Radiating Beauty - Abdul Nasir Jangda

Radiating Beauty - Abdul Nasir Jangda

Opening

الْحَمْدُ لِلهِ it's good to see everybody.

Introduction

I know that the hall might not be as full as it was before, but I was observing and just kind of watching, and I was really impressed by everybody and how much attention everybody was paying. Everybody really seemed to be dialed in, and that's more than what you can ask for. So I really wanted to appreciate everybody for paying attention and really trying to understand what everyone is trying to communicate here from the stage.

The Topic: Radiating Beauty

The topic of the session is radiating beauty. It's talking about the idea was that how Islam, wherever it went and whenever that was, the beauty that Islam radiated, the beauty that the Muslim community radiated, the appeal that the Muslim community always had, throughout history, throughout time. And when I really sat down and thought about this for a very long time, there were a lot of great suggestions, and I thought about it for a long time, what to talk about in this particular session.

And it actually occurred to me late last night or early this morning, that when I look at the Quran, when I look at the book of Allah, and I look at the life of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), and one of the most powerful forces that you find in the Quran, that you find in the life of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that jumps out at you and really draws you in. And when you study the history of Islam that you see, that it pulled people in. It was like, for a nerdy reference, it was like a tractor beam.

Like it would grab people and would not let go of them. People seemed... You know, it's very interesting, because on one side obviously, the accusation from the disbelievers at the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is that he's a sahir, he enchants people, he puts them under a spell. And that of course was false.

But people really just completely were... People gravitated towards the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and they were not able to pull themselves away from him and what he presented. And when I thought about what was it about the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) what is it about Islam? And the Islamic manner and

the Islamic lifestyle that had that effect on people throughout time, wherever Muslims went. I thought about an ayah of the Quran.

The Key Verse from Surah At-Tawbah

This ayah is from the end of surah Tawbah. And in this surah, surah number 9, Allah in this surah says something really profound. At the end of the surah, Allah, He introduces the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to us.

And the introduction of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that Allah provides, is something worth listening to. It's a very famous ayah, maybe you've heard of this before.

Allah says:

"There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful."

I'm gonna try to break this up into little bits and pieces. I'm gonna try not to get too nerdy and try to analyze every single word. But at the same time, I want you to appreciate what Allah is saying about the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). What Allah is communicating to us about the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) for us to take note of and take home with us.

Analysis of the Verse

لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ - Allah says that most definitely they came to you. Most definitely they came to you. Right off the bat, one thing that Allah tells us is that the Messenger went to the people. He didn't wait for the people to come to him, but he went to the people.

He knocked on their doors. He went and visited them. He sought them out. He looked for them. - رَسُولٌ A Messenger of all people. The highest station any human being can occupy is to be a Messenger of God. To be selected by Allah. To receive divine revelation and inspiration from God Himself. And so that man, he came to you.

مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ - And he was from amongst you. He was one of you. He grew up with you. He walked on the streets with you. He spoke your language. He knew who you were. He knew you by name. When he met you, he didn't just ask how you were doing. He asked you how your mom was doing. And how your father was doing. And how were your kids. And how was your wife. And how was your brother. And how was your uncle. He was from amongst you.

عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ - And then comes the really powerful part. It is very harsh on him. It is very heavy on him. What is so heavy on him? What weighs on him? What weighs him down مَا عَنِتُمْ - The difficulty that you experience is heavy on him. Think about that. The difficulty you experience is heavy on him.

حَرِي عَلَيْكُمْ - The word حريص in the Arabic language is used for like greed. To want something. To desire something. It's like a very natural desire. حريص عَلَيْكُمْ - His natural default position was to want what was best for people. He is fully invested into your well-being.

بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ - When it specifically comes to the believers. And this is a very subtle point here that I'd like to kind of touch on. But I don't want to talk about this too much.

The Problem with Our Implementation of Character

There's a very weird dynamic we have and a very bizarre understanding or implementation we have of what we call أخلاق or character. Or as the Imam, the Shaykh was mentioning about إحسان. We have a very bizarre implementation or understanding of it.

We take أخلاق and إحسان and all these good character and good manners and good disposition. We take all of that and we practice it with people that are on the outside of our lives. We practice it with strangers.

We're very nice and polite. We hold doors open for people. We say please and thank you. Yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir. Right, we're very nice and polite and appropriate. Yes sister, thank you brother.

Very, very nice. And then but within our own home we talk to each other like savages. Hey! Like what happened to all the politeness? Like one second you'll see a guy, he'll be like, yes sister, how are you sister, very good sister.

And he'll turn to his wife, he's like, hey! And it's like, what just happened to you? What happened to the yes, hello, nice, thank you very much. What happened to that? Right, to other people's kids we'll be like, oh come here, how's it going, mashallah, he's so cute. Hey stupid, come over here.

It's like, what, why would you talk to your own kid like that? Right, or even within the community we have this bizarre, this strange like application. Like dare I say that when we're at work or in the supermarket or at the mall we're very nice and polite, we'll let people go first. But then when we're standing in line for food at the masjid, we're like shoving people out of the way.

And we're being rude and obnoxious to other people, right, we'll pull out our phone and start talking, sitting right next to a guy who's like praying his sunnah, his nawafil, and we're like, hey, hey, like what's going on? The guy's praying. Right, so there's this very bizarre implementation. But the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Allah says, بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ ? With the believers though? Who are the believers? Think about who the sahaba were.

The sahaba were people who had pledged their life to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). They would give up their lives for him. He didn't have to win them over. They were already in. They were in. They weren't going nowhere.

He didn't have to win them over. But specifically when it came to the believers رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ - extremely compassionate, always merciful. So this powerful comprehensive ayah is a very thorough introduction to (صلى الله عليه وسلم) who is Muhammad.

The Concept of Empathy

When I think about this and try to summarize this into an idea, the word that comes to my mind is empathy. We are so distant from the idea of empathy let alone the practice of it, that we don't sometimes even know what the word means. We know it sounds something kind of like sympathy.

Sympathy is to understand where somebody else is coming from. To acknowledge somebody else's pain. Empathy is to feel their pain. To feel their pain. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) exhibited this beautiful, unbelievable quality of empathy. And I want to share a very quick rapid fire so try to stay with me.

I just want to share a couple of examples of this empathy in regards to different people. How he would practice this empathy with different people. It didn't matter who it was.

Examples of Prophetic Empathy

The Story of Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl

The Prophet of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) When Ikrimah, the son of Abu Jahl. Abu Jahl was the man who had declared war against the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) the Muslims and Islam. He had killed Muslims just for believing.

He had tortured Muslims just for believing. And he was at the head of multiple plots to assassinate the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He eventually led an army into the battlefield with the intent of killing the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and as many Muslims as possible.

This man made it very clear what his position was in regards to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and Islam. And eventually died with those same convictions. His son who had fought by the side of his father and in fact continued his father's work after his father's death.

He is now coming to Mecca to meet the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) after the conquest of Mecca and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) when he receives the news that Ikrimah has entered Mecca and he's on his way to see you The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) turns to his companions and he says his father's name was Amr bin Hisham and they used to call him Abu al-Hakam because he was a leader of his people but the Muslims used to call him Abu Jahl because of his actions and his conduct.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) he turns to the Muslims, the believers and he says:

Reference: Similar narration in Al-Hakim's Al-Mustadrak

Ikrimah is coming and I am hopeful that he will embrace and accept Islam. In his presence none of you should refer to his father as Abu Jahl because it would hurt his feelings even if he becomes a Muslim and he recognizes that his father was wrong in his beliefs and his ideas and in what he did it is still his father and it would hurt his feelings to hear people his new brothers and sisters in faith to refer to his father as the father of ignorance so do not refer to him as Abu Jahl in the presence of his son Ikrimah.

This is the ungraciousness of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) this is his empathy he was able to put himself into Ikrimah's shoes and understand how he would feel in that situation.

The Story of Abdullah ibn Ubay

One of the main conspirators against the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) the head of the Munafiqun the hypocrites in Madina Abdullah bin Ubay bin Sulul when his son comes to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying that my father has died and I know that he was completely opposed to you and he said terrible, reprehensible things about you but he was my dad and I worry about him the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) on the spot removes his shirt takes off his own shirt and he gives it to him and he says wrap him in this use this as his shroud and bury him in that what would we do to have the shirt of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) can you imagine being buried in the clothing of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) what an honor, what a blessing and even though Allah made it clear this would not forgive his sins and what he had done wrong but the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) at that time is thinking of the son and putting himself in the son's shoes imagine what he feels like losing his father that's empathy.

Reference: Bukhari hadith 1269, Muslim hadith 2773

The Story of Hussain's Stuttering

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) very touching story his grandson Hussain the son of Ali and Fatima Hussain he was the younger of the two brothers Hassan and Hussain may Allah be pleased with both of them the younger one he used to stutter the younger one he used to stutter he had a very severe stutter to the point where he could not even complete a sentence it would take him forever to finish a sentence and what makes it even worse is as a child this is very very traumatic and very detrimental to the development of a child what makes it even more difficult is the fact that the older brother Hassan was very very eloquent and well spoken and a very gifted public speaker so think about the pressure that they put on the younger brother stuttering so much and so he used to stutter so much and you know when kids start to get a little bit older they're four or five years old they start to develop a little bit of courage and they like to talk one time the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was sitting with quite a few companions and his grandsons are sitting with him and the younger one who stutters he starts to chime in and say something because they love their grandfather they're used to talking to him he starts to say something and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to afford each and every person so much respect that when

somebody would speak he would become quiet he would not just turn towards them with his face he would turn towards them with his chest and he would look at them while they spoke and so he starts to speak and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) stops and turns towards him and so everybody there also starts to listen and the kid is stuttering so badly that it starts to become awkward and some of the people naturally not viciously not maliciously some of the people naturally they start to kind of exchange some glances almost feeling bad for the kid because he cannot even get through a single sentence it starts to get really kind of like awkward and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) never once interrupts him he does not finish his sentence for him but the companions they say they looked at the face of the Prophet (صلی الله عليه وسلم) on how is he reacting and they said he had a big old smile on his face and he was looking at Hussain and smiling and listening to him quietly he didn't care if it took five minutes for him to finish what he was saying but he let him finish what he was saying and when he was finished saying whatever he was saying the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) at that time turns to everybody else that is sitting there because everyone was so weirded and awkwarded out he turns to everyone and he says:

"

Reference: Similar accounts in various hadith collections

He inherited this from his uncle Moses referring to Musa (عليه السلام) and the fact that he used to stutter that don't feel bad for him envy him that he shares the traits with one of the great prophets of God Musa (عليه السلام) he turned that negative into a positive putting himself in that child's shoes and realizing what he needed at that time he needed love and support and acceptance for who he was for however he was.

The Story of Bashir's Son

And the last story about empathy that I'll share here is a very touching story Bashir, a companion of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) he was an Ansari, he had gone out for one of the campaigns, the military expeditions and when the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did not go on this particular journey so when they would return back he would go outside of Medina to welcome them back and all the kids whose fathers had gone out, they would also go out to welcome their fathers and their brothers and their uncles etc. home so they're out there and they're all waiting for people to come back and as slowly everybody is coming back and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would wait and then he would come at the back of the army he would be at the end watching over everybody, the shepherd and the son of Bashir who was standing there climbed up on a rock looking for his dad and he sees people keep on coming, he keeps asking have you seen my dad have you seen my dad and he doesn't see his father, finally when he sees the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) riding in the back he realizes that means my father did not return and he starts to cry, this child starts to cry because he realizes my dad isn't coming back home, he died and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) stops he's riding his animal he stops and he picks him up and he hugs him and he continues to hold him until he stops crying, he calms him down and then he says to him:

"

Reference: Similar narrations in various hadith collections

Be your father from today and Aisha will be your mother from today to embrace somebody else's child as your own empathy and look how it beautifies a person's conduct and character how it beautifies a person.

The Central Message

This quality is central to the prophetic character and so when we talk about the beauty that Islam had and how Islam drew people in it was through the beauty of Islam and the spirituality that Imam Omar talked about and the character and the dealings of the Muslims but centrally at the core of that is this idea of empathy cultivating an attitude of empathy that will beautify our conduct and when that begins to beautify our conduct that will create that exemplary community that people will rush and flock to right now people accept Islam in spite of us it is solely the truth of Islam and the miracle of the Qur'an that people accept Islam then people will accept Islam actually because of us and due to us Allah will make us the means and the seba but we have to qualify ourselves for that.

A Final Reflection

And I'll finally end with just a really interesting thought Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz a great scholar from the history of Islam, one of the great leaders of Muslims in this ummah he actually found out, somebody informed him that one of his sons had purchased a ring worth a thousand dirhams a thousand silver coins like a thousand bucks, he purchased a ring that cost a thousand dollars he called his son and he said I've heard that you bought a thousand dollar ring, he said yes he said what I want you to do I want you to sell it take that money and go feed a thousand people and then just take one dollar buy a one dollar ring and inscribe on that ring:

"

Reference: Various historical accounts of Umar ibn Abdul Aziz

May God have mercy on the man who recognizes and understands his limitation and his capacity our limitation in terms of who we are in our reality and our capacity to be able to care for others and to do good for others.

Closing

May Allah accept all of us and may Allah grant us the ability to follow in the footsteps of the prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and his noble character.