No Matter How Righteous A Person Becomes,
He Will Always Have Someone Who Dislikes Him;
Even the Prophets,
They Were Not Loved By Everyone!
( إِنَّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ لَشِرْذِمَةٌ قَلِيلُونَ )
“These people are a puny band”
That is what Pharaoh said about Moses (peace be upon him) and his followers.
That is how pharaohs have always been;
Tempted by the number of their flocks!
( وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ )
“We deal out such days among people in turn”
Who would have thought that Moses (peace be upon him),
Who worked as a shepherd for years,
Would one day become the one who spoke with God?!
And that Muhammad (peace be upon him),
Who used to herd sheep for the nobles of Quraysh for a small wage,
Would, years later, become the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers?!
Perhaps the most beautiful days of your life have not come yet.
A little effort,
And a lot of trust in Allah;
And you’ll see that what lies ahead is more beautiful!
One of the greatest blessings Allah can bestow upon His servant is:
To make him beloved among people!
Allah the Al-Mighty said to Moses (peace be upon him):
( وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّي )
“I showered you with My love.”
Ibn Kathir said:
‘No one ever saw Moses without loving him.’
Ibn al-Mukandar once said to Abu HazIm:
People meet me and pray for me with goodness,
Though I don’t know them and have done nothing for them
Abu Hazim replied:
That is the bounty of Allah.
( سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وُدًّا )
“But the Lord of Mercy will give love to.”
Whoever finds life tightening on him,
And Allah inspires him with the supplication of Yunus (peace be upon him:
( لَّا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ )
“There is no God but You, glory be to You, I was wrong.”
Then know that Allah has already paved the way for his relief!
( قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ )
“He said, ‘I plead my grief and sorrow before God.'”
These were the words of Jacob (peace be upon him)
After he lost his son…
And after he lost his sight in sorrow…
Yet Allah restored both his son and his vision!
So, if you must complain,
Let your direction be to Allah.
O Allah, I ask You for a submission to Your commands
Like the submission of Noah (peace be upon him)
When You said to him:
( أَنِ اصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ )
“Build the Ark.”
He didn’t ask: ‘What use is a ship in the desert, O Lord?’
One of the subtle insights I have read in Tafsir (of the Qur’an) is:
What Imam Al-Qushayri said about the words of Prophet Suliman (peace be upon him) regarding the hoopoe:
( لَأُعَذِّبَنَّهُ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا )
“I will punish him severely.”
Al-Qushayri commented:
The severest punishment is to separate one from whom he loves!
For to be parted from the beloved;
It is like breathing through the eye of a needle!
On the Day of Ashoora’
Moses (peace be upon him) reached the shore:
There was no escape;
The sea before him,
Pharaoh behind him
And the Children of Israel said to him:
( إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ )
“We shall definitely be caught.”
But he replied with the certainty of one who trusts his Lord:
( كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ )
“No, my Lord is with me: He will guide me.”
O Allah, grant us certainty like the certainty of Moses,
Faith in Your promise like faith of Moses,
And trust in You like trust of Moses!
( إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَن يَمَسَّكَ عَذَابٌ مِّنَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ )
“I fear that a punishment from the Lord of Mercy may afflict you.”
One of the most beautiful forms of love is encouraging someone toward obedience (of Allah).
Whoever does not care about your Hereafter does not truly care about you.
If you see a friend committing a sin and don’t advise him,
know that your love is incomplete!
You fear hurting his feelings, but not the fire that could await him?!
Lead your loved ones to Jannah (Paradise).
If you see someone doing good, praise them.
If you see someone slipping into sin,
Bring him back to Allah even if you have to drag him by the neck.
‘Umar bin Abdul Aziz once said to his companion:
“If you see me deviating from the path,
Grab me by my garments and shake me violently,
And say: “O Umar, fear Allah, for you will die!”
( فَفِرُّوا إِلَى اللَّهِ ۖ )
“Quickly, turn to God.”
Every escape implies cowardice,
Except fleeing to Allah; it is the craft of the brave.
Fleeing to Allah is the escape of the victorious, not the defeated;
It is the decision of a strong person, not a weak one.
There are other kinds of heroism:
To refrain from sin when you are capable of committing it: That is heroism!
To return broken and humbled after every sin: That is heroism!
To rise for Fajr prayer and cast off the comfort of your blanket: That is heroism!
True heroism isn’t just in physical strength.
One day, Abdullah bin Masood climbed a tree, and the companions laughed at how thin his legs were.
Thereupon the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“By the One in whose Hand is my soul, they are heavier on the scale than Mount Uhud!”
( وَلَٰكِن كَرِهَ اللَّهُ انبِعَاثَهُمْ فَثَبَّطَهُمْ )
“But God was loath to let them rise up and made them hold back.”
When Allah uses you to serve His religion,
Know that He has looked into your heart and is pleased with it.
A human being, as a human, refuses to use a dirty tool in his work;
So how about Allah, Who is above all comparison?
So anyone who is not on the path of Allah,
Know that Allah has looked into their heart and turned away from it.
Do not envy well-known people over trivial matters;
If Allah had loved them, He would have used them in His obedience!
And do not envy billionaires who do have good deeds;
If Allah had loved them, He would not have dispensed with them!
( فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا )
“So do not let the present life delude you.”
Life is short—no matter how long it seems to you.
It was said to Prophet Noah (peace be upon him):
“Why did you build a house from reeds?”
He replied: “This is the house of a traveler.”
He lived over a thousand years, and still saw it as short!
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“What have I to do with this world? I am in this world like a rider who rests under the shade of a tree, then moves on and leaves it behind.”
It is small—even if it seems great in your eyes!
If it were worth even the wing of a mosquito to Allah,
He would not have given a disbeliever a sip of water from it.
It is fleeting—even if you think it will last!
Caliph Al-Mansur once said to Al-Rabi: “How pleasant life would be if not for death?”
Al-Rabi’ replied: “Life only became pleasant because of death.”
Al-Mansur asked: “How so?!”
He said: “If it weren’t for death, the caliphate would never have reached you.”
( فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُم مِّن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ )
“Alas for those whose hearts harden at the mention of God!”
You see the arrogant sinner boasting of his strength and asking:
“Why has not Allah punished me?”
O ignorant one—what punishment is harsher than what you are already in?!
A funeral passes by you, and you take no lesson!
You hear a verse about death, yet you are not moved!
You see the poor and needy, but your heart does not soften!
And still you ask: “Where is the punishment?!”
What punishment is harsher than a heart that has become a grave?
Ibn al-Qayyem once said:
“No servant has ever been struck with a punishment greater than the hardness of the heart!”
( وَكَأَيِّن مِّن دَابَّةٍ لَّا تَحْمِلُ رِزْقَهَا اللَّهُ يَرْزُقُهَا وَإِيَّاكُمْ ۚ )
“How many are the creatures who do not store their sustenance! God sustains them and you.”
Look at the creatures around you:
Birds, fish, frogs, snakes, even bacteria, and all animals!
They have no clothes with pockets,
No bank accounts,
No health insurance,
No pension plans!
Yet they rise each morning full of trust in their Lord to provide for them.
You will not find a single animal dying from hunger!
So, entrust your matters to Allah.
The storytellers narrate that Prophet Suliman (peace be upon him) once asked an ant: “How many grains do you eat in a year?”
She replied: “Two grains.”
He placed her in a box with two grains.
After a year, he returned and found she had eaten only one grain!
He asked her why?!
She said: “When I was free, my affairs were in Allah’s hands, and I knew He would never forget me.
But when I came under your care, I feared that you might forget me!”
( رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا )
“Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us.”
What a profound supplication!
Whoever has tasted the sweetness of closeness to Allah,
Fears the loneliness of being distant from Him!
So ask Allah not to deprive you of the joy of closeness to Him.
For how many people once drew near—then fell away?
And how many turned to Allah—then turned back?
Those people thought that steadfastness was in their own hands!
So Allah turned them away from His door.
Indeed, the obedient fear losing his obedience
More than the sinner fears his sin!
( إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَيْبِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ )
“But there is forgiveness and a great reward for those who fear their Lord though they cannot see Him.”
They were unseen by the eyes of people,
But they knew the eye of Allah was watching them.
So they abandoned what is forbidden, even though they had the power to do it.
They restrained their desires despite all temptations.
They turned away from sin, even though it was easy to commit.
They didn’t turn from desire out of hatred for it;
Nor did they reject unlawful wealth out of dislike for money;
But they left it all for the sake of Allah!
They felt His gaze upon them, so they were shy before Him.
This is what it means to fear Him in the unseen:
To abandon sin while being sure no one will catch you!
( قِيلَ لَهَا ادْخُلِي الصَّرْحَ ۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ حَسِبَتْهُ لُجَّةً وَكَشَفَتْ عَن سَاقَيْهَا ۚ )
“Then it was said to her, ‘Enter the hall,’ but when she saw it, she thought it was a deep pool of water, and bared her legs.”
Balqees thought the palace floor, made of glass, was water,
So she uncovered her legs to walk across.
That is how long and modest her dress was!
Modesty has always been the attire of queens since the dawn of time.
As for revealing clothing and exposing charms, that was the style of courtesans—those who sought to ensnare men with their allure.
So, look at your clothing, and ask yourself:
Are you among the queens—like Balqees?
Or among the others?!
( وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ )
“We gave strength to their hearts.”
Hearts waver—but it is Allah who gives steadfastness.
No matter how strong your faith is, never stop asking Allah for steadfastness.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to frequently say:
“O Turner of hearts, keep my heart firm upon Your religion.”
And this was the Prophet of the Ummah and the best of creation!
Were it not for Allah’s firmness upon the hearts of His servants, the devils would toy with them.
And no one would be able to carry out Allah’s commands.
The youths of the cave were upon the truth, while their whole city worshipped idols.
But when Allah strengthened their hearts, everything else became insignificant to them.
And the mother of Moses—when she cast him into the river!
Had Allah not strengthened her heart, she could not have done it.
So always ask Allah for steadfastness,
And that He may give strength to your heart!
( وَوَجَدُوا مَا عَمِلُوا حَاضِرًا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا )
“They will find everything they ever did laid in front of them.”
Your life is a book—and you will read it on the Day of Judgment before Allah.
So beware of being a bad author.
Write today what you will not be ashamed to read there tomorrow!
Your book is still in your hands,
And you still hold the eraser of Istighfar (seeking forgiveness) to wipe away your sins.
There are many blank pages left—fill them with radiant lines.
Write lines of charity,
Write paragraphs of comforting broken hearts,
Write pages of night prayer,
Or even write a comma of voluntary fasting!
It’s true that no one will enter Paradise by his deeds alone,
Even the Prophet (peace be upon him) will enter only by Allah’s Mercy.
But good deeds attract His Mercy, Glory be to Him!
( وَهُزِّي إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ )
“And shake the trunk of the palm tree towards you.”
Allah the Al-Mighty knows that even a strong man would not be able to shake a palm tree
So what about a woman who has just given birth?!
Yet, when He told her: “Shake,”
He wanted to teach us to take action,
And to show us that effort is required.
God provides the worm or grain for the bird, but He does not drop it into its nest.
The One Who granted Mariam a child without a husband,
He was certainly capable of letting the dates fall without her shaking the trunk.
But He wanted us to exert effort, use our strength, and strive.
And then to understand with certainty that these are merely causes:
They neither benefit nor harm on their own!
( يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَٰذَا وَكُنتُ نَسْيًا مَّنسِيًّا )
“I wish I had been dead and forgotten long before all this.”
There are moments in life when the world feels unbearably heavy.
And it seems as though the entire planet is pressing down on your chest.
Not because of a lack of faith, but because of harshness of life.
Mariam was firm in her faith, deep in her trust in God.
But the trial was overwhelming, and the event was immense:
A child born without a father, with whom she would have to face a hard-hearted people.
So the world became too tightened for her.
Sometimes, life’s blows break us.
There are so heavy days, and we feel they will never pass.
So live your humanity—both its weakness and its strength,
But in both states:
Be with God and God will be with you!
( فَنَادَاهَا مِن تَحْتِهَا أَلَّا تَحْزَنِي قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا )
“But a voice cried to her from below, ‘Do not worry: your Lord has provided a stream at your feet.'”
If anyone could have been indispensible of condolence in times of hardship,
It would have been Mariam the Virgin who was so firm in her faith.
Yet in the end, we are all human, and we need someone to gently soothe our hearts.
So if you see someone weighed down by hardship,
Come close, soothe his heart and ease his pain until his heart shines again.
Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, the best of people after the prophets, and the highest in faith:
Still, the Prophet comforted him in the cave, saying:
“O Abu Bakr, what do you think of two, when God is their third?”
“O Abu Bakr, do not grieve, for God is with us.”
Even the Prophet, peace be upon him: When Khadijah passed away, and his uncle Abu Talib died, and when he lost his strongest supporters,
God knew his sorrow and his broken heart,
So came the miracle of Al-Isra and Al-Mi’raj:
God took him to the heavens, to console him.
Sometimes, the pain becomes so great
That even the whole world is not enough to bring condolence!
( إِنِّي جَزَيْتُهُمُ الْيَوْمَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا أَنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ )
“Today I have rewarded them for their patience: it is they who will succeed.”
Patience for the sake of Allah is a great act of worship.
It is patience against sin and patience in obedience!
To restrain your desire when you are fully able to act on it,
To lower your gaze even when the scene is tempting,
To refuse a bribe, even when it is easy and there is no fear of being exposed,
All of this is patience in avoiding sin.
And its reward with God is immense!
To give in charity while love for wealth is part of your nature,
To rise for Fajr prayer when sleep feels so sweet,
To walk in service to your parents when life is already full of demands,
This too is patience in obedience.
And its reward with God is great!
( رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَهَبْ لِي مُلْكًا لَّا يَنبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِي ۖ )
“Lord forgive me! Grant me such power as no one after me will have.”
Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) began his supplication with repentance and seeking forgiveness:
This reflects the deep understanding and wisdom of the Prophets.
For nothing blocks the answer to supplications more than sins.
A person may ask something from his Lord,
But the only thing standing between him and the answer is a sin he persists in.
So if your prayers are delayed:
Reexamine your life, look closely at the sins you are drowning in;
It may be that your sins are the reason the answer is held back.
And never think that you were answered because you asked too much;
Nothing is too much for Allah.
This is Sulaiman (peace be upon him); He asked for control over the Jinn, mastery over the winds, and the language of the birds.
And Allah gave him all of that.
But before he asked, he began with repentance!
Wealth That Makes You Arrogant
Is Poverty…
A Certificate That Makes You Arrogant
Is Ignorance…
And A Position That Makes You Arrogant
Is Degradation…
( قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا فَتًى يَذْكُرُهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ )
“Some said, ‘We heard a youth called Abraham talking about them.’”
To them, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was just a young man,
But to Allah, he was an entire nation.
For his sake, the laws of the universe were altered:
He was thrown into fire, yet it became coolness and peace upon him.
His wife Sarah had grown old and barren, but Allah restored her, and she gave birth to Ishaq (peace be upon him).
When Pharaoh tried to take Sarah for himself, Allah lifted the veil of the unseen. So Ibrahim could witness the scene and his heart could be at ease.
So do not seek your worth in the eyes of people.
Your true value lies in:
Who you are in the Sight of Allah?!
( فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ ۖ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ )
“But it is best to be patient: from God alone I seek help to bear what you are saying.”
Peace be upon those who do not take everything to heart,
Those who do not cry over every goodbye,
Those who do not pause at every word,
Those who do not hang their mistakes on others,
Those who know this life is black and white,
Those who know that evil exists just as surely as good does,
Those who believe this world is only a crossing
And that contentment with God is the safest vessel across!
( وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَاهُ ۖ )
“But it is more fitting that you fear God.”
As for what comes after
Worships come before habits,
Sanctity comes before shame,
Shari’ah comes before reality,
The Sunnah comes before what is familiar,
And God comes before people.
And Peace!
At the Aziz palace,
He (Prophet Yusuf) had the power to sin, but said:
( مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ ۖ )
“God forbid!”
At the king palace,
He had the power to take revenge, but said:
( يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۖ )
“May God forgive you!”
Sometimes, our worth lies in what we choose not to do!
Only You, O Allah
You saw the pain in the heart of Jacob (peace be upon him)
When he said:
( إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّه )
“I plead my grief and sorrow before God.”
O Allah, if something like that lives in the heart now,
Then by Your mercy,
Let the joy of Jacob upon seeing Yusuf pass through me!
The answer may be delayed
Because in Allah’s decree is a rank
You have not yet reached!
Because in your heart is a hardness
That Allah wants to soften!
Because the delay will strip from you:
Every trace of pride in your worship,
Every ounce of arrogance in your heart,
Every corrupt comparison in which you thought yourself better than others,
Every disobedient you looked at him with scorn instead of mercy…
And then… Allah responds!
We seek refuge in You, O Allah
From slipping after our feet have been firm!
We seek refuge in You
From doing what we used to warn others against!
We seek refuge in You
From filling our worship with pride!
We seek refuge in You
From looking at the sinner with contempt instead of mercy!
We seek refuge in You
From a blessing that makes us forget You,
And from a trial that makes us resent Your decree!
We seek refuge in You—from You!
And we flee to You!
About the great Prophet Moses (peace be upon him),
His mother:
( فَأَلْقِيهِ فِي الْيَمّ )
“Put him in the river.”
His foster mother:
( لَا تَقْتُلُوهُ )
“Do not kill him.”
His sister:
( إِذْ تَمْشِي أُخْتُكَ )
“Your sister went out.”
His wife:
( يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ ۖ )
“Father, hire him.”
No great man exists,
Without the hand of a woman in his story!