him. Right?
So, you know, he and his family are
basically
shut out of Mecca. They're isolated.
They're made to kind of endure what what
we term basically an exile,
where their homes are taken from them. Their
source of income, their livelihoods, all those things
are stripped away. The prophet and his family
are experiencing starvation.
Right? So these are the kinds of things
the prophet salawamu Adam Saum dealt with. And
then we when we think about our
particular set of concerns, you know, they really
do kind of pale with comparison.
So we really need to look at the
siddha,
to see the prophet
experience everything that's mentioned in his aliyah and
in Surat al Bukhara.
And also the prophet, peace and blessings peace
and blessings be upon him, you know, he
had different trials that kind of appeared in
the form of the in the community around
him. When he saw that,
for example, that Mecca that the Mexicans were
not going to receive,
this message positively
in a general sense. We know that he
wanted to speak to people 5 and had
an experience there that was, I think, an
experience that probably just would have eroded the
faith of anybody
on a human level, it was a devastating
experience.
But the prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him, did not respond in kind. He didn't
ask the law to, you know, to destroy
the homes the people thought of. Instead, he,
you know, made this really, really eloquent dua.
And of my lowliness before men. But then
towards the end of the drop, the prophet,
peace and blessings be upon him, you know,
is not
asking for vengeance.
There's no you know, if you think about
the average person, you wanna get back with
these people that have hurt you. Right? You
feel anger when people direct things towards you.
The prophet basically
says to Allah to Allah that,
let your will take its course. He does
not ask for anything. And then in one
narration,
Jabriel adds, you know, I think after this
sentence, he says, I can crush these people
right now, and the prophet says no. And
then, the prophet retreats to a garden,
and, the people kind of have some sympathy
and they send their servant into cushion to
give the prophet
some fruit.
And this man is just so taken with
the prophet and his demeanor. I mean, imagine
that. I mean, what a condition for people
to kinda encounter you when you've just gone
through this really,
traumatic experience. The prophet is just gentle and
he's gracious and he's kind. And this man
who's Christian is just completely, completely enamored with
the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
So, you know, again, look at the siddah.
There are so many lessons we can take
from the siddah. And I mentioned this idea
that how faith branches out. Right? You kinda
have this tree of faith. Well, it's important
for us to understand
that when we look at this hadith, the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was telling us
there are layers to our faith. Faith
can, in a sense, you know, it can
increase and decrease. But one one thing that
we noticed with the life of the prophet
is that each of the 70 or so
branches of faith, they're manifested in the siddha
of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
Really, every sort of interaction of the prophet
is kind of an embodiment of his faith,
is an expression of his faith. And he's
constant. He's consistent. He's steadfast. So you don't
see the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam sort
of, you know, embracing
his faith with fervor when things are going
well and retreating from it when things are
difficult. Through it all, he really is really
that that even that that's the mark of
prophecy,
that sort of steadfastness.
Right? So he doesn't allow these things to
to shape him to the core. So you
see steadfastness, you see perseverance,
and you see that he's always maintaining a
good opinion of Abu Bakr Alaa. You know,
recently I was,
you know, around some people and they were
experiencing some difficult things and, you know, there
was sort of
a tendency to to blame god, you know,
to blame Allah ta'ala for
for those circumstances
that, you know, essentially,
what type you know, the question was asked,
what type of god does this? And that
that's the wrong question to ask. There is
wisdom in every situation.
And again, if you just want to gain
some perspective,
look what the prophet, salallahu alayhi, have some
experience in terms of trials and tribulations. He
experienced the the gamut. It's all there.
So there are really kind of 3 key
lessons that we can take in terms of
how to, practically speaking, navigate
what life presents to us. Right?
And these three things that will help us,
inshallah, to navigate difficult circumstances are 1, mindfulness.
Even if it looks really stupid and mundane,
like, the carbon is stuck in the mud.
There's some type of reminder in this episode,
you know, that
this technology, no matter how great, can kind
of, like, crumble in the face of the
creation of Allah, that love can stop this
car. It's just mud. That's all it is.
It's dirt and water, and this car, all
of us, whatever horse my husband's
Whatever horsepower, it's gone. Right? So, you know,
just be mindful of the power of Allah
and manifest sometimes in really surprising ways. You
know, as Allah tells us in the Quran,
remember Allah, He will remember us.
And then
after having a sense of this awareness,
then the supplication. That is a very powerful
tool of a believer in the patients.
And then I'll look at this with a
little bit more detail than inshallah. We'll listen
to our, our to our other teachers.
So mindfulness literally is defined as as taqwa.
It really is having this sense this deep
sense of awareness that Abbasid Qweta'a has
has placed certain boundaries that we shouldn't pass.
Okay? And kind of disciplining ourselves to stay
within these boundaries.
There is spiritual growth in that. So literally,
it's adherence to sacred law, doing what Allah
has commanded and abstaining from what he's forbidden.
And we know that the highest level of
this type of mindfulness, this type of tafwa,
is to be circularless,
to be cautious even about what is permissible.
Right?
And then the supplication.
So supplication,
you know, there are many, many different forms
of this, but what it really is is
turning to Allah
with all of one's heart and all of
one's mind in every
possible circumstance. Sometimes people say, oh, it's just
dua. It's just prayer. What difference are my
words gonna make? You don't know. You might
make a dura today that maybe 20, 30
years down the line, it's answered. You never
know. You know, you might be here today
because someone a long time ago made dura
for these generations of of people who are
here today. They asked Allah, they beseech Allah.
So in some location, you know what happens
in your prayer. The best place for that
is when you're prostrating,
and then it can also happen at any
time outside the prayer. And know that Allah
responds. He says his makurah. He's waiting for
us to follow on and he hears us.
And literally in the or no matter how
serious,
ask Allah first,
then
ask Allah, then see what means you should
take from human beings but always ask Allah's
first that it is undesirable,
on a certain level
to direct one's lead towards other human beings.
You ask Allah first.
And have faith have faith in Allah's power
so understand that the drop will not necessarily
be answered in the way that we want
it to be answered. It might not mean
an immediate opening in the trial or tribulation.
Right? That opening might come later on in
a different form.
Okay? But just
the
spiritual,
openings, the elevation that can happen from the
mere, the act of supplicating a law, that
that is the key right there.
And, you know, for those who want books
of drought, there come to us, there's some
really excellent books out there. One of the
best ones is Reflections of Pearls because it
has a whole list,
collection of supplications from the Quran, supplications from
the sunnah, as well as, a discussion of
of the etiquette of supplication.
Right? You know, trying, for example,
as much as possible that when they're supplicating,
trying to face the good blood to have
tahara.
These are important things. You know, one of
the best things you can do when asking
a law for something is to give some
of them. I mean, I can tell you
that really really I've actually experienced that. To
actually give salafah to actually give salafah before
making dua,
it can have a really really powerful impact.
So these are some things to be aware
of. And patience.
Another AAI report on this is Surat Adi
Anran.
Indeed, it says you shall hear any hurtful
things from those to whom revelation was granted
before your time. This is very relevant to
what Gamzia was discussing last night, you know,
being in that room and people heckling the
Muslims, you know, this is something to keep
in mind. We respond. We don't we respond
on sober.
We don't,
you know, sort of lower our sound to
that level, You know? Whenever I I'm with
someone, they're like, yeah. Let's keep it real.
Let's cuss them out. No. That's not how
we respond. That's not how we respond. We
respond with patience and with dignity.
And there are dimensions to this patience. There's
patience in adversity. Some of the things are
tough when you are going through trials and
tribulations.
Right?
And then there is, more specific type of
patience which is what those who have wronged
you. It doesn't have to necessarily be someone
who's an enemy. It can even be people
who are close to you. It's really important
to have patience with those who who you
deemed have committed a wrong against you.
And then, of course, there is patience in
the way of Allah ta'ala enjoying the right
and prohibiting the wrongs. These are 3,
dimensions of suffering and patience.
I just wanna, conclude here, inshallah, that there
are people today in our community that we
can
look at as being kind of just awesome
examples of what it means to be patient
in the face of trial and tribulation. Oftentimes,
people don't advertise their circumstances but
if you spend time with them or people
around them, you know. And there it's just
amazing. You can literally see how these people
are walking in the footsteps of the prophet.
For example, there is,
a woman who is now she she's now
deceased, Allah Yat Hamha.
This is in Atlanta. She came to Islam
from a background. She was a convert from
Puerto Rican background,
and she became Muslim and all these things
happened. She was, diagnosed with cancer
and lived with with that for many for
many years with that diagnosis.
Always battling cancer.
This was someone that so her health was
affected in a really profound way. Right?
Becoming Muslim, she encountered challenges in her family
life.
Divorce,
because, you know, she had a stronger faith
in her marriage
and, her husband had some challenges with that.
She
lost a son and a grandson.
She,
her son was killed,
in inner city violence. It was Subhanallah. I
remember, hearing the story. This was
a community in Atlanta. There were some children
playing in a park and some guys came
in with guns.
This young man, this is the son of
this amazing woman,
Subhanallah, he's shielded the children of his body.
So he shilled the man.
I'm sorry.
I just can't imagine what sort of people
come into a park and do this but
this was everyone ran but the young Muslim
man stayed. So he showed the children and
took the bullets. He was killed. The children
were okay.
He couldn't have been more than
maybe
18 or 19. I'll check with my husband
because they were friends.
And his mom's response to Pamela, she was
so calm and so dignified.
You would imagine that hearing this, she'd be
hysterical. I mean, she's already dealing with cancer
and then her son
is killed like this and Pamela, she was
holding other people comforting them at his
janaza. She was just amazing.
I never ever heard her say why,
oh, oh, why me? Why me? She never
ever said that. She was always smiling.
And then a few years after that, her
grandson died Again, and she never ever became
bitter. Her grandson
was, went to
to to study in Malaysia. He was with,
a group that was studying,
Olumetit. They were students of knowledge
and they were out there kind of exploring,
some area of the of the of the
university where they were doing construction. And exploring,
some area of the of the of the
university where they were doing construction
and being young people, they wanted to kind
of, like, they're climbing to the buildings that
were still being kind of, constructed and,
one of the young women again, here's a
case of how amazing these men and and
his family were. One of the young women
was, like, climbing up trying to explore this
building. The scaffolding started to break. So he
basically,
I think what they did was they managed
to kinda catch her. So she was okay,
but he kinda, like, took the impact of
the fall so he actually fell from this
building and and and died and he's seeking
knowledge. So essentially, she's got a son and
a grandson, worship Hadan.
And this, SubhanAllah, through it all, she never
ever complained that I've lost my son and
now my grandson.
So you can see these people in your
community. She always have a smile on her
face, Pamela. And that those are the kinds
of people you wanna surround yourself with. And
if you and if you asked her why,
how is it you're so patient and so
dignified and so content with other than Allah,