بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Falter not nor grieve, for you will overcome them if you are (indeed) believers

The weak stance is unsuitable to the person who delivers Da’wa, and that it is an attitude which contradicts with the attitude of the honest believers who have the sincere intention for Allah (SWT). Thus the honest faith and sincere intention for Allah (SWT) require from the deliverers of Da’wa, even from (all) Muslims, to be qualified with hardness, firmness, patience at severe tests and bearing of the adversities. And he should not falter nor weaken in front of the enemies and tyrant rulers and their torturers whatever the physical and psychological tortures that fall on him, and whatever the injury in soul, property and family that occur upon him; because the Da’i has prepared himself to bear the hardships and be patient in severe tests. Ever since Allah (SWT) sent the Messengers, the nature of their Messages, conveying of the communication and bearing of the messages, has pushed opponents to stand in their way, to stand against the callers and holders and the believers of the messages by misleading, torturing, attacking fiercely, murdering and assaulting them, their property and their families. Allah SWT has shown to the Muslims that this is the Law of Allah (SWT) for His creatures. And He showed them that they will be attacked and tortured and tested in their own selves, properties and children.

And He urged them to be patient and bear the severe tests and take Allah (SWT)’s Command without deviation by anything, or repulsed by any test in self, property or sons. And Allah (SWT) considered that patience and bearing of adversities as an evidence of honesty to Allah (SWT) and sincerity of intention to Him. And He made Paradise a reward to those who endure and bear patiently and continue in the undertaking of Allah (SWT)’s command. Allah (SWT) also urged the Muslims while they are the superior. He (SWT) said:

أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لاَ يُفْتَنُونَ

وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ

“Do men imagine that they will be left (at ease) because they say, We believe, and will not be tested with affliction? Lo! We tested those who were before you. Thus Allah (SWT) knows those who are true and those who are liars” [Surah al-Ankabut 29:2-3]

And He (SWT) said:

أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُمْ مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ مَسَّتْهُمْ الْبَأْسَاءُ وَالضَّرَّاءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا حَتَّى يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ مَتَى نَصْرُ اللَّهِ أَلاَ إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ

“Or think you that you will enter Paradise while yet there has not come unto you the like of (that which came to) those who passed away before you? Affliction and adversity befell them, they were shaken as with an earthquake until the Messenger of Allah (SWT), and those who believed along with him said: When will the victory of Allah (SWT) come? Lo! the victory of Allah (SWT) is near!” [Surah al-Baqarah 2:214]

And He (SWT) said:

لَتُبْلَوُنَّ فِي أَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ مِنْ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَمِنْ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا أَذًى كَثِيرًا وَإِنْ تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الأُمُورِ

“You shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your personal selves. But if you persevere patiently, and guard against evil, then that will be a determining factor in all affairs” [Surah Aali-Imran 3:186]

And He (SWT) said:

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنْ الأَمْوالِ وَالأَنفُسِ

وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرْ الصَّابِرِينَ

“Be sure We will test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss of goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil) but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere” [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:155]

And He (SWT) said:

ولاَ تَهِنُوا وَلاَ تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنْتُمْ الأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ

“Falter not nor grieve, for you will overcome them if you are (indeed) believers” [TMQ 3:139]

The Messengers and Prophets in their Call have been charged with falsehood and injured, both themselves and those who believed in them. Also the Messenger of Allah (SWT) (SAW) was injured as well as his honoured Companions, but they endured the afflictions and injury until the help of Allah (SWT) Subhaanahu wa ta’ala came. The injury, torture and hardship did not deviate them from holding firmly to their creed and Deen and continuing to support it. Great tests fell upon them, but they endured them until death as happened with A’al Yasser. Also Bilal, Ammar, Zarira, bin Masoud, Khabbab and others among the honoured companions have been tortured and tested with hunger, thirst, violent attacks and severe torture, but this did not deviate them from their creed even a little.

The companions of the previous Messengers had been dismembered by saws, their flesh combed off by iron combs, and burnt by fire but they did not apostatize nor cease for the enemies of Allah (SWT) and their enemies.

Allah (SWT) said:

قُتِلَ أَصْحَابُ الأُخْدُودِ

النَّارِ ذَاتِ الْوَقُودِ

إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌ

وَهُمْ عَلَى مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌ

وَمَا نَقَمُوا مِنْهُمْ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ

“Woe to the makers of the pit (of fire); Fire supplied (abundantly) with Fuel: Behold! they sat over against the (fire), and they witnessed (all that) they were doing against the Believers. And they ill treated them for no other reason than that they believed in Allah, Al-’Azeez, Al-Hameed!” [Surah al-Buruj 85:4-8]

Muslim has narrated from Suhaib that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “There was a King of those who were before you, and he had a magician. When the magician became old he said to the King: I have become old so send me a youth to teach him the magic. The King sent him his youth for him to teach him the magic. On his way to the magician he passed by a monk, he sat with him and listened with admiration to his talk, every time the youth went to the magician, he passed by the monk and sat with him. By the time he came to the magician, he (the magician) hit him. He (the youth) complained to the monk who told him: “If you fear the magician tell him, ‘my family arrested me’. And if you feared your family tell them, ‘the magician arrested me’. While he was in such a state he came and saw a great beast who had cornered some people. He said, ‘Today I shall know who is better the magician or the monk’. He took a stone and said, ‘My Lord if you know the affair of the monk is more beloved to you than the magician then kill this beast, so that the people may go away’; and he threw it and thus killed it, and the people escaped. Then he came to the monk and informed him. So the monk said to him, ‘O my son, today you are better than me. Your affair has reached to such a level that I see you will be tested. Then if you were tested don’t show a way to me’. The youth began healing those who were born blind, and lepers, and treated people suffering from various diseases. It came to pass that an associate of the king, who was blind, heard about him. He brought many gifts to him and said to him, ‘I will hand to you all that is here if you cure me’. The youth told him , ‘I don’t heal anybody, but it is Allah the Supreme who heals, so if you believe in Allah I will call Allah to heal you’. The blind man thus believed in Allah the Supreme, and Allah the Supreme healed him. Then he came to the King and told him as he was used to. Thus the King said to him, ‘Who returned back to you your sight?’. He said, ‘My God’. The King said, ‘Do you have a God other than me’. He said, ‘My God and your God is Allah’. He took him and continued torturing him till he guided him to the youth. The youth was then summoned. The King said to him, ‘O my son, your magic has reached a limit that you heal the blind and the leper and to do so and so’. The youth said, ‘I don’t heal anybody, it is Allah the Supreme who heals’. He took him and continued torturing him till he guided him to the monk. Then the monk was summoned. It was said to him, ‘Give up your religion’, but he refused. The King asked for a saw, which was put on the parting of his head and was cut through such that the two halves fell apart. Then the companion of the King was summoned, then the youth was summoned and it was said to him, ‘Give up your religion’, but he refused. Then the King pushed him to some of his companions and said to them, ‘Take him to mountain so and so, then climb with him up the mountain. When you arrive at its crest, and he does not give up his religion then throw him down’. They took him and climbed the mountain. Then the youth said, ‘O my Lord, be sufficient for me from them, however you like’. Thus the mountain rotated and they fell down. He came to the King walking. Then the King said to him, ‘What happened to your companions?’ He said: ‘Allah the Supreme was sufficient for me from them’. Then the King pushed him to some of his companions and said to them, ‘take him and carry him in a boat to the middle of the sea. If he did not give up his religion throw him away’. They took him. And he said, ‘O my lord be sufficient for me from them, however you like’. The ship turned over and they were drowned. He came to the King walking. He (the King) asked him, ‘What happened to your companions’. He said, ‘Allah the Supreme was sufficient for me from them’. Then the youth said to the King: ‘You will not kill me unless you do what I command you’. The King said, ‘What is that?’ The youth said, ‘Gather the people in one area and crucify me on a branch and take an arrow from my quiver and put the arrow in the bow and say, By the name of Allah, God of the youth’, then shoot me. Then if you have done that you will kill me. Thus the King gathered the people in one area, crucified the youth on a branch then took an arrow from the quiver of the youth and put it in the bow, said, ‘By the name of Allah, God of the youth’. Then he shot. Thus the arrow struck the forehead of the youth. Then the youth put his hand on his forehead, and thus died. Then the people said: ‘We believe in the God of this youth. The King was addressed by his companions who said to him, have you seen what you were afraid of? By Allah, your fear has befallen you, the people have become believers. Thus the King commanded the trenches be dug with iron sides then he started fires inside and said: Whoever does not convert throw him inside it. They all did that (i.e. died for their belief), until a woman came with her child and she hesitated to be thrown in. But the child said: ‘O my mother, be patient, you are with the truth!’

Al Bukhari narrated from Al Khabbab ibn Al-Aratt saying: I came to the Prophet (SAW) who was lying his head on a garment in the shadow of the Kaaba, and we had suffered from the unbelievers hardship and said: O Messenger of Allah why don’t you ask help for us? He sat up, while his face was reddish (i.e. angry) and said:

لقد كان من قبلكم ليمشط بأمشاط الحديد، ما دون عظامه من لحم أو عصب، ما يصرفه ذلك عن دينه، وليتمن الله هذا الأمر حتى يسير الراكب من صنعاء إلى حضرموت ما يخاف إلا الله والذئب على غنمه، ولكنكم قوم تستعجلون

“Those who were before you were combed with iron combs, taking away from their bones their flesh and nerves, and this did not dissuade them from their faith. And Allah will complete this affair (Islam) until the rider marches from Sana’a to Hadhramout, fearing none but Allah and the wolf on his sheep. But you people are in a hurry”.

Al Baihaqi and ibn Asakir narrated about Aby Rafi’a said: Omar ibn Al-Khattab despatched an army to the Romans, including a man called Abdullah bin Hudhayfa Al-Sahmi, from the companions of the Prophet (SAW), then the Romans captured him. They took him to their king and said to him: This is from Muhammad’s companions. Thus the tyrant said to him: Would you like to be a Christian and for me to make you a partner in my property and kingdom? Abdullah replied: If you give me all that you possess to leave the Deen of Muhammad (SAW) for a twinkle of an eye I would not do it. The tyrant said to him: Then I will kill you. He said: It is up to you. He commanded him to be crucified. Then he said to the shooters: Shoot him near his hands, near his legs, while continuously offering him the same offer, but he refused. Then he commanded him to be brought down and called for a big pot, poured water into it until it was boiling and asked for two captured Muslims, and gave an order for one to be thrown in the water while offering Abdullah to be a Christian, but he refused. Then he commanded that Abdullah be thrown inside it. When they took him away he cried. They told the king that Abdullah had cried, so the king thought that he was scared. He said: Bring him back. He offered Christianity to him but he refused. He said: Why then did you cry? He replied: I cried because I said to myself you will be thrown in this pot and pass away. So I liked that I had as many souls as the number of hairs in my body so that they all meet Allah ta’ala. The tyrant said to him: Do you agree to kiss me on my head and I will then release you? Abdullah replied to him: With all the captured Muslims? He said: With all the captured Muslims. Abdullah said: I said to myself: One enemy of Allah’s enemies whom if you kiss on his head he will release you and all the captured Muslims. I don’t care. He approached him and kissed him on his head. Thus he was granted the other captured Muslims. He arrived with them to Omar (may Allah satisfy him). Omar was informed with the news, so Omar stood up and kissed Abdullah’s head.

These are honoured examples which occurred with the previous prophets and their followers from the believers. And it occurred with the honoured Messenger (SAW) and his blessed first class companions.

Allah (SWT) encouraged the believers to stand firm, patient, trying more patience even if this leads to death, all that achieving the implementation of the noble values which the performers of the Da’awa should be qualified with in a time when noble values become rare and the materialistic values dominate.

Be patient and steadfast, you beloved, for Allah (SWT) and His Messenger, you performers of the Da’awa. Those who ask for victory should be sweetly qualified with the honest faith, steadfastness and patience, so support Allah (SWT) He will support you and hold hard your feet, and He (SWT) will shake your enemies like an earthquake.